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the case of natural science. On the other hand, it professes to rest upon 

 ultimate truths, which are made known to mankind either by a moral 

 instinct, in virtue of which man is man, or by that revelation from God 

 which religion necessarily postulates, and of which man alone of all 

 earthly creatures is susceptible. 



I shrink from introducing into an address of this kind illustrations 

 drawn from the highest source of religious knowledge, namely, the 

 message delivered to mankind by Him whom we regard as both God 

 and man; though I would just remark by the way, that I can find 

 nothing essentially opposed to the knowledge attainable from other 

 sources, in the idea of such a message. But I shall be content with a 

 much humbler illustration of the point which I am endeavouring to 

 enforce just now. I will suppose a father to be walking in the country 

 with young hopeful, aged we will say twelve years, more or less, and 

 endeavouring to improve his mind. Pater discourses upon geology, and 

 points out various features in the rocks illustrating this or that ; he finds, 

 we will suppose, that his companion, instead of swallowing all that is 

 told him whole, bolting it undigested, or apparently regarding the 

 paternal lecture as a bore, asks some awkward but most pertinent 

 question which it is difficult to answer ; the boy in fact doubts ; he is 

 not convinced by what his elder tells him; he determines to think about 

 the matter, to observe for himself, and then try to make up his mind. 

 What does the father think of this 1 Is he offended or frightened? Not 

 at all. He says, " That boy has got the making of a man of science ; 

 he will inquire for himself; he will be somebody one of these days." 

 And papa and mamma rejoice together. But suppose that in the course 

 of the excursion the conversation should fall, not upon rocks and strati- 

 fication, but upon some moral subject, such as truf/i : and suppose that 

 the youth should shew himself, like Pilate, sceptical upon i/iis point, and 

 that with a precocious freedom of thought he should express the opinion, 

 that there was no great difference between truth and falsehood ; and 

 that he should announce his intention of regarding the question of lying 

 as an open one at present, to be decided perhaps in future by obser- 

 vation of consequences. Would the father go home as comfortable under 



