would probably be right, but the reasons, as _stated by him_, might not
be. It need not be inferred from this that the reasons upon which he
would really act were wrong, but rather that from want of practice, or
power of analysis, or some other cause, he would be unable to bring them
out correctly. The processes of thought pass so rapidly through the
mind, that even the most practised thinkers often find it difficult to
arrest them in their progress, and state the various steps by which they
have arrived at their conclusions. The simplest and most certain grounds
of our conclusions are, in fact, not unfrequently those which it is most
difficult to bring out into distinct view. They have so often passed
through the mind that we have ceased to notice them, although, all the
while, they contribute essentially to the judgment which is formed; or
they lie so far back, in the depths of our consciousness, that it is
almost impossible to recover them. Necessarily, nothing can be so
simple, or so certain, in one sense, as intuitions, that is, those things
which we know or believe without any intermediate process of thought, and
yet, down to the present time, those who have most deeply studied the
subject hesitate to decide exactly as to what are intuitions, and what
are not. We conclude then that, while, on the one hand, we should not
discredit the rational powers of men, as if they were unequal to perform
the task allotted to them; we must not, on the other, be easily shaken
with regard to conclusions which have been made with care and
consideration, because we may be unable to trace out accurately the
arguments by which they are supported, or answer the objections which are
made against them.

We have now considered revelation with regard to the conditions under
which it may be expected to be _given_, _recorded_, and _transmitted_,
with a view to its being _accepted and believed_. We do not for a moment
suppose that we have removed every difficulty; but if we have upon the
whole, made clear to our readers the nature of these conditions, or,
where this has not been done, indicated the points at which difficulties
exist, our chief purpose will have been answered.

* * * * *

6. Here we might leave the subject, but we cannot forbear adding some
further observations in reference to that professed revelation of God's
will which is to be found in the Bible. It is not our intention to
attemp