The preceding extracts exhibit a portion of the evidence to prove that the
Augustinian system is contrary to the moral sense of mankind, and that
theologians have failed, by their own concessions, to render it consistent
and satisfactory even to themselves.
The next attempt will be to show that _the people_ are endowed with
_principles of common sense_, by the aid of which they can educe from the
_works_ of the Creator, independently of any revealed _Word_, a system of
religion far superior to the one based on the Augustinian theory.
Our first aim will be to designate what is intended by “the principles of
common sense.”
It is claimed, then, that there are certain truths, the belief of which
exists in every rational human mind. This belief, in some cases, as all
must allow, results from the constitution of mind given by the Creator,
and not from any instruction or knowledge gained by other modes. Of this
class is the belief of every mind in its own existence, and also the
belief in the existence of other things beside ourselves.
There are other truths universally believed by every rational mind, where
there may be room for question as to whether this belief is acquired or
the result of constitutional organization. But this question is waived, as
of little practical consequence for the present purpose of this work.
The fact on which the name and classification of these truths rests is,
that the belief in them is _common_ to all rational minds, and is regarded
as so indispensable to true rationality, that whenever any person shows by
words and actions that a belief in any one of these truths does not exist,
he is regarded as deranged, that is to say, his _reason_ is said to be
more or less destroyed.
This, therefore, is the _test_ by which we are to distinguish these
principles of common sense from all other knowledge. They are truths which
are believed by all rational persons, so that the disbelief of any one of
them, evinced in words and actions, is universally regarded as proof of a
deranged mind. In such cases, a man, in common parlance, would be said to
have “lost his mind,” or to have “lost his reason;” inasmuch as he is
lacking in some of those peculiar features which constitute man a rational
being.
In this work the question is also waived as to the number of truths which
are to be included in this class. In regard to certain of them there can
be no dispute. Of those involving any discussion, there probably will be
no occasion to speak in this work. The writer does not claim that the
common people, or that metaphysicians, when they speak of “common sense,”
always refer to what is here designated by this term.
All that the writer claims is that there are certain truths, the belief of
which is _common_ to all minds, either as the result of constitutional
organization or of acquired knowledge; and that these can be classified by
this _test_, viz., that men universally talk and act as if they believed
them, and when they cease to do so, are regarded as more or less insane.
Moreover, it is claimed that it is proper to call them _principles of
common sense_, because they are that kind of sense which is _common_ to
the whole race, and also they are _often_ referred to, both by
metaphysicians and by the common people, by this term.
In the following chapters it will be shown that by the application of
these principles, a system of natural religion can be gained from the
works of the Creator by the same methods that men employ in all the
ordinary concerns of life, and that thus we are as fully qualified to gain
religious knowledge and peace as we are to secure temporal comfort and
prosperity.