facts.

[Sidenote: _The unveiling of the Old Testament_]

Often, to those who have not followed the detailed steps, these
conclusions have seemed only destructive. Many of them are assuredly so;
but the vital question which every honest man should ask is, Do they
destroy the Bible, or simply the false traditions that have gathered
about it? Fortunately, most of the leaders of the Church and most
intelligent laymen have already discerned the only emphatic answer to
this question. The Church is undoubtedly passing quietly through a
revolution in its conception and attitude toward the Bible, more
fundamental and far-reaching than that represented by its precursor the
Protestant Reformation; but its real significance is daily becoming more
apparent. Not a grain of truth which the Bible contains has been
destroyed or permanently obscured. Instead, the _debris_ of time-honored
traditions and dogmas have been cleared away, and the true Scriptures at
last stand forth again in their pristine splendor.

[Sidenote: _The true Old Testament_]

Freed from the misconceptions and false traditions which have gathered
about it, the true Old Testament rises from amidst the dust and din of
the much digging and delving. To those who have known only the old it is
a fresh revelation. Its literary beauty, its naturalness, its dignity,
its majestic authority are a surprise to those who have not followed its
unveiling. The old vagueness and mystery have in part disappeared, and
instead it is found to contain a thousand vital, living messages for to-
day. Its human as well as its divine qualities command our interest and
attention. Through it all God speaks with a new clearness and authority.