XX PEEFACB. 



trip over the nature-textuary into the abysses of denial. The ar- 

 mor of these greatest truths is, however, not so ill-jointed as to let 

 in such lances. It demands that the critic shall try his criticism by 

 not only accounting for, but ruling the world. If he cannot do these 

 two things, his rack of texts proves as good as nothing. 



This method also is a defence against hooks. For were we not 

 entitled, as children of science, to take for granted our Revelation, 

 and to make our lives, and if need be, our eternity, into its trial, 

 we should be bound on a quest over the whole universe, to listen 

 to what everybody said. The sandals of this terrible flight would 

 soon reverse us, and take the place of our heads. By nature how- 

 ever we make up our minds very soon, malyre the possibility of 

 meeting some one who shall one day upset us : there is a quick hour 

 when every man burns his Alexandrian Library as heartily as the 

 Kalif Omar. And thus we limit ourselves to a particular walk, and 

 like cobblers, u stick to our last." The atheists do this just as much 

 as other people ; the vacancy of the air of their studies, suffices them 

 for the induction that "God is nowhere." Why should not the 

 Christian professionally accept this necessity of not roaming through 

 all books, but work from the Best to his vocation ? 



We were forced upon this track of thought, by noticing that the 

 nationalists had got to nothing as punctually as if nothing had been 

 their aim ; and that their inductions were of no consequence, sup- 

 posing them to be true ; which however concluded against their 

 truth. We found also that they were like the fellow who claimed 

 Virgil's " Sic vos non vobis" to himself, but could not complete the 

 line which the great poet had left half finished. In the whole 

 company of them, and in all their promise of offspring, there was 

 not a spark of revelation ; though to hear them talk one might have 

 imagined, that they knew the way of making myths, and that 

 writing Bibles was their forte. For these and a thousand other rea- 

 sons, we left them on one side, and took another tack. 



Here also we quitted those two little parties who think that they 

 are the only two, namely, the contenders for the principle of au- 

 thority on the one side, and for that of reasoning on the other ; and 

 taking some gold and silver from both, we determined to choose the 

 party of science, as that to which the Lord of science was about to 



