Page "Richard Whately" Paragraph 30

He took a practical, almost business-like view of Christianity, which seemed to High Churchmen and Evangelicals alike little better than Rationalism.

In this they did Whately less than justice, for his religion was very real and genuine.

But he may be said to have continued the typical Christianity of the 18th century — that of the theologians who went out to fight the Rationalists with their own weapons.

It was to Whately essentially a belief in certain matters of fact, to be accepted or rejected after an examination of " evidences.

" Hence his endeavour always is to convince the logical faculty, and his Christianity inevitably appears as a thing of the intellect rather than of the heart.

Whately's qualities are exhibited at their best in his Logic.

He wrote nothing better than the luminous Appendix to this work on Ambiguous Terms.