TJie Bible. 31 



now ; it may be denied in spite of any amount of 

 proof to support it. But it must be overthrown by 

 proof of what has been done, and not by the mere 

 rtion of what may be done, as the grand fruiting 

 of some specious or arrogant philosophy. 



That some should claim that they have already 

 found in Natural Religion all the light they need, 

 is by no me; In such a world as I have 



supposed, lighted only by glimmering fixed stars, 

 no doubt some would be found to declare the light 

 sufficient. If they did so, it would not be proof 

 that they ei Jit, or had better e 



than their neighbors! but rather that they did not 

 fully appreciate the capacity of the eye, and had no 

 conception of t; >us splendor 



of ] And if the written Word is proved 



t<> be an imposition, then man stands an anomaly 

 among the creatures of the globe, with capacities 

 and 9 for which no adequate provision has 



been ma le, For us, who have always lived in the 

 light of the Bible, it is specially difficult to know 

 what we should have been without it, or rather what 

 it is possible for society to become without its 

 influence. 



Certainly, the highest civilizations that the race 

 r attained without it were marred by acknow- 

 ledged principles of injustice, cruelty, and impurity. 

 They contained within themselves the very princi- 

 ples of self-destruction or degradation. The bril- 

 liancy of such civilizations is no more to be com- 

 pared with a civilization founded upon the righteousi 



