’Why，yes；whoshallconvictGibbonoffalsehood？ManypeoplehaveendeavouredtoconvictGibbonoffalsehood；theyhavefollowedhiminhisresearches，andhaveneverfoundhimoncetripping。Oh，heisawonderfulwriter!hispowerofcondensationisadmirable；theloreofthewholeworldistobefoundinhispages。Sometimesinasinglenotehehasgivenustheresultofthestudyofyears；or，tospeakmetaphorically，“hehasransackedathousandGulistans，andhascondensedallhisfragrantbootyintoasingledropofotto。“’
’ButwasnotGibbonanenemytotheChristianfaith？’
’Why，no；hewasratheranenemytopriestcraft，soamI；andwhenIsaythephilosophyoftheBibleisinmanyrespectsunsound，I
alwayswishtomakeanexceptioninfavourofthatpartofitwhichcontainsthelifeandsayingsofJesusofBethlehem，towhichI
mustalwaysconcedemyunqualifiedadmiration-ofJesus，mindyou；