,inspiration and ,interpretation3 ,,seven ,,sermons ,,preached ,,before ,,the ,,university ,,of ,,oxford3 ,,with ,,preliminary ,,remarks3 ,,being ,,an ,,answer ,,to ,a ,,volume ,,entitled ,essays and ,reviews4 ,,by ,,the ,,rev4 ,,john ,,william ,,burgon1 ,m4,a41 ,,fellow ,,of ,,oriel ,,college1 ,,and ,,select ,,preacher4 99 99 99 99 99 ,i ,,cannot ,,hold ,,my ,,peace1 ,,because ,,thou ,,hast ,,heard1 ,o ,,my ,,soul1 ,,the ,,sound ,,of ,,the ,,trumpet1 ,,the ,,alarm ,,of ,,war4 ,oxford ,london3 ,j4 ,h4 and ,jas4 ,,parker4 #ahfa4 ,printed by ,messrs4 ,parker1 ,cornmarket1 ,oxford4 ,,to ,,the ,,reverend ,,william ,,sewell1 ,d4,d41 ,,fellow ,,of ,,exeter ,,college3 ,,late ,,professor ,,of ,,moral ,,philosophy ,,in ,,the ,,university ,,of ,,oxford2 ,,and ,,late ,,warden ,,of ,,st4 ,,peter',s ,,college1 ,,radley4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,my ,,dear ,,friend1 ,let me have the satisfaction of inscribing this volume to yourself4 ,i know of no one who has more faithfully devoted himself to the sacred cause of ,christian ,education3 no one to whom those blessed ,truths are more precious1 which of late have been so unscrupulously assailed1 and which the ensuing pages are humbly designed to uphold in their integrity4 ,affectionately yours1 ,,john ,w4 ,,burgon4 99 99 99 99 99 1 4 ,ac si diceret3 ,ob hoc hresen non statim divinitus eradicantur auctores1 ut probati manifesti fiant2 id est1 ut unusquisque quam tenax1 et fidelis1 et fixus ,catholic fidei sit amator1 appareat4 ,et revera cum quque novitas ebullit1 statim cernitur frumentorum gravitas1 et levitas palearum3 tunc sine magno molimine excutitur ab are1 quod nullo pondere intra aream tenebatur4--,,vincentius ,,lirinensis1 ,adversus ,hreses1 #bj4 ,,preface4 ,i am unwilling that this volume should go forth to the world without some account of its origin and of its contents4 ,i4 ,appointed last year1 7without solicitation on his part17 to the office of ,select ,preacher1 the present writer was called upon at the commencement of the ,october ,term to address the ,university4 ,his ,sermon1 7the first in the volume17 was simply intended to embody the advice which he had already orally given to every ,undergraduate who had sought counsel at his hands for many years past in ,oxford2 advice which1 to say the truth1 he was almost weary of repeating4 ,nothing more weighty or more apposite1 at all events1 presented itself1 for an introductory address3 nor has a review of the current of religious opinion1 either before or since1 produced any change of opinion as to the importance of what was on that first occasion advocated4 ,another1 and another1 and yet another preaching turn unexpectedly presented itself1 in the course of the same ,term2 and the ,i,ind1 ,i,i,ird1 and ,i,vth of the ensuing ,sermons1 7preached on alternate ,sundays17 were the result4 ,the study of the ,bible had been advocated in the first ,sermon2 but it was urged from a hundred quarters that a considerable amount of unbelief prevailed respecting that very ,book for which it was evident that the preacher claimed entire perfection and absolute supremacy4 ,the singular fallacy of these last days1 that ,natural ,science1 in some unexplained manner1 has already demolished1--or is inevitably destined to demolish#a1--the ,book of ,divine ,revelation1 appeared to be the fallacy which had emerged into most offensive prominence2 and to this1 he accordingly addressed himself4--,it will not1 surely1 be thought by any one who reads the ,i,ind of these ,sermons that its author is so weak as to look with jealousy on the progress of ,physical ,science4 ,his alarm does not arise from the cultivation of the noblest study but one1--viz4 the study of ,,god',s ,works2 but from the prevalent neglect of the noblest study of all1--viz4 the study of ,,god',s ,word4 ,his quarrel is not with the ,professors of ,natural ,science1 but with those who are mere ,pretenders to it4 ,moreover1 he makes no secret of his displeasure at the undue importance which has of late been claimed for ,natural ,science2 and which is sufficiently implied by the prevalent fashion of naming it without any distinguishing epithet1--as ,science1 absolutely3 just as if ,theology were not a ,science also#b6 ,it is not necessary to speak particularly of the contents of the next two ,sermons2 except to say that the train of thought thus started conducted the author inevitably over ground which was already occupied in the public mind by a volume which had already obtained some notoriety1 and which has since become altogether infamous4 ,enough of the contents of that unhappy production ,i had read to be convinced that in a literary1 certainly in a ,theological point of view1 it was a most worthless performance2 and ,i recognized with equal sorrow and alarm that it was but the matured expression of opinions which had been fostering for years in certain quarters3 opinions which1 occasionally1 had been ventilated from the ,university pulpit2 or which had been deliberately advocated in print#c2 and which it was now hinted were formidably maintained1 and would be found hard to answer4 ,astonished1 7not by any means for the first time in my life17 at the apathy which seemed to prevail on questions of such vital moment1 ,i determined at all events not to be a party to a craven silence2 and denounced from the ,university pulpit with hearty indignation that whole system of unbelief1 7if system it can be called17 which has been growing up for years among us#d2 and which1 ,i was and am convinced1 must be openly met1--not silently ignored until the mischief becomes unmanageable3 met1 too1 by building up men in ,,the ,,truth3 above all1 by giving ,theological instruction to those who are destined to become ,professors of ,theological ,science1 and are about to undertake the cure of souls4444 ,in this spirit1 ,i asserted the opposite fundamental verities2 and so1 would have been content to dismiss the ,essays and ,reviews from my thoughts for ever4 ,but in the meantime1 the respectability of the authors of that volume had attracted to their work an increasing share of notice4 ,an able article in the ',westminster ,review' first aroused public attention4 ,a still abler in the ',quarterly' awoke the ,church to a sense of the enormity of the offence which had been committed4 ,it was not that danger was apprehended4 ,there could be but one opinion as to the essential impotence of the attack4 ,but the circumstances which aroused public indignation were twofold4 ,first1--,here was a conspiracy against the ,faith4 ,seven ,critics had avowedly combined to illustrate the advantage derivable to the cause of ,religious and ,moral ,truth from a free handling1 in a becoming spirit1 of what they were pleased to characterize as subjects peculiarly liable to suffer by the repetition of conventional language1 and from traditional modes of treatment#e4 ,they prefixed to their joint labours the expression of a hope that their volume would be received as an attempt to do this4 ,that their allusion was to the ,creeds1 ,articles1 ,book of ,common ,prayer and ,administration of the ,sacraments1--was obvious4 ,equally obvious was the un-becoming spirit1 the arrogance and the hostility1--with which all those sacred things were handled by those seven writers4 ,secondly1--,essays and ,reviews attracted notice because six of its authors were ,ministers of the ,church of ,england4 ,here were six ,clergymen openly making light of their sacred profession1 and apparently worse than regardless of their ,ordination vows4 ,as an infidel but certainly in this instance most truthful as well as able ,reviewer1 remarked concerning the work in question1--,in their ordinary1 if not plain sense1 there has been discarded the ,word of ,,god1 the ,creation1 the ,fall1 the ,redemption1 ,justification1 ,regeneration1 and ,salvation1 ,miracles1 ,inspiration1 ,prophecy1 ,heaven and ,hell1 ,eternal punishment and a ,day of ,judgment1 ,creeds1 ,liturgies1 and ,articles1 the truth of ,jewish ,history and of ,gospel narrative2 a sense of doubt thrown over even the ,incarnation1 the ,resurrection1 and ,ascension1 the ,divinity of the ,second ,person1 and the personality of the ,third4 ,it may be that this is a true view of ,christianity2 but we insist1 in the name of common sense1 that it is a new view4 ,surely it is waste of time to argue that it is agreeable to ,scripture1 and not contrary to the ,canons#f6 ,this twofold phenomenon1 which has shocked the public conscience and perplexed common sense1 has been the sole cause of the amount of attention ,essays and ,reviews has excited4 ,laymen might have combined to produce this volume1 almost unheeded4 ,an obscure ,clergyman might possibly have published any one of these seven papers2 and with a rebuke for his immorality or his insolence1 he would probably have been unnoticed by the world4 ,but here is a combination of ,doctors of ,divinity2 ,professors2 ,fellows1 nay ,heads of ,colleges2 ,instructors of ,england's ,youth2 ,teachers of ,religion2 ,chaplains to ,royal and noble personages6 ,the ,jesuitical notice prefixed to the book1 7deprecating the idea that its authors should be held responsible1 except severally for their several articles17 completed the scandal4 ,as if seven men1 each armed with his own appropriate weapon of violence1 breaking into a house1 and spreading ruin around them1 could readily be understood1 7to quote their own language17 to incur each a limited responsibility6444 ,charity doubtless would have rejoiced to spread her mantle over any one or more of the number1 who1 on seeing the extravagantly vicious manner in which some of his associates had performed their part1 had openly declared his disgust and abhorrence of such unfaithfulness1 and had withdrawn his name#g1--with some expression of sorrow for the irreparable mischief which he had actively helped to occasion4 ,but long before nine editions of ,essays and ,reviews had appeared1 it became apparent that each of the living authors1 7for one1 alas1 has already gone to his account67 has made himself responsible for the whole work#h4 ,nay1 there are some of the number who make no secret of their satisfaction at what has happened2 and seem desirous only that their volume should obtain a yet wider circulation#i4 ,essays and ,reviews1 as already stated1 with the turn of the year1 experienced a vast increase of notoriety4 ,the entire ,bench of ,bishops condemned the book2 and both ,houses of ,convocation endorsed the ,episcopal censure4 ,a very careful perusal of the volume became necessary2 and it proved to be infinitely weaker in point of ability1 infinitely more fatal in point of intention1 than could have been suspected from the known respectability and position of its authors4 ,a clamour also arose for a ,reply to these ,seven ,champions1--not exactly of ,christendom4 ,you condemn3 but why do you not reply8--became quite a popular form of reproach4 ,it was useless to urge1 in private1 such considerations as the following3--,to reply to a volume of #dcc pages1 each of which contains a fallacy or a falsity1--while some pages are packed full of both1--is a serious undertaking4--,besides1 the book has been replied to already2 for there is scarcely an objection urged within its pages which was not better urged1 and effectually disposed of1 in the last century4 ,nay1 every good ,review of ,essays and ,reviews has answered the book3 for what signify the details1 if the fundamental lie has been detected1 and unrelentingly exposed8 ,the man who plants his heel on the serpent's head1 and refuses to withdraw it1 can afford to disregard the tortuous writhings of the long supple body4--,again4 ,these attacks are seven4 ,must seven men with concert and comparison1--with leisure and inclination too1--be procured to demolish this flimsy compound of dogmatism and unbelief8 to disperse these cloudy doubts1 and to analyse and repel these many ambiguous statements8--,once more4 ,a fool can assert1 and in a moment1 that ',there is no ,,god4' ,but it requires a wise man to refute the lie2 and his refutation will probably demand a volume4--,i say1 it was in vain to urge such considerations as these4 ,why does no one reply to these ',essays and ,reviews8' was asked1--till1 ,i apprehend1 pens enough have been unsheathed to do the work effectually4 ,it struck me1 in the meantime1 that ,i should be employing myself not unprofitably at such a juncture1 if 7laying aside all other work for a month or two7 ,i were to attempt a short reply to the volume in question1 myself2 and to combine it with the publication of the ,sermons ,i had already preached2 and which ,i had the comfort of learning had not only been favourably received by some of those who heard them1 but had attracted some slight notice outside the ,university also4 ,accordingly1 with not a little reluctance1 in the month of ,february ,i began4 ,the ,destructive part of the argument1 ,i determined to address to the younger members of my own ,college1--men with whom ,i live in daily intimacy1 and on terms of private friendship2 and whom1 above all1 ,i desired to protect against the influence of that moral poison1 7as the ,bishop of ,exeter describes it17 of which the world has lately heard so much4 ,the ,constructive part of the argument1 ,i resolved to complete as opportunities might offer1 in my ,sermons4 ,one such opportunity presented itself early in ,lent2 of which ,i availed myself to establish some fundamental truths relative to the ,interpretation of ,holy ,writ#aj4 ,by favour of the ,vice ,chancellor1 the promise of yet another preaching turn was obtained4 ,it appeared best to avail myself of the opportunity to consider the chief objections which have been brought against the ,bible from the marvellous character of some of its contents#aa4 ,an ,university ,sermon preached exactly ten years ago1 7on the ,doctrine of ,accommodation17 supplied an important link in the argument4444 ,thus the unscientific shape in which the present volume appears1 is explained2 and its want of exact method is accounted for4 ,let me add1 that but for the forward state of what ,i like to regard as the ,constructive part of the present volume1--7and which ,i am not without a humble hope will secure for the rest a more than ephemeral interest17--,i should have been slow indeed to undertake the distasteful task of answering a work of which ,i have long since been heartily weary4 ,,ii4 ,and now1 for a few words on the general question which has called out these ,sermons and ,preliminary ,remarks4 ,at the root of the whole mischief of these last days lies disbelief in the ,bible as the ,word of ,,god4 ,this is the fundamental error4 ,dangerous enough is it to the moral and intellectual nature of ,man1 when the authority of the ,church is doubted3 or rather1 this is the first downward step4 ,not to believe that ,christ bequeathed to ,his ,church a ,divine form of polity3 not to believe that ,he set officers over ,his ,kingdom1 of which ,he is ,himself the sole invisible ,head3 not to believe that ,he invested ,his ,apostles with authority to delegate to others the ,commission ,he had ,himself conveyed to them2 and that1 by virtue of such transmitted powers1 the ,church has authority in the ,ministration of ,,god',s ,word and ,sacraments3 not to believe that ,he vouchsafed to ,his ,church extraordinary guidance at the first1 and that ,he vouchsafes to ,his ,church effectual guidance still3--an utter want of faith in the ,church and her ,ordinances1 is the first step1 ,i repeat1 in a soul's downward progress4 ,next comes an impatience of ,creeds4 ,it has been falsely asserted by an ,essayist and ,reviewer that ,constantine inaugurated the principle of doctrinal limitation#ab2 by which is meant that definitions of ,faith date from the ,council of ,nica1 ,a4,d4 #cbe3 the truth being that the famous ,oecumenical ,council which was then held did but rule the consubstantiality of the ,,son with the ,,father3 whereas elaborate ,creeds exist of a far earlier date2 as all are aware4 ,creeds indeed are coeval with ,christianity itself#ac4 ,what need to add that when the decree of the first ,oecumenical ,council concerning the true faith in the adorable ,trinity has been set at nought1 all other decisions of the ,church are disregarded also8 ,that marvellous concrete fact1 the ,bible1--has next to be encountered4 ,unmethodical as it seems to be1 the ,bible arrests a man in his impatient course with many a significant ,history1--many an unmanageable precept4 ,much of its contents1 it is true1 are of such a nature that they may be glossed over1--explained away1--ignored1--set aside4 ,the reading is doubtful3 or there are two opinions1 7perhaps twenty17 concerning it3 or the language may be figurative3 or the words are not to be pressed too closely3 or a perverse logic may pretend to find in it agreeable confirmation1 instead of stern reproof4 ,not a few places there are1 however1 which defy any such handling2 stubborn rocks which refuse to yield a single trace of the wished-for vegetation1 in return for the most determined husbandry4 ,nothing of the kind ever will or can be made to germinate upon them4 ,they are absolutely unmanageable1 and hopelessly in the way of the man who is determined to cast off restraint1--whether spiritual1 intellectual1 or moral4 ,he is for being lawless2 or at least1 without law3 but the ,bible is unmistakably an external ,law1 and is opposed to him4 ,the ,bible is his enemy1 and the ,bible claims to be ,divine4444 ,what need to state that to deny the ,inspiration of the ,bible1 and to undermine its authority1 and to explain away its statements1 becomes the next object of the unbeliever8 ,it is precisely at this stage of his downward progress that public attention is excited1 and public indignation aroused4 ,the ,church1 7like its ,divine ,author17 may be outraged1 and few will be found to remonstrate4 ,the ,creeds may be assailed1 7especially one unhappy ,creed671 and it is hinted that these are speculative matters1 on which none should pronounce too dogmatically4 ,but 7thank ,,god67 ,englishmen yet love their ,bible2 and ,common ,sense is able to see that an uninspired ,bible is no ,bible at all4 ,at the assault upon the ,bible1 therefore1 as ,i said1 an indignant outcry is raised1--as now4 ,systematically to cope with such irreverence1 such entire ignorance rather of all the questions at issue1 from the pulpit1 would be clearly impracticable4 ,men require to be taught which be the first principles4 ,they require to be educated in ,divinity4 ,and thus we come back to the fontal source of all the mischief of our own ,day4 ,we1 in ,oxford1 give no systematic training to our ,candidates for ,holy ,orders4 ,we do not even attempt it4 ,nay1 incredible to relate1 we do not give them any training at all4 ,and the fatal consequences of this omission are to be seen on every side4 ,a youth no sooner gets through the ,schools1 and graduates in ,arts1 than he inquires for a ,curacy4 ,during the three months1 perhaps six1 of interval1 he makes himself sufficiently acquainted with the ,alphabet of ,divinity to enable him to satisfy the very modest requirements of the ,bishop's examination2 after which he finds himself at once actively engaged in the ,bishopric of souls and the profession of ,theology4 ,it is probable that the realities of the ,ministerial calling1 and the eminently practical nature of such an one's daily life1 will keep this man from error4 ,not so his--more1 shall ,i say1 or less8--fortunate fellow-student2 who1 by hard self-relying labour1 having obtained distinction in the ,schools1 finds himself in the enjoyment of a fellowship1 and straightway engages in the work of tuition4 ,this man1 whose fellowship is his title for orders1 studies ,divinity1 or neglects it1 at pleasure3 and if he studies it1 he studies it in his own way4 ,he has read a little of heathen ,ethics with great care2 or he has trained himself to the exactness of mathematical inference4 ,with the purest idiom of ancient ,greece he has also made himself very familiar4 ,he is besides a ,master of ,arts4 ,what need to add that such an one is not therefore a ,master of ,divinity8 possesses no qualification which authorizes him to dogmatize about any one department of ,theological ,science8 ,the plain truth is1 7and it is really better to speak plainly17--the plain truth is1 that the offensive ,sermons one sometimes hears from the ,university pulpit1--the offensive ,essays and ,reviews which have lately occasioned so much public scandal1--are the work of men who discuss that which they do not understand2 profess that which they were never1 at any time of their life1 taught4 ,their method of handling a text is altogether unique and extraordinary4 ,their remarks concerning ,divine things are even puerile4 ,their very citations of ,scripture are incorrect4 ,their cool affectation of superiority of knowledge1 their claim to intellectual power1 would be laughable1 were the subject less solemn and important4 ,speculations so feeble that they sound like the cries of an infant in the dark1 are insinuated to be the sublime views of a bold and original thinker1 who has by a ,divine help been enabled to plant his foot somewhere beyond the waves of ,time6--,doubts so badly expressed that they read like the confused utterance of one in his sleep1 claim to be regarded as the legacy of one who is about to depart hence before the natural term1 worn out with intellectual toil#ad6 444 ,in a word1--,men who have never been taught and trained1 but have grown up in a miserable self-evolved system of their own1--7with a little of ,hegel1 and a little of ,schleiermacher1 and a little of ,strauss17--cannot but trouble the peace of the ,church4 ,they deny her authority4 7,they are not aware of her claims47 ,they cavil at her ,creeds4 7,they are not acquainted with their history47 ,they doubt the authenticity of the very ,bible4 7,they know wondrous little about it47--,how did the ,bible attain its actual shape8 ,they cannot tell4 ,how has it been guarded8 ,they are careless to inquire4 ,how does it come to us as 'the ,bible1'--the ,book of all books8 ,it is best not to discuss a question which must infallibly bring forward the ,church as a witness and a keeper of ,holy ,writ#ae4 ,men are even impatient to publish their private prejudice that it is to be interpreted like any other book2 that it is inspired in no other sense than ,sophocles and ,plato4 ,the principle of private judgment1 7it is said17 puts ,conscience between us and the ,bible1 making ,conscience the supreme interpreter#af4 ,hence1 it is said1 we use the ,bible1--some consciously1 some unconsciously1--not to override1 but to evoke the voice of ,conscience4 7p4 #dd47 ,the ,book of this ,law1 7as ,hooker phrases it17 is dethroned2 and ,man usurps the vacant seat1 and becomes a ,law unto himself6 ,,god ,himself is dethroned1 in effect2 and ,man becomes his own god4 ,to cope systematically with all this from the ,university pulpit1 as already remarked1 is plainly impossible4 ,the preacher must take up the question at some definite stage1 and arrest the false teachers there4 ,that wicked1--or rather ,,the ,,lawless ,,one1 7 1 as he is called in #b ,thess4 ii4 #h17--must be bound1 hand and foot1 somewhere in his career of lawlessness2 and in these ,sermons the threshold of the ,bible has been chosen as the place for the conflict4 ,my life for his life4 ,i will slay or be slain on the very portal of ,holy ,scripture4 ,with the young1 you begin at the beginning1--the ,creed1 the ,,lord',s ,prayer1 the ,ten ,commandments2 and they must be further instructed in the ,church ,catechism4 ,but the foundation cannot be laid afresh with the full-grown4 ,it is idle to talk about the authority of the ,church to men who do not believe in the ,bible4 ,it is useless to dispute about ,creeds with men who know nothing of the origin and history of ,christianity4 ,reserving the true method of teaching for those who alone are capable of being taught1 we are constrained to argue with men of full age about the ,inspiration and ,interpretation of the ,bible4--,if in the ensuing ,sermons the principles handled are so very elementary1 it is because the available limits were so very narrow1--while the field over which ,unbelief has spread itself1 is so very broad4 ,,iii4 ,when a few words have been added concerning the manner in which ,i have executed my task1 this ,preface shall be brought to a close4--,if the style of the present ,,sermons1--considering the auditory1 and above all considering the subject1--shall be thought by competent judges not sufficiently dignified in parts1 ,i will bow to their decision without remonstrance4 ,everybody can divine the defence which would be set up2 but perhaps it may not be quite a valid defence4 ,a man feels strongly and warmly2 writes fast and freely2 is determined to be clearly understood3 is weary of the dignified conventionalities under which ,scepticism loves to conceal itself when it comes abroad4 ,perhaps some expressions which may be permitted in delivery1 ought to be remodelled when a ,sermon is sent to the press4 ,but with regard to the ensuing ,,preliminary ,,remarks1 ,i shall not so easily be persuaded to think that ,i am mistaken as to the style in which ,essayists and ,reviewers are to be dealt with#ag4 ,some respectable persons1 ,i doubt not1 will think my treatment of them harsh and uncharitable4 ,i invite them to consider that we do not expect blasphemy from ,ministers of the ,gospel1--irreligion from the teachers of youth1--infidelity from the ,professor's chair3 nor are we called upon to tolerate it either4 ,i have the misfortune to concur entirely with the verdict pronounced by the ,bishop of ,exeter on the subject of ',essays and ,reviews4' ,let those who feel little jealousy for ,,god',s honour measure out in grains their censure of a volume1 the confessed tendency of which is to sap the foundation of ,faith1 and to introduce irreligion with a flood-tide4 ,such shall not1 at all events1 be my method4 ,private regard1 if it is to weigh largely with him who stands up for ,,god',s ,truth1 should first have weighed a little with those by whom it has been most grievously outraged4 ,it may suit these ,authors to wrap up their shameful meaning in a cloud of words2 but their ,reviewer avails himself of that ,christian liberty to which they themselves so systematically lay claim1 mercilessly to uncover their baseness1 and uncompromisingly to denounce it4 ,if ,i may declare my mind freely1 punctilious courtesy in dealing with such opinions1 becomes a species of treason against ,him after whose ,name we are called1 and whom we profess to serve4 ,seven men may combine to handle the things of ,,god1 it seems1 in the most outrageous manner2 while themselves are to be the objects of consideration1 tenderness1 respect6 ,i cannot see their title to any consideration at all4 ,it will be found1 it is hoped1 that when these writers have the courage to descend to argument1 there ,i have gladly met them on their own ground1 and sought to refute them3 but to reason is no part of their plan4 ,unsupported dicta on every subject on which they treat3 doubts promiscuously insinuated1 but never once openly and honestly maintained3 cool assumptions of intellectual superiority for themselves and their infidel allies3 contemptuous allusions to the names which the respectable part of mankind agrees to hold in honour3 foul imputations against the honesty of the ,clergy3--this is all their method6 ,the favourite cant of these writers is1 that no one should shrink from free discussion1 or fear the results of ,criticism4 ,why then do not they themselves criticize8 ,why do not they reason8 ,charity herself after weighing these ,essays carefully has no alternative but to assume that the ,authors either have not the courage1 or that they lack the ability1 to descend to a free discussion1 and risk all on a stand-up fight4 ,a kind of guerilla warfare3 half a dozen arrows1 and a hasty retreat3 such is their mode of attack6 ,but this method1 though it may occasion annoyance1 is quite unworthy of an honest inquirer1 and never can be decisive of anything4 ,it is the cowardly expedient of men who shrink from scrutiny1 and dread exposure4 ,nothing so easy1 for example1 as to repeat the old commonplace about irreconcileable discrepancies in the ,synoptical ,gospels3 but why1 instead1 are we not told1 which these irreconcileable discrepancies are8 ,for my own part1 ,i freely renew in this place the challenge ,i gave in my ,i,i,ird ,sermon#ah4 ,let any one of these ,gentlemen publicly and definitely lay his finger on one or more of these contradictory statements in the ,gospels1 during term-time2 and within a week ,i hereby undertake publicly to refute him in the ,divinity ,school of this ,university3 and our peers shall be our judges4 ,gentlemen who come abroad in the fashion above described1 have no right to complain if they encounter rough usage on the road4 ,when ,critics are clamorous for the free handling of ,divine ,truth1 they must not be surprised to find themselves freely handled too4 ,if free discussion is to be the order of the day1 then let there be free discussion of ,essays and ,reviews1 as well as of ,,the ,,bible4 ,six ,clergymen of the ,church of ,england who enter upon a crusade against the ,faith of the ,church of ,england must not be astonished if they are looked upon in the light of immoral characters1 and treated as such4 ,accordingly1 ,i have handled them just as freely as they have handled the ,prophets1 ,apostles1 and ,evangelists of ,,christ4 ,i cannot therefore pretend to offer anything in extenuation of the style in which ,i have examined the statements of these ,essayists and ,reviewers4 ,perfectly sensible as ,i am of the gracefulness of highly courteous language in controversial writing1 ,i will not so far violate my own conviction of what is right as to bandy compliments on such an occasion as this4 ,this is no literary misunderstanding1 or ,i could have been amicable enough3 no private or personal matter1 or ,i could have flung it from me with unconcern4 ,no other than an attempt to destroy ,man's dearest hopes1 is this infamous book3 no other than an insult1 the grossest imaginable1 offered to the ,majesty of ,heaven2 an attack1 the more foul because it is so insidious1 against the ,everlasting ,gospel of ,,jesus ,,christ4 ,in such a cause ,i will not so far give in to the smooth fashion of a supple and indifferent age1 as to pay these seven writers a single compliment which they will care to accept4 ,the most foolish composition of the seven is ,dr4 ,temple's2 the most mischievous is ,professor ,jowett's3 but the germ of the last ,essay is contained in the first2 the foolishness of the first ,essay is abundantly shared by the last3 while the evidence of correspondence of sentiment between the two writers is unmistakable4 ,the most unphilosophical ,essay1 7where all are unphilosophical17 is ,professor ,powell's3 the most insolent1 ,dr4 ,williams'3 the most immoral1 ,mr4 ,wilson's3 the most shallow1 ,mr4 ,goodwin's2 the most irrelevant1 ,mr4 ,pattison's4 ,not one of these writers shews himself capable of recognizing the true logical result of his own opinions3 of drawing from his own premisses their one inevitable issue4 ,not one of them has had the manliness to speak out1 and to say plainly what he means4 ,they seem to deny the ,divinity of ,,christ1 and the ,personality of the ,,holy ,,ghost3 but how reluctant is a reader to believe that they really mean it6 ,quite inevitable is it that these clerical critics must choose between two alternatives4 ,either they hold opinions which make it impossible that they should retain ,orders in the ,church of ,england1 and yet be honest men2 or they have expressed themselves with such culpable inaccuracy and ambiguity1 as shews that they are altogether incompetent to handle the ,science of ,theology4--,gladly would one give them the benefit of a third alternative3 but ,i see not that any remains4 ,if it should be thought strange that one thinking so meanly of ',essays and ,reviews' should have produced a yet larger volume in reply to them1 it must suffice to point out that the refutation of a fallacy is almost of necessity the ampler writing4--,or again1 if it be remarked that by far the largest part of what ,i have written is directed against the hundred pages of ,professor ,jowett1 the explanation is still obvious4 ,for not only does that concluding ,essay of his bring to a terribly practical issue the speculative doubts and difficulties which had been started by all his predecessors2 7namely1 doubts as to 7#a7 the relation in which the ,bible stands to ,man2--7#b7 the nature of ,prophecy2--7#c7 the reality of ,miracles2--7#d7 the worth of ,creeds and formularies2--7#e7 the authenticity of ,genesis2--7#f7 the basis on which ,revelation is by the ,church of ,england supposed to rest27--by proposing that we should henceforth regard the ,bible as a book no otherwise inspired than ,sophocles and ,plato3--not only does ,professor ,jowett's essay discharge this fatal office2 but his style is somewhat peculiar2 and what he says1 cannot always be effectually disposed of by a few words4 ,let me explain4 ,there is a certain form of fallacy of statement in which this ,gentleman's writings abound1 which calls aloud for notice and signal reprobation4 ,he has a marvellous aptitude1 7one would fain hope through some intellectual infirmity17 of connecting together in the same sentence two or three clauses2 one or two of which shall be true as ,heaven1 while the other is false as ,hell4 ,the reply to such a sentence is impossible1 without many words1--far more than ,mr4 ,jowett's sentences commonly deserve4--,sometimes he strings together several heads of thought2 of which enumeration the kindest thing which can be said is that it betrays an utter want of intellectual perspective4 ,to unravel even a part of this tangled web so as to expose its argumentative worthlessness1 soon fills a page4444 ,but there is another kind of fallacy which the same gentleman wields with immense effect1 and in the use of which he is a great master2 which1 because it was absolutely impossible to handle it fitly in the proper place1 shall be briefly adverted to1 here4 ,i proceed to describe it not without indignation2 for ,i am profoundly struck by the intellectual perversity1 not to say the moral obliquity1 which has so entirely made this vile instrument its own4 ,the fallacy then is of this nature4 ,when ,professor ,jowett would put forth something especially deserving of reprehension1--some sentiment or opinion which he either knows1 or ought to know1 that the whole ,church will resent with unqualified abhorrence1--he assumes a plaintive manner1 and puts himself into an interesting attitude2 sometimes even folds his hands1 as if in prayer4 ,he then begins by 7#a7 throwing out a remark of real beauty1 and so conciliating for himself an indulgent hearing2 or 7#b7 he goes off on some ,moral question1 and so defeats attention2 or 7#c7 he delivers himself of some undeniable truth1 and so disarms censure2 or 7#d7 he says something of an entirely equivocal kind1 and so leaves his reader at fault4 ,candour1 of course1 gives him the benefit of the doubt4 ,it is not till the sentence is well advanced1 or till it is examined by the fatal light of its context1 that one is shewn what the ambiguous writer really was intending4 ,a cloven foot appears at last2 but it is instantly withdrawn1 with a shuffle2 and you experience a scowl or a sneer1 as the case may be1 for your extreme unkindness in inquiring whether it was not a cloven foot you saw8444 ,meanwhile1 the learned ,professor has gone off in alia omnia1 with a look of earnestness which challenges respect1 and a vagueness of diction which at once discourages pursuit and defeats inquiry4 ,the fish invariably ends by disappearing in a cloud of his own ink4 ,it shall suffice to have said thus much4 ,these pages must now be suffered to go forth2 not without a hearty aspiration that a blessing may attend them from ,him sine ,quo nihil est validum1 nihil sanctum2 and that what was intended for the strength and help of those who want helping and strengthening1 7,i am thinking particularly of what has been offered on the subject of ,inspiration17 may not prove misleading or perplexing to any4 ,oriel1 ,june #bdth1 #ahfa4 ,,footnotes3 #a ,the reader is invited to refer to the passages cited in the present volume1 at pp4 lxxxvii4 and lxxxviii4 #b ,see p4 #dg to p4 #ej4 ,also ,appendix 7,b47 #c ,in illustration of what is meant1 may be particularized a highly objectionable ,sermon which ,dr4 ,temple preached before the ,university some years ago1 and which occasioned no small offence to many who heard it1--as all in ,oxford well remember4 ,it was almost as unsound as the same writer's ,essay ,on the ,education of the ,world1 which1 to the best of my remembrance1 it strongly resembled4--,a printed ,sermon by ,dr4 ,temple may also be referred to1 preached on ,act-,sunday1 ,july #a1 #ahfj1 before the ,university of ,oxford1 during the ,meeting of the ,british ,association1 entitled ,the present ,relations of ,science to ,religion4--,professor ,jowett's handling of the ,doctrine of the ,atonement1 needs only to be referred to4 #d ,page #hj to #hb4 #e ,to the ,reader1 prefixed to ,essays and ,reviews4 #f ',neo-,christianity' in the ,westminster ,review1 ,no4 #cf4--;,how true is what follows3--,the ,bible is one2 and it is too late now to propose to divide it4 ,we shall only point out that the moral value of the ,gospel teaching becomes suspicious when the whole miraculous element is discarded4 ,we certainly do think that the ,gospels assert a miraculous ,incarnation1 ,resurrection1 and ,ascension2 and that the ,epistles teach ,original ,sin1 and a vicarious ,sacrifice4 ,if this be doubted by our authors1 it is sufficient for us to say that such is the impression they have created on all ages of ,christians4 ,we desire that if the ,bible1 or any part of it be retained as ,holy ,writ1 it be defended as a miraculous gift to ,man1 and not by distorting the principles of modern ,science4 ,let the ,essayists be assured that there exists no middle course2 that there is no ,inspiration more than is natural1 yet not supernatural2 no ,theology which can abandon its doctrines and retain its authority4 ,lastly1 with what sickening and almost ,satanic power1 does the same writer invite the ,essayists and ,reviewers to make shipwreck of their souls in the following terrible passage4 ,and yet1 who sees not that on their principles absolute and professed unbelief is inevitable8 ,he says3--,how long shall this last8 ,until men have the courage to bury their dead convictions out of sight1 and the greater courage to form new4 ,all honour to these writers for the boldness with which they have1 at great risk1 urged their opinions4 ,but what is wanted is strength not merely to face the world1 but to face one's own conclusions4 ,we know the cost4 ,it must be endured4 ,let each who has thought and felt for himself1 ask himself first what he does not believe1 and then1 if wise or needful1 avow it4 ,next let him ask himself what he does believe1 and pursue it to its true and full conclusions4 ,neither loose accommodation nor sonorous principles will long give them rest4 ,it is of as little use to surrender the more glaring contradictions of ,science as it is to evaporate discredited doctrine into a few vague precepts4 ,that end will not be attained by our authors by subliming ,religion into an emotion1 and making an armistice with ,science4 ,it will not be obtained by any unreal adaptation2 nor by this1 which is1 of all recent adaptations1 at once the most able1 the most earnest1 and the most suicidal4 #g ,the ,bishop of ,exeter to ,dr4 ,temple4 #h ,the ,bishop of ,manchester exactly expressed the general opinion1 when he said1--,nor will ,i for a single moment1 however my personal feelings might interfere1 conceal my deliberate conviction that every partner in that work is equally guilty4--7,guardian1 ,ap4 #aj1 #ahfa1 p4 #cda47 ,but the most faithful language of all came from the ,bishop of ,exeter in his crushing reply to an inquiry put to him by ,dr4 ,temple4 ,i avow that ,i hold every one of the seven persons acting together for such an object to be alike responsible for the several acts of every individual among them in executing their avowed common purpose4 #i ,a letter from ,dr4 ,rowland ,williams1 which has appeared in the newspapers1 contains the following language with reference to the ,american reprint of ,essays and ,reviews3--,i confess myself personally gratified that my own work1 and that of my far more distinguished coadjutors1 with whom it is sufficient honour for me to be included in the same volume1 should have obtained the honour of a reprint in another hemisphere4 ,still more would ,i hail the circumstance as an auspicious token of the sympathy which should prevail between kindred nations1 as regards subjects of the highest import1 and as a sign of the prospects of ,christian freedom beyond the ,atlantic4444 ,i have not yet discovered any community or individual possessing the right to cast the first stone at those who interpret the ,bible in freedom1 and who subordinate its letter to its spirit1 or its parts to its whole4 ,even if ,holy ,scripture were1 as is popularly fancied1 the foundation1--and not1 as ,i believe1 the expression and the memorial1--of ,religious ,truth in man1 it would be absurd to render it honours essentially different from those which it claims for itself1 or to make it a master1 where it claims only to be a servant4 #aj ,serm4 ,v4 #aa ,see ,sermon ,,vii4 #ab ,essays and ,reviews1 p4 #aff4 #ac ,see p4 clxxvii4 to p4 clxxxiii4 #ad ,mr4 ,jowett in ,essays and ,reviews1 p4 #dcc4 #ae ,article ,,xx4 #af ,essays and ,reviews1 p4 #de4 #ag ,it should perhaps be stated that the edition of ,essays and ,reviews which ,i have employed is the ,third 7#ahfj47 #ah pp4 #gb-c4 ,,contents4 ,,dedication4 ,,preface4 ,i4 ,some account of the present ,volume4 ,,ii4 ,growth of irreligious ,opinion4 ,,iii4 ',essayists and ,reviewers' to be as 'freely-handled' as the ,prophets1 ,evangelists1 and ,apostles of ,,christ4 ,,table ,,of ,,contents4 ,,preliminary ,,remarks ,,on ,,essays ,,and ,,reviews4 ,,page ,i4 ,examination of the contribution of ,rev4 ,f4 ,temple1 ,d4,d4 ii ,,ii4 ,rev4 ,rowland ,williams1 ,d4,d4 xxx ,,iii4 ,rev4 ,professor ,baden ,powell1 ,m4,a4 xlvi ,,iv4 ,rev4 ,h4 ,b4 ,wilson1 ,m4,a4 lxiv ,v4 ,c4 ,w4 ,goodwin1 ,m4,a4 lxxxvi ,,vi4 ,rev4 ,mark ,pattison1 ,b4,d4 cxii ,,vii4 ,rev4 ,professor ,jowett1 ,m4,a4 cxxxix ,in what sense ,mr4 ,jowett's fundamental principle1 7that ,scripture is to be interpreted like any other book17 may be cheerfully accepted cxl ,mr4 ,jowett's main assertion that ,scripture has one and only one true meaning1 shewn to be founded on his assumption that the ,bible is uninspired1--like any other book cxlii #a4 ,eight ,characteristics of the ,bible enumerated1 which shew that it is unlike any other book cl ,but the distinctive characteristic of the ,bible1 is1 that it professes to be the work of the ,,holy ,,ghost clx ,mr4 ,jowett's syllogism corrected1 in consequence clxii #b4 ,mr4 ,jowett's proposal accepted1 that we should ,interpret ,scripture from itself4 ,notion of ,interpretation obtained from the volume of ,inspiration clxii #c4 ,in addition to the testimony of ,scripture1 we have to consider the testimony of ,antiquity clxix ,remarks on primitive ,patristic ,interpretation clxx ,this part of the subject misunderstood by ,mr4 ,jowett clxxiii ,remarks on primitive ,tradition4--,the ,creeds1 the records of ,primitive ,christianity clxxvii ,this part of the subject also misunderstood by ,mr4 ,jowett clxxix #d4 ,examination of some of ,mr4 ,jowett's reasons for rejecting that method of ,interpretation which has been 7#a7 ,established by our ,,lord2 7#b7 ,employed by ,his ,apostles2 7#c7 ,universally adopted by the primitive ,church2 and 7#d7 ,accepted by the most learned and judicious of modern ,commentators clxxxvi ,the peroration of ,mr4 ,jowett's ,essay examined and commented on ccvi ,retrospect of the entire subject ccxvi ,conclusion ccxxvii ,,sermon ,i4 ,,st4 ,,john vi4 #fh4 ,,lord1 to whom shall we go8 ,thou hast the words of ,eternal ,life4 ,,the ,,study ,,of ,,the ,,bible ,,recommended2 ,,and ,a ,,method ,,of ,,studying ,,it ,,described4 ,the ,gospel1 as a written message1 meets with the same reception at the hands of the ,world now1 as in the days of the ,son of ,man #a ,some points of analogy between the ,written and the ,incarnate ,,word #b ,difficulties and seeming contradictions in the ,gospel #c ,unattractive aspect4--,union of the ,human and ,divine #d ,the ,bible is generally little read4--,its preciousness #f ,the age unlearned as well as unfaithful #g ,want of preparation for the ,ministry4--,the question of preparation narrowed to the duty of studying the ,bible #h ,conditions of successful ,study3--a fixed time for reading the ,bible1 and a fixed quantity to be read #i ,vigilance1 and independent inquiry #aj ,consecutive reading4--,the first chapter of ,genesis #aa ,nothing to be skipped4--,result of such a method #ab ,the ,bible is to be read1 not in the same manner1 but with at least the same attention1 as a merely human work #ac ,a caution #ad ,men not competent to make their own ,religion out of the ,bible #af ,the advantages of such a study of the ,bible as has been here recommended1 explained #ag ,,sermon ,,ii4 ,,hebrews xi4 #c4 ,through ,faith1 we understand that the worlds were framed by the ,word of ,,god4 ,,natural ,,science ,,and ,,theological ,,science4 ,special act of ,faith assigned to ourselves in ,hebrews xi4 #bc ,the first ,chapter of ,genesis considered3 ,verse #a #bd ,province of ,geology #bf ,the ,work of the ,first ,day #bh --------------- ,second and the ,third ,day #bi --------------- ,fourth and the ,fifth ,day #cj --------------- ,sixth ,day #ca ,the ,mosaic ,history of the ,creation true #cc ,objections considered #cd ,speech ascribed to ,,god #ce ,adam's knowledge #cf ,the first pair4--,the days of ,creation real days #cg ,objections of pretenders to ,natural ,science #ci ,the plea that the ,bible is not a scientific book #dj ,the historical truth of the ,bible insisted upon #dd ,natural ,science not undervalued #df ,the term ,science not to be opposed to ,theology #dg ,theology the ,queen of ,sciences #dh ,,sermon ,,iii4 #b ,,tim4 iii4 #af4 ,all ,scripture is given by inspiration of ,,god4 ,,inspiration ,,of ,,scripture4--,,gospel ,,difficulties4--,,the ,,word ,,of ,,god ,,infallible4--,,other ,,sciences ,,subordinate ,,to ,,theological ,,science4 ,the meaning of #b ,tim4 iii4 #af #ec ,st4 ,paul nowhere disclaims ,inspiration #ed ,holy ,scripture is attributed in ,scripture to the ,,holy ,,ghost #ef ,forms of unbelief concerning ,inspiration #eg ,impertinence of the modern way of speaking of the ,evangelists #fj ,supposed inaccuracies1 slips of memory1 misstatements #fa ,the ,gospels not four but ,one #fb ,a principle laid down for the reconcilement of all ,gospel difficulties #fc ,illustration from a supposed case of testimony #fd ,computation of the hours in ,st4 ,john's ,gospel #ff ,the accounts of the blind man restored to sight at ,jericho1 harmonized #fg ,characteristics of an ,inspired narrative #fh ,the mention of ,jeremy the prophet1 and of ,cyrenius1 considered #gj ,faultlessness of the ,gospel #gb ,absurdity of the common allegations against it #gc ,the absolute ,infallibility of ,scripture maintained #gd ,every syllable of ,holy ,scripture inspired #ge ,the nature of ,inspiration illustrated #gf ,theology1 the noblest of the ,sciences #gi ,insubordination in these last days of ,physical ,science #hj ,the infidel spirit of the ,age1 protested against #ha ,theological ,science can never be called upon to give way before ,physical ,science #hc ,relations of ,morals to ,theology #hd ,conscience and the ,moral ,sense have been informed afresh by ,revelation #hg ,,sermon ,,iv4 ,,st4 ,,john xvii4 #ag4 ,thy ,word is ,truth4 ,,the ,,plenary ,,inspiration ,,of ,,every ,,part ,,of ,,the ,,bible1 ,,vindicated ,,and ,,explained4--,,nature ,,of ,,inspiration4--,,the ,,text ,,of ,,scripture4 ,cavils against the ,bible #ib ,absolute infallibility of every 'jot' and every 'tittle' of ,holy ,scripture #id ,the popular view of ,inspiration stated #ie ,no middle state between ,inspiration and non-inspiration #if ,the popular theory applied and tested #if ,a different view of the nature and office of ,inspiration stated #ajj ,inspiration still the same1 however diverse the subject-matter #ajb ,what is meant by 'a ,prophet' #ajd ,the message still ,,god',s1 whatever its nature may be #ajf ,note of ,inspiration in the ,historical ,books of the ,bible #ajh ,the ,title on the ,cross #aji ,remonstrance #aaj ,theories of ,inspiration to be rejected #aae ,remarks on the nature of ,inspiration #aaf ,proof that men generally hold that the words of ,scripture are inspired #aag ,absolute irrelevancy of objections drawn from the state of the ,text of ,scripture #aah ,the ,substance of ,scripture inseparable from the ,form #abj ,antichristian spirit of the age #aba ,the ,study of ,scripture in a childlike spirit recommended #abb ,,supplement ,,to ,,sermon ,,iv4 ,a favourite view of ,inspiration stated #abf ,vagueness of this theory #abg ,the theory practically tested1 and found unmanageable #abh ,further examination of the theory #acb ,our ,,saviour',s reasoning as difficult as that of ,st4 ,paul #acd ,,sermon ,v4 ,,st4 ,,matthew iv4 #d4 ,it is written1 ,man shall not live by bread alone1 but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of ,,god4 ,,interpretation ,,of ,,holy ,,scripture4--,,inspired ,,interpretation4--,,the ,,bible ,,is ,,not ,,to ,,be ,,interpreted ,,like ,,any ,,other ,,book4--,,god1 7,,not ,,man17 ,,the ,,real ,,author ,,of ,,the ,,bible4 ,interpretation described #adj ,three sources of ,interpretation compared #ada ,eusebius on the ,captain of the ,,lord',s ,host #adc ,the principle must be ascertained1 on which ,inspiration is to be conducted #add ,how this is to be done #ade ,this question may not be needlessly encumbered with difficulties #adg ,the ,,holy ,,spirit',s method of ,interpretation must be the true method #adh ,specimens of ,inspired ,interpretation #adi ,the very narrative of ,scripture mysterious #aeb ,divine exposition of the history of ,melchizedek #aeb ,further proofs of the mysterious texture of ,holy ,scripture #aef ,moses wrote concerning ,,christ #aeg ,two propositions established by the foregoing inquiry3 7#a7 ,that the ,bible is not to be interpreted like any other book3 7#b7 ,that the meaning of ,scripture is not always only one #afj ,scripture to be interpreted literally #afj ,the story of ,joseph and ,potiphar's wife remarked upon #afb ,the ,bible is the ,word of ,,god #afc ,bishop ,butler on ,inspiration #afe ,unbelief remonstrated with from the analogy of ,nature and of ,providence #afh ,how the inspired writers may be supposed to have understood what they delivered #aga ,the question of ,interpretation not be argued on priori grounds #agc ,interpretation would be hopeless1 but that the fountain of ,inspiration is one #agd ,an apology for these ,sermons #agg ,exhortation to transmit the ,faith #ahj ,,sermon ,,vi4 ,,romans x4 #f-i4 ,but the ,righteousness which is of ,faith speaketh on this wise1--',say not in thine heart1 ,who shall ascend into ,heaven8' 7that is1 to bring ,,christ down from above37 or1 ',who shall descend into the deep8' 7that is1 to bring up ,,christ again from the dead47 ,but what saith it8 ',the word is nigh thee1 even in thy mouth1 and in thine heart3' that is1 the word of ,faith1 which we preach2 that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the ,,lord ,,jesus1 and shalt believe in thine heart that ,,god hath raised ,him from the dead1 thou shalt be saved4 ,,the ,,doctrine ,,of ,,arbitrary ,,scriptural ,,accommodation ,,considered4 ,many insidious methods of denying the ,inspiration of ,scripture #ahd ,the most subtle method of all1 characterized #ahe ,the term ,accommodation not in itself objectionable #ahg ,arbitrary ,accommodation explained #ahh ,reasons for rejecting this theory #ahi ,learned research proves that the theory is gratuitous #aij ,st4 ,paul's exposition of a passage in ,deuteronomy xxx1 7,rom4 x4 #f to #i17 proposed for examination #aia ,license of ,inspired quotation #aid ,how the phenomenon is to be regarded #aie ,st4 ,paul's exposition examined by the light of unassisted ,reason #aih ,shewn not to be an instance of arbitrary ,accommodation1 but of genuine ,interpretation #baa ,the success or failure of such inquiries1 unimportant #bab ,no ,accommodation when an inspired writer quotes ,scripture #bac ,remarks on ,inspired ,reasoning #bae ,,sermon ,,vii4 ,,st4 ,,mark xii4 #bd4 ,do ye not therefore err1 because ye know not the ,scriptures1 neither the power of ,,god4 ,,the ,,marvels ,,of ,,holy ,,scripture1--,,moral ,,and ,,physical4--,,jael',s ,,deed ,,defended4--,,miracles ,,vindicated4 ,sadduceeism of the day #bba ,the ,moral and ,physical ,marvels of ,scripture proposed for consideration #bbb ,moral ,marvels3--,jael4--,how her story is to be read #bbc ,history of ,jael4 ,her conduct explained and defended #bbd ,jacob1--the ,canaanites1--,abraham1--,david #bcj ,physical ,marvels3--,the greatest of those in the ,old ,testament are witnessed to in the ,new #bcb ,design of the quotations in ,holy ,scripture #bcd ,dr4 ,arnold and the ,book of ,daniel #bce ,miracles are not to be called violations1 c4 of ,nature #bcg ,law in relation to ,,god #bch ,an objectionable ,theory of ,miracles exposed #bci ,bishop ,butler on ,miracles #bdj ,miracles may be pared down1 but cannot be explained away #bdb ,ideology applied to the explanation of ,miracles #bdc ,ideology explained and exposed #bde ,the ,resurrection of ,,christ the foundation-truth of ,christianity #bdh ,false and true ,charity #bej ,a parting ,exhortation #beb ,,appendix4 ,a ,bishop ,horsley on the double sense of ,prophecy #beg ,b ,bishop ,pearson on ,theological ,science #beh ,c ,the ,bible an instrument of ,man's probation #bfj ,d ,st4 ,stephen's statement in ,acts vii4 #ae1 #af1 explained #bfa ,e ,the simplest view of ,inspiration the truest and the best #bfe ,f ,the written and the ,incarnate ,word #bfg ,g ,the volume of the ,old ,testament ,scriptures1 indivisible #bfh ,i ,remarks on ,theories of ,inspiration4--,the ',human ,element' #bfi ,j ,how the ,inspired ,authors of the ,new ,testament handle the writings of the ,inspired ,authors of the ,old #bga ,k ,bishop ,bull on ,deuteronomy xxx #bgc ,l ,opinions of commentators concerning ,accommodation #bgg ,,preliminary ,,remarks ,,on ,a ,,volume ,,entitled ,,essays ,,and ,,reviews3 ,,addressed ,,to ,,the ,,undergraduate ,,members ,,of ,,oriel ,,college4 ,my ,friends1--,i have determined to address to yourselves the present remarks2 their subject1 a volume which has recently obtained such a degree of notoriety that it is almost superfluous even to specify it by name4 ,with unfeigned reluctance do ,i mix myself up in this strife2 but the course of events1 when ,i first took up my pen1 left me almost without an alternative4 ,far more reluctant should ,i be to seem to make yourselves the arbiters of ,theological controversy4 ,but in truth nothing is further from my present intention4 ,as a plain matter of fact1 you are called upon weekly1 at ,st4 ,mary's1 to listen to ,sermons which indicate plainly enough the troubled state of the religious atmosphere2 and which1 of late1 7too frequently alas67 have inevitably assumed a controversial aspect4 ,the ,sermons here published1 7which form the constructive part of the present volume17 were preached expressly with an eye to your advantage1 and were intended to warn you against 7what ,i deemed7 a very serious danger4 ,it is only natural therefore that ,i should desire to address to yourselves the present remarks likewise4 ,you are1 naturally1 objects of special solicitude to myself in this place1--you1 with whom ,i live as among friends1 and for not a few of whom ,i entertain a sincere affection4 ,and in addressing you1 ,i am not by any means inviting you to exercise your own theological judgment2 for that would indeed be an absurd proceeding4 ,i am simply seeking to instruct you1 and to guide you with mine4 ,the case of ,essays and ,reviews is1 in fact1 altogether exceptional1--whether the respectability of its authors1 the wickedness of its contents1 or the reception which it has met with1 is considered4 ,that volume embodies the infidel spirit of the present day4 ,turn where you will1 you encounter some criticism upon it4 ,no advertizing column but contains repeated mention of its name4 ,to ignore so flagrant a scandal to the ,church1 is quite impossible4 ,i have thought it better1 therefore1 to encounter the danger in this straightforward way2 and ,i proceed1 without further preamble1 to remark briefly on each of the ,seven ,essays and ,reviews1 in order4 ,i4 ,the feeblest essay in the volume is the first4 ,it is not without grave concern that ,i transcribe the name of its amiable1 and 7in every relation of private life7 truly excellent author1--,,frederick ,,temple1 ,d4,d41 ,chaplain in ,ordinary to the ,queen2 ,head ,master of ,rugby ,school2 ,chaplain to the ,earl of ,denbigh4 ,under the imposing title of ,,the ,,education ,,of ,,the ,,world1 we are presented with a worthless allegory1 which has all the faults of a schoolboy's theme1 7incorrect grammar included27 and not one of the excellencies which ought to characterize the product of a ripened understanding1--the work of a ,doctor of ,divinity in the ,english ,church#ai4 ,dr4 ,temple's opening speculations are at once unintelligible1 irrelevant1 and untrue4 ,but they are immaterial2 and serve only to lug in1 7not to introduce17 the assumption that the power1 whereby the present ever gathers into itself the results of the past1 transforms the human race into a colossal man whose life reaches from the ,creation to the day of ,judgment4 ,the successive generations of men are days in this man's life4 ,the discoveries and inventions which characterize the different epochs of the world's history are his works4 ,the creeds and doctrines1 the opinions and principles of the successive ages1 are his thoughts4 ,alas1 that the ,creeds and ,doctrines of the ,church should be spoken of by a ,professor of ,divinity as the thoughts of men6 ,the state of society at different times are 7sic7 his manners4 ,he grows in knowledge1 in self-control1 in visible size1 just as we do4 ,and his education is in the same way and for the same reason precisely similar to ours4 ,all this is no figure1 but only a compendious statement of a very comprehensive fact4 7p4 #c47 ,we may then1 7he repeats17 rightly speak of a childhood1 a youth1 and a manhood of the world4 7p4 #d47 ,and the process of this development of the colossal man1 corresponds1 stage by stage1 with the process by which the infant is trained for youth1 and the youth for manhood4 ,this training has three stages4 ,in childhood1 we are subject to positive rules which we cannot understand1 but are bound implicitly to obey4 ,in youth we are subject to the influence of example1 and soon break loose from all rules1 unless illustrated and enforced by the higher teaching which example imparts4 ,in manhood we are comparatively free from external restraints1 and if we are to learn1 must be our own instructors4 ,first comes the ,law1 then the ,son of ,man1 then the ,gift of the ,spirit4 ,the world was once a child under tutors and governors until the time appointed by the ,father4 ,then1 when the fit season had arrived1 the ,example to which all ages should turn was sent to teach men what they ought to be4 ,then the human race was left to itself1 to be guided by the teaching of the ,spirit within4 7p4 #e47--,so very weak an analogy1 7where everything is assumed1 and nothing proved17 singular to relate1 is drawn out into distressing tenuity through no less than #di pages4 ,the ,,answer to all this is sufficiently obvious1 as well as sufficiently damaging2 and need not be delayed for a minute4 ,that the ,human ,race has made considerable progress in ,knowledge1 from first to last1--is a mere truism4 ,that1 in the civilized world1 one generation is the heir of the generations which went before it1 is what no one requires to be told4 ,thus the discovery of the compass1 of printing1 and of the steam-engine1 have been epochs in human knowledge from which a start was made by all civilized nations1 without retrogression4 ,but such facts supply no warrant for transforming the whole ,human ,race into one ,colossal ,man2 do not constitute any reason whatever why the #fjjj years of recorded time should be divided into three periods corresponding with the ,infancy1 ,boyhood1 and ,manhood of an ,individual4 ,to this theory1 however1 ,dr4 ,temple even ostentatiously commits himself4 ,it is the purpose of his entire ,essay1 to establish the fanciful analogy already indicated1--which is proclaimed to be no figure but a fact4 7p4 #c47 ,but an educated man of ordinary intelligence1 on reaching p4 #g1 7where the writer first discloses his view17 summons the known facts of ,history to his recollection2 and before he proceeds any further1 reasons with himself somewhat as follows3-- ,the ,human ,race had inhabited the ,earth's surface for upwards of sixteen hundred years1 when it was destroyed by the waters of the ,flood4 ,after that1 the descendants of ,noah peopled the earth's surface2 a transaction of which the sole authentic record is to be found in the xth chapter of the ,book of ,genesis4 ,egypt first emerged into importance1--as history and monuments conspire to prove2 having had a peculiar language and literature1 ,arts and ,sciences1 anterior to the period of the ,exodus1 viz4 ,b4,c4 #adia4 ,meanwhile1 the chart of ,history directs our attention to four great ,empires3 the ,assyrian ,empire1 which was swallowed up by the ,persian2 and the ,persian1 which was merged in the ,grecian ,empire4 ,the ,roman ,empire came last4 ,how ,law can be considered to be the characteristic of all or any part of this period1 ,i am at a loss to discover4 ,neither do ,i see any indication of puling ,infancy here4 ,these four great ,empires of the world had run their course when our ,,saviour ,,christ was born4 ,,god sent ,his own ,eternal ,,son into the world2 and lo1 a change passed over the whole fabric of the world's polity4 ,the old forms of social life became1 as it were1 dissolved2 or rather1 a new spirit had been breathed into them all4 ,a new era had commenced2 and a new principle henceforth animated mankind4 ,that peculiar system of ,divine ,laws which for #aejj years had separated the ,hebrew race from all the nations of the earth1--the ,mosaic ,law which had hitherto been the inheritance of a single family1 isolated in ,canaan1--was explained and expanded by its ,divine ,author4 ,the ancient promises to ,abraham and his posterity were declared in their application to be co-extensive with the whole race of ,mankind by faith embracing them4 ,henceforth1 the kingdoms of the world were proclaimed the kingdoms of ,,christ1 and ,mankind became for the first time subject to a written ,law4 ,the ,laws of ,,christ',s ,kingdom1 the doctrines of ,,christ',s ,church1 henceforth become supreme4 ,thus1 when a ,christian ,sovereign is crowned1 the ,bible is solemnly placed in his hands2 and it is required of him that he promise1 on his oath1 to the utmost of his power1 to maintain the ,laws of ,,god4 ,when you see this ,orb set under this ,cross1 7says the ,archbishop1 on delivering those insignia of ,royalty17 remember that the whole ,world is subject to the power and empire of ,,christ our ,redeemer 444 so that no man can reign happily1 who 444 directs not all his actions according to ,his ,laws4 444 ,no further change in the order of things is anywhere intimated4 ,the ,faith hath been 1--once and for ever1--delivered to the ,saints4 ,forsaken1 it may be3 by many1 7alas67 it will be forsaken before the consummation of all things3 but it will not itself cease4 ,heaven and ,earth shall pass away2 but ,,christ',s ,word1 never4 ,not one jot nor one tittle of the ,law shall fail4444 ,such1 in brief outline1 is the ,world's true history1--past1 present1 future4 ,does it correspond with ,dr4 ,temple's account8 ,that may be very soon seen4 ,he calls the human race a ,colossal ,man2 and says that it passes through three stages1--,infancy1 ,boyhood1 ,manhood3 and that during those three stages1 it is governed by three corresponding principles1--,law1 ,example1 ,conscience4 ,how does ,dr4 ,temple establish the first8 ,the ,jews1 7he says17 were subject to ,law from the period of the ,exode to the coming of ,,christ4--,we listen to the statement of a familiar fact without surprise3 but we are inclined to express some stronger feeling than surprise when we discover that this is the whole of the proof concerning the infancy of the ,colossal ,man6 ,does this writer then mean to tell us that the ,jews were all ,mankind8 ,if they were not the ,colossal ,man1--if1 instead of being the whole ,human ,race1 they were one of the most inconsiderable and least known of the nations1--an isolated family1 in fact1 inhabiting ,canaan1--what becomes of the analogy8 ,we really pause for an answer4444 ,such a theory might have been expected1 and would have been excusable if it had proceeded from a ,sunday-school-boy of fifteen1--who had read the ,bible indeed1 but who was unacquainted with any book besides2 and so1 had jumped to the conclusion that the ,jews were the ,world4 ,but ,dr4 ,temple is a ,schoolmaster1 and therefore must surely know better4 ,if he is fanciful enough to regard ,mankind as a ,colossal ,man2 and unphilosophical enough to consider that ,history is capable of being divided into three periods1--corresponding with ,infancy1 ,boyhood1 and ,manhood2 and forgetful enough of the facts of the case to assume that mankind was subject to ,law until the coming of ,,christ1 thenceforward to be emancipated therefrom3--yet ,dr4 ,temple ought not to be so unreasonable as to pretend that ,canaan was coextensive with the ,world1--the descendants of ,abraham with the posterity of ,noah6 ,this amiable writer is inexcusable for excluding from the corporate entity of the ,human ,race the four great ,empires of the world1 7to say nothing of primval ,egypt and mysterious ,india27 and for the sake of elaborating a worthless allegory1 identifying the least of all people with the ,colossal ,man1 who1 7according to his own account of the matter17 represents the aggregate of all the nations4 ,once more4 ,the ,mosaic ,law was not given till ,b4,c4 #adia4 ,but the world was then upwards of #bejj years old4 ,far more than one-third1 therefore1 of recorded time had already elapsed4 ,how does it happen that the theory under consideration gives no account of those #bejj years2 or rather1 does not begin to be applicable1 until they have rolled away8 ,other inconveniences await this silly speculation4 ,thus1 the ,colossal ,man1 7who was under ,law from ,b4,c4 #adia to the ,christian ra17 proves to have been a marvellously precocious ,infant4 ,he wrote the ,song of ,moses in the year of his birth4 ,nay1 he built pyramids1--had a ,literature1 ,arts1 and ,sciences1--ages before he was born6444 ,while yet an infant1 he sang with ,homer1 and carved with ,phidias1 and philosophized with ,aristotle1--as none have ever sung1 or carved1 or philosophized since4 ,times and fashions have altered1 truly2 but these three men are still our ,masters in ,philosophy1 in ,sculpture1 and in ,song4 ,awkward fact1 that the colossal ,infant should have lisped in a tongue which for copiousness of diction1 and subtlety of expression1 absolutely remains to this hour without a rival in the world6 ,again4 ,at this writer's dogmatic bidding1 we force ourselves to think of ,mankind as a ,colossal ,man1 who has already gone through three ages1--,infancy1 ,boyhood1 and ,manhood4 ,old ,age is therefore to come next4 ,when1 7if it is a fair question17 may it be expected that the sad period of senile decrepitude will set in8 ,what proof1 in the mean time1 is there1 7we venture to ask17 that this period of decay has not begun already8 ,or does ,dr4 ,temple perhaps imagine that the world is moving in cycles1 7to adopt the grotesque speculation of his own first pages72 and that after having run through the curriculum of ,infancy1 ,boyhood1 and ,manhood1 the ,colossal ,man1 7escaping1 for some unexplained reason1 the penalty of ,old ,age17 is to grow young again1--shake his rattle and cut his teeth afresh8 ,there is a childish vivaciousness1 a juvenile recklessness1 a skittish impatience of restraint1 in this amiable author's speculations1 which powerfully corroborate such a view of the case4 ,the ,childhood of the ,world was over when our ,,lord appeared on earth1 7p4 #bj47 says ,dr4 ,temple4 ,but when at last he is compelled to introduce to our notice his ,colossal ,child 7p4 #i1 bottom47 now developed into a ,colossal ,youth1 he is painfully sensible that the ,law and the ,prophets1 7his schoolmasters17 7p4 #h47 have not done their work quite so well as was to have been desired and expected4 ,some apology is necessary1 7p4 #ac1 bottom47 ,two great results however he claims for their discipline3--a settled national belief in the unity and spirituality of ,,god1 and an acknowledgement of the paramount importance of chastity as a point of morals4 7p4 #aa47 ,not however that the ,law or the ,prophets had taught them even this4 7p4 #aj1 top47 ,it was in the ,captivity1 far from the temple and the sacrifices of the temple1 that the ,jewish people first learned that the spiritual part of worship could be separated from the ceremonial2 and that of the two the spiritual was far the higher4 7p4 #aj47 ,at ,babylon also the ,jews first distinctly learned the doctrine of the immortality of the soul4 7p4 #ai47--,the ,law1 to be sure1 had emphatically said1--,hear1 ,o ,israel1 the ,,lord thy ,,god is one ,,god#bj4 ,the prophets1 to be sure1 had protested1--,behold1 to obey is better than sacrifice#ba4 ,the ,law and the ,prophets1 to be sure1 are full of intimations that mercy and not sacrifice#bb is acceptable to the ,,god of ,heaven1 and that ,,god',s ,saints well understood the ,doctrine#bc2 as well as that a belief in the soul's immortality was a part of the instruction of the ,jewish people4 ,but what is all this to one who has an allegory to establish8444 ,the facts of the case1 in the meantime1 sorely perplex the truth-loving writer4 ,for it is undeniable that1 in the time of our ,lord1 the ,sadducees had lost all depth of spiritual feeling1 whilst the ,pharisees had succeeded in converting the ,mosaic system into a mischievous idolatry of forms4 7p4 #aj47 ,in short1 the ,jewish nation had lost very much when ,john the ,baptist came4 7p4 #aa47 ,the hopelessly corrupt moral state of the youthful ,colossus1 described with such sickening force and power by the great ,apostle in the first chapter of the ,epistle to the ,romans1 cannot have occurred to ,dr4 ,temple's remembrance1 for he says nothing about it4 ,certain withering denunciations of a wicked and adulterous generation#bd2--of adulterers and adulteresses#be2--serpents1 a generation of vipers1 which should hardly escape the damnation of ,hell#bf2--ought to have reached him with a reproachful echo2 but he is silent about them all4 ,still less would it have suited the amiable allegorizer to state that just midway in the educational process1 his ,colossal ,youth1 as if the sins of ,samaria and of ,sodom were a very little thing1 was corrupted more than they in all his ways4 ,as ,i live1 saith the ,,lord ,,god1 7apostrophizing ,dr4 ,temple's ,colossal ,youth1 in allusion to his character and conduct in the middle of his infant career17 ,sodom thy sister hath not done as thou hast done3 444 neither hath ,samaria committed half thy sins2 but thou hast multiplied thine abominations more than they4444 ,bear thine own shame for thy sins that thou hast committed more abominable than they4 ,they are more righteous than thou#bg6 ,ah sinful nation1 laden with iniquity1 a seed of evildoers1 children that are corrupters6444 ,from the sole of the foot even unto the head1--these words1 remember1 are addressed to the ,colossal ,infant just midway in his career2 and ,heaven and ,earth are called upon to give ear1 for the ,,lord hath spoken6 444 ,from the sole to the crown1 there is no soundness in it2 but wounds1 and bruises1 and putrifying sores4444 ,your hands are full of blood#bh6 444 ,about all this hideous retrospect of what was going on at school1 ,dr4 ,temple is silent4 ,in like manner1 the great fact that our ,,redeemer came to republish ,his own two primval ordinances1--the spiritual observance of the ,sabbath and the sanctity of ,marriage1--is quietly ignored4 ,a youth utterly degraded by sensuality#bi1 and blinded by unbelief#cj1 is a terrible picture truly4 ,dr4 ,temple therefore boldly gives the lie direct to ,history1 sacred and profane2 and insists that side by side with freedom from idolatry1 there had grown up in the ,jewish mind a chaster morality than was to be found elsewhere in the world3 7p4 #ab37 that in chastity the ,hebrews stood alone2 and this virtue1 which had grown up with them from their earliest days 76667 was still in the vigour of fresh life when they were commissioned to give the ,gospel to the nations4 7p4 #ac47 ,behold the ,colossal ,child therefore1 now grown into a ,colossal ,youth too old for discipline4 7p4 #bj1 bottom47 ,the tutors and governors have done their work2 7p4 #bj27 and he is now to go through a distinct process of training4 ,three tutors are now brought in to give the finishing touches to the youth's education1 and to inaugurate his new career4 ,rome1 ,greece1 and ,asia1--which for some unexplained reason never become 7according to ,dr4 ,temple7 any part of the ,colossal ,man at all1--now come in2 ,rome to discipline the human will2 ,greece1 the reason and taste2 ,asia1 the spiritual imagination4 7p4 #ai47 ,the ,law and the ,prophets had disciplined the ,colossal ,child's conscience1--with what success we have seen4 ,at all events1 ,moses and ,isaiah are for infants3 we have passed the age for such helps as they could supply4 ,in a word1--,the childhood of the world was over when our ,lord appeared on earth4 7p4 #bj47 ,it was just the meeting-point of the ,child and the ,man2 the brief interval which separates restraint from liberty4 7p4 #bb47 ,it was time that the second teacher of the ,human ,race should begin his labours4 ,the second teacher is ,,example3 7p4 #bj37 and the period of youth in the history of the world1 when the human race was1 as it were1 put under the teaching of example1 corresponds1 of course1 to the meeting point of the ,law and the ,gospel4 ,the second stage therefore in the education of man was the presence of our ,,lord upon earth4 7p4 #bd47 ,let not this stage of ,dr4 ,temple's allegory suffer by being stated in any language besides his own4 ,the world had been a ,colossal ,child for #adij years4 ,it was to be a ,youth for almost #ajj4 ,the whole period from the closing of the ,old ,testament to the close of the ,new was the period of the world's youth1--the age of examples3 and our ,,lord',s presence was not the only influence of that kind which has acted upon the human race4 ,three companions were appointed by ,providence to give their society to this creature whom ,,god was educating1 ,greece1 ,rome1 and the ,early ,church4 7p4 #bf47 ,behold then1 our ,blessed ,redeemer with ,his three companions4 7,i reproduce this blasphemous speculation with shame and sorrow47 ,what kind of ,example ,he was1 ,dr4 ,temple omits to inform us4 ,but ,greece was the brilliant social companion2--,rome1 the bold and clever leader2--the ,early ,church was the earnest1 heavenly-minded friend4 7p4 #bf47 ,we are warned therefore against supposing that our ,lord's presence was the only influence of that kind1 7i4e4 example17 appointed by ,providence for the creature whom ,god was educating4 ,in a word3 ,the world was now grown old enough to be taught by seeing the lives of ,saints1 better than by hearing the words of ,prophets4 7pp4 #bh-i47 ,we come now to the conclusion of the allegory2 and ,dr4 ,temple shall again speak for himself4 ,the age of reflection begins4 ,from the storehouse of his youthful experience the ,man begins to draw the principles of his life4 ,the spirit or conscience comes to full strength and assumes the throne intended for him in the soul4 ,as an accredited judge1 invested with full powers1 he sits in the tribunal of our inner kingdom1 decides upon the past1 and legislates upon the future without appeal except to himself4 ,he decides not by what is beautiful1 or noble1 or soul-inspiring1 but by what is right4 ,gradually he frames his code of laws1 revising1 adding1 abrogating1 as a wider and deeper experience gives him clearer light4 ,he is the third great teacher and the last4 7p4 #ca47 ,and now1 it will reasonably be asked1--,may not the head-master of ,rugby write a weak and foolish ,essay on a subject which he evidently does not understand1 without incurring so much not only of public ridicule1 but of public obloquy also8 ,if his own sixth-form boys do not laugh at him1 need the ,church feel aggrieved at what he has written8 ,where is the special irreligion in all this8 ,i answer1--,the offence is of the very gravest character2 and in the course of what follows1 it will appear with sufficient plainness wherein it consists4 ,for the moment1--singly considered1--it is my painful duty to condemn ,dr4 ,temple's ,essay on the following grounds4 ,whereas the ,church inculcates the paramount necessity of an external authoritative ,law to guide all her members2--,creeds to define the foundation of their ,faith1--a ,catechism to teach them the necessary elements of ,christian ,doctrine1--the several forms of ,prayer contained in the ,prayer ,book to instruct them further in ,religion1 as well as to prescribe their exact mode of worshipping ,,almighty ,,god3 whereas too the ,church requires of her ministers subscription to ,articles for the avoiding of ,diversities of ,opinions1 and for the establishing of ,consent concerning true ,religion2--above all1 since all ,christian men alike are taught to acknowledge the external guidance of the ,divine ,law itself contained in ,holy ,scripture1--and every ,minister of the ,church of ,england is further called upon to admit the authority of that ,divine ,law as it is by the ,church systematized1 explained1 upheld1 enforced3--notwithstanding all this1 ,dr4 ,temple1 who has solemnly taken the vows of a minister of the ,church of ,england1 and writes after his name that he is ,sacr ,theologi ,professor1 in his present ,essay more than insinuates1 he openly teaches that ,man draws the principles of his life1 7not from ,revelation1 but7 from the storehouse of experience3 that we live in an age when the spirit or conscience having come to full strength1 assumes the throne intended for him in the soul4 ,this spirit or conscience legislates without appeal except to himself4 ,he is the third great teacher and the last4 7p4 #ca47 ,the world1 in the days of its youth1 could not walk by reason and conscience alone3 7p4 #ba37 but it is not so with us1 in these1 the days of the world's manhood4 ,the spiritual power within us 444 must be the rightful monarch of our lives4 7p4 #ad47 ,we1 7he says17 walk by reason and conscience alone4 7p4 #ba47 ,now this is none other than a deliberate dethroning of ,,god2 and a setting up of ,self in ,his place4 ,a revelation speaking from without and not from within1 is an external ,law1 and not a spirit1--7p4 #cf17 says ,dr4 ,temple4 ,but ,i answer1--,a revelation speaking from within1 and not from without1 is no revelation at all4 ,the thought of building a tower high enough to escape ,,god's wrath1 could enter into no man's dreams1 7p4 #g17 says ,dr4 ,temple in the beginning of his ,essay1 in derision of the ,old ,world4 ,but he has carried out into act the very self-same thought1 himself2 and his dreams occupy the foremost place in ',essays and ,reviews4' ,he teaches1 openly1 that henceforth ,man must learn by obedience to the rules of his own mind4 7p4 #cd47 ,he is express in declaring that an external law is for the age which is past1 7pp4 #cd-e47 ,ours is an internal law2 which bids us yield1--not to the revealed ,will of ,,god1 but1--to the majesty of truth and justice2 a law which is not imposed upon us by another power1 but by our own enlightened will4 7p4 #ce47 ,in this1 the last stage of the ,colossal ,man's progress1 ,dr4 ,temple gives him four avenues of learning3 7#a7 ,experience1 7#b7 ,reflection1 7#c7 ,mistakes1 7#d7 ,contradiction4 ,by withholding from this enumeration the ,revealed ,will of ,,god1 and the known sanctions of the ,divine ,law1 he thrusts out ,,god from every part of his scheme2 denies that ,he is even one of the present teachers of the ,human ,race1--explaining that the time has even gone by when ,,christ could teach by example#ca1--;for the faculty of ,faith has turned inwards1 and cannot now accent any outer manifestations of the truth of ,,god#cb4 7p4 #bd47--;,by this ,essay1 ,dr4 ,temple comes forward as the open abettor of the most boundless scepticism4 ,whether or no his statements be such as ,ecclesiastical ,courts take cognizance of1 is to me a matter of profound unimportance4 ,in the estimation of the whole ,church1 it can be entitled to but one sentence4 ,we use the ,bible1 7he tells us17 not to override1 but to evoke the voice of conscience4 7p4 #dd47 ,the current is all one way1--it evidently points to the identification of the ,bible with the voice of conscience4 ,the ,bible1 in fact1 is hindered by its form from exercising a despotism 767 over the human spirit2 if it could do that1 it would become an outer law at once4 7p4 #de47 ,even if men could appeal to a revelation from ,heaven1 they would still be under the ,law 766672 for a ,revelation speaking from without1 and not from within1 is an external ,law1 and not a ,spirit4 7p4 #cf47 ,the principle of private judgment puts conscience between us and the ,bible2 making conscience the supreme interpreter1 whom it may be a duty to enlighten1 but whom it can never be a duty to disobey4 7,ibid47--,even those who look upon the observance of ,sunday as enjoined by an absolutely binding decree1 are reproached as thus at once putting themselves under a law4 7p4 #dd47 444 ,dr4 ,temple has written an ,essay which he calls an argument1 and for which he claims a drift4 7p4 #ca47 ,that argument is neither more nor less than a direct assault on the ,faith of ,christian men2 and carried out to its lawful results1 can lead to nothing but open ,infidelity2--which makes it a very solemn consideration that the author1 7whose private worth is known to all17 should be a teacher of the youth of ,christian ,england4 ,that drift ,i deplore and condemn2 and no considerations of private friendship1 no sincere regard for the writer's private worth1 shall deter me from recording my deliberate conviction that it is wholly incompatible with his ,ordination vows4 ,i forbear to dive into the depth of irreligion and unbelief implied in what is contained from p4 #cg to p4 #dj1 and other parts of the present ,essay3 but ,i cannot abstain from asking why does this author1--who1 in all the intercourse of private life1 is so manly a character1--fall into the unmanly trick of his brother-,essayists1 of insinuating what they dare not openly avow8 ,the great master of this cloudy shuffling art is ,mr4 ,jowett4 ,even where he and his associates in free handling1 are express and definite in their statements1 yet1 as their rule is prudently to abstain from adducing a single example of their meaning1 it is only by their disingenuous reticence that they escape punishment or exposure4 ,thus1 ,dr4 ,temple speaks of many of the doctrinal statements of the early ,church being plainly unfitted for permanent use2 7p4 #da27 but he prudently abstains from explaining which of those doctrinal statements he means4 ,he goes on to remark3--,in fact1 the ,church of the ,fathers claimed to do what not even the ,apostles had claimed1--namely1 not only to teach the ,truth1 but to clothe it in logical statements 444 for all succeeding time4 ,he is evidently alluding to the forms in which the first ages of the ,church defined the ,truth2 i4e4 to the ,creeds2 of which he says1 we yet refuse to be bound by them4 7p4 #dd47 ,he goes on1--,it belongs to a later epoch to see 'the law within the law' which absorbs such statements into something higher than themselves4 7p4 #da47 ,but the writer of that sentence ought to have had the manliness to explain what that higher something is4 ,dr4 ,temple's estimate of the corruptions of the ,papacy is of a piece with the rest of what ,i must be excused for calling a most unworthy performance4 ,purgatory1 c4 7he says7 was in fact1 neither more nor less than the old schoolmaster come back to bring some new scholars to ,,christ4 7p4 #db47 7,is the ,romish fable of ,purgatory then to be put on the same footing as the ,divine ,revelation to ,moses on ,sinai87 ,it follows1--,when the work was done1 men began to discover that the ,law was no longer necessary4 7,ibid47 7,is it thus that the head-master of ,rugby accounts for1 and explains the ,reformation87 ,the time was come when it was fit to trust to the conscience as the supreme guide4 7,ibid47 ,at the ,reformation1 it might have seemed at first as if the study of theology were about to return4 ,but in reality an entirely new lesson commenced1--the lesson of toleration4 ,toleration is the very opposite of dogmatism4 7p4 #dc47 ,its tendency is to modify the early dogmatism by substituting the spirit for the letter1 and practical religion for precise definitions of truth4 7,ibid47 ,the mature mind of our race is beginning to modify and soften the hardness and severity of the principles which its early manhood had elevated into immutable statements of truth4 ,men are beginning to take a wider view than they did4 ,physical science1 researches into history1 a more thorough knowledge of the world they inhabit1 have enlarged our philosophy beyond the limits which bounded that of the ,church of the ,fathers4 ,and all these have an influence1 whether we will or no1 on our determinations of religious truth4 ,there are found to be more things in heaven and earth than were dreamt of in patristic theology4 ,,god',s creation is a new book to be read by the side of ,his revelation1 and to be interpreted as coming from ,him4 ,we can acknowledge the great value of the forms in which the first ages of the ,church defined the truth1 and yet refuse to be bound by them4 7p4 #dc-d47 444 ,who so unacquainted with the method of a certain school as not to understand the fatal meaning of generalities1 false and foul as these8 99 99 99 99 99 ,it may occur to some persons to inquire whether ,st4 ,paul1 in a well-known place1 does not affirm1 7somewhat as it is affirmed in this ,essay17 that the heir1 as long as he is a child1 444 is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father8 ,and that1 ,even so we1 when we were children1 were in bondage under the elements of the world3 but when the fulness of time was come1 ,,god sent forth ,his ,,son 444 to redeem them that were under the ,law1 that we might receive the adoption of sons8 ,does not ,st4 ,paul also go on to reproach men for turning again to the weak and beggarly elements1 whereunto they desired to be again in bondage8 saying1 ye observe#cc days1 and months1 and times1 and years#cd4 ,it is quite true that ,st4 ,paul says all this3 and ,i would fain believe that a puerile misconception of the ,apostle's meaning has betrayed the misguided author of the present ,essay into a notion that he enjoys a species of ,divine sanction for what he has written concerning the ,education of the ,world4 ,i may add that ,st4 ,paul also declares1 7in the same ,epistle17 that the ,law was our pdagogus to bring us to ,,christ4444 ,but after faith is come1 we are no longer under a pdagogus#ce4 ,he further adds an exhortation to the ,galatians1 7for it is still them whom he is addressing17--,stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith ,,christ hath made us free1 and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage#cf4--,st4 ,john moreover1 in many places1 insists upon the spiritual powers and privileges of believers1 in a very remarkable manner1--the same ,st4 ,john1 the same ',apostle of ,love1' who says of a certain ,doctrine which ',essayists and ,reviewers' write as if they disbelieved1--,if there come any unto you1 and bring not this doctrine1 receive him not into your house1 neither bid him ,,god speed3 for he that biddeth him ,,god speed is partaker of his evil deeds#cg4 ,but it does not require much knowledge of ,divinity to make a man aware that ,st4 ,paul's meaning and intention is as widely removed from ,dr4 ,temple's1 as ,truth is removed from falsehood3 or rather1 that the ,apostle is flatly against him4 ,st4 ,paul is not bent on explaining what has been the ,education of the ,world1 but on pointing out in what relation the ,gospel of ,,christ stands to the ,law of ,moses4 ,he is reproving men who1 having been converted to ,christianity1 were for lapsing into ,judaism4 ,certain of the ,circumcision had been striving1 in ,st4 ,paul's absence1 to bring his ,galatian converts under the bondage of the ,levitical ,law2 assuring them that the ,gospel would avail them nothing unless they were circumcised and obedient to the ,jewish ritual4 ,hence the ,apostle's vehemence1 and the peculiar form which his instruction assumes4 ,the ,christian dispensation1 7the scheme of ,man's ,justification by ,faith in ,,christ17 is the fulfilment1 7,st4 ,paul says17 of the covenant which ,,god once solemnly made with ,abraham4 ,the ,mosaic ,law1 7which was not given till #dcj years after the time of ,abraham17 is powerless to cancel that earlier covenant of ,faith4 ,what was the use of the ,law1 then8 some one may ask4 ,it was a supplementary1 parenthetical1 superadded thing1 which came in1 as it were1 accidentally1 for certain assignable purposes4 ,but now that the original covenant of ,faith has at length found fulfilment in the person of ,,christ1 it were monstrous 7argues the ,apostle7 to revert to ,judaism3 which was a species of prison-house where we suffered bondage until ,,messiah came to set us free4 ,we were as prisoners1 says the ,apostle4 ,we were also as children1 7who1 anciently1 from the age of six to fourteen1 used to be consigned by their father to the care of a slave called a 'pdagogus2' who was neither qualified nor allowed to teach them anything2 but whose office it was to conduct them to school47 ,so brought to the ,school of ,,christ1 where learning comes by ,faith1 7such is his argument17 let men beware how they revert to the carnal ordinances of the ,jewish ,law4 ,how different a view of our true state is thus discovered1 from that which ,dr4 ,temple describes6 ,a glorious liberty is in reserve for us indeed#ch3 a precious freedom is ours already4 ,but it bears no resemblance whatever to that lawlessness 77 with which ,dr4 ,temple seems to be enamoured4 ,it is the correlation of slavery1 not of obedience4 ,it implies emancipation from the ,levitical ,law1 not from the sanctions1 however strict1 of the ,christian ,church4 ,the ,doctrines of ,christ's kingdom are the ,christian's crown and joy4 ,his service is perfect freedom1 and imparts to life all its sweetness4--,not only1 therefore1 7according to ,st4 ,paul's view of the matter17 were men not released from school at the meeting point of the ,law and the ,gospel1 7p4 #bd17 but they only began to go to ,school then#ci6 ,how different a view of the ,education of the ,world does the ,,holy ,,spirit1--does our ,,lord ,himself--furnish1 from that which ,dr4 ,temple here advocates6444 ,fallen1 in the person of ,adam1 and made subject to the penalty of eternal death1 behold ,mankind from the very first taught to believe that they should be ultimately redeemed by ,one born of woman4 ,under the image of a son who remained in his father's house1 the favoured descendants of ,abraham are set before us3 while the rest of the world is pourtrayed in the person of another son1 who goes into a far country1 and there wastes his substance with riotous living4 ,not when grown into a colossal youth too old for discipline1 7p4 #bj1 bottom17 but in the day of his dire necessity1 and when he begins to be sensible of his utter need1 behold the heathen nations1 7in the person of the poor prodigal17 arising1 and going to their true ,father1 and in the fulness of their misery asking for a hired servant's place in the household4 ,behold too ,,god',s mercies in ,,christ set forth by the first robe1 7that robe of innocence which when ,adam lost he knew that he was naked67 and the ring1 and the shoes1 and the fatted calf6 ,lastly1 in the embrace which the ,father1 7while yet the offending but repentant son is a long way off17 runs to bestow1--behold how ,,god loved the ,world6 ,but ,dr4 ,temple may say1--,my parable relates to one person3 that which you have quoted pourtrays two1 and thus all parallelism is lost4 7,in other words1 our ,,lord',s picture of the ,education of the ,world is altogether unlike ,dr4 ,temple's67--,take1 however1 a parable which ought to suit exactly2 for in it mankind are exhibited in the person of a certain man4 ,this individual is represented as one who1 as he travels1 is by thieves stripped1 wounded1 and left half dead4 ,such then1 by nature1 is the state of the human race6 ,priest and ,levite1 who look on him1 but pass by on the other side1 set forth the ,education of the ,world 767 until ,,christ came4 ,a certain ,samaritan1 who has compassion on the naked and wounded wretch1 goes to him1 binds up his wounds1 pours in oil and wine1 sets him on his own beast1 brings him to the inn1 and takes care of him3--this one is ,,christ4 ,the stranger's pence1 and his promise to repay at his second coming what shall have been over-expended1--set forth1 ,i suppose1 that ministration of ,,christ',s ,word and ,sacraments which ,dr4 ,temple exercises4444 ,let me dismiss the subject by remarking that ,i find no countenance given by ,holy ,scripture to ,dr4 ,temple's monstrous notions concerning the ,infancy1 the ,youth1 and the ,manhood of the ,colossal ,man4 ,our ,,saviour ,,christ is indeed set before us in ,scripture as our great ,exemplar#dj2 and ,st4 ,paul calls upon us to be followers1 or rather imitators1 771 of himself2 even as he was of ,,christ#da4 ,but this walking by example1 did not supersede the walking by precept2 neither was it to endure1 7,,god forbid67 7as ,dr4 ,temple emphatically says it was71 7pp4 #bf3 #bh-i17 only for about a hundred years3 still less was ,example1 7the second ,teacher of the ,human ,race17 straightway to find itself supplanted by the ,spirit or ,conscience of ,man1--the third great ,teacher1 and the last4 ,what need to say that until ,his ,second ,coming to judge the world1 we shall have no ,teacher but ,,christ1--no other way proposed to us to walk in1 but that which the ,gospel discloses8 ,neither is it true that the world has been old enough1 for the last #ahjj years1 to be taught by seeing the lives of ,saints1 7a sentiment worthy of the weakest of ,romanists67 better than by hearing the words of ,prophets4 7pp4 #bh-i47 ,the ,church of ,,christ will for ever listen to the blessed accents of that goodly fellowship1 until she beholds ,him by whose ,spirit they spake#db1 coming again to judgment4 ,true that the object with which she will all along inform her children1 will ever be that they may become conformed to the model of her ,divine ,,lord4 ,but sound doctrine#dc1--;embodied in a form of sound words#dd1--;constitutes that 1 or deposit1 which is her proudest inheritance and her greatest treasure#de3 and impatience of it is a note of evil men1 and of a season at which ,prophecy points her awful finger#df4444 ,lawlessness1 717 is discoursed of by the ,,spirit with a mysterious earnestness which it seems to me impossible to survey without mingled awe and terror lest one may become oneself involved in the threatened condemnation4 ,i allude of course especially to what ,st4 ,paul says in his second ,epistle to the ,thessalonians2 the language of which1 to be understood1 must be studied in the original#dg4 ,conscience has her office1 doubtless2 and a most important one it is4 ,conscience is the very candle of the ,,lord within us4 ,but1 7as ,i have elsewhere shewn17 it were base treason to speak of conscience as ,essayists and ,reviewers speak of it4 ,with them1 it is indeed impossible to argue4 ,they must first withdraw from the cause which they have betrayed2 cease to profess the teaching which they disbelieve2 resign their commission in a ,church to whose ,doctrine and ,discipline they openly proclaim themselves to be opposed4 ,i will not argue with them1 while they presume to write ,b4,d4 and ,d4,d4 after their names1--hold ,chaplaincies1--preside over ,schools and ,colleges1--profess to lecture in ,divinity1--officiate at the altars of the ,church of ,england1--by virtue of their sacred office1 and by virtue of that only1 are instructors of youth4 ,they cannot1 7if they are in the full enjoyment of their faculties17 they cannot imagine1 for a moment1 that1 as honest men1 they can remain where they are6 ,they must either recal their words or resign their stations6 ,but speaking to others1 it will abundantly suffice to point out that such principles as the present ,essay advocates are incompatible with the profession of ,christianity in any country1 and in any age4 ,if the spirit or conscience of ,man is to legislate without appeal except to himself2 7p4 #ca27 if men are to refuse to be bound 7p4 #dd47 by the ,creeds of the ,church2 if the very ,bible is not to be looked upon as an outer law3 7p4 #de37--;how is sentence ever to be pronounced with authority8 how are men to know what they have to believe8 how are we to enjoy the guidance of any outer law at all8 ,i do not ask these questions as a clergyman2 neither am ,i addressing those exclusively who have been admitted to the ,christian priesthood4 ,common sense1 ordinary piety1 natural reverence1 seem to cry out1 and ask1--,if the ,church have no authority in controversies of ,faith#dh2 if the three ,creeds ought not thoroughly to be received and believed#di2 if the ,bible is not an outer ,law2--where is ,authority in things ,divine to be sought for8 ,what can be worthy of credit8 ,where are we to look for external guidance on this side the grave8444 ,surely1 surely1 common sense is outraged when she hears it insisted that the written ,bible is a ,revelation speaking ,,not from without1 but from within6 7pp4 #cf and #de47 ,surely it must be admitted that it were mere atheism to pretend that ,man's spirit or conscience1 without appeal except to himself1 shall henceforth be the governing principle of ,mankind6 ,let me in conclusion do this writer an act of justice1 7for which he will not perhaps altogether thank me17 even while with shame and sorrow ,i now dismiss his ,essay4 ,unpardonable as he is for having written thus2 and wholly without excuse for having suffered nine editions of his blasphemous allegory to go forth to the world without apology1 explanation1 or retractation of any kind1--although he labours under a weight of competent censure without a parallel1 ,i believe1 in the annals of the ,english ,church#ej3 notwithstanding all this1 ,i am bound to say that if the unbelievers of this generation think they have an ally in the man1 ,frederick ,temple1--they are very much mistaken4 ,that so pure a heart1 and earnest a spirit1 will never work itself free of its present bondage1--,i should be sorry indeed to think4 7,but ,o the mischief which the head-master of ,rugby ,school will have done in the meantime67 ,his misfortune 7or rather fault7 it has been1 that he has really never studied ,divinity2 nor1 in fact1 knows anything at all about it1--as a volume of his1 lately published1 sufficiently shews4 ,apart from his opinions 7671 he is a thoroughly amiable man2 and--7with the same proviso67--an excellent schoolmaster2 but when he ventures upon the province of ,theology1 he shews himself something infinitely worse than a very bad ,divine4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,ii4 ,on turning the first page of the review which follows1 by ,,rowland ,,williams1 ,d4,d4 ,vice-,principal and ,professor of ,hebrew1 ,st4 ,david's ,college1 ,lampeter2 ,vicar of ,broad ,chalke1 ,wilts1--we are made sensible that we are in company of a writer considerably in advance of ,dr4 ,temple1 though altogether of the same school4 ,in fact1 if ,dr4 ,williams had not been ,vice-,principal of a ,theological ,college1 and a ,doctor of ,divinity1 one would have supposed him to be a complete infidel1--who found it convenient to vent his own unbelief in a highly laudatory review of the principles of the late ,baron ,bunsen4 ,hear him3--,when ,bunsen asks ',how long shall we bear this fiction of an external ,revelation1'--that is1 of one violating the heart and conscience1 instead of expressing itself through them2--or when he says1 ',all this is delusion for those who believe it2 but what is it in the mouths of those who teach it8'--,or when he exclaims1 ',oh the fools6 who1 if they do see the imminent perils of this age1 think to ward them off by narrow-minded persecution'6--and when he repeats1 ',is it not time1 in truth1 to withdraw the veil from our misery8 to tear off the mask from hypocrisy1 and destroy that sham which is undermining all real ground under our feet8 to point out the dangers which surround1 nay1 threaten already to engulf us8'--there will be some who think his language too vehement for good taste4 ,others will think burning words needed by the disease of our time4 ,these will not quarrel on points of taste with a man who in our darkest perplexity has reared again the banner of ,truth1 and uttered thoughts which gave courage to the weak and sight to the blind4 ,if ,protestant ,europe is to escape those shadows of the twelfth century which with ominous recurrence are closing around us1 to ,baron ,bunsen will belong a foremost place among the champions of light and right4 7pp4 #ib-c47 ,but even the ,prussian infidel is not advanced enough for the ,vicar of ,broad ,chalke4 ,bunsen1 it seems1 was weak enough to believe that the prophet ,jonah was a real personage4 ,this evokes the following singular burst of critical indignation from the ,reverend author of the present ,essay3--,it provokes a smile on serious topics1--7a kind of impropriety which the ,vice-,principal of ,lampeter will not commit except under protest and with an apology67--to observe the zeal with which our critic vindicates the personality of ,jonah1 and the originality of his hymn1 7the latter being generally thought doubtful71 while he proceeds to explain that the narrative of our book in which the hymn is imbedded1 contains a late legend founded on misconception4 ,one can imagine the cheers which the opening of such an essay might evoke in some of our circles1 changing into indignation 767 as the distinguished foreigner developed his views4 ,after this he might speak more gently of mythical theories4 7p4 #gg47 ,for the most part1 however1 the ,vicar of ,broad ,chalke is able to cite the opinions of ,bunsen with admiration and approval4 ,they are both agreed that the ,deluge was but a prolonged play of the forces of fire and water rendering the primval regions of ,north ,asia uninhabitable1 and urging the nations to new abodes4 7,of what nature this prolonged play was1 is however left unexplained3 while the forces of fire and water rendering primval regions uninhabitable1 and urging nations to new abodes1 has altogether a ,herodotean sound47 ,we learn approximately its antiquity1 and infer limitation in its range from finding it recorded in the traditions of ,iran and ,palestine1 7or of ,japheth and ,shem71 but unknown to the ,egyptians and ,mongolians4 7p4 #ef47 7,a delightful method truly of attaining historical precision in a matter of this nature67 444 ,in the half ideal1 half traditional notices of the beginnings of our race compiled in ,genesis1 we are bid notice the combination of documents and the recurrence of barely consistent ,genealogies4 7,ibid47 ,praise is at hand for the firmness with which ,bunsen relegates the long lives of the first patriarchs to the domain of legend1 or of symbolical cycle4 7p4 #eg47 ,the historical portion begins with ,abraham4 7,ibid47--,after this admission1 it is instructive to observe how the learned writer deals with the narrative4 ,the ,exode was a struggle conducted by human means4 7p4 #ei47 ,thus1 as the pestilence of the ,book of ,kings becomes in ,chronicles the more visible angel1 so the avenger who slew the firstborn may have been the ,bedouin host1 767 akin nearly to ,jethro1 and more remotely to ,israel4 7,ibid47 7,it is really hardly worth stopping to point out that by ',kings' the ,reverend writer means 'the second ,book of ,samuel3' and to remind the reader that the ,angel is mentioned as expressly in ,samuel as in ,chronicles#ea4 ,also1 to ask what 'the ,bedouin host' could have been doing in ,egypt previous to the ,exode87 ,the passage of the ,red ,sea may be interpreted with the latitude of poetry4 7,ibid47 ,moses would gladly have founded a free religious society1 444 but the rudeness or hardness of his people's heart compelled him to a sacerdotal system and formal tablets of stone4 7p4 #fb47 ,nay1 ,abraham's intended sacrifice of ,isaac was an act of obedience to the fierce ritual of ,syria1 with the awe of a ,divine voice3 7p4 #fa37 while the ,divine command1 in conformity with which ,abraham spared to slay his son1 is resolved into an allegory4 ,he trusted that the ,,father1 whose voice from ,heaven he heard at heart1 was better pleased with mercy than with sacrifice1 and this trust was his righteousness4 7p4 #fa47 ,dr4 ,williams straightway shews us how we may tread in the steps of faithful ,abraham4 ,the perpetual response of our hearts1 7he says17 to principles of ,reason and ,right of our own tracing1 is a truer sign of faith than deference to a supposed external authority4 7p4 #fa47 444 ,according to this writer1 therefore1 ,genesis and ,exodus are pure fable6 ,the whole of ,scripture1 in the hands of this ,doctor of ,divinity1 undergoes corresponding treatment4 ,they who twist ,prophecy into harmony with the details of ,gospel history1 fall into inextricable contradictions4 7pp4 #fd-e47 ,the ,book of ,isaiah1 as composed of elements of different eras1 can only be accepted with a modified theory of authorship and of prediction4 7p4 #fh47 ,in the prophecy of ,zechariah are three distinct styles and aspects of affairs4 7,ibid47 ,the cursing ,psalms1 76667 he informs us1 were not evangelically inspired2 7p4 #fc27 and yet we are constrained to remember that the cixth ,psalm 7specially alluded to7 is evangelically interpreted by ,st4 ,peter#eb4 ,the true translation of ,psalm xxii4 #ag1 7learnedly discussed1 long since1 by ,bishop ,pearson17 is not they pierced ,my hands and ,my feet1--but like a lion2 7notwithstanding that ,pearson has shewn that the substitution of vau for yod in this place is one of the eighteen instances where the ,scribes have tampered with the text#ec2 and notwithstanding that this modern corruption of the ,hebrew1 as every one must see1 makes the place almost nonsense#ed47--;,is4 vii4 #ad does not refer to the miraculous birth of ,,christ1 7p4 #fi17 7although ,st4 ,matthew is express in his assertion that it does47 ,there is1 it seems1 an elder and a later ,isaiah1 7p4 #ga47 ,the famous liiird chapter does not refer to ,,christ2 but either to ,jeremiah or to the collective ,israel1--7p4 #gc17 7although it is at least seven times quoted1 and expressly applied to our ,,saviour1 in the ,new ,testament#ee47 ,daniel1 we are assured1 belongs to different ages2 and it is certain1 beyond fair doubt 444 that those portions of the book1 supposed to be specially predictive1 are 444 a history of past occurrences4 7p4 #fi47 ,that the book contains no predictions1 except by analogy and type1 can hardly be gainsaid4 7pp4 #gf-g47 444 7,if any of us had dogmatized as to ,truth as these men do as to error1 7remarks ,dr4 ,pusey17 what scorn we should be held up to67 444 ,the ,reverend author insolently adds1--,it is time for divines to recognize these things1 since with their opportunities of study1 the current error is as discreditable to them1 as for the well-meaning crowd1 who are taught to identify it with their creed1 it is a matter of grave compassion4 7p4 #gg47 ,when so vast an induction on the destructive side has been gone through1 it avails little that some passages may be doubtful2 one perhaps in ,zechariah1 and one in ,isaiah1 capable of being made directly ,messianic2 and a chapter possibly in ,deuteronomy foreshadowing the final fall of ,jerusalem4 ,even these few cases1 the remnant of so much confident rhetoric1 tend to melt1 if they are not already melted1 in the crucible of searching enquiry4 7pp4 #fi-gj47 444 ,our ,doctor of ,divinity1 having reduced the prophecies capable of being made ,messianic1 to two1--breaks out into a strain of refined banter which is altogether his own1 and which we presume is intended to stand in the place of argument4 ,if our ,german1 viz4 ,bunsen1 had ignored all that the masters of philology have proved on these subjects1 his countrymen would have raised a storm of ridicule1 at which he must have drowned himself in the ,neckar4 7p4 #gj47 ,a catastrophe so fatal to the cause of true ,religion and sound learning may well point a paragraph6444 ,but we must write gravely4 ,the absolute worthlessness of unsupported dicta such as these1 ought to be apparent to all4 ,it is useless to reason with a madman4 ,we desiderate nothing so much as searching enquiry1 7p4 #fi17 but we are presented instead with something worse than random assertion4 ,if the writer would state a single case1 with its evidence1--we should know how to deal with him4 ,we should examine his arguments seriatim2 and either refute them1 or admit their validity4 ,from such free handling1 the cause of sacred ,truth can never suffer4 ,but when1 in place of argument and evidence1 we have merely bluster1--what is to be said8 ,pity and disregard are the only reply we can bestow2 or our answers must be as brief as the calumny which provokes them4 ,how1 7asks the ,regius ,professor of ,hebrew17 can such an undigested heap of errors receive a systematic answer in brief space1 or in any one treatise or volume8 ,if any sincere ,christian now asks1 is not then our ,,saviour spoken of in ,isaiah2 let him open his ,new ,testament1 and ask therewith ,john the ,baptist1 whether he was ,elias8 ,if he finds the ,baptist answering ,i am not1 yet our ,,lord testifies that in spirit and power this was ,elias2 a little reflexion will shew how the historical representation in ,isaiah liii4 is of some suffering prophet or remnant1 yet the truth and patience1 the grief and triumph1 have their highest fulfilment in ,him who said1 ',,father1 not ,my will but ,thine4' 7p4 #gd47 ,i have transcribed this passage to illustrate the miserable sophistry of the author4 ,it is foretold by ,malachi that before the great and terrible day of the ,,lord1 ,elijah is to come back to ,earth#ef4 ,john ,baptist came in his spirit and power#eg1 but was not ,elijah himself4 ,how does it follow from this that ,isaiah may have prophesied merely of qualities and not of a person8 ,the only logical inference from his words would surely be1 that ,elijah is yet to come#eh6--;,dr4 ,williams adds1--,we must not distort the prophets to prove the ,divine ,,word incarnate1 and then from the ,incarnation reason back to the sense of prophecy4 7p4 #gd47 ,was not then the ,divine ,,word incarnate8 ,the theory of one who writes like an open unbeliever concerning ,divine things is really not worth developing3 and yet1 as ,i am examining an ,essay which seems to be entirely built upon such a theory1 it may be desirable1 in this instance1 that the deformity of the writer should be uncovered3 especially since ,dr4 ,williams writes such very dark ,english1 that1 until some of his sentences are translated1 they are barely intelligible4 ,anticipating that his doctrines may alarm those who think that1 apart from ,omniscience belonging to the ,jews1 767 the proper conclusion of reason is ,atheism2--7in other words1 that the rejection of a belief in the inspiration of ,prophecy will eventually conduct a man to the rejection of ,,god ,himself27 the ,reverend writer declares that it is not inconsistent with the idea that ,,almighty ,,god has been pleased to educate men and nations1 employing imagination no less than conscience1 and suffering ,his lessons to play freely within the limits of humanity and its shortcomings4 7p4 #gg47 7,in other words1 that what ,scripture emphatically declares1 and what men have for thousands of years believed to be inspired predictions of future events1 are none other than the effusions of a lively imagination1 or the suggestions of a well-informed conscience47 ,the prophetical disquisitions1 7p4 #gg17 therefore1 are subject to error of every imaginable description2 and possess no higher attributes than belong to any ordinary human work by a master's hand4 7p4 #gg47 ,the ,sacred ,writers acknowledge themselves men of like passions with ourselves1 and we are promised illumination from the ,spirit which dwelt in them4 7p4 #gh47 ,we may not think of the ,sacred ,writers as passionless machines1 and call ,luther and ,milton 'uninspired4' 7,ibid47 ,the great result is to vindicate the work of the ,eternal ,spirit2 that abiding influence which underlies all others1 and in which converge all images of old time and means of grace now3 temple1 ,scripture1 finger1 and ,hand of ,,god2 and again1 preaching1 sacraments1 waters which comfort1 and flame which burns4 7p4 #gh47 ,it follows1--,if such a ,spirit did not dwell in the ,church1 the ,bible would not be inspired1 for the ,bible is1 before all things1 the written voice of the congregation4 7p4 #gh47 ,offended ,reason1 7for ,piety has no place here17 has not time to reclaim against so preposterous a statement2 for it follows immediately1--,bold as such a theory of ,inspiration 767 may sound1 it was the earliest creed of the ,church1 and it is the only one to which the facts of ,scripture answer4 7p4 #gh47 444 ,what reply can be offered to such an outrageous statement1 but flat contradiction8 ,what more effectual refutation of such a 'theory' 787 concerning ,scripture1 than simply to state it8 ,let this miserable but conceited man yet further map out the nature of his own delusion respecting ,prophecy4 ,he applauds the wisdom of one who accepts freely the belief of scholars1 and yet does not despair of ,hebrew ,prophecy as a witness to the ,kingdom of ,god3 7p4 #gj37 7that is1 of one who1 like ,bunsen1 altogether disbelieves in prophecy as prophecy1 and yet is bent on finding something of an ,evangelical character in the prophetic writings47 ,the way of doing so left open to him1 was to shew pervading the ,prophets those deep truths which lie at the heart of ,christianity1 and to trace the growth of such ideas1 the belief in a righteous ,,god1 and the nearness of ,man to ,,god1 the power of prayer1 and the victory of self-sacrificing patience1 ever expanding in men's hearts1 until the fulness of time came1 and the ideal of the ,divine thought was fulfilled in the ,son of ,man4 7p4 #gj47 ,in other words1 ,,christ was nothing more than the fullest development and impersonation of the best thoughts and feelings of the 7so-called7 prophets6 ,he fulfilled in ,his own person the highest aspiration of ,hebrew seers and of mankind1 thereby lifting the ancient words1 so to speak1 into a new and higher power2 and therefore was recognized as having eminently the unction of a prophet whose words die not1--of a priest in a temple not made with hands1--and of a king in the realm of thought1 delivering his people from a bondage of moral evil1 worse than ,egypt or ,babylon4 7pp4 #gd-e47 ,a notion of foresight by vision of particulars1 or a kind of clairvoyance1 7p4 #gj17--7such is this ,doctor of ,divinity's notion of the gift of prophecy67--he deems inadmissible4 ,literal prognostication1 7p4 #fe17 is his abhorrence4 ,he would eliminate the ,messianic passages altogether4 7pp4 #fe-f47 ,that ,prophecy was miraculous1 was a dream of the ,fathers1 7p4 #ff47 ,even the notion that ,prophecy is a natural gift1 consistent with fallibility1 7p4 #gj17 ,dr4 ,williams rejects as an unwarrantable addition to the moral and metaphysical basis of ,prophecy4 7p4 #gj47 ,bunsen was for admitting that addition4 ,one would wish1 7says the ,vicar of ,broad ,chalke17 he might have intended only the power of seeing the ideal in the actual1 or of tracing the ,divine ,government in the movements of men4 ,he seems to mean more than presentiment or sagacity3 and this element in his system requires proof4 7pp4 #gj-a47 444 ,this1 from a ,doctor of ,divinity6 a ,professor of ,hebrew6 the ,vice-,principal of a ,theological ,college6 a shepherd of souls6 ,we are left to infer that the ,fall of ,adam represents ideally the circumscription of our spirits in limits of flesh and time3 7p4 #hh37 that ,,christ is the moral ,saviour of mankind2 7p4 #hj27 and that ,salvation from evil is to be attained by the conformity of our souls to a religious idea which was brought to perfection in ,,christ4 7p4 #hj47 ,this religious idea is the thought of the ,eternal4 7,ibid47 ,in other words1 ,salvation from evil is through sharing the ,,saviour's ,spirit4 7p4 #hg47--,we are further left to infer that ,justification by faith means the peace of mind1 or sense of ,divine approval1 which comes of trust in a righteous ,,god3 7p4 #hj37 that ,regeneration is a correspondent giving of insight1 or an awakening of forces of the soul3 ,resurrection1 a spiritual quickening3 ,salvation1 our deliverance1 not from the life-giving ,,god1 but from evil and darkness4 7p4 #ha47 444 ,and this from a ,clergyman who has just subscribed1 willingly and ex animo1 the three ,articles in the #cfth ,canon6444 ,after such specimens of ,divinity1 we are scarcely surprised to find that the fires of ,hell may serve as images of distracted remorse3 7p4 #ha37 that ,heaven is not a place#ei1 so much as a fulfilment of the love of ,,god4 7pp4 #ha-b47 ,the very ,incarnation1 7which he calls the embodiment of the ,eternal ,mind17 7p4 #hb47 is spoken of as if it were a myth4 ,it becomes with our author as purely spiritual as it was with ,st4 ,paul4 ,the ,son of ,david by birth is the ,,son of ,,god by the spirit of holiness4 ,what is flesh1 is born of flesh2 and what is spirit1 is born of ,spirit4 7p4 #hb47 ,rom4 i4 #a-c is quoted in support of this1 which ,i cannot but regard as blasphemy3 for if it does not mean that our ,,saviour was not1 in a true and literal sense1 the ,,son of ,,god at all1 it is hard to see what it can mean4--,as for the following account of the mystery of the ,blessed ,trinity1 it shall only be said that it sounds like a denial of the ,catholic doctrine altogether4 ,being1 becoming1 and animating2 or substance1 thinking1 and conscious life1 are expressions of a ,triad which may be also represented as will1 wisdom1 and love2 as light1 radiance1 and warmth2 as fountain1 