The Collected Works of Theodore Parker/Volume 01

by Theodore Parker

CONTENTS.

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		PAGE
The Introduction		ix
BOOK I.
OF RELIGION IN GENERAL, OR A DISCOURSE OF THE RELIGIOUS ELEMENT AND ITS MANIFESTATIONS.
Chap. I.	An Examination of the Religious Element in Men, and the Existence of its Object	1
II.	Of the Sentiment, Idea, and Conception of God	7
III.	Power of the Religious Element	13
IV.	The Idea of Religion connected with Science and Life	23
V.	The three great Historical Forms of Religion	28
VI.	Of certain Doctrines connected with Religion. I. Of the Primitive State of Mankind. II. Of the Immortality of the Soul	70
VII.	The Influence of the Religious Element on Life	84
BOOK II.
THE RELATION OF THE RELIGIOUS SENTIMENT TO GOD, OR A DISCOURSE OF INSPIRATION.
Chap. I.	The Idea and Conception of God	103
II.	Relation of Nature to God	110
III.	Statement of the Analogy drawn from God's Relation to Nature	117
IV.	The General Relation of Supply to Want	118
V.	Statement of the Analogy from this Relation	122
VI.	The Rationalistic View, or Naturalism	126
VII.	The Anti-rationalistic View, or Supernaturalism	133
VIII.	The Natural-Religious View, or Spiritualism	138
BOOK III.
THE RELATION OF THE RELIGIOUS ELEMENT TO JESUS OF NAZAERETH, OR A DISCOURSE OF CHRISTIANITY.
Chap. I.	Statement of the Question and the Method of Inquiry	153
II.	Removal of some Difficulties. Character of the Christian Records	158
III.	The Religious and Theological Doctrines of Jesus	163
IV.	The Authority of Jesus, its Real and Pretended Source	173
V.	The Essential Excellence of the Christian Religion	187
VI.	The Moral and Religious Character of Jesus of Nazareth	192
VII.	Mistakes about Jesus—his Reception and Influence	198
BOOK IV.
THE RELATION OF THE RELIGIOUS ELEMENT TO THE GREATEST OF BOOKS, OR A DISCOURSE OF THE BIBLE.
Chap. I.	Position of the Bible—Claims made for it—Statement of the Question	211
II.	An Examination of the Claims of the Old Testament to be a Divine, Miraculous, or Infallible Composition	218
III.	An Examination of the Claims of the New Testament to be a Divine, Miraculous, or Infallible Composition	234
IV.	The Absolute Religion independent of Historical Documents—The Bible as it is	242
V.	Cause of the False and the Real Veneration for the Bible	245
BOOK V.
THE RELATION OF THE RELIGIOUS ELEMENT TO THE GREATEST OF HUMAN INSTITUTIONS, OR A DISCOURSE OF THE CHURCH.
Chap. I.	Claims of the Christian Church	253
II.	The Gradual Formation of the Christian Church	258
III.	The Fundamental and Distinctive Idea of the Christian Church—Division of the Christian Sects	269
IV.	The Catholic Party	271
V.	The Protestant Party	289
VI.	Of the Party that are neither Catholics nor Protestants	316
VII.	The Final Answer to the Question	319
The Conclusion		325

THE

COLLECTED WORKS

OF

THEODORE PARKER

MINISTER OF THE TWENTY-EIGHTH CONGREGATIONAL SOCIETY AT BOSTON, U.S.

CONTAINING HIS

THEOLOGICAL, POLEMICAL, AND CRITICAL WRITINGS, SERMONS, SPEECHES, AND ADDRESSES, AND LITERARY MISCELLANIES.

EDITED BY

FRANCES POWER COBBE.

VOL. I.

SERMONS OF THEISM, ATHEISM, AND THE POPULAR THEOLOGY.

Second Edition.

LONDON:

N. TRÜBNER & CO., 60, PATERNOSTER ROW.

1867.

A

DISCOURSE

OF

MATTERS PERTAINING TO RELIGION.

BY

THEODORE PARKER.

“If an offence come out of the Truth, better is it that the offence come, than the Truth be concealed.”—Jerome.

LONDON:

TRÜRNER & CO., LUDGATE HILL.

1876.

JOHN CHILDS AND SON, PRINTERS.