200 Philosophy of the Unman Mind, [Chap. XII» 



of the deity, and of a future state in which our 

 happiness will be proportioned to our internal 

 worth. This is what our philosopher calls rational 

 faith, as it is independent of all knowledge of its 

 object ; for the principles of religion can be neither 

 demonstrated nor disproved by theoretical reason, 

 but arc mere postulates of practical reason ; and 

 the only theology that is really founded on our 

 understanding is moral theology, which depends 

 on moral principles *." 



The complaint that all this is obscure, and 

 scarcely intelligible, will probably be made by 

 every reader. An English philosopher tells us that 

 it would require more than ordinary industry and 

 ingenuity to make a just translation^ or a satisfac- 

 tory abstract of the system in question, in our lan- 

 guage; that for this purpose a new nomenclature, 

 more difficult than that of the Linna^an botany, 

 must be invented. This circumstance itself 'affords 

 strong presumption against the rationality and truth 

 of the Kantian philosophy. Locke and Newton 

 found little difficulty in making themselves under- 

 htood. Eveiy man of plain good sense, v/ho is 

 used to inquiries of that nature, readily compre- 

 hends their systems, in as little time as it requires 

 to peruse their volumes. Even Berkeley and 

 Hume, with all their delusive subtleties, found 

 means to render themselves easily intelligible. Is 

 thfTC not reason, then, to suspect either that the 

 system of ])rofessor Kant is made up of hetero- 

 gcncoris, inconsistent, and incomprehensible mate- 



> The above brief acconnt of the Kantian Fystem o( pncumalc-' 

 bgrj is extriicterl r:om a Bnli^h Litcrarij Journal. 