stream1 and united flow2 as mind1 thought1 and consciousness2 as person1 word1 and life2 as ,,father1 ,,son1 and ,,spirit4 7p4 #hh47 ,the nebulous is a striking peculiarity of the style of the ,vicar of ,broad ,chalke#fj4 ,he informs us that in virtue of the identity of ,thought with ,being the primitive ,trinity represented neither three originant principles nor three transient phases1 but three eternal subsistences in one ,divine ,mind4444 ,the ,divine ,consciousness or ,wisdom1 consubstantial with the ,eternal ,will1 becoming personal in the ,son of ,man1 is the express image of the ,,father2 and ,,jesus actually1 but also ,mankind ideally1 is the ,,son of ,,god4 7pp4 #hh-i47 ,since this has almost a ,brahmanical sound 7p4 #hi47 even to the ,vicar of ,broad ,chalke1 we are content to pass it by in mute astonishment4 ,he proceeds3 ,both spiritual affection and metaphysical reasoning forbid us to confine ,revelations like those of ,,christ to the first half century of our era2 but shew at least affinities of our faith existing in men's minds1 anterior to ,christianity1 and renewed with deep echo from living hearts in many a generation4 7p4 #hb47 ,was our ,,saviour then a fabulous personage1--a virtuous principle1--and not a ,man8444 ,again4 ,we find the evidences of our canonical books and of the patristic authors nearest to them1 are sufficient to prove illustration in outward act of principles perpetually true1 but not adequate to guarantee narratives inherently incredible or precepts evidently wrong4 7pp4 #hb-c47 ,are then the sacred narratives inherently incredible8 or the ,divine precepts evidently wrong8--,these are1 we presume1 among the traditional fictions about our ,canon 7p4 #hc47 at which the ,theological ,professor sneers4 ,hence we are obliged to assume in ourselves a verifying faculty1--7p4 #hc17 and so1 ,dr4 ,williams and ,dr4 ,temple shake hands#fa4 ,an instance of the exercise of this faculty is immediately subjoined4 ,the verse ',and no man hath ascended up to ,heaven1 but he that came down1' is intelligible as a free comment near the end of the first century2 but has no meaning in our ,lord's mouth at a time when the ,ascension had not been heard of4 7p4 #hd47--,the ,apocalypse in like manner1 to cease to be a riddle1 must be taken as a series of poetical visions which represent the outpouring of the vials of wrath upon the ,city where our ,,lord was slain4 7p4 #hd47 444 7,is it possible that a ,minister of the ,gospel of ,,christ can speak thus concerning the ,divine record87 444 ,the second of the ,petrine ,epistles1 having alike external and internal evidence against its genuineness1 is necessarily surrendered as a whole4 7p4 #hd47 7,can a man solemnly sign the vith ,article1 and yet so write87--,a philosophical view of the doctrine of the ,trinity recommends itself as easiest to believe4 7p4 #hg47 ,the view expressed in the ,athanasian ,creed is we presume that which is stigmatized as one felt to be so irrational1 that it calls in the aid of terror4 7p4 #hg47 ,the ,reverend writer does not name the ,athanasian ,creed1 indeed4 ,it is not the general fashion of ,essayists and ,reviewers1--from ,dr4 ,temple to ,professor ,jowett1--to speak plainly4 ,but common sense asks1--,if ,dr4 ,williams does not allude to the ,creed in question1 what does he allude to8 ,and common honesty adds1--,how is such an allusion to that formula consistent with subscription to ,art4 viii48 ,the ,sacrament of ,baptism1 7he says17 has degenerated into a magical form1 7p4 #hf17 since it has become twisted into a false analogy with circumcision1--7twisted1 at all events1 by ,st4 ,paul#fb67--;and it is merely an ,augustinian notion that a curse is inherited by ,infants4--,how1 one humbly asks1 does the ,reverend writer reconcile it to his conscience not only to have signed the ixth ,article1 but to employ the ,baptismal ,service1 and to teach the little ones of the flock their ,catechism8 ,on reaching the last page of the present ,essay1 one is irresistibly led to remark that if a single word could convey an adequate notion of the author's manner1 that word would be ,insolence4 ,when ,dr4 ,williams would express difference of opinion1 he has recourse to violence and bluster3 when he would patronize1 he is sure to make himself unspeakably offensive4 ,but he seldom agrees with anybody1 even with disciples of the same school with himself1--as ,messrs4 ,bunsen and ,arnold1 ,coleridge and ,francis ,newman4 ,professor ,mansel is a mere gladiator hitting in the dark1 whose blows fall heaviest on what it was his duty to defend4 7p4 #fg47 ,dr4 ,pusey receives a menacing intimation of what his ,commentary must not be4 ,davison's reasoning labours under the inconvenient defect of an unproved minor premiss4 7p4 #ff47 ,the majestic memory of ,bp4 ,pearson is insulted by this vulgar man1 and the fairness of his citations are impeached4 7p4 #gb47--;,bp4 ,butler is declared to have turned aside from an unwelcome idea 7671 literature not being his strong point 767 7p4 #fe47--;,justin1 7p4 #fd17--;,augustine1 7p4 #fe17--;,jerome1 7pp4 #fe1 #ga17--;,anselm1 7p4 #fg17--;all come in for a share of the ,vice-,principal of ,lampeter's contempt4 ,even the ,apologist of ,essays and ,reviews is constrained to admit that anything more unbecoming than some of ,dr4 ,williams's remarks we have never read1 in writings professing to be written seriously#fc4 ,but faults of mind and manner1 however gross1 do but disqualify a writer for being the associate of men of taste and good breeding2 and blemishes of style are1 at least1 venial4 ,not so easily to be excused is the deplorable spectacle of a ,minister of the ,gospel1 a ,doctor of ,divinity and ,vice-,principal of a ,theological ,college1 lending all his critical powers1 7which yet seem to be of the most indifferent description17 in order to undermine the authority of ,,god',s ,word4 ,he has been asked1--,do you unfeignedly believe all the ,canonical ,scriptures of the ,old and ,new ,testament8 and he has answered1--,i do believe them4 ,he has been asked1 ,will you be ready1 with all diligence1 to banish and drive away all erroneous and strange doctrines contrary to ,,god',s ,word8 and he has made reply1--,i will1 the ,,lord being my helper4 ,he has solemnly declared his trust that he was inwardly moved by the ,,holy ,,ghost to take upon himself this office and ministration4--,yet this is the man who explains away ,miracles1 denies ,prophecy1 and idealizes ,scripture2 the man who disparages the formul he uses daily1 mutilates the ,canon1 and evacuates the most solemn doctrines of the ,church6 ,i have now said as much as ,i think necessary concerning ,dr4 ,williams's ,essay4 ,the entire refutation of such a tissue of groundless assertions and unfounded statements1 and unscholarlike criticisms1 and unphilosophical views1--would fill many volumes4 ,it is to be feared also that1 to him1 the result would not be convincing after all4 ,to have stated in brief outline1 as ,i have already done1 the leading positions to which he commits himself1 ought to suffice4 ,the mere exhibition of such principles 787 ought to be their own abundant refutation4444 ,,god give the unhappy author repentance of his errors6--,and will not men believe that in the pages of the present ,essay is to be seen the lawful development1 and inevitable result of the opinions advocated in every other part of the present volume8 ,i perceive scarcely any essential difference between the views of any of these seven writers4 ,all are moving along the same fatal road2 and are simply at different stages of the journey4 ,but they conduct themselves wondrous differently in their progress1 certainly2 ,dr4 ,williams being immeasurably the most offensive of the seven1--the only one who1 besides seeming blasphemous1 can truly be called vulgar4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,iii4 ,the third ,essay in the present volume is by the ,,rev4 ,,baden ,,powell1 ,m4,a41 ,f4,r4,s41 ,savilian ,professor of ,geometry in the ,university of ,oxford1--a gentleman with whose labours ,i shall deal briefly and gently for two reasons4 ,his assertions admit of summary refutation2 and he has already1 7alas67 passed beyond the limit of earthly ,criticism4 ,i desire to add concerning him1 that in the private relations of life he was a friendly and amiable person4 ,the solemn circumstance already adverted to1 would have kept me silent altogether4 ,when a writer is no longer able to defend himself1 it is ungenerous to attack him3 and at a time when he knows far more wonders than are dreamed of by any one on the ,earth's surface1 it seems unbecoming to stand reasoning over his grave about an antecedent probability4 ,but ,i am addressing not the dead1 but the living1--to whom1 in the pages of ',essays and ,reviews1' ,professor ,powell being dead yet speaketh4 ,he entitles his contribution1--,on the ,study of the ,evidences of ,christianity3 but1 as often happens with performances of the like nature1 the title of his ,essay gives a wrong notion of its contents4 ,it ought to have been called ,the ,validity of ,,the ,,evidence ,,from ,,miracles considered1 or rather denied4 ,there is nothing new in the present attack on the ,miracles of ,scripture4 ,the author disposes of them by a single assertion4 ,what is alleged1 7he says17 is a case of the supernatural4 ,but no testimony can reach to the supernatural4 7p4 #ajg47 ,the inference is obvious4--,again3 an event may be so incredible intrinsically as to set aside any degree of testimony4 7p4 #ajf47 ,such an event he declares a ,miracle to be2 and explains that from the nature of our antecedent convictions1 the probability of some kind of mistake or deception somewhere1 though we know not where1 is greater than the probability of the event really happening in the way1 and from the causes assigned4 7pp4 #ajf-g47 ,this merely amounts to asserting that the antecedent improbability of ,miracles is so great as to make them incredible4 ,the writer does not attempt to establish this point4 ,the present discussion1 7he says17 is not intended to be of a controversial kind2 it is purely contemplative and theoretical4 7p4 #ajj47 ,and yet1 he cannot suppose that the ,universal ,church will surrender its convictions and reverse its deliberate judgment1 at the merely contemplative and theoretical suggestions of an individual1 however respectable he may happen to be4 ,against his mere assertion1 we claim a right to set the result of ,bp4 ,butler's careful investigation of the same subject3--,that there certainly is no such presumption against ,miracles1 as to render them in any wise incredible3 that1 on the contrary1 our being able to discern reasons for them1 gives a positive credibility to the history of them1 in cases where those reasons hold3 and that it is by no means certain that there is any peculiar presumption at all1 from analogy1 even in the lowest degree1 against ,miracles1 as distinguished from other extraordinary phenomena#fd4 ,professor ,powell's objection against ,miracles is1 in fact1 practically that of the infidel ,hume2 who asserted that no testimony for any kind of ,miracle can ever possibly amount to a probability1 much less to a proof4 ,he argued that ,miracles1 being contrary to general experience1 are incapable of proof4 ,he maintained also1 7with ,spinoza17 that ,miracles1 being contrary to the established laws of ,nature1 imply1 in the very character of them1 a palpable contradiction4 ,this latter position seems to be identical with that adopted by ,professor ,powell4 ,in a certain place1 this author finds fault with the too frequent assumption 444 of the part of the 444 ,advocate1 when the character to be sustained should be rather that of the unbiassed ,judge4 7p4 #ie47 ,but what are we to think of the judicial fairness of one who is not only ,advocate and ,judge in his own cause2 but who even turns the ,witnesses out of ,court2 and will listen to no evidence1--on the plea that it cannot be trustworthy2 or at least1 that it shall be unavailing8--,i express myself with caution1 7says ,bp4 ,butler1 with reference to arguments against the credibility of ,revelation17 lest ,i should be mistaken to vilify ,reason2 which is indeed the only faculty we have wherewith to judge concerning anything1 even ,revelation itself3 or be misunderstood to assert that a supposed revelation cannot be proved false1 from internal characters4 ,for it may contain clear immoralities1 or contradictions2 and either of these would prove it false4 ,nor will ,i take upon me to affirm1 that nothing else can possibly render any supposed revelation incredible4 ,yet still the observation is1 ,i think1 true beyond doubt2 that objections against ,christianity1 as distinguished from objections against its evidence1 are frivolous#fe4 ,that a certain occurrence or phenomenon is due to supernatural causes1 ,professor ,powell maintains is entirely dependent on the previous belief and assumptions of the parties4 7p4 #ajg47 ,he forgets that he grounds his own denial of the possibility of a ,miracle1 on nothing stronger than the nature of his own antecedent convictions4 ,thus1 the question becomes merely a personal one between ,mr4 ,baden ,powell and the ,apostles of ,,christ4 ,the reasonableness of the antecedent convictions in the one case have to be set against the reasonableness of the antecedent convictions in the other4 ,either party1 7according to this view17 has its own previous belief and assumptions2 which1 in the one case1 are known to have produced conviction2 in the other1 they are unhappily found to have resulted in a rejection of ,miracles4 ,but then it happens1 unfortunately1 that in the case of the ,apostles and others1 conviction of the truth of our ,,lord',s ,miracles was based on knowledge1 and experience of a matter of fact3 in the case of ,professor ,powell1 disbelief is founded on certain antecedent convictions only3 namely1 the inconceivableness of imagined interruptions of natural ,order1 or supposed suspensions of the ,laws of matter4 7p4 #aaj47 ,he is never tired of repeating that in an age of physical research like the present1 all highly cultivated minds and duly advanced intellects 767 have imbibed1 more or less1 the lessons of the ,inductive ,philosophy2 and have1 at least in some measure1 learned to appreciate the grand foundation conception of universal ,law3 7p4 #acc37 that the entire range of the ,inductive ,philosophy is at once based upon1 and in every instance tends to confirm1 by immense accumulation of evidence1 the grand truth of the universal ,order and constancy of natural causes1 as a primary law of belief2 so strongly entertained and fixed in the mind of every truly inductive inquirer1 that he cannot even conceive the possibility of its failure4 7p4 #aji47 ,i gladly avail myself of a page from the writings of a thoughtful writer of our own1 who1 half a century ago1 reviewed the very errors which are being so industriously reproduced among ourselves at this day1--certainly not with more ability than of old3--,let us examine a little farther into the weight of the argument derived from the supposed immutability of the ,laws of ,nature4 ,it has constantly been the theme of modern ,unbelievers1 that the course of ,nature is fixed1 eternal1 unalterable2 and that nothing which is supposed to violate it can possibly take place4 ,now1 we may readily allow1 that the course of ,nature is unalterable by human power2 nay1 even by the power of any created being whatsoever4 ,but the question is1--,are these ,laws unalterable by ,him who made them8 ,proof of this is requisite1 before the argument from the immutability of the ,laws of ,nature can have the least force4 ,we may safely assert1 however1 that proof of this is absolutely impossible4--',facts1' it may be said1 'daily passing before us1 warrant us in supposing its laws to be unchangeable4' ,perhaps so4 ,but if a thousand or more facts have occurred1 since the ,creation of the ,world1 in which those ,laws appear to have been over-ruled1 or suspended1 is such a conclusion then warrantable8 ,even if there had never been a single instance of a ,miracle recorded1 since the ,creation2 yet the conclusion would not be just or logical1 that no such thing is possible4 ,but with such a multiplicity of instances to the contrary as are already on record1 it is no better than a shameless assertion1 in direct opposition to the evidence of men's senses and experience4 ,nay1 more2 the argument is atheistical4 ,for1 either ,,god made and ordained these ,laws of ,nature2 and may1 consequently1 at ,his pleasure1 unmake or suspend them3 or else1 these laws are self-framed1 and ,nature is independent of the ,,god of ,nature2 which is saying1 in other words1 that the material ,universe is not governed by any ,supreme ,intelligence4 ,this latter opinion appears1 indeed1 to be the tenet of all who resort to arguments of this kind1 in opposition to the credibility of ,miracles4 ,thus it is said1 by ,hume1 that every effect must have a cause2 and that1 therefore1 a ,miracle must have a cause in ,nature2 otherwise1 it cannot be effected4--,but1 is not the ,will of ,,god1 without any other agency1 or predisposing cause1 sufficient for the purpose8 ,when ,,god created the ,world out of nothing1 what pre-existing cause was there1 except ,his own omnipotent ,will to produce the effect8 ,why then is not the same ,will sufficient to work ,miracles8 ',but1' says another ,sophist1 ,spinoza1--',,god is the ,author of the ,laws of ,nature2 so that whatever opposes those ,laws1 is necessarily repugnant to the ,divine nature3 if1 therefore1 we believe that ,,god may act in a manner contrary to those laws1 we1 in effect1 believe that ,he may do what is contrary to ,his own nature2 which is absurd and impossible4' ,the reasoning turns upon the supposition that ,,god is actuated by an absolute necessity of ,his ,nature1 and not by his ,will3 or1 rather1 that ,he hath neither ,will1 nor ,intellect4 ,otherwise1 it were easy to perceive1 that in suspending the operation of ,his own ,laws1 ,,god cannot be charged with doing anything contradictory to ,his own nature2 since ,he may justly be supposed to have as good reasons for departing from those ,laws1 as for framing them3 and as we know not why ,he framed them in such a manner1 and no otherwise2 so ,he may have the best and wisest reasons for the suspension of them1 which it is not for us to call in question4 ,to speak of the ,supreme ,being as actuated by a kind of physical necessity1 and not by ,his ,will1 is to confound the ,,god of ,nature with ,nature itself2 which is the very essence of ,atheism1 and never can be reconciled with any just notions of the ,deity1 as a ,being of intellectual and moral perfections#ff4 ,it is by no means inconceivable1 therefore1 that the great ,cause of ,creation1 and first ,author of ,law should interfere at any given time in the established ,order of ,nature4 ,moreover1 it is irrational1 on sufficient testimony1 to disbelieve that ,he has sometimes so interposed4 ,to deny that this is conceivable1 is to make ,,god inferior to ,his own decree2 to pronounce it incredible that the ,lawgiver should be superior to ,his own ,laws4 ,the universal subordination of causation1 7p4 #acd17 we as freely admit as the ,professor himself3 but then we contend that everything else must be subordinate to the ,first great ,cause of all4 ,worse than unphilosophical is it to argue as the ,professor presumes to do1 concerning the ,,most ,,high2 but unphilosophical in the strictest sense it is4 ,for it is to reason about ,him1 7the finite concerning the ,infinite67 as if we understood ,him2 we1 who can barely decipher a little part of ,his works6 ,a few more remarks on this subject will be found in my viith ,sermon4 ,we are anxious to know if the whole of the case is really before us4 ,a few more extracts from ,professor ,powell's ,essay seem necessary to do full justice to his view of the matter3--,all moral evidence must essentially have respect to the parties to be convinced4 ',signs' might be adapted peculiarly to the state of moral or intellectual progress of one age1 or one class of persons1 and not be suited to that of others4444 ,and it is to the entire difference in the ideas1 prepossessions1 modes1 and grounds of belief in those times1 that we may trace the reason why ,miracles1 which would be incredible now1 were not so in the age1 and under the circumstances1 in which they are stated to have occurred4 7p4 #aag47 444 ,an evidential appeal which in a long past age was convincing1 as made to the state of knowledge in that age#fg1 might have not only no effect1 but even an injurious tendency1 if urged in the present1 and referring to what is at variance with existing scientific conceptions2 just as the arguments of the present age would have been unintelligible to a former4 ,in a period of advanced physical knowledge1 the reference to what was believed in past times1 if at variance with principles now acknowledged1 could afford little ground of appeal3 in fact1 would damage the argument rather than assist it4 7p4 #abf47 ,it becomes imperatively necessary1 that such views should be suggested as may be really suitable to better informed minds1 and may meet the increasing demands of an age pretending at least to greater enlightenment4 7p4 #abf47 ,there is nothing in the additional suggestions thus thrown out which in reality affects the question at issue4 ,certain antecedent considerations were before insisted on1 which 7it was said7 must be paramount to all attestation4 7p4 #ajg47 ,these have been disposed of4 ,the writer now tells us that he does not question the honesty or veracity of the testimony1 or the reality of the impressions on the minds of the witnesses4 7p4 #ajf47 ,it remains to inquire therefore to what natural causes1 events which were once thought miraculous1 may reasonably be referred2 since the so-called ,miracles of the imperfectly-informed age of our ,,lord and ,his ,apostles will not endure the scrutiny of the present age of scientific enlightenment4 ,but this1 unless it be a proposal to open the whole question afresh1--to examine the ,miracles themselves1--to consider them one by one1--to inquire into their exact nature1--and to investigate their attendant circumstances1--is unmeaning4 ,for we cannot1 as reasonable men1 dismiss a vast body of august events1 differing so considerably one from another1 with a vague inuendo that there was probably some kind of mistake or deception somewhere1 though we do not know where3 7p4 #ajf37 a hint that natural events may have been regarded as supernatural by an unscientific age1 7which ,i believe was ,schleiermacher's view37 and so forth4 ,the two miraculous ,draughts of fishes1--the ,stater found in the fish's mouth1--the stilling of the ,storm1--might perhaps1 by a little rhetorical sophistry1 in unscrupulous hands1 be so disposed of4 ,but the ,creative ,power displayed on the two occasions of a miraculous feeding of thousands1--the giving of sight to a man born blind1--the calling of ,lazarus out of the grave where he had been for four days buried2--these are transactions which resist every attempt of the enemy to explain away1 as unscientific misconceptions4 ,they may be powerless to produce conviction in some now1 as they were powerless to produce conviction in some then3 but they cannot be set aside by an insinuation4 ,there could not have been any mistake when the ,five ,thousand were fed with five loaves1 and twelve baskets full were gathered up2 or when the ,four ,thousand were fed with seven loaves1 and fragments enough to fill seven baskets remained over#fh4 ,there was no room for deception in the case of the man born blind2 for that case immediately underwent a judicial scrutiny#fi4 ,lazarus bound hand and foot with grave-clothes required that the bystanders should loose him and let him go#gj3 but from that moment1 neither supposed scientific necessity1 nor antecedent considerations1 nor the ordinary course of ,nature1 nor any other creature1 will avail to bind him any more6 ,this may suffice on the subject of ,professor ,powell's ,essay4 ,on the great question itself1 ,i have said something in my ,seventh ,sermon1 to which the reader is requested to refer4--,the performance now under consideration abounds in incorrect statements1 while it revives not a few exploded objections2 but ,i have considered the only points in it which are material4 ,thus the author assumes that1 unlike the essential ,doctrines of ,christianity1 'the same yesterday1 to-day1 and for ever1' those external accessories1 ,miracles1 for example1 constitute a subject which of necessity is perpetually taking somewhat at least of a new form1 with the successive phases of opinion and knowledge4 7p4 #id47 ,but1 7waiving for the moment the impossibility of severing the ,doctrines of the ,gospel from the miraculous evidence that our ,,lord was a ,teacher sent from ,heaven#ga71 it requires no ability to perceive that although opinion should alter daily1 and knowledge increase ever so much1 yet1 events professing to be miraculous1 being plain matters of fact1 are to-day exactly what and where they were many centuries ago4 ,physical ,science may pretend 7with ,paulus7 to explain them on natural principles1 truly2 and while she does so1 the world is sure to give her a patient1 even an indulgent hearing4 ,but then she must let it be known what she proposes to explain1 and how she proposes to explain it4 ,she must be so indulgent also1 as to listen while we1 in turn1 shew her on what grounds we find it impossible to accept her ,theory4 ,the inevitable progress of research1 7says this author17 must1 within a longer or shorter period1 unravel all that seems most marvellous2 and what is at present least understood will become as familiarly known to the ,science of the future1 as those points which a few centuries ago1 were involved in equal obscurity1 but are now thoroughly understood4 7p4 #aji47 ,such a vaticination as regards ,miracles1 is1 to say the least1 premature2 and until it can appeal to incipient accomplishment1 it must be regarded as nugatory also4 ,i am not aware1 that as yet one single ,miracle has been struck off the list2 yet ,miracles have now been before the world a long time1 and they have not wanted enemies either4 ,to begin ,divinity with a discussion of the ,evidences1 we do indeed hold to be a beginning at the wrong end4 ,at the same time1 all of ,professor ,powell's opening remarks1 in which he insinuates that the ,church would bar1 or would stifle discussion concerning the evidences of ,religion1 are obviously untrue4 ,no scrutiny of ,christian ,miracles1 however rigid1 is stopped by the admonition that such narratives ought to be held sacred1 and exempt from the unhallowed criticism of human ,reason4 7p4 #aaj47 ,we do not1 by any means1 treat all objections as profane1 and discard exceptions unanswered as shocking and immoral4 7p4 #ajj47 ,neither does the ,church think herself omniscient and infallible2 7p4 #if27 though she holds ,omniscience to be an attribute of ,,god2 and ,infallibility1 of the ,bible4 ,but she deprecates in the strongest manner vague insinuations and unsupported doubts of the reality of her ,,lord',s ,miracles1 sown broad-cast over the land2 and she is at a loss to understand how the difficulties of any1 can be in this manner removed2 7p4 #if27 except by a process analogous to that which would cure a malady by taking away the life of the patient4 ,we are not in fact at all disposed to admit that ,miracles1 which in the estimation of a former age were among the chief supports of ,christianity1 are at present among the main difficulties1 and hindrances to its acceptance1 7p4 #adj17--;although ,professor ,powell and ,dr4 ,temple say so4 ,this ,essay in fact is full of incorrect1 or objectionable statements4 ,thus ,professor ,powell asserts that since evidential arguments are avowedly addressed to the intellect1 it is especially preposterous to shift the ground1 and charge the rejection of them on moral motives4 7p4 #ajj47 ,and yet it is worthy of notice that our ,,lord ,himself assures us that the reception of ,truth depends on our moral1 rather than on our intellectual condition4 ,how can ye believe1 7,he said to the ,jews17 which receive honour one of another1 and seek not the honour that cometh from ,,god only#gb8 ,this writer reasons also with singular laxity and inaccuracy4 ,after quoting the dictum that on a certain amount of testimony we might believe any statement1 however improbable1 7pp4 #adj-a17 he scornfully adds2--,so that if a number of respectable witnesses were to concur in asseverating that on a certain occasion they had seen two and two make five1 we should be bound to believe them6 7p4 #ada47 ,does he fail to perceive1 7#a7 that mathematical truths do not come within the province of probable reasoning1 and 7#b7 are not dependent on testimony8444 ,again1 ,the case of the antecedent argument of ,miracles is very clear1 however little some are inclined to perceive it4 ,in ,nature and from ,nature1 by ,science and by ,reason1 we neither have nor can possibly have any evidence of a ,deity working by ,miracles2--for that1 we must go out of ,nature1 and beyond ,science4 7pp4 #ada-b47 ,very true4 ,we must go to ,scripture4 ,we must have recourse to testimony4 ,this is precisely what we are maintaining4444 ,but1--,testimony1 after all1 is but a second-hand assurance2 it is but a blind guide2 testimony can avail nothing against ,reason4 7p4 #ada47 ,true4 ,but this1 if it is intended as an argument against the reasonableness of admitting the truth of ,miracles1 is a mere petitio principii4444 ,again4 ,it is not the mere fact but the cause or explanation of it1 which is the point at issue4 7p4 #ada47 ,admitting then1 as the learned author here does1 that when ,,christ said ,lazarus1 come forth1 he that was dead1 7though he had been buried four days17 came forth1 bound hand and foot with grave-clothes#gc2--;admitting these facts1 ,i say1--what other cause1 or explanation does the reverend gentleman propose to assign but the supernatural power of the ,divine ,speaker8 ,far graver exception1 however1 must be taken against certain parts of ,professor ,powell's labours1 which betray an animus fatally indicative of the tendency of such ,essays and ,reviews as these4 ,witness his assertion that it is now acknowledged that ',creation' is only another name for our ignorance of the mode of production2 7p4 #aci27 and that a recent work on the ,origin of ,species substantiates on undeniable grounds the very principle so long denounced by the first naturalists1--the origination of new species by natural causes2 7p4 #aci27 and that the said work must soon bring about an entire revolution of opinion in favour of the grand principle of the self-evolving powers of ,nature4 7p4 #aci47 ,one object of the present ,essay is to insist that since ,miracles belong to the world of matter1 we must recognize the due claims of ,science to decide upon them4 ,we are reminded that beyond the domain of physical causation and the possible conceptions of intellect or knowledge1 there lies open the boundless region of spiritual things1 which is the sole dominion of ,faith3 7p4 #abg37 and that ,advancing knowledge1 while it asserts the dominion of ,science in physical things1 confirms that of ,faith in spiritual4 7p4 #abg47 ,it is proposed that we thus neither impugn the generalizations of ,philosophy1 nor allow them to invade the dominion of ,faith2 and admit that what is not a subject for a problem1 may hold its place in a ,creed4 7p4 #abg47 ,but the fatal consequences of this plausible fallacy become apparent the instant we turn the leaf1 and read that the more knowledge advances1 the more it has been1 and will be acknowledged1 that ,christianity1 as a real religion1 must be viewed apart from connexion with physical things4 7p4 #abh47 ,that the first dissociation of the spiritual from the physical was rendered necessary by the palpable contradictions disclosed by astronomical discovery with the letter of ,scripture4 ,another still wider and more material step has been effected by the discoveries of ,geology4 ,more recently1 the antiquity of the ,human ,race1 and the development of ,species1 and the rejection of the idea of ',creation' 767 have caused new advances in the same direction4 7p4 #abi47 444 ,from this it is evident1 not only that the object of ,science in thus taking the ,miracles of ,scripture into her own keeping1 is 7like an unnatural step-dame7 to slay them2 but that downright ,atheism is to be the attitude in which men are expected to survey that boundless region of spiritual things which is yet proclaimed to be the sole dominion of ,faith6 ,faith1 on the other hand1 does not object to the constant visits of ,science to any part of her treasure4 ,she does but insist that all discussion shall be conducted according to the rules of right ,reason4 ,vague insinuations about a progressing ,age1 7p4 #aca17--new modes of speculation1 7p4 #acj17--the advance of ,opinion1 7p4 #aca17--;and so forth1 are as little to the purpose1 apart from specific objections1 as sneers at the one-sided dogmas of an obsolete school1 coupled with awful denunciations of heterodoxy on all who refuse to listen to them1 7p4 #aca17 are unsuited to the gravity of the occasion4 ,faith insists moreover that a divorce between the miraculous parts of ,scripture1 and the context wherein they stand1 is simply impossible4 ,the unbeliever who boldly says1 ,i disbelieve the ,bible1--however much we may deplore his blindness and pity his misery1--is yet intelligible in his unbelief4 ,but the man who proposes to believe the narrative of the ,exode of ,israel from ,egypt1 7for instance17 apart from the supernatural character of the events which are related to have attended it2 who believes the history of the ,gospels1 7holding the ,evangelists to have been veracious writers17 yet rejects the ,divine nature of the ,miracles which the ,gospels relate2 and proposes1 after eliminating from the historical narrative everything which claims to be miraculous1 to make what remains of that historical narrative1 the strength and stay of his soul in life and in death3--that man we boldly affirm to be one who cannot have studied the ,bible with that ordinary attention which would entitle him to dogmatize concerning its contents3 or else1 whose logical faculty must be so hopelessly defective that discussions of this class are evidently not his proper province4 ,finally1 we are presented in this ,essay with the same offensive assumption of intellectual superiority on the part of the writer1 which disfigures the entire volume4 ,it becomes imperatively necessary that views should be suggested really suitable to better informed minds4 7p4 #abf47 ,points which may be seen to involve the greatest difficulty to more profound inquirers1 are often such as do not occasion the least perplexity to ordinary minds1 but are allowed to pass without hesitation4 7p4 #abe47 7,and this1 from one of those profound inquirers1 one of those who have reflected most deeply1 7p4 #abf17 who yet cannot get beyond a resuscitation of ,hume and ,spinoza's exploded objections to the truth of ,miracles67--,butler's unanswerable arguments1 7for the allusion is evidently to him17 are spoken of as a few trite and commonplace generalities as to the moral government of the ,world and the belief in the ,divine ,omnipotence2 or as to the validity of human testimony2 or the limits of human experience4 7p4 #acc47 ,and yet the author is for ever informing us that his hostility to ,miracles is essentially built upon those grander conceptions of the order of ,nature1 those comprehensive primary elements of all physical knowledge1 those ultimate ideas of universal causation1 which can only be familiar to those thoroughly versed in cosmical philosophy in its widest sense4 7p4 #acc47 ,all highly cultivated minds1 and duly advanced intellects1 are supposed to find their exponent in ,professor ,baden ,powell4 ,all other thinkers have minds of a less comprehensive capacity1 accustomed to reason on more contracted views4 7p4 #acc4 ,see also p4 #aca1 top47 ,is this the modesty of real ,science8 the language of a true ,philosopher and ,divine8 ,finally1 after all that has gone before we are not much astonished1 but we are considerably shocked1 to read as follows3--,the ,divine ,omnipotence is entirely an inference from the language of the ,bible1 adopted on the assumption of a belief in ,revelation4 ,that 'with ,,god nothing is impossible' is the very declaration of ,scripture2 yet on this1 the whole belief in ,miracles is built#gd4 ,now1 it happens that 'the whole belief in ,miracles' is built on nothing of the kind3 but the point is immaterial4 ,by no means immaterial1 however1 is the intimation that the ,divine attribute of ,omnipotence is a mere inference from the language of ,revelation1--the very belief in which is also a mere assumption4 ,if belief in ,holy ,scripture is to be treated as an assumption1--without at all complaining of the unreasonableness of one who so speaks1--we yet desire that he would say it very plainly2 and let us know at least with whom we have to do1 and what we are expected to prove4 ,we do not complain1 if any one calls upon us to shew that a belief in the ,bible cannot be called an assumption2 but it makes us very sad3 and when the challenge comes from a ,minister of the ,church1 we are unable to forbear the remark that there is something altogether immoral#ge in the entire proceeding4 ,on the other hand1 to find ourselves involved in an argument on questions of ,divinity with one who believes nothing1 is in a manner absurd2 and provokes a feeling of resentment as well as of pity4444 ,what need to add that life is not long enough for such processes of proof8 ,he that cometh unto ,,god must believe that ,he is6 ,we cannot be for ever laying the foundation4 ,the building must begin1 at last1 to grow4 ,and when it has grown up1 and is compact as well as beautiful1 it cannot be necessary to pull it all down again once or twice in every century in order to ascertain whether the strong foundations be still there6 99 99 99 99 99 ,,iv4 ,the next performance is mainly directed against faith in the ,church1 as a society of ,divine origin4 ,the ,rev4 ,,henry ,,bristow ,,wilson1 ,b4,d41 ,vicar of ,great ,staughton1 ,hunts1 claims that a ,national ,church shall be regarded as a purely secular ,institution1--the spontaneous development of the ,state4 ,if all priests and ministers of religion could at one moment be swept from the face of the ,earth1 they would soon be reproduced#gf4 ,the ,church is concerned with ,ethics1 not with ,divinity4 ,it should therefore be free from dogmatic tests1 and similar intellectual bondage3 7p4 #afh37 hampered by no traditional ,doctrines2 pledged to no ,creeds3 but1 on the contrary1 should be subject to periodical doctrinal re-adjustments4 ,doctrinal limitations 7i4e4 the ,creeds7 are not essential to the ,church4 ,upon larger knowledge of ,christian history1 upon a more thorough acquaintance with the mental constitution of man1 upon an understanding of the obstacles they present to a true ,catholicity 7671 they may be cast off4 7p4 #afg47 ,in order to the possibility of recruiting any national ,ministry from the whole of the nation1 444 no needless intellectual or speculative obstacles should be interposed4 7p4 #aif4 ,so at p4 #aih47 ,to all this1 the answer is very obvious4 ,viewed as an historical fact1 the ,church is not of human origin4 ,the ,church is a ,divine ,institution4 ,that a ,priest of the ,church1 charged with a cure of souls1 should desire her annihilation1--the reversal of the facts of her past ,history1--her reconstruction on an unheard-of basis1 without even ,creeds as terms of communion with her1--and so forth2 all this may suggest some very painful doubts as to the objector's honesty in continuing to employ the formularies of that ,church1 and in professing to teach her doctrines2--but it can hardly be supposed to have any effect whatever on the question at issue4 ,foreseeing this1 ,mr4 ,wilson begins by asserting1--7for to insinuate is not for so advanced a disciple of the negative ,theology17 7p4 #aea17--the fact of a very wide-spread alienation1 both of educated and uneducated persons1 from the ,christianity which is ordinarily presented in our ,churches and ,chapels4 7p4 #aej47 ,a self-satisfied ,sacerdotalism1 confident in a supernaturally transmitted illumination1 may amuse itself in trying to keep peace within the walls of emptied ,churches3 7p4 #aej37 but the day for traditional ,christianity 7p4 #adi47 has gone by4 ,we may no longer ignore a great extent of dissatisfaction on the part of the ,clergy at some portion1 at least1 of formularies of the ,church of ,england1--especially at the use of one unhappy creed4 7p4 #aej47 ,there has been a spontaneous recoil from some of the old doctrines3 a distrust of the old arguments3 and a misgiving concerning ,scripture itself4 ,in the presence of difficulties of this kind1 444 it is vain to seek to check open discussion4 7p4 #aea47 ,why then does not this man proceed openly to discuss8 is the obvious rejoinder4 ,instead of vaguely hinting that either the ,reason or the ,moral sense is shocked by what people hear in our ,churches and ,chapels1--why has not this writer1 first1 the honesty to withdraw from the ,ministry of the ,church of ,england2 and next1 the courage to indicate the particular doctrines which offend8 ,to say that the ordinances of public worship and religious instruction provided for the people of ,england are not really adapted to the wants of their nature as it is1 7p4 #aej17 is a very vague and unworthy style of urging an objection4 ,why does not the reverend writer explain wherein the ,doctrine and ,discipline of the ,english ,church are not really adapted to the actual wants of ,man's nature8 ,let every unbeliever however be allowed to state his difficulties in his own way4 ,mr4 ,wilson's difficulties certainly take a very peculiar shape4 ,the increased ,geographical knowledge of the present generation has evidently disturbed his faith4 ,in our own boyhood1 the ,world as known to the ancients was nearly all which was known to ourselves 7674 ,we have recently become acquainted1--intimate1--with the teeming regions of the far ,east1 and with empires1 pagan or even atheistic1 of which the origin runs far back beyond the historic records of ,juda or of the ,west1 and which were more populous than all ,christendom now is1 for many ages before the ,christian era4 7p4 #afb47 ,such a statement is soon made2 but it ought to have been substantiated4 ,i take the liberty of doubting its accuracy4 ,but granting even that the heathen world for many ages before the ,christian era was more populous than all ,christendom now is3--what then8 ,this fact suggests questions to those who on ,sundays hear the reading and exposition of the ,scriptures as they were expounded to our forefathers1 and on ,monday peruse the news of a ,world of which our forefathers little dreamed4 7pp4 #aeb-c47--;,and pray1 7we calmly inquire17 ,why are the ,scriptures to be read or expounded after a novel fashion1 even though our geographical knowledge has made a considerable advance8 ,to this1 we are favoured with no answer4 ,the questions suggested are1 we presume1 the same which are contained in the following sentence4 ,in what relation does the ,gospel stand to these millions#gg8 ,is there any trace on the face of its records that it even contemplated their existence#gh8 ,we are told1 that to know and believe in ,,jesus ,,christ is in some sense necessary to ,salvation4 ,it has not been given to these4 ,are they1--will they be1 hereafter1--the worse off for their ignorance8 7p4 #aec47 444 ,as to the necessity of faith in a ,,saviour to these peoples when they could never have had it1 no one1 upon reflection1 can believe in any such thing4 ,doubtless they will be equitably dealt with4 7p4 #aec47 ,these last seven words1 7which scarcely seem of a piece with the rest of the sentence17 we confess have always seemed a sufficient answer to the badly-expressed speculative difficulty which immediately precedes2 a difficulty1 be it observed1 which does not depend at all on the popular advancement of ,geographical knowledge2 for it was urged with the self-same force anciently1 as now2 and was met by ,bp4 ,butler1 almost in the self-same words#gi1 upwards of a hundred years ago4 ,but ,mr4 ,wilson to our surprise and sorrow proceeds3--,we cannot be content to wrap this question up and leave it for a mystery1 as to what shall become of those myriads upon myriads of non-,christian races4 ,first1 if our traditions tell us1 that they are involved in the curse and perdition of ,adam1 and may justly be punished hereafter individually for his transgression1 not having been extricated from it by saving faith1--we are disposed to think that our traditions cannot herein fairly declare to us the words and inferences from ,scripture2 but if on examination it should turn out that they have1--we must say1 that the authors of the ,scriptural books have1 in those matters1 represented to us their own inadequate conceptions1 and not the mind of the ,,spirit of ,,god4 7pp4 #aec-d47 ,i forbear to dwell upon the grievous spectacle with which we are thus presented4 ,here is a ,clergyman of the ,church of ,england deliberately proposing the following dilemma3--,either the ,prayer ,book is incorrect in its most important doctrinal inferences from ,holy ,scripture2 or else1 the ,authors of ,holy ,scripture itself are incorrect in their statements4 ,the morality of one who declares that he finds himself placed between the horns of this dilemma1 and yet retains his office as a public teacher in the ,church of ,england1--it is painful to contemplate4 ,but this is only ad hominem4 ,the ,reverend writer's difficulty remains4 ,and it seems sufficient to reply3--,it is not we who wrap up the question1 but ,,god4 ,as a mystery we find it2 and as a mystery1 we not only can1 but must be content to leave it4 ,further1 it is not our traditions1 but ,holy ,scripture itself which tells us that by one man ,sin entered into the ,world1 and ,death by ,sin2 and so ,death passed upon all men1 for that all have sinned#hj3--that in ,adam all died#ha3--that we were by nature the children of wrath1 even as others#hb3 and the like4 ,scripture1 on the other hand1 as unequivocally assures us that ,,god is good1 or rather that ,he is very ,goodness4 ,we are convinced1 7in ,mr4 ,wilson's words17 that all shall be equitably dealt with according to their opportunities4 7p4 #aed47 ,moreover1 he would be a rash ,divine who should venture to adopt the opinion so strenuously disclaimed by ,bp4 ,butler1 that none can have the benefit of the general ,redemption1 but such as have the advantage of being made acquainted with it in the present life#hc4 444 ,how1 in the meantime1 speculative difficulties concerning the hereafter of the unevangelized ,heathen are affected by the fact that our population now peruse the news of a ,world of which our forefathers little dreamed1 7pp4 #aeb-c17--;it is hard to see4 ,equally unable am ,i also to understand how the discovery that a larger number of persons are the subjects of this speculative difficulty than used once to be supposed1 can constitute any reason why ,scripture should not still be read and expounded on ,sunday as it used to be expounded to our forefathers4 ,we have been so particular1 because whenever any of these writers condescend to be argumentative1 we are eager to bear them company4 ,no wish at all have we1 in the abstract1 to stifle inquiry2 no objection whatever have we to the principle of free discussion4 ,and yet1 as a clergyman1 ,i cannot discuss such questions as these with a ,minister of the ,church of ,england1 except under protest4 ,i deny that these are in any sense open questions4 ,to dispute concerning them1-- 1--one of the disputants must first1 at least1 resign his commission4 ,it is simply dishonest in a man to hold a commission in the ,church of ,england1 under solemn vows1 and yet to deny her doctrines4 ,an ,officer in the ,army who should pursue a similar line of action1 would be dismissed the ,service1--or worse4--,under protest1 then1 we follow the ,rev4 ,h4 ,b4 ,wilson1 ,b4,d4 ,next come three other specimens of the modern questionings of traditional ,christianity1 whereby observers are rendered dissatisfied with old modes of speaking3 7p4 #aef37 viz4 7#a7 ,st4 ,paul speaks of the ,gospel 'which was preached to every nation 7sic7 under heaven1' when it has never yet been preached to the half#hd4 7#b7 ,then1 again1 it has often been appealed to as an evidence of the supernatural origin of ,christianity1 and as an instance of supernatural assistance vouchsafed to it in the first centuries1 that it so soon overspread the world3 7p4 #aee37 whereas it requires no learning to be aware that neither then nor subsequently have the ,christians amounted to a fourth part of the people of the ,earth4 7,ibid47 7#c7 ,so again1 it has been customary to argue that1 priori1 a supernatural ,revelation was to be expected at the time when ,,jesus ,,christ was manifested upon the ,earth1 by reason of the exhaustion of all natural or unassisted human efforts for the amelioration of mankind2 7pp4 #aee-f27 whereas our recently enlarged ,ethnographical information shews such an argument to be altogether inapplicable to the case4 ,it would be more like the realities of things1 as we can now behold them1 to say that the ,christian ,revelation was given to the ,western ,world1 because it deserved it better and was more prepared for it than the ,east4 7p4 #aef47--,the remedy for the first of these difficulties 7says ,mr4 ,wilson17 is1 candidly to acknowledge that the words of the ,new ,testament which speak of the preaching of the ,gospel to the whole world1 were limited to the understanding of the times when they were spoken4 ,the suggestions of our own moral instincts are rather to be followed1 than the express declarations of ,scripture writers1 who had no such knowledge as is given to ourselves of the amplitude of the ,world4 7p4 #aeg47 ,for my own part1 ,i see not how ,mr4 ,wilson's proposed remedy meets the case2 unless he means to say that in the time of ,st4 ,paul the ,gospel had been literally preached to the whole ,world as far as the ,world was then known4 ,if not1 it is clear that recourse must be had to some other expedient4 ,instead then of the candid acknowledgment required of us by the learned writer1 may we be allowed to suggest to him the more prosaic expedient 7#ast7 of making sure that he quotes ,scripture accurately2 and 7#bnd7 that he understands it8444 ,it happens that ,st4 ,paul does not use the words every nation under heaven as ,mr4 ,wilson inadvertently supposes4 ,the ,apostle's phrase1 1 in ,colossians i4 #bc1 7as in ,st4 ,mark xvi4 #ae71 means 'to the whole ,creation1' or 'every creature2' 7the article is doubtful27 in other words1 he announces the universality of the ,gospel1 as contrasted with the ,law2 and he explains that it had been preached to the ,heathen as well as to the ,jews4 ,our increased knowledge therefore has nothing whatever to do with the question2 and the supposed difficulty disappears4 ,the two which remain1 being 7according to the same writer17 merely incorrect inferences of ,biblical critics1 need not1 it is presumed1 be regarded as insurmountable either4 ,following ,mr4 ,wilson through his successive vagaries of religious 787 thought1 we come upon a succession of strange statements2 the object of which seems to be to cast a slur on ,doctrine generally4--,the doctrine of ,justification by faith is not met with 444 in the ,apostolic writings1 except those of ,st4 ,paul4 7p4 #afj47 ,a minute exception truly64--,then1 on the other hand1 it is maintained by a large body of ,theologians1 as by the learned ,jesuit ,petavius and many others1 that the doctrine afterwards developed into the ,nicene and ,athanasian1 is not to be found explicitly in the earliest fathers1 nor even in ,scripture1 although provable by it4 7p4 #afj47 ,would it not have been fair1 however1 to state what appears to have been the design of ,petavius therein#he8 and should it not have been added that our own ,bishop ,bull in his immortal ,defensio ,fidei ,nicn established the very reverse out of the writings of the ,catholic ,doctors who flourished within the first three centuries of the ,christian ,church#hf8 ,the nearer we come to the original sources of the ,history1 the less definite do we find the statements of ,doctrines1 and even of the facts from which the ,doctrines were afterwards inferred4 7p4 #afj47 ,in the patristic writings1 theoretics assume continually an increasingly disproportionate value4 ,even within the compass of our ,new ,testament1 there is to be found already a wonderful contrast between the words of our ,,lord and such a discourse as the ,epistle to the ,hebrews4 7pp4 #afj-a47 ,what a curious discovery1 by the way1 that an argumentative ,epistle should differ in style from an historical ,gospel6 ,our ,,lord',s ,discourses1 7continues this writer17 have almost all of them a direct ,moral bearing4 7p4 #afa47 ,the case of ,st4 ,john's ,gospel immediately recurs to our memory4 ,and it seems to have occurred to ,mr4 ,wilson's also4 ,he says3-- ,this character of ,his words is certainly more obvious in the first three ,gospels than in the fourth2 and the remarkable unison of those ,gospels1 when they recite the ,,lord',s words1 notwithstanding their discrepancies in some matters of fact1 compels us to think1 that they embody more exact traditions of what ,he actually said than the fourth does4 7p4 #afa47 ,in other words1 the authenticity of ,st4 ,john's ,gospel#hg is to be suspected rather than the worthlessness of the speculations of the ,vicar of ,great ,staughton6 ,the object of three pages which follow 7pp4 #afb-e47 seems to be to shew that in the ,apostolic ,age1 ,immorality of life was more severely dealt with1 even than erroneousness of ,doctrine4 ,except because the writer is eager to depreciate the value of orthodoxy of belief1 and to cast a slur on doctrinal standards generally1--it is hard to see why he should write thus4 ,let him be reminded however that our ,,saviour makes ,faith itself a moral1 not an intellectual habit#hh2 and1 7if it be not an uncivil remark17 what but an immoral spectacle does a ,clergyman present who openly inculcates distrust of these very ,doctrines which he has in the most solemn manner pledged himself to uphold and maintain8 ,and thus we come back to the theme originally proposed4 ,a national ,church1 we are informed1 need not1 historically speaking1 be ,christian 7672 nor1 if it be ,christian1 need it be tied down to particular forms which have been prevalent at certain times in ,christendom 7674 ,that which is essential to a ,national ,church is1 that it should undertake to assist the spiritual progress of the nation and of the individuals of which it is composed1 in their several states and stages4 ,not even a ,christian ,church should expect all those who are brought under its influence to be1 as a matter of fact1 of one and the same standard2 but should endeavour to raise each according to his capacities1 and should give no occasion for a reaction against itself1 nor provoke the individualist element into separation4 7p4 #agc47 ,of what sort the ,ministers of such a chartered libertine are to prove1 may be anticipated4 ,thought and speech1 which are free among all other classes1 must be free also among those who hold the office of leaders and teachers of the rest in the highest things4 ,the ,ministers of the ,church ought not to be bound to cover up1 but to open2 and having1 it is presumed1 possession of the key of knowledge1 ought not to stand at the door with it1 permitting no one to enter unless by force4 ,a ,national ,church may also find itself in this position1 which1 perhaps1 is our own4 7p4 #agd47--,what a charming picture of the duties and the method of that class to which the ,vicar of ,great ,staughton himself belongs6444 ,the writer proceeds to set an example of that freedom of inquiry which he vindicates as the privilege of his ,order2 and without which he is apprehensive of being left isolated between the fanatical religionist1 7p4 #agd17 7i4e4 the man who believes the truths he teaches17 and the negative theologian1 7i4e4 those who1 impatient of old fetters1 follow free thought heedlessly wherever it may lead them47 7,ibid47 ,the freedom of opinion#hi1 7he says17 which belongs to the ,english citizen should be conceded to the ,english ,churchman2 and the freedom which is already practically enjoyed by the members of the congregation1 cannot without injustice be denied to its ministers4 7p4 #ahj47 ,let us see how the ,reverend ,gentleman exercises the license which he claims3-- ,the phrase ,word of ,,god1 7he says17 is unauthorized and begs the question4 ,the epithet ,canonical may mean either books ruled and determined by the ,church1 or regulation books2 and the employment of it in the ,article hesitates between these two significations4 7p4 #agf47 ,the declaration of the sixth ,article simply implies the ,word of ,,god is contained in ,scripture2 whence it does not follow that it is co-extensive with it4 7p4 #agj47 ,under the terms of the ,sixth ,article one may accept literally1 or allegorically1 or as parable1 or poetry1 or legend1 the story of a serpent-tempter1 of an ass speaking with man's voice1 of an arresting the earth's motion1 of a reversal of its motion#ij1 of waters standing in a solid heap1 of witches1 and a variety of apparitions4 ,so under the terms of the ,sixth ,article1 every one is free in judgment as to the primeval institution of the ,sabbath1 the universality of the ,deluge1 the confusion of tongues1 the corporeal taking up of ,elijah into ,heaven1 the nature of ,angels1 the reality of demoniacal possession1 the personality of ,satan1 and the miraculous particulars of many events4 7p4 #agg47 ,good men1 we are assured2 7the ,inspired ,writers being the good men intended27 may err in facts1 be weak in memory1 mingle imaginations with memory1 be feeble in inferences1 confound illustration with argument1 be varying in judgment and opinion4 7p4 #agi47 ,a free handling this1 of the work of the ,,holy ,,ghost1 truly6444 ,it would1 ,i suppose1 be deemed very unreasonable to wish that a catalogue of facts misstated1--of slips of memory1--of imaginary details1--of feeble inferences1--of instances of logical confusion1--and so forth1 had been subjoined by the ,reverend writer4 ,i will only observe concerning his method that such frank criticism of ,scripture 7p4 #agd47 as this1 is dogmatism of the most disreputable kind3 insinuating what it does not state2 assuming what it ought to prove2 asserting in the general what it may be defied to substantiate in particular4 ,it follows1--,but the spirit of absolute ,truth cannot err or contradict ,himself2 if ,he speak immediately1 even in small things1 accessories1 or accidents4 7p4 #agi47 ,to this we entirely agree4 ,where then are the errors8 and where the contradictions8 ,we cannot suppose ,him to suggest contradictory accounts3 not contradictory1 of course2 because contradictories cannot both be true3 or accounts only to be reconciled in the way of hypothesis and conjecture4--7,ibid47 ,why not#ia8 ,to suppose a supernatural influence to cause the record of that which can only issue in a puzzle1 is to lower indefinitely our conception of the ,divine dealings in respect of a special ,revelation4 7,ibid47--,why more of a lowering puzzle in ,,god',s ,word than in ,,god',s ,works#ib8 ,mr4 ,wilson proceeds3--,it may be attributed to the defect of our understandings1 that we should be unable altogether to reconcile the aspects of the ,,saviour as presented to us in the first three ,gospels1 and in the writings of ,st4 ,paul and ,st4 ,john4 ,at any rate1 there were current in the primitive ,church very distinct ,christologies4--7,ibid47 ,queer language this for a plain man6 ,i1 for my own part1 have never yet discovered the difficulty which is here hinted at2 but which has been prudently left unexplained4 ,it follows3--,but neither to any defect in our capacities1 nor to any reasonable presumption of a hidden wise design1 nor to any partial spiritual endowments in the narrators1 can we attribute the difficulty1 if not impossibility1 of reconciling the genealogies of ,st4 ,matthew and ,st4 ,luke2 or the chronology of the ,holy ,week2 or the accounts of the ,resurrection3 nor to any mystery in the subject-matter can be referred the uncertainty in which the ,new ,testament writings leave us1 as to the descent of ,,jesus ,,christ according to the flesh1 whether by ,his mother ,he were of the tribe of ,judah or of the tribe of ,levi4--7pp4 #agi-ahj47 ,i1 for my part1 can declare that ,i have found the reconcilement in the three subjects first alluded to1 as complete as could be either expected or desired4 ,the last part of the sentence discovers nothing so much as the writer's ignorance of the subject on which he presumes to dogmatize4 ,presently1 we read1--,it may be worth while to consider how far a liberty of opinion is conceded by our existing ,laws1 ,civil and ,ecclesiastical4--7p4 #ahj47 ,as far as opinion privately entertained is concerned1 the liberty of the ,english ,clergyman appears already to be complete4 ,for no ,ecclesiastical person can be obliged to answer interrogations as to his opinions2 nor be troubled for that which he has not actually expressed2 nor be made responsible for inferences which other people may draw from his expressions4 7,ibid47--,surely such language needs only to be cited to awaken indignation in every honest bosom6 ,with most men educated1 not in the schools of ,jesuitism1 but in the sound and honest moral training of an ,english ,education1 the mere entering on the record such a plea as this1 must destroy the whole case4 ,if the position of the religious instructor is to be maintained only by his holding one thing as true1 and teaching another thing as to be received1--in the name of the ,,god of ,truth1 either let all teaching cease1 or let the fraudulent instructor abdicate willingly his office1 before the moral indignation of an as yet uncorrupted people thrust him ignominiously from his abused seat#ic6 ,the remarks just quoted serve to introduce a series of views on subscription to the ,articles1 which1 if they were presented to me without any intimation of the quarter from which they proceed1 ,i should not have hesitated to denounce as simply dishonest#id4444 ,the ,statute #ac ,eliz4 c4 #ab1 is next discussed with the same unhappy licentiousness2 and the declaration that the meshes are too open for modern refinements4 7p4 #ahe47 444 ,i desire not to speak with undue severity of a fellow-creature3 but ,i protest that ,i cannot read the ,review under consideration without a profound conviction that1 7speaking for myself17 ,i have to do with one whom in the common concerns of life ,i would not trust4 ,the aptitude here displayed#ie for playing tricks with plain language1 is calculated to sap the foundations of human intercourse1 and to destroy confidence4 ,if plain words may mean anything1 or may mean nothing1--then1 farewell to all good faith in the intercourse of daily life4 ,if ,articles for the avoiding of ,diversities of ,opinions1 and for the establishing of ,consent touching true ,religion#if1--such ,articles especially as the ,i,ind41 ,of the ,,word or ,,son of ,,god1 which was made very ,man2 and the ,vth41 ,of the ,,holy ,,ghost1 7which the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,wilson calls humanifying of the ,divine ,word1 and the ,divine ,personalities17 7p4 #ahf17--may be signed by one who1 even in signing1 resolves to pass by the side of them1 7p4 #ahf1 line #f17--then is it better at once to admit that no ,logic can be supposed to be available with such a writer2 that he places himself outside the reach of fair argumentation2 and must not be astonished if he shall find himself regarded by his peers simply in the light of an untrustworthy and impracticable person4 ,the last stage of all in this deplorable paper is an application to ,holy ,scripture itself of the tricks which the ,vicar of ,great ,staughton has already played1 so much to his own satisfaction1 with the ,articles4 ,we may say that the value of the historical parts of the ,bible may consist1 rather in their significance1 in the ideas which they awaken1 than in the scenes themselves which they depict4 7p4 #aii47 ,to a plain ,english understanding1 7unperplexed with the dreams of ,strauss1 and other unbelievers of the same stamp17 such a statement conveys scarcely an intelligible notion4 ,but we are not left long in doubt4 ,the application of ,ideology to the interpretation of ,scripture1 to the doctrines of ,christianity1 to the formularies of the ,church1 may undoubtedly be carried to an excess2 may be pushed so far as to leave in the sacred records no historical residue whatever4444 ,an example of the critical ,ideology carried to excess1 is that of ,strauss2 which resolves into an ideal the whole of the historical and doctrinal person of ,,jesus4444 ,but it by no means follows1 because ,strauss has substituted a mere shadow for the ,,jesus of the ,evangelists1 that there are not traits in the scriptural person of ,jesus1 which are better explained by referring them to an ideal than an historical origin3 and without falling into fanciful exegetics1 there are parts of ,scripture more usefully interpreted ideologically than in any other manner1--as for instance1 the history of the ,temptation of ,,jesus by ,satan1 and accounts of demoniacal possessions4 7pp4 #bjj-bja47 ,some may consider the descent of all ,mankind from ,adam and ,eve as an undoubted historical fact2 others may rather perceive in that relation a form of narrative into which in early ages tradition would easily throw itself spontaneously4444 ,among a particular people1 this historical representation became the concrete expression of a great moral truth1--of the brotherhood of all human beings4444 ,the force1 grandeur1 and reality of these ideas are not a whit impaired in the abstract1 nor indeed the truth of the concrete history 767 as their representation1 even though mankind should have been placed upon the earth in many pairs at once1 or in distinct centres of creation4 ,for the brotherhood of men really depends1 c41 c4 7p4 #bja47 ,let us suppose one to be uncertain whether our ,,lord were born of the house and lineage of ,david1 or of the tribe of ,levi2 and even to be driven to conclude that the genealogies of ,him have little historic value2 nevertheless1 in idea1 ,,jesus is both ,son of ,david and ,son of ,aaron1 both ,prince of ,peace1 and ,high ,priest of our profession2 as ,he is1 under another idea1 though not literally1 'without father and without mother4' ,and ,he is none the less ,son of ,david1 ,priest ,aaronical1 or ,royal ,priest ,melchizedecan1 in idea and spiritually1 even if it be unproved whether ,he were any of them in historic fact4--,in like manner it need not trouble us1 if in consistency1 we should have to suppose both an ideal origin1 and to apply an ideal meaning1 to the birth in the city of ,david1 767 and to other circumstances of the ,infancy4 767 ,so again1 the ,incarnification of the divine ,immanuel remains1 although the angelic appearances which herald it in the narratives of the ,evangelists may be of ideal origin1 according to the conceptions of former days4 7pp4 #bjb-c47 ,and1 lastly1--liberty must be left to all as to the extent in which they apply this principle6 7p4 #bja47 ,to such dreamy nonsense1 what ,answer can we return#ig8 ,such speculations would be a fair subject for ridicule and merriment1 if the subject were not so unspeakably solemn1--the issues so vast1 and terribly momentous4 ,we find ourselves introduced into a new world1--of which the denizens talk like madmen1 and in a jargon of their own4 ,and yet1 that jargon is no sooner understood1 than the true character of our new companions becomes painfully evident#ih4444 ,he who believes the plain words of ,holy ,writ1 finds himself called the literalist4 ,he who resolves ,scripture into a dream1 and the ,,lord who redeemed him into a mere shadow1 7p4 #bjj7 is dignified with the title of an idealist4 ,neither 7we are assured7 should condemn the other4 ,they are fed with the same truths2 the literalist unconsciously1 the idealist with reflection4 ,neither can justly say of the other that he undervalues the ,sacred ,writings1 or that he holds them as inspired less properly than himself4 7p4 #bjj47 ,the ideologian1 7who is the same person as the idealist2 for the gentleman1 at this place1 changes his name27 is evidently in possession of a principle which will enable him to stand in charitable relation to persons of very different opinions from his own4 7p4 #bjb47 ,relations which may repose on doubtful grounds as matter of history1 and1 as history1 be incapable of being ascertained or verified1 may yet be equally suggestive of true ideas with facts absolutely certain4 ,the spiritual significance is the same of the ,transfiguration1 of opening blind eyes1 of causing the tongue of the stammerer to speak plainly1 of feeding multitudes with bread in the wilderness1 of cleansing leprosy2 whatever links may be deficient in the traditional records of particular events4 7,ibid47 444 ,i will but modestly inquire1--,what would be said of us1 if we were so to expound ,holy ,scripture in defence of ,christianity8 ,but it is time to dismiss this tissue of worthless as well as most mischievous writing2--even to exhibit which1 in the words of its misguided author1 ought to be its own sufficient exposure4 ,do men really expect us to answer such groundless assertions1 and vague speculations as those which go before8 ,a ,faith without ,creeds3 a ,clergy without authority or fixed opinions3 a ,bible without historical truth3--how can such things1 for a moment1 be supposed to be#ii8 ,what answer do we render to the sick man who sees unsubstantial goblins on the solid tapestried wall2 and mistakes for shadowy apparitions of the night1 the forms of flesh and blood which are ministering to his life's necessities8 ,if the ,temptation1 and the ,transfiguration1 and the ,miracles of ,,christ be not true history1 but ideological allegories1--then why not ,his ,nativity and ,his ,crucifixion1--,his ,death and ,his ,burial1--,his ,resurrection and ,his ,ascension into ,heaven likewise8 ,liberty 7we have been expressly told17 must be left to all1 as to the extent in which they apply the principle 7p4 #bja47--,where then is ,ideology to begin1--or rather1 where is ideology to end8 ,why then is ,strauss to be blamed for using that universal liberty1 and 'resolving into an ideal the whole of the historical and doctrinal person of ,,jesus8' ,why is ,strauss' resolution 'an excess8' or where and by what authority1 short of his extreme view1 would ,mr4 ,wilson himself stop8 or at what point of the process8 and by what right could he1 consistently with his own canon1 call on any other speculator1 to stay the ideologizing process#ajj8 ,discrepancies in narratives1 scientific difficulties1 defects in evidence1 do not disturb the ideologist as they do the literalist4 7p4 #bjc47 ,no1 truly4 ,nothing troubles him2 simply because he believes nothing6 ,the very ,sacraments of the ,gospel are not secure from his unhallowed touch4 ,the same principle 787 is declared to be capable of application to them also4 ,within these concrete conceptions there lie hid the truer ideas of the virtual presence of the ,,lord ,,jesus everywhere that ,he is preached1 remembered1 and represented4 7p4 #bjd47 444 ,do we ever deal thus with any other book of ,history8 ,and yet1 on what possible principle is the ,bible to be thus trifled with1 and ,thucydides to be spared8--,i protest1 if the historical personages of either ,testament may be resolved at will into abstract qualities1 and the historical transactions of either ,testament may be supposed to represent ideas and notions only1--then1 ,i see not why the ,vicar of ,great ,staughton himself may not prove to be a mythical personage also4 ,why need ,henry ,bristow ,wilson1 ,b4,d41--who1 7as literalists say17 in #ahda was one of the ',four ,tutors' who procured the condemnation of ,tract ,no4 #ij1 on the ground that it 'evaded rather than explained the ,thirty-nine ,articles2' and who1 in #ahfa writes that ,subscription to the ,articles may be thought even inoperative upon the conscience by reason of its vagueness2 7p4 #aha47--why need this author be supposed to be a man at all8 ,why should he not be interpreted ideologically2 and resolved into the principle of disgraceful ,inconsistency of conduct1 and variation of opinion at different periods of life8 99 99 99 99 99 ,v4 ,in the present crusade against the ,bible and the ,faith of ,christian men1 the task of destroying confidence in the first chapter of ,genesis has been undertaken by ,,mr4 ,c4 ,w4 ,,goodwin1 ,m4,a4 ,he requires us to regard it as the speculation of some ,hebrew ,descartes or ,newton1 promulgated in all good faith as the best and most probable account that could be then given of ,,god',s ,universe4 7p4 #beb47 ,mr4 ,goodwin remarks with scorn1 that we are asked to believe that a vision of ,creation was presented to him by ,divine power1 for the purpose of enabling him to inform the world of what he had seen2 which vision inevitably led him to give a description which has misled the world for centuries1 and in which the truth can now only with difficulty be recognized4 7p4 #bdg47 ,he puts pen to paper1 therefore1 7he says17 in order to induce the world to a frank recognition of the erroneous views of nature which the ,bible contains4 7p4 #baa47 ,the importance of the inquiry1 he vindicates in the following modest terms3--,physical ,science goes on unconcernedly pursuing its own paths4 ,theology1 7the ,science whose object is the dealing of ,,god with ,man as a moral being17 maintains but a shivering existence1 shouldered and jostled by the sturdy growths of modern thought1 and bemoaning itself for the hostility it encounters4 7p4 #baa47--;,a few remarks at once suggest themselves4 ,i cannot help thinking that if any person of ordinary intelligence1 unacquainted with the ,bible1 were to be left to obtain his notion of its contents from ,essays and ,reviews1 infidel publications generally1 and 7absit invidia verbo67 from not a few of the ,sermons which have been preached and printed in either ,university of late years1--the notion so obtained would be singularly at variance with the known facts of the case4 ,would not a man infallibly carry away an impression that the ,bible is a book abounding in statements concerning matters of ,physical ,science which are flatly contradicted by the ascertained phenomena of ,nature8 ,would he not be led to expect that it contained every here and there a theoretical ,excursus on certain ,astronomical or ,physiological subjects8 and to anticipate1 above all1 an occasional chapter on ,geology8 ,great would be his astonishment1 surely1 at finding that one single chapter comprises nearly the whole of the statements which modern philosophy finds so very hateful2 and that chapter1 the first chapter in the ,bible#aja4 ,but the surprise would grow considerably when the conditions of the problem came to be a little more fully stated4 ,has then the actual history of the ,world's ,creation been ascertained from some other independent and infallible source8 ,no6 ,are ,geologists as yet so much as agreed even about a theory of the ,creation8 ,no6 ,can it be proved that any part of the ,mosaic account is false8 ,certainly not6 ,then why all this hostile dogmatism8--,to witness the violence of the partisans of ,geological discovery1 and the arrogance of their pretensions1 one would suppose that some ,divine ,creed of theirs had been impugned3 that a revelation had been made to them from ,heaven1 which the profane and unbelieving world was reluctant to accept4 ,whereas1 these are ,christian men1 impatient1 as it seems1 to tear the first leaf out of their ,bible3 or rather1 to throw discredit on the entire volume1 by establishing the untrustworthiness of the earliest page6 ,one single additional consideration completes the strangeness of the picture4 ,if our account of the ,six ,days of ,creation were a sybilline leaf of unknown origin1 it would not be unreasonable to treat its revelations as little worth4 ,but since the author of it is confessedly ,moses1--the great ,hebrew prophet1 who lived from ,b4,c4 #aega to #adea1 who enjoyed the vision of the ,most ,high2 nay1 who conversed with ,,god face to face1 was with ,him in the ,mount for thrice forty days1 and received from ,him the whole details of the ,sacred ,law2--since this first chapter of ,genesis is known to have formed a part of the ,church's unbroken heritage from that time onward1 and therefore must be acknowledged to be an integral part of the volume of ,scripture which1 7as our ,,lord says17 1--cannot be broken1 diluted1 loosened1 explained away2--since1 further1 this account of ,creation is observed to occur in the most conspicuous place of the most conspicuous of those books which are designated by an ,apostle by the epithet 1 or1 given by inspiration1 filled with the breath1 or ,spirit of ,,god2 and when it is considered that our ,,saviour and ,his ,apostles refer to the primval history contained in the first two chapters about thirty times#ajb3--when1 7,i say17 all this is duly weighed1 surely too strong a prim facie case has been made out on behalf of the first chapter of ,genesis1 that its authority should be imperilled by the random statements of every fresh individual who sees fit to master the elements of ,geology2 and on the strength of that qualification presumes to sit in judgment on the ,hebrew ,scriptures1--of which1 confessedly1 he does not understand so much as the alphabet6 ,it is even amusing to see how vain a little mind can become of a little knowledge4 ,mr4 ,goodwin remarks1--,the school-books of the present day1 while they teach the child that the ,earth moves1 yet assure him that it is a little less than six thousand years old1 and that it was made in six days4 7p4 #baj47 7,i am puzzled to reconcile this statement with the author's declaration that no well-instructed person now doubts the great antiquity of the ,earth any more than its motion4 7,ibid47 ,would it not have been fairer to have named at least one of the school-books which perpetuate so wicked a heresy87 ,on the other hand1 ,geologists of all religious creeds are agreed that the ,earth has existed for an immense series of years1--to be counted by millions rather than by thousands2 and that indubitably more than six days elapsed from its first ,creation to the appearance of ,man upon its surface4 ,by this broad discrepancy between old and new doctrine is the modern mind startled1 as were the men of the sixteenth century when told that the earth moved4 7p4 #baj47 ,but begging pardon of our philosopher1 if all he means is that more than six days elapsed between the ,creation of ,heaven and ,earth1 7noticed in ver4 #a17 and the ,creation of ,man1 7spoke of from ver4 #bf to #bh17--;he means to say mighty little2 and need not fear to encounter contradiction from any well-instructed person4 ,true1 that an ignorant man could not have suspected anything of the kind from reading the first chapter of ,genesis3 but this is surely nobody's fault but his own4 ,an ignorant man might in like manner be of opinion that the ,sun and ,moon are the two largest objects in creation2 and there is not a word in this same chapter calculated to undeceive him4 ,again1 he might think that the ,sun rises and sets2 and the common language of the ,observatory would confirm him hopelessly in his mistake4 ,all this however is no one's fault but his own4 ,the ancient ,fathers of the ,church1 behind-hand as they were in ,physical ,science1 yet knew enough to anticipate the hypothesis of the ,geologist2 and two of the ,christian ,fathers1 ,augustine and ,theodoret1 are referred to as having actually held that a wide interval elapsed between the first act of ,creation1 mentioned in the ,mosaic account1 and the commencement of the ,six ,days' work4 7p4 #bca47 ,mr4 ,goodwin therefore has got no further1 so far1 than ,augustine and ,theodoret got1 #adjj years since1 without the aid of ,geology4 ,but we must hasten on4 ,the business of the ,essayist1 as we have said1 is to undermine our confidence in the ,bible1 by exposing the ignorance of the author of the first chapter4 ,modern theologians1 7he remarks1 with unaffected displeasure17 have directed their attention to the possibility of reconciling the ,mosaic narrative with those geological facts which are admitted to be beyond dispute4 7p4 #baj47--;,and pray1 7we modestly ask17 is not such a proceeding obvious8 ,a frank recognition of the erroneous views of ,nature which the ,bible contains1 7p4 #baa17 we shall be prepared to yield when those erroneous views have been demonstrated to exist1--but not till then4 ,mr4 ,goodwin must really remember that although1 in his opinion1 the ,mosaic ,cosmogony1 7for so he phrases it17 is not an authentic utterance of ,divine knowledge1 but a human utterance1 7p4 #bec17 the ,world thinks differently4 ,the learned and wise and good of all ages1 including the present1 are happily agreed that the first chapter of ,genesis is part of the ,word of ,,god4 ,after what is evidently intended to be a showy sketch of the past history of our planet1--we pass 7says ,mr4 ,goodwin7 to the account of the ,creation contained in the ,hebrew record4 ,and it must be observed that in reality two distinct accounts are given us in the book of ,genesis2 one1 being comprised in the first chapter and the first three verses of the second2 the other1 commencing at the fourth verse of the second chapter and continuing till the end4 ,this is so philologically certain that it were useless to ignore it4 7p4 #bag47 ,really we read such statements with a kind of astonishment which almost swallows up sorrow4 ,do they arise1 7to quote ,mr4 ,goodwin's own language17 from our modern habits of thought1 and from the modesty of assertion which the spirit of true science has taught us8 7p4 #beb47 ,convinced that my unsupported denial would have no more weight than ,mr4 ,goodwin's ought to have1 ,i have referred the dictum just quoted to the highest ,hebrew authority available1 and have been assured that it is utterly without foundation4 ,after such experience of ,mr4 ,goodwin's philological certainties1 what amount of attention does he expect his dicta to command in a ,science which1 starting from a region of uncertainty1 where ,philosophy is reduced to mere guesses and possibilities1 and pronounces nothing definite1 7p4 #bac17 has to travel through a prolonged period1 beginning and ending we know not when2 7p4 #bad27 reaches another period1 the duration of which no one presumes to define2 7,ibid427 and again another1 during which nothing can be asserted positively3 7p4 #bae37 after which comes a kind of artificial break8 7,ibid47 ,for my own part1 ,i freely confess that ,mr4 ,goodwin's final admission that the advent of ,man may be considered as inaugurating a new and distinct epoch1 that in which we now are1 and during the whole of which the physical conditions of existence cannot have been very materially different from what they are now2 7p4 #baf27 and that thus much is clear1 that ,man's existence on ,earth is brief1 compared with the ages during which unreasoning creatures were the sole possessors of the globe3 7p4 #bag37--these statements1 ,i say1 contain as much as one desires to see admitted4 ,for really1 since the fossil ,flora1 and the various races of animated creatures which ,geologists have classified with so much industry and skill1 confessedly belong to a period of immemorial antiquity2 and1 with very rare exceptions indeed1 represent extinct species1--,i1 as an interpreter of ,scripture1 am not at all concerned with them4 ,moses asserts nothing at all about them1 one way or the other4 ,what ,revelation says1 is1 that nearly #fjjj years ago1 after a mighty catastrophe1--unexplained alike in its cause1 its nature1 and its duration1--the ,creator of the ,universe instituted upon the surface of this ,earth of ours that order of things which has continued ever since2 and which is observed at this instant to prevail3 that ,he was pleased to parcel out ,his transcendent operations1 and to spread them over ,six ,days2 and that ,he ceased from the work of ,creation on the ,seventh ,day4 ,all extant species1 whether of the vegetable or the animal ,kingdom1 including ,man himself1 belong to the week in question4 ,and this statement1 as it has never yet been found untrue1 so am ,i unable to anticipate by what possible evidence it can ever be set aside as false4 ,in my ,i,ind ,sermon1 ,i have ventured to review the ,mosaic record sufficiently in detail1 to render it superfluous that ,i should retrace any portion of it here4 ,the reader is requested to read at least so much of what has been offered as is contained from p4 #bh to p4 #cb4 ,my business at present is with ,mr4 ,goodwin4 ,and in limine ,i have to remind him that he has really no right first to give1 in his own words1 his own notion of the history of ,creation2 and then to insist on making the ,revelation of the same transaction ridiculous by giving it also in words of his own1 which become in effect a weak parody of the original4 ,what is there in ,genesis about the air or wind fluttering over the waters of the deep8 7p4 #bai47 ,is this meant for the august announcement that the ,,spirit of ,,god moved upon the face of the waters8--,on the third day1 444 we wish to call attention to the fact that trees and plants destined for food are those which are particularly singled out as the earliest productions of the earth4 7p4 #bbj47 ,the reverse is the fact2 as a glance at ,gen4 i4 #aa4 will shew4--,the formation of the stars on the fourth day1 is mentioned in the most cursory manner4 7p4 #bba47 ,but who is not aware that the formation of the stars is nowhere mentioned in this chapter at all8 ,light and the measurement of time1 7proceeds ,mr4 ,goodwin17 are represented as existing before the manifestation of the ,sun4 7p4 #bai47 ,half of this statement is true2 the other half is false4 ,the former idea1 he adds1 is repugnant to our modern knowledge4 7p4 #bai47 ,is then ,mr4 ,goodwin really so weak as to imagine that our ,sun is the sole source of ,light in ,creation8 ,whence then the light of the so-called fixed ,stars8 ,but ,i shall be told that ,mr4 ,goodwin speaks of our system only1 and of our ,earth in particular4 ,then pray1 whence that glory#ajc which on a certain night on a mountain in ,galilee1 caused the face of our ,,redeemer to shine as the ,sun#ajd and ,his raiment to emit a dazzling lustre#aje8 ,we may boldly affirm1 7he says17 that those for whom ,gen4 i4 #c-e was penned could have taken it in no other sense than that light existed before and independently of the sun4 7p4 #bai47 ,we may indeed4 ,and ,i as boldly affirm that ,i take the passage in that sense myself3 moreover that ,i hold the statement which ,mr4 ,goodwin treats so scornfully1 to be the very truth which1 in the deep counsels of ,,god1 this passage was designed to convey to mankind2 even that the ,king of ,kings1 and ,,lord of ,lords1 who only hath immortality1 dwelleth in the ,light which no man can approach unto#ajf4 ,the work of the second day of ,creation is to erect the vault of ,heaven 7,heb4 ,rakia2 ,gr4 ,lat4 ,firmamentum17 which is represented as supporting an ocean of water above it4 ,the waters are said to be divided1 so that some are below1 and some above the vault4444 ,no quibbling about the derivation of the word ,rakia1 which is literally 'something beaten out1' can affect the explicit description of the ,mosaic writer contained in the words 'the waters that are above the firmament1' or avail to shew that he was aware that the sky is but transparent space4 7pp4 #bai1 #bbj47 ,the allotted receptacle of ,sun and ,moon was not made until the ,second ,day1 nor were they set in it until the fourth4 7p4 #bba47 ,surely ,i cannot be the only reader to whom the impertinence of this is as offensive1 as its shallowness is ridiculous6 ,in spite of ,mr4 ,goodwin's uplifted finger1 and menacing cry1--,no quibbling6 ,i proceed with my inquiry4 ,for first2 ,why does ,mr4 ,goodwin parody the words of ,inspiration8 ,the account as given by ,moses is1--,and ,,god said1 ,let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters1 and let it divide the waters from the waters#ajh4 ,but surely1 to make the open firmament of ,heaven in which every winged fowl may fly#aji1 is not to erect the vault of ,heaven1--a permanent solid vault1--supporting an ocean of water6 ,the ,hebrew word here used to denote firmament1 on which ,mr4 ,goodwin's indictment turns1 7rakia17 is derived from a verb which means to beat4 ,now1 what is beaten1 or hammered out1 while 7if it be a metal7 it acquires extension1 acquires also solidity4 ,the ,septuagint translators seem to have fastened upon the latter notion1 and accordingly represented it by 2 for which1 the earliest ,latin translators of the ,old ,testament coined an equivalent1--firmamentum4 ,but that ,moses by the word rakia intended rather to denote the expanse overhead1 than to predicate solidity for the sky1 ,i suspect will be readily admitted by all4 ,true that in the poetical book of ,job1 we read that the sky is strong1 as a molten looking-glass#aaj3 but then we meet more frequently with passages of a different tendency4 ,god is said to stretch out the heavens like a curtain#aaa1 and spread them out as a tent to dwell in#aab3 to bind up the waters in ,his thick clouds#aac1 and in a garment#aad1 c41 c4#aae ,it is only needful to look out the word in the dictionary of ,gesenius to see that spreading out1 7as of thin plates of metal by a hammer17 is the only notion which properly belongs to the word4 ,accordingly1 the earliest modern ,latin translation from the ,hebrew1 7that of ,pagninus17 renders the word expansio4 ,and so the word has stood for centuries in the margin of our ,english ,bible4 ,the actual fact of the case1--the truth concerning the physical phenomenon alluded to1--comes in1 and surely may be allowed to have some little weight4 ,since expansion is a real attribute of the atmosphere which divides the waters above from the waters below1--and solidity is not1--it seems to me only fair1 seeing that the force of the expression is thought doubtful1 to assign to it the meaning which is open to fewest objections4 ,but the ,hebrews1 7says ,mr4 ,goodwin17 understood the sky1 firmament1 or heaven to be a permanent solid vault1 as it appears to the ordinary observer4 ,this1 he adds1 is evident enough from various expressions made use of concerning it4 ,it is said to have pillars#aaf1 foundations#aag1 doors#aah1 and windows#aai1--7p4 #bbj47 ,now1 ,i really do not think ,mr4 ,goodwin's inference by any means so evident as he asserts4 ,if ,heaven has pillars in the poetical book of ,job1 so has the ,earth#abj4 ,the foundations spoken of in #b ,sam4 xxii4 #h1 seem rather to belong to ,earth than to ,heaven1--as a reference to the parallel place in ,ps4 xviii4 #g will shew#aba4 ,is ,mr4 ,goodwin so little of a poet1 as to be staggered by the phrase windows of ,heaven1 when it occurs in the figurative language of an ancient people1 and in a poetical book#abb8 ,for the foregoing reasons1 ,i distrust ,mr4 ,goodwin's inference that the ,hebrews understood the sky to be a solid vault1 furnished with pillars1 foundations1 doors1 and windows4 ,but whether they did1 or did not1 it is to be hoped that he is enough of a logician to perceive that the popular notions of ,god's ancient people on this subject1 are not the thing in question4 ,the only ,,fact we have to do with is clearly this1--that ,moses has in this place employed the word rakia3 and the only ,,question which can be moved about it1 is 7as evidently7 the following1--whether he was1 or was not1 to blame in employing that word2 for as to the meaning which he1 individually1 attached to the phenomenon of which rakia is the name1 it cannot be pretended that any one living knows anything at all about the matter4 ,a ,greek1 ,latin1 or ,french astronomer who should speak of ,heaven1 would not therefore be assumed to mean that it is hollow2 although 1 'coelum1' 'ciel1' etymologically imply no less4 ,now ,i contend that ,moses employed the word rakia with exactly the same propriety1 neither more nor less1 as when a ,divine now-a-days employs the ,english word firmament4 ,it does not follow that the man who speaks of the spacious firmament on high1 is under so considerable a delusion as to suspect that the firmament is a firm thing2 nor does it follow that ,moses thought that rakia was a solid substance either1--even if solidity was the prevailing etymological notion in the word1 and even if the ,hebrews were no better philosophers than ,mr4 ,goodwin would have us believe4 ,the ,essayist's objection is therefore worthless4 ,,god was content that ,moses should employ the ordinary language of his day1--accommodate himself to the forms of speech then prevalent1--coin no new words4 ,what is there unreasonable in the circumstance8 ,what possible ground does it furnish for a supposition that the etymological force of the word1--or even that the popular physical theory of which that word may1 or may not1 have once been the connotation1--denoted the sense in which ,moses employed it8 ,is it to be supposed that when a physician speaks of a jovial temperament1 he insinuates his approval of an exploded system of medicine8 ,do astronomers maintain that the ,sun has a disk1 or the ,earth an axis8 that the former leaves its place in the heavens when it suffers 'eclipse#abc8' or that the latter has a superior latitude1 from ,east to ,west8 ,to give the most familiar instance of all1--,do scientific men believe that the sun rises1 and sets8--,and yet all say that it does1 until this hour6444 ,why is ,moses to be judged by a less favourable standard than anybody else1--than ,shakspeare1 than ,hooker1 even than ,mr4 ,goodwin8 ,the first1 in an exquisite passage1 bids ,jessica1-- ,look how the floor of heav'n ,is thick inlayed with patens of bright gold4 ,did ,shakspeare expect his beautiful language would be tortured into a shape which would convict him of talking nonsense8--,but this is poetry4 ,then take ,hooker's prose3-- ,if the frame of that heavenly arch erected over our heads should loosen and dissolve itself2 444 if the ,moon should wander from her beaten way#abd1 c4 ,did ,hooker suppose that heaven is an arch1 which could be loosened and dissolved8 or that the way of the moon is beaten8--,but this is a highly poetical passage1 written three centuries ago4--,let an unexceptionable witness then be called2 and so1 let the question be brought to definite issue4 ,i1 for my part1 am quite content that it shall be the philosopher in person4 ,the present ,essayist shall be heard discoursing about ,creation1 and shall be convicted out of his own mouth4 ,mr4 ,goodwin begins his paper by a kind of cosmogony of his own1 which he prefaces with the following apology3--,it will be necessary for our purpose to go over the oft-trodden ground1 which must be done with rapid steps4 ,nor let the reader object to be reminded of some of the most elementary facts of his knowledge4 ,the human race has been ages in arriving at conclusions now familiar to every child4 7p4 #bab47 ,after this preamble1 he begins his elementary facts1 as follows3-- ,this ,earth1 apparently so still and stedfast1 lying in majestic repose beneath the therial vault1--7p4 #bab47 ,but we remonstrate immediately4 ,the therial vault6 ,do you then understand the sky1 firmament1 or heaven to be a permanent solid vault1 as it appears to the ordinary observer8 7p4 #bbj47 ,the ,sun which seems to leap up each morning from the east1 and traversing the skyey bridge1--7p4 #bab47 ,the skyey bridge6 ,and pray in what part of the universe do you discover a skyey bridge8 ,is not this calculated to convey to ordinary apprehensions an impression at variance with facts8 7p4 #bca47 ,the ,moon which occupies a position in the visible heavens only second to the ,sun1 and far beyond that of every other celestial body in conspicuousness1--7p4 #bab47 ,nay1 but really ,mr4 ,philosopher1 while you remind us of some of the most elementary facts of our knowledge1 7p4 #bab17 you write 7except in the matter of the leaping ,sun and the skyey bridge17--exactly as ,moses does in the first chapter of ,genesis6 ,what else does that great ,prophet say but that the ,moon occupies a position in the visible heavens only second to the ,sun1 and far beyond that of every other celestial body in conspicuousness8 7p4 #bab47 ,enough1 it is presumed1 has been offered in reply to ,mr4 ,goodwin1 and his notions of ,mosaic ,cosmogony4 ,he writes with the flippancy of a youth in his teens1 who having just mastered the elements of natural science1 is impatient to acquaint the world with his achievement4 ,his powers of dogmatism are unbounded2 but he betrays his ignorance at every step4 ,the ,divine decree1 ,let us make ,man in ,our image1 after ,our likeness#abe1 he explains by remarking that the ,pentateuch abounds in passages shewing that the ,hebrews contemplated the ,divine being in the visible form of a man4 76667 7p4 #bba47 ,a foot-note contains the following oracular dictum1--,see particularly the narrative in ,genesis xviii4 ,what can be said to such an ignoramus as this8 ,hear him dogmatizing in another subject-matter3--,the common arrangement of the ,bible in chapters is of comparatively modern origin1 and is admitted on all hands to have no authority or philological worth whatever4 ,in many cases the division is most preposterous4 7p4 #bbb47 ,that the division of chapters is occasionally infelicitous1 is true3 but is ,mr4 ,goodwin weak enough to think that he could divide them better8 ,the division into chapters and verses again is not so modern as ,mr4 ,goodwin fancies4 ,dr4 ,m',caul1 7in a pamphlet on the ,translation of the ,bible17 shews reason for suspecting that some of the divisions of the ,old ,testament ,scriptures are as old as the time of ,ezra4 ,to return1 and for the last time1 to ,mr4 ,goodwin's ,essay4--,his object is1 7with how much of success ,i have already sufficiently shewn17 7#a7 ,to fasten the charge of absurdity and ignorance on the ancient ,prophet who is confessedly the author of the ,book of ,genesis3 7#b7 ,to prove that a literal interpretation of ,gen4 i41 will not bear a moment's serious discussion4 7p4 #bcj47 ,i look through his pages in vain for the wished-for proof4 ,he has many strong assertions4 ,he puts them forth with not a little insolence4 ,but he proves nothing6 ,at p4 #bbf1 however1 ,i read as follows3--,dr4 ,buckland appears to assume that when it is said that the ,heaven and the ,earth were created in the beginning1 it is to be understood that they were created in their present form and state of completeness1 the heaven raised above the earth as we see it1 or seem to see it now4 7pp4 #bbf-g47 ,but ,dr4 ,buckland appears to assume nothing of the kind4 ,his words are1--,the first verse of ,genesis seems explicitly to assert the creation of the ,universe3 the ,heaven1 including the sidereal systems1--and the ,earth1 444 the subsequent scene of the operations of the six days about to be described4 7pp4 #bbd-e47 ,this1 continues ,mr4 ,goodwin1 is the fallacy of his argument4 7p4 #bbg47 ,but if this is the fallacy of his argument1 we have already seen that it is a fallacy which rests not with ,dr4 ,buckland1 but with ,mr4 ,goodwin4 ,he proceeds3-- ,the circumstantial description of the framing of the ,heaven out of the waters proves that the words ',heaven and ,earth1' in the first verse1 must be taken proleptically4--7p4 #bbg47 ,but we may as well stop the torrent of long words1 by simply pointing out that the heavens1 7hashamaim17 spoken of in ,gen4 i4 #a1 are quite distinct from the firmament1 7rakia17 spoken of in ver4 #f4 ,the word is altogether different1 and the sense is evidently altogether different also2 although ,mr4 ,goodwin seeks to identify the two#abf4 ,and further1 we take leave to remind our modern philosopher that no circumstantial description of the framing of the heaven out of the waters1 is to be found either in ver4 #f1 or elsewhere4 ,and this must suffice4 ,the entire subject shall be dismissed with a very few remarks4--,mr4 ,goodwin delights in pointing out the incorrectness of the sense in which the ,mosaic narrative was taken by those who first heard it3 7p4 #bbc37 and in asserting that this meaning is prim facie one wholly adverse to the present astronomical and geological views of the ,universe4 7p4 #bbc47 ,but we take leave to remind this would-be philosopher that the idea which entered into the minds of those to whom the account was first given1 7p4 #bcj17 is not the question with which we have to do when we are invited to a frank recognition of the erroneous views of ,nature which the ,bible contains4 7p4 #baa47 ,it is manifest1--7in this ,i cordially agree with ,mr4 ,goodwin17--that the whole account is given from a different point of view from that which we now unavoidably take3 7p4 #bbc37 and1 7,i beg leave to add17 that point of view is somewhere in ,heaven1--not here on ,earth6 ,the ,mosaic ,cosmogony1 as ,mr4 ,goodwin phrases it1 7fond1 like all other smatterers in ,science1 of long words17 is a ,revelation3 and the same ,,holy ,,ghost who gave it1 speaking by the mouth of ,st4 ,john1 not obscurely intimates that it is mystical1 like the rest of ,holy ,scripture1--that is1 that it was fashioned not without a reference to the ,gospel#abg4 ,but we are touching on a high subject now1 of which ,mr4 ,goodwin does not understand so much as the ,grammar4 ,he is thinking of the structure of the globe3 we are thinking of the structure of the ,bible4 ,but to return to ,earth1 we inform the ,essayist that it is simply unphilosophical1 even absurd1 for him to insist on what shall be implied by certain words employed by ,moses1--7of which he judges by their etymology27 and further to assume what erroneous physical theories those words must have been connected with1 by his countrymen1 and so forth2 and straightway to hold up the greatest of the ancient prophets to ridicule1 as if those notions and those theories were all his6 ,after all1 7as ,dr4 ,buckland remarked1 long since17 it should be recollected that the question is not respecting the correctness of the ,mosaic narrative1 but of our interpretation of it3 7p4 #bca37--;a proposition1 7proceeds ,mr4 ,goodwin17 which can hardly be sufficiently reprobated4 ,but ,i make no question which of these two writers is most entitled to reprobation4 ,for the view which will be found advocated in ,sermon ,,ii41 7which is substantially ,dr4 ,buckland's17 7p4 #bd to p4 #cb17 it shall but be said that it recommends itself to our acceptance by the strong fact that it takes no liberty with the sacred narrative1 whatever2 and receives the ,revelation of ,,god in all its strangeness1 7which it cannot be a great mistake to do27 without trying to reconcile it with supposed discoveries1 7wherein we may fail altogether47 ,i defy anybody to shew that it is impossible that ,,god may have disposed of the actual order of the ,universe1 as in the first chapter of ,genesis ,he is related to have done2 and probability can clearly have no place in such a speculation4 ,i would only just remind the thoughtful student of ,scripture1 and indeed of ,nature also1 that the singular analogy which ,geologists think they discover between successive periods of ,creation1 and the ,mosaic record of the first ,six ,days1 is no difficulty to those who hesitate to identify those ,days with the irregular ,periods of indefinite extent4 ,rather was it to have been expected1 ,i think1 that such an analogy would be found to subsist between ,his past and ,his present working1 when1 #f1jjj years ago1 ,,god arranged the actual system of things in ,six ,days4--,neither need we feel perplexed if ,hugh ,miller was right in the conclusion at which1 he says1 he had been compelled to arrive2 viz4 that not a few of the extant species of animals enjoyed life in their present haunts for many long ages ere ,man was ushered into being2 and that for thousands of years anterior to even their appearance many of the existing molluscs lived in our seas4 7p4 #bbi47 ,i find it nowhere asserted by ,moses that the severance was so complete1 and decisively marked1 between previous cycles of ,creation and that cycle which culminated in the creation of ,man1 that no single species of the pr-,adamic period was reproduced by the ,omnipotent1 to serve as a connecting link1 as it were1 between the ,old world and the ,new1--an identifying note of the ,intelligence which was equally at work on this last1 as on all those former occasions4 ,on the other hand1 ,i do find it asserted by ,geologists that between the successive pr-,adamic cycles such connecting links are discoverable2 and this fact makes me behold in the circumstance supposed fatal to the view here advocated1 the strongest possible confirmation of its accuracy4 ,at the same time1 it is admitted that in every department of animated and vegetable life1 the severance between the last 7or ,mosaic7 cycle of ,creation1 and all those cycles which preceded it1 is very broadly marked#abh4 ,mr4 ,goodwin's method contrasts sadly with that of the several writers he adduces1--whether ,naturalists or ,divines4 ,those men1 believing in the truth of ,,god',s ,word1 have piously endeavoured1 7with whatever success17 to shew that the discoveries of ,geology are not inconsistent with the revelations of ,genesis4 ,but he1 with singular bad taste1 7to use no stronger language17 makes no secret of the animosity with which he regards the inspired record2 and even finds the spectacle of able1 and we doubt not conscientious writers engaging in attempting the impossible1--painful and humiliating4 ,he says1 they evidently do not breathe freely over their work2 but shuffle and stumble over their difficulties in a piteous manner4 7p4 #bej47 ,he asserts dogmatically that the interpretation proposed by ,buckland to be given to the ,mosaic description1 will not bear a moment's serious discussion3 7p4 #bcj37 while ,hugh ,miller proposes to give an entirely mythical or enigmatical sense to the ,mosaic narrative4 7p4 #bcf47 ,he is clamorous that we should admit the teaching of ,scripture to be to some extent erroneous4 7p4 #bea47 ,he recognizes in it1 not an authentic utterance of ,divine ,knowledge1 but a human utterance4 7p4 #bec47 ,why should we hesitate1 7he asks17 to recognize the fallibility of the ,hebrew writers8 7p4 #bea47 ,with one general reflexion1 ,i pass on to the next ,essay4--,the ,works of ,,god1 the more severely they have been questioned1 have hitherto been considered to bear a more and more decisive testimony to the ,wisdom and the ,goodness of their ,author4 ,the animal and the vegetable kingdoms have been made ,man's instructors for ages past2 and ever since the microscope has revealed so many unsuspected wonders1 the argument from contrivance and design1 ,creative ,power and infinite ,wisdom1 has been pressed with increasing cogency4 ,the ,heavens1 from the beginning1 have been felt to declare the glory of ,,god4 ,one department only of ,nature1 alone1 has all along remained unexplored4 ,singular to relate1 the ,records of ,creation1 7as the phenomena of ,geology may ,i suppose be properly called17--though the most obvious phenomena of all1--have been throughout neglected4 ,it was not till the other day that they were invited to give up their weighty secrets2 and lo1 they have confessed them1 willingly and at once4 ,the study of ,geology does but date from yesterday2 and already it aspires to the rank of a glorious ,science4 ,evidence has been at once furnished that our ,earth has been the scene of successive cycles of ,creation2 and the crust of the globe we inhabit is found to contain evidence of a degree of antiquity which altogether defies conjecture4 ,the truth is1 that ,man1 standing on a globe where his deepest excavations bear the same relation to the diameter which the scratch of a pin invisible to the naked eye1 bears to an ordinary globe2--learns that his powers of interrogating ,nature break down marvellous soon3 yet ,nature is observed to keep from him no secrets which he has the ability to ask her to give up4 ,in the meantime1 the attitude assumed by certain pretenders to ,physical ,science at these discoveries1 cannot fail to strike any thoughtful person as extraordinary4 ,those witnesses of ,,god',s work in ,creation1 which have been dumb for ages only because no man ever thought of interrogating them1 are now regarded in the light of depositaries of a mighty secret2 which1 because ,,god knew that it would be fatal to the credit of ,his written ,word1 ,he had bribed them to keep back1 as long as1 by shuffling and equivocation1 they found concealment practicable4 ,it seems to be fancied1 however1 that that fatal secret the determination of ,man has wrung from their unwilling lips1 at last2 and lo1 on confronting ,,god with these witnesses1 ,he is convicted even by ,his own creatures of having spoken falsely in ,his ,word#abi4--,such1 ,i say1 is the tone assumed of late by a certain school of pretenders to ,physical ,science4 ,what need to declare that to the well-informed eye of ,faith1--7and surely ,faith is here the perfection of ,reason6 for ,faith1 remember1 is the correlative not of ,reason1 but of ,sight27--the phenomenon presented is of a widely different character4 ,faith1 or rather ,reason1 looks upon ,,god',s ,works as a kind of complement of ,his ,word4 ,he who gave the one1 gave the other also4 ,moreover1 ,he knew that ,he had given it4 ,so far from ministering to unbelief1 or even furnishing grounds for perplexity1 the record of ,his ,works was intended1 according to ,his gracious design1 to supply what was lacking to our knowledge in the record of ,his ,word4444 ,behold ,my footprints1 7,he seems to say17 across the long tract of the ages6 ,i could not give you this evidence in ,my written ,word4 ,the record would have been out of place1 and out of time4 ,it would have been unintelligible also4 ,but what ,i knew would be inexpedient in the page of ,revelation1 ,i have given you abundantly in the page of ,nature4 ,i have spared your globe from combustion1 which would have effaced those footprints1--in order that the characters might be plainly decipherable to the end of ,time4444 ,o fools and blind1 to have occupied a world so brimful of wonders for wellnigh #fjjj years1 and only now to have begun to open your eyes to the structure of the earth whereon ye live1 and move1 and have your being6 ,yea1 and the thousandth part of the natural wonders by which ye are surrounded has not been so much as dreamed of1 by any of you1 yet6444 ,o learn to be the humbler1 the more ye know2 and when ye gaze along the mighty vista of departed ages1 and scan the traces of what ,i was doing before ,i created ,man1--multiply that problem by the stars which are scattered in number numberless over all the vault of ,heaven2 and learn to confess that it behoves the creature of an hour to bow his head at the discovery of his own littleness and blindness2 and that his words concerning the ,ancient of ,days had need to be at once very wary1 and very few6 99 99 99 99 99 ,,vi4 ,by far the ablest of these seven ,essays is from the pen of the ,,rev4 ,,mark ,,pattison1 ,b4,d41 ,rector of ,lincoln ,college1 ,oxford4 ,it purports to be an ,essay on the ,,tendencies ,,of ,,religious ,,thought ,,in ,,england1 #afhh-agej2 but it can hardly be said to correspond with that description4 ,in the concluding paragraph1 the learned writer gives to his work a different name4 ,it is declared to be ,the past ,history of the ,theory of ,belief in the ,church of ,england#acj4 ,but neither the title at the head1 nor the title at the tail of the ,essay1 gives any adequate notion of the ,author's purpose4 ,had we met with this production1 isolated1 in the pages of a ,review1 we should have probably passed it by as the work of a clever man1 who1 after amusing himself to some extent with the ,theological literature of the last century1 had desired to preserve some record of his reading2 and had here thrown his random jottings into connected form4 ,there is a racy freshness in a few of ,mr4 ,pattison's sketches1 7as in his account of ,bentley's controversy with ,collins#aca17 which forcibly suggests the image of an artist whose pencil cannot rest amid scenery which stimulates his imagination4 ,to be candid1 we are inclined to suspect that1 in the first instance1 something of this sort was in reality all that the learned author had in view4 ,but we are reluctantly precluded from putting so friendly a construction on these seventy-six pages4 ,not only does ,mr4 ,pattison's ,essay stand between ,mr4 ,goodwin's open endeavour to destroy confidence in the writings of ,moses1 and ,professor ,jowett's laborious insinuations that the ,bible is only an ordinary book2 but it claims a common purpose and intention with both those writers4 ,mr4 ,pattison's avowed object is to illustrate the advantage derivable to the cause of religious and moral truth1 from a free handling1 in a becoming spirit1 of subjects peculiarly liable to suffer by the repetition of conventional language1 and from traditional methods of treatment#acb4 ,we proceed therefore to examine his labours by the aid of the clue which he has himself supplied4 ,for when nine editions of a book appear in quick succession1 prefaced by a description of the spirit in which it is hoped that the volume will he received1--it seems a pity that the author should not be judged by the standard of his own choosing4 ,we are surprised then to find how slightly ,mr4 ,pattison's ,essay fulfils its avowed purpose4 ,the learned author does not1 in fact1 directly handle the class of subjects referred to1 at all3 or if he does1 it is achieved in a couple of pages4 ,and yet it is not difficult to point out the part which his ,essay performs in the general scheme of this guilty volume4 ,with whatever absence of concert or comparison the authors may have severally written1 the fatal effect of their combined endeavours is not more apparent than the part sustained by each ,essay singly in promoting it4 ,while ,mr4 ,goodwin demolishes the ,law1 and ,dr4 ,williams disbelieves the ,prophets2 while ,professor ,powell denies the truth of ,miracles1 and ,professor ,jowett evacuates the authority of ,holy ,scripture altogether--while ,dr4 ,temple substitutes the inner light of ,conscience for an external ,revelation2 and ,mr4 ,wilson teaches men how they may turn the substance of ,holy ,scripture into a shadow1 evade the plain force of language1 and play fast and loose with those safeguards which it has been ever thought that words supply2--,mr4 ,pattison1 reviewing the last century and a half of our own ,theological history1 labours hard to produce an impression that1 here also all is vanity and vexation of spirit4 ,he calls off our attention from the ,bible1 and bids us contemplate the unlovely aspect of the ,english religious world from the ,revolution of #afhh down to the publication of the ',tracts for the ,times1' in #ahccacc4 ,be content for a while1 7he seems to say17 to disregard the prize2 and observe the combatants instead4 ,listen to the historian of moral and religious progress1 while he depicts decay of religion1 licentiousness of morals1 public corruption1 profaneness of language1 a day of rebuke and blasphemy4 ,come attend to me2 and ,i will draw the likeness of an age destitute of depth or earnestness2 an age whose poetry was without romance1 whose philosophy was without insight1 and whose public men were without character2 an age of 'light without love1' whose 'very merits were of the earth1 earthy4' 7p4 #bed47 ,if we would understand our own position in the ,church1 and that of the ,church in the age2 if we would hold any clue through the maze of religious pretension which surrounds us2 we cannot neglect those immediate agencies in the production of the present1 which had their origin towards the beginning of the eighteenth century4 7p4 #bef47 ,let us then trace the descent of religious thought1 and the practical working of the religious ideas1 7p4 #bee17 through some of the phases they have more recently assumed4 ,you shall see the ,apostles tried on a charge of giving false witness in the case of the ,resurrection of ,,jesus2 7p4 #cjc27 and pronounced not guilty1 by one whose name once commanded universal homage among us2 but who now1 767 with ,south 7667 and ,barrow1 76667 excites perhaps only a smile of pity4 7p4 #bfe47 ,you shall be shewn ,bentley in his attack on ,collins the freethinker1 enjoying rare sport1--rat-hunting in an old rick2 and laying about him in high glee1 braining an authority at every blow4 7p4 #cjh47 ,coarse1 arrogant1 and abusive1 with all ,bentley's worst faults of style and temper1 this masterly critique is decisive4 7p4 #cjg47 ,and yet1 you are not to rejoice6 ,the ',discourse of ,freethinking' was a small tract published in #agac by ,anthony ,collins1 a gentleman whose high personal character and general respectability seemed to give a weight to his words1 which assuredly they do not carry of themselves4 7p4 #cjg47 ,why1 the man ought to have been an ,essayist and ,reviewer6 444 ,by 'freethinking' he does but mean liberty of thought1--the right of bringing all received opinions whatsoever to the touchstone of reason3 7p4 #cjg37 a liberty which has evidently disappeared from ,english ,literature3 a right which no man dares any longer exercise under pain of excommunication6 ,collins was not a sharper1 and would have disdained practices to which ,bentley stooped for the sake of a professorship4 7p4 #caj47 ,o high-minded ,collins6 ,the dirt endeavoured to be thrown on ,collins will cleave to the hand that throws it4 7p4 #cji47 ,o dirty ,bentley6 ,and though ,collins's mistakes1 mistranslations1 misconceptions1 and distortions are so monstrous1 that it is difficult for us now1 forgetful how low classical learning had sunk1 to believe that they are mistakes1 and not wilful errors1 7p4 #cjh17--yet ,addison1 the pride of ,oxford1 had done no better4 ,in his ',essay on the ,evidences of ,christianity1' ,addison 'assigns as grounds for his religious belief1 stories as absurd as that of the ,cock-lane ghost1 and forgeries as rank as ,ireland's ',vortigern2' puts faith in the lie about the thundering legion2 is convinced that ,tiberius moved the ,senate to admit ,,jesus among the gods2 and pronounces the letter of ,agbarus1 ,king of ,edessa1 to be a record of great authority4' 7p4 #cjg1 quoting ,macaulay's ,essays47 ,all this and much more you shall see4 ,remember that it is the history of your immediate forefathers which you will be contemplating1--the morality of the professors of religion during the last century1--the past history of the theory of ,belief in the ,church of ,england6 7p4 #cbi47 ,the curtain falls2 and now1 pray how do you like it8 ,i invite you1 in conclusion1 to take the religious literature of the present day1 as a whole2 and endeavour to make out clearly on what basis ,revelation is supposed by it to rest2 whether on ,authority1 on the ,inward ,light1 on ,reason1 on self-evidencing ,scripture1 or on the combination of the four1 or some of them1 and in what proportions4 7p4 #cbi47 444 ,after this1 you are at liberty to proceed to read ',jowett on ,inspiration1'--with what appetite you may6 ,such is the impression which ,mr4 ,pattison's ,essay is calculated to leave behind4 ,that he had no wicked intention in writing it1 no one who knows him could for an instant suppose3 but the effect of what he has done is certainly to set his reader adrift on a dreary sea of doubt4 ,discomfort and dissatisfaction1 confusion and dismay1 are the prevailing sentiments with which a religious mind1 unfortified with learning1 will rise from the perusal of the present ,essay3 while the irreligious man will study it with a sneer of ill-concealed satisfaction4 ,the marks of ,mr4 ,pattison's own better knowledge1 7sufficiently evident to the quick eye of one who is aware of the writer's high theological attainments27--the indications of a truer individual judgment1 7discoverable throughout by one who knows the author's private worth1 and is himself happily in possession of the clue by which to escape from this tangled labyrinth37--these escape the common reader4 ,to him1 all is dreary doubt4 ,i must perforce deal with ,mr4 ,pattison's labours in a very summary manner4 ,the chief complaint ,i have to make against him is that he has altogether omitted what1 to you and to me1 is the most important feature of the century which he professes to describe1--namely1 the vast amount of lofty ,churchmanship1 the unbroken ,catholic tradition1 which1 with no small amount of general short-coming1 is to be traced throughout the eighteenth century4 ,to insinuate that the return to ,catholic principles began with the publication of the ',tracts for the ,times1' 7p4 #bei17 in #ahcc1 is simply to insinuate what is not true4 ,but ,mr4 ,pattison does more than 'insinuate4' ,he states it openly4 ,in constructing ,caten ,patrum1 7he says17 the ,anglican closes his list with ,waterland or ,brett1 and leaps at once to #ahcc4 7p4 #bee47--,now1 since ,waterland died in #agdj and ,brett in #agdc1 it is clear that1 7according to ,mr4 ,pattison17 a hundred years and upwards have to be cleared per saltum3 during which the lamp of ,religion in these kingdoms had gone fairly out4 ,but how stands the truth8 ,at least four ,caten ,patrum are given in the ,tracts for the ,times#acd2 not one of which is closed with ,waterland or ,brett4 ,on the contrary1 in the two former ,caten 7beginning with ,jewel and ,hooker7 the names of these supposed 'ultimi ,romanorum' occur little more than half way6444 ,les faits1 therefore1 7as usual with ',essayists and ,reviewers1'7--les faits sont contraires4--,it would be enough to cite ,bethell's ',general ,view of the ,doctrine of ,regeneration in ,baptism1' which appeared in #ahbb2 and ,hugh ,james ,rose's ',discourses on the ,commission and ,duties of the ,clergy1' which were preached in #ahbf4 ,but the case against ,mr4 ,pattison1 as ,i shall presently shew1 is abundantly stronger4 ,in short1 to exclude from sight1 as this author so laboriously endeavours to do1 the ,catholic element of the last century and the early part of the present1 is extremely unfair4 ,there had never failed in the ,church of ,england a succession of illustrious men1 who transmitted the ,divine fire unimpaired1 down to yesterday4 ,quenched in some places1 the flame burned up brightly and beautifully in others4 ,as for the ',tracts for the ,times1' they speedily assumed a party character3 and by the time that ninety-seven of them had appeared1 the series was discontinued by the desire of the ,diocesan1--who was yet the friend of its authors4 ,the ,tracts do not all1 by any means1 represent ,anglican 7i4e4 ,catholic7 ,theology4 ,they were written by a very few men2 while the greatest of those who had materially promoted the ,catholic movement out of which they sprang1 7not which they occasioned17 were dissatisfied with them2 would not write in them2 kept aloof2 and foresaw and foretold what would be the issue of such teaching#ace4 ,and yet1 ',tracts for the ,times' did more good than evil1 ,i suppose1 on the whole4 ,the truth is1 that in every age1 7and the last century forms no exception to the rule17 the history of the ,church on ,earth has been a warfare4 ,mr4 ,pattison says contemptuously1--,the current phrases of 'the bulwarks of our faith1' 'dangerous to ,christianity1' are but instances of the habitual position in which we assume ourselves to stand4 ,even more philosophic minds cannot get rid of the idea that ,theology is polemical4 7p4 #cja47 ,and pray1 whom have we to thank1 but such writers as ,mr4 ,pattison1 that it is so8 ,i am one of the many who at this hour are 7unwillingly7 neglecting constructive tasks in order to be destructive with ,mr4 ,pattison and his colleagues6 ,so long as ,infidelity abounds1 our service must be a warfare4 ',the ,prince of ,peace' foretold as much1 when ,he prophesied to ,his ,disciples that it would be found that ,he had brought on earth1 a sword4 ,as much was typically adumbrated1 ,i suspect1 7begging ,mr4 ,jowett's pardon17 when1 at the rebuilding of the walls of the ,holy ,city1 they which builded on the wall1 and they that bare burdens1 with those that laded1 every one with one of his hands wrought in the work1 and with the other hand held a weapon4 ,for the builders1 every one had his sword girded by his side1 and so builded#acf4 ,may ,i not add that the unique position which the ,church of ,england has occupied1 ever since her great ,reformation in respect both of ,doctrine and of ,discipline three centuries ago1--is of a nature which must inevitably subject her to constant storms8 ,an object of envy to ',protestant ,europe1'--and of hatred to ,rome2--exposed to the hostility of the ,state1 7which would trample her under foot1 if it dared17--and viewed with ill-concealed animosity by ,dissenters of every class2--admitting into her ,ministry men of very diverse views1--and restraining them by scarcely any discipline2--allowing perfect freedom1 aye1 licentiousness of discussion1--and tolerating the expression of almost any opinions1--except those of ,essayists and ,reviewers3--how shall the ,church of ,england fail to adopt 'the bulwarks of the faith' for one of her current phrases8 how not1 many a time1 deem 'dangerous to ,christianity' the speculations of her sons8444 ,nay1 polemics must prevail2 if only because1 in a certain place1 the ,divine ,speaker already quoted foretells the partial1 7if not the entire17 obscuration even of true ,doctrine1 in that pathetic exclamation of ,his1--,when the ,son of ,man cometh1 shall ,he find the faith upon the ,earth#acg8 444 ,in the face of all this1 it is to confuse and mystify the ordinary reader to draw such a picture of the last century as ,mr4 ,pattison has drawn here4 ,as dismal a view might be easily taken of the first1 of the second1 of the third1 of the fourth1 of the fifth century4 ,what ,mr4 ,newman once designated as ancient1 holy1 and happy times1 might very easily indeed be so exhibited as to seem times of confusion and discord1 blasphemy and rebuke4 ,a discouraging picture might be drawn1 7,i suppose17 of every age of the ,church's history4 ,but in1 and by itself1 it would never be quite a true picture4 ,for to the eye of ,faith there is ever to be descried1 amid the hurly-burly of the storm1 the ,ark of ,,christ',s ,church floating peacefully over the troubled waters1 and making steadily for that ,heavenly haven where it would be4 444 ,yes1 there is ever some blessed trace discoverable1 that this ,life of ours is watched over by ,one whose ,name is ,love2 whether we con the chequered page of ,history1 ,ecclesiastical or ,civil2 or summon to our aid the story of our own narrow experience4 ,from the fierce and fiery opposition1 ,good is ever found to have resulted2 and that ,good was abiding4 ,out of the weary conflict ever has issued ,peace2 and that ,peace was of the kind which 'passeth all understanding2' a ,peace which the world cannot give1--no1 nor take away4 ,there are abundant traces that in all that has happened to the ,church of ,,christ1 from first to last1 there has been a purpose and a plan6444 ,no one knows this better than ,mr4 ,pattison4 ,no man in ,oxford could have drawn out what ,i have been saying into a convincing reality1 better than he1 had he yielded to the instincts of a good heart1 and directed his fine abilities to their lawful scope4 ,the character of the last dismal century1 ,mr4 ,pattison has drawn with sufficient vividness3 but that century armed the ,church1 7as we shall be presently reminded17 on the side of the ,evidences of ,religion2 and if it taught her the insufficiency of such a method1 the eighteenth century did its work4 ,above all1 it produced ,bishop ,butler4--,the previous century1 7the seventeenth17 witnessed the supremacy of fanaticism4 ,it saw the monarchy laid prostrate1 and the ,church trampled under foot1 and the use of the ,liturgy prohibited by ,act of ,parliament4 ,the ,sufferings of the ,clergy fill a folio volume4 ,but this was the century which produced our great ,caroline ,divines6 ,from ,bp4 ,andrewes to ,bp4 ,pearson1--what a galaxy of names6 ,moreover1 on the side of the ,romish controversy1 the seventeenth century supplied the ,church's armoury for ever1--,stillingfleet1 who died in the year #afii1 in a manner closing the strife4--,the sixteenth century witnessed the ,reformation of ,religion1 with all its inevitably attendant evils2 an unsettled faith1--gross public and private injustice1--an illiterate parochial clergy3--yet how goodly a body of sound ,divinity did the controversies of that age call forth6 ,the same century witnessed the rise of ,puritanism2 but then1 it produced ,richard ,hooker6--,what was the character of the century which immediately preceded the ,reformation1--the fifteenth8444 ,a tangled web of good and evil has been the ,church's history from the very first4 ,the counterpart of what we read of in ,eusebius and ,socrates is to be witnessed among ourselves at the present day1 and will doubtless be witnessed to the end6 ,but then1 in days of deepest discouragement1 faithful men have never been found wanting to the ,english ,church1 7no1 nor ,,god helping her1 ever will67 who1 like the late ,hugh ,james ,rose1 when hearts were failing1 bade us stir up the gift that was in us1 and betake ourselves to our true ,mother4 ,mean wilee1 such names as ,george ,herbert and ,nicholas ,farrar1 ,ken and ,nelson1 ,leighton and ,bishop ,wilson1 shine through the gloom like a constellation of quiet stars2 to which the pilgrim lifts his weary eye1 and feels that he is looking up to ,heaven6 ,when the spirit of the ,age comes into collision with the spirit of the ,gospel1 the result is sometimes 7as in the earliest centuries17 portentous2--sometimes1 7as in the last17 simply deplorable and grievous4 ,the battle which seems to be at present waging is of a different nature4 ,physical ,science has undertaken the perilous task of hardening herself against the ,,god of ,nature4 ,we shall probably see this unnatural strife prolonged for many years to come2--to be succeeded by some fresh form of irreligion4 ,somewhat thus1 ,i apprehend1 will it be to the end3 and the men of every age will in those conflicts find their best probation2 and it will still be the office of the ,creator1 in this way to separate the ,light from the ,darkness1--until the dawn of the everlasting ,morning6 ,it is not proposed to enter into the ,rationalism of the last century1 therefore2 or to inquire into the causes of the barren lifeless shape into which ,theology then1 for the most part1 threw itself4 ,i have never made that department of ,ecclesiastical ,history my study3 and who does not turn away from what is joyless and dreary1 to greener meadows1 and more fertile fields8 ,it shall only be remarked that when the ,credibility of ,religion is the thing generally denied1 ,evidences will of necessity be the form which much of the ,theological writing of the ,day will assume4 ,let it not be imagined for an instant that one is the apologist of what ,mr4 ,pattison has characterized as an age of ,light without ,love4 7p4 #bed47 ,but ,i insist that the theological picture of the last century is incomplete1 until attention has been called to the many redeeming features which it presents1 and which are all of a re-assuring kind4 ,thus1 in the department of sacred scholarship1 who can forgot that our learned ,john ,mill1 in #agjg1 gave to the world that famous edition of the ,new ,testament which bears his name1 after thirty years of patient toil8 ,who can forget our obligations in ,hebrew1 to ,kennicott8 7#agah-aghc47 ,humphrey ,hody's great work on the ,text1 and older ,versions of ,holy ,scripture1 was published in #agje4--;,bingham's immortal ',origines' began to appear in #agjh2 and ,william ,cave lived till #agad4 ,in the same connexion should be mentioned ,bp4 ,gibson1 who died in #agdh1 and ,humphrey ,prideaux1 whose ',connexion' is dated #agae4 ,pococke died on the eve of the commencement of the last century 7#afia72 but so great a name casts a bright beam through the darkness which ,mr4 ,pattison describes so forcibly4 ,archbishop ,wake died in #agcg4 ,warton1 the author of ',anglia ,sacra1' died at the age of #ce in #afie4 ,survey next the field of ,divinity1 properly so called2 and in the face of ,mr4 ,pattison's rash statement that we have no classical ,theology since #affj1 7p4 #bfe17 take notice that ,bp4 ,bull1 one of the greatest ,divines which the ,church of ,,christ ever bred1 did not begin to write until #affi1 and lived to the year #agji4 ,this was the man1 remember1 who received the thanks of the whole ,gallican ,church for his ',judicium ,ecclesi ,catholic1' 7i4e4 his learned assertion of our ,,saviour',s ,g,o,dhead#ach27--the man whose writings would have won him the reverence and affection of ,athanasius and ,augustine and ,basil1 had he lived in their day2 for he had a mind like theirs4 ,bp4 ,pearson did not die till #afhf4 ,bp4 ,beveridge wrote till his death in #agjg4 ,fell1 the learned editor of ,cyprian1 died in #afhf3 ,stillingfleet lived till #afii4 ,wall's ,history of ,infant ,baptism appeared in #agje4 ,wheatly1 who led the way in liturgical inquiry1 was alive till #agdb2 and ,bp4 ,patrick was a prolific writer till his death in #agjg4 ,may we not also claim the excellent and learned ,grabe as altogether one of ourselves8 ,such names do not require special comment4 ,they are their own best eulogium1 and present a high title to their country's gratitude4 ,the name of ,prebendary ,lowth1 7the author of an excellent commentary on the prophets17 reminds us that there was living till #agcb one who fully appreciated the calling of an ,interpreter of ,god's ,word#aci4 ,bishop ,lowth his son1 in his great work1 7#agec17 recovered the forgotten principle of ,hebrew poetry4 ,to convince ourselves what a spirit existed in some quarters1 7notwithstanding the general spread of the very opinions which ',essayists and ,reviewers' have been so industriously reproducing in our own day17 it is only necessary to transcribe the title-page of ,s4 ,parker's excellent ',bibliotheca ,biblica1' a ,commentary on the ,pentateuch1 #agbj-agce2 'gathered out of the genuine writings of ,fathers1 ,ecclesiastical ,historians1 and ,acts of ,councils down to the year of our ,,lord #dea1 being that of the fourth ,general ,council2 and lower1 as occasion may require4'--,that learned man designed to achieve a ,commentary on the whole ,bible on the same laborious plan2 but his labours and his life1 7at the age of #ej17 were brought to an end in #agcj4--;,dr4 ,waterland1 born in #afhc1 and ,dr4 ,jackson1 born in #afhf1--two great names6--died respectively in #agdj and #agfc4--;,in #aggh1 appeared ,dr4 ,townson's admirable ',discourses on the ,gospels4' ,the author lived till #agib4 ,pious ,bp4 ,horne 7#agcj-agib7 has left the best evidence of his ability as a ,divine in the ,introduction to his ,commentary on the ,psalms4 ,jones of ,nayland is found to have lived till #ahjj4 ,bp4 ,horsley1 a great champion of orthodoxy of belief1 as well as an excellent commentator1 critic1 and ,sermon writer1 lived till #ahjf4 ,not seven years have elapsed since there was to be seen among ourselves a venerable ,divine1 who was declared in #ahch1 by the chief promoter of the ',tracts for the ,times1' to have been reserved to report to a forgetful generation what was the ,theology of their ,fathers#adj4 ,martin ,joseph ,routh1 died in #ahed1 after completing a century of years4 ,in #ahcb appeared his ',scriptorum ,ecclesiasticorum ,opuscula4' ,his ',reliqu ,sacr' had appeared in #ahad4 ,the work was undertaken so far back as #aghh4 ,the last volume appeared in #ahdh1 and concluded with a ,catena of authorities on the great question which was denied by the unbelievers of the last century1 and is denied by the ',essayists and ,reviewers' of this#ada4 ,here then was one who had borne steady witness in the ,church of ,england to what is her genuine ,catholic teaching from a period dating long before the birth of any one who was concerned with the ',tracts for the ,times4' ,more ancient names present themselves as furnishing exceptions to ,mr4 ,pattison's dreary sentence4 ,from ,abp4 ,potter and ,leslie1 down to ,abp4 ,laurence and ,van ,mildert1--how many might yet be specified6 ,we have not hitherto mentioned ,abp4 ,leighton1 who died in #afhd3 ,hickes1 ,johnson1 and ,brett1 who survived respectively till #agae1 #agbe1 and #agdc3 the truly apostolic ,wilson1 ,bishop of ,sodor and ,man 7#affc-agee17--;a name1 by the way1 which deserves far more distinct and emphatic notice than can here be bestowed upon it2 and ,nelson1 the pious author of ',fasts and ,festivals1' who died in #agae4 ,we had good ,iz4 ,walton1 till #afhc1 and holy ,ken till #agaa4 ,richard ,hele1 author of ',select ,offices1' 7which appeared in #agag17 is a name not forgotten in ,heaven certainly1 though little known on ,earth2 while ,kettlewell and ,scandret begin a ,catena of which good ,bishop ,jolly would be only one of the later links4 ,meanwhile1 the reader is requested to take notice that there were many other excellent ,divines of the period under consideration1 7as ,long and ,horbery27 men who made no great figure indeed1 but who were evidently persons of great piety and sound judgment2 while their learning puts that of ',essayists and ,reviewers' altogether to the blush4 ,but ,i have reserved for the last1 a truly noble name1--which ,mr4 ,pattison1 7with singular bad taste1 to say no worse17 mentions only to disparage4 ,i allude to ,dr4 ,joseph ,butler1 ,bishop of ,durham2 whose ',analogy of ,religion1 ,natural and ,revealed1 to the ,constitution and ,course of ,nature1'--remains1 at the end of a century1 unanswerable as an ,apology1--unrivalled as a text-book1--unexhausted as a mine of suggestive thought4 ,it may be convenient for an ',essayist and ,reviewer' to declare that the merit of the ,analogy lies in its want of originality4 7p4 #bhf47 ,there was not much originality perhaps in the remark that an apple falls to the ground4 ,whatever the faults of the ,analogy1 that work1 under ,,god1 saved the ,church4 ,however depressing to the soul 7p4 #bic47 of ,mr4 ,pattison1 it is nevertheless a book which will invigorate ,faith1 and brighten ,hope1 and comfort ,charity herself1--long after the spot where he and ,i shall sleep has been forgotten3 long after our very names will be hard to find4 ,let me turn from this illustrious individual1 to one whose very name is perhaps unknown4 ,one loves to think that there are at all times plenty of good men1 who are doing ,,god',s work in the world1 in quiet corners2 but whose names do not perhaps rise to the surface and emerge into notice1 throughout the whole of a long life4 ,conversely1 how many must there be1 the blessing of whose example and influence has extended down from the surface1 7where perhaps it was acknowledged and appreciated by all17 until it made itself felt by the humblest units of a lowly country parish6444 ,the obscure village of ,finmere1 7in ,oxfordshire17 was so happy as to enjoy for its ,rector1 from #agcd to #agga1 the ,rev4 ,thomas ,long1 ,m4,a41--a man1 7says the ,register17 of the most exemplary piety and charity4 ,he presented to the church twelve acres of land1 charging it with a yearly payment of fifteen shillings to the ,clerk1 as a recompense to him for attending on the ,fasts and ,festivals2 and ordering sixpence to be deducted from the payment1 for each time the ,clerk failed to attend on those days1--unless let by sickness4 ,about ten years ago1 there was found in the hands of a labouring man at ,finmere1 a solitary copy of a printed ,lecture1 by this individual1 addressed to the young persons of the village1 7#agfb17 which begins as follows3--,i have usually1 once every three years1 gone through a course of ,lectures upon the ,catechism2 but considering my age and great infirmities1 it is not very probable ,i should continue this practice any longer4 ,i am willing therefore1 as a small monument of my care and affection for you1 to print the last of these ,lectures1 c4444 ,what heart so dull as not to admit that men like this1 7and there were many of them67 are quite good enough to redeem an age from indiscriminate opprobrium and unmitigated contempt8 ,shall we omit1 after this enumeration1 to notice the singular fact that ,discipline still lingered on1--even the discipline of public penance1--until within the memory of aged persons yet living8 ,merchants in the city of ,london wore mourning during ,lent1 within the present century4 ,it is only within the last thirty years that formul expressive of reliance on the ,divine blessing have been expunged from bills-of-lading1 and similar printed documents4 ,in the beginning of the period discoursed of by ,mr4 ,pattison1 7viz4 in the year #agad17 the excellent ,robert ,nelson1 in ,an ,address to ,persons of ,quality and ,estate1 proposed as objects for the generosity of the affluent1 such institutions as the following3--the creating of ,charity ,schools1--of ,parochial ,libraries in the meanly endowed ,cures throughout ,england1--of a superior ,school for training up ,schoolmasters and ,schoolmistresses1--and of ,colleges or ,seminaries for the ,candidates of ,holy ,orders4 ,he suggested that there should be ,houses of ,hospitality for entertaining ,strangers2 ,suffragan ,bishops1 both at home and in the ,western ,plantations2 ,colleges for receiving ,converts from ,popery4 ,some of ,nelson's suggestions read like vaticinations4 ,he points out the need of ,ladies' ,colleges1--of a ,hospital for ,incurables1--of ,ragged ,schools1 7for what else is a school for the distressed children called the ,black-guard871--and of ,houses of ,mercy for the reception of penitent fallen women4--,is it right to speak of a century which could freely contemplate such works as these and carry into execution many of them#adb1 without some allusion to the leaven which was at work beneath the dry crust of ,society8 the living ,catholic energy which neither the average dulness of the pulpit could quench1 nor the lifeless morality which had been popularly substituted for ,divinity could destroy8 ,we are abundantly prepared therefore for ,mr4 ,pattison's admission that public opinion was throughout on the side of the defenders of ,christianity3 7p4 #cac37--that1 however a loose kind of ,deism might be the tone of fashionable circles1 it is clear that distinct disbelief of ,christianity was by no means the general state of the public mind4 ,the leaders of the ,low-,church and ,whig party were quite aware of this4 ,notwithstanding the universal complaints of the ,high-,church party of the prevalence of infidelity1 it is obvious that this mode of thinking was confined to a very small section of society4 7p4 #cac47 ,and surely it should not escape us that the peculiar form which unbelief assumed during the period under discussion1 resulted in a benefit to the ,church4 ,the eighteenth century1 7says our author17 enforced the truths of ,natural ,morality with a solidity of argument and variety of proof which they have not received since the ,stoical epoch1 if then4 7p4 #bif47 ,the career of the ,evidential ,school1 its success and its failure1 has enriched the history of ,doctrine1 not indeed with a complete refutation of that method as an instrument of theological investigation1 7p4 #big17 7witness the immortal ',analogy' of ,bishop ,butler67--but1 certainly with very precious experience4 ,that age has bequeathed to the ,church a vast body of controversial writing which she could ill afford to part with at the present day4 ,so far1 we have little to complain of in ,mr4 ,pattison's ,essay1 except on the side of omission4 ,but for the fatal circumstance of the company in which the learned writer comes abroad1 and the avowed purpose with which he is found there1 a charitable construction might have been put upon most of the present performance4 ,the following sentences1 on the other hand1 are not excusable4 ,in the present day when a godless orthodoxy threatens1 as in the fifteenth century1 to extinguish religious thought 767 altogether1 and nothing is allowed in the ,church of ,england but the formul of past thinkings1 which have long lost all sense of any kind1 767 it may seem out of season to be bringing forward a misapplication of common-sense in a bygone age1 7p4 #big47 ,the orthodoxy of the fifteenth century is something new to us4 ,so is the prospect in the present day1 of an extinction of religious thought1--the result of godless orthodoxy4 ,the fault1 or the misfortune of the ,church of ,england then1 is1 that she retains the formul of past thinkings1 which have long lost all sense of any kind4 7p4 #big47 ,if this does not mean the ,english ,book of ,common ,prayer1 what does it mean8 ,and if it means the ,english ,prayer-,book1 how can ,mr4 ,pattison retain his commission in the ,church of ,england1 and exclusively employ a ,book which he presumes so to characterize8 ,but this is ad hominem4 ,the learned writer proceeds3--,there are times and circumstances when religious ideas will be greatly benefited by being submitted to the rough and ready tests by which busy men try what comes in their way2 by being made to stand their trial1 and be fully canvassed1 coram populo4 ,as ,poetry is not for the critics1 so ,religion is not for the ,theologians4 7p4 #big47 ,no doubt4 ,but does ,mr4 ,pattison then really mean to tell us that the proper tribunal before which the ,creeds1 7for example17 of the ,catholic ,church1--our ,communion and ,baptismal offices1--the structure of our ,calendar1 and so forth1--should stand their trial1 and be freely canvassed1 is1 coram populo8 ,a rough and ready test1 this1 of ,truth1 ,i grant2 aye1 a very rough one4 ,but was it ever1--can it ever be1--a fair test8 ,let us hear ,mr4 ,pattison out1 on the subject of ,religion3-- ,when it is stiffened into phrases1 and these phrases are declared to be objects of reverence but not of intelligence1 it is on the way to become a useless encumbrance2 the rubbish of the past2 blocking the road4 ,theology then retires into the position it occupies in the ,church of ,rome at present1 an unmeaning frostwork of dogma1 out of all relation to the actual history of ,man4 7pp4 #big-h47 ,it cannot be necessary to discuss such sentiments4 ,with ,mr4 ,pattison personally1 ,i will not condescend to discuss them1--until he has divested himself of that useless encumbrance1 and ceased to employ daily that rubbish of the past1 which yet the two letters he subjoins to his name indicate1 in the most solemn manner1 his reverence for2 and which alone make him ,reverendus4 ,but speaking to others1--speaking to you1 my friends1--let me point out that the tendencies of irreligious thought in ,england1 #ahfj-ahfa1 are indeed in a direction where the ,prayer-,book is found to be effectually blocking up the road4 7pp4 #big-h47 ,mr4 ,pattison is simply dreaming1--haunted by the phantoms of his own brain1 and talking the language of the den1--when he complains that the ,philosophy1 now petrified into tradition1 may once have been a vital ,faith2 but now that it is withdrawn from public life1 has ceased to be a social influence4 7p4 #bih47 ,and when he would exalt the last century at the expence of the present1 7pp4 #bih-i17 he shews nothing so much as the morbid state of his own imagination1--the disordered condition of his own mind4 ,he has blinded himself2 and he will not or he cannot see in the healthier tone of our popular ,divinity1--in the increased attention to the study of ,holy ,scripture1--in the impulse which ,liturgical inquiries have received since ,wheatly's useful volume appeared2--or again1 in the immense number of ,schools and ,churches which have been recently built1--in the marvellous change for the better which has come over the ,clergy of the ,church of ,england within the present century1--in the vast development of our ,colonial ,episcopate within the last few years1--in the rapid increase of ,institutions connected more or less directly with the ,church1--and ,i will add1 in the conspicuous loyalty of the nation2--a practical refutation of his own injurious insinuations2 a blessed earnest that ,god has not forsaken us2 and that we shall yet be a blessing to the ,world6 ,the people of ,england1 ,i am persuaded1 are in the main very sincerely attached to their ,prayer-,book4 ,to them1 it is not a useless encumbrance1 the rubbish of the past1 blocking the road4 ,nay1 there is a rough and ready test of what is the current temper of the age in things religious1 to which ,i appeal with infinite satisfaction4 ,i mean1 the general burst of execration with which ,essays and ,reviews have been received1 from one end of the kingdom to the other4 ,the censure of all the ,bishops1 and of both ,houses of ,convocation2 re-echoed1 as it has been1 through all ranks of the community1 is a great fact2--a fact which ,i cordially recommend to ,mr4 ,pattison's attention1 when he would philosophize on the religious tendencies of his countrymen4 ,the age we live in1 7,heaven knows67 has many drawbacks4 ,what age of the ,church has not had them8 ,the fatal disposition which prevails to relax all the ancient safeguards1--the desire to tamper yet further with the ,law of ,marriage1 and to desecrate the ,christian ,sabbath1--these are grievous features of the times2 which may well occasion alarm and create perplexity4 ,but nothing of the kind should ever make us despond2 much less despair4 ,there is ,one above who is over all1 ,,god blessed for ever4 ,shall we not rather seek to employ these advantages which we have1 with a single heart1 a single eye to ,,god',s glory2 and leave the issue1 with a generous confidence1 to ,him8444 ,it was thus that the great philosophic ,divine of the last century comforted himself1 amid darker days than we shall ever experience4 ,as different ages have been distinguished by different sorts of particular errors and vices1 the deplorable distinction of ours1 7he said17 is an avowed scorn of ,religion in some1 and a growing disregard to it in the generality4 ,it is impossible for me1 my brethren1--7,butler is still addressing the clergy of his ,diocese1 #agfa17--to forbear lamenting with you the general decay of ,religion in this nation2 which is now observed by every one1 and has been for some time the complaint of all serious persons4 ,the influence of it is more and more wearing out of the minds of men2 while the number of those who profess themselves unbelievers1 increases1 and with their number their zeal4 ,zeal1 it is natural to ask1--for what8 ,why truly for nothing1 but against everything that is sacred and good among us#adc4 ,and yet1 in days dark as those1 ,piety could suggest that no ,christian should possibly despair2 and ,faith could assign as the reason of this blessed confidence1--,for ,he who hath all power in ,heaven and ,earth1 hath promised that ,he will be with us to the end of the world4 ,it is time to dismiss ,mr4 ,pattison's ,essay4 ,in doing so1 ,i will not waste my time and yours by carping at the many errors of detail into which he has 7not inexcusably7 fallen4 ,these are the accidents1--not the essence of his paper4 ,the root of bitterness with the ,author is1 clearly enough1 the ,theory of ,religious ,belief in the ,church of ,england4 ,his concluding words shew this plainly4 ,the sting of the ,essay is in the tail3-- ,in the ,catholic theory the feebleness of ,reason is met half-way1 and made good by the authority of the ,church4 ,when the ,protestants threw off this authority1 they did not assign to ,reason what they took from the ,church1 but to ,scripture4 ,calvin did not shrink from saying that ,scripture 'shone sufficiently by its own light4' ,as long as this could be kept to1 the ,protestant theory of belief was whole and sound4 ,at least it was as sound as the ,catholic4 ,in both1 ,reason1 aided by spiritual illumination1 performs the subordinate function of recognising the supreme authority of the ,church1 and of the ,bible1 respectively4 ,time1 learned controversy1 and abatement of zeal1 drove the ,protestants generally from the hardy but irrational assertion of ,calvin4 ,every foot of ground that ,scripture lost was gained by one or other of the three substitutes3 ,church-authority1 the ,spirit1 or ,reason4 ,church-authority was essayed by the ,laudian divines1 but was soon found untenable1 for on that footing it was found impossible to justify the ,reformation and the breach with ,rome4 ,o shame6 ,the ,,spirit then came into favour along with ,independency4 ,but it was still more quickly discovered that on such a basis only discord and disunion could be reared4 ,there remained to be tried ,common ,reason1 carefully distinguished from recondite learning1 and not based on metaphysical assumptions4 ,to apply this instrument to the contents of ,revelation was the occupation of the early half of the eighteenth century2 with what success has been seen4 ,in the latter part of the century the same ,common ,reason was applied to the external evidences4 ,but here the method fails in a first requisite1--universality2 for even the shallowest array of historical proof requires some book-learning to apprehend4--7pp4 #cbh-i47 ,now all this is discreditable to ,mr4 ,pattison as a ,philosopher and as a ,divine4 ,when did ,protestant ,england throw off the authority of the ,church8--,what are ,calvin's opinions to her8--,how does ',independency1' ',rationalism1' or any other unsound principle1 affect us8 ,look at our ,prayer-,book4 ,is it not the same which it was from the beginning8 ,the ,sarum ,use1 reformed and revised1 has been our unbroken heritage as ,christian men1 from the first4 ,essentially remodelled in the days of ,edward ,,vi41 the recension of our ,laudian ,divines is1 7by ,,god',s great mercy67 still ours4 ,what other teaching but that of the ,book of ,common ,prayer1 is1 to this hour1 the authoritative teaching of the ,church of ,england8 ,why insinuate there has been vicissitude of ,theory1 where notoriously there has been none8 ,why imply that the storms which periodically sweep over the citadel of our ,zion are effectual to remove the old foundations and to substitute new8 ,what but a hollow heartless ,scepticism can be the result of such an abominable passage as the foregoing8 ,whoever will take the religious literature of the present day as a whole1 and endeavour to make out clearly on what basis ,revelation is supposed by it to rest1 whether on ,authority1 on the ,inward ,light1 on ,reason1 on self-evidencing ,scripture1 or on the combination of the four1 or some of them1 and in what proportions2 would probably find that he had undertaken a perplexing but not altogether profitless inquiry4--7p4 #cbi47 ,and so the ,essay ends4 ,with a short comment on the proposed problem1 ,i also shall conclude4 ,no one but a fool would set about the task which ,mr4 ,pattison here proposes4 ,the current religious literature of the day cannot be supposed1 for an instant1 to be an adequate exponent of the mind of the ,church of ,england1--or of any other ,church4 ,revelation rests1 at this hour1 on exactly the same basis on which it has always rested1 and on which it will rest1 to the end of time2 let the age be faithful1 or faithless1--learned or unlearned1--rationalizing or scientific1--sceptical or superstitious1--or whatever else you will4 ,and if ,i am asked to explain myself1 ,i would humbly say1--7always submitting my own statements in such a matter to the judgment of the ,bishops and ,doctors of the ,church of ,england17--that we receive the ,bible on the authority of the ,church4 ,the ,church teaches us by the concurrent voices of many ,fathers1 ,doctors1 ,saints1 how to interpret the ,bible2 and convinces us that the three ,creeds which she delivers to us as her own independent tradition1 may be proved thereby2 being in entire conformity with ,holy ,scripture1 though not originally deduced from it4 ,self-evidencing is hardly a correct epithet to bestow upon ,scripture4 ,and yet1 from the evidence which the ,new ,testament supplies to the ,old1 and from the interpretation which it puts upon its teaching1 we should not despair of proving the ,truth of ,revelation1 to one who had neither darkened the inward ,light1 nor perverted his ,reason4 ,in truth1 however1 it is idle thus to speculate4 ,we have been born into the world during the nineteenth ,century1 whether we wish it or not4 ,we have been nourished1 7,,god be thanked67 in the bosom of the ,christian ,church1 whether we would or no4 ,the glory of the ,gospel has informed our natural reason1 and we cannot undo the blessed process1 strive we as much as we will4 ,the inward ,light1 7as we call it17 is the lingering twilight of the ,day of ,creation1 in the case of the heathen1--the reflected ray of the noontide of the ,gospel1 even in the case of the modern unbeliever4 ,we cannot escape from these conditions of our being1 although we may affect to ignore them1 or pretend to turn our eyes the other way4 ,no help however is to be rejected4 ,no faculty of the soul need be denied the privilege of assisting to convince the doubting heart4 ,the inward ,light may not be disparagingly spoken of3 for what if it should prove to be a ray sent down from the ,father of ,lights1 to illumine the dark places of the soul8 ,the aid of ,reason is not to be excluded2 for what is ,faith but the highest dictate of the ,reason8 ,faith1 7let us ever remember17 being opposed not to ,reason1 but to ,sight6444 ,and who for a moment supposes that we disparage the office of ,reason1 because we speak of the authority of the ,church1 in controversies of ,faith8 ,we simply proclaim the ,church to be the appointed witness and keeper of ,holy ,writ2 and when we are invited to make out clearly on what basis ,revelation is supposed to rest1 7p4 #cbi17 we point1--where else should we point8--unhesitatingly to her unwavering witness from the beginning4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,vii4 ,the ,essay which brings up the rear in this very guilty volume is from the pen of the ,,rev4 ,,benjamin ,,jowett1 ,m4,a41 ,fellow and ,tutor of ,balliol ,college1 and ,regius ,professor of ,greek in the ,university of ,oxford1--a gentleman whose high personal character and general respectability seem to give a weight to his words1 which assuredly they do not carry of themselves#add4 ,his performance is entitled ,,on ,,the ,,interpretation ,,of ,,scripture3 being1 in reality1 nothing else but a laborious denial of its ,inspiration4 ,mr4 ,jowett's quarrel is with the whole body of ,commentators on the ,bible1--ancient and modern2 with the whole ,church ,catholic4 ,he cannot endure the claim of that ,book1 7like its ,divine object and ,author17 to a ,name which is above every other ,name4 ,that ,plato and ,sophocles should be capable of but one method of ,interpretation1 and that the literal1--while the ,bible lays claim to a yet profounder meaning1--so distresses the ,regius ,professor of ,greek1 that he has appropriated to himself almost a quarter of the present volume1 in order that he may cast laborious and systematic ridicule on the very supposition4 ,some parts of his method ,i propose presently to submit to exactly the same free handling which he has himself applied to ,,the ,,word ,,of ,,god4 ,in the meantime1 since it is my intention not only to demonstrate the worthlessness of the structure which ,mr4 ,jowett has with so much perverse industry here built up1 by an examination of some parts of it in detail1 but also to pull down as much of the fabric as ,i am able within a small compass1--7the construction of something which it is hoped will prove more durable1 being to be found in my ,i,i,ird and ,i,vth1 ,vth and ,v,ith ,sermons17--,i proceed at once to inspect the foundation-stone of his edifice2 and briefly to demonstrate its absolute insecurity4 #a4 ,mr4 ,jowett's fundamental principle is expressed in the following brief precept3 ,interpret the ,scripture like any other book4 7p4 #cgg47 ,to this favourite tune1 7although he plays many intricate variations on it17 he invariably reverts in the end#ade4 ,on this preliminary postulate therefore1 which1 at first sight1 to a candid mind1 seems fair enough1 ,i proceed to remark as follows3-- ,mr4 ,jowett's formula may be cheerfully and entirely accepted1--apart from the sinister glosses which he immediately proceeds to put upon it4 ,by all means ,interpret the ,scripture like any other book4 ,let us see to what result this principle will conduct us4 ,as for the formula itself1 ,i take the liberty to assume that it ought to mean somewhat as follows3--,approach the volume of ,holy ,scripture with the same candour1 and in the same unprejudiced spirit with which you would approach any other famous book of high antiquity4 ,study it with at least the same attention4 ,give at least equal heed to all its statements4 ,acquaint yourself at least as industriously with its method1 and with its principle2 employing and applying either1 with at least equal fidelity1 in its interpretation4 ,above all1 beware of playing tricks with its plain language4 ,beware of suppressing any part of the evidence which it supplies as to its own meaning4 ,be truthful1 and unprejudiced1 and honest1 and consistent1 and logical1 and exact throughout1 in your work of ,interpretation4 ',,interpret ,,scripture ,,like ,,any ,,other ,,book4' ,now1 7not to be tedious17 if this were ,mr4 ,jowett's principle1 all further discussion would be at an end4 ,the general question of the right method of interpreting the ,bible would be easily settled2 but it would be hopelessly settled--against the ,regius ,professor of ,greek4 ,as ,i have briefly shewn1 7from p4 #add to p4 #afj of the present volume17 our ,,lord and ,his ,apostles openly and repeatedly claim for ,scripture that very depth of meaning1 that very extent of signification1 which ,mr4 ,jowett so strenuously maintains that it does not possess4--,this great fact1 he prudently takes no notice of4 ,he simply ignores it4 ,either he has overlooked it1 through inadvertency3 or he has omitted it1 as not perceiving its force and bearing on the question3 or he has disingenuously kept it back4 ,he must choose between these three suppositions4 ,if he has overlooked the fact on which ,i lay so much stress1--he is a careless and incompetent reader4 ,if he has failed to see its force and bearing on the question1--he is a weak and illogical thinker4 ,if he has deliberately suppressed it1 knowing its fatal power1--he is simply a dishonest man4 ,to prevent offence1 ,i may as well state freely that my entire conviction is that he is simply a weak and illogical person4 ,my warrant for this opinion is especially the very sad performance of his now under consideration4 ,it is clear however that the paraphrase above hazarded does not express ,mr4 ,jowett's principle4 ,interpret the ,bible like any other book1 means with him something else4 ,and what it does mean1 the ,reverend author does not suffer us to doubt4 ,he shews that his meaning is1 ,interpret the ,bible like any other book1 ,,for it is like any other book4 ,i proceed to shew that this is ,mr4 ,jowett's meaning4 ,it becomes necessary however at once to introduce to the reader's notice the main inference which1 7as already hinted17 flows from ,mr4 ,jowett's favourite position4 ,interpret ,scripture like any other book1--he says4 ,his business is with the ,interpretation of the ,jewish and ,christian ,scriptures2 and he begins by eagerly assuring us1--and is strenuous in all that follows to make us believe1--7but simply on priori grounds67--that the true glory and note of ,divinity in these1 is not that they have hidden1 mysterious1 or double meanings2 but a simple and universal one1 which is beyond them and will survive them4 7p4 #ccb47 ,is it admitted1 7he asks1 at the end of many pages17 that the ,scripture has one and only one true meaning8 7p4 #cfh47 ,let us hear what reasons the ,reverend author of this seventh ,essay is able to produce in support of his favourite opinion4 ,he approaches the subject from a respectful distance3-- 7i7 ,it is a strange1 though familiar fact1--7such are the opening words of his ,essay17--that great differences of opinion exist respecting the ,interpretation of ,scripture4 7p4 #ccj47--';,familiar1' the fact is1 certainly2 but why 'strange8' ,a ,book of many ages1--of immense antiquity1--of most varied character1--treating of the unseen world1--purporting to be a mysterious composition1--and by all ,christian men believed to have ,,god for its true ,author3 a book which has come into collision with every form of human error1 and has triumphed gloriously over every form of human opposition3--how can it be thought 'strange' that the interpretation of such a book should have provoked great differences of opinion8 444 ,surely none but the weakest of thinkers1 unless committed to the assumption that the ,bible is like any other book1 could ever have penned such a silly remark4 7ii7 ,we do not at once see the absurdity of the same words having many senses1 or free our minds from the illusion that the ,apostle or ,evangelist must have written with a reference to the creeds or controversies or circumstances of other times4 ,let it be considered1 then1 that this extreme variety of interpretation is found to exist in the case of no other book1 but of the ,scriptures only4 7p4 #ccd47 ,but the phenomenon which ,mr4 ,jowett represents as so extraordinary that it requires an effort of thought to appreciate it1 7,ibid417 does not seem at all extraordinary to any one who does not begin by assuming that the ,bible is like any other book4--,if the ,bible be inspired1--then all is plain6 7iii7 ,who would write a bulky treatise about the method to be pursued in interpreting ,plato or ,sophocles8--asks ,mr4 ,jowett4 7p4 #cgh47--,no one but a fool6--is the obvious reply4 ,plato and ,sophocles are ordinary books2 and therefore are to be interpreted like any other book4 ,the ,bible not so1 as we shall see by and by4 ,again1-- 7iv7 ,each writer1 each successive age1 has characteristics of its own1 as strongly marked1 or more strongly1 than those which are found in the authors or periods of classical ,literature4 ,these differences are not to be lost in the idea of a ,spirit from whom they proceed1 or by which they were overruled4 ,and therefore1 illustration of one part of ,scripture by another should be confined to writings of the same age and the same authors1 except where the writings of different ages or persons offer obvious similarities4 ,it may be said1 further1 that illustration should be chiefly derived1 not only from the same author1 but from the same writing1 or from one of the same period of his life4 ,for example1 the comparison of ,st4 ,john and the 'synoptic' ,gospels1 or of the ,gospel of ,st4 ,john with the ,revelation of ,st4 ,john1 will tend rather to confuse than to elucidate the meaning of either4 7pp4 #chb-c47--;,but really1 in reply1 it ought to suffice to point out that the result of the ,church's experience for #ahjj years has been the very opposite of the ,professor's4 ,the idea of a ,,spirit from whom they proceeded1 is1 to the thoughtful part of mankind1 the only intelligible clue to the several books of ,holy ,scripture1 from ,genesis to ,revelation6 ,hence the marginal references to the ,english ,bible1 7to which ,mr4 ,jowett devotes a depreciatory half page17 so far from being the dangerous or useless apparatus which he represents1 we hold to be an instrument of paramount importance for eliciting the true meaning of ,holy ,writ4--,in a word1 he is reasoning about the ,bible on the assumption that the ,bible is like any other book4 7v7 ,to attribute to ,st4 ,paul or the ,twelve the abstract notion of ,christian ,truth which afterwards sprang up in the ,catholic ,church 444 is the same error as to attribute to ,homer the ideas of ,thales or ,heraclitus1 or to ,thales the more developed principles of ,aristotle and ,plato4 7p4 #ced47--,not if ,st4 ,paul and the ,twelve were inspired4 7vi7 ,he bids us remark1 with tedious emphasis1 that although the same philological and historical difficulties which occur in ,holy ,scripture are found in profane writings1 yet the meaning of classical authors is known with comparative certainty2 and the interpretation of them seems to rest on a scientific basis4444 ,even the ,vedas and the ,zendavesta1 though beset by obscurities of language probably greater than are found in any portion of the ,bible1 are interpreted1 at least by ,european scholars1 according to fixed rules1 and beginning to be clearly understood4 7p4 #cce47 ,but at the end of several weak sentences1 through which the preceding fallacy is elongated into distressing tenuity1 who does not exclaim1--,the supposed scientific basis on which the interpretation of books in general rests1 is simply this2 7#a7 that being merely human1 and 7#b7 not professing to have any other than their obvious literal meaning1--they are all interpreted in the obvious ordinary way6 ,for 7#a71--;,if any book were even suspected to be ,divine1 the manner of interpreting it would of course be different4 ,not that the basis of such ,interpretation would therefore cease to be scientific6 ,take the only known instance of such a ,book4 ,the ,bible has been suspected 767 for #ahjj years to be inspired4 ,how has it fared with the ,bible8 ,the ,science of ,biblical ,interpretation is one of the noblest and best understood in the world4 ,it has been professed and practised in every country of ,christendom4 ,the great ,masters of this ,science have been such men as ,hilary of ,poictiers1 ,basil and the two ,gregories in ,asia ,minor1 ,epiphanius in ,cyprus1 ,ambrose at ,milan1 ,john ,chrysostom at ,antioch1 ,jerome in ,palestine1 ,augustine in ,africa1 ,athanasius and ,cyril at ,alexandria4 ,the names descend in an unbroken stream from the first four centuries of our ra down to the age of ,andrewes1 and ,bull1 and ,pearson1 and ,mill4 ,these men all interpret ,scripture in one and the same way4 ,their principles are the same throughout4 ,they were all ,professors of the same ,sacred ,science4 ,but 7#b71--;,if a book even professes to have a hidden meaning1 it is interpreted by a special set of canons4 ,thus ,dante's great poem#adf may not be read as ,hume's ,history of ,england is read4--,to proceed1 however4 7vii7 ,sophocles is perhaps the most subtle of the ancient ,greek poets4 ,several schools of critics have commented on his works4 ,to the ,englishman he has presented one meaning1 to the ,frenchman another1 to the ,german a third2 the interpretations have also differed with the philosophical systems which the interpreters espoused4 ,to one the same words have appeared to bear a moral1 to another a symbolical meaning2 a third is determined wholly by the authority of old commentators2 while there is a disposition to condemn the scholar who seeks to interpret ,sophocles from himself only and with reference to the ideas and beliefs of the age in which he lived4 ,and the error of such an one is attributed not only to some intellectual but even to a moral obliquity 767 which prevents his seeing the true meaning4 7p4 #ccf47 ,it has fared with ,sophocles therefore1 7according to ,mr4 ,jowett17 in all respects as it has fared with the ,bible4 ,it would be tedious1 7he justly remarks17 to follow the absurdity which has been supposed into details4 ,by such methods1 ,sophocles or ,plato might be made to mean anything4 7p4 #ccf47 ,but who does not perceive that the obvious way to escape from the supposed difficulty1 is to remember that neither ,sophocles nor ,plato was inspired6444 ,mr4 ,jowett's difficulty is occasioned by his assumption that the ,bible stands on the same level as ,plato and ,sophocles4 7viii7 ,again1--,if it is not held to be a thing impossible that there should be agreement in the meaning of ,plato and ,sophocles1 neither is it to be regarded as absurd1 that there should be a like agreement in the interpretation of ,scripture8 7p4 #dbf47--,the whole force of this argument clearly consisting in the strictly equal claims of these books to ,inspiration4--,elsewhere1 ,mr4 ,jowett expresses the same thing more unequivocally3--,the old explanations of ,scripture1 7he says17 are no longer tenable4 ,they belong to a way of thinking and speaking which was once diffused over the world1 but has now passed away4 ,having quietly assumed all this1 the ,reverend writer proceeds3--,and what we give up as a general principle1 we shall find it impossible to maintain partially2 e4g4 in the types of the ,mosaic ,law1 and the double meanings of ,prophecy1 at least in any sense in which it is not equally applicable to all deep and suggestive writings4 7p4 #dai47 7ix7 ,still one other supposition has to be introduced1 which will appear1 perhaps1 more extravagant than any which have preceded4 ,conceive then that these modes of interpreting ,sophocles 767 had existed for ages2 that great institutions and interests had become interwoven with them2 and in some degree even the honour of ,nations and ,churches2--is it too much to say that1 in such a case1 they would be changed with difficulty1 and that they would continue to be maintained long after critics and philosophers had seen that they were indefensible8 7pp4 #ccf-g47 ,i suppose we may at once allow ,mr4 ,jowett most of what he asks4 ,we may freely grant that if the ,tragedies of ,sophocles had exercised the same wondrous dominion over the world which the ,books of the ,bible have exercised3--if ,oedipus and ,jocasta and ,creon2 if ,theseus and ,dejanira and ,hercules2 if ,ajax1 ,ulysses and ,minerva2--had done for the world what ,enoch and ,noah2--what ,abraham1 ,isaac1 and ,jacob2--what ,joseph1 and ,joshua1 and ,hannah1 and ,samuel1 and ,david2--what ,elijah and ,elisha2 what ,isaiah and ,jeremiah1 ,ezekiel and ,daniel1 and the rest2--what ,st4 ,peter1 and ,st4 ,john1 and ,st4 ,paul2--what the ,blessed ,virgin and her name-sakes1 have done3--,in a word3 had ,homer's gods and heroes altogether changed the face of society1 and revolutionized the world2 so that great institutions and interests had become interwoven with them1 and in some degree even the honour of ,nations and ,churches2 7p4 #ccf27--;if1 ,i repeat1 all this had really and actually taken place2--great difficulty would1 no doubt1 7as ,mr4 ,jowett profoundly suggests17 be experienced1 at the end of #bjjj years1 in getting rid of them4 ,but since it unfortunately happens that they have done nothing of the kind1 we do not seem to be called upon to follow the ,regius ,professor of ,greek into the supposed consequences of what he admits to be an extravagant supposition2 and which we humbly think is an excessively foolish one also4 ,when1 however1 the ,reverend ,author of this speculation establishes it as a parallel with what has taken place with regard to the ,word of ,,god1 we tell him plainly that his insinuation that critics and philosophers are maintaining the present mode of interpreting ,scripture long after they have seen that it is indefensible--is a piece of impertinence which seems to require a public apology4 ,a man may retain ,orders in the ,church of ,england1 if he pleases1 while yet he repudiates her doctrines3 may declare that he subscribes her ,articles ex animo1 and yet seem openly to deny them4 ,but he has no right whatever to impute corresponding baseness to others4 ,the charge should be either plainly made out1 or openly retracted#adg4 ,by such considerations then does ,professor ,jowett attempt to shew that we ought to interpret ,scripture like any other book4 ,the gist of his observations1 in every case1 is one and the same1--namely1 from priori considerations to insinuate that the ,bible is not essentially unlike any other book4 ,now1 quite apart from its ,inspiration1--which is1 obviously1 ,,the one essential respect wherein the ,bible is wholly unlike every other book in the world2 7inasmuch as1 if it is inspired1 it differs from every other book in kind2 stands among ,books as the ,incarnate ,,word stood among ,men1--quite alone2 notwithstanding that ,he spoke their language1 shared their wants1 and accommodated ,himself to their manners27--apart1 ,i say1 from the fact of its ,inspiration1 it is not difficult to point out several particulars in which the ,bible is utterly unlike any other ,book which is known to exist2 and therefore to suggest an priori reason why neither should it be interpreted like any other book4 #a4 ,the ,bible then contains in all 7#ff-i7 #eg distinct writings1--the work of perhaps upwards of forty different ,authors#adh4 ,yet1 for upwards of fifteen centuries those many writings have been all collected into one volume3 and1 for a large portion of that interval1 on the writings so collected the ,church ,universal has agreed in bestowing the name of the ,book1--' 1--,,the ,,bible4 #b4 ,the ,bible is divided into two parts1 which are severed by an interval of upwards of four centuries4 ,on these two great divisions of the ,bible1 respectively1 has been bestowed the title of the ,old and the ,new ,covenant4 ,and1 what is remarkable1--,the same phenomena which are observable in respect of the whole ,bible1 are observable in respect of either of its parts4 ,thus1 7#a7 ,the several writings of which the ,old ,testament is composed1--7#ci-c7 #cf in all#adi1 are by many different hands3 those of the ,new ,testament1 in like manner1--7#bg-f7 #ba in all1 are by eight different authors4 7#b7 ,those many writings of the ,old ,testament are found to have been collected into a single volume about four hundred years before the ,christian ra2 when they were denominated by a common name1 1--,the ,scripture#aej2 and the supreme authority of the writings so collected together1 was axiomatic#aea4 ,one arguing with ,his ,hebrew countrymen was able to appeal to a place in the ,psalms1 and to remind them parenthetically that the ,scripture cannot be broken#aeb1--that is1 might not be gainsaid1 doubted1 explained away1 or set aside4--,precisely similar phenomena are observable in respect of the writings of the ,new ,testament4 7#c7 ,although the books of the ,old ,covenant are scattered at intervals over the long period of upwards of a thousand years1 the writers of the later books are observed to quote the earlier ones1 as if by a peculiar secret sympathy3 now1 incorporating long passages1--now1 simply adapting one or two sentences1--now1 blending allusive references4 ,for some proof of this assertion1 7as far as ,i am able to produce it at a moment's notice17 the reader is referred to the foot of the page#aec4 ,the self-same phenomenon is observable with regard to the ,new ,testament ,scriptures4 ,although all the books were written within so short a space as about fifty years1 the later writers quote the earlier ones to a surprising extent4 ,in the ,gospels1 the ,gospels are quoted times without number4 ,in the ,epistles1 the ,gospels are cited1 or referred to1 upwards of sixty times4 ,the ,epistles contain many references to the ,epistles4--,the phenomenon thus alluded to will also be found insisted upon in a later part of the present volume#aed4 ,the fact1 ,i believe1 on close examination1 will be found to stand thus3--,the ,holy ,bible abounds in quotations1 even more perhaps than most other books2 but they are introduced in a way which is peculiar to ,revelation1 and its own4 ,when a ,prophet or ,apostle mentions one of his own holy brethren1 as when ,ezekiel names ,daniel1 or ,daniel ,jeremiah2 when ,st4 ,peter speaks of ,st4 ,paul1 or ,st4 ,paul of ,st4 ,peter1 or of ,st4 ,luke the ,physician2 when they mention them1 they do not quote them2 and when they quote them1 they do not mention them#aee4 7#d7 ,the later writer in the ,old ,testament who quotes some earlier portion of narrative is often observed to supply independent information1--entering into minute details and particulars which are not to be found in the earlier record4--,now1 with the same ,almighty ,,spirit for their guide1 what was it to be expected that the historians of our ,blessed ,,lord would do8 ,what1 but the very thing which they have done8 that they would walk in the path1 which the holy ,prophets of old had marked out8 that they would often tread full in each other's steps2 often relate the same miracle1 or discourse1 or parts of it1 in the words of the same prior writer2 sometimes compress1 sometimes expand2 always shew to the diligent inquirer1 that they did not derive their information1 even of facts which they relate in another's words1 from him whom they copy1 but wrote with antecedent plenitude of knowledge and truth in themselves2 without staying to inform us whether what they deliver is told for the first time1 or has its place already in authentic history#aef4 7#e7 ,it may be worth remarking that though the ,inspiration of no part of either ,testament has ever been doubted in the ,church1 there do exist doubts as to the ,authorship of more than one of the ,books of the ,old ,testament2 and one ,book in the ,new1 7the ,epistle to the ,hebrews17 has been suspected by some orthodox writers not to have been from the pen of ,st4 ,paul1 but to have been the work of some other inspired and ,apostolic writer4 7#f7 ,history1 ,didactic matter1 and ,prophecy1--is found to be the subject of either ,testament4 7#g7 ,in the ,new ,testament1 as in the ,old1 we are presented with the singular phenomenon of more than one ,book being in a manner copied from another1--yet with the addition of much independent original matter4 ,it is superfluous to name ,samuel1 ,kings1 and ,chronicles1 on one side1--and the ,gospels on the other4 ,to the ,gospels may be added the ,second ,epistle of ,st4 ,peter and the ,epistle of ,st4 ,jude4 7#h7 ,lastly1 the same modest use of the ,supernatural is to be found in either ,testament4--,in both1 the writers are observed to pass without effort1 and as it were unconsciously1 from revelations of the most stupendous character1 to statements of the simplest and most ordinary kind#aeg4--;,in both1 there is the same prominence given to individual characters#aeh2 the same occasional minuteness of detail where it might have been least expected#aei4 #c4 ,but by far the most remarkable phenomenon remains to be noticed2 namely1 the immense number of quotations1 7so far more numerous than is commonly suspected17--extending in length from a single word to nearly a hundred and fifty#afj1--together with allusive references1 literally without number1 which are found in the ,new ,testament ,scriptures2 the writings of the elder ,covenant being in every instance1 exclusively#afa1 the source of those quotations1--the object of those allusions4 #d4 ,when the nature of these quotations1 references1 and allusions is examined with care1 several extraordinary phenomena present themselves1 which it seems impossible to consider without the deepest interest1 surprise1 and admiration4 ,thus1--7i47 ,the ,new ,testament writers1 on repeated occasions1 display independent knowledge of the ,old ,testament ,history to which they make reference#afb4 ,the following instances occur to my memory3--,all the later links in our ,,lord',s ,genealogy#afc2 the second ,cainan#afd3 ,salmon's marriage with ,rahab#afe3 the burial-place of the twelve ,patriarchs#aff3 the age of ,moses in ,exod4 ii4 #aaafg3 that in the days of ,elijah the heaven was shut up for three years and six months#fh3 that it was the ,devil who tempted ,eve#afi3 the contest for the dead body of ,moses#agj3 the names of ,pharaoh's magicians#aga3 how ,abraham reasoned with himself when he prepared to offer up his son ,isaac#agb3 the golden censer1 mentioned in ,heb4 ix4 #d3 ,abraham's purchase of ,sychem#agc2 and a few other things#agd4 7ii47 ,the same ,new ,testament writers are observed to handle the ,old ,testament ,scriptures with an air of singular authority1 and to exercise an extraordinary license of quotation2 inverting clauses1--paraphrasing statements1--abridging or expanding2--and always without apology or explanation2--as if they were conscious that they were dealing with their own4 7iii47 ,most astonishing of all1 obviously1 as well as most important1 is the purpose for which the ,evangelists and ,apostles of our ,,lord make their appeal to the ,old ,testament ,scriptures2 invariably in order to establish some part of the ,christian ,revelation4 ,every thoughtful student of the ,holy ,scriptures has been struck with the circumstance which ,i now allude to3 the freedom1 namely1 with which the inspired ,writers of the ,new ,testament appeal back to the ,old2 and see in it1 as its one proper theme1 the ,christian subject4 ,they find themselves in that place1 at length1 to which former intimations had pointed1 and recognize the connexion which they themselves have with their ancient forerunners#age4 444 ,it is as if for four hundred years and upwards1 a mighty mystery1--described in many a dark place of ,prophecy1 exhibited by many a perplexing type1 foreshadowed by many a ,divine narrative1--had waited for solution4 ,the world is big with expectation4 ,the long-expected time at last arrives4 ,up springs the ,sun of ,righteousness in the ,heavens2 and lo1 the cryptic characters of the ,law flash at once into glory1 and the dark ,oracles of ancient days yield up their wondrous meanings6 ,,god1 who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the ,fathers by the ,prophets1--in these last days speaks unto us by ,his ,,son3 and lo1 a chorus of ,apostolic voices is heard bearing witness to the ,advent of the ,desire of all nations6 444 ,such is the relation which the ,new ,testament bears to the ,old3 such the true nature of the many quotations from the earlier ,scriptures1 which are found in the later half of the ,one inspired ,volume4 #e4 ,and thus we are led naturally to notice the extraordinary connexion which subsists between the two ,testaments4 ,for what is the ,law1 7asks ,justin1 ,a4,d4 #adj17 but the ,gospel foretold8 or what is the ,gospel1 but the ,law fulfilled#agf8 ,the contents of the ,old and ,new ,testament are the same1 remarks ,augustine3 there foreshadowed1 here revealed3 there prefigured1 here made plain4 ,in the ,old ,testament there is a concealing of the ,new3 in the ,new ,testament there is a revealing of the ,old#agg4--,mr4 ,jowett's inquiry1--,if we assume the ,new ,testament as a tradition running parallel with the ,old1 may not the ,roman ,catholic assume with equal reason a tradition parallel with the ,new8 7p4 #ha47--shews a truly childish misapprehension of the entire question4 ,the ,new ,testament is not a parallel tradition at all2 but a subsequent ,revelation from ,heaven4 #f4 ,now ,i might pursue these remarks much further3 for it would be well worth while to exhibit what an extraordinary sameness of imagery1 similarity of allusion1 and unity of purpose1 runs through the writings of either ,covenant2--phenomena which can only be accounted for in one way4 ,this subject will be found dwelt upon elsewhere2 and to what has been already delivered1 ,i must be content here to refer the reader#agh4 7,mr4 ,jowett himself has been struck by the phenomenon thus alluded to3 but after hinting at some natural association as having suggested the language of the ,prophets1 he proceeds3 ,we are not therefore justified in supposing any hidden connexion in the prophecies where the prophetic symbols occur4 ,neither is there any other ground for assuming design of any other kind in ,scripture2 any more than in ,plato or ,homer4 7p4 #cha47 444 ,and thus our philosopher1 assuming at the outset that the ,bible is an uninspired book1 is for ever coming back to the lie with which he set out4 ,but to proceed47 #g4 ,still better worthy of notice1 in this connexion1 is the singular fact 7which will also be found adverted to in another place#agi17 that the ,old and ,new ,testaments alike profess to be a ,history of ,earthly events from a ,heavenly point of view4 ,the writers of either ,covenant claim to know what ,,god did#ahj2 how characters and events appeared in ,his sight#aha3 they profess to find themselves in a familiar1 and altogether extraordinary relation with the unseen world#ahb4 ,thus1 ,moses begins the ,bible with an august account of the great ,six ,days1--when ,,god was alone in ,creation2 the unwitnessed ,agent1 and ,author of all things3--while ,st4 ,john the ,divine1 concluding the inspired ,canon1 relates that he was in the ,spirit on the ,,lord',s ,day2 and heard behind him a great ,voice1 as of a trumpet1 saying1 ,i am ,alpha and ,omega1 the first and the last#ahc4 444 ,the general design of ,scripture1 7says ,bishop ,butler17 may be said to be1 to give us an account of the ,world1 in this one single view1--as ,,god',s ,world3 by which it appears essentially distinguished from all other books1 as far as ,i have found1 except such as are copied from it#ahd4 #h4 ,and yet the grand external characteristic feature of the ,bible remains unnoticed6 ,the one distinctive feature of the ,bible1 is this1--that the four-fold ,gospel1 as a matter of fact1 exhibits to us1 the ,,word made flesh3 and1 7,o marvel of marvels67 suffers us to hear ,his voice1 and look upon ,his form1 and observe ,his actions4 ,it does more4 ,the ,new ,testament professes to be1 and is1 the complement of the ,old4 ,the promise of ,,christ1 solemnly1 and repeatedly1--at sundry times and divers manners1--given in the one1 is fulfilled in the other4 ,henceforth they are no more twain1 for they have been by ,,god ,himself joined together2 and the subject of both is none other than our ,,saviour1 ,,jesus ,,christ4 ,enough surely has been already adduced to warrant a reasonable man in refusing to accept ,professor ,jowett's repeated asseveration that the ,bible is to be interpreted like any other book4 ,a ,book which proves on examination to be so wholly unlike every other book1--so entirely sui generis1--may surely well create an priori suspicion that it is not to be interpreted either1 after any ordinary fashion4 ,but the grand consideration of all is still behind6 ,the one circumstance which effectually refutes the view of the ,reverend ,professor1 remains yet to be specified2 namely1 that ,,the ,,bible ,,professes ,,to ,,be ,,inspired ,,by ,,the ,,holy ,,spirit4 ,the ,,holy ,,ghost is again and again declared to speak therein1 1 by the instrumentality1 by the mouth1 of ,man4 ,in other words1 ,,god1 not ,man1 professes to be the ,author of the ,bible6 ,that the ,bible does set up for itself such a claim1 will be found established at p4 #ec to p4 #eg of the present volume4 ,professor ,jowett's assurance that for any of the higher or supernatural views of ,inspiration1 there is no foundation in the ,gospels or ,epistles1 7p4 #cde17--must therefore be regarded as an extraordinary1 or rather as an unpardonable oversight on his part4 ,one would have thought that a single saying1 like that in ,acts iii4 #ah and #ba1 would have occurred to his memory1 and been sufficient to refute him4 ,other places will be found quoted at p4 cxcvii4 ,very much is it to be feared however that the same gentleman has overlooked a consideration of at least equal importance2 namely1 the inevitable inference from the discovery that the origin of the ,bible is ,divine4 ,he informs us that1--,it will be a further assistance 767 in the consideration of this subject1 to observe that the ,interpretation of ,scripture has nothing to do with any opinion respecting its origin4 7p4 #cej47 ,the meaning of ,scripture1 7he proceeds17 is one thing3 the ,inspiration of ,scripture is another4--,true4 ,but when we find the ,reverend ,author insisting1 again and again1 that it may be laid down that ,scripture has one meaning1--the meaning which it had to the mind of the ,prophet or ,evangelist who first uttered1 or wrote it1 7p4 #cgh17--we are constrained to remind him that1 ,to say that the ,scriptures1 and the things contained in them1 can have no other or farther meaning than those persons thought or had1 who first recited or wrote them2 is evidently saying1 that those persons were the original1 proper1 and sole authors of those books1 i4e4 ,,that ,,they ,,are ,,not ,,inspired#ahe4 ,so that1 in point of fact1 the origin of ,holy ,scripture1 so far from being a consideration of no importance1 7as ,mr4 ,jowett supposes17 proves to be a consideration of the most vital importance of all4 ,and the ,interpretation of ,scripture1 so far from having nothing to do with any opinion respecting its origin1 is affected by it most materially1 or rather depends upon it altogether6 ,on a review of all that goes before1 it will1 ,i think1 appear plain to any person of sound understanding1 that ,professor ,jowett's priori views respecting the ,interpretation of ,holy ,scripture will not stand the test of exact reason4 ,to suggest as he has done that the ,bible is to be interpreted like any other book1 on the plea that it is like any other book1 is to build upon a false foundation4 ,his syllogism is the following3-- ,if the ,bible is a book like any other book1 the ,bible is to be interpreted like any other book4 ,the ,bible is a book like any other book4 ,therefore1-- ,but it has been shewn that the learned ,professor's minor premiss is false4 ,it has been proved that the ,bible is ,,not a book like any other book4 ,nay1 ,i claim to have done more4 ,i claim to have established the contradictory minor premiss4 ,the syllogism therefore will henceforth stand as follows3-- ,if the ,bible can be shewn to be a book like no other book1 but entirely sui generis1 and claiming to be the work of ,inspiration1--then is it reasonable to expect that it will have to be interpreted like no other book1 but entirely after a fashion of its own4 ,but the ,bible can be shewn to be a book like no other book2 entirely sui generis2 and claiming to be the work of ,inspiration4 ,therefore1-- #b4 ,it remains however1 now1 to advance an important step4--,mr4 ,jowett1 in a certain place1 adopts a principle1 the soundness of which ,i am able1 happily1 entirely to admit4 ,interpret ,scripture from itself1--like any other book about which we know almost nothing except what is derived from its pages4 7p4 #chb47 ,non nisi ex ,scriptur ,scripturam interpretari potes4 7p4 #chd47 ,scarcely has he made this important admission however1 and enunciated his golden ,canon of interpretation1 when he hastens to nullify it4 ,his very next words are1--,the meaning of the ,canon is only this1--',that we cannot understand ,scripture without becoming familiar 767 with it4' ,but1 7begging the learned writer's pardon17 so far from that being the whole of the meaning of the ,canon1 his gloss happens exactly to miss the only important point4 ,the plain meaning of the words1--,only out of the ,scriptures can you explain the ,scriptures1--is obviously rather this3--',that in order to interpret the ,bible1 our aim must be to ascertain how the ,bible interprets itself4' ,in other words1--',scripture must be made its own ,interpreter4' ,more simply yet1 in the ,professor's own words1 7from which1 more suo1 he has imperceptibly glided away17--,interpret ,scripture from itself4 7p4 #chb47 444 ,how then does ,scripture interpret ,scripture8 ,that is the only question6 for the answer to this question must be held to be decisive as to the other great question which ,mr4 ,jowett raises in the present ,essay1--namely1 ,how are we to interpret ,scripture8 ,now this whole ,inquiry has been conducted elsewhere2 and will be found to extend from p4 #add to p4 #afj of the present volume4 ,it has been there established1 by a sufficiently large induction of examples1 that the ,bible is to be interpreted as no other book is1 or can be interpreted2 and for the plain reason1 that the inspired ,writers themselves1 7our ,,lord ,himself at their head67 interpret it after an altogether extraordinary fashion4 ,mr4 ,jowett's statement at p4 #cci that the mystical interpretation of ,scripture originated in the ,alexandrian age1 is simply false4 ,and in the course of this proof1 7necessarily involved in it1 in fact17 it has been incidentally shewn that the sense of ,scripture is not1 by any means1 invariably one2 and that sense the most obvious to those who wrote1 heard1 or read it4 ,it has been fully shewn that the office of the ,interpreter is not1 by any means1 7as ,mr4 ,jowett imagines17 to recover the meaning of the words as they first struck on the ears1 or flashed before the eyes of those who heard or read them4 7p4 #cch47 ,the ,reverend writer's repeated assertion that we have no reason to attribute to the ,prophet or ,evangelist any second or hidden sense different from that which appears on the surface1 7p4 #chj17 has been fully1 and as it is hoped effectually refuted4 ,and here ,i might lay down my pen4 ,for since1 at the end of #gd pages1 the ,professor thus delivers himself1 7in a kind of imitation of ,st4 ,paul's language#ahf17--,of what has been said1 this is the sum1--,that ,scripture1 like other books1 has one meaning1 which has to be gathered from itself 444 without regard to priori notions about its nature and origin3 that1 ,it is to be interpreted like other books1 with attention to the prevailing state of civilization and knowledge1 and so forth2 7p4 #djd27--;it must suffice to say that1 having established the very opposite conclusion1 ,i claim to have effectually answered his ,essay2 because ,i have overthrown what he admits to be the sum of it4 ,let me be permitted however--before ,i proceed to review some other parts of his performance1--in the briefest manner1 not so much to recapitulate1 as to exhibit 'the sum' of what has been hitherto delivered on the other side2 in somewhat different language1 and as it were from a different point of view4 ,we are presented then1 in the ,new ,testament ,scriptures1 with the august spectacle of the ,ancient of ,days holding the entire volume of the ,old ,testament ,scriptures in ,his ,hands1 and interpreting it of ,himself4 ,he1 whose ,life and ,death are set forth in the ,gospel2--whose ,church's early fortunes are set forth historically in the ,acts1 while its future prospects are shadowed prophetically in the ,apocalypse2--whose ,doctrines1 lastly1 are explained in the twenty-one ,epistles of ,st4 ,paul and ,st4 ,peter1 ,st4 ,james and ,st4 ,john and ,st4 ,jude3--,he1 the ,incarnate ,,word1 who was in the beginning2 who was with ,,god1 and who was ,,god3--that same ,almighty ,one1 ,i repeat1 is exhibited to us in the ,gospel1 repeatedly1 holding the ,volume of the ,old ,testament ,scriptures in ,his ,hands1 and explaining it of ,himself4 ,to day is this ,scripture fulfilled in your ears#ahg1--was the solemn introductory sentence with which1 in the ,synagogue of ,nazareth1 7after closing the ,book and giving it again to the ,minister17 ,he prefaced ,his ,sermon from the lxist chapter of ,isaiah4--,had ye believed ,moses1 ye would have believed ,me3 for he wrote of ,me#ahh1--',o fools1 and slow of heart to believe all that the ,prophets have spoken6 ,ought not ,,christ to have suffered these things1 and to enter into ,his glory8' ,and beginning at ,moses and all the ,prophets1 ,he expounded to them in all the ,scriptures the things concerning ,himself#ahi4--,these are the words which ,i spake unto you1 that all things must be fulfilled which are written in the ,law of ,moses1 and in the ,prophets1 and in the ,psalms1 concerning ,me#aij4 ,,christ was before ,moses4 ,the ,gospel was not made for the ,law2 but the ,law was made for the ,gospel4 ,the ,gospel is not based on the ,law1 but the ,law is a shadow of the ,gospel4 ,in order to believe the ,bible1 we must look upward2 and fix our eyes on ,,jesus ,,christ1 sitting in ,heavenly ,glory1 holding both ,testaments in ,his ,hand2 sealing both ,testaments with ,his seal2 and delivering both ,testaments as ,divine ,oracles1 to the ,world4 ,we must receive the written ,word from the ,hands of the ,,incarnate ,,word#aia4 ,this august spectacle1 let it be clearly stated1--7#a7 ,establishes1 beyond all power of contradiction1 the intimate connexion which subsists between the ,old and the ,new ,testament2 as well as the altogether unique relation which the one bears to the other3--7#b7 ,invests either ,testament with a degree of sacred importance and majestic grandeur which altogether makes the ,bible unlike any other book3--7#c7 ,proves that the ,bible is to be interpreted as no other book ever was1 or ever can be interpreted3--7#d7 ,demonstrates that it has more than a single meaning3--and lastly1 ,convincingly shews that ,,god1 and not ,man1 is its true ,author4 ,it will of course be asked1--,then does ,mr4 ,jowett take no notice at all of this vast and complicated problem8 ,how does he treat of the relation between the ,old ,testament and the ,new8444 ,he despatches the entire subject in the following passage3--,the question1 7he says17 runs up into a more general one1 'the relation between the ,old and ,new ,testaments4' ,for the ,old ,testament will receive a different meaning accordingly as it is explained from itself1 or from the ,new4 7,very different certainly67 ,in the first case1--a careful and conscientious study of each one for itself is all that is required4 7,that is to say1 it will not be explained at all67 ,in the second case1--the types and ceremonies of the ,law1 perhaps the very facts and persons of the history1 ,,will ,,be ,,assumed 767 to be predestined or made after a pattern corresponding to the things that were to be in the latter days4 7p4 #cgj47 7,and why not will be found to be replete with ,christian meaning1--full of lofty spiritual significancy8--the proved marvellousness of their texture1 the revealed mysteriousness of their purpose1 being an effectual refutation of all ,mr4 ,jowett's priori notions67 ,and this question1 7he proceeds17 stirs up another question respecting the ,interpretation of the ,old ,testament in the ,new4 ,is such ,interpretation to be regarded as the meaning of the original text1 or an accommodation of it to the thoughts of other times8 7,nay1 but ,reverend and learned ,sir3 nothing so plain1 as you justly observe1 that it may not be explained away2 7p4 #cei27 yet we cannot consent to have the sense of plain words thus clouded over at your mere bidding4 ,it is now our turn to declare that the ,interpreter's object is to read ,scripture like any other book1 with a real interest and not merely a conventional one4 ,it is now we who want to be able to open our eyes1 and see things as they truly are4 7p4 #cch47 ,we simply petition for leave to interpret ,scripture like any other book1 by the same rules of evidence and the same canons of criticism4 7p4 #cge47 ,and if this freedom be but conceded to us1 there will be found to be no imaginable reason why the ,interpretation of the ,old ,testament in the ,new1--7,,christ ,himself being the ,majestic ,speaker6 our present edification and everlasting welfare being ,his gracious purpose67--should not be strictly regarded as the meaning of the original text4 444 ,but let us hear the ,professor out3--7 ,our object1 7he says1 and with this he dismisses the problem67--,our object is not to attempt here the determination of these questions2 but to point out that they must be determined before any real progress can be made1 or any agreement arrived at in the ,interpretation of ,scripture4 7p4 #cgj47 444 ,they must indeed4 ,but can it be right in this slovenly1 slippery style to shirk a discussion on the issue of which the whole question may be said to turn8 especially on the part of one who scruples not to prejudge that issue1 and straightway to apply it1 7in a manner fatal to the ,truth17 throughout all his hundred pages4 ,mr4 ,jowett's method is ever to assume what he ought to prove1 and then either to be plaintive1 or to sneer4 ,it is a heathenish or ,rabbinical fancy3--,such complexity would place the ,scriptures below human compositions in general2 for it would deprive them of the ordinary intelligibleness of human language 7p4 #chb73--;c4 ,is the ,interpretation of the ,old ,testament in the ,new to be regarded as the meaning of the original text2 or an accommodation of it to the thoughts of other times8 7p4 #cgj47 ,this is ,mr4 ,jowett's question2 the question which it is not his object to attempt to determine2 but which ,i1 on the contrary1 have made it my object to discuss in my ,v,ith ,sermon1--p4 #ahc to p4 #bbj4 ,without troubling the reader however now to wade through those many pages1 let me at least explain to him in a few words what ,mr4 ,jowett's question really amounts to3 namely this1--,do the ,apostles and ,evangelists1 does our ,blessed ,,lord ,himself1 when ,he professes to explain the mysterious significancy of the ,old ,testament1--invariably1--in every instance1--misrepresent the meaning of the original text8 ,and the answer to this question ,i am content to await from any candid person of plain unsophisticated understanding4 ,is it credible1 concerning the ,divine expositions found in ,st4 ,matth4 xxii4 #ca1 #cb1--xxii4 #dc-e1--xii4 #ci1 #dj1--xi4 #aj1--,st4 ,john viii4 #ag1ah1--;i4 #eb1--vi4 #ca1 c1--x4 #cd-e3--the ,apostolic interpretations found in #a ,cor4 ix4 #i-aa1--x4 #a-f1--xv4 #bj1--;,heb4 ii4 #e-i1--vii4 #a-aj1--;,gal4 iv4 #ba-ca3--;is it conceivable1 ,i ask1 that not one of all these places should exhibit the actual 'meaning of the original text8' ,and yet1 7as ,mr4 ,jowett himself is forced to admit17--,if we attribute to the details of the ,mosaical ritual a reference to the ,new ,testament1 or suppose the passage of the ,red ,sea to be regarded not merely as a figure of ,baptism1 but as a preordained type2--the principle is conceded6 7p4 #cfi47 ,a little more or a little less of the method does not make the difference4 7,ibid47 ,in a word1--in such case1 ,mr4 ,jowett's ,essay falls to the ground6444 ,to proceed however4 #c4 ,the case of ,interpretation has not yet been fully set before the reader4 ,hitherto1 we have merely traced the problem back to the fountain-head1 and dealt with it simply as a ,scriptural question4 ,we have shewn what light is thrown upon ,interpretation by the volume of ,inspiration4 ,the subject has been treated in the same way in the ,vth and ,v,ith of my ,sermons4 ,but it will not be improper1 in this place1--it is even indispensable1--to develope the problem a little more fully2 and to explain that it is of much larger extent4 ,now1 there is a family resemblance in the method of all ancient expositions of ,holy ,scripture which vindicates for them1 however remotely1 a common origin4 ,there is a resemblance in the general way of handling the ,inspired ,word which can only be satisfactorily explained by supposing that the remote type of all was the oral teaching of the ,apostles themselves4 ,in truth1 is it credible that the early ,christians would have been so forgetful of the discourses of the men who had seen the ,,lord1 that no trace of it1--no tradition of so much as the manner of it1--should have lingered on for a hundred years after the death of the last of the ,apostles2 down to the time when ,origen1 for example1 was a young man8444 ,it cannot possibly be6 7i47 ,the things which thou hast heard of me among many witnesses1 7writes the great ,apostle to his son ,timothy17 the same commit thou to faithful men1 who shall be able to teach others also#aib4 ,provision is thus made by the aged ,saint1--in the last of his ,epistles1--for the transmission of his inspired teaching#aic to a second and a third generation4 ,now the words just quoted were written about the year #fe1 at which time ,timothy was a young man4 ,unless we suppose that ,,almighty ,,god curtailed the lives of the chief depositaries of ,his ,word1 ,timothy will have lived on till ,a4,d4 #ajj2 so that faithful men who died in the middle of the next century might have been trained and taught by him for many years4 ,it follows1 that the faithful men last spoken of will have been able to teach others also1 whose writings 7if they wrote at all7 would range from ,a4,d4 #aij to ,a4,d4 #baj4 ,now1 just such a writer is ,hippolytus1--who is known to have been taught by that faithful man ,irenus#aid1--to whom1 as it happens1 the deposit was committed by ,polycarp1--who stood to ,st4 ,john in the self-same relation as ,timothy to ,st4 ,paul6 7ii47 ,our ,,saviour is repeatedly declared to have interpreted the ,old ,testament to ,his ,disciples4 ,for instance1 to the two going to ,emmaus1 beginning at ,moses and all the ,prophets1 ,he interpreted to them in all the ,scriptures the things concerning ,himself#aie4 ,moreover1 before ,he left the world1 ,he solemnly promised ,his ,apostles that the ,,holy ,,ghost1 whom the ,,father should send in ,his ,name1 should teach them all things1 and bring to their remembrance all things which ,he had spoken to them#aif4 ,shall we believe that the ,treasury of ,divine ,inspiration thus opened by ,,christ ,himself was straightway closed up by its human guardians1 and at once forgotten8 ,shall we not rather believe that ,cleopas and his companion1 7for instance17 forthwith repeated their ,,lord',s words to every member of the ,apostolic body1 and to others also2 that they were questioned again and again by adoring listeners1 even to their extremest age2 aye1 and that they taxed their memories to the utmost in order to recal every little word1 every particular of our ,,saviour',s ,divine utterance8 ,it must be so6 ,and the echo1 the remote echo of that exposition1 depend upon it6 descended to a second1 aye and to a third generation2 yea1 and has come down1 faintly1 and feebly it may be1 but yet essentially and truly1 even to ourselves6 7iii47 ,and yet1--7for we would not willingly incur the charge of being fanciful in so solemn and important a matter17--the great fact to be borne in mind1 7and it is the great fact which nothing can ever set aside or weaken17 is1 that for the first century at least of our ra1 there existed within the ,christian ,church the gift of ,prophecy2 that is1 of ,inspired ,interpretation#aig4 ,the minds of the ,apostles1 ,,christ ,himself opened1 to understand the ,scriptures#aih4 ,can it be any matter of surprise that men so enlightened1 when they had been miraculously endowed with the gift of tongues#aii1 and scattered over the face of the ancient civilized ,world1 should have disseminated the same principles of ,catholic ,interpretation1 as well as the same elements of ,saving ,truth8 ,when this miraculous gift ceased1 its results did not also come to an end4 ,the fountain dried up1 but the streams which it had sent forth yet made glad the ,city of ,,god4 ,and by what possible logic can the teaching of the early ,church be severed from its source8 ,it cannot be supposed for an instant that such a severance ever took place4 ,the teaching of the ,apostolic age was the immediate parent of the teaching of the earliest of the ,fathers1--in whose ,schools it is matter of history that those ,patristic writers with whom we are most familiar1 studied and became famous4 ,accordingly1 we discover a method of ,interpreting ,holy ,scripture strictly resembling that employed by our ,,saviour and ,his ,apostles1 in all the earliest ,patristic writings4 ,as documents increase1 the evidence is multiplied2 and at the end of two or three centuries after the death of ,st4 ,john the ,evangelist1 voices are heard from ,jerusalem and other parts of ,palestine2 from ,antioch and from other parts of ,syria2 from the ,eastern and the ,western extremities of ,north ,africa2 from many regions of ,asia ,minor2 from ,constantinople and from ,greece2 from ,rome1 from ,milan1 and from other parts of ,italy2 from ,cyprus and from ,gaul2--all singing in unison2 all singing the same heavenly song6444 ,in what way but one is so extraordinary a phenomenon to be accounted for8 ,are we to believe that there was a general conspiracy of the ,east and the ,west1 the ,north and the ,south1 to interpret ,holy ,scripture in a certain way2 and that way1 the wrong way8 ,enough has been said1 it is thought1 to shew that many of ,mr4 ,jowett's remarks about the value of ,patristic evidence are either futile or incorrect2 or that they betray an entire misapprehension of the whole question1 not to say a thorough want of appreciation of the claims of ,antiquity4 ,we do not yield to the ',essayist and ,reviewer' in veneration for the ,inspired page2 and trust that enough has been said to shew it4 ,our eye1 when we read ,scripture1 7like his17 is fixed on the form of ,one like the ,son of ,man2 or of the ,prophet who was girded with a garment of camel's hair2 or of the ,apostle who had a thorn in the flesh4 7p4 #cch47 ,we are only unlike ,mr4 ,jowett we fear in this1--that we believe ex animo that the first-named was the ,eternal ,,son1 equal to the ,,father1 and of one substance with the ,,father#bjj3 and further that ,st4 ,paul's fourteen ,epistles are all inspired writings1 in an entirely different sense from the ,dialogues of ,plato or the ,tragedies of ,sophocles4 ,it follows1 that however riveted our mental gaze may be on the awful forms which come before us in ,holy ,scripture1--as often as we con the inspired record of the actions and of the sayings of those men1 we are constrained many a time to look upward1 and to exclaim with the ,psalmist1 ,thy thoughts are very deep#bja6 ,and often if asked1 ,understandest thou what thou readest8--we must still answer with the ,ethiopian1 ,how can ,i1 except some man should guide me#bjb8 7iv47 ,to assume however that our defective knowledge cannot be supplied by the conjectures of ,fathers or ,divines1 7p4 #cch17 is in some sort to beg the question at issue4 ,to say of the student of ,scripture that the history of ,christendom1 and all the afterthoughts of ,theology1 are nothing to him3 7p4 #cch37 that he has to imagine himself a disciple of ,,christ or ,paul1 and to disengage himself from all that follows3 7,ibid437 is not the language of modesty1 but of inordinate conceit4 ,in ,mr4 ,jowett it is in fact something infinitely worse2 for he shews that his object thereby is to obtain an unembarrassed opportunity of applying all the resources of a so-called criticism to discredit and destroy the written record itself#bjc4 ,true indeed it is1 that more than any other subject of human knowledge1 ,biblical criticism has hung 7sic47 to the past2 7p4 #cdj27 but the reason is also obvious4 ,it is because1 in the words of great ,bishop ,pearson1 ,philosophia quotidie progressu1 ,theologia nisi regressu non crescit#bjd4 ,o ye who are devoting yourselves to the ,divine ,science of ,theology1 7he exclaims17 and whose cheeks grow pale over the study of ,holy ,scripture above all2 ye who either fill the venerable office of the ,priesthood or intend it1 and are hereafter to undertake the awful cure of souls3--rid yourselves of that itch of the present age1 the love of novelty4 ,make it your business to inquire for that which was from the beginning4 ,resort for counsel to the fountain-head4 ,have recourse to ,antiquity4 ,return to the holy ,fathers4 ,look back to the primitive ,church4 ,in the words of the ,prophet1--',ask for the old paths#bje4' ,when therefore ,mr4 ,jowett classes together the early ,fathers1 the ,roman ,catholic mystical writers1 the ,swiss and ,german ,reformers1 and the ,nonconformist ,divines1 7p4 #cgg17--;he either shews a most lamentable want of intellectual perspective1 or a most perverse understanding4 ,so jumbled into one confused heap1 it may not be altogether untrue to say of ,commentators generally1 that the words of ,scripture suggest to them their own thoughts or feelings4 7p4 #cgg47 ,but when it is straightway added1 ,there is nothing in such a view derogatory to the ,saints and ,doctors of former ages1 7,ibid417 we are constrained1 7for the reasons already before the reader17 to remonstrate against so misleading and deceitful a way of putting the case4 ,mr4 ,jowett desires to be understood not to depreciate the genius or learning of famous men of old1 when he remarks that ,aquinas or ,bernard did not shake themselves free from the mystical method of the ,patristic times4 7,ibid47 ,but with singular obtuseness1 or with pitiful disingenuousness1 he does his best by such words to shut out from view the real question at issue1--namely1 the exegetical value of ,patristic ,antiquity4 ,for the ,church of ,england1 when she appeals1 7as she repeatedly does17 to the ,ancient ,fathers1 does not by any means intend such names as the ,abbot of ,clairvaux1 who flourished in the middle of the twelfth century2 or ,thomas of ,aquinum1 who lived later into the thirteenth4 ,it is the spirit of the ante-,nicene age which she defers to2 the ,fathers of the first four or five centuries to whose opinion she gives reverent attention2 as her formularies abundantly shew4 ,whether therefore ,aquinas and ,bernard were or were not able to shake themselves free from the mystical method of the ,patristic times1 matters very little4 ,the point to be observed is that the ,writers of the ,patristic times1 as a matter of fact1 did not shake themselves free from the mystical method of ,,christ and ,his ,apostles6 ,very far am ,i from denying that any one who1 instead of burying himself in the pages of the commentators1 would learn the ,sacred ,writings by heart1 and paraphrase them in ,english1 will probably make a nearer approach to their true meaning than he would gather from any ,commentary4 ,quite certain is it that the true use of ,interpretation is to get rid of interpretation1 and leave us alone in company with the author4 7p4 #chd47 ,but this is quite a distinct and different matter1 as every person of unsophisticated understanding must perceive at once4 ,the same thing will be found stated by myself1 in a subsequent part of the present volume1 at considerable length#bjf2 the qualifying condition having been introduced at p4 #af4 ,the truth is1 a man can no more divest himself of the conditions of thought habitual to one familiar with his ,prayer-,book1 than he can withdraw himself from the atmosphere of light in which he moves4 ,not the abuse of ,commentators on ,holy ,scripture1 but the principle on which ,holy ,scripture itself is to be interpreted1--is the real question at issue3 the fundamental question which underlies this1 being of course the vital one1--namely1 ,is the ,bible an inspired book1 or not8 ,apart from what has been already urged concerning the torrent of ,patristic ,interpretation#bjg which flows down not so much from the fountain-head of ,scripture1 7wherein so many specimens of ,inspired ,interpretation are preserved17 as from the fontal source of all ,wisdom and ,knowledge1--even the lips of the ,incarnate ,,word ,himself2--apart from this1 a very important ,historical circumstance calls for notice in this place4 ,how did ,christianity originate8 how did it first establish a footing in the world8 ,the answer is1 ,by the preaching of living men1 who said they were commissioned by ,,god to proclaim it4 ,that was the origin and first establishment of ,christianity4 ,there is indeed a vague and unreasoning notion prevalent that ,christianity was taken from the ,new ,testament4 ,the notion is historically untrue4 ,christianity was widely extended through the civilized world before the ,new ,testament was written2 and its several books were successively addressed to various bodies of ,christian believers2 to bodies1 that is1 who already possessed the faith of ,,christ in its integrity4 ,when1 indeed1 ,,god ceased to inspire persons to write these books1 and when they were all collected together into what we call the ,new ,testament1 the existing ,faith of the ,church1 derived from oral teaching1 was tested by comparison with this ,inspired ,record4 ,and it henceforth became the standing law of the ,church that nothing should be received as necessary to ,salvation1 which could not stand that test4 ,but still1 though thus tested1 7every article being proved by the ,new ,testament17 ,christianity is not taken from it2 for it existed before it4 ,what1 then1 was the ,christianity which was thus established8 ,have we any record of it as it existed before the ,new ,testament became the sole authoritative standard8 ,i answer1 we have4 ,the ,creeds of the ,christian ,church are the record of it4 ,that is precisely what they purport to be3 not documents taken from the ,new ,testament1 but documents transmitting to us the ,faith as it was held from the beginning2 the ,faith as it was preached by inspired men1 before the inspired men put forth any writings2 the ,faith once for all delivered to the ,saints4 ,accordingly you will find that our ,church in her viiith ,article does not ground her affirmation that the ,creeds ought to be 'thoroughly received and believed1' on the fact that they were taken from the ,new ,testament1 7which they were not27 but on the fact that 'they may be proved by most certain warrants of ,holy ,scripture4' ,it follows therefore from what has been said1 that even if bad men could succeed in destroying the authority of the ,bible as the ,word of ,,god1 all could not be up with ,christianity4 ,there would still remain to be dealt with the ,faith as it exists in the world2 the ,faith held from the beginning2 the ,faith once delivered to the ,saints4 ,none of the assaults on ,holy ,scripture can touch that2 for it traces itself to an independent origin4 ,the evil work1 therefore1 would have to be begun all over again4 ,the special doctrines which are impugned in ',essays and ,reviews' do not stand or fall with the ,inspiration or ,interpretation of ,scripture2 but are stereotyped in the ,faith of ,christendom4 ,the ,fall of ,man1 ,original ,sin1 the ,atonement1 the ,divinity of ,,christ1 the ,trinity1 all have their place in the ,faith held from the beginning4 ,they are imbedded in the ,creeds1 and in that general scheme of ,doctrine which circles round the ,creeds1 and is involved in them4 ,nay1 curiously enough1--or rather ,i should say providentially1--the very point against which the attacks of this book are principally directed1 namely the ,inspiration of the ,old ,testament1 is in express terms asserted there3--the ,,holy ,,ghost 'spake by the ,prophets#bjh4' ,it remains to shew the bearing of these remarks on ,mr4 ,jowett's ,essay4--,with infinite perseverance1 he dwells upon the nude ,scripture1 the merest letter of the ,sacred ,volume1 as if in it and in it alone1 resided the entire ,revelation of ,,christ1 and all possible means of judging what that ,revelation consists of3 whereas this is very far indeed from being the case4 ,every single ,book of the ,new ,testament was written1 as we have seen1 to persons already in possession of ,christian ,truth4 ,it is quite erroneous therefore1 historically and notoriously erroneous1 to suppose either that the ,divine ,institution of the ,church1 or that its ,doctrines1 were literally founded upon the written words of ,holy ,scripture2 or that they can impart no illustration nor help in the ,interpretation of those written words4444 ,the complete possession of the saving ,truth belonged to the ,christian ,church not by degrees1 nor in lapse of time1 but from the first4 ,of that saving truth1 thus taught and thus possessed1 the ,apostles' ,creed1 growing up as it did on every side of ,christendom as the faithful record of the uniform oral teaching of the ,apostles1 is the true and precious historical monument#bji2 and ,i venture to say that if any person claims to reject the ,apostles' ,creed as an auxiliary1 a great and invaluable auxiliary1 in interpreting the writings of the ,apostles1 he shews himself to be very wanting indeed in appreciation of the comparative value of ,historical ,evidence1 and of the true principles of ,historical ,philosophy4--,and not the ,apostles' ,creed only2 but the whole history and tradition of the universal ,church1--needing1 no doubt1 skill and discretion in its application1--supply1 when applied with requisite skill and discretion1 very valuable and real aid in interpreting ,holy ,scripture#baj4 ,when therefore ,mr4 ,jowett speaks contemptuously of the attempt to adapt the truths of ,scripture to the doctrines of the ,creeds1 7p4 #cec17 the kindest thing which can be said is that he writes like an ignorant1 or at least an unlearned man4 ,the ,creeds 7he says7 are acknowledged to be a part of ,christianity4444 ,yet it does not follow that they should be pressed into the service of the ,interpreter4 ,why not8 we ask4 ,the growth of ideas1 7he replies17 in the interval which separated the first century from the fourth or sixth makes it impossible to apply the language of the one to the explanation of the other4 ,between ,scripture and the ,nicene or ,athanasian ,creeds1 a world of the understanding comes in2 and mankind are no longer at the same point as when the whole of ,christianity was contained in the words ',believe on the ,,lord ,,jesus ,,christ and thou mayest be saved2' when the ,gospel centred in the attachment to a living and recently departed friend and ,lord4 7p4 #cec47 ,but there is a fallacy or a falsity at every step of this argument4 ,for when did the ,gospel ever centre in attachment8 or when was the whole of ,christianity contained in one short sentence8 ,supposing too that a world of the understanding does come in between the first century and the sixth2 how does it follow that it is impossible to apply the language of the ,creeds to the interpretation of ,holy ,scripture8 ,explain to me how that world of understanding affects the ,nicene ,creed8 ,even in the case of that most precious ,creed called the ,athanasian1--why need we assume that the growth of ideas has been a spurious growth8 ,what if it should prove1 on the contrary1 that the development has been that of the plant from the seed#baa8 ,above all1 why talk of the fourth or sixth century1--as if the ,creeds were not essentially much older2 nay1 co-eval with ,christianity itself8444 ,such writing shews nothing so much as a confused mind1--a weak1 ill-informed1 and illogical thinker4 ,indeed ,mr4 ,jowett seems to be altogether in the dark on the subject of the ,creeds3 for he speaks of them as the result of three or four centuries of reflection and controversy1 7p4 #cec17--which is by no means true of all of them2 nor1 except in a certain sense1 of any4 ,but when he inquires1--,if the occurrence of the phraseology of the ,nicene age in a verse of the ,epistles would detect the spuriousness of the verse in which it was found1--how can the ,nicene or ,athanasian ,creed be a suitable instrument for the interpretation of ,scripture8 7p4 #ced47--;he simply asks a fool's question4 ,the cases are not only not parallel1 but there is not even any analogy between them4 ,let us hear him a little further3-- ,absorbed as ,st4 ,paul was in the person of ,christ1 444 he does not speak of ,him as 'equal to the ,father1' or 'of one substance with the ,father#bab4' ,much of the language of the ,epistles1 7passages for example such as ,romans i4 #b3 ,philippians ii4 #f17 would lose their meaning if distributed in alternate clauses between our ,,lord',s ,humanity and ,divinity#bac4 ,still greater difficulties would be introduced into the ,gospels by the attempt to identify them with the ,creeds#bad4 ,we should have to suppose that ,he was and was not tempted#bae2 that when ,he prayed to ,his ,father ,he prayed also to ,himself#baf2 that ,he knew and did not know 'of that hour' of which ,he as well as the angels were ignorant#bag4 ,how could ,he have said ',my ,god1 ,my ,god1 why hast ,thou forsaken ,me8' or ',father1 if it be possible let this cup pass from ,me4' ,how could ,he have doubted whether 'when the ,son of ,man cometh ,he shall find faith upon the earth#bah8' ,these simple and touching words1 7p4 #cee17--pah6 ,now if what precedes means anything at all1--7,i am by no means certain however that it does67--it means that the writer does not believe in the ,divinity of our ,,lord ,,jesus ,,christ4 ,unless the sentence which is without a reference to the foot of the page be not a denial of the fundamental ,doctrine of the ,faith#bai1--;,i do not understand it4 ,but look at all which precedes2 and then say if those are the remarks of a man entitled to dogmatize ,on the ,interpretation of ,scripture4 444 ,if ,mr4 ,jowett really means that the ,creeds cannot be reconciled with the ,bible1--how can he himself subscribe to the ,v,i,i,ith ,article8 ,if he means nothing of the kind1--why does he write in such a weak1 cloudy1 illogical way8 ,but the whole of the case has not even yet been stated4 ,down from the remote period of which we have been hitherto speaking1--the age of primitive ,creeds1 and oecumenical ,councils1 and ancient ,fathers1--in every country of the civilized world to which the ,gospel has spread1--the loftiest ,intellect1 the profoundest ,learning1 the sincerest ,piety1 have invariably endorsed the ancient and original method of interpretation4 ,i am not implying that such corroboration was in any sense required2 but the circumstance that it has been obtained1 at least deserves attention4 ,modes of thought are dependent on times and countries4 ,there is a fashion in all things4 ,great advances in ,science1--grand epochs in civilization1--vicissitudes of opinion1--difference of institutions1 national traditions1 and the like1--might be supposed to have wrought a permanent change even in this department of ,sacred ,science4 ,but it is not so4 ,the storm has raged from one quarter or other of the heavens1 but has ever spent its violence in vain4 ,still has the ,church ,catholic retained her own unbroken tradition4 ,to keep to the history of that ,church to which we1 by ,,god',s mercy1 belong3--,the constant appeal1 at the time of our own great ,reformation1 was to the ,fathers of the first four centuries4 ,ever since1 the temper and spirit of our ,commentators has been to revert to the same standard1 to reproduce the same teaching4 ,the most powerful minds and the most holy spirits1--,english ,divines of the deepest thought and largest reading1--let me add1 of the soundest judgment and severest discrimination1--have1 in every age1 down to the present1 gratefully accepted not only the method1 but even the very details of primitive ,patristic ,interpretation4 ,but the acceptance of a hundred generations and the growing authority arising from it1--like the institutions based upon such ancient writings1 and the history into which they have entwined themselves indissolubly for many centuries1--all conspire to constitute a perpetually increasing and strengthening#bbj body of evidence on the subject of ,sacred ,interpretation4 ,now1 to oppose to the learning1 and piety1 and wisdom1 of every age of the ,english ,church1--to the unbroken testimony of the ,church ,universal1--7#c7 to the torrent of ,patristic ,antiquity1--7#d7 the decision of early ,councils1 and 7#e7 the 'still small voice' of primitive ,creeds1--yet more1 7#f7 to the constant practice of the ,apostles1--and1 above all1 7#g7 to the indisputable method of our ,divine ,,lord ,himself2--to oppose to all this mighty accumulation of evidence1 the simple priori convictions of--,mr4 ,jowett6 savours so strongly of the ridiculous1 that it really seems superfluous to linger over the antithesis for a single moment4 #d4 ,our task might now be looked upon as completed4--,it only remains1 in justice to the gentleman whose method we have been considering1 to ascertain by what considerations he is induced to reject that method of ,interpretation which1 as we have seen1 enjoys such overwhelming sanction4 7i7 ,in opposition to what goes before1 then1 he throws out a suggestion1 that nothing would be more likely to restore a natural feeling on this subject than a ,history of the ,interpretation of ,scripture4 ,it would take us back to the beginning2 it would present in one view the causes which have darkened the meaning of words in the course of ages4 7p4 #cch-i47 ,such a work would enable us to separate the elements of ,doctrine and ,tradition with which the meaning of ,scripture is encumbered in our own day4 7p4 #cci47 ,let us here be well understood with our author4 ,the advantage of a good ,history of ,interpretation would indeed be incalculably great4 ,but ,mr4 ,jowett1 7like most other writers of his class17 assumes the point he has to prove1 when he insinuates that the result of such a contribution to our ,theological ,literature would be to shew that all the world has been in error for #agjj years1 and that he alone is right4 ,that 'erring fancy' has often been at work in the fields of sacred criticism1--who ever doubted8 ,that there have been epochs of ,interpretation1--different ,schools1--and varying tastes1 in the long course of so many centuries of mingled light and darkness1 learning and barbarism2--what need to declare8 ,a faithful history of ,interpretation would of course establish these facts on a sure foundation4 ,but the ,reverend ,author forgets his ,logic when he goes on from these undoubted generalities to imply that all has been confusion and utter uncertainty until now4 ,above all1 common regard for the facts of the case ought to have preserved him from putting forth so monstrous a falsehood as the following3--,among ,german ,commentators there is for the first time in the history of the world1 an approach to agreement and certainty4 7p4 #cdj47 ,let us however1--passing by the many crooked remarks and unsound inferences with which the ,reverend writer1 7more suo17 delights to perplex a plain question#bba1--;invite him to abide by the test which he himself proposes4 ,for #agjj years1 7he says17 the ,interpretation of ,scripture has been obscured and encumbered by successive ,schools of ,interpretation4 ,the ,interpreter's concern 7he says7 is with the ,bible itself4 ,the simple words of that book he tries to preserve absolutely pure from the refinements of later times4444 ,the greater part of his learning is a knowledge of the text itself4 ,he is evidently the very man who sweeps the house to discover the pearl of great price4 7p4 #dad47 ,he has no delight in the voluminous literature which has overgrown it4 ,he has no theory of ,interpretation4 ,a few rules guarding against common errors are enough for him4444 ,he wants to be able to open his eyes1 and see or imagine things as they truly are4 7p4 #cch47 ,how crooked by the way is all this6 ,he has no theory of ,interpretation#bbb8 ,why1 no2 for the best of all reasons4 ,he denies ,inspiration altogether6 ,his theory is that the ,bible is an uninspired ,book6 444 ,how peculiar too1 and how plaintive is the want of the supposed ,interpreter1 to he able to open his eyes2--glued up1 as they no doubt are1 by the superstitious tendencies of the nineteenth century1 and the tyranny of an intolerant age6 ,but we may perhaps state the matter more intelligibly and simply1 thus3--,in order to ascertain the true principle of ,scriptural ,interpretation1 let us1--divesting ourselves of the complicated and voluminous lore of #agjj years1--resort to the ,bible itself4 ,let us go for our views to the fountain-head2 and abide by what we shall discover there4 ,a fairer proposal 7as ,i think7 never was made4 ,it exactly describes the method which ,i have humbly endeavoured myself to pursue in the ensuing ,sermons4 ,the inquiry will be found elaborated from p4 #ada to p4 #afj of the present volume2 and the result is to be read on the last-named page1 in the following words3--that it may be regarded as a fundamental rule1 that the ,bible is not to be interpreted like a common book4 ,this ,i gather infallibly from the plain fact1 that the inspired writers themselves habitually interpret it as no other book either is1 or can be interpreted4--,next1 ,i assert without fear of contradiction that inspired ,interpretation1 whatever varieties of method it may exhibit1 is yet uniform and unequivocal in this one result2 namely1 that it proves ,holy ,scripture to be of far deeper significancy than at first sight appears4 ,by no imaginable artifice of ,rhetoric or sophistry of evasion1--by no possible vehemence of denial or plausibility of counter assertion1--can it be rendered probable that ,scripture has invariably one only meaning2 and that meaning1 the most obvious and easy4 ,now1 the reader is requested to observe that what precedes is the direct contradictory of the position which ,mr4 ,jowett has written his ,essay in order to establish4 ,and thus we keep for ever coming back to his 1--the fundamental falsity which underlies the whole of what he has written4 7ii7 ,but although we have eagerly resorted to ,scripture itself in order to ascertain on what principle ,scripture ought to be interpreted1 we cannot for a moment allow some of the sophistries with which the ,reverend ,author has encumbered the question1 to escape without castigation4 ,he may not first court an appeal to the ,school of ,apostolical ,interpretation2 and then1 before the result of that appeal has been ascertained1 go off in praise of the illumination of the present age2 and claim to represent the ,theological mind of ,europe in his own person4 ,educated persons1 7he has the impertinence to assert17 are beginning to ask 7671 not what ,scripture may be made to mean1 but what it does4 ,and it is no exaggeration to say that he who in the present state of knowledge will confine himself to the plain meaning of words1 and the study of their context1 may know more of the original spirit and intention of the authors of the ,new ,testament than all the controversial writers of former ages put together4 7pp4 #cdj-a47 ,this might be tolerated perhaps1 in the self-constituted oracle of a ,mechanics' ,institute2 but as proceeding from a ,divinity ,lecturer in one of the first ,colleges in ,oxford1 ,i hesitate not to declare that such an opinion is simply disgraceful4 ,very much of a piece with this1 in point of flippancy1--7though barely consistent with his frequent assertions that the entire subject is hemmed in by grave difficulties17--are the ,regius ,professor of ,greek's remarks on the value of learning as a help to the ,interpretation of ,holy ,writ4 ,learning obscures as well as illustrates4 7p4 #ccg47--,there seem to be reasons for doubting whether any considerable light can be thrown on the ,new ,testament from inquiry into the language4 7p4 #cic47--,minute corrections of tenses or particles are no good4 7p4 #cic47--;,discussions respecting the chronology of ,st4 ,paul's life and his second imprisonment2 or about the identity of ,james1 the brother of the ,,lord2 or1 in another department1 respecting the use of the ,greek article1--have gone far beyond the line of utility4 7p4 #cic47 ,the minuteness of the study of ,greek in our own day has also a tendency to introduce into the text associations which are not