IN CHURCH HISTORY. 12 5 



Along with the discussion of Ritualism has been 

 another controversy of a different character, namely, 

 the question of Rationalism. Briefly stated, Ration- 

 alism is an effort of human reason to eliminate all 

 mysteries from Christianity, and its aim is. to receive 

 nothing which it cannot explain. Of course it 

 varies in degree, and in kind. It had its origin in 

 Germany, and made its public appearance in 

 essays, and sketches of the Life of Christ, in which 

 His proper Divinity and His Divine Work were 

 discredited. The pernicious views spread elsewhere, 

 and sometimes it seemed that no part of God's re- 

 velation to man would escape the attacks of infidel- 

 ity, for infidelity it really was, although many dis- 

 claim the name of unbelievers. 



These attacks have made it necessary to go all 

 over again the defences of the inspiration of the 

 Scriptures, the. Divinity of Christ, the credibility of 

 miracles, man's need of supernatural grace, and 

 the immortality of man. 



Rationalism, of course, has had its various 

 phases, sometimes attacking single points of the 

 faith, and then again attacking every principle of 

 Christianity, and stigmatizing our most cherished 

 beliefs as but phases of superstition. It has been 

 closely allied with Materialism, an outgrowth partly 

 of unbalanced scientific research, which in the study 

 of nature has too often forgotten the God of nature. 

 While there is really no conflict between true science 



