But they can hardly expect that, without any such showing at all, the world will deliberately repel as a blasphemy what it has hitherto accepted as a commonplace.
This objection is itself so obvious that it has not escaped notice.

But the very fact of its obviousness has tended to hide the true force of it, and coming so readily to the surface, it has been set down as superficial.

It is, however, very constantly recognised, and is being met on all sides with a very elaborate answer.

It is this answer that I shall now proceed to consider.

It is a very important one, and it deserves our most close attention, as it contains the chief present argument for the positive faith in life.