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gony and a heathen mythology ; that they laid hold of whatever was 
pure and noble, and turned and perverted it into conceptions that 
have nothing in common with a pure and high theology such as we 
find enshrined in the books of the Old Testament ; that, in fact, a 
direct line of derivation for all that is true and pure in these systems 
is to be traced to the Divine revelations, which are presupposed by, 
or contained in, the writings of the Old Testament Scriptures, instead of 
these systems being the originals from which the sublimity of the Old 
Testament, as certain parties pretend, is derived. (Hear, hear.) I think 
that this is something like his general argument, and it is not unimportant 
that we should consider these matters ; indeed, I think I might venture to 
say to the right reverend gentleman who has spoken, that these things 
are not matters of indifference, that they are matters practically bearing 
on the faith of the people day by day. I imagine that my friend Dr. 
Rule would hardly have been at the trouble of writing this paper if he 
had not found clear evidence that it is a difficulty in gaining the allegiance 
of a certain set of students of ancient history, mythology, theology, and 
cosmogony, that they can and do assume, and take it as fully granted, 
that the Scriptures are mere derivatives from other sources. (Hear, 
hear.) Therefore, I think that Dr. Rule has been dealing with a prac- 
tical evil in demonstrating that it is impossible that the statements of 
the Scripture could have been derived from those other sources to which 
reference has been made. Possible it is that the divine truths presupposed 
in earlier books of the Scriptures may have been perverted and degraded 
by the later mythologies and cosmogonies ; possible enough is it that 
these false systems may have played havoc with everything that was 
true and good, but it is not possible that the real original truth itself 
should have been gathered by a strange system of derivation and a 
gradual method of purification and analysis from those other sources. 
(Hear, hear.) I have been reminded, in reading and hearing this 
paper, of what I have always felt to be one of the great evidences of 
the truth of the Old Testament, and that is, that they are so entirely sepa- 
rate, so altogether in contrast with all the systems of mythology that have 
prevailed in the world. There was a time in my life when I gave a good 
deal of attention to these studies, and I then came to something like this 
conclusion— that a man left to the mere efforts and struggles of his 
own unaided reason when endeavouring to grapple with the problem 
of existence would never be led to the real and grand solution 
which we hold, namely that there is a personal God. (Hear, hear.) I believe 
that in order really to attain to that sublime, that wonderful truth, revela- 
tion was necessary. (Hear, hear.) As a matter of fact we do find that in 
any such mental struggle men are continually led to suggest such poor pitiful 
attempts at a solution of the problem as those we have had a sample of 
to-night. We find that the metaphysicians of to-day, when they refuse to 
accept the teachings of revelation on this subject, are very much in the same 
