President White Library 
 CoRNELi. University 
 
Birth and growth of toleration / by J. O 
 
 oiin 
 
 3 1924 029 261 258 
 
Cornell University 
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 The original of tliis book is in 
 tine Cornell University Library. 
 
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 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31 924029261 258 
 
The Birth and Growth of Toleration 
 
The Birth and Growth 
 of Toleration 
 
 By the 
 
 Rev. J. O. Bevan 
 
 M.A., F.G.S., Assoc.Inst.C.E., F.S.A. 
 
 Sometime Prizeman, Exhibitioner, and Foundation 
 
 Scholar of Emmanuel College, Cantab. 
 
 Rector of Chillenden, Dover 
 
 London: George Allen & Sons 
 
 44 & 45 Rathbone Place 
 1909 
 
 [All rights reserved] 
 
 . E.V. 
 
Printed by Ballantynb, Hanson 6* Co. 
 At the Ballantyne Press, Edinburgh 
 
PREFACE 
 
 THE Essays constituting this volume have been 
 composed during the intervals of a busy life, 
 being originally delivered to various gatherings of 
 laity and clergy. 
 
 The series is now gathered together, and pub- 
 lished in accordance with a desire expressed in 
 various quarters. 
 
 The Articles mainly fall into four divisions : (i) 
 those dealing with Comparative History; (ii) those 
 relating to problems concerning the rationalization 
 of Miracle ; (iii) those addressed mainly ad clerum; 
 (iv) those of a general character, affecting the 
 community at large. 
 
 The author has endeavoured to treat these 
 various matters in a broad and tolerant spirit. 
 
 This may be illustrated in respect of the 
 question of the keeping of Sunday. In relation 
 to this perennial controversy, there is presented 
 to us an instance where disputants frequently 
 leave out of account important considerations 
 bearing : (i) on the interpretation given, and 
 the relative importance attached, in the present 
 
 V 
 
Preface 
 
 day, to deliverances of the Scriptures on a cognate 
 subject, viz., the Sabbath; (ii) on the cosmopo- 
 htan character of existing English society ; (iii) 
 on the respect therefore due to the tone of thought 
 prevalent in circles and communities other than 
 our own, composed, for instance, of Jews and 
 Romanists. Both of these bodies have well- 
 marked laws and conventions as to their holy 
 day ; their consciences not being offended so 
 long as those laws and conventions are respected 
 and maintained amongst themselves. Thus, the 
 " Continental Sunday " must largely be judged, 
 not by our insular rule and prejudice, but in 
 relation to the primary obligations laid down by 
 the Church and Society then and there existing 
 in the particular country involved. 
 
 Again, in the Article on Discipline, the writer 
 recognizes the crumbling down of many of the 
 old defences in Church and State, and the loosen- 
 ing of the bonds of allegiance to canons and 
 authorities, to which unquestioning obedience was 
 rendered in the past. Therefore, he would suggest 
 the attribution to the Church of England of a 
 claim and position which should be capable of 
 definition as to its force and limits, and which 
 should constitute her an effective authority in 
 respect of faith and morals. 
 
 In order thus to furnish a centre of unity to her 
 sons, to separatists from her body, and to the 
 
 vi 
 
Preface 
 
 various J branches of the Catholic Communion 
 throughout the world, our Church should come 
 forth boldly as the witness, keeper, and inter- 
 preter of Holy Writ ; and as empowered to make 
 and administer all laws necessary for the regula- 
 tion of the lives of her members ; but — as at the 
 present time — where each man speaks for himself, 
 who shall hear ? 
 
 In accordance with the spirit and leading of 
 Evolution and Development, the position wbuld 
 need to be periodically adjusted, so that the conser- 
 vatism and inertia of an ancient institution should 
 not be permitted to check or constrain legitimate 
 growth. 
 
 The author is conscious of the numerous im- 
 perfections and deficiencies of this compilation, 
 which are partly due to the tentative nature of 
 the methods employed. Moreover, he apologizes 
 for the outspokenness of some passages therein ; 
 but he has endeavoured to speak his mind freely, 
 even at the risk of shocking weaker brethren. In 
 many respects, the times in which we live are 
 critical. 
 
 He has long been convinced that the traditional 
 modes of regarding the origin and development of 
 religion and philosophy in general require to be 
 modified in accordance with the growth of ideas 
 naturally progressing with the growth and pro- 
 gress of the world-spirit, with improved methods 
 
 vii 
 
Preface 
 
 of analysis and reasoning, and with the ameliora- 
 tion of the temper of debate and controversy. 
 
 He believes that the time has arrived for the 
 overhauling and revision of existing beliefs and 
 conclusions in every department of knowledge — 
 above all, in the region of that moral sphere which 
 must ever be of supreme interest and import to 
 mankind ; whereby the teaching and practice of 
 Religion may be relieved of much that hampers 
 it, and that impedes its acceptance and universal 
 diffusion. 
 
 This can be done only in accordance with the 
 unfettered use of scientific methods of inquiry and 
 analysis ; whereby Tradition, Authority, and Pre- 
 conception may be tested and set on a true basis, 
 early and persistent error repudiated, and a well- 
 ordered advance guaranteed. 
 
 As a result of this lightening of our craft, and 
 the simplification of our precept and practice, 
 there might naturally be expected to follow the 
 drawing together of differing bodies of religionists, 
 and the inclusion within the fold of a large pro- 
 portion of Agnostics and unbelievers who now 
 scruple at certain details of the faith, and at the 
 spirit in which those details are presented and 
 defended. 
 
 True it is that a new centre of comprehension 
 cannot be found without temporary disturbance; 
 but, on the other hand, it will not be maintained 
 
 viii 
 
Preface 
 
 that the existing state of affairs is satisfactory. 
 The present is, by no means, a time of peace 
 or surety ; but (in respect of many individuals, 
 both young and old, gentle and simple, learned 
 and ignorant) of doubt and distress, of secret 
 questioning, of conventionalism, of forced sub- 
 mission, even of hypocrisy and falling away. 
 
 A great responsibility rests on all in authority 
 — statesmen, clergy, parents and teachers alike — 
 indeed, on all Christian and well-meaning folk — 
 to do what in them lies to cause to cease the dry- 
 rot which appears to be setting in and secretly 
 spreading in every direction. 
 
 The author acknowledges, with warm thanks, 
 the good offices in respect of the revision of the 
 proofs rendered by the Rev. D. Adamson and the 
 Rev. R. V. Tremills. 
 
 Chillenden Rectory, Dover, 
 November 1909. 
 
 IX 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 The Birth and Growth of Toleration . pp. 1-44 
 
 Introduction, i — The Boundaries of the Subject, 2 — Defini- 
 tion, 2 — Historical Survey, 3 — Greece, 4 — Rome, 5 — Egyp- 
 tians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, S — J^ws, 6 — New 
 Testament, 8 — The Early Church, 10 — Ante-Reformation, 11 
 — The Papacy, 13 — Reformation Periods: England, Scotland, 
 and Ireland, 19 — The Revolution, 22 — Conformity by Act of 
 Parliament, 25 — Growth of Idea, 28 — Present-day Problems : 
 (o) The Heathen World ; (i) The Ignorant, Profane, Debased, 
 of our own Land, 30 ; {c) Romanists and Separatists, 31 — Why 
 we do not burn Hereties nowadays, 32 — Nationalists — Infidels — 
 Atheists — Unbelievers — Agnostics — Freethinkers — Christian 
 Scientists, 33 — Present-day Thoughts, 35 — Dangers, 38 — Dis- 
 advantages of Persecution, 40 — Limits, 41 — General Survey, 42. 
 
 The Influence of Certain Great Nations of Anti- 
 quity UPON the Development of Man . pp. 45-63 
 
 Introduction, 45 — The East, 47 — The Pushing Back of the 
 Origin of Nations, 48 — The Mingling of the Nations, 49 — 
 Egypt, 51 — Phoenicia, 53 — Assyria, 56 — Babylonia, 57 — 
 Media and Persia, 59 — Greece, 60 — Rome, 62. 
 
 "The Fulness of Time" .... pp. 64-73 
 
 Introduction, 64 — The First Point, 67 — The Second Point, 
 69 — The Third Point, 71. 
 
 xi 
 
Contents 
 
 The Virgin Birth pp. 74-93 
 
 Introduction, 74 — Historical or Textual, 75 — Joseph, 79 
 —Traditional, 81— Physical, 81— Theological, 86— Philoso- 
 phical and Scientific, 87 — A posteriori Reasoning, 90. 
 
 Miracles — Part I pp. 94-110 
 
 Introduction, 94 — The Miraculous, 94 — Limitations, 96 — 
 Miracle, 98 — Terms, 99 — Innate Power of Christ, 100 — Con- 
 ception of God, loi— First Objection to Miracle, 102 — Second 
 and Third Objections, 104 — Christ — more than Man, 107. 
 
 Miracles — Part II. .... pp. 111-160 
 
 Introduction, iii — The Personality of Jesus, 113 — Necessary 
 Conditions for Miracles, 115 — ^Christ's Procedure, 118 — Preli- 
 minary Observations, 121 — Cures wrought at a Distance, 125 — 
 Details of Miracles, 126 — Illustration of the Law of Variety, 
 127 — Of the Law of Multiplication, 129 — Miracles attaching 
 to Christ's own Person, 130 — Deaf and Dumb, 132 — Giving 
 Sight to Blind, 134 — Vehicle of Healing, 137 — Faith-healing, 
 139 — Surgical Miracle, 142 — Leprosy, 142 — Demons, 144 — 
 Bedlams, 148 — Raising the Dead, 150 — Miracles of Destruction, 
 153 — Miracles wrought at a Distance, 154— Summing up, 155. 
 
 The Church and Human Thought . pp. 161-180 
 
 The Church, 161 — Faith and Science, 165— The Bible, 166 
 — Literature and the Press, 168 — Faith and Pantheism, 170 — 
 Faith and Agnosticism, 174 — -Faith and Ethical Systems, 177 
 — Faith and Synthetic Systems, 179. 
 
 The Revival of Ecclesiastical Discip- 
 line ....... pp. 181-203 
 
 Lapse of Discipline, 182 — Penalties, 184 — Present Action, 
 187 — Mission of Church, 190 — Disciplinary Council, 192 — 
 Fresh Consecration, 195 — Episcopal Help, 199— The Ideal 
 Minister, 20l. 
 
 xii 
 
Contents 
 
 "Clerical Errors" . . . • pp- 204-226 
 
 Introduction, 204 — Modern Conditions, 207 — Danger on 
 Threshold, 208 — Chrysalis Stage, 209 — Middle Life, 211 — 
 Final Stage, 212 — Divers Errors, 213 — Professionalism, 214 — 
 Sermons, 215 — Fear of Man, 217 — Little Foxes, 219 — Charity, 
 219 — Latitudinarianism, 220 — Conservatism, 222 — Party Spirit, 
 222 — Conclusion, 225. 
 
 Concerning Texts . ... pp. 227-245 
 
 Importance of Sermon, 227 — Weakness of Position, 228 — 
 Sermons in Early Times, 231 — Texts, 233 — Subjects, 236 — 
 Spirit of the East, 239 — Modern Needs, 239 — Need of Pains, 
 241 — Objections, 243 — Answers thereto, 244. 
 
 Pastor and People pp. 246-257 
 
 Functions of Pastor, 246 — A Man to Men, 248 — Criticism, 
 249 — AUovirances, 250 — Holiday and Holy-day, 252 — Re- 
 cognition of Effort, 254 — Mutual Respect, 255. 
 
 The Rights and Duties of the Laity . pp. 258-266 
 
 The Clerical Office, 258— The Lay Office, 260— Lay Work 
 and Power, 261 — Spiritual Influence, 263 — Present-day Danger, 
 265. 
 
 Hymnology, and the Choice of Hymns for Public 
 Worship pp. 267-280 
 
 Power of Song, 267 — Development, 268 — Reformation Church, 
 269 — Modern Times, 270 — Choice of Hymns, 271 — Bad Poetry, 
 272 — Bad Taste, 273 — Obscurity, 274 — Confusion of Imagery, 
 Sentimentalism, 275 — Hymns to Order, 275 — Unreality, 276 — 
 Judaic Theology, 277 — Children's Hymns, 279. 
 
 xiii 
 
Contents 
 
 The Voice and Song . . . • pp- 281-289 
 
 The Animal Creation, 281 — Voice Expressive, 282 — Good and 
 Bad Points, 283 — Congregational Use, 285 — Our Traditions, 
 286— Power of Music, 287. 
 
 Are Broad Churchmen, ipso facto, Dis- 
 honest? pp. 290-309 
 
 Advance in Physical Science, 290 — Position of Clergy, 292 
 — General effect of Subscription, 294 — Efforts after Freedom, 
 296 — Honesty of Position, 297 — Who is to be the Judge ? 297 — 
 General Laxity, 298 — Change in Public Opinion, 298 — Periodi- 
 cal Revision, 300 — The Scriptures, 301 — Freedom of Thought, 
 304 — Rationale of Roman Church, 305 — Readjustment of Posi- 
 tion, 307 — Apologia, 307 — Effect of Persecution, 308. 
 
 Do We Believe? pp. 310-314 
 
 Root-ideas, 310 — Present-day Investigation, 312 — The Search 
 after Truth, 313 — The Clergy ought to be in the Van, 313. 
 
 How Far has Religion Obtained a Real Hold of 
 OUR People? pp. 315-323 
 
 Early Beliefs, 315 — Jew and Gentile, 316— Early Church, 
 317 — Mediaeval Times, 317 — The Papacy, 318 — Our own Day, 
 319 — Spirit of Worldliness, 319 — Present-day Evils, 320 — The 
 Cure, 321. 
 
 Sunday Observance .... pp. 324-337 
 
 Complicated Problem, 324 — Change of Feeling, 325 — The 
 Order of Nature, 326 — The Physical, 327 — The Economic, 
 328 — The Legal, 329 — The Religious, 330 — Diverse Interpreta- 
 tions, 332 — Genesis of the Sunday, 333 — " The Lord's Day," 
 335 — The Social View, 336 — Main Principles of Conduct, 337. 
 xiv 
 
Contents 
 
 A Reconsideration of our Beliefs . pp. 338-345 
 
 The Jewish Idea, 338 — Roman Pontificate, 339— The Refor- 
 mation, 340 — The Conservative Principle, 341 — A New Setting, 
 342 — The Progressive Principle, 342 — Comparative Religion, 
 343 — Scriptures, 344 — Eclectic Christianity, 345. 
 
 Our Unhappy Divisions — and Foreign 
 
 Missions pp. 346-349 
 
 Our Debates, 346 — Is Religious Feeling really growing 
 Cold ? 347 — Policy in our Dependencies, 347 — Indirect action 
 of our Divisions on Foreign Missions, 348 — Disquieting action 
 of Parliament, 349. 
 
 XV 
 
THE BIRTH AND GROWTH OF 
 TOLERATION 
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 THE subject involved in our title is of far- 
 reaching importance, seeing that it is sus- 
 ceptible of application at all times ; and under all 
 conditions of social, political, and religious life. 
 
 The habit of thought, feeling, and expression 
 we have attained in respect of Toleration or 
 Tolerance, is the result of forces which have been 
 in operation (through ebb and flow) for thousands 
 of years ; forces which men — more or less uncon- 
 sciously — have sometimes resisted and sometimes 
 submitted to ; forces which are modified, to a 
 greater or less extent, according to the differentia 
 of race and to all that " race " implies ; and also 
 according to the differentia of thought, will, and 
 experience manifested by the individuals consti- 
 tuting the particular race. 
 
 What our feeling is in relation to this subject, 
 is of the utmost importance ; for our opinions and 
 practices (to as great an extent as ever) are called 
 into existence and operation because of our con- 
 flict with divergencies of opinion within the Chris- 
 tian Church, and with infidelity without its pale. 
 
 A 
 
Birth and Growth of Toleration 
 
 strange to say, the subject of Toleration has 
 been very imperfectly studied and dealt with, even 
 as it has been very imperfectly understood and 
 applied. The literature directly concerned with 
 it is but scanty, and there is no classic and 
 complete history of its genesis and growth ; the 
 reason being that it is a comparatively modern 
 conception and product. Consequently, very hazy 
 notions exist ; our personal action, and the cor- 
 porate action of the State, being directed more by 
 instinct than by principle. 
 
 The Boundaries of the Subject 
 
 In a brief Essay, it is possible to deal but with 
 the fringe of the subject — in respect of the defini- 
 tion of terms ; of historical survey ; of distinction 
 between the false and the true principle ; of its 
 natural and proper limits. We shall see that 
 Toleration enters into the realm of Politics, Re- 
 ligion, Social Life, Literature, Art, Race, Colour — 
 the ideas interpenetrating the last five divisions 
 having become largely conventionalized. 
 
 Definition 
 
 Phillips Brooks says by way of definition : 
 "Tolerance is a disposition; Toleration is the 
 behaviour in which that disposition finds ex- 
 pression. A disposition is to its appropriate be- 
 haviour as a man is to his shadow. The shadow 
 represents the man, but it often misrepresents 
 him. It is larger than he is, or smaller." 
 
 2 
 
Birth and Growth of Toleration 
 
 In other words, Tolerance is the allowance of 
 opinions and of practices contrary to those which 
 our own convictions lead us to entertain and carry 
 out ; it is, in fact, an allowance of that which 
 is disapproved. The subject-matter with which 
 Tolerance is concerned is man's attitude towards 
 the opinions of his fellow-men. It is, therefore, 
 the mean or middle state in which virtue consists 
 — persecution being the excess, indifference the defect, 
 of this quality. The attitude of the persecutor 
 is clear — he wishes to impose his own opinions 
 on all his fellow-men. The attitude of the in- 
 different man is also clear — he has no opinions, 
 and therefore is heedless. Characteristically Mr. 
 Balfour says : " Toleration is one of the most 
 valuable empirical maxims of modern politics." 
 The virtue of the tolerant man lies in having 
 opinions, but not wishing to impose them by any 
 external pressure, or to enforce them by any 
 means save temperate argument. 
 
 HISTORICAL 
 
 The ideas of the Ancients were very different 
 fr«m ours in respect of themselves, of the rela- 
 tion of one class to another, of the relation of the 
 State to other States whether in peace and war. 
 In common life and politics alike, they thought 
 that what was good for others was bad for 
 themselves, and vice versa. Again, few of us 
 have fully realized the fundamental difference 
 between the conceptions of the State or of the 
 
 3 
 
Birth and Growth of Toleration 
 
 Church entertained of old time, and by men of 
 our day. 
 
 First, a few words about the great empires of 
 the world. In respect of the Greeks and Romans, 
 the system of polytheism — howsoever it arose, 
 whatsoever it portended — made for Toleration. 
 When the State, by way of conquest, took over 
 any country, it installed the gods of that country 
 in its Pantheon. Doubtless, certain states and 
 cities had tutelary deities — such as Pallas at 
 Athens, Artemis at Ephesus — concerning whose 
 honour the inhabitants were exceeding jealous ; 
 yet this devotion did not prevent their rendering 
 to other deities due respect. Even in late times, 
 there were certain "illicit religions" — amongst 
 which Christianity ranked in the period of its 
 early struggles, until its purpose was fully declared 
 of sweeping away all religions and all gods save 
 One. 
 
 Greece 
 
 The ancient conception of the State (as a 
 community within which could be carried on all 
 the functions of civiHzed life) accepted man as 
 he was, recognized the operative motives of con- 
 duct (limited and personal as they were), and tried 
 to bring them under State control. It was a 
 matter of political expediency that men should, at 
 least, profess to hold the same religious opinions. 
 The language of Plato does not materially differ 
 from that of a Grand Inquisitor — " If a person 
 be proven guilty of impiety, not merely from 
 
 ■ 4 
 
Birth and Growth of Toleration 
 
 childish levity, but of such as grown-up men may 
 be guilty, let him be punished with death " ! 
 
 Rome 
 
 Again, as we have seen, Roman religion was 
 willing to make a place for every cult which could 
 be trusted not to overstep the bounds of political 
 convenience ; but it had its religiones illicitce — 
 Christianity, when it arose, being, in due course, 
 included in the list. The reason for the general 
 principle is clear. The common people regarded 
 these religions as equally true, the philosophers 
 as equally false, and the magistrates as equally 
 useful. But such a man as S. Paul (tolerant 
 though he was) could do no other than preach 
 " Jesus and the Resurrection " — thus proclaiming 
 a God before whom every knee should bow, and 
 every other god should be thrown down. This 
 constituted a novel offence before the law — viz., 
 that of Heresy. 
 
 Egyptians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians 
 
 As to other religions, the conclusion is obvious. 
 The State and the Church were co-terminous ; the 
 monarch was the eldest son of the tribal or State 
 deity ; he was supported by a trained and learned 
 priesthood, fettered by prejudice and tradition, 
 faced by an unlettered and a superstitious people. 
 Conformity was all in all — to go outside the limits 
 of official declaration was death — the free-thinker 
 
 5 
 
Birth and Growth of Toleration 
 
 being considered inimical to Church and State 
 alike. 
 
 To Asia, primarily, we owe law, religion, civiliza- 
 tion, letters, and art. The Babylonians manifested 
 to the world agriculture and commerce ; the As- 
 syrians, the art of conquest ; the Egyptians (partly 
 an Asiatic race and affinity), reverence for life, the 
 doctrine of the resurrection of the body, the sense 
 of future retribution. Among all these peoples, 
 there prevailed the idea of the existence of many 
 deities ; amongst whom, at different times, and in 
 different places. One — such as Merodach or Ammon 
 — stood prominently forth as chief. Further, we 
 note the idea of the embodiment of the God in 
 the ruling monarch ; finally, the perfect union 
 of the civil and ecclesiastical government to 
 carry out religious observances in all their tra- 
 ditional fullness and in all the various relations 
 of public and private life. (All this was varied 
 by absolutism, war, conquest, defeat.) Herein, 
 there was no such thing as heresy. The pre- 
 vailing opinion was too strong from above — 
 too weak from below ; all power, learning, and 
 tradition being cast into the support of the 
 dominant system. As yet, Toleration was incon- 
 ceivable. 
 
 Jews 
 
 Dealing with questions of fact, the same might 
 be said of the Jewish polity derived — as it was 
 — from Assyria and Babylonia, and coloured by 
 its connection with Egypt. 
 
 6 
 
Birth and Growth of Toleration 
 
 We have dwelt upon these things, to intro- 
 duce the fact that Abraham and his following 
 (the founders of the Jewish people) came from 
 Chaldea, and would therefore be possessed of 
 the Chaldaean formulae of religion and worship. 
 The primary conception of the founder of the 
 Jewish polity was of a local or tribal divinity, 
 and this idea would be hard to eradicate. 
 
 The history of the Jewish people from Abraham's 
 day shows how difficult it was to extend the idea 
 to a Universal God even under favourable circum- 
 stances, and what retrogressions there were. 
 
 Again, in the time of Moses — the law-making 
 epoch of the Jewish race — we are reminded of the 
 debt due, on the one hand, to the Chaldaeans 
 in respect of such systems of law as that of 
 Khammurabi ; and, on the other, to the Egyptians, 
 for the three root-ideas already mentioned — viz., 
 reverence for life, a looking forward to the 
 resurrection of the body, and a conception of a 
 future retribution — though these were not fully 
 incorporated into the national belief until a 
 period much later than the time of Moses. 
 
 In the Jewish polity, there was no place for 
 Toleration. There was no operative system of 
 Law ; therefore, the individual, or the tribe, that 
 had suffered injury, took the law into their own 
 hands and required " an eye for an eye, and 
 a tooth for a tooth." Naturally, every struggle 
 was a matter of life or death — a war of exter- 
 mination. This alone can be held to justify the 
 destruction of the Canaanites, of the Amalekites, 
 
 7 
 
Birth and Growth of Toleration 
 
 the deeds of Jael towards Sisera, Samuel towards 
 Agag, David towards Joab, Elijah towards the 
 Baalites. 
 
 The same feeling is reflected in some of the 
 Psalms, the most highly devotional parts of the 
 Jewish record. Witness the imprecations scat- 
 tered over the page : " Let his children be 
 fatherless and his wife a widow " ; " Blessed 
 shall he be that taketh their children and 
 throweth them against the stones." Nowadays 
 we do not excuse these things — we simply explain 
 them. 
 
 New Testament 
 
 In considering the record of the New Testa- 
 ment, there must be taken into account : (a) the 
 false opinions therein condemned ; (6) the char- 
 acter of the condemnation ; (c) the means by which 
 it was applied. 
 
 The Gospels contain stern and unsparing 
 denunciations uttered by our Lord against the 
 Pharisees, together with statements of the reasons 
 which led to their utterance. The Pharisees were 
 the religious teachers of the nation, and they 
 discharged their functions in a mode which 
 was pitilessly exposed and criticized. They were 
 judged by the standard they professed to set 
 up, and were convicted of being untrue to their 
 trust, and to the God whose ministers they claimed 
 to be. 
 
 Again, the Apostles were entrusted with a mes- 
 sage, in the delivery of which they met with 
 
 8 
 
Birth and Growth of Toleration 
 
 opposition of various kinds. The grounds of S. 
 Paul's condemnation of sinners are mainly moral ; 
 his censures — in a specific case — being directed 
 against the character of the false teachers whose 
 insincere motives are exposed to view. Again, 
 he is very severe in dealing with what he con- 
 ceives to be wrong opinions : " Though we, or 
 an angel from heaven,, should preach unto you 
 any Gospel other than that which we preached 
 unto you, let him be anathema." Whether Ana- 
 thema refers to Ecclesiastical Excommunication 
 or to the spiritual condemnation of the offender, 
 ipso facto, is not material to our purpose. 
 
 In respect of the cases of Ananias and Sapphira, 
 Simon Magus, Elymas, the Corinthian offender, 
 Hymenaeus and Alexander, we have to bear in 
 mind that the Apostles were enjoined and re- 
 quired to exercise discipline amongst the con- 
 flicting and incongruous elements of the early 
 Church, whence also Paul directs Timothy and 
 Titus sharply to rebuke malcontents, (i Tim. 
 V. 20 ; 2 Tim. iv. 2 ; Titus i. 13.) 
 
 But it is argued that the language used by the 
 Apostles favours the conception of a rigid ortho- 
 doxy admitting of no deviation, and putting out 
 of account as sinful all other opinions. What 
 the Apostles, however, denounce is the incursion 
 of the profligacy of paganism into the assemblies 
 of Christian worshippers. That was the peculiar 
 and crying evil and danger of the time. There 
 was an intense life-and-death struggle on the part 
 of the early teachers of the new faith, completely 
 
 9 
 
Birth and Growth of Toleration 
 
 to wean away their converts from old associations, 
 and to preserve that purity of doctrine, which 
 should exhibit purity of thought, act, and life 
 as essential characteristics. Of course, lapses on 
 the part of professors were not unknown, but 
 they were regarded with the utmost horror as 
 treason against the risen and ascended Lord. 
 
 The Early Church 
 
 Account must also be taken of the growth 
 of the Church as an organized body, and of 
 the discipline which was, consequently, involved. 
 Sometimes, the powers of the Apostles were used 
 and exercised for the punishment of offenders, but 
 (as we have seen) in such cases, the executants 
 were careful to make it clear that their action was 
 declaratory of God's purpose, and therefore was 
 simply ministerial. 
 
 There are many forms of sin and error which 
 S. Paul exhorts Timothy to combat, but only one 
 concerning which he would have a penalty enacted. 
 The punishments inflicted by the Apostles, as rulers 
 of the Church, afford no certain precedent for sub- 
 sequent times ; inasmuch as it was alleged by them 
 that the punishment came from God, and was 
 brought to bear for an offence which was beyond 
 the ken of human judgment. The cases were 
 rare, so that the apostolic intervention was excep- 
 tional. We must remember, too, that the early 
 teachers were like sheep in the midst of wolves ; 
 yet that such was the power of the Word and 
 
 TO 
 
Birth and Growth of Toleration 
 
 Discipline that the members of the flock reached 
 a high degree of purity and devotion. 
 
 In those early days, the Church was required 
 to engage in a tremendous struggle against some 
 of the most obstinate and powerful of the world's 
 forces. Its preachers and professors were in a 
 small minority, but there was communicated to 
 them a divine impulse to attack the citadels of 
 prescriptive right, tradition, learning, and wealth ; 
 to contend against hosts of priests and servers 
 swarming about the sacred temples ; to run 
 counter to national and social observances, sports, 
 art, poetry, the drama ; and to oppose themselves 
 to cruel manifestations of prejudice, ignorance, 
 jealousy, and ill-will. They could do no other 
 than pray for Toleratien. 
 
 Ante-Reformation 
 
 On the whole it was an enormous advantage 
 for the Church to absorb the State (a.d. 313); 
 yet, from this union, sprang great disadvantages. 
 The State was forward to use the Church to 
 further its own purposes ; whilst, on the other 
 hand, the Church — or, rather, the baser sort 
 of her rulers — utilized the State to bring about 
 her aggrandizement and to minister to her greed ; 
 furthermore, she learned to lean on the secular 
 arm to the exclusion of her own proper moral 
 and spiritual suasion and sanction. Hence, arose 
 Wars, Crusades, Persecutions — such as those of 
 the Waldenses and Albigenses — and all the hateful 
 
 II 
 
Birth and Growth of Toleration 
 
 system of the Inquisition directed to the extirpa- 
 tion of " heresy." The doings of the Dominicans 
 in this direction represent the utmost refinement 
 of diabolical cruelty — filling one with loathing and 
 horror. The idea was a good one — that of keep- 
 ing the faith pure ; but the means employed were 
 of the devil. The history of the Christian Church 
 on this side is unspeakably sad, when we read, e.g., 
 of the sufferings of Christians through Christians ; 
 and again of the sufferings of a particular body of 
 men — the Jews — at the hands of Christians, whose 
 founder was a Jew. Even in our own country, from 
 1290 to 1657, no Jew was permitted to set foot. 
 
 As time went on, the Church adapted her 
 system, more and more, to the system of the 
 world ; and when she accepted the responsibility 
 of maintaining order in the community, it was 
 often exercised for political, rather than for reli- 
 gious, ends. It was the love of power, wealth, and 
 influence, for their own sakes, that led to the 
 crusades against the Albigenses and Waldenses ; 
 and in the case of Venice, even against the Eastern 
 Church at Constantinople. It was secular policy 
 that dictated the murder of Jerome and Huss, 
 even as that of Servetus in Geneva in after time — 
 it being the secular power to which these spiritual 
 offenders were delivered. 
 
 The main events which indirectly rendered the 
 English Reformation possible were : the destruc- 
 tion of the Roman Empire ; the introduction 
 of Printing ; the use of Gunpowder ; the Wars 
 of the Roses ; the prosecution of Invention and 
 
 12 
 
Birth and Growth of Toleration 
 
 Discovery, and the rise of a numerous and flourish- 
 ing Middle Class, 
 
 In the sixteenth century, the Civil and Ecclesi- 
 astical Powers were largely autocratic. The unity 
 of the Catholic Church, the authority of the 
 Pope, the obedience of the King and Nation, 
 were alike absolute ; but the extension of learning 
 led to inquiry, doubt, debate, division. When the 
 tongue and the pen became mightier than the 
 sword, minorities were enabled to make them- 
 selves heard, and frequently to have the best of 
 the argument — for, be it observed, it is the 
 minority that is usually in the right. 
 
 In those days, repression was the last and most 
 potent argument employed. The Act " De haeretico 
 comburendo" was passed in 1400, in the reign 
 of Henry IV., and it ran until 1696 ; penal laws 
 were enacted to compel people to attend church 
 — a good thing, but sought to be effected by 
 wrong means. In respect of the Ecclesiastical 
 Authority, the Court of High Commission sought 
 to lord it over the conscience and its outward 
 expression ; this tribunal was abolished in 1641. 
 
 Politically, the system of absolutism ; eccle- 
 siastically, the system of the Papacy — logically 
 lead to repression, fanaticism, exclusiveness, in- 
 tolerance, persecution, and the maintenance of 
 the fires of an Inquisition. In speaking of this 
 Institution, we must however retain our historical 
 sense, and remember that (in the days and countries 
 when and where it was set up) ordinary amuse- 
 ments were brutal even as ordinary punishments 
 
 13 
 
Birth and Growth of Toleration 
 
 were cruel. Justice too was halting and erring. It 
 caught but one criminal out of a hundred, so 
 that when it did punish, it paid that criminal out. 
 Again, we have to remember, that whilst burn- 
 ing for heresy was abolished in Spain in 1820, 
 hanging for sheep-stealing was still practised in 
 England. Even so, it is not pleasant to remember 
 that, so late as 1877, Pius IX. defended inquisi- 
 torial action — but even popes must sometimes be 
 consistent ! 
 
 It is, therefore, a matter for no astonishment 
 that Toleration is a thing of comparatively modern 
 growth, and that multitudes, in successive genera- 
 tions, not only ignored it altogether, but felt that 
 they were perfectly within their right in so doing. 
 
 Doubtless, it was intended to be an element of 
 religious feeling and practice from the first ; yet — 
 we repeat — we cannot say that even God's chosen 
 people appreciated its value or the necessity for its 
 exercise. Thus, from the records of the Bible, we 
 have gathered instances in which a wealth of in- 
 vective was lavished by the chosen nation against 
 those differing from them, and in which a method 
 of treatment was frequently adopted bordering on 
 savagery. The actions of Saul or of Elijah, e.g., 
 can be defended only on special grounds. Perhaps, 
 some excuse may be made for the Israelites when 
 we consider that they were a people altogether 
 isolated by their faith, their ceremonial, their 
 tradition, and their destiny ; but it is a misfortune 
 that any excuse should be necessary. 
 
 In return for the treatment of their enemies 
 
 14 
 
Birth and Growth of Toleration 
 
 generally, and for the rejection by the Hebrews 
 of • Christ's teaching, successive generations of 
 Christians have wrought a bitter revenge ; nor 
 has dislike of the Jew, or even his persecution 
 in Christian countries like France, Germany, and 
 Russia, ever ceased. In our own land, too, a well- 
 marked prejudice prevails, which may be inarticu- 
 late, but is none the less potent. 
 
 This, however, by the way. Narrow as was the 
 creed of the ancient Israelite, that creed was yet 
 broader than the interpretation assigned to it ; and 
 its spirit — at all events — evermore bade him love 
 justice and do mercy. Take, e.g., the Psalter, and 
 (putting aside certain expressions in the Imprecatory 
 Psalms) one finds that a true spirit of charity and 
 generosity breathes through the greater part of that 
 wonderful book of devotion. 
 
 When we come to the Christian Scriptures the 
 ideal is, at length, reached, and that at its highest 
 point. Christ's Holy Spirit came primarily to con- 
 vince the world of sin, inasmuch as the spirit which 
 is in us must be pure before it can be peaceable. We 
 are, however, not unmindful of the fact that our 
 Lord, in no measured terms, denounced hypocrisy, 
 and such-like vices, and the men who practised 
 them ; but — on the other hand — the whole tenor of 
 His teaching related to the necessity for the meek 
 heart and the quiet spirit. His followers were 
 called upon to love even those who hated them, 
 and to pray for those who despitefully used them. 
 
 In His own person He illustrated the force and 
 beauty of His teaching, and approved His own 
 
 15 
 
Birth and Growth of Toleration 
 
 exhortations when He said even of His murderers, 
 " Father, forgive them ; for they know not what 
 they do." 
 
 At the hands both of Jews and heathens the 
 infant Church suffered grievous things. Perse- 
 cution after persecution raged, sometimes local 
 and unpremeditated, but sometimes Imperial and 
 carried out with all the authority of a cruel and 
 absolute power. 
 
 These things were declared aforehand by the 
 Master and His Apostles, and the earliest examples 
 are set out in the Acts and the Epistles, in respect 
 of those who thus foreshadowed them. Moreover, 
 it is possible to take up certain records pre- 
 served in early Christian writings outside the 
 sacred story, and to make ourselves acquainted 
 with the innocence, devotion, and purity of the 
 early martyrs — both men and women — and with 
 the calm and valiant spirit in which they went 
 forth to meet death in the most repulsive forms 
 — at the stake, in the Amphitheatre, or on the 
 cross of shame. 
 
 But prosperity brought an access of pride and 
 sloth, and caused primitive faith and love to 
 languish. Heresies and schisms arose, and there 
 is not a more melancholy history than that of the 
 centuries immediately following the victory of the 
 Church over the forces of paganism and heathenism. 
 Quarrels and distresses prevailed. The Lord's 
 commands were forgotten — one sect warred 
 against another — envy, hatred, deceit, and violence 
 prevailed ; mutual respect and tolerance being 
 
 i6 
 
Birth and Growth of Toleration 
 
 conspicuous by their absence. This state of things 
 persisted during the whole of mediaeval times. 
 The history of the Jews at that period — to which 
 we have already briefly adverted — furnishes an 
 illustration. But worse has to be told. What 
 shall we say of the dealings of the dominant 
 Church, as directed against those who differed 
 from her teaching ? 
 
 One cannot help seeing that this teaching had 
 been developed along lines alien to those laid 
 down by Christ and His Apostles. The mon- 
 strous pretensions of the Pope and the priesthood 
 — the travesty of God's mode of dealing with 
 sinners exhibited by the sale of Indulgences — 
 the materialism presented by crude definitions 
 of the Real Presence — cannot be said to have 
 grown naturally out of the teaching of our Lord. 
 
 But a sin was wrought against Christian charity 
 and fairness when these developments and inter- 
 pretations were sought to be commended to men's 
 conscience not by reason, but by force. From 
 this point of view, no Church has been a greater 
 sinner than that which has its seat at Rome. 
 Pride, intolerance, self-sufficiency, corruption, and 
 tyranny have been its distinguishing characteristics 
 — as eventually they will be its ruin. 
 
 Without subscribing to every detail of the faith 
 and practice of the victims, we now protest against 
 the spirit in which individuals such as Wycliffe, 
 Huss, Jerome, were dealt with ; and in which com- 
 munities such as the Albigenses, Waldenses, and 
 Huguenots were persecuted and decimated. 
 
 17 B 
 
Birth and Growth of Toleration 
 
 If lapse of time, and the growth of a better 
 feeling (due to a higher conception of Christian 
 truth and charity) had brought about a change, 
 we might have consented to forget the past ; and, 
 mindful of our own mistakes, to draw the veil 
 of charity over our sister's grievous sins ; but one 
 cannot help seeing that the same bold, bad, 
 domineering spirit is still there, and that it would 
 break forth again to-morrow — even in this our 
 land — if opportunity favoured ; so that even the 
 Inquisition itself would be restored in order to be 
 the instrument wherewith to purge out what would 
 be called heresy, to quench inquiry, and to break 
 the spirit of freedom. 
 
 Rome learns no useful lessons — otherwise, her 
 rulers would not fail to notice the sad plight 
 to which she ultimately brings those who thus 
 place themselves beneath the foot of spiritual 
 tyranny. 
 
 The Latin nations — with their love of art, colour, 
 poetry, life — are her most obedient servants. Look 
 at them now as compared with the Teutonic — 
 to whose sturdy spirit Protestantism chiefly com- 
 mends itself. Italy, Portugal, Spain, France — 
 and more remotely — the Spanish and Portuguese 
 elements in Mexico and the South American 
 Republics furnish dreadful examples. Italy is in 
 a condition of national bankruptcy ; the Vatican 
 and France are on irreconcilable terms ; Portugal 
 is a decaying power ; Spain, a few years ago, 
 emerged with sad loss from a conflict into which 
 she entered so unprepared, that the blood of 
 
 i8 
 
Birth and Growth of Toleration 
 
 her soldiers and sailors, ineffectually slain, cries 
 as from the ground against their rulers and 
 murderers. 
 
 France is going along the downward path with 
 rapid steps. Many of her sons are gifted in 
 science, literature, and art — but the men in her 
 large towns are (to say the least) indifferent 
 to religion ; the population is stationary from 
 causes which are well known ; political stability 
 is lacking ; and it would seem that the sense of 
 justice and generosity is diminishing, even whilst 
 the forces of strife and anarchy are gaining 
 ground. As a nation, she seems to be forsaking 
 God ; can we be surprised, therefore, that God 
 seems to be forsaking her ? If things advance 
 on these lines, at the end of another half century 
 France will be as impotent as Spain. 
 
 ENGLAND, SCOTLAND, AND IRELAND- 
 REFORMATION PERIODS 
 
 But to turn to the English people and the 
 English Church. Many crimes in the past may 
 be alleged against both. That the Reformation 
 was a protest — and a successful one— ^against the 
 avarice and extortion of the Roman Church and 
 the mediaeval accretions to primitive Christianity 
 we shall all allow. 
 
 The absolute unity of the Church had a fair 
 trial in Western Europe, but the system broke down 
 under its own weight. In England, during the 
 
 19 
 
Birth and Growth of Toleration 
 
 transition period, the country exchanged King Log 
 for King Stork — the yoke of the Pope for that 
 of Henry VIII. ; and — owing to the theory and 
 practice of the age in respect of Divine Right and 
 the exercise of the royal prerogative — there was 
 not much to choose between the two. 
 
 The different parties within the Church were 
 undoubtedly kept together by the stern hand of the 
 monarch ; but it was soon evident that forces were 
 in operation which tended to an upheaval ; such 
 as the result of the excommunication pronounced 
 against Elizabeth ; the influence exercised by foreign 
 reformers ; the extension of learning, discovery, 
 emigration, and commerce ; the appeal to the Bible, 
 with its diverse interpretations ; the equalizing of 
 religious parties within the State ; the Civil War, 
 which ultimately set these forces in bloody array, 
 the one against the other. 
 
 In the days of Elizabeth, internal union was felt 
 to be a desideratum — but it was hard to effect. It 
 was the desire of her rulers to establish religious 
 opinion on as broad a basis as was consistent with 
 the maintenance of the essential characteristics of 
 a branch of the Catholic Church. The majority 
 of Englishmen were satisfied ; but ancient sentiment 
 still held some, whilst the New Theology attracted 
 others. Neither body of dissentients wished for 
 Toleration for itself as a permanent solution of 
 the problem. Each wished to impose upon Eng- 
 land, universally, its own system. The State re- 
 garded such conduct as dangerous, and punished 
 it as unpatriotic. Those who suffered, suffered 
 
 20 
 
Birth and Growth of Toleration 
 
 under the laws of the State. The Church made 
 no claim similar to that of Rome to compel all 
 Englishmen to enter her fold. 
 
 It was this fact which rendered the question 
 of Toleration possible for discussion. In Roman 
 Catholic countries, persecution hardened into a 
 necessary principle which no man might question. 
 In Protestant countries, it was a matter of national 
 policy. Changes in foreign relationships and the 
 growth of international respect gradually wrought 
 out a basis of common life which was steadfast and 
 secure, independently of the religious opinions of 
 the parties concerned. 
 
 The weakest naturally sought for Toleration. It 
 was a long time coming to the birth. Its emergence 
 was largely due to the writings and example of such 
 men as More, Utopia, 15 18; Erasmus; Luther; 
 Shakespeare, Sonnet, Ixvi., and certain passages in 
 the Plays; John Smyth, Declaration of Faith, 1611 ; 
 Thomas Helwisse, Religious Peace, or, A Plea for 
 Liberty of Conscience, 1 6 1 4 ; Objections Answered, 
 161 5 ; Bacon, Unity in Religion, 1625; Henry 
 Robinson, 1644 ; Roger Williams, of Wales, Bloody 
 Tenent of Persecution for Cause of Conscience, 1 644 ; 
 The Pilgrim Fathers; Milton, Areopagitica, 1644 > 
 True Religion; Jeremy Taylor, Liberty of Prophesy- 
 ing, 1647 ; ^oc^e, Letters on Toleration, 1700 ; Less- 
 ing, Nathan the Wise, 1779 ; J. S. Mill, On Liberty, 
 1859. 
 
 It is saddening to notice that when minorities 
 swell into majorities, they forget the lessons of 
 adversity and become persecutors in their turn. 
 
 21 
 
Birth and Growth of Toleration 
 
 This was abundantly evidenced in New England, 
 where Quakers were harried and witches exter- 
 minated ; as also in Old England, where Cromwell 
 (who had called back the Jews and abolished the 
 last relics of slavery and the feudal system, yet) 
 inveighed against the Mass, persecuted the English 
 Church, and lifted up his voice and hand against 
 the anointed King, The Commonwealth Parlia- 
 ments disestablished the Church, drove out the 
 clergy, desecrated the cathedrals, wrought de- 
 struction in every parish church, and, under heavy 
 penalties, proscribed the use of the Liturgy. 
 
 All these horrors widened the breach between 
 the opposing sections of the English people, 
 intensified opposition and revolt at the time, 
 and laid up bitter memories when the reckoning 
 was over. 
 
 Thus, the Restoration caused the pendulum to 
 swing to the other side, a revulsion of feeling taking 
 place, which led to the passing of the Act for Con- 
 formity ; the Test Act (not repealed until 1828); 
 the Five Mile Act ; and the Conventicle Act. This 
 course of action may be explained, though not 
 excused, by the statement that it was only retributive 
 and " natural." 
 
 The Revolution 
 
 After the Revolution, and from time to time, but 
 spasmodically (according as the prospect of the 
 accession of a Roman Catholic prince grew near 
 or far), such ordinances as have been mentioned 
 
 22 
 
Birth and Growth of Toleration 
 
 fell into desuetude and were gradually repealed. In 
 this effort at repeal (as was only to be expected) 
 the Church has not taken a forward part, but has 
 been content to accept the position, in the face of 
 recognized facts. 
 
 In the present day, most disabilities have dis- 
 appeared. The public conscience demands that 
 a profession of faith in the doctrine of the Church 
 of England be made by the Sovereign and the Lord 
 Chancellor — otherwise, in respect of the Houses 
 of the Legislature, Jewish and Roman Catholic 
 tests have disappeared — even a Bradlaugh could 
 sit and vote. The same may be said of the Uni- 
 versities, the Public Offices, the Army and Navy, 
 the Judiciary and the Magistracy. Everywhere are 
 Free Thought, Free Speech, Free Expression. All 
 men can think, speak, write, and act when and 
 where and how they please, so long as they sin 
 not against public morality, or openly traduce not 
 the character or reputation of a citizen. 
 
 Persecution disappeared because the State 
 became conscious that there was an adequate 
 basis for the maintenance of political society in 
 those principles of right and wrong which were 
 universally recognized by its citizens, apart from 
 their position or belief as members of a reli- 
 gious organization ; in other words, it realized that 
 the State and the Church operated in different 
 spheres, the objective and the subjective ; the 
 realm of act and the realm of feeling ; that they 
 referred to different sanctions, and used different 
 forms of retribution. Therefore, Law no longer 
 
 23 
 
Birth and Growth of Toleration 
 
 endeavoured to coerce Conscience, inasmuch as 
 Conscience appealed to a higher tribunal. 
 
 Doubtless, many agents whom God employs 
 to bring' about a purgation or a reformation, are 
 unworthy ; but even an unworthy instrument can 
 bring about results which He wills to be accom- 
 plished. 
 
 The sixteenth century would have furnished an 
 excellent field for the exercise of that virtue of 
 Toleration we are discussing ; but it was not 
 so -to be. When we consider, at this distance 
 of time, the persistent and successive struggles 
 between Mediaevalists and those who favoured 
 the Reformation ; and, then, between Puritans 
 and Episcopalians in the days of Henry VIII., 
 of Elizabeth and their successors, no fact strikes 
 us more than the absence of Toleration as a 
 principle ; not only so, but even of any idea in 
 the minds of the chief actors of the existence 
 of such a virtue, or of the necessity for putting 
 it into exercise. 
 
 It was a mere question of POWER — those who 
 had the might exercised the right. When Roman 
 Catholics were in the ascendency they harried, 
 persecuted, burned, and slaughtered. When Pro- 
 testants had the upper hand, they followed the 
 bad example. 
 
 Herein, the State arrogated to itself the power 
 to which popes had laid claim — viz., that of 
 exercising full authority over the consciences of 
 men. They utilized not the opportunity to make 
 that authority felt and respected by argument, by 
 
 24 
 
Birth and Growth of Toleration 
 
 entreaty, or by friendly and sympathetic insistence 
 (which would have been perfectly just, salutary, 
 and christian) ; but they filled up their cup to 
 the full by involving the arm of the civil authority 
 in order to coerce, to fine, imprison, and kill. 
 
 The evil principle was fully believed and prac- 
 tised by all parties at that time, and was the 
 origin of much of the evil that prevailed. Not 
 only so, but it has provided sad and bitter 
 memories at the present day, which will last to 
 our detriment to the end of the dispensation. 
 
 We now unreservedly condemn the policy of 
 forcing conformity by Act of Parliament ; of com- 
 pelling people to attend Church under penalty 
 of a fine ; of passing a Test Act, whereby a 
 person should be compelled to partake of the 
 Lord's Supper in order to prove his fitness for 
 a civil post ; and of similar acts whereby men 
 should not be allowed liberty to worship in the 
 way their conscience dictated — so long as the 
 laws of morality or the peace of the realm were 
 undisturbed. 
 
 It was, indeed, insensate folly for the State to 
 consider it to be its business to declare that the 
 religious opinions of the people could be coerced 
 by the civil arm on the ground that nonconfor- 
 mity menaced the security of the State. At that 
 period our rulers were not wise enough to see 
 that where the realm of conscience begins. State 
 authority ends. That authority may silence, but 
 it cannot convince. The one realm is mental 
 and spiritual, and must, therefore, be controlled 
 
 25 
 
Birth and Growth of Toleration 
 
 by mental and spiritual forces. The other realm 
 is material. In this realm, indeed, brute force, 
 imprisonment and fine may, for a time, prevail. 
 
 Puritans and Royalists alike forgot this fact, 
 even as Catholics and Protestants had forgotten 
 it before. The Pope burnt Huss and Jerome — 
 but Calvin also burnt Servetus. The persecutions 
 of Churchmen were emulated by the Puritans, so 
 that the days that followed the great Rebellion 
 were characterized by rank intolerance. We have 
 said that it was made penal for clergymen to 
 use prayers from the Book of Common Prayer. 
 On one occasion a calf was baptized in a church 
 by a ribald jester, attired in a surplice, in mockery 
 of the Christian Sacrament. Churchmen every- 
 where were imprisoned and subjected to every 
 form of humiliation. Indeed, from the point 
 of view of a constitutional lawyer, the Protector 
 Cromwell and his adherents committed just those 
 breaches of law for which they had brought 
 Charles Stuart to the block. 
 
 It was all done professedly with a view to the 
 safety of the State, In the days of Charles I. 
 or II. nonconformity was understood to mean 
 disobedience to the law — treachery to the King 
 and Constitution. In the days of the Common- 
 wealth, the same principle prevailed, but the 
 penalty was directed against Churchmen. People 
 began to want Toleration for themselves, and 
 bitterly complained when they were persecuted ; 
 not exactly because they realized that persecution 
 was wrong, but because they had a profound 
 
 26 
 
Birth and Growth of Toleration 
 
 conviction that their opinions — and those alone — 
 were right and susceptible of toleration. 
 
 When, however, by the turn of the wheel, such 
 people, from being weak, became strong ; and 
 their opponents, from being strong, became weak 
 — ^the tables were turned with a vengeance I They 
 did to others what others had done to them, and 
 that without the smallest compunction ; being 
 convinced that their own doctrines and opinions 
 were orthodox, and that it was the prerogative of 
 the orthodox to stamp out the heterodox ! 
 
 It is a sad commentary on human nature to 
 reflect that the pilgrims who went to New Eng- 
 land to escape persecution in the Old Country 
 should have instituted the most rabid and in- 
 genious persecution in their new home. There 
 suffered bitterly at their hands the Quakers — 
 that pious and unoffending folk who (with very 
 much in their religious system which is bald 
 and uninteresting) have yet displayed the most 
 marked example of courage and consistency in 
 their hatred of violence and their reliance on the 
 doctrine and practice of non-resistance. 
 
 What brought about the change in opinion and 
 practice of which we are now conscious ? 
 
 It may be attributed to the decay of the Papacy 
 under the influence of the world's growth, of the 
 spread of discovery, of invention, of science ; to 
 the break up of the Greek Empire at Constanti- 
 nople, and all that followed by way of the Renas- 
 cence; to the Reformation, which brought men 
 back to the unsealed fountains of the Bible, the 
 
 27 
 
Birth and Growth of Toleration 
 
 Pulpit and the Press ; putting them into touch 
 with the Apostolic age and primitive times, so that 
 men, unhindered, could read and hear the pure 
 precepts of our Founder. Wise therefore in the 
 light of sixteen centuries of stress and toil and strife, 
 due to secular injustice, force, and fraud ; and in 
 the light of the far worse spectacle of that travesty 
 of God's Kingdom on earth, furnished by the 
 history of the Papacy, the more thoughtful among 
 men attempted to put away the scales from their 
 eyes and to discern the forcefulness of gentle truth. 
 
 Growth of Idea 
 
 The principle of complete Toleration slowly 
 emerged into an entity at the close of the six- 
 teenth century, amidst the clash of argument which 
 heralded the New Age. Indeed, the literature of 
 the seventeenth and even of the eighteenth cen- 
 tury adds but little to the cogency of arguments 
 which had long been advanced. It all came to 
 this principle, which was stated by an English 
 writer in 1644: "The compelling of a man to 
 anything against his own conscience, especially 
 in matters of faith, is a doing of evil." This 
 sentiment is found in a rare pamphlet entitled 
 " Liberty of Conscience," of which Mr. S. R. 
 Gardiner gives an account in the English His- 
 torical Review, vol. i. p. 144. Mr. Firth [id. vol. 
 ix. p. 715) has identified the author as a 
 merchant, by name Henry Robinson. For an 
 account of the gradual growth of opinion about 
 
 28 
 
Birth and Growth of Toleration 
 
 Toleration in England, see Masson's Life of Milton, 
 vol. iii. p. 98, &c. 
 
 Naturally, at first. Toleration was favoured by 
 the weaker party, and neglected or discouraged or 
 even outraged by the stronger. The cry naturally 
 came from that party which was underneath, not 
 from the "top dog." In regard to its applica- 
 tion as a practical principle, the question arose : 
 " Who is to begin ?" If one were to tolerate one's 
 neighbour and allow him to constitute a majority, 
 would he tolerate you ? Professedly, Cromwell 
 would " meddle with no man's conscience " ; but, 
 in practice, he would not allow an individual " to 
 exercise the Roman Mass," or to use the Anglican 
 Liturgy. Thus Tolerance was not exclusively the 
 doctrine of any sect or party. It was not the 
 product of superior enlightenment, still less of 
 growing indifference to religious questions ; but 
 rather the result of social development. It rested 
 solely on the basis of empiricism — i.e., of success- 
 ful experiment. Practically, men became tolerant 
 because they learned to know that no harmful 
 consequences necessarily ensued. 
 
 The concession is now rendered possible 
 because of the greater publicity of act, and of the 
 growth of a quickened social and natural con- 
 science — due to the fact that national life has 
 been more largely penetrated by the principles 
 which live in the Gospel of Christ. The divorce 
 between the State machinery and the Church 
 machinery has, in truth, given the Church greater 
 authority in the State. 
 
 29 
 
Birth and Growth of Toleration 
 
 Present-day Problems — (a) The Heathen 
 World 
 
 The larger outlook of present-day Science in 
 a Christian sense, and the study of Comparative 
 Religion in a sympathetic, hopeful, and tolerant 
 spirit, will help us to shift the centre of gravity 
 of our thoughts, and to allow that it is not through 
 Jews and Christians alone that God has spoken 
 to His world. 
 
 (6) The Ignorant, Profane, Debased, of 
 OUR OWN Land 
 
 We are frequently inclined to look with disdain 
 upon the unlettered multitude who sometimes 
 pass before us with insolent mien and unbridled 
 tongue, flaunting their dissolute life ; and to enter- 
 tain the same opinion as the Pharisees, " That the 
 people which knoweth not the Law is cursed.'' 
 Charity should lead us to consider the origin, 
 breeding, and upbringing of such a crowd ; then, 
 as the French proverb puts it : " To know all 
 would be to forgive all ! " Doubtless, there is much 
 around that calls for rebuke ; but here again one 
 must allow that it is the easiest thing in the world 
 to lose one's temper, to criticize, to scold ; but the 
 hardest thing to behave with charity, dignity, and 
 affectionate condescension. The more degraded, 
 neglected, and sinful, men may be, the greater 
 should be the measure of pity, helpfulness, and 
 
 3° 
 
Birth and Growth of Toleration 
 
 self-sacrifice exercised by those to whom God and 
 the world have given more, thus recognizing that 
 these runagates represent what we should be but 
 for the grace of God. 
 
 (c) Romanists and Separatists 
 
 It is of no use to minimise political or theo- 
 logical differences. There are rigid lines of de- 
 marcation dividing us even from those who obey 
 the same laws and subscribe to the same creeds 
 as ourselves. Unfortunately, few of us study 
 the points of difference — historically or theologi- 
 cally ; our conceptions are tinctured with ignor- 
 ance, prejudice, jealousy, intellectual pride — 
 which feelings furnish a suitable soil for the 
 growth of intolerance. If predisposition leads 
 us to incline to the Roman model, we are by 
 so much the more intolerant of the Genevan, 
 and vice versa. 
 
