hed if our members wear the bonds of their union lightly,
and easily find ways out of a fellowship whose true significance they
have never understood. Another eventuality, too, must not astonish
us:--The Church of England _does_ hold and preach a doctrine of the
Church, preaches it diligently; preaches it, sometimes, with such
limitations of application as we may well resent. The Roman Catholics
do the same, and with limitations that are still more uncompromising.
We of the Free Churches must not be astonished if, as a result of
definite and positive teaching within other walls and a lack of such
teaching within our own, the people drift away from us. _To build up
the Church we must preach the Church_. She needs the sense of herself.

Important, however, as is the enunciation of the doctrine of the
Church, the work of her edification will demand that the preacher have
many other things to say. We have already referred to the presentation
of a high idealism as essential to the completeness of the Christian
message. It is indispensable to the adequate accomplishment of this
duty that the preacher give himself to a systematic exposition of the
Scriptures. May we even dare to say that it will be necessary for him
to devote much of his strength to what has been termed doctrinal
preaching? That these words will have a terrible sound in many ears we
are aware. It is very unpopular, nowadays, to lay emphasis on the
necessity for creed as well as for conduct--for creed, indeed, for the
sake of conduct. We will, nevertheless, make bold to remark that one
of the great desiderata of the day is a revival of expository
preaching, while another, equally great, is a renaissance of doctrinal
preaching. There is not too much theology taught in the churches, but
too little. We are told that the preacher's first business is to treat
of what are called "living issues"; that he should, above all, exalt
conduct and charity as the great concerns of the soul. It is contended
that men need guidance on public questions and that the preacher, as
the representative of the Lord Jesus Christ, and of the Church, should
endeavour to meet that need. Of course there is truth in it all, but
it is also true that men need, most of all, the knowledge of God, and
that, whatever bewilderment may exist in relation to public questions
and moral issues, there is bewilderment, even greater, as to "the faith
once delivered to the saints." There is no