under Prince Edward come against him, was
filled with admiration of their discipline and bearing. 'By the arm of
S. James,' he cried, recalling with soldierly pride that to himself
they owed in great measure their skill, 'they come on well: they
learned that not of themselves, but of me.' The Church of Christ, when
confronted with the benevolence, the integrity, the zeal of some who
are arrayed against her, may naturally say, 'They live well indeed:
they learned that not of themselves, but of me.' 'You are probably,'
was the homely expostulation of Benjamin Franklin with Thomas Paine,
'you are probably indebted to Religion for the habits of virtue on
which you so justly value yourself. You might easily display your
excellent talents of reasoning upon a less hazardous subject, and
thereby obtain a rank amongst {206} our most distinguished authors.
For among us,' continued Franklin satirically, 'it is not necessary, as
among the Hottentots, that a youth, to be raised into the company of
men, should prove his manhood by beating his mother.' The blows
inflicted on Christianity come from unfilial hands and hearts, from
hands and hearts which have been strengthened and nurtured on
Christianity itself, from hands and hearts which, but for the lingering
Christianity that still impels them, would soon be paralysed and dead.
The ideals which systems intended to supersede Christianity set before
them are, to all intents and purposes, only Christianity under another
name. Where the ideals go beyond ordinary Christian practice, they are
only a nearer approximation to the Supreme Ideal which has never been
fulfilled save in Jesus Christ Himself. Wherever there is truth in
them which is not generally accepted, or which comes as a surprise,
investigation {207} will show that it is an aspect of Christianity
which Christians have been neglecting, that it is a manifestation of
the mind of Christ, a development of His principles. Look where we
will, the men that are making real moral and spiritual progress are
those who are in touch with Him. Their beliefs about Him may not be
accurate, their conception of His nature and work may be defective, but
it is His Name, His Spirit, His Power, it is Himself that is the secret
of their life. One part of His teaching has sunk into their hearts,
one element of His character has mysteriously impressed them. They
have touched the hem of His garment, the shadow of His Apostle passing
by has g