Swartbmore Xecture.

Lessing gave the most famous expression : Ap-proaching the truth by honestly seeking meansmore for man than the satisfied possession of truth.

This view has nothing to do with modern scep-ticism or pragmatism for which there is no realdistinction between truth and error—truth beingthe opinion which proves useful to-day, a weaponin the struggle for existence, but will be obsoleteto-morrow. On the contrary truth is an absolutevalue and is revealed to mankind, though onlygradually. Or as Professor W. E. Hocking putsit: " The corpus of knowledge is at no momentstatic—but we know this, that change does noteat out what is true in it." 1

4. The traditional Churches have so farspiritualised the Kingdom of God as the final goalof the Christian as almost to put a ban upon it.In contrast to this, the primitive Christian eschato-logy took on again among the Baptists a new lifein all its original power. So Rothmann said in his" Restitution " as early as 1534 : " Hitherto thescriptures have been expounded without under-standing. What is written of the kingdom ofChrist on earth has been referred to the LastJudgment and the Kingdom of Heaven. Butthe men of Mfinster knew well that what is pro-claimed in scripture of Christ's kingdom is to beexpected here upon earth , Christ is set as kingover Zion, and the heathen and all the ends of theearth are given him for an inheritance. He withhis well-armed servants will subdue and overthrow

1 W. E. Hocking, " Action and Certainty," Journal ofPhilosophy, XXVII, No. 9, April 24th, 1930.