number. They are composed of iron, or a peculiar kind of iron-stone, and are of all sizes, from a few ounces to several hundred weight. No explanation has been given of them that is at all satisfactory. There are strong objections against supposing them either to have been thrown out by volcanoes in the moon, or to be fragments torn off from some other planets, or to be formed in the air. In future generations, perhaps, when chemistry and astronomy are much improved, more may be known about these wonderful stones. But, in the mean time, the fact of their having fallen is so well attested by numerous witnesses, that, in spite of all the difficulties, no one who has inquired into the subject, has any doubt the thing has really occurred, however incredible it might have appeared.

Then, again, if we look to human transactions we shall find several portions of history, even those which no one has any doubt of, full of such strange events, that difficulties might be pointed out in the accounts of them, and strong objections raised against the history, even when it rests on such satisfactory evidence as to be believed in spite of those objections. In the history, for instance, of Europe for the last forty years, there are many events so improbable in themselves,-especially all that relate to the wonderful rise, and greatness, and overthrow of the empire of Napoleon Buonaparte, -that it would be easy to find objections sufficient to convince many persons that the history could not be true, were it not that it is so well attested as to be believed notwithstanding all the difficulties.

Numberless other examples might be brought, to show how many things there are which men believe,

and believe on very good grounds,-in spite of strong and real objections, which they cannot satisfactorily answer; these being outweighed by more and greater difficulties on the opposite side.

As for the particular objections which have been brought against the Christian religion, and the Christian Scriptures, it would, of course, be impossible to put before you, in a short compass, even the chief part of them, together with the answers that have been given. But what is of the most importance is, to lay down, generally, the right way of viewing objections, either against our religion, or against any thing else; namely, first, that you should not begin by considering the objections to any statement or system, before you are acquainted with the evidence in favour of it; and secondly, that you should not think yourself bound to renounce your faith, if you cannot answer every objection, and clear up every difficulty that may be raised; but should remember that many things are believed, and must be believed, against which there are strong objections that have never been completely answered, when there are stronger objections against the opposite belief.

LESSON XVI.

OBJECTIONS. PART II.

Or the objections that have been brought against Christianity, there are some which ordinary Christians may learn enough to be able to refute for themselves. There are others, again, to which learned and able men have found answers, but which the generality of Christians cannot be expected to answer, or even to understand; and, again, there are other objections which no man, however learned, and however intelligent, can expect to answer fully, on account of the imperfect knowledge which belongs to man in this present life. For you are to observe, that when we speak of any one as having much knowledge and intelligence, we mean that he is so comparatively with other men; since the best informed man knows but few things, compared with those of which he is ignorant; and the wisest man cannot expect to understand all the works, and all the plans, of his Creator. Now this is particularly important to be kept in mind in the present case; because Christianity, we should remember, is a scheme imperfectly understood. What is revealed to us, must be (supposing the religion to be true) but a part, and perhaps but a small part, of the whole truth. There are many things of which at present we can know little or nothing, which have, or may have a close connexion with the Christian religion. For instance, we are very little acquainted with more than a very small part of the

universe; of the whole history, past and future, of the world we inhabit; and of the whole of man's existence.

This earth is but a speck compared with the rest of the planets which move round the sun, together with the enormous mass of the sun itself; to say nothing of the other heavenly bodies. It is likely that all these are inhabited; and it may be, that the Gospel which has been declared to us may be but one small portion of some vast scheme which concerns the inhabitants of numerous other worlds.

Then, again, we have no knowledge how long this our world is to continue. For aught we know, the Christian religion may not have existed a fifth part, or a fiftieth part, of its whole time; and it may, perhaps, have not produced yet, one-fiftieth of the effects it is destined to produce.

And we know that as it holds out the hope of immortality beyond the grave, it is connected with man's condition, not merely during his short life on earth, but for eternity.

Seeing, then, that Christianity, if true, must be a scheme so partially and imperfectly revealed to us, and so much connected with things of which man can have little or no knowledge, we might have expected that. difficulties should be found in it, which the wisest of men are unable to explain. And men truly wise are not surprised or disheartened at meeting with such difficulties; but are prepared to expect them from the nature of the case.

The view which we have of any portion of a system, of which the whole is not before us, has been aptly compared to a map of an inland country; in which we

see rivers without source or mouth, and roads that seem to lead to nothing. A person who knows any thing of geography, understands at once, on looking at such a map, that the sources and mouths of the rivers, and the towns which the roads lead to, are somewhere beyond the boundaries of the district; though he may not know where they lie. But any one who was very ill-informed might be inclined presumptuously to find fault with the map which showed him only a part of the course of the rivers and roads. And it is the same with anything else, of which we see only a part, unless we recollect that it is but a part, and make allowance accordingly for our imperfect view of it.

There is much truth, therefore, in the Scotch proverb, that "children and fools should never see half.. finished works." They not only cannot guess what the whole will be when complete, but are apt to presume to form a judgment without being aware of their own ignorance. If you were to see for the first time the beginning of the manufacture of some of the com. monest articles, such for instance, as the paper now before you, you would be at a loss, if you had never hear l the process described, to guess what the workman was going to make. You would see a great trough full of a liquid like pap; and would never think of such a thing as a sheet of paper being made from it. And if you were to see the beginning of the building of a house or a ship, you would be very unfit to judge what sort of a work it would be when completed.

And the same holds good, only in a greater degree, in respect of the plans of Divine wisdom. So small a portion of them is made known to us, that it would