The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1877-06-20
For THE CENTRAL PRESBYTERIAN.
Best Treatment of Unbelief.
Secretary of Publicati

The article in the Central of May both, on Sun,
belief Disease of the Heart" which raised the
inquiry whether ministers should not seek to over
come unbelief more by preaching to the conScienc,
than to the intellect, put the writer to meditating
on the best plan for removing unbelief. These
meditations recalled the famous paper Of DR.. Theo
dore Christlieb, Professor of Theology and Uniyer
sity Preacher at Bonn, Prussia, read before the
Evangelical Alliance in New York in 1873. We
turned to our neat volume, procured through oul
Publication Committee at Richmond (which by the
way is an excellent help to US in getting books.)
We are SO impressed by the hearty piety, the
sound Judgment the splendid culture, and the clear
senentous style of the learned author. that we can
not refrain from giving the readers Of the Central
the benefit of few OF his suggestions as to unbe
| lief and it's treatment
In newspaper article these must of course be
brief and fragmentary. Respecting unbelief DR..
Christlieb declares: "Our human task in the Dat
tie against unbelief can be no other than to over.
come the opponent by moral and spiritual means. "
Again, 4" In the first and last resort, all unbelief
springs, not from the hardness and Incompetent.
sibility which the faith possesses for the under
standing, but from the hardness and perUerSeaess
of the natural heart of man. which will not bow to
the mighty and solemn truth of divine revelation
"Tbe causes Of unbelief really lie in the heart
and will.
As proper treatment depends on correct dag
nosis and is determined by it, DR.. Christlieb pro-
ceeds upon this view of the disease and proposes ::
"The most effectual method of opposing unbelief
in Individuals is that which we may term the iSa-
qogic method, a. e., the method which leads in
ward to the heart and conscience of those address
ed. FIRST of all we should endeavor to lead our
brother to clear and sober recognition of the in
ward causes and effects Of bis unbelief on his own
moral development this however, not as inquisi-
tors, but with hearty and humble sympathy This
idea of sympathy must be emphasized by the preach
err he must 'speak the truth in love" in love for
both the truth and the sinner.
Passing over several other points we quote from
the last point in this ''isagOgic method" "Ask
yourself whether the Christian faith does not cor
respond to and supply the deepest needs of the
human heart. -. For the whole struggle be.
tween belief and unbeef is but the conflict between
those who treat sin as light matter and those who
are heavily oppressed by it until they come to Him,
who takes their burden away and lays his light
yoke upon them. :. Even great thinker like
Karet once thoughtfully paused before the uDiver.
sal and unquestionable fact of radical evil within
us. ,"
He sums up what he says on this point, and
and adds, ''The surest way to awaken response
Ia the other breast is the personal testimony of
grace received which can throw itself and its spir
tua experience into the scale and stand surety for
the truth of Christ's salvation" Here let every
one that names the name OF Christ make
note.