 In common argument, one is oftentimes struck 
 with the poverty of equipment of the disputants ; 
 with the forcible nature of the language employed 
 — in alarming contrast to the feebleness of the 
 arguments adduced — with the reiteration of those 
 arguments (under the idea that a statement must be 
 true if it be repeated with sufficient frequency !) ; 
 with the deaf ear turned to the statements of the 
 opponent ; and the travesty of the opinions attri- 
 buted to him — opinions he himself justly and fre- 
 quently disclaims. 
 
 None of us allows sufficiently in opponents for 
 31 
 
Birth and Growth of Toleration 
 
 the influences of clime, birth, tradition, upbring- 
 ing, and other " accidents." Most of us were born 
 into the communion to which we now belong ; 
 and in most cases, moreover, belong mainly by 
 reason of that fact. The greater the divisions that 
 separate us from others, the greater should be 
 our anxiety to bridge the gulf ; the more obstinate 
 and perverted the individual objector, the more 
 strenuous should be our endeavour to restore him 
 to the truth. 
 
 Why we do not Burn Heretics 
 now^adays 
 
 A note should be made here of the fact that, 
 underneath, human nature is the same now as it 
 was at the time of the fires of Smithfield ; but that 
 the manifestation is different, in accordance with 
 the spirit of the age. The militant attitude is 
 laid aside, inasmuch as the principles of justice 
 are generally applied, and of the equality of all 
 ranks before the law. Further, a spirit of indif- 
 ference and pseudo-toleration has spread — people 
 no longer taking an absorbing interest in those 
 questions which convulsed the community 300 
 years or so ago. They do not feel sufficiently 
 strongly about disputed points — it being acknow- 
 ledged with equanimity that there is something to 
 be said "on both sides." Lastly, we are blas6, effe- 
 minate, commercialized, too dainty and squeamish 
 to tolerate the smell of burnt flesh ! Private judg- 
 ment is exalted, without reflecting that private 
 * 32 
 
Birth and Growth of Toleration 
 
 judgment is, frequently, but another name for 
 private ignorance, and that no man has " a right 
 to his own opinion," unless he takes all possible 
 pains to form that opinion aright. 
 
 Rationalists — Infidels — Atheists — Unbe- 
 lievers — Agnostics — Freethinkers — 
 Christian Scientists 
 
 We may abjure the dictum, that " no faith is to 
 be kept with heretics," and yet be inclined to 
 argue that no consideration should be shown to 
 atheists. Even Locke himself, in his cold charity, 
 would not admit these to full rights in his Com- 
 monwealth. We often try to make out that the 
 honour of our Master or of our Cause is involved, 
 rather than our own. Perhaps, it would be found 
 that jealousy for the Master covered nought but 
 a selfish feeling for our own position, dignity, 
 and denomination, God can always take care of 
 His own dignity, and allow His position to justify 
 itself. We are always in a hurry to adjust matters ; 
 whilst, to Him, time is no object. 
 
 On readingthe works of such men as Paine, Hume, 
 Haeckel, and the like, many persons are betrayed 
 into making a charge of blasphemy or licentious- 
 ness, and of considering themselves absolved from 
 keeping up even the forms of fairness or polite- 
 ness when entering into argument or controversy. 
 Such extreme men as those above mentioned are 
 regarded as outcasts, pariahs, unclean, to be driven 
 
 33 C 
 
Birth and Growth of Toleration 
 
 outside the camp ; but it is important to note that 
 — apart from the vulgar herd of coarse and un- 
 lettered infidelity and free-thoughts on deism — 
 there is a considerable number of men and women, 
 who cannot be classed otherwise than as cultured 
 and philosophic thinkers, whose lives moreover (in 
 most cases) are as moral as those of the most 
 orthodox devotees. With a certain margin of 
 charity, we may mention the names of Spinoza, 
 Hobbes, Paine, and J. S. Mill, Darwin, Huxley, 
 Leslie Stephen, Spencer, G. H. Lewes, G. Eliot, 
 and numberless others. 
 
 It may be possible to explain away their 
 morality ; but of its existence, and of their 
 earnestness and devotion to truth, there can be 
 no doubt. Further, it must be admitted that 
 there is some justification for their criticism and 
 aloofness by reason of the crude, illogical, char- 
 acter of the morality and religion of a large mass 
 of professing Christians ; and also of the disputes 
 between contending sectaries, involving so many 
 hard words, and so much bitterness of spirit. 
 One says nothing of the coarseness of evan- 
 gelistic methods employed by such a body as 
 the Salvation Army. 
 
 For those who believe that exact conformity to 
 creeds is necessary to everlasting salvation ; and 
 that the ultimate eternal destiny of the individual 
 is determinable by the sum total of his philosophic 
 and theologic belief at the moment of death, such 
 individuals as we have cited are damned beyond 
 all doubt ; but it may well be that, in the mercy 
 
 34 
 
Birth and Growth of Toleration 
 
 of the Most High, such late scholars may be put 
 to school for the second time, and, in the Inter- 
 mediate State, be brought to a nearer and clearer 
 view of all Truth. 
 
 It may be our consolation to reflect that the 
 orthodox have enormous advantages in number, 
 wealth, position, tradition, eloquence, and popular 
 favour, over free-thinking and atheistic bodies — 
 and that from 40,000 pulpits, Sunday by Sunday, 
 the doom of these apostates can be thundered out ! 
 The orthodox certainly need fear them not, even 
 if they did their worst. 
 
 Present-Day Thoughts 
 
 Are we truly tolerant now ? No ! One is sur- 
 prised at the suspicion, impertinence, and arro- 
 gance displayed between members of different sects, 
 and even between members of the same sect. 
 Regard the feelings which exist between many a 
 Churchman and Dissenter, Anglican and Romanist, 
 Tory and Radical, Free-Fooder and Fair-Trader. 
 
 Neither may we doubt this truth in respect either 
 of the professed High Churchman or Low Church- 
 man. Each would ban the other, and both would 
 turn their forces against the Broad Churchman, 
 and deny him a place in the home of our common 
 Mother. 
 
 In all these cases. Toleration, if recognized at 
 all, is used patronizingly. It is not extended with- 
 out question, as the birthright of our brother, 
 and as a matter of abstract right and justice. 
 
 35 
 
Birth and Growth of Toleration 
 
 Objections 
 
 Referring to the general principle and the ex- 
 hortations based upon it, it may be said : " Are 
 you not proving too much ? " " Are we to cease 
 from criticising and opposing opinions adverse 
 to our own ? " " Are we to lay down our arms 
 and suspend all right judgment ? " " Are we to 
 come over to the belief that all opinions and 
 practices whatsoever must be tolerated, and that it 
 is a matter of complete indifference what a person 
 believes or professes, individual conscience being 
 the sole guide ? " In that case, perfect toleration 
 would be perfect anarchy. But we are not called 
 upon to give up the case in this manner. Naturally, 
 absolute truth resides only within the shadow of 
 the Throne of God ; but, in the search after truth, 
 as the centuries have rolled by, mankind has had 
 to be content with imperfect ideals. The canons, 
 the criteria, of truth have varied, or have seemed 
 to vary, from age to age, in different countries, as 
 well as in different stages in the life of the same 
 nation or individual. 
 
 Whensoever, and wheresoever, mere opinions 
 crystallize into practices contrary to the security 
 of purity, of family, or social, life, then it is per- 
 missible to take repressive action. 
 
 This Essay seems to prove that the history of 
 the spread of truth and charity is a melancholy 
 one — the way being strewn with wreck and 
 carnage. In favoured lands, the victory has been 
 
 36 
 
Birth and Growth of Toleration 
 
 gained not only by workers and writers in union 
 with the Catholic Church, but by atheists, agnostics, 
 separatists, radicals, and nonconformists. It may 
 be a hard and bitter truth for us to allow, but 
 honesty compels the confession. The fact is 
 partly to be explained by the dominant spiritual, 
 political, and privileged position occupied by the 
 Church. Originally, this dominance obscured 
 to the minds of members of the community the 
 need for toleration; but those who wear the shoe 
 know where it pinches, and it was but natural that 
 separatists should be the first apostles of tolerance. 
 The victory has been won, theoretically ; but, 
 practically, the leaven has not penetrated far ; the 
 demon of intolerance has been scotched — not 
 killed. It may not be permitted that one man 
 should lay violent hands upon another ; but bitter 
 feelings still exist between the Church and the 
 sects — yea, even between parties within the Church, 
 It is sometimes said that the spirit of persecution 
 is dead. Not so. The facilities for bringing to 
 judgment — to torture — to death — are no longer 
 to one's hand ; but the spirit is still alive, the fire 
 is burning beneath the cooled surface. Even 
 now, many would torture and burn if they could. 
 We doubt it not as respects the Church of Rome. 
 She has the defects of her virtues. Her legacy 
 from the past, her tenacity, her exclusiveness, her 
 insolent pretension and domination, her longing 
 for dominion over the souls of men, would incite 
 to what has always proved a congenial task. Her 
 boast is that she changeth not. Neither may we 
 
 37 
 
Birth and Growth of Toleration 
 
 doubt it in the case of the " passive resister " — the 
 political nonconformist — who would, perforce, 
 cause all men to bow down before that hybrid 
 and emasculated God of undenominationalism, 
 because, forsooth, it satisfies his own imperfect 
 idea of truth ! 
 
 Dangers 
 
 The most important dangers lie in this — that 
 one might be led to think there was no difference 
 between truth and error ; that one would grow 
 indifferent to the distinction which really does, 
 and ever will, exist ; that one would be slack in 
 upholding the honour of truth, and of its Author 
 and Exponent, Almighty God ; that one would 
 afford Error a start, and place Truth at a dis- 
 advantage, thus allowing judgment to go by default. 
 
 How can we prevent these evils, and best dis- 
 charge our duty ? 
 
 a. Not so much by declaiming against Error, 
 as by proclaiming the Truth — with all earnestness 
 and wisdom ; in season, and out of season. In 
 respect of this, consider what advantages well- 
 disposed people possess in this Christian State. 
 Those who love the truth are many ; they are 
 backed by public opinion in almost every quarter, 
 for the public conscience is keener than the public 
 action ; they have the Church and its ministry 
 (20,000 men and more) pledged to their side, 
 ready to live the Life and do the Work. 
 
 b. By cultivating social relations with those 
 
 38 
 
Birth and Growth of Toleration 
 
 who differ ; by making allowances for birth, edu- 
 cation, environment, prejudice ; by pitying and lov- 
 ing the individual ; whilst, at the same time, setting 
 forth Truth, and, in so doing, denouncing Error. 
 
 c. By acting according to the Golden Rule- 
 not displaying condescension — not tolerating with 
 intolerant pride and disdain, but with the infinite 
 grace and meekness of a Christian gentleman. 
 
 History demonstrates the failure of any attempt 
 to effect the impossible — viz., to compel two clocks 
 to tick alike, to force all minds into one mould, 
 to put authority in place of reason, argument, 
 or example. Christian Councils and Authorities 
 in the past have endeavoured — but in vain — to 
 effect this end. 
 
 In relying upon coercive Authority, we must 
 remember that we are addressing ourselves to three 
 orders of mind : — 
 
 a. The indifferent — those who do not think at 
 all, but abide in a state of stagnation ; 
 
 b. The convinced ; 
 
 c. The hostile. 
 
 In respect of the first class, persecution is 
 inoperative ; of the second, it is unnecessary ; 
 of the third, it is unconvincing. 
 
 Generally speaking, persecution leads to repres- 
 sion of thought, to intellectual inertness, to the 
 moral blight of hypocrisy ; lastly, to the infliction 
 and abuse of suffering to no useful end. 
 
 The benefits of legitimate Freedom may be 
 summarized thus : — 
 
 a. It banishes stagnation and mediocrity ; 
 
 39 
 
Birth and Growth of Toleration 
 
 b. It leads to inquiry, investigation, research, 
 originality of thought, the glory of discovery ; 
 
 c. It advances the education of the race in 
 invention, logic, expression, philosophy ; 
 
 d. It makes for progressive growth and develop- 
 ment in accordance with the principles of evolu- 
 tion impressed upon the universe by its Creator — 
 thus uplifting our ideas of the Great Supreme ; 
 
 e. It leads to that exaltation of human character, 
 which reaches its greatest height only when the 
 individual breathes the air of Freedom. 
 
 Disadvantages of Persecution 
 
 Thus, persecution has certain manifest disad- 
 vantages. It does not reach the source of the evil. 
 No critic can penetrate to the centre of thought, 
 unmask the real man, or unveil the arcana of 
 feeUng. A tyrant may stunt the growth of his 
 victim's mind, but he cannot altogether confine 
 its energies. Thought is toll-free. As Napoleon 
 himself — a born autocrat — was constrained to say, 
 "Where the sway of conscience begins, my rule 
 ends." 
 
 But it is alleged that those who suffer are 
 punished, not altogether for their own sake, but 
 mainly for the sake of others, so as to prevent 
 the multitude going astray. Persecution, however, 
 is not needed to convince the orthodox ; whilst, 
 in respect of the indifferent or doubting, it misses 
 the mark, leading (as it does) merely to outward 
 conformity and rank hypocrisy. On the other 
 
 40 
 
Birth and Growth of Toleration 
 
 hand, it prevents the free play of thought, of 
 opinion, of argument, of development — thus handi- 
 capping truth, and giving error unfair advantage. 
 
 Limits 
 
 In respect of the limits of Toleration, there are 
 two elements to be borne in mind — ^viz., the civil 
 and the ecclesiastical. 
 
 Any corporation, such as the Church, must 
 exercise discipline over those members who sub- 
 mit to her rule. But must Christian Science, Mor- 
 monism, and the like be tolerated ? Perhaps not ; 
 but, at all events. Toleration tends to the exhibition 
 of caution like that expressed by Gamaliel. " Try 
 the spirits to see whether they be of God." SufFer 
 a certain season to elapse, that the issue of any 
 new thought or doctrine be determined. We 
 cannot break the will of an opponent, though we 
 may succeed in bending or in modifying it. 
 
 Things that have been questioned are, ipso facto, 
 questionable. Thus, one should be careful in 
 dealing with uprisings of thought such as those 
 associated with the so-called " New Theology," or 
 with the interpretation of statements concerning 
 subjects like unto the Virgin Birth or the Resur- 
 rection. In this connection, special care should 
 be taken not to force the consciences of candi- 
 dates for ordination. 
 
 Toleration need not lead to acquiescence in error, 
 but should certainly lead to the sifting of evidence, 
 and to the suspension of judgment. It is not 
 
 41 
 
Birth and Growth of Toleration 
 
 contended that any opinion is permissible when 
 translated into conduct calculated to interfere with 
 the comfort, the happiness, or the morality of others. 
 So with the State. It tolerates drunkenness as 
 a vice, but interferes only when the vice leads to 
 disorderliness. 
 
 General Survey 
 
 In this Essay, we have striven to exhibit the need 
 of educing from history and experience a Principle 
 capable of being held at all times, whether of storm 
 or sunshine ; independent of the fact as to whether 
 one party or another is at the top, or likely to obtain 
 a present advantage. In most civilized lands this 
 has been done — this Principle is Toleration. At 
 present it is sometimes shadowy — sometimes ideal ; 
 what is needed is a consensus — not only of opinion, 
 but of feeling— in order that the Ideal can be 
 always realizable and translatable into the Real. 
 
 In various ways, Divine Providence has so 
 ordered the affairs of men that the worse no 
 longer appears the better reason. We have now 
 a wider horizon, a sounder heart, a larger hope. 
 The advance has been sure, although slow. Even 
 yet it is by no means universal. In our own 
 country, general toleration prevails, even though 
 there is a close union, by the force of tradition 
 and law, between Church and State. In France, 
 the Revolution wrought such vast changes in the 
 relation of Roman Catholicism to the people at 
 large, that, until recently, the State furnished part 
 of the stipends of clergy of all denominations. In 
 
 42 
 
Birth and Growth of Toleration 
 
 Italy, a great advance has been made. In Spain, 
 much has been done since the days of Queen 
 Isabella. When that estimable lady left Spain upon 
 her abdication some years ago, there passed her, at 
 the French frontier, a train load of Bibles, which 
 had been long waiting for a favourable opportunity 
 of entering that land — noted equally for priestcraft, 
 ignorance, and intolerance. Even now, however, 
 in various countries — whether Roman or Eastern — 
 vexatious interference characterizes the action of 
 local authorities in their dealings with religious 
 assemblies other than those of the orthodox faith. 
 
 In Russia, a curious state of things prevails. 
 Socially and politically, the country is still in 
 the Middle Ages ; and a corrupt Church linked 
 to an autocratic State is unlikely to furnish 
 facilities for liberty of thought and practice. 
 
 In Turkey, the nominal condition is one of 
 absolute intolerance. " There is but one God, and 
 Mohammed is His prophet," is still the popular 
 belief and cry. But the application of this prin- 
 ciple is hindered by the weakness and corruption 
 of the Government — a pure despotism, tempered 
 by assassination. It is said that the cross which 
 formerly blazed upon the east end of the glorious 
 Church of St. Sophia at Constantinople is even 
 now there, though obscured by the emblems of 
 the false prophet. May the day soon come when 
 the Christian powers (by a peaceful and bloodless 
 revolution) may bring to an end this last relic of 
 Turkish misrule in Europe, and cause this cross to 
 shine forth with more than its former splendour ! 
 
 43 
 
Birth and Growth of Toleration 
 
 But the subject is too wide to be treated of in 
 a single essay. Thus, we have said little of the 
 relations between Churchmen and Dissenters in 
 our own day, or about the personal relations of 
 one individual to another. 
 
 In these remarks we trust there has not been 
 displayed any traces of that intolerance con- 
 demned in others. One has spoken strongly 
 because one has felt strongly concerning the cor- 
 ruptions of nations and churches, but one has 
 dealt with systems rather than individuals. 
 
 There is one caution to be given before we con- 
 clude — i.e., the necessity for carrying our toleration 
 only up to the proper limit ; and for avoiding the 
 error of supposing that there is no such thing as 
 absolute truth, or that every system of thought or 
 religion is equally true, equally false, and equally 
 useful. That is a species of belief which should 
 be abhorrent to all thoughtful and earnest minds. 
 We, Christians, are enjoined to prove all things, 
 and to hold fast only that which is good. But, 
 together with that true belief, we may, indeed, ask 
 God to bestow the gift of true charity ; so that, 
 distrusting ourselves in a measure, we may, beyond 
 measure, give credit to others for honest endea- 
 vour and conscientious belief similar to our own ; 
 and may love and pity the more — the more those 
 who differ from us seem to be wrong — seeking to 
 restore such in the spirit of meekness. So shall 
 we carry out the injunctions of our common Lord 
 — both in the letter and in the spirit. 
 
 44 
 
THE INFLUENCE OF CERTAIN GREAT 
 NATIONS OF ANTIQUITY UPON 
 THE DEVELOPMENT OF MAN 
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 IN past time, History was divided into water- 
 tight compartments, one nation being differen- 
 tiated from every other nation, and represented as 
 living its own life, and working out an independent 
 destiny. 
 
 Indeed, it is true, even to a comparatively late 
 period, that jealousy not only existed between 
 neighbouring nations, but was actually considered 
 to be a legitimate and wholesome feeling ; the good 
 fortune of one country being supposed to neces- 
 sitate the evil fortune of another, and vice versa. 
 Consequently, wars were commenced on the 
 smallest provocation, and carried on at an enor- 
 mous sacrifice of life and of material property. In 
 fact — the more, the better, in the estimation of 
 the successful combatant. 
 
 Fortunately, the conclusion is now emerging 
 that we, as nations, are many members in one 
 body ; that, when one member suffers, all the 
 members suffer with it ; that when one mem- 
 ber rejoices, all other members are justified in 
 
 45 
 
Influence of Certain Great Nations 
 
 rejoicing; so that we now confess that if we 
 wantonly injure another nation, we are, in fact, 
 dealing a blow at ourselves. 
 
 This idea has been helped on by the acceptance 
 of the theory of Evolution, and by the realisation 
 of the Unity of Creation ; which has led also to a 
 recognition of the essential oneness of mankind ; 
 the doctrine of development (as applied to the 
 natural world) being thus rendered applicable to 
 the world of action, as determined by man. 
 
 Out of the past, springs the present ; out of the 
 present, will spring the future. No man — no 
 nation — lives unto itself. No act in the great and 
 complicated drama of human life has been inde- 
 pendent. All unconscious, in most cases, the 
 dramatis personce, generation by generation, have 
 been instrumental in the gradual unfolding of the 
 plot ; each actor being constrained by the circum- 
 stances of his birth, of his education, and of the 
 epoch in which he flourished; but each unit (out 
 of his special individuality and freedom of choice) 
 contributing something new, something original, 
 to the general development. 
 
 The names and doings of a distinguished few 
 have been preserved in the pages of history ; the 
 records of the many, of the oi iroWol, yea, even of 
 whole nations, have almost wholly perished. The 
 minor actors appear upon the scene, in a vague, 
 shadowy, form ; and, as we bend our gaze, they 
 vanish into thin air. We may be certain, how- 
 ever, that every act, every word, of every man, in 
 every age, has contributed to the result we witness 
 
 46 
 
Upon the Development of Man 
 
 to-day ; a result, nevertheless, which we find it 
 difficult to interpret even in its patent features, 
 but impossible in respect of much of its detail. 
 
 The Roman poet said : " Many strong men 
 lived before Agamemnon, but they lacked an 
 Homeric chronicler." True ! One often thinks 
 of the wonderful revelation it would be if the for- 
 gotten dead — forgotten because the victims of 
 circumstance — could be revived, and their actions 
 writ large by the Muse of History. How the 
 catalogue of noble names would be enlarged — the 
 records of the past enriched ! But we shall see 
 them on the other side of the Flood, and hear 
 their stories from their own lips ! Perhaps some 
 of us will not be required to wait for our transla- 
 tion to another sphere ; for so briskly is the work of 
 excavation and exploration going on in respect of 
 such places as Troy, Crete, Cyprus, Ephesus, the 
 Fayoum, and the like, that a good deal of history 
 may be recovered that has- hitherto been blotted 
 out. 
 
 The East 
 
 Certain leading facts emerge, and may be dealt 
 with at the outset. It is clear that we must 
 enlarge our ideas as to the existence of man upon 
 this planet and as to the limits of time within 
 which the great drama of life has been wrought 
 out. The Egyptian, Babylonian, and Chinese 
 historic records carry us back 5000, 6000, or 7000 
 years before the Christian era; and, even then, 
 
 47 
 
Influence of Certain Great Nations 
 
 display a civilization which must have required 
 many thousands of years for its attainment. 
 
 What we have learned, during the last half 
 century or so, of the character and extent of this 
 civilization fills us with astonishment. 
 
 The Pushing Back of the Origin of 
 
 Nations 
 
 Until recent years, the learned were comfort- 
 ably convinced that none but a Semitic or Aryan 
 nation — to use words now somewhat old-fashioned 
 — could have originated civilization ; but the 
 decipherment of certain Assyrian cuneiform in- 
 scriptions has had startling results. Here, humane 
 culture is found to have had its origin outside the 
 limits of the white race. Some sixty centuries 
 ago, the sceptre of Northern Babylonia fell into 
 Semitic hands ; but language, civilization, and 
 a prevailing " Spiritual " religion pointed to an 
 earlier nation (a Turanian — speaking an agglutina- 
 tive tongue) now called Akkadian or Sumerian 
 (these terms being derived from the Biblical 
 record in Gen. x. lo) which colonized Babylonia 
 from the shores of the Persian Gulf. Their 
 legends made the first man, Adamu, a fisherman 
 on these shores. Eridu was the seaport of the 
 country, and, when it is excavated, we may learn 
 much of these aborigines. Five miles to the 
 north was " Ur of the Chaldees," from which city 
 Hebrew tradition affirmed the ancestor of their 
 
 48 
 
Upon the Development of Man 
 
 nation to have come. Babylon was a colony of 
 Eridu, and Assyria owed much to Babylon. 
 
 The portion of the earth occupied by the so- 
 called descendants of Shem intersects the por- 
 tions appertaining to the sons of Japheth and 
 Ham ; stretching, in an uninterrupted line, from the 
 Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea. Begin- 
 ning on the north-western extremity with Lydia, it 
 included Syria (Aram), Chaldea (Arphaxad), parts 
 of Assyria (Asshur), of Persia (Elam), and of the 
 Arabian Peninsula. 
 
 Somewhere in mid-western Asia, we have one 
 of the original centres at which the human race 
 originated, and thence spread out into these various 
 communities. 
 
 The Mingling of the Nations — Climatic 
 Influences 
 
 Here, perhaps, one may be allowed to give a 
 caution as to the use of certain names to designate 
 various races of men. There is no pure race, no 
 pure stock, no pure family, no pure language. Any 
 terms used to designate peoples must be merely 
 comparative. Even when an endeavour was made 
 — as in the case of the Hebrews — to preserve 
 purity of race, slaves and captives were frequently 
 adopted ; and marriages, by affection, policy, or 
 force, were common between the chosen people 
 and the 'iQvri outside. 
 
 The Eastern origin of man, and of all that 
 appertains to his growth and progress, is incon- 
 testable. Even Haeckel (one of the chiefs of the 
 
 49 D 
 
Influence of Certain Great Nations 
 
 pure biologists) says : " Man originated in the 
 old world, from an unknown, extinct, group of 
 the Eastern apes." It seems, therefore, only fitting 
 that the general climatic and biological conditions 
 which led to the origin and development of man 
 in that region, should also lead to the origin and 
 development of the elements of civilization ; so 
 that we ourselves may be said to owe to Asia 
 our language, our law, our moral and ceremonial 
 religion, and much of our art, poetry, music, philo- 
 sophy, and practical business aptitude. 
 
 It is important to note the influence of geology, 
 climatology, and other natural forces, upon the 
 physique and characteristics of the inhabitants of 
 a particular region. 
 
 Not only do the physical features of a country 
 depend upon its geological formation, but the char- 
 acter and mode of life of the inhabitants are 
 moulded and modified by the same conditions. 
 Thus, the mild, patient, character of the Egyptian 
 cultivator befits the nature of that wide stretch of 
 alluvial fertile land which is watered by the Nile. 
 The mountainous tracts of the Sinaitic Peninsula 
 (formed of the oldest crystalline rocks of that 
 part of the world) have become the abode of the 
 Bedouin Arab, the hardy child of nature (whose 
 hand is against every man, and against whom is 
 the hand of all), who has adapted himself to a life 
 in keeping with his wild surroundings. The great 
 tableland of Tih (less rugged and inhospitable 
 than the mountainous parts of Sinai and Serbal) 
 supports roving tribes (partly pastoral, and gradually 
 
 50 
 
Upon the Development of Man 
 
 assimilating their habits to the fellahin of Philistia 
 and Palestine) who cultivate the ground and (at 
 the same time) rear large flocks and herds. Such 
 illustrations might be indefinitely multiplied. 
 
 The Great Nations of antiquity, selected for 
 consideration in this Essay, are the Egyptian, 
 Phoenician, Assyrian, Babylonian, Median and 
 Persian, Greek, and Roman : but (in the course 
 of our treatment) we shall have occasion to touch 
 upon others, which demand distinct recognition 
 out of the general welter which crosses our stage. 
 
 We purposely put out of consideration — save 
 incidentally — the influence exercised by these 
 peoples upon the Jewish nation, and through that 
 nation upon us ; because the leading facts are 
 generally known ; and, also, because that subject 
 alone would exhaust the space at our disposal. 
 
 Egypt 
 
 The ultimate origin of the Egyptian people 
 is obscure — African perhaps, but certainly not 
 negroid ; the primitive stock being largely modi- 
 fied by immigration from Asia. The natural con- 
 ditions of the country were eminently favourable 
 to the rise of an early civilization. The land 
 consisted of one long alluvial valley bounded by 
 desert on three sides ; and, therefore, marked out 
 as a rainless region ; but, by way of compensation, 
 watered by the most wonderful river in the world 
 — the " Maker of Egypt " — for that country, as 
 Herodotus says, is truly "the gift of the Nile." 
 
 51 
 
Influence of Certain Great Nations 
 
 In respect of this land, therefore (the greatest 
 result being obtainable, in agriculture and other 
 arts, by the least expenditure of labour), a con- 
 dition of affairs was brought about highly favour- 
 able to the rapid accumulation of wealth and the 
 consequent rise of a leisured class. Hence, the 
 systematic development of Arts and Science, of 
 Architecture, of Astronomy, of Geometry, and of 
 the cults of a splendid and elaborate religion. 
 
 Whether Egypt or Babylon first fulfilled her 
 destiny we know not. There are considerations 
 which tend to give the palm to the former ; in- 
 asmuch as (when it emerges into the historic 
 period, in the reign of Menes, about 5000 B.C.) 
 civilization had already attained a high pitch. 
 
 Its religion may be regarded from two points of 
 view — the first, as affecting the popular theory 
 and practice ; the second, as relating to the culti- 
 vated priesthood, the esoteric worshipper. Indeed, 
 this is always so, even as regards ourselves in the 
 present day. 
 
 The root ideas of the higher form of faith 
 amongst the Egyptians are certainly worthy of high 
 commendation — referring, as they did, to a domi- 
 nant power among minor deities ; the persistence 
 of personality even after death ; the resurrection of 
 essential elements of the body ; and the doctrine 
 of retribution as relating to a future state of exist- 
 ence. It must ever be a matter of surprise that 
 these ideas did not affect the religious system of 
 the Hebrews. In their minds, however, Egypt was 
 ever associated with dark and terrible memories, 
 
 52 
 
upon the Development of Man 
 
 Egypt had dealings with our selected nations in 
 turn. 
 
 It held Jewry in bondage ; 
 
 It warred with Assyria and Babylonia ; 
 
 It was dominated by a Persian dynasty, ruling 
 from Susa ; 
 
 It submitted to Alexander of Macedon, who 
 founded on its soil one of the greatest cities of 
 old time ; 
 
 It accepted the rule of Rome ; 
 
 In its palaces, Antony wooed Cleopatra ; 
 
 On its shore, Pompey fell ; 
 
 There, great Caesar raged, and was subdued by 
 love ! 
 
 The Phcenicuns 
 
 These people furnish a distinct element in 
 relation to our subject. 
 
 Phoenicia was a tract of country lying to the 
 north of Palestine, along the coast of the Medi- 
 terranean Sea, bounded by that sea westwards, 
 and extending eastwards to the mountain crests 
 of Bargylos and Lebanon. It had a coast line of 
 about 230 miles. Its territory was thus a mere 
 strip, embracing an area of about 3000 square 
 miles. The tract included within these limits was 
 of a remarkably diversified character. The chief 
 plains were those of Acre, Tyre, Sidon, Beyrout, 
 and Marathus. The eastern region furnished in- 
 exhaustible stores of forest trees, which provided 
 Phoenicia with her warships and an immense 
 commercial navy. Natural harbours were absent, 
 
 53 
 
Influence of Certain Great Nations 
 
 except when littoral islands furnished a protection 
 from the prevalent winds, as at Tyre and Aradus ; 
 elsewhere, nature provided nothing better than 
 open roadsteads ; and all her famous harbours 
 were the work of art. 
 
 There is a general agreement amongst the more 
 recent ethnologists that the Phoenicians belonged, 
 not to a nation of Hamitic origin, akin to the 
 Egyptians, as was originally supposed, but to 
 the Semitic group. The Semitic character of its 
 language is indeed indisputable. They were a 
 people in whose minds religion occupied a pro- 
 minent place. Even their ships carried images 
 of the gods in place of figureheads, so that wher- 
 ever this people went they bore with them their 
 religion with their warships. The distinctive char- 
 acter of that religion remains, however, a matter 
 of controversy. It would appear to have been of 
 a polytheistic nature — worship of a somewhat 
 narrow character. 
 
 We are indebted to this people for many 
 inventions and discoveries — such as the elabora- 
 tion of glass, and the employment of the purple, 
 or Tyrian, dye. They excelled in the manufacture 
 of textile fabrics ; they produced on a large scale 
 all manner of household utensils and implements 
 — partly in clay, partly in metal — together with 
 ornaments of various kinds. These constituted 
 the elements of an enormous export trade, carried 
 on alike with semi-civilized and barbarous peoples. 
 
 If a nation becomes highly civilised, artistic, and 
 refined, she has necessarily developed a leisured 
 
 54 
 
Upon the Development of Man 
 
 class ; the rise of such a class being due to a 
 continued season of material prosperity. This 
 prosperity cannot be wholly derived from its own 
 resources, but must be chiefly the result of external 
 trade and commerce. 
 
 Hence, the primitive countries of the world 
 which earliest attained to eminence were such 
 lands as Babylonia, Egypt, and Phoenicia. The 
 first filled the seas adjacent to the Persian Gulf 
 with its argosies. The second traded along the 
 eastern shores of Africa. The third despatched 
 its galleys to thread the mazes of the Archipelago, 
 to penetrate the Pillars of Hercules, to proceed 
 with bold eye and firm hand through the wind- 
 swept Bay of Biscay to establish a trade with the 
 Scilly Isles, Cornwall, and the Isle of Wight, and 
 to trade for amber even into the fog-enshrouded 
 Baltic. Neither were the Red Sea and the mystic 
 lands due south debarred to the Tyrian traders, 
 who fearlessly launched their ships into the Indian 
 Ocean and extended their commerce even as far 
 as Malabar and Ceylon. 
 
 Phoenicia colonized Cyprus, Cilicia, Lycia, 
 Rhodes, and Crete, together with the Cyclades and 
 Sporades. From these islands the advance was 
 easy to the islands of the Northern Mgezn, Lem- 
 nos, Imbros, Thasos, and Samothrace ; hence to 
 the shores of the Black Sea. In the opposite 
 direction, an advance was made from Crete and 
 Cythera towards the west in respect both of 
 Europe and Africa. 
 
 Doubtless their alphabet, like all others of 
 
 55 
 
Influence of Certain Great Nations 
 
 which we have any knowledge, originated in a 
 picture-writing ; but whether their characters were 
 modifications of the Egyptian, or of the Hittite 
 (which still, alas ! remains undeciphered), or of the 
 Cypriote, or were abbreviated forms of a picture- 
 writing peculiar to themselves, has been the sub- 
 ject of fierce and prolonged discussion. 
 
 As for the limits of the history of this versatile 
 and interesting people, we may place them from 
 the establishment of Sidon, Arka, Aradus, and 
 Simyra, in the beginning of the historic period 
 (Gen. X. 15-18) to the destruction of Tyre by 
 Alexander the Great in 333 B.C. — a long and 
 fascinating history ! dealing, as it does, with in- 
 ventive skill, the passion for discovery, a keen, 
 commercial instinct, and a literary predilection 
 which led to the elaboration of an alphabetic and 
 numerical scheme, which has furnished a sure 
 basis for so many others. 
 
 The Assyrians 
 
 The civilization of the Assyrians, as has been 
 already observed, was originally derived from the 
 Babylonians. They were a Semitic race, origin- 
 ally resident in Babylonia (which, at that time, 
 was Cushite), and thus acquainted with Babylonian 
 invention and discovery. Finally, they ascended 
 the valley of the Tigris, and established themselves 
 as a distinct nationality in the tract immediately 
 below the Armenian mountains. In great measure, 
 their modes of writing and building, the form and 
 
 56 
 
Upon the Development of Man 
 
 size of their bricks, their architectural ornamenta- 
 tion, their religion and worship, were drawn from 
 Babylon, which they always regarded as a sacred 
 land — the original seat of their nation, and the 
 true home of all their gods, with the one exception 
 of Asshur, the son of Shem (Gen. x. 22). 
 
 Still, as their civilization developed, it became, 
 in many respects, peculiar. Their art is of home 
 growth. Their pictures of war, and of the chase, 
 and even sometimes of the more peaceful inci- 
 dents of existence, have a fidelity, a spirit, a bold- 
 ness, and an appearance of life, which place the 
 designers high among realistic artists. 
 
 The advanced condition of the Assyrians in 
 various other respects is abundantly evidenced 
 alike by the representations of the sculptures and 
 by the remains discovered among their buildings. 
 Notwithstanding, in most important points, they 
 were barbarians. 
 
 The Babylonians 
 
 Babel — Babylon — is properly the name given 
 to the capital city of the country, which is called 
 in Genesis, Shinar; and, in the later Scriptures, 
 Chaldsea. The architectural remains discovered 
 in Southern Babylonia, taken in conjunction with 
 the monumental records, seem to indicate that 
 Babel was not at first the capital, nor indeed 
 a town of great importance. Erech, Ur, and 
 Ellasar all appear to have been more ancient than 
 Babylon, and capital cities when Babel was a 
 
 57 
 
Influence of Certain Great Nations 
 
 village. The first rise of the Chaldaean power was 
 in the region close upon the Persian Gulf ; then 
 the nation spread northwards up the course of the 
 two rivers ; and the seat of government moved in 
 the same direction, being finally fixed at Babylon, 
 perhaps not earlier than 1700 B.C. Scripture 
 represents the " beginning of the kingdom " as 
 belonging to the time of Nimrod, the grandson of 
 Ham (Gen. x. 6-10). The most ancient inscrip- 
 tions appear to show that the primitive inhabitants 
 of the country were really Cushite ; i.e., identical 
 in race with the early inhabitants of Southern 
 Arabia and of Ethiopia. Originally the people 
 were called the Akkadin (Gen. x. 10). 
 
 Their government was rude and inartificial ; 
 their religion, coarse and sensual ; their conduct of 
 war, cruel ; even their art, materialistic, and so, de- 
 basing ; they served their purpose when they had 
 prepared the East for centralized government, 
 and had been God's scourge to punish the people 
 of Israel (Isa. x. 5, 6). They were, therefore, 
 swept away to allow the rise of that Aryan race 
 which, with less appreciation of art, was to in- 
 troduce into Western Asia a more spiritual form 
 of religion, a better treatment of captives, and a 
 superior governmental organization. 
 
 The Medes and Persians 
 
 There are grounds for thinking that, at a very 
 early date, an Aryan element existed in the popu- 
 lation of the Mesopotamian Valley, side by side 
 
 58 
 
upon the Development of Man 
 
 with the Cushite and Semitic elements. There- 
 fore, it is not at all impossible that, for a time, 
 the Medes may have been there the predomi- 
 nant race ; and may, afterwards, have been over- 
 powered and driven to the mountains. 
 
 Cyaraxes conquered Assyria and captured 
 Nineveh about 625 B.C. It is probable that 
 the Assyrian organization was continued by the 
 Medes ; the subject-nations thus retaining their 
 native monarchs, and acknowledging subjection 
 merely by the payment of an annual tribute. 
 
 The conquest of the Medes by a sister — Iranic 
 — race, the Persians, under their native monarch, 
 Cyrus, led to the capture of their king, Astyages, 
 and the subjection of the country. These peoples 
 had the same Aryan, or Iranic, origin ; the same 
 early traditions ; the same language ; nearly the 
 same religion ; and, ultimately, the same manners 
 and customs, dress, and general mode of life. 
 
 The original religion of the Medes must un- 
 doubtedly have been that simple creed which is 
 placed before us in the earlier portions of the Zenda- 
 vesta. Its peculiar characteristic was Dualism ; i.e., 
 belief in the existence of two opposite principles of 
 good and evil, nearly, if not quite, on a par with 
 one another. Ormuzd and Ahriman were both 
 self-caused and self-existent ; both indestructible ; 
 both potent to work their will. Besides Ormuzd, 
 the Aryans worshipped the sun and moon, under the 
 names of Mithra and Homa ; they believed in the 
 existence of numerous spirits or genii, some good, 
 some bad, the subjects and ministers respectively 
 
 59 
 
Influence of Certain Great Nations 
 
 of the two powers of Good and Evil. Their migra- 
 tion brought them into contact with the fire- 
 worshippers of Armenia and Mount Zagris, among 
 whom Magism had been established from a re- 
 mote antiquity. The result was either a com- 
 bination of the two religions ; or, in some cases, 
 an actual conversion of the conquerors to the 
 faith and worship of the conquered. So far as 
 can be gathered from the scanty records in our 
 possession, the latter was the case with the Medes. 
 The customs of the Medes are said to have 
 nearly resembled those of their neighbours, the 
 Armenians and the Persians ; but they were re- 
 garded as the inventors, their neighbours as the 
 copyists. They were brave and warlike, excellent 
 riders, and remarkably skilful with the bow. 
 
 The Greeks 
 
 Concerning this remarkable people, how much 
 may be said — what a lengthening vista of interest 
 is opened out ! 
 
 A consideration of the physical features of Greece 
 — its rugged heights — its land-locked valleys — its 
 indented coasts — its intercourse with Tyre and 
 Sidon, with Cyprus and Egypt — with the ex- 
 tended shores of a hundred lands — east and west, 
 north and south — prepares us to deal with the 
 character of the people cradled in such a land — 
 sturdy, self-reliant, lovers of freedom and debate, 
 ingenious, and versatile. 
 
 The division into various states — originally 
 60 
 
Upon the Development of Man 
 
 brought about by this same physical demarcation 
 — led to a clash of interests and a differentiation of 
 policy and of character. 
 
 The distinguishing feature of the Greeks — from 
 early times, a centre of interest and influence to 
 peoples more or less highly civilized, such as the 
 Egyptians, Phoenicians, Cypriotes, and Hittites 
 — was eclecticism. Their language, too, helped 
 to make the people, even as the people had 
 made the language. It was strong, it was flexible, 
 it spread itself out so as to include three 
 Numbers — Singular, Dual, and Plural ; three 
 Voices — Active, Middle, and Passive ; so that 
 every logical distinction, every shade of meaning, 
 every turn and convolution, could be fitly and 
 fully expressed. 
 
 What a wonderful and all-embracing record 
 does not their history furnish ! — a very world of 
 thought, feeling, and action. — Homer and Hesiod 
 amongst the poets ; ^schylus, Sophocles, Euri- 
 pedes, and Aristophanes amongst the tragedians 
 and comedians ; Herodotus, Thucydides, as his- 
 torians ; Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, as philoso- 
 phers ; Apelles, Parrhasius, Zeuxis, as painters ; 
 Dipoenus, Scyllis, Lysippus, Phidias, as sculptors ; 
 Demosthenes, .<Eschines, as orators ; Solon, Aris- 
 tides, Pericles, as statesmen; Themistocles, Leonidas, 
 as leaders and warriors ; Alexander (sustained by 
 Greek esprit and valour), as one of the few born 
 leaders of men. 
 
 Thus the Greek peoples had a treasure better 
 and more splendid than any material inheritance ; 
 
 6i 
 
Influence of Certain Great Nations 
 
 a treasure which was the heritage of every one of 
 them, and of which no one could rob them — the 
 great writings, the great works, the mighty deeds, 
 the noble example of their countrymen — who, 
 being dead, yet lived, and spoke, and moved — a 
 great uplifting force to the whole world at large. 
 
 Here we have the best of all combined to make 
 the best — in respect alike of religion, strength, 
 virility, philosophic insight ; of might to conceive, 
 of power to execute ; of a poetic and exquisite sense 
 of the beautiful so as to justify the setting up of the 
 headstone of the nation (great even in death) with 
 " Grace unto it, glory unto it," to be inscribed 
 upon it by the common attribution of all succeed- 
 ing generations. 
 
 In her tongue — so flexible, so sonorous — our 
 O.T. sacred scriptures are to be found in the LXX 
 version — yea, in that self-same tongue the New 
 Testament was first set forth ; the halls of our 
 schools and universities still resound with the 
 echoes of her philosophy, her drama, her historic 
 lore ; specimens of her buildings, her sculpture, 
 her fictile art are still to be seen in every museum, 
 ofttimes stained and mutilated, it may be, yet de- 
 lightful even in their ruin, at once the ideal and 
 the despair of every artistic mind and hand. 
 
 The Romans 
 
 Much that was good in respect of the Greeks 
 yet lived in the Romans — for, as in so many other 
 cases, the vanquished conquered their conquerors. 
 
 62 
 
Upon the Development of Man 
 
 In the Romans we have a robust race, cradled 
 in one of the most beautiful countries of the world, 
 until their mailed fist had stricken down all their 
 foes, and carried their eagles over the greater part 
 of the civilized world in Europe, Asia, and Africa. 
 
 They were noted for their discipline, daring, 
 and bravery in war ; for their prowess and success 
 in colonization ; for their road-making, bridge- 
 building (ponii/ex =hTidge-hmlder — ever being a 
 title, even of sacred honour, borne alike by 
 emperor and high-priest) ; above all, they were 
 distinguished, in the moral sphere, by their philo- 
 sophy, and by their administration of the will of 
 the Divine in respect of the rule and reign of Law 
 — that Law which has so profoundly acted upon 
 eveiy European code. 
 
 They were of a coarser grain and fibre than the 
 Greeks ; more elemental, yet more restrained, in 
 their emotions ; more dogged, persistent, prone 
 to ride rough-shod over opposition. Hence their 
 philosophy was not so cogent, their drama not so 
 dread and powerful, their wit not so keen, their 
 sense of beauty not so acute, as in the case of 
 the Greeks. 
 
 As the steam-roller to the Flying Dutchman 
 — as the bull-dog to the greyhound — so the 
 Roman to the Greek. But their peculiar qualities 
 stood the nation in good stead, as its sons ad- 
 vanced in serried array — with slow steps, yet 
 with stern and unconquerable mien — to the con- 
 quest of the world. 
 
 63 
 
"THE FULNESS OF TIME" 
 
 It is always more difficult to defend than to 
 attack. Hence Christian-Evidence lecturers fre- 
 quently find themselves at a disadvantage, and 
 that for reasons such as the following, viz. : 
 
 (a) They are obliged to confess their ignor- 
 ance of many things, of which (if the truth were 
 known) all other persons are ignorant ; 
 
 (b) They cannot give logical or outwardly 
 demonstrable proof of most of the facts or pheno- 
 mena they allege as to spiritual things ; 
 
 (c) They are credited with many stupid and 
 vicious mistakes which so-called Christians have 
 committed in past generations ; 
 
 (d) They are indicted and, possibly, frequently 
 proved fallible, as to points of detail. 
 
 Thus it is important for Christian apologists to 
 soar aloft and take a far-reaching and wide sweep 
 of the world's horizon, in order to try and gather 
 an idea of any great principles of government 
 which may emerge, and of any tendencies which 
 may seem to manifest themselves. 
 
 It ought to be in that direction that universal 
 experience (i.e., universal history) should prove 
 useful. 
 
 What are the lessons, then, to be learned by 
 64 
 
" The Fulness of Time " 
 
 observant, thoughtful, unprejudiced, and reflective 
 minds from the pages of history ? 
 
 At first sight, everything would seem to be but a 
 strange medley, overloaded with detail. We should 
 see garments rolled in blood ; as we listened, we 
 should hear naught but confused noise and tumult ; 
 but, as we bent a keener attention, certain lines 
 would appear to become clearer ; one note would 
 dominate all others ; culminating in the conclu- 
 sion that He Who made the world must be greater 
 than the world ; that He Who fashioned man 
 and bestowed upon him inimitable faculties would 
 finally justify His creation, by the means He has 
 appointed for exercising man's faculties and realiz- 
 ing his aspirations. 
 
 Sin is but another name for ignorance, imper- 
 fection, and disobedience. When man sins in any 
 way, he is dimly conscious that he breaks a law 
 higher than his own. Further, one sin leads to 
 another, rebellion persists, and man learns to hate 
 that Being he is conscious of injuring. This feel- 
 ing cannot be overcome by a word, or in a day. 
 
 At length, man learns the awful truth that it is 
 easier to sin than to secure remission of sin. At 
 the first, this is necessarily a long process, inas- 
 much as ancient habit has to be broken, resentment 
 allayed, ignorance illuminated ; but, through long 
 experience of the fruits of disobedience, man is 
 taught the heinousness of sin ; the impossibility of 
 its own remittal ; the impotence of the sinner to 
 realize his slavery, or to obtain relief from self ; 
 above all, the necessity of becoming illuminated 
 
 65 E 
 
" The Fulness of Time " 
 
 as to the true source of hope, forgiveness, life, and 
 light ; and of being made acquainted with the fact 
 that God needs not to be reconciled to man, but 
 that man needs to be reconciled to God. 
 
 Hence, it was only by slow and steady steps, 
 over a long series of years, that the Divine Father 
 and Judge could succeed in bringing the sinner 
 out of the slough of hate, ignorance, and despond; 
 and setting him in right relation to Himself. 
 
 All nations — as all individuals — are granted 
 by the Supreme a message for themselves, and 
 (through themselves) for the world at large. They 
 may not realize the fact, or give this message in 
 its purity and fulness ; in fact, no one does so 
 effectually, though some communities and indi- 
 viduals fail more than others. 
 
 It is allowed that, above all nations of the earth, 
 the Jews were entrusted with a moral mission. 
 Other peoples were conspicuous in war, government, 
 art, letters, or philosophy ; but the Jews in none 
 of these, for theirs was a nobler destiny ; viz., 
 to prepare the world for a universal Church, to 
 bring to the birth One Who was the flower of the 
 human race, even Jesus the Messiah, But, in the 
 wisdom and providence of God (conditioned as 
 it was by the obstinacy and free-will of man), 
 the working out of the drama of redemption 
 took long ages. Now, however, it is possible to 
 see something of the means by which this scheme 
 was accomplished, and to follow with rapt atten- 
 tion the gradual preparation of the world for the 
 Saviour's advent. 
 
 66 
 
" The Fulness of Time " 
 
 We can realize, at least, three steps by means of 
 which the end was consummated. What indeed 
 was necessary ? Something of this kind : — 
 
 (a) The conception of a central truth as to the 
 
 unity and universality of a Supreme God ; 
 
 (b) The consolidation of a universal Empire, 
 
 through the utmost bounds of which this 
 truth might be proclaimed ; 
 
 (c) The use of a universal language, in which 
 
 this proclamation might be fitly framed. 
 (We shall see that all these requirements, in 
 large measure, were satisfied at the epoch of the 
 birth of Jesus Christ.) 
 
 The First Point 
 
 In order to establish the first point, it will suffice 
 to follow up the history of the Jews. 
 
 Terah, the father of Abraham, was a maker of 
 idols ; Abraham, himself, in early life, was an 
 idolater. Although possessed more than others 
 with the revelation of a personal and covenant- 
 keeping Jehovah, his descendants, again and again, 
 fell away into idolatry — in Egypt, in the wilder- 
 ness, in the times of the Judges, during the reigns 
 of the Kings, both in the Northern Kingdom and in 
 the Southern. The Assyrians acted as a scourge 
 in regard to the Israelites, and carried them into a 
 captivity from which they never returned. To the 
 men of the Southern Kingdom, God was more 
 merciful. In due time. He led them into Baby- 
 lonia, so that they should see heathenism in its 
 
 67 
 
" The Fulness of Time " 
 
 original home, and heathen practices carried out 
 with full devotion. 
 
 It was a bitter, but a salutary, lesson ; a lesson 
 fully justified by its results. In former days — 
 as has been said — the Hebrews were polytheistic, 
 worshipping the gods of the surrounding nations 
 — Baal, Milcom, Remphan, and the like — start- 
 ing aside like a broken bow, committing idolatry 
 {i.e., spiritual adultery) under every green tree — 
 the prophets wearying themselves with denun- 
 ciations of their practices. 
 
 At the close of the Babylonian and Persian 
 Captivity, a remnant of the Jews returned to Pales- 
 tine, sternly and rigidly monotheistic ; having put 
 aside, at once and for ever, any inclination to the 
 worship of idols, either as shadowing forth Jehovah, 
 or as being frankly antagonistic to Him. 
 
 They upheld this One Truth, with sacrifice of 
 blood and treasure, during the Maccabsean period; 
 they withstood the Roman power and persuasion 
 to the death ; from the destruction of Jerusalem 
 all through the bitter struggles, sufferings, and 
 temptations of mediaeval times, even down to our 
 own days, they have set their face, as a flint, 
 against any departure from the idea of One God 
 — Sole and Incomprehensible — even the Christian 
 doctrine of the Trinity (mistakenly) proving a 
 stumbling-block to their conversion. 
 
 This, then, was one element, the first, the 
 greatest, in the realization of the "fulness of 
 time," the setting forth without qualification, of 
 the central truth, that the Lord is One God — the 
 
 68 
 
"The Fulness of Time" 
 
 God of the whole earth — that there should not, 
 cannot, must not, be any other but Himself 
 alone. 
 
 The Second Point 
 
 Seeing that the chosen race constituted a small, 
 insignificant, and despised people — held in a 
 state of perpetual servitude from the days of the 
 Babylonian Captivity onwards — how could they 
 secure the acceptance, the transmission of this 
 great truth ? 
 
 In the divine order, this was fitly and fully 
 provided for. 
 
 During the Persian captivity, opportunity was 
 given to certain of them to return to Palestine and 
 rebuild their capital city. 
 
 It is traditionally asserted that Alexander the 
 Great visited Jerusalem on his eastward con- 
 quering march, and that he was profoundly im- 
 pressed by the High Priest's reception. In the 
 person of this monarch, the Graeco-Macedonian 
 empire attained its greatest limits, East and West 
 being joined together as they had never been 
 united before. At the death of Alexander, the 
 vast empire was parcelled out among his generals ; 
 but an original stamp had been impressed upon 
 its component parts. Several causes contributed 
 to this result, besides the accident of conquest. 
 Amongst others, we may name the spread of the 
 language of Greece, of its philosophy, and of its 
 art. These influences mastered the world, and 
 
 69 
 
" The Fulness of Time " 
 
 held sway over it for generations after the sceptre 
 had fallen from the grasp of its rulers. 
 
 In Palestine, in the wake of the Grecian king- 
 dom or kingdoms, followed the Maccabaean, and 
 then the Roman. The characteristic qualities of 
 the latter mighty .people led them to subdue, to 
 rule, to give laws, to consolidate. Their kingdom 
 stretched from the Pillars of Hercules to the 
 Euphrates. It included also the African states on 
 the shores of the Mediterranean. It was larger, 
 more compact, more unified, than any empire 
 that had preceded, or — in some respects — that 
 has since appeared. If we sought for a combina- 
 tion of circumstances more favourable for the com- 
 pletion of God's purpose, for the elucidation of 
 His prophetic messages, for the realization of the 
 hope of all souls expectant of His Kingdom, we 
 should be unable to find one. 
 
 Consequently, we realize the significance of the 
 advent of Jesus Christ at this epoch, and of His 
 birth in a province of the Roman Empire, during 
 the splendid rule of that Augustus who was saluted 
 universal monarch and deity by all nations of the 
 civilized world. 
 
 This, then, furnishes the second element in " the 
 fulness of time " which determined and realized 
 the divine purpose in the setting forth of the Son 
 of God. 
 
 70 
 
" The Fulness of Time 
 
 The Third Point 
 
 But the message with which He was charged 
 required to be translated from a heavenly into an 
 earthly vehicle. Which should be the chosen 
 language ? Was it sufficient that the Master 
 Himself should speak first to the Jews in their 
 own tongue ; and that, in the same tongue, His 
 Apostles should also begin their ministrations ? 
 Not so, for the universal Lord would speak to the 
 universal kingdom in a common language. 
 
 What language at that time fulfilled the re- 
 quirements ? But one — the Greek, At different 
 periods of the world's story, different tongues 
 and syllabaries have struggled for the mastery in 
 the Western world. At one time, it seemed pro- 
 bable that the cuneiform script would win the 
 day ; but it was not so to be. The chosen mystic 
 characters (parent of so many fruitful themes) 
 originally came from the romantic land of Egypt, 
 being elaborated there from picture-writing. The 
 hieroglyphics underwent numberless changes in 
 form, in meaning, in pronunciation ; until, at 
 length, the restless and active Phoenician selected 
 from them the characters that commended them- 
 selves best to his commercial instinct and need, 
 and stamped upon twenty-two of these forms 
 the sign-manual of thought and communication. 
 With sundry modifications, these were transmitted 
 to the Greeks, amongst whose various peoples the 
 different dialects were finally resolved into the 
 
 71 
 
" The Fulness of Time " 
 
 Attic — a tongue strong yet flexible, comprehensive 
 yet compressive, logical yet poetical ! 
 
 Owing to the political, social, literary, and 
 commercial activity of the Greeks, this language 
 assumed commanding importance. It was carried 
 by Greek sailors into every sea and island, and 
 by Greek colonists into all civilized lands. Greek 
 tragedians and philosophers thus perpetuated their 
 thoughts. Scholars in every land found it neces- 
 sary to learn Greek ; its literature became a quarry 
 to all men. The thoughts contained in it domi- 
 nated the Middle Ages, and, even in these latter 
 days, are studied in our schools and universities. 
 Through it, and the literary treasures embodied in 
 its signs, the conquered Greeks vanquished their 
 conquerors, the Romans. The Jews in Palestine, 
 in Asia Minor, Egypt, Rome, throughout the 
 Dispersion, spoke Greek. The Old Testament 
 Scriptures were turned into Greek for the use of 
 Graecised Jews in Egypt. 
 
