In 1794, philosopher and theologian William Paley published a seminal two-volume work that would go on to shape the minds of Cambridge students, including a young Charles Darwin, for generations to come. This classic apologetic masterpiece is structured into three comprehensive parts, delving into the historical foundations of Christianity and the miraculous deeds of Jesus Christ. Paley's ingenious argument begins by positing that the original eyewitnesses to Christ's miracles should be trusted, given the immense personal risks they took in testifying to what they saw. He then tackles Hume's skeptical assertion that miracles can never be proven, regardless of the evidence, by cleverly suggesting that if one accepts the existence of God, then miracles should be anticipated. Paley's erudite defence of Christianity was a literary sensation in its time, and his work is now recognized as a precursor to the modern theory of intelligent design.