THE PRIDE OF INTELLECT. 259 



beyond : and every ray which pierces the darkness 

 is a ray from the source of light. We may dare 

 then, in the patience of hope, to press forward to the 

 light till we know Him in Whom is no darkness 

 at all. Our sufficiency is of God, Who has made 

 us His ministers, Who has chosen us to be His 

 priests, His stewards, His messengers, the de- 

 positaries of His truth, the revealers of His secrets, 

 whether in nature or in grace, for the good of man. 

 That is sacerdotalism, if you will, but it is a 

 sacerdotalism which is true. 



But against this view our pride rebels. We 

 want to be creators or discoverers, not receivers 

 of truth. We do not like to be reminded that our 

 knowledge is an experiment which, though it may 

 verify itself by success, can only justify itself in 

 the belief of a real relationship of man with God. 

 We would fain be complete in ourselves, sufficient 

 of ourselves, able to stand alone. Arid the very 

 pride which in the individual we recognize as 

 self-sufficiency and hate as selfishness, that very 

 pride, which by advancing knowledge and a higher 

 general morality has been driven from its outwork, 

 has fortified itself in the citadel. Yes ! the offence 

 of the Cross has not ceased. For Christ upon the 

 Cross is the continual reproach of the proud. We 

 can indeed go so far as to know that we must 

 forget ourselves and do good to others. We 

 are all humanitarians nowadays. But the moral 