really found there4 7p4 #cia47--,lastly1 he complains of the error of interpreting every particle1 as though it were a link in the argument2 instead of being1 as is often the case1 an excrescence of style4 7p4 #cia47 ,so then1 in brief1 the ,fathers are in a conspiracy to mislead3 ,creeds and ,councils encumber the sense3 ,modern ,commentators are not to be trusted3 the comparison of ,scripture with ,scripture1 except it be of the same age and the same authors1 will tend rather to confuse than to elucidate3 7p4 #chc37 ,learning obscures1 and an accurate appreciation of the meaning of the text is no good6--,when the meaning of ,greek words is once known#bbc1 the young student has almost all the real materials which are possessed by the greatest ,biblical scholar1 in the book itself4 7p4 #chd47 ,in a word1 7as ,dr4 ,moberly has had the manliness to remark17--,it simply comes to this3 ,a little ,greek1 7not too much17 and a strong self-relying imagination1 and you may interpret ,holy ,scripture as well as--,mr4 ,jowett6 7p4 lxii47 444 ,benighted himself1 the unhappy author of this ,essay is so apprehensive lest a ray of light from ,heaven shall break in upon one of his disciples1--even sideways1 as it were1 from the margin of the ,bible1--that he carefully prohibits the indiscriminate use of parallel passages as useless and uncritical4 444 ,yet may one not with discrimination refer to the margin8--,better not6 ,no good6 7p4 #cic47 replies the ,oracle4 ,even the critical use of parallel passages is not without danger4 7p4 #chc47 444 ,o shame6 ,and all this from a ,college ,tutor and ,lecturer on ,divinity6 this from one entrusted with the care of educating young men6 this from a ,regius ,professor of ,greek#bbd6 ,mr4 ,jowett congratulates himself that ,biblical criticism has made two great steps onward1--at the time of the ,reformation1 and in our own day4 ,but his notion is amply refuted by the known facts of the case3 for when he adds1--,the diffusion of a critical spirit in ,history and ,literature is affecting the criticism of the ,bible in our own day in a manner not unlike the burst of intellectual life in the fifteenth or sixteenth centuries2 7p4 #cdj27 he clearly requires to be reminded that the success of the ,divinity of the ,reformation was owing to the grand appeal then made to the ,patristic writings4 ,so far then as any of ourselves are resorting to those sources of information1 there may be a faint resemblance in kind between the spirit which animates us1 and that which wrought so nobly in the ,fathers of our spiritual freedom1--,cranmer and ,ridley and the other learned and holy men who revised our ,offices4 ,but if ,german ,commentators and their method be supposed to be the ideals to which the age is tending1 then the ,theology of the middle of the nineteenth century stands in marked contrast to what prevailed in the middle of the sixteenth2 and our spirit is the very reverse of theirs4--,but ,i hasten on4 7iii7 ,the uncertainty which prevails in the ,interpretation of ,scripture1 ,mr4 ,jowett proposes to get rid of1--7this is in fact the aim of his entire ,essay17 by denying that there are in ,scripture any deeper meanings to interpret4 ,in the meantime1 by every device in his power1 he seeks from priori considerations1 7as we have seen17 to shew that no such meanings can exist4 ,we allow ourselves to be biassed1 to a singular extent1 he says1 by certain previous suppositions with which we come to the perusal of ,scripture4 7p4 #cdb47 ,but for this1 no one would interpret ,scripture as many do4 7,ibid47 ,let us ascertain then what these erroneous suppositions are4 7#a7 ,the failure of a prophecy is never admitted1 in spite of ,scripture and of history1 7,jer4 xxxvi4 #cj4 ,isaiah xxiii4 ,amos vii4 #aj-ag47 7p4 #cdc47 ,now this can only mean two things3 viz4 first1 that a ,divine ,prophecy is not an infallible utterance3 and secondly1 that the three places quoted from the ,old ,testament are proofs of the fallibility of ,prophecy2 proofs which ought to overcome prejudice1 and persuade men to renounce their previous supposition that ,prophecy is infallible4 ,certainly the charge is a grave one4 ,for if ,prophecy is untrue1 then what becomes of ,inspiration8 ,and yet1 how stands the case8 ,the writer seems to have expected that no one would refer to the passages that he has bracketed1 or that all would be too ignorant to know the utter groundlessness of his assumption4 ,if there are1 in the whole ,scripture1 two past prophecies which were signally and remarkably fulfilled1 they are the first two which he has selected as instances to be dropped down1 without a remark1 of the failure of ,scripture prophecies6 ,and as to the third passage1 surely it implies an 'incuria' which might be deemed 'crassa' to have asserted that it contained an instance of the non-fulfilment of ,prophecy3 for it implies that ,mr4 ,jowett has read the verses to which he refers with so little attention as not to have discovered that the prediction which failed of its fulfilment was no utterance of ,amos1 but was the message of ,amaziah1 the priest of ,bethel1 in which he falsely attributes to ,amos words he had not spoken6444 ,surely such slips as these are as discreditable to a scholar as a ,divine#bbe6 ,and this1 from a gentleman who has the impertinence to remind us oracularly1 that he who would understand the nature of ,prophecy in the ,old ,testament1 should have the courage to examine how far its details were minutely fulfilled6 7p4 #cdg47 ,are we then to infer that ,mr4 ,jowett's courage failed him when he came to ,amos vii4 #aj-ag8 7#b7 ,the mention of a name later than the supposed age of the prophet is not allowed1 as in other writings1 to be taken in evidence of the date4 7,isaiah xlv4 #a47 7p4 #cdc47 ,but what is the meaning of this complaint when applied to ,isaiah's well known prophecy concerning ,cyrus8 ,in the words of the excellent critic last quoted1--,we know not that we could point to such an instance as this in the writings of any other author of credit4 ,of course1 ,mr4 ,jowett knows as well as we do the distinction between ,history and ,prophecy2 and that the mention in any document of the name of one who was unborn at the time fixed as the date of the writing1 would be at once a complete disproof of its accuracy as a history of the past1 and a proof of its accuracy as a prediction of the future4 ,of course he also remembers that the point he has to prove is that this passage is ,history and not ,prediction2 and his mode of proving is this2 he assumes that it is a history of the past1--advancing as a charge against the believers of ,revelation1 that they do not1 7as they would in any other ,history17 reject the genuineness of the passage because it embalms a future name in a past history6444 ,this audacious1 7for we cannot use a weaker word17 assumption of what he has to prove1 pervades his ,essay#bbf4 ,and thus1 into whatever department of speculation we follow this writer1 the tortuous path is still found to conduct us back to the same underlying fallacious assumption1--viz4 that the ,bible is like any other ,book2 in other words1 is not inspired4 7#c7 ,persons in ,mr4 ,jowett's position1 find themselves met by a sort of presupposition that ',,god speaks not as ,man speaks4'--7p4 #cdc47 ,a sort of presupposition1 indeed6444 ,does the ,reverend gentleman really expect that we will stoop so low as argue this point also with him8 ,it shall suffice to have branded him with his own words4 ,the suspicion of ,deism1 or perhaps of ,atheism1 awaits inquiry4 ,by such fears1 a good man 767 refuses to be influenced3 a philosophical mind 767 is apt to cast them aside with too much bitterness4 ,it is better to close the book1 than to read it under conditions of thought which are imposed from without4 7p4 #cdc47 ,well surely1 the proximity to ,balliol ,college of the scene of ,cranmer and ,ridley's martyrdom1 must have turned the brain of the ,regius ,professor of ,greek6--,let him be well assured however that not rational ,inquiry1 but irrational assumption2 not the modest cogitations of a philosophical mind1 but the arrogant dreams of a weak and confused intellect1 are what have excited such general indignation of late1 among good men1 from one end of the ,kingdom to the other4 ,nor could anything probably of equal pretensions be readily appealed to1 which is nevertheless more truly unphilosophical1 fallacious1 and foolish1 than the ,essay now under consideration4 7iv7 ,subsequently1 7p4 #cdd17 ,mr4 ,jowett professes to grapple with the phenomenon of ,inspiration4 ,his method is instructive4 ,he begins by inadvertently advancing a direct untruth3 for he asserts that for none of the higher or supernatural views of ,inspiration is there any foundation in the ,gospels or ,epistles4 7p4 #cde47--;,had he then forgotten ,st4 ,paul's statements in ,gal4 i4 #a1 #aa-ag3 ii4 #b1 #g-i4 #a ,cor4 xv4 #c4 ,ephes4 iii4 #c1 c41 c48 ,but ,i have established the contradictory of the ,professor's position in the ensuing ,sermons1 p4 #ec to p4 #eg1 to which the reader must be referred4--,this done1 he proceeds to assert that1 7#a7 ,inspiration does not preserve a writer from inaccuracy4 ,and the charge is substantiated by the following ridiculous enumeration3--,one ,evangelist supposes the original dwelling-place of our ,,lord',s ,parents to have been ,bethlehem#bbg1 another ,nazareth#bbh4 7,this from a ,lecturer on ,divinity6 ,does ,mr4 ,jowett then suppose that his readers have never opened the ,gospels1 and do not know better8 ,why1 both his statements are simply false67--,they trace ,his genealogy in different ways4 7,yes4 ,in two4 ,and why not in twenty8 ,is ,mr4 ,jowett not aware that a genealogy may be differently traced through different ancestors87--,one mentions the thieves blaspheming3 another has preserved to after ages the record of the penitent thief3 7,and why should he not87--,they appear to differ about the day and hour of the ,crucifixion4 7,yes1 they appear to differ3 but they do not differ67--,the narrative of the woman who anointed our ,,lord',s feet with ointment is told in all four1 each narrative having more or less considerable variations4 7,there is no conceivable reason why this should not have been as ,mr4 ,jowett relates2 but1 as a matter of fact1 we have here another of this ,gentleman's private blunders1--shewing what an uncritical reader he must be1 of that book concerning which he presumes to dogmatize so freely47--,these are a few instances of the differences which arose in the traditions of the earliest ages respecting the history of our ,,lord4 7,nay1 but this is to beg the whole question67--,he who wishes to investigate the character of the sacred writings should not be afraid to make a catalogue of them all1 with the view of estimating their cumulative weight4 7p4 #cdf47 7,truly1 it would be well for ,mr4 ,jowett if he had as little to fear from such investigations as the ,evangelists67 ,in the same way1 he who would understand the nature of ,prophecy in the ,old ,testament1 should have the courage to examine how far its details were minutely fulfilled4 ,the absence of such a fulfilment may further lead him to discover that he took the letter for the spirit in expecting it4 7p4 #cdg47 ,but really this is again simply to beg the whole question4 ,unbecoming in any writer1 how absurd also is such a sentence from the pen of one who1 7as we have lately seen17 no sooner descends to particulars than he makes himself ridiculous by betraying his own excessive ignorance4444 ,the letter for the spirit1 also6 which is one of the 'cant' expressions of ,mr4 ,jowett and his accomplices in 'free handling1'--based evidently on a misconception of the meaning of #b ,cor4 iii4 #f4 ,the contrast recurs at pp4 #cf1 #ceg1 #cge1 #dbe1 c41 c4 7#b7 ,still bent on shewing that ,inspiration does not secure ,scripture from blots and blemishes1 ,mr4 ,jowett proceeds as follows4 7,i must present him to the reader1 for a short space1 in extenso2 since by no other expedient can the complicated fallacies of his very intricate and perverse method be exposed47 ,inspiration is a fact which we infer from the study of ,scripture1--not of one portion only1 but of the whole4 7p4 #cdg47 7,now even this is not a correct way of stating the case4 ,still1 because the words may bear an honourable sense1 we pass on47--,obviously then1 it embraces writings of very different kinds1--the book of ,esther1 for example1 or the ,song of ,solomon1 as well as the ,gospel of ,st4 ,john4 7,that the volume of ,inspiration is of this complex character1 and that it embraces writings so diverse1 is beyond dispute47--,it is reconcileable with the mixed good and evil of the characters of the ,old ,testament1 which nevertheless does not exclude them from the favour of ,,god4 7,why the ,inspiration of a writer should not be 'reconcileable' with any amount of wickedness in the persons about whom he writes1--,i am quite at a loss to perceive4 ,neither do ,i see why the mixed good and evil of certain characters of the ,old ,testament1 7or of the ,new either17 should exclude them from the favour of ,,god4 ,what else becomes of your hope1 and mine1 of ,eternal ,life87--,inspiration is also reconcileable1 7he proceeds17--with the attribution to the ,divine ,being of actions at variance with that higher revelation which ,he has given of ,himself in the ,gospel4 7,is this meant as an insult to the ,divine ,being8 or simply as a slur on ,revelation8 ,either way1 we reject the charge with indignation#bbi47--;,it is not inconsistent with imperfect or opposite aspects of the ,truth1 as in the ,book of ,job or ,ecclesiastes3 7,nothing which comes from ,,god should be called imperfect3 but why different aspects of the ,truth should not be brought out1 by different writers1 as by ,st4 ,paul and by ,james1--it is hard to see47--,with variations of fact in the ,gospels1 or the ,books of ,kings and ,chronicles3 7,we do not admit that ,inspiration is consistent with variations of fact2 but with different versions of the same incident1 it is confessedly compatible47--,with inaccuracies of language in the ,epistles of ,st4 ,paul4 7,with grammatical inelegancies1 no doubt2 but not with logical inaccuracies47--,for these are all found in ,scripture3 7,this statement1 by the way1 should have been substantiated by at least as many references as there are heads in the indictment17--neither is there any reason why they should not be2 except a general impression that ,scripture ought to have been written in a way different from what it has4 7,just as if ,mankind for #ahjj years had been the victims of an priori conception as to how ,holy ,scripture ought to have been written67--,a principle of progressive revelation admits them all2 and this is already contained in the words of our ,,saviour1 ',moses because of the hardness of your hearts2' or even in the ,old ,testament1 ',henceforth there shall be no more this proverb in the house of ,israel8' 7,o if ,catholic writers were to expound ,holy ,scripture with the license of these gentlemen6444 ,that the scheme of ,revelation has been progressive1 is a ,theological truism4 ,what that has to do with the question in hand1 ,i see not47--,for what is progressive is necessarily imperfect in its earlier stages3 7,imperfect in what sense87--and even erring to those who come after4 7,no1 not in that sense imperfect1 certainly67 444 ,there is no more reason why imperfect narratives should be excluded from ,scripture than imperfect grammar2 no more ground for expecting that the ,new ,testament would be logical or ,aristotelian in form1 than that it would be written in ,attic ,greek4 7,now why this cloudy shuffling about imperfect narratives1--instead of saying what you mean1 like a man6 ,further1--,is ,mr4 ,jowett so weak as not to perceive that there is no force whatever in his supposed parallel8 ,the ,discourses of the ,incarnate ,,son1 for instance1 are certainly anything but ,aristotelian in form4 ,his dialect1--7,angels bowed to catch it1 ,i nothing doubt67--was that of the despised ,galilee4 ,but need the teaching it conveyed have therefore been imperfect8 ,why may not the least perfect ,greek be the vehicle for the more perfect ,doctrine8 ,what connexion is there between the casket and the jewel which it encloses87 7#c7 ,the ,reverend writer promises us help1 from another consideration which has been neglected by writers on this subject4 7,the announcement makes us attentive47--,it is this1--that any true ,doctrine of ,inspiration must conform to all well-ascertained facts of ,history or of ,science4 7,we scarcely see the drift of this ill-worded proposition2 but are disposed to assent47--,the same fact cannot be true and untrue1 7,who ever supposed that it could87--any more than the same words can have two opposite meanings4 7,but why glide at once into a gross falsity8 ,are there not plenty of words and speeches1 of the kind called 'equivocal' or 'ambiguous1' which are of this nature8 ,i am content to refer this writer to his own pages1 for the abundant refutation of his own assertion4 ,no man in the world knows better than ,mr4 ,jowett that the same words can have two opposite meanings47 ,the same fact cannot be true in ,religion1 when seen by the light of ,faith2 and untrue in ,science1 when looked at through the medium of evidence or experiment4 7,why not8 ,for example1--',he maketh ,his ,sun to rise4' ',if ,,god so clothe the grass of the field4' ',,god said1 ,let there be light4' ,who sees not that the view which ,faith and which ,physical ,science respectively take of the same phenomenon1 may essentially differ87--,it is ridiculous to suppose that the ,sun goes round the ,earth in the same sense in which the ,earth goes round the ,sun2 7,very ridiculous47--or that the world appears to have existed1 but has not existed1 during the vast epochs of which ,geology speaks to us4 7,leave out the words1 appears to have1 and this also is undeniable47--,but if so1 there is no need of elaborate reconcilements of ,revelation and ,science4 7,how does that follow8 ,if what is thought to be ,divinely revealed1 and what is thought to be scientifically ascertained1 seem to be conflicting truths1--why should not an effort be made to reconcile them87 ,they reconcile themselves the moment any scientific truth is distinctly ascertained4 7,yes3 by the ,human simply trying to thrust the ,divine out of doors67--,as the idea of ,nature enlarges1 the idea of ,revelation also enlarges3 7,i deny that there is any such intimate connexion as this author supposes between ,physical ,science and ,divinity17--it was a temporary misunderstanding which severed them4 7,but when were ,nature and ,revelation ever for an instant severed87--,and as the knowledge of ,nature which is possessed by the few is communicated in its leading features at least1 to the many1 they will receive it with a higher conception of the ways of ,,god to ,man4 ,it may hereafter appear as natural to the majority of ,mankind to see the ,providence of ,,god in the order of the world1 as it once was to appeal to interruptions of it4 7p4 #cdi47 7,as if an increased knowledge of ,nature were the condition of ,theological enlightenment6444 ,i presume that the latter clause1--so hazy and the reverse of obvious in its meaning6--is intended to convey the sentiment which ,mr4 ,baden ,powell expresses as follows3--,the inevitable progress of research must1 within a longer or shorter period1 unravel all that seems most marvellous2 and what is at present least understood will become as familiarly known to the ,science of the future1 as those points which a few centuries ago were involved in equal obscurity1 but now are thoroughly understood#bcj47 7#d7 ,we are next informed that there are a class of scientific facts with which popular opinions on ,theology often conflict4444 ,such especially are the facts relating to the formation of the ,earth and the beginnings of the ,human ,race4 7p4 #cdi47 7,and pray1 what facts are these1 relative to the beginnings of the ,human ,race1 which conflict with ,scripture87 444 ,almost all intelligent persons are agreed that the earth has existed for myriads of ages3 7,which is perfectly true47--,the best informed are of opinion that the history of nations extends back some thousand years before the ,mosaic ,chronology4 7,which is decidedly false47--,recent discoveries in ,geology may perhaps open a further vista of existence for the human species2 while it is possible1 and may one day be known1 that ,mankind spread not from one but from many centres over the globe2 or1 7as others say17 that the supply of links which are at present wanting in the chain of animal life may lead to new conclusions respecting the origin of ,man4 7,a cool way1 this1 of anticipating that something which 'may'--7or may not67--be discovered hereafter1 will demonstrate that the beginning of the ,bible is all a fable67--,now1 7proceeds our author17 let it be granted that the proof of some of these facts1 especially of those last-mentioned1 is wanting2 still it is a false policy to set up ,inspiration or ,revelation in opposition to them1 a principle which can have no influence on them1 and should be kept rather out of their way4 7,considerate man67 ,the ,sciences of ,geology and comparative ,philology are steadily gaining ground4 ,many of the guesses of twenty years ago have been certainties2 and the guesses of to-day may hereafter become so4 ,shall we peril ,religion 767 on the possibility of their untruth8 on such a cast to stake the life of ,man1 implies not only a recklessness of facts 7671 but a misunderstanding of the nature of the ,gospel4 ,if it is fortunate for ,science1 it is perhaps more fortunate for ,christian ,truth1 that the admission of ,galileo's discovery has for ever settled the principle of the relations between them4--7pp4 #cdi-ej47 444 ,now1 what a curious picture of a perverse and crooked mind does such a sentence exhibit6 ,divine ,revelation can have no influence of course1 on facts of any kind1 7including facts in ,physical ,science17 when once those facts have been well ascertained4 ,but1 in the entire absence of such facts1 why should we refuse to listen to the well ascertained ,revelation of ,,god8 ,nothing is more emphatic1 for example1 than the ,divine declaration that the whole ,human family is derived from a single pair2 and the origin of ,man is plainly set down in ,genesis4 ,why then oppose to this1 the confessedly undiscovered fact that mankind spread from many centres2 and the purely speculative possibility that1 hereafter1 a certain theory may lead to new conclusions respecting the origin of ,man8--,as for ,religion being perilled on the possibility of the truth or untruth of the ,sciences of ,geology and comparative ,philology2--we really would submit that ,,god may be safely left to take care of ,his own2 and that peril1 there is1--there can be1--none6 ,and then1 the maudlin tenderness of an ,essayist and ,reviewer 7of all persons in the world67 for the life of ,man1--meaning thereby his ,christian hope1 and ,faith in the ,,redeemer6444 ,as if1 7first17 ,man's ,life were in any sense endangered1 by our upholding the honour and authority of the ,bible6 ,and 7secondly17 as if the age had shewn itself in the least degree impatient of scientific investigation6 ,and 7thirdly17 as if ,religion depended1 or could be made to depend1 on ,physical phenomena1 or on the progress of ,natural ,science1 at all6 444 ,i scruple not to say that arguments like these impress me with the meanest opinion of ,mr4 ,jowett's intellectual powers3 while they prove to demonstration that he does not in the least understand the subject on which he yet writes with such feeble vehemence4 ,but ,i may not proceed any further1 or my pages will equal in extent those of the gentleman already named4 ,indeed1 to follow that most confused of thinkers1 and crooked of disputants1 through all his perverse pages2 to expose his habitual paltry evasive dodging1--his shifting equivocations1--his misapplications of ,scripture1--his unworthy insinuations1--his plaintive puerilities of thought and sentiment2--would require a thick volume4--,if ,mr4 ,jowett does not deny the ,personality of the ,,holy ,,ghost1 he ought to be thoroughly ashamed of himself for penning sentences which can lead to no other inference4 ,for he ought to know that when men talk of words receiving a more exact meaning than they will truly bear2 and of what is spoken in a figure being construed with the severity of a logical statement1 while passages of an opposite tenour are overlooked or set aside3--7p4 #cfj47 men mean to repudiate the doctrine which those words are thought to convey2 not to imply their acceptance of it4--,so again1 if ,mr4 ,jowett holds the doctrine of ,original ,sin1 he ought to be heartily ashamed of himself for having insinuated that it depends on two figurative expressions of ,st4 ,paul to which there is no parallel in any other part of ,scripture4 7p4 #cfa47--,nor1 however moderate his attainments as a teacher of ,divinity1 ought he to be capable of putting forth such a notorious misstatement as that the doctrine of ,infant ,baptism rests upon a verse in the ,acts 7xvi4 #cc17--which verse has really nothing whatever to do with the question#bca4 7p4 #cfj47 ,professor ,jowett shuts up his ,essay with a passage which1 for a certain amount of tender pathos in the sentiment1 has been often quoted1 and sometimes admired1 ,he says3-- ,the suspicion or difficulty which attends critical inquiries is no reason for doubting their value4 ,the ,scripture nowhere leads us to suppose that the circumstance of all men speaking well of us is any ground for supposing that we are acceptable in the sight of ,god4 ,and there is no reason why the condemnation of others should be witnessed to by our own conscience4 ,perhaps it may be true that1 owing to the jealousy or fear of some1 the reticence of others1 the terrorism of a few1 we may not always find it easy to regard these subjects with calmness and judgment4 ,but1 on the other hand1 these accidental circumstances have nothing to do with the question at issue2 they cannot have the slightest influence on the meaning of words1 or on the truth of facts4444 ,lastly1 there is some nobler idea of truth than is supplied by the opinion of mankind in general1 or the voice of parties in a ,church4 ,every one1 whether a student of ,theology or not1 has need to make war against his prejudices no less than against his passions2 and1 in the religious teacher1 the first is even more necessary than the last4444 ,he who takes the prevailing opinions of ,christians and decks them out in their gayest colours1--who reflects the better mind of the world to itself--is likely to be its favourite teacher4 ,in that ministry of the ,gospel1 even when assuming forms repulsive to persons of education 7671 no doubt the good is far greater than the error or harm4 ,but there is also a deeper work which is not dependent on the opinions of men1 in which many elements combine1 some alien to ,religion1 or accidentally at variance with it4 ,that work can hardly expect to win much popular favour1 so far as it runs counter to the feelings of religious parties4 ,but he who bears a part in it may feel a confidence1 which no popular caresses or religious sympathy could inspire1 that he has by a ,divine help been enabled to plant his foot somewhere beyond the waves of ,time4 ,he may depart hence before the natural term1 worn out with intellectual toil2 regarded with suspicion by many of his contemporaries2 yet not without a sure hope that the love of ,truth1 which men of saintly lives often seem to slight1 is1 nevertheless1 accepted before ,,god4--7pp4 #dcb-c47 ,my respect for a fellow-man induces me to offer a few remarks on all this4 ,let me be permitted then to declare that ,i am as incapable as any one who ever breathed the air of this lower world1 of making light of the sentiments of true genius4 ,i can respond with my whole heart to the passion-stricken cry of one who1 when regarded with suspicion by many of his contemporaries1 is observed to hail his fellows with confidence1 across the gulph of ,time2 and as it were implore them1 after many days1 to do him right4 ,nay1 were ,i to behold a man of splendid1 but misguided powers1 elaborating from ,,god',s ,word a plausible system of his own1 whereby to bring back the ,golden ,age to suffering ,humanity2 and insisting that he beheld in the common revelations of the ,,spirit1 the unsuspected outlines of such a form of polity as ,man never dreamed of1--7nor1 it may be1 ,angels either27--,i should experience a kind of generous sympathy with this bright-eyed enthusiast2 even while ,i proceeded to test his wild dream by what ,i believed to be the standard of right ,reason4 ,then1 as the specious fabric was seen suddenly to collapse and melt away1 should ,i not1 with affectionate sorrow1 secretly mourn that such brilliant parts had not been enlisted on the side of ,truth8 and feel as if ,i could have been content to go about for life maimed in body1 or hopelessly impoverished in estate1 if so great a disaster could but have been prevented as the loss of one who ought to have been a standard-bearer in ,israel8 ,once more4 ,although the cold shade of unbelief has never for an instant1 7thank ,,god67 darkened my spirit2 so that one may not be very apt to sympathize with men who walk about hampered with a doubt2 yet1 were one to know1 7as one has often known1--too often1 alas67 that the arrow was rankling in a friend's heart1--who by consequence shunned the society of his fellows1 and walked in moody abstraction1--looking as if life had lost its charm1 and as if nothing on the earth's surface were any longer to him a joy2--would one not be the first to go after such a sufferer2 and seek whether a firm hand and steady eye might not avail to extract the poisoned shaft8 ,if that might not be1 at least by daily acts of unaltered kindness1 and the ways which brotherly sympathy suggests1 who would not strive to recover such an one8 ,if all other arts proved unavailing1 it would remain for a man with the ordinary instincts of humanity1 in silence and sorrow at least1 to look on1 while the solitary doubter was paying the bitter penalty1--doubtless1 of his sin4 ,but how widely different1--rather1 how utterly dissimilar1--is the phenomenon before us6 ,here is a singularly confused and shallow thinker oppressed with the vastness of his discovery1 that the ,bible--has nothing in it6 ,here is a ,clergyman of the ,church of ,england1 and a ,lecturer in ,divinity1 whose difficulty is how he shall convince the world that the ,bible is--like any other book6 ,here is the sceptical fellow of a ,college1 conspiring with six others1 to produce a volume of which ,germany itself1 7having changed its mind17 would already be ashamed6444 ,mr4 ,jowett is enthusiastic for a negation6 ,without belief himself1 he cannot rest because ,christendom has1 on the whole1 a good deal of belief remaining6 ,if he may but unsettle somebody's mind1--his ,essay will have achieved its purpose1 and its author will not have lived in vain6444 ,sublime privilege for the only man in the ,university of ,oxford who is said to exercise a moral and spiritual influence at all corresponding to that which was once wielded by ,john ,henry ,newman#bcb6 ,i shall be thought a very profane person1 ,i dare say1 by the friends and apologists of ,mr4 ,jowett1 if ,i avow that the passage with which he concludes his ,essay1 instead of sounding in my ears like the plaintive death-song of departing ,genius1 sounds to me like nothing so much as the piteous whine of a schoolboy who knows that he deserves chastisement1 and perceives that he is about to experience his deserts4 ,system1 or ,theory1 the ,reverend ,gentleman has none to propose4 ,views1 except negative ones1 ,mr4 ,jowett is altogether guiltless of4 ,can anybody in his senses suppose that a man has1 by a ,divine help 7671 been enabled to plant his foot somewhere beyond the waves of ,time1 7p4 #dcc17 who doubts everything1 and believes nothing8 ,can any one of sane mind dream that posterity will come to the rescue of a man who1 when he is asked for his story1 rejoins1 7with a well-known needy mechanic17 that he has none to tell1 ,sir8 ,what then is posterity to vindicate8 ,what has the ,regius ,professor of ,greek written so many weak pages to prove8 ,just nothing6 ,if ,mr4 ,jowett's ,essay could enforce the message it carries1 the result would simply be that the world would become disbelievers in the ,inspiration of the ,bible3 they would disbelieve that ,scripture has any sense but that which lies on the surface3 they would therefore disbelieve the ,prophets and ,evangelists and ,apostles of ,,christ3 they would disbelieve the words of our ,,lord ,,jesus ,,christ ,himself6444 ,has ,mr4 ,jowett1 then1 grown grey under the laborious process of arriving at this series of negations8 ,when he anticipates departing hence before the natural term1 does he mean that he is worn out with the intellectual toil of propounding nothing6 and that he expects the sympathy and gratitude of posterity for what he has propounded8 ,but this is not all4 ,instead of coming abroad1 7if come abroad he must17 in that garb of humility which befits doubt1--that self-distrust which becomes one whose fault1 or whose misfortune it is1 that he simply cannot believe1--,mr4 ,jowett assumes throughout1 the insolent air of intellectual superiority2 the tone of one at whose bidding ,theology must absolutely 'keep moving4' ,a truncheon and a number on his collar1 alone seem wanting4 ,the menacing voice1 and authoritative air1 are certainly not away1--as ,i proceed to shew4 ,it may be observed that a change in some of the prevailing modes of ,interpretation1 is not so much a matter of expediency as of necessity4 ,the original meaning of ,scripture is beginning to be understood4 7p4 #dah47 ,criticism has far more power than it formerly had4 ,it has spread itself over ancient1 and even modern history4444 ,whether ,scripture can be made an exception to other ancient writings1 now that the nature of both is more understood2 whether 444 the views of the last century will hold out1--these are questions respecting which 7p4 #dbj47 it is hard to judge4 ,it has to be considered whether the intellectual forms under which ,christianity has been described1 may not also be in a state of transition4 7p4 #dbj47 ,now1 as the ,interpretation of ,scripture is receiving another character1 it seems that distinctions of ,theology which were in great measure based on old ,interpretations1 are beginning to fade away4 444 ,there are other signs that times are changing1 and we are changing too4 7p4 #dba47 ,these reflections bring us back to the question with which we began1--,what effect will the critical ,interpretation of ,scripture have on ,theology8 7p4 #dbb47 ,again3--,as the time has come when it is no longer possible to ignore the results of criticism1 it is of importance that ,christianity should be seen to be in harmony with them4 7p4 #cgd47 7,the sentences which immediately follow shall be exhibited in distinct paragraphs1 in order that they may separately enjoy admiration4 ,each is a gem or a curiosity in its way47 ,that objections to some received views should be valid1 and yet that they should be always held up as the objections of ,infidels1--is a mischief to the ,christian cause4 ,it is a mischief that critical observations which any intelligent man can make for himself 7671 should be ascribed to ,atheism or ,unbelief4 ,it would be a strange and almost incredible thing that the ,gospel1 which at first made war only on the vices of mankind1 should now be opposed to one of the highest and rarest of human virtues1--the love of ,truth4 ,and that in the present day the great object of ,christianity should be1 not to change the lives of men1 but to prevent them from changing their opinions2 that would be a singular inversion of the purposes for which ,,christ came into the world4 ,we are really constrained to pause for a moment1 and to inquire what this last sentence means4 ,are not the lives of men mainly dependent on their opinions8 ,why then contrast the two8 ,and which of our opinions does ,mr4 ,jowett desire to see changed8 ,would he have us resign our belief in the ,atonement8 reject the ,divinity of ,,christ8 deny the ,personality of the ,,holy ,,ghost8 put the ,bible on a level with ,sophocles and ,plato8 ridicule the idea of ,inspiration8444 ,how would it be a singular inversion of the purposes of ,,christ',s ,coming1 that ,christianity should prevent mankind from changing such opinions as these8 ,the ,christian religion is in a false position when all the tendencies of knowledge are opposed to it4 7,all the tendencies of knowledge1 then1 are opposed to the ,christian ,religion67 ,such a position cannot be long maintained1 or can only end in the withdrawal of the educated classes from the influences of ,religion4 7,so we are to look for the withdrawal of the educated classes from the influences of ,religion#bcc67 ,after anticipating religious dissolution1 because of the progress of ideas1 767 with which ,christian teachers seem to be ill at ease1 767 ,mr4 ,jowett1 7who we presume is speaking of himself17 says1 ,time was when the ,gospel was before the ,age3 7,the ,gospel is therefore now behind the age67--when the difficulties of ,christianity were difficulties of the heart only3 7,when was that87--and the highest minds found in its truths not only the rule of their lives1 but a well-spring of intellectual delight4 7,all this then has ceased to be the case6 ,the highest minds being of course represented by--,mr4 ,jowett67 ,is it to be held a thing impossible that the ,christian ,religion1 instead of shrinking into itself1 767 may again embrace the thoughts of men upon the earth8 7that is to say1 embrace the thoughts of--,mr4 ,jowett67--,or is it true that since the ,reformation 'all intellect has gone the other way8' ,but for the faith that the ,gospel might win again the minds of intellectual men1 7such men as ,mr4 ,jowett87--it would be better to leave ,religion to itself1 instead of attempting to draw them together4 7p4 #cgf47 ,now this kind of language1 in daily life1 would be called sheer impertinence2 and the person who could talk so before educated gentlemen would probably receive an intimation that he was making himself offensive4 ,he would certainly be looked upon as a weak and conceited person4 ,i really am unable to see why things should be written and printed which no one would presume to say6 444 ,encircled by a little atmosphere of fog of his own creating1 ,mr4 ,jowett is evidently under the delusion that his own confused vision and misty language are the result of the giddy eminence to which1 7leaving his fellow-mortals far behind him17 he has contrived1 all alone1 to soar4 ,he anticipates the complaint of some unhappy disciple1 that he experiences a sort of shrinking or dizziness at the prospect which is opening before him3 whereupon ,mr4 ,jowett invites the highly educated young man1 7p4 #cgc17 to consider that he may possibly not be the person who is called upon to pursue such inquiries4 ,who are they for1 then8 ,no man should busy himself with them who has not clearness of mind enough to see things as they are4 7p4 #dcj47 ,the clearness of mind1 for example1 which belongs to ,mr4 ,jowett6 ,true enough it is that had such airs been assumed by such an one as ,richard ,hooker1 who achieved the first four books of his ',laws of ,ecclesiastical ,polity' before he was #dj2 and dying in his #dfth year1 proved himself to be the greatest genius of his age3--had language like ,mr4 ,jowett's been found on the lips of ,joseph ,butler1 who when he was #dd produced his immortal ',analagy1' and at the age of #bf delivered his famous ,rolls ',sermons3'--had ,bishop ,bull been betrayed into the language of self-complacency when1 at the age of #ce1 he made himself famous by his ',harmonia ,apostolica3'--the proceeding would have been intelligible1 however much one might have lamented such an exhibition of weakness4444 ,but when the speaker proves to be one of the very shallowest of thinkers1 and most confused of reasoners2--a man who1 although grey-headed1 has done nothing whatever for ,literature1 sacred or profane2--nor indeed is known out of ,oxford except for having been thought to deny the ,doctrine of the ,atonement2--a man who dogmatizes in a ,science of which he clearly does not know so much as the very alphabet2 and presumes to dispute about a ,bible which he has evidently not read with the attention which is due even to a first-rate uninspired book2--then1 one's displeasure and impatience assume the form of indignation and disgust4 ,the ,divine who1 purposing to prove that ,holy ,scripture is in kind like any other book1 does so by inveighing against those who treat it differently2 and indeed1 on every occasion1 assumes as proved the thing he has to prove#bcd3--;is obviously the very man to vaunt the privileges of the intellect4 ,the student of the ,bible who mistakes the utterance of a lying prophet for the language of ,amos1 and then boldly charges the lie upon the inspired author of a book of ,canonical ,scripture2--is of course a proper person to discuss the ,prophetic ,canon4 ,the gentleman who flatters himself that he has been sweeping the house to find the pearl of great price1 7p4 #dad17 is a very pretty person1 truly1 to lecture about the ,gospel6444 ,i forbear reproaching ,mr4 ,jowett with his invariable misapplications or misapprehensions of the meaning of ,scripture3 his false glosses1 and truly preposterous specimens of exegesis#bce4 ,i am content to take leave of him1 while he is flattering himself that he has found the pearl of great price1 after sweeping the house3 7p4 #dad37 and under that melancholy delusion1 ,i fear he must be left1--holding the broom in his hands4 99 99 99 99 99 ,on a review of these ,seven ,essays1 few things strike one more forcibly than the utterly untenable ground occupied by their authors4 ,they are in a position in which it is impossible to remain4 ,the theory of ,mr4 ,jowett and his fellows is as false to philosophy as to the ,church of ,england4 ,more may be true1 or less2 but to attempt to halt where they would stop is a simple absurdity#bcf4 ,to exactness of method or ,system1 their work can hardly pretend2 and yet they have a system1--which has only not been rounded into symmetry1 by the singular circumstance that these seven writers have written in entire independence of one another1 and without concert or comparison4 ,they avow a common purpose1 however2 for they hope that their joint labours will be received as an attempt to illustrate1 7whatever that may mean17 the advantage derivable to the cause of ,religion and ,moral ,truth from what they have here attempted2 and which they justly characterize as free handling4 ,putting oneself in their position1 it is easy to imagine the sorrow and concern1--the horror rather1--with which a good man1 when the first edition of ',essays and ,reviews' made its appearance1 would have discovered the kind of complicity into which he had been inadvertently betrayed2 and how eagerly he would have withdrawn from a literary partnership which had resulted so disastrously4 ,at the end of nine large editions1 however1 the corporate responsibility of each individual author has become fully established2 and besides the many proofs of sympathy between the several authors which these pages contain#bcg1 it is no longer doubtful that the sentiments of the work are to be quoted without reference to the individual writers4 ,it would be unfair to assume that not one of these seven men has had the manliness to avow that his own individual convictions are opposed to those of his fellows4 ,we are compelled to regard their joint labours as one production4 ,it is the corporate efficacy of the several contributions which constitutes the chief criminality of the volume4 ,it is to the respectability and weight of the conjoined names of its authors1 and to their combined efforts1 that ',essays and ,reviews' are indebted for all their power4 ,what then is the system1 or theory1 or view1 advocated by these seven ,authors8--,they are all agreed that we are placed evidently at an epoch when ,humanity finds itself under new conditions1 to form some definite conception to ourselves of the way in which ,christianity is henceforward to act upon the world which is our own4 7p4 #aeh47 ,to do this1 we must emerge from our narrow chamber of ,doctrinal and ,ecclesiastical prepossessions4 7,ibid47 ,accordingly1 we find insinuated a very wide-spread alienation1 both in educated and uneducated persons1 from the ,christianity which is ordinarily presented in our ,churches and ,chapels4 7p4 #aej47 ,there has been a spontaneous recoil4 7p4 #aea47 ,we cannot resist the tide of civilization on which we are borne4 7p4 #dab47 ,the time has come when it is no longer possible to ignore the results of criticism4 ,it is therefore of importance that ,christianity should be seen to be in harmony with them4 7p4 #cgd47 ,the arguments of our genuine critics1 with the convictions of our most learned clergy 7p4 #ff7 are all opposed to the actual teaching of the ,church4 ,meantime1 the ,christian ,religion is in a false position when all the tendencies of knowledge are opposed to it4 7p4 #cgd47 ,time was when the ,gospel was before the age3 444 when the highest minds found in its truths not only the rule of their lives1 but a well-spring of intellectual delight4 ,is it to be held a thing impossible that the ,christian ,religion may again embrace the thoughts of men upon the earth8 7pp4 #cgd-e47 ,in the mean time1 ,,the ,,bible is a stubborn fact in the way of the new ,religion4 ,nay1 the ,english ,book of ,common ,prayer is a great hindrance2 for those formul of past thinkings1 have long lost all sense of any kind2 7p4 #big27 so that the ,prayer-book is on the way to become a useless encumbrance1 the rubbish of the past1 blocking the road4 7,ibid47 ,but the ,prayer-book confessedly stands on a different footing from the ,bible4 ,the ,bible erects itself hopelessly in the way of the negative religion4 7p4 #aea47 ,o those many prophecies1 which for #djjj long years sustained the faith of ,,god',s chosen people1 and at last found fulfilment in the person of ,,christ1 or in the circumstances which attended the establishment of ,his ,kingdom6 ,o that glorious retinue of types and shadows which heralded ,,messiah',s approach6444 ,and then1--,o the miraculous evidence which attested to the reality of ,his ,divinity#bch6 ,o the confirmation1 7to those who needed it17 when ,he walked the water1 and stilled the storm1 and cast out devils by ,his word1 and by one strong cry broke the gates of ,death1 and caused ,lazarus to ,come forth6 444 ,o the solemn independent testimony borne by ,creeds1 from the very birthday of ,christianity1--7whether planted in ,syria or in ,asia ,minor1 in ,africa or in ,italy1 in ,greece or in ,gaul2 in ,germany or in ,spain1 among the ,celts or in the far ,east1 in ,egypt or in ,libya1 or in the middle regions of the globe#bci47 ,lastly1--,o the adoring voice of the whole ,church ,catholic throughout the world1 for many a succeeding century1--translating1 expounding1 defining1 explaining1 defending to the death6444 ,how shall all this formidable mass of evidence possibly be set aside8 ,it is plain that ,prophecy must be evacuated of its meaning2 or rather1 must be denied entirely3 and to do this1 falls to the share of the vulgar and violent ,vice-,principal of ,lampeter ,college4 ,disprove he cannot2 so he sneers and rails and blusters instead4 ,prophecy1 he calls omniscience2 a notion of foresight by vision of particulars2 7p4#gj27 a kind of clairvoyance1 7p4 #gj17 and literal prognostication4 7p4 #fe47 ,mr4 ,jowett 7as we have lately seen#bdj17 lends plaintive help3 but indeed ,dr4 ,williams does not lack supporters4 ,to deny the truth of ,miracles falls to the lot of the ,savilian ,professor of ,astronomy4 ,his method has the merit of extreme simplicity3 for it is based on the ground that1 in the writer's opinion1 ,miracles are impossible1--which of course must be held to be decisive of the question4 ,the battle against the ,inspiration of the ,word of ,,god is reserved for the ,regius ,professor of ,greek2 who requires for his purpose twice the space of any of his fellows4 ,his method is also of the simplest kind1 when divested of its many encumbrances4 ,he simply assumes it as proved that the ,bible is a book not essentially different from ,sophocles and ,plato4 ,in other words he assumes that the ,bible is not inspired2 and reproaches1 pities1 or sneers at every one who is not of his opinion4 ,in the meantime1 ,what is ,prophecy8 ,what are ,miracles8 ,of what sort is that ,bible which has imposed upon mankind so grossly1 and so long8 ,they are facts1 and must be explained4 ,what are they8 ,prophecy1 then1 is only the power of seeing the ideal in the actual1 or of tracing the ,divine ,government in the movements of men4 7p4 #gj47 ,as for ,miracles1 their evidential force is wholly relative to the apprehensions of the parties addressed 444 ,columbus' prediction of the ,eclipse to the native islanders1 7p4 #aae17 is advanced as an illustration of the nature of the argument from ,miracles4 ,by whatever method the ,bible has attained its present footing in the world1 it is a book which has been hitherto misunderstood2 and it must plainly be dealt with after a new fashion4 ,our ,lord's ,incarnation1 ,temptation1 ,death and ,burial1 ,resurrection and ,ascension into ,heaven1--all ,his ,miracles1 in short1 will be best interpreted ,ideologically2 in other words1 by a principle which resolves into an ideal the whole of the historical and doctrinal person of ,,jesus4 7p4 #bjj47 ,so interpreted1 the ,gospel may win again the minds of intellectual men2 7p4 #cgf27 but it will find it no easy matter4 ,there is in fact a higher wisdom than the ,gospel1 which is known to those who are perfect1--that reconcilement1 namely1 of ,faith and ,knowledge which may be termed ,christian ,philosophy4 7p4 #dac47 ,the great object1 in short1 is to bring about a reconciliation 7p4 #cge17 between the minds of intellectual men 7p4 #cgf17 and ,christianity4 ,such a reconciliation is to be regarded as a restoration of belief4 7p4 #cge47 ,and it is to be effected by taking away some of the external supports1 because they are not needed and do harm3 also because they interfere with the meaning4 7p4 #cge47--,those external supports are 7#a7 a belief in the ,inspiration of the ,bible2--7#b7 the writings of the ,fathers and ,doctors of the ,church2--7#c7 ,creeds and the decisions of ,councils2--7#d7 the works of ,anglican ,divines2--7#e7 ,learning2 7p4 #ccg27--7f7 a profound acquaintance with the ,greek language2 7p4 #cic27--7g7 a minute knowledge of ,greek ,grammar2 7p4 #cia27--7h7 the ,doctrine of the ,greek ,article2--7#i7 the free use of the parallel passages4444 ,the ,bible1 when interpreted by any self-relying young man who knows a little ,greek1 and attends to the meaning of words1--will be seen in all the freshness of its early beauty1 like an old picture which has been recently cleaned4 ,a new interest will be excited by this new ,bible1 which will make for itself a new kind of authority4 ,by being thus literally interpreted1 it will be transformed into a spirit4 ,then1 7but not before7 the ,bible will enjoy the sublime satisfaction of keeping pace with the ,age4 ,it may so1 even yet1 embrace the thoughts of men upon the earth4 ,but what kind of thing will this ,bible be8 ,the beginning of ,genesis1 7pp4 #bjg-bec17 is to be rejected because it is not an authentic utterance of ,divine knowledge1 but a human utterance1 which it has pleased ,providence to use in a special way for the education of mankind4 7p4 #bec47 ,we are invited to a frank recognition of the erroneous views of ,nature which the ,bible contains4 7p4 #baa47 ,thus1 all miraculous transactions will have to be explained away4 ,the volume of ,prophecy will have to be regarded as a volume of ,history4 ,the very ,history will have to be read with distrust4 ,like other records1 it is subject to the conditions of knowledge which existed in an early stage of the world4 7p4 #daa47 ,it does not even begin to be authentic1 until ,b4,c4 #aijj2 or rather1 until ,b4,c4 #ijjbda4 ,what remains is to be looked upon as the continuous witness in all ages of the higher things in the heart of man1 7p4 #cge17--7whatever that may happen to mean47 ,the ,gospel is to be looked upon as a life of ,,christ in the soul1 instead of a theory of ,,christ which is in a book1 or written down1 7p4 #dbc47 ,the lessons of ,scripture1 when disengaged from theological formulas1 have a nearer way to the hearts of the poor4 7p4 #dbd47 ,even in ,missions to the heathen1 ,scripture is to be treated as the expression of universal truths1 rather than of the tenets of particular men and ,churches4 7p4#dbc47 ,it is anticipated that this would remove many obstacles to the reception of ,christianity4 7,ibid47 ,it is not the ,book of ,scripture which we should seek to give the heathen2 but the truth of the ,book2 the mind of ,,christ and ,his ,apostles1 in which all lesser details and differences should be lost and absorbed2 the purer light or element of ,religion1 of which ,christianity is the expression4 7p4 #dbg47 444 ,such is the ghostly phantom1 by the aid of which the ,heathen are to become evangelized6 ,but this historical ,bible is not to be regarded as the rule of a man's life1 or indeed as an external ,law at all4 7pp4 #cf1 #de47 ,we walk now by ,reason and ,conscience alone4 7p4 #ba47 ,the ,bible is to be identified with the voice of ,conscience1 7p4 #de17--which it has to evoke1 not to override4 7p4 #dd47 ,the principle of private judgment 444 makes ,conscience the supreme interpreter4 7p4 #de47 ,ours is a law which is not imposed upon us by another power1 but by our own enlightened will3 7p4 #ce37 for the ,spirit1 or ,conscience legislates henceforth without appeal except to himself4 7p4 #ca47 ,having thus disposed of ,traditional ,christianity1 7p4 #aef17 it is not obscurely hinted that something quite different is to be substituted in its place4 ,and first1 next to a frank appeal to ,reason1 and a frank criticism of ,scripture1 7p4 #agd17 the nature and office of the ,church is to be properly understood4 7p4 #aid47 ,the ,church then is a spontaneous development of the ,state1 as part of its own organization1 7p4 #aie17--;a purely secular ,institution4 ,the ,state will develop itself into a ,church by throwing its elements1 or the best of them1 into another mould2 and constituting out of them a ,society1 which is in it1 though in some sense not of it 7871--which is another 7871 yet the same4 7p4 #aid47 ,the nation must provide1 from time to time1 that the teaching of one age does not traditionally harden1 so as to become an exclusive barrier in a subsequent one2 and so the moral growth of those who are committed to the hands of the ,church be checked4 7,ibid47 ,the ,church is founded1 therefore1 not upon the possession of a supernaturally communicated speculation 767 concerning ,,god1 but upon the manifestation of a ,divine ,life in ,man4 ,speculative doctrines should be left to philosophical schools4 ,a national ,church must be concerned with the ethical development of its members4 7p4 #aie47 ,it should be free from dogmatic tests1 and similar intellectual bondage2 7p4 #afh27 hampered by no ,doctrines1 pledged to no ,creeds4 ,these may be retained indeed2 but we refuse to be bound by them4 7p4 #dd47 ,the ,subscription of the ,clergy to the ,articles should also be abolished3 for no promise can reach fluctuations of opinion1 and personal conviction4 76667 ,open heretical teaching may1 to be sure1 be dealt with by the ,law2 but the ,law should not require any act which appears to signify ',i think4' 7p4 #ahi47 ,witness the reluctance of the stronger minds to enter an ,order in which their intellects may not have free play4 7p4 #aij47 444 ,such then is the ,negative ,religion6 ,such is the new faith which ,doctors ,temple and ,williams1 ,professors ,powell and ,jowett1 ,messieurs ,wilson1 ,goodwin1 and ,pattison1 have deliberately combined to offer to the acceptance of the ,world6 ,it is high time to conclude4 ,i cannot lay down my pen however until ,i have re-echoed the sentiments of one with whom ,i heartily agree4 ,i allude to ,dr4 ,moberly2 who professes that he is struck almost more with what seems to him the hardheartedness1 and exceeding unkindness of this book1 than with its unsoundness4 ,have the writers1 7he asks17 considered how far the suggesting of innumerable doubts1--doubts unargued and unproved1--will check honest devotion1 and embolden timid sin8 ,for whom do they intend this book8 ,is it written for the mass of general readers8 ,is it designed for students at the ,universities8 ,do they suppose that this multitude of random suggestions will be carefully wrought out by these readers1 and be rejected if unsound2 so as to leave their faith and devotion untarnished8444 ,have they reflected how many souls for whom ,,christ died may be slain in their weakness by their self-styled strength8 ,suppose1 for a moment1 that the ,holy ,scriptures are 7p4 #agg17 the ,word of the ,spirit of ,,god1--that the ,miracles1 7cf4 p4 #aji17 including the ,resurrection of ,,christ1 are actual objective facts1 which have really happened1--that the ,doctrines of the ,church are true1 7p4 #aie17 and the ,creeds 7p4 #cee17 the authoritative expositions of them1--and that men are to reach ,salvation through faith in ,,christ1 ,virgin-born1 according to the ,scriptures1 and making atonement 7cf4 p4 #hg17 for their sins upon the ,cross4 ,,on ,,this ,,supposition1--,is not the publication of this book an act of real hostility to ,,god',s ,truth2 and one which endangers the ,faith and ,salvation of ,men8 ,and is this hostility less real1 or the danger diminished1 because the writers are1 all but one1 ,clergymen1 some of them ,tutors and ,schoolmasters2 because they wear the dress1 and use the language of friends1 and threaten us with bitter opposition if we do not regard them as such#bdb8 99 99 99 99 99 ,with this ,i lay down my pen4 ,my last words shall be simple and affectionate1 addressed solely to yourselves4 ,i trace these concluding lines1--7of a work which1 but for you1 would never have been undertaken17--in a quite empty ,college2 and in the room where we have so often and so happily met on ,sunday evenings4 ,can you wonder if1 at the conclusion of what has proved rather a heavy task1 7so hateful to me is controversy17 my thoughts revert with affectionate solicitude to yourselves1 already scattered in all directions2 and to those evenings which more1 ,i think1 than any other thing1 have gilded my ,college life8444 ,in thus sending you a written farewell1 and praying from my soul that ,,god may bless and keep you all1 ,i cannot suppress the earnest entreaty that you would remember the best words of counsel which may have at any time fallen from my lips3 that you would persevere in the daily study of the pure ,book of ,life2 and that you would read it1 not as feeling yourselves called upon to sit in judgment on its adorable contents2 but rather1 as men who are permitted to draw near2 and invited to listen1 and to learn1 and to live4 ,and so farewell6444 ,watch ye1 stand fast in the ,faith1--nay1 take it in the original1 which is far better3--1 1 4 4 ' 4 4 ,your friend1 ,j4 ,w4 ,b4 ,,oriel1 ,june #bbnd1 #ahfa4 ,,footnotes3 #ai ,i abstain from enumerating ,dr4 ,temple's mistakes1--for such things do not belong to the essence of a composition4 ,and yet ,i must remark that it is hardly creditable in a ,doctor of ,divinity to write as he does4 ,in all 767 the doctrinal disputes of the fourth and fifth centuries1 the decisive voice came from ,rome4 ,every controversy was finally settled by her opinion1 because she alone possessed the art of framing formulas1 c4 7p4 #af47 ,would the learned writer favour us with a single warrant for this assertion8444 ,at p4 #i1 ,dr4 ,temple mistakes for ,micah's1 words spoken #gjj years before by ,balaam4 ,at p4 #aj1 he says that ,prayer1 as a regular and necessary part of worship1 first appears in the later books of the ,old ,testament4--,his account of the papacy is contained in the following words3--,law was the lesson which ,rome was intended to teach the world4 ,hence 787 the ,bishop of ,rome soon became the ,head of the ,church4 ,rome was in fact the centre of the traditions which had once governed the world2 and their spirit still remained2 and the ,roman ,church developed into the papacy simply because a head was wanted 7671 and no better one could be found4--p4 #af4 ,at p4 #aj we have a truly puerile misconception of the meaning of #a ,cor4 xv4 #ef1 c41 c4 #bj ,deut4 vi4 #d4 #ba #a ,sam4 xv4 #bb1 where see the places in the margin4 #bb ,hos4 vi4 #f1 quoted by our ,,lord1 ,st4 ,matth4 ix4 #ac3 xii4 #g4 #bc ,consider ,ps4 xxvi4 #f3 l4 #ac1 #ad3 li4 #af1 #ag3 cxvi4 #ae3 cxix4 #ajh3 cxli4 #b1 c4 #bd ,st4 ,matth4 xvi4 #d3 xii4 #ci4 ,compare ,st4 ,mark viii4 #ch4 #be ,st4 ,james iv4 #d4 #bf ,st4 ,matth4 xxiii4 #cc4 #bg ,ezek4 xvi4 #dg-eb4 #bh ,is4 i4 #d1 #f1 #ae4 #bi ,st4 ,john viii4 #i4 ,i cannot but speak my mind1 7says ,josephus1 after taking a survey of the extreme wickedness of his countrymen1 in connexion with the horrors of the siege of ,jerusalem17 and it is this3 ,i suppose that if the ,romans had delayed to come against these sinners1 either the earth would have swallowed them up2 or the city would have been swept away by another ,flood2 or it would have been consumed1 like a second ,sodom1 by fire from ,heaven4 #cj ,s4 ,john xii4 #ch-dj4 ,they have blinded their eyes1 c4 7,see the place in the ,,lxx437 sc4 4 #ca ,had the revelation of ,,christ been delayed till now1 assuredly it would have been hard for us to recognize ,his ,divinity4444 ,we1 of course1 have in our turn counterbalancing advantages4 767 ,if we have lost that freshness of faith which would be the first 7sic7 to say to a poor carpenter1--,thou art the ,,christ1 the ,,son of the living ,,god1--yet we possess in the greater cultivation of our religious understanding1 that which perhaps we ought not to be willing to give in exchange 767 444 ,they had not the same clearness of understanding as we2 the same recognition that it is ,,god and not the ,devil who rules the ,world2 the same power of discrimination between different kinds of truth4444 ,had our ,,lord come later1 ,he would have come to mankind already beginning to stiffen into the fixedness of maturity4444 ,the truth of ,his ,divine ,nature would not have been recognized4 7pp4 #bd-e47--;,is this meant for bitter satire on the age we live in2 or for disparagement of the ,incarnate ,,word8444 ,but in the face of such anticipations1 the keenest satire of all is contained in the author's claim to a religious understanding1 cultivated to a degree unknown to the best ages of the ,church2 as well as to surpassing clearness of understanding1 and powers of discrimination4 ,lamentable in any quarter1 how deplorable is such conceit in one who shews himself unacquainted with the first principles of ,theological ,science2 and who puts forth an ,essay on the ,education of the ,world1 which would have been discreditable to an advanced school-boy6 #cb ,quite ineffectual1 at the very close of this unhappy composition1 as a set off to the compacted and often repeated asseverations of his earlier pages1 is the amiable author's plaintive plea for even the perverted use of the ,bible2 adding1--,and meanwhile1 how utterly impossible it would be in the manhood of the world to imagine any other instructor of mankind6 7p4 #dg47 ,it is one of the favourite devices of these seven writers1 side by side with their most objectionable statements1 to insert isolated passages of admitted truth1--and occasionally even of considerable beauty3 which however are utterly meaningless and out of place where they stand2 and 7like the sentence above written17 powerless to undo the circumstantial wickedness of what went before4 ,i repeat1 that the words above-written are meaningless where they stand3 for if ,dr4 ,temple really means that it is utterly impossible in the manhood of the world to ,,imagine any other instructor of mankind than ,,the ,,bible1--what becomes of his ,essay8 #cc 3 i4e4 ye misobserve1 keep in a wrong way4 #cd ,gal4 iv4 #a-aj4 #ce ,gal4 iii4 #bd1 #be4 #cf ,gal4 v4 #a4 #cg #b ,st4 ,john v4 #aj1 #aa4 #ch ,rom4 viii4 #ba4 #ci ,it is presumed that the article in the ,dict4 of ,antiquities will be held unexceptionable authority as to the office of the 4--,rex filio pdagogum constituit1 et singulis diebus ad eum invisit1 interrogans eum3 ,num comedit filius meus8 num in scholam abiit8 num ex schol rediit8--,wetstein1 in loc4--,so ,plato ,lysis1 p4 #aah4 #dj #a ,st4 ,peter ii4 #ba4 ,comp4 ,st4 ,james v4 #aj4 #da #a ,cor4 xi4 #a3 iv4 #af4 ,phil4 iii4 #ag4 #b ,thess4 iii4 #i4 ,heb4 xiii4 #g1 c4 #db #a ,st4 ,pet4 i4 #aa4 #dc #a ,tim4 i4 #aj3 iv4 #f4 ,tit4 i4 #i3 ii4 #a4 ,comp4 #b ,st4 ,john v4 #aj4 #dd #b ,tim4 i4 #ac4 #de #b ,tim4 i4 #ac1 #ad3 ii4 #b4 ,also #a ,tim4 vi4 #bj4 ,on both places1 ,dr4 ,wordsworth's ,notes may be consulted with advantage4 #df #b ,tim4 iv4 #c4 #dg #b ,thess4 ii4 #g1 #h1 c4 #dh ,art4 ,,xx4 #di ,art4 ,,viii4 #ej ,i allude especially to the terrible castigation he has individually received at the hands of the ,bishop of ,exeter4 ,see the ,times1 of ,march #dth1 #ahfa4 #ea ,and when the ,angel stretched out his hand upon ,jerusalem to destroy it1 the ,,lord 444 said to the ,angel that destroyed the people1 c4 ,and the ,angel of the ,,lord was by the threshing-place of ,araunah the ,jebusite4--#b ,sam4 xxiv4 #af4 ,the ,angel of the ,,lord stood by the threshing-floor of ,ornan the ,jebusite4 ,and ,david lifted up his eyes1 and saw the ,angel of the ,,lord stand between the ,earth and the ,heaven1 having a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over ,jerusalem4--#a ,chron4 xxi4 #ae1 #af4 #eb ,acts i4 #bj4 #ec ,on the ,creed1 ,art4 iv4 p4 #bdd1 notes 7u7 and 7x74 #ed ,it would take no great space1 7says ,dr4 ,pusey17 to shew that the rendering 'as a lion1' is unmeaning1 without authority1 against authority2 while the rendering 'they pierced' is borne out alike by authority and language4 #ee ,ver4 #a1--,st4 ,john xii4 #ch4 ,rom4 x4 #af4 ,ver4 #d1--,st4 ,matth4 viii4 #ag4 ,ver4 #d to #aa1--a ,st4 ,pet4 ii4 #bd1 #be4 ,ver4 #g and #h1--;,acts viii4 #cb4 ,ver4 #ab1--,st4 ,mark xv4 #bh4 ,st4 ,luke xxii4 #cg4 #ef ,mal4 iv4 #e4 #eg ,st4 ,luke i4 #ag4 #eh ,as the ,fathers generally teach4 ,see ,brown's ,ordo ,sclorum1 pp4 #gjb-c1 c41 c4 #ei ,and yet1--,i go to prepare a place for you6--,st4 ,john xiv4 #b4 #fj ,see1 for example1 p4 #fj1 7lower half17 p4 #fb1 7middle17 c4 #fa ,comp4 p4 #de4 #fb ,col4 ii4 #aa1 #ab4 ,rom4 ii4 #bi4 ,phil4 iii4 #c1 c4 #fc ,edinburgh ,review1 7,ap4 #ahfa17 p4 #dbi4 #fd ,analogy1 ,p4 ,,ii4 ch4 ii41 ad fin4 #fe ,analogy1 ,p4 ,,ii4 ch4 iii41 ad init4 #ff ,van ,mildert's ,historical ,view of the ,rise and ,progress of ,infidelity1 c4 ,serm4 xxi41 7ed4 #ahjf17 vol4 ii4 pp4 #cac-ag4 #fg ,columbus' prediction of the eclipse to the native islanders1 was as true an argument to them as if the event had really been supernatural4 p4 #aae4 #fh ,st4 ,mark viii4 #ai1 #bj4 #fi ,st4 ,john ix4 #gj ,st4 ,john xi4 #dd4 #ga ,consider ,st4 ,john iii4 #b1 7referring to ii4 #bc and iv4 #de47 ,so ix4 #af3 x4 #ba and #ch3 xiv4 #aj1 #aa4 ,also xv4 #bd2 and consider ,st ,luke vii4 #af3 also #ba1 #bb3 ,st4 ,matth4 xii4 #bb1 #bc3 ,st4 ,john vii4 #ca3 xii4 #ag-ai4 #gb ,st4 ,john v4 #dd4 ,comp4 vii4 #ag3 viii4 #ab4 ,st4 ,matth4 v4 #h4 ,ps4 xix4 #h3 cxix4 #ajj4 ,also1 ,ecclus4 i4 #bf3 xxi4 #aa4--,there is1 7says an excellent living writer17 scarcely any doctrine or precept of our ,,saviour more distinctly and strongly stated1 than that the capacity for judging of1 and for believing the ,truths of ,christianity1 depends upon ,moral ,goodness1 and the practice of ,virtue4--,let us hear our own ,hooker on this subject3--,we find by experience that although ,faith be an intellectual habit of the mind1 and have her seat in the understanding1 yet an evil moral disposition obstinately wedded to the love of darkness dampeth the very light of heavenly illumination1 and permitted not the ,mind to see what doth shine before it4--,eccl4 ,pol41 ,b4 v4c4 lxiii4 #b4 #gc ,st4 ,john xi4 #dd4 #gd ,p4 #aac4 ,the italics are in the original4 #ge ,see the ,quarterly ,review1 7on ,prof4 ,baden ,powell's ,order of ,nature17--for ,oct4 #ahei1 7,no4 #bab17 pp4 #dbj-c4 #gf p4 #afi4--,priests have neither been1 as some would represent1 a set of deliberate conspirators against the free thoughts of mankind2 nor1 on the other hand1 c4 ,ibid4--,how partial becomes the judgment1 when we have to discuss the merits of our own order6 #gg ,ans4 ,clearly in the relation of a blessing which has by all means to be communicated to them4 #gh ,ans4 ,certainly there is4 ,those which most obviously present themselves are such as the following3--,st4 ,matth4 ix4 #cg1 #ch3 xxviii4 #ai1 #bj4 ,st4 ,luke xxiv4 #dg4 ,acts ii4 #ch1 #ci1 c4 #gi ,analogy1 ,p4 ,,ii4 c4 vi4 #hj ,rom4 v4 #ab4 #ha #a ,cor4 xv4 #bb4 #hb ,eph4 ii4 #c4 #hc ,analogy1 ,p4 ,,ii4 c4 v4 note 7d74 #hd ,col4 i4 #bc4--p4 #aee4 #he ,see ,nelson's ,life of ,bp4 ,bull1 p4 #bde4 #hf ,see ,nelson's ,life of ,bp4 ,bull1 p4 #bdb4 #hg ,the horizon which his view embraced was much narrower than ,st4 ,paul's1--who had enlarged his mind by foreign travel1 7p4 #afh47 ,in a note1 we are informed that at any rate his ,gospel cannot1 by external evidence1 be attached to the person 767 of ,st4 ,john as its author4 ,many persons1 7it is added17 shrink from a bon fide examination of the ',gospel question1' because they imagine1 that unless the four ,gospels are received as 444 entirely the composition of the persons whose names they bear1 and without any admixture of legendary matter or embellishment in their narratives1 the only alternative is to suppose a fraudulent design in those who did compose them4 7p4 #afa47 444 ,may one who has not shrunk from 'the ,gospel question' be permitted to regret that the ,reverend writer has not specified the charges which he thus vaguely brings against the ,gospels8 ,what1 pray1 is the legendary matter2 and which are the embellishments8 ,in the same page we read of the first1 or genuine1 epistle of ,st4 ,peter4 ,is not his second epistle genuine1 then8 #hh ,see above1 p4 lviii4 #hi ,pleas for 'liberty of conscience' and 'freedom of opinion1' 7as on excellent writer has recently pointed out17 can have neither place nor pretext1 while there is liberty1 for all who choose1 to decline joining the ,church of ,england2 and freedom1 for all who choose1 to leave her4--,rev4 ,c4 ,forster's ',spinoza ,redivivus1' 7#ahfa17 p4 #f4 #ij ,in what part of the ,bible1 7one begs respectfully to inquire17 is one called upon to accept the story of an arresting of the ,earth's motion1 or of a reversal of its motion8 444 ,would it not be as well to be truthful in one's references to the ,bible8 #ia ,see below1 p4 #fh4 #ib ,see ,butler's ,analogy1 ,p4 ,,ii4 c4 iii4 #ic ,quarterly ,review1 ,jan4 #ahfa1 p4 #bge4 #id ,take a few as a specimen3--,a great restraint is supposed to be imposed upon the ,clergy by reason of their subscription to the ,thirty-nine ,articles4 ,yet it is more difficult than might be expected1 to define what is the extent of the legal obligation of those who sign them2 and in this case1 the strictly legal obligation is the measure of the moral one4 ,subscription may be thought even to be inoperative upon the conscience by reason of its vagueness4 ,for the act of subscription is enjoined1 but its effect or meaning nowhere plainly laid down2 and it does not seem to amount to more than an acceptance of the ,articles of the ,church as the formal law to which the subscriber is in some sense subject4 ,what that subjection amounts to1 must be gathered elsewhere2 for it does not appear on the face of the subscription itself4--7p4 #aha4 ,see down to page #ahe47 ,can equivocation such as this be read without a sense of humiliation and shame1 as well as of disgust and abhorrence8 #ie p4 #ahj to p4 #aij4 #if ,heading of the ,,xxxix ,articles4 #ig ,the reader is referred to some remarks on ,ideology towards the close of ,sermon ,,vii41 p4 #bdc to p4 #bea4 #ih ,unhappily1 together with his inauguration of ,multitudinism1 ,constantine also inaugurated a principle essentially at variance with it1 the principle of doctrinal limitation4 7p4 #aff47 444 ,the opportunity of reverting to the freedom of the ,apostolic1 and immediately succeeding periods1 was finally lost for many ages by the sanction given by ,constantine to the decisions of ,nica4 7,ibid47 ,at all events1 a principle at variance with a true ,multitudinism was then recognised4 7,ibid47 ,how does it happen1 by the way1 that one writing ,b4,d4 after his name1 however bitter his animosity against the ,nicene ,creed may be1 is not aware that ,creeds are co-eval with ,christianity8 ,thus we find the ,creed of ,carthage in the works of ,cyprian1 7,a4,d4 #bbe17 and ,tertullian1 7,a4,d4 #baj1 #bjc73 that of ,lyons in the works of ,irenus1 7,a4,d4 #ahj47 see ,heurtley's ,harmonia ,symbolica1 pp4 #g-bj4 ,we recognize fragments of the ,creed in ,ignatius1 7,a4,d4 #ij47 ,we hear ,st4 ,paul himself saying-- 1 7i4e4 the words themselves67 ' 444 --#b ,tim4 i4 #ac1 #ad4 ,a few more words on this subject will be found in the notice of ,mr4 ,jowett's ,essay4 #ii ,it is really impossible to argue with a man who informs us that previous to the time of the divided ,kingdom1 the ,jewish ,history presents little which is thoroughly reliable3 7p4 #agj37--that the greater probability seems on the side of the supposition1 that the ,priesthood1 with its distinct offices and charge1 was constituted by ,royalty1 and that the higher pretensions of the priests were not advanced till the reign of ,josiah3 7,ibid437--that1 ,the negative ,theologian demands some positive elements in ,christianity1 on grounds more sure to him than the assumption of an objective 'faith once delivered to the saints1' which he cannot identify with the ,creed of any ,church as yet known to him3 7pp4 #agd-e37--;a man who can remark concerning the ,bible1 that1--,those who are able to do so1 ought to lead the less educated to distinguish between the different kinds of words which it contains1 between the dark patches of human passion and error which form a partial crust upon it1 and the bright centre of spiritual truth within4 7p4 #agg47 #ajj ,quarterly ,review1 7,jan4 #ahea17 ,no4 #bag1 p4 #bei4 #aja ,a writer in the ,saturday ,review1 7,april #f1 #ahfa17 in an admirable ,article on the importance of retaining the office of ',dean' in its integrity1 7instead of suicidally merging it in the office of ',bishop1'7 speaks of there being no ,english ,commentary on the ,new ,testament brought up to the level of modern ,theological ,science4 ,as if the level had been rising of late6 ,butler and ,paley are still our text-books on the ,evidences2 and we are defending old beliefs behind wooden walls against the rifled cannon and iron broadsides of modern ,philosophy4--p4 #ccg4 ,what a strange misapprehension of the entire question1--of the relation of ,theological to ,physical ,science1--does such a sentence betray6 #ajb ,see below1 p4 #bce4 #ajc ,as the excellent ,townson observed long since1--,the brightness of countenance and raiment which dazzled and overcame the sight of ,his ,apostles when ,he was ,transfigured on the ,mount1 was to ,him but a ray of that glory in which ,he dwelt before the ,worlds were made4--,sermon on ,the manner of our ,,saviour',s ,teaching1--,works1 vol4 i4 p4 #bhb4 #ajd ,st4 ,matth4 xvii4 #b4 #aje ,st4 ,mark ix4 #c4 #ajf #a ,tim4 vi4 #ae1 #af4--;,if it be more philosophical to suppose that the ,light which shone upon the earth during the first three days proceeded from the ,sun1 7the orb of which remained invisible17 and not from any extraneous independent source1--,i have no objection whatever to such a supposition1--or indeed to any other which suffers the inspired record to remain intact4 ,i am by no means clear however that ,philosophy 7begging her pardon17 does not entirely mistake her office1 when she pretends to explain the first chapter of ,genesis4 ,hence1 her constrained language1 and unnatural manner1 when she desires to be respectful1--her inconsequential remarks and perpetual blunders when she rather prefers to be irreligious4 ,she is simply out of her element1 and is discoursing of what she does not understand4--,theology1 dealing with a physical problem by the method of ,theological ,science2 and ,philosophy1 applying to a chapter in the ,bible the physical method1--are alike at fault1 and alike ridiculous4 ,this truth1 however obvious1 does not seem to be generally understood4 ,but1 7to return to the first three days of ,creation17--since the ,author of ,revelation seems to design that ,i should understand that ,sun1 ,moon1 and ,stars not only did not come to view until the fourth day1--but also that they were not re-invested with their immemorial function and office until then1--,i find no difficulty1 remembering with whom ,i have to do1 even with ,him who sowed the vault of ,heaven so thick with stars1 each one of which may be not a sun but a system#ajg2--when1 ,i say1 ,i attend to the emphatic nature of the inspired record1 on the one hand1 and to ,,god',s ,omnipotence on the other1--,i have no difficulty in supposing that ,he embraced the ,sun in a veil1 for just so long a period as it seemed ,him good1 and when ,he willed that it should re-appear1 that ,he withdrew the veil again4 ,the name for the operation just now alluded to belongs to the province of ,philosophy4 ,divinity is all the while thinking about something infinitely better and higher4 #ajg ,herschel4 #ajh ,gen4 i4 #f4 #aji ,ibid4 #bj4 #aaj ,job xxxvii4 #ah4 #aaa ,ps4 civ4 #b4 #aab ,is4 xl4 #bb4 #aac ,job xxvi4 #h4 #aad ,prov4 xxx4 #d4 #aae ,see also ,job ix4 #h4 ,even in ,job xxxvii4 #ah1 the sky is said to be spread out4 ,so ,is4 xlv4 #ab1 c4 #aaf ,job xxvi4 #aa4 #aag #b ,sam4 xxii4 #h4 #aah ,ps4 lxxviii4 #bc4 #aai ,gen4 vii4 #aa4 #abj ,job ix4 #f4 ,ps4 lxxv4 #c4 ,see ,blomfield's ,glossary to ,prom4 ,vinct4 v4 #ceg4 #aba ,comp4 ,is4 xxiv4 #ah4 #abb ,see ,is4 xxiv4 #ah and ,mal4 iii4 #aj4 #abc 4 7,herod47 ,see ,copleston's ,remains1 p4 #ajg4 #abd ,eccl4 ,pol4 #a4 iii4 #b4 #abe ,gen4 i4 #bf4 #abf ,the difficulty1 he says1 7alluding to ,gen4 i4 #a17 lies in this1 that the heaven is distinctly said to have been formed 444 on the second day4 7p4 #bbf47 ,but this is the language of a man determined that there shall be a difficulty4 ,the ,heavens and the ,earth clearly denote1 7in the simple phraseology of a primitive age17 the sum of all created things2 the great transaction which ,nehemiah has so strikingly expounded3--,heaven1 the ,heaven of ,heavens1 with all their host1--the ,earth and all things that are therein2 including the sea1 with all that is therein4 7,neh4 ix4 #f47 ,whereas the firmament of ver4 #f1 7which ,,god called ,heaven in ver4 #h17 can only indicate the blue vault immediately overhead1 wherein fowls fly4 7ver4 #bj47 ,if this be not the meaning of ,gen4 i4 #a1 one half of the phrase is proleptical1--the other half not3 for the creation of ,earth is nowhere recorded1 if not in ver4 #a4444 ,but surely it is a waste of words to discuss such difficulties as these4 #abg ,consider especially ,heb4 iv4 #i and #aj2 and consider1 7besides ,exod4 xx4 #aa17 ,deut4 v4 #ae4 ,see also ,col4 ii4 #ag4 #abh ,there have been found within the area of these islands upwards of #ae1jjj species of once living things1 every one differing specifically from those of the present ,creation4 ,agassiz states that1 with the exception of one small fossil fish1 7discovered in the clay-stones of ,greenland17 he has not found any creature of this class1 in all the ,geological strata1 identical with any fish now living4 7,pattison's ,the ,earth and the ,world1 p4 #bg47 #abi ,i allude to such passages as the following1--all of which are to be found in ,mr4 ,goodwin's ,essay3-- ,we are asked to believe that a vision of creation was presented to him 7,moses7 by ,divine power1 for the purpose of enabling him to inform the world of what he had seen2 which vision inevitably led him to give a description which has misled the world for centuries1 and in which the truth can now only with difficulty be recognized4 7p4 #bdg47 ,the theories of ,hugh ,miller and of ,dr4 ,buckland assume that appearances only1 not facts1 are described2 and that1 in riddles which would never have been suspected to be such1 had we not arrived at the truth from other sources4 7p4 #bdi47 ,for ages1 this simple view of ,creation satisfied the wants of man1 and formed a sufficient basis of theological teaching3 but modern research now shews it to be physically untenable4 7p4 #bec47 ,the writer asserts solemnly and unhesitatingly that for which he must have known that he had no authority4 ,but this was only because the early speculator was harassed by no such scruples as arise from our modern habits of thought1 and from the modesty of assertion 767 which the spirit of true science has taught us4 ,he therefore asserted as facts what he knew in reality only as probabilities4444 ,he had seized one great truth4444 ,with regard to details1 observation failed him4--7pp4 #beb-c47 #acj p4 #cbi4 #aca pp4 #cjg-cji4 #acb ,notice prefixed to ,essays and ,reviews4 #acc p4 #bee4 #acd ,nos4 #gd1 #gf1 #gh1 #ha4 #ace ,i allude particularly to the late ,hugh ,james ,rose1 ,b4,d4 #acf ,neh4 iv4 #ag1 #ah4 #acg ,st4 ,luke xviii4 #h4 #ach ,see ,nelson's ,life of ,bull1 p4 #cbi1 c4 #aci ,see his admirable ,preface4 #adj ,newman's dedication of his ',lectures on ,romanism and popular ,protestantism4' #ada ,see the ',monitum' prefixed to ,dr4 ,routh's ,testimonia ,de ,auctoritate ,s4 ,scriptur ,ante-,nicna4--,reliqq4 ,sacr1 vol4 v4 p4 #cce4 #adb ,in #agha1 the first ,sunday ,school was established in ,england by ,robert ,raikes1 a publisher and bookseller in ,gloucester4--,national ,society's ,circular4 #adc ,primary ,charge1 at the end of his ,sermons4 #add ,rev4 ,m4 ,pattison1 in ,essays and ,reviews1 p4 #cjg4 #ade pp4 #cch1 #cge1 #dbj top line1 #dbh1 c4 #adf ,see all this very ably and interestingly explained in an article reprinted from the ',christian ,remembrancer' 7,jan4 #ahfa17 ,on certain ,characteristics of ,holy ,scripture1 by the ,rev4 ,j4 ,g4 ,cazenove1 p4 #aa1 c4 #adg ,nor is this a mere slip of ,mr4 ,jowett's pen4 ,at p4 #cgb1 he states that a majority of the ,clergy throughout the world1--7with whom he associates the instincts of many laymen1 perhaps also individual interest17--are in favour of withholding the ,truth4 ,but1 he adds1 7with the indignant emphasis of ,virtue when she is reproaching ,vice17--a higher expediency pleads that 'honesty is the best policy1' and that truth alone 'makes free6'--,how would such insolence be treated in the common intercourse of daily life8--7,i will not pause to remark on ,mr4 ,jowett's wanton abuse of the ,divine saying recorded in ,st4 ,john viii4 #cb1--repeated at p4 #cea47 #adh ,i suppose that there may have been many inspired ,psalmists2 and that perhaps the book of ,judges was not all by one hand4 ,with reference to the two books of ,samuel1 ,kings and ,chronicles1 see #a ,chron4 xxix4 #bi1 #cj4 #b ,chron4 ix4 #bi3 xi4 #b3 xii4 #ae1 #e1 #g3 xiii4 #bb4 #adi ,by the ,jews themselves they were reckoned as #bb4 #aej ,it is remarkable that the word 1 which means simply ,writing1 is reserved and appropriated in the ,new ,testament 7where it occurs fifty times7 to the ,sacred writings1 i4e4 to the ,holy ,scriptures2 and marks the separation of the ,scriptures from all common books1 indeed from all other writings in the world4--,wordsworth ',on ,inspiration1'--p4 #he4 #aea ,st4 ,luke xvi4 #ag4 #aeb 1--,st4 ,john x4 #ce4 #aec e4g4 7i7 ,long passages3-- ,judges i4 #aa-ae quotes ,joshua xv4 #ae-ai4--b ,sam4 xxii4 quotes ,ps4 xviii4--#a ,chron4 xvi4 quotes ,ps4 xcvi41 and ,ps4 cv4--#b ,kings xix4 quotes ,is4 xxxvii4--#b ,kings xx4 quotes ,is4 xxxviii41 xxxix4 7ii7 ,one or two sentences3-- ,numb4 xiv4 #ah quotes ,exod4 xxxvi4 #f1 #g4--,ps4 lxviii4 #a quotes ,numb4 x4 #ce4--,ps4 lxviii4 #g1 #h quotes ,judges v4 #d1 #e4--,ps4 cxviii4 #ad quotes ,exod4 xv4 #b4--,prov4 xxx4 #e quotes ,ps4 xviii4 #cj4--;,joel ii4 #ac quotes ,jonah iv4 #b4--;,isaiah xii4 #b quotes ,exod4 xv4 #b4--;,isaiah xiii4 #f quotes ,joel i4 #ae4--;,isaiah li4 #f quotes ,ps4 cii4 #be-g4--;,isaiah lii4 #aj quotes ,ps4 xcviii4 #b1 #c4--,micah iv4 #a1 #b1 #c quotes ,isaiah ii4 #b1 #c1 #d4--,nahum i4 #ae quotes ,isaiah lii4 #g4--,zeph4 iii4 #ai quotes ,micah iv4 #f4--;,habakkuk ii4 #ad quotes ,isaiah xi4 #i4--;,jeremiah x4 #ac3 li4 #af quotes ,ps4 cxxxv4 #g4--;,jeremiah xlviii4 quotes ,isaiah xv4 #af4--;,jeremiah xxvi4 #ah quotes ,micah iii4 #ab4--a ,chron4 xxix4 #ae quotes ,ps4 xxxix4 #ab4 7iii7 ,allusive references4--7,this would involve a prolonged reference to the ,hebrew ,scriptures1 which would be even out of place here47 #aed ,see pp4 #bcd-e4 #aee ,rev4 ,ralph ,churton's ,sermon ,on the ,quotations in the ,old ,testament1 7#ahjg17 published in ,townson's ,works1 vol4 i4 p4 cxxxiv41--where see the interesting note4 #aef ,rev4 ,ralph ,churton's ,sermon1 quoted in note 7t1 our #aee71 pp4 cxliv-v4 #aeg ,e4g4 ,gen4 xxviii4 #aa1 #ab3 xxxii4 #a-c4 ,exod4 xxiv4 #aj4--,st4 ,luke xxii4 #dc-de4 ,st4 ,matth4 xxvii4 #eb1 #ec4 ,st4 ,jude ver4 #i4 #aeh ,e4g4 ,jacob1 ,joseph1 ,david4--,st4 ,paul1 ,st4 ,peter1 ,st4 ,john4 #aei ,e4g4 ,gen4 viii4 #i3 xxxvii4 #ae-ag3 xlviii4 #ag1 #ah4 ,exod4 ii4 #f4--,st4 ,luke viii4 #ee4 ,st4 ,john xiii4 #d1 #e3 xxi4 #afj ,e4g4 in ,heb4 viii4 #h-ab1 where ,jer4 xxxi4 #ca-cf is quoted4 ,see ,acts ii4 #ag-ba1 where ,joel ii4 #bh-cb is quoted4 #afa ,it is supposed that the three well-known references to profane writers1 7,acts xvii4 #bh4 #a ,cor4 xv4 #cc4 ,tit4 i4 #ab1 concerning which see ,jerome1 ,opp4 i4 #dbd3 vii4 #dga17--the place in ,st4 ,matthew1 7xxvii4 #i17--;and ,st4 ,james iv4 #e1--;are scarcely exceptions to the statement in the text4 #afb ,see above1--7#d74 #afc ,only given by ,st4 ,matthew and ,st4 ,luke4 #afd ,only found in ,st4 ,luke iii4 #cf4 #afe ,only found in ,st4 ,matth4 i4 #e4 #aff ,only found in ,acts vii4 #af4 #afg ,only found in ,acts vii4 #bc4 #afh ,st4 ,james v4 #ag1--mentioned also by our ,,lord1 ,st4 ,luke iv4 #be2 who informs us that ,jonah was a sign to the ,ninevites4 ,this is only revealed in ,st4 ,luke xi4 #cj4 #afi #b ,cor4 xi4 #c4 #agj ,st4 ,jude ver4 #i4 #aga #b ,tim4 iii4 #h4 #agb ,see ,heb4 xi4 #ai4 ,consider ,rom4 iv4 #ai4 #agc ,acts vii4 #af4 #agd ,compare ,exod4 ii4 #b1 #c with ,acts vii4 #bj4 ,consider ,rev4 ii4 #ad3 also ,heb4 xii4 #ba3 also ,heb4 ix4 #ai1 c4 #age ,sermons1 by the ,rev4 ,c4 ,p4 ,eden1 p4 #ahe4 #agf 2 2 4 ,justin3 ,qust4 ci4 p4 #def4 #agg ,eadem sunt in ,vetere et ,novo3 ibi obumbrata1 hic revelata2 ibi prfigurata1 hic manifesta4 7,augustine3 ,qust4 xxxiii41 in ,num4 #a4 m4 iii4 p4 #eda47--;,in ,veteri ,testamento est occultatio ,novi3 in ,novo ,testamento est manifestatio ,veteris4 7,id4 ,de ,catechiz4 ,rudibus1 #h4--,see also ,qust4 lxxiii4 in ,exod47 #agh ,see below1 from the foot of p4 #agd to the beginning of p4 #agf4 #agi ,below1 p4 #ajh4 ,the reader is requested to refer to the place4 #ahj ,e4g4 ,gen4 xi4 #e-h3 xviii4 #ag-ba4 #aha ,e4g4 ,gen4 vi4 #f4 #b ,sam4 xi4 #bg4 #ahb ,e4g4 #b ,kings xix4 #ce4 ,st4 ,matth4 xxviii4 #b1 #c4 #ahc ,rev4 i4 #aj1 #aa4 #ahd ,analogy1 ,p4 ,,ii4 ch4 vii4 #ahe ,butler's ,analogy1 ,p4 ,,ii4 ch4 vii4 #ahf ,heb4 viii4 #a4 #ahg ,st4 ,luke iv4 #ba4 #ahh ,st4 ,john v4 #df4 #ahi ,st4 ,luke xxiv4 #bg4 #aij ,st4 ,luke xxiv4 #dd4 #aia ,dr4 ,wordsworth 7,occasional ,sermon #ed17 ,on the ,inspiration of the ,old ,testament1 7#ahei47--p4 #gj4 #aib #b ,tim4 ii4 #b4 #aic ,see the middle of p4 cxcvii4 #aid ,photius1 p4 #aie1 ed4 ,bekker4--,eos simul jungendos censui1--,polycarpum1 ,irenum1 ,hippolytum2 cum ,hippolytus discipulus ,ireni fuisset1 ,irenusque ,polycarpum1 ,joannis ,apostoli discipulum1 audivisset4--,routh1 ,preface to ,opuscula1 p4 x4 #aie ,st4 ,luke xxiv4 #bg4 #aif ,st4 ,john xiv4 #bf4 ,the fulfilment of this promise repeatedly occurs3 as in ,st4 ,john ii4 #ag1 #bb3 xii4 #af3 xiii4 #g3 ,st4 ,luke xxiv4 #h4 ,consider ,st4 ,john xx4 #i4 #aig #a ,cor4 xii41 xiii41 xiv41 c4 #aih ,st4 ,luke xxiv4 #de4 #aii ,acts ii4 #d-ba4 #bjj ,see ,mr4 ,jowett's ,essay1 p4 #ced4 #bja ,ps4 xcii4 #e4 #bjb ,acts viii4 #cj1 #ca4--',revela1' inquit ,david1 'oculos meos1 et considerabo mirabilia de ,lege ,tu4' ,si tantus ,propheta tenebras ignoranti confitetur1 qu nos putas parvulos1 et pene lactantes1 insciti nocte circumdari8 ,hoc autem velamen non solum in facie ,moysi1 sed et in ,evangelistis et in ,apostolis positum est4--,hieronymus1 ,ep4 lviii4 vol4 i4 p4 #cbc4 #bjc ,dr4 ,moberly1 as before1 pp4 liii4-iv4 #bjd ,minor ,works1 vol4 ii4 p4 #aj4 #bje ,ibid4 p4 #f4 #bjf ,see ,serm4 ,i4 pp4 #aj-aa1 #ac1 c4 #bjg ,see below1 p4 #adb4 #bjh ,from a ,sermon by the ,rev4 ,f4 ,woodward1 quoted below1 at p4 #bdi4--;,in illustration of the learned writer's concluding remark1 take this from the ,creed of ,lyons1 contained in ,irenus 7,a4,d4 #ahj71-- 1 1 4 ,in the ,creed of ,constantinople1 we read1 444 4 #bji ,the ,creed of ,lyons begins by describing itself as that which 1 ' 1 1 444 ,most refreshing of all1 however1 are the concluding words of that ,creed3 so comfortable are they that ,i cannot deny myself the consolation of transcribing them here1 where indeed they are very much ad rem3-- 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 4 1 ' 4 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 4 ' 1 1 1 1 4 1 7 17 4 1 1 4--,see ,heurtley's ,harmonia ,symbolica1 p4 #i4 #baj ,abridged from ,dr4 ,moberly1 as before1 pp4 lii4-v4 #baa 1 1 1 1 1 4--,cyril4 ,hieros4 ,cat4 v4 #ab1--quoted by ,heurtley4 #bab ,answer4 ,he certainly does not employ the identical language of the ,nicene ,council1 or of the 7so called7 ,athanasian ,creed4 ,but what then8 #bac ,ans4 ,passages of the ,epistles distributed in alternate clauses between our ,lord's ,humanity and ,divinity1 begging ,mr4 ,jowett's pardon1 is nonsense4 ,but no passage in ,st4 ,paul's ,epistles which relates to the ,humanity1 or to the ,divinity of ,,christ1 could be said to lose its meaning by being unlocked by its own proper clue3 or1 if the statement be complex1 by being distributed under two heads4 #bad ,ans4 ,but not1 ,i suppose1 to reconcile them8 ,why use inaccurate language on so solemn a subject8 #bae ,ans4 ,doubtless we have to suppose this6 #baf ,ans4 ,not so4 ,for there is one ,person of the ,,father1 and another of the ,,son4 #bag ,ans4 ,doubtless we have to suppose this6 #bah ,ans4 ,but ,he did not doubt6 #bai #a ,st4 ,john iv4 #b1 #c4--b ,st4 ,john ver4 #g4 #bbj ,dr4 ,moberly1 as before1 p4 xlvii4 #bba ,e4g4 ,we should observe how the popular explanations of ,prophecy1 as in heathen 7,thucyd4 ii4 #ed17 so also in ,christian times1 had adapted themselves to the circumstances of mankind4 7,the ,reverend writer can never for a moment divest himself of his theory that ,thucydides and the ,bible stand on the same footing67 ,we might remark that in our own country1 and in the present generation especially1 the interpretation of ,scripture had assumed an apologetic character1 as though making an effort to defend itself against some supposed inroad of ,science and ,criticism4 7p4 #cdj47 444 ,just as if any other attitude was possible when one has to do with ',essayists and ,reviewers6' #bbb ,one would imagine that the ,essayist and his critic were entirely agreed4 ,see below1 p4 #gd1--;,i refuse to accept any theory whatsoever4 ,and p4 #aae1--,theory ,i have none4 #bbc ,had the following passage occurred sooner to my recollection1 it should have been sooner inserted3--,are we to conduct the ,interpretation of ,holy ,scripture as we would that of any other writing8 ,we are and we are not4 ,so far as ,,the ,,words are concerned1 the mere words of ,scripture have the same office with those of all language written or spoken in sincerity4 ,they must be studied by the same means and the same rules which would guide us to the meaning of any other work2 by a knowledge of the languages in which the books were written1 the ,hebrew1 the ,chaldee1 the ,greek1 and of those other languages1 as the ,syriac and ,arabic1 which may illustrate them2 and of all the ordinary rules of ,grammar and ,criticism1 and the peculiar information respecting times and circumstances1 history and customs1--all the resources1 in a word1 of the ,interpretation of any work of any kind4 ,the ,grammatical and ,historical interpretation of profane or sacred writings is the same4444 ,all ,scripture1 meanwhile1 is given by ,inspiration of ,,god3 and this at once introduces several important differences2 which whoever neglects may yet1 with whatsoever advantages of learning and talent1 fail to discover the real meaning of the ,word of ,,god4--,from ,dr4 ,hawkins 7,provost of ,oriel7's ,inaugural ,lecture as ,dean ,ireland's ,professor1 delivered in #ahdg1--pp4 #bi-cj4 ,it is but fair to ,mr4 ,jowett to add that1 in terms1 he has very nearly 7not quite7 said the self-same thing himself1 at p4 #ccg1 7upper half the page47 ,but it is the peculiar method of this most slippery writer1 or most illogical thinker1 occasionally to grant almost all that heart can desire1 as far as words go2 but straightway to deny1 or evacuate1 or explain away1 the thing which those words ought to signify4--,thus1 at p4 #ccg1 he volunteers the remark that ,no one who has a ,christian feeling would place ,classical on a level with ,sacred ,literature2 and at p4 #cgg1 he observes that1 ,there are many respects in which ,scripture is unlike any other book4 ,and yet1 7as ,i have shown1 p4 cxliii4 to p4 cl417 ,mr4 ,jowett puts the ,bible on a level with ,sophocles and ,plato2 and argues throughout as if ,scripture were in no essential respect unlike any other book6 #bbd ,had this writer reminded us that the ,new ,testament ,greek is a ,greek of different age from that of the classical writers2 had he simply warned us that we must not press our ,attic ,greek scholarship too far1 but study the ,alexandrian ,greek of the ,septuagint1 ,philo1 c4 in order to ascertain the exact meaning of the words and phrases of the writers of the ,new ,testament2--still more1 if1 as the result of such study on his own part1 he had offered us some well-digested observations on the use of tenses1 articles1 or particles in the sacred writings2--he would have done some service4 ,but this talk about 'excessive attention to the article1' and 'particles being often mere excrescences of style1' is of no effect except to expose the writer to ridicule4 ,it sounds as if he had been accustomed to lay down the law to an admiring audience of 'clever young men1' and had forgotten that there were still 'men in ,denmark' who understood ,greek4--,some ,remarks on ,essays and ,reviews1 prefixed to ,dr4 ,moberly's ',sermons on the ,beatitudes4' 7#ahfa47 pp4 lxii4-iii4 #bbe ,quarterly ,review1 ,no4 #bag1 p4 #bih4 #bbf ,quarterly ,review1 ,no4 #bag1 pp4 #bfe-f4 #bbg ,st4 ,matth4 ii 4#a1 #bb4 #bbh ,st4 ,luke ii4 #da4 #bbi ,see ,sermon ,,vii41 pp4 #bbb-bcb4 #bcj ,essays and ,reviews1 p4 #aji4 #bca ,see ,dr4 ,moberly1 7as before17 p4 lv4-lx4 #bcb ,edinburgh ,review1 7,april1 #ahfa17 p4 #dgf4 #bcc ,the ,rev4 ,h4 ,b4 ,wilson says1--,if those who distinguish themselves in ,science and ,literature cannot1 in a scientific and literary age1 be effectually and cordially attached to the ,church of their nation1 they must sooner or later be driven into a position of hostility to it4 7p4 #aih47 ,this is one of the many notes1 if not of concert and comparison1 at least of intense sympathy between the ,essayists and ,reviewers4 #bcd ,quarterly ,review1 ,no4 #bag1 p4 #bff4 #bce ,see at pp4 #cea1 #ceb1 #ceg1 #ceh1 #cfa1 #cfe1 #cfg1 #dac1 c4 #bcf ,quarterly ,review1 as before1 p4 #bhb4 #bcg ,take a few instances3--,mr4 ,wilson and ,mr4 ,jowett speak of the ,gospels as more or less accurately embodying a common tradition1 pp4 #afa and #cdf4--;,dr4 ,temple and ,mr4 ,jowett propose the heart and conscience1 as the overruling principle1 pp4 #db-e1 and #daj3--;and insist that the ,bible is a ,spirit1 not a ,letter1 pp4 #cf and #ceg1 #cge1 #dbe4--;,dr4 ,temple and ,dr4 ,williams regard the ,bible as the voice of conscience1 pp4 #de and #gh3--look for a verifying faculty in the individual1 pp4 #de and #hc3--;dwell on the interpolations in ,scripture1 pp4 #dg and #gh4--,mr4 ,wilson and ,mr4 ,jowett insist on the meaning which ,scripture had to those who first heard it1 as its true meaning1 pp4 #bai1 #bbc1 #bcj1 #bcb1 and #cch1 #cgh3--on the necessity of reconciling ,intellectual men to ,scripture1 pp4 #aih and #cgd4--,professor ,powell and ,mr4 ,jowett are of one mind as to ,miracles1 pp4 #aji and #cdi4--;,dr4 ,temple and ,mr4 ,jowett delight in the same image of the ,colossal ,man1 pp4 #a-di and #cca1 #chg1 #dbb4--;,dr4 ,williams and ,mr4 ,jowett coincide in their estimate of the ,german ,commentators1 pp4 #fg and #cdj4--;,dr4 ,temple and ,dr4 ,williams are of one mind as to the past training of our ,race1 pp4 #a-di1 and #ea4 ,they are generally agreed as to the untrustworthiness of ,genesis1 and of the ,scripture generally1 the hopeless contradictions between the ,evangelists1 c41 c4 ,they hold the same language about our having outlived the ,faith1 7',traditional ,christianity1' as it is called27 the impossibility of freedom of thought2 the necessity of providing some new ,religious system2 the effete nature of ,creeds and formularies of ,belief2 the advance in ,natural ,science as likely to prove fatal to ,theology1 c41 c4 #bch ,see ,st4 ,john iii4 #b3 v4 #cf3 x4 #be1 #cg-h3 xiv4 #aa3 xv4 #bd3 ,st4 ,luke vii4 #bj-bb1 c41 c4 #bci ,creed of ,lyons1 ,a4,d4 #ahj2 see above1 p4 clxxx41 note4 #bdj pp4 cxciv4-v4 #bda ,see pp4 #eg and #agj4 #bdb ,some ,remarks1 c41 pp4 xxiii4-xxv4 ,seven ,sermons4 ,,subjects ,,of ,,the ,,sermons4 7,for a detailed account of the ,contents of these ,sermons1 the ,reader is referred to the beginning of the ,volume47 ,i4--,,the ,,study ,,of ,,the ,,bible ,,recommended2 ,,and ,a ,,method ,,of ,,studying ,,it ,,described p4 #a ,,ii4--,,natural ,,science ,,and ,,theological ,,science p4 #bc ,,iii4--,,inspiration ,,of ,,scripture4--,,gospel ,,difficulties4--,,the ,,word ,,of ,,god ,,infallible4--,,other ,,sciences ,,subordinate ,,to ,,theological ,,science p4 #ec ,,iv4--,,the ,,plenary ,,inspiration ,,of ,,every ,,part ,,of ,,the ,,bible1 ,,vindicated ,,and ,,explained4--,,nature ,,of ,,inspiration4--,,the ,,text ,,of ,,scripture p4 #ia ,v4--,,interpretation ,,of ,,holy ,,scripture4--,,inspired ,,interpretation4--,,the ,,bible ,,is ,,not ,,to ,,be ,,interpreted ,,like ,,any ,,other ,,book4--,,god1 7,,not ,,man17 ,,the ,,real ,,author ,,of ,,the ,,bible p4 #aci ,,vi4--,,the ,,doctrine ,,of ,,arbitrary ,,scriptural ,,accommodation ,,considered p4 #ahc ,,vii4--,,the ,,marvels ,,of ,,holy ,,scripture1 ,,moral ,,and ,,physical4--,,jael',s ,,deed ,,defended4--,,miracles ,,vindicated p4 #bba 99 99 99 99 99 ,,pr,,venerunt ,,oculi ,,mei ,,ad ,,te ,,diluculo1 ,,ut ,,meditarer ,,eloquia ,,tua4 ,,quam ,,dulcia ,,faucibus ,,meis ,,eloquia ,,tua3 ,,super ,,mel ,,ori ,,meo4 ,,lucerna ,,pedibus ,,meis ,,verbum ,,tuum1 ,,et ,,lumen ,,semitis ,,meis4 1 1 1 4 ,,domine ,,deus meus1 444 sint cast delici me ,scriptur ,tu4 ,nec fallar in eis1 nec fallam ex eis4--,,augustinus1 ,confessiones1 lib4 xi4 c4 ii4 #c4 ,the ,book of this ,law we are neither able nor worthy to look into4 ,that little thereof which we darkly apprehend we admire3 the rest with religious ignorance we humbly and meekly adore4--,,hooker1 ,eccl4 ,pol41 ,b4 ,i4 ch4 ii4 #e4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,sermon ,i4#bdc 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,study ,,of ,,the ,,bible ,,recommended2 ,,and ,a ,,method ,,of ,,studying ,,it ,,described4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,st4 ,,john vi4 #fh4 ,,lord1 to whom shall we go8 ,thou hast the words of ,eternal ,life4 ,it was probably in that synagogue which the faithful ,centurion built at ,capernaum#bdd that our ,,saviour had been discoursing4 ,at the end of ,his discourse1 it is related that many of ,his ,disciples went back1 and walked no more with ,him4 ,thereupon1 ,he asked the ,twelve1 ,will ye also go away8 the very form of ,his inquiry 7 7 implying the answer which the ,divine ,speaker expected and desired4 ,and to this challenge of ,love to ,faith1 ,st4 ,peter replied1 not only on behalf of his fellow-,apostles1 but on behalf of all faithful men to the end of time3--,,lord1 to whom shall we go8 ,thou hast the words of ,eternal ,life6 ,you perceive that ,st4 ,peter's confession takes a peculiar form1--resting the impossibility of unfaithfulness in the ,apostles on the gracious discourse of ,him to whom they had been listening4 ,a hard saying1 and unpalatable1 it had proved to many2 but to his own taste it had seemed sweeter than honey and the honeycomb4 ,so that while1 to those others1 it had been an occasion of going back1 and walking with ,,christ no more1--to himself it had been a reason why he could never1 as he felt1 be persuaded to forsake ,,christ4 ,nay1 it was to himself1 7and1 as he boldly assumed1 to his fellow-,apostles17 a sufficient evidence that the ,speaker was none other than the ,,son of ,,god4 ,and we believe1 and are sure1 that ,thou art the ,,christ1 the ,,son of the living ,,god6 ,here then1 surely1 a very solemn picture is set before us4 ,the same message proves1 in the case of some1 the savour of death unto death3 in the case of others1 of life unto life4 ,it is an image of what is still taking place in the world4 ,the ,gospel1 whether veiled in the ,old ,testament1 or unveiled in the ,new1 is confessedly a hard saying3--to some1 their very crown and joy2 to others1 only an occasion of distress and downfall4 ,it was so1 when proclaimed not by the tongue of men and of angels1 but by the lips full of grace and truth of the ,incarnate ,,word ,himself3 and it is so still4 ,the temper of mankind is still the same as it was of old1 and the instrument of man's trial is still the same4 ,of the written ,gospel1 many of the self-same things are said in ,scripture which are said of ,him by whom that ,gospel was preached4 ,thus1 it is proclaimed to be the power of ,,god to salvation#bde4 ,it is described as a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart#bdf4 ,it is declared to be eternal1--a thing which shall never pass away#bdg4 ,in the last day1 it is prophesied that the words which ,,christ has spoken shall judge men#bdh4 ,the very ,name by which ,st4 ,john designates the ,eternal ,,son1 in the forefront of his ,gospel#bdi1 is the appellation by which the ,gospel is emphatically known4--,but even more remarkable are the analogies which subsist between the written record of our ,,lord',s ,life and ,teaching1 and the actual person of our ,,lord4 ,and proposing1 as ,i now do1 to say a few earnest words to the younger men in recommendation of a more punctual1 methodical1 as well as attentive study of the ,bible1 than1 ,i am persuaded1 is practised by one young man in a thousand1--it may not prove unavailing in awakening attention1 if ,i advert1 in passing1 to some of the circumstances whereby an even balance1 7so to speak17 is established between the opportunities of the men of this generation1 and of those who were blessed with the oral teaching of the ,son of ,man4 #a4 ,thus1 if the record has its difficulties1 and its seeming contradictions1 so had ,he4 ,it did not appear that ,,jesus of ,nazareth was born1 7according to the prophet ,micah's prediction17 at ,bethlehem#bej4 ,his title perplexed even ,nathanael#bea4--;,he was called the son of ,joseph1 even by the ,blessed ,virgin#beb4 ,how then could ,he be the ,,son of ,,god8 ,and how was the famous prophecy of ,isaiah fulfilled in ,him#bec8--;,he grew up in a lowly estate4 ,once ,he is called the carpenter#bed4 ,how then could ,he be of the ,royal ,house of ,david8 ,and so1 in many other respects1 did ,he1 in ,his own person1 present the self-same class of difficulties to the world's eye which ,his ,gospel presents to ours3--the sixteenth of ,tiberius1--the two genealogies1--,cyrenius1--the days of ,abiathar1--,jeremy the prophet1--and so on4 #b4 ,somewhat less obvious1 but not less true1 is the unattractive aspect1 at first sight1 of the ,gospel4 ,verily there is1 until we become intimately acquainted with it1 no beauty that we should desire it4--,the style1 7full of interest1 to those who have tried to understand it a little17 is not1 ,i suppose1 what critics would call altogether a good style4--,the ,greek is not what learned men call pure4--,many a word1 7brimfull of meaning to those who will give to the words of the ,gospel their best care17 reminds one1 that neither did ,he speak what1 in the capital of ,jewry1 was accounted a classical idiom4 ,he employed the accent of the despised ,galilee4--,the very reasoning1 7until you give it your heart's homage and best attention17 often seems to be either inconsequential1 or to contain a fallacy4 ,certain words of our ,,lord have been even cited as fallacious by a celebrated ,divine whose writings we are all familiar with#bee4 ,now1 ,his words were disregarded1 cavilled at1 made light of1 in just the same manner4 #c4 ,most surprising of all is the analogy observable between the union of the ,divine and the human element in the ,gospels1--and the strictly parallel union1 as it seems1 of the two natures1 the ,divine and the ,human1 in the person of our ,,lord4--,as ,he was perfect and faultless1 so do we deem it infallible also1 without spot or blemish of any kind4 ,we reject as monstrous any 'theory of ,inspiration1' 7as it is called17 which imputes blunders to the work of the ,,holy ,,ghost4--,as1 further1 we claim for our ,,lord',s recorded human actions mysterious significancy1 so do we seem warranted in looking for a mysterious purpose1 a divine meaning1 in every expression of the written ,word4--,lastly1 although we may1 nay we must1 admit such a ,divine and such a human element1 we must altogether deny the possibility of separating the one from the other4 ,we cannot separate ,scripture into human and ,divine4 ,like the ,incarnate ,,word1 the ,gospel is at once both human and ,divine1 yet one and indivisible4 ,and the method of its inspiration is as great a difficulty in its way1 and as much beyond our ken1 as the nature of the union of the ,godhead and the ,manhood in the one person of ,,christ4 ,for whatever reason1 and whether you please to accept the foregoing remarks or not1 it is a plain fact that the ,gospel is now in the world1 fulfilling the same office towards mankind1 which our ,saviour ,,christ ,himself fulfilled1 and experiencing the same treatment at the hands of men in return4 ,it is leavening society indeed1 and remodelling the world1 even while it is practically overlooked by politicians or experiencing evil treatment from them4 ,it wins its way silently and secretly1 yet surely2 and it works miracles here and there4 ,moreover1 it divides opinion2 separating1 as it will for ever separate1 the light from the darkness#bef4 ,it is slighted1 and overlooked1 and neglected by some2 even while1 by others1 it is embraced with joy unspeakable4 ',the humble and meek' adore it2 even while1 by the proud and rebellious1 it is after a most strange fashion cavilled at1 called in question1 and denied4 ,we specify the ,gospel1 instinctively1 as that part of the ,inspired ,word which chiefly concerns ourselves1 as ,christian men2 but the entire deposit shares the same fate4 ,i do not think ,i am delivering a paradox when ,i say that the ,bible is generally very little read4 ,that the amount of study commonly bestowed upon it bears no proportion whatever to its transcendent importance and paramount value1 shall not be any paradox at all2 but a mere truism4 ,for ,i entreat you to consider1 7trite and obvious as it may sound17 ,what have we1 in the whole wide world1 which may be put in competition with that ,book which contains ,,god',s revelation of ,himself to man8 ,in its early portions1 how does it go back to the very birthday of ,time1 and discourse of things which were done in the grey of that early morning6 ,how mysterious is the record1--so methodical1 so particular1 so unique2 preserving the very words which were syllabled in ,paradise1 and describing transactions which no one but the ,,holy ,,ghost is competent to declare6 ,come lower down1 and where will you find more beautiful narratives1--still fresh at the end of three and four thousand years1--than those stories of ,patriarchs1 ,judges1 ,kings1 which wrap up divinest teaching in all their ordinary details3 where every word is weighed in a heavenly balance1 fraught with a divine purpose1 and intended for some glorious issue3 where the very characters are adumbrations of personages far greater than themselves2 and where the course of events is made to preach to us1 at this distant day1 of the things which concern our peace6 ,is it a light thing again to know in what terms ,isaiah1 and the rest of the goodly fellowship1 when they opened their lips to speak in that remote age1 foretold of the coming of the ,son of ,man8444 ,but all seems to grow pale before the ,everlasting ,gospel1 and the other writings of the ,new ,testament4 ,surely we have become too familiar with the providence which has preserved to us the very words of the four ,evangelists1 if we can bend our thoughts in the direction of the ,gospel without a throb of joy and wonder not to be described1 at having so great a treasure placed within our easy reach4 ,can it indeed be1 that ,i may listen while the disciple whom ,,jesus loved is discoursing of the miracles1 and recalling the sayings of his ,,lord8 ,may ,i hear ,st4 ,peter himself address the early ,church1--or know the precise words of the message which ,st4 ,jude sent to the first believers1--or be shown the ,epistle which the ,,lord',s cousin addressed to the ,twelve ,tribes scattered abroad8 ,how does it happen that the ,book is not for ever in our hands which comes to us with such claims to our undivided homage8 ,but1 on the contrary1 it has become the fashion in certain quarters1 on every imaginable pretext1 to call in question the credibility of the ,bible4 ,it seems to be the taste of the age to invent hazy difficulties and dim objections to its statements4 ,inspiration1 under a miserable attempt to explain it1 is openly explained away4 ,and the theory1 however crude and preposterous1 is tolerated3 at least it escapes castigation4 ,it cannot fail but that the unlearned and thoughtless ones of this generation will be growing up in a notion that these are open questions after all1 and that ,truth is but a name1--not a thing worth contending1 aye dying for1 if need be6 ,the reason is but too obvious4 ,it must be1 partly1 because we do not in reality prize the deposit nearly so much as we suppose4 ,partly1 because of the indifferentism which is everywhere so prevalent4 ,partly too because1 notwithstanding our intellectual activity1 we are not a really learned body4 ,and partly1 it must be confessed1 the reason is1 because ,theology has become so nearly a prostrate study with us1 and because men really able to do battle for the ,truth are somewhat hard to find4 ,nor is there any reasonable prospect of improvement either2 for those who go forth from this place into the ,ministry1 go with such slender preparation1 that it would be truer to say that they go with none at all4 ,now1 it would be a mere waste of time1 to inveigh for half an hour against the indifferentism1 or the spurious liberality1 of the age3 and it would be a most unbecoming proceeding1 7not to say a highly distasteful one17 from this place to be suggesting remedies for an evil which already lies very near the heart of every serious man among us2 and which1 if discussed at all1 must be discussed elsewhere4 ,to say the truth1 while the neglect of ,theology1 and the low ebb of ,theological attainments in our ,clergy1 is generally recognized1 the remedy for the evil is by no means so clear4 ,from this subject1 then1 ,i pass at once3 and ,i shall content myself with the far humbler task1 of urging upon the younger men present1--those especially who are destined for the ,ministry1--one act of preparation1 one duty1 about which1 at all events1 there cannot be any difference of opinion3 ,i mean the duty of applying themselves1 now1 to the patient study of the ,bible4 ,the thing is soon said2 but the hint requires expanding a little1 in order that it may become of any practical use4--,by the study of the ,bible1 ,i do not mean a chapter occasionally read with care3 nor even a chapter regularly conned over at night2 when a convivial meeting has blunted the edge of observation1 or severe study has exhausted the powers of the brain4 ,the devotional use of a portion of ,holy ,scripture is quite a distinct affair4 ,still less would the practice satisfy me of following the lessons in the ,college ,chapel3 and this for reasons so obvious that ,i will not stop to point them out4 ,nor even is the reading of the ,bible in ,college ,lecture1 the thing ,i mean2 for reasons also which any acute person will readily ascertain for himself4 ,none of these methods of acquainting yourselves with the contents of the ,bible come up to the thing ,i contemplate1 although each is good in its way2 and of course ,i am not speaking in disparagement of any4 ,no4 ,the thing ,i would so strenuously urge upon you1 is1--that1 during your undergraduate period1 you should read the whole ,bible consecutively through1 from one end to the other1 by yourself and for yourself1 with consummate method1 care1 and attention4 ,the fundamental conditions of such a study of the ,bible1 in order to make it of any real use1 are these3-- #a4 ,first1 that you should deliberately apportion to this solemn duty the best and freshest and quietest half-hour in the whole day2 and then1 that you should determine1 let what will go undone1 never to abridge that half-hour4 ,you may sometimes be enabled to afford a little more time to the chapter3 but you will find it quite fatal ever to devote a shorter period to it4 ,and half an hour1 if you employ it in right good earnest1 at present1 must be thought enough4 #b4 ,next1 7except on ,sundays and in ,vacation1 when you may safely double your daily task and your daily time17 be persuaded to read each day exactly one chapter4 ,on no account attempt to go reading on2 but rather spend the moments which remain over1 7they cannot be many67 in reviewing that day's portion2 or referring to some of the places indicated in the margin2 or glancing over yesterday's chapter4 ,the effect of building up your ,bible knowledge in this manner1 bit by bit1 is what you would not anticipate4 ,the whole acquires a solidity and compactness not to be attained by any other method4 ,you will find at the end of many days1 not only that the structure has attained to symmetry and beauty1--but that the disposition of its several parts1 in some respects1 has become intelligible also3 while1 7what is not of least importance17 the foundation on which all the superstructure rests1 proves wondrous secure and strong4 #c4 ,then1 while you read1--safe from the risk of interruption1 7as ,i began by supposing17 and with every faculty intent on your task1--try1 as much as possible1 to go over the words as if they were new to you2 and watch them1 one by one1 so that nothing may by any possibility escape your notice4 ,do not slumber over a single word4 ,nothing can be unimportant when it is the ,,holy ,,ghost who speaketh4 ,it is an excellent practice to mark the expressions which strike you2 for it is a method of preserving the memory of what is sure else soon to pass away4 #d4 ,and next1 be persuaded to read without extraneous helps of any kind2 except1 of course1 such help as a map1 or the margin of your ,bible1 supplies4 ,pray avoid ,commentaries and notes4 ,first1 you cannot afford time for them3 and secondly1 if you could1 they would be as likely to mislead you as not4 ,but the real reason why you are so strenuously advised to avoid them1 is1 because they will do more to nullify your reading1 than anything which could be imagined4 ,your object is to obtain an insight into ,holy ,scripture1 by acquiring the habit of reading it with intelligence and care3 not to be saved trouble1 and to be shown what other persons have thought about it4 #e4 ,but then1 though you are entreated not to have recourse to the notes of others1 you are as strongly advised to make brief memoranda of your own3 and the briefer the better4 ,construct your own table of the ,patriarchs1--your own analysis of the ,law1--your own descent of the ,kings1--your own enumeration of the ,miracles4 ,a pedigree full of faults1 made by yourself1 will do you more good than the most accurate table drawn up by another3 but if you are at all attentive and clever1 it will not be full of faults4--,you will perhaps make the parables #ef instead of #cj3 you will have gained #bf by your honest industry4 ,nay1 keep a record of your difficulties1 if you please2 or of anything which strikes you1 and which you would be sorry to forget4 ,but1 as a rule1 it is well to write little1 and to give your time and thought to the record before you4 #f4 ,above all1 is it indispensable that your reading of the ,bible should be strictly consecutive2 and on no account may any one pretend to begin such a study of that book as ,i am here recommending1 except at the first ,chapter of ,genesis4 ,it is a great mistake1 7though one of the commonest of all17 for a man to imagine that he knows the beginning of the ,bible pretty well4 ,i say it advisedly1 that it would be easy to write down twelve interesting questions on that first chapter1 of which none of the younger men present would be able to answer three1--and yet1 they should all be questions of such a sort that a labouring man's child with an open ,bible would be able infallibly to answer them every one4 #g4 ,it will follow from what has been offered1 that you are invited to read every book in the ,bible in the order in which it actually stands1--never1 of course1 skipping a chapter2 much less a ,book4 ,in every mere catalogue of names1 be resolved to find edification4 ,feel persuaded that details1 seemingly the driest1 are full of ,,god4 ,remember that the difference between every syllable of ,scripture and all other books in the world is1 not a difference of degree1 but of kind4 ,all books but one1 are human3 that one book is ,divine6 ,now1 you will perceive that the kind of study of the ,bible here recommended1 is somewhat different from what is commonly pursued4 ,i contemplate the continued exercise of a most curious and prying1 as well as a most vigilant and observing eye4 ,no difficulty is to be neglected2 no peculiarity of expression is to be disregarded2 no minute detail is to be overlooked4 ,the hint let fall in an earlier chapter is to be compared with a hint let fall in the later place4 ,do they tally or not8 and what follows8 ,the chronological details spontaneously evolved by the narrative1 are to be unerringly discovered by the student for himself4 ,the course of every journey is to be attentively noted4 ,things omitted are to be spied out as carefully as things set down2 and whatever can possibly be gathered in the way of necessary inference1 is to be industriously