us, yet who can say it was not produced in five minutes of our 
time without a miracle. If the stone was worn before it was 
hardened, it certainly could be done in five minutes, and 
what is there to show that the hardness preceded or followed 
the friction ? 
So that when we seek to deduce conclusions which we think 
are borne out in the same direction, without calculating the 
changed differences of the two cases, we not only exceed the 
limits of truth, to which inductive philosophy is entitled to 
bear them, but we place ourselves at once in a formidable 
attitude with respect to an entirely different source of truth, 
from which was to be drawn, nothing that natural philosophy 
had not advanced up to a certain point. For each source had 
equally affirmed the existence of one God, and that that God 
was infinite in power, and unchangeable in purpose. But here, it 
would have been well if Natural Philosophy had paused. The 
standard of truth to which we now appeal, confirmed, as we 
have said before, all that Natural Philosophy had asserted up 
to a given point , beyond which she was unable to give any 
right inferences or deductions. This higher and more detailed 
standard of truth was Revelation. 
But, as some would say, what is Revelation that we should 
believe her statements before the evidence of our senses ? 
Here we must answer, that Revelation is a message expressly 
sent from God to man for his direction and instruction in 
those things which closely concern his eternal destiny, and 
which he could not have known in any other way. This 
is a very vital point, requiring to be kept steadily in the 
mind, especially in these times; for if there were anyway 
besides Revelation that could have informed us that death 
had been brought into the world by sin, then we should 
have had more reason to believe that Revelation was un- 
necessary. But Revelation was no other than the Spirit of 
Grod speaking through men of every rank of life, and its 
claims to our belief rested on many infallible proofs. Thus, it 
was quoted on many occasions by the Saviour of the world 
whom it first made known to man. It made assertions which 
most accurately came to pass as it had said; and, moreover, 
it challenged the whole world to disprove a single state- 
ment that it made. But besides this, it made another claim 
upon our belief still more remarkable; for it made state- 
ments which were contrary to our natural belief, so asto- 
nishing, that if some of the most remarkable had not already 
come to pass, we might have disbelieved them altogether. 
But, in order that we might not do so, we should notice with 
attention the course she has pursued. She had at this point 