 More than all, the Evangelists and Epistolers 
 of the New Dispensation were moved to write in 
 Greek ; and, as in the case of the Fourth Gospel, 
 even to adapt Jewish -Alexandrian philosophy, 
 expressed in technical Greek language, for the 
 purpose of making known the mode in which 
 the Word should declare the Father and Himself. 
 Thus the Greek Septuagint and the Greek Testa- 
 ment may be said to enshrine the written reve- 
 lation of the Will of God to man. 
 
 When the Greek tongue took to itself the 
 characteristics of strength, explicitness, universality, 
 
 72 
 
" The Fulness of Time " 
 
 literary fulness and permanence, the last link 
 was forged in the chain of God's purposes ; the 
 last element realized in the limit wherewith the 
 Supreme had bounded the " fulness of time." 
 
 The heavens opened, the angels prepared to 
 sound. The Word became Flesh ; God became 
 Man ! 
 
 73 
 
THE VIRGIN BIRTH 
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 THIS is but one of many questions brought 
 up in the present day ; implicitly believed 
 for ages in the literal sense of the written word, 
 but subjected to fresh consideration in accordance 
 with the spirit of the twentieth century — respon- 
 sive, as this epoch is, to new and unexpected 
 claims of historical, logical, and scientific criti- 
 cism. 
 
 Such problems have to be considered, whether 
 we will or no ; they are forced upon us from the 
 outside ; we cannot determine to touch them or 
 to leave them alone — that is decided for us. We 
 might hesitate — as we ourselves should put it — 
 to do, or say, anything which might tend to un- 
 settle the faith of simple-minded believers, but 
 what if, apart from us, that faith be already un- 
 settled ? 
 
 It is well that we should consider the present- 
 day problem indicated in our title, without any 
 prepossession, and on the same grounds as the 
 most emancipated and advanced Professor of 
 Science or Higher Criticism ; and, for the occa- 
 sion, as learners rather than teachers; yet, so far 
 
 74 
 
The Virgin Birth 
 
 as may be, with that measure of reserve and 
 dehcacy which such a matter demands. A dis- 
 cussion carried on in this spirit may, perchance, 
 tend to help us to make up our own minds, and 
 to declare our conclusions, when and where and 
 how it would seem to be most fitting. 
 
 It will be convenient to regard the problem 
 under five headings — viz., Historical, Traditional, 
 Physical, Theological, and Scientific. 
 
 Historical or Textual 
 
 Looking at the matter as simple history, we 
 cannot fail to notice that it was a usual thing for 
 the founders of states or religions, and for heroes 
 generally, to be credited with a supernatural origin 
 or birth, or with relationship to the gods. Illus- 
 trations may be derived both from classical and 
 eastern sources — from peoples alike civihzed and 
 savage. 
 
 Coming to our own record, we observe that the 
 Virgin Birth is not referred to in the earliest 
 Christian writings — viz., the Epistles of S. Paul. 
 Indeed, that Apostle never once refers to the 
 Virgin Mary by name in the course either of his 
 speeches or writings ; although it should be noted 
 that it is his companion S. Luke (if we assume 
 the genuineness and authenticity of the early 
 chapters of his Gospel) who has given us full and 
 unique particulars of the miraculous birth, and 
 who likewise refers to the Virgin in the Book of 
 the Acts of the Apostles. 
 
 75 
 
The Virgin Birth 
 
 S. Paul's doctrine as to the nature of Jesus — 
 human and divine — ^must be inferred from such 
 passages as shall hereafter be quoted. 
 
 Neither is the Virgin Birth referred to in S. 
 Mark — the first in date, and the simplest Gospel 
 story, of the school of S. Peter ; nor in S. John 
 — the one that closes the record. Certainly, 
 S. Mark uses the term "Son of God" (i, i), 
 but that term was very loosely employed alike 
 by Old and New Testament writers. Likewise 
 S. John says : " The Word became flesh " ; 
 but these and similar phrases might well be 
 employed apart from any question of a Virgin 
 Birth. It is as well, here, to make it quite clear 
 that this latter question may be considered quite 
 apart from the doctrine of the Incarnation, 
 
 It is not necessary to enter into the genesis 
 or development of the separate Gospel stories, or 
 into the vexed question as to the date of the early 
 portions of S. Matthew and S. Luke ; although it 
 is manifest that much depends upon these things 
 in respect of the solution of our problem. To 
 rule out these early chapters simply because they 
 contain an account of a miraculous birth would 
 defeat our purpose and altogether beg the ques- 
 tion. Suffice it to say, that we may regard the 
 several Gospels not so much as the actual works 
 of the individuals whose names are assigned to 
 them ; but, rather, as associated with certain 
 schools of thought, and as having been built up 
 in the course of years from traditionary elements 
 derived from eye- and ear-witnesses — these records 
 
 76 
 
The Virgin Birth 
 
 being added to, revised, and corrected from time 
 to time. 
 
 It may be stated with certitude that S. Mark 
 and his school — viz., that of S. Peter — were 
 ignorant of the claim of the Virgin Birth ; and 
 that the idea of Christ and the presentation of His 
 Hfe and ministry in this Gospel were quite inde- 
 pendent of the claim. 
 
 There is no reference to a miraculous birth of 
 Jesus in profane history, or in Josephus. 
 
 Certain of the prophecies of the Old Testament 
 may be accommodated with it, and it is not ex- 
 cluded by the double idea of the Messiah enter- 
 tained respectively by the earlier and the later Jews. 
 
 Putting out of consideration for the present the 
 possibility of the communication of this statement 
 to the Evangelists by divine inspiration — which 
 some critics would not be disposed to surrender — 
 and dealing with the evidence as one would deal 
 with ordinary pleadings in a Court of Law ; firstly, 
 we have the facts that (from the nature of the case) 
 the statements made by S. Matthew and S. Luke 
 as to the visit of the Angel to the Virgin, and the 
 announcement of the overshadowing of the Spirit 
 (assuming that these were not invented of set pur- 
 pose, nor derived from vague and misleading tradi- 
 tion, nor from a presumption as to the necessities 
 of the case) are dependent upon the testimony of 
 one person, and one person alone ; that this testi- 
 mony was delivered more than thirty years after 
 the event ; that it was held in a fluid state for nigh 
 upon thirty years more, before being committed 
 
 77 
 
The Virgin Birth 
 
 to writing in the form in which it is now found. 
 Of course, it would be the kind of thing that 
 Mary and the others would naturally hide in their 
 hearts, and guard with all reticence and delicacy, 
 Mary would speak of it but to a few (women), and 
 that not till long years after the angelic visitation. 
 Dr. Sanday suggests that she made it known 
 (amongst others) to Joanna, the wife of Chuza, 
 Herod's steward. 
 
 Secondly, we have the testimony of Joseph, 
 Zacharias, Elizabeth — but how Elizabeth knew 
 the fact, at once, we cannot tell — Simeon, and 
 Anna ; all old people (with the possible exception 
 of Joseph), passing away, probably, five, ten, or 
 fifteen years after our Lord's birth — at all events, 
 before His public manifestation. 
 
 Thirdly, we have the incidents relating to the 
 Shepherds, the Wise Men, and their contempo- 
 raries, which are not corroborated in any way by 
 independent testimony. 
 
 Fourthly, we note that angel-visitants and dreams 
 are involved in the story, and that this adds to the 
 prima facie improbabilities felt in the present day. 
 
 It cannot be denied that there are certain diffi- 
 culties in co-ordinating the narratives in question 
 (a different set of circumstances being set forth 
 respectively by S. Matthew and S. Luke); as well 
 as in reconciling genealogies, different and differ- 
 ently constituted. Yet this co-ordination, though 
 necessarily involved, is not intrinsically impossible ; 
 and, if found practicable, would furnish valuable 
 confirmation. 
 
 78 
 
The Virgin Birth 
 
 Again, there is a difficulty in understanding the 
 words of S. Luke in chapter ii, 2 : " This was the 
 first census taken during the time when Cyrenius 
 was governor of Syria '' — save by assuming that he 
 was mistaken as to his dates. Again, if Mary were 
 of Judah, and Elizabeth of Levi, how could they 
 be so closely related, save on the supposition — a 
 very reasonable one, by the way — that tribal dis- 
 tinctions were not so strictly observed after the 
 Captivity and the wars of the Maccabees ?^ Further, 
 the principle of accommodation and of latitude of 
 interpretation is freely extended by the Evangelists 
 to well-known texts in the old Testament, e.g. : — 
 
 Isa. vii. 14 : " Behold, a virgin shall be with child . . . " ; 
 Micah V. 2 : " And thou, Bethlehem, in the land of 
 
 Judah, . . ."; 
 Hos. xi. I : " Out of Egypt have I called my son." ; 
 Judgesxiii. 5 : " HeshallbecalledaNazarene(Nazarite) " 
 
 Lastly, the sudden elaboration of Canticles by 
 Mary, Zacharias, and Simeon — compositions of 
 a complicated metrical nature, in the case of the 
 Magnificat involving a remarkable parallelism to 
 Hannah's Song in i Samuel i. — appears, at the first 
 blush, to be strained and unnatural. Certainly, 
 there are no examples like unto it in ordinary hfe. 
 
 Joseph 
 
 Tradition represents Joseph as an old man — 
 many commentators allege that he was a widower 
 
 1 If Mary were of Levi (Joseph certainly being of Judah) the priestly 
 and kingly tribes would (legally) be united in Jesus. 
 
 79 
 
The Virgin Birth 
 
 with a family by a previous wife or wives ; they 
 infer his death soon after our Lord reached the 
 age of twelve, from the fact that his name is not 
 mentioned in the narrative subsequent to the visit 
 to Jerusalem at that time. But it is nowhere 
 stated in the Gospels that Joseph was an old man 
 at the period of his marriage to Mary, and the 
 other inferences are only convenient assumptions. 
 It is quite possible — from custom and analogy — 
 that Joseph might have been sixteen and Mary 
 fourteen. Joseph's age and virility at the time 
 of his marriage would seem to have a bearing 
 on the following question : " Had Mary other 
 children besides Jesus ? " Is the objection to 
 this possibility historical or merely sentimental ? 
 There is a significant passage in Matt. i. 25 : " Sed 
 non cognovit eam, quousque peperisset filium ilium 
 suum primogenitum." 
 
 Haec verba non abhorrent a sententia dicta, 
 connubii jura post Jesum natum sine dubio sus- 
 cepta esse. Si quis uxorum plurimorum familiam 
 habebat, conjunctione desistere solebat, simul atque 
 qusedam ex uxoribus concepisset. 
 
 In the case above supposed, the existence of 
 " brethren of our Lord " would present no dififi- 
 culty ; but if it be asserted (in spite of the appa- 
 rent trend of the narrative) that Mary was " ever 
 virgin," we have to assume that the " brothers 
 and sisters " were — 
 
 (a) Children of Joseph by a former marriage ; 
 (b) cousins ; (c) adopted ; (d) children only in a 
 legal sense. 
 
 80 
 
The Virgin Birth 
 
 The genealogies do not settle the matter. In 
 S. Matthew we have : " Jacob begat Joseph, the 
 husband of Mary, who became the mother of 
 Jesus, who is called Christ." But, in any case, 
 in the eye of the Law, Jesus would naturally 
 be considered to be the child of Joseph ; even 
 as in England, under similar circumstances, 
 a child born the day after a legal marriage is 
 presumed to be the child of that marriage. In 
 S. Luke we have : " Being, as was supposed, the 
 son of Joseph, whose ancestors were Heli . . .," 
 &c. In both cases, the reference is not markedly 
 inconsistent with the theory of the Virgin Birth. 
 Neither are we surprised that Joseph is spoken of 
 by Mary (when addressing the Holy Child) as 
 " Thy father." This is a conventional phrase, and 
 leaves the matter in dispute just where it was. 
 
 Traditional 
 
 In respect of this subject, traditionary evidence 
 is more than usually unsafe, so it is well to omit 
 it altogether in a basic inquiry like the present. 
 What the Church of Rome has accomplished by 
 way of making a pyramid stand on its apex, can 
 be realized by any student with an historic sense, 
 who endeavours to realize the popular ideas of 
 the " faithful " relating to the Immaculate Concep- 
 tion, the life, death, burial, assumption, and present 
 exaltation of the Virgin. 
 
 8i 
 
The Virgin Birth 
 
 ^ Physical 
 
 We observe that all that follows upon the con- 
 ception of the Holy Child is normal — the period 
 of gestation, the mode of deliverance, the care 
 and sustentation of the infant. 
 
 The angels declare, " You will find a baby 
 lying wrapped up, in a manger." Here the sole 
 unusual circumstance, or sign, is to be found in 
 the fact that the cradle was a manger. So, 
 generally, we may allege respecting the purifi- 
 cation of the mother, and the circumcision of 
 the Child. All is alike normal. There is no 
 claim made by Mary or Joseph for exceptional 
 treatment of the Child or of themselves by reason 
 of any miraculous element involved. 
 
 We observe that S. Paul insists upon the 
 human parentage on the mother's side: Rom. i. 3, 
 " - . . His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which 
 was made of the seed of David according to 
 the flesh . . .," compared with stronger state- 
 ments : Gal. iv. 4, " . . . God sent forth His 
 Son, made of a woman, made under the law " : 
 Phil. ii. 7, " - . . and was made in the likeness 
 of man." So, also, Heb. ii. 14, "He also him- 
 self likewise took part of the same" ; John i. 14, 
 "The Word became flesh" ; Isa. vii. 14 ; Micah 
 V. 3 ; Mark i. 24 ; Luke i. 31, ii. 7. But all 
 these statements 'do not touch seriously the 
 problem of the Virgin Birth. 
 
 When we think of the nature of the pre-natal 
 growth and the extent to which the structure of the 
 
 82 
 
The Virgin Birth 
 
 unborn child depends upon the mother for support 
 and nourishment — i.e., of substance in every depart- 
 ment of its nature — the question occurs, " How 
 could there be any avoidance of the original taint 
 resident in the mother's blood that nourished the 
 Holy Infant ? " Even as the Psalmist says, voicing 
 universal experience : " Behold, I was shapen in 
 iniquity," as also when he avers : " In sin did my 
 mother conceive me." If a real taint were thus 
 imminent to any one of woman born, why was 
 it necessary to exclude the possibility of Christ 
 being born of natural generation ? The Roman 
 Church has admitted the difficulty, and more suo, 
 has attempted to solve it by elaborating a doc- 
 trine such as the Immaculate Conception, whereby 
 — as is set forth — Mary herself was conceived, and 
 brought forth without sin from the womb of her 
 mother ; but this only carries the difficulty a step, 
 or a series of steps, further, ad infinitum, even if 
 there were the slightest scriptural support for the 
 doctrine. 
 
 It is asserted by some writers that sin attaches 
 to the Will and not to the body, and that it was 
 therefore not needful for our Lord to have an origin 
 different from our own. But biology and modern 
 psychology seem to teach that Will is a function of 
 the complete bodily organism, so that the incep- 
 tion and operation of the Will cannot be considered 
 apart from that organism. If human nature be 
 tainted, then, according to our theory, the Will is 
 also tainted. 
 
 It may be asked, "What is precisely the 
 
 83 
 
The Virgin Birth 
 
 question before us ? " Not the Incarnation. This 
 is allowed and allowable, even by those who 
 deny the Virgin Birth ; determined, as it might 
 have been at any time, by the descent of the 
 Holy Ghost, in a special sense, upon any human 
 instrument. The significant query is : " Was Jesus 
 born without the intervention of a human father ? " 
 — viz., Joseph — for Josephus's and Haeckel's hypo- 
 theses as to the putative father are gratuitously 
 insulting and unhistorical, being entirely unsup- 
 ported by history, save in the slenderest and most 
 tentative manner ; as, perhaps, by the taunt of the 
 Jews, recorded in John viii. 41: "We be not 
 born of fornication ; we have one Father, even 
 God." 
 
 It may be asked : " Why. was it necessary to 
 exclude the possibility of Jesus being born of 
 natural generation ? " We are acquainted with the 
 fact that Eastern peoples have an unconstrained 
 way of speaking of sex problems and impulses — 
 very different from the shamefast and prudish 
 conventions and concealments practised by West- 
 erns of later years. Probably, the simple and 
 common life lived by dwellers in the East partly 
 accounts for the difference ; but (whatever be the 
 reason) among them, marriage is inevitable and 
 honourable, the facts of concourse and child- 
 bearing being accepted without demur. Barren- 
 ness is esteemed a curse, and fruitfulness a 
 blessing. 
 
 Every Jewish woman longed to become the 
 mother of a son to inherit the property and carry 
 
 84 
 
The Virgin Birth 
 
 on the family name — every mother hoped to give 
 birth to the Chosen Man, the Messiah, who should 
 lead forth the race to universal conquest. God's 
 method of replenishing the world was accepted 
 and acted upon without any implied apology or 
 sense of indelicacy. 
 
 Yet, on the other hand, one must allow that 
 there are signs in this narrative that the act of 
 conjunction — referred, strange to say, but to one 
 of the sexes, and that the male — should be looked 
 upon as involving elements inconsistent with the 
 character of the " Christ to be " — elements of 
 passion, also (in accordance with older feeling of 
 a supersensitive kind attributed by the Psalmist) 
 eventuating in a transmission of sin. (Exod. xix, 
 1 5 ; Rev. xiv. 4.) Is it legitimate to say that 
 such a feeling of repulsion was not prevalent in 
 the minds of the compilers of the Early Gospel ; 
 but that it afterwards arose, and was responsible 
 for the form the narrative took in the case of 
 S. Matthew and S. Luke ? Or can we go even 
 further and assert that there was involved a 
 primal necessity on the part of God and man for 
 the birth of Christ from a virgin ? 
 
 If the question were asked : " Does not this 
 alleged necessity cast contempt upon God's uni- 
 versally ordained mode of peopling the earth ? " 
 the answer must presumably be looked for in 
 the present imperfection of man as compared 
 with God's perfect ordained state and appointment. 
 Man is not ever chaste, nor always capable 
 of satisfying his desires — natural and legitimate 
 
 85 
 
The Virgin Birtli 
 
 though they be — without passion, wrong, or shame. 
 Would it appear, then, that the objection to the 
 natural generation of Christ is not sentimental, but 
 deeply grounded in man's knowledge and experi- 
 ence of his own fallen nature ? 
 
 The expressions " first-born," " born of a virgin," 
 may be defined (from the Eastern point of view 
 and expression), so as to accord with either 
 hypothesis. The first-born child may be said — 
 with a certain latitude of expression — to be always 
 born of a virgin (if chaste). It may be noted — to 
 illustrate the laxity with which terms apparently 
 explicit are sometimes employed — that the appel- 
 lation " virgin " is used by the prophet Joel to 
 express a young woman, whether she has kept 
 her virginity or no, e.g., i. 8 : " Lament like a 
 virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of 
 her youth." Further, the word is occasionally 
 employed even of a man. 
 
 Theological 
 
 The theological issue as to the true nature of 
 Christ is doubtless interesting, in itself, as a fact ; but 
 is chiefly important in respect of the destiny of the 
 world, and in its bearing on our own life and future. 
 " What can Jesus be unto us ? " " What can Jesus 
 do for us ? " After all, the answer to these all- 
 important questions depends on two things: (i) 
 The measure of the Holy Ghost possessed by 
 Christ as a Teacher, an Exemplar, and a Sacrifice ; 
 (2) the apprehension of all these elements by 
 
 86 
 
The Virgin Birth 
 
 our understanding and conscience, and the carry- 
 ing out of our duty in obedience to God, in de- 
 pendence on His strength and grace. After all, 
 we are saved, not by facts of history, or by facts 
 relating to anything or anybody outside ourselves, 
 but by our own subjective apprehension, faith, and 
 obedience. 
 
 Philosophical and Scientific 
 
 If we conclude that the theory of evolution naay 
 be relied upon to bear the weight attributed to it in 
 respect of the development of life, can we say that 
 this is contravened by the doctrine of a Virgin 
 Birth ? Assuming the Nebular Theory, we are 
 led to the conclusion that when the world cooled 
 down from its original state, its temperature (in 
 certain regions) became such as would be con- 
 sonant with the evolution and sustentation of the 
 lower forms of protoplasmic life. It seems diffi- 
 cult to conceive how this life could be inaugurated 
 without direct Divine intervention. That being 
 predicated, all is plain. The simplest forms were 
 educed in divers places, and in various littoral 
 zones — ^these, in turn, being developed into the suc- 
 cessive genera and species of plants and animals 
 with which the record of the rocks has rendered 
 us familiar. How the primal inorganic particles 
 were enabled to group themselves into new forms 
 of organized existence, we cannot tell. To this 
 day, no scientist has been able to produce the 
 
 87 
 
The Virgin Birth 
 
 living from the non-living — the organic from the 
 inorganic. What may be discovered, or made 
 possible, in the future, we know not. At present, 
 it is axiomatic in biology that it requires life to 
 produce life. 
 
 Probably from some far back simian forms, the 
 races of men sprang ; but there is a great gulf 
 between the highest animal and the lowest man ; 
 so that, at this juncture, there must be predicated 
 the second great intervention of the Divine to 
 evolve the man out of the brute by the concession 
 of conscience, will, and moral sense. Materialists 
 may deny that such interpositions are neces- 
 sary ; but, apart from them, the gaps referred to 
 would seem to be impassable. This conclusion 
 brings us to the limit of our present inquiry — the 
 transition from the natural-man to the Christ-man. 
 
 It should be noted that, in Nature as we know 
 it, there are seven or eight different forms of gener- 
 ation ; and that, while abiogenesis is not provable, 
 parthenogenesis is — though only amongst lowly 
 forms of life. This latter fact is certain, though in all 
 things relating to life there is much ignorance — 
 e.g., concerning the origin and transmission of life ; 
 the genesis of the mind, of the soul, of the con- 
 science, of the spiritual overlying the material — 
 all these things being shrouded in darkness. 
 
 In respect of Christ — whether born of Mary, 
 without human intervention, or by natural gene- 
 ration — it may be assumed that the Holy Spirit 
 was poured out upon Him in a peculiar sense from 
 His conception, or His Birth, or the beginning 
 
 88 
 
The Virgin Birth 
 
 of His active ministry. This outpouring, in fact, 
 constitutes the Incarnation, which is capable of 
 being comprehended apart from the hypothesis 
 of the Virgin Birth, inasmuch as it is this spiritual 
 baptism which is justified by the record of His life. 
 That record is unique — even when we leave out 
 the miracles recorded in connection with it. 
 
 Before and since His day there have been other 
 reformers, philosophers, and martyrs for the faith, 
 but none like unto Him in absolute purity, un- 
 selfishness, steadfast courage, freedom from ambi- 
 tion and vain desire — even as in dignity and majesty, 
 loftiness of aim, eloquence, sustained patience and 
 endeavour, fragrance and loveliness of life. We 
 may note, too. His claims to universal rule, to 
 authority and obedience, to Oneness with the 
 Great Supreme. 
 
 From the point of view of His Person and 
 Mission, even His anger. His invective. His jealousy 
 for the honour of God, and His assertiveness of 
 claim, truly correspond. Yet, if He be associated 
 with Deity, He is Deity with certain limitations 
 imposed by His human nature ; e.g., stress is laid 
 in the record upon His subjection to the Father 
 — as Man. His inspiration is shown not to be 
 necessarily inerrancy; but (since goodness is more 
 important than knowledge) it is His moral per- 
 fection, rather than His omniscience, on which 
 insistence is laid by the sacred writers. What is 
 said alike in the Gospels and Epistles of the 
 kenosis — the emptying of Himself — involves such 
 elements as voluntary ignorance even of the 
 
 89 
 
The Virgin Birth 
 
 (Greek ?) language, of historical accuracy, of scien- 
 tific fact, of the complete forecasting of the future. 
 
 It is manifest that Christ's life and work are 
 viewed by us through the screen of human thought, 
 knowledge, and estimate. It is allowed that this 
 record was preserved by unlearned men ; that 
 much has been irretrievably lost ; that much was 
 imperfectly registered at the time ; much carried 
 down by loose, shifting tradition, and reproduced 
 with greater or less exactness. With certain ex- 
 ceptions, such as the exclamations, " Ephphatha," 
 " Talitha cumi," " Eloi, eloi, lama sabachthani," 
 we have not any record of the actual words Jesus 
 spake. Further, He left behind Him not a line 
 traced by His sacred Hand. Yet the estimate 
 of our Lord's wisdom and eloquence must be 
 raised, not lowered, by this fact, and rendered 
 still more marvellous ; for even when so much 
 has evaporated, been twisted, watered down and 
 lost altogether, there remains a legacy to the 
 Church of incomparable value — involving sim- 
 plicity and depth, earnestness and tenderness, in 
 a degree infinitely beyond the record of all other 
 lives. Even leaving miracles out of account, what 
 greater miracle could be adduced than His dis- 
 courses, and the mastery He showed over the 
 thoughts, consciences, and passions of men ? 
 
 To sum up — making a special note of the fact 
 that we are reasoning a posteriori I'ather than 
 a priori — we note difficulties raised by the 
 silence of some of the New Testament writers, 
 and by the manner in which the details of the 
 
 90 
 
The Virgin Birth 
 
 sacred birth are recorded by others ; but we allow 
 that (stripped of much detail that appears to be 
 the accretion of later time, and allowing for the 
 poetical setting of events as they presented them- 
 selves to Eastern minds) the central fact is rendered 
 not improbable — viz., that the Virgin Mary con- 
 ceived a Son through the special direct agency 
 of the Holy Ghost. We also allow that the his- 
 torical written evidence may be adequate, though 
 (from the nature of the case) mainly limited to the 
 testimony of one person. We recognize that the 
 traditionary evidence takes us back, at least, to 
 the date at which our Gospels assumed their final 
 form ; and that, with insignificant exceptions, it 
 has not been questioned until recent times. We 
 are justified in doubting the assertion that the 
 Virgin Birth is contrary to scientific teaching, for 
 (in various crises of the world's history) we feel 
 bound to recognize a break in the divine plan 
 and operation. Of course, it remains true that, to 
 the straitest sect of evolutionists, the Virgin Birth 
 and every other so-called supernatural event would 
 be alike unprovable ; but one hardly sees how 
 that position could be defended by argument, or 
 sustained save by declamation and reiteration. 
 
 Thus, we are prepared for the statement that 
 the procedure we are discussing is not necessarily 
 antagonistic to natural law, and that it does not 
 of itself conflict with scientific theories as to the 
 constitution and ordering of the Universe, the 
 absolute quantity of Matter, the Conservation of 
 Energy, and the like. 
 
 91 
 
The Virgin Birth 
 
 We recognize that the birth of souls and the 
 development of will-power — which we witness 
 unmoved every day — take place in a plane but 
 remotely connected with physical operation. We 
 acknowledge that the beauty, majesty, and sinless- 
 ness of our Lord's life — from its very beginning — 
 differentiate Him from all other teachers and 
 leaders of whom we have any record, and so 
 appear to demand a different origin. 
 
 The absence of all recorded taunts on the part 
 of His enemies in regard to details of an imperfect 
 early life — supposing such taunts were not wilfully 
 suppressed — seems to negative the suppositions 
 that He was born of natural generation, that 
 He lived like other men until the time of His 
 setting forth unto Israel, when (and only when) 
 the Holy Spirit (at His Baptism) was poured out 
 upon Him without measure, whereby the Incar- 
 nation was then and there consummated. 
 
 We contend that the limitations of His earthly 
 life are to be accounted for by the fact of His 
 taking a natural body, bounded by normal limits 
 of strength, knowledge, and endurance — the only 
 real and limitless perfection being moral. 
 
 In conclusion, it is only fair to admit that what 
 precedes does not clear up all the difficulties of 
 the case, which indeed are well-nigh insoluble ; 
 such, e.g., as : (i) " Could he be, indeed, like unto 
 us in all respects, when He differs in such an 
 essential point as the non-intervention of a human 
 father?" (2) "In the face of statements that He 
 was equal to the Father, so far as identity of will 
 
 92 
 
The Virgin Birth 
 
 and purpose is concerned, how is it possible to 
 interpret those details of His life, His passion, 
 and His death, in which He appeals to the Father 
 as one being to another — even as a suppliant 
 to a sovereign possessed of distinct volition and 
 authority ? " (3) " Why was it that the Incar- 
 nation of the Son of the Great Supreme should take 
 place but in one insignificant planet, hidden away 
 in a corner of a universe comprising 100,000,000 
 glowing suns ? " 
 
 We conclude by quoting certain conclusions 
 arrived at by Bishop Gore, which were read after 
 this essay had been written. He says : " The 
 historical evidence for our Lord's birth of a virgin 
 is, in itself, strong and cogent, but it is not such 
 as to compel belief." He goes on to say that 
 " there is something else needed to do that, as 
 in almost all other questions of historical fact, viz., 
 a perception of the meaning and naturalness of 
 the event to which evidence is borne." Dr. Gore 
 goes on to dilate upon the logic of the matter, 
 and concludes that " this logic is strong enough 
 to clinch the historical argument, or even to con- 
 dition the historical discussion by an antecedent 
 expectation that the birth of the Second Adam 
 must have been physically, as well as morally, 
 miraculous." (" Dissertations," p. 66.) 
 
 93 
 
MIRACLES 
 PART I 
 
 CAN WE RATIONALIZE THE MIRACLES 
 OF THE GOSPEL? 
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 THE most useful and profitable point of view to 
 take, in relation to this subject, will be that 
 which enables us to dispense with presuppositions ; 
 to look at the matter with the unsophisticated eye 
 of an outside observer, and from the scientific 
 aspect rather than the theological ; so that we 
 can attain to a free and unconventional treatment 
 — a mode of treatment admitting of the introduc- 
 tion of much-needed originality. 
 
 That being the case, it must not be thought 
 surprising if the method be found somewhat tenta- 
 tive. We shall not willingly shirk any question, 
 indulge in petitio principii, or minimize the difficulties 
 surrounding such a large and controversial subject. 
 
 The Miraculous 
 
 In one sense, the miraculous is around us on 
 every side, and is manifested, day by day, season 
 by season. Every year, the Law of Variety is 
 
 94 
 
Miracles 
 
 displayed in the growth of the grape ; every year, 
 the Law of Multiplication in the increase of the 
 seed. Similarly, our Saviour's action was not 
 arbitrary — he never, by extraordinary means, 
 worked a moral miracle, or made the worse 
 appear the better reason. His operation, so to 
 speak, was according to Nature, and in the line of 
 Nature's sequence of operations. It is important 
 to remember this, and to avoid talking of " super- 
 natural " or " supranatural " occurrences, or of 
 "interference with Nature's Laws." The word Law 
 is frequently misused, being confounded with the 
 word Command, in the moral world. It would 
 sometimes appear, from this misuse, that a Law 
 of Nature could be conceived of, in itself, and 
 by virtue of its own essence, as exercising a con- 
 straining influence. This is contrary to fact. A 
 Law of Nature simply indicates a prolonged 
 sequence of phenomena ; effects following causes, 
 and consequents antecedents, in unbroken succes- 
 sion. When some interposition occurs — by the 
 introduction of some new cause, natural, human, or 
 divine — this sequence is broken, and a change is 
 brought about in the aforetime manifestation ; but 
 all this is " supernatural " only by an abuse of terms 
 — as a matter of fact, nothing could be more natural. 
 
 What is miraculous to one individual may not be 
 so to another. 
 
 A wonder is something which cannot be ex- 
 plained from the ordinary experience of mankind 
 in general ; something transcending, at a given 
 time, the previous experience of the individual. 
 
 95 
 
Miracles 
 
 Wonder, miracle, myth, exorcism, sorcery, 
 hypnotism, thought-transference — are nearly all 
 synonymous terms. Each may constitute — 
 
 (i) An affair of brain action and ether waves ; 
 
 (ii) An operation in some supra-physical medium. 
 
 Thus, experience of God in other spheres may 
 eventually introduce us to things easy there — but 
 miraculous here. 
 
 Limitations 
 
 The limitations of this Essay must be borne in 
 mind by its critics. 
 
 (a) The writer takes the verbal narrative of the 
 Gospel story, whilst conscious that the final deliver- 
 ance is simply the traditional setting of the original 
 occurrence. 
 
 (6) He takes up a simple position ; free, as 
 far as possible, from preconceived theories ; e.g., 
 neither affirming, nor denying, the divinity of our 
 Lord, but suffering any light as to that supposi- 
 tion to break forth naturally, and of itself. 
 
 (c) His main object is to try and discover 
 whether it is possible to discern the lines along 
 which our Saviour's action proceeded, and the 
 means employed to work the designed end. 
 
 ((/) Even if all these limitations be accepted, it 
 might be said that room for the miraculous was 
 still left ; and that the wonder of the occurrence 
 was not lessened ; but when we reflect that the 
 miraculous is ever with us — both without and 
 within — the difficulty will be realized of finding 
 
 96 
 
Miracles 
 
 a complete explanation which should include all 
 the facts and phenomena. 
 
 {e) Efforts of the kind attempted in this Essay 
 may be deprecated, and it may be urged that dis- 
 cussion should be postponed until the laws of 
 nature and of spirit are more fully understood ; 
 but a beginning must be made some time or 
 other, and the sooner the better, if — even by such- 
 like tentative efforts — popular misconceptions may 
 be removed and prejudices — whether popular or 
 scientific — reduced. 
 
 It has been said that there are certain con- 
 ceptions in relation to miracles which we neither 
 affirm nor contradict. It follows that any conclu- 
 sions affecting those conceptions would be reached 
 a posteriori rather than a priori. It is not, e.g., 
 that the divinity of Christ is denied, but, rather, 
 put on one side, so that, for a special purpose, 
 the lowest platform is advisedly taken and the 
 simplest gospel dealt with. If the divinity of 
 Christ be provable, it will not be altogethei 
 through prophecy, it will not be altogether 
 through history, or miracle ; but through His 
 moral teaching, and the working out of this 
 teaching in His life and ministry. Further, we 
 ourselves are not saved by facts of history, or 
 by miracles of nature or of healing but by appre- 
 hension, and utilization, of that same moral truth, 
 proclaimed by Christ. 
 
 Again, this Essay is largely tentative. We 
 are dissatisfied — let us say — with the ordinary 
 explanation of miracle. We set ourselves to find 
 
 97 G 
 
Miracles 
 
 a mode of rationalization. Some of the miracles 
 V>pear to lend themselves to this treatment ; 
 others, not so much so. Thus, we pretend not 
 to be completely successful ; nevertheless it may 
 be well to make the attempt, and to try and 
 try again in this, as well as in other matters 
 affecting religion, even as each successive age, 
 or even decade, summons us to interpret the 
 truth according to its new canons and require- 
 ments. 
 
 M IRACLE M IRACLES 
 
 Miracle — as conceived of in the popular mind — 
 may be defined as a sudden interruption, or re- 
 versal, or quickening of the operations of Nature, 
 at the will, and word, and interposition of an 
 individual ; acting (according to his own claim 
 and declaration) as the accredited representative 
 or medium of the God of Nature. 
 
 In this definition, the use of the words " super- 
 natural," or "superhuman," has been avoided — 
 as this involves a petitio principii. What is " super- 
 natural " to one individual, or to society at a 
 certain stage of existence, may not be " super- 
 natural " to another, or to society at a more 
 advanced stage ; but may be consonant with the 
 operations of Nature on another plane of experi- 
 ence, and with the supersession of one law by a 
 higher. 
 
 98 
 
Miracles 
 
 Terms 
 
 It has to be noted that different terms are em- 
 ployed, in the Hebrew and the Greek, to designate 
 this form of energy, these terms being translated 
 by us — " Miracle," " Mighty Work," " Wonder," 
 or "Sign." 
 
 In the Hebrew we have — 
 
 ''oth — a sign ; 
 
 mdphith = a miracle, wonder, sign ; 
 
 pele^ = a wonder, calamity, portent = 
 something that causes one to turn aside, from a feeling 
 of fear or awe. 
 
 In the Greek — 
 
 T£/3as = wonder; 
 Swa/its = act of power ; 
 oTjjueiov = sign ; 
 jueyaXeioy = mighty work ; 
 hiho^ov = glorious thing ; 
 TrapdSo^ov = strange thing ; 
 davfidoriov = wonderful thing ; 
 epyov = a deed or work. 
 
 To the " wonder " — in the case of Christ espe- 
 cially — is attached an evidential value ; a mark of 
 power over soul and body — over the whole man. 
 It is a misfortune that the word " miracle " is 
 used in our versions — instead of " sign " or " act 
 of power," seeing that — in the popular mind — 
 the word " miracle " has almost come to mean a 
 mere conjuring trick. 
 
 In general, the evidences for the truth of our 
 99 
 
Miracles 
 
 Saviour's mission proceed along three lines, viz., 
 historical, miraculous, and moral. Of these three, 
 great stress in the past has been laid on the first 
 two ; but, in these latter days, the greatest weight 
 is attached, and rightly attached, to the third. 
 Nevertheless, the narrative is so largely occupied 
 with the recital of miracles and events or dis- 
 courses, closely connected therewith, that the 
 discussion in the present day naturally excites 
 some perplexity and suggests the question — 
 " How far can miracles be rationally explained 
 and defended ? " 
 
 The Innate Power of Christ 
 
 The subject leads up to a larger issue still, viz., 
 the true personality, and source of the power, of 
 Christ. In relation to His working of miracle, 
 the popular idea appears to be that Jesus acted 
 as a sort of conjurer, wizard, or professor of 
 legerdemain, or sleight of hand. He spoke — the 
 thing was done. There was a total absence of 
 means. 
 
 The mistake has its root in the vulgar concep- 
 tion of the personality of Jesus ; as a man — yet 
 without the characteristics of a man ; as tempted 
 — yet unable to fall ; as a suppliant — yet to 
 no other than Himself ; as perfect, yet as attain- 
 ing perfection without a struggle, and without 
 an effort. Thus, His life is rendered unreal, 
 mechanical, automatic ; for there is no credit in 
 being good when one cannot help it, or when 
 
 100 
 
Miracles 
 
 some constraining power is at work apart from 
 our own initiative. Men are strangely unmindful 
 of the fact that there can be no victory unless 
 there is a possibility of conflict and defeat. 
 
 Conception of God 
 
 We may push the matter still further back, and 
 find the true reason for this unnatural idea in the 
 negative (and therefore imperfect) description of 
 God as a Being without body, parts, or passions ; 
 i.e., a thing of Ice — unchanged, unchangeable. 
 Nothing could be further from the truth concern- 
 ing that Being Who lives in the life of each of us. 
 We must not travel beyond our subject, but one 
 may be allowed to say thivS — that God could not 
 hate evil, or love the world (and, therefore, desire 
 to save the world) unless He could have a perfect 
 realization of suffering, unless He could suffer 
 with the world, and with each pang of each created 
 thing in the world. 
 
 We have tried to make our position clear as to 
 the treatment of the subject, not so much to 
 disarm criticism, as to divert it into the right 
 channel. 
 
 One is speaking to the critical and agnostic 
 world outside, rather than to unthinking, or con- 
 vinced, believers ; for it must be allowed that 
 miracle presents a stumbling-block to many 
 scientific and well-disposed persons, many of 
 whom may be found, perchance, within the limits 
 of ordinary congregations. 
 
 lOI 
 
Miracles 
 
 Objections to Miracle 
 
 We have all been made aware that History, 
 Science, and Philosophy, alike, enter certain 
 caveats in respect of miracle. These objections 
 are forced upon us, so that we cannot afford to 
 ignore them, or to leave them unanswered. 
 
 First Objection 
 
 History has something to say in regard to the 
 character of the testimony, and the internal evi- 
 dence of the record. In truth, miracle must 
 largely resolve itself into a question as to the 
 authenticity and genuineness of contemporary 
 evidence, as illustrated and interpreted by con- 
 temporary thought and expectation ; an expecta- 
 tion — in the case of the Jews — largely based upon 
 their reading of prophecy. 
 
 The evidence ought to be such as to satisfy a 
 legal mind, for apologists should not shrink from 
 appearing at the bar of judgment. The greater the 
 issue, the more searching should be the investiga- 
 tion into the evidence adduced in its support. 
 
 We shall dispense with any claim for the 
 special inspiration of the Gospel story. The more 
 Scripture is studied, the more embarrassing one 
 finds any theory of inspiration, other than that 
 general conception which allows for the superin- 
 tendence of the Creator in the ordering of a 
 world and dispensation which proceed from Him, 
 
 I02 
 
Miracles 
 
 including the literature — not only of the Hebrews, 
 but of all nations whatsoever. 
 
 Apart from this, it has already been said that 
 our line of. argument is adduced mainly for the 
 consideration of those who accept the Gospels — 
 as they would accept any like work of the same 
 age, i.e. — as the composition of men who (with 
 a high and holy purpose in view) are dealing, to 
 the best of their ability, with a mass of verbal and 
 literary tradition, developed along ordinary lines 
 — never subjected to a strict scientific test or 
 verification — but held in a fluid state for many 
 years, until fixed by the pen of the evangelist, and 
 copied, and recopied, with the usual liability to 
 error. 
 
 For our present purpose, it may be allowed that 
 the historians were uncritical writers in an un- 
 critical and credulous age, and that the record 
 must therefore be interpreted in accordance with 
 the spirit and temper of the period in which it 
 was compiled. 
 
 We can afford to neglect those who assert that 
 the whole story is a fabrication and a myth. 
 
 Even agnostics allow it to be abundantly clear 
 from the narratives, that the age was an age 
 of miracle, that a basis of truth is involved, and 
 that one's endeavours should be bent so as, by 
 rational explanation, to arrive at the kernel, and 
 to display the adequate causes which produced 
 the results. 
 
 103 
 
Miracles 
 
 Second Objection 
 
 Scientists entertain very definite ideas as to 
 the uniformity of the operations of Nature ; the 
 conservation of matter ; the sequence of cause 
 and effect ; the interdependence of all the opera- 
 tions involved ; and the non-existence of special 
 creation. 
 
 The prevalence of these ideas leads to a diffi- 
 culty in the acceptance of miracle, as popularly 
 understood, i.e., as a distinct interference vs^ith the 
 established order of the universe, and with settled 
 law — the word " law " being wrongly understood 
 as, of itself, exercising a constraining influence. 
 
 Here, again, we are required to show the due 
 relation between cause and effect — to indicate that 
 the results are not contrary to Nature, but are 
 designed by an adequate motive to subserve a 
 suitable end. 
 
 Third Objection 
 
 Further, a difficulty is experienced by meta- 
 physicians. Apart from the traditionary and 
 elliptical character of the narratives, it is alleged 
 by some thinkers to be increasingly evident that 
 the execution of works demanding the creation 
 and expenditure of physical force does not tend, 
 of itself, to enhance the value of any moral truth 
 enunciated by the wonder-worker. 
 
 If the latter were the case, it is asserted that the 
 104 
 
Miracles 
 
 moral teaching of the adversaries of Jesus (who 
 also claimed successfully to be miracle-workers) 
 would have a special value of its own. 
 
 In ancient times, all people implicitly accepted 
 miracle. It was a matter of no surprise to them 
 that the miracles of Moses — as, afterwards, those 
 of Christ — were paralleled by the magicians and 
 others. With them, the only question was : " Could 
 Moses — CQjald Jesus — work greater miracles than 
 their opponents ? " 
 
 In regard to all this, something may be said 
 from the standpoint we have assumed. 
 
 Bearing in mind the personality of our Lord, 
 as true Man ; the abnormal conditions of Palestine 
 at that epoch ; and further, the great light thrown 
 upon the subject by recent investigation into extra- 
 dimensional space, X-rays, N-rays, etheric waves, 
 the constitution of matter, the action of mind 
 on matter, and the like, it is asserted to be 
 possible to rationalize miracle, and to furnish 
 adequate and efficient causes for the results, with- 
 out invoking " supernatural " power, or interference 
 with the ordinary sequence of cause and effect. 
 
 Furthermore, it is important to remember it 
 is expressly represented — as said above — that the 
 miracle is a sign, the setting forth of a creden- 
 tial of office and mission, something that may be 
 apprehended by a limited intelligence, for the pur- 
 pose of expanding that measure of intelligence, 
 and raising it to a higher level, so as to enable 
 it to recognize the moral and spiritual element 
 reared upon a physical experience, in accord with 
 
 105 
 
Miracles 
 
 popular expectation and desire. Hence, in the 
 past, miracles appear to be grouped around 
 critical periods. 
 
 Thus, a miracle may be conceived of generally 
 as a physical basis established to sustain a moral truth. 
 
 Our Lord's treatment of the sick of the palsy, 
 as recorded in Matt. ix. 5-6, furnishes just the 
 kind of illustration we need : " For whether is 
 easier to say, 'Thy sins be forgiven thee,' or to 
 say, ' Arise, and walk ' ? But that ye may know 
 that the Son of man hath power on earth to 
 forgive sins (then saith He to the sick of the 
 palsy), 'Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto 
 thine house.' " 
 
 It may well be that to sceptics of the present 
 day miracle, as miracle, would not be impressive. 
 Indeed, the mere capture of a multitude of fish, or 
 the restoration of vigour to a palsied man, may 
 not mean much, of itself. These may now be 
 paralleled every day by the experience of the 
 fisherman or physician ; but when we grasp their 
 parabolic character (for every miracle is also a 
 parable), and perceive, in the one case, the 
 analogy of the successful fisher of men ; in the 
 other, the strengthening of the inner man, con- 
 currently with the return of energy to the in- 
 strument controlled by this same man — when, we 
 repeat, in any given case, this secondary pur- 
 pose can be proved, the philosophical objection 
 falls to the ground. 
 
 106 
 
Miracles 
 
 Christ — More than Man 
 
 It will have been observed that the record seems 
 to require, in respect of Christ, faculties and 
 powers of a higher order than those possessed by 
 ordinary men ; and, in this place, it is necessary 
 to state that, as a matter of fact, we do seem to 
 recognise four breaks, or apparent interruptions in 
 the chain of geologic or biologic evolution — the 
 last being associated with the manifestation of 
 Christ. 
 
 The theologian has his own explanation of this. 
 
 The scientist tests the story of the life of Christ, 
 as set forth in history and tradition, and inquires 
 as to the origin and motive power of that life. 
 
 The full discussion of this point would carry us 
 too far. For our present purpose, we will advance 
 the hypothesis that what was different in Christ, 
 physically and morally, was different in so far as 
 He represented Man in his perfect type and 
 estate ; perfect in physical health ; perfect in 
 sense perception ; perfect in moral excellence, 
 i.e., in freedom from sin, and the effects of sin, 
 both in body and mind ; possessing, moreover, 
 a faculty of existence in space other than three 
 dimensions. 
 
 In olden times, the sage, or founder of a reli- 
 gion, who claimed to enlighten his fellows, was 
 expected to produce evidence, apart from his 
 teaching, that he was endowed in a peculiar and 
 extraordinary way. 
 
 107 
 
Miracles 
 
 In the case of the paralytic the miracle was 
 to be a witness on the physical plane, and was 
 intended to be translated with reference to the 
 moral, or higher plane. 
 
 Speaking quite generally, the miracle is a revela- 
 tion of the love of Christ — a manifestation of His 
 enthusiasm for humanity, of His interest in a de- 
 based, and often neglected, part of human nature, 
 viz., the body ; of His protest against the pagan 
 notion of the material, as essentially evil and worth- 
 less ; as also against a false spiritualism which 
 regarded disease and discomfort of the body essen- 
 tial to the furtherance of the health of the mind. 
 
 The same deep-seated love led Him to bear, 
 by sympathy, the sicknessess of men, as well as 
 their sins. See the following significant texts : 
 Isa. liii. 4; Matt. viii. 17; i Peter ii. 24. Read 
 also the following : Mark v. 30—" Virtue had 
 gone out of Him"; vii. 34 — "He sighed." 
 John xi. 33 — "He groaned in the spirit." 
 
 From this we gather that His mighty works 
 were done through His Humanity in order to 
 enable Him to reveal the Divine. 
 
 It is interesting to note that investigations into 
 extra-dimensional space, the constitution of matter, 
 mental-suggestion, and kindred subjects — physical, 
 psychological, and pathological alike — so far from 
 rendering the miraculous narratives of the New 
 Testament less credible, really lessen the difficulty 
 which these stories have long presented to many 
 minds ; though — at the same time — they have 
 tended to lead the interpretation along other lines, 
 
 108 
 
Miracles 
 
 and to modify our ideas of the evidential value 
 of miracle. 
 
 Lastly, it may be noted, in this connection, that 
 the true miracle is really involved in the moral 
 and spiritual world ; whereby, through the power 
 of Christ, the fallen are raised, the drunkards 
 reclaimed, the defiled cleansed from sin, the 
 spiritually dead raised to life — i.e., men and 
 women are made over again. Doubtless, these are 
 " the greater things " spoken of by our Saviour 
 in John v. 20; xiv. 12, Reference may also be 
 made to our Lord's message to John the Baptist, 
 in Matt. xi. 5 — " the dead are raised up " — 
 doubtless, not only physically but spiritually. 
 
 Further, on the physical side, the spread of medi- 
 cal and surgical science has rendered it possible for 
 miracles to be wrought by those who, in many 
 cases unconsciously to themselves, exercise the 
 healing ministry of Christ ; so that there may be 
 more miracles wrought now in a single day than 
 were wrought in a century of past time. In these 
 two senses, it is true to say that the age of miracles 
 is not past. 
 
 The Apostles worked miracles — as delegates — 
 as agents of the Master, and the implicit surrender 
 of the power of miracle-working and of prophecy 
 in the New Testament sense, in after ages — and 
 markedly by the Anglican branch of the Church 
 Catholic — marks a sad declension. 
 
 In this respect — even with all the attendant 
 crudities and pueriHties of their miracles (as e.g. 
 at Lourdes), the Roman Church has been truer 
 
 109 
 
Miracles 
 
 than Protestant Communities to the faith and to 
 the ideal mission of the Saviour and Comforter. 
 
 Assuming, therefore, the substantial accuracy of 
 the record, from the modern point of view, we 
 will try to throw a little light upon the details of 
 the narratives involved, in order to see what really 
 was required to be done in each of the specific 
 cases adduced. 
 
 no 
 
MIRACLES 
 
 PART II 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 IN Matt. xiii. 58, we read : " Jesus did not 
 many mighty works there " — i.e., in His own 
 country — "because of their unbelief." At first 
 this statement seems surprising, but (when we 
 endeavour to realize the true inwardness of 
 things) we perceive that it follows as a natural 
 consequence. 
 
 Again, when we read in John vii. 5 : " Neither 
 did His brethren believe in Him," it comes 
 upon us like a shock to learn that those who 
 were of our Lord's kindred according to the 
 flesh — i.e., those who had been brought up with 
 Him, who had had the closest opportunities (in 
 all the gracious and unguarded intimacy and 
 particularity of daily life) of observing His every 
 word and action in the midst of the stress and 
 strain of the infinitely little and yet infinitely trying 
 anxieties associated with the home — that those, be 
 it said, above all others, had not penetrated the 
 serene depths of His character, or plumbed the 
 recesses of His soul. 
 
 The lesson should not be lost upon us, for 
 III 
 
Miracles 
 
 mankind — in respect of elemental strength and 
 weakness — is alike in all ages. Men are naturally 
 attracted by birth, position, affluence, display, 
 magnificent appointments, brilliancy of learning, 
 and the like. Perforce these elements must be 
 reckoned with by all as of value and universal 
 currency in the run of life. They are good 
 gifts, and intended by the Giver to be used for 
 good. To the individual possessor — ^though he 
 generally realizes it not — they furnish tests more 
 trying and fatal than those associated with poverty 
 and deprivation. In relation to the regard in which 
 they are held, there is a danger lest one should 
 assume that where these outward advantages are 
 lacking, nothing of value can be found ; lest one 
 should look at these exclusively, and regard the out- 
 ward and tangible rather than the inward and 
 spiritual ; the external appearance rather than 
 the heart ; what a man hath to the exclusion 
 of what he Is. 
 
 The Jews of old had before their eyes evidences 
 of dignity, birth, position, the glory of a palace, 
 the retinue of a king and of his dependants, his 
 profuse display of hospitality, and the like. All 
 this was set forth at the court of the Herods, and 
 in the traditions of the Caesars of Imperial Rome. 
 Again, the Jews were constrained to marvel at 
 their own teachers — to revere them for their 
 memory, and their mastery of the subtilties of the 
 Mosaic Law — for the interpretations, twists, turns, 
 and convolutions included in commentaries upon 
 the sacred text. To us of to-day this is a very 
 
 112 
 
Miracles 
 
 dry-as-dust, unpractical, unprofitable kind of 
 learning ; but it was in great evidence at that 
 time, and was held in the highest estimation. 
 
 The Personality of Jesus 
 
 To the outward eye, Jesus possessed none of 
 those gifts and advantages. Certainly, by tradi- 
 tion. He came of the Royal House and lineage 
 of David, but in this He was not alone. There 
 were many at that time, of the race of princes and 
 priests yet of lowly birth. 
 
 Much of a man's influence depends upon his 
 social or official position ; and, by position, Jesus 
 was a peasant — the son of a peasant ; a mechanic, 
 too, at the beck and call of His neighbours in 
 respect of His craft. His work and His charges 
 would be criticized then as such things are criti- 
 cized now. In short. He lived in the simplest, 
 most unostentatious, most ordinary manner. 
 
 Truly, we regard His learning as wonderful 
 and unique ; displaying, as it does, a mastery 
 over all the deepest secrets of the human heart ; 
 but that kind of knowledge (confining itself to 
 the simple truths of common life expressed in 
 simple language) does not attract and dazzle as 
 do sonorous nothings outpoured in all the fulness 
 of sesquipedalian verbiage. 
 
 To the folk of that day he was unlearned, 
 displaying, as he did, no knowledge of Greek, 
 the fashionable language of the Court, the Forum, 
 and the Academy ; teaching not with the ponderous 
 
 113 H 
 
Miracles 
 
 learning, the laboured and buttressed eloquence of 
 the Rabbis ; disdaining the subtilties of the Law 
 and everything that constituted the Higher Edu- 
 cation of the time ; delighting not in the involved 
 and obscure, but rather in the limpidity and simpli- 
 city of the parable and allegory, or the direct stroke 
 of the proverbial saying. 
 
 Consequently, those who (by relationship and 
 domestic or social ties) were responsible for Him, 
 and were, naturally, the first to be called upon to 
 explain, extenuate, and defend His character and 
 His sayings, did not take the trouble to under- 
 stand why He was so different from others. They 
 did not even realize the difference. Hence, they 
 gradually drew away from Him, becoming cold, 
 indifferent, hostile. Familiarity breeds contempt. 
 In this case, there is again exemplified the tendency 
 to overlook, neglect, despise the simple virtues 
 oftentimes so near to us ; and — on the other 
 hand — to be attracted by that showy and super- 
 ficial splendour which lasts but for a season. 
 
 Another truth is also set forth — the awful 
 loneliness that must have been felt by Christ, 
 even as He moved amongst His fellows, sur- 
 rounded by thronging multitudes. This aloofness 
 would be realized by reason of the extent and 
 intensity of His thought and feeling. Loneliness 
 of the kind is always more or less the lot of 
 one who is in advance of his fellows in thought, 
 sensibility, or endeavour ; but it is only in the 
 Perfect Man that we have a perfect instance. 
 
 114 
 
Miracles 
 
 Necessary Conditions for Miracles 
 
 To the condition of things thus set forth there 
 was but one outcome. Jesus could do no mighty 
 works in any place where unbelief, distrust, or 
 suspicion was manifested. Hence, we gather the 
 simple truth that circumstances on both sides must 
 be favourable before an efficient and miraculous 
 result can be brought about. 
 
 What are these conditions on the part of the 
 participants and expectant ? 
 
 (a) Definite knowledge and apprehension of 
 their need ; of their inability to help themselves ; 
 of the failure of earthly means ; definite aban- 
 donment of earthly help. 
 
 (6) Further, on the positive side, the possession 
 of unquestioning faith in the Great Healer to 
 Whose feet they have dragged themselves, and of 
 a spirit of surrender, of hopefulness, of patient 
 expectation. This constitutes a sympathetic con- 
 dition. To use a technical term, it puts the suf- 
 ferer en rapport with the Agent. This exhibits faith 
 in its highest expression — simple, complete, effec- 
 tual ; faith that lifts one up with wings as eagles, 
 that enables one to walk on the water, to move 
 mountains, to apprehend without hands, to see 
 without eyes ; a faith that looks for miracles, and 
 is therefore not surprised when miracles come ; a 
 faith which (in return for its simplicity) is given to 
 the simple life in primitive times, but which fades 
 away in later days, with the advance of science 
 
 115 
 
Miracles 
 
 and the elaboration of mechanical means of 
 alleviation and cure. Henceforth, it is replaced 
 by a drier light, a more real and reasoned appre- 
 hension of the cause of disease, and of the 
 elements of abatement and recovery. 
 
 The conditions we have noted being fulfilled 
 adequately on both sides, the atmosphere be- 
 comes charged with spiritualised electric and vital 
 energy, needing but a word on the one side and 
 a look on the other to complete the circuit, to 
 induce the miracle, to perfect the gift. 
 
