272 Evolution and Social Reform : 



and a shame upon our shameful hesitations and withdrawals 

 in oiir contact Avith the ignorant and poor ahd weak. And 

 if the truth were known, the jjoor need not the rich more 

 than the rich need the poor to teach them a neighborly- 

 spirit, to teach them the rudiments of generosity. 



Last, but not least, I am expected so do the syllabus 

 and Dr. Janes inform me to say something on "the fool- 

 ishness of preaching"; no, something about ])reaching as a 

 means of social reform. The "Theological Method" is, in 

 short, the method of Preaching; the method of direct relig- 

 ious and ethical appeal to the individual. I should not my- 

 self think of calling this the Theological method. I should 

 prefer to call it the Ethical method or the lieligious. For 

 it is evident that we can have abundance of direct religious 

 or ethical appeal to the individual without any theological 

 implications. Felix Adler and William Salter have no theol- 

 ogy to sjjeak of, and they would smile or frown to hear thSir 

 method called the Theological method; but of ethical and 

 religious a])peal to the individual there is in them no lack. 

 There is a theological method in preaching, and it may or 

 may not have persuasive moral force with men. If the God 

 whom it presents to men's imagination is a God of justice, 

 mercy, truth and love their contemplation of this image will 

 be very apt to quicken in their minds and hearts those 

 Avonderful realities. But it is different when the God is 

 different. 



The effect of preaching upon social life is certainly an 

 unknown quantity. It must be such from the nature of the 

 case. We cannot get at the facts. A great deal of Chris- 

 tian preaching has had for its object, not the improve:nent 

 of society, or even of the individual, but the salvation of 

 souls, tlie imj)rovement of men's chances for tlie heavenly 

 world. And it has endeavored to stir them u]) to believe 

 certain incomprehensible doctrines, or to avail themselves 

 of certain sacraments, as the sure means of effecting their 

 eternal good. A great deal of this ])reacliing, logically en- 

 tertained and carried out, would be ruinous to the social 

 order and the individual life. It is the preaching that mo- 

 rality lias nothing to do with salvation ; that the blood of 

 Jesus cleansetli from all sin. "Only believe" that it is .so 

 and it is so. Estimated logically, the doctrine of the Atone- 

 ment is a horribly immoral doctrine; nevertheless its opera- 

 tion has not been habitually immoral. But this fact goes 

 not to the credit of the doctrine but to the credit of human- 

 itv, which is infinitely better than the creeds. Men have 



