The Bible.--My earliest views of its origin and authority.--Changed as I grew up.--Further changes.--Important facts about the Bible.--False theories of its Divine inspiration.--The true--the Bible's own,--doctrine on the subject.--Needful to keep inside of this.--No defence outside either for the Bible or for Bible men.--Explanations: illustrations: testimonies of celebrated writers.--The PERFECTION of the Bible--in what does it consist.--Foolish and impossible notions of perfection.--No absolute perfection in any thing.--No need for it.--Foolish talk about infallibility.--Other important testimonies, 202 CHAPTER XV. Enters politics.--Advocates extreme political views.--Republicanism.--Foretells the French Revolution of 1848.--Great political excitement in England.--Government alarmed.--Get arrested.--Lodged in prison.--Trial.--Triumph over Government.--Great rejoicings.--Elected member of Parliament for Bolton, and Town Councillor for Leeds.--Exhaustion from excess of labor.--Health fails.--Terrible Pains.--Voyage to America and back.--Removes to America.--Objects in doing so.--Settles on a farm.--Gets into fresh excitement.--The Abolitionists.--Women's Rights.--All kinds of wild revolutionary theories.--Go farther into unbelief instead of getting back to Christ.--A mad world, with strange unwritten histories, and awful, nameless mysteries, 241 CHAPTER XVI. Story of my descent from the faith of my childhood, to doubt and unbelief.--Bad theological teaching in my early days.--Dreadful results.--Perplexity.--Madness.--Survive all, and get over it.--The first arguments I heard for the Bible.--True basis of religious belief.--Reading on the evidences.--Effects.--Unsound arguments.--_Their_ effect.--_Internal_ evidences best.--Negative criticism, long continued, ruinous both to faith and virtue.--Moving ever downwards.--The devil as a theologian, a poet and a philosopher.--Bible Conventions.--W. L. Garrison, A. J. Davis.--Public discussions in Philadelphia with Dr. McCalla.--The Doctor's disgraceful failure.--Great,--mad,--excitement.--Narrow escape from murder.--Eight nights' debate with Dr. Berg.--The good cause suffered through bad management.--The Doctor took an untenable position.--Undertook to prove too much and failed.--Substantially right, but logically wrong.--Other debates in Ohio, Indiana, England and Scotland.--Mean and mischievous opponents.--Honorable and useful ones.--Bad advocates of a good cause, its worst enemies, 269 CHAPTER XVII.