been able
to gather between birth and death.

This has been, for the last half-century, the theory of the soundest
scholars and thinkers of Europe.

36. There is yet indeed one farther condition of incredulity
attainable, and sorrowfully attained, by many men of powerful
intellect--the incredulity, namely, of inspiration in any sense, or of
help given by any Divine power to the thoughts of men. But this form
of infidelity merely indicates a natural incapacity for receiving
certain emotions; though many honest and good men belong to this
insentient class.

37. The educated men, therefore, who may be seriously appealed to, in
these days, on questions of moral responsibility, as modified by
Scripture, are broadly divisible into three classes, severally holding
the last three theories above stated.

Now, whatever power a passage from the statedly authoritative portions
of the Bible may have over the mind of a person holding the fourth
theory, it will have a proportionately greater over that of persons
holding the third or the second. I, therefore, always imagine myself
speaking to the fourth class of theorists. If I can persuade or
influence _them_, I am logically sure of the others. I say
"logically," for the actual fact, strange as it may seem, is that no
persons are so little likely to submit to a passage of Scripture not
to their fancy, as those who are most positive on the subject of its
general inspiration.

38. Addressing, then, this fourth class of thinkers, I would say to
them, when asking them to enter on any subject of importance to
national morals, or conduct, "This book, which has been the accepted
guide of the moral intelligence of Europe for some fifteen hundred
years, enforces certain simple laws of human conduct which you know
have also been agreed upon, in every main point, by all the religious,
and by all the greatest profane writers, of every age and country.
This book primarily forbids pride, lasciviousness, and covetousness;
and you know that all great thinkers, in every nation of mankind,
have similarly forbidden these mortal vices. This book enjoins truth,
temperance, charity, and equity; and you know that every great
Egyptian, Greek, and Indian, enjoins these also. You know besides,
that through all the mysteries of human fate and history, this one
great law of fate is written on the walls of cities, or in their dust;
written in letters of light, and letters of blood,--that where truth,
temp