doctrines which are, upon the face of them, false and pernicious,
because they come to us with some show of authority. What
authority have we now, save this very life, which could compare
with those Jewish books which were so binding in their force, and
so immutably sacred that even the misspellings or pen-slips of
the scribe, were most carefully preserved? It is a simple
obvious fact that if Christ had been orthodox, and had
possessed what is so often praised as a "child-like faith," there
could have been no such thing as Christianity. Let reformers who
love Him take heart as they consider that they are indeed
following in the footsteps of the Master, who has at no time said
that the revelation which He brought, and which has been so
imperfectly used, is the last which will come to mankind. In our
own times an equally great one has been released from the centre
of all truth, which will make as deep an impression upon the
human race as Christianity, though no predominant figure has yet
appeared to enforce its lessons. Such a figure has appeared once
when the days were ripe, and I do not doubt that this may occur
once more.

One other consideration must be urged. Christ has not given
His message in the first person. If He had done so our position
would be stronger. It has been repeated by the hearsay and
report of earnest but ill-educated men. It speaks much for
education in the Roman province of Judea that these fishermen,
publicans and others could even read or write. Luke and Paul
were, of course, of a higher class, but their information
came from their lowly predecessors. Their account is splendidly
satisfying in the unity of the general impression which it
produces, and the clear drawing of the Master's teaching and