"If there has been perceptible progress in the last two thousand years, the improvement may be considerable in the next ten thousand, a small fraction, probably, of the whole life of the species. The soul of the race is no demon, but a child with great possibilities. It is capable of what it has already achieved in the noblest human lives, and the character which it has accepted as the perfect realization of the human ideal is the character of Christ. . . . Christianity, however, is essentially a struggle for an independent spiritual life, and it can only exert its true influence in the world when it realizes that spiritual things are spiritually discerned, and when it stands on its own foundations, without those extraneous supports which begin by strengthening a religion and end by strangling it." William Ralph Inge: The Philosophy of Plotinus. Vol. II, pp. 223, 227.

FOREWORD

We are hearing a great deal in these days about re-construction but there must first be re-consideration. The foundations must be re-investigated and the character of the material to be used for the structure of Christian character must be carefully examined. Otherwise we may find ourselves in the position of the man in the parable who built on the sand. The Christian Faith furnishes a system of thought and a rule of life, and both are based on a vital Christian experience. Happy the preacher who expounds this Faith in terms of the whole of life. He it is who stands upon his watch tower and clearly sees the course of events, with a deepening conviction of the sufficiency of the Everlasting Gospel, to meet every crisis and condition.

The discussions in this volume are the outcome of several years of work on the Methodist Review, in which I have written a considerable number of articles and Book Notices, and also conducted A Reading Course. Enquiries have come to me, through the Review Office, from preachers of the Methodist and other Churches, asking for information on questions pertaining to their work. My choice of subjects for this volume has been largely determined by this fact. The nature of the discussions is suggestive and stimulative rather than exhaustive, always bearing in mind the needs of the working pastor, who ought to know

the best results of Christian scholarship, for the better discharge of his important ministry. I quote freely from books, to indicate the trend of religious and theological thought of our day, and to introduce the preacher to some of the best books which should command his studious attention. A list of the books quoted, with the names of their authors and publishers, is given at the close of the discussions, while other titles are mentioned in the footnotes. I have done my best in the midst of a busy city parish. May what is good be accepted and let the rest be deservedly forgotten.

Newark, New Jersey.

O. L. J.