ascertained4 ,the imagination is not to slumber either1 because no pains are taken by the sacred writer to move the feelings or melt the heart4 ,how soon will any one who takes the trouble to read the ,bible after this fashion1 be struck with a hundred things which he never knew before1--indeed1 which are not commonly known6 ,how will he be for ever eliciting unsuspected facts1--detecting undreamed of coincidences1 but which are as important as they are true1--accumulating materials of value quite inestimable for future study in ,divine things6 ,however unpromising a certain collection of references may be1 he is careful to extend it1--convinced1 like a wise householder1 that there will come an use for it after many days4 ,his whole aim is to master thoroughly the record which he has undertaken to study4 ,let me not be misunderstood if it is added that the ,bible should be read1--,i do not say in the same manner1--that is1 in the same temper and spirit1--but at least with the same attention1 as is bestowed upon a merely human work4 ,in truth1 it should be read with much more attention4 ,but that diligence which a student commonly bestows on a difficult moral treatise1 or an obscure drama1 or a perplexed history1--analyzing it1 comparing passage with passage1 and learning a great deal of it by heart1--,i am quite at a loss to understand why a student of the ,bible should be a stranger to4--,i do much condemn1 7says ,lord ,bacon71 ,i do much condemn that ,interpretation of the ,scripture which is only after the manner as men use to interpret a profane book4 ,so do ,i4 ,scripture is to be approached and handled in quite a different spirit from a common history4 ,the mind1 the heart rather1 must bow down before its revelations1 in the most suppliant fashion imaginable4 ,the book should ever be approached with prayer3--,,lord1 open ,thou mine eyes that ,i may see the wondrous things of ,thy ,law6 ,the very printed pages should be handled with reverence1 in consideration of the message they contain4 ,but what ,i am saying is1 that none of the methods which diligence and zeal have ever invented to secure a complete mastery of the contents of any merely human performance1 may be overlooked by a student of the ,bible4 ,to what has gone before ,i will add one caution1 and will trouble you with one only4 ,it would be easy to multiply cautions3 but ,i am talking to highly intelligent men2 and there is only one rock which ,i am really fearful of your running against4 ,it was the advice of a great and good man1 7to his clergy1 ,i suspect17 that they should read the ,bible with a special object3 and an excellent recent writer has repeated the same advice2 namely that men should read with a view to some particular inquiry1 with purpose to clear up some peculiar question of interest1 which1 7says he17 you may create for yourselves#beg4 ,i entreat you to do nothing of the kind4 ,whatever advantages may result to an advanced student from adopting this practice1 to you it must be fraught with unmingled evil4 ,you will be tempted to overrate the importance of everything you discover which suits your present purpose3 you will disregard all that looks in a different direction3 you will be disappointed if you meet with nothing ad rem3 you will get a habit of slurring over many chapters1 many whole books of the ,bible4 ,a very little reflection will convince you that it must be as ,i say4 ,who1 for example1 could be expected to find delight and edification in the calendar of the ,deluge1 who had determined to read ,genesis with a view to discovering what knowledge existed in the patriarchal age of a future life8 ,no4 ,your wisdom will be to divest your minds1 as much as possible1 of any preconceived notion as to what the ,bible contains1 or was intended to teach you4 ,you should wish to find there nothing so much as the authentic evidence of what ,divine ,wisdom hath seen fit to communicate to man4 ,read it therefore1 if you are wise1 with unaffected curiosity3 settling down upon every flower1 in order to find out1 if you can1 where the honey is3 clinging to it rather1 until you have found the honey4 ,say to yourself1--,it cannot be that all these details of months and days should be given in vain#beh4 ,i must find out the reason of it4 ,and1 at last1 you will find1--what you will find4--,very strange1 7you will learn to say to yourself17 that the history of nearly #afjj years should be curdled into one short chapter#bei2 and yet that three verses of the ,bible should be devoted to the history of a man's losing his way in a field1 and then finding it again#bfj6 ,the subject may be worth thinking about4 ,you are perhaps naturally disposed to take what you are pleased to call a common sense view of the meaning of ,holy ,scripture2 and to interpret it after a very dry unlovely fashion of your own3 to evacuate its deeper sayings1 and to doubt the mysterious significancy of its historical details4 ,you will speedily perceive1 however1 that the ,apostles and ,evangelists of ,,christ1--as many as were moved by the ,,holy ,,spirit of ,,god1 and spoke not their own words but ,his1--that all these are against you3 and the effect of this discovery on an honest and good heart1 reading not in order to be confirmed in some preconceived opinion1 but with a sincere desire of enlightenment in ,divine things1--may be anticipated4 ,bishop ,horsley relates that by a yet simpler process he became disabused of a favourite fancy with which he set out1--namely1 that prophecy must of necessity carry a single meaning#bfa4--,the attitude of mind which ,i so strongly recommend you to assume1 7and it depends on an act of the ,will1 whether you assume it or not17 is very exactly represented by the cry of the child ,samuel1--,speak ,,lord1 for ,thy servant heareth6 ,it seems right1 in the fewest words1 to state what we do1--and what we do not1--expect to result from such a study of the ,bible as this2 in other words1 to assign the office of unassisted ,biblical study4 ,i would not willingly have my meaning mistaken here4 ,it is not implied then1 for a moment1 that a man is either at liberty1 or able1 to gather his own ,religion for himself out of the ,bible4 ,the very thought were monstrous4 ,but it is a widely different thing for one of yourselves to read his ,bible patiently1 and humbly1 and laboriously1 through1--without prejudice or theory1--unmolested by critical notes1 undistracted by human comments1 uninfluenced by party views3--all this1 ,i say1 is a widely different thing from a man's inventing his own system of ,divinity4 ,members of the ,catholic ,church1--born in a ,christian country1--educated amid the choicest influences for good1--you are by no means so left to yourselves4 ,,the ,,book ,,of ,,common ,,prayer is your sufficient safeguard4 ,the framework of the ,faith1--the conditions under which you may lawfully speculate about ,divine mysteries1--are all prescribed for you3 and within those limits you cannot well go wrong4 ,on the other hand1 the outlines of ,moral ,theology1 7as it may be called71 you are fully competent to detect for yourselves4 ,,god',s strictness in punishing sin1 as in the case of ,moses#bfb2--the efficacy of repentance1 as in the case of ,ahab#bfc2--the sure answer to prayer1 7to forgotten prayer1 it may be67 as in the case of ,zacharias#bfd2--the seemingly roundabout methods of ,,god',s providence1 7as in the case of ,abraham17 yet conducting inevitably to a blessed issue at the last2--the rewards of obedience#bfe2--the faithfulness of the ,divine promises2--the boundless wealth of the ,divine contrivance1 which1 on man's repentance1 is able to convert even a curse into a blessing1 as in the case of ,levi#bff2--the peace and joy surely in reserve for those who fear ,,god1 as in the case of ,joseph2--the extent to which things seemingly trivial are noticed by the ,ancient of ,days1 as every page of the ,bible shows2--these1 and a hundred points like these1 not only a man can gather for himself out of the ,book of ,god's ,law1 but no one else can do the work for him4 ,he must discover all such matters for himself4 ,and need ,i point out1 for a minute1 the immense advantage with which a mind so stored with ,divine knowledge will approach the ,ministry2 and finally take in hand the actual oversight of the flock8 ,it is really not to be expressed4 ,the ,bishop's examination for ,orders will become nothing but an agreeable exercise1 instead of an object of dread4 ,you are quite sure of a few approving words in that quarter4 ,but1 7what is a thousand times more important17 you yourself feel safe and strong4 ,you begin to read some treatise on ,divinity2 and you find yourself in some degree competent to test the writer's statements1 to endorse or to suspect his conclusions1 because you are familiar with the ,rule of ,faith which he himself employed4 ,it becomes your turn at last to instruct others1--from the pulpit for example2 and instead of timid truisms1 and vague generalities1 you are able to draw a bold clear outline round almost any department of ,christian doctrine4 ,you can explain with authority4--,you are not afraid to catechize before the congregation3 for although your ,theological attainments are but slender after all1 yet1 you know your ,bible well2 and even if an absurdly wrong answer is given you1 you know how to single out from the hank the golden thread of ,truth1 and to display it before the eyes of men and ,angels4 ,and let me tell you1 by way of ending the subject1 we should hear less about dull sermons1 and inattentive congregations1 and badly filled churches1--as well as about the astounding ignorance of many among the upper classes1 in ,divine things1--if our younger ,clergy knew the ,bible a great deal better than they do4--,aye1 and we should not have so many unsound remarks about ,holy ,scripture either1--so many mistaken views of doctrine1--so many crude remarks about ,inspiration1--made by persons who ought to know better4 ,you will perceive that ,i am saying all this1 7except the last few words17 at you1 7the younger men present27 because in you ,i see many of the future ,clergy of ,england4 ,and ,i say it1 because1 7for the last time17 ,i do entreat you1 one and all1 to follow the advice ,i have been giving you2 and to set about such a careful study of the ,bible1 at once4 ,do not put it off for a single day4 ,begin it tomorrow morning4 ,you will then have mastered ,genesis this term1 finishing the last chapter on ,sunday the #ajth of ,december2 and on ,monday1 the #aath1 you will have to read the first chapter of ,exodus4 ,i am confident that you will remember this day and hour with gratitude to the end of your lives1 if you will but make the experiment and persevere4 ,and just one word to those who aspire1 7and all should aspire17 to ,university honours4 ,you will not find what ,i have been recommending any hindrance to you at all4 ,but even supposing you do1 now and then1 find the inexorable daily half-hour stand in the way of something else1--shall not the very thought of ,him whose ,voice you have deliberately resolved to hear daily at that fixed time1 make you full amends8 ,shall you resolve to pluck so freely of the ,tree of ,knowledge1 and yet begrudge the approach once a day to the ,tree of ,life1 which grows in the midst of the ,paradise of ,,god8 ,shall ample time be found for works of fiction1--for the ,review1 and the ,magazine1 and the newspaper1--yet half an hour a day be deemed too much to be given to the ,word of ,,god8 ,what8 room for everything and everybody2 yet still no room in the ,inn for ,,christ6444 ,i have1 7,i speak honestly17 ,i have far too high an opinion of your instincts for good1 to think it possible4 ,you have plenty of faults1--7,god knoweth671--but ,i am very much deceived indeed if there be not a spirit stirring among the young men of this place1 overflowing with promise2 a real inclination1 7obscured at times1 but still very energetic17 for whatever things are pure1 and lovely1 and of good report4 ,of course1 it is implied by what goes before1 that you will read no work of ,divinity just at present4 ,be counselled1 on no account1 to read any4 ,above all1 shun the partial1 ill-digested pamphlet1--and the one-sided review1--and the controversial letter1--and the ,essay which seems to have been written in order to prove nothing4 ,be content1 for the next three years1 to study no book of ,divinity but the ,bible4 ,and the study of that ,book1 ,i repeat1 you will find no hindrance1 no impediment1 no burthen to you at all4 ,on the contrary4 ,it will render you a very singular service1--let your classical and logical studies be as severe as they will2 7and they cannot well be too severe1 too engrossing1--for this is your golden opportunity which never will1 never can1 come back again67 ,the undersong of ,siloa's brook that flows1 fast by the oracle of ,,god1 will many a time soothe and refresh your else dry and weary spirit4 ,what was begun as a task will soon come to be regarded as a privilege4 ,that jealously-guarded half-hour will be found to be the one green spot in the whole day1--like ,gideon's fleece1 fresh with the dew of the early morning1 when it is dry upon all the earth beside4 ,your secret study of that ,book of ,books1 ,i say1 will render you a very singular service4 ,the contrast between the ,divine and ,human method will strike you with ever-recurring power4 ,unlike every other ,history1 the ,bible removes the veil1 and discovers the causes of things1--including the ,first ,great ,cause of all1 who dwelleth in ,light unapproachable1 but who yet humbleth ,himself to behold1 and to controul1 and to overrule for good1 the things which are done in ,heaven and on ,earth4 ,and thus1 it is not too much to say that the ,bible1 to one who reads its pages aright1 is a certain clue to every other ,history1--as well as a perpetual commentary on every other ,book4 ,it informs the judgment1 and cleanses the eye1 throughout the whole department of ,morals3 and as for ,history1 what is it all1 but the evidence of ,,god in the world1--traces of ,his iron rod1 or of ,his ,shepherd's staff#bfg8 ,profoundly sensible am ,i1 that these have been very unintellectual1 and somewhat common-place remarks3 but ,i would rather1 a hundred times1 be of use to the younger men present2 ,i would rather1 a hundred times1 succeed in persuading one of them1 to adopt that method of reading the ,bible which ,i have been recommending2--than try to say something which might be thought fine and clever4444 ,let me only1 in conclusion1 faithfully remind them1 that the true office of the study of ,divine things is not1 by any means1 that which1 for obvious reasons1 ,i have been rather dwelling and enlarging upon4 ,it is not merely to inform the understanding1 that ,holy ,scripture is to be read with such consummate attention1 and studied with such exceeding care4 ,it is not for the illustration of ,history1 or in order that it may be made a test of the value of other systems of ,morals4 ,not1 by any means1 in order to facilitate admission into ,holy ,orders1 7for which only some of you are destined27--or to render a man's pulpit-addresses attractive and agreeable2--or even to enable a parish priest to teach with confidence and authority2--is he entreated now to prevent the night watches1 if need be1 that he may be occupied 7like one of old time#bfh17 with ,,god',s ,word4 ,o no6 ,it is1--in order that his inner life may be made conformable to that outer ,law#bfi3 that his aims may be ennobled1 and his motives purified1 and his earthly hopes made consistent with the winning of an imperishable crown6 ,it is in order that when he wavers between ,right and ,wrong1 the unutterable ,canon of ,,god',s ,law may suggest itself to him as a constraining motive4 ,its aim1 and purpose1 and real function1 is1 that the fiery hour of temptation may find the ,christian soldier armed with the sword of the ,spirit1 which is the ,word of ,,god#bgj3--that the dark season of ,adversity may find his soul anchored on the ,rock of ,ages1--which alone can prove his soul's sufficient strength and stay4444 ,of a truth1 as ,life goes on1 ,men will find the blessedness of their ,hope2 if they have not found it out already4 ,under every form of trial1--and under every strange vicissitude2--in sickness1--and in perplexity1--and in bereavement1--and in the hour of death2--,,lord1--to whom shall we go8 ,thou1--,thou hast the words of ,eternal ,life6 ,,footnotes3 #bdc ,preached in ,christ-,church ,cathedral1 ,oct4 #bast1 #ahfj4 #bdd 1--from which it would appear that there was but one4 ,see ,bishop ,middleton on ,st4 ,luke vii4 #e4 #bde ,rom4 i4 #af4 #bdf ,heb4 iv4 #ab4 #bdg ,st4 ,matth4 xxiv4 #ce1 c4 #bdh ,st4 ,john xii4 #dh4 #bdi ,st4 ,john i4 #a1 c4 #bej ,ibid4 vii4 #dj-dc4 #bea ,ibid4 i4 #de1 #df4 #beb ,st4 ,luke ii4 #dh4 #bec ,is4 vii4 #ad4 #bed ,st4 ,mark vi4 #c4 #bee ,our ,lord's words in ,st4 ,john viii4 #dg are so cited by ,archbishop ,whately in the ,appendix of his ,logic4--7,app4 ,,ii4 ,no4 #ab1 p4 #dah47 #bef ,consider all such places as ,st4 ,john xi4 #de1 #df4 #beg ,blunt's ,duties of a ,parish ,priest1--p4 #ha4 #beh ,gen4 vii4 #d to viii4 #ad4 #bei ,ibid4 v4 #bfj ,ibid4 xxxvii4 #ae1 #af1 #ag4 #bfa ,see ,appendix ,a4 #bfb ,deut4 iii4 #be1 #bf4 #bfc #a ,kings xxi4 #bg-bi4 #bfd ,st4 ,luke i4 #ac4 #bfe ,jerem4 xxxv4 #ah1 #ai4 #bff ,comp4 ,gen4 xlix4 #e-g1 with ,exod4 xxxii4 #bf-bh1 7alluded to in ,deut4 xxxiii4 #i17 and finally ,numb4 iii4 #i and #de1 and ,josh4 xxi4 #c-h4 #bfg ,the ,rev4 ,c4 ,marriott's ,sermons1--vol4 ,i4 p4 #dda4 #bfh ,ps4 cxix4 #adh4 #bfi ,not so ,essays and ,reviews1 pp4 #cf and #de4 #bgj ,eph4 vi4 #ag4 ,,sermon ,,ii4#bga 99 99 99 99 99 ,,natural ,,science ,,and ,,theological ,,science4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,hebrews xi4 #c4 ,through ,faith1 we understand that the worlds were framed by the ,word of ,,god4 ,st4 ,paul1 in a famous and familiar chapter of his ,epistle to the ,hebrews1 having declared what ,faith is1 proceeds1 7as the heading of the chapter expresses it71 to note the worthy fruits thereof in the ,fathers of old time4 ,the ,book of ,genesis was obviously in his hands1 or in his heart1 while he wrote3 for he appeals to the transactions there recorded1 in the very order1 and often in the very words1 of ,moses4 ,the ,,holy ,,ghost1 ,i say1 directs our attention to what is contained in the ivth1--vth1--vith1--xiith1--xviith1--xxi ind1--xxviith1--xlviiith1--and lth chapters of ,genesis4 ,but ,he begins with a yet earlier chapter4 ,he begins with the first4 ,abel1--,enoch1--,noah1--,abraham1--,sar ah1--,isaac1 --,jacob1--,joseph2--these stand forward as samples of ,god's faithful ones4 ,but with them1 the ,,holy ,,ghost proposes to associate us4 ,moreover1 ,he gives us the place of honour4 ,before mentioning one of their acts of ,faith1 ,he mentions one of ours4 ,we come first1--then they4 ,and the particular field in which we shine out so conspicuously1--the special province which is assigned to us1--that portion of the inspired ,narrative wherein you and ,i are supposed to shew a degree of undoubting faith which entitles us to rank with those ,fathers of old time1--is found to be the first chapter of the ,book of ,genesis4 ,through ,faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the ,word of ,god4 ,an honourable place1 and an honourable function truly6 ,i would to ,,god that it might be as gratifying to every one of the congregation1 as it is to the preacher1 to discover that this is the special stand-point which has been reserved for him and for them4 ,since1 however1 it is impossible to forget that we have sometimes seen heads1 which are supposed to be very much indeed in advance of the age1 shaken ominously at the very chapter which the text bequeaths and commends to the special acceptance of you and me1--,i propose that1 in the very briefest manner1 we now review the contents of that chapter2 in order that we may discover what is the special absurdity1 or impossibility1 or improbability1 or by whatever other name the thing is to be called1--which makes it quite out of the question that you or ,i should undertake the act of ,faith here assigned us4 ,i read then1 that ,in the beginning1 ,,god created the ,heaven and the ,earth3--by which ,i understand1 that1 at some remote period1--which may or may not baffle human ,arithmetic#bgb1--;it was the pleasure of ,,god the ,,father1 ,,god the ,,son1 ,,god the ,,holy ,,ghost1--three ,persons1 coeternal and coequal1--one ,,god1--out of nothing1 to create the entire ,universe4 ,all things that are in ,heaven1 and that are in ,earth1 visible and invisible1 whether they be thrones1 or dominions1 or principalities1 or powers3 all things were created by ,him#bgc2 and they were created out of nothing4 ,the word in the original does not indeed necessarily imply as much3 but since there is no word in ,hebrew1 7any more than there is in ,greek1 ,latin1 or ,english17 peculiarly expressive of the notion of creating out of nothing1 it need not excite our surprise that ,moses does not employ such a word to describe what ,god did in the beginning4--,then it was1 in the grey of that far distant morning ,i mean1 that all those glittering orbs which sow the vault of ,heaven with brightness and with beauty1 flashed into sudden being4 ,thou1 even ,thou1 art ,,lord alone3 ,thou hast made ,heaven1 the ,heaven of ,heavens1 with all their host#bgd4 ,suns1 the centres of systems1 many of them so distant from this globe of ours1 that sun and system scarce shew so bright as a single lesser star3 suns1 ,i say1 with their marvellous equipage of attendant bodies1--our sun among the rest1 with all those wandering fires which speed their unwearied courses round it3 suns1 and planets with their moons1 bathed once and for ever in the fountain of that ,light which ,,god inhabited from all ,eternity1 then marshalled themselves in mysterious order1 according to the counsel of ,his will#bge3 yea1 and with their furniture1 unimagined and unimaginable1 went careering through the untrodden realms of space1 each on its several errand of glory1 because of obedience to its ,maker's sovereign ,law#bgf4 ,by the ,word of the ,,lord1 7as it is written17 were the ,heavens made2 and all the hosts of them by the breath of ,his mouth#bgg6 ,now1 it is reserved to the geologist1--7,nature's ,high-priest67--to guess at the condition of this ,earth of ours throughout all the long period of unchronicled ages which immediately succeeded the birthday of ,time4 ,it is for him to guess at the successive changes which this globe of ours underwent2 and the progressive cycles of ,creation of which it was the theatre2 and the many strange races of creatures which1 one after another1 moved upon its surface1--walking the dry1 or inhabiting the moist4 ,he shall guess2 and ,i will sit at his feet and listen1 with unfeigned gratitude1 wonder1 and delight1 while he reports to me his guesses3 7for the really great man is eager to assure me that they are no more47--,but when his tale of perplexity is ended1 and the last #f1jjj years of this world's ,history have to be discussed1 the geologist's function is at an end4 ,i bid him1 in ,,god',s ,name1 be silent2 for now it is ,,god that speaketh4 ,if any question be moved as to how that actual system of things to which ,man belongs1 began1--,i bid him come down1 and take the learner's place2 for now ,i mean to assume his vacant chair4 ,this time1 there shall at least be no guess-work4 ,,god is now the ,speaker3 and what ,,god revealeth unto me1 that ,i promise faithfully to report to him4 ,there was a time1 then1--and it was certainly less than #f1jjj years ago1--when the ,earth was without form1 and void2 and darkness was upon the face of the deep4 ,what catastrophe it was which had caused that the fountains of the abyss should be broken up1 and the solid ,earth submerged1 ,i am not concerned to explain3--nor how it had come to pass that from a world of seas and continents1 it had become a watery ball1 wrapped about with superincumbent vapour3--nor how the blessed sunlight had suffered dire eclipse2--so that the ,earth revolved in a horror of great darkness4 ,my faith however is not troubled1--nor even perplexed1--by the strangeness of these things4 ,shall ,i think it a mere matter of course that one little flaw in a pipe shall1 in a second of time1 transform the orderly well-compacted seats of a goodly ,church to one unsightly mass of shapeless and disordered ruin#bgh2 and shall ,i pretend to stand aghast at the strangeness of a similar overthrow of this ,earth's furniture at the mere fiat of the ,most ,high8444 ,behold1 ,he measureth the waters in the hollow of ,his ,hand1 and weigheth the mountains in scales#bgi4 ,what if the ,creator of the earth and the sea shall bid them of a sudden change places8 ,think you that they would hesitate to obey ,him8 ,or what if ,he calleth for the waters of the ,sea1 and poureth them out upon the face of the ,earth#bhj8--,then further1 if ,i believe1 7as ,i do believe17 that when the ,jews crucified the ,,lord of ,glory there was darkness over all the land from the sixth hour unto the ninth#bha2--nay1 that when ,moses stretched forth his hand toward ,heaven1 there was a thick darkness in all the land of ,egypt1 even darkness which might be felt1 for three whole days#bhb3--more than that2 if ,i believe1 7as ,i do believe17 the solemn prediction of my ,,lord1 that at the consummation of all things1 ,the ,sun shall be darkened1 and the ,moon shall not give her light1 and the ,stars shall fall from ,heaven#bhc3--shall it move me to incredulity1 if ,god tells me1 that six thousand years ago it was ,his ,divine pleasure that the same phenomenon should prevail for a season8 ,surely1--7,i say to myself17--surely this is ,he which removeth the mountains1 and they know not3 which shaketh the ,earth out of her place1 and the pillars thereof tremble4 ,which commandeth the ,sun1 and it riseth not2 and sealeth up the ,stars#bhd6 #a4 ,but it was now ,,god',s pleasure to bring ,beauty out of ,chaos1 and to establish a fresh order of things upon the surface of our ,earth4 ,and1 as the first step thereto1 the ,,spirit of ,,god moved upon the face of the waters4 ,the ,hebrew phrase implies no less than the tremulous brooding as of a bird1--causing the dreary waste to heave and swell with coming life4 ,and ,,god said1 ,let there be ,light4 ,and there was ,light4 ,he spake and it was done#bhe4 ,from ,himself1 who is the true ,light1 7not from the ,sun1 which1--like the rest of the orbs of ,heaven1--is but a lamp of ,his kindling72--from ,himself1 ,i say1 a ray of ,light went forth2 and that is why ,he was pleased to praise it4 ,look through the chapter1 and you will find that it is the only one of ,his creatures of which it is specially said that ,,god saw that it was good#bhf4 444 ,thus1 one hemisphere was illumined1--whereby ,,god divided the light from the darkness2 and when the ,earth had completed a single revolution1 there had been a ,day and there had been a ,night1--so named by the ,word of ,,god3 and the evening and the morning were the first ,day#bhg4 444 ,do you see any impossibility so far8 ,i1 certainly1 see none4 ,it does not seem to me absurd that the ,light of the world#bhh1 dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto#bhi1 should cause the light to shine out of darkness#bij4 ,we shall perhaps come upon the absurdity by and by4 ,let us hasten forward4 #b4 ,and ,,god said1 ,let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters1 and let it divide the waters from the waters4 ,the ,hebrew word 7an expansion71 and the context1 shew plainly enough what is meant4 ,the atmosphere was now created1--whereupon the watery particles either subsided into sea1 or rose aloft in the form of clouds4 ,and the evening and the morning were the second ,day1--which is the only day of which it is not said that ,,god saw that it was good4 #c4 ,and ,,god said1 ,let the waters under the ,heaven be gathered together unto one place1 and let the dry land appear4 ,then it was that these continents were upheaved1--other than those which had been continents before2 and the sea sank into the cavities which had been ordained for its reception4 ,then1 ,,god saw that it was good4 ,the sentence of approval which had been withheld from the work of yesterday1 because that work1 7namely1 of dividing the waters from the waters17 was incomplete1--is freely bestowed to-day4 ,and it may have been to teach us that no incomplete work is good1 in ,,god',s sight4--,next1 the ,creator called into being every extant form of vegetable life4 ,so that1 instead of a world of waters1 which was all that was to be seen yesterday1--not only cliffs1 and mountains1 and bays1--but green hills1 and fertile valleys1 and grassy meadows had come to view1--with lakes1 and rivers1 and fountains1 and falls of water4 ,again it is written1 concerning ,earth's green furniture1 ,,god saw that it was good4 ,and the evening and the morning were the third ,day4 #d4 ,and ,,god said1 ,let there be ,lights in the firmament of the ,heaven to divide the day from the night3 and let them be for signs1 and for seasons1 and for days1 and for years4 ,and so it was4 ,sun1 moon1 and stars1 came to view#bia2 and this globe of ours1 no longer illumined1 as1 for three days1 it had been1 rejoiced in the sun's genial light by day1--and by night in the splendours of the paler planet4 ,and thus was also gained an easy measure for marking time1--the succession of months and years1 as well as of days4 ,and ,,god saw that it was good4 ,and the evening and the morning were the fourth ,day4 #e4 ,and ,,god said1 ,let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life4 ,thus the inhabitants of the sea and of the air were called into existence2 and it was from the sea that ,,god seems to have commanded that they should derive their being4 ,he saw that it was good1 and ,he blessed the fish and the winged fowl2 and the evening and the morning were the fifth ,day4 #f4 ,it remained only to provide for the dry land its occupants2 and the ,earth was accordingly commanded to bring forth the living creature after his kind1--beast and cattle and creeping thing4 ,unlike that first ,creation which was of all things out of nothing1 the work of the six days was a creation of new things out of old4--,to the ,creation of ,man1 ,his crowning work1 ,,god is declared to have come with deliberation2 as well as to have announced ,his purpose with significant solemnity of allusion4 ,let us make ,man in our image1 after our likeness2 and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea1 and over the fowl of the air1 and over the cattle4 ,and the ,,lord ,,god formed ,man of the dust of the ground1 and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life2 and ,man became a living soul4--,transferred to the ,garden of ,,god',s planting in ,eden1 to dress it and to keep it1 7for inactivity is no part of bliss67--and brought into solemn covenant with ,,god1--to ,adam1 ,,god brings the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air1 of set purpose that ,,god may see what he will call them3 a wondrous tribute1 truly1 to the perfection of understanding in which ,man had been created6444 ,and the ,,lord ,,god caused a deep sleep to fall upon ,adam1 and he slept3 and ,he took one of his ribs1 and closed up the flesh instead thereof2 and the rib which the ,,lord ,,god had taken from man1 made ,he a woman1 and brought her unto the man4 ,and ,adam said1 ,this is now bone of my bone1 and flesh of my flesh3 she shall be called woman1 because she was taken out of man4 ,therefore shall a ,man leave his ,father and his ,mother1 and shall cleave unto his wife1 and they shall be one flesh4 444 ,man's creation was the crowning wonder1 to which all else had1 in a manner1 tended4444 ,truly when we think of him1--newly made in ,,god',s image1--surveying this world1 yet fresh with the dew of its birth1 and beautiful as it came from the ,hands of its ,maker1--it seems scarcely the language of poetry that then the morning stars sang together and all the sons of ,,god shouted for joy#bib4 ,i have preferred thus to complete the history of ,man's ,creation2 which presents us with the primal institution of all1--that1 namely1 of ,marriage4--,on the seventh ,day1 ,,god rested from all ,his work which ,he had made2 and blessed the seventh ,day1 and sanctified it2 because that in it ,he had rested from all ,his work4--,this then is the other great primval institution2 more ancient than the ,fall1--the ,law of the ,sabbath2--which in the sacred record is brought into such august prominence4 ,and never do we ponder over that record1 without apprehension at what may be the possible results of relaxing the stringency of enactments which would seem to be1 to our nature1 as the very twin pillars of the ,temple1--its establishment and its strength#bic4 ,now1 on a review of all this wondrous ,history1 ,i profess myself at a loss to see what special note of impracticability it presents that ,i should hesitate to embrace it1 in the plain natural sense of the words1 with both the arms of my heart4 ,that it is not such an account of the manner of the ,creation as you or ,i should have ourselves invented1 or anticipated1 or on questionable testimony have felt disposed to accept1--is very little to the purpose4 ,apart from ,revelation1 we could really have known nothing at all about the works of the ,days of the first ,great ,week4 ,ejaculations therefore concerning the strangeness of the record1 and cavils at the phraseology in which it is propounded1 are simply irrelevant4 ,there exists however a vague suspicion after all that the beginning of ,genesis is a vision1 or an allegory1 or a parable1--or anything you please1 except true ,history4 ,it is hard to imagine why4 ,if there be a book in the whole ,bible which purports to be a plain historical narrative of actual events1 that book is the book of ,genesis4 ,in nine-tenths of its details1 it is as human1 and as matter of fact1 as any book of ,biography or ,history that ever was penned4 ,why the first page of it is to be torn out1 treated as a myth or an allegory1 and in short explained away1--,i am utterly at a loss to discover4 ,there is no difference in the style4 ,long since has the theory that ,genesis is composed of distinguishable fragments1 been exploded#bid4 ,there is no pretence for calling this first chapter poetry1 and treating it by a distinct set of canons4 ,it is a pure ,revelation1 ,i admit3 but ,i have yet to learn why the revelation of things intelligible1 where the method of speech is not such as to challenge a figurative interpretation1 is not to be taken literally3 unless indeed it has been discovered that a narrative must of necessity be fabulous if the transactions referred to are unusually remote and extraordinary4 ,the events recorded are unique in their character1--true4 ,but this happens from the very necessity of the case4 ,the creation of a world1 to the inhabitants of that world is an unique event4 ,but we are assured that some of the statements in this first chapter of ,genesis are palpably untrue2--as when it is said that the ,sun1 ,moon1 and ,stars were created on the fourth ,day1--which1 it is urged1 is a physical impossibility3 for what forces else sustained1 and kept this world a sphere8 ,the phenomena of ,geology again prove to demonstration1 it is said1 that the structure of the earth is infinitely more ancient than the ,mosaic record states3 and also that there must have been ,light1 and sunshine too1 at that remote epoch1--which fostered each various form of animal and vegetable life4--,further1 we are assured that it is unphilosophical to speak of the creation of ,light before the creation of the ,sun4--,then1 the simplicity of the language is objected to3--the greater light to rule the day1 and the lesser light to rule the night3--dividing the light from the darkness3--waters above the firmament3 and so forth4 ,the very ascription of speech to ,,god1 gives offence4--,again1 some raw conceit of the advanced state of the human intellect rejects with scorn the notion of ,adam oracularly bestowing names on ,,god',s creatures4 ,finally1 the creation of ,eve1 moulded by ,,god from the side of the ,protoplast1 is declared to savour so plainly of the mythical1 allegorical1 or figurative2 that the narrative must be allowed to be altogether unworthy of such wits as ours4 ,but we have seen that the creation of ,sun1 ,moon1 and ,stars is not assigned to the fourth day--but to the beginning--,the antiquity of this ,earth we affirm to be a circumstance left wholly untouched by the ,mosaic record3 or1 if touched1 it is rather confirmed2 for1 before beginning to describe the work of the first ,day1 ,moses describes the state of the ,earth by two ,hebrew words of most rare occurrence#bie1 which denote that it had become waste and empty3 while the deep is spoken of as being already in existence4--,there is nothing at all unphilosophical in speaking of ,light as existing apart from the ,sun4 ,rather would it be unphilosophical to speak of the ,sun as the source and centre of ,light4--,i see nothing more childish again in the mention of the greater and the lesser light1 than in the talk of sun-rise and sun-set1--which is to this hour the language of the ,observatory4--,as for attributing speech to ,,god1 ,i am content to remind you of ,hooker's explanation of the design of ,moses therein1 throughout the present ,chapter4 ,was this only his intent1 7he asks17 to signify the infinite greatness of ,,god',s power by the easiness of ,his accomplishing such effects without travail1 pain1 or labour8 ,surely it seemeth that ,moses had herein besides this a further purpose2 namely1 first to teach that ,,god did not work as a necessary1 but a voluntary agent1 intending beforehand and decreeing with ,himself that which did outwardly proceed from ,him2 secondly1 to shew that ,,god did then institute a ,law natural to be observed by ,creatures1 and therefore according to the manner of laws1 the institution thereof is described1 as being established by solemn injunction4 ,his commanding those things to be which are1 and to be in such sort as they are1 to keep that tenure and course which they do1 importeth the establishment of ,nature's ,law4444 ,and as it cometh to pass in a kingdom rightly ordered1 that after a ,law is once published1 it presently takes effect far and wide1 all states framing themselves thereunto2 even so let us think that it fareth in the natural course of the world4 ,since the time that ,,god did first proclaim the edicts of ,his ,law upon it1 ,heaven and ,earth have hearkened unto ,his voice1 and their labour hath been to do ,his will#bif4--;,he spake the word1 and they were made3 ,he commanded and they were created4 ,he hath made them fast for ever and ever4 ,he hath given them a law which shall not be broken#big4 ,whether or no ,south overestimated ,adam's knowledge1 ,i will not pretend to decide3 but ,i am convinced the truth lies more with him than with certain modern wits1 when he says concerning our first ,father3--,he came into the world a philosopher2 which sufficiently appeared by his writing the nature of things upon their names4444 ,his understanding could almost pierce into future contingents2 his conjectures improving even to prophecy1 or the certainties of prediction4 ,till his ,fall1 he was ignorant of nothing but sin4444 ,there was then no struggling with memory1 no straining for invention4 ,his faculties were ready upon the first summons4444 ,we may collect the excellency of the understanding then1 by the glorious remainders of it now3 and guess at the stateliness of the building by the magnificence of its ruins4444 ,and certainly that must needs have been very glorious1 the decays of which are so admirable4 ,he that is comely when old and decrepit1 surely was very beautiful when he was young6 ,an ,aristotle was but the rubbish of an ,adam2 and ,athens but the rudiments of ,paradise#bih4 ,and lastly1 as for so much of the ,divine narrative as concerns the ,creation of the first human pair1 ,i am content to remind you of a circumstance which in addressing believers ought to be of overwhelming weight3 namely1 that our ,,saviour and ,his ,apostles1 again and again1 refer to the narrative before us in a manner which precludes the notion of its being anything but severest ,history4 ,our ,,saviour ,,christ even resyllables the words spoken by the ,protoplast in ,paradise2 and therein finds a sanction for the indissoluble nature of the marriage bond#bii4 ,i take leave to add that even the respectful attempt to make ,genesis accommodate itself to the supposed requirements of ,geology1 by boldly assuming that the days of ,creation were each a thousand years long1--seems inadmissible4 ,even were such an hypothesis allowed1 nothing would be gained3 for ,geology does not by any means require us to believe that after a thousand years of misty light1 there came a thousand years of ocean deposit3 and again1 a thousand years of moist and dry1 during which vegetable life alone prevailed3 and then a thousand years of sun1 moon1 and stars4 ,the very notion seems absurd#cjj4--;,but1 what is more to the purpose1 such an interpretation seems to stultify the whole narrative4 ,a week is described4 ,days are spoken of1--each made up of an evening and a morning4 ,,god',s cessation from the work of ,creation on the ,seventh ,day is emphatically adduced as the reason of the ,fourth ,commandment1--the mysterious precedent for our observance of one day of rest at the end of every six days of toil1--for in six days 7it is declared17 the ,,lord made ,heaven and ,earth#cja4 ,you may not play tricks with language plain as this1 and elongate a week until it shall more than embrace the span of all recorded ,time4 ,neither am ,i able to see what would be gained by proposing to prolong the ,days of ,creation indefinitely1 so as to consider them as representing vast and unequal periods2 7though ,i am far from presuming to speak of any pious conjecture with disrespect47 ,my inveterate objection to this scheme is again twofold4 7#a7 ,the best-ascertained requirements of ,geology are not satisfied by a sixfold division of phenomena corresponding with what is recorded in ,genesis of the ,six ,days of ,creation4 7#b7 ,this method does even greater violence to the letter of the inspired narrative than the scheme of reconcilement last hinted at4 ,i dare not believe that what has been spoken will altogether meet the requirements of minds of a certain stamp4 ,a gentleman1 who certainly has the advantage of appearing in good company1 has lately favoured the world with the information that the first chapter of ,genesis is the uninspired speculation of a ,hebrew astronomer1 who was bent on giving the best and most probable account that could be then given of ,,god',s universe#cjb4 ,the ,hebrew writer asserts indeed solemnly and unhesitatingly that for which he must have known that he had no authority#cjc2 but we need not therefore attribute to him wilful misrepresentation1 or consciousness of asserting that which he knew not to be true#cjd4 ,if this early speculator asserted as facts what he knew in reality only as probabilities1 it was because he was not harassed by the scruples which result from our modern habits of thought1 and from the modesty of assertion which the spirit of true science has taught us#cje4 ,the history of this important discovery and of others of a similar nature1 7which1 by the way1 are one and all announced with the same modesty of assertion as what goes before17 would appear to be this4--,natural science has lately woke up from her long slumber of well nigh sixty ages2 and with that immodesty for which youth and inexperience have ever been proverbial1 she is impatient to measure her crude theories against the sure revelation of ,,god',s ,word4 ,where the two differ1 she assumes that of course the inspired ,oracles are wrong1 and her own wild guesses right4 ,she is even indecent in her eagerness to invalidate the testimony of that ,book which has been the confidence and stay of ,,god',s ,servants in all ages4 ,on any evidence1 or on none1 she is prepared to hurl to the winds the august record of ,creation4 ,inconveniently enough for the enemies of ,,god',s ,word1 every advance in ,geological ,science does but serve to corroborate the record that the ,creation of ,man is not to be referred to a remoter period than some six thousand years ago4 ,but of this important fact we hear but little4 ,on the other hand1 no trumpet is thought loud enough to bruit about a suspicion that ,man may be a creature of yet remoter date4 ,thus1 fragments of burnt brick found fifty feet below the surface of the banks of the ,nile1 were hailed as establishing ,man's existence in ,egypt more than #ac1jjj years2 until it was unhappily remembered that burnt brick in ,egypt belongs to the period of the ,roman dominion4--,more recently1 implements of chipped flint found1 with some bones1 in a bed of gravel1 have been eagerly appealed to as a sufficient indication that the ,creation of ,man is to be referred to a period at least #aj1jjj years more remote than is fixed by the ,chronology of the ,bible4444 ,brick and flint6 a precious fulcrum1 truly1 for a theory which is to upset the ,world6 ,but ,i shall be told1--with that patronizing air of conscious intellectual superiority which a certain class of gentlemen habitually assume on such occasions1--that ,i mistake the case completely3 that no wish is entertained in any quarter to invalidate the truth of ,revelation1 or to shake ,men's confidence in the ,bible as the ,word of ,,god3 that it has been the way of narrow-minded bigots in all ages1 and is so in this1 to raise an outcry of the ,bible being in danger1 and so to rouse the prejudices of mankind3 that the error lies in claiming for the ,bible an office which it nowhere claims for itself1 and which it was never meant to fulfil3 that the harmony between the ,bible and ,nature is complete1 but that it is not such a harmony as is sometimes imagined3 that the ,bible is not a scientific book1 and was never meant to teach ,natural ,science3 that it was designed to inculcate moral goodness1 and is clearly full of unscientific statements1 which it is the office of ,science to correct2 and1 if need be1 to remove4 ,all this1 and much beside1 ,i shall be told4 ,such fallacious platitudes have been put forth by men who are neither ,divines nor ,philosophers1 ad nauseam1 within the last forty or fifty years4 ,now1 in reply1 we have a few words to say4 ,the profession of faithfulness we hail with pleasure3 the imputation of imbecility we accept with unconcern4 ,but when gentlemen tell us that the ,bible was never meant to teach ,science2 and that wherever its statements are opposed to the clear inductions of reason1 they must give way2 and so forth3 we take the liberty of retaliating their charge4 ,we inform them that they really mistake the case entirely4 ,when they go on to tell us that they believe in the truth of the ,bible as sincerely as ourselves3 that its harmonies are complete1 but not such as we imagine2 and so forth2--we venture to add that they really know not what they assert4 ,in plain language1 they talk nonsense4 ,of a simple unbeliever we know at least what to think4 ,but what is to be thought of persons who disbelieve just whatever they dislike1 and yet profess to be just as hearty believers as you or ,i8 ,that the ,mosaic record of ,creation has been thought at variance with certain deductions of modern observation1 is not surprising3 seeing that the deductions of each fresh period have been at variance with the deductions of that which went before2 and seeing that the theory of one existing school is inconsistent with the theory of another4--,that the ,bible is not1 in any sense1 a scientific treatise again1 is simply a truism3 7who ever supposed that it was874 ,moses writes the history of the ,human ,race as regards ,sin and ,salvation3 not a cosmical survey of all the successive phenomena of the globe#cjf4 ,further1 that he employs popular phraseology when speaking of natural phenomena1 is a statement altogether undeniable4 ,but such remarks are a gross fallacy1 and a mere deceit1 if it be meant that the statements in the ,bible partake of the imperfection of knowledge incident to a rude and primitive state of society4 ,to revive an old illustration1--,is a philosopher therefore a child1 because1 in addressing children1 he uses language adapted to their age and capacity8 ,,god speaks in the ,first ,chapter of ,genesis1--hath spoken for three and thirty hundred years1--as unto children3 but there is no risk therefore that in what ,he saith1 ,he either hath deceived1 or will deceive mankind4 ,you are never to forget the great fundamental position1 that the ,bible claims to be the ,word of ,,god2 and that ,,god',s ,word can never contradict or be contradicted by ,,god',s works4 ,we therefore reject1 in limine1 all insinuations about the unscientific character of the ,bible4 ,a scientific man does not cease to be scientific because he does not choose always to express himself scientifically4 ,again4 ,a man of universal ,science does not forfeit his scientific reputation1 if1 in the course of a moral or religious argument1 his allusions to natural phenomena are expressed in the ordinary language of mankind4 ,even so1 ,almighty ,god1 in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge#cjg1--speaking to us by the mouth of ,his holy ,prophets1 never1 that ,i am aware1 teaches them to speak a strictly scientific language1--except when the ,science of ,theology is being discoursed of4 ,on other occasions1 ,he suffers their language to be like yours or mine4 ,sun1 stand thou still upon ,gibeon#cjh3--,the clouds drop down the dew#cji3--,the wind bloweth where it listeth#caj4--,not so when ,theology is the subject4 ,then the language becomes scientific4 ,except a man be born of water and of the ,spirit1 he cannot enter into the ,kingdom of ,,god#caa3--,take1 eat1 ,this is ,my ,body#cab3--;,before ,abraham was1 ,i am#cac3--;,i and the ,,father are ,one#cad4 ,but there is this great difference between the cases supposed4 ,a man of universal scientific attainment will be less strong in one subject than another3 and in the course of his ,geological allusions1 if ,mechanical ,science be his forte1--in the course of his ,metaphysical allusions1 if ,mathematical ,science be his proper department1--he may easily err4 ,above all1 the limits of the knowledge of unassisted ,man must infallibly be those of the age in which he lives4 ,but1 with the ,ancient of ,days1 it is not so4 ,he at least cannot err4 ,nothing that man has ever discovered by laborious induction was not known to ,him from the beginning3 nothing that ,he hath ever commissioned ,his servants to deliver1 will be found inconsistent with the anterior facts of ,history4 ,he that made the eye1 shall ,he not see#cae8 ,the records of ,creation then cannot be incorrect4 ,the course of ,man's history must be that which1 speaking by the mouth of ,his ,prophets1 ,,god hath described4 ,i never said the contrary1 is the reply4 ,all ,i say is that you interpret the records of ,creation wrongly3 and that you are disposed to lay greater stress on the historical accuracy of the ,bible than the narrative will bear4 ,o but1 sir1 whoever you may be who censure me thus1 let me in all kindness warn you of the pit1 at the very edge whereof you stand6 ,far be it from such an one as the preacher to assume that he so apprehends the ,first ,chapter of ,genesis1 that if an ,angel were to turn interpreter1 he might not convince me of more than one misapprehension in matters of detail4 ,but of this1 at least1 ,i am quite certain2 that when ,i find it recorded that ,,god took counsel about ,man's ,creation3 and made him in ,his own image1 and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life1 whereby man became a living soul3 and further1 when ,i find it stated that ,adam bestowed names upon all creatures3 and spake oracularly of his spouse3--,i am certain1 ,i say1 when ,i read such things1 that ,,god intended me to believe that ,man was created with a ,godlike understanding1 and with the perfect fruition of the primval speech4 ,further1 ,i boldly assert that he who could prove the contradictory1 would make the ,bible1 even as a ,theological ,book1 nothing worth1 to you and me4 ,the same must be said of the ,bible chronology4 ,and here ,i will adopt the words of one who is justly entitled to be listened to in this place2 and who must at least be allowed to be a competent judge of the matter1 for he made ,chronology his province4 ,mr4 ,clinton says3--,those who imagine themselves at liberty to enlarge the time which elapsed from the ,creation to the ,deluge1 and from the ,deluge to the ,birth of ,abraham1 to an indefinite amount1--mistake the nature of the question4 ,the uncertainty here is not an uncertainty arising from want of testimony3 7like that which occurs in the early chronology of ,greece1 and of many other countries2 when the times are uncertain because no evidence is preserved47 444 ,the uncertainty here is of a peculiar character1 belonging to this particular case4 ,the evidence exists1 but in a double form2 and we have to decide which is the authentic and genuine copy4 ,but if the one is rejected1 the other is established3 the difference between the two being exactly #a1bej years4--,men are free to reject the evidence1 to be sure2 but we defy them to explain it away4 ,the chronological details of the ,bible are as emphatically set down as anything can be2 and1--7with the exception of a few particulars1 chiefly in the ,book of ,kings1 which are to the record what misprints are to a printed book17--they are entirely consistent2 and hang perfectly well together4 ,let us not be told1 then1 that we entertain groundless apprehensions for the authority of ,,god',s ,word when we hear it proposed to refer the ,creation of ,man to a period of unheard-of antiquity4 ,destroy my confidence in the ,bible as an historical record1 and you destroy my confidence in it altogether2 for by far the largest part of the ,bible is an historical record4 ,if the ,creation of ,man1--the longevity of the ,patriarchs1--the account of the ,deluge2--if these be not true histories1 what is to be said of the lives of ,abraham1 of ,jacob1 of ,joseph1 of ,moses1 of ,joshua1 of ,david1--of our ,saviour ,christ ,himself8 ,but there is a scornful spirit abroad which is not content to allegorize the earlier pages of the ,bible1--to scoff at the story of the ,flood1 to reject the outlines of ,scripture ,chronology2--but which would dispute the most emphatic details of ,revelation itself4 ,consistent1 this method is1 at all events4 ,let it have the miserable praise which is so richly its due4 ,to logical consistency1 it may at least lay claim4 ,it refuses to stop anywhere3 as why should it stop8 ,faith is denied her office1 because ,reason fails to see the reasonableness of ,faith3 and accordingly1 unbelief enters in with a flood-tide4 ,miracles1 for example1 are now to be classed1 7we learn17 among the difficulties of ,christianity#caf4 ,it was to have been expected4 7,who foresees not what must be the fate of such difficulties as these87 ,and will you tell me that you may reject the miraculous transactions recorded in the ,old and ,new ,testaments1 and yet retain the narrative which contains them8 ,that were indeed absurd6 ,will you then reject one miracle and retain another8 ,impossible6 ,you can make no reservation1 even in favour of the ,incarnation of our ,,lord1--the most adorable of all miracles1 as it is the very keystone of our ,christian hope4 ,either1 with the best and wisest of all ages1 you must believe the whole of ,holy ,scripture2 or1 with the narrow-minded infidel1 you must disbelieve the whole4 ,there is no middle course open to you4 ,do we then undervalue the discoveries of ,natural ,science2 or view with jealousy the progress she has of late been making8 ,,god forbid6 ,with unfeigned joy we welcome her honest triumphs1 as so many fresh evidences of the wisdom1 the power1 the goodness of ,,god4 ,thou1 ,,lord1 hast made me glad through ,thy works#cag6 ,the very guesses of ,geology are precious4 ,what are they but noble endeavours to unfold a page anterior to the first page of the ,bible2 or rather1 to discover what secrets are locked up in the first verse of it8 ,but when1 instead of being a faithful ,servant1 ,natural ,science affects the airs of an imperious ,mistress1--what can she hope to incur at the hands of ,theology1 but displeasure and contempt8 ,she forgets her proper place1 and overlooks her lawful function4 ,she prates about the laws of ,nature in the presence of ,him who1 when ,he created the ,universe1 invented those very laws1 and impressed them on ,his irrational creatures4--,does it never humble her to reflect that it was but yesterday she detected the fundamental ,law of ,gravitation8 ,does she never blush with shame to consider that for well nigh six thousand years men have been inquisitively walking this ,earth's surface2 and yet1 that1 one hundred years ago1 the provident notions concerning fossil remains1 and the ,earth's structure1 were such as now-a-days would be pronounced incredibly ridiculous and absurd8 ,to conclude4 ,the very phraseology with which men have presumed to approach this entire question1 is insolent and unphilosophical4 ,the popular phraseology of the day1 ,i say1 hardly covers1 so as to conceal1 a lie4 ,we constantly find ,,science and ,,theology opposed to one another3 just as if ,theology were not a ,science6 ,history forsooth1 with all her inaccuracy of observation1 is a ,science3 and ,geology1 with all her weak guesses1 is a ,science3 and comparative ,anatomy1 with nothing but her laborious inductions to boast of1 is a ,science3 but ,theology1--which is based on the express revelation of the ,eternal1--is some other thing6 ,what do you mean to tell us that ,theology is1 but the very queen of ,sciences8 ,would ,aristotle have bestowed on ,ethic the epithet 1 think you1 had he known of that 1 which his friend1--not blind by choice1 but destined not to see#cah1--;felt after yet found not8 that more excellent way1 which you and ,i1 by ,,god',s great mercy1 possess8 ,go to6 ,for popular purposes1 if you will1 let the word ,science stand for the knowledge of the phenomena of ,nature2 somewhat as1 in this place1 the word stands for the theory of ,morals1 and some of the phenomena of ,mind3 and so1 let ,science be contrasted with ,,theology1 without offence taken1 because none is intended4 ,but let it never be forgotten that ,theology is the great ,science of all1--the only ,science which really deserves the name4 ,what have other sciences to boast of which ,theology has not8 ,antiquity1--such as no other can1 in any sense1 lay claim to3 a ,literature1--which is absolutely without a rival3 a ,terminology1--which reflects the very image of all the ages3 ,professors1--of loftier wit1 from the days of ,athanasius and ,augustine1 down to the days of our own ,hooker and ,butler1--men of higher mark1 intellectually and morally1--than adorn the annals of any other ,science since the ,world began3 above all things1 a subject-matter1 which is the grandest imagination can conceive2 and a foundation1 which has all the breadth1 and length1 and depth and height#cai1 which the ,hands of ,,god ,himself could give it4 ,for subject-matter1 what ,science will you compare with this8 ,all the others in the world will not bring a man to the knowledge of ,,god and of ,,christ6 ,they will not inform him of the will of ,,god1 although they may teach him to observe ,his ,works4 ,the ,heavens declare the glory of ,,god1--but1 as ,lord ,bacon remarked long since1 we do not read that they declare ,his will4 ,neither do the other sciences of necessity lead to any belief at all in the ,,god of ,revelation#cbj4 ,and1 for that whereon they are built1 what ,science again will you compare with this8 ,let the pretender to ,geological skill1--7,i say not the true ,geologist1 for he never offends67--let the conceited sciolist1 ,i say1 go dream a little longer over those implements of chipped flint which have called him into such noisy activity1--and discover1 as he will discover1 that the assumed inference from the gravel and the bones is fallacious after all#cba4--,let the ,historian go spell a little longer over that moth-eaten record of dynasties which never were1 by means of which he proposes to set right the clock of ,time#cbb4 ,let the ,naturalist walk round the stuffed or bleached wonders of his museum1 and guess again#cbc4 ,theological ,science not so6 ,her evidence is sure1 for her ,rule is ,,god',s ,word4 ,no laborious ,induction here1--fallacious because imperfect2 imperfect because human3 but a direct message from the presence-chamber of the ,,lord of ,heaven and ,earth1--decisive because inspired2 infallible because ,divine4 ,the express ,revelation of the ,eternal is that whereon ,theological ,science builds her fabric of imperishable ,truth3 that fabric which1 while other modes change1 shift1 and at last become superseded1 shines out1--yea1 and to the very end of ,time will shine out1--unconscious of decay1 incapable of improvement1 far1 far beyond the reach of fashion3 a thing unchanged1 because in its very nature unchangeable#cbd6 ,o sirs1--we are constrained to be brief in this place4 ,the field must perforce be narrowed2 and so1 for this time1 it must suffice to have warned you against the men who resort to the armoury of ,natural ,science for weapons wherewith to assail ,,god',s ,truth4 ,regard them as the enemies of your peace2 and learn to reject their specious1 yet most inconsequential reasonings1 with the scorn which is properly their due4 ,contempt and scorn ,,god implanted in us1 precisely that we might bestow them on reasonings worthless in their texture1 and foul in their object1 as these2 which teach distrust of the earlier pages of ,,god',s ,word1 on the pretence that they are contradicted by the evidence of ,,god',s ,works4 ,learn to abhor that spurious liberality which is liberal only with what is not its own2 and which reminds one of nothing so much as the conduct of leprous persons who are said to be for ever seeking to communicate and extend their own unhappy taint to others4 ,i allude to that sham liberality which under pretence of extending the common standing ground of ,christian men1 is in reality attenuating it until it proves incapable of bearing the weight of a single soul4 ,there is room on the ,rock for all2 but it is only on the ,rock that we are safe4 ,to speak without a figure1--,he who surrenders the first page of his ,bible1 surrenders all4 ,he knows not where to stop4 ,nay1 you and ,i cannot in any way afford to surrender the beginning of ,genesis2 simply because upon the truth of what is there recorded depends the whole scheme of ,man's salvation1--the need of that second ,man which is the ,,lord from ,heaven#cbe4 ,it is not too much to say that the beginning of ,genesis is the foundation on which all the rest of the ,bible is built#cbf4 ,we may not go over to those who would mutilate the ,book of ,life1 or evacuate any part of its message4 ,it is they1 on the contrary1 who must come over to us4--,much has it been the fashion of these last days1 7,i cannot imagine why17 to vaunt the character and the ,gospel of ,st4 ,john1 the disciple of ,love1 as he is called2 as if it were secretly thought that there is a latitudinarianism in ,love which would wink at ,doctrinal obliquity2 whereas ,st4 ,john is the ,evangelist of ,dogma2 and if there be anything in the world which is jealous1 that thing is ,love4 ,indifference to ,truth1 and laxity of ,belief1 are the growing characteristics of the age4 ,but you will find that ,st4 ,john has about four or five times as much about ,,truth as all the other three ,evangelists2 while the act of ,faith receives as frequent mention in his writings alone as in all the rest of the ,new ,testament ,canon put together#cbg4 ,let me end1 as the manner of preachers is1 by gathering out of what has been spoken one brief practical consideration4--,this whole visible frame of things wherein we play our part1 is hastening to decay4 ,everything we behold1--ourselves included1--carries with it the prophecy of its own speedy dissolution4--,what1 amid the wreck of worlds1 will be our confidence8444 ,it is an inquiry worth making1 in these the days of health1 and vigour1 and security1 and peace4 ,o my soul1 7learn to ask yourselves17--,o my soul1 when the ,heavens shall depart1 and the ,earth reel before the ,second ,advent of its ,maker2--when the ,sun puts on mourning1 and the very powers of ,heaven are shaken2--what shall be our confidence1--our hope1--in that tremendous day8 ,whither shall we betake ourselves1 amid the overthrow of universal ,nature1 but to the sure mercies of ,him who in the beginning created the ,heaven and the ,earth8--,to those strong ,hands1 we intend1 7,,god helping us67 with unswerving confidence to commend our fainting spirits#cbh4444 ,him1 then1 in life let us learn to reverence1 on whom in death we propose so implicitly to lean6 ,and we only know ,him in1 and through1 and by ,his ,,word4 ,nor can we in any surer way shew ,him reverence or dishonour1 than by the manner in which we receive ,his message1--yea1 by the spirit in which we unfold this1 the first page of it1--where stands recorded that primval act of ,almighty power which is the ground of all our confidence1--the very warrant for our own security4444 ,blessed of a truth1 in that day1 will he be1 that hath the ,,god of ,jacob for his help1 and whose hope is in the ,,lord his ,,god3--who made the ,heaven and the ,earth1--the ,sea and all that therein is3--who keepeth ,his promise for ever#cbi6 ,,footnotes3 #bga ,preached in ,christ-,church ,cathedral1 ,nov4 #aath1 #ahfj4 #bgb ,the whole period1 from the beginning of the primary fossiliferous strata to the present day1 must be great beyond calculation1 and only bear comparison with the astronomical cycles1 as might naturally be expected2 the earth being without doubt of the same antiquity with the other bodies of the solar system4--,mrs4 ,somerville's ,physical ,geography4 #bgc ,col4 i4 #af4 #bgd ,neh4 ix4 #f4 #bge ,eph4 i4 #aa4 #bgf ,hooker's ,eccl4 ,pol41 ,b4 ,i4 c4 iii4 #b4 #bgg ,ps4 xxxiii4 #f4 #bgh ,alluding to a catastrophe which had recently occurred at ,st4 ,mary's ,church1 and which necessitated considerable repairs2 in consequence of which1 the first four of these ,sermons were preached in the ,cathedral4 #bgi ,is4 xl4 #ab4 #bhj ,amos v4 #h and ix4 #f4 #bha ,st4 ,matth4 xxvii4 #de4 #bhb ,exod4 x4 #ba-bc4 #bhc ,st4 ,matth4 xxiv4 #bi4 #bhd ,job ix4 #e-g4 #bhe ,ps4 xxxiii4 #i4 #bhf ,gen4 i4 #d4 #bhg ,can any one sensible of the value of words suppose1 7asks ,mr4 ,goodwin17 that nothing more is here described1 or intended to be described1 than the partial clearing away of a fog8 7,essays and ,reviews1 pp4 #bbg-h47 ,no one1--we answer4 ,but to the question1 we venture to rejoin another4 ,to whom does this philosopher suppose his pleasantry likely to prove injurious8 ,is he making ,moses ridiculous1 or--himself8 #bhh ,st4 ,john ix4 #e1 c4 #bhi #a ,tim4 vi4 #af4 #bij #b ,cor4 iv4 #f4 #bia ,whether the writer regarded them as already existing1 and only waiting to have a proper place assigned them1 may be open to question4 7,e4 and ,r41 p4 #bba47 ,we accept the alternative given us by ,mr4 ,goodwin4 #bib ,job xxxviii4 #g4 #bic ,alluding to #a ,kings vii4 #ba4 #bid ,the test of ,elohim and ,jehovah has been1 by the ,germans themselves1 given up2 and for this plain reason1--that in many parts of ,genesis1 e4g4 ch4 xxviii4 #af-bb3 xxxi43 xxxix41 c4 it is utterly untenable2 the names being so intermingled as to admit of no such division4 ,see the ,appendix 7,c7 to the ,rev4 ,henry ,john ,rose's ,hulsean ,lectures for #ahcc1--p4 #bcc4 #bie ,besides in ,gen4 i4 #b1 the expression 7tohu bohu7 recurs in ,jer4 iv4 #bc and ,is4 xxxiv4 #aa1--;both times with clear reference to the earlier place4 ,jeremiah in fact quotes ,genesis4 #bif ,eccl4 ,pol41 ,b4 ,i4 c4 iii4 #b4 #big ,ps4 cxlviii4 #e1 #f4 #bih ,south's ,sermons1 7,serm4 ,,ii47 #bii ,see ,st4 ,matth4 xix4 #d to #f1--where ,gen4 i4 #bg as well as ,gen4 ii4 #bd1 are quoted by our ,,saviour4 #cjj ,holding1 7says ,hugh ,miller17 that the six days of the ,mosaic account were not natural days1 but lengthened periods1 ,i find myself called on1 as a geologist1 to account for but three out of the six4 ,of the period during which light was created2 of the period during which a firmament was made to separate the waters from the waters2 or of the period during which the two great lights of the earth1 with the other heavenly bodies1 became visible from the ,earth's surface2--we need expect to find no record in the rocks4--,testimony1 c41 p4 #acd4--,this is ingenious1 and is piously meant4 ,but the first three days remain to be accounted for by somebody1 all the same4 ,if the last three days represent lengthened periods1 so1 ,i suppose1 do the first three4 #cja ,exod4 xx4 #aa4 #cjb ,essays and ,reviews1 p4 #beb4 #cjc ,ibid4 #cjd ,id4 p4 #bec4 #cje ,id4 p4 #beb4 #cjf ,pattison's ,the ,earth and the ,world1 p4 #ii4 #cjg ,col4 ii4 #c4 #cjh ,josh4 x4 #ab4 #cji ,prov4 iii4 #bj4 #caj ,st4 ,john iii4 #h4 #caa ,st4 ,john iii4 #e4 #cab ,st4 ,matth4 xxvi4 #bf4 #cac ,st4 ,john viii4 #eh4 #cad ,st4 ,john x4 #cj4 #cae ,ps4 xciv4 #i4 #caf ,on this subject1 the reader is referred to ,serm4 ,,vii4 #cag ,ps4 xcii4 #d4 #cah ,cowper4 #cai ,eph4 iii4 #ah4 #cbj ,this paragraph is mostly copied from a ,sermon 7,,ms47 preached before the ,university by the late ,professor ,hussey1 ,oct4 #ab1 #ahef4 #cba ,professor ,phillips refers me to a paper by ,mr4 ,prestwich in the ,proceedings of the ,royal ,society1 #ahei1 vol4 x4 ,no4 #ce1 p4 #eh4 ,also in the ,transactions of the ,r4 ,s4 for #ahfj1 p4 #cjh4 #cbb ,i allude to the supposed disclosures of ,egyptian monuments4 #cbc ,i allude to a recent work on the ,origin of ,species4 #cbd ,the reader is requested to read what ,bishop ,pearson has most eloquently written on this subject4 ,it will be found in the ,appendix 7,b74 #cbe #a ,cor4 xv4 #dg4 #cbf ,ibid4 xv4 #bb1 c4 #cbg does not occur once in ,st4 ,john's ,gospel3 7which is found about thirty-five times1 in all1 in the first three ,gospels17 occurs about one hundred times1 in the ,gospel of ,st4 ,john alone4 #cbh ,st4 ,luke xxiii4 #df1 7quoting ,ps4 xxxi4 #e37 words which are alluded to in #a ,st4 ,pet4 iv4 #ai4 #cbi ,ps4 cxlvi4 #e1--words quoted by the early ,church of ,jerusalem1 ,acts iv4 #bd4 ,,sermon ,,iii4#ccj 99 99 99 99 99 ,,inspiration ,,of ,,scripture4--,,gospel ,,difficulties4--,,the ,,word ,,of ,,god ,,infallible4--,,other ,,sciences ,,subordinate ,,to ,,theological ,,science4 99 99 99 99 99 #b ,tim4 iii4 #af4 ,all ,scripture is given by inspiration of ,god4 ,but that is not exactly what ,st4 ,paul says4 ,the ,greek for that1 would be --not --4 ,st4 ,paul does not say that the whole of ,scripture1 collectively1 is inspired4 ,more than that3 what he says is1 that every writing1--every several book of those 1 or ,holy ,scriptures1 in which ,timothy had been instructed from his childhood1--is inspired by ,god#cca4 ,it comes to very nearly the same thing2 but it is not quite the same thing4 ,st4 ,paul is careful to remind us that every ,book in the ,bible is an inspired ,book#ccb4 ,and this statement is not confined to one place4--,elsewhere1 he calls his message the ,word of ,,god2 and says that it had been received by the disciples not as the ,word of ,men1 but as it is in truth1 the ,word of ,,god#ccc4--;,elsewhere1 ,which things also we speak1 not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth1 but which the ,,holy ,,ghost teacheth#ccd3--where1 if ,i at all understand the ,apostle1 7and he speaks very plainly67 he says that his words were inspired by the ,,holy ,,ghost4--,accordingly1 ,st4 ,peter declares that the ,epistles of his beloved brother ,paul are part of the ,holy ,scriptures#cce2--;,divinely inspired1 therefore1 like all the rest4 ,but does not ,st4 ,paul himself in a certain place express a doubt--saying ,i think that ,i have the ,spirit of ,,god#ccf8 and does he not contrast his own sayings with the ,divine sayings1 7not ,i but the ,,lord#ccg71 clearly implying that his own were not ,divine8 and does he not say that he delivers certain things by permission1 and not of commandment#cch1 whereby he seems to insinuate a gradation of authority in what he delivers8--,no4 ,not one of these things does he do4 ,he says1 indeed1 of a certain hint to married persons that he offers it by way of advice to them not by way of precept3 but giving advice to men is a very different thing from receiving permission from ,,god4 ,again1 ,unto the married1 7he says17 ,i command1 yet not ,i but the ,,lord1--alluding to our ,,lord',s words1 as set down by ,st4 ,matthew1 chap4 xix4 verse #fcci2 which is simply an historical allusion to the ,gospel4--,so far from thinking he had the ,spirit of ,,god1 7as if it were an open question whether he had it or not17 he says the very contrary4 1 in all such places1 implies1 not doubt but certainty#cdj3 7as when our ,,lord asks1---,doth he thank that servant because he did the things commanded him8 1--,i fancy not indeed#cda67 ,on ,st4 ,paul's lips1 as every scholar knows1 the phrase is not one of doubt1 but one of indignant1 or at least emphatic asseveration#cdb4--;,a man had need be very sure he understands the record1 7let me just remark in passing17 before he presumes to criticize it4 ,the ,spirit of ,,christ is said by ,st4 ,peter to have been in the prophets#cdc3 and in another place he declares that they spake as they were moved by the ,,holy ,,ghost#cdd4 ,the ,,holy ,,ghost accordingly is said to have spoken the xlist ,psalm by the mouth of ,david#cde4 ,the xcvth ,psalm is declared absolutely to be the utterance of the ,,holy ,,ghost#cdf4 ,once1 the cxth ,psalm is ascribed simply to ,,god#cdg2 and once1 to ,david speaking under the influence of the ,,holy ,,ghost#cdh4 ,the iind ,psalm is described as the language of ,,god the ,,father by the mouth of ,his ,servant ,david#cdi4 ,well spake the ,,holy ,,ghost by ,esaias the ,prophet unto our ,fathers#cej1--was the exclamation of the ,apostle ,paul1 quoting the #ith and #ajth verses of his vith chapter4 ,when ,jeremiah speaks1 the ,,holy ,,ghost is declared1 7not ,jeremiah1 but the ,,holy ,,ghost7 to witness unto us#cea4 ,the assertion is express that it was ,,god who1 by the mouth of all ,his ,prophets1 foretold the ,death of ,,christ#ceb3 the ,,lord ,,god of ,israel who1 by the mouth of ,his holy ,prophets of old1 gave promise of ,,christ',s coming#cec4 ,the ,,holy ,,ghost signified what the ,mosaic ,law enjoined#ced4 ,it is not ye that speak1 but the ,,holy ,,ghost#cee--was our ,,saviour',s word of promise and of consolation to the ,twelve3 and1 on an earlier occasion1--,it is not ye that speak2 but the ,,spirit of your ,father1 which speaketh in you#cef4 ,and this promise became so famous1 that ,st4 ,paul says the ,corinthians challenged him to prove that ,,christ was speaking in him#ceg4444 ,but why multiply places8 ,the use which our ,,saviour makes in the ,new ,testament of the words of the ,old1--from the writings of ,moses to the writings of ,malachi1--would be simply nugatory unless those words were much more than human4 ,and the record of the ,apostle is express and emphatic3--,all ,scripture--every ,book of the ,bible1--is given by ,inspiration of ,,god4--,in the face of such testimony1 by the way1 we deem it not a little extraordinary to be assured 7by an individual who has acquired considerable notoriety within the last few months7 that for any of the higher or supernatural views of ,inspiration there is no foundation in the ,gospels or ,epistles#ceh4 ,strange to say1 there is a marvellous indisposition in ,man to admit the notion of such a heaven-sent message4 ,not to dispute with those who deny ,inspiration altogether1 7for that would be endless17 there are many1--and1 we fear1 a daily increasing number of persons1--who1 admitting ,inspiration in terms1 yet so mutilate the notion of it1 that their admission becomes a practical lie4 ,st4 ,paul was inspired1 no doubt4 ,so was ,shakspeare4 ,he who says this1 intending no quibble1 declares that in his belief ,st4 ,paul was not inspired at all4 ,but this is a monstrous case1 with which ,i will not waste your time4 ,far more numerous are they1 who1 admitting that the ,authors of the ,bible were inspired in quite a different sense from ,homer and ,dante1 are yet for modifying and qualifying this admission after so many strange and arbitrary fashions1 that the residuum of their belief is really worth very little4 ,one man has a mental reservation of exclusion in favour of the two ,books of ,chronicles1 or the ,book of ,esther1 or of ,daniel4--,another1 is content to eliminate from the ,bible those passages which seem to him to run counter to the decrees of physical ,science2--the ,history of the ,six ,days of ,creation1--of the ,flood1--of the destruction of ,sodom1--and of ,joshua's address to ,sun and ,moon4--,another regards it as self-evident that nothing is trustworthy which savours supremely of the marvellous2--as the ,temptation of our first ,parents1--the ,manna in the ,wilderness1--,balaam reproved by the dumb ass1--and the history of ,jonah4--,there are others who cannot tolerate the ,miracles of the ,old and the ,new ,testament4 ,the more timid1 explain away as much of them as they dare4 ,what remains1 troubles them4 ,the more logical sweep them away altogether4 ,a miracle 7they say7 cannot be true because it implies a violation of the fixed and immutable laws of ,nature4 ,and then1--7so strangely constituted are some men's minds17--there are not a few persons who1 without exactly denying the inspiration of the ,bible in any of its more marvellous portions1--7for that would be an inconvenient proceeding17--are yet content to regard much of it as a kind of inspired myth4 ,this is a class of ally 787 with whom one really knows not how to deal4 ,the man does not reason4 ,he assumes his right to disbelieve1 and yet will not allow that he is an unbeliever4 ,the world is singularly indulgent toward persons of this unphilosophical1 illogical1 presumptuous class4 ,now1 ,i shall have something to say to all these different kinds of objectors1 on some subsequent occasion4 ,but ,i shall be rendering the younger men a far more important service if to-day ,i address my remarks to a different class of objectors altogether3 that far larger body1 ,i mean1 who without at all desiring to impugn the ,inspiration of ,,god',s ,oracles1 yet make no secret of their belief that the ,bible is full of inaccuracies and misstatements4 ,these men ascribe a truly liberal amount of human infirmity to the ,authors of the several ,books of the ,bible2--slips of memory1 misconceptions1 imperfect intelligence1 partial illumination1 and so forth2--and1 under one or other of those heads1 include whatever they are themselves disposed to reject4 ,the writers who come in for the largest share of this indulgence1 are the ,evangelists2 because the ,historians of our ,,lord',s life1 having happily left us four versions of the same story1 and often three versions of the same transaction1 the evidence whereby they may be convicted of error is in the hands of all4 ,truly1 mankind has not been slow to avail itself of the opportunity4 ,you will seldom hear a ,gospel difficulty discussed1 without a quiet assumption on the part of the ,reverend gentleman that he knows all about the matter in question1 but that the ,evangelist did not4 ,his usual method is1 calmly to inform us that it is useless to look for strict consistency in matters of minute detail2 that general agreement between the four ,evangelists there does exist1 and that ought to be enough4 ,the inevitable inference from his manner of handling the ,gospels1 is1 that if his actual thoughts could find candid expression1 we should hear him address their blessed authors somewhat as follows3--,you are four highly respectable characters1 no doubt2 and you mean well4 ,but it cannot be expected that persons of your condition in life should have described so many intricate transactions so minutely without making blunders4 ,i do not say it unkindly4 ,i often make blunders myself1--,i1 who have a clearness of understanding1 a power of discrimination between different kinds of ,truth#cei unknown to the ,apostolic ,age6 444 ,of course the preacher does not say all this4 ,he has too keen a sense of the dignity of the pulpit4 ,and so he puts it somewhat thus3--,while we are disposed to recognize substantial agreement1 and general conformity in respect of details1 among the synoptical witnesses1 in their leading external outlines1 we are yet constrained to withhold our unqualified acceptance of any theory of ,inspiration which should claim for these compilers exemption from the oscitancy1 and generally from the infirmities of humanity4 444 ,this sounds fine1 you know2 and is thought an ingenious way of wrapping up the charge which the ,reverend preacher brings against the ,evangelists2--of having1 in plain terms1--made blunders4 ,it will be convenient that we should narrow the ground to this single issue3 for the time is short4 ,and in the remarks ,i am about to offer1 ,i shall not imitate the example of those preachers who dress out an easy thought in a superfluity of inflated language1 only in order that its deformity may escape detection4 ,be not surprised if ,i speak to you this morning in uncommonly plain ,english2 for ,i am determined that the simplest person present shall understand at least what ,i mean4 ,the dignity of the ,blessed ,evangelists1 who walked with ,,jesus1 and whom ,,jesus loved1--the dignity of that ,gospel which ,i believe to be penetrated through and through with the ,holy ,spirit of ,,god1--for that1 ,i confess to a most unbounded jealousy4 ,as for the dignity of the pulpit1--,i hate the very phrase6 ,it has been made too often the shield of impiety and the cloak of dulness4 ,to begin1 then1--,is it1 ,i would ask you1 a reasonable anticipation that the narrative of one inspired by ,,god would prove full of inconsistencies1 misstatements1 slips of memory3--or indeed1 that it should contain any misstatements1 any inaccuracies at all8 ,what then is the difference between an inspired and an uninspired writing1--the ,word of ,,god and the ,word of ,man8 ,the answer which ,i shall receive1 is obvious4 ,as a matter of fact 7it is replied7 there are these inaccuracies3 that is1 the same transaction is described by two or more writers1 and their accounts prove inconsistent4 ,thus1 ,st4 ,matthew begins his account of the healing of the blind at ,jericho1 with the words1--,and as they were going out of ,jericho3 but ,st4 ,luke1 ,while ,he was drawing nigh to ,jericho4--,there are these slips of memory2 as when ,st4 ,matthew ascribes to ,jeremy the prophet words which are found in the prophet ,zechariah4--,there are these misstatements1 as where the ,census of the ,nativity is said to have taken place under the presidentship of ,cyrenius4--,and these are but samples of a mighty class of difficulties1 7it is urged37--the two ,genealogies2 the ,call of the four ,disciples2 the healing of the ,centurion's servant2 the title on the ,cross2 the history of the ,resurrection3--and again1 the sixteenth of ,tiberius2 the days of ,abiathar2 with many others4--,let me then briefly discuss the three examples first cited1--which really came spontaneously4 ,each is the type of a class2 and the answer to one is1 in reality1 applicable to all the rest4 ,i humbly ask for your patience and attention2 promising that ,i will abuse neither1 though ,i must tax both4 ,the great fundamental truth to be first laid down1 is this--that the ,gospels are not four--but one4 ,the ,ancients knew this very well4 1-- --says ,origen#cfj3 the ,gospel-writers are four1--but the ,gospel is one4 ,and the ancients recorded this mighty verity four times over on the first page of the ,gospel1 lest it should ever be forgotten2 and there it stands to this day3--the ,gospel1--the one ,gospel 1--according to--,st4 ,matthew1--according to ,st4 ,mark1--according to ,st4 ,luke1--according to ,st4 ,john4 ,like that river which went out of ,eden to water the ,garden1--it was by the ,,holy ,,ghost parted1 and became into four heads4--,the ,gospels therefore1 7to call them by their common name17 are not to be regarded as four witnesses1 or rather as four culprits1 brought up on a charge of fraud4 ,rather are they ,angelic voices singing in sweetest harmony1 but after a method of ,heavenly counterpoint which must be studied before it can be understood of ,men4 ,and next1--,there is one great principle1 and one only1 which needs to be borne in mind for the effectual reconciliation of every discrepancy which the four narratives present3 namely1 that you should approach them in exactly the same spirit in which you approach the statement of any man of honour of your acquaintance4 ,whether the ,apostles of the ,,lamb1--men whom we believe to have been inspired by the ,holy ,spirit of the ,everlasting ,,god1--are not entitled to far higher respect1 far higher consideration1 at our hands1--,i leave you to decide4 ,as one whose joy and crown it has been to weigh every word in the ,gospel in hair-scales1 ,i am prepared to risk the issue4 ,be only as fair to the four ,evangelists as you are to one another2 and ,i am quite confident about the result4 ,i appeal to the experience of every thoughtful man among you who has at all given his mind to the subject of evidence1 whether it be not the fact1--7#ast7 ,that when two or more persons are giving true versions of the same incident1 their accounts will sometimes differ so considerably1 that it will seem at first sight as if they could not possibly be reconciled3 and yet 7#bndly71 ,that a single word of explanation1 the discovery of one minute circumstance1--perfectly natural when we hear it stated1 yet most unlikely and unlooked-for1--will often suffice to remove the difficulty which before seemed unsurmountable2 and further1 that when this has been done1 the entire consistency of the several accounts becomes apparent2 while the harmony which is established is often of the most beautiful nature4 7#crdly7 ,that when 7for whatever reason7 two or more versions of the same incident are not correct1 no ingenuity can ever possibly reconcile them1 as they stand4 ,they lean apart in hopeless divergence4 ,in other words1 they contradict one another4 ,now1 these principles are fully admitted in daily life4 ,if your friend comes to you with ever so improbable a tale1 the last thing which enters into your mind is to disbelieve him4 ,is he in earnest8 ,yes1 on his honour4 ,is he sure he is not mistaken8 ,that very doubt of yours requires an apology3 but your friend says1--,i am as sure as ,i am of my existence4 ,give it me under your hand and seal then4 ,your friend begins to suspect your sanity2 but the matter being of some importance1 he complies4 ,it must be so then1 you exclaim1 though ,i cannot understand it44444 ,i only wish that men would be as fair to the ,evangelists as they are to their friends6 ,you are requested to observe1--for really you must admit1--that any possible solution of a difficulty1 however improbable it may seem1 any possible explanation of the story of a competent witness1 is enough logically and morally to exempt that man from the imputation of an incorrect statement4 ,the illustration which first presents itself may require an apology2 but the dignity of the pulpit shall not outweigh the dignity of ,his ,gospel after whose blessed ,name this ,house is called#cfa3 and ,i can think of nothing as apposite as what follows4 ,it is a conceivable case1 that1 hereafter1 three persons of known truthfulness should meet1 in a ,court of ,justice at the ,antipodes2 where the entire difficulty should turn on a question of time4 ,the case is conceivable1 that the first should be heard to declare that at ,oxford1 on such a day1 of such a year1 he had seen such an one standing before ,carfax ,church while the clock was striking one3--that the second should declare that he also1 on the same day of the same year1 had seen the same person passing by ,st4 ,mary's1 when the clock of that ,church was also striking one3--that the third should stand up and assert1--,i also saw the same person on that same day1 but it was on the steps of the ,cathedral ,i met him2 and ,i also remember hearing the clock at that moment strike one4--,now ,i can conceive that the result of such evidence would be adverted upon in some such way as the following3--,while we are disposed to recognize the substantial agreement1 and general conformity in respect of details1 among the synoptical witnesses1 in their leading external outlines1 we are yet constrained1--and the rest of the impertinence we had before4 ,whereas you and ,i know perfectly that the three clocks in question were1 till lately1 kept five minutes apart3 a sufficient interval1 7,i beg you to observe in passing17 for the individual in question to have been seen by you walking in an easterly direction2 and by me due west2 and by a third person1 due east again4 ,highly improbable circumstances1 ,i freely grant1 every one of them2 and yet1 by the hypothesis1 all perfectly true6 ,meantime1 it is conceivable that ,judge and jury would have the indecency openly to tax the three men ,i spoke of with inexactitude in their statements3 and it is conceivable that those three honest men--7the only true men1 it might be1 in the ,colony1 after all17--would carry to their grave the imputation of untruth4 ,here and there1 a generous heart would be found to say to them1--,i share not in the vulgar cry against you6 ,i nothing doubt that it all fell out precisely as you assert4 ,either1 the clocks in ,oxford went wrong that day2--or there had been some trick played with the clocks2--any how1 ,i believe you1 for ,i have evidence that you are marvellously exact in all your little statements2 and you cannot have been mistaken in a plain matter like this4 ,i have heard too that you are not the ordinary men you seem4444 ,the men make no answer4 ,they care nothing for your opinion1 and my opinion4 ,the rashness of mankind may astonish the ,angels perhaps2 but the ,apostles and ,evangelists of ,,christ are already safe within the veil6 ,the difficulty supposed is not an imaginary one4 ,st4 ,john says that when ,pilate sat in judgment on the ,,lord of ,glory1 it was about the sixth hour#cfb4 ,but since ,st4 ,mark says that at the third hour they crucified ,him#cfc1--the two statements seem inconsistent4 ,the ancients1--7giants at interpretation1 babes in criticism17--altered the text4 ,peter1 ,bishop of ,alexandria1 ,a4,d4 #cjj1 says that he had seen it in the very autograph of ,st4 ,john#cfd4 ,a learned man of our own1 however1 a hundred years ago1 ascertained that1 in the ,patriarchate of ,ephesus1 the hours were not computed after the ,jewish method3 but1 7strange to say17 exactly after our own ,english method#cfe4 ,and yet1 not so strange either2 for the ,gospel first came to us from there4--,you see at a glance that all the four mentions of time of day in ,st4 ,john#cff1 which used to occasion so much difficulty1 become beautifully intelligible at once4 ,to come then to the three samples of difficulty propounded a moment ago4 ,and first1 for the blind men of ,jericho4 ,i4 ,the difficulty lies all on the surface4 ,listen to a plain tale4 ,our ,,saviour1 attended by ,his ,disciples and followed by a vast concourse of persons1 had reached the outskirts of ,jericho4 ,a certain blind man was sitting by the roadside begging4 ,he heard the noise of a passing crowd1 and inquired what it meant8 ,he was told that ,jesus of ,nazareth was passing by4 ,he rose at once1--hastened down the main street through which1 in due time1 ,,christ perforce must come2 joined another blind man1 7named ,bartimus1--a well-known character1 who1 like himself1 was accustomed to sit and beg by the road side27 and the two companions in suffering1 having stationed themselves at the exit of ,jericho1 waited till the ,great ,physician should appear4 ,the crowd begins to approach2 and the two blind men implore the ,son of ,david to have pity on them4 ,so importunate is their suit1 that the foremost of the passers-by rebuke them4 ,the men grow more urgent4 ,our ,,saviour pauses1 and orders that they shall be called4 ,at this gracious summons1 both draw near2 the more remarkable applicant flinging his outer garment from him as he rises from his seat2 but both1 when they appear in our ,,saviour',s presence1 making the same request4 ,the ,holy ,one1 touched with compassion1 laid ,his ,hands upon their eyes1 and grants their prayer3 whereupon they both follow ,him in the way4 ,well1 7you will ask17--what then8--,what then8 ,i answer4 ,then there is no difficulty in the three accounts about which you spoke so unbecomingly a moment ago4 ,assume this plain1 and not at all improbable version of the incident1 to be true1 and you will find that no difficulty remains whatever4 ,every recorded circumstance is accounted for1 and fits in exactly with it4 ,i wish there were time to enlarge on some of the details1 and to make some remarks on the manner of the ,evangelists in relating events3 but there is no time4 ,besides1--without a huge copy of the ,gospel open before us all1 ,i could not hope to make my meaning understood4 ,for of course you are to believe that he who would understand the ,gospel must first study it4 ,you must ascertain1 by some crucial test1 confirmed by a large and careful induction1 what the character of a narrative purporting to be inspired1 is4 ,you have no right first to assume exactly what ,inspiration shall result in1 and then to deny that there is ,inspiration because you fail to discover your assumed result#cfg4 ,that were foolish4 ,i shall perhaps be thought to lay myself open to the rejoinder1--,neither have you any right to assume that ,inspiration will result in ,infallibility4 ,but the retort is without real point4 ,i do but assert that1 just as every man of honour claims to be believed until he has been convicted of a falsehood1--inspired ,prophets1 ,evangelists1 and ,apostles have a right to our entire confidence in the scrupulous accuracy of every word they deliver1 until it can be shewn that they have once made a mistake4 ,if you will take the trouble to compare any of the cases1--in ,genesis for example1--where a conversation is first set down1 and then reported by one of the speakers1--you will find that it is deemed allowable to omit or to add clauses1 even when the discourse is related in the first person#cfh4 ,something before inserted1 is withheld3 or something before withheld1 is inserted4 ,no discourse was probably ever set down1 word for word1 as it was delivered4 ,in sacred1 as in profane writings1 the exact substance1 or rather1 the real purport1 of what was spoken1 very reasonably stands for what was actually spoken4 ,the difference is this2--that a narrative1 by man abridged1 may convey a wrong impression3 whereas an inspired abridgement of any history soever cannot mislead4 ,other characteristics of an inspired narrative1--the lesser ,laws of the ,divine ,harmony1 as they may be called1--will be discovered by the attentive reader4 ,for example1 that intervening circumstances are often passed over1 without any notice taken of them whatever3 while yet it is singular how often the ,evangelist shews himself conscious of what he omits by some very minute allusion to it#cfi4 ,this must suffice however4 ,it would require a whole sermon1 a whole volume rather1 to enumerate all the features of the ,evangelical method4 ,,ii4 ,the next sample of difficulty will not occupy us long4 ,st4 ,matthew is charged with a bad memory1 because he ascribes to ,jeremy the prophet#cgj words which are said to be found in ,zechariah4--,strange that men should be heard to differ about a plain matter of fact6 ,i have never been able to find these words in ,zechariah yet6444 ,there are words something like them1--but not those very words1 by any means1--in ,zech4 xi4 #ab4 ,why then is ,st4 ,matthew to be taxed with a bad memory8 ,are there not other prophecies quoted in the ,new ,testament not to be found in the ,old8 ,yes#cga4 ,is not the self-same prophecy sometimes found in two different prophets1--as in ,isaiah and ,nahum8 ,yes#cgb4 ,are not some prophetic passages common to ,jeremiah and ,zechariah8 ,yes#cgc4 ,the ,jews even had a saying that the ,spirit of the one was in the other4 ,where then remains a pretence for supposing that ,st4 ,matthew was troubled with a bad memory8 ,,iii4 ,so1 it is generally assumed that ,st4 ,luke made a mistake when he said that the census of the ,nativity was made when ,cyrenius was ,president of ,syria1--because not ,cyrenius but ,varus is known to have been ,president about that time4--,now1 there are three fair conjectures1--each of which is sufficient to meet this difficulty3 but instead of developing them1 ,i will simply remind you of a minute circumstance in ,jewish story which shews how dangerous it is to press a general fact against a particular statement4--,in the year #d ,b4,c41 ,matthias was undeniably the ,jewish ,high-priest4 ,now1 if ,st4 ,luke1 describing the events of a certain day in ,september1 ,b4,c4 #d1 had recorded that the ,high-priest's name was ,joseph1 you would have thought him guilty of a misstatement3 but the error would have been all your own1--for it has been discovered that a person bearing that name held the office of ,high-priest for one single day1--namely1 the #ajth of ,tisri4444 ,a very unlikely circumstance6 you will exclaim4 ,o yes1--a very unlikely circumstance indeed3 but1 you will have the kindness to observe that that is not exactly the point in question4 ,why then are difficulties of this1 or of any kind1 permitted in the ,gospel at all8 it may be asked4--,i answer1--that they may prove instruments of probation to you and to me4 ,the sensualist has his trials2 and the ambitious man1 his4 ,the difficulties in ,holy ,scripture1--which are numerous1 and diverse1 and considerable1--are admirable tests of the moral1 the spiritual1 the intellectual temper of ,man#cgd4 ,experience shews moreover that some of the minutest discrepancies of all1 if they be but of a character almost hopeless1 are more potent to create perplexity in minds of a certain constitution1 than the gravest doubts which ever burthened the soul of ,speculation4 ,i have confined myself to one class of objections1 for an obvious reason4 ,difficulties which arise out of the matter of ,scripture1 as it is emphatically embodied in quotations from the ,old ,testament made in the ,new1 must be separately considered in one or more ,sermons on ,interpretation4 ,i must be content to-day with repudiating1 in the most unqualified way1 the notion that a mistake of any kind whatever is consistent with the texture of a narrative inspired by the ,holy ,spirit of ,,god4 ,the allusion in ,st4 ,stephen's speech to the sepulchre that ,abraham bought for a sum of money of the sons of ,emmor1 the son 7not the father1 but the son7 of ,sychem1 is a good example of confusion apparently existing in an inspired speaker2 but1 in reality1 only in the writings of those who have sat in judgment upon his words#cge4 ,to keep to the case of the ,evangelists1--,i appeal to your sense of fairness1 whether it be not reasonable to assume1 that until those blessed writers have been convicted of one single inaccuracy of statement1 their narratives ought to be accounted faultless1 like ,him whose ,life they record2--like ,him by whose ,spirit they are inspired4 ,i would to ,heaven that men would have the decency to suspect themselves1 and one another1 rather than the ,evangelists1--of mistake2 or at least1 before they venture publicly to impugn the ,authors of the ,everlasting ,gospel1 that they would be at the pains to weigh the evidence with the care that evidence deserves1 but which ,i am sure that sermon-writers and essayists do not bestow4 ,let them spend the long summer days of many a ,long ,vacation--from early morning until twilight1--dissecting every syllable of the blessed pages2 and then they will learn to adore instead of to cavil4 ,they will deem them absolutely faultless1 instead of daring to charge all their own pitiful misconceptions1 and weak misapprehensions1 and miserable blunders1 upon them4--,they will be inclined1 rather1 to challenge the world to establish one blot in what they love so well2 and would gladly stake all upon the issue of a conflict before a fair tribunal1--if submission might follow upon defeat4 ,as for mistakes of the paltry kind last noticed--7the days of ,abiathar1 the sixteenth of ,tiberius1 and so forth17--,i wonder the glaring absurdity of charging them against ,evangelists1 does not strike any modest man of sane mind4 ,to suppose that ,st4 ,matthew quoted the wrong prophet1 or that ,st4 ,luke did not know the regnal years of the reigning ,emperor2 that ,st4 ,stephen confused ,abraham with ,jacob1 and ,sychem with ,hebron2--all this is really so grossly absurd1 that ,i can hardly condescend to discuss the question4 ,it is like maintaining that ,sir ,isaac ,newton1 after discovering the ,law of ,gravitation1 and calculating the pathway of a planet1 persisted in saying that two and two make five3 or that ,columbus1 after discovering ,america1 despaired of finding the way to his own door4 ,it is simply ridiculous6--,admirable as a subject for men to exercise their wits upon1--as instruments of cavil1 objections like these are about as formidable as a child's sword of lathe in the day of battle4 ,i hear some one say1--,it seems to trouble you very much that inspired writers should be thought capable of making mistakes2 but it does not trouble me1--,very likely not4 ,it does not trouble you1 perhaps1 to see stone after stone1 buttress after buttress1 foundation after foundation1 removed from the walls of ,zion1 until the whole structure trembles and totters1 and is pronounced insecure4 ,your boasted unconcern is very little to the purpose1 unless we may also know how dear to you the safety of ,zion is4 ,but if you make indignant answer1--7as would to ,heaven you may67--that your care for ,,god',s honour1 your jealousy for ,god's oracles1 is every whit as great as our own1--then we tell you that1 on your wretched premises1 men more logical than yourself will make shipwreck of their peace1 and endanger their very souls4 ,there is no stopping1--no knowing where to stop1--in this downward course4 ,once admit the principle of fallibility into the inspired ,word1 and the whole becomes a bruised and rotten reed4 ,if ,st4 ,paul a little1 why not ,st4 ,paul much8 ,if ,moses in some places1 why not in many8 ,you will doubt our ,,lord',s infallibility next6444 ,it might not trouble you1 to find your own familiar friend telling you a lie1 every now and then3 but ,i trust this whole congregation will share the preacher's infirmity1 while he confesses that it would trouble him so exceedingly that after one established falsehood1 he would feel unable ever to trust that friend implicitly again4 ,do you mean to say then1 7,i shall be asked17 that you maintain the theory of ,verbal ,inspiration8--,i answer1 ,i refuse to accept any theory whatsoever#cgf4 ,but ,i believe that the ,bible is the ,word of ,,god--and ,i believe that ,,god',s ,word must be absolutely infallible4 ,i shall therefore believe the ,bible to be absolutely infallible1--until ,i am convinced of the contrary4 ,theories of ,inspiration1 7as they are called17 are the growth of an unbelieving age3 and it is enough to disgust any one with the term1 to find how it has been understood in some quarters4 ,a well-known living editor of the ,gospel#cgg1 says1--,according to the ,verbal-,inspiration ,theory1 each ,evangelist has recorded the exact words of the ,inscription on the ,cross2--not the general sense1 but the ,inscription itself2--not a letter less nor more4 ,this is absolutely necessary to the theory4 ,the advocates of the theory 7he proceeds7 may here find an undoubted example of the absurdity of their view4444 ,let us bear this in mind when the narrative of words spoken1 or of events1 differs in a similar manner4--,it is certainly very kind of the learned writer thus to apprize us of the danger of accepting a theory1 which1 so explained1 we certainly never heard of before1--and trust we may never hear of again4 ,but if1 instead of the ,theory of ,verbal ,inspiration1 ,i am asked whether ,i believe the words of the ,bible to be inspired1--,i answer1 ,to be sure ,i do1--every one of them3 and every syllable likewise4 ,do not you8--,where1--7if it be a fair question17--,where do you1 in your wisdom1 stop8 ,the book1 you allow is inspired4 ,how about the chapters8 ,how about the verses8 ,do you stop at the verses1 and not go on to the words8 ,or perhaps you enjoy a special tradition on this subject1 and hold that ,inspiration is a general1 vague kind of thing1--here more1 there less3 strong1 7to speak plainly17 where you make no objection to what is stated1--weak1 when it runs counter to some fancy of your own4--,o ,sir1 but this general vague kind of thing will not suffice to anchor the fainting soul upon1 in the day of trouble1 and in the hour of death6 ,here more1 there less1 will not satisfy a parched and weary spirit1 athirst for the water of ,life1 and craving the shadow of the great ,rock4 ,what security can you offer me1 that the promise which has sustained me so long occurs in the more1 and not in the less8 ,how am ,i to know that your ,bible is my ,bible3 in other words1 what proof is there that either of us possesses the ,word of ,,god1--the authentic utterance of ,,god',s ,,holy ,,spirit1--at all8 ,and do you not feel1 that this will o' the wisp phantom of your brain1 can prove no guide to either of us in the pilgrimage of life8 ,perceive you not that the unworthy spirit in which you approach the ,book of ,,god',s ,law must effectually prevent you from getting any wisdom from it8 ,why1 the pages which you look so coldly and carnally at1 are written within and without1 and burn from end to end with unutterable meaning6 ,while you are quarrelling about the title on the ,cross1 you are missing the common salvation6 ,you keep us1 ,sunday after ,sunday1 disputing outside the gates of ,paradise1 instead of bidding us enter in1 and eat of the delicious fruit6 ,while you are persisting that there is no beauty in the garden1 7because you choose to be deaf as well as blind17--the shadows are lengthening out1 and the glory is departing1 and the angels are getting weary of harping upon their harps6 ,no1 ,sirs6 ,the ,bible 7be persuaded7 is the very utterance of the ,eternal2--as much ,,god',s ,word1 as if high ,heaven were open1 and we heard ,,god speaking to us with human voice4 ,every book of it1 is inspired alike2 and is inspired entirely4 ,inspiration is not a difference of degree1 but of kind4 ,the ,apocryphal books are not one atom more inspired than ,bacon's ,essays4 ,but the ,bible1 from the ,alpha to the ,omega of it1 is filled to overflowing with the ,holy ,spirit of ,,god3 the ,books of it1 and the sentences of it1 and the words of it1 and the syllables of it1--aye1 and the very letters of it4 ,nihil in ,scripturis est otiosum1 7said the great ,casaubon73 non dictio1 non dictionis forma1 non syllaba1 non littera4 444 ,the difficulty which attends quotations1 ,i must explain another day4 ,it is not a difficulty4--,the seeming paradox of calling a pedigree inspired1 is only seeming4--,the text of ,holy ,scripture has nothing at all to do with the question4 ,is a dead poet responsible for the clumsiness of him who transcribes his copy1 or for the carelessness of the apprentice in the printer's attic8--,least of all do we overlook the personality of the human writers1 when we so speak4 ,the styles of ,daniel1--of ,st4 ,john1--of ,st4 ,paul1--of ,st4 ,james1--differ as much as the sounds emitted by organ pipes of wholly diverse construction4 ,but those human instruments were fabricated1 one and all1 by the ,hands of the same ,divine ,artist3 and ,i have yet to learn that when the same man builds an organ1 fills it with breath1 and performs upon it a piece of his own composition with matchless skill1--,i have yet to learn that any part of the honour1 any part of the praise1 any part of the glory of the performance is to be withheld from him6 444 ,the illustration is at least as old as ,christianity itself4 ,pray take it in the noble words of ,hooker4--,they neither spoke nor wrote one word of their own3 but uttered syllable by syllable as the ,spirit put it into their mouths2 no otherwise than the harp or the lute doth give a sound according to the discretion of his hands that holdeth and striketh it with skill4 ,the difference is only this3 an instrument1 whether it be pipe or harp1 maketh a distinction in the times and sounds1 which distinction is well perceived of the hearer1 the instrument itself understanding not what is piped or harped4 ,the prophets and holy men of ,,god not so4 ',i opened my mouth1' saith ,ezekiel1 'and ,,god reached me a scroll1 saying1 ,son of ,man1 cause thy belly to eat1 and fill thy bowels with this ,i give thee4 ,i ate it1 and it was sweet in my mouth as honey1' saith the prophet#cgh4 ,yea1 sweeter1 ,i am persuaded1 than either honey or the honeycomb4 ,for herein1 they were not like harps or lutes1 but they felt1 they felt the power and strength of their own words4 ,when they spake of our peace1 every corner of their hearts was filled with joy4 ,when they prophesied of mourning1 lamentations1 and woes1 to fall upon us1 they wept in the bitterness and indignation of spirit1 the ,arm of the ,,lord being mighty and strong upon them#cgi4 ,to conclude4 ,the first time ,i enjoyed this privilege1 ,i urged the younger men to a diligent and painful daily study of the ,bible4 ,on the next occasion1 opening the ,bible at the first page1 ,i attempted to define the provinces of ,theological and of ,physical ,science4 ,all that was then offered may be summed up in one brief formula3--,,god',s works ,,cannot contradict ,,god',s ,word4 ,i adverted to the method of would-be geologists1 7a class all apart from the grave and learned few who give their days and nights to a truly noble branch of study17--because from them the most malignant attacks have proceeded3 and ,i took my stand on the first chapter of ,genesis1 because the enemies of ,,god',s ,truth have made that chapter their favourite point of attack4 ,but my argument was not directed more against ,geology than against any other of the physical ,sciences4 ,they are all alike the handmaids of ,theological ,science4 ,geology1 however1 singularly honoured by the ,creator in that ,he hath bequeathed for her inspection so many marvels of primval ,time1--evidences of how ,he was working in this remote planet before the ,creation of ,man2--,geology1 ,i say1 it especially behoves to be humble3 partly1 because she is the youngest of all the sciences2 and partly1 because the weak guesses of her childhood are yet in the memory of us all4 ,if indeed she would inherit the ,earth1 let her remember that she asks for the blessing which ,,christ hath promised to none but the meek#chj4 ,we altogether repudiated1 then1 the contrast which is often implied between ,theology and ,science2 as if ,theology were not a ,science1 but some other thing4 ,theological ,science we declared to be the noblest of the ,sciences1--the very ,queen and ,mistress of them all4 ,and yet1 supreme as she is1 she not only admits1 but desires1 and thankfully accepts the ministerial offices of the other ,sciences2 all of which1 like dutiful servants in a household1 have it in their power to render her most important acts of homage4 ,language1 for example1 carries the keys of the casket wherein she keeps her treasures2 and for that reason ,theology hath promoted ,language to great honour4 ,history1 and ,geography1 and ,chronology1 have each had their respective tasks assigned them4 ,it is for ,astronomy to make answer if question be raised of the date of ,paschal full ,moon1 or of ,eclipse4 ,let the physiologist explain1 if he can1 ,scriptural allusions to the vegetable and animal kingdoms4 ,how precious are the guesses of ,geology1 as she tries to fathom the ,ocean of unrecorded ,time6--,who would desire the silence of the ,professor of any department of physical ,science8 ,morals also have their place and their function assigned them2 and a thrice blessed place1--a most holy function is theirs6 ,why should not ,moral ,science have an office even in the ,court of ,theology8 ,was not ,morality the ,schoolmaster of the sons of ,japheth1 what time there was dew on the fleece only1 but it was dry upon all the earth beside8 ,what are ,morals else but the echoes of the voice of ,,god yet lingering in the ,hall of ,conscience1 or rather in the ,chambers of ,memory84444 ,her function therefore is to bear willing witness to the ,goodness1 the ,wisdom1 the ,justice of the ,eternal3 and her place1--the loftiest which can be imagined for a creature1--is somewhere beneath the footstool of ,almighty ,,god4 ,but when1 instead of the submissive manners of a well-ordered ,court1 symptoms of insolence and insubordination are witnessed on every side1--then1 the least and humblest takes leave1 7time1 and place1 and occasion serving17 to speak out fearlessly on behalf of that which he loves with an unworthy1 but a most undivided heart4--,when ,language impugns those ,oracles which she was hired to decypher1--and pretends to doubt the ,inspiration of that ,book of which1 confessedly1 she barely understands the ,grammar3--when ,history and ,chronology cry out that the annals of ,theology are false1 and her record of ,time a fable2 that the ,deluge1 for instance1 is an old wives' story1 and the economy of times and seasons a human fabrication3--when ,astronomical and ,mechanical ,science strut up to the ,throne whereon sits the ,ancient of ,days1--prate to ,him1 7the first ,author of ,law17 about the supremacy of ,law1--and tell ,him to ,his face that ,his miracles are things impossible3--when ,physiology insinuates that ,mankind cannot be descended from one primval pair2 and that the lives of the ,patriarchs cannot be such as they are recorded to have been3--when the pretender to ,natural ,philosophy gravely assures us that we ought not to pray for fair weather1 because the weather depends not upon arbitrary changes in the will of ,,god1 but upon laws as fixed and certain as the laws of gravitation#cha1--which1 mark you1 ,sirs1 is no longer a dry verbal speculation1 but is nothing less than an invasion of that inner chamber where you or ,i have retired to pour out the fulness of an aching heart1 in prayer that ,,god would prolong1 if it may be1 the life of the dearest thing we have on earth2 and rudely to bid us rise from our knees and be silent1 for that the health of ,man depends not on the will of ,,god1 but on fixed physiological laws3--lastly1 when the pretender to ,geological skill denies the authenticity of the ,first ,chapter of ,genesis2 which is to deny the ,inspiration of all the rest2 and therefore of the whole ,bible2--and thus to rob ,life's weary pilgrim of that rod and staff concerning which he has many a time exclaimed1--they comfort me63--whenever1 as now1 such things are spoken and printed1--not in a corner1 and by insignificant persons1 and in ambiguous language1--but in plain ,english1 by clergymen and scholars in authority1 openly in the face of ,,god',s sun2--then it is high time1 even for the humblest and least among you1--if no man of mark will speak up1 and speak out1 for ,,god',s ,truth1--to deliver a plain message with that freedom which ,englishmen hold to be a part of their birthright4 ,it should breed no offence1 ,i say1 if the most unworthy of ,,god',s servants1 here1 before you all1--before these younger men especially1 who have been drawn hither by the fame of your piety and your learning1--and who have been entrusted to your guardianship through the precious years of early manhood1 with a well-grounded confidence that you would give them to eat not only of the ,tree of ,knowledge1 but also largely of the fruit of the ,tree of ,life3--in this ,holy ,house too where he received his commission#chb1 and vowed before ,,god and ,man1 that he would be ready1 7the ,,lord being his helper17 with all faithful diligence to drive away all erroneous and strange doctrines contrary to ,,god's ,word3--before such an audience1 and in such a place1 it must and shall be lawful for me solemnly to denounce as false and deadly1--full of nothing but pernicious consequence1--that system of practical ,infidelity which enjoys such unhappy popularity at this hour2 which1 under the mask of ,science1 and under the specious name of ,progress1 is spreading like a fatal contagion through the length and breadth of the land2 and which1 if suffered to go unchastised and unchecked1 will end by shaking both the ,altar and the ,throne64444 ,look well to it1 ,sirs1 if you care for the safety of the ,ark of ,,god4 ,for my part1--like one of old time whose words ,i am not worthy to take upon my lips1--,i cannot hold my peace3 because thou hast heard1 ,o my soul1 the sound of the trumpet1 the alarm of war#chc6 ,the case is not altered1--rather is it made worse1--if this hostility to ,,god's ,truth proceeds from persons bearing ,orders in the ,english ,church4 7,o my soul1 come not thou into their secret67 ,the case is not altered3 for the requirements of ,physical ,science are still the plea2 and ,divines1 in no sense1 these men are1 however unsuccessful they may prove in establishing their claim to the title of philosophers either4 ,nay1 ,sirs1--suffer one of yourselves to ask you1 whether these disgraceful developments are not the lawful result of your own incredible system1 of sending forth1 year by year1 men to be teachers and professors of ,divinity1--to whom you have yet never imparted any ,theological training whatever#chd4 ,you are requested to observe1 that not only cannot ,,god's ,works contradict ,,god's ,word1--simply because they are twin utterances of one and the same ,divine ,intelligence2--but also the deductions of ,physical ,science cannot possibly run counter to the decrees of ,theology#che1--simply because they are respectively in a wholly diverse subject-matter4 ,had ,theology even once delivered a ,geological decree1 or pretended even once to pronounce upon any ,astronomical problem2 then1 indeed1 there would be reason why her disciples should watch with alarm the rapid advance of ,physical ,science1--instead of hailing it1 as they do1 with wonder and delight4 ,then1 indeed1 we should be constrained to admit that the day might be coming when ,theology would have to reconsider the platform whereon she stands2 and possibly to give way4 ,but it is an undeniable fact that there exist no ,theological dogmas on matters ,geological1--no1 not one6 ,theology cannot retreat from ground on which she has never set foot4 ,she cannot retract1 what she has never advanced1 or recal the words which she has never spoken4 ,the decrees of ,theology are all confined to the ,science of ,theology1--and with that subject-matter1 the other ,sciences have simply no concern4 ,their office there1 as ,i have again and again explained1 is simply ministerial2 and when they enter the presence chamber of the great ,king1 they are bid not to draw too nigh4 ,put off thy shoes from off thy feet2 