 It is well for us to look back and realize that 
 the Age of Faith existed once, and that many and 
 varied were its triumphs. But the vision fades as 
 we gaze. We confess that we live in other times, 
 and that that Age has passed away, never to 
 return on Earth. The Reign of Law, the doc- 
 trines of Evolution, of Development — slow, 
 inexorable, unyielding — hold us in their grip. 
 We have gained — but we have lost. However, 
 it is useless to complain. We must make the 
 best of the new conditions which, after all, are of 
 God's appointment, and which must therefore 
 tend more and more to truth and freedom. Our 
 trust in Him will preserve us from putting a 
 mechanical construction on the ordering of His 
 universe. 
 
 Where miracles are looked for — where, i.e,, 
 society is in a certain mental condition (a con- 
 dition usually associated with primitive times, but 
 exhibited continuously in relation to certain ele- 
 ments of the population moving in a limited 
 
 ii6 
 
Miracles 
 
 sphere of scientific activity, but with pronounced 
 traditional religious proclivities) there miracles 
 will certainly happen. Where this state and these 
 conditions are absent, miracles will not be sought ; 
 therefore they will not be recognized ; unless we 
 conclude, as we well might, that all the operations, 
 even the commonest, of Nature and Grace are 
 miraculous. 
 
 These conclusions are applicable, not only to 
 Old Testament or New Testament times, and to 
 Jewish or Christian religionists, but to all peoples 
 in all ages of the world, even in our own day and 
 in respect of individuals of our own nation. Illus- 
 trations may be drawn from the pages of Livy and 
 other ancient historians ; from the far West as 
 well as the far East ; from the recital of the 
 doings of re-incarnated Mahatmas, of Yogis and 
 Fakirs, as well as from the history of the Middle 
 Ages ; from the Acta Martyrorum and the experi- 
 ences of individuals ; from the general sensations 
 of ecstatic souls down to specific manifestations, 
 such as the stigmata referred to more than once 
 in religious biography. 
 
 In the following pages an endeavour is made to 
 supply an explanation of the miracles recorded to 
 have been wrought by Christ, assuming that (as 
 the Creator works by means in the ordering of His 
 great universe) the Son also worked by means in 
 the elaboration of His scheme for the redemption 
 of the body and soul of any individual. To those 
 who are satisfied with the idea that each act was 
 disconnected and the product of the divine fiat, 
 
 117 
 
Miracles 
 
 these explanations will not commend themselves. 
 They are intended solely for those readers of 
 a scientific habit of mind who feel the necessity 
 for co-ordinating the operations of the divine 
 mind and will at all times of the world's history 
 and under all circumstances. 
 
 Christ's Procedure 
 
 In Christ's day what were the qualities dis- 
 tinguishing His human personality, which (in a 
 reasonable way, in accordance with our know- 
 ledge of the workings of cause and effect) enabled 
 Him to cause the blind to see, the deaf to hear, 
 the dumb to speak, the sick to be made whole, 
 those possessed of evil impulses to shake them- 
 selves free ? 
 
 The following may be suggested by way of 
 answer : — 
 
 I. A fulness of vital energy. 
 II. A unique — a commanding — personality. 
 
 III. An inherent knowledge of the workings of human 
 
 life, and of the nature and character of that life. 
 
 IV. A moral apprehension of the effects of sin, excess, 
 
 ignorance, and wilfulness ; i.e., of the real source 
 and seat of disease. 
 V. A profound belief in Himself. 
 
 VI. A perfect sympathy, which led Him to draw near, to 
 touch, to appeal. A sympathy derived from perfect 
 love, tending on His part to absolute surrender and 
 self-sacrifice. 
 VII. A spirit of quietness, gentleness, yet of perfect 
 courage. 
 
 ii8 
 
Miracles 
 
 VIII. A cool, calm, grave, collected manner, devoid of 
 all appearance of haste, hurry, excitement. (In 
 passing, one may notice that this manner is 
 more marked amongst Easterns than amongst 
 ourselves.) 
 IX. A searching glance, sinking deep into the soul, quail- 
 ing not before any exhibition of restlessness or even 
 violence. (The eye has a wonderful power to subdue 
 and calm. It is exhibited in respect of children, 
 persons demented, and even of the lower animals. 
 With a steady look, one may hold in check, for a 
 time, even the savage beast.) 
 X. A steady, encouraging, vibrant voice. 
 XI. A cool, gentle, magnetic touch. 
 
 XII. Ofttimes a vehicle of healing, such as water, clay 
 — or something derived from Himself, as spittle. 
 
 XIII. An appeal to the name of the sufferer — i.e., to the 
 
 real man individualized under that name. 
 
 XIV. The union of spiritual healing and outward cleans- 
 
 ing brought about by the declaration so frequently 
 made — " Thy sins be forgiven thee." 
 XV. A wonderful power of recuperation (when His system 
 had been depleted of energy by a series of cures) 
 under the influence of solitude, meditation, and 
 prayer. 
 
 It will be allowed that these elements combine 
 to convey a sense of strength — latent, it may 
 be, but ready to become active and potential. 
 This condition of things is highly impressive to 
 those suffering from physical and nervous dis- 
 turbance and exhaustion. It accounts for the 
 wonderful influence our Lord exercised over his 
 contemporaries. It is especially to be noted 
 
 119 
 
Miracles 
 
 that large numbers of women were attracted, 
 whose nature is such that the above-mentioned 
 qualities exercise over them the most command- 
 ing influence. Moreover, these self-same elements 
 constituted a well-spring of pure life, and caused 
 to radiate from the person of our Lord, and to illu- 
 minate His face and mien, an unearthly Majesty 
 and Light, difficult to define, but irresistible in 
 its action. 
 
 Great importance must be attached to this 
 conclusion, inasmuch as it testifies to the fact 
 that life alone could thus drive out death ; health 
 alone dissipate disease. In Nature, an effort is 
 invariablv made as soon as disease manifests itself, 
 or an injury is wrought, to assert at once the 
 force of this vis medicatrix. The operation of 
 doctor, nurse, and medicine should be directed 
 to supplement, not to supplant, this force — seeing 
 that any cure or restoration must be due to 
 Nature, and Nature alone. In the subject we 
 are discussing we have a further illustration of 
 great importance — the transference of sickness 
 to health, and health to sickness. Even within 
 our common experience we are conscious of the 
 operation of this law. E.g., if a young person 
 holds the hands of an old person for a long 
 period, or occupy the same bed, the youth of 
 the one passes into the age of the other, and 
 the age of the other into the youth of the one. 
 This fact was not unknown in the latter days 
 of David the King, (i Kings i. 2.) Generally 
 speaking, if two people dwell together in closest 
 
 120 
 
Miracles 
 
 intimacy, they become alike in many ways — fre- 
 quently even in features and expression. 
 
 Preliminary Observations 
 
 It is interesting to go through the list of cures 
 set out in the Gospel Story, to observe their 
 similarities and differences, the various methods 
 employed, and to speculate how far these cures 
 can be accounted for by the operation of natural 
 causes and means akin to those to which reference 
 has already been made. They are declared to be 
 miracles. The current definition of a miracle is 
 that it is a deed wrought by the fiat of the 
 Divine, or of a Divine agent, and that, at a 
 word, without the operation of any secondary 
 cause, the deed is done or the cure wrought. 
 May not this definition be wrong ? May we 
 not seek for the ordinary operation of cause and 
 effect — the element of time being also involved 
 in a greater or less degree ? 
 
 As to the details of the recital, we have to 
 remember that the testimony is not absolutely 
 direct ; that it is the outcome of oral tradition 
 handed down from a series of thirty, forty, or 
 fifty years before it was moulded into writing; 
 and that the first observation and the succeeding 
 narration were made and carried on by men 
 whose ideas of science and strict narration were 
 primitive, and far removed from our own ; so 
 that we must judge and interpret accordingly 
 the details of the testimony. Furthermore, it 
 
 121 
 
Miracles 
 
 is impossible to follow up the cures and to 
 find out the future history of those who bene- 
 fited by our Lord's action. 
 
 Even when stress has been duly laid on the 
 above-mentioned elements relating to the elabo- 
 ration of the narrative, enough remains to testify 
 that a period of great excitement prevailed ; that 
 many wonderful things happened, and that many 
 wonderful cures were wrought. 
 
 Some attempt may be made — necessarily partial 
 and imperfect — to interpret the record (varied, as 
 has been said, in respect of traditional detail) 
 in accordance with similar experiences under 
 conditions like unto these, but immeasurably less 
 powerful. The result must necessarily be tentative 
 and disappointing ; but, in some respects, it would 
 seem to bring us nearer to a solution, as it cannot 
 fail to throw numerous sidelights on the special 
 problem involved. 
 
 I. It was a time of great unrest, expectation, 
 excitement — divinely ordered, it may be, yet 
 operative in accordance with natural law. This 
 excitement was not confined to individuals, but 
 was communicated to large multitudes, which (by 
 the strange and wonderful law of association) 
 were capable of being wrought up into perfect 
 frenzy ; leading to strange and marvellous move- 
 ments and demonstrations on the part of in- 
 dividuals — of men, but especially of women — 
 especially of those of a weak, unbalanced, hysterical, 
 imaginative constitution — in other words, the very 
 ones first to be affected by weakness or disease. 
 
 122 
 
Miracles 
 
 2. It was a period of primitive belief in respect 
 of the cause and cure of disease and of the remedies 
 employed. In respect of the influence of demons, 
 the evil eye, necromancers, &c., the people gene- 
 rally had a fixed idea as to the efficiency of charms, 
 potions, amulets, witchcraft, devilry, and sorcery. 
 
 3. Our Lord had a unique personality, in which 
 perfect health and purity were combined — there 
 being a complete balance between mind and body. 
 He led a life of prayer, contemplation, austerity, 
 benevolence, and benign activity. He was enabled 
 to put forth a magnificent claim as a man, a prophet, 
 a teacher, and a healer — yea, even as the Messiah, 
 the long-expected representative of God on earth 
 to His chosen people. He thus brought Himself 
 en rapport with His patients, and exalted faith, hope, 
 expectation, and devotion to the highest degree. 
 He projected Himself, as it were, into the sick 
 person — in a word, bore his sickness. He caused 
 those whom He addressed to make a supreme effort ; 
 which, of itself, would avail to relieve the tongue- 
 tied, or to remove any obstruction which clogged 
 the system. 
 
 We proceed next to touch upon a very obscure 
 subject — the effect of mind on mind, of will on 
 will. In the ordinary operations of our daily life 
 the strong-willed and assertive naturally overbear, 
 coerce, and direct the weaker brethren. Hence 
 arises the power of the philosopher to convince, 
 of the orator and divine to persuade. It is not 
 altogether due to the arguments addressed, for the 
 majority of men cannot understand an argument 
 
 123 
 
Miracles 
 
 — the natural tendency of argumentation being to 
 confirm the wrong-thinker in his delusion. The 
 effect is due rather to the force of will-power — 
 of mental vis viva, or dynamic energy. There are 
 many weaknesses in the system called Christian- 
 Science, but its insistence on the control exercised 
 by the mental over the physical organism is well 
 worthy of consideration and application. 
 
 In extraordinary cases, the same fact is manifested 
 here and there, now as then, in a manner which 
 unfortunately lends itself to quackery, deceit, and 
 fraud ; but these cases contain within themselves 
 phenomena worthy of careful and persistent study 
 on the part of the physician, mentalist and divine. 
 Such may be classed under the heads of : — 
 
 Thought Transference ; 
 
 Hypnotic Suggestion ; 
 
 The Dream State ; 
 
 Mesmerism ; 
 
 Clairvoyance ; 
 
 Spiritism ; 
 
 Second-sight ; 
 
 So-called spiritual possession ; 
 
 Animal magnetism and electric phenomena ; 
 
 Telepathy. 
 
 Cures Wrought at a Distance 
 
 Such records need present no peculiar or 
 additional difficulty to those who recognize the 
 supremacy and infinite distance of mind-action, 
 and its superiority to time, place, and space. 
 
 124 
 
Miracles 
 
 Whilst fixed to one spot on earth the mind can 
 range freely from infinite past to infinite future. 
 It can dwell upon the possible condition of a friend 
 at the Antipodes, or (with a glance) project itself 
 into infinite space and behold the farthest star ; 
 and all this whilst returning in due course to that 
 body which is its home. Nightly, it is lulled to 
 rest, but with the morn its powers are restored — 
 fresh and clear. It is driven out by disease, but 
 returns to its original house when relieved of the 
 distemper. 
 
 We have a physical analogue in the wonders of 
 wireless telegraphy, whereby a message can be sent 
 through the air for thousands of miles, in spite of 
 intervening mountains ; or (as we have known for 
 many years) can be transmitted along a wire, and 
 (to complete the circuit in every case) through the 
 solid globe itself. 
 
 Furthermore, consider the passage of light 
 through the celestial ether, of sound through the 
 air, and the wonderful attenuation of Matter as 
 illustrated by the diffusion of perfumes. 
 
 Details of Miracles 
 
 It is instructive to look at the various miracles 
 somewhat in detail. Naturally, by the Evangelists, 
 the most important individual instances only are 
 given as typical of the numbers actually wrought 
 — en bloc, as it were — when large gatherings 
 were assembled. Only a very small part of our 
 
 125 
 
Miracles 
 
 Saviour's earthly ministry is brought before us. 
 Undoubtedly, many other works were wrought as 
 full of interest as the few actually set down. Those 
 recorded are mainly works of mercy ; they are 
 alleged also to possess a moral significance as signs 
 and wonders advanced in support of the doctrine 
 preached. Each class of miracle was designed to 
 teach a lesson of its own ; the cleansing of the 
 leper typifying the release of the sinner from the 
 defilement of sin ; the giving sight to the blind, 
 the opening the eye of faith by Him who is the 
 Light of the World ; the raising of the dead, the 
 power and potency of a new existence like unto 
 that realized by Himself Who was to be the Resur- 
 rection and the Life. 
 
 Most of the miracles are represented as having 
 been worked directly by Jesus ; but in those apper- 
 taining to the Draughts of Fishes and the Finding 
 of the Tribute Money, human intervention was em- 
 ployed ; that, however, does not affect the action of 
 the First Cause, and needs not to be taken into 
 account in this essay. 
 
 The Miracles of Nature are as follows : — 
 
 Turning Water into Wine (an effective contrast to the 
 first Miracle recorded as wrought by Moses — the 
 turning of water into blood). — Stilling the Tempest. 
 — Feeding the Multitudes. — Causing the Draughts 
 of Fishes. — Providing the Tribute Money. 
 
 126 
 
Miracles 
 
 Illustration of the Law of Variety 
 IN Nature 
 
 In respect of the turning water into wine, the 
 change merely anticipated that which takes place 
 yearly in the vine, when the water derived from 
 the soil and atmosphere circulates in the stem 
 and branches, ultimately becoming the juice 
 of the ripe grape in the cluster. There took 
 place at Cana, instantaneously, that which re- 
 quires many weeks to accomplish in the ordinary 
 operation of Nature. "The water saw its Lord, 
 and blushed." But what do we know of time ? It 
 is sui generis. To the Master, everything is present 
 at once. As far as regards ourselves, time can 
 only be defined in relation to the succession of 
 events. If there be no succession, there is no 
 interval — no time. We are called upon to assume 
 that (in the case before us) the succession was 
 quickened. What degree of interference this in- 
 dicates with the operations of Nature, we cannot 
 estimate. 
 
 We allow that the chemistry of wine is different 
 from that of water, or, rather, that certain com- 
 ponents are present in one which do not exist in 
 the other ; but (with regard to the apparent dif- 
 ferences between different substances of organic 
 origin) it may be that the constituent atoms are 
 diverse in ultimate analysis, whilst the particles of 
 which they are made up are merely centres of 
 force of the same numerical value, while arranged 
 
 127 
 
Miracles 
 
 somewhat differently in geometrical form — five 
 centres, e.g., being, in one case, in the form of a 
 five-pointed star ; in another, in the form of a 
 square, with one centre located at the intersection 
 of the diagonals. 
 
 Possibly, all other miracles in this class may be 
 explained by supposing a prescience due to a keen 
 sight, or to an eye endowed with what may be 
 called X-ray power. With a special mechanical 
 apparatus of that kind it is even now possible for 
 an ordinary person to see through the human 
 body, to observe the position and action of the 
 internal organs, and so on. Much may be learned 
 in this way of the seat of accident, obstruction, 
 and disease — much of the best mode of effecting 
 relief and cure. 
 
 The above suggestion may be extended to 
 embrace the possibility of a knowledge of the 
 weather, and the signs of the approaching exhaus- 
 tion of a tempest. Further, in this case, a calm, 
 determined, authoritative, manner would avail to 
 reassure a demoralized crew, and to call back the 
 bravery and self-command lost for the time, whilst 
 the Master was asleep. 
 
 The same far-seeing glance would render it 
 possible to observe the position taken up by a 
 great shoal of fish. A similar remark may apply 
 to the single fish caught by Peter for the payment 
 of tribute ; though not, we must admit, to the coin 
 in its mouth. If, however, we were permitted to 
 assume that the fish was sold for that sum (an ex- 
 orbitant price, by the way) the case would be met. 
 
 128 
 
Miracles 
 
 Illustration of the Law of Multiplication 
 IN Nature 
 
 Strauss considers that the Feeding of the Multi- 
 tudes was brought about by the imitation on the 
 part of the crowd of the unselfish behaviour of 
 our Lord and His Apostles in rendering their own 
 store available for the general good. The cases 
 differ from the miracle at Cana in respect of the 
 fact that, in the wilderness, a multiplication — a 
 new creation — took place ; whereas, at Cana, there 
 was no change in volume. In our endeavour to 
 find an explanation, we are seeking to evade the 
 scientific difficulty caused by the idea of the 
 creation of new matter, and of the breaking the 
 sequence of cause and effect. 
 
 Perhaps this explanation may be found in the 
 attribution to our Lord, of the power to mate- 
 rialize the elements of oxygen, nitrogen, carbon, 
 &c., already existing in the atmosphere, so as to 
 supply the amount which was lacking in respect 
 of the loaves and fishes. There are to be found, 
 ready to our own hands, in the atmosphere and the 
 ocean, immense reserves both of food and fuel — 
 our two great necessaries of life, the natural stores 
 and deposits of which are being rapidly exhausted. 
 The fertility of our soil naturally deteriorates, and 
 the denitrification of large tracts of country in old 
 time in the neighbourhood of populous places, 
 such as Babylon and Nineveh, contributed in 
 large measure to their depopulation, and to the 
 
 129 I 
 
Miracles 
 
 overthrow of the empires to which they belonged. 
 Again, our carboniferous and oil-bearing strata 
 are but partial, and there are doubtless immense 
 tracts under the sea which must for ever remain 
 unworkable. These strata — as well as existing 
 forests — are being exhausted at a rapid rate. 
 What is to happen when the process of deple- 
 tion is extended ? Whence shall we obtain fuel 
 to drive the locomotive, and to cause leviathan 
 steamers to plough the ocean ? The answer is — 
 in the production of oxygenous, nitrogenous, and 
 carboniferous elements from air and water. This 
 process of materialization constitutes the most 
 tremendous problem for the twentieth-century 
 chemist and physicist, but some such process will 
 be absolutely necessary for the advancement of 
 civilization, and the conservation of the race. 
 
 May not our Saviour in the desert have antici- 
 pated the impending discovery ? 
 
 Miracles attaching to Christ's 
 OWN Person 
 
 Walking on the Sea. — Escape from the Nazarenes, and 
 from the Jews generally on various occasions. — 
 Transfiguration. — Appearances after Resurrection. 
 — Ascension. 
 
 Certain individuals claim to possess strange 
 powers of levitation. The Psychical Society and 
 a few eminent scientists have instituted inquiries 
 into this phenomenon, and into so-called spiritual- 
 istic powers generally ; and have pleaded that, for 
 
 130 
 
Miracles 
 
 the present at all events, we should keep an open 
 mind on the subject. Doubtless, there are many 
 points in relation to such phenomena difficult to 
 account for or explain. 
 
 In our present life, we are restricted to space of 
 three dimensions. After death we may be trans- 
 lated into four, five, or even n dimensions. What 
 possibilities are not involved in this new state, 
 in respect of the enlargement of our powers and 
 the quickening of our senses ? What if Jesus, 
 as the New Man, possessed and exercised (within 
 the limits made possible by His natural body) 
 some of the attributes, powers, and extensions 
 which we ourselves may be permitted to exercise 
 in a higher form of existence ? 
 
 Further, the constitution of matter and dimen- 
 sional space are both hard to realize. We are 
 acquainted with the nineteenth -century ideas 
 concerning matter and its accidents, such as 
 Extension, Weight, Colour, &c. Likewise, we are 
 familiar with the mode in which we apprehend 
 these accidents — viz., through the avenues of the 
 Senses. The ideas entertained by scientists a 
 comparatively short time ago have been consider- 
 ably modified of late owing to the researches of 
 Prof. Sir J. J. Thomson and others. Material 
 conceptions of infinitesimal particles cohering to 
 form a solid body, are giving place to a theory 
 whereby each atom is regarded as a centre 
 of electrical force and energy. This theory is 
 elastic — nay, spiritual. It renders more easy, and 
 at the same time more difficult, the realization 
 
 131 
 
Miracles 
 
 of a complex organism such as the human body, 
 when regarded as the physical basis for pheno- 
 mena associated with life, thought, feeling, and 
 will-power. 
 
 If we were permitted to assume that our Lord 
 lived His human life in extra-dimensional space — 
 say, of four dimensions — so that the particles of 
 His bodily frame and His bodily senses possessed 
 powers and a degree of sensitiveness which we 
 at present lack, then these suppositions would 
 account for all the phenomena under this head. 
 E.g. what a difference would it not make to our 
 capacities if the penetrative powers of our senses 
 were doubled or trebled in intensity ! 
 
 Very remarkable results are stated to be ob- 
 tained by Hindoo wonder-workers, such as climb- 
 ing a rope of which one end is thrown into the 
 air. This feat would tend to revolutionize all 
 our ordinary ideas of gravity, and the only 
 explanation that seems to fit the case leads to the 
 suggestion that the bystanders are simply hypno- 
 tized, so that they see not, but are made to enter- 
 tain the belief that they actually behold what the 
 wonder-worker wishes. 
 
 The Deaf and Dumb 
 
 Congenital dumbness is almost invariably the 
 concomitant of deafness — t.e., if a subject cannot 
 hear sounds he cannot reproduce them. Deaf- 
 ness alone can be caused by disease of the outer 
 or middle ear, adenoid growths, the plugging of 
 132 
 
Miracles 
 
 the Eustachian tube, or some similar cause. Fre- 
 quently the removal of these causes is an easy 
 matter. 
 
 In Mark vii. 31-37, the deaf subject is said to 
 have been tongue-tied in addition, so that the 
 cure necessitated the string of his tongue being 
 loosed. If the "tongue-tying" be not a figure 
 of speech, it may refer to a disability not un- 
 common amongst young children, but capable 
 of being remedied by an operation of the simplest 
 character. In Matt. ix. 32 (perhaps relating to 
 the same man) the subject is said to have been 
 affected by a devil, probably a faqon de parler to 
 express the feeling induced in auditors by the 
 strange sounds — hoarse attempts at speech — in- 
 variably emitted in such cases. In instances of 
 this kind the miraculous element would be con- 
 stituted by the immediate influence on the brain 
 matter, on the intelligence, on the sense of 
 language, on the meaning and discrimination of 
 words and their collocation into sentences, as well 
 as by the physical co-ordination of the various 
 muscles and organs producing speech. All this 
 would necessitate the imparting to the individual, 
 in a second of time, the experience an ordinary 
 person accumulates by painful endeavour during 
 many years. In regard to such a mode of mira- 
 culous interposition we are at fault, inasmuch 
 as we cannot explain, on rational grounds, the 
 instantaneous gift of such a faculty. 
 
 133 
 
Miracles 
 
 The Giving Sight to the Blind 
 
 By reason of the glare, the dust, and the 
 uncleanly habits of the people, blindness is very 
 common in the East, Jesus is reported to have 
 wrought many miracles of this kind, with a particular 
 reference to Himself as the Light of the World. 
 
 Two of these cases present features of peculiar 
 interest ; one recorded in John ix. 1—7 as having 
 been wrought on the Sabbath ; where the man 
 is represented as being blind from birth — as 
 having had his eyes anointed with spittle — as 
 having been sent to wash in the pool of Siloam. 
 As is customary with S. John, the attendant 
 circumstances give rise to a pointed discourse on 
 the part of our Lord. 
 
 From the circumstance that the man was blind 
 from birth, it follows that the eyes themselves 
 were defective or lacking altogether, or that the 
 optic nerves were practically non-existent. The 
 anointing with clay moistened with saliva would 
 have no influence tending naturally to re-create the 
 structures or the nerves, being intended solely to 
 influence the mind of the sufferer and to stimulate 
 his interest, faith, and obedience. The same may 
 be said of the washing in Siloam. Such a course 
 might be palliative — it could not be re-creative. 
 May we here again predicate a materialization of 
 matter whereby the necessary structure might be 
 constituted ? If not, the case fails under our 
 present analysis. 
 
 134 
 
Miracles 
 
 The second instance is remarkable, inasmuch as 
 it is the only one on record possessing a progressive 
 character. It is narrated in Mark viii. 22-26, 
 where, it is said, they bring to Jesus a blind man 
 whom He leads out of the town. He spits on his 
 eyes, and puts His hands on him, asking "if he saw 
 ought." He looked up and said, " I see men ; 
 for I behold them as trees, walking." After that. 
 He again put His hands upon his eyes, and made 
 him look up. Then was he restored and saw 
 every man clearly. Hence, the miracle was 
 wrought in steps — a unique case. This instance 
 presents not so many difficulties as the last, 
 inasmuch as the blindness may have been partial, 
 of late issue, and the outcome of some sudden 
 attack ; so that the sufferer may have reached adult 
 age (nigh unto the number of his years at the time 
 of his cure) in full possession of the faculty of 
 sight, and of all that that faculty involved. 
 
 There are two lines along which the power of 
 seeing proceeds — the one, mechanical or physical, 
 the other, mental. First, the mechanical apparatus 
 must be perfect. But, even when this is the case, 
 the nerve impulses conveyed to the cerebrum 
 can be interpreted only after a long progressive 
 period of educative effort, induced by observation, 
 comparison, tactile experiment, and ever-varying 
 success and failure. If, e.g., a subject were born 
 with a double cataract, and he were couched for 
 this cataract in adult life, and supplied with 
 artificial lenses, he would still be unable to see as 
 we understand it — i.e., to see surrounding objects 
 
 135 
 
Miracles 
 
 in their proper form, distance, solidity, and so forth. 
 The visual impressions made on his brain would be 
 confused and contradictory. He would have to 
 commence his seeing life even as infants commence 
 theirs. They cannot see external objects as their 
 elders behold them — witness their frantic plunges 
 and ineffectual grasping at real objects, in places and 
 at distances where they mistakenly suppose them 
 to be. In ordinary cases, after the gift of sight, a 
 man blind from birth would be required to pass 
 through months of experiment and educative effort 
 before being enabled to arrive at the certainty of 
 tactile and mental adjustment, such as ordinary 
 sighted persons possess. 
 
 Naturally these considerations were absent from 
 the minds of the Evangelists and of those eye- 
 witnesses from whose narration they compiled 
 their Gospels. To them, the mechanical and out- 
 ward was everything — to us, it is the least essential 
 part. Obviously, it is easy to say that He Who 
 perfected the material organism with a word, with 
 a word could also perfect the mental adjustment, 
 and thus confer full power to see. We are not, 
 however, considering the matter from the easy 
 side, but are endeavouring to find a scientific 
 explanation of the modus operandi. 
 
 This may be the place to bring out a fact that 
 has to be taken into account in many of the Old 
 Testament and New Testament miracles — viz., the 
 use by the agent of a vehicle of healing. In certain 
 cases, such as the recovery of the axe-head by 
 Elisha, there is no connection between the loss 
 
 136 
 
Miracles 
 
 and the restoration, but this connection is mani- 
 fested in another of Elisha's miracles, that of 
 purifying the waters. (2 Kings ii. 20. We are 
 taking the Hteral record here.) A classic case is 
 brought before us in 2 Kings xx. 7, where, to effect 
 Hezekiah's cure, Isaiah said, "Take a lump of figs ; 
 and they took and laid it on the boil and he re- 
 covered." A remedial agent like unto this would 
 operate in two ways : first, by reason of its own 
 emollient or healing tendency ; secondly, by reason 
 of the faith of the patient in the judgment of the 
 physician, and in the innate efficacy of the agent 
 the latter would see fit to prescribe as the vehicle 
 of the cure. 
 
 It is to be observed that, in many cases, the 
 action of medicaments is not direct, but of such a 
 kind as to enable the forces of Nature — which are 
 ever striving to expel evil elements from the system, 
 and to bring recuperative forces into active opera- 
 tion — to exert themselves to the greatest profit and 
 advantage. 
 
 With reference to our Saviour, insistence is laid 
 on the fact that virtue resided in His saliva — in 
 the skirts of His clothing — in every case, that this 
 virtue proceeded from Himself. In some instances, 
 He accentuated it with other elements such as clay, 
 laid on the eye-balls of the blind — markedly so in 
 this case, as the senses of touch and hearing were 
 alone available — to call the individual's attention 
 unmistakably to the incidence and operation of 
 the healing art of Jesus. In other cures. He 
 sent the sufferers to a source associated in the 
 
 137 
 
Miracles 
 
 popular mind with numberless cases of a wonder- 
 ful and, in their eyes, semi-miraculous nature. 
 In the case of the Pool of Bethesda it has been 
 conjectured that specific healing virtues were asso- 
 ciated with its waters. 
 
 This part of our essay opens out an important 
 subject, viz., that of the use of some outward 
 element — such as unction — by the early Church, 
 as exhibited in S. James's Epistle, v. 14. The 
 object and end of this cannot be touched upon 
 here, the matter being adverted to only that it 
 may furnish an opportunity of expressing regret 
 that the Church of England at the Reformation, 
 doubtless led thereto by the wrong view taken of 
 the matter by the Church of Rome, discontinued 
 the use of unction, thus depriving her ministers 
 of a powerful means of impressing the mind of the 
 sick, of hastening a cure, and also of displaying 
 the fact that the work of the fully accredited 
 minister of God is a double work (even as set 
 forth in the lives of Jesus Christ and His Apostles 
 — a work to be exercised simultaneously on body 
 and mind) intended to combine the ministerial for- 
 giveness of sin with the ministerial agency of the 
 cure of the body, thus recognizing the interaction 
 of body and mind. In consequence, a formidable 
 weapon has been taken from their hands — the 
 value of which is recognized by the Faith-Healers 
 and Christian-Scientists of the present day. This 
 weapon tends to give to these communities their 
 raison detre, and to render such measure of suc- 
 cess as they can claim, in spite of their many 
 
 138 
 
Miracles 
 
 failures and their theoretical unsoundness in the 
 faith .1 
 
 After all, though so many faith-healers are 
 impostors — conscious or half-conscious, or self- 
 deluded — the thing itself contains an element of 
 truth to which both the medical profession and 
 the Christian Church too obstinately close their 
 eyes. The mechanism of faith-healing is the same 
 wherever it works — whether at Epidaurus or at 
 the famous shrines of India, or Mecca, or Lourdes, 
 or St. Winifred's Well — whether it is exer- 
 cised by medicine-men, marabouts, yogis, fakirs, 
 canonized saints, or Christian-Scientists. For the 
 working of the miracle of cure by faith, a proper 
 selection of cases is essential. Even Mrs. Eddy 
 does not profess to mend broken bones ; in fact, 
 she is shrewd enough to make no claim of 
 healing power over diseases or injuries that 
 lie within the domain of surgery. It is in 
 the almost undiscovered country of pathology, 
 where lie the dark places of nerve diseases — as to 
 which the ignorance of science is but thinly dis- 
 guised by such names as hysteria and neurasthenia 
 — that faith-healing finds its field of operation. 
 
 Doubtless, imposture may be a large element 
 in faith-healing ; but it is unquestionable that, in 
 the cure of certain kinds of disease, it represents 
 the working of a real force of which little is at 
 present known. Sir B. Brodie wrought many 
 miraculous cures in patients who had been bed- 
 ridden for years from supposed paralysis by 
 
 ' Vide extract from " Practitioner," in Globe, June l, 1901. 
 
Miracles 
 
 simply bidding them get up and walk. In the 
 same manner, every physician could work miracles 
 if he knew the way to set about it. Charcot states 
 that he often sent patients to Lourdes when he 
 himself had failed to inspire them with the re- 
 quisite amount of faith. Hypnotic suggestion, so 
 far as it has any effect in curing disease, is a form 
 of faith-healing. In all varieties of the process, 
 the patient — in the words of Macbeth's physician 
 (in this case, again, how wonderful is the pene- 
 tration of Shakespeare) — ministers to himself ; it 
 is his faith which makes him whole. The shrine 
 or the amulet, the darkness and the light, the 
 word of power, the antics of the medicine-man of 
 a primitive civilization, or the ministrations of the 
 priest or the doctor of the twentieth century, are 
 but the instruments — ab extra — that set in motion 
 the force which quickens into new life the nerve 
 that has ceased to convey the behests of the will. 
 In cases of like character exactly the same 
 mechanism is seen at work under the operation of 
 fear or strong excitement of any kind. There is a 
 story in Herodotus of a king's son who had been 
 dumb from birth, but who found his voice when 
 he saw his father about to be slain. Abernethy 
 says : " You may see a person with gout who is 
 almost unable to move with pain ; but produce 
 a shock on his nervous system by telling him that 
 the house is on fire, and he will scamper about 
 like a lamplighter." That is to say, disperse by 
 some means the concentration of thought that is 
 produced by certain local symptoms, and, for the 
 
 140 
 
Miracles 
 
 time, the sensation of pain vanishes. In a similar 
 way, by dry shampooing the head — or one specific 
 part of the body, when naked — the general sensa- 
 tion of cold is reduced. 
 
 John Hunter states that even tumours have 
 yielded to the stroke of a dead man's hand — such 
 has been the impression made on the mind of the 
 sufferer. 
 
 In this way, the unspeakably filthy medicines of 
 the Middle Ages, and even of a hundred years 
 ago, as well as the quack medicines of to-day — 
 many incapable of yielding any reaction whatever 
 of a chemical kind — may have done good and 
 may do good still. 
 
 As an aid to Nature — the declaration is the 
 merest truism — faith is the essential element. 
 This has a good side, but also a bad side. The 
 latter is exhibited in the profound dependence 
 placed by all classes of the community on quack 
 doctors and quack medicines. The matter cannot 
 be entered upon fully here, but it is of consider- 
 able importance to the community ; and every 
 public teacher should feel obliged to master the 
 salient facts of the case — relating to the com- 
 position of quack medicines (sometimes containing 
 ingredients of an innocuous, but, more frequently, 
 of a harmful tendency — in both cases to be de- 
 precated) and to the immense sums of money 
 wasted, even by the poorest, in their purchase. 
 
 141 
 
Miracles 
 
 The Solitary Surgical Miracle 
 
 There is but one surgical miracle recorded — 
 viz., the healing of Malchus's ear. In Matt, 
 xxvi. 51, there is mention of the hurt, but not 
 of the healing. The same may be said of 
 Mark xiv. 47, and John xviii. 10. Thus, the 
 earliest and latest Gospels are alike silent as 
 to the miracle ; but S. Luke the physician (who 
 gives us, more than once, graphic touches relating 
 to miracle stories, thus reminding us of his pro- 
 fessional origin — vide viii. 43) records (xxii. 
 51) that Jesus answered and said unto Peter, 
 " Suffer ye (the outrage) thus far," that He touched 
 the ear of Malchus, and healed him. 
 
 This miracle may illustrate a mode of the 
 working of the vis medicatrix naturce, viz., by what 
 surgeons call " first intention " ; i.e., if an injured 
 cuticle or member be at once replaced in its 
 original position, and septic conditions prevented 
 from arising, a union would soon be effected. 
 
 Cleansing the Leper 
 
 From all other diseases, leprosy was selected as 
 the type of a spiritual distemper — the defilement 
 of sin. The reasons for the selection are not 
 far to seek. The complaint was obvious. In the 
 worst cases, from the crown of the head to the 
 sole of the foot there was no soundness ; it un- 
 fitted for society and the duties of daily life. 
 
 142 
 
Miracles 
 
 It varied in intensity, affecting likewise houses 
 and clothing as well as individuals. It is debated 
 if it were contagious, though it is probably 
 communicable to others placed in like circum- 
 stances. Futhermore, we read of a leper — Naaman 
 the Syrian, in the full tide of a military career. 
 Reasoning from Isaiah liii. 4, many Jewish com- 
 mentators surmised that the promised Messiah 
 would be a leper. 
 
 Two things are noticeable about the leprosy 
 cures wrought by our Lord : — 
 
 1. He TOUCHED those afflicted — showing that He was 
 indifferent, or impervious, to ceremonial defilement (Lev. 
 xiii. 46). 
 
 2. In every case He commanded the sufferers — even the 
 Samaritan — to go and show themselves to the priests, and 
 offer for their cleansing according as Moses commanded, 
 for a testimony unto them (Lev. xiv. 4, 10, 21, 22). 
 
 May this be interpreted to mean that, in such 
 cases, the disease had run its course, or had 
 become general ; for, in the latter case, strange as 
 it may seem, the leper was to be accounted 
 " clean " (Lev. xiii. 13) ? 
 
 Can we say that the individuals cleansed by 
 our Saviour were in reality already fit to be 
 restored to human society, but that their relatives 
 were chary of facihtating their cure and of providing 
 them with the accustomed offering ; further, that 
 the sufferers had not sufficient confidence to take 
 matters into their own hands until the opportunity 
 arrived when the great Master, by His touch, 
 
 143 
 
Miracles 
 
 proved to the bystanders that there was no fear of 
 conta;mination, and by His generosity supplied the 
 means whereby they could make the prescribed gift? 
 The reason why they were commanded to 
 show themselves to the priests — for these were 
 the only instances in which such an exhortation 
 was given — was simply that, in the Jewish society 
 of that day, priests were the persons officially 
 empowered to exercise the right of declaring the 
 lepers clean, and thus of restoring them to family 
 and social life. 
 
 Casting Out Devils 
 
 There are many references to this kind of 
 miracle : — 
 
 Casting out of a simple devil : of an unclean spirit : of 
 seven devils (though how the number was arrived 
 at we do not know) : of a legion : of a devil whose 
 presence had induced dumbness. 
 
 Moreover, the healing of the stricken man or 
 men of Gadara introduces us incidentally to one 
 of the only two miracles of destruction attributed 
 to Jesus, 
 
 The subject of demons generally, of demon- 
 belief and worship, is large and complicated. 
 In the days of yore, and in primitive society 
 generally, there was a firm, an unquestioned, 
 belief in the existence of evil spirits, in their 
 powers to invade the earth, and to possess the 
 bodies of men. The accounts given of our 
 Lord's own sayings and doings in reference 
 
 144 
 
Miracles 
 
 thereto, are couched in terms accordant with 
 the ordinary belief of His time. At present, the 
 belief in demons, devils, and Satanic influence (or 
 whatever name may be used to characterize the 
 prime-mover) has undergone a change. Many 
 persons, indeed, frankly avow their disbelief j 
 many hold their judgment in suspense ; many 
 orthodox Christians believe theoretically, whilst 
 not suffering that belief to influence their practical 
 life or conduct. For all ordinary purposes the 
 belief in Satan and his angels has died out, or 
 persists only in a Miltonic sense. A few writers 
 assert that the times in which our Lord lived His 
 earthly life were exceptionally wicked, so that 
 Satan was then permitted to exercise extraordinary 
 power. There is something to be said in defence 
 of this hypothesis. 
 
 After the most careful study of the subject, 
 most scientific thinkers are compelled to say that 
 they consider the existence of evil spirits not 
 proven — i.e., it is conceivable that they exist, 
 though their existence is not demonstrable. 
 
 To those who hold the literal and verbal accu- 
 racy of the Gospels, this statement must come as 
 a shock. According to the record, it is incon- 
 trovertible that our Lord, by word and work, 
 accepted the current opinion. This opens out the 
 great question (which has so many forms, and 
 contains within itself so many profound and far- 
 reaching mysteries) as to the degree in which 
 our Lord accommodated Himself to current 
 beliefs, feelings, and modes of expression. It 
 
 145 K 
 
Miracles 
 
 is a wide subject, and cannot be entered upon 
 here. It is incontestable that He did so to a 
 large extent, and that neither in science nor 
 philosophy did He make a declaration in ad- 
 vance of His time. His discovery, His philosophy, 
 related to morals and morals alone. 
 
 There is no doubt that the belief in the posses- 
 sion of evil spirits — undemonstrable, as we now 
 believe it to be — has worked untold mischief, 
 even unto the days of our fathers, and has been 
 the cause of an infinite amount of suffering ; also, 
 that this belief has retarded (for long centuries) 
 investigation into the sources and manifesta- 
 tions of insanity, and the remedial measures that 
 might be found applicable. There is a conviction 
 amounting to certainty in the mind of the scientist 
 and alienist that all phenomena attributable to 
 possession are explicable on the theory of mental 
 alienation, of epilepsy, or the like — in other words, 
 of brain arrest, or accident, or disease. 
 
 Let the phenomena related in the Gospel story 
 be even superficially studied, and this result will 
 be clear. The means adopted by the ancients to 
 exorcise or subdue supposed spirits would be 
 the best calculated to defeat their object — i.e., 
 they would represent the exact contrary of those 
 adapted to the cure of the specific disease. What 
 were those means ? The sufferers were driven 
 out of their homes and of the town in which they 
 dwelt, and (with every form of attendant cruelty) 
 relegated to a wild, rugged, barren, land ; com- 
 pelled to live amongst tombs ; branded with 
 
 146 
 
Miracles 
 
 ceremonial uncleanness, rendered objects of aver- 
 sion to all who by chance encountered them ; ex- 
 posed to extremes of heat and cold, to hunger, 
 thirst, and nakedness. Their movements were 
 sought to be restrained by fetters and chains. In 
 their desperation, they were led to cut themselves 
 with stones — i.e., to attempt suicide. Vide Mark 
 V. 3-5. If all those tortures combined would 
 not cause even a sane man to fall into dementia, 
 one does not know what would ! 
 
 It is important and interesting to observe that 
 our Saviour's method is essentially the method 
 adopted in modern times. Indeed, the modern 
 means may be said to be based on those which 
 He employed. E.g., He drew near ; He exhibited 
 a calm demeanour ; He threw upon the demented 
 a steady glance (such a glance always exercising 
 a great effect upon maniacs and all people beside 
 themselves) ; He displayed a kind, sympathetic 
 spirit ; He spoke in a commanding tone ; He 
 persisted in His approach, notwithstanding their 
 disclaimers; He sought to recall their individuality 
 by means of the pregnant question, " What is thy 
 name ? " We gather that this query was addressed 
 to various classes of sufferers — always with grave 
 intent. He humoured the madmen's belief, and 
 entered into their feelings ; His action led to the 
 removal of all restraint (in such cases restraint 
 awakening a power of resistance — more or less 
 marked). He sought to restore self-respect, so 
 that ultimately we find the erstwhile demoniac 
 sitting at His feet, clothed, and in his right mind. 
 
 147 
 
Miracles 
 
 All who have visited asylums for the insane in 
 any enlightened country, will know that all this is 
 the very course now pursued. Read the revela- 
 tions about our own Bedlams, even as late as the 
 early part of last century (strange, by the way, 
 that the name of Bethlehem — the birthplace of 
 Christ — should ever have been coupled with such 
 degrading and loathsome associations) and com- 
 pare the mode of procedure there exhibited with 
 that adopted in the asylums of to-day. The com- 
 parison will illustrate the change (not only in 
 popular practice, but also in popular belief) 
 between the days of our Lord and our own 
 time. There is now an absence of all restraint 
 and of all violence of treatment. 
 
 Naturally, even now, and at all times, sudden 
 frenzies and paroxysms of acute mania must be pro- 
 vided against — but these are passing phenomena. 
 
 We must not fail to observe that the power of 
 casting out devils was claimed and apparently 
 exercised by certain men even in our Lord's day; 
 inasmuch as this fact alone would give point to 
 His question, quoted in Luke xi. 19, 20: "If I 
 by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your 
 sons cast them out ? Therefore shall they be 
 your judges ; but if I, by the finger of God, cast 
 out devils, no doubt the Kingdom of God is come 
 upon you." 
 
 This may be a fitting place to say that the 
 method of analysis which we apply to our Lord's 
 miracles may also be applied to other miracles 
 recorded to have been wrought by His opponents, 
 
 148 
 
Miracles 
 
 as above ; or by His Apostles during His earthly 
 life, or after His Ascension. In the case of the 
 Apostles the power is said to have been delegated ; 
 but something was still left to their own per- 
 sonality. Occasionally their trust in themselves, 
 or in the power conferred upon them by their 
 Master, failed, so that the desired result did not 
 follow, as in Matt. xvii. 19. In this connection, 
 we may be usefully reminded of our Lord's de- 
 clarations to them as given in Mark xi, 23, 24: 
 "Whosoever shall say to this mountain, be thou 
 removed, and be thou cast into the sea, and shall 
 not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those 
 things which he saith shall come to pass, he shall 
 have whatsoever he saith." And in such passages 
 as xvi. 17 : " In my name shall they cast out 
 devils ; they shall speak with new tongues ; they 
 shall take up serpents ; and if they drink any 
 deadly thing, it- shall not hurt them ; they shall 
 lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover." 
 These passages doubtless represent very well- 
 marked traditions of our Saviour's declarations ; 
 but, according to the accepted methods of inter- 
 pretation of the time, we may assume that the 
 promises had reference rather to moral cures 
 wrought by teaching and persuasion than to 
 physical cures, or to calling back the sheeted 
 dead to life. 
 
 What has been said with reference to the reform 
 of procedure in respect of the insane might be 
 repeated in respect of medicine generally. In time 
 past, the practice of medicine was hampered and 
 
 149 
 
Miracles 
 
 restrained in various ways — by ignorance, supersti- 
 tion, and the like. Unfortunately, the influence of 
 the Church was not wholly exercised on the right 
 side. In other words, it had departed from the 
 example and practice of its Master, who combined, 
 in His own Person, the simple and elemental 
 offices of Priest and Physician, and that, too, in 
 regard to medicine on its simplest and most 
 natural side. In time, the offices were separated, 
 and the differentiation has undoubtedly become 
 over-accentuated. In the present day it is needed 
 that the priest should be more of a physician, and 
 the physician more of a priest. 
 
 There are various works — such as the strength- 
 ening of the palsy, the release of a woman bowed 
 down with infirmity, &c. — that space prevents our 
 dealing with. Each would appear to be open to 
 suggestions like unto those made in respect of 
 other cures. 
 
 Raising the Dead 
 (Matt. ix. i8 ; Luke vii. ii ; John xi. 43.) 
 
 These cases present less difficulty than might be 
 supposed. There are three specific instances on 
 record in our Saviour's life. Jairus's daughter was 
 raised immediately after death ; the widow's son, 
 when being carried out to burial, probably on the 
 very day of his decease ; Lazarus, after he had 
 been dead four days. Further, in Matt, xxvii. 
 52, 53, we read: "And the graves were opened, 
 and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, 
 and came out of the graves after His resurrection, 
 
 150 
 
Miracles 
 
 and went into the Holy City, and appeared unto 
 many." The latter series of incidents, however, 
 occupies such an isolated position in the narrative, 
 and is of so weird a character, that one forbears 
 to comment upon it in this connection. 
 
 In the first two cases, our Saviour touched the 
 deceased ; in the last, He spake the word only. 
 In the former, the difficulty presented is not so 
 great as in the last. Trance, hysteria, or catalepsy 
 seems indicated, and this is not an uncommon 
 occurrence, especially in the case of young 
 girls. 
 
 Usually, the ultimate cause of death is the 
 stoppage of the circulation, following the cessation 
 of the heart's action. If this be brought about by 
 some well-ascertained cause, such as embolism or 
 shock, the heart would stop at what is called, in 
 mechanics, " a dead centre " ; but, if even a slight 
 external impulse were then applied, the obstructive 
 element would be removed and, in time, carried 
 off in the general circulation. It is unfortunate 
 that the phenomena relating to death and to the 
 gradual failure of successive organs in turn, have 
 been so little noted or studied by physicians — one 
 would have expected they would have been the 
 subject of repeated and careful investigation. 
 
 The theory advanced in this essay presupposes 
 that our Lord possessed a store of energy — 
 what one may call, for want of a better name, 
 " electric or personal magnetism." Even as is 
 said in several of the narratives — "there went 
 virtue forth from Him." We assume that this was 
 
 151 
 
Miracles 
 
 due to His organization, His purity of life, His 
 perfect health, His unique personality. 
 
 In the cases brought before us, we are justified 
 in believing that His touch, His voice, or some 
 emanation of His innate energy, communicated 
 just that amount of dynamic force that was needed, 
 at the moment, to set going again the machinery 
 of life. It is interesting to note that He actually 
 touched the maiden, in the second case that He 
 touched the bier, in the third, that the friends of 
 the deceased performed the mechanical part. In 
 all cases, He appealed to the dead by word of 
 mouth. 
 
 In numberless instances, we read that He laid 
 His hands on the sick, the bowed, the paralyzed. 
 This was no mere insignificant act, but it was 
 intended to be ministerial ; for in that way is 
 grace invariably conveyed from the spiritually 
 superior to the inferior — from the ministrant to 
 the prophet, priest or king that is to be. Now we 
 remember that electricity is communicated chiefly 
 through points — in this case the tips of the fingers. 
 
 In all instances, the subjects operated on by our 
 Lord were young. In the first two miracles, the 
 interval between the passage of the spirit and its 
 recall was so short that no post-mortem changes 
 could have taken place. In respect of the daughter 
 of Jairus, Jesus said, " The maid is not dead, but 
 sleepeth " ; also of Lazarus, " This sickness is not 
 unto death . . . our friend Lazarus sleepeth, but I 
 go that I may awake him out of sleep." Yet, even 
 so, John remarks, " Jesus spake of his death," and, 
 
 152 
 
Miracles 
 
 further — " Then said Jesus unto them, Lazarus is 
 dead." 
 
 With regard to Lazarus, it is probable that 
 neither Jesus nor His disciples drew, or would 
 draw, the nice distinctions we draw between death 
 and the states which simulate it, Martha's remark 
 as to the signs of death certainly points to an in- 
 ference rather than to observation. One would be 
 inclined to suggest that the mind of Jesus was, in 
 some way, in touch with that of Lazarus ; that He 
 knew when Lazarus had apparently died — knew 
 that he was not completely dead, but that He only 
 could bring him back again to life, so that without 
 His intervention Lazarus would die effectually in 
 his tomb. This would seem to justify His state- 
 ment to His disciples, " Lazarus is dead." The 
 intense agitation of Jesus one would attribute 
 to the effect the miracle required — His power 
 being, in our view, not unlimited. He was, one 
 would think, more or less in touch with Lazarus 
 all along, but the getting full control over him 
 may well have been no easy matter. During this 
 time of agitation, Jesus was doing the preliminary 
 work of getting Lazarus ready to come when called. 
 
 The Two Miracles of Causing 
 Destruction 
 
 These do not present much difficulty. We note 
 that they were wrought in respect of the lower 
 animals, and of inanimate objects — not on human 
 beings. 
 
 153 
 
Miracles 
 
 In the first — the destruction of the swine — ^we 
 can well imagine that the unexpected advent of 
 our Lord and His Apostles into that wild and 
 desolate region, attended perhaps by a few ex- 
 cited villagers, coupled with the general interest 
 and curiosity called up by the proximity to the 
 demoniacs, would have caused the keepers of the 
 swine temporarily to forsake the herd under their 
 charge. What more natural than that this general 
 agitation and scurrying of persons hither and 
 thither should have communicated itself to the 
 swine ; and caused first one, then another, finally 
 the whole herd (for we know how creatures 
 such as sheep and swine blindly follow one 
 another), to stampede in a rout so blind and 
 headlong that ultimately they were unable to stop 
 themselves, and were consequently engulfed in the 
 waters of the lake ? 
 
 In reference to the fig tree, we assume that the 
 penetrating glance of our Lord (of an exceptional 
 character, as has been said) had already discerned 
 in the tree signs of weakness and disease, so that 
 He would feel justified in anticipating and prog- 
 nosticating its speedy end. 
 
 Miracles Wrought at a Distance 
 
 Our advancing knowledge of science tends to 
 reduce the improbability originally attaching to 
 miracles of this description. We are now familiar 
 with the action of imponderable forces, such as 
 gravitation, light, heat, electricity and magnetism 
 
 154 
 
Miracles 
 
 — forces or elements all capable of acting at 
 a distance. Consider, again, the wonders of wire- 
 less telegraphy and the etheric waves thus set 
 up, many miles in length, eventually vibrating 
 across the broad ocean, penetrating mountains, 
 or passing through the solid structure of the 
 globe itself. Further, consider the powers of 
 projection exercised by the mind of man, by 
 way of suggestion and will-power. When we bear 
 in mind these marvels, may we be not disposed 
 to allow that the action of the mind and will 
 associated with the phenomenal temperament of 
 our Lord (the phrase may perhaps be pardoned) 
 may well be conceived of as extending beyond 
 Himself, and as being effectual to communicate 
 psychic or odic force ? 
 
 As before remarked, whilst the spread of 
 scientific thought and method tends to restrict 
 in one direction our apprehension of what is 
 popularly called miraculous manifestation and 
 energy, a compensation is effected by the opening 
 of our mind (as in the instances just noted) to 
 possibilities and explanations hitherto unsuspected. 
 
 Summing Up 
 
 In this paper our object has been to occupy 
 the standpoint of the modern scientist, in rela- 
 tion to the theories of development, conservation 
 of matter and energy, and the like ; and (by 
 means of what may be called — without offence 
 — rational principles) to endeavour to explain the 
 
 155 
 
Miracles 
 
 phenomena associated with the miracles recorded 
 in the Gospel story ; bearing in mind, as has been 
 said, the primitive character of the record, the lack 
 of judicial inquiry and close observation associated 
 with the narrators ; and, as a consequence, adopt- 
 ing the general statements and conclusions, whilst 
 not attaching importance to verbal detail. 
 
 Even now we know so little about the laws 
 of Nature ; the constitution of Matter, and the 
 interaction between its several parts ; and, above 
 all, the subtilties of the mind, and of the complex 
 organism of the human system, that our starting 
 point is uncertain. The discovery of new pro- 
 perties of matter, like unto those exhibited by 
 radium (indicating amongst other things the lia- 
 bility of the primitive elements to decomposition), 
 perpetually compels us to hark back, to readjust 
 our position, and revise our theories. Moreover, 
 we are certain that new properties still will be 
 disclosed as the years roll on, so that it is im- 
 possible for us to feel we have solved every diffi- 
 culty, or reached a final conclusion, in respect 
 even of the most elemental fact in nature. 
 
 In considering all cases of miracle, one has to 
 bring to the front a truth, almost entirely neglected, 
 viz., that in respect of the operation of our 
 Saviour's power on others, action and reaction 
 were equal and opposite — i.e., that the strength 
 and life He gave to others, were derived from 
 His own person, in some way or other, by loss 
 of vital or electrical energy, by expenditure of 
 thought, effort, skill, mechanical or will-power. 
 
 156 
 
Miracles 
 
 In fact, it was in His case, as it is with all 
 ministers of grace and healing in the present day. 
 
 Before any efficient result can be produced, 
 there must be expended that amount of effort 
 — of skill, &c. — that will just meet the case, 
 that amount of good that will just balance the 
 evil. It is as futile to expect people to be con- 
 verted without effort, as it is to expect them to 
 be healed without effort of bodily disease. 
 
 Virtue of some kind must go forth from the 
 minister or healer, and the expenditure of material 
 or spiritual agency must be exactly such as will 
 meet any individual case. That theory disposes 
 of the idea that Jesus wrought cures without effort 
 and without loss to Himself. It explains also 
 His exhaustion after such efforts, and His fre- 
 quent and lengthened retirement to enable His 
 forces, both spiritual and physical, to be re- 
 cuperated. 
 
 We cannot help seeing that the condition of 
 things, in that day, was such as to render miracle 
 not only possible but inevitable — i.e., miracle in the 
 accepted sense — of the kind that we have been 
 considering. 
 
 If these works had been wrought, on arbitrary 
 principles, to bolster up a tissue of falsehoods, for 
 personal gain, or for the gratification of malice, it 
 would be different ; but they were woven into the 
 texture of the life of Jesus — they grew out of 
 His character — they naturally arose out of His 
 mission — they were calculated to sustain His 
 contention and His claims. 
 
 157 
 
Miracles 
 
 There is nothing illogical or unscientific in as- 
 suming that they were prearranged by the Infinite 
 Love and Mercy of God, as precedent conditions 
 of the establishment of the Kingdom ; that they 
 were essential to enable the Christ to obtain a 
 hearing for the moral truths He came especially to 
 enunciate and to be a witness to the great fact 
 that body and soul constitute one man, so that 
 what affects the body for good or evil, likewise 
 affects the soul. 
 
 The fact that the opponents of Jesus also claimed 
 to be workers of miracles, does not militate against 
 this view. 
 
