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upon a verifiable basis like a truth of science passes comprehension. I may- 
take another illustration. The cardinal doctrine, or one of the cardinal doc- 
trines of Christianity, is the Atonement ; and upon what principle of 
scientific knowledge can we be assured that God has been appeased ? I do 
not assume any theory of the Atonement, but, speaking generally, and 
taking the Atonement as a reconciliation between God and man, it seems 
inconceivable upon what basis of intuition or science we can verify that 
matter. We may contemplate the facts of our Lord’s life, as revealed to us 
in the Scriptures, and see that His acts are capable of constituting such an 
Atonement ; but that they have actually produced that effect upon the rela- 
tions of God to man, is surely a truth which it would be an extravagant 
piece of presumption for any one to assume as a matter of induction. We 
can only assume it on the faith of our Lord’s own statement, and the state- 
ments of the apostles ; and that also applies to what Dr. Rigg said with 
respect to the whole life of our Lord. Dr. Rigg says we have to draw certain 
deductions from that life. Now we have to draw deductions, not from our 
Lord’s life merely, but from His life combined with His statements and 
those of the apostles, and therefore we throw ourselves to a large extent 
upon belief in their word on the subject. 
Dr. Rigg.— Hear, hear. 
Professor Wace, I am glad Dr. Rigg expresses approval, for if he 
concedes this, the substance of my paper is maintained. If the doctrine 
of the Atonement, with all its importance, rests, not on induction but on the 
faith we place in personal statements, the validity of the main argument of 
the paper will be seen to be of vital consequence. I have dwelt upon this 
subject because it seems to me to be a matter of the deepest importance in 
the present state, and, indeed, in all states of the controversy with infidelity ; 
that we should distinctly realize that the matter must be argued upon a 
personal as distinct from a scientific basis. The moment you bring the 
truths of Christianity face to face with pure science, that moment you set 
a dissolving force to act upon them, and you are incapable of solving all 
the doubts that may arise. But when you bring the witness and the con- 
science face to face, the solvent force is exerted not upon the truths but upon 
the consciences of men ; and the more we adopt this course the more we 
shall return to the original process of Christian conviction. We may safely 
assume that the process which first propagated Christianity in the world is 
likely to be in all ages the most effectual. Now that process at its commence- 
ment must have been independent of anything verifiable in a degree which 
we cannot conceive. St. Paul stands up in the Areopagus of Athens with 
nothing whatever but his own personal authority, however that authority 
may have been supernaturaUy attested. It was by the force of the appeal 
thus made by apostles and saints to individual consciences that their victory 
was won, and it would be rash for us to attempt to base our faith upon a 
different foundation. (Cheers.) 
The Meeting then adjourned to the Museum, where refreshments were 
served. 
