168 CHURCH UNITY 



should he scrupulously careful always to 

 turn upon it those lights which come from 

 a knowledge of the times in which, and the 

 men by whom, it was written ; that its right 

 interpretation must depend among other 

 things upon the growth of a language, the 

 progress of a civilization, the influence of 

 an environment; and that, until we have 

 inquired concerning these, the last thing 

 that we are warranted in doing concerning 

 a certain text or book, or institution, is to 

 dogmatize about it. This conclusion, which 

 has dawned so late and slowly upon Chris- 

 tendom, is coming more and more, thank 

 God, to be a dominant conviction. Whether 

 or no there is a new spirit in the pulpit, 

 there is a new situation in the pews. 

 Never was there a generation in which, 

 notwithstanding all the froth and frippery 

 of our lighter literature, there was so large 

 a proportion of thoughtful men — and of 

 women too — who were reading and think- 

 ing and inquiring for themselves concern- 

 ing Holy Scripture. I mentioned not long 

 ago, in a quite promiscuous company, Canon 

 Mozley's "Ruling Ideas of Early Ages," 

 and I confess I was genuinely surprised to 

 find how many of those present had both 



