THIS work is the result of the study and thought of
many years. Dissatisfied with the evidences commonly alleged for Christianity, I looked to see if the religion of the Incarnation did not rest on other and sounder grounds its claim for the allegiance of humanity. And it seemed to me, that if God created man, and implanted in his soul certain spiritual instincts and tendencies, a revelation from God on which a religion may be built must meet and satisfy these instincts and tendencies.
Consequently, the first step to be taken in deciding whether a revelation be true or not is to examine what are the religious instincts and tendencies of mankind. And then to see whether Christianity does answer to these needs.
The period when historical evidence was accepted as establishing the claims of Christianity is over. An historical revelation is necessarily subject to historical criticism; and the authority and authenticity of the documents are open to question. The revelation of our own