an, as they hoped, might be changed from the _out_side--that is to
say, man's idea of benefitting man was by an _outward_ reform.

"They failed to recognize the fundamental fact that all the 'Ills of
Humanity,' so called, proceeded from man's natural depravity, from man
_himself_, and not from his environment. We failed to see that a
_reformed_ race would only mean a perpetuation of all the old natural
lusts, and presently, bring about a return to the old condition of
things, while a _regenerated_ race would hold reform in it, and that
that reform would not only be perpetual, but ever increasing in its
perfecting.

"Then, too, the great religious denominations became fired with the
idea of a consolidating, unifying process that should smelt down all
denominations into one. To do this every type of religion should find
a place. What would it matter if one or more of the religions denied
the Deity of Christ? that others did not accept the Bible as the
Inspired word of God and so on? 'The doctrine of Christ,' was
gradually eliminated from almost all preaching and the doctrine of a
divine humanism--'The divinity of man,' became largely the new cult.

"I believe, from all that I can gather, one of the first steps towards
this elimination of 'the doctrine of Christ,' could be traced in the
continued elimination from the various denominational hymn-books (as
_new_ ones were issued beginning as far back as the late seventies) of
hymns relating to the facts of the Atonement and other kindred
subjects, and the substitution of odes, poems, etc., in which
aspiration took the place of experimental religion. The hymn-books of
more than one, or two, or three denominations, showed this retrograde
movement, through their several successive issues.

"Then, side by side with this _Anti_-christian movement, there went on
silently that gathering out from the world, and from the merely
professing Christian church, those who were, by virtue of their New
Birth, through faith in Christ, the recipients of Eternal life, and
who, when that glorious 'Rapture' took place awhile ago, were caught up
into the air as a _body_ of living believers to be joined for ever, to
their head--Christ; thus robbing the world of what Christ Himself
called 'the salt of the earth.'"

With a groan, Sir Archibald cried:

"God help us, Bastin! What fools we were!"

Then with a weary upward look into Ralph's face, he rose to his feet,
saying:

"I must be g