ation. He was chosen permanent pastor, and has
continued the functions of his office, together with the chief
editorship of the _Revue de Theologie_. His opinions are to be found in
that periodical, and in several successful volumes of sermons. He
professes to be neither satisfied with Rationalism in its destructive
sense, nor with orthodoxy. He is confessedly one of the champions of the
Critical School. Skepticism, he contends, is perfectly legitimate. We
are authorized to doubt; our opinions are fallible; we must be prepared
to change them whenever we think we can find better ones. The Bible is
intended to reveal to us a life, not a dogma. We find in it no effort to
describe dogmas; no theological criticisms; no system of morality.[109]
Religious inspiration is nothing but an extraordinary kindling of the
divine spirit inherent in human nature. The Scripture writers are
imperfect and limited by their own intelligence. The only way to
reconcile religion and science is by history. We must study man not as
an individual or nation, but as to his human nature. By doing this we
will not take a characteristic for the man himself. Man is, by the
testimony of history, a religious being, and history reveals his
destiny.

Immortality is accepted. We have a personal life going into the
infinite. Humanity develops itself by the action of the individual
genius, and the individual only successfully unfolds himself by not
breaking the bond which unites him to the general development of his
species. We must consider the Bible as a collection of documents, over
which criticism has absolute rights. We must distinguish between the
thought of Christ and that of his historians. They insisted on what
seemed to them miracles. Christ is in open conflict with the principle
which would make miracles the necessary sign of a true revelation. He
has taught the world to recognize God in the regular operation of
natural laws. He never lays down any dogmatic conditions, and does not
make religious character dependent on the reception of any class of
doctrines. We must have faith in him alone, and not in his words. To be
a Christian is to participate in the general life of the Christian
church, and to take part with others in the labor of the Christian
mind.[110]

M. Pecaut affirms that the present position of the French Protestant
church is no longer tenable, for its principle of doctrinal faith
restrains free examination. It is, however, in a tran