 Just as hypocrisy is the tribute vice pays to 
 virtue, so imitation presupposes the existence of 
 something anterior and more precious — it does not 
 lower the value of the original. 
 
 There is something to be said for the statement 
 that the narratives at our disposal are simply the 
 vehicle and mystery of a hidden truth — or, shall 
 we say, the husk containing the kernel ? Perhaps, 
 however, the deeper view is the more correct and 
 impressive — viz., that we only want more know- 
 ledge (such, in fact, as that to which we have 
 already attained in regard to natural forces) to 
 find out that what was done by our Lord was in 
 accordance with the working of natural sequence, 
 or law, in that region where the physical and the 
 psychical spheres overlap. 
 
 After all, therefore, the popular idea of miracles 
 has. something to be said for it. The works were 
 miracles according to our present knowledge. 
 
 158 
 
Miracles 
 
 Thus the Higher Criticism bids us hold to our 
 belief because of the spiritual and moral truths 
 which are all-important to us in the struggle of 
 the inner life, and wait patiently until further and 
 more exact knowledge teaches us the causes of the 
 outward phenomena around us and within — not 
 only the How and the When, but also the Why and 
 the Wherefore! 
 
 The chief evidential witness to us, in these 
 latter days, lies in the parabolic teaching of the 
 miracles — which is so strongly asserted by the 
 Evangelists, especially by S. John — so that we 
 finally take refuge in some such questions and 
 answers as appealed to the Psalmist. " He that 
 planted the ear, shall He not again make to 
 hear ?" " Or He that made the eye, shall He not 
 again make to see ? " " Or He that nurtureth the 
 heathen, shall He not much more teach the people 
 knowledge ? — shall He not control, sustain and 
 bless ? " 
 
 The method of analysis pursued in this essay 
 may not commend itself to those who are content 
 to say : " The explanation of this is perfectly 
 simple. Jesus was more than man, He was 
 Divine. If you allow that there is a superhuman, 
 a supernatural, element disclosed in one instance, 
 you surrender the whole position, for what would 
 be effectual in operating in one case, might be 
 effectual in all." 
 
 The effort may, however, approve itself to that 
 increasing number who humbly try to learn some- 
 thing of the way in which God works, and of the 
 
 159 
 
Miracles 
 
 mode in which He communicates His gifts to men. 
 He condescends to work by means. If we endea- 
 vour to realize what these means are, it will tend 
 to His greater glory, and to our advancement, 
 not only in knowledge, but in usefulness. The 
 acceptance of such theories as plenary inspiration 
 leads to intellectual inertness and arrest of mental 
 growth. 
 
 This essay can claim but to represent an 
 honest effort to enlarge the scientific view ; and 
 although the analysis appears to fail here and 
 there, and sometimes, therefore, to render con- 
 clusions uncertain, yet that may not be because 
 the analysis is of a wrong order, but rather because 
 it has been applied by an imperfect hand. The 
 investigation, however, is comparatively novel, and 
 it may well be that others shall pursue it with 
 a better chance of success. 
 
 i6o 
 
THE CHURCH AND HUMAN 
 THOUGHT 
 
 THIS Essay refers to Section B. of the Pro- 
 gramme of the Pan-Anglican Congress of 
 1908, as set out below: — 
 
 Section B. — The Church and Human Thought— (i) Chris- 
 tian Revelation and the similar claims of other 
 Religions. (2) (a) The Faith and Pantheism (e.g., 
 Hinduism and Modern Western tendencies) ; (6) The 
 Faith and Agnosticism. (3) {a) The Faith and non- 
 Theological Ethical Systems {e.g., Buddhism, Con- 
 fucianism, Secularism) ; {&) The Faith and Legalistic 
 Systems {e.g., Islam, Caste). (4) The Faith and 
 Science. (5) Literature and the Press. (6) The 
 Bible, how it ought to be taught. 
 
 In the first place, — What do we mean by the 
 Church ? Used in the above connection, the 
 term signifies — the Anglican Communion at Home 
 and Abroad — constituting a branch of the Holy 
 Church Catholic. The phrase — the Anglican Com- 
 munion — may further be defined in different ways 
 — orthodox or unorthodox, indifferent or antagon- 
 istic — according to prejudice or predilection. 
 
 According to the orthodox definition, it would 
 be said to be of Divine origin, the inheritor of the 
 
 i6i L 
 
The Church and Human Thought 
 
 traditions and promises relating to the One Cove- 
 nant Church of old time ; the channel of Divine 
 Grace to man ; the keeper and viritness of Holy 
 Writ ; the sphere of action of the apostolic ministry ; 
 the dispenser of the Sacraments ; the accredited 
 witness to the faith once for all delivered to the 
 Saints. 
 
 If this were fully assured and allowed on all sides, 
 the Essay on its relation to the various divisions of 
 our subject would not be difficult to indite. At 
 all events, we will allow it to pass for the present. 
 
 At this point, the completion of our title comes 
 in — " Human Thought " ; by which we presume is 
 meant ^^ Modern Human Thought" — i.e., the parti- 
 cular phase of universal experience and expression 
 which has emerged from the past, and holds the 
 field at the present time. 
 
 The conception of Modern Human Thought 
 introduces various considerations : — 
 
 (i) It enlarges the idea of a personal or a 
 written revelation, and demonstrates the fact that 
 there is, indeed, another revelation from the stars, 
 from the rocks, as well as from the pages of a 
 book — so that one's ideas respecting the personality 
 and attributes of a Great First Cause necessarily 
 receive considerable amplification. 
 
 (2) It calls into being the records of the past 
 — historical, philological, archaeological, and the 
 like — and philosophizes as to the presence and 
 action of God in Universal History. 
 
 (3) It engages in verbal analysis of the various 
 writings which have come down to us in our 
 
 163 
 
The Church and Human Thought 
 
 Canon ; and, further, in respect of the Higher 
 Criticism, it searches into the genuineness and 
 authenticity of these compositions. 
 
 (4) It follows the scientific method in its in- 
 vestigations, and disengages itself from the mere 
 authority or ipse dixit of any individual writer — 
 however venerable his period or hitherto unques- 
 tioned his deliverance. It adopts the same prin- 
 ciple in respect of any Conciliar decree or Canon 
 usually received. 
 
 Thus, it no longer suffices to plead for our 
 Faith the three requisites formerly deemed suffi- 
 cient — viz.. Divine Revelation, Universal Accept- 
 ance, in time Catholic Consent. 
 
 (i) Dogmatic teaching on these lines — save in 
 respect of the young or unlearned — is discredite d 
 and, in some quarters, set at nought. 
 
 (2) This tendency is furthered by the fact that 
 the Church of to-day is non-progressive, in fact, is 
 hide-bound ; that candidates for her ministry are 
 trained on mediaeval lines, so that they look fof 
 inspiration to the past rather than to the present. 
 
 It were well — save for purposes of historical 
 research — that most of the musty theological 
 tomes to be found encumbering the shelves of 
 our diocesan libraries were burnt at Smithfield 
 by the Archbishop of Canterbury in person. 
 
 (3) The Church has made herself, her ministry, 
 her offices, too cheap ; so that, e.g., individuals 
 use the words of the Common Prayer Book, in 
 her daily services, in an indifferent and non-natural 
 sense — those who are manifestly and avowedly 
 
 163 
 
The Church and Human Thought 
 
 casuals and aliens being treated to all the privi- 
 leges that should be reserved for her true and 
 loyal children. Indififerentism of this description 
 readily matures into antagonism. 
 
 The Force of Circumstances 
 
 Practically, circumstances have insensibly led 
 the Church to vary from century to century the 
 meaning and interpretation of her formularies. 
 
 As a matter of fact, our conceptions of God 
 and His universe, of the Creeds, of the cardinal 
 doctrines of the Faith, are different to-day from 
 what they were in the early centuries of the 
 Church's history ; or even when clergy of the 
 present generation commenced their ministry. But 
 this truth is not generally accepted. Orthodox 
 theologians still talk of unchangeable dogma, and 
 seem to regard it as a virtue that their first im- 
 pressions should be preserved unchanged. In 
 truth, that is their greatest condemnation. The 
 world is advancing, science is developing, the 
 individual himself is growing by cumulation of 
 knowledge, and by exercise of faculty — therefore 
 God is growing ; inasmuch as every extended 
 realization of God and of the religious idea must 
 ultimately be subjective — every recipient ultimately 
 making his own God. 
 
 One repeats, therefore, God is growing — by 
 which is meant, that man's apprehension of God 
 is growing. If development and world-growth 
 be allowed to have their perfect work, a higher 
 
 164 
 
The Church and Human Thought 
 
 type of religion and service must ultimately be 
 evolved. 
 
 But it must sorrowfully be admitted that in 
 any effort to increase knowledge and faith the 
 Church of the present day has but a small share ; 
 her conception of twentieth-century problems 
 being imperfect, her sympathies limited, her 
 breasts dry, her energies mainly directed to 
 sectional squabbles. At her worst, she represents 
 the backwater of the River of Life — the full tide 
 flowing on independently towards the eternal Sea. 
 
 We come now to consider the various sub- 
 divisions of our subject, which, for logical reasons, 
 we will deal with in a different order from that in 
 which they are set out in the Syllabus. 
 
 Section i. — The Faith and Science 
 
 Who can read the history of the controversies 
 of the past fifty or sixty years between theolo- 
 gians and scientists without feelings of astonish- 
 ment and even shame ? Doubtless, the so-called 
 defenders of the Faith merely expressed the tra- 
 ditional views held by the man in the street as 
 to the Mosaic cosmogony, the Noachian Deluge, 
 and the like ; but what then becomes of the 
 contention that Theology is the Queen of the 
 Sciences, and that it is the duty of the clergy 
 to teach, as it is of the laity to learn ? 
 
 Theologians have entrenched themselves be- 
 hind artificial theories of inspiration, impossible 
 chronologies, literal interpretations of the poetic 
 
 165 
 
The Church and Human Thought 
 
 and metaphorical — as if one should yoke a cart- 
 horse to the chariot of the sun ! — the worst 
 aspect of the question being that there are 
 many teachers and preachers still who, in these 
 particulars, are centuries behind the times. 
 
 Honestly speaking, one does not see how we 
 can deal with Science, unless we cut ourselves 
 adrift from past prejudice and obstinacy — put on 
 the white sheet of repentance — and tardily (as it 
 proves) acknowledge the assured fruits of her 
 labours, as they are garnered for each generation. 
 
 It is unnecessary to anticipate the objection 
 that Science has erred and will err — that her way 
 is strewn with exploded fallacies and discarded 
 theories. True — yet her path has been pro- 
 gressive, just because she has acknowledged and 
 profited by her mistakes. 
 
 Section 2. — The Bible, how it Ought 
 TO BE Taught 
 
 This section leads one to speak of the Bible 
 and the mode in which it should be taught. 
 
 Herein, one pleads for a recognition of its 
 place of origin, of its original appeal to the 
 childhood of the race, of its progressive growth 
 in morality and true religion, of its character as 
 a compilation from traditionary records, of the 
 obscurity of many texts by reason of frequent 
 transcription, of the probability that (within 
 limits consonant with the tmiformity of Nature) 
 there would also be a uniformity in respect 
 of the operations of grace, thus leading to our 
 
 166 
 
The Church and Human Thought 
 
 reconsideration of the meaning and interpreta- 
 tion of such elements of the sacred story as 
 miracle, prophecy, and the personal and objective 
 dealing of the Divine with individuals. 
 
 One presumes that most Anglicans have given up 
 Chillingworth's dictum that "the Bible and the 
 Bible alone, is the religion of Protestants " — 
 partly, perhaps, because we have resigned the 
 name of Protestant, as not fully illustrative of our 
 present position. To make the above-mentioned 
 principle operative, it would require that an in- 
 fallible Book should have an earthly infallible 
 interpreter. The assumption that this was pos- 
 sible, led to the abuse of private judgment and 
 to the multiplication of sects — inasmuch as each 
 body of separatists appealed to its interpretation 
 of the Bible and found therein — to its own satis- 
 faction — a complete justification of its position. 
 
 We may now endeavour to put the Church in 
 her proper place, viz., first — carrying the Bible in 
 her hand, being constituted by God its witness 
 and interpreter — able therefore to vary that inter- 
 pretation according as more light is thrown upon 
 its pages from century to century. 
 
 In respect of this conception of the Bible record, 
 and the teaching of the same, an instructive object- 
 lesson is furnished to us by the recent action 
 of the Papal authorities in the promulgation of 
 the Bull, De Pascendi. In her conception of the 
 relation of the Church to the Bible, the Roman 
 Church has always had a theoretical advantage 
 over Protestant communities ; but, in her blind 
 
 167 
 
The Church and Human Thought 
 
 hatred of modern philosophy and science, she has 
 now given away her advantage, and cut herself 
 off from the possibility of reform. 
 
 As teachers, we should naturally sympathize 
 with any efforts made by properly constituted 
 authority to keep pure and undefiled the sources 
 of instruction provided for the flock ; but in 
 regard to this form of Papal action, we seem 
 to have the right thing done in the wrong 
 manner. 
 
 Even in the title applied to their crusade — an 
 attack upon " Modernism " — they gave their case 
 away, seeming to allow that the Church has no 
 progressive message from her Divine Head to 
 suit the varying needs of the ages, as these needs 
 present new problems for solution. If the Papal 
 protagonists laboured to insist on the preservation 
 of principles, one might go a long way with them ; 
 but it is the very height of folly and that form 
 of madness preceding dissolution, when eternal 
 salvation is made to depend practically upon 
 such slender and insignificant supports as, e.g., 
 the literal interpretation of the narrative found 
 in Gen. iii. 
 
 Section 3. — Literature and the Press 
 
 As regards the newspaper religious press, one 
 cannot say much for the fairness or charity of 
 our principal organs. The London and Pro- 
 vincial daihes and weeklies are largely run by 
 persons indifferent or hostile to the Church — 
 
 168 
 
The Church and Human Thought 
 
 many being Radicals or Jews. Their use is sadly 
 neglected by Churchmen ; manifold opportunities 
 being hereby lost for counteracting evil and dis- 
 seminating truth. 
 
 As for the religious book-press, the golden age 
 has passed away, represented by giants such 
 as Pusey, Keble, Christopher Wordsworth, Alford, 
 Tregelles, Scrivener, Robertson, Vaughan, Liddon, 
 Westcott, Hort, Lightfoot. The silver age has set 
 in — there being few great theologians, preachers, 
 authors, or hymn-writers of to-day. 
 
 It is unfortunate — from one point of view — that 
 the largest and most important theological output 
 of our generation is derived from German, United 
 States, or British Dissenting sources. 
 
 Many books, tracts, parish magazines, put forth 
 by the Societies, as well as by private indi- 
 viduals, are goody-goody, sickly, and sentimental, 
 working out a false moral in a feeble manner. 
 The process of evisceration practised by such 
 societies as the R.T.S. in respect of the MS. of 
 a new book on its presentation to members of a 
 Committee of varying faiths, does not tend to 
 fulness of teaching in regard to the Catholic Faith, 
 
 In many respects, in this particular, the children 
 of this generation are more clever, more ardent, 
 nay, strange to say, oftentimes, more manly than 
 the children of light. Note the strenuous efforts 
 put forth by the Rationalist Press to spread the 
 writings of such sledge-hammer disputants as 
 Huxley and Haeckel. 
 
 169 
 
The Church and Human Thought 
 
 Section 4 (a). — The Faith and Pantheism 
 {e.g., Hinduism and Modern Western 
 Tendencies) 
 
 As an introduction to this part of the subject, 
 it is important to notice that our Church — as a 
 Church — takes no official part in Missions. 
 
 Those of us who have visited Rome have been 
 struck by the imposing aspect of that building 
 across whose portals is inscribed : " The College 
 for the Propagation of the Faith." Considering 
 the self-denying efforts put forth during so many 
 years in the Mission Field by the Roman Church, 
 it is not surprising that she has realized such 
 remarkable results. 
 
 What a different state of things obtains in our 
 own communion ! With us, the work is left to semi- 
 private initiative andenergy. Is it wonderful that 
 it has largely fallen into the hands of party socie- 
 ties ? In some instances, their conception of the 
 Church and their loyalty to her as their nursing- 
 mother, may well be called in question. E.g., a 
 short time ago, the author received an invitation 
 from the authorities of a Church Society, asking 
 for prayers for the success of a Baptist Mission. 
 
 Needless to say, the request was ignored, seeing 
 that, in the words of the ordination vow, one was 
 pledged to banish and drive away all erroneous and 
 strange doctrines contrary to God's Word — and, 
 in one's humble judgment, the Baptist conception 
 of our first sacrament comes under that designation. 
 
 One cannot help seeing that work in the Mission 
 170 
 
The Church and Human Thought 
 
 Field has been largely based on false considera- 
 tions, viz., that all religions — save that derived 
 from the Jews — are inventions of the Devil, and 
 that consequently they must be destroyed, root 
 and branch, in order that our Western ideas and 
 systems may be rigidly and exclusively imposed 
 upon all other nations. 
 
 All honour to those noble men and women who, 
 during the past one hundred years or so, have left 
 our shores, and willingly surrendered their lives in 
 endeavouring to convert the heathen. Neverthe- 
 less, one cannot help seeing that the view they 
 took of the heathen world was partial, and, con- 
 sequently, untrue. 
 
 The study of Comparative History and Com- 
 parative Religion has taught us that every people, 
 as, indeed, every individual, has a message for the 
 world ; so that, in no nation, and in no age, has 
 the Supreme left Himself without a witness. 
 
 The true policy, then, is for missioners to live 
 amongst the people ; and wherever possible — in 
 spite of degradation and opposition — to study 
 sympathetically their manners and customs, their 
 history, and the history of their religious beliefs 
 and practices, so as to find out the original root- 
 ideas, to discover how far these coincide with, 
 or differ from, our own ; and how far they may 
 be purified and made to carry a higher meaning. 
 
 The ambition should be not so much to force 
 different peoples into the strait-waistcoat of our 
 beliefs and prejudices, our modes of thought, 
 government, and worship, as to develop their own 
 
 171 
 
The Church and Human Thought 
 
 peculiar genius and aptitude. In course of time, 
 the spread of education and of science will natu- 
 rally dissipate any grotesque elements which 
 may be formed on such systems of religion as 
 the Brahmanic and Hindoo. Further, the exten- 
 sion of common sympathy, charity, and respect, as 
 well as even the mechanical facilities of transport, 
 will tend to dissolve the bonds of caste. 
 
 The elevation of character one would desiderate 
 on the part of our countrymen who bear the 
 Christian name — our merchants, soldiers, sailors, 
 civil servants, and tourists — should tend to convert 
 these — one and all — into true missionaries. In 
 the eyes of the native, the distinction between 
 the missionary and the non-missionary — men of 
 the same race, language, and religion — must often 
 be very glaring. 
 
 It cannot be doubted that the abandonment 
 and immorahty — or even indifference to the 
 ordinary offices and duties of rehgion — on the 
 part of English travellers and seamen — all (so- 
 called) Christians — in foreign ports has produced 
 a feeling of astonishment and repulsion on the 
 part of thoughtful and self-respecting heathen — 
 and it cannot be doubted that there are many 
 such, even amongst the uncovenanted — i.e., all 
 Gentile — nations. 
 
 The divisions of Christendom, too, furnish an 
 object-lesson which the opponents of Christianity 
 are not slow to observe and comment upon. 
 Lastly — with the echoes of opium wars in China 
 ringing in one's ears — one cannot absolve our own 
 
 172 
 
The Church and Human Thought 
 
 Christian State itself from duplicity and self- 
 seeking. 
 
 One insists upon these truths in order to bring 
 to mind the fact that our own people need to be 
 missionized before — with a clear conscience — we 
 can send out missionaries to the " poor heathen." 
 
 One has often thought how grotesque it would 
 be if representatives of Buddha or Confucius were 
 sent to the New Cut, Ratcliffe Highway, the Seven 
 Dials, or even to some of our country parishes, 
 to teach such things as temperance, respect for 
 parents, and the like ! 
 
 The mental equipment of many of the early 
 missionaries was of the most slender description. 
 The Church sent out the youngest and least 
 instructed of her children, instead of the most 
 learned and practised. It is as if the War Office 
 were to despatch to an arduous campaign the 
 greenest of her recruits. They made the fatal mis- 
 take of despising those to whom they were sent ; 
 of openly displaying contempt for their religion 
 and philosophy, and the modes of life based there- 
 upon. To make the matter worse, this was done 
 without overmuch study of the sacred books of 
 those religions they so severely condemned, and 
 without the slightest idea that these religions 
 were, in most cases, centuries older than the 
 Christian Faith. 
 
 As a matter of fact, many Brahmans, Buddhists, 
 Confucianists, Mussulmans, are gifted with keen 
 intellects ; they are highly cultivated ; they are 
 learned in their language and literature ; they can 
 
 173 
 
The Church and Human Thought 
 
 worthily sustain a serious disputation, and give 
 good reasons for the faith that is in them. In 
 spite of the innate superiority of the Gospel of 
 Jesus, they must have succeeded in winning easy 
 victories again and again over the early exponents 
 of Christianity. 
 
 In respect of Pantheism — well, we are all Pan- 
 theists, more or less ; the difference between us 
 and the Hindoos being that we should recognize 
 the separate characterization of the Creator, and 
 (within limits imposed by birth, predestination, 
 &c.) of the individual, in the passing generations 
 of men ; our object being to recognize a Law 
 outside ourselves, and a subjective responsibility 
 to obey that Law. 
 
 One presumes that the reference in the sub- 
 division to modern Western tendencies is directed 
 to such speculations as those included within the 
 term — " The New Theology." Now, whilst feeling 
 quite as strongly as the exponents of that system 
 that the elements of our faith require to be re- 
 stated and re-set, one disagrees with them in the 
 conclusion that any prophet has yet appeared in 
 their midst possessing the learning, ability, skill, 
 or discretion to enable him to effect such a 
 re-statement. 
 
 Section 4 (6). — The Faith and Agnosticism 
 
 As with Pantheism, so with Agnosticism ; we 
 are all Agnostics to-day — if not, we ought to 
 be. In a primitive state of existence, the idea 
 
 174 
 
The Church and Human Thought 
 
 prevails of a personal and particular interference 
 of the tribal deity in every act and deed — however 
 petty — of every individual ; of his warning by 
 means of the eclipse, of his chastisement by the 
 storm and the tempest. Naturally — for, at that 
 epoch, the laws of the Universe were unknown, 
 and the sequences of cause and effect entirely mis- 
 apprehended or altogether hidden from view. On 
 the other hand, whilst WE acknowledge — somewhat 
 in like manner — 'the constant and unfailing action 
 of the Supreme God, we are beginning slowly to 
 apprehend, more or less intelligently, the manner of 
 His working. We regard an eclipse as a neces- 
 sary, periodic, harmless, astronomical event ; we 
 forecast the storm, and hoist the cone or the drum 
 accordingly ; at the first sign of personal infec- 
 tion, we send for the inspector of nuisances, we 
 overhaul our drains, we isolate and cultivate the 
 particular bacillus involved, and finally we inject 
 into the sufferer the appropriate anti-toxin. Yet 
 in all this we do not necessarily dispossess our- 
 selves of the mental and spiritual idea of a Primal 
 Cause, though,, to the outward eye, we confine our 
 attention alone to secondary causes and cures. 
 
 Many sequences have been already recognized, 
 many more have escaped us thus far. It must, 
 indeed, be admitted that Science, in all its 
 branches, is still in its infancy ; but, concerning 
 the unknown, the temper of mind of many 
 Christians is still the same as that of the savage 
 of old time. They are constantly bringing down 
 " the God from the machine " to cut every knot 
 
 175 
 
The Church and Human Thought 
 
 and solve every problem as it arises. It reminds 
 one of the manner in which the physiologists of 
 old time cheated themselves with a phrase, when 
 they ascribed the various changes taking place in 
 the human body to "vital energy" — being sub- 
 limely unconscious all the time that they were 
 thus simply begging the question. 
 
 In spite of the fact that the Almighty is still 
 veiled in darkness, that we cannot attain unto 
 logical or mathematical demonstration even of 
 His person or of the simplest modes of His 
 operation, such persons as have been indicated 
 assume that they know all about these things ; 
 and — as if they were private friends or on in- 
 timate terms with the Great Unknown — pro- 
 nounce confidently what His modes of thought and 
 action must be. Surely, it is more seemly, more 
 modest, more in accordance with the peaceful 
 growth of knowledge from less to more for us to 
 confess our ignorance, in order that we may be 
 led to investigate the causes of phenomena, and 
 finally to meet with our reward in being allowed 
 to enter surely — if slowly — into our full heritage 
 of knowledge. 
 
 It will be evident, on reflection, that the opposite 
 course leads to apathy and fatalism ; and that 
 agnosticism — in respect of the unknown and the 
 unproved — is the true attitude of the reverent 
 student and worshipper. Naturally, if (in the 
 face of the moral and scientific demonstration of 
 any particular truth — scientific or religous) a man 
 still says : " I will not believe," he is a fool, 
 
 176 
 
The Church and Human Thought 
 
 not a philosopher ; an Ignoramus, not a true 
 Agnostic. 
 
 Personally — as learners — we lay stress upon 
 the true connotation of the word in this connec- 
 tion — we write ourselves down as Freethinkers 
 and Agnostics ; inasmuch as we cannot help 
 feeling that our knowledge here below is but 
 perfect ignorance ; and that all things in this 
 passing show are but images of the true ; that so 
 long as we are in this mortal coil, the conviction 
 that we know a thing surely — that we have fully 
 mastered a particular truth — is the clearest proof 
 that we are mistaken. Certainty of thought is 
 impossible — since finality is impossible. 
 
 Section 5 («). — The Faith and non-Theo- 
 logical Ethical Systems {e.g., Buddhism, 
 Confucianism, Secularism) 
 
 Buddhism and Confucianism must be spoken 
 of with respect, in regard both to the number of 
 their adherents and to the simplicity, purity, and 
 unselfishness of multitudes of their adherents. 
 
 Why — as in the case of Confucianism, Taouism, 
 Shintoism, and the like — it has pleased Almighty 
 God to suffer systems to prevail so long and so 
 widely which ignore a personal deity, is one of 
 those mysteries connected with the government of 
 the world which, at present, must remain insoluble. 
 Mayhap, it was to furnish an opportunity for the 
 Christian Church to place a fitting superstruc- 
 ture upon that foundation, — a consummation which 
 
 177 m 
 
The Church and Human Thought 
 
 still lacks accomplishment ; although it may be 
 observed that those systems — in their theory and 
 practice — do not forbid such an eventuality. 
 
 The weakness of these purely ethical and 
 secularistic systems is evident. Usually, the 
 performance of a moral, non-instinctive act pos- 
 tulates three requisites : — 
 
 (i) an adequate motive ; 
 (ii) an adequate force ; 
 (iii) an adequate end. 
 
 All purely ethical systems fail, especially in re- 
 spect of the first and last of these requisites — viz., 
 the motive and the end to be gained. They are 
 limited by the sense of fitness of external things on 
 the part of the individual actor, and of his concep- 
 tion of the limits of altruism — leading, at the best, 
 to an imperfect apprehension of an imperfect 
 obligation. No head of water can rise above its 
 source. If one confines one's thoughts, activ- 
 ities, and aspirations to man, one cannot get 
 beyond the limits which bound the life of man 
 as an earthly being. One may try ever so hard 
 to raise oneself from the ground by seizing one- 
 self by the feet, but it will be found impossible 
 to lift oneself up — yea, by even so much as the 
 thousandth part of an inch. 
 
 At this point, spiritual evolution comes to our 
 aid. The Christ-Man supplies what is lacking. 
 He lifts to a higher plane this world and all 
 things and all persons thereto attaching. In re- 
 ference to the requisites for any act — however 
 
 178 
 
The Church and Human Thought 
 
 trivial or menial — He supplies and sublimates the 
 motive ; He assists and heightens the expendi- 
 ture of effort ; and through the media alike of a 
 softened heart, an enlightened understanding, and 
 a regenerated will, He furnishes the highest stamp 
 of approval, and also a blessing and reward both 
 present and to come. 
 
 It will be understood that these remarks also 
 apply as a critique of Western Secularism as a 
 system of ethics. 
 
 Section 5 {b). — The Faith and Synthetic 
 Systems {e.g., Islam, Caste) 
 
 Mohammedanism obtained its early triumphs 
 partly by reason of the virility and strenuousness of 
 its promoters ; partly, because of the degradation 
 of the faith of the Jews and Christians amongst 
 whom it originated in Arabia, i n its palmy days, it 
 exhibited wondrous originality and vitality in re- 
 spect of science, literature, and architecture, as well 
 as of war and conquest. Even now, the degenera- 
 tion of peoples professing the faith of Islam is much 
 exaggerated ; e.g., in the Levant, the comparison 
 between Christian and Mussulman — represented 
 respectively by the Greek and the Turk — is largely 
 in favour of the latter. There are historical 
 causes for this circumstance, into which we need 
 not enter, but there is no doubt that the supple, 
 pliant, cringing, Greek cuts a bad figure by the 
 side of the full-blooded son of the Prophet. 
 Further, it is only fair to say that the religious 
 
 179 
 
The Church and Human Thought 
 
 observances of Mohammedans are usually carried 
 out with the greatest exactitude and with every 
 evidence of sincerity. 
 
 It is interesting to note that a propaganda has 
 been started in both divisions of the Moham- 
 medan world, the Sunni and the Shiite, which 
 will assuredly have startling effects, viz., that 
 of Babiism in Persia, and that of Mohammedan 
 missionaries round the western shores of Africa. 
 
 Until Christendom is purged, enlightened, and 
 consolidated, there is not much chance of its 
 converting the Moslem. At present, he exhibits 
 the most savage bigotry and antipathy to Chris- 
 tianity ; and there is some excuse for this feeling. 
 The dealings of the European Powers and of the 
 authorities of the Balkan States with the " un- 
 speakable Turk " are not such as to impress his 
 mind with due conceptions of Christian honesty, 
 charity, courage, or wisdom. Further, the manifest 
 and recurring extravagancies and jealousies of 
 Christian sects — even in the Holy City itself — 
 must tempt the unbeliever to say with bitter scorn ; 
 " See how these Christians love one another ! " 
 
 Section 6. — Christian Revelation, and the 
 SIMILAR Claims of Other Religions 
 
 This has been incidentally touched upon under 
 the preceding sections, so that nothing more need 
 be said about it here. 
 
 i8o 
 
THE REVIVAL OF ECCLE- 
 SIASTICAL DISCIPLINE 
 
 THE word Discipline has several meanings. 
 It may refer to the regimen exercised by 
 the individual on himself ; to that exercised by the 
 official superior on the clergy of his diocese ; or by 
 the Church, as a whole (or the minister, as the 
 representative of that Church), on the sheep of the 
 flock. It is in the last sense that it is used in this 
 Essay ; in the same sense, in fact, as that in which 
 it is employed in the Commination Service. At 
 the beginning of that Office, reference is made to 
 a godly discipline which, in the Primitive Church, 
 was brought into operation at the beginning of 
 Lent ; and utterance is given to the opinion that 
 it were much to be wished that the said Discipline 
 might be restored. This Introduction was com- 
 posed in 1549, and, for three centuries and a half, 
 the aspiration therein embodied has remained un- 
 altered. Further, clergy and laity alike acquiesce 
 in the acceptance of this state of things ! Why ? 
 Is the present condition satisfactory ? Is the 
 absence of discipline a proof that no discipline 
 is needed ? Is it expedient that we should remain 
 passive, rather than take stock of our position and 
 strive to elaborate a workable system for differen- 
 tiating between the sincere believer and the barren 
 
 181 
 
Revival of Ecclesiastical Discipline 
 
 professor ? Has private effort on the part of the 
 clergy dispensed with the necessity for public 
 and corporate action ? On the other hand, Is 
 the renewal of Ecclesiastical Discipline desirable ? 
 Can anything be done, as the result of a quickened 
 public conscience, and of the successive waves of 
 feeling — Evangelical, High Church, Ritualistic, and 
 Broad Church — which have swept over the com- 
 munity during the last hundred years ? 
 
 Bishop Barry says : " In early times, public Con- 
 fession and Penance were inflicted on notorious 
 offenders, especially at the opening of Lent, with a 
 view to absolution and restoration to Communion 
 at Easter. This gradually gave place, first, to 
 private confession to a Priest especially appointed 
 and termed a Penitentiary (beginning in the case 
 of sins of which it was a scandal openly to speak) ; 
 then to systematic Private Confession and Absolu- 
 tion, made a regular part of Christian life, and 
 a necessary element in the preparation for the 
 Holy Communion ; this last mode of confession 
 being subsequently exalted by the Mediaeval Church 
 to the name and dignity of a Sacrament. When 
 Auricular Confession was abolished as an obligation, 
 our Reformers of the sixteenth century, being still 
 stern upholders of discipline, desired (even as this 
 Introduction shows) to return to the substance of 
 the primitive practice. Finding that course im- 
 practicable under the difficult circumstances in 
 which they were placed, they inserted this solemn 
 service of warning (in the rubrics of 1549, ap- 
 pointed to be said on Ash Wednesday only ; but 
 
 182 
 
Revival of Ecclesiastical Discipline 
 
 in those of 1552, at divers times in the year), fall- 
 ing back, at the same time, on the General Confes- 
 sion and Absolution as the rule, and on Private 
 Confession and Absolution as the exception." ^ 
 
 In the course of three hundred and fifty years, 
 conditions have vastly changed ; new ideas and 
 forms have been brought into operation, affecting 
 every department of political, social, and ecclesi- 
 astical life. Such are : — 
 
 1. The sapping of regal authority. 
 
 2. The destruction of the idea of a personal, constraining, 
 and semi-infallible authority, such as the Papacy; and the 
 substitution — in part, of the secular arm; — -in part, of a 
 Book — the Bible — which proved to be susceptible of as 
 many interpretations as there chanced to be interpreters. 
 
 3. The abolition of the feudal system; the extinction or 
 modification of the old nobility ; the rise of a commercial 
 middle class, wielding the power of the purse, frequently 
 displaying violent prejudice against so-called sacerdotal 
 pretensions or claims. 
 
 4. The spread of general education, whereby was reduced 
 the intellectual chasm formerly existing between the clerk 
 and the layman. 
 
 5. The growth of toleration and the concession of the 
 right of private judgment. 
 
 6. The progress of Dissent, whereby were furnished a 
 place of appeal and a haven of refuge to those penalized 
 by the Church, or even rendered but mildly dissatisfied with 
 their treatment within her fold. 
 
 Naturally, after the great crisis of the seven- 
 teenth century, during which the two great bodies 
 of the English people were arrayed against each 
 
 1 Teacher's Prayer Book, p. 172. 
 183 
 
Revival of Ecclesiastical Discipline 
 
 other in civil war, deeds were done and memories 
 implanted which vanity and prejudice are never- 
 more likely to forget. 
 
 An attempt was made by the original Reformers 
 to enforce Discipline ; and, to that end, the Court 
 of High Commission was founded in 1559. By 
 that Court, all jurisdiction in spiritual things was 
 vested in the Crown. Incidentally it was intended 
 to exercise discipline over individuals. Originally 
 it had no authority to fine or imprison. Under 
 Charles I. and Archbishop Laud, it assumed larger 
 powers than Parliament thought warrantable ; and, 
 as the result of a complaint from that body, it 
 was abolished in 1641. 
 
 Now, the Church being a spiritual community, 
 and, as such, governed by spiritual or ecclesiastical 
 laws, her discipline would naturally consist in 
 putting these laws into execution, and inflicting 
 the penalties or penances enjoined against the 
 several sorts of offenders. This being allowed, we 
 ask : " What indication, in the present day, does 
 our Church afford of the particular sins or offences 
 which should exclude an individual from partici- 
 pation in public worship or Holy Communion ? " 
 " What penalties does she impose corresponding 
 to the public admonition of the offender in the 
 past, and the Greater or Less Excommunication ? " 
 " What acts of public Penitence or Penance does 
 she prescribe ? " 
 
 One admits that these questions sound antiquated 
 and unreal. Is this a bad sign or a good one ? 
 
 As we know from the Scriptures, Acts of 
 184 
 
Revival of Ecclesiastical Discipline 
 
 Discipline were frequent in the Jewish and Early 
 Christian Church. In the palmy days of the 
 Papacy, too, even princes and magistrates fell 
 under the Church's public censure ; and, in respect 
 of whole nations, occasionally, the dread interdict 
 was brought to bear with crushing force. More- 
 over, in our own experience. Popes have held 
 excommunicate Kings of Italy ; and, under the 
 same system, a hold is still obtained over the 
 individual by means of Auricular Confession and 
 Private Penance (an instrument called, par excel- 
 lence, the Discipline, being sometimes employed 
 for the infliction of this chastisement). Even in 
 the Roman Church, however. Public Penance has 
 been allowed to fall somewhat into desuetude. 
 
 Further, amongst Protestants, the Wesleyan 
 Body lays down certain laws as to membership, 
 and keeps a hold over its members and their lives 
 by means of Experience- and Class-Meetings. 
 Most of the so-called Free Churches have analo- 
 gous modes of procedure, though the rules of dif- 
 ferent bodies differ in degree of strictness. Thus, 
 there are General Baptists and Particular Baptists — 
 the latter section excluding from the Lord's Table 
 any who are not enrolled as members. 
 
 Upon a review of the conditions obtainable in 
 other bodies, we are constrained to admit that 
 there is no communion in which there is so great 
 diversity of doctrine, faith, and practice as in our 
 own ; or where there is so much indiscriminate 
 liberty allowed to the clergy, and so much licence 
 to the laity. On these latter folk, allegiance sits 
 
 i8s 
 
Revival of Ecclesiastical Discipline 
 
 but loosely. They come to Church or not, as 
 they please ; they come to the baptismal and 
 marriage services without any specific inquiry 
 being made as to the way in which they recognize 
 this membership, or the rightful discharge of their 
 duties. So long as they fulfil their legal and 
 financial obligations, they are safe ; and, at the end 
 of their lives, they are wrapped in the fine linen 
 of the Church's Service, although their degree of 
 churchmanship (and often the very fact of this 
 churchmanship) is unknown to the officiant. 
 
 There are, to be sure, our Ecclesiastical Courts ; 
 but these are mainly concerned with offences 
 against morals, or lapses into unorthodoxy, on 
 the part of the clergy. In some cases, the tables 
 are turned, as between the clergy and laity. A 
 few years ago, for instance, a parish priest was 
 proceeded against by a parishioner for refusing 
 him the Holy Communion on the ground that 
 he did not beheve in a personal devil. Certain 
 other causes celebres there are, but nothing that 
 '\*ould illustrate the bringing to bear of ordinary 
 discipline upon members of the flock. The writer 
 remembers a case in which a parish priest, in the 
 course of divine service, excommunicated with 
 bell, book, and candle, a member of his congre- 
 gation for persistent disobedience to his pastoral 
 injunctions — but " one swallow does not make a 
 spring," and the stir created by his action demon- 
 strated the infrequency of such a proceeding. 
 
 Modes of procedure and historical disquisitions 
 relating to the general subject can be found in 
 
 i86 
 
Revival of Ecclesiastical Discipline 
 
 such books as Bingham's Origines Ecclesiasticce, 
 Books 1 8 and 19 ; Martine's De Antiquis Ecclesice 
 Ratibus; and Maskell's Monumenta Ritualia, ii. 286 ; 
 but there seems to be a lack of works deaHng 
 with the pubHc witness of the Church as to her 
 authority to look into faith and morals, to warn 
 the offender, and to punish the recalcitrant. 
 
 Of course, the clergy act privately (and so far 
 effectively) as disciplinarians ; but their hands are 
 largely tied, because they have no rules laid down 
 for their guidance, and no backing from the Church 
 herself as a corrective agent. The utter abandon- 
 ment of any test in respect of the qualifications of 
 the individual for participation in public service 
 and communion has led to a curious reversal of 
 the fitness of things. Our Church Service is in- 
 tended for the Children of the Church, yet (without 
 regard to personal character) we beg all and sundry 
 — we warn, threaten, cajole, and bribe them — to 
 come to church ; in many ways, putting the cart 
 before the horse and seeking for an effect apart 
 from an efficient cause. It is clear that the Church 
 does not look for conversion to take place in the 
 act of service, but that conversion is presupposed. 
 As the case stands, the church doors are thrown 
 open wide ; any one who likes, even with the 
 lowest motives, can enter indiscriminately, with- 
 out question being raised ; the act itself is counted 
 unto him for righteousness ; he is patted on the 
 back, made to feel that he is a fine fellow, and that 
 he has laid the Church and her minister under 
 a deep obligation. Has not persistence in this 
 
 187 
 
Revival of Ecclesiastical Discipline 
 
 course lowered the Church and even religion itself 
 in the estimation of the working man ; who, like 
 a spoilt child, has had all things done for him and 
 paid for him for the sake of having in return his 
 grudging word and infrequent patronage ? The 
 question : " Why does not the working man come 
 to church ?" merely ministers to his vanity. It is 
 put in the wrong form. Who was it that said, 
 " Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither 
 cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample 
 them under their feet, and turn again and rend 
 you " (Matt. vii. 6) ? In like manner, the obligation 
 to come to the Eucharistic Service, especially at 
 Easter, is, naturally enough, emphatically laid down; 
 but, in some cases, in such wise, that the idea of 
 a fitting state of mind and life is thrust into the 
 background, so that the exercise becomes little more 
 than a conventional, fashionable, semi-religious, dis- 
 sipation. Clerical statisticians add up their " com- 
 munions " with eagerness, and compare the sum 
 total with that of past years, or of rival parishes. 
 If this total be only sufficiently high, or the balance 
 be struck in their favour, they are satisfied — they 
 have reached the ne plus ultra of endeavour and 
 success. Is it not legitimate, then, to conclude, 
 without a breach of charity, that, in cases like unto 
 these, quantity is considered rather than quality ; 
 the form, the fasting, the several Points, the daily 
 reception, rather than the substance, the true Real 
 Presence — a too easy approach thus leading to a 
 general lowering of the tone of religious life, and 
 a degradation of the Sacrament itself ? 
 
 i88 
 
Revival of Ecclesiastical Discipline 
 
 Doubtless, it is easier to point out the evil and 
 to ask questions than to suggest a remedy ; but 
 (assuming that some of the theories on which 
 present-day practice is founded are unsound, and 
 that, therefore, this practice is imperfect) it must 
 be conceded that the lapse of time will but make 
 matters worse ; and that efforts should, at once, be 
 put forth to lift up some higher standard than the 
 present. In these latter days, instead of the Church 
 converting the world, it is, in truth, the other way 
 about. The Wesleyan Revival was a protest against 
 a similar state of things a century and a half ago. 
 
 Obviously, it must be allowed that the individual 
 witness of the parish priest is effective as far as it 
 goes, and that it is exercised in the redressing of 
 the evils of which we have spoken. Yet, nowa- 
 days, the methods of many a priest are secular, 
 much of his time being taken up with matters only 
 indirectly spiritual. Further, his intellectual status 
 is more on a level with that of the average member 
 of his flock, so that his influence, on this side, has 
 changed in its incidence. Infallibility and intel- 
 lectual aloofness are no longer conceded. Men 
 challenge his reasoning and his conclusions, and 
 defend their own position and theories — be they 
 logical or illogical — on equal terms. 
 
 The status, too, of the Church as established, and 
 the latitudinarian conditions of membership, hamper 
 the discretion of the clergy; as also do the exist- 
 ence and activity of powerful and aggressive dissent. 
 
 It may be conceded that the revival of Dis- 
 cipline may be deprecated by reason of its 
 
 189 
 
Revival of Ecclesiastical Discipline 
 
 impossibility, or of its inexpediency — but ought 
 these words to be apphed to Christian ethics and 
 Christian duty ? Is there nothing that the clergy, as 
 accredited spiritual persons, could legitimately do ? 
 The one proof of the truth of religion is to be found 
 in the fact that it is able to work impossibilities. 
 
 We venture to offer certain suggestions in the 
 direction of effecting the desired object : — 
 
 (a) In the first place, an endeavour should be 
 made to place the mission and authority of the 
 Church in their true light. 
 
 We acknowledge the benefits derivable from 
 the union of the Church with the State ; but, 
 in a spiritual sense, it has certain disadvantages. 
 For instance, is not the acceptance of the position 
 that every baptized person, ipso facto, is a member 
 of the Church, and that considerations of member- 
 ship are of a merely legal character, subversive of 
 the principle that faith in the merits of a crucified 
 Saviour furnishes, in the sight of God, the only 
 qualification for spiritual union with His Church ? 
 
 The Monarch may be styled the Head of the 
 Church, Parliament may legislate for her govern- 
 ment, but the Divine Headship must be em- 
 phasized if the ministers of God wish to have a 
 justification for exercising spiritual authority over 
 their people. Then, all things will fall into their 
 due order. God will be set forth as the Source of 
 Law ; the Church, as the Channel, the Authority, to 
 lay down Umits, to determine forms of discipline ; 
 the Minister, as the Instrument ; the flock as the 
 subject ; the mode of appeal as determined by the 
 
 190 
 
Revival of Ecclesiastical Discipline 
 
 elements of our nature, as exhibited in the emotions, 
 the conscience, the understanding, and the will. 
 
 In the Middle Ages, the Church became synony- 
 mous with the Papal Court — that was the infal- 
 lible Authority which promulgated and interpreted 
 edicts and formularies. Theoretically, this was 
 perfect; but it was carried into practice with 
 every accompaniment of greed, corruption, ignor- 
 ance, and superstition. In our own country, after 
 the Reformation, the Bible was exalted into an 
 infallible standard ; but it failed in this particular, 
 inasmuch as every body of Christians found it 
 could interpret disputed points in its own way. 
 Man is ever seeking for an authority which is 
 absolute, but we are now driven to rest upon a 
 broader foundation. Thus, we have with us the 
 Bible, in a legislative sense ; the authority of the 
 Church, in an interpretative and disciplinary sense ; 
 the conscience of all believers, in a judicial sense. 
 
 But we have to bear in mind the fact that, in 
 the present day, the Scriptures, the Creeds, the 
 Articles and Formularies of our Church, the De- 
 clarations of ancient Councils, yea, even the claims 
 of our Church herself, are alike expected to 
 justify themselves at the bar of reason — i.e., of 
 the conscience which is the sum of spiritual 
 experiences, past and present, and the product of 
 divine growth and evolution. Every age has 
 its own mode of apprehending, realizing, and ex- 
 pressing truth and feeling ; and it is the part 
 of the accredited ministers of God to bring it 
 about that this public judgment should be well 
 informed and influenced by a rigljiteous instinct. 
 
 191 
 
Revival of Ecclesiastical Discipline 
 
 (b) We further suggest the possibility of asso- 
 ciating with the incumbent a certain number of 
 communicants in every parish — in effect, the 
 Elders, both men and women — so as to form an 
 inner circle, a kind of vigilance committee, each 
 member of which binding himself to do his best, 
 in every legitimate manner,, to obtain the names 
 of those who needed strengthening by reason of 
 temptation to intemperance, immorality, backsliding, 
 non-church-going, and to deal with indifference 
 on the part of confirmees, or of lads and lasses 
 just leaving the Sunday School. This Committee 
 should meet periodically to take note of such 
 cases, to exchange views, to set on foot remedial 
 agencies, to offer united prayer for all concerned, 
 to lead each other to private intercession, to arrange 
 for systematic visitation, advice, guidance, and com- 
 panionship. 
 
 Undoubtedly, the difficulties attendant on the for- 
 mation and action of such a Committee would be 
 enormous ; but, if some such plan be not started 
 at once, these difficulties are likely to increase and 
 prove insuperable ; even as the complexity of 
 modern fife, and the restlessness and dislike to 
 restraint, alike increase. Again, the motives of 
 those concerned would be liable to misconstruc- 
 tion and suspicion ; and opposition and ridicule 
 would, at first, be provoked. Further, not only 
 would there be danger from without, but also from 
 within, inasmuch as there would be a fear of the 
 meetings degenerating into places of gossip and 
 scandal-mongering ; so that the utmost wisdom 
 
 192 
 
Revival ot Ecclesiastical Discipline 
 
 and circumspection would be needed on all hands, 
 especially on the part of the inaugurator and 
 director. Moreover, in villages it would seem to 
 be impossible to gather efficient helpers ; but, on 
 the other hand, in such places the flock is well 
 under the purview of the shepherd. Even so, in 
 town and country ahke, it is to be apprehended 
 that the happiest results would flow from a know- 
 ledge being induced on the part of the vacillating, 
 the unruly, the tempted, even of the open repro- 
 bate and blasphemer, that a faithful band, moved 
 by loving and long-suffering compassion, undaunted 
 by difficulties and frequent failure, was persistently 
 offering up petitions for them to the Throne of 
 Grace, day by day, name by name. Prayer of itself 
 would avail much on the part both of petitioners 
 and of those for whom suffrages were offered ; for 
 faithful prayer is effectual, not only as prayer, 
 but also because it inevitably leads to active effort, 
 — prayer being the promise of work, even as work 
 is the justification of prayer. 
 
 This proposal would seem to be rendered more 
 acceptable by the fact that it would tend to involve 
 the laity in spiritual work, a desideratum much to be 
 sought after ; for it is well that the lay folk should 
 learn something of the travail of the clerical office, 
 and something of its difficulty ; thereby being taught 
 the nature of the responsibility of — what may be 
 called with truth and emphasis — the layTpriesthood. 
 
 Whether the above-named, or similar, plans 
 succeed or fail, it should encourage us to re- 
 member that the original Gospel still remains, that 
 
 193 N 
 
Revival of Ecclesiastical Discipline 
 
 our commission remains, that our function still has 
 free exercise, that opportunities are provided for 
 the National Clergy, a degree of authority being 
 conferred upon them which ministers of all sects 
 and bodies might well envy. 
 
 We have seen that (owing to various causes, 
 partly legal — due to the Establishment ; partly 
 general — due to the growth of Dissent, of free 
 thought, and of the relaxation of obedience) the 
 ideal of godliness has been lowered ; that the mixed 
 multitude has overpowered the chosen people ; 
 that there have been indiscriminate worship and 
 sacramental approach ; that belief in the efficacy 
 of the sacraments has been diminished ; that 
 participation in baptism and general communion 
 has become a test merely of respectability, an ex- 
 pression of good-natured desire to be conventional, 
 to do honour to the Vicar of the parish, or to some 
 " churchy " friend, in acquiescence in what pro- 
 fessionally such a one would naturally be expected 
 to suggest ; instead of what the attitude should 
 be — the thankful and heartfelt realization of the 
 Divine command, and the acceptance of a Saviour's 
 bounty. The difficulty is accentuated by the fact 
 that we have not to deal, as in the epoch when the 
 Commination Service was compiled, with a com- 
 parative handful of people in each parish — all of 
 them under the rule of the Church, and outwardly, 
 at all events, in obedient conformity with her rule 
 and practice — but with overwhelming numbers, in 
 all stages of ignorance >and even hostility — rightly 
 styled " the lapsed masses." 
 
 194 
 
Revival of Ecclesiastical Discipline 
 
 (c) Should not our teaching, then, be inspired 
 with the feehng and conviction that this is a time 
 embodying a distinct declension from the burn- 
 ing zeal and faith, ardent unto death, which dis- 
 tinguished the early ages ? — That the Church of 
 England needs to be recalled to a sense of her 
 divine mission ? — ^That we, who minister at her 
 altars, need a fresh consecration to enable us to rise 
 superior to ourselves, to secular calls, to domestic 
 felicities or infelicities, to social amenities ? — ^That, 
 in respect of the controversies of the day, we 
 should feel that we were not sent to reduce 
 Christian doctrine to the capacity or the tolerance 
 of the sceptic or the indifferent ; but rather to dis- 
 play our best arguments in action alike consistent 
 and Christ-like ; there being no need then to ask 
 the question, " Does that man believe what he is 
 set to teach ? " — That we should proclaim the 
 Church of Christ, within the Church of England, 
 as a true Society, possessing definite claims upon 
 the time, money, faith, hope, obedience — nay, the 
 whole life — of each and all of her members ? — That 
 we should cease to do or say anything to lead to 
 the opinion that one day was holier than another, 
 in the sense that public worship was alone possible 
 for that day, or that church-going was the chief 
 Christian virtue, and that its due performance 
 covered a multitude of sins ? — ^That we should 
 revive interest in the work of sponsors, and find 
 means for warning such as propose to take on 
 themselves that office, and for persistently keeping 
 before them the solemnity of the trust they were 
 
 195 
 
Revival of Ecclesiastical Discipline 
 
 about to undertake (which, at present, is largely 
 an empty form, being looked on merely as a con- 
 ventional mode of satisfying the requirements of 
 the Prayer Book, or, even in extreme cases, as a 
 means of gain or an excuse for feasting) ? — That 
 we should take steps for ascertaining the position 
 of those who come to be married, in respect of 
 Baptism, Confirmation, Communion, and of other 
 evidences of a serious life (the Church taking it for 
 granted that the principals are communicants) ? — 
 That we should " fence the tables," in the case of 
 those drawing near to the Holy Eucharist, and 
 warn off rather than invite ? 
 
 We repeat that Church privileges have become 
 depreciated in value by being made too common, 
 and by being freely pressed on terms acceptable 
 to the receiver rather than to the Giver. For 
 example, it should be noted that great harm is 
 done by promiscuous attendance at church on 
 the part of the careless, the indifferent, the 
 impenitent. The act of Confession with them is 
 no true act, therefore the Absolution cleanses not ; 
 yet we permit them to say, "The Lord is my 
 Shepherd " — " My soul is athirst for God, yea, even 
 for the living God." We invite them to sing : — 
 
 " I faint, I thirst, I die, to prove 
 The greatness of redeeming love, 
 The love of Christ for me ! " 
 
 What blasphemy ! What unreality in regard 
 to themselves ! What profanity towards God ! 
 What a deterrent to the would-be penitent ! 
 
 196 
 
Revival of Ecclesiastical Discipline 
 
 If the parable of the Tares and the Wheat be 
 quoted against the position here assumed, or if the 
 impossibiUty be declared of effecting a true sever- 
 ance between the sheep and the goats during the 
 present dispensation, it may be replied that no 
 interpretation of these allegories is justifiable 
 which leads to a disparagement of religion such 
 as we should all admit and lament. 
 
 As a matter of fact, our Common Prayer is not 
 intended for the unconverted, but for the con- 
 verted ; for those who, from their baptism, have 
 obediently followed the rule of the Church. In 
 respect of the indifferent, the invitation should not 
 be addressed, "Come to church," but "Come to 
 Christ." " Before you do this, stay away from 
 church, it is not the place for you ; you have not 
 learned the true prayer — the cry of the penitent. 
 You cannot praise God." This is only another 
 way of saying that our Church Service is unsuit- 
 able to the masses. 
 
 At the Reformation it was decreed that, at 
 certain times, all men were bound to come to 
 church ; recalcitrants being haled thither by the 
 officers, and, in the event of continued dis- 
 obedience, subjected to fine and imprisonment. 
 In the present day, we recognize the futility of 
 such a mode of procedure, allowing that it would 
 lead to service unwilling, and therefore insincere, 
 and to hyprocrisy doubly distilled ; but it may 
 well be questioned whether the moral suasion, 
 now exercised to the same end, does not equally 
 miss the mark through ignoring considerations 
 
 197 
 
Revival of Ecclesiastical Discipline 
 
 like unto those advanced above. Most offensive 
 are the smugness of demeanour and the patron- 
 age of the Church and clergy by those — whether 
 adults or children — who are fought for in respect 
 of Church and Sunday School by representatives 
 of rival bodies. Depend upon it, we shall win 
 the day by building up barriers rather than by 
 throwing them down. A most painful effect has 
 been produced on the minds of men — not alto- 
 gether of the straitest sect — by the vulgarization 
 of religion associated with the methods of certain 
 well-meaning revivalists, not altogether outside 
 our Church. 
 
 If a man have truly given his heart to Christ, 
 his first question would be, " Lord, what wilt 
 thou have me to do ? " As a result, he would be 
 forward to come to church, and to fulfil all the 
 other obligations resulting from the new relation. 
 He would not say, " How little can I do or 
 give?" — but, "How much?" A revival within 
 the Church must begin with the individual. 
 From the consecrated individual, as from a 
 centre, a spiritual impulse would arise in every 
 parish to sweep away mere conventionalities, as 
 well as to bring to bear upon the community a 
 motive force which would be evidenced in clergy 
 and laity — alike in public service and in private 
 ministration. 
 
 198 
 
Revival of Ecclesiastical Discipline 
 
 {d) Episcopal Help 
 
 Our bishops do not help us much. One must 
 not be considered as wanting in respect in saying 
 that they are now prelates rather than fathers-in- 
 God; that their attention is almost exclusively 
 occupied with parliamentary action, with questions 
 of legal import, patronage, sequestrations, and the 
 like ; the result being that they are too busy with 
 worldly things to attend to spiritual concerns. They 
 deal with the law rather than with the Gospel ; 
 they find it impossible to know their parishes or 
 clergy individually. It is a delusion to believe 
 that our Church is episcopal. In the parish with 
 which the writer is connected, apparently there 
 has been no visit from a bishop since the days 
 of Odo ; it is little to be wondered at that our 
 people are sceptical about their very existence ! 
 
