Now, here is a case for us, a problem indeed. What about Christianity? Is it still fresh, as "the taste of fresh oil?" They say it is stale, L read in an address the other day by a great critic and writer, that he was "sick of the word "Grace." In that case he is sick of Christianity itself. All iis freshness was faded for him, though he had the nerve to say that in a Christian pulpit. That it has lost its freshness for some souls is evidenced by the fact that so many pay it not the least attention. Let us hope, that when the period of their neglect. of it passes. they may return to it with new zest. That is what is likely to happen. A writer in the "R.P.A Annual" for 1922 says, <I had never been anything but bored with the treadmill repetitions of Christian truth." There at a scod many ple like that. ey "We have. heard it all again and again, why should we com? to church? They say, "You preachers are all so—intole~ ably dry We know exactly what you are going to say." One is reminded of acertain theological college in which "a meeting was hold te find a remedy for the dampness of the walls of the studies. One suggestion was "that the walls be papered with the sermons of th> senior student." That would be a complete cure. That, I think, ex: presses the idea of the Gosnel and its attractiveness in a good many minds. No wonder folk stay away fiom church if they feel like that about the Gospel.. No use plodding along to church if the pas: sion for it has lost its bite and freshness. And it is true that, the Gospel is a very, very old thing. Over 1900 years we have had its bells ringing us to worship and prayer. The hymn calls it truly, "The old, old story." It is an old story. We have only the same Christ to preach that Paul had, and the same grace to sinners who repent, the same longing to clean up the earth and bring in the reign of the kingdom of God.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.