I would allow a man to select whichever
version of this truth he liked _afterwards_; but I would ask him to
begin with no version, but go back to the facts and base his Christian
life upon these.
That is the great lesson of the New Testament way of looking at
doubt--of Christ's treatment of doubt. It is not "Brand him!"--but
lovingly, wisely and tenderly to teach him. Faith is never opposed to
reason in the New Testament; it is opposed to sight. You will find
that a principle worth thinking over. _Faith is never opposed to
reason in the New Testament, but to sight._
With these principles in mind as to the origin of doubt, and as to
Christ's treatment of it, how are we ourselves to deal with those who
are in intellectual difficulty?
In the first place, I think _we must make all the concessions to them
that we conscientiously can_.
When a doubter first encounters you, he pours out a deluge of abuse of
churches, and ministers, and creeds, and Christians. Nine-tenths of
what he says is probably true.
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