 If, in the face of the present necessity, an 
 increase of the Episcopate be suggested, it should 
 be laid to heart that we need an Order between 
 the business prelate and the parish priest, who 
 should occasionally visit our rural deaneries and 
 parishes to confer, not only about the repair of 
 the weathercock or the churchyard fence, but 
 upon subjects of the highest import, the health 
 and progress of the Living Church. Such a one, 
 perhaps, without disadvantage, might be a bishop, 
 but certainly not a prelate. If the supreme bishop 
 were to pay a visit it would be a " function " 
 — the noticeable thing about it being that he 
 
 199 
 
Revival of Ecclesiastical Discipline 
 
 wore a mitre, that his train was held up by 
 boys, that his pastoral staff was carried by a 
 chaplain, and so on. 
 
 At present, as a rule, spiritualities are but rarely 
 touched upon between the bishop and the indi- 
 vidual clergymen, even at such critical times as 
 Ordination or Institution. If you write to your 
 diocesan or visit him, he thinks you are about 
 to appeal for a better living. 
 
 It would appear that the chief end of adminis- 
 tration was the regarding the Church as a huge 
 machine, to be kept going to all outward seem- 
 ing. Thus it has come to pass that the details and 
 results of its working are considered without 
 regard to what ought to be the output, viz., the 
 spiritual efficiency of the members of Christ. 
 
 Oftentimes when, e.g., we enter into a new 
 sphere of duty, we long for a word of sympathy 
 and fervour from our spiritual head, in respect of 
 the sheep we are sent to feed and to guard ; but 
 again and again have we been disappointed, so that 
 many have ceased to expect from our fathers-in- 
 God what their pre-occupation never permits them 
 to give — viz., godly counsel and comfort. 
 
 We — the clergy — need the coal from the altar 
 to be laid on our lips ; we need the visible descent 
 of the Holy Spirit. People — multitudes of them, 
 all indeed of the best and wisest — are looking to 
 the Church and to the clergy, their responsible 
 leaders ; they are tired of division and discus- 
 sion, disunion and debate, recrimination between 
 Protestant and Catholic, Church and Dissent, 
 
 200 
 
Revival of Ecclesiastical Discipline 
 
 of questions of millinery and incense, of this or 
 that side or end of the Holy Table. All such 
 questions divide, and ever will divide^ — -such is the 
 varying constitution of men's minds and tastes — 
 but cannot something more excellent unite ? We 
 are sent not to debate, but to give testimony. 
 
 Oh, that we could always be ourselves — our 
 ideal selves at our best — as when we first realized 
 the possession of priestly grace, gift, unction, and 
 responsibility ; ourselves, instinct with prayer and 
 promise, going forth daily like Moses with the 
 divine glory reflected from our faces, as if, in 
 truth, we had just come forth from the presence 
 of God, One may well believe that if we were 
 not afraid of letting ourselves go, if we exhibited 
 more and more a burning zeal, a consuming love 
 of souls, a fervent desire to realize the fact that 
 we are spiritual persons set apart to compass a 
 spiritual end, we should carry the whole of 
 England with us and be permitted greater liberty 
 in ritual, in critical interpretation, in things both 
 great and small, so as the more effectually to 
 advance the glory of God, and further the salva- 
 tion of our fellow-men. From the nature of the 
 case, we might not believe just the same points 
 as our neighbours, or the same points with the 
 same degree of enthusiasm or conviction. Still, it 
 should ever be incumbent upon us, with divine 
 help, to act up to our ideal. This kind of life, 
 belief, and spirituality, is what England, what the 
 world, what God Himself, is waiting for ! 
 
 This Essay set out with the design of proving 
 
 20I 
 
Revival ot Ecclesiastical Discipline 
 
 the need of ecclesiastical discipline, so as to induce 
 a pure and healthy condition in the Church of Christ. 
 As a practical man, one realizes the enormous and 
 increasing difficulties in the way of its adoption, 
 caused by the break with primitive tradition, by 
 post-Reformation laxity, by the unwieldy town 
 parish, by the complex conditions of modern life, 
 by the imperfect relation of the Church to the State, 
 and by the acknowledgment of baptism as, of itself, 
 leading to membership. It is impossible to pro- 
 pound rules and suggestions calculated to bring 
 about, at once and altogether, an infallible cure ; 
 but one ventures to think that the subject would 
 repay ventilation, even if no complete and specific 
 remedy were found applicable on the instant. The 
 problem embraces considerations derived both 
 from the Law and the Gospel, God and His 
 grace would certainly be with His servants in 
 their endeavours to purge His sanctuary and to 
 advance His dominion. 
 
 Some readers may be surprised that an advocate 
 of the broadest of broad views should feel the 
 present distress so keenly, and speak so strongly 
 as to the nature of the remedy to be applied — but 
 one is a spiritual being as well as an intellectual. 
 
 It is true that intellectually — not altogether as a 
 teacher, but as a student — one may profess one's 
 self to be an absolute Freethinker, prepared 
 to allow that the evidences and formularies of 
 .our faith should be subjected to the severest tests 
 of every kind, literary, historical, scientific, and 
 — last but not least — spiritual ; prepared also 
 
 202 
 
Revival of Ecclesiastical Discipline 
 
 to accept many of the most far-reaching results 
 of modern Higher Criticism ; but, in the highest 
 sense, this attitude of mind does not preclude or 
 destroy — nay, it rather strengthens — one's faith in 
 an Eternal God, and in a Saviour whose name is 
 Love, and whose Life is all Perfection — to the 
 end that all men should love Him, and in and 
 through Him should be made perfect. 
 
 203 
 
"CLERICAL ERRORS" 
 
 {Ad Clerum) 
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 AN apology is called for to account for my 
 - presumption in dealing with this subject in 
 the midst of the brethren. 
 
 Certainly I cannot claim any moral or mental 
 superiority. The only extenuating circumstances I 
 can allege for my boldness are those associated : — 
 
 {a) With my experience in another profession 
 — viz., that of Civil Engineering ; which, perhaps, 
 has given one a wider outlook than that vouch- 
 safed to men vowed to the priesthood from their 
 youth. 
 
 (jb) With a somewhat extended travel into all 
 parts of England, in my capacity as Deputation 
 Secretary, successively, to two Church Societies. 
 
 (c) And with the mellowing influence of age, 
 which constitutes a man of sixty a fool or a 
 philosopher, even though the philosophy may be 
 of a somewhat homely type. One does not see 
 the use of becoming a sexagenarian unless one 
 can scold somebody for it ! 
 
 You will understand that my subject does not 
 embrace the sins or weaknesses of the clergy, as 
 men ; e.g. pride, sloth, selfishness, gluttony, and 
 
 204 
 
" clerical Errors " 
 
 the like. With these, as such, I have nothing to 
 do. I have to deal solely with those errors, sins, 
 weaknesses, peccadilloes, or whatever one may 
 be pleased to call them, which are professional ; 
 which tend to evolve themselves out of the atmos- 
 phere in which we find ourselves, and of the 
 routine duties we are called upon to fulfil — with 
 those errors which are nourished, as well as bred, 
 in that atmosphere. 
 
 If I had cared to animadvert upon the grosser 
 vices, a text might have been furnished by the 
 " black list " in the possession of every bishop — 
 certainly running into three figures — whereon may 
 be found the names of men (often distinguished by 
 learning and ability, occasionally of a high order ; 
 and sometigies, in the past, in the possession of 
 important cures, but) degraded to the dust by debt, 
 drink, and debauchery. These be " clerical errors " 
 indeed ! 
 
 The professional defects I have alluded to — 
 whatsoever they are — are rendered more evi- 
 dent to the world by the fact of our claim to 
 be successors of the Apostles ; of our spiritual 
 calling ; our election " by lot " ; our sacred and 
 representative character ; our exalted place in the 
 congregation ; our education, our culture ; above 
 all, by our aim. 
 
 We make a boast of these qualifications. We 
 cannot help but magnify our office ; we cannot 
 away with any responsibilities by the mere utter- 
 ance of the formula, " Do not as I do, but do as 
 I say " ; for, whether we will or no, we are looked 
 
 205 
 
" Clerical Errors " 
 
 upon and expected to be as patterns and ex- 
 emplars to the flock both as to what to do and 
 where to go. 
 
 Of necessity, therefore, greater things than 
 ordinary are naturally and continually expected of 
 us ; and when we fail to satisfy expectation, we 
 are often rebuked by the saying, " I should not 
 have expected this of you — a clergyman " — which 
 note of disappointment testifies to the general 
 belief that a higher standard of conduct (as of 
 aim and teaching) is expected of us than of ordi- 
 nary lay folk — even such, e.g., as lawyers and 
 doctors. 
 
 An interesting chapter of general history could 
 be written concerning the position occupied by 
 the clergy in social life from the earliest times ; 
 or even from the Reformation period. We are 
 familiar with Macaulay's description of affairs, in 
 this connection, in the Introduction to his History 
 of England ; and with scenes of clerical life de- 
 picted by Fielding and his contemporaries, and by 
 George Eliot, Anthony Hope, and other writers of 
 recent times. 
 
 The impression made upon our minds is a mixed 
 one. Perhaps it is true that the difference between 
 the best and the worst of the clergy — the learned 
 and the unlearned — the dignified and undignified 
 — was greater in the seventeenth and eighteenth 
 centuries than at later periods. Certain it is that 
 a change has come over affairs even during the 
 last fifty years ; that the old type of stately, 
 stand-off, donnish, knee-breeched and gaitered 
 
 206 
 
"Clerical Errors" 
 
 ecclesiastic has disappeared ; and that the cleric, in 
 a measure, has effaced himself — put off his caste, 
 and come down from his pedestal to enter into 
 closer contact with the people. The railways are 
 partly responsible for this, as they are for the 
 reduction of caste prejudice in such a country 
 as India. 
 
 We are brought more and more into third-class 
 contact with our people. The old-fashioned clergy 
 would have scorned to indulge in undue haste, but 
 our brethren of the present day are always in a 
 hurry — to catch a train — to sit on a committee — 
 to manage a soup-kitchen. And perspiration is a 
 great leveller ; it bedews the face and lessens its 
 frigidity, it takes the starch out of the collar ; it 
 relaxes the whole man and lowers us sadly in 
 the estimation of our people. Indeed, we may go 
 further and say that the difference between Con- 
 servatism and Radicalism is mainly one of per- 
 spiration. Conservatives do not perspire — they 
 would not if they could. Who can conceive of 
 Lady Clara Vere de Vere in a bath of perspira- 
 tion ? A Radical, on the other hand, is always 
 perspiring. He is ever, axe in hand, cutting down 
 the Upas Trees of ascendancy, or rooting up what 
 he considers to be deeply-set abuses. 
 
 Certain it is that, a generation ago, very great 
 social respect was paid to the staid and dignified 
 ecclesiastic ; and that, in this democratic age, the 
 feeling of exclusiveness, and of the divinity that 
 doth hedge a priest, is not so well maintained. 
 What can we expect when even bishops bicycle, 
 
 207 
 
" clerical Errors " 
 
 and employ post-cards to deny a living to one 
 ecclesiastic, or to convey a rebuke to another for 
 using overmuch incense in the thurible ? 
 
 In spite of all this, it does seem to me that 
 the laity are quite prepared to take us at a high 
 valuation if only we do live up to our profession ; 
 if we do suffer ourselves to be guided by the Spirit 
 invoked upon us at our ordination ; if we not only 
 preach " otherworldliness " when we have nothing 
 to gain from it, but practise it when we have 
 everything to lose. 
 
 After all, it depends a great deal upon the 
 individual whether the nearness of approach tends 
 to the diminution of respect. Indeed, this very 
 nearness of approach has many counterbalancing 
 advantages. 
 
 It is my earnest hope that the few words one 
 indites, with all diffidence, may serve to show the 
 younger brethren the rocks on which some ven- 
 tures split. 
 
 I. — A Danger Lying on the Threshold — 
 THAT OF Mistaking One's Vocation 
 
 Sometimes, the defect arises from the fact that 
 the choice of a profession was fixed when the 
 person chiefly concerned was of immature age, 
 or guided by unworthy considerations, such as : 
 the desire to receive a literary and university 
 training ; the love of an easy life, coupled witla 
 a certain dignity of office ; the idea of a fancied 
 social superiority, or of a sure competency (?); 
 
 208 
 
"Clerical Errors" 
 
 the prospect of a family living ; the lack of 
 energy to betake oneself to a commercial or pro- 
 fessional life ; and the like. 
 
 One of these causes, or several combined, may 
 force one into a false position, from which, owing 
 to the indelibility of Orders (?), it is all but im- 
 possible to retire ; and may thus give occasiori to 
 the laity to blaspheme, and to the arch-enemy to 
 lure one on to a life of unreality and hypocrisy. 
 
 II. — Dangers Peculiar to Different Stages 
 OF Clerical Existence 
 
 The First — or Chtysalis Stage 
 
 On admission to Holy Orders, there may be 
 a disposition to give oneself " airs," to assume a 
 pertness of manner, to be puffed up, rather than 
 sobered, on the taking to oneself the priestly 
 office, and assuming the tremendous responsi- 
 bilities of absolution and sacramental administra- 
 tion. At this stage, we commend the practice 
 of Roman Catholic authorities in searching out 
 a man's special gift, instituting a lengthened pre- 
 paration through a series of minor Orders, and 
 only ultimately (even after admission to the 
 priesthood) conferring a License to Preach or 
 to hear Confessions. With what shame do not 
 I myself look back upon the experimental efforts 
 in my first curacy, and my feeble essayings in the 
 midst of the congregation, or by the bed of the 
 dying sinner ! 
 
 A great deal might be said about the relation of 
 209 O 
 
"Clerical Errors" 
 
 the clergyman to his female parishioners, espe- 
 cially those who are closely associated as church 
 helpers. Owing to their emotional nature, one's 
 influence over them is oftentimes very marked ; 
 and where the confessional — public or private — 
 is in use, almost unbounded. What warnings 
 should be given under this head are sufficiently 
 obvious — therefore, I will dismiss it with the re- 
 mark that, above all, young, unmarried clergy 
 should be careful on this ground, lest the flattery 
 to which they are occasionally subjected should 
 turn their heads, and lead to ill-natured remarks 
 — whether well- or ill-founded — on the part of 
 scandal-mongers. 
 
 Again, in the conduct of affairs in the parish, 
 do not freshly-fledged incumbents, sometimes, in- 
 vert the order, of thought, and regard themselves 
 as popes with an infallibility of fifty parsonic power, 
 rather than as ministers to their people. We esteem 
 ourselves to be lords over God's heritage ; and, at 
 a bound, reach that stage in which Presbyter is 
 but Priest — writ very large ! 
 
 We allow that patrons frequently make mistakes, 
 and wantonly disturb the traditions of a parish 
 and the balance of power, by appointing a man 
 of opinions diametrically opposed to those enter- 
 tained by the last incumbent. One is inimical, 
 on many grounds, to the existence of such Trusts 
 as " Simeon's '' ; which tend to narrow the Church, 
 to foster (unconscious) hypocrisy, to perpetuate 
 party strife, and to maintain a dead level of faith 
 and practice ; but, on the other hand, it may be 
 
 2IO 
 
"Clerical Errors" 
 
 said in favour of Trusts that the traditions of a 
 parish are not wholly scorned, as they sometimes 
 are in the case of episcopal or private patrons. 
 One quarrels with these Trusts because they run 
 into the opposite extreme. 
 
 How ill-advised are not some of the brethren, 
 both High and Low, in introducing novelties, or 
 getting rid of matters or practices offensive to 
 themselves, often without consultation with the 
 officials or leading members of their congre- 
 gation. After all, their haste is often but the 
 worst speed, for if they had been more patient 
 and conciliatory, they might have secured their 
 own way without friction, in a comparatively 
 short time. What a sad lack of discretion, tact, 
 consideration for one's predecessor and for the 
 congregation at large is there not manifested 
 by certain of the brethren ! Our High-Churchman 
 despises mattins, or, at all events, rushes through 
 the service with lightning, unedifying speed, to 
 make way for what he styles the " central func- 
 tion " of the Church, with all sorts of new and 
 unauthorized accompaniments. Our Low Church 
 brother tears the cross from the pulpit-fall, walks 
 out before the choir, and must have A-men said 
 instead of R-men. 
 
 III. — Clerical Errors in Middle Life 
 
 In middle life, a feeling of lassitude and sloth 
 tends to steal over one — the fires of youth die 
 down, and energy decays. It is hard to fight 
 
 211 
 
"Clerical Errors" 
 
 against the love of ease, wealth, and self-enjoy- 
 ment. Some of us, at such a period, perhaps, 
 begin to feel a growing repugnance to the visi- 
 tation of old, dirty, tiresome people ; and feel, a 
 distaste to foul air, and a disgust in squalid sur- 
 roundings, that tended but to rouse our apostolic 
 spirit when we were first fledged. Certain it is 
 that there is a large number of clergymen who 
 have, so to speak, " retired from business " in 
 middle life. This retirement may legitimately be 
 due to various causes — it is indeed a "clerical 
 error" if it be due to lukewarmness, and to a 
 diminution of spiritual fervour and love for those 
 souls we are pledged to help and save. 
 
 IV. — Clerical Errors in the Final Stage 
 
 The next point is a delicate one, bearing on the 
 last stage of life, in which a man may have out- 
 lived his usefulness, and, from age and infirmity 
 combined, may be unable adequately to discharge 
 the duties of his high office. Where wilfulness, 
 obstinacy, and blindness obtain, and the selfish 
 desire to retain the emoluments of the office, 
 we can have nothing to say but words of blame. 
 In some cases, alas ! the only refuge, on the 
 resignation of one's Living, would be the work- 
 house — the income of the Living being far too 
 small to provide either a competency in life, or a 
 retiring pension at the end of one's service. 
 
 The Reformation, with all its benefits, had 
 two bad defects — the suppression of monasteries 
 
 212 
 
"Clexical Errors'' 
 
 necessitated the imposition of a Poor Law, and 
 also shut off a haven of rest for aged and worn- 
 out priests. Until a fitting provision be made by 
 the Church at large, criticism must be suspended 
 concerning the tenacity with which certain incum- 
 bents hold to their livings, to the exclusion of 
 younger and better men. 
 
 In respect of the dignitaries of the Church, the 
 case is somewhat different. It is only of recent 
 years that provision has been made for the retire- 
 ment of bishops, but there is now no excuse for 
 the hanging-on of men who have outlived their 
 usefulness. I have heard of a melancholy experi- 
 ence of a Vicar-General and Bishop, whose parts 
 in a certain ceremony were so performed as to be 
 little short of a scandal. 
 
 I am inclined to think that the lethal chamber 
 should be brought into requisition when a man 
 in office reaches a certain age. What that age 
 should be, perhaps, I had better not say. I used 
 to put it at sixty, but I have seen the necessity 
 lately of enlarging that limit ! 
 
 V. — Clerical Errors of Divers Kinds 
 
 Many of the brethren are strangely unmindful of 
 the necessity — for their own sake, the sake of the 
 Church, the sake of the Master — of carefulness in 
 commending their calling, their ministry, in all 
 points — private as well as social and public, per- 
 sonal as well as professional, when they are off 
 guard as well as when they are on — in their 
 
 213. 
 
"Clerical Errors" 
 
 appearance, their gentlemanly and Christian bear- 
 ing, their dress, conversation, choice of a wife, 
 bringing up of children, government of their house- 
 hold, gracious hospitality, demeanour to their rela- 
 tives and dependants in the home, their tact 
 and social converse generally, their management of 
 money matters — so as to exercise a wise generosity 
 as distinguished from a careless and lowering in- 
 discriminate charity — their careful keeping and 
 rendering of parish accounts, paying bills with 
 regularity, steering clear of debt at all hazards. 
 In all these things there is frequently a sad lack 
 of consistency. 
 
 Again, we should set a good example to the 
 flock from whom we have a right to exact respect 
 and obedience, by paying due respect to those who 
 are set over us in the Lord, and by obeying their 
 godly admonitions, save when they conflict with 
 the unmistakable voice of our own conscience. 
 
 Further, we should adopt every method of 
 commending the good causes we desire to further. 
 I have known, e.g., temperance taken up as a 
 cloak for meanness, a most lamentable way of 
 bringing about the end we desire ! 
 
 VI. — Clerical Errors arising from our 
 Work being Executed in a Spirit of 
 mere Professionalism 
 
 This is a pressing danger, not confined to clerics, 
 but affecting all engaged in church work of what- 
 soever degree. I have oftentimes thought that 
 
 214 
 
" clerical Errors " 
 
 there is room for yet another Missionary Society 
 — not for the benefit of bishops and clergy, that I 
 must not say — but for the evangeHzation of or- 
 ganists, choirs, sextons, pew-openers, grave-diggers, 
 et hoc genus omne ; yea — after all, one must say it — 
 even for all, from the highest to the lowest degree, 
 who have to do with holy things. It is melancholy 
 to reflect upon the rapidity with which the spirit of 
 professionalism grows, leading one to gauge work 
 by quantity rather than by quality ; so that we 
 pride ourselves, e.g., upon the fact that we have 
 paid ten, fifteen, or twenty visitations in the course 
 of an afternoon, without reflecting that the part 
 might well have been greater than the whole ; 
 and that, in this case, haste has vitiated our 
 work, rendering it unfruitful and maybe even 
 pernicious. 
 
 Again, is not the same tendency observable in 
 respect of our musical services, leading one to 
 regard \he form rather than the spirit, the outward 
 and audible rather than the inward and deep-toned, 
 the meretricious and superficial rather than the final 
 end? 
 
 VII. — Preparation of Sermons 
 
 There is a great deal in a name. A sermon 
 is now looked for at every service. It must be 
 preached, whether we are in tune, or out of tune ; 
 whether we are borne aloft by the divine afflatus, 
 or whether we are struggling in the mire. A 
 sermon is a sermon. It must needs have so 
 
 215 
 
"Clerical Errors" 
 
 many heads, and an application — it must needs 
 run to twenty minutes, whether or not we have 
 anything to say. But what momentous issues 
 arise in connection with this subject ! In whose 
 name do we preach ? What manner of men 
 should we be as the heralds and spokesmen of 
 the Greatest of All ? As those, indeed, whose 
 mission it is to stand between the living and the 
 dead ? Again, who are those we are called upon 
 to address ? Why, truly, the old, the young, the 
 rich, the poor, the learned, the ignorant ; some 
 moved by the Spirit, others indifferent, yet all 
 lacking something we are called upon to supply. 
 
 It may well be questioned whether any of us 
 fully realize our responsibilities as preachers. The 
 careless man looks upon preaching as a thing to 
 be done — he is relieved when it is over — the im- 
 mediate present exhausts his interest and his 
 energy. He reflects not that in the exercise of 
 his function, he should cast one look up to God 
 for illumination and unction, and another at the 
 sheep waiting to be fed. He heeds not the fact 
 that even when the sermon is finished, the work to 
 be done thereby is but just begun. Study and 
 meditation alike should be called to one's aid, and it 
 is well that the matter be well stirred and digested 
 in the mind before it is elaborated in any form 
 for delivery. Needless to say, each paragraph 
 should be bathed in prayer. A lack of definite- 
 ness and consecutivfiness is frequently displayed. 
 "He aimed at nothing and hit it," may well be 
 said of many a preacher. The Church's law and 
 
 216 
 
** clerical Errors" 
 
 custom give a distinct lead to the Churchman. 
 Further, courses of sermons on specific topics are 
 frequently useful in compelling both attention and 
 interest. The difficulties of accommodating one- 
 self to the circumstances of a variable and varying 
 congregation are enormous ; but of nothing more 
 certainly than of preaching may it be said, that 
 " If it be worth doing, it is worth doing well." 
 It is not by mere reiteration — by noise or fury — 
 that the truth can be promulgated. 
 
 Sure are we of this, that unless there be pains 
 in the pulpit, there will be pains in the pews. 
 Logical, clever, learned, discourses are very well in 
 their place, but we may be so highly transcendental 
 as to cause our eloquence to leap over the heads 
 of our hearers, and to cause astonishment rather 
 than edification. Many preachers are doubtful of 
 the advisability of choosing topics connected with 
 social life, or the events of the day ; but much 
 will depend upon their treatment. All must be 
 strongly in favour — at all events — of illustrating 
 freely from general and local events. These 
 need not crowd out Biblical illustrations, nor, in 
 some form or other, the distinguishing mark of 
 the Gospel — viz., salvation through grace. 
 
 VIII — Fear of Man 
 
 There is a time-serving element in many a 
 man — a striving after popularity and applause. 
 Perhaps this is not so marked in our Church 
 as in nonconformity. If we, the clergy, are 
 
 217 
 
"Clerical Errors" 
 
 sometimes tempted to bewail our lot, let us look 
 at the mass of our dissenting ministerial brethren. 
 Their mode of election, their manner of discipline, 
 the making of their payment, place them very 
 much under the heel of the richest, most noisy, 
 and cantankerous elements in their congregation. 
 How many in secret groan and bewail their lot ! 
 Naturally, in many parishes, the parson is largely 
 dependent upon the good-will and lavish contri- 
 butions of his people ; but, in their hours of dis- 
 appointment, the clergy may find solace in the 
 thought that if they were foolish enough to use 
 their privilege to the full, they could defy their 
 bishop and fly in the face of every member of 
 their congregation — the parson's freehold carrying 
 them through scathless ! 
 
 Perhaps, in respect of the dealings of the parson 
 generally with the people, it may be admissible 
 here to put in a plea for the saving grace of 
 humour. A keen sense of the ridiculous has 
 frequently stopped a man from putting himself 
 into an invidious position, and the same faculty 
 permitted him an extrication from a dilemma. 
 A chairman has more than once "nonplussed" 
 an opponent who threatened (at a vestry meet 
 ing or elsewhere) to make himself unpleasant, 
 by quoting in a smiling way a part of one of the 
 Odes of Horace. It embarrassed the auditor, 
 who did not understand it, but thought that the 
 parson was slyly poking fun at him ; it diverted 
 the other hearers and, as a rule, silenced the 
 opposer. 
 
 218 
 
"Clerical Errors" 
 
 IX. — Little Foxes which Spoil the Vines 
 
 The hankering after man's applause and com- 
 mendation is due to the workings of that fallen 
 self which is so strenuous and obtrusive in our 
 nature. It leads to many affectations, especi- 
 ally in one's public ministrations ; the parade of 
 learning, deepening into pedantry ; the practice 
 of mannerisms ; the dropping down into senti- 
 mentalism ; the vulgarizing of the Gospel, which 
 one affects to see in the Salvation Army, and in 
 some small section of the Church ; the love of 
 shocking people — just for the sake of showing 
 that one is emancipated from the trammels and 
 shackles of out-worn creeds and evaporated doc- 
 trines. All this exhibits a lack alike of charity 
 and common sense. 
 
 In the above, and in all ways, it is well to aim 
 at the golden mean ; for, on the other hand, there 
 is a conservatism, which is bound hand and foot ; 
 heedless of the new discoveries in science, history, 
 archaeology, and the Higher Criticism ; which lifts 
 up hands in horror at the mention of Harnack 
 and Haeckel ; and consigns such men as Darwin 
 and Spencer to the nethermost hell, without 
 " benefit of clergy " ! 
 
 X. — Lack of Charity 
 
 We all of us acknowledge the necessity of 
 pressing on the truth and driving out error ; of 
 working for unity, and discouraging schism — but 
 there are different ways of doing these things. 
 
 219 
 
"Clerical Errors 
 
 »>' 
 
 Our way should be to present the truth in all 
 its fulness, to act it out in the face of our people, 
 to regard with interest, sympathy, and pity those 
 who differ with us, and the more so, the more 
 they differ. Because we hate dissent, that fur- 
 nishes no sufficient reason — quite the contrary — 
 why we should hate dissenters. Surely, we might 
 suffer the vaunted superiority of our faith to ex- 
 hibit itself in its fruits on our own character, life, 
 teaching, and practice ; for God, in this way, can 
 well take care of, and advance. His own. 
 
 There is, frequently, a sad lack of catholicity 
 of spirit on the part of the brethren to those 
 who are their parishioners and their cure, even 
 though they be separated from the Church by our 
 unhappy divisions ; which, by the way, are, 
 in many cases, of the Church's own making or 
 suffering. 
 
 XI. — Latitudinarianism 
 
 Neither would we advocate that extreme lati- 
 tude and breadth which nowadays are frequently 
 brought about in a revulsion from bigotry and 
 narrowness. Not that we should mistake the 
 meaning of that word — "narrowness." There 
 t's a limit — all must allow ; there t's a narrow 
 way, so called even by Him who willed that all 
 men should be saved and come to a knowledge 
 of the truth.. 
 
 In the present day, when old beliefs are on 
 the way to be recast and restated, it is natural 
 
 220 
 
"Clerical Errors" 
 
 that such subjects as Universality, the Larger 
 Hope, the origin of the Scriptures, &c. &c., 
 should be discussed. Those who think of the 
 future as well as of the past and the present, 
 cannot hide from themselves the fact that there 
 are rocks ahead; and that a trial (such, perhaps, 
 as the Church has never yet experienced) lies 
 before her — compared with which questions of 
 incense and vestments will sink into utter insigni- 
 ficance ; a trial relating to matters affecting not 
 only Church order, doctrine, and discipline, but 
 the very existence of religion and morality. For 
 this trial, our younger brethren must prepare them- 
 selves by cultivating a sober judgment and a wise 
 counsel. 
 
 In relation to the care to be taken to avoid the 
 lack or excess of charity, the via media is often 
 commended. But it is important to notice that 
 the exact via media is often not clearly indi- 
 cated—it is somewhere in the mean between the 
 two extremes. Again, the via media is not right 
 merely because it is the middle way — it is right only 
 when it can be independently established, 
 . Neither does our criticism of the excesses of 
 others excuse any lukewarmness on our own part. 
 Now, as aforetime, a curse is pronounced against 
 those "who come not to the help of the Lord against 
 the mighty." Many persons are lukewarm, and 
 of so-called Broad Church proclivities, because it 
 is their nature so to be ; they have not sufficient 
 knowledge or enthusiasm to lead them to come 
 down to the Valley of Decision. 
 
 221 
 
"Clerical Errors 
 
 XII. — Conservatism 
 
 There are men amongst us who are conserva- 
 tives in the worst sense. (Every one of the breth- 
 ren must of necessity possess conservative instincts, 
 inasmuch as he has somewhat to conserve — i.e., 
 the ancient faith in its ancient expression, dressed 
 in archaic language and diction.) Such men are 
 unable to read the signs of the times, and to 
 witness to the reality, order, and development 
 of the divine evolution. In many cases there is 
 a plentiful lack of inquiry, or indeed of interest, 
 in the matter. It is amusing to observe that their 
 facility and certainty of judgment on disputed points 
 are usually in inverse ratio to their study and com- 
 prehension of them. Where scientific or critical 
 subjects are concerned, they are prepared to pro- 
 nounce a verdict without any apprehension either 
 of science or criticism ; and they proceed gaily to 
 confute Darwin without having read a line of his 
 works ! Yet, as a working hypothesis, the doc- 
 trine of evolution is accepted by all biologists ; 
 and for many a year to come Development will 
 be expressed in terms of the school of Darwin. 
 Surely God has a lesson for us in all this. 
 
 XIII. — Party Spirit 
 
 Is it not melancholy to reflect on the lengths 
 to which party spirit is carried even within the 
 Church ? — nay, is not this an alarming sign of 
 
 222 
 
" Clerical Errors " 
 
 present weakness as well as of future danger ? 
 Above all others, a clergyman should be outside 
 the strife of political or religious parties, and in- 
 dependent of their chains. He is required to 
 minister to all men, to teach all (whatsoever may 
 be their conception of civil or political duty), to 
 endeavour to lead them to form right views, and 
 to express them with becoming prudence, modesty, 
 and consideration. So long as the world lasts, 
 and human nature is what it is, there will be both 
 Radicals and Conservatives. Our concern should 
 not be with the Radical or Conservative in the 
 realm of politics, but with the Man ; to teach 
 him, if he be a Radical, to be a good Radical — 
 and so with the Conservative. 
 
 As we have said, the clergy must have a con- 
 servative bias, they should therefore be the more 
 inclined to be generous to men who entertain 
 opposite views. From this standpoint, it is not 
 at all a bad thing that occasionally we should 
 have a Radical bishop or dean — even though they 
 appear to scandalize the weaker brethren. 
 
 But what shall we say of the parties within 
 the Church — of the scorn expressed by A for B, 
 who supports Evening Communion ; or by B for 
 A, who wears a surplice an inch shorter than 
 ordinary ? Or what shall we think of the charity 
 of those who conduct so-called religious news- 
 papers ? One has known cases in which A in- 
 trudes into the parish of B — a brother priest — to 
 denounce him at a public meeting for so-called 
 High Church proclivities ; and in which B retaliates 
 
 223 
 
"Clerical Errors" 
 
 at large by visiting certain seaside ttowns in "his 
 vacation and pouring scorn upon C and D in the 
 columns of the Church Times, because they do 
 not provide a daily Eucharist, or because they fail 
 to satisfy one or other of the six or six hundred 
 points he himself considers essential to Catholic 
 usage ! This is not only contrary to Christian 
 courtesy, but — a more serious matter still to some 
 minds — a breach of gentlemanly feeling ; and why 
 a clergyman — though very High or very Low — 
 should cease to be a gentleman, one cannot, for 
 one's life, understand. 
 
 The existence of parties within the Church is 
 all but an unmixed evil ; inasmuch as these same 
 parties spend most of their time in condemning 
 one another and not in provoking to good works. 
 One hesitates not to affirm that the only excuse for 
 the English Church Union is the existence of the 
 Church Association. Most of us will be inclined 
 to say with Mercutio : " A plague on both your 
 houses ! " The differences between the various 
 sections of the English Church are so pronounced 
 that some churches and services are not far re- 
 moved from bald nonconformity, while others are 
 a pale reflection of a Roman Mass-house. These 
 differences are even carried out in reference to 
 missionary effort. There must, forsooth, be a 
 High Church Society and a Low Church Society ; 
 whilst, strange to say (but naturally because of 
 this schism within the body), the Church — as a 
 Church — takes no official part whatsoever in 
 sending the Gospel to the heathen ! So again, at 
 
 224 
 
"Clerical Errors" 
 
 Church congresses, the elements of strife are care- 
 fully fanned. The several parties have their 
 agents, their organization, their prayer-meetings, 
 their breakfasts, their fuglemen. Arrangements 
 are made for applauding the respective champions, 
 and for confounding adversaries. On such occa- 
 sions, the bitterness of language employed in 
 familiar intercourse, in reference to opponents, 
 almost surpasses belief. 
 
 As if these things were not bad enough in adult 
 life, schools for boys and girls are founded 
 wherein Evangelical or Catholic tenets shall be pro- 
 fessed ; so that the virus of suspicion and hatred is 
 introduced not very long after the period of vac- 
 cination. When shall we come to learn that, if 
 Mother Church be what she claims to be, she is 
 quite Low enough. High enough. Narrow enough. 
 Broad enough to take in and include all who 
 bear allegiance to the Master's name, in the words 
 in which she teaches us to lisp our belief even 
 from the beginning ? 
 
 XIV Conclusion 
 
 A few words by way of conclusion. The rush 
 of life is increasing in intensity — the twentieth- 
 century current runs with a double tide. The 
 more need, occasionally, to pause and inquire of 
 our own heart and conscience — so as to test our 
 principles — our springs of action — the character 
 of our work in relation to our own inner life, to 
 our people, above all, to the Master we have sworn 
 
 225 P 
 
"Clerical Errors" 
 
 to serve. Year by year, we should demand, with 
 deepening seriousness, whether our added years 
 and experience lead to greater spirituality and 
 otherworldliness ; or only to a careless facility, 
 to which constant familiarity with holy things, 
 and a constant repetition of holy acts, readily 
 lend themselves. 
 
 Communion with other men's minds and words 
 will stimulate and help us, no doubt. Quiet days, 
 too, have their use. Perhaps the best influence 
 would be a quiet day by ourselves alone — and One 
 other— on every anniversary of our ordination. 
 The practice is commendable whereby, in many 
 clerical societies, the Ordinal is solemnly read 
 through once a year. 
 
 In the midst of men, we learn about men and 
 worldly interests ; we acquire a wide knowledge of 
 human life. But the deseri is the University of 
 God — it is there, in silence and solitude, that He 
 trains men for His service ; it is there that His 
 voice is heard without interference, or the jarring 
 and jangling of man's work, dispute, and play. 
 Admitted that the world gives width and polish 
 — yet the true desert life alone leads alike to 
 depth, solidity, and endurance, even unto the 
 dawning of that day when the world and all 
 thereto appertaining shall have passed away 
 leaving not a wrack behind ! 
 
 226 
 
CONCERNING TEXTS 
 
 AMIDST all the changes and chances of time, 
 - there are still left to us the Preacher, the 
 Text, and the Sermon. 
 
 Education is compulsory ; of the making of 
 books there is no end — the penny-dreadful, the 
 sixpenny magazine, the theological treatise are 
 always with us — sermons by the score can be 
 read by the fireside — bishops' officers are no 
 longer bidden to hale people to church — yet, still, 
 the people come ; and, if they would but confess 
 it, not so much for the prayers as for the sermon. 
 
 Even so, perhaps, not with the same intent and 
 feeling as of yore, i.e., to hear the Scriptures ex- 
 pounded in deference to the inability of the laity 
 to read — to be taught the interpretation placed 
 upon these oracles by Mother Church — to be 
 allured by stories of harps and angels, or to be 
 affrighted by the smell of brimstone ; but — as 
 ever, in all these things — from good, or indifferent, 
 or mixed motives ; eg., because it is traditional, 
 and has been their practice from childhood ; be- 
 cause it is considered the right thing, especially 
 when followed by a prayer-book parade ; because 
 it utilizes spare time on the Sabbath, which other- 
 wise would hang heavy on one's hands ; because 
 it affords the opportunity of casting a new bonnet 
 
 227 
 
Concerning Texts 
 
 in the teeth of a rival ; or, lastly, because it 
 enables one, by chance, to hear a good thing in 
 a good way, or to display one's freedom and 
 superiority to prejudice in criticizing the voice, 
 manner, and style of the Rev. Dr. Spintext, as 
 well as the matter and delivery of his discourse. 
 
 Perchance this is the proper place in which 
 to express the opinion that we have too many 
 sermons ; that they are expected too much as 
 a matter of course ; that familiarity has bred in- 
 difference ; that they have come to be regarded 
 as a titillating soporific, or, on the other hand, 
 as a mental exercise ; in a word, that parsons and 
 people alike are rendered sermon-proof ; that the 
 former have ceased to look for, or expect, any 
 efficient result in the direction of general or 
 specific conversion, and that we all should be 
 greatly surprised if anything of the kind ensued. 
 It might tend to break the chain of evil habit 
 if a notice were given, ever and anon — "There 
 will be no sermon to-day." Fortunately, in re- 
 spect of the Lessons, there would still be left 
 to the laity two sermons, one by a Prophet, 
 another by an Apostle. 
 
 Amongst dissenting communities, the sermon 
 takes a commanding position. The chapel is a 
 preaching shop ; the pulpit holds the field — I 
 mean, the floor. In respect of sacred furniture, 
 it is an easy first, everything else being nowhere. 
 Whatever else he lacks, the minister must have 
 preaching gifts — even his prayer taking the form 
 of a sermon, to the intent that the Almighty may 
 
 228 
 
Concerning Texts 
 
 be duly admonished and informed. The best of 
 these ministers are, technically, better trained for 
 their work in this respect than are we of the 
 Church — many of whom are not trained at all ; 
 they read more, think more, pay greater heed 
 to the attracting and riveting the attention of 
 their hearers. 
 
 If such a man succeed, he is the idol of his 
 congregation, a grand asset to his denomination 
 and political party ; for many dissenters attend 
 chapel to worship the politician and the minister, 
 rather than to worship God. 
 
 We have styled the chapel a " preaching shop." 
 A proof of this statement is found in the fact 
 that one never hears a cry for "free and open 
 chapels for private prayer," as one hears it in 
 respect of our churches. 
 
 Happily, the Church of England puts preaching 
 in its proper place — as a means of grace — as one 
 element in public worship — but as subordinate 
 to the main essential, viz., the public adoration 
 of the Great Supreme. 
 
 In spite of all that has been said, so important 
 is the task of declaring the will of God and 
 of the Church, of awakening the careless, of re- 
 claiming the backslider, of exhorting and confirm- 
 ing the believer ; that advantage should not be 
 taken of the fact that the sermon is a secondary 
 element in public worship to slur over the task of 
 its inception, or to put a premium on dullness and 
 indolence in its delivery. Rather should our divines 
 pay the greater attention to the sermon and all that 
 
 229 
 
Concerning Texts 
 
 it involves — the choice of subject, the preparation, 
 the preachment, the point d'appui it furnishes |for 
 the private and individual following up of the 
 teaching conveyed. 
 
 As a rule, the clergy do not take the highest 
 rank as orators. Our detractors say that, as a 
 body, we are the worst preachers of any Church 
 in Christendom, If that censure be true, there 
 must be causes for this, as for any other effect 
 — some avoidable, others inevitable. These causes 
 are not to be sought in moral or intellectual 
 weakness, or, wholly, in defects of public school, 
 or university, training — although the latter are 
 obvious enough ; but they arise from the accidents 
 of the position we are called upon to fill. 
 
 Our time is much occupied in secular work, in 
 serving tables, in grappling with the vexed ques- 
 tion of Dilapidations, and the like. Busy men 
 cannot, lazy men will not, give the matter of 
 pulpit preparation the attention it deserves. To 
 a few men of low moral principle, the knowledge 
 that they are freeholders, and can bid defiance 
 to a complaining bishop and an outraged congre- 
 gation carries them safely through. In a dis- 
 established church, by reason of the ineffective- 
 ness of their preaching, censorious people assert 
 that a large number of the brethren would be 
 unable to earn their salt. 
 
 Further, a change has been wrought in rela- 
 tion to the sources whence the clergy are drawn. 
 Moreover, the opening out of new avenues of 
 occupation, such as the Civil Service, Colonial 
 
 230 
 
Concerning Texts 
 
 appointments, and even of industries founded on 
 new sciences (such as electricity) has drafted oft 
 large numbers of active, intellectually-gifted, men, 
 who would otherwise have taken Holy Orders. 
 Again, the Mission Field makes greater calls than 
 formerly for clerics and medicos. Lastly, the 
 stipends of the clergy are based on a low average, 
 tithe is ever decreasing ; new rates, and larger, are 
 being added. Curates over forty years of age 
 find it a hard matter to live and work. There 
 is no prospect save the workhouse for many 
 " resigned " incumbents. All these causes tend 
 to lower the average intellectual ability of candi- 
 dates for the ministry. Finally, even if a stipend 
 were provided as large as the income of a 
 Chicago pork-packer, St. John Chrysostoms do 
 not grow on every bush. 
 
 Can anything be done to better this state of 
 things, and to elevate the standard of preach- 
 ing ? Let us see. The present Essay touches 
 but a fringe of the subject, and makes no 
 pretence to settle the question in all its ramifi- 
 cations. 
 
 The early Jewish preachers had the Law to 
 guide them, with all its accumulated store of 
 precedents, commentaries, glosses, and so forth. 
 Everything was based upon tradition. The preg- 
 nant question always came to be : " What saith 
 the Torah or the Targum ? What hath been 
 delivered on the point by Hillel or Gamaliel, or 
 the Rabbis of old ? " 
 
 The teaching of the Scribes and Pharisees 
 231 
 
Concerning Texts 
 
 ultimately reached the lowest depth of profundity 
 of learned ignorance, of dullness, pettiness, and 
 cast-iron precedent. They got rid of their brains 
 to make room for their learning. They were like 
 a black man in a dark cellar looking for a sable 
 cat which wasn't there. They diligently ran to 
 earth the least of the commandments. Their tith- 
 ing of the mint, anise, and cummin of thought 
 and action was raised to a fine art ; in com- 
 parison, even the Scotch preachers of the Cove- 
 nant with their " loist and lastly " were purveyors 
 of light literature. 
 
 Of the Great Master and Preacher one knows 
 what may be said. In the loftiest and holiest 
 sense. He found opportunities on every hand, 
 sermons in stones, books in the running brooks, 
 and good in everything. His pulpit was the 
 ground on which He trod, His texts — Humanity 
 and God. In Him, too — and in Him, alone — 
 precept and practice constituted one harmonious 
 whole. What a declension to many of the Apos- 
 tolic Succession amongst ourselves ! A story is 
 told of a churchwarden who differentiated two 
 successive vicars by saying : " I wish Mr, A. 
 would never leave the pulpit, and that Mr. B. 
 would never enter it." 
 
 The Apostolic and sub-Apostolic sermons were 
 wrought out of the necessities of the case, between 
 the hammer and the anvil of a hard experience ; 
 sometimes even amidst the resounding roar of the 
 wild beasts of the arena. They were of the sub- 
 ject rather than of the text ; and were devoted to 
 
 232 
 
Concerning Texts 
 
 proving, from various sources, basic truths per- 
 taining to Jesus and the Resurrection. 
 
 Naturally, it was later, at a period when the 
 New Testament Canon had been constituted, 
 and public worship had become assured and 
 deliberate, that the custom of taking special texts 
 began to be regularized. There were, indeed, 
 great preachers in those early days. 
 
 This custom has persisted even to the twentieth 
 century, and still remains unshaken. Everything 
 has changed, elsewhere, during the long interval, 
 but not this. Yet, it is permissible to reconsider 
 our position — or, at all events, to introduce 
 greater variety into our practice, and to ask the 
 questions : " Should this custom of text-taking 
 be suppressed or changed ? " — " Could there be 
 suggested a better introduction to a discourse 
 intended to deal with present-day problems, needs, 
 and experience ? " 
 
 One may boldly leave unsaid the good things 
 in favour of a Biblical text — with such we must 
 all be familiar — and, as boldly, point out the de- 
 fects of the practice ; allowing, at the same time, 
 that it is possible for a careful preacher to 
 convince his congregation that an appropriate 
 place can be found for modern subjects in the 
 religious life and practice of to-day, by pointing 
 out that the principles which underlie their ex- 
 position are to be found in the christian's 
 text-book — the Bible. 
 
 I. It has a narrowing, confining, hampering influ- 
 ence. It tempts a preacher to inconsecutiveness. 
 
 233 
 
Concerning Texts 
 
 Occasionally, without any reference to the context, 
 he picks texts at random, or to illustrate special 
 truths, in such wise as to give rise to discourses 
 unrelated to each other, or to any general, 
 consecutive, system of instruction. Mayhap, 
 he has no serious intention of elucidating the 
 meaning of the text, but of using it only as a 
 motto — a peg on which to hang a string of trite 
 moralities. It may be, even, that the sermon is 
 composed first, and the text chosen subsequently 
 — merely in deference to what is thought to be 
 the popular prejudice, that every discourse should 
 be expository, and therefore founded upon a verse 
 of Scripture. 
 
 II. If the exposition of certain texts be literally 
 pursued, such a course may land the preacher in 
 contradiction ; for, owing to the mental attitude of 
 Easterns, certain statements directly antithetic may 
 be found, side by side, in the same book. (Prov. 
 xxvi. 4, 5 ; Matt. xii. 30 ; Mark ix. 40.) 
 
 III. The dangers referred to are made more 
 apparent by the spread of modern ideas relating 
 to the genesis, elaboration, and purpose of the 
 Sacred Scriptures ; whereby we learn that they 
 constitute a revelation which is progressive ; that 
 their statement of scientific, and even of historic, 
 truth, may be considered as expressing opinions 
 current at the day and in the land in which the 
 words were originally written, but as needing to be 
 interpreted in accordance with the clarified scien- 
 tific and philosophic views revealed to men and 
 the Church in later times ; that even the Biblical 
 
 234 
 
Concerning Texts 
 
 exposition of moral truths and the presentation of 
 the Divine Being are progressive ; so that, in this 
 latter case, the anthropomorphic element can be 
 no longer literally interpreted. 
 
 IV. There are isolated texts that represent God 
 as taking counsel even with Satan ; as changing His 
 mind ; as given to favouritism ; as deliberately 
 leading men to hardness of heart, or to the 
 commission of an act ultimately stigmatized as a 
 crime, and independently ascribed to a suggestion 
 of Satan (2 Sam. xxiv. i ; i Chron. xxi. i) ; as pro- 
 mulgating laws tending to take offenders unawares 
 (Num. XV. 35), to injustice, to cruelty; as com- 
 manding a king of His choice to exterminate an 
 entire people ; or His prophet to hew in pieces a 
 prisoner of war who had been granted a parole 
 of honour. From all this, it is clear that every 
 verse of Scripture has not the same value ; but 
 that such declarations as have been adduced must 
 be applied to a touchstone, and corrected by the 
 clearer revelation of God through the medium 
 of Jesus Christ. 
 
 V. Certain questionable acts of the servants of 
 Jehovah are regarded with silence, or related even 
 with approval. 
 
 VI. Further, even in that part of the Sacred 
 Volume notably dealing with personal religion — 
 viz., the Book of Psalms — there are various de- 
 liverances of an imprecatory character, which are 
 foreign to the letter and spirit of the religion 
 Christ afterwards taught ; so that although we 
 recite these passages month by month, it is but 
 
 23s 
 
Concerning Texts 
 
 with a mental reservation, or sometimes (more 
 strongly still) with a silent and earnest dis- 
 avowal. It would be absurd to take a text from 
 these sources, or, indeed, from any other, merely 
 to express our disagreement with its purport. 
 
 VII. Again, in these days, there are certain 
 subjects which cannot be treated on the textual 
 lines of the Scriptures — scientific, philosophic, 
 humanitarian, or even social, views forbidding ; 
 such as, e.g., Slavery ; War ; Plurality of Wives ; 
 the modern Sunday ; Demoniacal Possession, and 
 the theory of Demons generally ; the end of the 
 World ; the subjection of Women ; discussions as 
 to the relative seemliness of long or short hair ; 
 the Fall of Man ; Original Sin ; and the like. 
 
 VIII. Further, there are problems which have 
 cropped up in later days, transcending Biblical 
 experience ; although it may be allowed that 
 many of the principles enunciated in the Gospel 
 do not depend for their efficacy on time or place 
 or person, and by the principle of accommodation 
 may be made to apply to present-day cases — 
 though not always directly. 
 
 The objections having been duly set forth, 
 the following question may now be dealt with : 
 " What is suggested by way of alteration or sub- 
 stitution ? " 
 
 After all our efforts in and out of the pulpit, we 
 have to face the fact that the middle and upper 
 classes are shockingly lacking in their knowledge 
 of the Bible, of the Prayer Book, of Church 
 history, and of the principles underlying political 
 
 236 
 
Concerning Texts 
 
 and civil life. One has more than a suspicion 
 that this ignorance is as marked as amongst 
 the labouring population — nay, some would assert 
 it to be even more strongly accentuated, though 
 with far less reason and excuse. With reference 
 to the artizan classes, the position has been 
 rendered full of peril by reason of the large 
 measure of political power now wielded by them. 
 It results that the well-being — nay, the very exist- 
 ence — of the Empire and the Church are en- 
 trusted to the keeping of individuals almost 
 absolutely ignorant of the origin, history, develop- 
 ment, and function both of the Church and State. 
 It must be regretfully allowed that the fault is not 
 directly chargeable upon them. The Home — the 
 School — may be partly to blame, but, undoubtedly, 
 the Church must bear her share of the disgrace, 
 for it is her high and holy mission and claim 
 to soar above all other influences and agencies — 
 like the apocalyptic Angel in the Sun — in order to 
 inform, to influence, and to inflame, each and all, 
 of every age and degree, by the introduction of 
 saving elements of teaching and guidance. 
 
 The compilers of our Directory and Service 
 Book have laid down a line of teaching in re- 
 lation to the Christian year, which is admirable in 
 itself, though apt to become monotonous, if rigidly 
 adhered to, Sunday by Sunday, year by year. As 
 a matter of fact, it is rarely closely pursued, save 
 in respect of the great festivals, when the atmos- 
 phere and stirroundings forbid reference to any 
 other than the subject of the day. 
 
 237 
 
Concerning Texts 
 
 It is possible to amend existing deficiencies 
 by giving well-considered, thought-out, courses at 
 appropriate times, and at suitable intervals, on the 
 Books of the Bible — one by one — in chronological 
 order, by way of abstract and general survey ; to 
 proceed by drawing attention to the emendations 
 furnished by the Revised Version ; by introducing 
 order out of chaos into Books — such as the 
 Prophets and the Song of Solomon — where the 
 ordinary reader wants a skilful and scholarly 
 guide ; by dealing, pari passu, with the Historical 
 and Prophetical writings, in chronological order ; 
 by treating of the events of the Dispersion, Cap- 
 tivity, Return, of the further Colonial Dispersion 
 and Expansion, e.g., in Egypt and Magna Graecia, 
 and of the countries and peoples respectively in- 
 volved ; by bringing into prominence the events 
 of the Maccabsean and early Herodian period ; by 
 introducing selected Books of the Apocrypha into 
 our repertoire of subjects ; by tracing out the foun- 
 dations of common knowledge, belief, and practice 
 in relation to the comparative study of religions ; 
 by dealing with early Christian Missions, and the 
 gradual introduction of Christianity into the various 
 provinces of the mighty Roman Empire ; by draw- 
 ing illustrative matter from the history and bio- 
 graphy of the Church of the first few centuries, 
 and, indeed, of the Saints, Martyrs, and Confessors 
 of every age ; by bringing forward the wonders 
 of astronomy, geology, botany, and physiology 
 in regard to fact and illustration — thus lead- 
 ing straight from Nature to Nature's God. In 
 
 238 
 
Concerning Texts 
 
 respect of many of these scientific, historical, bio- 
 graphical, and exegetical subjects there is involved 
 a rich mine of wealth — at present but feebly 
 apprehended and imperfectly worked. 
 
 In relation to all this, much may be done 
 by saturating one's self with the spirit of the 
 olden time as exhibited in Eastern lands, so 
 as to be enabled to interpret statements made 
 in the Sacred Books in their original sense and 
 application, rather than in our prosaic, literal. 
 Western fashion ; by finding out what the declara- 
 tions, figures, images, ritual, and types really do 
 mean, rather than what we think they ought to 
 mean, or what we think others thought the writers 
 thought they meant. How frequently have we not 
 been tempted to repeat : — 
 
 " The commentltors each dark passage shun, 
 And hold their farthing rushlight to the sun ! " 
 
 Thus we advocate the subject rather than the 
 text — ^the whole rather than the part. 
 
 Over and above the matters adverted to 
 above, the following are suggested which might 
 be illuminated, transfigured, and spiritualized by 
 adequate treatment and illustration : — 
 
 Consecutive explanation of the doctrines and Articles ot 
 the Church ; and of the Creeds and Sacraments. 
 
 Elaboration of interesting, correct, and hearty services 
 in church. Congregational responses and singing. 
 
 Temperance, Chastity, Care of the Fallen. 
 
 Sunday Observance. Ethics of Recreation generally. 
 
 The Home, Marriage, Divorce, Parenthood, 
 239 
 
Concerning Texts 
 
 Religion in the Home, Care of the Young, Inculcation of 
 obedience, reverence, &c. 
 
 Religious Education as appropriated between the Church, 
 the Home, and the School. 
 
 Dress — style, amount of income allocated. 
 
 Systematic — as opposed to indiscriminate — Charity. 
 
 Sanitation. Care of the Body. 
 
 Housing of the Poor. 
 
 Conditions of Domestic Service. 
 
 Civics, Politics. How to restrain bitterness and unfair- 
 ness, and to temper discussion with religious in- 
 fluence. 
 
 Public modes of Punishment. Care of first offenders. 
 Prison-gate Missions and " after-care " of Criminals. 
 
 Care of the Destitute by law and by private effort. 
 
 Care of the Diseased in body, and the mentally afflicted. 
 
 Care of State-children. 
 
 Tramps and Gipsies. 
 
 Ethics of business. Fair Wages. 
 
 Insurance. 
 
 Betting, Gambling, Hunting, Racing, and Sports generally. 
 
 Duties to the lower animals. 
 
 Relations between Employer and Employed. Problems 
 of Capital and Labour. 
 
 Socialism, Collectivism, Individualisin. 
 
 Breaking down of unsuitable or obsolete class-barriers. 
 
 Foreign Policy. 
 
 War. How to advance Brotherhood and Universal Peace. 
 
 The Church versus Romanism and Dissent. Home 
 Reunion. Foreign Missions. Missions to the 
 Eastern Churches, to Jews and Mohammedans. 
 
 Church Reform — diocesan, parochial, and liturgical. 
 
 Faith Healing, Christian Science, Telepathy, and the 
 influences generally of the mind over the body. 
 
