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Preface.
standing by the natural or sensuous interpretation of the words of Scripture.
By this false but prevalent method, the Bible is reduced to the level of a human composition, is robbed of its Divine spirit and life, and much of it made to teach what every rational mind sees to be very unreasonable—some of it unintelligible and even puerile. No wonder, therefore, that questions like the following, which Mr. Ingersoll is reported to have asked in a recent lecture, should arise in many thoughtful minds:
"Is there any intelligent man or woman now in the world, who believes in the Garden of Eden story [literally interpreted]?" "Does any human being now believe that God made man of dust, and a woman of a rib, and put them in a garden, and put a tree in the middle of it? Wasn't there room outside of the garden to put his tree if He didn't want people to eat his apples? If I didn't want a man to eat my fruit, I would not put him in my orchard."
What, then, is the remedy? We know of but one; and that is, to teach people the real nature and purpose of Holy Scripture—to show them wherein its divinity consists, what is the law that
