SHOULD THE TKUTH BE TOLD ? 523 



whether he dies, is as much a matter of indifference to 

 Nature as whether a rain-drop falls upon the field and 

 feeds a hlade of grass, or falls upon a stone and is dried 

 to death. She does not supervise these small details. 

 This discovery is hy no means flattering, but it enlarges 

 our idea of the scheme of creation. That universe 

 must indeed be great in which human beings are so 

 small. 



The following facts result from our investigations : — 

 Supernatural Christianity is false. God-worship is 

 idolatry. Prayer is useless. The soul is not immor- 

 tal. There are no rewards and there are no punish- 

 ments in a future state. 



It now remains to be considered whether it is right 

 to say so. It will doubtless be supposed that I shall 

 make use of the plea that a writer is always justified 

 in publishing the truth, or what he conscientiously 

 believes to be the truth, and that if it does harm he is 

 not to blame. But I shall at once acknowledge that 

 truth is only a means towards an end, — the welfare of 

 the human race. If it can be shown that by speaking 

 the truth an injury is inflicted on mankind, then a 

 stubborn adherence to truth becomes merely a Pharisee 

 virtue, a spiritual pride. But in moral life Truth, 

 though not infallible, is our safest guide, and those 

 who maintain that it should be repressed must be 

 prepared to bring forward irrefutable arguments in 

 favour of their cause. If so much as the shadow of a 

 doubt remains, their client, Falsehood, is non-suited, and 

 Truth remains in possession of the con«jience. Let us 

 now hear what the special pleaders have to say. The 

 advocates for Christianity versus Truth will speak first, 

 and I shall reply ; and then the advocates for deism 

 will state their case. What they will endeavour to 