 Any important passing event. 
 240 
 
Concerning Texts 
 
 But an objector would say: "We know little 
 of all these subjects — nothing of many of them ; 
 the preparation would be long and tedious, in- 
 volving much reading, reflection, and debate ? " 
 
 Just so. This really furnishes a justification 
 for our contention. We readily admit that a 
 sermon on some well-worn scriptural subject, or 
 on a specific hortatory text, could be composed 
 with suspicious and fatal facility ; mind and 
 tongue following in the well-worn rut of ordinary 
 thought and progression — so that practically some 
 men have but one sermon — one theme — which is 
 repeated, time after time, with unimportant varia- 
 tions. But there must be pains in the pulpit to 
 obviate any possible pains in the pews. In an 
 old prayer, the Almighty is besought to raise up 
 in His Church " a body of painful preachers." In 
 a sense not originally intended, the prayer has 
 been abundantly answered. If for "painful" we 
 substitute " painstaking," the petition might be 
 made strikingly applicable to our own day. The 
 great want of the Age is prophets, seers, teachers. 
 As a matter of fact, whether in respect of teachers, 
 poets, statesmen, or in any other capacity — 
 the breed of blopd and brains appears to be 
 dying out. Is this a prelude to a worse state 
 of things ? God forbid. Many preachers make 
 use of " Helps " and " Skeleton " sermons, the 
 statements of which sound strange to the hearers 
 because they have not been assimilated by the 
 preachers, so as to be re-made and brought forth 
 touched and moulded by a common sympathy 
 
 241 Q 
 
Concerning Texts 
 
 and experience. In the hands of such men, the 
 Sword of the Spirit has shrunk into an oyster 
 knife — the text is the best part of the sermon. 
 It is not so much that they have a command 
 of language as that language has a command of 
 them ; they are diffuse because they cannot spend 
 time to save time ; they are transcendental because 
 they have no knowledge of what is passing under 
 their nose ; they deal exclusively with Abraham, 
 Isaac, and Jacob, because they are afraid of be- 
 coming unpopular by rebuking Tom, Dick, and 
 Harry ; they never let themselves go, because 
 they are hitched to a short chain of custom and 
 expediency. Hence, the World has converted the 
 Church, not the Church the World. 
 
 Could not a supreme effort be made (say, once 
 a month) to provide a solid, well thought-out, 
 reasoned discourse on some vital subject which 
 would come home to men's business and bosoms ? 
 If this were systematically done, the great problem 
 of attendance at public worship would be solved — 
 all our churches would require to be enlarged ! 
 
 We ask, would it not be possible, periodically, 
 for half-a-dozen clergy to meet in the study of 
 one of the brethren, and by mutual contribution 
 and endeavour, elaborate a sermon such as this, 
 which each of them would preach in his own 
 church at the next opportunity ? What help and 
 guidance are not invariably received in dealing 
 with a problem which has formed the subject of 
 discussion, when light has been thus shed upon it 
 — rays from the many-faceted prism representing 
 
 242 
 
Concerning Texts 
 
 a varied and multiplied mental illumination ? It 
 furnishes the best illustration of the proverb — 
 " Many men, many minds." 
 
 Some critics may object that the course ad- 
 vocated in this essay — viz., that of free inquiry, 
 the giving up of a mere text, the choosing social 
 and political subjects rather than theological, 
 would not be respectful to the Holy Scriptures, 
 and would not accord with their notions of 
 preaching the Gospel, and of separating the sacred 
 from the secular. 
 
 One may respect these objections, but, at the 
 same time, have nothing to say to them ; the 
 objectors may be sincere, but the modern con- 
 ception of the duty of the preacher, and of the 
 range of his activities, is fundamentally different. 
 To the true apostle, all things are sacred that 
 may be so treated as to make for health and 
 righteousness. He would fain lift up all earthly 
 things to a heavenly plane. 
 
 In respect of one part of the criticism, it is 
 true that free inquiry may seem, at first sight, 
 to weaken the authority of the Bible. Certainly, 
 modern thought suggests a fresh basis for many 
 of the phenomena of life, natural and spiritual 
 — a fresh centre, heliocentric rather than geo- 
 centric — hence, it is inevitable that a certain 
 unsettlement and disturbance should arise, as 
 one changes over from one side to the other ; 
 but these things will right themselves in time, 
 and the Truth can always be trusted to take care 
 of its own. 
 
 243 
 
Concerning Texts 
 
 There is no need to give up the exposition of 
 Scripture. The true expository sermon is very 
 instructive and valuable ; the order tending to 
 fix the teaching in the mind, and enabling the 
 hearer to recall it even after the lapse of many 
 years. One's contention is to the effect that it 
 is disrespectful to take a text to which the ap- 
 pended discourse has but little relevance. Far 
 better would it be, that we boldly announce : 
 " My subject to-day is ' The relation of the housing 
 of the people to decency and comfort,' or 'The 
 disaster at San Francisco or Messina.' " Further, 
 our contention furnishes a plea for greater liberty 
 of choice than is commonly assumed. 
 
 There is no necessity that such subjects as 
 are set forth above should entirely supplant 
 those exclusively based on the Bible. Rather, 
 let them be used at a suitable time and place 
 by a suitable person, or even introduced for a 
 brief space into an ordinary discourse, by way 
 of illustration, or for the purpose of fixing some 
 general lesson. The mastery of sciences and of 
 subjects outside Scripture will attract the hearer 
 and give him confidence in the speaker. Doubt- 
 less, many of the topics suggested appear to be 
 highly controversial ; but the minister of religion 
 has the opportunity of dealing with such topics, 
 not as a vulgar partisan, but as one speaking 
 by command of a Higher Power, and addressing 
 himself temperately to the pros and cons of any 
 particular problem. 
 
 A great deal will depend upon the judicial and 
 244 
 
Concerning Texts 
 
 judicious choice of a good subject by a good 
 speaker. Such a one would gauge all the elements 
 of the position, and if he felt that an audience 
 of working men could be suitably addressed on 
 a matter of lofty spiritual interest, he would not 
 put them off (let us say) with a dissertation on 
 " Drainage." 
 
 Our teaching is frequently uninteresting, un- 
 intelligible, and ineffective, inasmuch as we do 
 not sufficiently take account of present-day prob- 
 lems and present-day life — but deliver a stereo- 
 typed message in such an unnatural voice and 
 manner as to arrest, rather than awaken, thought. 
 The actor has the advantage, inasmuch as he 
 devotes his whole energy to treat the unreal as 
 if it were real — we fail because we invest the 
 real (and what tremendous realities are not in- 
 cluded in this word !) with every semblance of 
 unreality. We aim at nothing, and succeed in 
 hitting it ! 
 
 245 
 
PASTOR AND PEOPLE 
 
 IT is difficult to conceive of a more delicate or 
 intimate relation than that subsisting between a 
 pastor and his people, consisting (as it does) of so 
 many elements, and presenting so many analogies. 
 Of the latter, there occurs to one's mind, at 
 once, the parental, the medical, and the legal. 
 But, in some respects, the pastoral office excels 
 all these. Inasmuch as the heaven is higher than 
 the earth, the spiritual father has powers and 
 attributes which (apart from those of natural 
 affection) elevate his sanctions to the highest 
 possible plane. Again, the physician is called 
 in to prescribe only when one is sick ; the legal 
 adviser only when there is some difficulty ahead, 
 or some crisis imminent in our worldly affairs ; 
 but the spiritual adviser is with his people from 
 the cradle to the grave. As the representative 
 of Mother Church, he takes the infant in his arms 
 at the font, and constitutes it a member of the 
 visible communion of Christ ; he is at the side 
 of the youth in school and class ; he teaches the 
 young to respond to their confirmation vows ; 
 he pronounces the nuptial blessing at the founda- 
 tion of a new home ; at every epoch of the earthly 
 course, whether of sorrow or of joy, he is a 
 
 246 
 
Pastor and People 
 
 necessary and welcome guest ; he declares the 
 word of truth, day by day, Sunday by Sunday ; 
 he hands to the reverent worshipper the precious 
 elements of the broken body and the blood 
 poured out ; he stands by the bedside of the 
 sufferer who lies racked with pain, the eyes 
 closing to all earthly sights ; he then points to 
 fairer worlds, and is again summoned when the 
 last long-drawn sigh testifies that all is over. At 
 the last scene of all, he precedes the sheeted form, 
 when (wrapped in the fine Hnen of the Church's 
 service) it is consigned to its final resting-place, 
 until the trump of the resurrection startles even 
 the dead into renewed life. 
 
 Such is the ministerial course ; and when one 
 reflects upon its variety, importance, and intimate 
 relation, it is amazing that such a work should be 
 laid upon mortal shoulders, and that a mere man 
 should be called upon to undertake such respon- 
 sibilities on behalf of his fellow-men. 
 
 Considering, we repeat, the demand made upon 
 the tact, diligence, and knowledge of affairs, of 
 the minister of Christ — the capacity needed for 
 the due discharge of his functions, in public and 
 in private — one is surprised that men of our 
 mould are to be found of sufficient courage — shall 
 we say temerity ? — to undertake the task. 
 
 Herein, the young are bolder than their seniors, 
 who, speaking for themselves, could undoubtedly 
 truly aver that the considerations adduced above, 
 are more evident to their mind after they have 
 grown grey in the service of the Church of Christ, 
 
 247 
 
Pastor and People 
 
 than when the commission was first delivered into 
 their hands. It is, however, to be noted that the 
 preparation for the ministry is long and laborious, 
 and that if the tests are thoroughly applied, 
 an efficient guarantee is furnished of a consider- 
 able amount of knowledge and even of spiritual 
 aptitude. May this state of things long continue, 
 in spite of the distractions within the Church ; 
 in spite also of the inadequate provision made 
 (according to twentieth-century standards) for 
 the sustentation of the acting clergy, the super- 
 annuation of the infirm, and the compulsory 
 retirement of the unfit. 
 
 Surprising as it may appear, we are left in 
 no manner of doubt that God hath ordained 
 the apostolate and the apostolic succession to be 
 of man and by man. It is conceivable that He 
 might have adopted another method, and entrusted 
 the proclamation of His evangel to the voice of 
 angels. This plan would have possessed certain 
 advantages, but it would also have had, at least, 
 one striking disadvantage. So far as we know, 
 angels have a different constitution from our own, 
 a separate creation and destiny, and — it may 
 be assumed— have enjoyed a sinless life. Their 
 conception, therefore, of sin and of salvation 
 must be essentially different from that which we 
 have formed. Thus, there would have been a 
 measure of unreality in their declarations to man- 
 kind, inasmuch as they could have drawn no 
 lessons from their personal experience. Therefore, 
 God hath ordained in respect of His ministers 
 
 248 
 
Pastor and People 
 
 on earth that a man should speak to men — 
 one sinner to his fellow sinners — inasmuch as 
 we (who speak to you of sin) have felt the 
 stirrings of sin in our own nature, the effort 
 required to oppose, the sickening uncertainty of 
 fear, the craven yielding to temptation ; or, on 
 the other hand, the joy of finding a long, painful, 
 resistance crowned with victory complete. From 
 the other point of view, we have felt, too, the 
 blessings of forgiveness, and have tasted (by fre- 
 quent and happy experience) the graciousness of 
 the Lord. Thus, have we entered into peace and 
 joy, finding ourselves victorious through Him 
 who loved us and gave Himself for us ; realizing, 
 moreover, that (though weak and helpless, ignorant, 
 and foolish, of ourselves) we may yet, by Divine 
 grace, be complete in Him. Out of the fullness of 
 the heart, thus — and thus alone — can the mouth 
 speak. 
 
 One magnifies one's office, to this extent, for, 
 as a body, we are subjected to severe criticism ; 
 and, indeed, rightly so, for — as has been said — 
 we assume a lofty position and undertake a heavy 
 responsibility. 
 
 In one sense, we should welcome criticism — for 
 we are apt to be overmuch pleased with ourselves 
 and our doings ; to consider that we are perfect ; 
 to persevere in our own obstinate way ; and to 
 think that wisdom must necessarily die with us. 
 Therefore, it is expedient, that, sometimes, we 
 should be made to see ourselves as others see us, 
 and be subjected to the cold douche freely supplied 
 
 249 
 
Pastor and People 
 
 by candid friends. But criticism may be unfair 
 rather than kindly — censorious rather than charit- 
 able. It t's unfair when it deals solely with per- 
 sonal attributes beyond one's power to change or 
 rectify, such as the colour of one's hair ; or with 
 certain peculiarities and idiosyncrasies which — 
 more or less unconsciously — attach themselves to 
 every man, but are not of the essence of the man 
 himself. 
 
 Naturally, we allow that the preparation to 
 which we subject ourselves should be such as 
 to bring out our powers to the full, and reduce 
 these peculiarities — certainly, the unpleasant ones 
 — to a minimum ; we also allow that (bearing in 
 mind the needs of the cultivated men and women 
 in our congregations) we should aim at making 
 ourselves apt scholars and men of the world, 
 in the best sense ; and that we should improve 
 our natural gifts and endowments in order that 
 the message should lose nothing in its telling at 
 our mouth. But, one's faculties, one's time, one's 
 opportunities, are limited. It is not possible for all 
 men to be, at once and altogether, great scholars, 
 powerful preachers, diligent visitors, discreet ad- 
 visers, and successful organisers. Allowance, 
 therefore, must be made for human limitations 
 and infirmities ; for the existence of a remnant 
 of the old Adam still working in the innermost 
 recesses of one's being ; for a temper not always 
 under control ; for periods of disappointment 
 and discouragement ; for ill-health, low spirits, 
 domestic uneasiness, insufficient means, and a 
 
 250 
 
Pastor and People 
 
 knowledge that one's creditors are knocking at 
 the gate, and knocking, perforce, in vain. The 
 latter evil is present in many a town, and rural, 
 vicarage to-day ; and is accentuated by the fact 
 that the clergy are frequently required to pay at a 
 higher rate than others for similar accommodation, 
 and are subjected to unmerciful censure if they 
 come within measurable distance of the Court of 
 Bankruptcy — the failure to pay one's debts being 
 regarded by one's creditors as the one unpardon- 
 able sin. 
 
 We have said that the laity naturally expect a 
 great deal ; that we, certainly, do magnify our 
 office and make great pretensions. In this respect, 
 both consciously and unconsciously, clergy and 
 laity agree in allowing that the issues are great, 
 and that (so far as human discernment goes) 
 our success means the salvation — our neglect or 
 failure, the loss — of a soul. 
 
 Happily, there exists a far higher standard, both 
 of preparation and execution, than was considered 
 sufficient forty or fifty years ago. There are fewer 
 pluralists, non-residents, sporting men — men of the 
 "do not as I do, but as I say" class. Perhaps, 
 some persons think that the clerical ideal is now 
 pitched somewhat too high ; and, undoubtedly, 
 the callow cleric, fresh from the schools, puffed 
 up by priestly assumption, presents not an agree- 
 able picture. In this respect, however, things will 
 right themselves in time, in accordance with our 
 sober English feeling ; and one may say, too, with 
 the spirit of our formularies and Prayer Book. 
 
 25^ 
 
Pastor and People 
 
 But when we have done our best in our worst 
 way, or our worst in our best way, we ask the lay 
 folk to remember that we are, after all, divinely 
 called to be the ministers of the Redeemer's 
 Church ; that we have the true succession ; that 
 we have special duties and functions not shared 
 by others ; that we are accredited representatives 
 of the King of kings, and officers in the divine 
 army of the Church Militant here on earth. 
 Therefore, we appeal to them to look from us 
 to Christ; to regard the message rather than the 
 man; to remember the text even if they forget 
 the sermon; and to reflect that that text hath a 
 message for them — an express and individual 
 application to their state of mind and their man- 
 ner of life. 
 
 Different people take different views as to their 
 responsibility in this matter. There be some 
 who regard Sunday as a holiday rather than a 
 holy-day ; who attend church to pass away the 
 time, to greet their acquaintance, or to display the 
 last new frock or feather. One may recognize 
 these as they crowd out of the sacred building, by 
 the conversation one overhears as to the weather 
 — as to some engagement relating to business or 
 pleasure — or (if they deign to refer to the service 
 at all) as to some unintelligent or spiteful criticism 
 of the singing or the sermon. To such persons, 
 one's words would have but little meaning. 
 
 But the question may well be asked — is this 
 state of mind widely prevalent ? Are our service 
 and devotion — we will not say shams — but are 
 
 252 
 
Pastor and People 
 
 they something respecting which it is altogether 
 indifferent whether it be done well or ill ? In 
 this last of the centuries, has the word of God 
 become pointless and outworn ? If it be so, if 
 the world has really grown too wise, too learned, 
 for the truths that have done service in the past ; 
 if it have for its votaries a message of love, of 
 hope, of reverence, of spiritual life, superior to that 
 furnished by the gospel of the Christ Who lived 
 and died so long ago, let us not be afraid or 
 ashamed to acknowledge the change. Only 
 let us face the fact, let us confess it openly, 
 and cease to make religion a mere insur- 
 ance against hell-fire, to act the hypocrite, 
 to mock the God of old time, and to confess 
 with the mouth what we deny with the mind. 
 Let us act as honest men — let us burn our Bibles, 
 throw off our shackles, close our churches, and 
 silence our pulpits ; for (if this gospel story be 
 indeed a delusion and a lie) preachers might 
 spare their breath, and their congregations would 
 be better away on the golf-green or the race- 
 course. " Let us eat, drink, and take our pleasure, 
 for to-morrow we die, and there is an end ! " 
 
 On the other hand, if we do realize that 
 Christ, and Christ alone, is appointed to be 
 unto a lost universe the Way, the Truth, and the 
 Life ; if, in this sense, we feel within ourselves 
 the movement of the Holy Spirit brooding with 
 fluttering wings over the abyss of our soul, calling 
 up the powers of being, evoking thoughts that 
 breathe and words that burn — let us be conscious 
 
 253 
 
Pastor and People 
 
 of the momentous importance of the subject laid 
 open before us ; let us, ministers, make full proof 
 of our ministry, and do you, the laity, regard our 
 message with a serious interest. Criticize us, by 
 all means, if you will ; but within limits reason- 
 able and charitable ; remembering that criticism 
 may sometimes defeat its purpose and rob its 
 authors of any real or lasting benefit. In a 
 classic story, we are told that, once upon a time, 
 Jove set a captious critic to separate the wheat 
 from the chaff ; and that, when the operation was 
 concluded, the playful god presented the un- 
 fortunate man with the chaff for his pains. 
 
 One knew a minister of the Gospel who, for his 
 sins, was permitted to have, at his elbow, a critic 
 of this stamp. Nothing was ever right. His 
 sermons were either too long or too short ; he 
 spoke either too low or bawled to an intolerable 
 extent ; but if — as in this instance — criticism 
 always lays hold of the accidentals, it goes near 
 to the losing of the essentials. In the case before 
 us, the essential part is the delivery of a message 
 from the Eternal Who suffers His treasure to be 
 contained in earthen vessels, and Who deigns to 
 speak with the voice of a man. It is quite clear 
 that if the clergy could not feel that they were 
 divinely called to deliver this message, they would 
 not have the presumption to stand up at all. 
 
 What we contend for, is the recognition of an 
 humble effort to do what can fairly be expected 
 to be accomplished under human limitations. 
 We do not plead for unthinking, unlimited, 
 
 254 
 
Pastor and People 
 
 praise ; but one conceives that all of us, men 
 and women, old and young, clergy and laity alike, 
 would be all the better for a word of encourage- 
 ment now and then. It would penetrate like a 
 ray of sunshine into the heart and mind, and tend 
 to cause individuals not to relax their efforts, 
 but to put forth still better and worthier en- 
 deavours. This, then, one pleads for generally. 
 It is wonderful how some persons, women espe- 
 cially, pass through the daily round of mono- 
 tonous drudgery without one syllable of thanks, 
 or even of recognition, from those for whose 
 benefit this drudgery is wrought. Having said 
 this much, one may possibly be allowed grace 
 to plead also that a little discriminating praise 
 be accorded even to the clergy. 
 
 In regard to pastor and people, mutual respect 
 and affection are eminently desirable and even 
 essential. But these relations, after all, must be 
 established not upon an earthly and temporal 
 basis, but upon a heavenly and everlasting. One 
 can hardly enforce this truth with too much 
 solemnity and earnestness. What should be the 
 feeling of the clergy in respect of their minis- 
 tration to their people ? E.g., is the sermon to be 
 a mere essay, thrown off to display the learning 
 and cleverness of the preacher ; a mere form 
 of words glibly spoken, to be forgotten on 
 both sides as soon as delivered ; or should 
 it not rather be wrought out upon one's knees, 
 always with travail, sometimes even with tears ; 
 the Holy Ghost stirring within, showing us 
 
 255 
 
Pastor and People 
 
 the world of sin and evil from which souls 
 are to be rescued and led up to the Kingdom 
 of God's dear Son — the whole procedure filling 
 us with awe as we reflect that the angels are 
 looking on with breathless interest, having a finer 
 sense than ourselves of the issues at stake, in- 
 volving (so far as human probabilities go) the gain 
 or loss of a soul unto God? 
 
 But these obligations are mutual. If we pray 
 for you, to further your advantage and endless 
 profit, we are likewise led to ask for your prayers, 
 that our labour on your behalf may not be in 
 vain. 
 
 One trusts that, in every congregation through- 
 out the land, faithful souls are supplicating the 
 grace of Him (to whom no such request will 
 ever be made in vain) that He may be pleased 
 to own and bless the imperfect service of His 
 ministers, and to teach even the stammering 
 tongue to speak plainly when it discourses of a 
 Saviour's pardoning love. 
 
 When one hears complaints about any par- 
 ticular clergyman, one is tempted to say to the 
 detractors (who frequently seem the more de- 
 lighted the more justification they appear to have) 
 — " Do you pray for him ? " " Do you use the 
 cloke of charity ? " " Do you utilize to the full 
 the little you may be able to gather from his 
 ministry ? " If the laity fail to do their part in 
 these particulars, can it be wondered at that a 
 blessing is withheld ? 
 
 Let a man so account of us then, as of ministers 
 256 
 
Pastor and People 
 
 of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. 
 Let all, clergy and laity alike, endeavour to realize 
 their respective obligations, so that the glory of 
 God and the good of His people may advance 
 together ; and the glorious end at last be reached, 
 wherein and whereby pastor and people may re- 
 joice in the eternal fulness of the heavenly joy. 
 
 257 
 
THE RIGHTS AND DUTIES OF 
 THE LAITY 
 
 THE Church is made up of two elements — 
 clergy and laity. The derivation of the 
 word " clergy " from the Greek word kleros, a 
 " lot," or " reserved portion," indicates that they 
 are chosen or selected out of the mass for the 
 peculiar and honourable office of preaching the 
 Word and administering the Sacraments, On 
 the other hand, the derivation of the word " laity " 
 is not so clear. Probably, it comes from the 
 Anglo-Saxon, and, by its meaning, connotes the 
 distinction in literary knowledge which was orig- 
 inally so marked between the one class and the 
 other. The progress of the ecclesiastical authority, 
 in early times, gave birth to the memorable dif- 
 ferentiation between laity and clergy, which had 
 been unknown, in this form, to the Greeks and 
 Romans, 
 
 In religious, or — ^may we say ? — " ecclesiastical " 
 matters nowadays, the clergy are very much in 
 evidence. Within the church, the clergyman takes 
 a leading part in the service ; he alone ministers 
 at the altar, declaims from the pulpit, and pos- 
 sesses special rights and privileges in respect of 
 
 258 
 
Rights and Duties of the Laity 
 
 the building and its furniture. In the parish, 
 too (as the word " parson " — persona — testifies), he 
 occupies a conspicuous — a unique — position. The 
 cure of souls is solemnly entrusted to him ; he 
 provides for the care of the young, the visitation 
 of the sick, the partial relief of the poor. Practi- 
 cally, the organization of religious and philan- 
 thropic effort depends upon him. Each individual 
 within the parish is supposed to come within the 
 sphere of his ministrations, in a formal manner, 
 several times within that individual's career, viz., 
 at baptism, confirmation, marriage, sickness, and 
 death. 
 
 These offices are so marked, exclusive, and 
 regular, that an impression might naturally be 
 formed that the clergy, of themselves, constituted 
 the Church ; and that the work and office of 
 the laity were altogether subordinate ; being 
 limited to regular attendance upon the ministra- 
 tions of the clergy and payment of dues and 
 contributions. 
 
 This> however, would be a false idea — an idea 
 decidedly derogatory to the layman, and, in the 
 end, hurtful to the cleric, inasmuch as it would 
 interfere with the ideal and efficiency of the 
 Church, In the human body, hypertrophy — or 
 excessive growth of one part of the organism — is 
 accompanied by atrophy, or wasting away of some 
 other part, the balance of power being disturbed 
 and a general weakening of the frame resulting. 
 
 Therefore, it is in the real interest of the 
 Church that attention should be bestowed upon 
 
 259 
 
Rights and Duties of the Laity 
 
 the rights and corresponding duties of the laity ; 
 especially as it may be allowed that the present 
 state of things, in part, has been brought about 
 by the excessive pretensions of a section of the 
 clergy, and by the tacit abandonment on the 
 part of a large portion of the laity of their true 
 position and function. 
 
 One is not sure that the Reformation, and the 
 excessive zeal of those who carried on theological 
 discussions at that time, did not tend to lower 
 the influence of the laity within the Church, and 
 to relax the bonds of discipline generally. Yet 
 it left some ancient offices untouched, such as 
 those filled by churchwardens and sidesmen. 
 The churchwarden is an officer whose functions 
 are more numerous and far-reaching than many 
 persons imagine. Again, the sidesman can exer- 
 cise an important influence on the affairs of the 
 church and parish, if not by force of recognized 
 law, yet by virtue of persuasion and personal 
 influence. Occasionally, these officials and their 
 colleagues can rise to the dignity of a Church 
 Council ; to which may be submitted any pro- 
 posed changes in the order of service or any 
 inauguration or extension of work throughout 
 the parish. Speaking, for a moment, of the 
 conduct of the services of the church, who can 
 overestimate the value of the good offices of 
 all lay officials — from the verger and the ringers 
 up to the organist and the choir ? 
 
 Again, in respect of the laity, what a wide field 
 for the exercise of their powers of teaching and 
 
 260 
 
Rights and Duties of the Laity 
 
 discipline is not furnished by the schools — both 
 Day and Sunday schools — by temperance work 
 amongst children and adults — by guilds of pity, 
 reverence, and service — by mothers' unions and 
 boys' and girls' friendly societies — by visitation of 
 different orders of individuals within the parish, 
 and within institutions situated in the parish, such 
 as workhouses, schools, asylums, almshouses, 
 homes, barracks, and institutes of various de- 
 scriptions — by provision of nurses for the sick 
 poor, for mothers and young children — by 
 furnishing bands of district visitors, and by the 
 distribution of literature referring to purity, tem- 
 perance, and thrift — by the organization of asso- 
 ciations for missionary effort, both home and 
 foreign — and in a hundred other ways ! 
 
 The recapitulation of these varied schemes 
 reminds one there are special departments that 
 must be maintained and carried on mainly by 
 the gentler sex — such as the care of young ser- 
 vants and women generally ; the rescue of the 
 fallen ; the provision of nurseries and creches, 
 and the instruction of children — boys as well as 
 girls — in their tender years. But the position and 
 work of women within the Church are so im- 
 portant that they deserve separate treatment ; 
 one merely refers to the matter here to have 
 the opportunity of expressing one's satisfaction 
 at the enlarged facilities an enlightened christian 
 conscience furnishes, whereby the peculiar gifts 
 of women are now formally consecrated to 
 the highest religious ends. One might, too, 
 
 261 
 
Rights and Duties of the Laity 
 
 mention in this place the advantage the Church 
 of England possesses in a married clergy, 
 whereby so many helpers are secured in re- 
 spect of the wives and daughters of our vicars 
 and curates. Not only so, but circumstances 
 are, in this wise, rendered more favourable for 
 the combined action of women in conjunction 
 with the ordinary ministrations of the clergyman 
 in his parish. 
 
 It is well to note the immense power wielded 
 by the laity in virtue of their contributions to 
 Church work and endeavour. They furnish the 
 greater part of the wealth which builds and 
 endows our churches, founds our schools, and 
 maintains the thousand-and-one organizations 
 flourishing under the aegis of the National 
 Church. It lies in their power to maintain these 
 in full efficiency, if they consider that the clerical 
 work is executed on fit and proper lines ; or — 
 by the withdrawal of subscriptions — to cause 
 them to languish and die, if they think that 
 the organizers and managers are false to their 
 trust and to the tradition and practice of the 
 Church. If the faithful laity, then, have the wish 
 to maintain traditions and practices in accordance 
 with the sober judgment of our race and nation, 
 they have the power so to do ; for there is no 
 more tremendous material influence than that 
 of the purse. 
 
 In the political world, moreover, the action of 
 the lay people is all but supreme. The power of 
 the bishops in the House of Lords is restricted by 
 
 262 
 
Rights and Duties of the Lait)r 
 
 custom and precedent ; the ordinary clergyman is 
 precluded by statute from sitting in the House of 
 Commons, and the Houses of Convocation possess 
 but little political influence or power. In this 
 field, therefore, the laity have full scope for their 
 energies. As a matter of fact, they appoint the 
 bishops — the rulers of our Church ; for these 
 chief pastors are selected by the sovereign, at 
 the suggestion of the Prime Minister of the day ; 
 and if the Prime Minister be not representative 
 of the prevalent feeling and influence of the 
 great body of the English people, one does not 
 know who is. If then the laity want bishops 
 — good, honest, and true — they must, by con- 
 stitutional means, make known their wishes to 
 the chief minister of State. 
 
 But the work to which attention has hitherto 
 been called is of a material or philanthropic 
 character. Is the work of the laity to be con- 
 fined to this ? By no means. A layman is a 
 Christian, a man saved, taught, moved, by Christ 
 Himself. If he be a Christian indeed, he will, 
 therefore, feel it incumbent upon him to do what 
 he can to bring before the minds of others a know- 
 ledge of the influences which have changed his 
 own life, and brought peace and comfort to his 
 own soul. 
 
 The notion that all spiritual matters and minis- 
 trations must be left to the clergy, and the clergy 
 alone ; that it is impertinent on the part of a 
 lay person to read the Scriptures to the ignorant, 
 to offer prayer by the bedside of the dying, to 
 
 263 
 
Rights and Duties of the Laity 
 
 exhort a congregation in the words of the Gospel, 
 is altogether monstrous and unworthy, and should 
 be set aside at once. First, it would render the 
 work too arduous and overwhelming for the clergy, 
 who number but some 26,000 men, only about 
 two-thirds of whom are in active ministerial service. 
 What can one man, or a small band of two or 
 three men, do, in the midst of a teeming popu- 
 lation of some eight, ten, twelve, even sometimes 
 twenty thousand, souls ; where, moreover, igno- 
 rance and crime perhaps are rampant ? No, the 
 Church of England, in our day, in our large towns — 
 in our vast metropolis, above all — should extend and 
 perfect her organization, by laying hold on the godly 
 laity, setting her seal on one and the other, who 
 show spirituality, intelligence, and aptitude for 
 the work ; furnishing facilities whereby (without 
 giving up their calling or occupation) the elect 
 might assume the office and work of Reader ; 
 so that, with due preparation, and the conscious- 
 ness of a true commission, they might go forth to 
 our lodging-houses, clubs, public-houses, factories, 
 warehouses, open spaces ; and, in due season, and, 
 by well-approved methods, bring personal influence 
 to bear upon the men and women who congregate 
 in our vast centres of population dwelling there 
 (neglected and overlooked), stagnating, festering, 
 cursing both God and man in their despair and 
 agony, and departing this life without any hope 
 or expectation of a better.^ 
 
 ^ In this connection may be mentioned the ideals of the C.E.M.S. 
 and of the Brotherhood of S. Andrew. 
 
 264 
 
Rights and Duties of the Laity 
 
 By its indifference and apathy, society is 
 preparing for itself a tremendous awakening. 
 This is coming, sloAVly but surely. The present 
 generation is but dimly conscious of it ; but in the 
 next generation, the accumulation of work will 
 both be more evident and ten times more difficult 
 wherewith to cope. One vice to which one would 
 markedly refer is designated Hooliganism. Who 
 is to blame for this ? The individuals them- 
 selves ? That is our first impulse — to hold them 
 solely responsible, to look at them with loath- 
 ing and contempt, to turn away with disgust, to 
 immure them behind the grim walls of a gaol, 
 and endeavour to forget their existence ! But 
 this will not avail. The fact is, one should not 
 blame these people, of themselves. They are only 
 the product of our own folly and fault, in suffer- 
 ing them to herd together like the beasts of the 
 field ; in denying them in our public elementary 
 schools a full measure of the christian faith ; and, 
 in certain of these schools, making no provision 
 for christian teaching at all. 
 
 In our country parishes, each man, woman, 
 and child is known to the pastor of the flock, a 
 certain measure of control being thus exercisable, 
 even if it be not, in all instances, efficacious. In 
 our large towns, how different is the case. There 
 are thousands and tens of thousands, who are 
 never brought within reach of any civilizing, 
 socializing, christianizing, influences whatsoever. 
 They seek not the clergyman or the reader, they 
 make not their way to the church — not they ! 
 
 265 
 
Rights and Duties of the Laity 
 
 In most cases, in our fashionable resorts, they 
 would be spurned from the door as verminous, 
 malodorous, and corrupt — as, indeed, they are. 
 Besides, they have descended so low that our 
 church service, our teaching and doctrine, have 
 no meaning for them. No, we must try a dif- 
 ferent tack, make up for past neglect, begin before 
 the beginning ! 
 
 The message, then, of to-day is : the laity to 
 the rescue ! Who will come to the help of the 
 Lord against the mighty — against all the forces 
 of misbelief and Satan ? We want men, in their 
 numbers, to go forth, to break up, to isolate these 
 masses, to bring them under individual control, 
 to deal with each according to his need, his 
 idiosyncrasy. 
 
 Lastly, we must do it soon, we must do it now, 
 or it will be too late ; seeing that this flood 
 of bestiality, misery, and crime will tend to rise 
 and swell and gather strength ; until (like some 
 winter's flood) it overtops our feeble barriers and 
 sweeps resistlessly over the land, burying deep 
 beneath its foul and turbid waters all traces of 
 our commercial supremacy, our refinement, our 
 civilization, and our faith ! 
 
 266 
 
HYMNOLOGY, AND THE CHOICE OF 
 HYMNS FOR PUBLIC WORSHIP 
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 THE faculty of thought would have been 
 comparatively useless vsrithout the power 
 of expression in speech. Therefore, we are not 
 surprised at their intimate connection physio- 
 logically, this close linking together being, more- 
 over, a testimony to the development of the race 
 in time. 
 
 The use of the faculty of speech makes man 
 a social being — the highest use of it enables him 
 to exercise his religious sensibilities, and serves 
 to prepare him for worship near the Throne. In 
 early ages, mankind thought in rhythm, spoke in 
 rhythm, worshipped in rhythm ; or, not so much 
 perhaps in rhyme, as in accordance with certain 
 primitive laws of stress, accent, metre, alliteration, 
 and the like. 
 
 It is interesting to note that the beginnings 
 of song, of dance, of drama, were all associated 
 with religion. 
 
 Of the power of song, wedded to music, added 
 to rhythmic movement, colour, light, incense, 
 vestments, nothing need be said. It affects all 
 
 267 
 
Hymnology, and the Choice of 
 
 minds, in a measure — some minds (as in the 
 case of Latin nations in southern climes) in an 
 intense degree. 
 
 In the present Essay, however, we separate the 
 words from the music, and consider the former 
 exclusively. We have to remember, however, 
 that, in a large number of cases, it is the tune 
 that carries us along ; for, in some instances, a 
 hymn to which a beautiful tune is wedded con- 
 tains expressions which, to say the least, are pure 
 nonsense. 
 
 Development 
 
 The development of vocal and instrumental 
 music in Asia and Africa proceeded on different 
 lines to its course in the Western world ; and, 
 although the West is largely indebted to the 
 Middle and Nearer East for its language, numerals, 
 philosophy, law, and religion, its conception of 
 melody and harmony, and its elaboration of the 
 instruments whereby these may be expressed, are 
 largely its own. 
 
 In respect to the literature of song, an ex- 
 ception may, perhaps, be made in respect of 
 the Hebrew melodies, which have profoundly 
 influenced the Western world, through its 
 acceptance of Jewish and Christian theology 
 and literature. 
 
 Hymns may be taken to include anything sung 
 or recited by way of praise to God, whether in 
 a metrical or simply rhythmical shape. 
 
 268 
 
Hymns for Public Worship 
 
 A vast number of hymns, good, bad, and in- 
 different, are constantly being produced. 
 
 Dr. Julian's new edition of the Dictionary of 
 Hymnology includes annotations in respect of 
 30,000 hymns ; and furnishes a record of 6000 
 authors, translators, &c. 
 
 Our Reformation Church 
 
 Since the Reformation, the history of music 
 in the public services of our Church is remark- 
 able. The old system was done away, some 
 time elapsing before the possibilities of the new 
 system were discovered. 
 
 In due time, the chant, the anthem, the art of 
 accompaniment were developed ; and that, too, 
 under the hands of masters such as Tallis, 
 Purcell, Turle, Wesley, &c., who showed the 
 world that the English race could produce 
 melody of the highest order. 
 
 But the rise and progress of hymnology did 
 not accord with those of the departments above 
 mentioned. 
 
 Early endeavours were directed to force the 
 Psalms of David — themselves elaborate musical 
 compositions in form — into the Procrustean bed 
 of measures foreign to their genius and structure. 
 
 At that time, for the sins of the Church, 
 God raised up Sternhold and Hopkins. Thomas 
 Sternhold — joint-author with Hopkins of the first 
 version of the Psalms of David in English metre 
 — was born near Blakeney in Gloucestershire, and 
 
 269 
 
Hymnology, and the Choice of 
 
 educated at Oxford, after which he became Groom 
 of the Robes to Henry VIII. and Edward VI. He 
 died in 1549. He versified fifty-one of the Psalms, 
 the remainder being written by Hopkins, Norton, 
 and others. 
 
 Nahum Tate, poet — so called by courtesy — 
 was born in Dublin in 1652, and educated in 
 the college of his native city. On coming to 
 London, he assisted Dryden in some of his 
 works, and succeeded Shadwell as poet-laureate. 
 He altered Shakespeare's play of Lear, and wrote 
 several poems, but is chiefly remembered by 
 reason of his version of the Psalms. 
 
 His coadjutor, Nicholas Brady, was a divine 
 who studied at Oxford and Dublin, took an active 
 part on the side of the Prince of Orange, and 
 afterwards became chaplain to him as king. He 
 was born at Bandon, Ireland, in 1659, and died 
 in 1726. 
 
 Modern Times 
 
 When we take into account the supremacy of 
 the masters of English verse — whilst not forgetting 
 many first-rate specimens of hymns — we sorrow- 
 fully admit that religion and our Church have 
 been either neglected altogether or badly served 
 by our national poets. 
 
 Byron's Hebrew Melodies show us what a 
 master-hand could have done if it had been 
 suffered to sweep the strings of the sacred lyre. 
 
 It may be stated that many of our most 
 270 
 
Hymns for Public Worship 
 
 popular hymns are merely translations, or adapta- 
 tions from Greek or Latin originals, and that 
 some of our best-known compositions are the 
 work of Nonconformists. 
 
 Certain metrical songs are on the border 
 line between the secular and the sacred. Take, 
 for instance, "Home, Sweet Home." The charac- 
 teristics of a hymn are deep solemnity, pathos, 
 appeal to the religious emotions. All these may 
 be embodied in the melody above mentioned. 
 But the main differentia are to be found in the 
 fact that the true hymn appeals to the Almighty 
 by name and reference — by way of praise, en- 
 treaty, or even prayer. That rules out " Home, 
 Sweet Home." A family song, it may be, sus- 
 ceptible of rousing the social instincts, but to 
 give it a place as a hymn in private or public 
 use is to strike a false note. 
 
 Choice of Hymns for Worship 
 
 What rules should determine our choice of 
 ' hymns for public worship ? That is our special 
 subject, for we are not dealing with tunes, or 
 metres, or hymns available for private devotion. 
 
 To answer this question we must ask further : 
 " What is the object of using hymns at all ? " 
 The response is clear : " To subserve the praise and 
 the glory of God — to add our contribution to 
 the volume of sound arising from the worship of 
 angels who circle around the Throne. To that 
 end — to evoke the deepest feelings of the human 
 
 271 
 
Hymnology, and the Choice of 
 
 heart, to unlock the recesses of the soul, to engage 
 in unity of thought, feeHng, and expression — all 
 worshippers are gathered together to glorify God 
 with one voice as well as with one heart, and to 
 maintain the loftiest excitation of feeling — even 
 as an army on the march is stimulated by the 
 tabor and the drum." 
 
 We shall gradually reach the desired conclusion 
 by considering what should be avoided.^ 
 
 (a) One should avoid bad poetry. Examples : — 
 
 Hymn 91, v. i. 
 
 " Christian, dost thou see them 
 On the holy ground, 
 How the troops of Midian 
 
 Prowl and prowl around ? " . . . 
 
 — Rev. J. M. Neale. 
 Hymn 195, v. 2. 
 
 ..." They cannot reach the mystery, 
 
 The length and breadth and height." . . . 
 — Rev. C. Wesley. 
 Hymn 255, v. 6. 
 
 ..." Just as I am, of that pure love 
 
 The breadth, length, depth, and height to proved 
 Here for a season, then above, 
 
 O Lamb of God, I come." . . . 
 
 — Charlotte Elliott. 
 
 ^ For the sake of convenience most of the examples are taken from 
 one book — and that the most popular — Hymns Ancient and Modern ; 
 the last revision but one. 
 
 ^ The repetition of these unpoetical and unsingable words in so many 
 hymns is remarkable — especially in the case of vpriters and true poets, 
 like Charles Wesley and Charlotte Elliott. It results, of course, from 
 the original prose in Eph. iii. l8. 
 
 272 
 
Hymns for Public Worship 
 
 Hymn 270, v. 3. 
 
 ..." Stand then in His great might, 
 With all His strength endued; 
 And take, to arm you for the fight, 
 The panoply of God." . . . 
 
 — Rev. C. Wesley. 
 Hymn 337, v. 3. 
 
 ..." There's a home for little children 
 Above the bright blue sky, 
 Where Jesus reigns in glory, 
 A home of peace and ;'oy." . . . 
 
 A. MiDLANE. 
 
 {b) Exhibitions of bad taste should be avoided: — 
 
 Hymn 105, v. 3. 
 
 ..." May these all our spirits sate, 
 And with love inebriate." . . . 
 
 — Rev. F. Oakeley. 
 
 Those who demand so insistently the "original" 
 verses of famous hymns will be surprised to find 
 that the concluding lines of Cowper's " God moves 
 in a mysterious way" {A. and M., 373) were not — 
 
 but 
 
 " The bud may have a bitter taste. 
 But sweet will be the flower." . 
 
 " The bud may have a bitter taste, 
 But wait to smell the flower !" . 
 
 So the editio princeps of Dr. Watts's hymns shows 
 that the original version of a popular favourite 
 ran thus {A. and M., 108): — 
 
 " When I survey the wondrous Cross, 
 
 Where the young Prince of Glory dy'd "... 
 273 S 
 
Hymnology, and the Choice of 
 
 Again, a popular favourite has been elaborated 
 out of Kirke White's original (written in 1806 on 
 the back of a mathematical paper) : — 
 
 " Much in sorrow, oft in woe, 
 Onward, Christians, onward go; 
 Fight the fight, and worn with strife, 
 Steep with tears the bread of Ufe." . . . 
 
 (c) Obscurity : — 
 
 Hymn 91, v. 4. 
 
 ..." And the end of sorrow 
 
 Shall be near My Throne." . . . 
 
 — Rev. J. M. Neale. 
 
 Hymn 68, v. 3. 
 
 . . . " Ah ! what availed King Herod's wrath ? 
 He could not stay your Saviour's path. 
 The Child he sought alone went free ; 
 That Child is King eternally.'' . . . 
 
 —Sir H. W. Baker. 
 
 Hymn 277, v. 4. 
 
 ..." Out of my stony griefs 
 
 Beth-el I'll raise ; " . . . 
 
 — Mrs. Adams. 
 
 Hymn 574, v. 2. 
 
 ..." The old man, meek and mild, 
 The priest of Israel, slept ; 
 His watch the Temple child. 
 The httle Levite kept; "... 
 
 — J. D. Burns. 
 274 
 
Hymns for Public Worship 
 
 (rf) Confusion of imagery : — 
 
 Hymn 453, v. i. 
 
 " O Shepherd of the sheep, 
 
 High Priest of things to come, 
 Who did'st in grace Thy servant keep, 
 And take him safely home." . . . 
 
 (e) Hymns manifestly written to order — jejune, 
 wooden, pointless, wanting alike in spontaneity 
 and unction : — 
 
 Hymn 614, v. 6. 
 
 ..." Praise, Lord, to Thee for Matthew's call. 
 At which he left his earthly all ; 
 Thou, Lord, e'en now art calling me, — 
 I will leave all, and follow Thee." . . . 
 
 — Bishop Walsham How. 
 
 (/) Only a sweet song, hysterical, over-much 
 subjective, mawkish, sickly, sentimental, largely 
 characteristic of Roman Church : — 
 
 Hymn 234. 
 
 " O Paradise." 
 
 — Rev. F. W. Faber. 
 Hymn 197, v. 5. 
 
 ..." Thou spread'st a Table in my sight ; 
 Thy Unction grace bestoweth ; 
 And, oh, what transport of delight, 
 
 From Thy pure Chalice floweth ! " . . . 
 — Sir H. Baker. 
 
 This phrasing may lead to unreality — which 
 is the high-road to hypocrisy. However, in this 
 
 275 
 
Hymnology, and the Choice of 
 
 case, we must remember it is meant to be used 
 at a Celebration. 
 
 Hymn 210, v. i. 
 
 " Gracious Spirit, Holy Ghost, 
 Taught by Thee, we covet most 
 Of Thy gifts at Pentecost, 
 
 Holy, heavenly, love." . . . 
 — Bishop Christopher Wordsworth. 
 
 We can picture this as being sung at a Welsh 
 revival — and also surmise some of the possible 
 results ! 
 
 Some critics include Newman's " Lead, Kindly 
 Light" in this category, but although the Divine 
 Name is not therein employed the pronoun is ; 
 moreover, this hymn gains immensely in meaning 
 when one realizes the circumstances under which 
 it was written — it may be so also with others of a 
 similar kind. 
 
 Similarly, " Praise to the Holiest "... will 
 not be fully appreciated unless it is read in " The 
 Dream of Gerontius," i.e., in its original setting. 
 
 The following hymns are susceptible of criti- 
 cism under this heading : — 
 
 178, Part 3, V. 2. 
 
 222. 
 
 258 
 
 180, V. 4. 
 
 229. 
 
 324 
 
 192. 
 
 233- 
 
 361 
 
 210. 
 
 240. 
 
 
 {g) Unreality — too personal a note. Here a 
 certain latitude must be allowed, and the realiza- 
 tion of a dawning hope allowed for ; but (whether in 
 
 276 
 
Hymns for Public Worship 
 
 praise or prayer) it is injurious and hypocritical to 
 put words into the lips of the worshippers which 
 probably far transcend their tone of feeling. 
 
 Hymn 195, v. i. 
 
 . . . " O Love divine, how sweet thou art ! " . . . 
 ..." I thirst, I faint, I die to prove "... 
 ..." For love I sigh, for love I pine." . . . 
 
 — C. Wesley. 
 
 Hymn 255, v. 5. 
 
 ..." Now to be Thine, yea, Thine alone." . . . 
 
 — C. Elliott. 
 Hymn 234. 
 
 ..." All rapture through and through 
 In God's most Holy sight ? " 
 
 —Rev. F. W. Faber. 
 
 {K) Theology too Judaic and realistic : — 
 
 Hymn 103, w. 4, 5. 
 
 ..." Blood to win us crowns on high." 
 
 " Jesu, may those precious fountains 
 Drink to thirsting souls afford ; 
 Let them be our cup and healing, 
 And at length our full reward." . . . 
 
 — Rev. Sir H. W. Baker. 
 
 Hymn 104, vv. 5, 6. 
 
 ..." Had Jesus never bled and died. 
 
 Then what could thee and all betide 
 But uttermost damnation ?" . . . 
 
 ..." And from those everlasting flames 
 For evil ones preparing." . . . 
 
 — Rev. J, M. Neale. 
 277 
 
Hymnology, and the Choice of 
 
 Hymn 107, vv. 2, 7. 
 
 ..." Grace and life eternal 
 
 In that Blood I find ; " . . • 
 
 ..." Louder still and louder 
 
 Praise the precious Blood." .... 
 
 — Rev. E. Caswall. 
 
 Hymn 114, v. 5. 
 
 . . . "So may the Blood from out His side 
 
 Fall gently on us, drop by drop; "... 
 
 — Rev. F. W. Faber. 
 
 Hymn 633, v. i. 
 
 ..." There is a fountain filled with blood. 
 Drawn from Emmanuel's veins, 
 And sinners plunged beneath that flood 
 Lose all their guilty stains," . . . 
 
 W. COWPER. 
 
 Surely these anatomical details might be spared, 
 alike in our preaching, praying, and hymn-singing. 
 They belong altogether to a different period of 
 thought and expression than the one in which 
 our lot is cast. 
 
 (?■) Hackneyed : — 
 
 " The Church's one foundation." . . . 
 
 " O Paradise, O Paradise," . . . 
 
 " Ten thousand times ten thousand." . . . 
 
 " Oh, what the joy and the glory must be," . . 
 278 
 
Hymns for Public Worship 
 
 (J) Capable of misapprehension : — 
 
 ..." Can a woman's tender care 
 
 Cease towards the child she bare ? " . . . 
 
 Children have been known to interpret the 
 latter as " she-bear " ! 
 
 {k) Children's Hymns 
 
 Great care should be exercised in the choice of 
 children's hymns, many of which are sweet, pure, 
 and choice, whilst others are sad doggerel. 
 
 The following is an instance of a sour doctrine 
 in an evil dress : — 
 
 . . . "There's a wicked spirit 
 
 Watching round you still, 
 And he tries to tempt you 
 To all harm and ill. 
 
 But ye must not hear him, 
 
 Though 'tis hard for you 
 To resist the evil 
 
 And the good to do." ... 
 
 Again, our old friend Dr. Watts writes : — 
 
 ..." Why do I love my sports so well 
 So constant at my play ; 
 And lose the thought of heaven and hell, 
 And then forget to pray ? " . . . 
 
 We will conclude by quoting an invitation 
 extended to its subscribers by a leading Missionary 
 Society not far from Salisbury Square. 
 
 279 
 
Hymnology, and Public Worship 
 
 The appeal runs : " Let the yearnings of our 
 hearts take shape in well-known words." Then 
 follows this verse : — 
 
 " Oh for a passionate Passion for souls, 
 
 Oh for a pity that yearns, 
 Oh for the Love that loves unto death. 
 
 Oh for the Fire that burns. 
 Oh for the pure prayer-Power that prevails, 
 
 That pours itself out for the Lost ; 
 Victorious Power in the Conqueror's Name, 
 
 The Lord of Pentecost." 
 
 This illustrates almost all the faults noted in 
 this Essay — the first and fifth lines containing 
 alliterations that offend alike the mind, the ear, 
 the tongue. 
 
 280 
 
THE VOICE AND SONG 
 
 I Cor. xiv. 15 : "I will sing [[with the spirit, and I 
 will sing with the understanding also." 
 
 GOD'S Kingdom in nature is built up of types. 
 These types are found alike in the mineral, 
 the vegetable, and the animal world. Man 
 belongs to the group called the Primates. In 
 this group, a large body of mammalian creatures 
 is associated with him. Each individual of each 
 species, or genus, is built up in the same way, 
 there being a similarity of structure, of organ, and 
 of function. Physically, man is not the largest, 
 swiftest, or strongest, animal. His sight is inferior 
 to that of the eagle or the lynx ; his scent to 
 that of the jackal ; his hearing to that of the dog. 
 His transcendence is moral, of course, but — physi- 
 cally speaking — any measure of superiority he pos- 
 sesses lies in his ability to cultivate the senses, and 
 assist them by fitting means and instruments. 
 
 Apart from moral or spiritual attributes, man is 
 distinguished from the brutes by at least three 
 great characteristics or potentialities : — 
 
 (i) The power to create fire ; (2) the power to 
 use tools; (3) the power to utter articulate and 
 spontaneous speech. 
 
 Animals, in a state of Nature, are incapable of 
 281 
 
The Voice and Song 
 
 kindling a fire ; indeed, they are full of fear and 
 alarm at the flickering flames, regarding them 
 as living and active enemies. Again, while all 
 animals have their characteristic calls and cries, they 
 yet cannot rise to vocal and connected speech. 
 
 Just as in a tame condition, or after successive 
 generations spent in confinement, animals tolerate 
 fire and draw towards its warmth ; so, in some 
 cases, may they be taught by man's art to en- 
 large their compass of articulate utterance. This 
 is chiefly noticeable in the case of certain birds 
 which can be led to copy sounds, and even to 
 utter sentences, with wonderful fidelity ; but this 
 facility is grafted from without upon their powers ; 
 it does not proceed, as in man, from within, as 
 an act of independent volition bringing about 
 the varied and original expression of feelings and 
 emotions. It is simply imitative, being uttered 
 again and again — parrot-like, as we say — at the 
 word of command, or with the desire to gain 
 some prize or coveted morsel. 
 
 The more one studies the voice in human 
 beings, the more wonderful it seems. We have 
 gathered that it is distinctive, that it is the instru- 
 ment of the soul, the organ of a highly-strung 
 nature — that it is the vehicle of moral and spiritual 
 emotion, that it enables us to echo the Word of 
 God, thus constituting itself a link with the Divine 
 Nature. 
 
 Then, how expressive it is ! It denotes pleasure 
 up to the heights of purest joy, degrees of pain 
 down to the lowest depths of the groaning soul — 
 
 282 
 
The Voice and Song 
 
 it chides, threatens, warns, scolds, entreats, impre- 
 cates, deprecates, and commands. It soothes and 
 controls, pleads and menaces, whispers and storms, 
 signifies uncertainty and dread on the one hand 
 — on the other, philosophical precision of thought 
 and expression. 
 
 From how many kinds of lips, too, does it not 
 proceed ! We have the cooing of the little child, 
 the crooning note of the fond mother, the whisper 
 of the ardent lover, the shrill treble of the scold, 
 the hoarse bluster of the desperado, the thunder 
 of the orator from his rostrum, the entreaty of the 
 divine from his pulpit, the clarion voice of the 
 general on the battlefield, the shriek of agony 
 of the wounded soldier, the last prayer of the 
 drowning wretch on the resistless billow, and 
 the faltering accents of life's veteran as he lies 
 agonizing on the bed of death ! 
 
 The tongue — what does S. James say about it ? 
 His testimony is, indeed, true. How rightly may 
 it be used — how foully prostituted ! Is it not then 
 an important thing to use every effort to bring 
 this organ — so powerful for good or evil — to its 
 highest state of efficiency ; and, furthermore, to 
 guide with discretion and forethought the words 
 it is led to utter ? 
 
 The vocal apparatus, or voice box, is but a 
 small organ and a delicate; yet — within certain 
 limits — its range, force, and distinctness can be 
 immensely improved. 
 
 So to speak, we have two voices, a speaking 
 voice and a singing voice — both needing cultivation. 
 
 283 
 
The Voice and Song 
 
 For the lack of this, in the case of the speaking 
 voice — how much is lost on the platform, in the 
 senate, in the church. How many times have we 
 wished to hear, and strained every effort — only 
 to be disappointed ? What various hindrances we 
 meet — what various imperfections — the drawl, the 
 stutter, the thick and mumbling utterance ; the 
 speech, now too fast, anon too slow ; now pitched 
 too high, anon sinking into whisper ; now with 
 nervous effort but too apparent, anon with utter 
 carelessness and indifference as to the result ! 
 
 On the other hand, how delightful, either in 
 the domestic circle or in public life, is not the 
 utterance free from such defects — calm, clear, 
 well-pitched, sustained, sonorous ; varied as occa- 
 sion serves, and as age, sex, rank, office, and 
 occasion require — to convince, to comfort, to 
 affirm, to deny, to heal, to console, but always 
 to charm and rivet the attention ? 
 
 Our subject is naturally suggested by the re- 
 quirements of divine service. Having spoken of 
 the voice of the reader and preacher, it is neces- 
 sary to turn to the vocal part to be sustained by 
 the congregation. There is no doubt that some 
 of us, in this connection, could tell strange stories 
 of our experience as worshippers in early days ; 
 of the duet between the parson and the clerk — a 
 functionary often frankly illiterate ; of the barrel- 
 organ ; of the Hallelujah Band ; of the responses 
 carelessly gabbled by a number of untrained 
 children. 
 
 These days have passed away, but even now 
 284 
 
The Voice and Song 
 
 is everything for the best? It is unnecessary 
 to enter into disputed questions as to the pro- 
 portion of music desirable in our Church service, 
 or the respective advantages of Gregorian and 
 Anglican chants ; or the choice between singing, 
 intoning, and reading, the responses ; or the selec- 
 tion of anthem or service ; but whatever be the 
 mode adopted according to the wish and capacity 
 of the vicar, choir, and congregation, pains should 
 be taken to render that particular service in the most 
 effective manner. The ultimate objects are : — 
 
 (i) To glorify God ; (2) to lift up the spirit 
 of man. 
 
