ON  THE  ROCK; OR TRUTH STRANGER THAN FICTION. A STORY OF SOULS WHOSE PATHWAY BE- GAN IN DARKNESS,  BUT BRIGHTENED TO THE PERFECT DAY.By D. R. DUNGAN.

      The literary activity that was noted by the wise king as a feature of his own times, is, to no less extent, a characteristic of ours. Of making books there seems to be no end. The vast accumulations, gathered every year at the office of the Librarian of Congress, show that a mania scribendi has fallen upon our age. There is such a deluge of literature, bad and good, silly and sensible, doomed to molder upon the booksellers' shelves, or to meet with the rare fortune of being read, that there is little excuse for asking the public to notice the birth of a new volume, unless it either makes some new contribution to the knowledge of the world, or makes an old story new, by telling it in a new way.

      This volume discusses no new theme, nor does it present novel ideas upon the old theme of Christianity. Its novelty is found in protesting against novelties in religion, and insisting upon the usages of the primitive church. It does not claim to traverse a field never occupied before. Great and sound men have discussed the questions that it attempts to solve, but they have addressed themselves to the critical mind. The great Teacher [ix] spoke for the people, not for the doctors and "the common people heard him gladly." This volume adopts a method for the discussion of salvation from sin, the subject, mode and object of baptism, which is, it is hoped, adapted to popular education on the religious issues of the day.

      It was written for the benefit of, and is dedicated to, the people, with the prayer and hope that it will be widely read and that it will do them good. The author has carefully avoided technical expressions and obscure phrases, in order that it might meet their wants. He has endeavored to take these questions from the exclusive hands of the theologians, and to place them in the hands of the people for their own adjudication. Will they, like the Bereans, examine the Scriptures, to see whether these things be so?

B. W. J. [x]      

[OTR 9-10]

      The electronic version of Barton Warren Johnson's "Preface" to D. R. Dungan's On the Rock (Cincinnati, OH: Standard Publishing Company, 1872), pp. 3-4, has been produced from a copy of the book held by the Disciples of Christ Historical Society.

      Pagination in the electronic version has been represented by placing the page number in brackets following the last complete word on the printed page. Inconsistencies in spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and typography have been retained.

      Addenda and corrigenda are earnestly solicited.

Ernie Stefanik
373 Wilson Street
Derry, PA 15627-9770
stefanik@westol.com

Created 28 May 1999.