of construction, such as, if
made use of in the intercourse of men in daily life, would break up
society and destroy all faith of man in man.

'We dwell at length on this topic now, that we may not be obliged to
recur to it when, as will be the case, other instances arise in which
there is no solution of unimportant, though real, literary difficulties.

'There are a multitude of minute, and on the whole, as respects the
substance of truth, not important questions and topics, which, like a
fastened door, refuse to be opened by any key which learning has brought
to them. It is better to let them stand closed than, like impatient
mastiffs, after long barking in vain, to lie whining at the door, unable
to enter, and unwilling to go away. _Life of Jesus, pp. 77-81._

The Rev. G. Rawlinson, in an able lecture in defence of the Bible,
published by the CHRISTIAN EVIDENCE SOCIETY of London, acknowledges that
there are matters of uncertainty in some parts of the Old Testament
history, and says, 'The time allowed by the common version of the Bible
for all the events which took place from the days of Noah, to the birth
of Christ, and for all the changes by which the various races of men
were formed, by which civilization and the arts were developed, etc., is
less than 2,600 years. Now this is quite insufficient. How is this
difficulty to be met? We answer; a special uncertainty attaches to the
numbers in this case. They are given differently in the different
ancient versions. The Samaritan version extends the time 650 years. The
Septuagint extends it eight or nine hundred years. If more time still be
thought wanting for the development of government, art, science,
language, diversities of races, etc., I should not be afraid to grant
that the original record of Scripture on this point may have been lost,
and that the true chronology cannot now be ascertained. Nothing in
ancient manuscripts is so liable to corruption as the numbers. The
original mode of writing them was by signs not very different from one
another, and thus it happens that in almost all ancient works, the
numbers are found to be deserving of very little reliance.'

But the errors and uncertainty with regard to numbers amount to nothing.
They do not affect the Bible as the great religious instructor of the
world.

The sun has its spots, dark ones and large ones too; and the face of the
moon is not all of equal brightness; but are the sun and the moon less
useful