Newspaper, and Member of Parliament. As his remarks
are lengthy, we are obliged to abridge them in some cases.

'It is not needed, in order to show satisfactorily that there is a
divine revelation _in_ the record, to prove that the record is _itself_
divine. To disprove that revelation, a man must do something more than
point out marks of imperfection in the Book containing it, such marks as
would not be expected in a book written directly by the hand of God. If
it could be demonstrated that the penmen who have given us the life of
Christ, were indebted to no other aid than that supplied by the good
mental and moral qualifications which any others might possess, the main
strength of Christianity as a communication of God's mind and will,
would remain untouched.

'The discrepancies between the statements of the four Evangelists,--the
indications of individual or national peculiarities,--the modes of
describing occurrences, true because well understood in the locality of
the speaker, but not strictly true in other places,--all matters which
serve to show that the same objects have been seen by different persons,
but from different points of view, are to be allowed for as reconcilable
with a truthfulness that may be implicitly relied upon. One informant
may have blundered in geography, another may have been mistaken in an
historical reference, a third may have misquoted or misapplied some
prophetical allusion, and all may have given ample proof that they were
not free from the influence of the traditions generally received in the
places to which they belonged; but unless these peculiarities and
infirmities show a want of competency as witnesses, or a lack of
integrity, they may be dismissed, as having no bearing on the main
point.

'The question whether the Gospel records are free from blemishes found
to attach to every other record, has nothing to do with the main issue.
Our _theories_ may require them to be free from such harmless
imperfections; but our _reason_ makes no such demand.

'The memoir of a great man does not lose its use and virtue, because
written by a biographer open to some censure: nor can the life of Christ
fail of its transcendent purpose, because the writers were not in all
things infallible.

'Appearances of harmless human imperfections in the writers do not
invalidate the sacred records. For instance, if it should be found that
those faithful witnesses have given their testimony in exceptionabl