Difficulties. 37 



that God not only created the world, but that He is 

 the Author of the Bible ; that we are now in His 

 power, and must ever remain there ? According as 

 we honestly answer these questions, we find our- 

 seh iy to accept or reject the great truths 



which are essential to religion, natural or revealed. 

 But the fact that our decision will not change our 

 relationships, and the infinite interests that are at 

 stake if those relationships really do exist, will do 

 much, if rightly appreciated, to make us honest. 

 The hazard would seem to be too great for us to be 

 willing to make the least mistake in our investiga- 

 tions. We ought to be willing to admit every new 

 proof, and 1 to abandon, if need be, our long- 



cherished opinions. 



T!ie difficulties in the way of a proper presenta- 

 tion of the subject are various, and not easily reme- 

 died. \Ve meet with one formidable at the very 

 outset. The subject is thought to be hackneyed. 

 For thousands :s it has been one of the 



staples of human thought, and in its investigation 

 : v field of knowledge has been explored by most 

 successful observe!*. The Paleys and Bucklands 

 will never be surpassed, and probably never equalled, 

 in their peculiar style and line of argument. And 

 if there is much that is false, and much that is 

 worthless, yearly spoken and written on this sub- 

 ject, it only shows how familiar must be all its 

 leading truths to the common mind. It has then 

 no charm like that which new discoveries and new 

 subjects of human thought possess for the moment 



