RECONSTRUCTION AND RESTATEMENT. 



23 



only be a modification of man's knowledge concerning the facts, 

 until the Almighty Creator shall see fit to introduce some new 

 fact, or modify existing facts concerning the relationship between 

 man and Himself. We can know very little concerning this 

 relationship beyond that which He sees fit to make known to us. 

 " Man by searching cannot find out God." Whence are we to look 

 for the revelation of the mind of God on these matters % There 

 is no other source whence we can obtain any information except 

 the Scriptures. I know of none other. I know of no truth that 

 has ever been advanced for the acceptance of man of a general 

 character which cannot be found in the Scriptures. If that be so, then 

 I think it becomes us to search our Bibles, and it may be that in 

 the search for truth there, we shall be able to correct any mistakes 

 into which Ave may have fallen. 



May I be permitted to say concerning archaeology that whilst 

 modern criticism has spoken of the different " strata " in the Old 

 Testament Scriptures, and has suggested that something of the same 

 kind may be found in the New Testament, I do not know of a single 

 fact which has been revealed to us by archaeological knowledge 

 which supports the modern theories concerning these " strata " ; so 

 far as I understand the question, it is purely hypothetical. 



Rev. Chancellor Lias, M.A. — I have been asked to second the 

 Resolution of thanks to General Halliday and those who have 

 taken part in the present meeting, and I am sorry that I do not 

 oftener appear here. It is nearly thirty years since I read a paper, 

 but I have been a member of the Council almost consecutively 

 since then ; and so as the question has been raised by Mr. Tuckwell 

 about the basis of the society to which one belongs, perhaps one 

 has a little right to speak for it. I most cordially concur with 

 Professor Thompson that we are bound to keep an open mind. It 

 is a most wicked thing to "close one's eyes to the telescope," but I 

 must ask whether sometimes one is not asked to see something that 

 is not there % About modern science there is one thing I notice, 

 that it deals largely on assumptions. Let us make sure that we 

 shall see the thing, and do not let us assert that it is there, and then 

 call upon people to see it, when the very reverse is the fact. 



I think I caught something from Professor Thompson about 

 holding the truth because it is the truth. Everyone I hope wishes 

 to do that. What is the truth 1 Is the truth contained in the 



