Page:The Evidences of Christianity.djvu/9

ii PREFACE. pelled to receive his proofs at second hand, and to content himself with a degree of conviction inferior to that which would result from personal investigation. In arranging the historical evidences, it has been usual to begin with establishing the authen- ticity of the Scripture books, and on this to found the argument for their credibility. This method is liable to a grave objection, on account of the obscurity that rests on the authorship of some of the books. The foundation of the argument ought to be undoubted truth, in order that the conclusion may be received with unhesitating and unwavering faith. The method adopted in this work, founds the first arguments on facts of which all men of ordi- nary information have knowledge. It begins with noticing some prominent singularities of the Bible, discoverable by common observation, and the aid of commonly received history ; and these it notices, not so much for. the sake of argument, as of inducement to enter on the study with ear- nestness. We judge of a man's character by what he does ; and the method here adopted begins the inquiry into the character of the Bible, by an examination of what it has done in the