50 A. T. SCHOFIELD^ M.D._, ON SCIE^'CE AND THE UNSEEN WORLD. 



But curiously enough there are scientists who deny that 

 this sort of knowledge can be arrived at by revelation. 



As a matter of fact, the absolute reverse is the case. So far 

 from liearsay evidence or second-hand knowledge being of value 

 in revelation, it is of less value there than in science. It is 

 everywhere condemned, and no man can be truly said to be a 

 Christian man whose knowledge of revelation is solely hearsay 

 or second-hand. " We speak that we do know, we testify of 

 that we have seen," is not the language of those who value 

 second-hand evidence. Still, one word must be said as to the 

 difference in weight and authority of the evidences of revela- 

 tion and science. These latter, at best, are but the products of 

 human minds, and are therefore liable to every sort of error, 

 when they reach deductions, inferences and " laws " ; as has been 

 recently so j-emarkably shown by the paralyzing powers of 

 radium. 



Eevelation professes to come from the Supreme Mind, from 

 the infallible God, and to those who accept its origin, its 

 evidences upon its own facts naturally carry greater weight 

 with its followers than those of science with scientists. 



But still, it is true, as I have said, that revelation empliati- 

 cally insists upon knowledge at first hand as a sine qua non. 

 Indeed, the well-known saying of the Son of God, " Ye must be 

 born again," means nothing less than that the truth must 

 become a personal revelation from within and not a hearsay 

 evidence from without. 



And finally, as I now leave this brief comparison, I would 

 submit that the possibilities of personal verification of the 

 truths of revelation are in their own sphere as simple and 

 evident as those of science. In the latter the introduction 

 of a certain chemical into a fluid can be relied upon to 

 produce well known and definite changes in every case ; in 

 revelation it is the same. 



Take any island or country of savages the world over, 

 introduce into it the truths of revelation, and the same results 

 will everywhere ensue, indeed can be positively predicted with 

 as much certainty as any chemical change. 



Of course, as in science the experiments must be conducted 

 according to certain conditions. Science insists on this and so 

 does revelation. The latter, for instance, being a moral force, 

 does not countenance experimeiits, qua experiments, but for the 

 moral benefit of those involved ; and if t]iis be not held in view 

 and the true end of revelation the object, the experiment will 

 not succeed. 



