234 Jesus, Prophet ofIslamWe may wish, in oursloth,thatGod had givenus a sys
tem demanding no labour of comparing, limiting, and
inferring. But such a system would be at variance with
the whole character of our present existence; and it is
the part of wisdom to take revelation as it is given to us,
and to interpret it by the help of the faculties, which it
everywhere supposes, and on which it is founded.Channing went on to say that:
IfGod be infinitely wise, He cannot sport with the un
derstanding of His creatures. A wise teacher discovers
his wisdom in adapting himself to the capacities of his
pupils, not in perplexing them with what is unintelligi
ble, not in distressing with apparent contradictions ...
lt is not the mark of wisdom to use an unintelligible
phraseology to communicate what is above our cap ac
ity, to confuse and unsettle the intellect by appearance
of contradictions ... A revelation is a gift of light. Itcan
not thicken our darkness and multiply our perplexities.Following these principles, Channing continued:
In the first place, we believe in the doctrine of God's
Unity, or that there is One God and One only. To this
truth we give infini te importance and we feel ourselves
bound to take heed lest any man spoil us of it by vain
philosophy. Thepropositionthatthere is One God seems
to us exceedingly plain. Weunderstand by it that there
is One Being. One Mind, One Person, One Intelligent
Agent and One only to Whom underived and infinite
perfection anddominionbelongs. We conceive that these
words could have conveyed no other meaning to the
simple and uncultivated people who were set apart to
be the depositaries of this great truth and who were ut
terly incapable of understanding those hair-breadth dis
tinctions between being and person which the sagacity
oflaterages hasdiscovered.We find nointimation that
God's Unity was a quite different thing from the one
ness of other intelligent beings.http://www.islamicbulletin.com