8.—True History.

Complete history is not yet found in any one kind of literary work, if we are to understand by that "all the interesting events in the pro- page 26 gress of a race or nation." It is a matter of pure impossibility that it should. Macaulay's "History of England" is an admirable work, but there are many interesting events he does not record. That, however, does not invalidate the "truth" of what he does chronicle, and consequently his is a true history nevertheless. Many things no doubt transpired in the midst of the Hebrew nation, of which the Bible takes no notice. That, however, has no bearing upon those incidents which it does record. Mr Stout suggests that because some men are constantly trying to explain away certain records of the Bible, therefore Scripture history is not "true history." It is a noteworthy fact that many of those events which weak-minded men have tried to explain as allegory, have been proved real history, from incontestable corroborative evidence, and the allegory-loving men have had to withdraw their purile scruples. Not a year passes without some additional confirmation of the correctness of passages which have been considered incorrect by persons who knew nothing whatever of the events referred to. Mr Stout says: "But if we find several things recorded untrue, must we not say that this History differs in no respect from the works of other historians." Before he propounds this question, he should produce the untruthful records, and his evidence which condemns them. He did not give one single specimen. "But if we find." We must wait until he does find.