ostulate that his
story gave rise to the theory of Angels. Men had visions of such long
before the first stone of our venerable shrine at Westminster was laid,
before the Romans built their first mud huts in the valley of the Tiber,
before the Pyramids raised their terrific greatness to the heavens. So
Mr. Machen need not concern himself on that score.

The Anglican Church has failed dismally to keep before people the
teaching of the Church in regard to Angels and Angelic intervention in
the affairs of men. There I am in entire agreement with Mr. Machen.
Soldiers tell their stories of angels and a few bishops cackle; but not
one of them dares to speak of the fuller belief of the Church in angels
and the soul-inspiring mystery of the Communion of Saints, the
inter-relationship between those on the earth-plane and those who have
passed to the higher life. The hardworking priest in the slums
fearlessly proclaims this one sacrament of life with the Divine Life,
his belief in angels and their help, in saints and their prayers, and
because he believes he is able to work under conditions which make life
for a cultured man almost intolerable. But he works, thankful to be left
alone by his bishop: for war has declared a close time for ritualistic
curates. But the soldier whose patriotism he has nurtured writes home to
him telling frankly his experiences, his dreams, his visions. I have
seen many of these letters. The writers are not liars nor are they
hysterical subjects, but fine specimens of healthy manhood. Here and
there a dissenting divine has raised his voice to declare there may be
something in these stories of angels, but the dissenting pulpit is under
the despotism of the pew and cry of "Rome" is enough. "Honest doubt" is
always sure of a sympathetic audience, "honest belief" is greeted with
the cry of superstition or the cuckoo cry of "Popery."

A soldier sees something super-natural. Some one says I know a hundred
or a thousand soldiers who did not see it. A man may witness a murder.
His evidence is accepted in the law courts. They do not call the hundred
thousand people who did not see it in proof that no murder was
perpetrated. Few people know the fundamental principles of evidence.
More people misuse it.

VI

FELLOWSHIP WITH THE UNSEEN

Religion is man's fellowship with the Unseen, and it would seem that
bishops and various crank divines are determined that such a belief
shall be discouraged. Man's na