agnostic.

It is a fact that Christian belief is much more due to doing than to
thinking, as prognosticated by the New Testament. 'If any man will do
His will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God' (St. John
vii. 17). And surely, even on grounds of reason itself, it should be
allowed that, supposing Christianity to be 'of God,' it _ought_ to
appeal to the spiritual rather than to the rational side of our nature.


Even within the region of pure reason (or the '_prima facie_ case')
modern science, as directed on the New Testament criticism, has surely
done more for Christianity than against it. For, after half a century of
battle over the text by the best scholars, the dates of the Gospels have
been fixed within the first century, and at least four of St. Paul's
epistles have had their authenticity proved beyond doubt. Now this is
enough to destroy all eighteenth-century criticism as to the
doubtfulness of the historical existence of Christ and His apostles,
'inventions of priests,' &c., which was the most formidable kind of
criticism of all. There is no longer any question as to historical
facts, save the miraculous, which, however, are ruled out by negative
criticism on merely _a priori_ grounds. This remaining--and, _ex
hypothesi_, necessary--doubt is of very different importance from the
other.

Again, the Pauline epistles of proved authenticity are enough for all
that is wanted to show the belief of Christ's contemporaries.

These are facts of the first order of importance to have proved. Old
Testament criticism is as yet too immature to consider.