for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground6 ,and how about ,moral ,science1--whom we beheld1 a moment since1 shrouded in her mantle1 beneath the footstool of the ,,almighty2--afraid to look up into ,his awful ,face1--and not presuming to speak1 unless called upon to bear her solemn witness to what she learned of ,him in the beginning8--,must we imagine her too rising from her lowly seat1 and presuming to sit in judgment upon the ,author of her ,being8 ,are we to picture her arraigning the ,goodness of ,him who commanded ,abraham to slay his son2--or the ,justice of ,him who sent ,saul to destroy the ,amalekites2--or the ,mercy of ,him who inspired certain of ,david's ,psalms2--or the ,wisdom of ,him who made the everlasting ,gospel the mysterious four-fold thing it is8--,then1 were she to do so1 we should perforce exclaim1--,this judgment of thine cannot possibly be just6 ,for the echo must resemble the voice which woke it6 ,other spirits must have been intruding here2 and the unholy din of their voices must have drowned the clear1 yet still and small utterance of ,,almighty ,,god within thy breast64444 ,in other words1 if there be antagonism1 ,ethics1--not ,theology1 but 7that which calls itself7 ,moral ,science1--must instantly and hopelessly give way4 ,for doubtless1 that inference of ours as to what had happened1 would be a true inference4--,it will be the fact1 ,i fear1 before the end of all things2 for it seems to be implied1--7a more heart-sickening sentence in all ,scripture1 ,i know not671--that when the ,son of ,man cometh1 ,he will not find the ,faith on the ,earth#chf4 ,and if not the ,faith 7 71--what then8 ,the ,moral ,sense8 ,hardly6 for where was the ,moral ,sense when she let go the ,faith8--,it was the fact1 7if ,i read the record rightly17 eighteen centuries ago3 for children had then forgotten their duty to their ,parents2 and the sanctity of ,marriage was unknown2 and 7,o prime note of a darkened conscience67 men not only did things worthy of ,death1 but had pleasure in them that did them4 ,read the first chapter of ,st4 ,paul's ,epistle to the ,romans1 and say what was then the condition of the ,moral ,sense in man4 ,tell me1 while your cheek is yet burning1 whether you think ,moral ,science was then competent to sit in judgment on a ,revelation sent from the ,,god of ,purity1 until ,,god's own ,,son had republished the sanctions of the ,moral ,law1 and informed ,man's conscience afresh6444 ,no ,sirs4 ,we are told expressly1 that as they did not like to retain ,,god in their knowledge1 ,,god gave them over to a reprobate mind1--gave them up unto vile affections4 ,and why8 ,hear the ,apostle6 ,it was because when they knew ,,god1 they glorified ,him not as ,,god2 neither were thankful3--hence1 they were suffered to become vain in their imaginations1 and1 their foolish heart was darkened6--,in other words1 the candle of the ,,lord1 the light of conscience within them1 was well nigh put out4 ,this will explain the reason why1 when ,,the ,,word was made flesh and dwelt among us1 ,he so frequently delivered precepts1--yea1 preached whole ,sermons1--on what would now-a-days be called mere ,morality4 ,he was republishing the ,moral ,law4 ,he was graving afresh those letters which had been wellnigh worn out through tract of ,time1 and the wear and tear of ,man's ungoverned lusts4--,hence1 to this hour1 when question is raised of ,right and ,wrong1--the appeal is made1 by the common consent of ,christian men1 not to the inner consciousness of the creature1 but to the ,creator's external ,revelation of ,his mind and will4 ,let abler men explain to us what we mean when we talk about ,immutable ,morality4 ,i am by no means sure that ,i understand myself4 ,sure only am ,i that it will carry us a very little way4 ,aristotle would never have made the average moral sense of mankind his standard1 had he known of a 4 ,the principles of ,morality do indeed seem to be fixed and eternal2-- 3--but it is no longer true1 '4 ,ever since the ,gospel came into the world1 general opinion has ceased to be the standard of ,truth3 for the ,bible has simply superseded it2 and put forth a standard to which general opinion itself must bow4 ,i am the ,way1 the ,truth1 and the ,life4 ,so spake the ,eternal ,,son while yet on ,earth4 ,and ,he foresaw that there would come a day when the world would still ask1 with ,pilate1 ,what is ,truth8 ,accordingly1 we heard his solemn reply in this ,morning's ,second ,lesson--,,thy ,,word1--,,thy ,,word is ,truth4 444 ,,god made two great lights1 ,i grant you3 but what ,i maintain is1 that ,he made the greater ,light to rule the ,day4 ,and therefore are we very bold to assert that it is all too late for men now to vaunt the authority of the ,moral ,sense1 as a thing to be set up against the fixed and immutable ,revelation of ,,god',s mind and will4 ,the sufficiency of ,natural ,religion is a paradox of modern invention1 and the boast of it comes with an ill grace1 and under great suspicions1 so late in the day of trial#chg4 ,aye1 it comes all too late4 ,here in ,england1 7,,god be praised67 the moral sense is indeed strong4 ,is it as strong1 think you1 among those continental nations which are under the spiritual yoke of ,rome8 ,is it as strong among the ,hindoos8 ,is it as strong among the savage inhabitants of central ,australia8444 ,perceive you not that if ,moral ,science speaks with a loud and clear voice in ,christian lands1 it is because there the ,moral ,sense has been in those lands informed afresh by ,revelation8 ,that the principles of ,natural ,religion have come to be so far understood and admitted1 may fairly be taken for one of the effects of the ,gospel#chh4 ,the echoes of the voice of ,,god are now so distinct1 only because ,,god hath suffered ,his awful voice to be heard on earth again3 and if among ourselves those echoes are the loudest and the clearest1 is it not because among ourselves the ,bible is read the most8 ,the fact 7says the thoughtful writer already quoted17--the fact is not to be denied2 the ,religion of ,nature has had the opportunity of rekindling her faded taper by the ,gospel light1--whether furtively or unconsciously availed of4 ,let her not dissemble the obligation1 and make a boast of the splendour1 as though it were originally her own2 or had always1 in her hands1 been sufficient for the illumination of the ,world4--,it is not to be imagined that men fail to profit by the light that has been shed upon them1 though they have not always the integrity to own the source from which it comes2 or though they may turn their back upon it1 whilst it fills the very atmosphere in which they move1 with glory#chi4 ,i say1 therefore1 that it is all too late to vaunt the supremacy of ,conscience as opposed to ,revelation1--,moral as opposed to ,theological ,science4 ,moral ,science owes all its renewed strength and vigour to ,theology4 ,and so1 were ,moral ,science to dare call in question1 7as she sometimes has done1 and may dare to do again671 the ,morality of the ,bible1--we should find her monstrous image nowhere so fitly as in that of the man whose withered hand ,,christ healed in the ,synagogue1--if the same man had proved such a wretch1 as straightway to lift up his arm with intention to smite his ,benefactor and his ,,god4 ,physical ,science therefore1 7for the last time67--all the other ,sciences1--,moral ,science not excepted1--are the handmaids of ,theological ,science3 and ,morality1 to which we omitted before to assign an office1 we have stationed somewhere beneath the footstool1 which is before the ,throne1 of the ,most ,high4--,but this day's ,sermon1--7and with these words ,i conclude1 sorry to have felt obliged to detain you so long67--this ,day's ,sermon has had for its object to remind you1 that ,,the ,,bible is none other than the voice of ,him that sitteth upon the ,throne6 ,every ,book of it1--every ,chapter of it1--every ,verse of it1--every word of it1--every syllable of it1--7where are we to stop87--every letter of it--is the direct utterance of the ,most ,high6-- 4 ,well spake the ,,holy ,,ghost1 by the mouth of the many blessed ,men who wrote it4--,the ,bible is none other than the ,word of ,,god3 not some part of it1 more1 some part of it1 less2 but all alike1 the utterance of ,him who sitteth upon the ,throne2--absolute1--faultless1--unerrin g1--supreme6 99 99 99 99 99 4 ,,origenes1 ,comment4 in ,s4 ,matth4 tom4 xvi4 c4 #ab4 p4 #gcd4 444 4 ,,basilius1 in ,hex4 ,hom4 vi4 c4 #aa4 tom4 i4 p4 #fa c4 ,scriptur quidem perfect sunt1 quippe a ,,verbo ,,dei1 et ,,spiritu ejus dict4 ,,iren,,us1 ,contr4 ,hr4 lib4 ii4 c4 xxviii4 #b4 4 ,,methodius1 ,tyrius ,episcopus1 ap4 ,routh ,reliqq4 t4 v4 p4 #cea4 4 ,,athanasius1 ad ,marcellinum4 1 4 ,,gregorius ,,nyssen1 ,contr4 ,eunom4 ,orat4 vi4 ,cedamus igitur et consentiamus auctoritati ,sanct ,scriptur1 qu nescit falli nec fallere4 ,,augustinus1 ,de ,peccator4 ,merit4 lib4 i4 c4 #bb4 ,,footnotes3 #ccj ,preached in ,christ-,church ,cathedral1 #beth ,nov4 #ahfj4 #cca 1--as it is worded in the ,epistle sent by the ,council of ,antioch in the case of ,paul of ,samosata1 ,a4,d4 #bfi4 7,routh ,reliqq4 iii4 #bib47 ,see ,middleton on the ,greek ,article1 7,rose's ed47 in loc4 ,and so1 in effect1 ,wordsworth and ,ellicott4--,it is right to add that it has been contended that the whole of ,scripture4 ,see ,lee on ,inspiration1 p4 #bfc1 7note47 ,so ,athanasius seems to have taken it3 ' 1 1 4 7,ep4 ad ,marcell4 i4 #ihb47 #ccb ,that is the predicate1 seems sufficiently obvious4 ,so ,athanasius1 in the passage above quoted4 ,so ,gregory of ,nyssa3 1 4 7,contr4 ,eunom4 ,orat4 ,,vi4 ii4 #fje47 ,amphilochius1 ,bishop of ,iconium1 quotes the place in the same way4--,basil also1 saying-- 1 1 7,hom4 in ,psalm4 ,i4 i4 #ij17--;clearly adopts the construction assumed in the text4--,ambrose 7,de ,spir4 ,sancto1 lib4 ,,ii4 c4 #af4 ii4 #fhh17 says1--,in ,scriptura ,divina1 omnis ex hoc dicitur1 quod ,deus inspiret qu locutus est ,spiritus4 7,the above are from ,lee on ,inspiration1 which see1 pp4 #bfj1 #dic1 #eii47--,tertullian 7quoted by ,tisch47 says1 ,legimus omnem ,scripturam dificationi habilem1 divinitus inspirari4--,a few modern scholars have suggested that 4 may be an epithet1 not a predicate4 ,the doctrine will remain the same either way2 for the meaning of the place can only be1 ,every ,scripture1 being inspired1 is also profitable1 c4 ,this is ,origen's view3 but his criticism is not in point1 inasmuch as he read the text differently1 7omitting the 47 ,lee aptly compares the construction of 1 4 7#a ,tim4 iv4 #d47 #ccc ,thess4 ii4 #ac4 #ccd #a ,cor4 ii4 #ac4 #cce #b ,st4 ,pet4 iii4 #af1--where see ,wordsworth4 #ccf #a ,cor4 vii4 #dj4 #ccg #a ,cor4 vii4 #aj4 #cch #a ,cor4 vii4 #f4 7 1 ' 47 #cci ,st4 ,matth4 xix4 #f 7 ,st4 ,mark x4 #i37 and the following places1--,st4 ,matth4 v4 #cb3 xix4 #i 7 ,st4 ,mark x4 #aa1 #ab473 ,st4 ,luke xvi4 #ah4 #cdj ,montfaucon1 prf4 ad ,euseb4 ,comm4 in ,psalm41 cap4 x4 ,see also sch4 ,prom4 ,v4 v4 #bhi4 #cda ,st4 ,luke xvii4 #i4 ,so ,st4 ,mark x4 #db4 ,st4 ,luke viii4 #ah4 ,st4 ,john v4 #ci4 #cdb ,comp4 #a ,cor4 iv4 #i3 ,gal4 ii4 #i3 ,heb4 iv4 #a4 #cdc 4--#a ,st4 ,pet4 i4 #aa4 #cdd 4--#b ,st4 ,pet4 i4 #ba4 7lit4 impelled1--like a ship before the wind47 #cde 4--,acts i4 #af4 #cdf 4--,heb4 iii4 #g4 #cdg 4--,heb4 v4 #aj4 #cdh 4--,st4 ,mark xii4 #cf4 #cdi 1 4--,acts iv4 #bd1 #be4 #cej 4--,acts xxviii4 #be4 #cea --,heb4 x4 #ae1 quoting ,jer4 xxxi4 #cc1 #cd4 #ceb 444 4--,acts iii4 #ah4 #cec 444 ' 4--,st4 ,luke i4 #fh1 #gj4 #ced 4--,heb4 ix4 #h4 #cee 1 4--,st4 ,mark xiii4 #aa4 #cef 1 4--,st4 ,matth4 x4 #bj4 #ceg 4--#b ,cor4 xiii4 #c4 #ceh ,rev4 ,b4 ,jowett1 in ,e4 and ,r41--p4 #cde4 ,yet see ,acts iii4 #ah1 #ba4 #cei ,dr4 ,temple1 in ,essays and ,reviews1 p4 #be4 #cfj ,contra ,marcion1 sect4 ,i4 p4 #i4 #cfa ,see the first foot-note1 p4 #ec4 ,our #ccj #cfb ,st4 ,john xix4 #ad4 #cfc ,st4 ,mark xv4 #be4 #cfd ,the passage may be seen in ,john ,bois' ,vet4 ,interpretis cum ,bez aliisque recentioribus collatio1 7#afee17 p4 #ccc4 #cfe ,see a ,dissertation by ,dr4 ,townson at the end of his admirable book on the ,gospels4 #cff ,viz4 ,st4 ,john i4 #ci3 iv4 #f1 #eb3 xix4 #ad4 #cfg ,and yet1 we hear it asserted that we cannot suppose the ,spirit of absolute ,truth to suggest accounts only to be reconciled in the way of hypothesis and conjecture4--,e4 and ,r41 p4 #agi4 #cfh ,e4g4 ,gen4 xxiv4 #b-h1 compared with ver4 #cg-da2 and again1 ver4 #ab-ad1 compared with ver4 #db-dd4 ,again1 ,gen4 xlii4 #aj-ac1 compared with ver4 #ca1 #cb3 and again1 ver4 #ad-af1 compared with ver4 #cc1 #cd4 ,again1 ,gen4 xlii4 #cf-h1 compared with xliv4 #bg-bi1 c41 c41 c4 #cfi ,instances of this will be very familiar to every attentive student of the ,gospels4 ,thus ,st4 ,matth4 xxvi4 #fh implies acquaintance with a minute circumstance which is stated in ,st4 ,luke xxii4 #fd3--,st4 ,matth4 x4 #ac implies what is expressed in ,st4 ,luke x4 #e1 c41 c41 c4 #cgj ,st4 ,matth4 xxvii4 #i4 #cga ,e4g4 ,st4 ,jude ver4 #ad1 #ae4 #cgb ,is4 lii4 #g1 and ,nahum i4 #ae4--;,is4 ii4 #b1 #c1 #d1 and ,micah iv4 #a1 #b1 #c4--,micah iv4 #f1 and ,zeph4 iii4 #ai4--;,is4 xi4 #i1 and ,hab4 ii4 #ad4--,micah iii4 #ab1 and ,jer4 xxvi4 #ah1 c41 c4 #cgc ,e4g4 ,jer4 xxiii4 #e and ,zech4 vi4 #ac4 #cgd ,see ,appendix 7,c74 #cge ,see ,appendix 7,d74 #cgf ,see ,appendix 7,e74 #cgg ,the ,rev4 ,h4 ,alford1 ,dean of ,canterbury4 #cgh ,ezek4 iii4 #b1 #c4 #cgi ,hooker1 ,serm4 v4 #d4 7,works1 vol4 iii4 p4 #ffc47 #chj ,st4 ,matth4 v4 #e4 #cha ,professor ,kingsley's ,sermon1--,why should we pray for fair ,weather8 #chb ,see at the foot of p4 #ec1 note 7a74 ,our #ccj #chc ,jer4 iv4 #ai4 #chd ,the complaint is a very old one4 ,see ,pearson's ,minor ,works1 vol4 i4 pp4 #dbi-cj4 #che ,it becomes necessary to explain1 that on the ,sunday after the delivery of the foregoing ,sermon1 a ,sermon was preached directly contravening its teaching4 ,next week1 it became the present writer's duty to address the same auditory1--which will explain as much of what follows in the present ,sermon1 7including something at p4 #gi17 as may seem to require explanation4 ,it was impossible to proceed with the argument1 until what had been advanced of a directly opposite tendency had been thus disposed of4 #chf ,st4 ,luke xviii4 #h4 #chg ,davison's ,discourses on ,prophecy1--p4 #g4 #chh ,ibid4 #chi ,davison's ,discourses on ,prophecy1--p4 #h4--,the following passage is from ,bp4 ,horsley's ,primary ,charge to the ,clergy of ,rochester1 7#agif173--,the question in this case is not abstract1--what ,reason may have the ability to do4 ,the question is upon a matter of fact1--what she did4 ,were these things1 in point of fact1 man's own discovery8--,the sacred history is explicit that they were not4 ,and notwithstanding the many useful lessons of ,morality we find in the writings of the heathen sages1--the many eloquent discourses upon providence1 and the immortality of the soul1--the many subtile disquisitions upon the great questions of necessity and moral freedom1 upon fate and chance1--,i am persuaded1 that had it not been for the early communications of the ,creator with mankind1 ,man never would have raised the conceptions of his mind to the idea of a ,god2 he never would have dreamt of the immaterial principle within himself2 and he never would have formed any general notions of ,right and ,wrong in the abstract2 he would have had no ,religion1 perhaps no ,morality4444 ,the prudent dispensers of the ,word will resort to ,revelation for his first principles1 as well as for more mysterious truths4 ,he will not trust to philosophy for any discoveries4 ,he will suffer philosophy to be nothing more than his assistant in the study of the inspired ,word4 ,she must herself be instructed by those lively oracles before she can be qualified to take part in the instruction of men4 ,to lay the foundation of ,revelation upon any previous discoveries of ,reason1 is in fact to make ,reason the superior teacher4 ,it is not improbable1 that ,idolatry itself had its first beginning in an early adoration of this phantom of ,natural ,religion1--the idol1 in later ages1 of impolitic metaphysical ,divines4--,charges1 pp4 #ej1 #ea4--;,bp4 ,butler says the same thing1 but more briefly1 in his ,analogy1 ,p4 ,,ii41 c4 ii43 also ,p4 ,i41 c4 vi4 ,,sermon ,,iv4#cij 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,plenary ,,inspiration ,,of ,,every ,,part ,,of ,,the ,,bible1 ,,vindicated ,,and ,,explained4--,,nature ,,of ,,inspiration4--,,the ,,text ,,of ,,scripture4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,st4 ,,john xvii4 #ag4 ,thy ,word is ,truth4 ,i thankfully avail myself of the opportunity which1 unexpected and unsolicited1 so soon presents itself1 to proceed with the subject which was engaging our attention when ,i last occupied this place4 ,let me remind you of the nature of the present inquiry1 and of the progress which we have already made4 ,taking ,holy ,scripture for our subject1 and urging1 as best we knew how1 its paramount claims on the daily attention of the younger men1--who at present are our hope and ornament2 to be hereafter1 as we confidently believe1 our very crown and joy2--even while we held in our hands that volume which our ,fathers were content to call the volume of ,inspiration1 we were constrained to recollect that its claim to be inspired has of late years been repeatedly called in question4 ,it has even become the fashion to cavil at almost everything which the ,bible contains4 ,we are grown so exceedingly wise1 have made so many strange discoveries1 and have become so clear-sighted1 that the more advanced among us are kindly bent on disabusing the minds of their less gifted brethren of that most venerable delusion of all1--7for it is coeval with ,christianity17--that the ,bible is in any special sense the ,word of ,,god4 ,i do not say that ,theologians talk thus4 ,but pretenders to ,natural ,science1 knowing nothing whatever of ,divinity1 and therefore intruding into a realm of which they do not understand so much as the language2--together with1 7sad to relate67 men bearing a commission in the ,church of ,,christ1 7and who ought therefore to be building up1 where they are seeking to destroy17--are employing the powers which ,,god has given them1 in this direction4 ,it becomes indispensable1 in consequence1 that we should say somewhat on behalf of those ,oracles which have been so vigorously impugned2 and it should not seem strange if we oppose to such destructive dogmatism1 the most uncompromising severity of counter statement4 ,the objections which have been raised against the ,bible1 although they have been industriously gleaned from various quarters1 will all be most effectually met1 ,i am persuaded1 by getting men to acquaint themselves with the contents of the deposit itself4 ,and yet1 inasmuch as it is the nature of doubts1 when once injected into the mind1 to fester and to spread2 inasmuch also as the bold confidence of plausible assertion1 especially when recommended by men of reputation1 and set off with some ability and skill1 is apt to impose on youth and inexperience2--we seem reduced to a kind of necessity1 to examine2 and1 as far as the limits of a sermon will allow1 to refute2 the charges which have been so industriously brought forward against the ,bible4 ,the favourite objections of the day come partly from without1--partly from within4 ,the classification is not exact1 but it may serve to assist the memory4 ,one class of objections is1 in a manner1 destructive1--for it results in entire disbelief of the ,bible3--the other class1 suggesting imperfections1 results in a low and disparaging estimate of its contents4 ,when exception is taken against certain portions of ,holy ,scripture1 on the ground of discoveries in ,physical ,science1--of the dictates of the ,moral ,sense1--of the supremacy of mechanical ,laws1--and the like1--we consider that the supposed difficulties come from without4 ,as much as we care to say on this class of objections has either been already offered1 or must be reserved for a subsequent occasion#cia4--,when doubts are insinuated1 arising out of the subject-matter of the ,bible1 we consider the difficulties to proceed from within4 ,the apparent contradictions of the ,evangelists1 are of this nature4 ,supposed errors or misstatements1 come under the same head4 ,very imperfectly1 yet sufficiently for our immediate purpose1 we have touched upon both subjects4 ,those portions of the ,old ,testament which savour in the highest degree of the marvellous1 must be reserved for separate consideration#cib4 ,to-day ,i propose to speak of another kind of objection2 but which arises1 like the others1 out of the subject-matter of the ,bible4 ,moreover1 it is the kind of difficulty which most readily presents itself to any who listened with unwilling ears to my last discourse4 ,some here present may remember my repeated and unequivocal assertion that ,holy ,scripture is inspired from the ,alpha to the ,omega of it2--not some parts more1 some parts less1 but all equally1 and all to overflowing2--that we hold it to be1 not generally inspired1 but particularly2 that we see not how with logical consistency we can avoid believing the words as well as the sentences of it2 the syllables as well as the words2 the letters as well as the syllables2 every jot and every tittle of it1 7to use our ,,lord',s expression17 to be divinely inspired3--and further1 that until the contrary has been proved1 we shall maintain that no misapprehension or misstatement1 no error or blot of any kind1 can possibly exist within its pages3--that we hold the ,bible to be as much the ,word of ,,god1 as if ,,god spoke to us therein with human lips2--and that1 as the very utterance of the ,,holy ,,ghost1 we cannot but think that it must be absolute1 faultless1 unerring1 supreme4 ,i4 ,to this1 it has been objected as follows3-- ,you cannot possibly mean what you say4 ,you will not pretend to assert that the list of the ,dukes of ,edom#cic1 is as much inspired1--inspired in the same sense1--as the ,gospel of ,st4 ,john4--,to which ,i make answer1 that ,i believe one to be just as much inspired as the other3 and before ,i leave off1 ,i will endeavour to bring my hearers to the same opinion4 ,in the meantime1 it is only fair to the objector1 to hear him out3 to follow his guidance2 and to see whither he would lead us4 ,it will be quite competent for us then to retrace our steps2 to point out a more excellent way2 and to entreat him1 with all a brother's earnestness1 to reconsider the matter1 and to follow us4 ,the objection may1 ,i believe1 be fairly stated as follows4--,it is unreasonable to consider any part of ,holy ,scripture inspired which the author was competent to write without the aid of ,inspiration4 ,just as you would not multiply miracles needlessly1 and ascribe to special ,divine interference results which might be otherwise accounted for1 so neither ought you to call in the aid of ,inspiration where it may clearly be dispensed with4 ,a genealogy1--a catalogue of names1 whether of places or persons1--whatever may reasonably be suspected to have been an extract from public ,archives2--nothing of this sort need you1 nor indeed1 properly speaking1 can you1 call inspired4 ,more than that4 ,all mere narratives of ordinary transactions1--or indeed of transactions extraordinary2--whatever1 in short1 a writer1 having first beheld it with his eyes1 appears to have simply described with his pen1 it is unreasonable to regard as the work of ,inspiration4 ,for it is plain to common sense1--7so at least ,i have heard it said17 that there is much1 both in the ,old and in the ,new ,testament1 the delivery of which required no other than the ordinary gifts of men3--actual observation1 good memory1 high intellect1 clearness of statement1 honesty of purpose4 ,look at the preface to ,st4 ,luke's ,gospel4 ,it seems only to convey that the author of it believed himself to be bringing out a superior edition of a narrative which had already been attempted by many4 ,i would apply1 7it is said17 to the whole of the ,old ,testament the same observations which ,i apply to the ,new4 ,there are parts which evidently required nothing but opportunity of experience1 or research1 and the ordinary qualities of a trustworthy historian4--,this then is the way the case is put4 ,there is no intentional irreverence on the part of the objector3 no conscious hostility to ,,god',s ,truth4 ,very much the reverse4 ,but having once assumed that the catalogue of the ,dukes of ,edom is not to be regarded as an inspired document1 he has logical consistency enough to perceive that he cannot exactly stop there4 ,and so1 he carries his speculations a little further4 ,he tries to take 7what he calls7 a common sense view of the question4 ,he says that he thinks it a dangerous proceeding on the part of the preacher to insist on the infallibility of ,apostles and ,evangelists4 ,meanwhile1 ,i suspect that he is not by any means without a suspicion that he is on a platform beset with far greater dangers1 himself4 ,he has walked a little this way1 and that way2 and his common sense has shewn him that there is an ugly precipice on every side4 ,nay2 he perceives that the ground trembles1 and cracks1 and shakes1--and even yawns beneath his feet4 ,for ,i request you to observe1 that there is absolutely no middle state between ,inspiration and non-inspiration4 ,if a writing be inspired1 it is ,divine3 if it be not inspired1 it is human4 ,it is absurd to shirk the alternative4 ,some parts of the ,bible1 it is allowed1 are inspired2 other parts1 it is contended1 are not4 ,let it be conceded then1 for the moment1 that the catalogue of the ,dukes of ,edom is not an inspired writing2 and let it be ejected from the ,bible accordingly4 ,we must by strict parity of reasoning1 eject the xth chapter of ,genesis1 which enumerates the descendants of ,japheth1 of ,ham1 and of ,shem1 with the countries which they severally occupied1--that truly venerable record and outline of the primval settlement of the nations6 ,the ten ,patriarchs before1 and the ten after ,noah3 the many enumerations contained in the ,book of ,numbers3 much of the two ,books of ,chronicles3 together with the ,genealogies of our ,,saviour as given by ,st4 ,matthew and ,st4 ,luke4 ,it is clear that the history of the ,flood1--very much of it at least1--is of the same nature3 a kind of calendar as it were1 and record of dates4 ,but we may go on faster1 and use the knife far more freely4 ,every thing in the ,pentateuch of which ,moses had been an eye or ear-witness1 and which he set down from his own personal knowledge1 may be eliminated from the ,bible1 as not inspired4 ,according to the principle already enunciated by yourself1 ,i call upon you to excise from the ,book of ,,god',s ,law1 ,exodus1 and ,leviticus1 and ,numbers1 and ,deuteronomy3 those passages only excepted which are prophetical1--as the xxxiiird of ,deuteronomy4 ,joshua must go of course3 for if the son of ,nun did not write the ,book which goes under his name1--7as the wise men in ,germany say1 or used to say1 he did not#cid17--of course the narrative is not authentic2 and if he did1 you say that it ought not to be regarded as inspired4 ,judges and ,ruth cannot hope to stand2 for they are mere stories1--narratives of events which any contemporary author who enjoyed actual observation1 good memory1 high intellect1 clearness of statement1 and honesty of purpose1 was abundantly qualified--7according to your view of the matter7--to commit to writing4 ,the ,books of ,samuel and of ,kings cannot be claimed as the work of ,inspiration1 of course4 ,chronicles we have got rid of already4 ,no imaginable plea can be invented for the ,books of ,ezra1 of ,nehemiah1 and of ,esther2 those writings having evidently required nothing 7to use your own phrase7 but opportunity of experience or research1 and the ordinary qualities of a trustworthy historian4 ,the prophetical books you spare2 natural piety suggesting that since ,prophecy came not in old time by the will of man1 but holy men of ,,god spake as they were moved by the ,,holy ,,ghost#cie2--the writings of ,isaiah and the rest1 must be retained as inspired4 ,we expunge those portions only which are simply historical and moral2 since to these1 by the hypothesis1 the spirit of ,inspiration cannot be thought to have extended4 ,we come now to the ,new ,testament2 and two of the ,gospels are found to be mutilated already1 by the elimination of one chapter of ,st4 ,matthew and one of ,st4 ,luke4 ,but on the principle that personal observation1 a good memory1 honesty of purpose1 and so forth1 are the only requirements necessary1 we may proceed to carry forward the work of excision with spirit1 so that we be but careful to use discernment4 ,for example1 we may begin with the ,call of ,st4 ,matthew1 and the ,feast which he made to our ,,lord in his own house4 ,who so competent to relate this1 as the ,evangelist himself8 ,whenever1 in short1 the ,twelve were present1 ,st4 ,matthew1 7as one of the ,twelve17 may be assumed to have written from personal observation2 and that portion of his narrative is to be rejected accordingly as uninspired4 ,it is painful to anticipate what will be the fate of ,st4 ,john's ,gospel1 on this principle1--together with most of the ,divine ,discourses therein recorded4 ,not1 to be sure1 that we shall lose the conversation with ,nicodemus1 nor that with the woman of ,samaria2 because ,st4 ,john was not present when either of those conversations took place3 but all1 from the xivth to the xviith chapter inclusive2 as well as the discourse in the vith chapter1 must of course be dismissed4 ,the matter of these discourses1 it will be urged1--7with more of logical consistency1 alas6 than of essential truth17--might have been faithfully handed down by ,st4 ,john without any extraordinary gift4 ,he was bound to our ,,lord by more than ordinary affection4 ,he was ever nearest to ,him4 ,is it not conceivable1 7we are asked17 that these two causes1 aided by a retentive memory1 would at least enable him to give us the record which he has given8 ,quite superfluous must it be to state that the ,acts of the ,apostles1 under the expurgatory process which now engages our attention1 will cease to be regarded as an inspired ,book2 and therefore must be at once disconnected from the confessedly inspired portions of ,holy ,scripture4--,st4 ,paul's ,epistles1 you say1 on the contrary1 are probably inspired1 and therefore are probably to be spared4444 ,and ,i really think we need go no further4 ,if your own handling of ,holy ,scripture1--your own method1 by yourself applied1--be not a reductio ad absurdum1 ,i know of nothing in the world which is4444 ,look only at that handful of mutilated pages in the hands of one who is supposed to be the impersonation of common sense2 turn the tattered and mangled leaves over and over1 which you are pleased to call the ,volume of ,inspiration2 and get all the comfort and help out of it you can4 ,but be not surprised to hear that you are exposing yourself to the ridicule of the sane part of ,mankind1--even while haply you are acting a part which makes the ,angels weep4444 ,how much of the ,bible will remain1 when ,science1 7,physical1 ,moral1 ,historical17 has further done her work1 ,i forbear now to inquire3 but ,i shrewdly suspect that she will leave you very little beyond the back and the covers4 ,let us not be told1 7as we doubtless shall17 that the human parts of ,scripture need not be ejected from the ,canon because they are human3 that they may be allowed to stand with the rest1 although uninspired2 and the like4 ,about this1 we at least are competent judges4 ,we are now bent on discovering how much of ,holy ,scripture is the ,word of ,,god2 and we refuse1 for the moment1 to regard as such1 and to retain1 a single passage which1 being 7as you say7 uninspired1 is simply the word of ,man4 ,,ii4 ,let me now be permitted to lay before you a somewhat different view of the office of ,inspiration4 ,since the illumination of ,science1 falsely so called1 and the process of ,common ,sense1 would seem to have resulted in the extinction of the deposit1 ,i ask your patience while ,i try to shew1 that common sense1 informed by a somewhat loftier ,theological ,instinct1 may give such an account of the matter as will enable us to preserve every word of the deposit entire4 ,you call my attention to the catalogue of the ,dukes of ,edom1 and tell me that it required no supernatural aid to enable ,moses to write it4 ,how1 may ,i ask1 do you ascertain that fact8 ,no specimens of the documentary evidence of the land of ,seir in the days of ,moses1 are known now to exist on the earth's surface4 ,you therefore know absolutely nothing whatever about the matter of which you speak so confidently4 ,but1 that we may grapple with the question fairly1 let us come down from an age concerning which neither of us knows anything beyond what the ,bible teaches1 to a period with which all are familiar1 and to documents of which we know at least a little4 ,it will suit your purpose far better that you should instance the two ,genealogies of our ,,lord1--of which you also say that it is impossible to maintain that they exhibit the work of ,inspiration in the same sense as when some lofty statement of ,christian doctrine comes before us4 ,indeed1 you deny that they are inspired at all4 ,i1 on my side1 am willing to admit that it is quite possible1--even probable1--that the first and the third ,evangelist had access to extant documents of which they respectively availed themselves1 when they recorded our ,,lord',s descent4 ,but1 do you not perceive that the great underlying fallacy in all you have been saying1 is your own wholly gratuitous assumption that you are a competent judge of what did1--what did not1--require supernatural aid to deliver8 that whatever seems as if it might have been written without ,inspiration1 was therefore written without it8--,i see so many practical inconveniences1 or rather ,i see such glaring absurdity1 resulting from the supposition that ,inspiration goes and comes before an authentic document1 that ,i am constrained to think that you are altogether mistaken in the office which you assign to ,inspiration1--in the kind of notion which you seem to entertain concerning its nature4 ,an ,evangelist1 if you please1 is inspired4 ,it becomes necessary to introduce a genealogy4 ,following the ,divine guidance1 7the nature of which1 neither you nor ,i know anything at all about17 he applies in a certain quarter1 and obtains access to a certain document4 ,or he repairs to a well-known repository of public archives1 and out of the whole collection he is guided to make choice of one particular writing4 ,he proceeds to transcribe it1--omitting names 7dropping three generations for instance17--or inserting names 7the second ,cainan for example17--or1 if you please1 neither omitting nor inserting anything4 ,the document1 7suppose17 requires no correction whatever4--,well but1 this man was inspired a moment ago1 in what he was writing2 and no reason has been shewn why he should not be inspired still4 ,he has adopted a document1 by incorporating it into his narrative4 ,by transcribing it1 he has made it his own4 ,i am at a loss to see that its claim to be an inspired writing1 from that moment forward1 is in any respect inferior to the rest of the narrative in which it stands4 ,you are requested to remember that when we call the ,bible an inspired book1 we mean nothing more than that the words of it are the very utterance of the ,,holy ,,spirit2--that the ,book is as much the ,word of ,,god as if high ,heaven were open1 and we heard ,,god speaking to us with human voice4 ,all ,i am contending for now1 is1 that this is at least as true of one part of the ,gospel as of another3 that if it be true of anything in the ,gospel1 it is at least as true of the ,genealogy of ,,christ4 ,the subject-matter indeed is different2 but it is a mere confusion of thought to infer therefrom a different degree of ,inspiration4 ,let me try and make this plainer by a few familiar illustrations4 #a4 ,when the ,sovereign reads a speech from the ,throne1 does she speak the words of it in any different sense from the words of a speech which she has herself composed8--,nay1 are words of investiture1 mere words of form and state1 in any less degree spoken1 than words of confidence1 and private friendship8 #b4 ,again4 ,the substance of paper and the substance of gold1 are widely different4 ,and yet1 when paper has been subjected to a certain process1 and stamped with a certain impress1 there is practically no difference whatever between the value of what was1 a moment ago1 absolutely worthless1 and an ingot of the purest gold4 #c4 ,consider how the case stands with a merely human author4 ,an historian has occasion to introduce into his narrative the descent of a ,house1 or the preamble of an ,act1 or any other lifeless thing4 ,does his responsibility cease when he comes to it1 and recommence immediately afterwards8 ,is he not responsible just to the same extent for that1 as for every other part of his story8 ,that he did not compose it himself1 is certain3 but neither did he compose the sayings which he has recorded of great men4--,true also is it that the edification to be derived from the pedigree is not so great1--certainly1 not so obvious1--as from certain of the events which he describes4 ,but it is nevertheless henceforth an integral part of his history4 ,he sought for it1--and he found it3 he weighed it1--and he approved of it3 he transcribed it1--and he interwove it into his narrative4 ,in a word1 he adopted2 and by adopting1 he made it his own4 ,henceforth1 it will be quoted as authentic1 because it is found to have satisfied him4 ,the utmost praise which can be accorded to any creature is1 that it thoroughly fulfils the office whereunto ,god sends it4 ,a genealogy is not intended to make men wise unto ,salvation3 the threats and promises of ,,god',s ,law are not intended to acquaint men with the descent of ,david's ,son4 ,but because their offices are different1 it does not follow that their origin shall not he the same6 ,is a shoe-latchet in any sense less an article manufactured by ,man1 than a watch8 ,is the ,archangel ,michael1 burning with glory1 and intent on some celestial enterprise1 with twelve legions of glittering seraphs in his train2--is such a host as that1 one atom more a creation of the ,,almighty than the handful of yellow leaves which flutter unheeded on the blast8 ,none of these figures present a strict parallel2 and yet1 successively1 they seem to set forth different aspects of the same case1 with sufficient vividness and truth4444 ,so bent am ,i on conveying to your minds the strong sense of certainty1 the clear definite view1 which ,i cherish for myself on this subject1 that ,i take leave to add yet another illustration4 #d4 ,if ,i commission a ,servant to deliver a message1--is not the message which he delivers mine8 ,if ,i give him words to deliver1--are not the words which he delivers mine8 ,so obvious a proposition is no matter of opinion4 ,you cannot deny it4 ,nor1--7to apply the illustration to the matter in hand17--nor do you deny it1 probably1 so far as ,prophecy1 7in the popular sense of the term17 is concerned3 but you begin to doubt1 it seems1 when any other function of the prophetic office is in question4 ,any other function1 ,i say2 for1 7as all men ought to be aware17 a prophet1--7nav in ,hebrew1 in ,greek17--does not1 by any means1 of necessity imply one who describes future events4 does not denote futurity of time1 but vicariousness of office4 ,the - is one who speaketh 1 on behalf of1 in the person of1 ,,god2 whether declaring things past1--7as when ,moses describes the ,creation of the ,world1 the ,fall of ,man1 the ,patriarchal ,age73 things present1--7as when ,st4 ,luke1 having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first1 writes of them in order73 things future1--7as when ,david1 and ,isaiah1 and the rest of the goodly fellowship1 testified beforehand the sufferings of ,,christ1 and the glory that should follow#cif47 ,this is no arbitrary statement1 but a well-known fact1 which modern unbelievers and ancient heathen writers have declared with sufficient plainness#cig4 ,so long then as the message which the ,servant delivers is prophetic1 you do not object to the notion that it is ,,god',s message2 nay1 that the words spoken are ,,god',s words4 ,you begin to doubt1 it seems1 when a collection of genealogies1 7as the two ,books of ,chronicles27 or when a story like that contained in the ,book of ,esther is concerned4 ,but what is this but very trifling1 and mere childishness8 ,the message may be mine1 it seems1 if it be of a lofty character3 it may not be mine if it be of a homely1 ordinary kind6--,i send a message by my ,servant1 and he delivers it faithfully3 but whether it is to be called my message1 or is not to be called my message1 is to depend entirely on the subject-matter6444 ,thus1 if a ,king1 refusing to appear in person1 should issue a reprieve to prisoners under sentence of ,death1 a proclamation of ,peace or of ,war1 an address to the representatives of the constitution1 7,clergy1 ,lords1 and ,commons17 in parliament assembled1--the message would be his4 ,but if1 on the contrary1 he were only to send a few homely words1 the expression of some wish or intention which has nothing that seems particularly royal in it1--then1 the message would cease to be his6444 ,i protest that as ,i am unable to see the reasonableness of such a method of regarding things human1 so am ,i at a loss to understand why men should so regard things ,divine4 #e4 ,this entire matter may be usefully illustrated by having recourse to an analogy which was established on a former occasion3 namely1 the analogy between the ,written and the ,incarnate ,word#cih4 ,that our ,,lord ,,jesus ,,christ is at once very ,,god and very ,man1 we all fully admit2 although the manner of the union of ,,godhead and ,manhood in ,his one ,person we confess ourselves quite unable to comprehend4 ,even so1 that there is a human as well as a ,divine element in ,holy ,scripture1--who so blind as to overlook8 who so weak as to deny8 ,and yet1 to dissect out that human element1--who 7but a fool7 so rash as to attempt8444 ,to apply this to the matter before us4 ,certain parts of ,holy ,scripture you think1 7for reasons to yourself best known17 are not to be looked upon as inspired in the same sense as the rest of the volume4 ,just as reasonably might you try to persuade me that our ,,saviour was not in the same sense our ,,saviour when ,he ate and drank at the ,pharisees' board1 as when ,he cast out devils and raised the dead4 ,was ,he not equally the ,incarnate ,,word at every stage of ,his earthly career2 from the time that ,he was laid in the manger1 until the instant when ,he expired upon the ,cross8 ,the degradation which ,he endured in ,pilate's judgment-hall did not affect the reality of the great truth that the ,,godhead was indissolubly joined to the ,manhood in ,his ,person4 ,he was not less very ,,god as well as very ,man when some one spat upon ,him1 than at ,his ,transfiguration and at ,his ,ascension into ,heaven6444 ,why then should the mean aspect and lowly office of certain parts of ,scripture1--7genealogical details and the narrative of what we think ordinary occurrences17--be supposed to disentitle those parts to the praise of being as fully inspired as any thing in the whole compass of the ,bible8 ,i may remind you1 in passing1 that the narrative of ,scripture1 even in its humblest1 and 7to all appearance7 most human parts1 has a perpetual note of ,divinity set upon it4 ,the historical portions are throughout interspersed with indications that the writer is beholding the transactions which he records1 from a ,divine1 7not a human17 point of view4 ,,god is invariably1 7sooner or later17 mentioned as the ,agent2 or there is some reference made to ,,god2 or to ,,god',s ,word4 ,as ,butler expresses it1--,the general design of ,scripture 444 may be said to be1 to give us an account of the world1 in this one single view1--as ,,god',s world3 by which it appears essentially distinguished from all other books1 so far as ,i have found1 except such as are copied from it#cii4 ,i entreat you therefore to disabuse your minds of the very weak1--aye and very fatal1--notion that the catalogue of the ,dukes of ,edom is less1 or in any different sense1 inspired1 from the rest of the narrative in which it stands4 ,we may not multiply miracles needlessly1 it is true2 but neither may we deny the miraculous character of certain transactions1 7as the two ,draughts of ,fishes17 which1 apart from the recorded attendant circumstances1 would not have been deemed miraculous4--,in truth1 however1 ,holy ,scripture1 in one sense1 is a miracle from end to end2 and if we may not multiply miracles needlessly1 certainly we are not at liberty to dismiss the recorded details of a single miracle1 as of no account4--,consider also1 ,i entreat you1 whether it is credible that ,inspiration should be a thing of such a nature1 that it comes and goes1--is here and is gone1--once and again in the course of a single page4 ,what8 does it vanish1 like lightning1 when the ,evangelist's pen has to record the title on the ,cross1--to re-appear the instant afterwards8 ,this allusion to the title on the ,cross of our ,blessed ,,lord1 variously given by each of the four ,evangelists1 reminds me of the singular perversity of mankind when this subject of ,inspiration is being treated of2 and to this1 ,i now particularly desire to invite your attention4--,when a document is simply transcribed by the ,evangelist1 or may be supposed to have been merely transferred to his pages1 men assert that so purely mechanical an act precludes the notion that ,inspiration has had any share in the transaction4 ,be it so6--,behold now1 four inspired writers exhibiting the brief title on our ,,lord',s ,cross with considerable verbal diversity2 and you will hear the same critics open-mouthed against the ,evangelists' claim to ,inspiration1 for exactly the opposite reason6--,it is just so of places quoted from the ,old ,testament in the ,new4 ,faithful transcription1 7we are told17 is in the power of all4 ,what note of an inspired author have we here8 ,but the places are not faithfully transcribed4 ,on the contrary4 ,they exhibit every possible degree of deflection from the original standard4 ,and lo1 the ,apostles of ,,christ are thought not to have quite understood ,greek1--to have mistaken the sense of the ,hebrew1--and to have been the victims of a most capricious memory4--,for the last time4 ,certain narrative portions of ,holy ,scripture1 7it is assumed17 could have been written without the aid of ,inspiration2 and therefore it is unphilosophical1 7we are told17 to assign to them a divine original4 ,but the marvellous parts of ,holy ,scripture1 which seem to claim a loftier original than man's unaided wit1--these you view with suspicion1 or you deny6444 ,whereunto shall ,i liken the men of this generation8 ,before dismissing the subject1 ,i must ask you to observe1 that this arbitrary1 irreverent method of approaching ,holy ,scripture1 is absolutely fatal2 and can result in nothing but general unbelief4 ,it confessedly leaves the individual reader to decide what parts of the ,bible he thinks could1 what parts could not1 have been written without ,divine assistance2--a point on which ,i am bold to say that he is not competent even to form an opinion4 ,in other words1 it constitutes every man the judge of how much of the ,bible he will retain1--how much he will reject4 ,to put the case yet more plainly1 it makes every man a ,,god to himself1 and the maker of his own ,bible4--,for1 mark you1 the exceptions taken against a genealogy1 or a catalogue of names1 are just as applicable to the account of our ,,lord',s ,discourses as given by ,st4 ,john4 ,once convince me that the function of ,inspiration ceases when a genealogy has to be set down1--because 7say you7 it requires no ,inspiration to enable an ,evangelist to copy written words2--and ,i shall have no difficulty in convincing myself that ,st4 ,john's ,gospel1 from the xivth to the xviith chapters inclusive1 is not inspired1--because ,i cannot but infer that then neither can it require ,inspiration to enable an ,evangelist to copy spoken words4--,the original fallacy1 ,i repeat1--the 1--consists in your supposing yourself a competent judge of the nature and office of ,inspiration2 concerning which1 in reality1 you know nothing4 ,you can but reverently examine the phenomena of the ,book of ,inspiration2 remembering that you have everything to learn4 ,the ,bible1 it cannot be too often repeated1 too clearly borne in mind1--the ,bible must stand or fall1--or rather1 be received or rejected1--as a whole4 ,a ,divinity hath over-ruled it1 that those many ,books of which it is composed should come to be spoken of collectively as if they were one ,book4 ,as it was formerly called --the ,scripture1--so is it happily called the ,bible--7the ,book7--now4 ,moses--the ,prophets--and the ,psalms1 was the recognized analysis of the volume of the ,old ,testament4 ,the ,gospels1 the ,epistles1 and the ,apocalypse1 exhibits the sum of the contents of the ,new4--,there is no disjoining the ,law from the ,gospel4 ,there is no disconnecting one ,book from its fellows4 ,there is no eliminating one chapter from the rest4 ,there is no taking exception against one set of passages1 or supposing that ,inspiration has anywhere forgotten her office1 or discharged it imperfectly4 ,all the ,books of the ,bible must stand or fall together4 ,nothing can be put to it1 nor anything taken from it#djj4 ,it is a fabric hard as adamant2 and the gates of ,hell will assuredly never prevail against it4 ,but remove in thought a single stone2 and in thought1 that goodly work of ,lawgivers and ,judges--,kings and ,prophets--,evangelists and ,apostles1--collapses into a shapeless and unmeaning ruin#dja4 ,nor may it occasion perplexity1 or breed mistrust in any thoughtful mind to find this ,book of ,,god',s ,law so complex in its character1--so various in its contents1--so fruitful in its difficulties4 ,might it not1 on the contrary1 have been expected beforehand1 that some analogy would have been recognizable between the general complexion of ,,god',s ,works and of ,,god',s ,word8 ,while ,i behold the creatures of ,,god so various1--their functions so marvellous1--their nature so little understood1--the very purpose of their creation so great a mystery2--shall ,i think it strange that that ,book which is but another expression of ,,god',s ,mind and ,will1 proves diverse in texture1 and difficult of interpretation8--,shall ,i grow rebellious against the message1 because the history of it is hid in the long night of ages2 say rather1 in the counsels of ,,god',s inscrutable will8 or shall ,i be incredulous that it comes from ,heaven1 because ,i see the fingers of a ,man's hand writing upon the plaister of the wall8 or shall ,i despise those parts of it of which ,i cannot detect the medicinal value8 ,as there are riddles in ,nature1 so are there riddles in ,grace4 ,anomalies too1 it may be1 are discoverable in both worlds4--,give me leave to add1 that as the microscope reveals unsuspected wonders in the one1 so does minute examination bring to light undreamed of perfections in the other also2 unimagined proofs of divine wisdom1 and skill4444 ,but beyond all things1 there is perhaps this further thing which it behoves us to consider3--that the field of either is very vast2 the subject-matter very complex3 and as1 in one1 many ,professors are needed1--7for the ,animal kingdom and the ,vegetable kingdom are realms apart3 the analysis of substances1 and the structure of the ,earth demand the undivided attention of different minds27--so does it fare with the other also4 ,the languages of ,scripture are in themselves a mighty study2 and the collation of the ,text is the portion of a long life4 ,the ,law of ,moses would abundantly engross the time of one who should undertake to explain its depths2 as the ,gospel of ,,jesus ,,christ would assuredly fill to overflowing the soul of another who should desire to appreciate its perfections4 ,the ,prophetic writings are a distinct field of labour4 ,the same may well be said of the ,epistles of ,st4 ,paul4 ,it would be easy to multiply departments--2 for ,i have said nothing yet of ,sacred ,history2 and above all1 of ,sacred ,exegesis4 ,but enough has been stated to introduce the remark that considering how slenderly one man is able to labour in all these various provinces1 it behoves each one of us to be humble2 and certainly to be a vast deal more mistrustful of ourselves than some of us unhappily seem to be2 especially when the errand on which we propose to come abroad is the assailing of the authenticity1 or the morality1 or the integrity1 or the ,inspiration1 of any part of the ,bible4 ,our own amazing ignorance1--our many infirmities1--our faculties limited on every side1--might well keep us humble in the presence of ,him whose knowledge is infinite2--whose attributes are all perfections2--whose very ,name is ,,almighty6--,shall we1 on the contrary1 presume to sit in judgment upon ,his ,word1 which claims to be none other than the authentic record of ,his ,providence1--the ,revelation of ,his very mind and will8444 ,truly1 in this behalf1 beyond all others1 we seem to stand in need of the solemn warning3 ,dangerous it were for the feeble brain of ,man to wade far into the doings of the ,most ,high3 whom although to know be life1 and joy to make mention of ,his ,name2 yet our soundest knowledge is to know that we know ,him not as indeed ,he is1 neither can know ,him4 ,and our safest eloquence concerning ,him is our silence1 when we confess without confession that ,his glory is inexplicable2 ,his greatness above our capacity and reach4 ,he is above1 and we upon earth3 therefore it behoveth our words to be wary and few#djb4 ,and this brings me naturally back to the subject of my first ,sermon from this place2 and enables me to conclude1 as ,i began1 with an earnest entreaty to the younger men present1 that1--whatever their future destination in life may be1--but especially if the ,ministry is to be their high privilege1 7and the blessedness of that choice they can have no idea of1 until they prove it by experience672--an entreaty1 ,i say1 that they would now be assiduous1 and earnest1 and regular1 and punctual1 and devout1 in their daily study of one chapter of the ,bible4--,and while you read the ,bible1 read it believing that you are reading an inspired ,book3--not a ,book inspired in parts only1 but a ,book inspired in every part3--not a ,book unequally inspired1 but all inspired equally3--not a ,book generally inspired1--the substance indeed given by the ,spirit1 but the words left to the option of the writers2 but the words of it1 as well as the matter of it1 all--all given by ,,god4 ,as it is written1--,man shall not live by bread alone1 but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of ,,god4 ,i illustrated sufficiently1 last time1 in what way fulness of ,inspiration is consistent with the expression of individual character3 even while ,i availed myself of the ancient illustration that an inspired writer is like an instrument in the harper's hand#djc4 ,i did not1 of course1 intend thereby to affirm that the ,writers of ,holy ,scripture were constrained to write1 without any volition or consciousness on their part4444 ,,almighty ,,god1 while ,he inspired the ,writers of ,scripture1 did not impair their moral and intellectual faculties1 nor destroy their personal identity#djd4 ,let me not be told therefore that this is to advocate a mechanical theory of ,interpretation4 ,theory ,i have none#dje4 ,the ,bible comes to me as the ,word of ,,god2 and1 as the ,word of ,,god1 7the ,,lord being my helper67 ,i will receive it4 ,i should as soon think of holding a theory of ,providence and ,freewill1 as of holding a theory of ,inspiration4 ,i believe in ,providence4 ,i know that ,i am a free agent4 ,and that is enough for me4--,the case of ,inspiration seems strictly parallel4 ,i believe in the ,divine origin of the ,bible4 ,i see that the writers of the several books wrote like men4444 ,that outer circle of causation1 which1 leaving each individual will entirely free1 so controuls without coercing1 so overrules without occasioning1 the actions of men1--that all things shall work together for good in the end1 and the great designs of ,,god',s ,providence find free accomplishment2--all this1 far1 far transcends your and my powers of comprehension4 ,it is as much beyond us as ,heaven is higher than the ,earth4 ,and1 in like manner1 we must be content to own that ,inspiration1--the analysis of which is so favourite a problem with this inquisitive age1--is far1 far above us likewise4 ,to ,st4 ,luke it seemed good to write a ,gospel2 and doubtless he held high communing on the subject1--which may1 or may not1 have sounded like ordinary human converse1--with ,st4 ,paul4 ,st4 ,mark in like sort1 beyond a question1 enjoyed the help of ,st4 ,peter1 while he wrote his ,gospel4 ,but ,st4 ,peter and ,st4 ,mark1 and ,st4 ,paul and ,st4 ,luke1 were all alike1--however unconsciously1--held by the ,ancient of ,days within the hollow of ,his palm2 and1 as ,augustine says1--,whatsoever ,he willed that we should read concerning ,his acts and sayings1--that ,he commissioned the ,evangelists to write1--as though it had been ,himself that wrote it#djf4--,the guidance was remote1 ,i grant you4 ,the mechanism which moved the pens of those blessed writers was far above out of their sight2 and complex beyond anything which the mind of man can imagine2 7so that the publican lisped of gold1 and silver1 and brass#djg2--;and the companion of ,st4 ,peter1 at ,rome1 wrote ,latin words in ,greek letters#djh2--;and the ,physician of ,antioch withheld the statement that the woman who had spent all that she had in consulting many physicians1 was nothing bettered1 but rather grew worse#dji2--;and the beloved disciple perhaps indulged his own personal love while he recalled so largely the discourses of his ,,lord37--but1 for all that1 the long sequence of cause and effect existed2 and the other end of that golden chain which terminated in the man1 and the pen1 and the ink1 and the paper1--the other end of it1 ,i say1 was held fast within the ,hand of ,,god4--,the method of ,inspiration is but another of the many thousand marvels which on every side surround me2 one of the many things ,i cannot fully understand1 much less pretend to explain4 ,but ,i may at least believe it in silence1 and adore#daj4 ,and1--7forgive me for keeping you so long2 but ,i cannot let you go until ,i have emptied my heart a little more on this great1 and most concerning subject27--mark you1 ,sirs1 however reluctant some of you may be to admit that you agree with me1 you do agree with me1--almost to a man4 ,for1 what mean your reasonings on ,holy ,scripture1--your sermons1 and your dissertations1 and your catechizings1--your formul of belief1 and your definitions of ,faith1--except you believe in a vast deal more than the substance of ,holy ,scripture8 ,how can you pretend to expound a text1 unless you hold the words of that text to be inspired8 ,what inferences can you venture to draw from words1 the ,divinity of which you dare not affirm8 ,o1 to what endless1 hopeless scepticism are you pointing the way6 ,what a variety of most unanswerable questionings will you provoke6 ,how can you hope ever to convince or convict1 if you begin by acquainting your adversary that it is only for the substantial verity of ,scripture that you claim ,inspiration2 the verbal details being quite a different matter6 ,see you not that you put into his hands a weapon with which he will infallibly slay yourself8 ,did the ,bishops and ,doctors of the ,church1 when they met in solemn ,council1--did they hold such a theory concerning ,holy ,scripture1 think you1 as that the matter of it alone is ,divine1--the language human8 ,more briefly1 that the words of ,scripture are not inspired8 ,what then mean their weighty definitions of ,doctrine2--,,god the ,,father1 ,maker of ,heaven and ,earth1--,,god the ,,son1 by whom all things were made3--the ,,son1 1--being of one substance with the ,,father3--incarnate by the ,,holy ,,ghost of the ,virgin ,mary3--who descended into ,hell--whose kingdom shall have no end3--the ,,holy ,,ghost1 1 who proceeded from the ,,father and the ,,son8--,what means every article of that ,creed to which you and ,i have given our unfeigned assent1 and which ,athanasius would have gladly subscribed to1--the most precious jewel in the ,church's casket6--,nay1 what means ,st4 ,paul's commentary on the history of ,melchizedek1 if the very words omitted from ,holy ,scripture are not a ,divine omission8 ,you will perhaps be told hereafter1 7,i am speaking now to the younger men17 that quite fatal to this view of the question1 is the state of the ,text of ,scripture3 that no one can maintain that the words of ,scripture are inspired1 because no one can tell for certain what the words of ,scripture are2 or something to that effect4 ,now ,i will not stop to expose the falsity of this charge against the text of ,scripture2 7which is implied to be a very corrupt text1 whereas1 on the contrary1 it is the best ascertained text of any ancient writing in the world47 ,rather let me remind you1 once and for ever1 how to refute this silly sophism1--the transparent fallacy of which one would have thought unworthy of exposure before men of trained understandings2 but that one hears it urged so often and so confidently4 ,see you not that the state of the text of the ,bible has no more to do with the ,inspiration of the ,bible1 than the stains on yonder windows have to do with the light of ,,god',s ,sun8 ,let me illustrate the matter1--7though it surely cannot need illustration67--by supposing the question raised whether ,livy did or did not write the history which goes under his name4 ,you1 7suppose17 are persuaded that he did1--,i1 that he did not4 ,so far1 we should both understand1 and perhaps respect one another4 ,but what if ,i were to go on to condemn your opinion as untenable1 because of the corrupt state of ,livy's text8 ,would you not reply that ,i mistook the question entirely3 that you were speaking of the authorship of the work1--not about the fate of the copies6 444 ,suppose1 however1 ,i were to contend that ,livy may indeed have furnished the matter of his history1 but that the form of expression must needs have been supplied by some one else2 still on the same ground of the corrupt state of the historian's text4 ,what would you think of me then8--a man who not only confounded two things utterly dissimilar1--7the authorship of a book1 and the amount of care with which it had been transcribed and printed27--but who was for distinguishing the mind of the writer from the expression of that mind2 the thoughts1 from the words which are essential to their transmission6 ,a hopelessly illogical person1 surely6 ,o no1 ,sirs6 ,banish the fancy at once and for ever from your minds4 ,you cannot thus dissect ,inspiration into substance and form4 ,it is a mere delusion of these last days1--prated of from man to man1 until respectable persons begin to give in to the fallacy2 and persuade themselves that they themselves believe it4 ,they hope thus to avoid the danger which is supposed to attach to hearty belief in the ,bible as the very ,word of ,,god2 as well as to secure for themselves a side-door1 7so to speak17 by which to escape1 whenever they are inconveniently hard pressed4 ,how much more faithful1 to leave ,,god to take care of ,his own6 ,how much more manly1 to be prepared sometimes to confess ignorance6444 ,as for thoughts being inspired1 apart from the words which give them expression1--you might as well talk of a tune without notes1 or a sum without figures4 ,no such dream can abide the daylight for a moment4 ,no such theory of ,inspiration1 7for a theory it is1 and a most audacious one too671 is even intelligible4 ,it is as illogical as it is worthless2 and cannot be too sternly put down4 ,the philosophical mind of ,greece1 7far better taught671 knew of only one word for both ,reason and the expression of it4 ,lodged within the chambers of the brain1 or put forth into living energy1--it was still1 with them1 the 4--,i invite you1 as the only intelligible view of the matter1--your only alternative1 unless you resolve to run the risk of the most irrational rationalism1--to take this high view of ,inspiration3 to believe1 concerning the ,bible1 that it is in the most literal sense imaginable1 verily and indeed1 the ,word of ,,god4 ,and do you1--7for ,i am still addressing myself to the younger men17--learn to put away from your souls that vile indifferentism which is becoming the curse of this shallow and unlearned age4 ,be as forgiving as you please of indignities offered to yourselves2 but do not be ashamed to be very jealous for the honour of the ,,lord of ,hosts2 and to resent any dishonour offered to ,him1 with a fiery indignation utterly unlike anything you could possibly feel for a personal wrong4 ,attend ever so little to the circumstance1 and you will perceive that every form of fashionable impiety is one and the same vile thing in the essence of it3 still ,antichrist1 disguise it how you will4 ,we were reminded last ,sunday that the sensualist1 by following the gratification of his own unholy desires1 in bold defiance of ,,god',s known ,law1 is in reality setting himself up in the place of ,,god1 and becoming a ,,god unto himself#daa4 ,the same is true of the ,idolatry of ,human ,reason2 and of ,physical ,science3 as well as of that misinformed ,moral ,sense which finds in the ,atonement of our ,,lord nothing but a stone of stumbling and a snare4 ,it is true of ,popish error also2--for what else is this but a setting up of the ,human above the ,divine1--7,tradition1 the worship of the ,blessed ,virgin1 the casuistry of the ,confessional1 and the like17--and so1 once more substituting the creature for the ,creator8--,what again is the fashionable intellectual sin of the day1 but the self-same detestable offence1 under quite a different disguise8 ,the idea of ,law1--7that old idea which is declared to be only now emerging into supremacy in ,science17--takes the hideous shape of rebellion against its ,maker2 and pronounces1 now ,miracles1 now ,prophecy1 now ,inspiration itself1 to be a thing impossible2 or is content to insinuate that the disclosures of ,revelation are at least untrue4 ,what is this1 ,i say1 but another form of the self-same iniquity1--a setting up of the creature before the ,creator who is blessed for evermore2 a substitution of some created thing in the place of ,,god6 ,the true antidote to all such forms of impiety1 believe me1 is not controversy of any sort2 but the childlike study of the ,bible1 each one for himself1--not without prayer4--,humble must we be1 as well as assiduous2 for the powers of the mind as well as the affections of the heart should be prostrated before the ,bible1 or a man will derive little profit from his study of it4 ,humble1 ,i repeat1 for mysteries1 7remember71 are revealed unto the meek#dab2 and the fear of the ,,lord is the beginning of ,wisdom#dac2 and he that would understand more than the ,ancients must keep ,,god',s precepts#dad2 and it is the commandments of the ,,lord which give light unto the eyes#dae4--,the dutiful student of the ,bible is permitted to see the mist melt away from many a speculative difficulty2 and is many a time reminded of that saying of his ,,lord1--,do ye not therefore err1 because ye know not the ,scriptures1 neither the power of ,,god#daf8 444 ,the humble and attentive reader of the ,bible becomes impressed at last with a sense of its ,divinity1 analogous ,i suppose to the conviction of ,eleven of the ,apostles that the ,man they walked with was none other than the ,,son of ,,god4 ,that similarity of allusion1--that sameness of imagery1--that oneness of design1--that uniformity of sentiment1--that ever-recurring anticipation of the ,gospel message2--all goes to produce a secret and sure conviction that every writer1 under whatever variety of circumstances1 had access to but one ,treasury1--drew from but one and the same ,well of living water4 ,marks of purpose1 shewn in the choice or collocation of single words1 often strike an attentive reader2 which1 singly1 might be thought fortuitous2 but which1 collectively1 can only be accounted for on a very different principle4 ,the beautiful structure of the ,gospels strikes him especially2 and he could as soon believe that a song harmonized for four ,angel voices had been the result of accident1 as that the ,evangelists had achieved their task without special aid1 throughout1 from ,heaven4 ,a lock of very complicated mechanism1 which four keys of most peculiar structure will open simultaneously1--must have been as evidently made for them1 as they for it4 ,it is almost treason1 in truth1 to the ,majesty of ,heaven to discuss the ,bible on the low ground which ,i have been hitherto forced to occupy4 ,it is quite monstrous1 in the first ,university of the most favoured of ,christian lands1 that a man should be compelled thus to lift up his voice in defence of the very ,inspiration of ,,god',s ,word4 ,o that ,divine narrative1 which is for ever rending aside the veil1 and disclosing to us the counsels of the presence-chamber of the ,,almighty6--,o those human characters1 beset with all the infirmities of our fallen nature1--whose words and actions yet are shadows of things heavenly and eternal6--,o that majestic retinue of types which1 from the very birthday of recorded ,time1 heralded the approach of the ,king of ,glory6--,o that scarlet thread which runs through all the seemingly tangled web of ,scripture1 to terminate only in the cross of ,,christ6--,how do the features of the ,gospel struggle into sight through the veil of the ,law6 ,how do the holy and humble men of heart ever and anon break out into speech1 as it were1 before the time2--as if they felt the burden of silence too great to be endured6444 ,whence is it that we dare to handle the pages of ,,god',s ,book as if they were a common thing1--doubting1 questioning1 cavilling1 disbelieving1 denying8 ,why choose for ourselves the soldiers' part1 who buffeted1 reviled1 smote1 spat upon ,him8444 ,o my friends1 far1 far be all this from you and from me6 ,never imagine1 because this day we have thus spoken1 that such discussions are congenial to us2 or that we deem them the proper theme for addresses from the pulpit2 although the coincidence of this day's ,collect seems1 for once1 to lend a kind of sanction to our present endeavours4 ,look through the whole range of patristic homilies1 and you will not find one of the kind1 with which1 unhappily1 our ears are grown so familiar in this place1--ingenious attempts to evacuate ,holy ,writ of its fulness1 on the one hand2--or apologies of some sort for its ,divinity and ,inspiration1 on the other4 ,you will take1 if you are wise1 far1 far higher ground1 in your private study of its pages2 remembering that the most generous faith is invariably the truest2--nor ever stoop so low as we have been this day doing4 ,waste not thy precious time in cavil about the structure of the casket which contains thy treasure2 but unlock it once with the ,key of ,faith1 and make thyself rich indeed4--,already1--7as we were last week reminded71--already the ,judge standeth at the door2 and assuredly1 thou and ,i1 7to whom ,,god hath entrusted so much67 shall have to render a very strict account of the use we have made of the ,bible1--when we shall stand face to face with its undoubted ,author4 ,the season of the year reminds us1 as with a trumpet1 of that tremendous hour when the veil will be withdrawn from our eyes1--and the office of ,faith will be ended1--and we shall be confronted with ,one who hath a vesture dipped in blood1 and whose ,name is called ,,the ,,word ,,of ,,god4 444 ,i have heard of ,thee1 7we shall1 every one of us1 exclaim71--,i have heard of ,thee1 by the hearing of the ear2 but now1--mine eye seeth ,thee#dag6 ,,supplement ,,to ,,sermon ,,iv ,there is yet another view of the nature and office of ,inspiration1--another ',theory' as it would perhaps aspire to be called1--which limits the extent of the ,divine help and guidance which the writers1 confessedly inspired1 may be supposed to have enjoyed4 ,according to this view1 it is admitted that ,inspiration was1 from first to last1 a continuous influence2 exerted equally throughout3 but then1 it has been suggested that perhaps its office was not to protect a ,writer against a certain class of errors4 ,the office of the ,bible1 7it is argued17 is to make men wise unto ,salvation4 ,it does not follow that ,inspiration1 because it guided a sacred writer so long as he wrote of ,christian ,doctrine1 so as to make what he wrote unerringly true1 should have protected him against slips of memory2 preserved him from inaccuracies of statement2 from inconclusive reasonings2 from incorrect quotations2 from mistaken inferences2 from scientific errors4--,this is what is said3 and because this is a view of the question which is observed to recommend itself occasionally to candid1 and even to reverential minds1 it seems to deserve distinct and careful consideration4 ,but ,i must preface all ,i have to reply by remarking that a ,book cannot properly be said to be inspired1 or to carry with it the authority of being ,,god',s ,word1 if only portions come from ,him1 and there exists no plain and infallible sign to indicate which those portions are2 and if the same ,writer may give us in one verse of the ,bible a revelation from the ,,most ,,high1 and in the next verse a blunder of his own4 ,how can we be certain1 that the very texts1 upon which we rest our doctrines and hopes1 are not the uninspired portions8 ,what can be the meaning or nature of an ,inspiration to teach ,truth1 which does not guarantee its recipient from error8--,so far a living sceptical writer4 #a4 ,now1 the first thing which strikes one in this theory1 is its extreme vagueness4 ,we hardly know what we have to consider2 for nothing is definitely stated4 ,neither are we informed how many of the phenomena of ,inspiration1 this view is intended to explain4 ,again1 does the theory apply equally to the ,old ,testament and to the ,new8 ,if it does apply equally to the ,old ,testament1 7and ,i can see no possible reason why it should not17 then1 ,i apprehend this theory will be found practically to run up into1 and to identify itself with1 that last described#dah4 ,for a guidance which has failed to guide1 has been no guidance at all2 and since whole chapters of the ,old ,testament will occur to every one's memory which may be thought to have no connexion whatever with ',christian ,doctrine1'--to conduce wondrous little to the 'making men wise unto ,salvation1'--it will follow that ,inspiration is1 according to this theory1 in effect1 of the nature already described1--namely1 a quality which can never be predicated of any passage of ,scripture with entire certainty4 ,the larger part of the ,old ,testament in fact1 by this theory1 is exhibited in the light of a common book2 having no pretension to be regarded as part of the ,inspired ,canon4 ,but if this theory simply shirks the question of the ,old ,testament1 then1 those who are inclined to accept it1 are bound to explain why there should be one theory of ,inspiration applicable to the ,old ,testament1 and another for the ,new3--in which difficulty1 ,i must candidly profess that ,i am not able to render any assistance at all4 ,it is clearly not allowable to overlook the intimate connexion which subsists between the two great divisions of ,holy ,scripture2 the habitual references of the ,writers of the ,new ,testament to the writers of the ,old1--,moses1 ,david1 ,isaiah1 and the rest2--or rather1 to the utterance of the ,,holy ,,ghost1 speaking by the mouth of those writers4 ,whatever may have been the ,inspiration of the ,authors of the ,new ,testament must be assumed to have been that of the ,authors of the ,old ,testament also4 #b4 ,but further1--7to confine our remarks to the ,scriptures of the ,new ,testament2 which1 it is manifest1 the view under consideration specially contemplates27--however plausible in the abstract a theory may sound1 which would account for a ,chronological difficulty1--the insertion of what seems to be a wrong name1--a quotation made with singular license1--an unscientific statement1--the apparent inconsistency of two or more accounts of one and the same transaction1 in respect of lesser details1--a 7supposed7 inconclusive remark1 or specimen of reasoning which seems to be fallacious2--on the supposition that it is not the office of ,inspiration to enlighten the understanding on points like these1 or to preserve the pen from error2--however plausible1 ,i say1 this theory1 abstractedly considered1 may appear2--it will be found that it will not bear the searching test of a practical application4 ,it would indeed be a great advantage to the cause of ,truth1 and a great help to individual minds1 as well as wonderfully promote the arriving at a sound conclusion in this perilous department of speculative ,divinity1--if1 instead of putting up with a vague theory1 7like the present17 regardless of its logical bearings and necessary issues2--men would compel themselves to apply their view to the actual phenomena of ,holy ,scripture3 to carry it out to its legitimate consequences1 and steadily to contemplate the result4 ,i venture to predict that the theory which we are now considering1 when submitted to such a test1 would be found not only inconvenient1 but absolutely untenable4 ,the inconsistency and absurdity which results from it1 can1 ,i think1 easily be made to appear4 ,for if any one who is disposed to regard it with favour1--instead of idly1 7as is the way with nine-tenths of mankind17 repeating the formula in terms more or less vague and indefinite2 and straightway wincing1 falling back on generalities1 and in a word shirking the point1 the instant it is proposed to bring the question to a definite issue2--if a favourer of the present theory ,i say1 instead of so acting1 would take up a copy of the ,new ,testament1 and proceed1 with a pen in his hand1 to apply the theory1 by running his pen through the places1 7and they must be capable of individual specification671 which he suspects of being external to the influence of ,inspiration2--or1 if you please1 which he thinks have been penned without that ,divine help which makes what is written infallible2--,i venture to predict that such an one will speedily admit that his erasures are either so very few1 or so very many1 as to be fatal to the theory of which they are the expression4 ,if they be confined to the fifteenth year of ,tiberius#dai2 to the names of the second ,cainan#dbj1 ,cyrenius#dba1 ,abiathar#dbb1 ',jeremy the prophet#dbc2' to the sixth hour#dbd1 and so on2--no great inconvenience truly will result4 ,but the instant you go a step further1 the difficulty begins4 ,many of the quotations from the ,old ,testament may be made to correspond with the ,hebrew1 doubtless1 without sensible inconvenience3 but there are others which refuse the process4 ,however1 let it be supposed that all such indications of imperfect memory1 or misapprehension of the sense of the ,hebrew ,scriptures1 have been removed2 and here and there1 that an irrelevant clause in the reasoning has been lopped off1 or an unscientific remark expunged4--,after all this has been done1 ,i venture to say that the result will be the reverse of satisfactory1 even to the theorist himself4 ,he will infallibly exclaim secretly1--,i seem to have gained wondrous little by this corrective process4 ,was it worth while1 in order to achieve this1 to tamper with the ,divine ,oracles8 ,the great body of ,scripture remains after all1 in all its strangeness1 all its perplexing individuality4 ,meanwhile1 piety and wisdom modestly suggest1--,is it reasonable to think that ,evangelists and ,apostles should have stumbled1 like children1 before dates1 and names1 and quotations from their own ,scriptures8 ,surely if this be all that can be objected against the ,bible1 the very slenderness of the charge becomes its sufficient refutation6444 ,the erasures are so few1 in fact1 that they refute the theory4 ,but if1 on the other hand1 the pen be freely used1 then the result will be fatal to the theory1 because it will be fatal to the record4 ,if an ',essayist and ,reviewer' were to reduce the ,gospels to consistency1 according to his view of consistency1 the ,gospels would scarcely be recognizable4 ,if he were to reject from ,st4 ,paul's writings every instance of what he thinks fanciful exposition1 illogical reasoning1 inexact quotation1 and mistaken inference2 the result would be altogether unmanageable4 ,for any one who attends to the matter will perceive that such things run into the very staple of the ,apostle's argument2 and therefore cannot be detached without destroying the whole4 ,the householder's reason for not removing the tares1 7lest while ye gather up the tares ye root up also the wheat with them#dbe17 applies exactly4 ,if ,st4 ,paul's exposition of ,melchizedek be fanciful and untrustworthy1 then does the proof of the superiority of our ,,saviour',s ,priesthood over that of ,aaron1 fall to the ground4 ,if his handling of the story of ,sarah and ,hagar be an uninspired allegory1 then does his argumentation respecting the rejection of the ,jews and the calling of the ,gentiles disappear4 ,if the furniture of the ,temple1 and the provisions of the ,jewish ritual1 were not dictated by the ,,spirit of ,,god#dbf1 then will the ,epistle wherein it is found be reduced to proportions which make it meaningless4 ,if ,deuteronomy xxv4 #d has no reference to the ,christian ,ministry1 then the entire context 7in two of ,st4 ,paul's ,epistles7 must go at once#dbg4444 ,it is useless to multiply such instances4 ,any one familiar with the writings of ,st4 ,paul will know the truth of what has been offered2 and will admit that the erasures required by the theory before us will become so numerous as to prove1--7to a devout mind at least1 or indeed to any one of sense and candour17--that the theory is altogether untenable4 ,it cannot escape observation1 therefore1 that however plausible this view of ,inspiration may sound1 as long as some few petty historical1 chronological1 and scientific inaccuracies are all that have to be accounted for2--the theory 7unhappily7 proves worthless when it comes to be practically applied2 inasmuch as in the writings of ,st4 ,paul1 for example1 there is little or nothing of the kind just specified1 to be condoned4 ,erroneous dates1 unscientific statements1 wrong names1 and the like1 form no part of the staple of the ,new ,testament4 ,such instances may be counted on one's fingers2 and are to be sufficiently explained to render any special theory of ,inspiration in order to meet them1 quite a gratuitous exercise of ingenuity4 #c4 ,on the other hand1 if a wider class of phenomena is to be dealt with by this theory1 the reader is requested to observe that we involve ourselves in a gross contradiction2 for we forsake the very principle on which it pretends to be built4 ,the theory set out by reminding us that the office of the ,bible is to make men wise unto ,salvation1--not to teach physical ,science1 nor to deal with facts in chronology and the like3 and the plea was allowed4 ,but the theory which was devised to account for one class of phenomena is now most unwarrantably applied to account for another4 ,we have travelled into a widely different subject-matter1--namely1 ,divinity proper6 ,let it therefore be respectfully asked1--,if the ,inspiration which the ,apostles enjoyed did not preserve them against unsound inferences in respect of ,holy ,scripture2 and illogical1 inconclusive argumentation in things ,divine2--pray1 of what use was it8 ,we have not been reviewing a set of ,geological mistakes on the part of the great ,apostle4 ,to ,physical ,science1 he has scarcely so much as a single allusion4 ,he deals with ,christian ,doctrine2 with ,divinity1 properly so called2 and with that only4 ,pray1 was not ,inspiration a sufficient guide to him1 there8 #d4 ,it is high time also to remind the reader that although the office of the ,bible1 confessedly1 is to make men wise unto ,salvation1 it does not by any means follow that that is its only office4 ,in other words1 we have no right to assume that we know all the possible ends for which the ,bible was designed2 and to lay it down1 as if it were an ascertained fact1 that it was not designed to enlighten men in matters of ,chronology1 ,history1 and the like2 seeing1 on the one hand1 that all the evidence we are able to adduce in support of such an opinion1 does not establish so much as a faint presumption that any part of ,scripture is uninspired2 and seeing that1 on the other1 as a plain matter of fact1 historical details constitute so large a part of the contents of the ,bible2 and that the sacred volume is the sole depository of the ,history and ,chronology of the ,world for by far the largest portion of the interval since that ,world's ,creation4 #e4 ,in passing1 it may also be reasonably declared1 that it is to take a very derogatory view of the result of the ,,holy ,,spirit's influence1 to suppose that imperfections and inaccuracies can freely abound1--nay1 can exist at all1--in a ,revelation which the same ,,holy ,,spirit is believed to have inspired4 ,they ought surely to be demonstrated to exist1 before we are called upon to listen to the apologies which have been invented to account for their existence6 #f4 ,let me also advert to a dilemma which seems hardly ever to obtain from a certain class of critics the attention it deserves4 ,if a writing be not inspired1 it is of no absolute authority4 ,if a part of a writing be not inspired1 that part is of no absolute authority4 ,if a single word in the text of ,holy ,scripture be even uncertain1--7as1 for example1 whether we are to read or in #a ,tim4 iii4 #af17--that word becomes without absolute authority4 ,we cannot venture to adduce it in proof of anything4 ,without therefore1 in the remotest degree1 desiring to discourage the application of a true theory of ,inspiration to the phenomena of ,holy ,scripture1 through fear of the necessary consequences1--may we not call attention to the manifest awkwardness of a theory which no one knows how to apply1 and about the application of which no two men will ever be agreed8--the issue of the discussion being1 in every case1 neither more nor less than this1--whether the portion of ,scripture under consideration is ,human1 and therefore of no absolute authority2 or ,divine1 and therefore infallible6 #g4 ,a far more important consideration remains to be offered1 and with this ,i shall conclude4 ,although1 when ,st4 ,paul appears to reason inconclusively1 some of us do not hesitate to refer the ,apostle's 7supposed7 imperfect logic to his personal infirmity1--yet1 common piety revolts against the proposal to apply the same solution to the same phenomenon when it is observed to occur in the ,discourses of our ,blessed ,,lord ,himself4 ,it seems to have been providentially ordained1 however1 that the discourses of ,,christ ,himself should supply examples of every one of those difficulties which it is thought lawful to account for1--when an ,apostle or an ,evangelist is the speaker1--on the hypothesis of partial1 imperfect1 or suspended ,inspiration4 ,now1 since ,i1 at least1 shall not be permitted to be either vague or general1 ,i proceed to subjoin the proof of what has been thus advanced3-- #a4 ,the well-known difficulty about the days of ,abiathar1 is found in one of our ,,lord',s discourses#dbh4 ,here then is a case of what1 if an ,evangelist or an ,apostle had been the author of the statement1 would have been called an historical inaccuracy4 #b4 ,however unworthy of scientific attention the ,mosaic account of the descent of ,mankind from a single pair may be deemed1--the universality of 'the ,noachian ,deluge1'--the destruction of the ,cities of the plain1--the fate of ,lot's wife1--,jonah in the fish's belly1--and so forth2--to all these 7supposed7 unscientific statements our ,blessed ,,lord commits ,himself unequivocally#dbi4 #c4 ,when the ,holy ,one inferred the ,resurrection of the ,dead from the words spoken to ,moses in the bush#dcj2--when ,he proved that ,,christ is not the son of ,david1 because ,david in spirit calls ,him ',,lord#dca2'--;and when ,he shewed from a clause in the #fth verse of the lxxxiind ,psalm1 7,i said ye are gods17 that it was not unlawful for ,himself to claim the title of ,,son of ,,god#dcb2--;,i humbly think that the argumentation is of such a nature as would not produce conviction in captious minds cast in a modern mould#dcc4 ,i desire not to dwell longer upon this subject2 and only hope in what ,i have ventured to say concerning some of the recorded sayings of ,him to whose creative ,power and ,goodness ,i am indebted for the exercise of my own reason1--,i have not written amiss4 ,but the point of what ,i am urging is1 that ,i defy any one to bring a charge of faulty logic against passages in ,st4 ,paul's ,epistles which might not1 with the same show of reason1 be brought against certain of our ,,lord's recorded sayings4 #d4 ,when the ,chief ,priests and ,scribes remonstrated with our ,,lord because of the children crying in the ,temple2 and asked ,him1--,hearest ,thou what these say8 ,he replied1--,yea1 have ye never read1 ',out of the mouths of babes and sucklings ,thou hast perfected praise#dcd8' 444 ,now1 this quotation from the viiith ,psalm is what an ',essayist or ,reviewer' would have pronounced irrelevant4 #e4 ,it seems clear from ,gen4 ii4 #bd1 that ,adam was the author of the words1 ,therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother1 c4 ,and yet1 our ,,lord 7in ,st4 ,matth4 xix4 #d1 #e17 as unmistakeably seems to make ,,god the ,speaker4 ,an ,evangelist or an ,apostle would be thought here to have made a slip of memory4 #f4 ,in ,st4 ,john viii4 #dg1 the following words occur4 ,he that is of ,god heareth ,god's words3 ye therefore hear them not1 because ye are not of ,god4 ,this passage 7as already pointed out#dce17 has been adduced by one who now occupies an ,archiepiscopal throne1 as containing a logical fallacy4 ,many more examples might be adduced3 but these will suffice4 ,it is plain that when the like phenomena are observed in the writings of ,apostles and ,evangelists1 we need not1 in order to account for them1 have recourse to any theory of partial or imperfect ,inspiration2 since nothing of the kind is supposed necessary when they occur in the ,discourses of our ,,lord4--,as much as ,i care to offer on the subject of ,inspired ,reasoning will be found in the course of the ,sixth of these ,sermons1 where the ,doctrine of ',accommodation' is considered4 99 99 99 99 99 ,to say that the ,scriptures1 and the things contained in them1 can have no other or farther meaning than those persons thought or had1 who first recited or wrote them2 is evidently saying1 that those persons were the original1 proper1 and sole ,authors of those ,books1 i4e4 that they are not inspired3 which is absurd1 whilst the authority of those ,books is under examination2 i4e4 till you have determined they are of no ,divine authority at all4 ,till this be determined1 it must in all reason be supposed1 7not indeed that they have1 for this is taking for granted that they are inspired2 but7 that they may have1 some farther meaning than what the compilers saw or understood4 ,,bishop ,,butler1 ,analogy1 ,p4 ,,ii4 ch4 vii4 ,as the ,literal sense is1 as it were1 the main stream or river1 so the ,moral sense chiefly1 and sometimes the ,allegorical or ,typical1 are they whereof the ,church hath most use3 not that ,i wish men to be bold in allegories1 or indulgent or light in allusions2 but that ,i do much condemn that ,interpretation of the ,scripture which is only after the manner as men use to interpret a profane book4 ,,lord ,,bacon1 ,advancement of ,learning4 ,the ,book of this ,law we are neither able nor worthy to open and look into4 ,that little thereof which we darkly apprehend1 we admire2 the rest1 with religious ignorance we humbly and meekly adore4 ,,hooker1 ,eccl4 ,pol4 ,b4 ,i4 c4 ii4 #e4 ,,open ,,thou ,,mine ,,eyes ,,that ,i ,,may ,,see ,,the ,,wondrous ,,things ,,of ,,thy ,,law6 1 4 ,,footnotes3 #cij ,preached in ,christ-,church ,cathedral1 ,dec4 #ith1 #ahfj4 #cia ,see ,sermon ,,vii4 #cib ,ibid4 #cic ,gen4 xxxvi4 #cid ,see the ,hulsean ,lectures for #ahcc1 7,the ,law of ,moses viewed in connexion with the ,history and character of the ,jews1 with a defence of the ,book of ,joshua1 c47 by ,henry ,john ,rose1 ,b4,d4 #cie #b ,st4 ,peter i4 #ba4 #cif #a ,st4 ,peter i4 #aa4 #cig ,with the idea of a ,prophet1 7says ,gesenius in his ,hebrew ,lexicon1 on the noun17 there was this necessarily attached2 that he spoke not his own words1 but those which he had divinely received2 7see ,philo1 t4 iv4 p4 #aaf1 ed4 ,pfeifferi1-- 1 72 and that he was the messenger of ,,god1 and the declarer of ,his will4 ,this is clear from a passage of peculiar authority in this matter1 7,ex4 vii4 #a17--where ,,god says to ,moses1--',i have made thee a god to ,pharaoh2 and ,aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet4' 444 ,elsewhere1 7speaking of the ,hebrew verb1 'to prophesy1'7 ,gesenius has the following remarkable statement3--,the passive forms1 ,niphal and ,hithpael1 are used in this verb2 from the ,divine ,prophets having been supposed to be moved rather by another's powers than their own4 7,just as if the ,oracles of ,,god were not express on the subject6 viz4 ,no prophecy ever came by the will of ,man2 but1 because they were borne along 77 by the ,,holy ,,ghost1 spake those holy men of ,,god4--#b ,st4 ,pet4 i4 #ba47 1 in fact1 means 'an interpreter' rather than 'a prophet1' 7for which1 in our popular sense1 the ,greek is rather 37 hence the use of the words 1 1 in the ,new ,testament1 e4g4 #a ,thess4 v4 #bj4 #a ,cor4 xi4 #d3 xii4 #aj4 ,rom4 xii4 #f1 7where see ,wordsworth47 ,see also #a ,cor4 xiv4 #a1 #c1 #d1 #e1 c43 in all which places1 the was what we should rather now call a preacher4 ,but then1 the expounding of ,,god',s ,word is the special function of the preacher's office from which he takes this name4--,the reader is referred to ,blomfield's ,glossary1 ,agam4 v4 #cii1 and to ,liddell and ,scott's ,lexicon2 7in both of which1 some important references are given37 also to ,trench's ,synonyms of the ,new ,testament1 pp4 #bb-bf4 #cih ,see above1 pp4 #b-e4--,the reader will find an interesting passage based on this analogy1 in the ,appendix 7,f74 #cii ,analogy1 ,p4 ,,ii4 c4 vii4--,the same thing has been more fully expressed in a volume of ,sermons which deserves to be far better known than it is3--,i suppose that if there is one portion of the ,old ,testament which a discriminator would set aside as less needing to be reckoned inspired than other parts1 it is the ,historical2 the books which are strictly narrative4 ,now it may seem to have been providentially ordered1 in the purpose of meeting this view1 that these books are made to bear on them most peculiarly the stamp and the claim of ,inspiration4 ,for they do not profess to be so much the account of what ,man did1 as what ,,god did in ruling men1 and guiding human events4 ,they are a history of a providential course of events1 and1 7which is the point17 as seen from the providential point of view4 ,they are a history written not on ,earth1 but above the skies4 ,events are spoken of therefore in this view4 ,a man's obduracy is recorded thus1--',,god hardened his heart4' ,a king numbers his people2 it is recorded as a thing suggested in the spiritual world4 ,in fact1 the historic volume of the ,old ,testament is a history of the secret springs of things2 it is a narrative of things which none but ,,god ,,almighty could know2 not ,man's ,word therefore at all1 but ,,god',s4--,sermons1 by the ,rev4 ,c4 ,p4 ,eden1 pp4 #aec-aee4 ,several other extracts from the same suggestive volume of a very excellent ,divine1 will be found in the ,appendix4 #djj ,eccl4 iii4 #ad4 ,so ,deut4 iv4 #b3 xii4 #cb4 ,rev4 xxii4 #ai4 #dja ,see the ,appendix 7,g74 #djb ,hooker's ,eccl4 ,pol41 ,b4 #a4 c4 ii4 #b #djc ,see above1 p4 #gg4 #djd ,the ,inspiration of the ,bible1 five ,lectures1 by ,chr4 ,wordsworth1 ,d4,d4 #ahfa1--p4 #e4 #dje ,for some remarks on ,theories of ,inspiration1 see the ,appendix 7,h47 #djf ,quicquid ,ille de ,suis factis et dictis nos legere voluit1 hoc scribendum illis tanquam ,suis manibus imperavit4 #djg ,st4 ,matth4 x4 #i4 #djh ,e4g4 3 3 4 #dji ,comp4 ,st4 ,luke viii4 #dc1 with ,st4 ,mark v4 #bf4 #daj ,the reader will be grateful for a beautiful and highly suggestive passage from ,eden's ,sermons1 in the ,appendix 7,i47 #daa ,alluding to a sermon preached by the ,provost of ,queen's4 #dab ,ecclus4 iii4 #ai4 #dac ,ps4 cxi4 #aj4 ,prov4 ix4 #aj4 #dad ,ps4 cxix4 #ajj4 #dae ,ps4 xix4 #h4 #daf ,st4 ,mark xii4 #bd4 #dag ,job xlii4 #e4 #dah ,see above1 p4 #ie-ii4 #dai ,st4 ,luke iii4 #a4 #dbj ,ibid4 iii4 #cf4 #dba ,ibid4 ii4 #b4 #dbb ,st4 ,mark ii4 #bf4 #dbc ,st4 ,matth4 xxvii4 #i4 #dbd ,st4 ,john xix4 #ad4 #dbe ,st4 ,matth4 xiii4 #bi4 #dbf ,heb4 ix4 #h4 #dbg #a ,cor4 ix4 #i and #a ,tim4 v4 #ah4 #dbh ,st4 ,mark ii4 #bf4 #dbi ,all will be found more fully insisted upon at the beginning of the ,v,i,ith ,sermon4 #dcj ,st4 ,luke xx4 #cg-h4 #dca ,st4 ,matth4 xxii4 #da-f4 #dcb ,st4 ,john x4 #cd-f4 #dcc ',essayists and ,reviewers' would reply1 that in the first instance1 the supposed inference has no connexion with the premisses3--that in the second1 7#a7 it has to be proved that the person intended in ,psalm cx4 is ,,christ2 and 7#b7 it does not follow1 because ,david calls him lord1 that the person so spoken of is not his son3--that in the third instance1 'gods' is used in ,psalm lxxxii4 of earthly rulers2 whereas1 when our ,,saviour called ,himself the ,,son of ,,god1 ,he claimed to be of one substance with the ,,father1--,,god of ,,god4 #dcd ,st4 ,matth4 xxi4 #af4 #dce ,see above1 p4 #d4 ,,sermon ,v4#dcf 99 99 99 99 99 ,,interpretation ,,of ,,holy ,,scripture4--,,inspired ,,interpretation4--,,the ,,bible ,,is ,,not ,,to ,,be ,,interpreted ,,like ,,any ,,other ,,book4--,,god1 7,,not ,,man17 ,,the ,,real ,,author ,,of ,,the ,,bible4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,st4 ,,matthew iv4 #d4 ,it is written1 ,man shall not live by bread alone1 but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of ,god4 ,it is impossible to preserve exact method in ,sermons like these1 uncertain in number1 and delivered at irregular intervals4 ,it shall only be stated that1 having already spoken at considerable length1 of the ,,inspiration of ,holy ,scripture2--not1 one part more1 one part less1 but every part equally inspired throughout2 not general1 7whatever the exact notion may be of a book generally inspired17 but particular1 by which ,i mean that every word is none other than the utterance of the ,holy ,ghost#dcg3 having1 moreover1 explained the reasonableness1--7the logical necessity1 as it seems17--of giving such an account of the ,bible2--,i propose to-day to proceed to the subject of ,,interpretation4 ,really1 it has become the fashion of a ,school of unbelief which has lately emerged into infamous notoriety1 to deal with both these questions in so insolent a style of dogmatism1 that the preacher is compelled to halt in limine2 and to explain that he begs that no offence may be taken at the account which he has just given of the ,bible2 for that really he means no more than ,bp4 ,pearson meant when he said that the ,scripture phrase is the ,language of the ,,holy ,,ghost#dch3--that he desires to say no other thing than what ,he said1 by whose ,spirit1 7as ,st4 ,peter declares#dci17 the prophets prophesied2--the preacher1 ,i say1 wishes to explain that he desires to mean no other thing than our ,,lord ,,jesus ,,christ ,himself meant1 when ,he spoke of every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of ,,god4 ,i4 ,,interpretation1 then1 in the largest sense of the term1 ,i take to denote the discovery of the method and meaning of ,holy ,scripture4--,i exclude those critical labours which merely aim at establishing a correct text4--,i exclude also the learning which merely investigates the grammatical force of single words4 ,true1 that even to translate is often to interpret2 but this results only from the imperfection of language1--which can seldom represent the words of one idiom by the words of another1 without at the same time parting with the associations which belong to the old words1 and importing those which are inseparable from the new4--,moreover1 except occasionally1 it is presumed that the lore of the ,antiquary1 ,geographer1 and so forth1 does not aspire to the dignity of ,interpretation4--,to be brief1--whatever simply puts us on a level with ordinary hearers of ancient days2 does no more than inform us what custom1 locality1 or date is intended by the sacred writer2 7things which once were obvious1 and which ought not to be any difficulty now27--all this1 ,i say1 seems external to the province of ,interpretation2 the purpose of which is to discover the method and the meaning of ,holy ,writ4 ,and ,i find that every extant specimen of this sacred ,science is either 7#a7 what ,,god hath ,himself revealed2 or 7#b7 what the ,church hath with authority delivered2 or 7#c7 what individuals have thought themselves competent to declare4 ,of these three authorities concerning the sense of ,scripture1 it is evident that the last-named is entitled to least notice4 ,so unimportant indeed is it1 as scarcely to be of any weight at all4 ,what one individual asserts1 on his own unsupported authority1 another individual may1 with as much or as little authority1 deny2 and who is to decide8 ,but the authority indicated in the second place1 clearly challenges very different attention4 ,when1 for example1 our own ,hooker declares1 concerning the #eth verse of the iiird chapter of ,st4 ,john1 that of all the ancients there is not one to be named that ever did otherwise expound or allege this place than as implying external ,baptism#ddj1 we perceive at once that such consent1 on the part of men in whose ears the echoes of the ,apostolic ,age had not yet quite ceased to vibrate2 and who were themselves professors of that ,divine ,science which takes cognizance of the subject-matter in hand3--such general consent of ,antiquity1 ,i say1 on a point of ,interpretation1 must evidently be held to be decisive4 ,religio mihi est1 eritque1 contra torrentem omnium ,patrum1 ,sanctas ,scripturas interpretari2 nisi quando me argumenta cogunt evidentissima1--quod nunquam eventurum credo#dda4 ,so spake one who had read the ,fathers with no common care1 and who turned his reading to no common account4 ,i persuade myself1 he says1 that you will learn the modesty of submitting your judgment to that of the ,catholic ,doctors1 where they are found generally to concur in the interpretation of a text of ,scripture1 how absurd soever that interpretation may1 at first appearance1 seem to be4 ,for upon a diligent search you will find1 that aliquid latet quod non patet1--'there is a mystery in the bottom3' and that which at first view seemed even ridiculous1 will afterwards appear to be a most certain truth#ddb4 ,no man can oppose ,catholic consent1 but he will at last be found to oppose both the ,divine ,oracles and ,sound ,reason#ddc4 ,the distinction thus drawn between individual opinion and the collective voice of the ,church1 was far better understood anciently than at present4 ,the interpretation of a ,council1 especially if oecumenical1 was accounted decisive4 ,even the generally consentient voice of ,doctors and ,fathers1 as far as it could be ascertained1 was held to be of the same authoritative kind4 ,an interesting illustration occurs4 ,than ,eusebius1 ,bishop of ,csarea1 few ,fathers of the fourth century were more learned in ,holy ,scripture4 ,he1 commenting upon the ,captain of the ,,lord',s ,host1 mentioned in the vth chapter of the ,book of ,joshua1 delivers it as his opinion that it was the same ,personage who spoke to ,moses 'in the ,bush2' viz4 the ,eternal ,,son#ddd4 ,on which opinion1 a learned man of the same age1 in a scholion of singular beauty which has come down to us1 remarks as follows3--,aye1 but the ,church1 ,o most holy ,eusebius1 holds a view on this subject altogether at variance with thine#dde4 ,he goes on to allege reasons why the of ,joshua must be held to have been not an uncreated1 but a created ,angel2 the ,archangel ,michael1 in fact4 ,we will not now go into that matter4 ,you are but requested to observe1 how profoundly unimportant the opinion of a very learned individual was held to be1 by one in whose ears the ,patristic torrent was yet sounding2 although ,justin ,martyr is known to have been of the same mind with ,eusebius4--,and thus much for individual views as to the meaning of ,holy ,scripture2 as contrasted with the decisions of ,councils and ,fathers4 ,to judge from the signs of the ,age1 we have exactly reversed the ancient estimate2 and expect that more respect will be shewn to our own private fancies1 than to a general consensus of ,divines1 ancient and modern4 ,it seems to have been discovered that the supreme guide of ,life is the individual conscience1--without appeal--except to himself#ddf6 ,,ii4 ,before descending1 however1 to the business of ,interpretation1 there is clearly one preliminary question to be settled3 namely1 the principle on which ,interpretation is to be conducted4 ,and this is all that can be discussed to-day4 ,to seek for that principle in the contradictory pages of solitary theorists1 would of course be hopeless1 as well as absurd4 ,to elicit it from ,patristic ,commentaries1 would obviously leave a door open for cavil4 ,the ancient ,fathers1 7allowing that they often speak with consentient voice17 singly1 were but fallible men1--however famous1 as professors of ,theological ,science1 they may have been4 ,this1 however1 ,i venture to assume without any hesitation whatever1--that if1 instead of either of these two ways of ascertaining how ,holy ,scripture ought to be handled1 we can be so fortunate as to discover from the ,inspired ,writers themselves what their method was with respect to the ,word of ,,god1--in such case1 ,i say1 we shall be in a position of entire certainty#ddg4 ,we shall then have full warrant for disregarding the dicta of modern sciolists on this great subject2--however arrogant their dogmatism1 however confident their unsupported asseverations4 ,i desire to be very clearly understood4 ,my position is this4 ,all ,christian men allow that the ,apostles and ,evangelists of our ,,lord were inspired4 ,before such an audience as the present1 ,i will not condescend even to allude to the absolute claim of our ,,saviour ,,christ1 who1 as the ,son of ,man1 enjoyed the gift of the ,spirit without measure2 who1 as very ,,god1 in the beginning created the ,heaven and the ,earth1--7for1 ,in the beginning was ,,the ,,word2 and ,,the ,,word was with ,,god2 and ,,the ,,word was ,,god4444 ,all things were made by ,him1 and without ,him was not anything made that was made#ddh37--;,i will not1 ,i say1 for every utterance of our ,,saviour ,,christ pause even1 to claim the entire reverence of our hearts1--the prostrate homage of our understandings4444 ,well then4 ,if we can but discover what the mind and method of these several speakers and writers was1 with regard to the ,interpretation of ,holy ,scripture2 on what principle1 and with what sentiments1 they bandied the ,book of ,,god',s ,law2 we shall have discovered the thing of which we are in search4 ,for the ,author of a book must perforce be allowed to be the best judge of the method and intention of that book3--the ,,holy ,,spirit must be allowed to be the best authority as to ,his own meaning6 ,now this method1--7of which1 as ,i will presently remind you1 we possess a great many specimens17--proves to be very extraordinary4 ,it altogether establishes the fact that the ,bible is not to be interpreted like any other book4 ,that it could not be so interpreted1 might have been confidently anticipated beforehand1 from the very fact of its ,divine origin#ddi4 ,what ,i mean1--,since1 by the mouth of ,david1 the ,,holy ,,ghost is expressly declared by ,,christ and by ,st4 ,peter to have spoken2 and since the ,psalms collectively are described by ,st4 ,paul as the utterance of the ,,holy ,,ghost2 since ,jeremiah's witness is said to be the witness of the ,,holy ,,ghost2 and the ,,holy ,,ghost is actually said to have spoken by ,isaiah2 while the ,spirit of ,,christ ,himself1 7,st4 ,peter says17 dwelt in the ,prophets3--in a word1 since holy men of ,,god spake as they were moved by the ,,holy ,,ghost1 and the provisions of the ,mosaic ,law are to the same ,,holy ,,ghost by ,st4 ,paul emphatically ascribed#dej2--stubborn facts1 you are requested to observe1 which ,essayists may prudently suppress but which no ,sophistry on earth can either evade or deny3--seeing1 ,i say1 that ,holy ,scripture is declared by inspired men to be the utterance of the ,eternal ,god1 it was to have been expected beforehand that its texture would bear witness to its ,divine origin2 and that1 to interpret it like any other book1 would be to forget its extraordinary character4 ,interpret ,sophocles and ,plato1 if you will1 like any other book1 for a very plain reason2 but beware how you apply your purely human notions to the utterance of the ,ancient of ,days2 for that utterance1 enshrined in one particular volume1 clearly makes that one volume essentially unlike any other volume in the world4 ,you are particularly requested to observe1 further1--that singular pains have been taken to mystify this entire subject4 ,it has been a favourite device to multiply difficulties1--real or imaginary1--and so1 to create a miserable sense of the dangers which fairly hem the subject in1--in order to render more palatable a desperate escape from them all4 ,thus1 we are told of the risks to which ,grammatical nicety1 and ,rhetorical accommodation expose us2 and again1 the snares into which the ,logical method may betray4 ,metaphysical aid1 we are assured1 mystifies2 and even ,learning1 7would to ,heaven we had a little more of it67 obscures the sense#dea4 ,might we just take the liberty of suggesting that the study of the exploded works of ,german unbelievers1 7of which ,germany herself1 thank ,,god6 is beginning to be ashamed17 on the part of men of very moderate intellectual powers1 however wise in their own conceit2 and with no previous ,theological knowledge to guide them1--is another yet more fruitful avenue to error8444 ,next1 we are threatened with the manifold inconveniences which would ensue from the discovery that there is more than one sense in ,holy ,scripture1--7that one sense being assumed to be1 not the sense intended by its ,divine ,author1 but the sense which the first hearers may be supposed to have put upon it#deb47 ,if words may have more than one meaning1 7it is not very logically argued17 they may have any meaning#dec4 ,we are told a great deal about the growth of ideas2 and of human prejudices2 and of the disturbing influence of ,theological terms4--,but all this kind of thing1 it will be perceived at once1 is altogether foreign to the matter in hand4 ,ought ,scripture to be interpreted like any other book1--or not8 ,that is the real question6 ,has ,scripture only one meaning1 or more8 ,that is the point in dispute6 ,above all1 ,what is the true principle of ,scripture ,interpretation8 ,that is the only thing we have to discover6 ,now1 as for how the principles of ,divine ,interpretation are to be discovered1 it is undeniable that there can be no surer way than by discovering what is the method of the ,,holy ,,ghost2 by inquiring1 what is the method of our ,,saviour ,,christ1 and of ,his ,evangelists1 and of ,his ,apostles8 #a4 ,surely it is needless to remind an audience like the present1 what that method is6 ,turn the first page of ,st4 ,matthew's ,gospel1 and weigh well the three famous cases of ,interpretation which there encounter you#ded3--namely1 the assurance that ,hosea's words1 ,out of ,egypt have ,i called my son#dee2--that ,jeremiah's declaration concerning the tears of ,rachel#def2--;and that the many prophetic utterances concerning the ,branch#deg2--;found fulfilment1 each1 in ,,christ4 ,the first1--when1 at ,jehovah's bidding1 ,he was carried up out of ,egypt into ,palestine2 the second1--when the bereaved mothers of ,bethlehem wept for their murdered offspring2 the third1--when ,,christ1 being bred up in ,nazareth1 was called a ,nazarene1--the root of which1 etymologically1 denotes a branch4--,but look further1 and your surprise will increase at discovering how extraordinary the ,divine method is4 ,when our ,saviour cast out evil spirits and healed the sick1 ,st4 ,matthew declares that ,he fulfilled that prophecy of ,isaiah1 ,himself took our infirmities and bare our sicknesses#deh2 the language of the prophet in fact being1 ,surely ,he hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows#dei2 which1 as far as the words go1 is rather a different thing4 #b4 ,but it is ,st4 ,paul who affords us the largest induction of instances4 ,when he would establish the right of the ,clergy to have due provision made for them1 he finds his warrant in a most unexpected place of ,scripture4 ,say ,i these things as a man8 or saith not the ,law the same also8 ,for it is written in the ,law of ,moses1 ',thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn4' ,doth ,,god care for the oxen here alluded to#dfj8 7 27 or saith ,he it altogether for our sakes8 ,for our sakes1 no doubt1 this is written#dfa4 ,i remind you of the entire passage1 because it is so very express4--,elsewhere1 ,st4 ,paul adduces a few verses from the viiith ,psalm1 the primary and more obvious meaning of which appears to assert nothing more than the supremacy of ,man's present nature over the inferior races of animals2 7all sheep and oxen1 yea and all the beasts of the field#dfb47 ,the application of it1 in a prophetic sense1 to the supreme dominion of our ,redeemer over all created beings in ,heaven and ,earth1 is certainly not one which would naturally suggest itself to us2 yet is it for this purpose1 and this only1 that ,st4 ,paul adduces it2 and as confirmatory of the universal sovereignty of ,,christ1 the place in question is three times quoted by the same ,apostle#dfc4--;,elsewhere1 when he would warn persons who have been partakers of both ,sacraments1 of the danger of final rejection1 he cites the example of the ,fathers of ,israel in the ,wilderness4 ,the waters of the ,red ,sea were a wall unto them1 on their right hand and on their left#dfd1 and the watery ,cloud covered them above2 whereby it came to pass that all our ,fathers were under the ,cloud1 and all passed through the ,sea2 and were all therefore baptized unto ,moses in the ,cloud and in the ,sea4 ,moreover1 he declares that they did all eat the same spiritual meat2 7alluding to the ,manna27 and did all drink the same spiritual drink3 for they drank of that spiritual ,rock that followed them3 and that ,rock was ,,christ#dfe4 444 ,our ,,saviour',s emphatic application to ,himself 7in the vith of ,st4 ,john7 of the ,manna1 the bread which came down from ,heaven1--none can forget#dff4 #c4 ,but ,st4 ,paul further largely interprets the ordinances of the ,mosaic ,law4 ,thus1 the provision that the ,high-priest alone should enter1 once a year1 into the ,holy of ,holies1 not without blood1 he interprets as follows2--the ,,holy ,,ghost this signifying1--7the ,,holy ,,ghost this signifying67--that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest1 while as the first ,tabernacle was yet standing#dfg4 ,he explains further that ,,christ being come an ,high-,priest of good things to come1 by a greater and more perfect ,tabernacle1 444 by ,his own ,blood entered in once into the ,holy ,place1 having obtained eternal ,redemption for us#dfh4--,the ,veil of the ,temple1 7he says17 typified ,,christ',s flesh#dfi2 and ,st4 ,paul intimates that he could further have spoken particularly of the ,golden ,censer1 and the ,ark of the ,covenant1 and the ,pot of ,manna1 and ,aaron's rod1 and the ,tables of the ,covenant1 and the ,cherubims of ,glory#dgj4--;,again1 he says1 that the bodies of those beasts whose blood is brought into the ,sanctuary by the ,high ,priest for ,sin1 are burned without the camp4 ,wherefore ,jesus also1 that ,he might sanctify the people with ,his own ,blood1 suffered without the gate#dga4--,who is not familiar with the same ,apostle's declaration that the words of our father ,adam relative to ,marriage1 are expressive of a great mystery1 and set forth symbolically the union of ,,christ and ,his ,church2 ,for we are members of ,his ,body1--of ,his ,flesh and of ,his ,bones#dgb8--,st4 ,peter is at least as remarkable in his ,interpretations as ,st4 ,paul2 for he says of the ,ark wherein eight souls were saved by water1--,the like figure whereunto1 even ,baptism1 doth also now save us#dgc4 ,now these samples of ,inspired ,interpretation would be abundantly sufficient for our present purpose4 ,but before ,i proceed to make any use of them1 it is right to draw attention to a phenomenon1 even more extraordinary4 #d4 ,it is found then1 that besides vindicating for the ,scriptures of the ,old ,testament this unsuspected depth and fulness of prophetic and typical meaning1 the very ,narrative itself teems to overflowing with mysterious purpose4 ,you have but to weigh well what the ,,holy ,,spirit hath delivered concerning ,abraham and ,melchizedek1 ,hagar and ,sarah1--to perceive that the texture of the ,historical ,narrative itself is of supernatural fabric4 ,all are familiar with what ,i allude to2 but ,i must remind you of it1 in detail4 ,the ,apostle is bent on shewing the superiority of our ,,saviour',s ,priesthood to that of ,aaron4 ,how does he proceed8 ,he lays his finger1 unhesitatingly1 on a verse in the cxth ,psalm1 7,thou art a ,priest for ever after the order of ,melchizedek27--declares with authority that it is ,,christ whom the prophet there alludes to1--or rather1 whom ,,god apostrophizes1--7for that is what ,st4 ,paul actually says2 #dgd3 although ,david undeniably wrote the ,psalm27--and proceeds1 without more ado1 to draw out minutely the characteristics of our ,,saviour',s ,priesthood1 from the very brief narrative contained in the xivth ,chapter of ,genesis4 ,do but hear him6 ,the compound name ,melchi-zedek1 being interpreted1 denotes ,king of ,righteousness3 while ,king of ,salem denotes ,king of ,peace4 ,these titles1 7it is implied17 are emphatically appropriate to ,,christ our ,king2 to ,him who is our ,righteousness1 and the very ,prince of ,peace4 ,it happens that nothing is said in ,genesis about the parentage of ,melchizedek1 nor about the family from which he sprang3 not a word as to when he was born1 or when he died4 ,from this silence of ,scripture1 ,st4 ,paul collects the typical adumbration of ,one who1 as very ,,god1 was without human parentage1--had no earthly lineage2--was before all things1 ,,god from all eternity1--having indeed neither beginning of days nor end of life4--,did not ,abraham give to ,melchizedek a tithe of the spoils8 ,consider then1 7,st4 ,paul says17 how great an one ,melchizedek must have been6 ,nay1 consider that the descendants of ,levi are commanded to take tithe of their brethren1 although all are sprung from ,abraham alike2 but here is one1 altogether of a different family1 taking tithes of ,abraham1--aye and blessing ,abraham too2--71 1 hath tithed1 hath blessed1--the effect of the act remaining for ever in ,,christ typified by ,melchizedek47--,this mysterious ,king of ,salem and ,priest of the ,most ,high ,,god not only tithes but blesses ,abraham1 who had received from ,,almighty ,,god the promises1 which included all blessedness1 earthly and heavenly4 ,now1 this implies ,melchizedek's superiority1--for1 of course1 the less is blessed of the greater4--,men who receive tithe here below are mortal2 but the very silence of ,scripture respecting ,melchizedek's death1 symbolically teaches that ,,he whom ,melchizedek typified1 yet liveth4--,and indeed1 7so to speak17 the tribe of ,levi who take tithes1 paid tithes to ,melchizedek in the person of their great progenitor2 because ,levi was as yet in the loins of his father ,abraham when ,melchizedek met him#dge4444 ,i do not ask your pardon for thus leading you in detail over one unusually minute specimen of ,divine ,interpretation4 ,i know well that there are many persons to whom the ,divine method is highly distasteful2 and who think their own method of ,interpretation infinitely better4 ,but1 unfortunately for those persons1 the question in hand is not a question of taste1 but a dry matter of fact4 ,we have to discover what is the ,divine method of ,interpretation1 and no other thing4 ,its improbability and its inconvenience1--its difficulty1 and its strangeness1--its seeming inconclusiveness1 7apart from the authority on which it rests17 and its certain uniqueness1 7notwithstanding the many injunctions we have met with that we must interpret the ,bible like any other book#dgf17--;all these considerations are all together irrelevant1 and beside the question4 ,st4 ,paul himself admits that the ,discourse now before us is 1--long and of difficult interpretation#dgg4--,some will perhaps be found to inquire how it happens that while so many remote points of analogy are adduced1 so obviously typical a circumstance as ,melchizedek's bringing forth bread and wine#dgh obtains no notice from the ,apostle8 ,i answer1--,for the same reason that ,isaac is nowhere spoken of1 nowhere so much as hinted at1 in the ,bible1 as being a type of ,,christ4 ,a blind man may see it4 ,it requires no ,revelation from ,heaven to teach such things as that6 ,but the typical foreshadowing of the superiority of our ,,saviour',s ,priesthood over that of ,aaron1 in the story of ,melchizedek1 would infallibly have escaped mankind altogether1 unless it had been thus specially revealed4 ,some there may be so utterly wanting in ,theological instinct1 or so depraved of taste2 so utterly unused to the study of ,,god',s ,word1 or so unobservant of the characteristic method of it1--as to imagine that there is something trifling in the specimens of ,interpretation before us4 ,i am only concerned to maintain that they are ,divine4 ,you may think what you please about them4 ,they are the teaching of the ,,holy ,,ghost4 ,nay1 if unfortunately any persons here present should think themselves wiser than ,,god1 ,i would request them to observe that1 singularly enough1 ,,god has connected with this very exposition a short address to themselves4 ,it runs as follows3--,concerning ,melchizedek1 we have to deliver a long and difficult interpretation2 difficult1 however1 only because ye have become dull of hearing#dgi4 7,the fault1 you observe1 is yours4 ,whereas ,,god made your spiritual senses sharp and quick1 you have blunted their edge1 and are become stupid and obtuse4 ,it follows37--,for when1 by reason of the length of time that ye have professed ,christianity1 ye ought to be ,teachers1 7pray mark that67--ye have need that some one should teach you the first ,principles of the ,oracles of ,,god2 and ye have become such as have need of milk1 and not of solid food4 ,for every one that useth milk1 is without experience in the ,word of ,righteousness2 for he is an infant4 ,but solid food 7 7 is for them that are of full age#dhj4 ,where you are requested to observe that a specimen of ,interpretation you think trifling1 the ,,holy ,,ghost calls solid food2 and yourselves1 who in your own conceit represent the ,world's ,manhood#dha1 ,he calls 1--babes4 444 ,this discrepancy of opinion strikes me as rather curious4 #e4 ,the time would fail1 were we to enter as particularly into the ,divine ,interpretation elsewhere given of another story1 apparently as little fraught with mystery as any in the ,bible4 ,who would ever have imagined that the brief narrative of ,hagar's dismissal from the house of ,abraham at ,sarah's instance1 was the of so ,divine a thing as ,st4 ,paul declares2--the two ,mothers setting forth the two ,covenants1 7one1 bearing children unto bondage1--the other1 the free ,mother of us all3 ,sinai symbolized by that1 the heavenly ,jerusalem by this37 and even ,ishmael's mockery not being without mysterious meaning8--,such however is the ,divine ,interpretation4--,elsewhere1 when ,st4 ,paul desires to contrast the method of the ,gospel with the method of the ,law1--7this1 glorious2 that1 with the same glorious features concealed27--and also to illustrate the present unbelief of the ,jewish nation2--the ,apostle finds a prophetic emblem of their blindness in the veiled countenance of their great ,lawgiver1 as described in the xxxivth chapter of ,exodus4 ,the mystical intention of that veil1 7he says17 was to symbolize the nation's inability to look steadfastly to the end of the dispensation1 and to recognize ,,messiah4 ,nay1 to this hour1 while they read their ,scriptures1 that veil 7he says7 is upon their hearts4 ,and yet1 even as ,moses1 when he returned to ,,god1 is related to have taken off the veil from his face1 so 7,st4 ,paul says7 will it fare with the ,jews1 when they convert and turn themselves to ,,christ4 ,the veil will be withdrawn#dhb4--,now1 ,i gather from all this1 and many a hint of the like kind1--that the whole of ,scripture is of the same marvellous texture1 the ,old ,testament and the ,new1 alike1--whether we have the eyes to see it or not4 #f4 ,but ,i cannot dismiss the typical character of the ,scripture narrative1 until ,i have reminded you of one striking intimation of it which you might easily overlook4 ,o fools and slow of heart1 was our ,,lord',s reproof to ,cleophas and his companion on the evening of the first ,easter3 ,ought not ,,christ to have suffered these things1 and to enter into ,his ,glory8 ,and beginning at ,moses and all the ,prophets1 ,he expounded unto them in all the ,scriptures the things concerning ,himself#dhc4 ,in like manner1 ,st4 ,paul at ,rome expounded to the unbelieving ,jews1 persuading them concerning ,,jesus both out of the ,law of ,moses and out of the ,prophets1 from morning till evening#dhd4 ,the same thing is repeated elsewhere#dhe3 but the most express declaration is that of our ,,lord ,himself to the ,jews3--,had ye believed ,moses1 ye would have believed ,me2 for he wrote of ,me#dhf1 ,moses therefore wrote concerning ,,christ4 ,,christ ,himself says so4 ,but where8 ,shew me the places in the ,pentateuch which prove that ,,christ was to suffer these things and then to enter into glory8 ,you cannot do it2 unless indeed in ,isaac's ,sacrifice you are content to find the adumbration of the scene on ,calvary4 ,you cannot do it2 unless in ,joseph's betrayal for twenty pieces of silver1 7the deed of another ,judas67 and his letting down into the pit without water1 you recognize the image of the death of ,one by the blood of whose ,covenant the prisoners of hope were set free#dhg4 ,you cannot do it2 unless in the same ,joseph's exaltation to the supreme power of ,egypt1 7when they cried before him1 ,bow the knee67 you behold ,,messiah',s session at the ,right ,hand of ,,god4 ,you cannot do it2 unless you notice how ,joseph1 who was ordained to save his ,brethren from death1 who would have slain him1 did represent the ,,son of ,,god1 who was slain by us and yet dying saved us#dhh4 ,you cannot do it2 unless in the ,paschal ,lamb1 and the wave-sheaf1 you discern things ,heavenly1 and of eternal moment4 ,you cannot do it2 unless you remember that as1 in order to consecrate the ,harvest by offering to ,,god the first-fruits of it1 a sheaf was lifted up and waved2 as well as a ,lamb offered on that day by the priest to ,,god2 so ,,messiah1 that immaculate ,lamb which was to die1 that ,priest which dying was to offer up ,himself to ,,god1 was upon the same day lifted up and raised from the dead2 or rather shook and lifted up1 and presented ,himself to ,,god1 and so was accepted for us all2 that so our dust might be sanctified1 our corruption hallowed1 our mortality consecrated to eternity4 ,many who hear me will perceive that ,i have been quoting from ,bp4 ,pearson2 and will be constrained to admit that ,isaac and ,joseph1--the wave-sheaf and the ,paschal ,lamb1--may well be types of ,,christ2 and that1 thus lightly touched1 there can be little objection to tracing in such histories and provisions of the ,law1 the main outlines of the ,life and ,death and ,resurrection of our ,,redeemer4 ,but remember1 we have handled wondrous little of the patriarchal ,history and of the ,law2 and that little1 wondrous cursorily2 more1 as it seems to me1 in the manner of children in a ,sunday-school1 than as ,divines in the first ,university of ,europe6444 ,now1 ,st4 ,paul entertained his audience from morning until evening4 ,had he nothing to say about ,paradise1 think you1 and the mysterious parallel between the first and second ,adam8 nothing to say about the ,ark of ,noah1 and the waters of the ,flood8 ,what of the history of the patriarch ,jacob1 and of ,joseph at the second time made known to his brethren8 ,what of ,moses1 and the miracles of the ,exode8 ,what of the many minute provisions1 7all of them1 no doubt1 significant67 of the ,mosaic ,law8 ,what of ,esau's posterity and ,balaam's prophecies1--the ,cloud and the ,flame1--the ,manna and the ,quails1--the riven ,rock and ,jordan driven back8444 ,i have already said enough to feel at liberty to gather out of it all1 the two chief propositions concerning ,holy ,scripture1 which it is my business this morning to establish4 ,and first1 ,i assert that it may be regarded as a fundamental rule1 that the ,bible is not to be interpreted like any other book4 ,this ,i gather infallibly from the plain fact1 that the inspired ,writers themselves habitually interpret it as no other book either is1 or can be interpreted4 ,next1 ,i assert without fear of contradiction that inspired ,interpretation1 whatever varieties of method it may exhibit1 is yet uniform and unequivocal in this one result2 namely1 that it proves ,holy ,scripture to be of far deeper significancy than at first sight appears#dhi4 ,by no imaginable artifice of ,rhetoric or sophistry of evasion1--by no possible vehemence of denial or plausibility of counter assertion1--can it be rendered probable that ,scripture has invariably one only meaning2 and that meaning1 the most obvious and easy to those who first heard or read it4 ,i would not be misunderstood by this audience1 nor do ,i fear that ,i shall be4 ,i am not denying 7,,god forbid67 the literal sense of ,scripture4 ,rather am ,i1 above all1 contending for it4 ,we may never play tricks with the letter4 ,those ,six ,days of ,creation1 depend upon it1 were six days3 and the ,tree of ,life1 and the ,tree of ,knowledge1 and the ,serpent1 were the very things they are called1--and no other things4 ,so of every other part of the ,bible4 ,the ,temptation of our ,,lord was as matter of fact a transaction as one of ,his walks by the sea of ,galilee4 ,in what form the ,tempter came to ,him1 hath not been revealed4 ,after what fashion the ,prince of the power of the air contrived the dazzling panorama in a moment of time#dij1 ,i do not pretend to understand4 ,the literal sense of what has been revealed1 is1 for all that1 to be depended on4 ,all is sincere ,history3 nothing is ever allegory1--nothing may ever be evacuated or explained away6 ,we have our ,,lord',s own word for it4 ,the speech in ,paradise1 and what happened at the time of the ,flood2 the fate of ,lot's wife1 and what befel the cities of the plain2 the conduct of ,david 7when he ate the shew-bread71 and the visit to ,solomon of the ,queen of ,sheba2 the history of the widow of ,sarepta1 and of ,naaman the ,syrian3--all these stories of the ,old ,testament are by our ,,lord ,himself appealed to as veritable ,history#dia4 ,but ,i am proving that ,scripture itself1 literally understood1 compels us to believe that under the letter of ,scripture1 7which of course is to be interpreted literally17 there lies a deeper and sometimes a far less obvious meaning2 occasionally a meaning so improbable1 7as men account improbability17 that1 but for the finger of ,,god pointing it out1 we could never by possibility have discerned it2 so extraordinary1 that when it is shewn us1 it needs an effort of the heart and of the mind to embrace it fully4 ,cases of literal ,interpretation are indeed of constant occurrence in ,scripture2 but the principle on which they depend is obvious1 and common to all writings alike4 ,i do not doubt1 for a moment1 that the history of ,joseph and ,potiphar's wife1 7which we heard read this morning17 is a bon fide narrative1--truer and more authentic in details1 than is to be found in any other book of ,history4--,neither do ,i doubt that the obvious teaching1 7the moral ,interpretation as it may be called17 of that incident1 is the proper one3 viz4 that even for the most fiery of fleshly trials1 ,,god',s grace is sufficient3--that ,joseph's safety lay in refusing even to be with her1 joined to his holy fear of sinning against ,,god3--that lust is ever cruel1 and will hunt for the precious life#dib3--;finally1 that the way of purity1 though it may lead at first to sorrow1 will infallibly conduct to blessedness at the last4 ,considerations like these1 which are obvious and easy1 are also unquestionably true2 and especially precious1 7who ever doubted it87 as helps to personal holiness4--,but still1 there may underlie this narrative1 for aught ,i see to the contrary1 a mystical signification4 ,potiphar's wife may1 7as the best and wisest of ancient and modern ,divines have thought17 symbolize the ,power of ,darkness2 and ,joseph1 our ,divine ,,lord4 ,the garment ,joseph left in the woman's hand1 may represent that fleshly garment of which the true ,joseph divested ,himself1--7 as ,st4 ,paul speaks in a very remarkable place17--the mortal body which ,satan apprehended 7his sole triumph67 and by which he was ensnared1 when a greater than ,joseph gat ,him out from an adulterous world#dic4 ,joseph in the prison1 and ,,christ in the grave3 ,joseph exalted1 and ,,christ ,ascended3 ,joseph at last feeding the families of the ,world1 and ,,christ becoming the ,bread of ,life to all3--let it not occasion offence1 ,brethren1 if ,i confess that1 for aught ,i see to the contrary1 some such hidden teaching as this1 may underlie the plain historical narrative2 and in no way interfere with a literal interpretation4 ,,iii4 ,from the two foregoing negative positions1 however1 7which almost need an apology1 such obvious truisms are they17 ,i eagerly pass on to something better and higher4 #a4 ,and first1 ,i boldly declare that the clue to all that has been advanced concerning the marvellous method of ,holy ,writ is supplied by the single consideration that the ,bible is the ,word of ,,god1--that ,holy ,scripture1 from the ,alpha to the ,omega of it1 is the language of the ,,holy ,,ghost4 ,incomprehensible and unmanageable on any other hypothesis1--all the disclosures of inspired ,interpretation1 by the hearty reception of this one revealed truth1 are rendered perfectly intelligible and clear4 ,the ,,holy ,,spirit may surely be assumed competent to interpret what the ,,holy ,,spirit has already delivered6 ,his disclosures therefore are beyond the reach of censure2 however marvellous they may happen to be4 ,but they are all a hopeless riddle to those who have blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts4 ,thus1 to advert for a moment to the prophetic character 7as it may be called7 of the historical parts of ,scripture1--,what is it which moves secret unbelief1 and prompts a reference to the human devices of ,allegory and ,accommodation#did8 ,it is the profound conviction that no merely human narrative could be handled as ,st4 ,paul handles ,genesis1 except by indulging in rhetorical license1 and giving to ,fancy a very free rein4 ,but disabuse your mind of this lurking suspicion1 so derogatory to the honour of ,him by whose ,spirit the ,bible is inspired1--cease to suspect that the narrative of ,scripture is a merely human narrative1--and how different becomes the problem6 ,why should the ,,holy ,,ghost have spoken less by the mouth of ,moses1 than by the mouth of ,david and ,isaiah1 ,jeremiah and the rest of the prophets8 ,but if ,he speaks in ,genesis1 then are the words of ,genesis ,his2--and every word of the narrative proceedeth 7as our ,,lord phrases it17 out of the mouth of ,,god4 ,i am constrained to be thus express and emphatic1 because it has been lately laid down that ,scripture has one meaning2--the meaning which it had to the mind of the ,prophet or ,evangelist who first uttered or wrote1--to the hearers or readers who first received it#die4 ,the original sense of ,scripture1 7says this writer17 is the meaning of the words as they first struck on the ears1 or flashed before the eyes1 of those who heard and read them#dif4 ,now1 ,i will not pause to remark on the complicated fallacy involved in this4 ,for 7#a71 ,why should a hearer's first impression of a speaker's meaning be assumed to be that speaker's meaning#dig8 ,and 7#b71 ,why may not ,prophets and ,evangelists have intended secondary meanings#dih8 ,but ,i do not dwell on this1 for it does not touch the point4 ,let us hear the voice of one who adorned this place many years before the present controversy arose1 and who has exactly anticipated the question now at issue4 ,observe how this matter really is1 says ,bp4 ,butler4 ,if one knew a person to be the sole ,author of a book2 and were certainly assured1 or satisfied to any degree1 that one knew the whole of what he intended in it2 one should be assured or satisfied to such degree1 that one knew the whole meaning of that book3 for the meaning of a book is nothing but the meaning of the ,author4 ,but if one knew a person to have compiled a ,book out of memoirs which he received from ,another1 of vastly superior knowledge in the subject of it2 especially if it were a ,book full of great intricacies and difficulties2 it would in no wise follow that one knew the whole meaning of the ,book1 from knowing the whole meaning of the compilers3 for the original memoirs1 7i4e4 the ,author of them17 might have1 7and there would be no degree of presumption1 in many cases1 against supposing ,him to have17 some farther meaning than the compiler saw4 ,to say then1 that the ,scriptures1 and the things contained in them1 can have no other or farther meaning than those persons thought or had1 who first recited or wrote them2 is evidently saying1 that those persons were the original1 proper1 and sole authors of those books1 i4e4 ,,that ,,they ,,are ,,not ,,inspired3 which is absurd1 whilst the authority of these books is under examination2 i4e4 till you have determined they are of no divine authority at all4 ,till this be determined1 it must in all reason be supposed1--not indeed that they have1 7for this is taking for granted that they are inspired27 but1--that they may have1 some farther meaning than what the compilers saw or understood#dii4--,so far ,bp4 ,butler4 #b4 ,now1 if ,,god be in effect the ,speaker1 why need we hesitate to believe that ,he has so framed the stories1 that they shall be throughout adumbrations of the things which concern our peace#ejj8 ,let some garment be shewn me of merely human manufacture1 and however costly it may prove1 ,i look for nothing in it beyond the known properties of any other earthly fabric4 ,but give me the assurance that1 on the contrary1 it was woven by ,divine hands1 and fashioned in a ,heavenly loom1 and do ,i not straightway expect to find it a mystery and a marvel of ,art8 ,it is even so with the language of ,holy ,writ4 ,it is all framed and fashioned after a ,diviner model than men are able to imagine4 ,it is instinct with sublimest meanings4 ,it is penetrated1 through and through1 with the ,spirit of the ,most ,high ,,god4 ,it is of so celestial a texture1 that1 to the eye of the soundest ,reason1 informed by the purest ,faith1 it reveals1 7when the ,spirit of its ,divine ,author shines upon it17 the glorious outlines of an imperishable ,life6 #c4 ,the strong root of bitterness out of which springs unbelief in this supernatural character of the historical parts of the ,bible1 is an unworthy notion of ,,god',s ,power4 ,because human histories are perforce barren and lifeless1 it is assumed that the ,book of ,,god',s ,law must be a dead thing also4 ,and then1 the conceit of self-relying ,reason glides in1 7like a serpent17 and remonstrates as follows3--,yea1 can ,,god have sanctioned a method of such subtlety and pliability as will make ,his own ,scriptures mean anything#eja8 ,is it not rather1 an exploded fashion1 which the age has outgrown1--that fashion of supposing that there is sometimes a double sense in ,prophecy1 and that the ,gospel is symbolized in the ,law8 ,were then the worthies of the ,old ,testament puppets in ,,god',s ,hands1 acting parts8--now1 typifying remote personages2 now1 exhibiting future transactions2 now1 symbolizing national events8 ,is it credible8 ,not so6 ,accept one of two alternatives1 and never dream of a third4 ,believe either that the ,evangelists1 the ,apostles1 our ,,saviour ,,christ ,himself1--partaking of the ignorance of their age1 and speaking according to the modes of thought then prevalent1 were mistaken in their interpretations of ,holy ,scripture2 or else1 deny boldly that there are interpretations at all4 ,assume that they are mere allegory and accommodation6 ,something must be allowed for the backwardness of the ,past2--and 'the time has come when it is no longer possible to ignore the results of criticism#ejb4' ,a change of method 'is not so much a matter of expediency as of necessity4 ,the original meaning of ,scripture' is at last 'beginning to be understood#ejc4' ,be persuaded1 and make it thy business to persuade others1 that the ,bible is but a common ,book6 #d4 ,to all of which1 we make summary answer3--,passing by thy self-congratulation on the enlightenment of the age1--of which1 except in certain departments of physical ,science1 we see no evidence2--the whole of thy argument concerning ,holy ,scripture amounts to this2--that it would be very distasteful to thee1 to find that it contained any sense beyond that which lies on the surface4 ,types1 intended by the ,author of ,scripture to be types3 ,prophecy with sometimes more than a single application3 historical events foreshadowing remote transactions3--all these thou deniest1 because thou dislikest4 ,observe1 however1 that while thou art urging thine own private opinion1 we are dealing with a revealed fact4 ,thou talkest about a probability1 but we are establishing a proof4 ,it is written that ,scripture is thus significant1 is thus mysterious in its historical outlines4 ,and thou canst not explain away one syllable1 though thou shouldest deny every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of ,,god4 #e4 ,let us1 however1 examine the question merely by the light of unaided reason4--,consider then6 ,if ,,god made this world the particular kind of world which ,he is found to have made it1 in order that it might in due time preach to mankind about ,himself1 and about ,his providence3--if ,he contrived beforehand the germination of seeds1 the growth of plants1 the analogies of animal life2 all1 evidently1 in order that they might furnish illustrations of ,his teaching2 and that so1 great ,nature's self might prove one vast ,parable in ,his ,hands3--why may not the same ,,god1 by ,his ,eternal ,spirit1 have so overruled the utterance of the human agents whom ,he employed to write the ,bible1 that their historical narratives1 however little their authors meant or suspected it1 should embody the outline of things heavenly2 and1 while they convey a true picture of actual events1 should also after a most mysterious fashion1 yield1 in the ,hands of ,his own informing ,spirit1 celestial ,doctrine also8 #f4 ,for let me remind you1--,the very actions of men1--the complicated transactions of our common lives1--are thus overruled by ,god's ,providence2 and1 without restraint1 are so controlled that they shall subserve to the ulterior purposes of ,his will1--after a fashion which altogether defies analysis4 ,beyond this inner circle of comprehensible causation1--external to the immediate sphere of cause and effect which courts our daily scrutiny1--there is an outer circle1 which rounds our lives2 and 7as ,i said7 overrules all we do2 fashioning1 by virtue of a supreme fiat which is altogether beyond our comprehension1 all our ends4 ,why then1 ,i ask1 may not the ,bible be1 what it purports to be1--the authentic record of transactions which the marvellous skill of ,him who governeth all things in ,heaven and ,earth did so overrule1 that they should become foreshadowings of chief transactions in the ,kingdom of ,,christ8 ,shall prophecy1 in the ordinary sense of the term1 be admitted by all1--and yet a prophetic transaction be deemed impossible with ,,god8 ,if ,isaiah may prophesy of one red in ,his apparel1 after treading the winepress alone#ejd2 may describe ,him as despised and rejected of men2 a ,man of ,sorrows and acquainted with grief2 wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities2 brought as a lamb to the slaughter1 and making intercession for the transgressors2 and at last destined to find ,his grave with the wicked1 yet with the rich in ,his death#eje3--;if this may be in words described minutely1 and move no doubt2 shall we close our eyes that we may not see1--or seeing shall we fail to recognize1--in the person of such an one as ,david1 a divinely-intended type of ,,messiah8 ,what6 when he who was born in ,bethlehem1 overcomes the ,philistine at the end of forty days1 and takes from him the armour wherein he trusted2--when he1--a prophet1 priest1 and king1--is persecuted by his enemies1 and betrayed by his own familiar friend2 when he at last passes over the brook ,kidron and ascends ,olivet1 sorrowing as he goes2--yea1 when he utters words which our ,,redeemer resyllables with ,his dying breath#ejf2--wilt thou refuse to discern in the person of ,david1 the lineaments of ,david's ,son8 and sneer at us1 who herein have been better taught than thou2 although thou hast no better reason to give for thy unbelief than that the view of ,holy ,scripture which the ,church ,catholic hath held in all ages1 seems to thee a thing impossible8 #g4 ,take once more1 if thou wilt1 the analogy of ,nature2 and thence infer what is probable concerning things ,divine4 ,is it observed that the works of ,,god are thus single in their office2 or are they1 on the contrary1 manifold in their virtues and uses8 ,than the metal ,iron1 what substance more serviceable for every ordinary mechanical purpose of daily life8 ,yet1 ask the physician which of the metals he could least afford to forego as an instrument of cure3 and he will tell thee that he finds ,iron the fullest of healing virtues also4 ,shall then plants and animals1 yea1 and the whole of the ,animal ,kingdom1 be admitted to subserve to manifold1 and at first sight unsuspected uses1--so that the wisest are ready to confess that the function of most remains to this hour a secret3--and shall we be reluctant to allow that the ,word of ,,god--the ,tree of ,life1 whereof the leaves are for the healing of the nations1--may also be thus various in its purpose2 fraught with other teaching besides that which on its very surface meets the careless eye8 #h4 ,to speak without a figure1--,it is not of course to be supposed that the inspired writers knew all the wondrous qualities of the message they delivered1 or of the narrative they were divinely guided to indite4 ,altogether a distinct question this2 although the two have been sometimes confused together#ejg4 ,nay1 ,revelation itself comes in to help us here4 ,st4 ,peter1 in express words1 declares that concerning the mystery of ,redemption the prophets inquired and searched diligently2 444 searching what1 or what manner of time the ,spirit of ,,christ which was in them did signify1 when it1--7not they1 observe1 but ,it7--testified beforehand the sufferings of ,,christ1 and the glory that should follow4 ,that not unto1 themselves1 but unto us they did minister1--thus much1 indeed1 was revealed to them2 but no more4 ,the rest1 to this hour1 the very ,angels desire to look into6 #i4 ,but between the words which a man delivers being full of ,divine significancy1 and himself knowing the full scope and purport of those words1--there is surely a mighty difference6 ,when ,caiaphas foretold the universal efficacy of ,,christ',s ,death1 who less than ,caiaphas suspected the far-reaching truth of the words which fell from his unholy lips8 ,he knew nothing about the triumphs of the ,cross2 and yet he could prophesy very accurately concerning them4 ,this spake he not of himself1 7says the ,evangelist17 but being high-priest that year1 he prophesied that ,,jesus should die for that nation2 and not for that nation only1 but that also ,he should gather together in one the children of ,,god that were scattered abroad#ejh4 444 ,it may safely be assumed that the sacred writers no more knew the force and power of their own words1 than those ,priests who lived and moved amid the shadows of the ,mosaic ,ritual were able to discern therein1 the substance of things eternal in the ,heavens4 ,and yet we believe concerning those ritual types that they were a concealed prophetic evidence1 the force of which was made apparent by the presence of the ,gospel#eji4 ,i am prone to suspect that the burning vehemence of their own language must many a time have moved the ,prophets of old to deepest astonishment2 and that when there broke from them words of more than mortal power1--or images of unearthly grandeur1--or the outlines of a grief more than human2 when they spake of a betrayal for thirty pieces of silver#eaj1 of blows and spitting#eaa1 and of pierced hands and feet#eab2 of parted garments and lots cast upon a vesture#eac2--they must have felt1 they must have felt the awfulness of the message they were commissioned to deliver2 and longed1 yea yearned unutterably to see and to hear the things which were reserved to be witnessed in the days of the ,son of ,man6 #aj4 ,enough1 however1 of all this4 ,in reply to priori objections1 ,i have been content to argue the question as if the ,bible were a newly-discovered ,book without a history2 whereas the consentient writings of all the ,fathers and ,doctors of every age1 in every portion of the ,christian ,church1 is an overwhelming fact6 ,rather have ,i reasoned as if the ,bible were a book altogether silent concerning itself4 ,but the plain truth1 as ,i have fully shewn1 is the very reverse4 ,scripture is full of interpretations of ,scripture2--and the constant method of ,scripture in such interpretations1 is spiritual or mystical2--and this witness of ,scripture is the strongest proof possible that the principle involved is correct4 ,meanwhile1 the great underlying truth which ,i now desire1 more than any other to bring before you1 is this3--that it is the ,,holy ,,ghost who1 in the ,new ,testament1 interprets what the same ,,holy ,,ghost had delivered in the ,old4 ,this1 believe me1 is the true key1 the only intelligible solution1 to all those difficulties respecting places of the ,old ,testament1 whether interpreted1 or only quoted1 in the ,new1 which have so exercised the ingenuity of learned men4 ,we are always to remember1 in a word1 that the true ,author of either ,testament1--the real ,author of every part of the ,bible1 is 7not ,man1 but7 ,,god6 ,,iv4 ,such then1 7to conclude17 is the ,divine method of ,interpretation4 ,we are not concerned now to classify1 and sort it out under different heads4 ,to apply1 even to a small extent1 the principles we have been labouring to establish1 would not only lead us much too far1 but would constrain us to travel out of our proper subject and prescribed province4 ,our purpose has only been1 to vindicate the profundity1 or rather the fulness of ,holy ,writ#ead2 and to shew that under the obvious and literal meaning of the words1 there lies concealed a more recondite1 and a profounder sense3 call that sense mystical1 or spiritual1 or ,christian1 or what you will4 ,unerringly to elicit that hidden sense is the sublime privilege of inspired ,writers2 and they do it by allusion1 by quotation1 by the importation of a short phrase#eae1 by the adoption of a single word#eaf1--to an extent which no one would suspect who had not carefully studied the subject4 ,how that method of theirs is to be applied by ourselves1 it is impossible1 ,i repeat1 for me even to hint at in a single discourse4 ,but this1 ,i will say2 and with this ,i dismiss the subject2--that ,interpretation would be a hopeless task1 but for the solemn circumstance that the whole of the ,bible is inspired by one and the self-same ,spirit2 so that one part may always be safely compared with any other part of it1 you please4 ,nay1 by no other method can you hope to understand the ,bible1 than by such a laborious comparison of its several parts4 ,non nisi ex ,scriptur ,scripturam potes interpretari4 ,the more you study the ,book1 the more you will feel convinced that its many authors all resorted to one and the same ,fountain of ,inspiration4 ,they all use the same imagery2 they all speak the same language2 they all mean the same thing4 ,st4 ,john the ,divine1 in the ,book of ,revelation1 shuts up the ,canon by reproducing the combined imagery of all the ancient prophets1--by declaring that the ,song of ,moses and of the ,,lamb is sung by the redeemed in ,heaven1--by marvellous words about the ,tree of ,life1 which is in the midst of the ,paradise of ,,god4 ,the ,inspired writers of either ,testament all draw from the same ,treasury1 and therefore all say the same things4 ,the ,heavenly ,jerusalem1 7with her gates of pearl and streets of gold17 is the home of the spirit of each one of them#eag2 ,,jesus ,,christ1 and ,he ,crucified1 is the abiding theme of them all4 ,and ,o1 how their words do sometimes teem1 and their phrases swell1 almost to bursting1 with their blessed argument#eah6 ,you shall be troubled with only one example of what ,i mean4--,moses having described the interview between ,melchizedek and ,abraham1 the mighty secret of ,,messiah',s priesthood which therein lay enshrined was curtained all so close1 that neither ,angels nor ,men could possibly discern it4 ,must it then remain a mystery for #bjjj years8 ,not so6 ,midway between the day of ,abraham and the day of ,,christ1--just midway1--,david1 speaking by the ,,holy ,,ghost1--7of that1 our ,,lord ,himself assures us#eai17--;,david1 ,i say1 when a thousand years had rolled by1 utters the cxth ,psalm2 and in the fulness of his prophetic fervour1 the great secret bursts unexpectedly into light6 ,a thousand years had passed since ,abraham returned from 'the slaughter of the ,kings4' ,it wanted yet a thousand years to the date of our ,,saviour',s ,birth4 ,and lo1 midway1 a voice is heard1 shouting to ,him across the gulf of ,ages1--,thou art a ,priest for ever after the order of ,melchizedek6 ,and let not ,reason be alarmed4 ,her vocation is not gone4 ,yea rather1 ,i know not if ,human ,intellect ever had a loftier problem presented to her than to follow out that deep ,analogy which has been noticed above2 and to learn1 7if it may be called ,reason's learning17 how to deal with ,holy ,scripture as ,apostles and ,evangelists deal with it4 ,let not ,reason be alarmed4 ,she is only asked to listen1 and to discern the nature and laws of ,sacred ,study4 ,she is asked but to discern the evidence which there is of her being in a world which she imperfectly understands4444 ,the student of the ,bible is advised so to address himself to the study of that ,book1 so to deal with its language1 as one should deal with ,,the ,,word ,,of ,,god1--the measure of whose import is in the infinite1 not in the finite ,world4--,surely1 by these things the ,,lord tries the spirits of us all2 tries other men by other means1 but tries the intellectual man by the ,word of ,,god#ebj1 and watches him as he reads it2 hardens the obdurate2 blinds the self-blinded2 but pours into the humble mind the riches of ,his divine ,wisdom like showers into a valley2 making it soft with the drops of rain and blessing the increase of it#eba4 ,v4 ,friends and brethren1 it is not without reluctance that on a ,sunday in ,lent1 when penitential thoughts should rather occupy us1--and in this place too1 where the promotion of practical piety should rather be our aim1--,i have so addressed you4 ,but indeed1 ,i seem to have no choice4 ,it is idle crying peace1 peace1 when there is no peace4 ,if the ,inspiration of ,holy ,scripture be a deceit1 and the ,divine meaning of ,holy ,scripture a superstition1--then1 farewell to all our hopes in ,life and in ,death2 farewell to peace in days of despondency and gloom4 ,our faith is gone1 and our teaching becomes a hollow heartless thing4 ,since1 under the name of freedom of discussion1 unbounded licentiousness of speculation is openly the fashion of the age1 we are constrained to give a reason for the hope which is in us2 and to defend1 without compromise or hesitation1 that ,bible1 which is the great bulwark of the ,faith4 ,it shall not be said that we can condemn1 but that we make no answer4 ,it must be seen that we put forth in reply the ancient ,truths2 and it will be felt that before the majesty of those ancient ,truths1 the arts of the enemy will prove weak and unavailing1--rather1 will stand revealed in all their native deformity4 ,if ,english ,clergymen1 coming abroad in the cast-off clothes of ,german unbelief#ebb1 and decked out with the exploded sophisms of the last century1 are to declare openly that the faith of our ,fathers is already looked upon among ourselves as 'a kind of fossil of the ,past1'--then is it high time that voices should be heard vindicating that ancient method of our ,fathers2 and boldly proclaiming that this imputation against the ,clergy of ,england is a disreputable untruth4 ,the ,church of ,england1 7,,god be praised67 hath not left her first love2 hath not given up her ancient method2 ,christianity is not 'a difficulty to the highest minds4' ,the ,christian ,religion embraces1 as much as ever it did1 the thought of men upon the ,earth4 ,all the tendencies of ,knowledge are not opposed to it4 ,the ,gospel is still immeasurably before the age4 ,intellect has not gone1--the loftiest order of well-trained intellects will never go1--the other way#ebc4 ,it is1 on the contrary1 none but a very shallow wit which errs4 ,had it confined its speculations to the cloister1 or come abroad with sorrow and shame1 we should have pitied in silence1 and in silence also have lamented4 ,but when it comes insultingly abroad1 and sets up a claim to intellectual superiority even while it denies the most sacred truths2--then pity gives way before indignation and disgust4 ,crown the whole with the iniquity of imputing these views generally to the more thoughtful of the ,english ,clergy#ebd1--;and we are constrained openly to resent the grievous wrong4 ,we declare it to be an unfounded calumny2 a calumny which1 in the name of the whole ,church1 ,i solemnly repel before ,,god1--and ,his ,holy ,angels1--and you6 ,vain1 utterly vain1--worthless1 utterly worthless1--must any superstructure of intellectual1 moral1 or religious training be1 which is built up on the doctrine that the ,bible is to be interpreted like any other ,book2 in other words1 that the ,bible is a common ,book2 in other words1 that ,inspiration is a fable and a dream4 ,we have no fear whatever that your high instincts1 7with all your faults671--your ,english manliness1--will1 to any extent be led astray1 by sophistry worthless as that which we have been exposing4 ,but we know you look to your appointed ,teachers from this place1 7as well you may17 for advice1 and support1 and encouragement1 in your better aspirations2--and let me1 at least1 in plain language1 warn you that novelties in ,religion never can be true4 ,philosophia1 says the great ,bishop ,pearson speaking of ,physical ,science2 ,philosophia quotidie progressu3 ,theologia nisi regressu non crescit#ebe4 ,ask for the old paths6 444 ,the faith1 remember1 was 1--once for all1--delivered to the ,saints4 ,there will be no new deposit4 ,there can be no new doctrines4 ,there has been no fresh ,revelation1--no new principle of guidance vouchsafed to man4 ,a new method of interpreting ,scripture is quite impossible4 ,and the true method1--the only true method--must be that which was adopted by our ,,saviour1 by ,his ,evangelists1 and by ,his ,apostles3 a method which they taught to their first disciples1 and which those early ,bishops and ,doctors handed on in turn to the generation which came after them4 ,that method1 by ,,god',s great goodness1 has descended in an unbroken stream1 even to ourselves2 who have described it this morning1 feebly indeed and unworthily1--yet1 in the main1 as it would have been described at any time1 by any of the glorious company of the ,apostles1 the goodly fellowship of the ,prophets1 the noble army of ,martyrs1--by any of the ,doctors and ,fathers of the ,holy ,church throughout the world6 ,o let it be our great concern1--yours and mine1--to preserve with undiminished lustre the whole deposit of ,heaven-descended teaching which is the ,church's treasure6444 ,like runners in a certain ancient race of which we all have read1 let it be our pride and joy1--yours and mine1--to grasp the torch of ,truth with a strong unwavering hand2 to run joyously with it so long as the days of this earthly race shall last2 and dying1 to hand it on to another1 who1 with strength renewed like the eagle's1 may again1--swiftly1 steadily1 exultingly1--run with it1 till he fails6444 ,so1 when the ,judge of quick and dead appeareth1--so let ,him find you occupied1--,o young men1 7many of you1 my friends17 who are already the hope of half the ,english ,church6 ,so faithfully may we1 ,brethren and ,fathers1 one and all1 be found employed1 when ,he cometh1--whose answer to the ,tempter is emphatically the text of the present solemn season1 as well as a mighty voucher for the ,divine origin1 and sustaining efficacy of that ,book concerning which ,i have been detaining you so long1--,it is written1 ,man shall not live by bread alone2 but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of ,,god6 ,ut verum fatear1 semper existimavi1 allusiones istas1 7ad quas confugiunt quidam tanquam ad sacrum su ignoranti asylum17 plerumque nihil aliud esse1 quam ,sacr ,scriptur abusiones manifestas4 ,,bishop ,,bull1 ,harmonia ,apostolica1 cap4 xi4 sect4 #c4 ,there would be no need to scruple the term1 if it were not meant to imply that this ,accommodation was arbitrary on the part of the ,evangelist2 or that the mind of ,,the ,,spirit that spoke by the ,prophet does not most fully include this application4 ,,dr4 ,w4 ,h4 ,,mill4 ,,footnotes3 #dcf ,preached at ,st4 ,mary-the-,virgin1 on the ,third ,sunday in ,lent1 ,march #crd1 #ahfa4 #dcg ,it cannot be said that this1 viz4 that the ,bible is the ,word of ,god1 is always remembered4 ,it cannot be said that they who write respecting the ,bible1 even ,christian writers who are looked up to1 always appear to have been in that frame of mind while contemplating the statements of the ,sacred ,volume1 which they1 the same men1 would have been in if they had been listening for a voice out of a cloud2 a word reaching them which was simply1 and in that sense1 the ,word of ,,god4 ,yet the ,sacred ,volume comes to us with no less claims than as conveying such a message2 and on every feature of it1 it carries that claim4 ,it professes to be this1--an account of what went on in the secret council-chamber of the ,,most ,,high4--,eden's ,sermons1 pp4 #aej-a4 #dch ,exposition of the ,creed1 ,art4 ,,ii4 7,our ,,lord17--vol4 i4 p4 #ahc4 #dci #a ,st4 ,peter i4 #aa4 #ddj ,eccl4 ,pol41 ,b4 v4 c4 lix4 #c4 #dda ,bp4 ,bull1 ,defensio ,fid4 ,nic4 ,i4 i4 #i1 7,works1 vol4 v4 i4 p4 #bb47 #ddb ,disc4 v4 ,the state of ,man before the ,fall4 ,bull's ,works1 vol4 ii4 p4 #ii4 #ddc ,,deus novit cordis mei secreta3 in dogmatis theologicis a novaturiendi prurigine 7quam etiam supremi ,judicis tribunal insiliens fidenter mihi tribuit theologi professor7 adeo alienus sum1 ut qucunque catholicorum ,patrum et veterum episcoporum consensu comprobata sunt1 etiamsi meum ingeniolum ea non assequatur1 tamen omni reverentia amplexurus sim4 ,nimirum non paucis experimentis monitus didiceram1 cum adhuc juvenis ,harmoniam scriberem1 7quod mihi jam confirmata tate persuasissimum est17 neminem catholico consensui repugnare posse1 quin is 7utcunque ipsi aliquantisper adblandiri videantur sacr ,scriptur loca nonnulla perperam intellecta1 et levicularum ratiuncularum phantasmata7 tandem et ,divinis ,oraculis et san rationi repugnasse deprehendatur4--,bp4 ,bull's ,works1 vol4 iv4 p4 #cac4 #ddd ,in days of unbelief1 one is tempted to add a note even on a ,theological truism like that in the text1--,esto igitur1 inquies2 fuerit ,deus1 qui in ,veteri ,testamento1 sive per ,angelum1 sive sub angelic reprsentatione sanctis viris apparuit et locutus est2 at qu demum ratione adducti crediderunt doctores1 fuisse ,,dei ,,filium8 ,respondeo3 ,ratione1 ni fallor1 optim1 quam ex traditione ,apostolic edidicerant4--,def4 ,fid4 ,nicn4 ,i4 i4 #ab4 ,bp4 ,bull's ,works1 vol4 v4 i4 p4 #bg4 #dde ' 1 1 4 ' 1 1 1 1 1 4 4 4--,the entire passage may be seen in the best annotated editions of ,eusebius1 7lib4 ,i4 c4 ii4 #ag47 since that of ,valesius1 who first introduced it to notice4 ,but to read it in a truly valuable context1 reference should be made to ,dr4 ,mill's ,christian ,advocate's publication for #ahda1 p4 #ib4 ,the note alluded to has been reprinted in ,dr4 ,lee's ,discourses ,on ,inspiration1 p4 #ece4 #ddf ,essays and ,reviews1 p4 #ca4 #ddg ,see ,appendix 7,j74 #ddh ,st4 ,john i4 #a-c4 #ddi ,so ,bp4 ,butler1 in a passage which will be found below1 at p4 #afe-f4--,very different is the judgment of ,professor ,jowett1 who is of opinion that it will be a further assistance in the consideration of this subject1 to observe that the ,interpretation of ,scripture has nothing to do with any opinion respecting its origin4--,essays and ,reviews1 p4 #cej4 #dej ,see above1 pp4 #ee-eg4 #dea ,professor ,jowett in ,essays and ,reviews1 pp4 #cic-djb4 ,he adds1--,discussions respecting the use of the ,greek article1 have gone far beyond the line of utility4 ,there seem to be reasons for doubting whether any considerable light can be thrown on the ,new ,testament from inquiry into the language4444 ,minute corrections of tenses or particles are no good4 7p4 #cic47 ,and this1 from a ,regius ,professor of ,greek6 #deb ,see below1 pp4 #afd-e4 #dec ,essays and ,reviews1 p4 #cgb4 #ded ,st4 ,matth4 ii4 #ae3ag1 #ah3bc4 #dee ,hos4 xi4 #a4 #def ,jer4 xxxi4 #ae4 #deg e4g4 ,is4 xi4 #a4 ,also ,zech4 iii4 #h3 vi4 #ab4 ,jer4 xxiii4 #e and xxxiii4 #ae4 #deh ,st4 ,matth4 viii4 #ag4 #dei ,is4 liii4 #d4 #dfj ,for consider ,exod4 ix4 #ai1 ,jonah iv4 #aa1 c4 #dfa #a ,cor4 ix4 #h-aj1 quoting ,dent4 xxv4 #d4 ,see also #a ,tim4 v4 #ah4--;,it seems providentially appointed that texts of the ,old ,testament should be called out into ,christian meaning which are the very texts we might have dismissed into a transitory interest4 ',thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn4' ',humane provision6'1 modern observation might say4 ',is it for oxen ,god careth8 is an ,apostle's interpretation of the same text2 'or saith ,he it altogether for our sakes8'4444 ,it is a law1 we find1 prospectively set down for the ,christian ,church4--,eden's ,sermons1 p4 #ahi4 #dfb ,ps4 viii4 #g4 #dfc ,heb4 ii4 #f-h4 #a ,cor4 xv4 #be1 and ,eph4 i4 #bb4--,see ,shuttleworth's ,paraphrase of the first place cited1 p4 #cid4 #dfd ,exod4 xiv4 #bb1 #bi4 #dfe #a ,cor4 x4 #a-d4 #dff ,st4 ,john vi4 #cb-eh4 #dfg ,hebr4 ix4 #f-i4 #dfh ,ibid4 v4 #aa1 #ab4 #dfi 1 4 ,hebr4 x4 #bj4 #dgj ,hebr4 ix4 #b-e4 #dga ,hebr4 xiii4 #aa1 #ab4 #dgb ,eph4 v4 #cj-cb4 #dgc 4 #a ,st4 ,pet4 iii4 #ba4 #dgd ,hebr4 v4 #aj4 #dge ,hebr4 vii4 #a-aj4 ,the student in ,divinity will find it well worth his while to inquire for a ,latin ,dissertation by the late learned ,dr4 ,w4 ,h4 ,mill on this subject4 #dgf ,essays and ,reviews1 pp4 #cch1 #cge1 #cgg1 #dai-bj1 #dbf1 #dbh1 #dbi1 c4 ,the advice is ,professor ,jowett's4 #dgg ,hebr4 v4 #aa4 #dgh ,gen4 xiv4 #ah4 #dgi 4--,hebr4 v4 #aa4 #dhj ,hebr4 v4 #ab-ad4 #dha ,dr4 ,temple in ,essays and ,reviews4 #dhb #b ,cor4 iii4 #ab-af4--,take notice that in allusion to the place1 ,exod4 xxxiv4 #cd1 7 ' 1 17 ,st4 ,paul says1-- ' 1 4 ,the expression is altered in order to bring out more clearly the allegorical meaning4 #dhc ,st4 ,luke xxiv4 #be-bg4 #dhd ,acts xxviii4 #bc4 #dhe ,acts xxvi4 #bb1 #bc4 #dhf ,st4 ,john v4 #df1 #dg4 #dhg ,zech4 ix4 #aa1 #ab4 #dhh ,bp4 ,pearson4 #dhi ,consider ,st4 ,john ii4 #ag1 #bb3 xii4 #af4 ,st4 ,luke xxiv4 #h1 #de4 ,acts xi4 #af4 #dij 4--,st4 ,luke iv4 #e4 #dia ,st4 ,matth4 xix4 #e4 ,st4 ,luke xvii4 #bg and #cb4 ,st4 ,matth4 xi4 #bc3 xii4 #d and #db4 ,st4 ,luke iv4 #be-bg4 #dib ,prov4 vi4 #bf4 ,consider v4 #i4 ,eccl4 vii4 #bf4 ,gen4 xxxix4 #bj4 #b ,sam4 xi4 #ae4 ,st4 ,mark vi4 #be4 #dic ,the learned reader1--7and the unlearned reader too1 who will bear in mind that 1 in the ,e4 ,v4 'having spoiled1' certainly means 'having stripped off from himself1'7--is invited to consider with attention those words of ,col4 ii4 #ae3-- 1 1 not 1 observe2 sc4 4 ,see by all means ,pearson on the ,creed1 ,art4 v4 note 7l73 7ed4 ,burton1 vol4 ii4 p4 #bag-h47 ,cf4 ,eph4 ii4 #af4 ,consider ,st4 ,luke xi4 #bb4 ,to complete the teaching of the passage1 the reader is invited to study also1 in connexion with what goes before1 #a ,cor4 ii4 #f-h2 taking notice1 that are not1 7as the marginal references suggest17 the powers of the visible1 but of the invisible ,world4 ,see ,st4 ,john xii4 #ca3 xiv4 #cj3 xvi4 #aa1 and ,ephes4 ii4 #b3 vi #ab4--,see ,ignatius ,ep4 ad ,ephes4 c4 xix41 7with the notes in ,jacobson's ed47 ,see also ,dr4 ,mill on the ,temptation1 p4 #afe4 #did ,see ,sermon ,,vi4 #die ,professor ,jowett in ,essays and ,reviews1 p4 #cgh4 #dif ,professor ,jowett in ,essays and ,reviews1 p4 #cch4 #dig ,consider ,st4 ,john xii4 #af3 x4 #f3 xi4 #ac4 ,st4 ,luke xviii4 #cd4 ,st4 ,matth4 xvi4 #aa1 #ab4 ,st4 ,john viii4 #bg1 c41 c4 #dih ,see ,st4 ,john xi4 #di-eb3 vi34 #cg-ci4 #dii ,analogy1 ,part ii4 ch4 vii4 #ejj ,augustine1 speaking of the ,new ,testament1 says1--,factum quidem est1 et ita ut narratur1 impletum2 sed tamen etiam ipsa1 qu a ,,domino facta sunt1 aliquid significantia erant1--quasi verba 7si dici potest7 visibilia1 et aliquid significantia4--,opp41 tom4 v4 p4 #dba ,f4 #eja ,essays and ,reviews1 pp4 #cfh1 #cgb4 #ejb ,professor ,jowett in ,essays and ,reviews1 p4 #cgd4 #ejc ,professor ,jowett in ,essays and ,reviews1 p4 #dah4 #ejd ,is4 lxiii4 #b1 #c4 #eje ,is4 liii4 #ejf ,comp4 ,ps4 xxxi4 #e with ,st4 ,luke xxiii4 #df4 #ejg ,by ,professor ,jowett for example4 ,the time will come when educated men will no more be able to believe that the words of ,hos4 xi4 #a were intended by the prophet to refer to the return of ,joseph and ,mary from ,egypt1 than1 c4--,e4 and ,r41 p4 #dah4 ,when did educated men ever believe anything of the kind8 #ejh ,st4 ,john xi4 #ej4 ,comp4 xviii4 #ad4 #eji ,davison on ,prophecy1 p4 #aib4 #eaj ,zech4 xi4 #ab1 #ac4 #eaa ,is4 l4 #f4 #eab ,ps4 xxii4 #af4 ,zech4 xiii4 #ac4 #eac ,ps4 xxii4 #ah4 #ead ,adoro ,scriptur plenitudinem4--,tertullian adv4 ,hermog41 c4 #bb4 #eae ,comp4 ,st4 ,matth4 ii4 #bj1 with the ,,lxx ,version of ,exod4 iv4 #ai3 ,st4 ,matth4 iii4 #d1 with the same version of #b ,kings i4 #h3 ,st4 ,matth4 xxvi4 #ch with ,ps4 xlii4 #e4 ,st4 ,luke i4 #cg1 with ,gen4 xviii4 #ad1--;i4 #dh1 with #a ,sam4 i4 #aa1 and with ,gen4 xxx4 #ac1--;i4 #ej1 with ,ps4 ciii4 #ag4 ,st4 ,john i4 #eb1 with ,gen4 xxviii4 #ab1--;c41 c4 #eaf ,a few examples may prove suggestive to a thoughtful reader3--1 in ,st4 ,luke ix4 #ca and in #a ,st4 ,pet4 i4 #ae3--1 in ,st4 ,matth4 xvii4 #aa1 7cf4 ,mal4 iv4 #e73 1 in ,st4 ,luke xii4 #db1 7cf4 ,gen4 xlvii4 #ab73 1 in ,st4 ,luke xxiii4 #dc4 ,the reference is of course always to the ,septuagint version4 #eag ,ps4 xlvi4 #d3 xlviii4 #a1 #h3 lxxxvii4 #c4 ,is4 lii4 #a3 lx4 #ad4 ,ezek4 xlviii4 ,ephes4 ii4 #ai1 #bj4 ,phil4 iii4 #bj4 ,gal4 iv4 #bf4 ,hebr4 xi4 #aj3 xii4 #bb3 xiii4 #ad4 ,rev4 xxi4 #b1 #aj3 iii4 #ab1 c4 #eah ,scriptores 1 de typo disserentes1 divinius quiddam ex inopinato pati solent1 et ad antitypum vehementiore ,spiritus afflatu rapi et elevari4 ,assertionis hujusce veritas inde constat1 quod verba qudam haud expectata spius inferant1 qu ,,messi vel solum vel aptius quam ,illius typo congruant4--,spencer ,de ,legg4 ,hebr41 vol4 ii4 p4 #ajce4 ,consider such places as ,ps4 ii4 #f1 #g3 xli4 #i1 #aj3 xlv4 #aj1 #aa3 lxi4 #f3 lxxii4 #e1 #g1 #aa1 #af1 #ag3 lxxxix4 #bi4 ,gen4 xlix4 #ah4 ,is4 lxi4 #a1 #b1 #c4 ,zech4 vi4 #aa1 #ab4 #eai ,st4 ,mark xii4 #cf4 #ebj ,and their manner of treating this subject when laid before them1 shews what is in their heart1 and is an exertion of it4 ,bp4 ,butler's ,analogy1 ,p4 ,,ii4 ch4 vi4--,see ,appendix 7,c74 #eba ,eden's ,sermons1 pp4 #aib-e4 #ebb ,with the exception of the still-imperfect science of ,geology1 7says ,dr4 ,pusey17 the ,essays and ,reviews contain nothing with which those acquainted with the writings of unbelievers in ,germany have not been familiar these thirty years4 ,even the ,apologist for the volume in question assures us that one who had looked ever so cursorily through the works of ,herder1 ,schleiermacher1 ,lcke1 ,neander1 ,de ,wette1 ,ewald1 c41 would see that the greater part of the passages which have given so much cause for exultation or for offence in this volume1 have their counterpart in those distinguished ,theologians4--,edinb4 ,rev41 ,ap4 #ahfa1 p4 #dhj4 #ebc ,rev4 ,b4 ,jowett in ,essays and ,reviews1 pp4 #cgd-e4 #ebd ,rev4 ,b4 ,jowett in ,essays and ,reviews1 pp4 #cgb1 7bottom17 #cdj1 #cgd1 c4 #ebe ,minor ,works1 vol4 ii4 pp4 #i-aj4--;,in ,christianity1 there can be no concerning truth which is not ancient2 and whatsoever is truly new is certainly false4--,epistle ,dedicatory prefixed to ,pearson on the ,creed1 p4 x4 ,,sermon ,,vi4#ebf 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,doctrine ,,of ,,arbitrary ,,scriptural ,,accommodation ,,considered4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,romans x4 #f-i4 ,but the ,righteousness which is of ,faith speaketh on this wise1--',say not in thine heart1 ,who shall ascend into ,heaven8' 7that is1 to bring ,,christ down from above37 or1 ',who shall descend into the deep8' 7that is1 to bring up ,,christ again from the dead47 ,but what saith it8 ',the word is nigh thee1 even in thy mouth1 and in thine heart3' that is1 the word of ,faith1 which we preach2 that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the ,,lord ,,jesus1 and shalt believe in thine heart that ,,god hath raised ,him from the dead1 thou shalt be saved4 ,it is quite marvellous in how many different ways different classes of professing ,christians have contrived to nullify the value of their admission that the ,bible is inspired4 ,some would distinguish the inspiration of the ,historical ,book from that of those which we call ,prophetical4 ,others profess to lay their finger on what are the proper subjects of ,inspiration1 and what are not4 ,some are for a general superintending guidance which yet did not effectually guide2 while others represent the sacred ,writers as subject1 in what they delivered1 to the conditions of knowledge in the age where their lot was cast4 ,the view of ,inspiration which ,scripture itself gives us1--namely1 that ,god is therein speaking by human lips#ebg2 so that 'holy men of ,,god' delivered themselves as they were 'impelled1' 'borne along1' or 'lifted up1' 77 by the ,,holy ,,ghost#ebh2--this plain account of the matter1 ,i say1 which converts 'all ,scripture' into something 'breathed into by ,,god1' 717#ebi--men are singularly slow to acknowledge4 ,the methods which they have devised in order to escape from so plain a revealed ,truth1 are ',legion4' ,second to none of the enemies of ,holy ,writ1 practically1 are they who deny its depth and fulness4 ,it is only another1 and a more ingenious way1 of denying the ,inspiration of the ,bible1 to evacuate its more mysterious statements4 ,those who are for eluding the secondary intention of ,prophecy1 the obviously mystical teaching of ,types1 the allegorical character of many a sacred ,narrative1--are no less dangerous enemies of ,,god's ,word than those who frame unworthy theories in order to dwarf ,inspiration to the standard of their own conceptions of its nature and office4 ,i say1 it is only another way of denying the ,inspiration of ,scripture1 to deny what is sometimes called its mystical1 sometimes its typical1 sometimes its allegorical sense4444 ,and thus1--what with the arbitrary decrees of our own unsupported opinion1 or the self-sufficient exercise of our own supposed discernment2--what with our insolent mistrust2 or our shortsighted folly and presumption2 or1 lastly1 our coldness and deadness of heart1--our slender appetite for ,divine things1 which makes us yearn back after ,earth1 at the very open gate of ,heaven2--in one way or other1 ,i repeat1 we contrive to evacuate our own admission that the ,bible is an inspired ,book3 we fasten discredit on its every page3 we become profane men1 like ,esau3 we despise our birthright4 ,but the most subtle enemy of all remains yet to be noticed4 ,it is he1 who1--finding the plain ,word of ,,god against him3 finding himself refuted in his endeavour to fix one intention only on the words of the ,,holy ,,ghost1 and that intention1 the most obvious and literal one2 finding himself refuted even by the express revelation of the same ,,holy ,,ghost1 elsewhere delivered2--bends himself straightway to resist1 and explain away1 that later revelation of what was the earlier meaning4 ,it is a marvellous thing but so it is1 that the very man who contended so stoutly a moment ago for the literal meaning of ,scripture1 now refuses1 and denies it4 ,anything but that6 ,if he allows that ,st4 ,matthew1 or ,st4 ,paul1--yea1 or even our ,blessed ,,lord ,himself1--are to be literally understood2 are severally to be taken to mean what they say2--then1 ,moses and ,david1--narrative1 law1 and psalm1--besides their literal meaning1 have1 at least sometimes1--and they may have always1--a mystical meaning also4 ,under the evident1 palpable signification of the words1 there lies concealed something grander1 and deeper1 and broader2 high as ,heaven1--deep as ,hell4 ,and this supposition is so monstrous an one2 seems so derogatory to their notions of the mind of ,,god2--it is deemed so improbable a thing1 that the words of ,him1 whose ways are not like ,man's ways1 should span the present and the future1 at a grasp2--that ,he whose thoughts are very deep1 should1 with language thereto corresponding1 be setting forth ,,christ and ,his ,redemption1 while ,he tells of ,patriarchs and ,lawgivers1--,judges and ,kings1--priests and prophets of the ,,lord3--,i say1 it is deemed so incredible a thing that ,moses should have written concerning ,,christ1 7though our ,,saviour ,,christ ,himself declares that ,moses did write concerning ,him7#ecj2 or that the occasional expressions of the ,prophets should really contain the far-reaching allusions which in the ,new ,testament are assigned to them2 that the men ,i speak of1--men of learning 7sometimes71 and of piety too1--will condescend to every imaginable artifice in order to escape the cogency of the ,divine statement4 ,st4 ,paul--was infected with the ,hebrew method of interpretation4 7,it is of course assumed that this method was essentially erroneous6 ,it is overlooked that our ,,lord had recourse to it1 as well as ,st4 ,paul6 ,it is either forgotten1 or denied1 that the ,,holy ,,ghost1 speaking by the mouth of ,st4 ,paul1 acquiesced in every instance of such interpretation on the part of ,his chosen vessel67 444 ,as for ,st4 ,matthew1 he addressed his ,gospel to the ,jews1 and therefore reasoned as a ,jew would4 7,st4 ,matthew's ,gospel was not of course intended for the ,christian ,church6 ,the blessed ,evangelist was also deeply learned1--it is of course reasonable to suppose1--in the sacred hermeneutics of the ,hebrew ,schools67 444 ,the other ,sacred ,writers1 it is pretended1 all wrote according to the prejudices of the age in which they lived4--,in all these cases1 it is contended that merely in the way of ,accommodation1 is the language of the ,old ,testament cited in the ,new4 ,what was said of one thing is transferred to quite another1--to suit the purpose of the later writer2 to illustrate his reasoning1 to adorn or to enforce his statements4444 ,and this brings me to a question of so much importance1 that ,i pause to make a few remarks upon it4 ,in the present discourse1 it shall suffice to remark on the doctrine of ,scriptural ,,accommodation2 for which it is presumed that the text1 7selected not without reference to the present ,sacred ,season17 affords ample scope1 as well as supplies a fair occasion4 ,now1 it is not to the term ,accommodation1 that we entertain any dislike2 but to the notion which it seems intended to convey2 and to the principle which we believe that it actually embodies4 ,that the ,,holy ,,spirit in the ,new ,testament sometimes accommodates to ,his purpose a quotation in the ,old1--is very often a mere matter of fact4 ,in all those places1 for instance1 where ,st4 ,paul inverts the clauses of a place cited1--there is a manifest accommodation of ,scripture1 in the strictest sense of the word4 ,when two1 three1 or more texts1 widely disconnected in the ,old ,testament1 are continuously exhibited in the ,new1--a species of accommodation has1 of course1 been employed4 ,the same may be said when a change of construction is discoverable4 ,again1 there is accommodation1 of course1 when narrative1--legal enactment1--or prophecy1 is so exhibited that the point of its hidden teaching shall become apparent4 ,nay1 in a certain sense of the word1 there is accommodation1 as often as a prophecy1 however plain1 is applied to the historical event which it purports to foretel4 ,the prophecy may be said1--7with no great propriety indeed1 but still1 intelligibly17--to have been accommodated to its fulfilment4--,occasionally1 a general promise is made particular1--as in ,hebrews xiii4 #f2 and perhaps this might be called an accommodation of the text to the needs of an individual believer4 ,yet is it plain that in all these cases 'application' or 'adaptation' would be a better word4 ,but such ways of adducing ,holy ,scripture1 we suspect1 are not by any means what is meant by ',accommodation2' and they do not certainly correspond with the notion which the term is calculated to convey4 ,the place in the ,old ,covenant1 seems1 7from the term employed17 to have been forced1 against its conscience1 as it were1 to bear witness in behalf of the ,new4 ,it has been wrenched away from its natural bearing and intention2 and made to accommodate itself1--and1 on the part of the writer1 quite arbitrarily1--to a purpose1 with which it has1 in reality1 no manner of connexion4 ,this1 ,i say1 is the notion which the term ,accommodation seems to convey4 ,i am supposing1 of course1--7as the opposite school is1 of course1 supposing17--not an illustration1--which obviously any writer1 whether ordinary or inspired1 has a right to introduce at will2 but a case where the cogency of the argument depends entirely on the place cited4 ,a sudden and unforeseen requirement arose2--nothing entirely fit and applicable occurred to the memory3 but by an arbitrary handling of the ancient ,oracles of ,,god1--7altogether illogical and inconclusive indeed1 yet entitled to a certain measure of respectful consideration at our hands1 and certainly having a strong claim on our indulgence17--the later writer saw that he should be able to substantiate his position1 or to strengthen his argument1 or to prove his point4 ,and he did not hesitate to do so4 ,it is surprising that his hearers or his readers should have accepted his statements1 and admitted his reasoning2--very6 ,but they did4 ,and it is for us1 the heirs of the wisdom of all the ages1 to detect the time-honoured fallacy and to expose it4--,this1 ,i say1 is the notion which the term ,accommodation seems calculated to convey2 and it is to be feared1 does very often represent4 ,and the introduction of this principle1 as already explained1 ,i cannot but regard as the most insidious device of all4 ,it admits fully all that we have elsewhere laboured to establish4 ,it freely grants that ,apostles and ,evangelists were inspired4 ,but then1 it denies that much of what they deliver in the way of interpretation of ,scripture1 is to be regarded as real interpretation4 ,by a taste for ,allegory2 by ,rhetorical license2 on any principle1 it seems1 but one1 is the ,divine method to be accounted for2 and the plain facts of the case to be obscured1 or explained away4 ,now ,i altogether reject this principle of arbitrary ,accommodation4 ,i hold it to be a mere dream and delusion4 ,and ,i reject it on the following grounds3-- #a4 ,it is evidently a mere excuse for ,human ignorance1--a transparent deceit4 ,men do not see how to explain1 or account for1 the apparent license of the ,divine method2 and so they have invented this method of escape4 ,most cordially do ,i subscribe to the opinion expressed by ,bishop ,bull1 in his discussion of the very text which we are now about to consider3--,atque1 ut verum fatear1 semper existimavi1 allusiones istas1 7ad quas confugiunt quidam tanquam ad sacrum su ignoranti asylum17 plerumque aliud nihil esse1 quam sacr ,scriptur abusiones manifestas#eca4 #b4 ,the theory of ,accommodation1 7as it is called17 is attended with this fatal inconvenience1--that1 7like certain other expedients which have been invented to get over difficulties in ,religion17 it altogether fails of its object4 ,for even if we should grant1 7for argument's sake17 that some quotations from the ,old ,testament can be explained on this principle1--so long as there remain others which defy it altogether1 nothing is gained by the proposed expedient4 ,thus1 so long as attention is directed to certain of the places in ,st4 ,paul's writings already referred to#ecb1 there is certainly no absurdity in adducing them as instances of ,rhetorical license4 ,but how can it be pretended that the text whereby ,st4 ,paul establishes1 7on two distinct occasions17 the right of the ,christian ,ministry to a liberal maintenance1--with what propriety can it be thought that ,deut4 xxv4 #d lends itself to such a theory8 ,those words seem1--and1 apart from ,revelation1 might without hesitation have been declared1--to have nothing at all to do with the matter#ecc6 ,to talk of the accommodation of words so eminently unaccommodating1 is unreasonable1 and even absurd4 #c4 ,but1 allowing the advocates of this theory all they can possibly require1 the result of their endeavours is but to make the ,sacred writers ridiculous after all4 ,for it attributes to them a method1 which1 if it be a mere exhibition of human fancy1 often seems to be but a species of ingenious trifling1--scarcely entitled to serious attention at our hands4 ,there is no alternative1 in short1 between certain of the expositions which we meet with1 being ,divine1--and therefore worthy of all acceptation2 or ,human1--and therefore entitled to no absolute deference whatever4 #d4 ,on the other hand1 learned research has hitherto invariably tended to shew that the meaning claimed for ,scripture by an ,apostle or ,evangelist1 does actually exist there4 ,thus1 it has been admirably demonstrated that the ,evangelical meaning attributed by ,st4 ,matthew1 7in the first chapters of his ,gospel17 to certain places in the ancient ,prophetical ,scriptures of the ,jewish people1 derives nothing but corroboration from the inquiries of ,piety and ,learning#ecd4444 ,it is proposed on the present occasion1 without pretending to bring to the question any such helps as these1 to examine the portion of ,holy ,scripture already under our notice1 with a view to ascertaining what light it will throw on the main question at issue4 ,to this task1 ,i now address myself4 ,st4 ,paul's words1 from the #fth to the #ith verse 7inclusive7 of the xth chapter of his ,epistle to the ,romans1 present probably1 as fair an example as could be desired of what is sometimes called ,accommodation4 ,to say the truth1 ,i know not an instance of what1 in any uninspired writing1 ,i should have been myself more inclined to stigmatize as such4 ,the ,apostle begins an affectionate remonstrance with his countrymen by declaring that they did not understand the ,righteousness of ,,god2 7that is1 the ,divine method whereby ,,god wills that we shall be made righteous1 by faith in ,,christ27 but desired to set up 77 a righteousness of their own1 on the worthless foundation of their own ,works#ece4 ,for1 7he proceeds2 with plain reference to what the ,righteousness of ,,god is27--,for ,,christ is the end 7aim1 or object17 of the ,law#ecf to every one who hath faith in ,,christ4 ,st4 ,paul straightway proceeds1 7as his manner is17 to establish this latter proposition4 ,how does he do it8 ,for1 7he begins again17--,moses describes the nature of the righteousness which proceeds from the ,law1 when he declares in ,leviticus xviii4 #e1 that ',the man who hath done the deeds commanded by the ,law1 shall live thereby4'--,but concerning the ,righteousness which proceeds from ,faith1--it was called before1 'the ,righteousness of ,,god1'--,moses writes as follows#ecg3--',say not in thine heart1 ,who shall ascend into ,heaven8 7that is1 to bring ,,christ down37 or1 ,who shall descend into the deep8 7that is1 to bring ,,christ up from the dead47 ,but what saith it8 ,the word is nigh thee1 in thy mouth1 and in thy heart3 that is1 the word of faith1 which we preach3 because if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the ,,lord ,,jesus1 and shalt believe in thine heart that ,,god raised ,him from the dead1 thou shalt be saved4 ,here then is a quotation from the xxxth chapter of the ,book of ,deuteronomy1--a quotation introduced in the way of argument1 in support of a proposition3 the remarkable circumstance being1 that ,st4 ,paul adduces the words of ,moses with extraordinary license4 ,for first1 he omits as many of the ,prophet's words as make little for his purpose1 while he introduces a very remarkable alteration in some of the words which he retains3 amounting to a substitution of one sentence for another4 ,and next1 there is one single word1 which he expands into an important phrase2 and that merely to suit his own argument4 ,but the strangest thing of all is the interpretation which he delivers of words1 which as we have just seen1 are partly his own1--partly1 the words of ,moses3 by which interpretation1 the most strikingly ,christian character is fastened upon sayings pronounced by the ancient ,lawgiver in the land of ,moab1 to the ,jewish people4--,we do further1 for our own part1 most freely admit1 that the place1--as it stands in the ,old ,testament1--neither at first1 nor at second sight1 seems to have any such meaning as the ,apostle assigns to it4 ,i will remind you of the words in ,deuteronomy1 by reading the entire passage3--,this commandment which ,i command thee this day1 444 is not hidden from thee1 neither is it far off4 ,it is not in ,heaven1 that thou shouldest say1 ,who shall go up for us to ,heaven1 and bring it unto us1 that we may hear it1 and do it8 ,neither is it beyond the sea1 that thou shouldest say1 ,who shall go over the sea for us1 and bring it unto us1 that we may hear it1 and do it8 ,but the word is very nigh unto thee1 in thy mouth1 and in thy heart1 that thou mayest do it4 444 ,now1 ,i say1 one of ourselves might read this passage in the ,book of ,deuteronomy over a hundred times1 and never suspect that ,moses1 when he so wrote1 was writing concerning faith in ,,christ3 and yet we have the sure testimony of the ,,holy ,,spirit to the fact that he was4--,the inquiry1 ,who shall ascend into ,heaven81 signifies1 we are told1 ,who shall ascend1--to bring down ,,christ from above8--,and just so1 the other clause1 ,who shall descend into the deep81 is declared to be an incomplete expression3 the full phrase being1--,who shall descend1--to bring up ,,christ#ech from the dead4 444 ,now we never desire to see a non-natural sense fastened on the ,inspired ,word4 ,with ,hooker1 we hold it for a most infallible rule in expositions of sacred ,scripture1 that1 where a literal construction will stand1 the furthest from the letter is commonly the worst4 ,we contend therefore that whereas we have here the explicit assurance that ,moses wrote of none other than ,,christ1--though his words do not bear upon them any evidence of the fact1--it is a mere trifling with holy things1 to call the fact in question4 ,here1 however1 we shall be reminded that the great ,apostle1--though professing to quote1--confessedly argues in part from his own language1 which is not the language of ,moses4 ,moses says1--,who shall go over the sea for us8 7 27 ,and since the version of the ,,lxx is what the ,author of the ,epistle to the ,romans follows in this place1 it is reasonable to expect that he would adhere to that version1 or at least to the sense of that version1 in the exhibition of so important a clause as the present4 ,whereas1 instead of ,who shall go over the sea1 we find ,st4 ,paul writing1--,who shall go down into the deep8 7 27--language evidently highly suggestive of the mysterious transaction to which the same ,st4 ,paul says it contains a reference#eci2 but certainly not the language of ,moses4 ,and we shall be reminded that this is not merely phraseology rescued from vagueness1 and made definite2 but it is the actual substitution of one thought for another4 ,this is what will be said2 and if it be followed up by the assertion that here1 therefore1 we have a clear example of ,scriptural ,accommodation1 it might seem1 at first sight1 impossible to deny the fact4 ,for our own parts1 we are inclined to meet the present difficulty1 and every similar one1 in quite another spirit2 and dispose of the objection1 somewhat in the following way4 ,the same ,,god who gave us the ,scriptures of the ,old ,testament1 gave us the ,new ,testament also4 ,the ,bible is one4 ,he who inspired the ,law1 inspired the ,gospel4 ,the ,,holy ,,ghost pleads with us in both alike4--,surely1 therefore1 ,he who spake of old time by the ,prophets1 may be allowed1 when1 in the last days1 ,he speaks by the ,apostles of ,,christ1--to explain ,his earlier meaning1 if ,he will4 ,surely1 ,he may tell the ,israel of ,,god1--if ,he pleases1--what ,he meant by the language ,he held of old time to ,israel after the flesh6 ,yea1 and if it seemeth good to ,him to call in the wealth of ,his ancient treasury1 in order to recoin it that ,he may the more enrich us thereby3--if it pleases ,him to take ,his ancient speeches back again into ,his mouth1 in order that ,he may syllable them anew1--making them sweeter than honey to our lips1 yea1 sweeter than honey and the honeycomb2--what is ,man that he should reply against ,,god8 ,what should be our posture1 at witnessing such a spectacle1 but one of ,adoration8 ,what1 our becoming language1 but praise8 ,it is easy to anticipate the answer that will be made to all this4 ,we shall be told that we are1 in some sort1 begging the question4 ,the ,bible is an ,inspired ,book1 indeed3 but what is ,inspiration8--,moses wrote the ,book called ,deuteronomy3 ,st4 ,paul wrote the ,epistle to the ,romans4 ,and ,st4 ,paul1--quoting a passage out of the older record1--has substituted a sentiment of his own for a sentiment contained in the writings of ,moses4 ,he does the same thing in other places2 and elsewhere1 as here1 he proceeds to reason upon the data he has so obtained4 ,this1 it will be said1 is the phenomenon which we have to deal with4 ,but1 we reply1 it is manifest that he who so argues1--with all his apparent good sense1 and fairness1--is entirely committed to a theory concerning ,inspiration2 and that a very unworthy one4 ,the ,bible comes to us as an ,inspired ,book2 claiming to be the very ,word of ,,god4 ,the ,holy ,church throughout all the ,world1 doth acknowledge it to be so4 ,surely1 therefore1 it is for us to study its contents by the light of this previous fact4--,but quite contrary is the method of our opponents4 ,they treat the ,bible as if it were an ordinary ,book4 ,they submit its contents to the same irreverent handling as they would the productions of a merely human intellect4 ,they not only reason about its claims from its contents1--but they would even pronounce upon its claims1 from the same evidence4 ,they dare to sit in judgment upon it4 ,hence their lax notions on the subject of ,inspiration4 ,they first run riot among statements which are too hard for them2 and when they have perplexed themselves with these1 till the field is strewed with doubts1 and the limits of unbelief and mistrust have become extended on every side1--,inspiration1 like an ill-defined boundary-line on a map1 is suffered faintly to hem in1 and enclose the utmost verge of the unhappy domain4--,whereas1 we maintain that a belief in the ,bible1 as an ,inspired ,book1 should1 at the outset1 prescribe a limit to human speculations4 ,let this belief encircle us exactly1 and entirely2 and define1 at once1 the area within which all our reasonings must be taught to marshal themselves1 and to find their full development4 ,in brief1 our opponents meet our remonstrance by another2 but1 as we contend1 an unreasonable one2--at least1 as proceeding from men who1 no less than ourselves1 allow freely the ,inspiration of ,scripture4 ,we say1--,the ,bible is the word of ,,god4 ,fill your heart with this conviction1 and then humbly address yourself to the study of its pages4--,it is argued on the other side1--,the pages of the ,bible are full of perplexing statements4 ,they evolve strange phenomena1 interminably4 ,convince yourself of this2 and then make up your mind1 if you can1 about the ,inspiration of the ,bible#edj4444 ,i shall have occasion1 by and by1 to explain more in detail the spirit in which the ,divine ,logic1--,inspired reasoning as it may be called1--is to be approached4 ,for the moment1 ,i am content to waive the question2 and to be ,st4 ,paul's apologist1 almost as if ,i had met with his words in an uninspired book4 ,solemnly protesting1 then1 that the ground we have just occupied is the only true ground on which to take our stand2 but withdrawing from it because we do not fear the appeal to unassisted ,reason1 even in matters of ,faith1--so that the proper limits and conditions of inquiry be but observed2--we proceed to inquire whether1--apart from ,revelation1--there be not good ground for believing that the words of the ancient ,hebrew ,lawgiver and ,prophet contain and mean the very thing which the ,christian ,apostle says they do4--,we change our language at this stage of the inquiry4 ,we no longer assert1 7as before we did17 that the ,,holy ,,ghost speaking by the mouth of ,moses1 must have meant1 what the same ,,holy ,,ghost1 speaking by the mouth of ,st4 ,paul1 declares that ,he did mean4 ,we are willing to study the sacred text solely by the light which grave criticism and patient learning have thrown upon it4--,our inquiry now1 is this2--,although the words in ,deuteronomy1 read over attentively by ourselves1 suggest no such ,christian meaning as we find affixed to them in the ,epistle to the ,romans1--is there no reason1 traditional or otherwise1 for supposing that they do envelope that meaning2 yea1 so teem and swell with it1 that the germ of the flower may be actually detected in the yet unopened bud8444 ,i proceed to this inquiry4 #a4 ,and first1 it is obvious1 to any one reading the xxixth and xxxth chapters of the last ,book of ,moses1 that they contain another ,covenant1 beside that of ,horeb4 ,this is expressly stated in the first verse of the xxixth chapter3--,these are the words of the ,covenant which the ,lord commanded ,moses to make with the children of ,israel in the land of ,moab1 beside the ,covenant which ,he made with them in ,horeb#eda4 ,not to stand too stiffly thereupon1 however#edb1 let it be at least freely allowed that even if we choose to regard this chapter and the next as a renewal only of the ,covenant made in ,horeb1 it is a distinct renewal2--both in respect of time and of place4 ,of time1--for whereas the ,covenant of ,sinai belongs to the first of the forty years of wandering1 the ,covenant of ,moab belongs to the last4 ,of place1--for whereas the other was made at the furthest limit of the people's wanderings1 this belongs to their nearest approach to ,canaan4--,and ,i confidently ask1 ,after such an announcement1 and at a moment like that1--the forty years of typical wandering ended1 and the earthly type of the heavenly inheritance full in view1 ,jordan alone intercepting the vision of their ,rest2--shall we wonder1 if here and there a ray of coming glory shall be found to flash through the language of the dying patriarch8 if some traces shall be discernible1 even in the language of ,moses1 of the dayspring of the ,gospel of ,,christ8 #b4 ,we find that it contains not a few sayings in support of such a presumption4 ,the #ajth verse opens the covenant1 and in the following solemn language3--,ye stand1 this day1 all of you1 before the ,,lord your ,,god3 the ,captains of your tribes1 your ,elders1 and your officers1 with all the men of ,israel2--your little ones1 your wives1 and the stranger that is in thy camp1--from the hewer of thy wood1 to the drawer of thy water4 ,and what was the intention of this solemn standing before the ,,lord8 ,even--that thou shouldest enter into ,covenant with the ,,lord thy ,,god1 and enter into ,his oath1 which the ,,lord thy ,,god maketh with thee this day4--,the purport of the ,covenant thus to be made1 was1 that ,,god might establish ,israel that day for a people unto ,himself1 and that ,he might be unto them a ,,god1--7an expression elsewhere appropriated by the ,great ,apostle to the ,christian ,church#edc17--;as ,he had 444 sworn unto their fathers1 to ,abraham1 to ,isaac1 and to ,jacob4 ,so that we have here the renewal of the ,evangelical ,covenant made with ,abraham1 and renewed to ,isaac and ,jacob1--which is clearly distinguished in ,scripture from the ,legal ,covenant1 made with their children #dcj years after2 and which is declared ineffectual to disannul the earlier one1 confirmed before by ,,god1 and pointing entirely to ,,christ#edd4 ,that earlier ,evangelical ,covenant then1 it was1 which was renewed in the land of ,moab2--in the course of renewing which1 the words of the text occur4 #c4 ,and that it was indeed the ,evangelical1 7not the ,legal ,covenant17 which is here spoken of1 is abundantly confirmed by the subsequent language of the passage3 for ,moses proceeds1--,neither with you only do ,i make this ,covenant and this oath2 but with him that standeth here this day with us before the ,,lord our ,,god1 and also with him that is not here with us this day#ede3 meaning1 7as the ancient ,targum expounds the place17 with every generation that shall rise up unto the world's end4 ,it was the same ,covenant1 therefore1 which is made with ourselves2 for the promise is unto us1 and to our children1 and to all that are afar off1 even as many as the ,,lord our ,,god shall call#edf3 not according to the ,covenant which ,,god made with the ,fathers of ,israel in the day that ,he took them by the hand to bring them out of the ,land of ,egypt#edg4 ,yet more remarkably perhaps is this established by the language of the ensuing chapter3 for ,,god therein promises that ,circumcision of the heart whereby men should be enabled to love the ,,lord their ,,god with all their heart and with all their soul4 ,now this seems clearly to intimate not legal but ,evangelical obedience1--the result of the free outpouring of the ,,holy ,,spirit of ,,god2 of which1 in the ,law1 7properly so called17 we find no promise whatever4 ,here then we discover another anticipation of something which belongs to the times of the ,gospel4 ,and this ,evangelical complexion is to be recognized in the entire contents of the xxixth and xxxth chapters4 ,they contain no single mention of ceremonial rites or observances1--of which the ,law is1 for the most part1 full4 ,but free obedience and perfect love are inculcated as the condition of blessedness3 while hearty repentance is made the sole condition of forgiveness of sin4 ,in connexion with this1 ,i may call your attention to a curious coincidence1--if indeed it be not something more4 ,on the sincere repentance of the people1 it is promised that then the ,,lord thy ,,god will turn thy captivity2 which the ,targum of ,jonathan paraphrases1--,his ,,word will receive with delight thy repentance3 while the ,septuagint even more remarkably renders the words--will heal thy sins2 that is1--will be thy ,,jesus4 ,moses proceeds1--and gather thee from all the nations whither the ,,lord thy ,,god hath called thee4 ,and what is this but one of the very places1 if it be not the very place1 to which ,st4 ,john alludes when he declares that ,caiaphas prophesied that ,,jesus should die for that nation2 and not for that nation only2 but that ,he should gather together in one1 the children of ,,god that were scattered abroad#edh8 #d4 ,nor is it1 finally1 a little remarkable that1 by the general consent of the ,hebrew ,doctors1 this xxxth chapter has ever been held to have reference to the times of ,,messiah4 ,the restoration spoken1 is referred by them to the restoration to be effected by ,,christ3 while the promises it contains are connected with those prophetic intimations which clearly point to the days of the ,gospel#edi4 ,so much1 then1 for the evidence1 apart from ,revelation1 which the general complexion of the place in ,deuteronomy affords to the reasonableness of the meaning affixed to it by the voice of the later ,scriptures4 ,before we proceed to examine a little in detail the words of the text1 we may be surely allowed to remind ourselves of the ,testimony which ,st4 ,paul bears to the ,evangelical character of what is here delivered4 ,he asserts1 in the most direct and emphatic manner1 that it is the ,righteousness which is by ,faith which here speaks#eej4 ,he is contrasting the spirit of the ,law1 with that of the ,gospel4 ,he is setting the requirements of the one against those of the other4 ,to exhibit the former1--he quotes from ,leviticus4 ,to enable us to judge of the latter1--he quotes this very place in ,deuteronomy4 ,having shewn the justification under the ,law1--which is by entire fulfilment of every enjoined work2--the ,apostle describes the ,righteousness of the ,gospel1--which is by ,faith in ,,christ4 ,and he discovers its voice in the present chapter3 nay1 he calls our attention to its language2 and1 lest the intention of it should escape us1 he proceeds to supply us1 not only with an interpretation of it1 but with a paraphrase as well4 ,enough has been said1 ,i trust1 to render this proceeding on the part of the ,apostle no matter of surprise ,let us see whether the particulars of his interpretation are altogether novel and unprecedented either4--,the words of ,moses which we have to consider1 it will be remembered1 are these3--,the commandment which ,i command thee this day1 it is not hidden from thee1 neither is it far off4 ,it is not in ,heaven1 that thou shouldest say1 ,who shall go up for us to ,heaven1 and bring it unto us1 that we may hear it and do it8 ,neither is it beyond the ,sea1 that thou shouldest say1 ,who shall go over the ,sea for us1 and bring it unto us1 that we may hear it1 and do it8 ,but the word is very nigh unto thee1 in thy mouth1 and in thy heart1 that thou mayest do it#eea4 ,now1 that all this denotes something close at hand and easy1--in place of something supposed to be remote and difficult1--is obvious4 ,the whole of the earlier part of it1 ,st4 ,paul affirms to be tantamount to the following injunction1--,say not in thine heart1 ,who shall ascend into ,heaven1 to bring ,,christ down2 or who descend into the abyss1 to bring ,,christ up from the dead4 ,concerning which words of caution1 we have to remark that there seems to have been no intention whatever on the part of the ,apostle1 to warn his readers against requiring a renewed ,revelation of ,,christ in the flesh1 or a second ,resurrection of the ,eternal ,,son from the dead4 ,he is illustrating the nature of ,legal and ,evangelical ,righteousness1 by the language of the ,jewish ,law4 ,he contrasts the two1 in their respective requirements2 finding the voice of both in the writings of ,moses3 of the former1--in connexion with the covenant of ,sinai2 of the latter1--in connexion with the covenant which the ,,lord commanded ,moses to make with the children of ,israel in the land of ,moab1 besides the former ,covenant4 ,with characteristic fire and earnestness1 glancing1 as usual1 at every side of the question before him1--having1 a little way back1 explained himself1 without explanation1 when he inserted that remarkable parenthetical clause1 #eeb1--;for ,,christ is the object of the ,law2--in order now to shew how thoroughly this is the case1--how full the ,law is of ,him1 in whom alone it finds its perfect scope1 end1 and completion1--he explains that the very phrase ,who shall ascend up into ,heaven8 pointed to nothing less than the ,incarnation of ,,christ3 that1 ,who shall go over the ,sea8 contained a wondrous far-sighted allusion1--7not the less real because unsuspected17--even to the ,resurrection of our ,,lord from death4 ,so true is it1 that both in the ,old and ,new ,testament ,everlasting ,life is offered to ,mankind by ,,christ1 who is the only ,mediator between ,,god and ,man1 being both ,,god and ,man4 ,wherefore they are not to be heard1 which feign that the old ,fathers did look only for transitory promises#eec4 ,moses then here warns the ancient people of ,,god against an evil heart of unbelief4 ,say not in thy heart1 ,who shall ascend up into ,heaven8 for such words on the part of ,man would imply disbelief in the doctrine that the ,,son of ,,god should hereafter take upon ,him human flesh4 7,since no man hath ascended up to ,heaven1 but ,he that came down from ,heaven1 even the ,son of ,man which is in ,heaven#eed47 ,neither say1 ,who shall descend into the deep8 for such words on human lips must imply disbelief in ,,messiah',s ,descent into ,hell1 and ,resurrection from the ,dead4--,the mystery of ,redemption might not be impatiently demanded2 but must be looked for in faith1 until the fulness of time should come1 and the whole mystery of godliness should be revealed to the wondering eyes of ,men and ,angels#eee4 ,we shall perhaps be asked1 whether it is credible that ,moses can have had any conception that such a meaning as ,st4 ,paul here ascribes to his words1 did really underlie them8 ,to which we answer1 first1 that it is by no means incredible#eef4 ,and next1 that whether ,moses knew the full meaning of the language he was commissioned to deliver1 or not1--seems1 7as already explained#eeg17 to be an entirely separate question3 the only question before us1 being1 whether his language contained that meaning1 or not4444 ,to what extent the ,prophets1--who1 7we know17 studied their own prophecies#eeh1--were ever permitted to fathom their depth1 is a mere matter of speculation#eei2 delightful indeed1 but in the present case quite irrelevant4 ,in the meantime1 we know for certain that ,moses prophesied of ,,christ#efj4 ,and next1 if it be said that really this is only a proverbial expression1--a ,hebrew phrase to denote something passing difficult1 and hard of attainment3--7as when1 in the ,book of ,proverbs1 it is asked1--,who hath ascended up into ,heaven1 or who hath descended#efa87--we answer1 we see no ground whatever for supposing that in the place just quoted1 it is a proverb1 and no more1--although from its use in the ,talmud1 the expression would certainly appear to have become1 at last1 proverbial#efb4 ,if a proverb1 however1 it seems to have been a sacred one2 nor can any place be appealed to where it occurs1 nearly of the antiquity of this1 in the writings of ,moses4 ,to pretend therefore to explain away a certain mode of expression1 in the place where it first stands on record1--and where it is declared to have a deep and mysterious meaning1--simply because1 subsequently1 it was 7to all appearance7 used without any such pregnancy of signification1--is1 manifestly illogical4 ,nay1 there is good ground for presuming1 that the very place last quoted1 contains a reference to the ,eternal ,,son3 for ,agur proceeds to ask1--,what is ,his ,name1 and what is ,his ,son's ,name1 if thou canst tell#efc8 444 ,but the reference is far more obvious when the same expressions occur in the ,book of ,baruch4 ,who hath gone up into ,heaven1 and taken her1 and brought her down from the clouds8 ,who hath gone over the sea1 and found her#efd8 ,for ,wisdom is there spoken of2 and ,wisdom1 as we remember1 is one of the names of ,,christ1--the name by which ,he is discoursed of1 in the ,book of ,proverbs4 ,the uninspired evidence which completes the connexion of this place of ,deuteronomy with the second ,person in the ,blessed ,trinity1 is the traditional interpretation assigned to it by the ,hebrew ,commentators4 ,the ,targum of ,jerusalem expounds the latter clause as follows3--,neither is the ,law beyond the ,great ,sea1 that thou shouldest say1 ,o that we had one like ,jonas the prophet that might go down to the bottom of the ,great ,sea1 and bring it to us4 ,so that the very ,jewish ,doctors themselves here become our instructors2 and teach us that a greater than ,jonas must be here1--even while they guide our eyes to that especial type of our ,,saviour ,,christ in ,his ,descent into ,hell1 and ,rising again from the dead4 ,i say1 the very ,jewish ,doctors themselves here contribute their testimony2 and yield a most unsuspicious witness to the inspired exegesis of the ,apostle3 for1 as ,jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly1--so1 7they clearly mean to say71 so should it be with the man whom ,moses here indicateth3 and so1--7these are the words of ,,christ ,himself71--so was the ,son of ,man three days and three nights in the heart of the ,earth#efe4 ,you will of course notice the facility with which the ,jews themselves1 interpreting their own ,scriptures1 have here exchanged the notions of going over the sea1--7beyond the sea1 as it is in the ,hebrew17--and going down to the bottom of the sea4 ,st4 ,paul seems1 in this place1 to have accommodated the words of ,moses3 but we cannot fail to perceive that the ,hebrew text must cry aloud for such supposed accommodation2 yea1 cry aloud1 even in the uncircumcised ears of the ,jewish people2 that their own ,commentators1 as if divinely guided by the good hand of ,,god1 should bear their own independent witness to the correctness of the ,apostolic interpretation4 ,nor may ,i fail to call your attention to the term employed by ,st4 ,paul to denote the ,sea3--a term1 surely divinely chosen4 ,he had just before1 7in the #fth and #gth verses17 employed the ,version of the ,,lxx3 he was about to use it again in the #hth verse3 but in this1 7the #gth17 he departs from it4 ,instead of1-- 2 he writes1-- 4 ,the term 1--which is applicable to the deep places of the ,earth1 and to the depth of the ,sea1 with equal propriety2--7being a more indifferent term even than our own expression the deep72--affords a memorable example of the fulness and pregnancy of language on inspired lips4 ,adhering to the letter of the text he quotes1 the ,apostle1 by changing the word expressive of that literal sense1 embraces the whole spiritual breadth and fulness of the passage3--reminding us of ,him1 by the blood of whose covenant were sent forth the prisoners of hope out of the pit wherein is no water#eff1--;even before he names ,him2 our ,,saviour ,,christ6 ,i must also remind you1 that there are many expressions used by our ,,lord1 or used concerning ,him by ,his ,apostles1 which help to shew1 that1 to have come down from ,heaven1--and to have been brought up from the deep of the ,earth again1--may be regarded as the mysterious summary of the ,,saviour',s ,mission#efg4--,no man hath ascended up to ,heaven1 7saith our ,,lord17 but ,he that came down from ,heaven#efh4 ,i am the living ,bread which came down from ,heaven4444 ,doth this offend you8 ,what and if ye shall see the ,son of ,man ascend up where ,he was before#efi8 ,in another place1--,i came forth from the ,,father and am come into the ,world3 again ,i leave the ,world1 and go to the ,,father#egj4--;,but the most remarkable place remains3 ,now1 that ,he ascended1 what is it but that ,he also descended first into the lowest parts of the ,earth8 ,he that descended1 is the same also that ascended up far above all ,heavens#ega4 ,i say1 this brief summary1--given by ,,christ ,himself1 or by those who had seen ,him1--of the mystery of ,his manifestation in the flesh1--throws light on the language of the ,hebrew lawgiver4 ,it shews that the language of ,moses to ,israel1 in the plains of ,moab1 fairly embraced the two great truths which ,faith even now can but be exhorted to lay fast hold upon1 and to appropriate3--,if thou shalt confess with thy mouth that ,,jesus is the ,,lord1--that is1 confess that the man ,jesus is the uncreated1 ,incarnate ,,jehovah2 and believe with thy heart that ,,god raised ,him up from the dead1--thou shalt be saved4 444 ,such is the form which the exhortation now assumes4 ,more darkly1 of old time1--7as was fitting17--was the same thing spoken3 and1 because reference was then made to an event not yet accomplished1 the impatience of ,unbelief is there repressed1--rather than the ardour of ,faith stimulated4 ,say not in thy heart who shall ascend into ,heaven8 or1 who shall go down into the deep place8 444 ,but shall we deal so faithlessly with the ,divine ,oracles of the ,old ,testament1 as to deny them the deeper meaning assigned to them in the ,new1 because they speak darkly8 ,let us1 from a review of all that has been humbly offered1--let us at least admit that there is good independent ground for believing that when ,moses spake of ascending into ,heaven1--it was with reference to the future coming of ,,christ3--when he made mention of descending into the ,deep1--the ,resurrection of the ,,saviour of the ,world was1 in reality1 the thing he spake of4--,let us allow that here1 at least1 there is nothing in the language of the ,new ,testament1 which1 when studied by the light of unassisted ,reason1 does not appear to have been fully included1 contemplated1 intended by the language of the ,old3--that the accommodation has not been arbitrary2--say rather1 that here at least there has been no accommodation at all6 ,but ,i am impatient to leave this low rationalistic ground1 and take my stand again1 on the vantage ground of ,faith4 ,the position1 ,i trust1 has been established1 that even in the case of words which seem least promising1--least likely to enfold the deeply mysterious meaning claimed for them by an ,apostle1--the result of patient inquiry and research is to shew that such a meaning really does exist there1 to the fullest extent4 ,we have discovered1 from mere grounds of ,reason1 apart from ,revelation1 that what ,st4 ,paul has cited in this place from ,deuteronomy1 may very well contain all that he says it contains4 ,but1 were nothing of the kind discoverable2--were it a most hopeless endeavour to reconcile the meaning evolved by the inspired ,apostle1 with the text he professes to interpret1--the claims of the sacred exegesis would remain wholly unimpaired4 ,we should still say that this1 because it is an inspired ,commentary1 is entitled to our fullest acceptance4 ,we have1 anyhow1 the ,,holy ,,spirit interpreting ,himself4 ,he surely must be the best judge of ,his own ,divine meaning4 ,he does but enrich the ,treasury of ,truth1 even by ,his apparent departures from the original ,hebrew verity4 ,shall not the ,,holy ,,ghost1 the ,comforter1 be allowed to speak comfort to ,his people in whatever way seemeth best to ,himself8 ,is it not lawful for ,him to do what ,he will with ,his own8 ,is thine eye evil1 because ,he is very good8 ,yes1 it cannot be too emphatically insisted on1 that the success which may attend investigations of this nature1 is not to be admitted for a moment as the measure of the soundness of the principle on which they proceed4 ,the reasoning whereby ,newton shewed that the diamond is a combustible substance would have been no whit invalidated had the diamond resisted to this hour every chemical attempt to reduce it to carbon4 ,we do not1--7what need to say87--we do not discourage the endeavour to enucleate the deep ,christian significancy of passages for which ,inspired writers claim such sublime meaning4 ,rather do we think that ,human ,reason could not find a worthier field for the employment of her powers#egb1 than this4 ,but we are strenuous to insist that the full and sufficient1 and only irrefragable proof that a mighty ,christian meaning does actually underlie the unpromising utterance of one of ,,god',s ancient ,saints1 is1--that an ,inspired ,writer declares it to exist there4 ,there is no accommodation therefore1 when an inspired writer adduces ,scripture4 ,human language will sometimes require to be accommodated3 ,divine language1 never6 ,may not the ,,holy ,,spirit lay ,his finger on whatever parts of ,his ancient utterance ,he sees fit8 may ,he not invert clauses1 and 7in order to bring out ,his meaning better7 even alter words8 ,if ,he tells thee that the prophetic allusion of ,isaiah to our griefs and our sorrows comprehends our infirmities and our sicknesses in its span#egc1--;is it for thee to discredit ,his assertion8 ,if ,he is pleased to intimate that the providential arrangement whereby ,,christ1 though born at ,bethlehem1 grew up at ,nazareth1--had for its object the fulfilment of many a detached and seemingly disconnected prophecy#egd1--shall the unexpectedness of ,his disclosure excite ridicule in such an one as thyself8 ,when ,he tells thee that besides the immediate scope of certain well-known words of ,hosea and of ,jeremiah1 there was the ulterior aim ,he indicates2 if behind ,israel after the flesh1 ,he shews thee the ,anointed ,,son#ege1--;if behind those captive ,jews of the tribe of ,benjamin whom ,nebuzar-,adan led past their mother's grave on their way to ,babylon1 ,he points to the slaughtered infant of ,bethlehem2 assuring thee that when ,he spake by the mouth of ,jeremiah concerning the nearer event that remoter one was full before ,him also2 and that the solemn and affecting utterance of the ,prophet was divinely intended by ,himself to cover both#egf2--wilt thou1 when ,he discourses to thee thus1 presume to talk to ,him of accommodation8 ,is it not enough for thee to have cavilled at the first page of the ,old ,testament on scientific grounds8 ,must thou1 for ,theological considerations1 dispute the first page of the ,new ,testament also8 ,scripture then1 whether in its ,historical or its more obviously prophetic parts1 has this depth of meaning for which ,i have been contending4 ,we must perforce believe it1 for it is a matter of express ,revelation4 ,we cannot pretend to deny the probability1--much less the possibility of it2 for we really can know nothing of the matter except from an attentive study of ,scripture itself4 ,and the witness of ,scripture1 as we have seen1 is ample1 emphatic1 and express4--,our ,,lord1 being indignantly asked by the ,jews if ,he heard what the children1 crying in the ,temple1 said of ,him1--made answer by quoting the #bnd verse of the viiith ,psalm3 ,yea1 have ye never read1 ',out of the mouth of babes and sucklings ,thou hast perfected praise'#egg8--,pray was this accommodation1 or what was it8 ,it was deemed a sufficient answer1 at all events1 by the ,anointed ,,jehovah2 whatever men may think6444 ,when the ,sadducees1 disbelieving in the ,resurrection of the ,body1 assailed our ,,lord with a speculative difficulty1 ,he told them that they erred because they did not understand the ,scriptures4 ,now that the dead are raised1 even ,moses shewed at the bush1 when he calleth the ,,lord1 the ,,god of ,abraham1 and the ,,god of ,isaac1 and the ,,god of ,jacob4 ,for ,he is not a ,,god of the dead1 but of the living3 for all live unto ,him#egh4 ,how1 by the popular method1--how1 by any of the new lights which have lately been let in on ,holy ,scripture1--was the ,resurrection of the dead to have been proved by the words which the ,,second ,,person in the ,trinity spake to ,moses in the ,bush8 ,and yet we behold that same ,divine ,personage in the days of ,his humiliation1 proposing from those words1 uttered by ,himself #aejj years before1 to establish the doctrine in dispute6444 ,only once more4 ,in the last day1 that great day of the ,feast of ,tabernacles1 ,,jesus stood and cried1 saying1 ,if any man thirst1 let him come unto ,me and drink4 ,he that believeth on ,me1--as the ,scripture hath said1 ',out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water#egi6'--;,but where does the ,scripture say that8 ,you will look a long while to find it4 ,you will never find it at all if you adhere to the method which of late has been declared to be the method most in fashion4 ,you will never even understand what our ,blessed ,,lord means1 unless you attend to the hint which immediately follows1--and which the ,divine ,author of the ,gospel would not surfer us to be without1--namely1 that1 ,this spake ,he of the ,,spirit1 which they that believe on ,him should receive3--by which is meant1 that as many of the ,prophets as discoursed in dark phrase of that free outpouring of the ,,spirit which was to mark ,,messiah',s ,reign1 did1 in effect1 say the thing which ,he here attributes to them4 ,inspired ,reasoning1 wherever found1 may fitly obtain a few words of distinct notice here2 but ,i shall perhaps speak more becomingly1 as well as prove more intelligible1 if1--7without further allusion to the sayings of that ,almighty ,one in whom are hid all the treasures of ,wisdom and ,knowledge#ehj2 sayings which it seems a species of impiety to approach except in adoration27--,i confine my remarks to the logical processes observable in the inspired writings of some of ,his servants1 the ,evangelists and ,apostles of ,,the ,,lamb4 ,the difficulty which has been occasionally felt in respect of the argumentative parts of ,st4 ,paul's ,epistles1 is considerable1 and may not be overlooked4 ,his definitions1 his inferences1 his entire method of handling ,scripture1 gives offence to a certain class of minds4 ,his reasoning seems inconsequential4 ,there appears to be a want of logical order and consistency in much that he delivers4 ,but1--can it require to be stated8--the fault is entirely our own4 ,the radical fallacy of any attempt to analyze the reasoning of ,scripture by the ordinary ,laws of ,logic requires to be pointed out4 ,and the root of it all is our assumption that an inspired ,apostle must perforce argue like any other uninspired man4 ,but1 in the first place1 it is to be recollected that he did not collect the meaning and bearing of the ,old ,testament ,scriptures from induction1 and study only4 ,he was1--by the hypothesis1--an inspired ,writer4 ,the same ,,holy ,,spirit who taught the authors of the ,old ,testament what to deliver1 taught him1 in turn1 how to explain their words4 ,by direct ,revelation1 he perceived the intention of a text1 and at once bore witness to it4 ,thus ,st4 ,paul says of our ,,lord1--,he is not ashamed to call them brethren1 saying1--',i will declare ,thy ,name unto ,my brethren1 in the midst of the ,church will ,i sing praise unto ,thee4' ,and again1--',i will put my trust in ,him4' ,and again1--',behold ,i and the children which ,,god hath given ,me#eha4' ,now1 the ,apostles quoted such places as these from the ,psalms and ,isaiah1 not as they were gathered by any certain reason1 but as revealed to them by the ,,holy ,,spirit1 to be principally spoken of ,,christ4 ,this understanding the mysteries of ,,god in the ,old ,testament1 being a special gift of the ,,holy ,,ghost#ehb1--of the truth of which interpretations1 the same ,,spirit1 without any necessary demonstration thereof1 bore witness also to their auditors and converts2 and by miracles manifested the persons thus expounding them herein to be infallible#ehc4 ,to quote the language of a thoughtful writer of more recent date1--,inspired teaching1--explain it how we may1--seems comparatively indifferent to 7what seems to us so peculiarly important7 close logical connexion1 and the intellectual symmetry of doctrines4444 ,the necessity of confuting gainsayers1 at times forced one of the greatest of ,,christ',s inspired servants1 ,st4 ,paul1 to prosecute continuous argument2 yet even with him1 how abrupt are the transitions1 how intricate the connexion1 how much is conveyed by assumptions such as ,inspiration alone can make1 without any violation of the canons of reasoning1--,,for ,,with ,,it ,,alone ,,assertion ,,is ,,argument4444 ,the same may be said of some passages of ,st4 ,john1 supposed to have been similarly occasioned4 ,inspiration has ever left to human ,reason the filling up of its outlines1 the careful connexion of its more isolated truths4 ,the two are1 as the lightning of ,heaven1 brilliant1 penetrating1 far-flashing1 abrupt1--compared with the feebler but continuous illumination of some earthly beacon#ehd4 ,in a train of inspired ,seasoning1 7as the same writer elsewhere remarks17 each new premiss may have been supernaturally communicated2 and thus1 in point of fact1 the inspired reasoner but connects the different threads of the ,divine ,counsels2 exemplifies how 'deep answereth to deep' in the mysteries of ,revelation2 and presents1 in one connected train of argument1 those words of ,,god which had been uttered 'at sundry times and in divers manners#ehe' ,to conclude4--,there is no such thing as inconsequential ,reasoning to be met with in the writings of ,st4 ,paul#ehf--no such thing as arbitrary ,accommodation of the ,old ,testament ,scriptures1 in the ,new3--though not a few have thought it2 and the language of many more writers1 ,papist as well as ,protestant1 is calculated to convey the same mischievous impression#ehg4 ,the hypothesis is as unworthy of ourselves1--with our boasted critical resources and many appliances of varied learning1--as it is derogatory to the ,sacred ,oracles to which it is applied4 ,it is a deadly blow1 aimed at the very ,inspiration of ,scripture itself2 for it pretends to discover a human element only1 where we have a right to expect a ,divine one3 an irresponsible dictum1 when we listened for the voice of the ,,spirit2 the hand of man1 where we depended on finding the very ,finger of ,,god6 ,we come to the blessed pages1 for ,divinity1 and we are put off with ,rhetoric4 ,we come for bread1 and the critics we speak of offer us a stone4 ,i will not detain you any longer4 ,no apology can be needed for the subject which has been engaging our attention#ehh4 ,those who watch the signs of the times attentively1 will bear me witness that unbelief is one fearful note of the coming age4 ,the self-same principle1 working in different classes of minds1 produces results diametrically different3 but it is still the same principle which is at work4 ,unbelief is no less the cause why so many have forsaken the ,church of their ,fathers1 to run after the blasphemous fables and dangerous deceits of the ,church of ,rome1--than it is the parent of that shallow ,rationalism which unhappily is now so popular among us4444 ,intimations of what is to be hereafter1 may be every now and then detected4 ,at intervals1 hoarse sounds1 from a distance1 are known to smite upon the listening ear2 signals of the coming danger1--sure harbingers of the approaching storm4--,holy ,scripture is the stronghold against which the ,enemy will make his assault1 assuredly3 nor can we employ ourselves better than by building one another up in reverence for its ,inspired ,oracles3 opposing to the crafts of the ,evil ,one the simplicity of a child-like faith2 and resolutely refusing to see less than ,,god1 in ,,god',s ,word6 ,this must be the preacher's apology for disputing where he would rather adore2 for discussing the ,revelations of ,scripture1 instead of feeding upon them2 especially at this holy ,season when the ,apostle's exhortation finds an echo in all our services3--the mouth1 engaged in the constant confession that ,,jesus is the ,,lord1--the heart1 filled with the thought of ,him1 who as at this time died for our sins1 and rose again for our ,justification4 ,,god grant us grace1--at this and every other time1--so to put away the leaven of malice and wickedness1 that we may always serve ,him in pureness of living and truth3 through the merits of the same ,his ,,son1 ,,jesus ,,christ our ,,lord6 ,,footnotes3 #ebf ,preached at ,st4 ,mary-the-,virgin1 ,april #bg1 #ahea4 #ebg ,see above1 pp4 #ee-g4 #ebh #b ,st4 ,pet4 i4 #ba4 #ebi ,see above1 pp4 #ec-d4 #ecj ,see above1 pp4 #aeg-afj4 #eca ,harm4 ,apost4 ,diss4 ,post41 cap4 xi4 #c4 #ecb ,see above1 pp4 #aeb-g4 #ecc ,consider again the ,divine exposition1 7in #a ,st4 ,john v4 #f17 of ,st4 ,john xix4 #cd4 #ecd ,see ,dr4 ,mill's ,christian ,advocate's publication for #ahdd1 ,the ,historical ,character of the circumstances of our ,,lord's ,nativity vindicated against some recent mythical interpreters1--especially p4 #djb to p4 #dcd4 #ece ,cf4 ,phil4 iii4 #g-i4 #ecf ,consider ,st4 ,john vi4 #df1 and all similar places4 #ecg ,on the words1 1--,theodoret remarks3-- 1 1 1 1 1 4--,theodoret1 ,cat41 p4 #cgd4 #ech ,our ,e4 ,v41 following the translations since ,cranmer's1 here inserts the word again1--which is certainly not implied by the ,greek4 #eci ,the expression is1 of course1 wholly dissimilar from that in ,ps4 cvii4 #bc1-- 1 4 4 4 #edj ,i cannot forbear transcribing the following passage in an elaborate apology which has recently appeared for ,essays and ,reviews3--,among the many proposals which are floating about for ,essays and ,counter-essays to vindicate the ,doctrines supposed to be combated in this volume1 let us be allowed to suggest this one3--',the ,nature of ,biblical ,inspiration1 as tested by a careful examination of the ,septuagint ,version with special reference to the sanction given to it by the ,apostles1 and to its variations1 by way of addition or omission1 from the revised ,text of the ,canonical ,scriptures4' ,the conclusions of such an investigation would be worth a hundred eager declarations on one side or the other1 and would be absolutely decisive of the chief questions at issue4 7,edinburgh ,review1 ,april1 #ahfa1 p4 #dhc474444 ,now ,i scruple not to affirm that a well-informed1 and faithful student of the ,scriptures would covet no better portion for himself than liberty to accept1 in the most public manner possible1 such a challenge as the foregoing4 #eda ,see the valuable exposition of the text1 by ,bp4 ,bull1 in the ,appendix 7,k71--to which ,i am very largely indebted4 #edb ,opposed to ,bp4 ,bull in his opinion1 on this matter1 seem ,ainsworth1 ,patrick1 ,parker 7,biblioth4 ,bibl471 ,cornelius ,lapide1 the ,critici ,sacri1 c4 ,i cannot but think that the truth is with the first-named ,commentator4 #edc ,see #b ,cor4 vi4 #af1 7quoting ,lev4 xxvi4 #ab71 where see ,wordsworth's note4 ,heb4 viii4 #f-ac1 especially ver4 #aj1 7quoting ,jer4 xxxi4 #cc4 ,comp4 ,jer4 xxiv4 #g3 xxx4 #bb3 xxxi4 #a3 xxxii4 #ch47 ,compare ,rom4 ix4 #be1 #bf1 7also #a ,st4 ,pet4 ii4 #aj17 with ,hos4 ii4 #bc3 i4 #aj4 ,see also ,ezek4 xi4 #bj3 xiv4 #aa3 xxxvi4 #bh3 xxxvii4 #bg2 and ,zech4 viii4 #h3 xiii4 #i4 ,lastly1 consider ,rev4 xxi4 #c2 where the types of the itinerant ,tabernacle in the ,wilderness1 the figurative ritual and festal joys of the ,feast of ,tabernacles1 celebrated in the literal ,jerusalem1 are consummated in the ,heavenly ,jerusalem4 7,wordsworth47 ,see also ,rev4 vii4 #ae1 with the annotation of the same ,commentator4 #edd 444 4 ,gal4 iii4 #ag4 #ede ,deut4 xxix4 #ad1 #ae4 #edf ,acts ii4 #ci3 ,compare iii4 #be4 #edg ,jer4 xxxi4 #cb4 ,consider verses #cc-d quoted in ,heb4 x4 #af1 #ag4 ,see above1 note 7t1 our #edd74 #edh ,st4 ,john xi4 #di-eb4 #edi ,diligenter observandum est1 ex consensu ,hebrorum1 caput hoc ad regnum ,,christi pertinere4 ,unde etiam ,bachai dicit1 hoc loco promissionem esse quod sub ,rege ,,messiah omnibus qui de federe sunt1 circumcisio cordis contingat1 citans ,joelem1 ii4 #bh4--;,fagius1 7in the ,critici ,sacri17 on ,deut4 xxx4 #aa4 #eej ,apostolus dicit hoc esse verbum fidei1 quod ad ,novum ,testamentum pertinet4 ,qu ergo scripta sunt in libro legis hujus in figur dicta sunt1 pertinentia ad ,novum ,testamentum4--,augustinus1 in ,nic4 ,lyra1 ad loc4 #eea ,deut4 xxx4 #aa-ad4 #eeb ,rom4 x4 #d4 #eec ,art4 vii4 #eed ,st4 ,john iii4 #ac4 #eee #a ,tim4 iii4 #af4 #eef ,the reader is invited to consider ,acts ii4 #bd to #ca1--;attending particularly to what ,st4 ,peter says in ver4 #cj-a4 ,even without this key1 7says ,dr4 ,m',caul17 the ,rabbis interpreted ,psalm xvi4 of the ,resurrection4 #eeg ,see above1 pp4 #aga-b4 #eeh ,st4 ,pet4 i4 #aa4 #eei ,though ,i think it clear that the ,prophets did not understand the full meaning of their predictions2 it is another question how far they thought they did1 and in what sense they understood them4--,butler's ,analogy1 ,p4 ,,ii4 ch4 vii4 #efj ,see ,acts xxvi4 #bb1 #bc3 xxviii4 #bc4 ,st4 ,john i4 #df3 v4 #df4 ,st4 ,luke xxiv4 #bg1 c4 #efa ,prov4 xxx4 #d4 #efb e4g4 ,si quis dixerit mulieri1 ,si adscenderis in firmamentum1 aut descenderis in abyssum1 eris mihi desponsata1--hc conditio frustranea est4--,nasir ix4 #b1 apud ,wetstein1 7in ,rom4 x4 #f47 #efc ,the whole passage 7,prov4 xxx4 #b-e17 may be thus paraphrased3--,with my limited understanding ,i cannot attain the knowledge of ,,god2 for to know ,,god1 is to know ,him who is omnipresent1 filling ,heaven and ,earth2 it is to know ,him who is omnipotent1 ruling over the winds and the waters1 the most unstable of all elements2 it is to know ,him who created all things2 it is to know ,his ,name1 and the name of ,his ,,son4 ,but this knowledge can be attained only by ,revelation3 and he that would attain to it even from ,revelation1 must not pass over any one word as insignificant1 for every word is purified like silver3 neither must he add to ,revelation1 or he will be sure to go astray4--,from the ,appendix 7pp4 #df-g7 to a ,sermon by ,dr4 ,m',caul1 on ,the ,eternal ,sonship of the ,messiah1 #ahch4 7,interesting and precious as this paraphrase is1 ,i humbly suspect that the words in italics contain a vast deal more than the learned writer indicates47 #efd ,baruch iii4 #bi4 #efe ,st4 ,matth4 xii4 #bj4 #eff ,zech4 ix4 #aa4 #efg ,consider ,ps4 cxxxix4 #g4 ,amos ix4 #b1 #c4 #efh ,st4 ,john iii4 #ac4 #efi ,ibid4 vi4 #cc1 #ch1 #ea1 #fb4 #egj ,ibid4 xvi4 #bh4 #ega ,ephes4 iv4 #i1 #aj4 #egb ,see above1 pp4 #agf-g4 #egc ,st4 ,matth4 viii4 #ag4 #egd ,st4 ,matth4 ii4 #bc4 ,see above1 p4 #adi4 #ege ,ibid4 ii4 #ae4 #egf ,st4 ,matth4 ii4 #ah4 #egg ,ibid4 xxi4 #af4 #egh ,st4 ,luke xx4 #cg4 #egi ,st4 ,john vii4 #cg1 #ch4 #ehj ,col4 ii4 #c4 #eha ,heb4 ii4 #ab1 #ac2 quoting ,ps4 xxi4 #bc and ,is4 viii4 #ag4 #ehb #a ,cor4 xii41 xiii41 xiv4 #ehc ,pseudo-,fell's ,paraphrase and ,annotations on the ,new ,testament1 7,jacobson's ed471 in loc4 #ehd ,professor ,archer ,butler1 quoted in ,professor ,lee's ,discourses on ,inspiration1 pp4 #dae-f4 #ehe ,ibid41 p4 #ehf4 #ehf ,see above1 pp4 #acb-g #ehg ,see the ,appendix1 7,l74 #ehh ,in the earlier part of the present ,sermon many passages have been re-written4 ,what follows stands exactly as it was preached in #ahea4 ,,sermon ,,vii4#ehi 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,marvels ,,of ,,holy ,,scripture1--,,moral ,,and ,,physical4--,,jael',s ,,deed ,,defended4--,,miracles ,,vindicated4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,st4 ,,mark xii4 #bd4 ,do ye not therefore err1 because ye know not the ,scriptures1 neither the power of ,god4 ,on a certain occasion1 the ,son of ,man was asked what was thought a hard question by those who1 in ,his day1 professed the negative ,theology#eij4 ,there was a moral and there was physical marvel to be solved4 ,both difficulties were met by a single sentence4 ,the ,sadducean judgment had gone astray from the ,truth1 7 our ,,saviour said17 from a twofold cause3 7#a7 ,the men did not understand those very ,scriptures to which they appealed so confidently3 and1 7#b7 ,they had an unworthy notion of ,,god',s power4--,there are plenty of ,sadducees at the present day among ourselves4 ,they are as fond as ever of finding difficulties in the self-same ,scriptures4 ,they are to be met1 ,i am persuaded1 exactly as of old2 by shewing that their error is still the fruit of their ignorance of ,scripture2 the consequence of their unworthy conceptions of ,,god4 ,i propose to illustrate this on the present occasion4 ,my subject1 7one certainly not unsuited to the day17 is the ,marvels of ,scripture1--whether ,moral or ,physical4 ,i would fain have discussed them apart2 but ,i shall not have another opportunity4 ,i must handle the whole subject therefore within the limits of a single ,sermon3 and by consequence ,i must be extremely brief4 ,now1 ,i venture to assume that whatever1 from its extraordinary character1 perplexes us in ,scripture1 is a difficulty only to ourselves2 that moral ,marvels and physical ,miracles1 alike1 would cease to create any difficulty if we knew more about ,,god4 ,the ,morality of the ,life to come1 ,i do believe will prove none other than the ,morality of the life which now is2 and so ,i presume that it may be their ,divine ,author's will1 that the physical ,laws of the ,universe shall be eternal likewise4 ,and yet1 as no thoughtful man will probably be found to say that he thinks he knows as much about the nature of these last now1 as he expects to know hereafter1--so it is to be presumed that a sublimer1 and therefore a juster view of the relation in which the ,creature stands to the ,,creator1 will disclose to us much which1 at present1 we should be little prepared to admit1 if it were speculatively presented to us1 7as in a glass1 darkly17 respecting the ,moral ,government of ,,god4 ,i4 ,in the very fore-front1 however1 of what ,i have to say concerning those phenomena which are generally cited as the ,moral ,marvels of ,holy ,scripture1 ,i must freely declare my opinion that nothing is wanted but that the whole of the historical evidence should be before us1 in every case1 in order that we might cease to look upon them as marvels at all4 ,but so it is1 that ,scripture is severely brief3 takes no pains to conciliate our good opinion3 seems to care nothing either for our applause or our censure4 ,scripture1 in short1 has been made an instrument of ,man's probation#eia4 ,it is for us to search curiously into the record2 to take an enlarged view of times and manners2 and finally1 in the exercise of a generous ,faith1 to decide whether the difficulty is such as ought to occasion us any real distress4 ,i proceed1 in this spirit1 to consider1 as briefly as possible1 the history of ,jael2 simply because ,i have heard stronger things said against her1 than against any of the ,worthies of old time who are mentioned with distinct approbation in the ,book of ,life4 #a4 ,now1 if you choose to consider ,jael as one who lured a weary and unsuspecting soldier into her tent1--shewed him hospitality1--and when he was asleep1 murdered him in cold blood1--you certainly cannot help recoiling from the inspired decision that1 ,blessed above women shall ,jael the wife of ,heber the ,kenite be4 ,but ,i take the liberty of saying that this is quite the wrong way to read her story4 ,you must begin it from the other end4 ,,god pronounces this woman blessed1 and distinctly commends her for her deed4 ,from this point you must start2 remembering that no action ,,can be immoral which ,,god praises4 ,the ,divine sentence1 instead of creating a difficulty1 is1 on the contrary1 exactly the thing which removes it#eib4 ,to weigh the story apart from this1 7which is the prime consideration of all17 is like condemning the immorality of an executioner without caring to hear that he is but carrying out the sentence of the ,lawgiver4 ,furnished with the clue of ,,god',s approbation of ,jael's deed1 we retrace our steps1 and reconsider the narrative4 ,if all were still dark and hopeless1 we might be sure that there are circumstances withheld1 which if known would have made ,,god',s justice clear as the light4 ,but1 as a matter of fact1 it generally happens that1 when we know the ,scriptures1 the difficulty in great measure disappears2 and ,i am going to shew that it is so on the present occasion4 ,i find that when the people of ,,god were on their way out of ,egypt into ,canaan1 they were indebted to one family 7the ,kenites7 for kindness and help#eic4 ,the head of that family was ,jethro1 the father-in-law of ,moses1 high-priest of ,midian1--in which land the ,,lord1 from the burning bush1 had commissioned the future ,lawgiver of ,israel to redeem ,his people from the bondage of ,egypt4 ,jethro met them in the ,arabian desert2 became their guide#eid till they reached the promised ,land2 and with them entered the borders of their future possession4 ,it was a covenant between the two races that they should share the goodness of ,,jehovah4 ,accordingly1 the ,kenites made their settlement amid the ,royal tribe of ,judah2 and it is easy to foresee how close a bond would spring up between the alien family and their avowed protectors1 when1 to the memory of past dangers shared together1 was superadded the consciousness of present blessings2--especially in an age when the law of hospitality was held most sacred4 ,how strong the bond became1 the sequel of the story convincingly shews#eie4 ,the children of ,israel1 at the end of a hundred and fifty years1 find themselves cruelly oppressed by the most powerful of the ,kings of the conquered but not extirpated race4 ,,god promises deliverance3 and ,deborah is raised up to organize the resistance against ,jabin1 the captain of whose host was ,sisera4 ,now1 while ,heber the ,kenite is gone with the rest to the battle1--7for he had pitched his tent1 remember1 by ,kedesh2 and it was from ,kedesh#eif that ,deborah sent and called ,barak the son of ,abinoam27--while ,heber1 the husband1 ,i say1 is gone to the battle1 and ,jael the wife is left alone1 distracted with anxiety1 in the tent2--when1 weak and unprotected woman as she is1 she beholds the ,captain of the hateful oppressor of ,,god',s people hastening to her tent1 slumbering at her feet1 and unexpectedly within her power3--will you pretend that she1 a ,midianitess1 is to blame if she yields to the strong impulse which prompts her to compass the man's downfall1 as speedily as she may8 ,there was peace between ,jabin the ,king of ,hazor and the house of ,heber the ,kenite#eig1 you will remind me4 ,true3 7between ,jabin1--not between ,sisera1 by the way37 without this1 the whole incident would not have happened4 ,sisera presumed on the peaceful relations which existed between his lord and ,heber2 and supposed that the sympathy of one alien race for another was to outweigh every other consideration4 ,yet1 how stood the case8 ,heber had thrown in his lot1 irrevocably1 with the people of ,,god2 while ,jabin had already utterly violated the conditions of peace4 ,for twenty weary years1 had ,jael and her family shared the hardships of that sacred line which ,jabin had mightily oppressed4 ,all her life long#eih1 the highways have been unoccupied2 and travellers have had to walk through by-ways2 and the villages have been deserted by their inhabitants4 ,archers have infested the very places of drawing water#eii4 ,meanwile1 a sure word has gone forth from the ,prophetess who dwells under the palm-tree between ,ramah and ,bethel on ,mount ,ephraim#fjj1 to the effect that ,,god will give a mighty victory this day to ,his people#fja4 ,moreover1 ,deborah1 7to whom the children of ,israel go up for judgment17 has foretold that the ,,lord will sell ,sisera into the hand of a woman#fjb4 ,how can you marvel at the rest6444 ,with a faith strong and undoubting as ,rahab's1 ,jael1--weak woman as she is1--seizes the wooden tent-pin and the mallet1 7the only weapons which are within her reach672 and1 7somewhat as ,david afterwards employed a stone and a sling for the slaughter of the ,philistine17 with these vile instruments1 at one blow1 she smites to the earth the enemy of ,god's people4444 ,o1 it was not because she was treacherous1 or because she was cruel6 ,treachery and cruelty were not the vices to which a dweller in tents 7and she a woman67 was prone1 when a thirsty soldier begged a draught of water2 and most assuredly1 had she been either1 she would not1--she could not1 have won praise from ,god6 7,witness ,,god',s wrath against ,david in the matter of ,uriah1 because he had no pity#fjc2 as well as dying ,jacob's denunciations against ,simeon and ,levi because instruments of cruelty were in their habitations#fjd47 ,o no6 ,it was because she beheld in the slumbering captain at once the enemy of her own afflicted race1--and of ,,god',s oppressed people1--and above all of ,,god ,himself4 ,that was why she put her hand to the nail1 and her right hand to the workman's hammer6 444 ,the fight1 you are requested to remember1 had been a tremendous fight2 and the battle1 as she thought1 was yet raging4 ,reuben1 and ,dan1 and ,asher had kept aloof from the encounter2--the first1 in his rich pasture-land east of the ,jordan1 abiding among the sheepfolds1 to hear the bleatings of the flocks2 the two others1 intent on their maritime pursuits4 ,only some of ,ephraim1 ,benjamin1 and ,manasseh#fje1 had been found willing to throw in their lot with the two northern tribes of ,zebulun1 and ,naphtali1--who had jeoparded their lives unto the death4 ,and the battle which these had fought had been the ,,lord',s2 and as many as had taken part with them1 were considered to have come to the help of the ,,lord4 ,such then was the quarrel which ,jael had made her own2 and such the spirit in which she had done her wild deed of unassisted prowess6 ,to appreciate her constancy and courage1 you may not overlook how fearful were the odds against the cause she was espousing3 on the oppressor's side1 nine hundred chariots of iron2 whereas1 was there a shield or spear seen among forty thousand in ,israel8 ,it had been so terrific a day1 that if the ,,lord had not been on their side1--if the stars in their courses had not fought for ,israel1--how could ,sisera have possibly been overcome8 ,but the very river was employed to sweep the enemies of ,israel away1--that ancient river1 the river ,kishon6 444 ,now ,i boldly ask you1 if the ,angel of the ,,lord may curse bitterly the inhabitants of ,meroz1 because they came not to the help of the ,,lord1--7pray mark that phrase2 for it shows exactly in what light the conflict was regarded67--to the help of the ,,lord against the mighty2 shall we wonder if1 by the ,spirit of ,,god1 ,deborah the prophetess proclaims blessed above women in the tent ,jael the wife of ,heber the ,kenite to be2--the undaunted one by whose right hand the captain of all that mighty host had been slain8 ,find me another woman in the tent who may be compared with her6 444 ,or rather1 7for that is the only question17 shall these words embolden us to impeach the morality of ,holy ,writ8444 ,i am sure there is not one of you all who really thinks it4 ,she was--was she not8--a courageous1 a faithful1 and 7according to her light17 a strictly virtuous woman4 ,she was content to risk all1 as seeing ,him who is invisible3 and to believe that they that be with us are more than they that be with them#fjf4 ,from the unmistakeable evidence of her uncompromising boldness in a good cause1 her unwavering faith1 her readiness to cast in her lot with the people of ,,god1--no one but a hypocrite will turn away to criticize the details of her deed by the ,gospel standard of ,grace and ,truth4 ,he asked for water1 and she gave him milk4 ,what would you have had her do8 ,it is by no means certain that she foresaw the deed which was to follow1 and which cannot1 7from the nature of the case17 have been the result of a preconcerted plan4 ,the impulse to terminate the tyranny of ,canaan1 and the sufferings of her adopted people1 as well as to decide the fortune of that critical day1 by slaying one whom she regarded as the enemy of ,,god ,himself1 may have seized her while she stood in the door of the tent1--weighing ,sisera's petition against ,deborah's prophecy4 ,be this as it may1--would you have had the woman connive at ,sisera's escape1--the enemy of ,,god',s people1 when ,,god ,himself had unexpectedly put him into her power8 ,it will assist us to understand this story1 that we should bear in mind how it fared with ,ahab1 ,king of ,israel1 in the matter of ,ben-hadad1 ,king of ,syria1 as recorded in the xxth chapter of the ,first ,book of ,kings4 ,thus saith the ,,lord1 7was the ,divine sentence17 ,because thou hast let go out of thy hand a man whom ,i appointed to utter destruction1 therefore thy life shall go for his life1 and thy people for his people#fjg4 ,it is quite evident that as the enemy of ,,god1 in the strictest sense1 each fresh oppressor of ,israel was regarded2 and that1 as the enemy of the ,,lord ,,god of ,israel1 ,sisera was summarily slain by the ,kenite's wife4 ,be so good as to remember also1 that forgiveness of enemies is strictly a ,christian duty4 ,you have no right to expect to find the brightest jewels of the kingdom of ,heaven glittering on the swarthy brow of an ,arabian wife in the days of the ,judges4 ,grace and ,truth came by ,,jesus ,,christ#fjh4 ,you cannot expect to find the wife of ,heber the ,kenite more truthful than ,sarah1 and ,rebekah1 and ,rachel1--or even than ,abraham1 and ,isaac1 and ,jacob1 and ,david3 neither should you be so unreasonable as to expect that the ,,god of ,truth will award praise and blame to ,his creatures by a higher standard of ,morality than ,he has seen fit1 at any given period1 to allow4 ,a perfectly enlightened conscience1 no doubt1 will never consent to lie4 ,a ,christian woman in ,jael's place1 ought not1 of course1 to be guilty of ,jael's deed4 ,but you are forgetting the time of the world in which your lot is thrown4 ,i say nothing of the circumstances of terror under which she acted1--she was forced to act4 ,how could she tell that ,sisera would not awake ere she should strike the blow1--or at least before she could achieve his death8 ,what if a company of ,jabin's host should come up to the tent-door1 the instant she had done the deed1 and inquire after ,sisera8 ,suppose the issue of that day's encounter should prove disastrous1 what would be her own and ,heber's fate8444 ,feel a little for the poor wife1--for the lonely1 helpless woman in the tent1--not entirely for the fierce soldier against whom you have heard the ,,lord',s decree of death6444 ,o ye1 who1 living in the full blaze of ,gospel light1 in cold blood can reject the doctrine of the ,atonement1 and deny the ,,lord who bought you1 and teach that the ,bible is like any other book2 who can make light of its ,inspiration1 and evacuate its ,prophecy1 and idealize its ,miracles2 who with your lips can profess the ,church's doctrines1 and with your pens can deny them2--go ye and prate of ,morality1 and ,honesty1 and ,truth6 ,we shall heed mighty little your opinion of ,jael's conduct1 and of the ,divine ,commendation which it met with4 ,i believe that1 instead of suspecting the morality of the ,bible in this instance1 there is hardly an honest ,christian heart among us1 but cries out1 on the contrary1--,so let all ,thine enemies perish1 ,o ,,lord6 ,but let them that love ,him be as the sun when he goeth forth in his might4 #b4 ,there is no time to consider1 as ,i fain would1 any other story2 that of ,jacob for example4 ,it is quite amazing to hear the presumptuous speeches concerning that great ,saint1 in which good men sometimes permit themselves3 as if the sum total of ,jacob's history were this3--that he once obtained an ungenerous advantage over his ,brother1 and then shamefully deceived his blind and aged ,father4 ,whereas those were the two great blots in an otherwise holy life6 actions which were followed by severe1 aye lifelong punishment4--,but ,i must not enter on ,jacob's history1--even to shew you that a careless reader overlooks certain circumstances which go a very long way indeed to excuse the actions just alluded to4 ,i prefer reminding you that since1 at ,bethel1 ,,god blessed the exile's slumbers with a glorious vision1 and most comfortable promise1 on his first setting out for ,haran2 and again at ,jabbok1 as well as at ,mahanaim1 blessed him with a vision of ,angels1 and a renewal of the blessing1 on his return2 from this point1 as before1 it will be our wisdom to reason2 and we shall reason backwards4 ,had ,scripture been quite silent in all other respects1 such proofs of the ,divine approval ought to be enough to convince a believing heart that the only thing wanting must be fuller details1--more evidence1--in order to shew us that the ,patriarch deserved the ,,spirit',s praise4 ,but in truth1 in ,jacob's case1 the details are abundant and the evidence decisive4 #c4 ,of all the other 7so called7 difficulties which occur to my memory1--as the extinction of the ,canaanites1 7who yet were not extinguished17--the ,sacrifice of ,isaac1 7who yet was not sacrificed17--the life of ,david2--,i have only to say that before you can pretend to have an opinion upon the subject you must be sure that you know the ,scriptures3 else1 ,i make bold to say1 you will inevitably err in your cogitations concerning them4 ,thus1 men are heard to insinuate astonishment that the ,king who so basely compassed ,uriah's death should have been a man after ,,god',s own heart3 whereas the ,hebrew original1 7as they would know1 if they knew the ,scriptures17 conveys nothing of the kind2 while the murder of ,uriah is found to have drawn down upon ,david unmitigated wrath and terrible punishment from the right ,hand of ,him who is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity4 ,,ii4 ,turn we now1 briefly1 to the physical ,marvels which are described in the ,bible2 and chiefly those which occur in the ,old ,testament4 ,i am about to speak of ,miracles in general2 but it may be convenient to say a few words first about certain mighty transactions which eclipse1 by their vastness or their strangeness1 most isolated events4 ,thus1 as the ,nativity1 ,temptation1 ,transfiguration1 ,resurrection1 ,ascension1 of our ,,lord1 together with the ,coming of the ,,holy ,,ghost1 eclipse in a manner the other ,miracles of the ,new ,testament1--so the ,temptation of our first ,parents1 the ,flood1 the destruction of ,sodom and the fate of ,lot's wife1 the burning bush1 the ,plagues which prepared the way for the ,exode1 the crossing of the ,red ,sea1 the ,manna1 and the brazen ,serpent2 ,balaam's ass1 and the fate of the walls of ,jericho2 the history of ,jonah1 and of ,daniel among the lions3--events like these stand out from the ,old ,testament narrative and challenge astonishment4 ,of all these latter events1 viewed as difficulties1--7for it is as difficulties in the way of ,revelation that we are now expected to look on ,miracles17--you are requested to observe that they enjoy1 one and all1 the confirmation of express citation in the ,new ,testament4 ,i am saying that either ,st4 ,paul1 or ,st4 ,peter1 or ,st4 ,james1 or 7above all7 our ,blessed ,,lord ,himself1 appeal to1 or else explain1 every one of these marvellous passages in ,old ,testament ,history4 ,and this is the only remark ,i propose to offer concerning any of them4 ,it will certainly prove unavailing to convince a certain class of persons of the historical reality of the ,deluge1 to find that our ,,saviour1 that ,st4 ,peter1 and ,st4 ,paul1 have all spoken of it as an actual event3--,men who are disposed to reject the story of the dumb ass speaking with man's voice1 will not perhaps believe it one whit the more because they find it appealed to by ,st4 ,peter#fji3--;and the ,divine exposition offered by ,,christ ,himself of ,jonah1 three days and three nights in the fish's belly1 will not1 it may be feared1 reconcile others to an event which strikes them as being too improbable to be true4 ,but this1 at least1 will infallibly result from the discovery3--men will perceive that they must positively make their election2 and either accept the ,bible as a whole1 or else reject it as a whole2 for that there is no middle course open to them4 ,the ,new ,testament stands committed irrevocably to the ,old4 ,every ,book of the ,bible stands committed to all the other ,books4 ,not only does our ,,lord quote the ,canon in its collected form1 and call it the ,law and the prophets1--or simply 1 the ,scripture1--and so set ,his seal upon it1 as one undivided and indivisible roll of ,inspiration2 but ,he and ,his ,apostles single out the very narratives which the imbecility of ,man was most likely to stumble at1 and employ them for such purposes1 and in such a manner1 that escape from them shall henceforth be altogether hopeless4 ,to eliminate the marvels of ,scripture1 ,i say1 is impossible2 for a ,divine ,hand has been laid upon almost every one of them4 ,the subsequent references are not only most numerous1 but they run into the very staple of the narrative1--and will not1--cannot be eradicated4 ,i question whether all students of the inspired page are aware of the extent to which what ,i have been saying holds true4 ,let me only invite you to investigate the structure of the ,bible under this aspect1 and you will be astonished at the result4 ,for you will find that the system of tacit quotation and allusive reference is so perpetual1 that it is as if the design had been that the fibres should be incapable of being disentangled any more4 ,balaam's story for example in the ,book of ,numbers1 is found alluded to in ,deuteronomy1 in ,joshua1 in ,micah1 in ,nehemiah2 by ,st4 ,peter1 by ,st4 ,jude1 and by ,st4 ,john in the ,apocalypse#faj4--,the ,exodus1 with its attendant wonders1 is alluded to in ,joshua1 and in ,judges1 and in ,job1 and in the ,psalms2 in ,amos1 and ,isaiah1 and ,micah1 and ,hosea1 and ,jeremiah1 and ,daniel2 in ,kings1 in ,samuel1 in ,nehemiah2 and in the ,new ,testament repeatedly#faa4 ,the ,evangelists quote one another times without number4 ,in the ,epistles1 the ,gospels are quoted upwards of fifty times2 and ,st4 ,peter quotes ,st4 ,paul again and again4 ,it is a favourite device of these last days to hint at the allegorical character of the beginning of ,genesis4 ,but ,i find upwards of thirty references in the ,new ,testament to the first two ,chapters of ,genesis#fab4 ,certain parts of ,daniel have incurred suspicion1--for no better reason1 as it seems1 than because certain persons have found it hard to believe that ,prophecy can be an anticipation of ,history#fac4 ,now it is strange certainly to find a thing objected to for being what it is3 and ,prophecy is nothing but the history of events before they come to pass1--as ,butler remarked long ago#fad4 ,waiving this1 however1 you are requested to observe that our ,,saviour quotes from those very parts of ,daniel which have been objected to4 ,you cannot get rid of those parts of ,daniel therefore4 ,you are not to suppose that the ,bible is like an old house1 where a window may be darkened1 or a door blocked up1 according to the caprice of every fresh occupant4 ,the terms on which men dwell there are that every part of the structure shall be inhabited2 and that every part shall be retained in its integrity4 ,what ,i am insisting upon is1 that the sacred ,writers plainly say1--,we stand or we fall together4 ,they reach forth their hands1 and they hold one another fast4 ,they rehearse comprehensive ,genealogies1--they furnish a summary view of long histories1--they enumerate the various worthies of old time1 and cite their deeds in order4 ,they recognize one another's voices1 and they interpret one another's thoughts1 and they adopt one another's sayings4 ,verily the ,bible is not like any other ,book6 ,the prophets and ,apostles and ,evangelists of either covenant reach out one to another2 and lo1 among them is seen the form of ,one like the ,,son of ,,god4444 ,how far it may be rational to reject the ,bible1 ,i will not now discuss3 but it is demonstrable that a man cannot accept the ,bible1 and straightway propose to omit from it one jot or one tittle of its contents4 ,as for abstracting from ,scripture the marvels of ,scripture1 it is precisely for the protection and preservation of them1 as ,i have been shewing1 that the most curious and abundant provision has been made4 #a4 ,the miracles1 properly so called1 whether of the ,old or ,new ,testament1 have lately been cavilled at with exceeding bitterness#fae4 ,that they are sufficiently attested1 is allowed#faf2 the objection is a 7so called7 ,philosophical one1 and is briefly this1--that the ,laws of ,nature being fixed and immutable1 it is contrary not only to experience1 but also to reason1 to suppose that they have ever been suspended1 or violated1 or interrupted4 ,events contrary to the order of ,nature1--events which would introduce disorder into ,creation1--are pronounced incredible4--,this is a very old objection2 but it has been lately revived4 ,i will dispose of it as briefly as ,i can4 ,you are requested to observe then1 that this difficulty1--7such as it is17--is entirely occasioned by the terms in which it is stated4 ,who ever asserted that ,miracles are violations of natural causes#fag8 suspensions of natural laws#fah8 ,who ever said that the effect of ,miracles is to interrupt--violate--reverse1--the ,laws of ,nature8 ,why assume contrariety and disorder in a which seems to have had no experience of either8 ,but ,,god is1 ,i suppose1 superior to ,his own ,laws6 ,he is not the creature of circumstances1--even of ,his own creating4 ,supreme is ,he in ,creation1--albeit in a manner which baffles thought4 ,he does not even suspend ,his ,laws1 perhaps1 so much as fulfil them after a ,diviner fashion2--somewhat as ,he was fulfilling the ,mosaic ,economy even while ,he seemed to be violating one or other of its sanctions4 ,he does not reverse or disorder the fixed course of ,nature1 so much as rise above it1 and shew ,himself superior to it4 ,he does not disturb anything1 but our notions of ,his mode of acting4 ,,god coming suddenly to view in ,nature1 7which is an essential part of the notion of a miracle17 occasions perplexity1 it is true2 but only because we do not understand fully either ,nature or ,,god4 ,we know ,him not as ,he is1 neither indeed can know ,him4 ,while of ,nature1 we know nothing but a few ,laws which we have discovered by a long and laborious induction of phenomena4 ,in fact1 this whole manner of speaking concerning the ,creator of the ,universe1 with reference to the ,laws which ,he is found to have prescribed to things natural1 has1 ,i suspect1 some great foolishness in it3 for1 even if we do not so far dishonour ,,god as to imagine that ,he is subject to ,law1 yet we seem to imply that we think ourselves capable of understanding the relation in which ,he stands to ,law4 ,whereas1 the very notion of ,law may be utterly inapplicable to ,,god1--who is not only its first ,author1 7as ,he is indeed the first ,author of all things17 but the very source and cause of it also4 ,so that what are ,laws to ourselves may be not so much as ,law at all to ,,god2 but1 7if ,i may so speak17 something which depends on the counsel of ,his will1 and which1 7considered as a restraining cause17 is to ,him as if it were not4 ,there can be no miracles with ,,god#fai6 ,briefly then3--,that ,he who1 7surely ,i may say confessedly17 is above ,law1 when ,he manifests ,himself in the midst of ,creation1 should act in a manner which defies conception2 and yet should disturb nothing1 reverse nothing1 violate nothing2--7except to be sure1 possibly1 certain preconceived notions of ,his rational creatures27--in this1 ,i say1 there is surely nothing either incredible or absurd4 #b4 ,so much1 to say the truth1 seems to be admitted1 by all but professed ,atheists4 ,but then1 certain formul have been invented to bridge over the difficulty1 which ,miracles are supposed to occasion1 which ,i cannot but think are just as objectionable as unbelief itself4 ,by way of saving the credit of the ,laws of the ,universe1 a kind of compromise has been discovered2 to which ,i do not find that ,,god has been made any party4 ,the idea of ,law1 which has been falsely declared to be only now emerging into supremacy in ,science#fbj1 seems to have usurped such a dominion over the minds of a few persons1 superficially acquainted with ,physical studies1 that ,miracles can be only tolerated on the supposition that they are the exact fulfilment of much more extensive ,laws than those we suppose to exist#fba4 ,we are kindly assured that what we call a ,miracle is not an exception to those laws which we know1 but really the fulfilment of a wider ,law which we did not know before#fbb4 ,men are eager to remind us that this is the view of ,bp4 ,butler#fbc1 7whom every one1 ,i observe1 is fond of having for an ally47 ,thus1 a very recent writer says1--,what we call interferences may1 7as ,bp4 ,butler observed long ago17 be fulfilments of general laws not perfectly apprehended by us#fbd4--;,but ,i cannot find that ,bp4 ,butler anywhere says anything of the sort4 ,what ,butler says1 is1--that we know nothing of the laws of storms and earthquakes1--tempers and geniuses2--yet we conclude1 7but only from analogy17 that all these seemingly accidental things are the result of general laws4 ,now1 7he proceeds17 since it is only from our finding that the course of ,nature1 in some respects and so far1 goes on by general laws1 that we conclude this of the rest2--it is credible that ,,god',s miraculous interpositions may have been1 all along1 in like manner1 by general laws of ,,wisdom4 ,butler says that it may have been by general laws1 that the affairs of the world1 being permitted to go on in their natural course so far1 should1 just at such a point1 have a new direction given them by miraculous interposition4 ,he does not say1 you observe1 that those miraculous interpositions are the exact fulfilment of much more extensive ,laws than those we suppose to exist2 7as if a larger induction were all that was needed1 in order to get rid of the obnoxious word ,miracle37--not1 that ,miracles may be fulfilments of general laws not perfectly apprehended by us2 7as if the only thing wanted1 were an enlargement of the human formula1 in order to bring a miraculous interposition within the definition of an extraordinary phenomenon47 ,such notions belong altogether to the inventors of calculating machines2 whose speculations1 even concerning ,divine things1 clearly cannot soar above their instrument#fbe4 ,it is called the argument from laws intermitting#fbf2 and evidently reduces a miracle to a phenomenon of periodical recurrence4 ,the aloe1 watched for ninety-nine years and observed to blossom in the hundredth1 is 7according to this view7 an emblem of the constitution of ,nature at last interrupted by a ,miracle4 ,i will not waste your time further with this view of the subject1 having exposed its fallacy4 ,station yourself1 in thought1 at the grave of ,lazarus2 and see him that was dead and had been four days buried1 come forth bound hand and foot with grave-clothes2--and then prate of any general ,laws1 except those ,,of ,,wisdom1 to as many as you can get to listen to you4 ,a miraculous interposition1 7as ,butler phrases it17 has given a new direction to affairs which1 so far1 had been permitted to go in their natural course4 ,that general ,laws of inscrutable ,wisdom determined such a miraculous interposition--is a position which1 so far from objecting to1 ,i embrace with both the arms of my heart#fbg4 #c4 ,another favourite recipe there is for escaping from the bondage of ,miracles1 which is so childish1 that it would seem scarcely to deserve notice3 but that it has been largely resorted to by writers of whom the world thinks highly4 ,those men1 in a word1 try to explain them away where they can3 where they cannot1 they pare them down as much as they are able1 or rather as much as they dare4 ,demoniacal possession8 ,symptoms like those described are known to accompany epilepsy4 ,manna8 ,something like it falls in the wilderness of ,sinai to this hour4 ,the ,red ,sea parted8 ,well1 but a strong ,east wind blew all night4 ,stilling the storm1 and healing ,peter's wife's mother8 ,every storm is stilled if let alone2 and a fever will burn out1 often without occasioning death4 ,the miraculous draught of fishes1 and the stater in the fish's mouth8444 but you can readily supply a suggestion for yourselves4 ,now1 two remarks present themselves on this kind of handling1 which may be worth stating4 7#a7 ,those who so speak forget that the ,devils are related to have conversed with ,,christ#fbh3--that the manna1 7of which so many miraculous properties are related#fbi17 fed #fjj1jjj men for forty years1 and then suddenly ceased#fcj3--that the waters of the ,red ,sea were a wall to the children of ,israel1 on their right hand and on their left#fca3--that when ,,christ said to the waves of the sea of ,galilee ,peace1 be still1 there was a great calm#fcb3--that ,peter's wife's mother1 cured of her fever1 rose and ministered unto1 7that is waited upon17 her ,benefactor#fcc4444 ,it is worse than absurd to explain away part of a miracle1 with a view to getting rid of the whole of it3 as if the essence of the miracle were not sure to reside in the residuum1--in the very part which is left unaccounted for6 7#b7 ,but above all1 what place have such explanations in the recorded cases of feeding the multitudes1 opening the eyes of one born blind1 and raising the dead8 ,while you leave the chiefest miracles of the ,gospel untouched1 you may not flatter yourself that you have got at the kernel of the matter2 or indeed that the real question at issue has been touched by you1 at all4 #d4 ,there remains to notice one subtle and most treacherous method of dealing with the marvels of ,scripture1--7moral and physical alike17--to which ,i desire in conclusion to direct your special attention2 and which ,i would brand with burning words if ,i had them at command4 ,i allude to what is called ,,ideology1--the plain ,english for which term is1 a denial of the historical reality of ,scripture4 ,i will not waste time with inquiring whether this method is old or new4 ,it is certainly much in fashion2 and it is certainly finding advocates in high quarters4 ,i therefore make no apology for introducing the monstrous thing to your notice4 ,it requires1 ,i should hope1 only to be understood1 to be rejected with unqualified indignation4 ,you and ,i1 then1 have been taught to believe that the ,,word was made flesh and dwelt among us1 in the way ,st4 ,matthew and ,st4 ,luke describe3 that our ,,lord was ,baptized and ,tempted of ,satan2 that ,he wrought ,miracles1--casting out ,devils1 and even raising the ,dead2 that ,he was ,transfigured on a mountain2 that ,he was ,crucified1 died1 and was buried2 that ,he rose again the ,third ,day1 ascended into ,heaven1 and at last1 7as on this day17 sent down the ,,paraclete to dwell with ,his ,church for ever4 ,all this1 ,i say1 you and ,i1--with the whole ,church ,catholic for #ahjj years1--have been taught to believe as plain historical truths1 mere matters of fact2 past telling wonderful indeed1 but yet as historically true1 as that ,i am standing here and you are sitting yonder1--neither more nor less4 ,but you are to understand that we1 and all mankind with us1 have been under a very curious delusion on this head4 ,we are assured that every one of these things1 or at least that some of them1 are only ideologically true3 that ,historically1 they are false4 ,in plain language1 we are requested to believe that they never occurred at all4 ,it is only a lively way of putting it1--no more6 ,you will inevitably suppose that ,i must be trifling with you3 ,i therefore proceed to give you a sample of this kind of teaching4 ,a living dignitary of our ,church writes as follows concerning the ,transfiguration of ,,christ4 ,it may be asked1 of what kind was the vision which we here call the ,transfiguration8 ,was it an effect produced within on the minds of the ,apostles2 or was it that an actual external change came for the time over the person of our ,,lord8 ,we cannot say4 ,i give you this as the mildest form of the poison4 ,quite evident is it that the same suggestion is just as applicable to our ,,lord',s ,birth1 or to ,his ,death2 to ,his ,temptation1 or to ,his ,resurrection4 ,but to see whither all this tends1 and what it really means1 you must have recourse to the pages of a more advanced proficient in the ,science of ,ideology4 ,he admits that its application to the interpretation of ,scripture1 to the doctrines of ,christianity1 to the formularies of the ,church1 may undoubtedly be pushed so far as to leave in the sacred records no historical residue whatever4 ,an example of the critical ideology carried to excess1 7he says17 resolves into an ideal the whole of our ,,lord',s ,life and ,doctrine2 and substitutes a mere shadow for the ,,jesus of the ,evangelists4 ,but for all that1 7says the writer ,i am quoting17 there are traits in the ,scriptural person of ,,jesus1 which are better explained by referring them to an ideal than an historical origin3 parts of ,scripture are more usefully interpreted ideologically than in any other manner1--as for instance1 the history of the ,temptation by ,satan1 and accounts of ,demoniacal possession4 ,this writer1 7who is a clergyman of the ,church of ,england1 and a ,graduate in ,divinity17 goes on to idealize the descent of ,mankind from ,adam and ,eve1 together with the chiefest marvels of the ,old ,testament3 insisting that the force1 grandeur1 and reality of these ideas are not a whit impaired1 although we discredit and reject the history1 as history4 ,so1 our ,,saviour1 7he says17 is none the less the ,son of ,david1 in idea and spiritually1 even if it be unproved whether ,he were so in historic fact4 ,the spiritual significance is still the same1 7he says17 of the ,transfiguration1 of opening blind eyes1 of causing the tongue of the stammerer to speak plainly1 of feeding multitudes with bread in the wilderness1 of cleansing leprosy1--whatever links may be deficient in the traditional record of particular events4 ,whatever links may be deficient6 ,o that men would have the courage or the honesty to say what they mean6 ,why not say plainly1 however untrustworthy we may account the narrative to be8 ,and this writer cannot mean any other thing2 for missing links1 assuredly1 there are none4--,in truth this method of wrapping up a monstrous abortion in purple and fine linen1 in order to make it look like a proper child1 is so much in vogue1 that plain men are obliged first to translate a fallacy in order to understand it4 ,thus1 a recent ,apologist for the very writer ,i have been quoting1--after surrendering the beginning of ,genesis as parabolic1 7that is1 not historically true17 is yet so obliging as to contend that there still remain events in ,scripture1--our ,,lord',s ,resurrection to wit1--in which the garb of flesh1--7pray mark the phraseology67--in which the garb of flesh seems to be so indispensable a vehicle for the spirit within1 that we can hardly conceive how the one could have sustained itself in the world1 unless it had been from the beginning allied to the other#fcd4 ,in plain ,english1 the writer is so candid as to admit that if the ,resurrection of our ,,lord ,,jesus ,,christ from death be a mere fabrication1--in plain terms1 a hoax practised upon the credulity of an unscientific age1--it is hard to understand how it can have imposed upon mankind so completely for the last eighteen hundred years4 ,i will not insult the understanding of those who hear me so grossly as to suppose that dreams like these1--7and really they are no more67--require answer or refutation4 ,such desperate shifts to elude the meaning of plain words1 as the whole theory of ,ideology discloses1 would be even ludicrous1 if the subject-matter were not so very sacred and solemn4 ,as in the case of certain acts of flagrant dishonesty which one sometimes reads of1--one cannot forbear exclaiming1 ,the man must certainly have felt himself very sore pressed indeed to have been induced to resort to a step so utterly disgraceful to his character6444 ,anyhow1 since certain persons have adopted this course1 ,i do but plead for consistency4 ,only let them be sure that they apply this precious method of ,interpretation to the ,history of ,england1 and to everything their friend tells them3 and let them not feel surprised if the same kind of ideological handling is bestowed upon everything they tell their friend4 ,idealize away1 and be sure you stick at nothing6 ,why be outdone in logical consistency by such an one as ,strauss8 ,let men also make their election whether ,scripture shall be a lie or not4 ,and when they have made up their minds1 let them1 in the ,name of ,,god1 instead of dealing in unmanly insinuations1 and dark hints1 and shuffling equivocations1--let them declare themselves plainly1 that we may know at least with whom and with what we have to do4 ,for while false ,brethren are thus playing fast and loose with ,revelation1 they are trifling with the faith of thousands1--and imperilling other immortal souls besides their own4 ,but ,i shall be reminded that the subject-matter of daily life1 and of the ,everlasting ,gospel1 is very different3 and that the marvellous character of certain events recorded in the ,bible constrains us to relegate those events to a distinct region4 ,a child's plea1 which was effectually disposed of upwards of a century ago6 ,what does it amount to but this1--that what is supernatural1 or even highly extraordinary1 must be also untrue8444 ,when1 however1 the argument is shifted1 and is made an appeal ad misericordiam3--when ,i am entreated to remember that though ,i believe in the ,resurrection of ,,christ from ,death1 the same event is a stumbling block to many2 and that ,i am bound to treat with tenderness those who prefer to lean on the other1 and1 as they think1 more secure foundation#fce2 7viz4 on the hypothesis that the ,resurrection of the ,son of ,man is all a fable27--,i say1 when ,i am so addressed1 really1 friends and ,brethren1 ,i am constrained to cry out that there is a limit beyond which ,nature cannot endure2 and that that limit has now been overstepped4 ,will men try to persuade us that the idea of our ,,lord',s ,resurrection is a more secure basis for the ,church's faith than the fact of our ,,lord',s ,resurrection8 ,why1 they might as well try to convince the world that a broken reed is a better support than an oaken staff2--or that a handful of waste paper is of more value than the title-deeds of an estate4 ,how can a shadow1--how can what is confessedly an imagination1--be1 in any sense1 or for any body1 a secure foundation2 or indeed1 any foundation at all8 how1 above all1 can a fancy be a more secure foundation than a fact8444 ,not only will ,i not treat men with tenderness who put forth such blasphemous folly1--7men who1 in their rashness1 their recklessness1 their arrogance1 shew no manner of tenderness or consideration for others67--but ,i will hold them up to ridicule1 to the very utmost of my power4 ,nay1 ,i would make them objects of unqualified reprobation to all1 if ,i could1 as they deserve to be reprobated2 for they are the worst enemies of the ,gospel of ,,christ#fcf4 ,if ,,christ be not risen1 then is our preaching vain1 and your faith is vain also#fcg6 ,the ,apostle rests the truth of the ,christian ,religion on the fact that ,,christ was risen4444 ,the whole system turns upon this central point2 the several doctrines gather round it1 they depend upon it1 they grow out of it2 so that without it1 ,christianity would have no coherence or meaning#fch4 ,you and ,i know very well that nothing could more effectually shake the whole fabric of ,revealed ,religion1 than thus converting its history into fable1 and its realities into fiction4 ,for if the narratives most usually selected for the purpose may thus be explained away2 what part of the ,sacred ,history will be secure against similar treatment8 ,nay1 what doctrines1 even those the most essential to ,christianity1 might not thus be undermined8 ,for are not those doctrines dependent upon the facts recorded in ,scripture for the evidence of their truth8 ,does not1 for instance1 the whole system of our ,redemption presuppose the reality of the ,fall as an historical fact8 ,and do not the proofs of the ,divine authority of the whole1 rest upon the verification of its ,prophecies and ,miracles1 as events which have actually taken place8 ,allegory thus misapplied is therefore worse than frivolous or useless2 it strikes a deadly blow at the very vitals of the ,christian ,faith#fci4 ,away then with that very questionable form of liberality1 which makes most free with what belongs to ,,god6 ,the truths of ,revelation are yours and mine1 ,i grant you3 but only so yours and mine that1 to our eternal blessedness1 we embrace1--to our eternal loss1 we let them slip6 ,we add to them1 or we take away from them1 under peril of ,,god',s curse4444 ,away too with that mawkish sentimentality which can find no better object for its sympathy than the hardened blasphemer1 and the confirmed sceptic6 ,my sympathy shall be reserved for those who have never so offended1 but are1 on the contrary1 full of precious promise2--for the young and as yet inexperienced2--for you1 who will have the battle of ,,christ and ,his ,church to fight1 when we shall be mouldering in the grave4 ,let those who do not know me1 deem me uncharitable if they will4 ,i care not4 ,the uncharitable man1--mark me1 ,brethren6--the truly uncharitable man1 is he1 who shews no consideration for weak and unstable souls2 who does not regard the trials and perils of the young2 who beguiles unsteady feet to the edge of the precipice1 and there forsakes them2 whose destructive method1 7for constructiveness is no part of that man's philosophy67--whose destructive method leaves the young without chart and compass1--aye1 without moon or stars to sail by2 who labours hard to communicate the taint of his own foul leprosy to those who were before unpolluted2 who dims the eye1 and deadens the ear1 and defiles the thoughts1 and darkens the hope of as many as have the misfortune to come in his way1 and feels no pity6--,yes1 yes6 ,the man who sows his own vile doubts broadcast over two continents1--doing his very best to destroy the faith of those for whom ,,christ died1--he1 he is the uncharitable man#fdj6 ,not he who1 forsaking the flowery fields of the ,gospel1 7whither he would far1 far rather lead you67 and foregoing the free mountain air of imperishable ,truth1 for your sakes only keeps treading these dreary stifling paths of speculation2--a friend of yours1 ,i mean1 who with stammering eloquence1 7the more's the pity67 clings thus to you1 ,sunday after ,sunday1--imploring you1 with all a brother's earnestness1 not to venture where to venture is to die2 and warning you against the men who have conspired against your life2--even while he labours hard to shew you what he knows to be a more excellent way2 and implores you to come where ,,christ ,himself hath promised that ye shall find rest to your souls6 ,this is all there is time for1 to-day4 ,let me1 in the fewest possible words1 gather up what has been spoken into a practical shape4 ,friends and brethren1--7,i am still addressing the younger men present67--,divinity is not debate2 and ,religion is not controversy2 and ,life is not long enough for perpetual disputings4 ,he that cometh unto ,,god must believe that ,he is4 ,the heart dries up1 and the affections wither away1 and the soul faints1 amid an atmosphere of cloudy doubts1 and captious difficulties1 and perverse disputations4 ,you must rise above it1 if you would discern the colours on the everlasting hills1 and behold the beauty of the promised ,land1 and see objects as they really are4 ,o put away from yourselves1 7if any of you are so unhappy as to have acquired it17 a habit of mind which will effectually unfit you for profiting by what you read in ,holy ,scripture3 and you1 who are free from such dreadful bondage1 beware lest1 by the indulgence of some sin1--whether of the flesh or of the spirit1--you darken that spiritual eye by which alone spiritual things are to be discerned4 ,it is like talking about colours to the blind1 or about sounds to the deaf1 to discuss with a certain class of persons the ,inspiration1 or the ,interpretation1 or the ,marvels of ,scripture4 ,the ,bible is1 with them1 a common book1--to be interpreted like any other book4 ,prophecy is denied1 and ,miracles are rejected or explained away1--on the plea that they are alike incredible4 ,these men lay claim to intellectual gifts above their fellows2 and know not that they are wretched1 and miserable1 and poor1 and blind1 and naked4 ,rebels are they against the ,most ,high2 and find their exact image in those citizens who sent a message after ,him1 saying1 ,we will not have this ,man to reign over us#fda4 ,the gist of all they deliver1 is rebellion against ,,god4 ,but it is not so with yourselves1 who have yet everything to learn in respect of ,divine things4 ,o beware lest it ever become your own dreadful case6 ,begin betimes to acquaint yourselves with the wealth of that celestial armoury which contains a weapon which must prove fatal to every foe2 but which it depends on yourselves whether you shall have the skill to wield or not4 ,suffer not yourselves to be cheated of your birthright1 the ,bible1 either by the novel fictions of unstable men1 or by the exploded heresies of a bygone age1 revived and recommended by living unbelievers4 ,you1 especially1 who aspire to the ,ministerial office1 and are destined hereafter to undertake the cure of souls1 ,o do you be doubly watchful6 ,give to the ,bible the undivided homage of a childlike heart2 and bow down before its revelations with a suppliant understanding also2 and let no characteristic of its method by any means escape you4 ,notice how it is indeed all one long narrative1 from end to end2 and see therein ,,god',s provision that nothing shall be idealized1 nothing explained away4 ,learn too that ,man is thus called upon to look outward1 and to sustain himself by an external ,law2 not to depend on the promptings of his own conscience1 and so to become a god unto himself4 ,the ,bible1 ,i repeat1 is all severest history1 from the ,alpha to the ,omega of it4 ,but then1 underneath the surface there are meanings high as ,heaven1 deep as ,hell3 and why8 because the true ,author of it is not ,man1 but ,,god6 ,let it quicken you in your desire to understand that ,book out of which you will have hereafter to preach1 reprove1 rebuke1 exhort#fdb1--sometimes to bethink yourselves of the flocks which already are expecting you2 and among which ,,god already sees your future going out and coming in2 your faithful teaching1 or 7,,god forbid67 your betrayal of a most sacred trust4 ,acquaint yourselves in due time1 by all means1 with the scientific grounds on which the ,bible is to be received as the ,word of ,,god3 but of a truth1 hereafter1 you will forget to require that external testimony2 for you will be convinced of its ,divine origin1 when you have become the adoring witnesses of its ,divine power4 ,truly that must be from ,,god which can so change the life and affect the heart2 which can sustain the spirit under bereavement1 and become the soul's satisfying portion under every form of adversity6 ,it has already altered the aspect of the ,world2 and it has still a mighty work to do in ,india1 and in ,china1 and in ,africa1 and in the ,islands of the ,sea4 ,difficulties there are in ,scripture1 doubtless3 but ,i should be far more perplexed by the absence of them1 than ,i shall ever be by their presence4 ,nay1 they are a chief source of joy to a rightly constituted mind2 for they exercise the moral nature and the intellectual powers1 in the noblest possible way4 ,it is the office of the highest ,intellect to know when to walk by ,faith1 and when by sight3 and when1 to ask for the old paths4 ,it needs a mind of no common order fully to recognize the distinctive difference between a system which comes from ,,god2 and one which has been elaborated by human ,reason3 the latter progressive1--the former incapable of progress2 the one liable to change1--the other1 unchangeable for ever4 ,there are certain indelible characteristics of a ,divine ,revelation1 ,i say1 which it is the office of the keenest wit to detect and hold fast1--which it is a prime note of imbecility in a thoughtful man to overlook and let go4444 ,the ,bible in truth1 as one grows older1--7to me at least it seems so17--becomes almost the only thing in the world really deserving of a man's attention4 ,above ,reason1 many things in it confessedly are3 but against ,reason1 ,i do not know of one4 ,meantime1 is it not a glorious anticipation for you and for me1 that to understand those hard things fully may be hereafter a part of our chiefest bliss8 ,there is but a step between us and death#fdc2 and assuredly when we wake up after ,his likeness1 we shall be satisfied with it#fdd6444 ,already the shadows of the evening are stretched out#fde4 ,be patient1 ,o my soul1 until the day break1 and the shadows flee away#fdf6 99 99 99 99 99 ,,thy ,,statutes ,,have ,,been ,,my ,,songs ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,my ,,pilgrimage4 ,,footnotes3 #ehi ,preached at ,st4 ,mary-the-,virgin1 ,whit-,sunday1 ,may #aith1 #ahfa4 #eij ,acts xxiii4 #h4 ,for the phrase in the text1 see ,essays and ,reviews1 p4 #aea4 ,also p4 #agd4 #eia ,see the ,appendix 7,c74 #eib ,should one not as readily acknowledge a hint which was gathered from the conversation of the thoughtful ,vicar of ,stanford-in-the-,vale1 as if it had been derived from some of his published writings8 #eic #a ,sam4 xv4 #f4 #eid ,numb4 x4 #bi-cb4 #eie ,a hint has here been taken from one of ,dr4 ,w4 ,h4 ,mill's admirable ,university ,sermons1 pp4 #bci-dj4 #eif ,judges iv4 #f4 #eig ,ibid4 iv4 #ag4 #eih ,ibid4 v4 #f4 #eii ,judges v4 #f1 #g1 #aa4 #fjj ,ibid4 iv4 #d1 #e4 #fja ,ibid4 v4 #g4 #fjb ,ibid4 v4 #e and #i4 #fjc #a ,sam4 xii4 #fjd ,gen4 xlix4 #e4 #fje ,comp4 ,judges v4 #ad1 #ag1 with ,numb1 xxxii4 #ci1 #dj1 and ,josh4 xiii4 #ca4--;,consider ,ps4 lxxx4 #b4 #fjf #b ,kings vi4 #af4 #fjg #a ,kings xx4 #db4 #fjh ,st4 ,john i4 #ag4 #fji #b ,st4 ,peter ii4 #af4 #faj ,numb4 xxii41 xxiii41 xxiv41 xxv41 xxxi4 #h and #af4 ,joshua xxiv4 #i1 #aj3 xiii4 #bb4 ,micah vi4 #e4 ,nehem4 xiii4 #a1 #b 7quoting ,deut4 xxiii4 #c1 #d47 #b ,st4 ,peter ii4 #ad-af4 ,st4 ,jude ver4 #aa4 ,rev4 ii4 #ad4 #faa ,exod4 xiv4 #ai-ca1 c4 is thus referred to in ,josh4 ii4 #aj3 iv4 #bc4 ,judges v4 #d1 #e4 ,job xxvi4 #ab4 ,ps4 lxxiv4 #ac3 cvi4 #g-aa3 cxiv4 #a-h3 lxxvii4 #ad-bj3 lxvi4 #f3 lxxviii4 #ab-ca4 ,amos ii4 #aj4 ,hos4 xii4 #ac4 ,is4 lxiii4 #aa-ac3 xliii4 #af3 li4 #i1 #aj1 #ae4 ,micah vi4 #d-e4 ,jer4 ii4 #f3 xxxii4 #bj-a4 ,dan4 ix4 #ae4 #b ,sam4 vii4 #bc4 #b ,kings xvii4 #g4 ,neh4 ix4 #i-ba4 ,acts vii4 #cj-da4 #a ,cor4 x4 #a-aa4 #b ,tim4 iii4 #h4 ,hebr4 xi4 #bi4 ,rev4 xv4 #c4 #fab ,gen4 i4 #a1 7,heb4 xi4 #c37 #c1 7#b ,cor4 iv4 #f37 #e1 7#a ,thess1 v4 #e37 #f1 #i1 7#b ,st4 ,pet4 iii4 #e37 #aa1 #ab1 7#a ,st4 ,john iii4 #i37 #ad1 7,phil4 ii4 #ae3 ,rev4 xxi4 #aa37 #bd1 7,acts x4 #ab3 xi4 #f37 #bf1 7,st4 ,james iii4 #i37 #bf1 #bg1 7,col4 iii4 #aj37 #bg1 7#a ,cor4 xi4 #g3 ,st4 ,matth4 xix4 #d3 ,st4 ,mark x4 #f37 #bh1 7,ps4 viii4 #f-h1 commented on in ,heb4 ii4 #e-i3 #a ,cor4 xv4 #be3 ,eph4 i4 #bb47--;,gen4 ii4 #b1 7,heb4 iv4 #d1 #aj37 #g1 7#a ,cor4 xv4 #de1 #dg37 #i1 7,rev4 ii4 #g3 xxii4 #b1 #ad1 #ai37 #ah1 7#a ,cor4 xi4 #i37 #bb1 7#a ,tim4 ii4 #ac37 #bc1 7,eph4 v4 #cj37 #bd1 7,eph4 v4 #ca3 ,st4 ,matth4 xix4 #e3 ,st4 ,mark x4 #g3 #a ,cor4 vi4 #af37 c4 #fac ,it is a very misleading notion of ,prophecy1 says ,dr4 ,arnold1--7a writer to whom1 more than to any other person1 ,i conceive that we are indebted for ,essays and ,reviews2 that unhappy production being the lawful development and inevitable result of the late ,head-master of ,rugby's most unsound and mischievous religious teaching37--,it is a very misleading notion of ,prophecy1 if we regard it as an anticipation of ,history4 7,sermons1 i4 p4 #cge47 ,i think that1 with the exception of those prophecies which relate to our ,,lord1 the object of ,prophecy is rather to delineate principles and states of opinion which shall come1 than external events4 ,i grant that ,daniel seems to furnish an exception4 7,life and ,correspondence1 p4 #ei47 ,this was written in #ahbe4 ,in #ahdj1 we are informed3--,the latter chapters of ,daniel1 if genuine1 would be a clear exception to my ,canon of ,interpretation4444 ,but ,i have long thought that the greater part of the ,book of ,daniel is most certainly a very late work1 of the time of the ,maccabees2 and the pretended prophecy about the ,kings of ,grecia and ,persia1 and of the ,north and ,south1 is mere history1 like the poetical prophecies in ,virgil and elsewhere4444 ,that there may be genuine fragments in it1 is very likely4 7,ibid41 p4 #eje47--;,in other words1 ,dr4 ,arnold1 rather than suppose my ,canon of ,interpretation 767 worthless1 is prepared to eject the ,book of ,daniel from the ,inspired ,canon4 ,any thing is very likely1 in short1 except that ,god could foretell future events1 and ,dr4 ,arnold be in error6444 ' '2 #fad ,analogy1 ,p4 ,,ii4 ch4 vii4 #fae ,throughout the volume entitled ,essays and ,reviews2 while the third ,essay is simply an affirmation of their impossibility4 #faf ,and yet1 ,bp4 ,butler says1--,the facts1 both miraculous and natural1 in ,scripture1 appear in all respects to stand upon the same foot of historical evidence3 444 and though testimony is no proof of enthusiastic opinions1 or of any opinions at all2 yet1 it is allowed1 in all other cases1 to be a proof of facts4--,analogy1 ,p4 ,,ii4 ch4 vii4 7ed4 #ahcc1 pp4 #bhe and #bic47 #fag ,essays and ,reviews1 p4 #adj4 #fah ,ibid41 p4 #ajd4 #fai ,there are some admirable observations on this subject in the ',preliminary ,essay' prefixed to ,dean ,trench's ,notes on the ,miracles4--,see pp4 #aj1 #ab1 #ae1 #fj1 c4 #fbj ,dr4 ,temple4 #fba ,mr4 ,babbage's ,bridgewater ,treatise1 7#bnd4 ,ed4 #ahch17 p4 #ib4 #fbb ,why we should pray for ,fair ,weather3 being ,remarks on ,professor ,kingsley's ,sermon1--by a ,member of the ,university of ,cambridge1--#abmo4 ,cambridge1 #ahfj1 p4 #h4 #fbc ,the view taken of ,miracles in chapter viii41 is the same as that contained in the work of ,butler1 on the ,analogy c4--,babbage 7as above71 p4 #aia4 #fbd ,edinburgh ,review1 for ,april #ahfa1 p4 #dhf4 #fbe ,how exactly1 in this instance1 has ,dr4 ,whewell's anticipation received fulfilment62--,we may1 with the greatest propriety1 deny to the mechanical ,philosophers and ,mathematicians of recent times any authority with regard to their views of the administration of the ,universe2 we have no reason whatever to expect from their speculations any help1 when we ascend to the first ,cause and supreme ,ruler of the ,universe4 ,but we might perhaps go further1 and assert that they are in some respects less likely than men employed in other pursuits1 to make any clear advance towards such a subject of speculation4--7,whewell's ,bridgewater ,treatise1 p4 #ccd47--,scarcely less acute is the remark which the late excellent ,hugh ,james ,rose has somewhere left on record1 concerning the chapter wherein the preceding remark occurs1--,that the world would not easily forgive ,dr4 ,whewell for those two chapters on ,inductive and ,deductive ,habits4 #fbf ,babbage 7as before71 p4 #ib1 7heading of ch4 viii47 #fbg ,see the ,analogy1 ,p4 ,,ii4 ch4 iv4 sect4 iii4 #fbh ,st4 ,mark i4 #bd4 ,st4 ,luke iv4 #cd3 viii4 #bh1 #cj-cb1 c4 c4 #fbi ,exod4 xvi4 #ah-ba3 #bb-bd3--be-bg3 #ca3 #cc-cd4 ,add ,wisdom xvi4 #bj-a4 #fcj ,exod4 xvi4 #ce1 and ,josh4 v4 #ab4 #fca ,exod4 xiv4 #bb1 #bi4 #fcb ,st4 ,matth4 viii4 #bf4 ,st4 ,mark iv4 #ci4 #fcc ,st4 ,matth4 viii4 #ae4 #fcd ,edinburgh ,review1 7art4 on ',essays and ,reviews1'7 ,april #ahfa1 p4 #dhg4 #fce ,edinburgh ,review1 7art4 on ',essays and ,reviews1'7 ,april #ahfa1 p4 #dhg4 #fcf ,i have softened the expression originally employed in this place1 out of deference to the opinions of some wise and good men4 ,but ,i do not think that ,st4 ,john1 7the ,evangelist and ,apostle of ,dogma17 would have thought my language too strong3 nor ,st4 ,paul either4 1-- #fcg #a ,cor4 xv4 #ad4 #fch ,from a ,sermon by the pious and learned chaplain to the ,english congregation at ,rome1 the ,rev4 ,f4 ,b4 ,woodward1--,,christ risen the ,foundation of the ,faith1--preached on ,easter ,day1 #ahfa4 7,rivingtons47 #fci ,van ,mildert's ,bampton ,lectures for #ahad1 7,an ,inquiry into the general principles of ,scripture-,interpretation17--pp4 #bdb-c4 #fdj ,the reader is particularly requested to read what ,dr4 ,moberly has said on this subject in ,some ,remarks on ',essays and ,reviews1' being the ,revised ,preface to the ,second ,edition of ',sermons on the ,beatitudes1'--p4 xxii to p4 xxv4--,the constructive value of the ',remarks' of that excellent ,divine will long outlive the occasion which has called them forth4 ,i allude particularly to the considerations which occur from p4 xxxii to p4 lxiii4 #fda ,st4 ,luke xix4 #ad4 #fdb #b ,tim4 iv4 #b4 #fdc #a ,sam4 xx4 #c4 #fdd ,ps4 xvii4 #af4 #fde ,jer4 vi4 #d4 #fdf ,song of ,s4 ii4 #ag3 iv4 #f4 ,,appendix ,a4 7p4 #af47 ,bishop ,horsley on the double sense of ,prophecy4 ,i shall not wonder1 if1 to those who have not sifted this question to the bottom1 7which few1 ,i am persuaded1 have done17 the evidence of a ,providence1 arising from prophecies of this sort#fdg1 should appear to be very slender1 or none at all4 ,nor shall ,i scruple to confess1 that time was when ,i was myself in this opinion1 and was therefore much inclined to join with those who think that every prophecy1 were it rightly understood1 would be found to carry a precise and single meaning2 and that1 wherever the double sense appears1 it is because the one true sense hath not yet been detected4 ,i said1--',either the images of the prophetic style have constant and proper relations to the events of the world1 as the words of common speech have proper and constant meanings1 or they have not4 ,if they have1 then it seems no less difficult to conceive that many events should be shadowed under the images of one and the same prophecy1 than that several likenesses should be expressed in a single portrait4 ,but1 if the prophetic images have no such appropriate relations to things1 but that the same image may stand for many things1 and various events be included in a single prediction1 then it should seem that prophecy1 thus indefinite in its meaning1 con afford no proof of ,providence3 for it should seem possible1 that a prophecy of this sort1 by whatever principle the world were governed1 whether by ,providence1 ,nature1 or ,necessity1 might owe a seeming completion to mere accident4' ,and since it were absurd to suppose that the ,holy ,spirit of ,,god should frame prophecies by which the end of ,prophecy might so ill be answered1 it seemed a just and fair conclusion1 that no prophecy of holy writ might carry a double meaning4 ,thus ,i reasoned1 till a patient investigation of the subject brought me1 by ,,god',s blessing1 to a better mind4 ,i stand clearly and unanswerably confuted1 by the instance of ,noah's prophecy concerning the family of ,japheth2 which hath actually received various accomplishments1 in events of various kinds1 in various ages of the world1--in the settlements of ,european and ,tartarian conquerors in the ,lower ,asia2 in the settlements of ,european traders on the coasts of ,india2 and in the early and plentiful conversion of the families of ,japheth's stock to the faith of ,,christ4 ,the application of the prophecy to any one of these events bears all the characteristics of a true interpretation1--consistence with the terms of the prophecy1 consistence with the truth of history1 consistence with the prophetic system4 ,every one of these events must therefore pass1 with every believer1 for a true completion4 ,,bp4 ,,horsley's ,sermons1 ,no4 xvii4 ,vol4 ii4 pp4 #gc-d4 ,,footnotes3 #fdg ,gen4 ix4 #be-g4 ,,appendix ,b4 7p4 #ej47 ,bishop ,pearson on ,theological ,science4 ,ad publicam ,theologi professionem electus et constitutus sum2 cujus cum prstantiam dignitatemque considero1 incredibili quadam dulcedine perfundit mirificeque delectat2 cum amplitudinem difficultatemque contemplor1 perstringit oculos1 percellit animum1 abigit longe atque deterret4 ,cum ,artes omnes ,scientique ,athenis diu floruissent1 cum novam sedem ,alexandri occuparent1 cum ingenia ,romana toto terrarum orbe personarent1 etiam tum dixit ,,christus ad ,apostolos1 ,vos estis lux mundi4 ,omnes ali ,scienti1 etiam cum maxime clarescerent1 tenebris sunt involut1 et quasi nocte quadam sepult4 ,tum sol oritur1 tum primum lumine perfundimur1 cum ,,dei cognitione illustramur2 radii lucis non nisi de coelo feriunt oculos2 ctera1 qu artes aut scienti nominantur1 non ,athen sed noctu4 ,quid enim8 nonne animis immortalibus prditi sumus1 et ad ternitatem natis8 ,qu autem ,philosophi pars perpetuitatem spirat8 ,quid ,astronomicis observationibus fiet1 cum coeli ipsi colliquescent8 ,ubi se ostendet corporis humani peritus1 et medicaminum scientia prclarus1 cum corruptio induet incorruptionem8 ,qu ,music1 qu ,rhetoric vires1 cum ,angelorum choro et ,archangelorum coetibus inseremur8 ,si nihil animus prsentiret in posterum1 e covis sibi scientiis aliquid solatii carpere fas esset1 secumque perituris delectari3 sed in hoc tam exiguo vit curriculo1 et tam brevi1 quid est1 tam cito periturum1 quod impleret animum1 in infinita sculorum spatia duraturum8 ,sola ,theologi principia1 tern felicitatis certissima expectatione foeta1 aur divin particulam1 coelestis su originis consciam1 et sempitern beatitudinis candidatum1 satiare possunt4 ,ctera ,scienti exiguum aliquid de mundi opifice delibant1 norunt2 hc1 aquil invecta pennis1 coeli penetralia perrumpit1 in ipsum ,patrem luminum oculos intendit1 et audaci veritate promittit1 ,,deum nobis aliquando videndum sicut et nos videbimur4 ,quantum igitur moli corporis anima materi expers1 quantum operos conjectur divina visio1 quantum brevi temporis spatio ternitas1 quantum ,parnasso ,paradisus1 tantum reliquis disciplinis ,theologia prferenda est4 ,sed hanc severam rebus humanis necessitatem imposuit ,,deus1 ut qu pulcherrima sunt1 sint et difficillima4 ,si ,sacrarum ,literarum copiam1 si studiorum theologicorum amplitudinem prospicias1 crederes promissionem divinam1 sicut ,ecclesi1 ita doctrin terminos nullos posuisse4 ,scriptura ipsa1 quam copiosa1 quam intellectu difficilis6 histori quam intricat6 propheti quam obscur6 prcepta quam multa6 promissiones quam vari6 mysteria quam involuta6 interpretes quam infiniti6 ,lingu1 quibus exarata est1 et nobis1 et toti orbi terrarum peregrin4 ,tres in titulo crucis consecrat sunt2 satis ill erant1 cum ,,christus moreretur2 sed pluribus nobis opus est ut intelligatur4 ,latina parum subsidii prbet1 originibus exclusa4 ,grc magna est utilitas1 nec tamen illa1 si pura1 multum valet2 nam aliam priorem semper aut reddit1 aut imitatur4 ,hebra satis per se obscura1 nec plene intelligenda1 sine suis conterraneis1 ,chaldaica1 ,arabica1 ,syriaca4 ,non est theologus1 nisi qui et ,mithridates6 ,jam hc ipsa oracula ,ecclesi ,,dei sunt commendata1 ad illam a ,,christo ipso amandamur2 illa testis1 illa columna veritatis4 ,nec est unius aut vi1 aut regionis1 ,ecclesia ,,dei3 per totum terrarum orbem1 quo disseminata1 sequenda est2 per ,orientis vastissima spatia1 per ,occidentis regna diversissima3 antiquissimorum ,patrum sententi percipiend1 quorum libri pene innumeri prodierunt1 et nova tamen monumenta indies e tenebris eruuntur4 ,quid dicam ,synodos1 diversarum provinciarum foetus8 quid ,concilia1 e toto orbe coacta1 et suprema auctoritate prdita8 quid canonum decretorumque infinitam multitudinem8 quorum sola notitia insignem scientiam professionemque constituit2 et tamen ,theologi nostr quantula particula est8 ,quot hreses in ,ecclesia pullularunt1 quarum nomina1 natura1 origines detegend3 qu schismata inconsutilem ,,christi tunicam lacerarunt2 quo furore excitata1 quibus modis suppressa1 quibus machinis sublata6 ,jam vero1 scholasticorum qustiones1 quam innumera6 ,ad hc omnia subtiliter disserenda1 acute disputanda1 graviter determinanda1 quanta ,philosophi1 quanta ,dialectic necessitas6 qu leges disputandi1 qu sophismatum stroph detegend6 ,hc sunt qu me a professione deterrent1 hc qu exclamare cogunt1 2 ,,bp4 ,,pearson's ,oratio ,inauguralis1 ',minor ,works1' 7ed4 ,churton17 vol4 i4 pp4 #djb-e4 ,,appendix ,c4 7p4 #ga47 ,the ,bible an instrument of ,man's probation4 ,multa enim propter exercendas rationales mentes figurata et obscure posita4--,aug4 ,de ,unit4 ,eccl4 c4 v4--,obscuritates ,divinarum ,scripturarum quas exercitationis nostr caus ,,deus esse voluit4--,id4 ,ep4 lix4 ad ,paulinum1 tom4 ii4 p4 #aag4 ,the evidence of ,religion not appearing obvious1 may constitute one particular part of some men's trial1 in the religious sense3 as it gives scope1 for a virtuous exercise1 or vicious neglect of their understanding1 in examining or not examining into that evidence4 ,there seems no possible reason to be given1 why we may not be in a state of moral probation1 with regard to the exercise of our understanding upon the subject of ,religion1 as we are with regard to our behaviour in common affairs4 ,the former is as much a thing within our power and choice as the latter4 99 99 99 99 99 ,nor does there appear any absurdity in supposing1 that the speculative difficulties1 in which the evidence of ,religion is involved1 may make even the principal part of some persons' trial4 ,for as the chief temptations of the generality of the world are the ordinary motives to injustice or unrestrained pleasure2 or to live in the neglect of ,religion from that frame of mind1 which renders many persons almost without feeling as to any thing distant1 or which is not the object of their senses3 so there are other persons without this shallowness of temper1 persons of a deeper sense as to what is invisible and future2 who not only see1 but have a general practical feeling1 that what is to come will be present1 and that things are not less real for their not being the objects of sense2 and who1 from their natural constitution of body and of temper1 and from their external condition1 may have small temptations to behave ill1 small difficulty in behaving well1 in the common course of life4 ,now when these latter persons have a distinct full conviction of the truth of ,religion1 without any possible doubts or difficulties1 the practice of it is to them unavoidable1 unless they will do a constant violence to their own minds2 and religion is scarce any more a discipline to them1 than it is to creatures in a state of perfection4 ,yet these persons may possibly stand in need of moral discipline and exercise in a higher degree1 than they would have by such an easy practice of religion4 ,or it may be requisite for reasons unknown to us1 that they should give some further manifestation what is their moral character1 to the creation of ,,god1 than such a practice of it would be4 ,thus in the great variety of religious situations in which men are placed1 what constitutes1 what chiefly and peculiarly constitutes1 the probation1 in all senses1 of some persons1 may be the difficulties in which the evidence of religion is involved3 and their principal and distinguished trial may be1 how they will behave under and with respect to these difficulties4--,,bishop ,,butler's ,analogy1 ,p4 ,,ii4 ch4 vi4 7ed4 #ahcc17 p4 #bff4 and pp4 #bgd-e4 ,further on1 7p4 #bgg17 ,butler has the following note3-- ,dan4 xii4 #aj4 ,see also ,is4 xxix4 #ac1 #ad3 ,st4 ,matth4 vi4 #bc1 and xi4 #be1 and xiii4 #aa1 #ab4 ,st4 ,john iii4 #ai1 and v4 #dd3 #a ,cor4 ii4 #ad1 and #b ,cor4 iv4 #d3 #b ,tim4 iii4 #ac2 and that affectionate as well as authoritative admonition1 so very many times inculcated1 ',he that hath ears to hear let him hear4' ,grotius saw so strongly the thing intended in these and other passages of ,scripture of the like sense1 as to say1 that the proof given us of ,christianity was less than it might have been for this very purpose3 ',ut ita sermo ,evangelii tanquam lapis esset ,lydius ad quem ingenia sanabilia explorarentur4' 7,de ,verit4 ,r4 ,c4 lib4 ii4 towards the end47 ,,appendix ,d4 7p4 #gb47 ,st4 ,stephen's ,statement in ,acts vii4 #ae1 #af1 explained4 ,in a work like the present which purports to deal solely with the grander features of ,,inspiration and ,,interpretation1 it is clearly impossible to enter systematically into details of any kind4 ,if1 here and there1 something like minuteness has been attempted#fdh1 it has only been by way of sample of what one would fain have done1--of what one would fain do1--time and place and occasion serving4 ,in the same spirit ,i will add a few remarks on the famous passage in ,acts vii4 #ae1 #af2 for1 confessedly1 to a common eye it seems to contain several erroneous statements4 ,the words1 as they stand in our ,english ,bible1 are these3-- ,so ,jacob went down into ,egypt1 and died1 he1 and our ,fathers2 and were carried over into ,sychem1 and laid in the sepulchre that ,abraham bought for a sum of money of the sons of ,emmor the father of ,sychem4 ,for obvious reasons1 it will be convenient to have under our eyes1 at the same time1 the original of the passage3-- 1 1 1 4 ,on this1 ,dr4 ,alford1 ,dean of ,canterbury1 delivers himself as follows3-- ,there is certainly1 and that not dependent upon any ,rabbinical or ,jewish views of the subject1 an inaccuracy in ,stephen's statement3 for the burying-place was not at ,sychem which ,abraham bought1 but at ,hebron1 and it was bought of ,ephron the ,hittite1 as you will find in the #bcrd of ,genesis from the #gth to the #bjth verses4 ,it is not worth while for us now to read the account1 but so it is3 ,abraham bought a field at ,hebron of ,ephron the ,hittite4 ,there is no mention at all made of its being for a burying-place4 ,but it was ,jacob who bought a field near ,shechem 'of the children of ,hamor1 ,shechem's father4' ,these two incidents1 then1 in this case are confused together4 ,and again ,i say1 if it is necessary to say it again1 that there is no reason at all for us to be ashamed of such a statement--no reason for us to be afraid of it1 or in any way staggered at it4 ,it was not ,stephen's purpose to give an accurate history of the children of ,israel1 but to derive results from that history1 which remain irrefragable1 whatever the details which he alleged4--,homilies on the former part of the ,acts of the ,apostles1 by ,henry ,alford1 ,b4,d41 ,dean of ,canterbury1 ,london1 #aheh1 p4 #bai4 ,a northern ,professor1 7,patrick ,fairbairn1 ,d4,d41 ,principal and ,professor of ,divinity in the ,free ,church ,college1 ,glasgow17 also writes as follows3-- ,now1 there can be no doubt1 that viewing the matter critically and historically1 there are inaccuracies in this statement2 for we know from the records of ,old ,testament history1 that ,jacob's body was not laid in a sepulchre at ,sychem1 but in the cave of ,machpelah at ,hebron2--we know also that the field1 which was bought of the sons of ,emmor1 or the children of ,hamor 7as they are called in ,gen4 xxxiii4 #ai71 the father of ,sichem1 was bought1 not by ,abraham1 but by ,jacob4--,hermeneutical ,manual1 or ,introduction to the ,exegetical ,study of the ,scriptures of the ,new ,testament1 c4 ,edinburgh1 #aheh1 p4 #aja4 ,now when it is considered that the speaker here was ,st4 ,stephen1--a man who is said to have been full of the ,,holy ,,ghost1 so that no one could resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake1 7,acts vi4 #c1 #e1 #h1 #aj47--there is evidently the greatest prim facie unreasonableness in so handling his words4 ,but let the adverse criticism be submitted to the test of a searching analysis2 and how transparently fallacious is it found to be6 ,first1 we have to ascertain the meaning of the passage4 ,and it is evident to every one having an ordinary acquaintance with ,greek1 that the words cannot mean ,emmor the father of ,sychem4 ,this is a mere mistranslation1 as the invariable usage of the ,new ,testament shews4 ,the genitive denotes dependent relation4 ,the ,vulgate rightly supplies the word filii2 and there can be no doubt whatever that what ,st4 ,stephen says1 is1 that ,abraham bought the burial-place of the sons of ,emmor1 the son of ,sychem4 ,next1 it is evident that our ,fathers1 7 17 exclusive of ,jacob1 form the nominative to the verb were carried over 747 ,in ,english1 the place ought to be exhibited as follows3--he and our ,fathers2 and they were carried4 ,but1 in truth1 the idiom of the original is so easy1 to one familiar with the manner of the sacred writers#fdi2 and the historical fact so exceedingly obvious2 that it must have been felt by ,st4 ,luke1 in recording ,st4 ,stephen's words1 that greater minuteness of statement was quite needless4 ,who remembers not the affecting details of where ,jacob was to be buried1 as well as the circumstantial narrative of whither his sons conveyed his bones#fej8 ,who remembers not also that the bones of ,joseph1 7and1 as we learn from this place1 the rest with him17 were carried up out of ,egypt by the children of ,israel1 at the ,exode#fea8 ,where then is the supposed difficulty8 ,moses relates 7in ,gen4 xxiii47 that ,abraham bought of ,ephron the ,hittite1 the son of ,zohar1 the field and the cave of ,machpelah3 and says that ,machpelah was before ,mamre1 otherwise called ,kirjath-,arba1 and ,hebron4 ,st4 ,stephen further relates that ,abraham bought the sepulchre at ,sychem in which the ,twelve ,patriarchs were eventually buried1 of the sons of ,emmor1 7or ,hamor47 ,may not the same man buy two estates8 ,true enough it is that ,jacob1 when he came from ,padan ,aram1 bought a parcel of a field at ,shalem a city of ,shechem1 at the hand of the children of ,hamor1 ,shechem's father4 ,but there is no pretence for saying that these last two transactions are identical1 and have been here confused together3 for the sellers1 in the one case1 were the sons of ,emmor1 the son of ,sychem2 and in the other1 the children of ,hamor1--father of that ,shechem whose tragic end is related in ,gen4 xxxiv43 while the buyer was in the one case1 ,abraham2 in the other case1 ,jacob4 ,not to be tedious however1 let me in a few words1 state what was the evident truth of the present ,history4 ,it is found that ,jacob1 in order to build an altar at ,shechem with security1 judged it expedient to purchase the field whereon it should stand4 ,who can doubt that the purchase was a measure of necessity also8 ,if1 at the present day1 one desired to erect a church on some spot in ,india1 where the value of land was fully ascertained#feb1 and where there were many inhabitants#fec1--;how would it be possible to set about the work1 with the remotest purpose of retaining possession1 unless one first bought the ground on which the structure was to stand8 ,i infer that when ,abraham first halted at ,sichem#fed1 and built an altar there#fee1 7the ,canaanite being then in the land17 it is very likely that he bought the ground also4 ,but when ,st4 ,stephen informs me that the thing which ,i think only probable1 was a matter of fact2 am ,i1 7with ,dean ,alford17 to hesitate about believing him8 ,abraham then1 in the first instance1 bought ,sichem1 ,shechem1 or ,sychar2 and there built an altar4 ,to that same spot1 long after1 his grandson ,jacob resorted4 ,what wonder1 since the wells of ,abraham were stopped during his absence1 and had to be recovered by his son1 7as related in ,gen4 xxvi4 #ag-bb17--what wonder1 ,i say1 if ,jacob1 on coming to ,shechem after an interval of nearly #bjj years1 finds that he also must renew the purchase of the cherished possession8 ,the importance of that locality1 and the sacred interest attaching to it1 has been explained in a ,plain ,commentary on the ,gospels1 on ,st4 ,john iv4 #a-f1 and #da4 ,see also a ,sermon by the same author1--,one ,soweth and another ,reapeth4 ,,footnotes3 #fdh ,as in the case of the healing of the two blind men at ,jericho1 7p4 #fg473 ',jeremy the ,prophet1' 7p4 #gj473 the type of ,melchizedek1 7pp4 #aeb-f473 a passage in ,deut4 xxx4 7pp4 #aia-e473 the conduct of ,jael1 7pp4 #bbc-bcj473 c41 c4 #fdi ,the nominative has1 in like manner1 to be supplied in the following places3--,gen4 xlviii4 #aj4 ,exod4 iv4 #bf3 xxxiv4 #bh4 ,deut4 xxxi4 #bc4 #b ,sam4 xxiv4 #a4 #a ,kings xxii4 #ai4 #b ,kings xix4 #bd1 #be4 ,job xxxv4 #ae4 ,jer4 xxxvi4 #bc4--,st4 ,matth4 xix4 #e4 ,st4 ,mark xv4 #df4 ,st4 ,john viii4 #dd3 xix4 #e3 xxi4 #ae-ag4 ,acts xiii4 #bi4 ,eph4 iv4 #h4 ,col4 ii4 #ad1 c41 c4 #fej ,gen4 xlix4 #bi-cb2 l4 #e-ac4 #fea ,ibid l4 #be4 ,exod4 xiii4 #ai4 ,josh4 xxiv4 #cb4 #feb ,gen4 xxiii4 #ae4 #fec ,ibid4 xxiii4 #aj to #ab1 #ah4 #fed ,ibid4 xiii4 #g4 #fee ,ibid4 xiii4 #g4 ,,appendix ,e4 7p4 #gd47 ,the simplest view of ,inspiration the truest and the best4 ,i suppose all thoughtful persons will allow that intellectual licentiousness is the danger of this our intellectual age4 ,for speculation indulges our pride4 ,faith is an inglorious thing2 any one can believe1 a cottager just as well as a philosopher3 but not all can speculate4 ,the privilege of an intellectually advanced person is that4 ,and the more novel the view he offers1 the more evident the proof it gives of an independent mind4 ,therefore the danger of a highly advanced state of society like our own1 is ,theory1 as distinguished from ,catholic ,truth4 ,and the most inviting field of theory1 is that high subject1 the intercourse which hath gone on between the ,intellect above us1 and our own2 the communications which have been made from the ,creator to ,his creatures4 ,in a word1 man is under a temptation to frame a theory of ,inspiration2 whether his attempts to frame one have been successful1 is a matter of much interest to consider4 ,i am going to offer a few plain remarks on what the ,bible professes to be4 ,i say1 professes to be1 because those whom ,i speak to will believe that what it professes to be1 it is4 ,i mean they will not suspect the writers of any dishonesty or ambitious pretence4 ,but there may be some readers of the ,bible1 among persons whose profession is the exercise of the intellect1 who are impatient at being left behind in the intellectual race2 who1 when continental critics are going on into theories of inspiration1 do not like the imputation 7so freely cast upon us by foreign writers7 of being unequal to such things1 of having no turn for philosophy4 ,so they must have a theory1 or go along with one2 they must receive the ,bible1--for they do receive it1--in some intellectual way2 through some lens which they hold up2 with a consciousness of some intellectual action in receiving it1 something which not every one could practise1 something beyond the mere simple apprehension of terms1 and simple faith in embracing propositions4 ,but in striking contrast with all such views and all such desires1 stands the singular character of the sacred volume itself4 ,it manifestly addresses itself to a mind in an attitude of much simplicity2 to a mind coming to receive a theory1 not to hold up one2 coming to be shaped1 not holding out a mould to shape a communication made4 ,for it presents itself as a document containing a message from on high2 as conveying the ,word of ,,god2 nor can all that is ever said on the subject get beyond this plain account of its contents1 'the ,word of ,,god4' ,nor need any one who desires to impress on his own mind and that of others the true character of the sacred page1 try to do more than to remind himself that it professes to convey to him the ,word of ,,god4--,sermons by the ,rev4 ,c4 ,p4 ,eden1 pp4 #adh-aej4 ,what ,i desire to impress upon myself and those who hear me is this1 that the words of ,,god are always perfect1 always complete2 and that the feeling with which a poor cottager sits down to his ,bible is the right one1 and that the student hath the best hope of successful study who in attitude of mind is most likened to him4--,ibid41 p4 #aib4 ,the conclusion1 then1 is this2 that ,faith hath not been wrong through these many years1 in her simple acceptance of ,,god',s ,word4 ,to come round to simplicity1 is what we have always had to do in the great questions of ,divinity4 ,there have been great questions2 they have agitated the ,church2 but1 as ,i said1 to come round to simplicity hath ever been her work first or last4 ,when in the fourth century men refined upon the doctrine of the ,holy ,trinity1 and ,arians and semi-,arians would be telling us how these things could be1 the unity of ,,god in three ,persons2 to come round to the simplicity of the ,athanasian doctrine1 and to disown the several explanatory statements which1 offering to explain1 explained away1 was the ,church's work4 ,i am not sure that since the clays of the ,arian dispute1 a more important question has arisen than that which seems likely to be ere long forcing itself upon us1 of the ,inspiration of ,holy ,writ4 ,i freely permit myself to anticipate that the simplest possible view of the subject1 that on which rich and poor may meet together1 is the one to which we shall come round4--,ibid41 pp4 #agb-c4 ,,appendix ,f4 7p4 #ajg47 ,the written and the ,incarnate ,word4 ,i suppose we all have learned from the language used by the ,evangelist ,st4 ,john1 always to look on each of these two employments of the expression1 7the ,,word ,,of ,,god17 with reference to the other2 and to see in each1 the other also4 ,i shall not attempt to express more definitely this connexion2 ,i only need to suppose that we all apprehend it as existing4 ,but ,i shall claim from it thus much to my present purpose2--that as ,he whom the ,evangelist saw riding in the heavenly pomp on high1 and who was revealed to him as bearing this title1 ',the ,,word of ,,god#fef1' was the same who rode as at this time into ,jerusalem2 in humiliation here1 in glory there2 here veiled1 there in brightness unveiled3--,i would now associate the two1 and would regard that sacred volume which the poor cottager knows as the ',word of ,,god1' as placed under the same dispensation2 as veiled here1 reserved for ,revelation hereafter4 ,i say1 as all the other circumstances of our condition are certainly to be regarded in this aspect1 viz41 as things waiting for development2 so ordered by a ,divine wisdom as that they shall sustain faith and instruct piety now1 but shall shew themselves for what they are1 7if ever to a created being1 yet7 only in a later stage than that to which they were given as its present religious provision3 as other things1 so the written page 7,i will assume7 which speaks of ,,god4 ,i assume that in this world we are using sounds which mean more than we know4 ,i assume that in our churches we are in the highest sense singing the songs of ,sion1 of the future and heavenly ,sion4 ,if ,saints in ,heaven shall sing 7as we are told they shall7 the song of ,moses1 then the song of ,moses is already a song for ,heaven2 only there we shall know its meaning1 or more of it than now we do4 ,and the use which ,i make of the reflection is1 to suggest 7as ,i said7 the frame of mind in which we should approach the consideration of the sacred page2 such a frame of mind as that no future revelations of the import of that page shall have power to reproach us as having dishonoured it by our interpretations here1 and having betrayed an inadequate feeling of what ,inspiration was4--,sermons1 by the ,rev4 ,c4 ,p4 ,eden1 pp4 #ahj-b4 ,,footnotes3 #fef ,rev4 xix4 #ac4 ,,appendix ,g4 7p4 #aab47 ,the volume of the ,old ,testament ,scriptures1 indivisible4 ,in regard of the ,old ,testament1 it will be observed that the whole volume stands or falls altogether4 ,in whatever sense we understand the falling or standing1 the volume stands or falls together4 ,each page of it is committed to the credit of the rest1 and the whole book or collection of books is committed to the credit of each page4 ,for this plain reason1 that the book as we have it1 is the book which1 being known in the ,jewish ,church as the volume of her authentic and sacred ,scriptures1 our blessed ,,saviour accepted and referred to as such4 ,by whatever marks the canonicity of the several books was in the first instance attested1--marks which were sufficient for ,,god',s purpose1 and which did ,his work1--there is the volume4 ',it is written1' said our ,,saviour2 that is1 in a book which all ,his nation knew of1 and understood to be inspired4 ,the scrupulous care which the ,jews shewed in preserving their sacred writings intact1 is one of the most remarkable facts in history2 it is a fact of which the ,christian student can give perhaps the right account1 seeing it to have been so ordered in the good providence of ,,god1 that we might have firm ground in calling the book1 as we have it1 the ,word of ,,god4 ,the volume stands or falls then together2 which we may with advantage bear in mind1 because it makes an argument which is available for any portion of the volume1 available for the whole2 and no one can now say1 ',you do not surely hold the genealogies in the books of ,chronicles1 to be inspired3 ,isaiah and the ,psalms may be inspired2 but do you mean the same of the long extracts from mere annals8' ,no man1 ,i say1 can take this freedom1 until he can extract and remove those chapters from the book which our blessed ,,saviour unquestionably referred to as the canonical ,scriptures of the ,church4 ,if a verse stands1 the ,old ,testament stands4--,sermons1 by the ,rev4 ,c4 ,p4 ,eden1 pp4 #aeb-c4 ,,appendix ,h4 7p4 #aae47 7,some remarks had been partially prepared for insertion in this place1 on ,theories of ,inspiration3 but my volume has already been delayed too long1 and has extended to a greater length than was originally contemplated4 ,the paper in question is therefore reserved for the present47 ,,appendix ,i4 7p4 #aag47 ,remarks on ,theories of ,inspiration4--,the ',human ,element4' ,it will be allowed by all persons accustomed to a calm and charitable view of ,theological differences1 that in those differences there is generally on each side some great truth wrongly held1 because taken out of its due place1 and wrongly set4 ,applying this topic to the subject before us1 we are led to consider whether a mistake has not been made in bringing forward the ,human ,element of ,inspiration1 instead of permitting the eye to rest upon that which ,,god presents to us1--the ,divine4 ,the ,human ,element no doubt is there2 no doubt our ,maker acts through our faculties in every respect2 no doubt ,he is acting through laws when ,he seems to suspend laws2 and even in ,miracles1 employs the powers of ,nature instead of thwarting them2 but then this is ,his machinery1 which ,he has not explained to us4 ,he presents ,himself to us1 acting sometimes supernaturally2 i4e4 in a way above nature as we understand nature4 ,he made the ,sun to stand still for ,joshua2 what refractive cloud came in and held the daylight that it should not go down is not made known to us2 ,,god said that it should stay1 and it stayed2 there was the miracle4 ,to have set the ,creation going two thousand years before in such a way and train that in that hour a cloud should rise to refract the sun's rays for a time1 because in that hour the ,,lord's armies would need the interference1 the prolonging of the daylight1--that was miracle enough4 ,we say not that ,,god interrupts ,his own laws2 nay1 rather we believe that ,he hath them always in smooth and orderly operation4 ,similarly of ,inspiration2 we know not the way in which ,,god acts on human minds1 the ,spirit on the spirit2 for ,he hath not told us4 ,but1 as ,i said in the beginning1 in an age like the present1 where analysis of process is the work of men's minds1 the way in which man is feeling his strength in every direction1 it is not very unnatural that the operations of this philosophy should have been carried beyond their due line2 into the subject1 namely1 of the secret communication between the ,divine ,spirit1 and the spirit and apprehensions of ,men1 i4e4 the ,work of ,inspiration4 ,to accept the ,bible as the word of ,,god1 just as a cottager or a child in a village school accepts it1 is an inglorious thing4 ,he whose intellect is his instrument1 that which he is to work with1 wishes to feel his intellect operating on any subject which he has to meet4 ,he feels a desire1 in apprehending a thing as done1 to have as part of his apprehension1 a view of how it is done1 more or less4 ,it is natural to him to take what he feels to be an intelligent view of a subject4 ,in accepting the ,bible therefore as the ,word of ,,god1 he must have a view as to how it is the ,word of ,,god2 the nature of the illapse which the ,spirit from on high makes on the spirit and faculties of the man4 ,in a word1 he would get between the ,creator1 and man to whom the ,creator speaks2 and there would make his observations4 ,but how little encouragement have we to do this in the ,word of ,,god6 ,when ,,god sent prophets to speak to men1 to convey a message to them from their ,maker1 or when ,he tells ,apostles to speak to us1 doth ,he invite us to come within the veil with our philosophy1 and examine8 ,i shall offend the piety of those who hear me by pursuing the thought4 ,but ,i cannot but think that something of this kind has been done by those who have presented us with theories of ,inspiration1 setting forth to us that which it cannot be shewn that ,,god hath set forth to them1 or to any one4 ,yes1 they are right2 our ,creator makes use of our faculties2 and when ,he hath given to one man faculties different from those given to another1 faculties of whatever kind1 of intellectual power or of moral temperament1 ,he employs them all4 ,hath ,he a message of ,love8 ,he employs a ,st4 ,john to utter it1 and to prolong the delightful note4 ,hath ,he a message of freedom1 that liberty wherewith ,,christ hath made us free8 ,he hath a ,paul ready to accept and to fulfil the congenial errand4 ,but ,,god speaks1 not man2 and they who would have us be dwelling on the ,human ,element1 when ,,god invites us to be lost in the ,divine1 are doing not well4 ,yes1 ,,god employs all our faculties3 ,he hath made us different1 as ,he made the flowers of the field different1 and ,christianity shews us why ,he hath so made us2 because ,he hath a work for each of us to do1--a work which none else could do so well4 ,doubtless ,he employs all our faculties1 doing violence to none4 ,this doubtless is ,his glory1 that ,he can bring about ,his results by the means which ,he ,himself hath made4 ,who has not felt1 in reading some sacred narrative1 the history1 e4g4 of ,joseph1 that the wonderful part of it was this1 how naturally all came about1--all by natural operation of human motives and man's free will8 ,so in ,inspiration4 ,no doubt ,,god's instruments which ,he hath made are enough for ,his work2 no doubt ,he employs men as they are2 not their tongues only1 but their minds and spirits1 acting on them and employing them as they are4 ,only in that great process1 the point which ,i call attention to is this1--,,god speaks of it as divine1 and fixes the thought of those who hear ,him on the divine element3 we1 dropping our view on the human1 are not wise4 ,he shews us providence2 ,he condescends to shew us ,his work3 we do not well when we shew an interest rather in lower parts of the scheme1 especially when in those we may so greatly err1 having so little information4--,sermons1 by the ,rev4 ,c4 ,p4 ,eden1 pp4 #afd-agj4 ,,appendix ,j4 7p4 #ade47 ,how the ,inspired authors of the ,new ,testament handle the writings of the ,inspired authors of the ,old4 ,let me repeat3--,the question is1 how we should address ourselves to the study of the sacred page8 ,for example1 how am ,i to regard1 and how to deal with1 the great diversities there are between the several sacred writers8 ,for there is the greatest diversity of mind appearing between them4 ,st4 ,paul is no more the same with ,st4 ,john1 than any two good men now are perfectly alike in their constitution of mind4 ,nay1 the diversity seems especially great in the case of the sacred writers3 as if to forbid us to adopt any theory which should ignore or neglect that diversity4 ,it is striking4 ,how shall ,i deal with these and like circumstances8444 ,can it be suggested to me what a good and wise man would do in this matter8 ,in answer2 it can apparently be suggested2 and through that which is the best and safest of arguments1 the argument from analogy4 ,for there has been a parallel case2 the case of the inspired writers of the ,new ,testament dealing with the ,scriptures of the ,old4 ,to this parallel ,i now invite your attention4 ,if we can observe how and upon what great principles1 piety and wisdom1 guided by ,inspiration1 dealt with the volume of the ,holy ,scriptures which were then its whole volume1 namely the ,old ,testament2 we have so far forth a parallel case to the case of ,christians now4 ,the first ,christians looked back on the ,old ,testament as their sacred ,scriptures4 ,if we can discern how they regarded their sacred volume1 and how they proceeded in interpreting it1 we have a pattern to guide us in regard of the question1 how we shall regard the sacred volume1 and how proceed in the study and interpretation of it2 they with the ,bible that they had1--we with the ,bible that we have1 the completed volume4--,in this point of view ,i cannot but regard it as most distinctly providential that there are introduced in the pages of the ,new ,testament so many quotations from the pages of the ,old4 ,for they furnish us with an answer applicable in every age of the ,church to the question1 ,how shall piety and wisdom deal with a sacred volume2 that volume being from the pen of many writers2 but with this aggravated difficulty in the former case1 that the writers there were widely separated from one another in point of time1 were in contact therefore with most difficult forms of life and stages of society8 ,how in approaching a volume so originated1 did the ,new ,testament writers regard and deal with its contents8--,sermons1 by the ,rev4 ,c4 ,p4 ,eden1 pp4 #ahc-e4 ,and it is impossible for us to imagine1--,i say the thoughtful reader of the ,holy ,scriptures will find it impossible to imagine1--an ,evangelist or ,apostle1 evoking out of its grave the ,human ,element of the ancient prophetic communications2 disinterring it once more as if to gaze upon it4 ,i am sure the impression left on the mind by the passages in the ,new ,testament where the ,old is referred to1 is in accordance with what ,i say4 ,in other words1--7for it is but in other words the same17--these divinely instructed students1--these inspired readers of the sacred page1--are aware of that which they read1 being inspired2 ,,god its author1 and not ,man4 ,and they shew this consciousness1 putting off their shoes from their feet1 as if on holy ground4 ,a divinely instructed mind1 interprets a divinely indited ,scripture2 the ,spirit ,his own interpreter2 and we are taught1--not by man but by the ,author of ,inspiration1--how ,inspiration is to be dealt with4--,let him who would deal aright with the sacred pages of the ,new ,covenant1 observe in due seriousness what instruction he may gain from the consideration now suggested to his thoughts4 ,let him learn from the sacred page1 how to deal with the sacred page4 ,and if he has observed these things2 if he has seen how the writers of the ,new ,testament1 discern in lines and words of the ,old ,testament1 that which speaks to them1--7for it speaks to ,,christ1 and in ,him to ,his ,church1 i4e4 to them37 444 how these utterers of inspired sounds are found1 when their words receive at length an authentic interpretation1 to have been speaking of the ,christian ,church1 its terms of ,salvation1 its spiritual gifts2--a reader of the ,holy ,scriptures practised in these observations will have learned in some measure how to approach the sacred volume2 with a sense not only of its unfathomed depth1 but also of its unity of scope2 and a conscious interest rather in its universal truths1--its ever present truths1--than in those transitory imports which some of its pages can be shewn to have had1 over and above their ,evangelical meaning4--7,ibid41 pp4 #ahf-i47 ,,appendix ,k4 7p4 #aii47 ,bishop ,bull on ,deut4 xxx4 ,jam hic etiam qustionem unam et alteram solvendam exhibebimus4--,quritur1 ,an nullum omnino extet in lege ,mosis ,,spiritus ,,sancti promissum8 ,resp4 ,legem1 si per eam intelligas pactum in monte ,sinai factum1 et mediatore ,mose populo ,israelitico datum1 7qu1 ut modo diximus1 est maxime propria ac genuina ipsius in ,paulinis ,epistolis notio atque acceptio17 nullum ,spiritus ,sancti promissum continere1 manifestum est4 ,si1 inquam1 per eam intelligas pactum in ,sinai factum2 quia in hagiographis et ,scriptis ,propheticis1 7qu nomine legis et ,veteris ,test4 laxius sumpto non raro veniunt17 de ,,spiritu ,,sancto1 tum ex grati ,divin promisso1 tum precibus hominum impetrato1 passim legimus4 ,imo et in ,mosaicis scriptis1 licet non in ipso ,mosaico foedere1 promissum 7ni fallor7 satis clarum de gratia ,,spiritus ,,sancti ,israelitis a ,,deo danda reperire est4 ,ejusmodi certe est illud ,deut4 xxx4 #f3 ',circumcidet ,,jehova ,,deus tuus animam tuam et animam seminis tui1 ad diligendum ,jehovam ,deum tuum ex toto corde tuo1' c4 ,etenim circumcisionem cordis1 prsertim ejusmodi qu ad ,,deum toto corde diligendum homines prparentur1 non sine magna ,,spiritus ,,sancti vi atque efficacia fieri posse1 apud omnes1 qui a ,pelagio diversum sentiunt1 in confesso est4 ,sed hoc etiam ad ,evangelicam ,justitiam pertinebat1 quam sub cortice externorum rituum et ceremoniarum latitantem primum ,moses ipse1 dein prophet alii1 digito quasi commonstrarunt4 ,justitia enim ,fidei1 qu in evangelio olim erat 1--ut diserte affirmat ,apostolus4 7,rom4 iii4 #ba47 ,dixi autem1 exerte hanc ,,spiritus ,,sancti promissionem in ipso ,mosaico foedere non haberi4 ,addam aliquid amplius1--partem eam fuisse ,novi ,testamenti1 ab ipso ,mose promulgati4 ,nam foedus cum ,judis sancitum1 7,deut4 xxix41 et seq41 in quo hc verba reperiuntur17 plane diversum fuisse a foedere in monto ,sinai facto1 adeoque renovationem continuisse pacti cum ,abrahamo initi1 h4 e4 foederis ,evangelici tum temporis obscurius revelati1--multis argumentis demonstrari potest4 7#a7 ,diserte dicitur1 7cap4 xxix4 #a47 verba1 qu ibidem sequuntur1 fuisse 'verba foederis quod ,,deus prcepit ,mosi1 ut pangeret cum ,israelitis1 prter foedus illud1 quod pepigerat cum illis in ,chorebo4' ,qui renovationem tantum hic intelligunt foederis in monte ,sinai facti1 nugas agunt1 quin et texts ipsius apertissimis verbis contradicunt4 ,neque enim verba foederis in ,sinai facti repetita ac renovata ullo sensu dici possunt verba foederis1 quod ,,deus sancivit prter illud1 quod in monte ,sinai pepigerat4 7#b7 ,diserte dicitur1 hoc foedus idem prorsus fuisse cum eo1 quod ,,deus juramento sanciverat cum ,israelitici populi majoribus1 ,abrahamo puta1 ,isaaco et ,jacobo1 7ejusdem cap4 ver4 #ab1 #ac17--quod foedus ipsum ,evangelicum fuit1 obscurius revelatum1 ipso apostolo ,paulo interprete1 ,gal4 iii4 #af1 #ag4 7#c7 ,nonnulla hujus foederis verba citat ,paulus1 ut verba foederis ,evangelici1 qu fidei justitiam manifesto pr se ferant4 7,vide ,rom4 x4 #f4 et seq4 ,coll4 ,deut4 xxx4 #aa1 et seq47 ,haud me fugit esse nonnullos1 qui statuunt1 hc ,mosis verba ab ,apostolo ad fidei justitiam per allusionem tantum accommodari3 sed fidem non faciunt1 cum ,paulus verba ista manifesto alleget ut ipsissima verba justiti fidei1 h4 e4 foederis ,evangelici1 in quo justitia ista revelatur4 ,atque1 ut verum fatear1 semper existimavi1 allusiones istas 7ad quas confugiunt quidam tanquam ad sacrum su ignoranti asylum17 plerumque aliud nihil esse1 quam sacr ,scriptur abusiones manifestas4 ,sed non necesse erat1 hoc saltem in loco1 ut tali uterentur4 ,nam1 7#d7 qucunque in hoc foedere continentur1 in ,evangelium mire quadrant4 7i47 ,quod ad prcepta attinet1 prscribuntur hic ea tantum1 qu ad mores pertinent1 et per se honesta sunt2 illorum rituum1 qui1 si verba spectes1 pueriles videri possent1 quorumque totum foedus legale fere plenum est1 nulla facta mentione4 ,addas1 totam illam obedientiam1 qu hic requiritur1 ad sincerum sedulumque studium ,deo in omnibus obediendi referri4 7,vid4 cap4 xxx41 #aj1 #af1 #bj47 7ii47 ,ad promissa quod spectat1 plenam hic omnium peccatorum1 etiam gravissimorum1 remissionem post peractam poenitentiam repromittit ,,deus2 7cap4 xxx41 #a-d47 qu gratia in foedere legali nuspiam concessa est1 ut supra fusius ostendimus4 ,deinde1 gratia ,,spiritus ,,sancti1 qua corda hominum circumcidantur1 ut ,,jehovam diligant ex toto corde atque ex tota anima1 hoc in loco1 de quo agimus1 7nempe prdicti capitis ver #f47 clare promittitur4 ,hui6 quam procul ab usitata ,mosaicorum scriptorum vena6444 7#e7 ,foedus illud1 de quo prdixit ,jeremias1 7xxxi4 #ca4 et seq47 foedus esse ,evangelicum1 negavit ,christianus nemo2 cum ,divinus auctor ,epistol ad ,hebros idipsum expresse doceat1 7viii4 #h1 et seq47 ,jam qu de pacto isto prnuntiat propheta1 omnia huic foederi ,moabitico ad amussim respondent4 ,appellat suum foedus ,jeremias 'foedus novum2 ab eo1 quod cum majoribus populi ,israelitici gypto exeuntibus pepigerat ,,deus1 omnino diversum4' ,idem etiam de ,moabitico foedere dicit ,moses4 ,causam reddit ,jeremias cur novum ,,deus pactum1 ,sinaiticum aboliturus1 molitus fuerit2 nempe1 quod ,israelit1 prpotentiore gratia destituti1 ,sinaiticum illud irritum fecissent1 prceptis ejusdem non obtemperando1 7ver4 #cb47 ,eandem causam et ,moses manifesto designat2 ',nondum1' inquit1 'dederat vobis ,,jehova mentem ad cognoscendum1 et oculos ad videndum1 et aures ad audiendum1 usque ad diem hunc3' 7,deut4 xxix4 #d47 h4 d4 ,pactum prius vobiscum pepigerat ,,deus1 in quo voluntatem suam prceptis1 tum promissis tum minis1 tum denique miraculis omne genus satis superque communitis1 vobis ipsis patefecerat4 ,sed vidit foedus illud parum vobis profuisse2 vidit vobis opus esse efficaciore adhuc gratia1 qua nempe corda vestra circumcidantur1 c4 ideoque novum foedus meditatur1 in quo gratiam illam efficacissimam vobis adstipulaturus sit4 ,eandem autem cordis circumcisionem procul dubio designant verba ,jeremi1 v4 #cc1 prd4 cap42 ',indam legem meam menti eorum1 et cordi eorum inscribam eam4' ,porro remissio ista omnium peccatorum1 qu poenitentibus promittitur a ,mose1 7,deut4 xxx4 #a4 et seq47 a ,jeremi etiam clare exprimitur prdicti cap4 ver #cd4 ',ero propitius iniquitatibus eorum1 et peccatorum ipsorum et transgressionum ipsorum non recordabor amplius4' ,denique ,jeremias claritatem ostendit adeoque facilitatem prceptorum1 qu in novo suo foedere continebantur1 ob quam ,dei populo non opus esset laboriosa disquisitione1 aut exactiori disciplina1 ut prcepta istius foederis cognoscerent implerentque1 7,ejusdem capitis1 ver4 #cd47 ,idem ,mosen quoque voluisse manifestum erit1 7si verba ejus ,deut4 xxx4 #aa1 et seq4 cum iis1 qu ,apostolus ad eundem locum disserit ,rom4 x4 #f1 et seq4 accuratius perpenderis47 ,mihi certe clara videntur omnia4 7#f7 ,ac postremo1 ut res hc tota extra omnem controversi aleam ponatur1 ipsi ,hebrorum magistri ea1 qu ,deut4 xxix4 et deinceps continentur1 ad ,messi tempus omnino referenda censuerunt4 ,testem advoco fide dignissimum ,p4 ,fagium1 qui 7ad ,deut4 xxx4 #aa17 hc annotat2 ',diligentur observandum est1 ex consensu ,hebrorum caput hoc ad regnum ,christi pertinere4 ,unde etiam ,bachai dicit1 hoc loco promissionem esse1 quod sub ,rege ,messiah omnibus1 qui de foedere sunt1 circumcisio cordis contingat1 citans ,joelem1 ii4 #bh4' ,fagio consentit ,grotius in ejusdem capitis ver4 #f4 ,in his ideo prolixius immorati sumus1 tum1 ut vel hinc manifestum fieret1 omnia1 qu in ,mosaicis scriptis continentur1 ad foedus ,mosaicum1 proprie sic dictum1 nequaquam pertinere2 adeoque quam vera ac prorsus necessaria sit distinctio ,augustini1 7de qua aliquoties jam dictum est17 legem veterem sumptam ad solum pactum in monte ,sinai factum restringentis2 tum imprimis ut exinde etiam clare eluceret optima ac sapientissima ,,dei 1 quam in dispensando grati su foedere usurpare visum ipsi fuerit4 ,pepigerat ,,deus cum ,abrahamo foedus illud gratiosum multis ante latam legem annis2 cui postea placuit ipsi superaddere pactum aliud1 multis1 iisque operosis1 ritibus ac ceremoniis conflatum1 quibus rudem et carnalem ,abrahami posteritatem1 recens ex gypto eductam1 adeoque paganicis ritibus ac superstitionibus nimis addictam1 in officio contineret1 i4e4 ab ethnicorum idololatrico cultu arceret4 ,quod optime expressit ,tertullianus 7adversus ,marcion4 #b47 his verbis3 ',sacrificiorum onera1 et operationum et oblationum negotiosas scrupulositates nemo rcprehendat1 quasi ,,deus talia proprie sibi desideraverit1 qui tam manifeste exclamat1 ,quo mihi multitudinem sacrificiorum vestrorum8 et1 ,quis exquisivit ista de manibus vestris8 sed illam ,,dei industriam sentiat1 qua populum pronum in idololatriam et transgressionem ejusmodi officiis religioni su voluit adstringere1 quibus superstitio sculi agebatur1 ut ab ea avocaret illos1 sibi jubens fieri quasi desideranti1 ne simulacris faciendis delinqueret4' 7,conf4 ,gal4 iii4 #ai47 ,sed prvidens sapientissimus ,,deus1 fore1 ut hoc ipsius propositum populus obtusi pectoris non intelligeret1 post latam istam carnalem legem1 prcepit ,mosi1 ut ,israelitis novum foedus promulgaret1 seu potius ut vetus illud1 cum ,abrahamo ante multos annos initum1 7quod spiritualem imprimis justitiam exigebat1 et gratia ac misericordia plenum erat17 renovaret3 ut hinc tandem cognoscerent ,judi1 pactum ,abrahamiticum etiam post latam legem ritualem adhuc viguisse1 adeoque pro foedere habendum fuisse1 cui unice salus ipsorum inniteretur4 7,conf4 ,gal4 iii4 #ag47 444 ,quis hic cum ,apostolo non exclamet1 6 7,rom4 xi4 #cc47 ,sed hc obiter1 etsi haudquaquam frustra4 ,pergo4--,from ,bp4 ,bull's ,harmonia ,apostolica1 cap4 xi41 sect4 #c4--,works1 vol4 iii4 pp4 #aig-bja4 ,,appendix ,l4 7p4 #bah47 ,opinions of ,commentators concerning ,accommodation4 ,cornelius ,lapide1 on this place1 writes us follows3--,licet ,cajetanus1 ,adamus1 ,pererius1 ,toletus1 putent ,mosem ad litteram loqui de ,christo et ,christi justiti1 referunt enim hc ejus verba ad poenitentiam1 de qua eodem capite egerat ,moses1 ver4 #a2 7,poenitentia enim et dilectio ,dei1 ac consequenter peccatorum venia1 ipsaque justitia sine fide ,christi haberi non potest27 tamen longe planius est1 ut non litteraliter1 sed allegorice tantum alludat ,apostolus ad ,mosem4 ,moses enim ad litteram1 sive in sensu litterati loquitur1 non de ,christo ejusque ,evangelio1 sed de lege data ,judis1 ut patet eum intuenti4 ,ita ,chrysostomus1 ,theodoretus1 ,theophylactus1 ,oecumenius1 ,abulensis1 ,soto4444 ,hc1 inquam verba1 ,mosem ad suos ,judos literaliter loqui plan certum1 evidens1 et manifestum est2 ita tamen ut eadem hc ejus verba allegorice ,evangelio ejusque catechumenis et fidelibus optime conveniant4 que enim1 immo magis1 ad manum est omnibus jam ,evangelium et fides ,christi1 quam olim fuerit lex ,mosis3 ita ut fidem hanc omnes facillime corde1 id est mente1 complecti3 et ore proloqui1 itaque justificari et salvari possint4 ,our own learned ,hammond writes as follows3--,the two phrases of 'going up into ,heaven1' or 'descending into the deep1' are proverbial phrases to signify the doing or attempting to do some hard1 impossible thing4444 ,these phrases had been of old used by ,moses in this sense1 ,deut4 xxx4 #ab4 ,and then1 the place follows4 ,which words being used by ,moses to express the easiness and readiness of the way which the ,jews had to know their duty and to perform it1 are here by the ,apostle accommodated to express the easiness of the ,gospel condition1 above that of the ,mosaical ,law4--,so far ,dr4 ,hammond2 whose notion that there was any accommodation here1 ,i altogether deny4 ,as for his belief that the paraphrase in the ,targum of ,jerusalem1 ,utinam esset nobis aliquis ,propheta1 ,jon similis1 qui in profundum maris magni descenderet1 is the ground of ,st4 ,paul's application of the place to the ,death and ,resurrection of ,christ1 ,i can but feel surprised to find such a view advocated by so learned a man1 and so excellent a ,divine4 ,but it is not ,hammond's way to write thus4 ,in his ,practical ,catechism1 he often expounds similar ,scripture1 7e4g4 ,st4 ,luke i4 #gb-e17 after a very lofty fashion4 ,again3--,hunc locum accommodavit ad causam suam ,b4 ,paulus1 ,rom4 x4 ,nam cum proprie hic locus pertineat ad ,decalogum1 transfertur eleganter et erudite a ,paulo ad fidem qu os requirit ut promulgetur1 et cor ut corde credamus4--,fagius1 ad ,deut4 xxx4 #aa1 apud ,criticos ,sacros4 ,occasionally1 however1 we meet with a directly different gloss3-- ,locum hunc divinus ,paulus divine de ,evangelica prdicatione ac sermone fidei est interpretatus1 tametsi sensum magis1 ut quum est1 quam textum ad verbum expresserit2 ut illius etiam alibi est mos4 ,satis enim fuit1 atque adeo magis consentaneum viris ,spiritu ,dei plenis significare quid idem ,spiritus in ,scriptura intelligi vellet4--,clavius1 ad ,deut4 xxx4 #ad1 apud ,criticos ,sacros4 ,concerning the general principle of ,accommodation1 7as explained above1 p4 #ahh17 the following passages present themselves as valuable4 ,men have suggested that these things were accommodations of the ,sacred ,writers2 and that the ,new ,testament ,writers1 in the interpretations they gave of passages in the ,old1 meant to say1 that the texts might be applied in such way as they applied them4 ,but the suggestors of this view can hardly have considered carefully those conversations of our ,blessed ,,saviour with ,his disciples going to ,emmaus2 and afterward in the evening of the same day1 in which ,he distinctly reprehends them for their dulness of heart in not seeing in the pages of the ,old ,testament the predictions of ,his ,death and of ,his ,resurrection2 though1 of ,his ,resurrection the intimations are1 in those ancient ,scriptures1 to our view so scanty and obscure4 ,he unfolds to them as they walk the reference of the ,old ,testament ,scriptures to ,himself4 ,then in a later interview ,he resumes the instruction and 'opens their understanding1' 7it is said17 to discover the same2 the relation of the ,old ,testament ,scriptures 7namely7 to ,himself4--,he is a bold ,commentator who having seen the ,disciples thus instructed1--having witnessed this scene1--then1 when he meets with these same ,disciples' interpretations of the ancient ,scriptures in relation to ,,christ1 calls them ',accommodations1' and gives them to a human original4 ,but ,i ask leave to turn from this theory4--,sermons by the ,rev4 ,c4 ,p4 ,eden1 pp4 #ahi--aij4 ,if we believe that the ,apostles were inspired1 then all idea of accommodation must be renounced4444 ,the theory of ,accommodation1 i4e4 of erroneous interpretation of the ,scripture1 cannot be thought of without imputing error to the ,,spirit of ,truth and ,holiness2 or to ,him who sent the ,,spirit to recal to the minds of the ,apostles all things which ,he had said to them1 and to guide them into all ,truth4--,from a ,sermon by ,dr4 ,m',caul1 ,the ,hope of the ,gospel the ,hope of the ,old ,testament ,saints1 7#ahed17--p4 #h4 44 ,by the same ,author4 ,a ,,plain ,,commentary ,,on ,,the ,,four ,,holy ,,gospels4 #g vols4 ,fcap4 #hvo4 ,,ninety ,,short ,,sermons ,,for ,,family ,,reading4 #b vols4 ,fcap4 #hvo4 ,,the ,,portrait ,,of ,a ,,christian ,,gentleman3 ,a ,,memoir ,,of ,p4 ,f4 ,,tytler1 ,,esq4 7#bnd4 ,ed47 #ahei4 ,crown #hvo4 ,transcriber's ,notes3 99 ,italics and bold in the original have been represented by 444 and 444 respectively4 ,where ,greek letters were used for enumeration1 they are represented by #a1 #b1 #c for the original alpha1 beta1 gamma etc4 ,increased letter-spacing in ,greek 7used for emphasis7 has also been represented by 4444 99 ,footnotes have been renumbered to run from #a through the book4 ,where there is reference to a particular footnote in the text1 the original text has been left1 but our #ccj inserted to advise what the reference now is4 99 ,the author's unusual punctuation style has been preserved1 notably in the following respects4 99 ,footnote markers appear before punctuation4 99 ,punctuation appears before closing parentheses4 99 ,when a quotation is followed by a page reference1 the page reference is normally followed by the same punctuation as the quotation ended with4 99 ,the use of hyphenation in the book was inconsistent4 ,where words were hyphenated at the end of a line1 other examples in the text have been followed4 ,cases where there was some doubt were pre-existing 7p4 li71 co-extensive 7p4 lxxvi71 frostwork 7p4 cxxii71 overrule 7p4 #bj71 and twofold 7p4 #ch74 99 ,roman numerals used for punctuation are sometimes followed by a period1 sometimes not4 99 i4e41 and e4g41 have been standardised to have no space4 99 ,the following words are either archaic spellings or typographical errors and have been left as in the original4 ,those known to the transcriber as valid archaic spellings have been marked 99 99 ,pourtrays_/pourtrayed 7p4 xxv71 99 recal for recall 7p4 xxviii and others7 99 inuendo 7p4 liv7 99 99 pr-,adamic 7p4 cvii7 99 ,meanwile 7p4 cxii7 99 expence 7p4 cxxxiii7 99 99 ,poictiers for ,poitiers 7p4 cxlvi7 99 99 tenour 7p4 ccvi7 99 ,analagy 7p4 ccxv7 99 ,a printing error in the ,greek was corrected3 in 7our7 footnote #bji had the wrong breathing4