To my grandfather PETER AINSLIE of Edinburgh, Scotland (1788-1834), first a Presbyterian, then a Baptist, then a Disciple of Christ and all the time a Christian; and to my father PETER AINSLIE of Dunnsville, Virginia (1816-1887), a Disciple of Christ and always a Christian, both ministers of the Gospel and both throughout their lives unreservedly committed to the union of the divided house of God Ο Foreword N the decision to publish these lectures in book form, the lecturer asked a committee of well-known Disciples of Christ, representing the East, Middle West and Southwest of the United States, to pass on the correctness of the interpretation of the message, origin and history of the Disciples herein given in order that it may not rest upon the bare words of the lecturer. This committee consisted of F. D. Kershner, president Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, Texas; F. W. Burnham, minister First Christian Church, Springfield, Ill., and E. B. Bagby, minister Twenty-Fifth Street Christian Church, Baltimore, Md., and they are of one accord in their approval. It only remains for the lecturer to acknowledge his indebtedness to these gentlemen for their courtesy and many valuable suggestions. Baltimore, Md. PETER AINSLIE. 7 Foreword to the Third Edition WT HEN these lectures were delivered before the Divinity School of Yale University I submitted the manuscript to F. D. Kershner, then President of Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, Texas; to F. W. Burnham, then Minister of the First Christian Church, Springfield, Ill., and to E. B. Bagby, then Minister of the Twenty-fifth Street Christian Church, Baltimore, and they were of one accord in their approval. Later a second edition appeared; on demand for a third edition I have made a few changes, including an abbreviation of the position of the Disciples in section II of the first lecture and have largely rewritten section IV of the third lecture. I am glad of the continued service of these lectures, which were so hurriedly prepared in the first instance, but which have been cordially received both among the Disciples and other Christians. Baltimore, January 1, 1924. P. A. 8 |