But the difficulty complained of, he conceives to arise, in many instances, from men’s mis-stating the grounds of their own conviction.  They are convinced, indeed, and perhaps with very sufficient reason; but they imagine this reason to be a different one from what it is.  The evidence to which they have assented is applied to their minds in a different manner from that in which they believe that it is—­and suppose that it ought to be—­applied.  And when challenged to defend and justify their own belief, they feel at a loss, because they are attempting to maintain a position which is not, in fact, that in which their force lies.

For a development of the nature, the consequences, and the remedies of this mistake, the reader is referred to “Hinds on Inspiration,” pp. 30-46.  If such a development is to be found in any earlier works, the Author of the following pages at least has never chanced to meet with any attempt of the kind.[2]

It has been objected, again, by some persons of no great logical accuracy of thought, that as there would not be any moral blame imputable to one who should seriously disbelieve, or doubt, the existence of Buonaparte, so neither is a rejection of the Scripture-histories to be considered as implying anything morally culpable.

The same objection, such as it is, would apply equally to many of the Parables of the New Testament.  It might be said, for instance, that as a woman who should decline taking the trouble of searching for her lost “piece of silver,” or a merchant who should neglect making an advantageous purchase of a “goodly pearl,” would be guilty of no moral wrong, it must follow that there is nothing morally wrong in neglecting to reclaim a lost sinner, or in rejecting the Gospel, &c.

But any man of common sense readily perceives that the force of these parables consists in the circumstance that men do not usually show this carelessness about temporal goods; and, therefore, are guilty of gross and culpable inconsistency, if they are comparatively careless about what is far more important.

So, also, in the present case.  If any man’s mind were so constituted as to reject the same evidence in all matters alike—­if, for instance, he really doubted or disbelieved the existence of Buonaparte, and considered the Egyptian pyramids as fabulous, because, forsooth, he had no “experience” of the erection of such huge structures, and had experience of travellers telling huge lies—­he would be regarded, perhaps, as very silly, or as insane, but not as morally culpable.  But if (as is intimated in the concluding sentence of this work) a man is influenced in one case by objections which, in another case, he would deride, then he stands convicted of being unfairly biassed by his prejudices.

It is only necessary to add, that as this work first appeared in the year 1819, many things are spoken of in the present tense, to which the past would now be applicable.