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but its embodiment of the ideal of perfection in Jesus the 
Christ. The philosophers were men of great intellectual 
powers ; the whole mass of previously acquired knowledge 
was open before them ; hard did they labour, deeply did they 
speculate, and we have before us the result of their labours. 
If Christianity has an origin purely human, its authors were 
Jewish fishermen and peasants, to whose minds ancient 
culture had never penetrated, and philosophy was unknown. 
If not impostors, as our adversaries concede that they were 
not, except on occasions too tempting to be resisted, their 
credulity must have exceeded that which is common to man. 
Whatever other influences aided the movement, credulity, 
occasional falsehood, high morality, genius, a power of 
spiritual intuition never before attained, and profound igno- 
rance constituted the foundation. Yet the philosophers 
evolved their philosophy after painful efforts; and the early 
Christians spontaneously generated not only the moral and 
spiritual aspects of Christianity, but a Christ. Surely, if this 
be the case, one^s strength is to sit still. It is the only 
alternative before us. to believe this, or to believe that Chris- 
tianity, testified to as it is by the highest philosophy, has in 
it something more than human. 
The Chairman. — I am sure you will all feel that we ought to return our 
best thanks to Mr. Row for this very important paper, which I am sure will 
be a most valuable addition to our Transactions. (Hear, hear.) It is a paper 
which I am certain none of us could master from simply hearing it read. Its 
real importance will only be fully felt when we have studied it in our 
Journal of Transactions. Still, perhaps, some gentleman present may be 
somewhat prepared upon the subject ; and I therefore call upon any who 
may have any observations to make, and I hope we may have an interesting 
discussion. 
Rev. Mr. Titcomb. — It appears to me that this long and complex, but let 
me add, very valuable paper, may be said to turn upon two propositions, as 
upon two pivots. The first is, that true philosophy, apart from revelation, 
only has power to know the good, but has no power to influence it or to 
produce any of those moral forces by which the good can be advanced and 
carried out into practice. Of the truth of that we shall none of us doubt. 
Any one familiar with the writings of Socrates, Seneca, or Epictetus will l:e 
quite satisfied of the immense perception of moral and spiritual truth which 
they possessed. Indeed, those writings are so allied to the statements of 
revelation, that it is no wonder that many of the rationalistic and infidel 
teachers set the one by the side of the other, and declared each equally 
good. At the same time, while these philosophers advocated all that was 
noble and generous, and great and good in human nature, they added little 
