lO MODERN DIFFICULTIES 



(c) Finally there is what has been called " the babel 

 of sects," which very seriously interferes with every 

 attempt to make known the contents of the historic 

 faith of Christendom. The world at large can hardly 

 be expected to discriminate intelligently between the 

 claims of rival Christian bodies to possess the genuine 

 doctrines of Christianity; and when the average man 

 discovers, as he can hardly fail to discover, that every 

 definite teaching of ''the Churches" is rejected by one 

 or more of the Christian denominations, we have no 

 reason for feeling surprised if he concludes that no 

 authentic Christian doctrine exists, except a vague 

 belief in the pre-eminence of Jesus Christ. What such 

 pre-eminence signifies, and upon what certainties it is 

 based, he is apt to regard as highly problematical. 

 ''What think ye of Christ? Whose Son is He?" Who 

 can say with authority? As for the spiritual knowl- 

 edge which our Lord imparted to His disciples — 

 knowledge intended and needed for the guidance of 

 our steps to God — Christians are hopelessly disagreed 

 as to its content. 



The result of the doctrinal conflicts which were 

 inaugurated in the sixteenth century has been to pro- 

 duce serious doubts as to the possibility of acquiring 

 any sure knowledge of spiritual things; and professing 

 Christians are drifting into the habit of substituting 

 conduct for the knowledge which makes a correct deter- 

 mination of conduct possible. This is as if one should 

 say that, provided one seeks to apply truth to life, it is 

 unimportant whether or not he is acquainted with the 



