98 The Fundamentals cles of God, become simply the fragmentary remains of an ancient Hebrew literati,re, the chief value of which would seem to be the employment it affords to the critic to dissect it into its various parts, to overthrow the tradition of the past in regard to it, and to frame ever new, ever changing, ever more wonderful theories of the origin of the books and the so-called legends they contain. Leaving, however, such futile, rationalistic criticism out of account-because that is not the kind of criticism with which we as Christian people have chiefly to deal in our own circles-there is certainly an im mense change of attitude on the part of many who still sin cerely hold faith in the supernatural revelation of God. I find it difficult to describe this tendency, for I am desirous not to describe it in any way which would do injustice to any Christian thinker, and it is attended by so many signs of an ambiguous character. Jesus is recognized by the majority of those who represent it as "the Incarnate Son of God," though with shadings off into more or less indefinite asser tions even on that fundamental article, which make it some times doubtful where the writers exactly stand. The pro cess of thought in regard to Scripture is easily traced. First, there is an ostentatious throwing overboard, j oined with some expression of contempt, of what is called the verbal inspira tion of Scripture---a very much abused term. Jesus ls still spoken of as the highest revealer, and it is allowed that His words, if only we could get at them-and on the whole it is thought we can-furnish the highest rule of guidance for time and for eternity. But even criticism, we are told, must have its rights. Even in the New Testament the Gospels go into the crucible, and in the name of synoptical criticism, historical criticism, they are subject to wonderful processes, in the course of which much of the history gets melted out or is peeled off as Christian characteristics. Jesus, we are re minded, was still a man of His generation, liable to error in His human knowledge, and allowance .nust be made for the
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