346 



SIR ANDREW WI^•GATE, K.C.I. E., 



is both Jehovah and Christ (Acts ii, 36). AYe note that Paul, 

 the type of the conversion of Jesus-persecuting Jews, became 

 the Apostle to the Gentiles. And do we not observe a tendency 

 in Jewish converts to preach Christ to Gentiles, rather than to 

 their unconverted brethren ? We seem to have here the indica- 

 tion that when the Jews are converted they will be consumed 

 with the desire to preach to the world that Jesus is very 

 Christ. 



But is the world in need of life from the dead ? Our Lord 

 asks whether, when he comes again, he will find faith on the 

 earth ? There are certain indications which point to the present 

 period as one when the fulness of the times of the Gentiles is at 

 hand, and which also cause anxiety as to the future fruit-bearing 

 power of the Gentile Branches. For example, a great cry was 

 raised to win the world for Christ in this generation. When the 

 response was evidently not equal to such a demand, the cry 

 has been modified to the evangelisation of the world in this 

 generation. There seems to be small hope that even this can 

 be accomplished. The Churches and Societies have not even 

 attempted to meet the modest demand made for India by the 

 Madras Conference. Then followed the Edinburgh Conference, 

 when all the churches seemed stirred and moved. Xot that 

 there has been no response. Study bands and Bible classes 

 testify that the young are being prepared for greater efforts. 

 But is there a sure hope that the thousands — nay, tens of 

 thousands — of missionaries required to accomplish the preaching 

 of the Gospel to all human beings, will be speedily forthcoming, 

 even reckoning the increasing aid from the Xative Churches ? 



Again, is there reasonable expectation that the faith of the 

 rising generation in this country and of the Xative Churches is 

 likely to become more vigorous ? At the present moment there 

 are two factors which must occasion grave anxiety. First, the 

 decadence of faith at home and its consequences. Secondly, the 

 spread of similar unbelief to the Mission Fields, re-inforced by 

 the evil report carried back by Indian, Chinese, Japanese, 

 African, and other visitors to our land. Both these factors are 

 the product of what is known as Higher Criticism. 



When reading books, which assume to approach the Bible 

 from the critical standpoint, there is no need to delay over 

 the elaborate detail behind which the advance is skilfully 

 masked. 



The only point worth noting is, On what books or texts of the 

 Bible is the artillery fire concentrated ? Probably no book in 

 the world (if we except the Bible taken as a whole) has ever 



