truth is in its essentials. To dispel the darkness the true light must be made to shine.

Moreover, the pulpit and religious press of the present day, with rare exceptions, do not give either professed Christians or the world in general any clear, definite idea of what either theoretical or practical Christianity is. This is owing in part to the still prevailing dominance of ancient false dogmas and traditions concerning Christianity, and in part to the vague, equivocal, illogical, and foggy manner in which it is taught and enforced. The absolute, pure, exalted theology, piety, morality of the Gospel are not clearly set forth; nor the intrinsic nature, purpose, and results of Christ's mission; nor the distinguishing particulars in which Christianity differs from and is superior to other religions and philosophies, or, in its legitimate outcome and results, excels existing civilization. There are all sorts of preaching, exposition, and exhortation, some of which is interesting and superficially good; but even this often leaves the mind in doubt. or confusion as to truth and duty, and the high claims of the law of God. Christianity and worldliness are so mixed together; love and hate, kindness and cruelty, peace and war, philanthropy and inhumanity, universal brotherhood and a narrow patriotism, piety and practical ungodliness are so intermingled and blended in a common mass, that the average understanding is perplexed, distracted, confounded thereby rather than enlightened, inspired, and assured in regard either to the law of righteousness or to the line of duty to God

and man. In such a confused, bewildering condition of things it becomes an imperative duty to formulate a statement of fundamental principles, to make declaration of the great essentials of faith and practice, that so men may be instructed and enlarged in thought concerning the things of the kingdom of God and won to consecrated service under Him who is the Chief Ruler in that kingdom.

Finally, indefinitism, mystification, superficiality, and at best an unintelligent goodyism will continue. to prevail in the religious world until there is a breaking through all these pointless platitudes, glittering generalities, and pietistic mummeries, and a plain, unequivocal, comprehensible statement made of what Christianity is in its purity and original excellence and in the inexorable obligations it lays upon the minds, the hearts, and the consciences of men. When this is done, and not tillthen, will there be reared a class of Christians and a church composed of intelligent, earnest, robust, heroic men and women, "Strong in the Lord and in the power of his might." Then will the church be renewed not only in spirituality and devoutness, but in holy courage and unfaltering zeal, going on its way conquering and to conquer until its victory over sin and the world is complete and universal.

4. Once more, it is said that we have the Bible and is not that a sufficient rule of faith and practice? Not unless we make a better use of it than most professing Christians have done in the past.

How have they mingled its history, chronology, geography, genealogy, allegory, parable, poetry, hyperbole, and sumptuous oriental imagery with its piety, morality, philanthropy, and lofty spirituality together in one conglomerate mass, labeling it all the word of God and counting it all equally worthy of acceptation and equally "profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,” to the offence of an enlightened understanding, of all sound exegesis, and of every high-minded soul! How have they joined hands with the skeptic and the blasphemer in quoting it as authority for the support of slavery, intolerance, capital punishment, war, the use of intoxicants, persecution, and almost every known abomination that outraged and injured man and dishonored God! How have they, on assumed Bible authority, separated themselves into a host of wrangling sects, contending oftentimes unto bloodshed and death for the mastery, more diligent in striving to overcome each other than to conquer the evil of their own hearts and the wickedness of the world, a disgrace to themselves and a hindrance to the cause of Christ! What is needed to remedy this deplorable state of thingsthis unreasonable, loose, confused, mischievous view of the Bible this misapprehension and abuse of its authority, is a condensed tabulation of its great distinguishing ideas, of its fundamental principles and eternal truths, stripped of their husky verbiage, of all incidental adjuncts, and put before the world in the simplest, most easily understood terms possible, justly representing in human lan

guage the religion of Christ as he taught and exemplified it and his Apostles after him according to the New Testament Scriptures. Such is my deliberate and conscientious judgment concerning this matter, and, being such, I can give the objection under notice no real respect.

5. Finally, it may be said, and is said, that Christianity is not a creed but a life, not a system of formulated doctrines, but character- a loving, holy, Christlike life and character. Whoever leads such a life and exemplifies such a character is a Christian whatever his creed, or without any creed at all. I will yield to no one in magnifying the importance of a loving, holy, Christlike life and character; but I cannot disparage the value of a creed on that account. If the plea urged proves anything it proves too much. It assumes that there was such a personage as Jesus Christ; that he illustrated such virtues as love, as holiness, combined with certain other moral and spiritual qualities, constituting in the aggregate what is termed Christlikeness; and that these qualities are worthy of esteem, reverence, emulation. Furthermore, it implies even to the extent of demonstration that he who urges the plea has in fact a creed, a form of belief; though it may not be a written one, it may yet be a real one notwithstanding. Nay it must be so. He must believe in some sense in Jesus; he must believe that he existed, that he was a great teacher, benefactor, leader of mankind, that he inculcated and illustrated great principles of truth and righteousness making him worthy of

remembrance and imitation; he must believe those principles, when applied to human life and character, are capable of exalting, ennobling, perfecting them, harmonizing them with the life and character of God; he must believe, too, in some fashion in the credibility of the Christian Scriptures as a biography of Christ, as a record of his labors, teachings, sufferings, and death, and as a testimonial to those truths and that spirit which are the foundation stones, the vital forces, the animating energy of his religion. And if he does not believe these things his assertion of the supremacy of the Christian life and character has no basis in reason; if he does believe them then his objection is without justification. His own position is its sufficient refutation. The very objection invalidates itself.

Or, admitting for a moment that it has force and especially that part of it which affirms that whoever possess the Christlike life and character is a Christian, whatever his creed or without any creed at all; admitting this, it follows that the truth has no intrinsic moral power to mould the hearts and lives of men to high and noble issues, that Paganism, or Brahminism, or Judaism, or Nothingarianism is as likely to produce a righteous, holy life as Christianity; in other words, that right ideas, right thoughts, right convictions, have no definite. relation to life and character, and that error is as important and effective as truth as a factor in the problem of personal uplifting and perfecting, and of human progress and happiness-an absurdity on the face of it.