PREFACE 



During the last twenty-five years there have 

 been great changes in the thought of the world. 

 At the beginning of that time the doctrine of 

 evolution was just coming to the front and had 

 hardly begun to be applied to the sciences of 

 theology and of human society. The very word 

 sociology was nearly if not quite unknown. The 

 method of human reasoning was largely a priori. 

 But during the last few years all has been 

 changed. Now the science of sociology has 

 taken its place beside theology, and even dis- 

 putes its claim to be queen of the sciences ; now 

 theology itself is studied inductively. Its teachers 

 no longer form their theories and then endeavour 

 to adjust facts to them; but they study the facts 

 of human nature and divine revelation and from 

 them derive their theories. In some respects 

 the progress of science has affected theology 

 very little. It has in no way altered our doc- 

 trines of God, of the need of human redemption, 

 or of the fact that such redemption has been 