 God cares not for the medium. He is equally 
 well-disposed to the highly-rendered cathedral 
 function or the poor attempt poorly performed 
 in a back-street Bethel, so long — that is to say 
 — as the second object is secured ; viz., rousing 
 the spirit of the worshippers, attuning to devo- 
 tion and calling up the best and holiest feelings 
 of their nature ; so that, whilst praising God, they 
 succeed in elevating their own being. 
 
 It is desirable that far greater attention be paid 
 to the musical portion of the service, not only 
 on the part of the organist and choir, but also 
 on that of the worshippers ; for the music should 
 always be both chosen and rendered with an eye 
 to the middle element in the congregation. 
 
 It may be contended with reason that every 
 one should learn to sing — on sound and rational 
 principles, too. It would be well alike for health 
 and for purposes of ordinary speech. All persons 
 
 285 
 
The Voice and Song 
 
 may not have a singing voice, or be granted 
 the good fortune to become a Sims Reeves or an 
 Adelina Patti ; but a bad voice may be mended, 
 and a poor voice developed, by judicious train- 
 ing. When each individual was thus trained — 
 as in the sixteenth century — to such an extent as 
 to enable him to take the part nature intended, 
 then only could he furnish an appropriate contri- 
 bution to the music selected for the day. 
 
 As it is, the anomaly is presented (whenever 
 a chant or hymn tune is sung in church) that 
 people with all kinds of voices sing the soprano. 
 It results that the balance is upset, and a com- 
 plexion given to the air which it was never 
 intended to wear — for the character of a note 
 intended for a boy is entirely changed when it 
 is sung by a man. 
 
 Of course, what has been suggested could 
 hardly be done without previous notification of 
 the music intended to be used, or without 
 preliminary congregational or home practice. 
 This theme is worthy of consideration, and it 
 were well if it could be brought to the notice 
 of our people under three heads : — 
 
 1 1. What was done in the past. 
 
 2. What is done in the present. 
 
 3. What might be done in the future. 
 
 The time is ripe for reform, inasmuch as many 
 advantages are ours. We have the heritage of the 
 past in the possession of different styles of music 
 for chanting ; we have the traditions of a sound 
 
 286 
 
The Voice and Song 
 
 English School, and the memory of gifted com- 
 posers and musicians. We have a wealth of 
 good and cheap music ready to hand ; we have 
 noble instruments. There is no lack of skill or 
 material amongst us in respect of composers, 
 players, or singers. In our boys we have, per- 
 haps, as good material as any country in the 
 world. Go to King's College Chapel, Cambridge ; 
 Magdalen College Chapel, Oxford ; St. Paul's 
 Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, the Temple Church 
 — listen to the pure, clear, distinct winged-sounds 
 that issue from those childish throats, and float, 
 quivering in the air, from end to end of the 
 groined roof ; then, if you close your eyes, you 
 can imagine you are translated to the vaults of 
 heaven and are listening to the angelic choir of 
 young-eyed cherubim ! 
 
 What strength, clearness, tenderness, feeling, 
 devotion, and beauty are not capable of being 
 expressed in song — in immortal words married 
 to immortal sounds ; and again — what a range 
 is not presented to us ? Witness the nursery 
 song, the plantation screed, the Scotch, Irish, 
 and English, melodies. Follow these up to the 
 gushing, gliding, swelling, crashing melodies of 
 the high-priests of music and of God — Haydn, 
 Mozart, Handel, and the rest of the masters. 
 
 The ancients fabled that Orpheus — playing on 
 his lyre — could draw even rocks and trees and 
 wild beasts to follow him. This is but a parable 
 set forth to show the power inherent in music 
 to soften the hearts of men, to inflame their 
 
 287 
 
The Voice and Song 
 
 imagination, to rouse them from evil, sloth, and 
 impurity, and bring all heaven before their eyes. 
 
 Surely we underestimate the power of music 
 in not employing it more to soothe the young, 
 the sick, the distressed in our hospitals ; to soften 
 the hard, callous, and culpable in our gaols and 
 penal settlements. 
 
 Whose heart would not go out to the green 
 pastures and the still waters when he heard the 
 strain : " He shall feed His flock like a shep- 
 herd " ? Who would not be moved to self- 
 reproach by the wailing refrain : " He was 
 despised and rejected of men " ? Who would 
 not instinctively rise and uncover at the lament 
 of the Dead March in " Saul " — or in " Judas 
 Maccabaeus " ? Who would not be roused to 
 animation and sensibility, and thrilled in all the 
 fibres of his being, when forth should peal the 
 Hallelujah or the Amen Chorus ? 
 
 Surely they who composed these strains were 
 God's ministers, waiting upon this very thing ; 
 their power so far transcending the ordinary work- 
 ings of man's nature in respect of conception 
 and execution that one can but imagine a special 
 inspiration to have been communicated to those 
 who — out of such materials as strings and plates 
 and pipes and reeds, and the weak, quivering chords 
 of the human voice — have compounded the most 
 divine and heavenly sounds ever to be heard on 
 this side the Throne of God. 
 
 Let us then, as individuals, as Christians, as 
 worshippers, pay what attention we can, exercise 
 
 288 
 
The Voice and Song 
 
 what influence we can, in regard to this matter ; 
 so that we may plead with the fervour of the 
 Apostle — (i Cor. xiv. 15) — and influence others 
 in the same direction, to the end that (in the 
 Temple of God, and therefore in His imme- 
 diate presence) men should sing with the spirit, 
 with the understanding, and with all the devout 
 fulness of heartfelt reverence. 
 
 289 
 
ARE BROAD CHURCHMEN, IPSO 
 FACTO, DISHONEST? 
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 THE present epoch is one of inquiry, and, 
 therefore, of unrest. This state of things 
 has been brought about by the inexorable logic 
 of mental life and development. It is attributable 
 to the spread of education, of liberty of thought 
 and action, of scientific investigation, geographical 
 research, invention, and discovery ; the growth of 
 the principles of equality, leading to emancipa- 
 tion from old-world ideas, and to the levelling 
 up of the masses originally in a state of semi- 
 serfdom or of conscious inferiority in estate and 
 knowledge. 
 
 The epoch most akin to our own is that of the 
 sixteenth century, wherein — amongst many other 
 social changes and reforms — similar causes brought 
 about a reformation of religion. In like manner, a 
 change in thought and feeling is now taking place, 
 which a future historian will be called upon to 
 designate a New Reformation. 
 
 Advance in Physical Science 
 
 The past hundred years has witnessed the resolu- 
 tion of many physical puzzles, this resolution 
 
 290 
 
Are Broad Churchmen Dishonest ? 
 
 opening a way for the settlement of mental 
 and moral problems also — inasmuch as body and 
 mind are really one. A century like that into 
 which we were born and in which we were reared 
 cannot leave man or his institutions as it found 
 him or them. 
 
 It is generally allowed that — in all branches of 
 science save one, i.e., Religion — absolute liberty 
 should be accorded to the student to go to the 
 root of the subject ; to put aside preconceived 
 ideas ; to break with tradition if that tradition be 
 false or imperfect ; and to go as far and as fast 
 as he pleased, so long as he was possessed with a 
 love of truth. 
 
 Further, even severely orthodox theologians feel 
 bound to accept any well-grounded facts or theories 
 as to astronomy, geology, &c., which may be de- 
 livered to them by competent scientists ; although 
 such facts or theories may tend profoundly to 
 modify former views of the Creator's working in 
 time and space, and therefore of the Creator's 
 very being and attributes themselves. 
 
 Of late (indeed within our own lifetime) the 
 material and ethics of Natural Religion have been 
 transformed to such an extent as to be foreign, 
 not only to theological writers of the Reformation 
 period, but also to the authors of the Old and 
 New Testaments — yet the world still goes round, 
 and the Church of Christ still stands firm ! 
 
 Again, no objection is raised to lay members of 
 the Church pursuing scientific or theological 
 studies in the way that they like best, and in 
 
 291 
 
Are Broad Churchmen Dishonest ? 
 
 reaching conclusions in accordance with advanced 
 views in science and philosophy. So long as they 
 outwardly conform, no one takes much notice ; 
 yea, if a scientific man goes out of his way to 
 express his belief in a Divine Being, our clerical 
 friends are filled with mild astonishment and are 
 thankful for the smallest mercies at his hands. 
 
 Position of Clergy 
 
 The gravamen naturally arises in respect of the 
 clergy, who have been educated by selected men 
 along selected lines, and admitted to Holy Orders 
 only after subscription to certain specific declara- 
 tions. These are interpreters as well as teachers 
 — teachers as well as administrators. 
 
 Up to the year 1865, ordinands made three 
 declarations in the following form, as required by 
 Canon 36 of the year 1603 : — 
 
 (i) " That the King's Majesty, under God, is the only 
 supreme governor of the realm, and of all other 
 his highness's dominions and countries, as well in 
 all spiritual or ecclesiastical things or causes as 
 temporal ; and that no foreign prince, person, pre- 
 late, state, or potentate, hath, or ought to have, 
 any jurisdiction, power, superiority, pre-eminence, 
 or authority, ecclesiastical or spiritual, within his 
 Majesty's said realms, dominions, or countries. 
 
 (ii) " That the Book of Common Prayer, and of ordering 
 of bishops, priests, and deacons, containeth in it 
 nothing contrary to the Word of God, and that it 
 may lawfully be used, and that he himself will use 
 the form in the said book prescribed in public 
 prayer and administration of the Sacraments, and 
 none other, 
 
 292 
 
Are Broad Churchmen Dishonest ? 
 
 (iii) " That he alloweth the book of Articles of Religion 
 agreed upon by the archbishops and bishops of both 
 provinces, and the whole clergy, in the convocation 
 holden at London, in the year of our Lord God, 1562, 
 and that he acknowledgeth all and every the Articles 
 therein contained, being in number nine and thirty, 
 besides the ratification, to 'be agreeable to the Word 
 of God." 
 
 The yoke of this subscription was found to 
 press heavily on some shoulders, consequently 
 in the year above mentioned — viz., 1865 — the 
 terms were modified in the following sense : — 
 
 (i) " I, A. B., do swear that I will be faithful, and bear 
 true allegiance, to her Majesty Queen Victoria, her 
 heirs and successors, according to law. So help 
 me God." 
 
 Between the passing of 28 & 29 Vict. c. 122, 
 and 31 & 32 Vict. c. 72, the oath to be taken was 
 one of allegiance and supremacy contained in 
 21 & 22 Vict. c. 48, s. I. 
 
 By s. II of 28 & 29 Vict. c. 122, no Oath is to 
 be taken in the Ordination Service. In 1866, the 
 Convocation of Canterbury passed a new canon 
 in conformity with this Act, repealing the former 
 Canon 36. The new canon has however, mutatis 
 mutandis, the same provisions and penalties as the 
 old one. 
 
 In Diocesan Calendars the matter is now put 
 thus : — 
 
 " Declaration to be made and subscribed, and Oath to be 
 taken and subscribed, by all persons previously to their 
 being ordained Deacon or Priest. 
 
 293 
 
Are Broad Churchmen Dishonest ? 
 
 (ii) " I, A. B., about to be admitted to the Holy Order of 
 , do solemnly make the following Declara- 
 tion : I assent to the Thirty-nine Articles of 
 Religion, and to the Book of Common Prayer, and 
 of the ordering of Bishops, Priests, and Deacons. 
 I believe the doctrine of the Church of England, as 
 therein set forth, to be agreeable to the Word of 
 Godj and in public prayer and administration of 
 the Sacraments I will use the form in the said 
 Book prescribed and none other, except as far as 
 shall be ordered by lawful authority. 
 
 (iii) " Oath of Canonical Obedience." 
 
 General Effect of Subscription 
 
 It would be interesting to consider — in the 
 abstract — the expedience of subscription, the influ- 
 ence upon independent thought and conscience, 
 the reasonableness of exacting a solemn oath from 
 men who (by reason of comparative youth and 
 immaturity, and the traditions of home, of school, 
 of college) are scarcely out of pupilage, or 
 capable of undertaking independent investigation, 
 or of forming an independent judgment. 
 
 Should persons in this position be called upon 
 to pledge themselves for all time ? It raises the 
 whole question of vows and their irrevocability. 
 
 What would have been the present state of 
 affairs in the Church and in the world, if 
 absolute freedom of thought and expression had 
 been inculcated and practised from the begin- 
 ning, no man can tell. Doubtless, very different, 
 for good or (as some may say) for evil. In an 
 
 294 
 
Are Broad Churchmen Dishonest ? 
 
 imperfect state like the present, one might be 
 disposed to allow that the full exercise of freedom 
 at early stages of human development would tend 
 to instability and danger. One simply raises the 
 point because in the realm of science and philo- 
 sophy there is now an approximation to this 
 absolute enfranchisement, and it depends very 
 much upon the clergy whether this freedom 
 shall be also extended to theology. 
 
 Members of the Church of England were not 
 alone in seeking for relief from the yoke of sub- 
 scription. In their case, even before the formal 
 change had been effected, mental reservation had 
 been introduced, and a laxity of interpretation 
 had crept in, so that the revolution had been 
 silently discounted. The publication of Essays 
 and Reviews and of Colenso's works had stirred 
 men's minds, and further results in the way of 
 relaxation of vows had appeared in the form 
 of Acts dealing with the indelibility of the mar- 
 riage vow (1857), and of Holy Orders (Clerical 
 Disabilities Relief Act, 1870). 
 
 A comparison between the terms of the 1603 
 Declaration and those of the new canon reveals 
 the great difference subsisting between the title 
 and the substance; and completely justifies the 
 changed attitude towards our formularies de- 
 manded by the spirit of the present day. 
 
 295 
 
Are Broad Churchmen Dishonest? 
 
 Efforts after Freedom 
 
 Further, during the last half century, Dissent- 
 ing ministers (whilst ostensibly following the 
 Trust Deeds of their several denominations) have 
 arrogated to themselves great liberty in the 
 interpretation of Scripture and of the symbols of 
 their faith. It will be remembered that the late 
 Mr. C. H. Spurgeon delivered several philippics 
 against preachers of his own body, whom he 
 loudly denounced as being " on the down grade." 
 Recently, a further indication has been furnished, 
 in Scotland, in relation to the appeal of the 
 " Wee Kirk " against the " Free Kirk," before the 
 House of Lords in 1904. The issues disclosed by 
 that judgment moved the Government to insert 
 a clause in the Bill (introduced into the House 
 of Commons in 1905) according hberty to a 
 Church or denomination to vary its standards 
 of faith and doctrine within certain limits with- 
 out, ipso facto, being considered guilty of com- 
 mitting a breach of continuity, and consequently 
 of suffering the loss of its distinctive name or of 
 its title to property and endowments. 
 
 These facts are adduced in order to show the 
 existence and growth of a feeling in men's minds 
 generally, that a relaxation is expedient in respect 
 of subscription to Articles of Faith. One is con- 
 scious that the existence of such a tendency does 
 not, of necessity, justify itself, but it may suffice 
 to note its prevalence. 
 
 296 
 
Are Broad Churchmen Dishonest? 
 
 Honesty of Position 
 
 So much for the history of the subject. Now, 
 for a few words in relation to its application to 
 the special point before us — viz., the honesty of 
 men retaining their position as teachers and the 
 emoluments of their livings, when such a change 
 of view, or expansion of view, has taken place, 
 as to cause them to diverge, more or less seriously, 
 from the opinions they were taught to consider 
 orthodox at the beginning of their ministry. 
 
 Some minds are so constituted as to enable 
 them to give an off-hand answer to such a 
 question as this. Indeed, that would probably 
 be one's first impulse. But the subject, in re- 
 spect of the Church at large and its future, is 
 by no means so simple as it looks. 
 
 Who is to be the Judge ? 
 
 Who, or what party, is to be considered the 
 accredited guardian and interpreter of what is 
 orthodox, or what is heretical, in respect of our 
 Articles of Faith — our Canons — our Formularies ? 
 One cannot ignore the existence of parties within 
 the Church, or the wide divergence of view and 
 feeling characterizing these various sections. We 
 have all heard of declarations on the part of one 
 section that members of the other section were but 
 Jesuits in disguise ; that their real home was 
 the Roman Communion ; that they were eating the 
 
 297 
 
Are Broad Churchmen Dishonest ? 
 
 bread of the Church of England whilst they 
 were apostates and traitors at heart. Per contra, 
 Ritualists look upon Low Churchmen with the 
 greatest scorn, and assert that they have no part 
 or lot in Catholic tradition or in true sacramental 
 apprehension. 
 
 The consequence would be that if — let us say 
 — the Presidents of the English Church Union 
 and of the Church Association were called upon 
 to purge any assembly of churchmen according to 
 their individual views— the former would excom- 
 municate one half and the latter the remainder ! 
 
 General Laxity 
 
 The fact is that none of us obey the law, the 
 canon, or the rubric, in all literality and complete- 
 ness. We are warranted in our defect, by custom, 
 by convenience, by the example of those in high 
 places, and by a common-sense desire to effect the 
 greater good of our people. 
 
 This is professed openly in the case of certain 
 of the canons, and (more or less shamefacedly and 
 apologetically) in respect of the rubrics. 
 
 Change in Public Opinion 
 
 There is no doubt that a changed concep- 
 tion is slowly filtering down into the minds 
 of many students with reference to the genesis, 
 intent, and interpretation of the Prayer Book and 
 Articles — not to mention the Holy Scriptures. A 
 
 298 
 
Are Broad Churchmen Dishonest ? 
 
 generation or two ago, it was thought that both the 
 positive and negative poles of belief and practice 
 were touched by our formularies and Articles of 
 Belief. The fact is that the Prayer Book was set 
 forth but as a Directory — a guide — to Common 
 Worship ; to meet a grave national crisis ; at 
 a time, be it remembered, when the people and 
 the priest (the ordinary parish priest) were, more 
 or less, ignorant and incapable of taking or 
 following an initiative. Therefore, it was im- 
 perative that the rulers of the Church should 
 promulgate a Directorium to order what might 
 be done — not what must be done ; and to give 
 an indication — not a special (and, by no means, 
 an irrevocable) command. 
 
 The Articles were promulgated as a body of 
 divinity — avowedly partial and incomplete — but 
 suitable to the time, and to the exigencies and 
 controversies of the time. 
 
 It could hardly have crossed the minds of 
 the Reformers that this Book and these Articles 
 should remain, practically, without change for 
 three centuries and a half, and that their publica- 
 tion would have the effect of paralysing freedom 
 of thought and expression for an indefinitely long 
 period. 
 
 One is not insensible to the fact that a certain 
 unity and continuity have been secured — but at 
 what a price ! One may even buy gold too 
 dear. The existence of bitterly opposed parties 
 within the Church — the lack of comprehensive- 
 ness exhibited towards the best alike of puritan 
 
 299 
 
Are Broad Churchmen Dishonest ? 
 
 and catholic thought, so that (in the present 
 day) our so-called " National " Church is in a 
 minority in the Three Kingdoms — that is the 
 price the Church of Christ has had to pay ! 
 
 Periodical Revision 
 
 It were much to be wished that, in the interests 
 of evolution of thought — of scientific and his- 
 torical theology — of development — of comprehen- 
 siveness — it were possible to make a concerted 
 effort, every half century or so, to revise our 
 Articles and formularies. One allows that some- 
 thing would be lost in respect of tradition 
 and continuity ; but the process would be pro- 
 vocative of reason and thought ; it would reduce 
 dissent ; it would turn men's attention to the 
 fact that continuity of interest, of charity, of 
 effort, of devotion to God's message through 
 Christ, constitute, after all, the true continuity 
 and apostolic succession. 
 
 As has been remarked, it is somewhat singular 
 that whilst a cleric may take up all modern 
 ideas about astronomy and the other sciences 
 (altering materially the point of view from which 
 he regards the Deity — His power and government) ; 
 further, that whilst he may deal with impunity 
 with the Prayer Book Services in such a manner, 
 e.g., (on the one side) as to rob the Sacra- 
 ments of operative grace, or (on the other) to 
 assimilate the Holy Eucharist with the name and 
 attributes of the Mass in the Roman Church ; 
 
 300 
 
Are Broad Churchmen Dishonest ? 
 
 yet that the most scathing rebuke is reserved 
 for him when he accepts the best attested con- 
 clusions of Higher Criticism in respect of the 
 Bible. Herein the Romans take up a safe and 
 well-considered position, viz,, that the Church 
 comes first, and that she is the guardian and 
 interpreter of Holy Writ — from which coign of 
 vantage she blunts or turns aside the shafts of 
 imperfect or hasty criticism. 
 
 The Scriptures 
 
 On the other hand, the English Church — not 
 formally in her records, for Article XVIII. is vague 
 enough ; but implicitly, mainly through Puritan 
 influence — has put the Bible in place of the 
 Pope, by the erection of the fence of verbal 
 inspiration. This has been varied in practice, 
 and may not be explicitly avowed ; but one 
 cannot help seeing that the confession of faith 
 of many of our apologists amounts to nothing 
 less than verbal inspiration in a crude form. 
 
 The Broad Churchman, however (whilst ac- 
 knowledging the unique position occupied by 
 the Biblical Library), is quite prepared to submit 
 it to the same test, trial, and research as those 
 to which any other book may be subjected. He 
 feels bound to admit that the volume is a com- 
 pilation from different sources ; that it conforms 
 to the laws governing the genesis and growth 
 of literature of the time and country where the 
 several books originated ; that it possesses the 
 
 301 
 
Are Broad Churchmen Dishonest ? 
 
 defects and blemishes of books similarly put 
 together ; that it has been altered, enlarged, even 
 mutilated (to suit the prepossessions of opposing 
 sects) ; that its various elements do not go beyond 
 the records and beliefs of their time in respect 
 of historical and scientific accuracy ; ' that the 
 Bible, progressively, represents the moral cultiva- 
 tion of the individual and the race ; so that we 
 must be warned by its imperfections as well as 
 allured by its charms. 
 
 It must be confessed by every unprejudiced 
 thinker that much has been read into the Bible 
 that does not really exist there ; that a wrong use 
 has been made of it as a mere armoury of texts ; 
 that every part has been wrongly assumed to 
 conform to the same standard and to be sus- 
 ceptible to equal valuation ; and that conventional 
 terms (such as, e.g., " The Books of Moses," " The 
 Psalms of David ") have been freely used, in 
 such wise as to mislead the unwary. 
 
 But, when all is said and done, the Broad 
 Churchman is ready to admit that the Scrip- 
 tures — even as we have them — altered by fraud 
 or accident — curtailed here — enlarged there — mis- 
 translated in numberless passages — are indispens- 
 able to the intellectual, moral, and spiritual 
 growth of every son of man ; that no other 
 book comes anywhere near them, that (com- 
 pared with the sacred books of every other 
 nation) they are immeasurably, incomparably, 
 superior. 
 
 Surely this furnishes sufficient justification for 
 302 
 
Are Broad Churchmen Dishonest ? 
 
 his position. He realizes, with thankfulness, that 
 he can assimilate the best results of the Higher 
 Criticism, and of scientific investigation of every 
 description, without interfering with his belief in 
 the Supreme Being — His power, His goodness. 
 His government of the universe. His manifestation 
 in Christ, His direction of His creatures, His 
 fatherly chastisement, His faculty of full and free 
 forgiveness. 
 
 He is but confirmed in the belief that we are 
 the children of God, that we have a place to fill, 
 a work to do, a destiny to reahze, an influence 
 to exert over others. After all, these are the 
 essentials of belief ; the details must be added in 
 respect of time and space according to individual 
 character, position, and work. 
 
 If we have any belief in the Universal Father- 
 hood of God, and, therefore, in Universal Religion, 
 we must believe that (in accordance with par- 
 ticular circumstances of time, place, thought, and 
 language) men learn but slowly to express their 
 ideas as to the person, work, and redemptive 
 work of the Divine. These ideas are now neces- 
 sarily wide of the truth because God is what He 
 is — so great; and because man is what he is — 
 so little. Man's conclusions, therefore, must be 
 altogether incomplete and unworthy ; since, even 
 now, we are just entering the childhood of religion 
 — just experiencing the stirrings of our first faith. 
 
 Mankind has ever been seeking for an infallible 
 authority. At first, he found it in a Pope ; anon, 
 he found it in a Book ; but, in truth, there is not 
 
 303 
 
Are Broad Churchmen Dishonest? 
 
 — and for wise reasons, there is not intended to 
 be — an infallible authority save and except the 
 witness to God in every man's soul. For the 
 rest (paradoxical as it may seem), probability is 
 the rule of life ; the search after truth is intended 
 to have an educative effect ; almost more potent 
 indeed — so far as this world is concerned — than 
 the possession of truth itself. 
 
 Freedom of Thought 
 
 It is clear that the world is moving on — that 
 fresh thoughts and speculations are arising — fresh 
 problems constantly presenting themselves for 
 solution. It is true " there may be nothing abso- 
 lutely new under the sun " — yet old thoughts and 
 theories may be presented under a new guise. It 
 is also clear that the individual must and should 
 move with the world. 
 
 It is conceivable that a man, after forty or fifty 
 years of ministerial life, may think the same 
 thoughts and occupy the same theological posi- 
 tion as he did on the day of his ordination ; but 
 the conclusion to which we should come respect- 
 ing such a mental paralytic would be that he had 
 never really thought at all, but had merely chewed 
 the cud of a stale theology. " The man who never 
 makes a mistake never makes anything." So runs 
 the proverb. 
 
 In the present day, most men think — many think 
 deeply; a few take an independent line in respect 
 of those studies they obediently pursued in time 
 
 304 
 
Are Broad Churchmen Dishonest ? 
 
 past on the lines laid down by a master ; they 
 now lead where formerly they followed. 
 
 If we deny to free thought its birthright, 
 we inevitably stifle inquiry and discussion ; and 
 stereotype an imperfect state. Had this rule been 
 universal, Abraham never would have quitted Ur, 
 Moses would have died in Egypt, our Lord would 
 have had but small justification for His denun- 
 ciation of the Pharisees and the Jewish people. 
 Furthermore (to turn to the history of the Chris- 
 tian Church), the abuses and corruptions of the 
 Middle Ages would even now be clinging to the 
 Bride of Christ ; another Tetzel would be selling 
 Indulgences ; another Hildebrand, or Leo X., 
 would be sitting on the papal throne ; the fires of 
 Smithfield would yet be burning ; our land would 
 be still under the iron heel of Rome ! 
 
 Rationale of Roman Church 
 
 The Roman Church has been gifted with this 
 virtue of consistency. For better, for worse, she 
 has stood to her guns. She is as dogmatic to 
 her own sons — as contemptuous of the faith and 
 practice of alien children — as of yore. Still, if 
 she dared, would she burn a Jerome or a Huss — 
 wage war against heretics — do to death reformers 
 within the pale like Savonarola, and silence the 
 voice of science and reason in the person of 
 a Galileo. There is a certainty — a grandeur — 
 about this which attracts and attaches minds of 
 a weak, indolent, and superstitious type — but it 
 
 305 u 
 
Are Broad Churchmen Dishonest ? 
 
 is not of the spirit of true religion. She stands 
 still, but the world moves on — " E pur si muove ! " 
 as the great astronomer said when he rose from 
 his knees before those who had condemned him. 
 He was right, and the whole Church wrong. For 
 a time, this attitude makes for strength ; but in 
 due course, and inevitably, this strength becomes 
 weakness. In a mediaeval legend, it is recorded 
 that a man smote his antagonist with an enchanted 
 sword, so that the weapon cut through helm and 
 corslet ; but its stroke was so fine that there was 
 no apparent harm done. " Shake yourself," said 
 the smiter ; and his foe shook himself, and fell 
 apart in two pieces ! So with the Roman Church 
 — the spirit is the spirit of a man — limited — 
 easily satisfied — unsympathetic — dictatorial ! Not 
 so would Christ be learned ! 
 
 Any manifestation of the same spirit by the 
 authorities of the Anglican Church would be foreign 
 to the genius, and treachery to the history, of her 
 communion ; foreign also to true knowledge, true 
 faith, true religion. It might have been possible 
 once — it is possible no longer. No longer are we 
 living in the Dark Ages ; the criteria of truth — the 
 elements of faith — have altered. The clergy of 
 the Anglican Church — above all others — should be 
 chary of stifling free discussion, and deprecating 
 change. If they justify the Reformation of the 
 sixteenth century, how can they deny the pos- 
 sibility of a Reformation yet to come ? That a 
 second Reformation is needed must, indeed, be 
 admitted. No man — no party — is satisfied with 
 
 306 
 
Are Broad Churchmen Dishonest ? 
 
 the existing state of things ; but this Reformation 
 — when it is imminent — must be carried out on 
 broad principles. 
 
 Readjustment of Position 
 
 The time has arrived, at which — if love of truth 
 only prevailed — a readjustment of our position 
 as teachers in the English Church should be 
 attempted ; when the Bible should be retrans- 
 lated, its contents set out in proper form, and 
 interpreted on new lines ; when the Book of 
 Common Prayer should be modified, and the 
 Articles, Canons, even the Creeds, readjusted. 
 
 Apologia 
 
 If only a part is allowed of what has been 
 claimed, we see that there is something to be 
 said for the Broad Churchman. He is but follow- 
 ing the tendency of his time, of his own nature 
 — may we, therefore, say — of God ? He is en- 
 gaged in the discovery of truth, even as the philo- 
 sopher in respect of physical science, who (but 
 only in these latter days) is permitted, with general 
 approval, to cut himself loose from outworn tradi- 
 tions and to accept the latest conclusions war- 
 ranted by study and experiment. After all, the free 
 thinker is the true churchman, the true student, 
 the true exponent of God, and of the truth of 
 God. 
 
 We allow that theology is the queen of sciences, 
 
 307 
 
Are Broad Churchmen Dishonest? 
 
 and that moral truth is elaborated in a different 
 sphere from that which includes the physical ; yet 
 ought the differences of investigation and treat- 
 ment to be so diverse when — as is acknowledged — 
 these two kinds are originated by the same Divine 
 Mind, elucidated by the same human faculties, 
 exhibited in the same tendency of action, and ulti- 
 mately intended to form a perfect whole before 
 the throne of God ? 
 
 Nevertheless, it must be admitted that there is 
 something to be said from the side of the conser- 
 vative and orthodox. The Broad Church clergy- 
 man has contracted solemn obligations which, to 
 some critics, appear to be disregarded by him 
 and set at nought ; he is a teacher as well as a 
 student ; what he says and does in respect of the 
 delivery of that which seems to him to be new 
 truth may be a scandal to many of the unlettered 
 and immature amongst the faithful. The more 
 censorious amongst them may even allege that 
 he is paid to teach one thing, whilst he teaches 
 the opposite. 
 
 Of course, everything ought to hinge upon the 
 consideration whether what he has put aside is 
 false, and what he has adopted is true. 
 
 Effect of Persecution 
 
 If you turn out of the ministry all men of 
 critical and independent mind, you weaken the 
 Church ; you make it a haven of refuge for 
 the dull, slothful, unreflective, unintelligent ; you 
 
 308 
 
Are Broad Churchmen Dishonest? 
 
 deprive our Communion of one of its chief 
 glories — viz,, its comprehensiveness ; you foster 
 hypocrisy as well as mediocrity. We have an 
 example of this evil in a neighbouring Church. 
 We are told that (partly by reason of its isolation 
 and its innate Protestantism due to the rebound 
 from Romanism) its mode of election to bishoprics 
 and incumbencies has the effect that no one is 
 chosen unless he is what is called " safe " — i.e., 
 a man generally with but little pretension to 
 research, scholarship, or independent judgment 
 — simply good, quiet, inoffensive, but certainly 
 mediocre. 
 
 We have put the case as strongly as possible 
 on the heterodox side in order to evoke public 
 discussion. One acknowledges that there are 
 dangers in too rapid an advance, in too complete 
 a break with the past, in too great a readiness 
 to give credence to every new-fangled theory — 
 but even these dangers are preferable to indif- 
 ference, torpor, or death ! 
 
 309 
 
DO WE BELIEVE? 
 
 IT is always disturbing when people begin to 
 inquire into their faith or their digestion ; but 
 the question itself, " Do I believe, or do I not ? " 
 and the interest it always evokes, constitute a 
 sign of the times in which we live, and of the 
 stage of transition we have reached. 
 
 One may suggest that a solution of the doubt 
 may be found in the assertion that there are certain 
 root-ideas in which the generality of people in 
 this country believe — such as those connected 
 with the existence and personality of a God, 
 with a Revelation, with a Saviour, with individual 
 Responsibility and ultimate Retribution. Such 
 mental and moral ideas as these (though they 
 may remain unrealized in perfect demonstration) 
 have yet become so familiar and so illuminative 
 of life and destiny as to be almost axiomatic. 
 
 Another question propounded as to " whether 
 believers live up to their convictions " cannot be 
 answered without qualification ; for one must 
 allow that (whilst the judgment of most pro- 
 fessing Christians is sound) their feeling is 
 oftentimes wrongly engaged and their will de- 
 fective, so that the existence and operation of 
 conscience — which, at times, makes cowards of 
 
 310 
 
Do We Believe ? 
 
 us all — is capable of being appealed to with effect ; 
 the more vividly whensoever that faculty recovers 
 itself and exchanges " the still, small voice " for the 
 sound of the trumpet ; seeing that, even when con- 
 science is seemingly dead, it frequently astonishes 
 the possessor by reviving with resurrective force 
 on a sick or dying bed. Further, the reality of 
 a certain degree of faith and spiritual life is 
 evidenced by the existence of moraHty and good 
 living amongst many men who are professed 
 unbelievers, and who have no sanction, either 
 in themselves, or in their creed — the lead they 
 follow being insensibly derived from that de- 
 veloped in the society around them, which, in 
 truth, whether or not they allow it, is established 
 on principles avowedly Christian. 
 
 Reference has been made to certain root-ideas 
 which are derived from popular religion. In 
 respect of these, there is no need to trouble 
 oneself about alleged fluctuations of belief. Those 
 primal ideas are fundamental, therefore they will 
 ultimately make their way and enforce convic- 
 tion. Naturally, for various reasons, there must 
 be exceptions to every rule, good or bad. Man 
 would not be free — as he largely is free — if 
 individuals could not occasionally be found (by 
 reason of very obstinacy, ill-will, and contrariety) 
 to contradict opinions strongly felt and expressed 
 by their neighbours. 
 
 The present unsettlement is largely due to the 
 fact that certain beliefs — not axiomatic — are being 
 overhauled. Such are : man's conception of the 
 
 311 
 
Do We Believe ? 
 
 Deity, of His working, His method of revealing 
 Himself ; man's interpretation of the Scriptures 
 (books written by different men, at different times, 
 in different lands, inspired with conceptions of 
 truth, and illustrated by expressions, different from 
 those in vogue amongst Western folk in these latter 
 days), also his retrospection of the melancholy 
 history of the Church from early times, as setting 
 forth disputes, divisions, restraint of free thought 
 and discussion, and the complete absence of the 
 christian virtues of courtesy and charity. 
 
 Men have gone wrong by applying their own 
 measure to the rule of faith and to revelation 
 generally ; and by indulging in anthropomorphic 
 ideas of God, as to the way in which He might be 
 supposed to make Himself known to His creatures. 
 Not only have men thus formed wrong opinions ; 
 but, when possessed of authority and power, they 
 have persecuted and murdered those whose con- 
 clusions were opposed to theirs — in some instances 
 even in respect to scientific facts which are now 
 accepted without demur. 
 
 The uprising of the present day is largely due 
 to the emancipation of Science from a misleading 
 Theology ; to the setting out in pursuit of the 
 truth unveiled ; and to the desire to put aside, or 
 reconsider, all prior judgments, and submit them 
 to the most scrupulous tests that can be applied 
 within the realm of observation and experiment. 
 These influences have reacted even on discussions 
 involving history ; albeit historical fact is only, 
 in part, fitted for it — though, so far as may be, 
 
 312 
 
Do We Believe ? 
 
 students should endeavour to pursue the scientific 
 method of rigid investigation even in the study of 
 historical and philological truth. 
 
 We are beginning to allow that nothing should 
 be held sacred but the search after truth ; that, e.g., 
 the books composing the Bible should be studied 
 like any other books ; or rather that, by reason of 
 their claims, they should be subjected to still more 
 rigid tests as to their genesis, and their external 
 and internal evidence ; so that the whole investi- 
 gation should be brought into Hne with that in- 
 volved in respect of God's action in the natural 
 world, viz., by applying the principle of Evolu- 
 tion to demonstrate a progressive growth even 
 of morality and reason. 
 
 The present distress furnishes a great oppor- 
 tunity to the Church of England and its clergy 
 to take the lead in the path of inquiry and reform. 
 It is desirable that a revision be made of her 
 Creeds, Formularies, Articles, and Canons, and 
 the Lectionary and Psalmody dealt with, in 
 such wise, that the words which the congrega- 
 tion are invited to make their own should not 
 jar either upon the moral or historic sense. The 
 need for revision is manifest to every unprejudiced 
 observer. The Articles remain as they were set 
 out at the Reformation. They were elaborated and 
 put forth to meet a special state of things, and 
 were not intended to furnish a complete body of 
 divinity, or to cover the whole field of belief. 
 The Prayer Book was compiled to meet the 
 necessity then existing, and had relevance to 
 
 313 
 
Do We Believe ? 
 
 the capacity of the clergy and congregations of 
 the day. We need greater liberty than was either 
 possible or desirable 300 or 350 years ago. Many 
 of the directions, much of the language, savour of 
 the archaic. Sympathetic and conservative action 
 with reference to the pruning, rearrangement, 
 and expansion of the Prayer Book and Articles 
 were much to be desired. If it be alleged that 
 this action would lead to revolution and schism, 
 it may be replied that revolution and schism are 
 even now upon us. At all events, let the first 
 steps be taken — viz., relaxation of the terms 
 of subscription, granting of greater liberty of 
 Biblical interpretation, and of power to vary 
 the iron rule of conformity to the Book of 
 Common Prayer. 
 
 314 
 
HOW FAR HAS RELIGION OBTAINED 
 A REAL HOLD OF OUR PEOPLE ? 
 
 PEOPLE are sometimes better — though gener- 
 ally worse — than their creed. Their theory, 
 their doctrine, may be sound, whilst the practice 
 based upon that theory is frequently imperfect. 
 The profession may be all that could be desired, 
 whilst the daily life is altogether inconsequent, and 
 even contrary, to their faith. 
 
 This is illustrated — metaphorically, perhaps- 
 even in the early pages of Holy Writ. Perfect 
 innocence was no guarantee against perfect failure 
 — the first murderer was only once removed 
 from the first of the mortal sons of God. Noah 
 (who walked with God) presents an awful spectacle 
 as a drunkard — Abraham (the friend of God) as 
 a perverter of the truth — Jacob (the Israel of 
 God) as a deceiver — David (the man after God's 
 own heart, the sweet singer of Israel) as a 
 murderer and adulterer. 
 
 As individually, so collectively, the Israelites, 
 the chosen people of God, turned aside, ever and 
 anon, like a broken bow ; their record being be- 
 smirched by grievous lapses and well-nigh constant 
 failure. Polygamy, concubinage, failure to render 
 the accustomed sacrifice and offering, distinguished 
 
 315 
 
How Far has Religion Obtained a 
 
 every age of their history, and the times of their 
 ignorance — during many centuries of development 
 — God winked at,^ though He never, at any time, 
 condoned their sin. 
 
 Observe, too, the record of the New Testament, 
 and of the Apostles chosen by Christ to be His 
 pupils and the depositaries of His truth. How 
 slow of purpose, how forgetful of His charge, 
 how dense of understanding, how impotent in 
 counsel, how faithless in time of need ! One 
 betrayed, another denied, all forsook Him and 
 fled, in the supreme moment of His fate. 
 
 A momentary gleam breaks forth in the early 
 pages of the Acts of the Apostles. Lo ! the 
 infant Church has been able to put to shame 
 all future records. In the first flush of spirituality 
 she recognized the needs of the poor and destitute, 
 and all her members rose to the occasion, by 
 having but one purse, and by bringing all their 
 goods into the common stock. Yet, even here, 
 Ananias represented the evil element of the world, 
 and was both covetous and a liar. 
 
 Furthermore, even then and there we read of dis- 
 sensions, of controversies, such as those between 
 Paul and Barnabas, and between Paul and Peter. 
 
 The Epistles disclose to us, incidentally, the 
 difficulty experienced in weaning both Jew and 
 Gentile from the evil memories of the past. The 
 Great Apostle is frequently called upon to rebuke 
 the members of the Corinthian, of the Galatian, 
 and of other Churches of which he was the 
 
 ^ Acts xvii. 30. 
 316 
 
Real Hold of Our People ? 
 
 spiritual father, for a falling away in respect 
 both of faith and practice ; and to pronounce 
 judgment upon certain individuals by name. We 
 find, too, in these letters, hints of various heresies 
 — gnosticism, and the like — which, ultimately, 
 sorely vexed the Church. 
 
 The ecclesiastical history of the first few cen- 
 turies — interesting and absorbing as it is — yet 
 contains materials for bitter reflection. Religion 
 here, as ever, was wounded in the house of its 
 friends. When any particular heathen persecu- 
 tion ceased, disputes arose amongst the brethren 
 (and even during times of persecution, in the case 
 of the re-lapsed) ; scheming, deceit, forgery, were 
 resorted to ; even physical force was used in 
 extremity ; and the partisans of some doctrine 
 — or the apologists of some cause — hesitated not 
 to enforce their claims by physical violence rather 
 than by pure reason or affectionate remonstrance. 
 
 Erasmus tells the story of a certain Jew of 
 the Middle Ages who — troubled in his mind with 
 doubts as to the superiority of his religion to 
 that of the Christians — was advised to go to 
 Rome, as the centre of Western Christendom, 
 in order to study the proofs and evidences of 
 Christianity to the greatest advantage. He ac- 
 cordingly went, and, on his return, proceeded 
 to recount what he had heard and seen of the 
 dissoluteness of the popes and the corruption 
 of th^ clergy. Nevertheless, he announced his 
 intention of leaving his old faith and embracing 
 Christianity. When charged by his friends with 
 
 317 
 
How Far has Religion Obtained a 
 
 inconsistency, he replied that his experience had 
 convinced him that Christianity must be true ; 
 for if it were false, Almighty God would not 
 have suffered it to survive and abound in spite 
 of such corruption. Somewhat of the same feel- 
 ing possesses us as we suffer our eyes to range 
 over the history of the past. Mournful as is this 
 survey, in parts, during the early years of struggle 
 and conflict, matters became much worse when 
 Christianity triumphed over the heathen world 
 and the heathen gods, and became the dominant 
 faith. Gibbon can hardly be called an impartial 
 witness in his treatment of Christianity, yet there 
 is enough of truth in his account of the Decline 
 and Fall of the Roman Empire to lead to bitter 
 reflection on the part of those who are jealous 
 as to the purity and innocency of the Faith. 
 
 Again, read the records of the Papacy. Ob- 
 serve the worldly spirit guiding the policy of the 
 Pontiffs — a policy supported, in part, by forged 
 Decretals, by lying, perjury, and deceit. Look 
 at the lust of power — the greed of gold — ex- 
 hibited by those in high places. Regard the 
 dissoluteness of life, the cynical indifference even 
 to the elementary sanctions of religion, dis- 
 played by many of the popes, the ignorance, 
 vice, and corruption of a large section of the 
 clergy, both secular and monastic. Observe, too, 
 how the primitive faith is tampered with, the 
 original truth obscured, and the fatal extent to 
 which ignorance, error, and superstition are suf- 
 fered to invade the temple of the Lord. 
 
 318 
 
Real Hold of Our People ? 
 
 But let us come to the England of our day. 
 Has our national destiny, which has led to such 
 a marked advance of material prosperity, also 
 led to a development of religious truth ? Is there 
 now exhibited amongst us the simplicity of the 
 first ages, combined with the ripe and chastened 
 experience which should have been expected to 
 accrue in later times ? Perhaps, opinions would 
 differ as to the precise nature of the reply. In 
 many things we are certainly different from the 
 early Christians, and better than our forefathers 
 in the Middle Ages. Neither would we be pessi- 
 mistic enough to assert that things are altogether 
 corrupt amongst us ; that there are not many 
 causes for thankfulness ; that many noble men 
 and women do not even now adorn the doctrine 
 of Christ, and confess Him as their Saviour in 
 all things. It is undoubtedly foolish, as well as 
 false, to bring charges indiscriminately, and always 
 to decry the present in comparison with the past. 
 
 Yet, even whilst making all reservations and 
 deductions whatsoever, we cannot express our- 
 selves as satisfied with the existing state of things, 
 or as prepared to acknowledge that the develop- 
 ment of religion has been as consistent and success- 
 ful as might have been anticipated. Neither can 
 we say that the state of morality and holy living 
 amongst our people is in advance of the religion 
 of the first centuries, as much as that religion was 
 in advance of the faith it displaced. 
 
 It must be confessed that a wonderful pro- 
 gression might legitimately have been expected in 
 
 319 
 
How Far has Religion Obtained a 
 
 response to the Church's constant prayer — "Thy 
 Kingdom come " — taught to the disciples by the 
 Lord of the Kingdom Himself. Whether the 
 nearer advent of that Kingdom has thus been 
 hindered by man's ignorance and wilfulness, one 
 is not in a position to say ; but such a thought 
 naturally crosses the mind. 
 
 One great drawback to the full exercise of the 
 influence of religion in our midst, and of its 
 increase abroad, is due to the multiplication of 
 sects, and the rivalry, jealousy, and dispersion 
 of effort which inevitably follow. Another draw- 
 back is furnished by the divisions within our own 
 Church — one party sinning by way of excess, 
 another by way of defect. Men — in a measure 
 learned, sensible, and pious — spend time and 
 energy in wrangling about trivialities such as 
 vestments, incense, and holy water ; thus for- 
 getting the weightier matters of the Gospel — a 
 Saviour's offering to satisfy a soul's need. Herein 
 a puerile and meretricious spirit has vexed the 
 sacred heritage of the Lord. 
 
 Again, a spirit of worldliness has overcome the 
 Church. There is a form of godliness without 
 the power ; religion has largely become a mere 
 matter of course — an hereditary possession, like 
 family portraits or plate. Many well-disposed 
 people fulfil the demands of religion — baptism, and 
 the like — as social functions only, because their 
 forefathers did, because it is the right thing, be- 
 cause it admits of their paying compliments to a 
 select circle of friends, and not because of the 
 
 320 
 
Real Hold of Our People ? 
 
 essence of truth and salvation thereto attached. 
 Religion has become the fashion for ceremonial, 
 archaeological, ecclesiological, or social reasons, 
 not for its own sake, or for the perfecting of in- 
 ward grace. There is too much taken for granted 
 — men rarely test the truth for themselves, or 
 put it to experimental proof. They apply not its 
 principles ; they inquire not ; or, if they inquire, 
 they enter into controversy merely in order to 
 obtain the victory, not to advance the Truth. 
 Thus, everything is outward rather than inward. 
 We leave out God, and put in the first place, the 
 Church — our own friends — our own interests. 
 
 A Christian should be a marked man in the 
 highest sense — marked out by his appearance, 
 dress, gesture, and speech, as well as by his 
 declarations, character, and life. He should be 
 restrained, grave, honest, virtuous, distinguished 
 alike in business and amusement ; courageous, 
 indifferent to the world's praise or blame ; not 
 self-seeking, but desirous of advancing others' 
 good ; standing up for peace, for truth, and 
 righteousness ; unselfish, ready to give time, 
 money, and talents to the Lord's service — ever in 
 the world, yet never o/the world ! 
 
 Are these qualifications just ? Are they re- 
 quisite ? Then are Christian people generally — 
 are we ourselves — distinguished by such char- 
 acteristics ? What can we say to these questions ? 
 Charity must answer for our neighbours — conscience 
 for ourselves. 
 
 There are many evils in our midst — many 
 321 X 
 
How Far has Religion Obtained a 
 
 blots in our social system, which are passing 
 strange in a Christian land. There are many 
 things said and done, during the week, by church- 
 goers and chapel-goers, which they would find 
 it hard to defend on the Sunday. Our com- 
 mercial morality is tainted ; there is much roguery 
 displayed in respect of weight and measure, and 
 also in reference to the adulteration of number- 
 less articles of food and drink, of medicine and 
 clothing. Employers and employed do not work 
 in harmony ; the bonds of family life are be- 
 coming relaxed ; religion in our primary and 
 secondary schools is placed at a disadvantage ; 
 Sunday is not so much regarded as it was, or 
 as it should be. The Divorce Court, and our 
 Courts of Justice generally, present vivid revela- 
 tions of our vicious social system ; which disclosures 
 surprise us not when we walk abroad at night in 
 the streets of our vast metropolis and observe 
 how morality, and even decency, are set at 
 nought. Now and then, some cause celebre shows 
 us the extent of immorality and the consequent 
 repetition of nameless crimes on the part both 
 of men and women. Family life is frequently 
 tainted at its source, and the rising generation 
 polluted. Immorality and drunkenness are in- 
 tertwined — twin brothers of Death — accompanied 
 to their bourne by poverty, vice, crime, violence, 
 deceit, and disease. 
 
 Religion languishes, and is the subject of divi- 
 sion and acrimonious discussion. Divine worship 
 is often cold and formal. Many professors are 
 
 32? 
 
Real Hold of Our People ? 
 
 self-seeking and idle ; the conduct of sacred 
 offices is ofttimes dull and dry, devoid of all 
 spirituality and fervour ; the administration of 
 the Sacraments is too frequently mechanical — 
 but little self-examination being involved — or 
 amendment — or progression. 
 
 The raising of money for religious purposes is 
 difficult, so that questionable means are resorted 
 to — such as bazaars, raffles, and balls. 
 
 The cure for all these evils is to be found in 
 the realization of our state, the confession of 
 our fault ; in contrition as to the past, in amend- 
 ment as to the future ; in sole reliance upon 
 the Master, so that we may be enabled to put 
 forth earnest, faithful, persistent, and successful 
 endeavour. 
 
 323 
 
SUNDAY OBSERVANCE 
 
 THE question of Sunday Observance has been 
 recently forced to the front by the leaders 
 of religious thought and practice, and there is 
 no doubt that it touches each of us as citizens 
 and Christians, and that it is a matter concerning 
 which the various sections of the community 
 should strive, without delay, to arrive at a work- 
 ing agreement. It cannot be denied that, in re- 
 spect of this and other religious duties, the nation, 
 as a nation, has got somewhat out of hand. 
 
 The problem is more complicated than appears 
 at first sight, and is becoming still more involved 
 as time goes on, not only by reason of the in- 
 creasing complexity and variety of modern life, 
 of the greater love of change and pleasure, of 
 increased facilities for locomotion, of the interest 
 attaching to golf and other outdoor games, but 
 also by reason of the influx of a considerable 
 number of foreigners — Christian and non-Chris- 
 tian — whose ideas and customs, in this particular, 
 are different from our own. It may be well to 
 remember, that when we lament Sunday motoring, 
 entertaining, and pleasure-taking generally, those 
 whom we criticize may, in many cases, be Jews or 
 Mohammedans, whose sacred day is not our day, 
 
 324 
 
Sunday Observance 
 
 and who may be really devout in what (to them) 
 is proper as to time and place. 
 
 Partly as the cause, partly as the result, of these 
 forces, there must also be mentioned the change 
 of feeling amongst ourselves respecting religion 
 and its manifestation. Broader views are taken, 
 and traditional observances as to the keeping of 
 Lent, and the like, are less honoured. Along with 
 these changes a difference was inevitable in the 
 manner of "keeping Sunday." Contrast the old- 
 fashioned way of observing the day in our child- 
 hood — even as to Sunday books and Sunday 
 games (Noah's Ark, &c) — with the mode we adopt 
 in respect to our own boys and girls. No one 
 really wishes to get rid of a sacred rest-day. 
 Even the French revolutionists of 1789 and the 
 following years were compelled to give up the 
 attempt to effect such a desecration of the ancient 
 habits and beliefs of the people, and quite recently 
 the Parisian authorities have been led to take steps 
 to secure Sunday rest for workers. 
 
 Sunday observances may be regarded from the 
 following points of view : — 
 
 (a) The order of Nature ; 
 
 {b) The physical ; 
 
 {c) The economic — commercial — industrial ; 
 
 (fl?) The legal ; 
 
 (e) The religious ; 
 
 (/) The social — whether personal or general. 
 
 The division of the year into months, and the 
 months into shorter periods, has been practised 
 
 325 
 
Sunday Observance 
 
 by every nation raised above the savage state. 
 The latter division has been determined by the 
 phases of the moon, so that a lunation would 
 be divided either into three or four equal parts — 
 generally into the latter. In particular countries, 
 such as Babylonia, the days in certain months on 
 which these periods fall were considered " for- 
 tunate or unfortunate," and were constituted 
 " lucky or unlucky " ; on these occasions certain 
 rites and duties were enjoined ; but it is doubtful 
 whether, e.g., in such a community as Babylon, the 
 Sabbath meant, strictly speaking, a rest for man, 
 apart from the resting of the gods from anger and 
 disdain, or that it was regarded even by the 
 Jews (as the Sunday came to be looked upon 
 amongst Christians) as a day specially and ex- 
 - clusively consecrated to religious observances. 
 
 (a) The Order of Nature 
 
 It may be noted that, in the vegetable kingdom, 
 rest is diurnal and seasonal, and is not confined 
 to one particular day in a series. In the animal 
 kingdom, in respect chiefly of female life, there is 
 a periodicity which varies with the genus, and, 
 strange to say, in the human subject, roughly 
 corresponds with the lunation ; but, in respect of 
 animal life generally, the creatures around us are 
 not conscious of any natural Sabbath, the secretion 
 of milk, e.g. (and therefore the necessity for milk- 
 ing cattle) goes on day by day — on Sundays and 
 Mondays alike. 
 
 326 
 
Sunday Observance 
 
 Naturally, in the life of a community such as 
 ours, it is important that beasts of burden, heavily 
 weighted and often unmercifully worked during 
 six days, should have a seventh day of respite ; but 
 in the wild life of Nature there is no Sabbath. 
 
 (6) The Physical 
 
 Strict Sabbatarians contend, very justly, for one 
 day in seven as a rest ; but they seem to forget 
 that their claim does not cover the setting apart 
 of one specific day, viz., the Sunday, or the 
 hallowing of that day above all others for religious 
 observance. An atheist might equally sustain 
 the same contention for a seventh-day rest, inas- 
 much as it is capable of being supported on purely 
 physical grounds, especially in this busy nerve- 
 destroying age ; but the contention — by whomso- 
 ever put forth — is satisfied by the choice of any 
 given day of the week — whether Monday or Sun- 
 day. For instance, although in Paris the national 
 museums and places of entertainment are open 
 all day on Sundays, it does not follow that the 
 attendants and artistes are deprived of their 
 seventh-day rest — as a matter of fact this is vouch- 
 safed to them in due course on the Monday. 
 
 Even Christians must learn to put themselves in 
 their neighbour's place, and realize his limitations 
 and difficulties, before condemning his practices. 
 
 327 
 
Sunday Observance 
 
 (c) The Economic — Commercial — Industrial 
 
 There must be undertaken and carried out on 
 Sundays a certain kind and proportion of work on 
 farms, in coal-mines, at ironworks, on board ship ; 
 in respect of the distribution of (perishable) articles 
 of food ; of the care and nursing of the young, the 
 infirm, and the sick ; the conduct of Divine Service 
 and of Sunday Schools ; but hard and unnecessary 
 labour for personal and private profit in respect of 
 the industrial and commercial side of life can be 
 minimized or largely curtailed at the desire of man 
 by the due exercise of forethought and specific 
 arrangement. Where there's a will, there's a way. 
 
 Furthermore, to the thoughtful and generous, 
 who recognize that one worker must make many, 
 certain considerations are apparent; such as the 
 following : — 
 
 (i) Even if one were able and willing to work 
 seven days every week, it would not necessarily 
 follow that the clear gain would be in the ratio 
 of 7 to 6 — frequently, indeed, it is observed, in 
 such cases, that there is a greater tendency to 
 accident and loss, or to a premature breakdown 
 in health. 
 
 (ii) Even if worldly success actually followed 
 continuous labour, that success might prove to 
 have been dearly purchased by defiance of the 
 laws both of Nature and Grace. 
 
 (iii) Even if one suffered in circumstances by 
 abstention from work, and the competition of 
 an unscrupulous rival, it would, sooner or later, 
 
 328 
 
Sunday Observance 
 
 be made clear that worldly gain does not neces- 
 sarily spell worldly happiness ; and that a man's 
 life does not consist in the abundance of the 
 things he possesses. A man owes something to 
 himself — to his higher nature. This world is not 
 all — Mammon is not the Supreme God. 
 
 {d) The Legal 
 
 The Puritans, with their Old Testament pro- 
 clivities, drew the cords of regulation and prohibi- 
 tion with great strictness. This naturally led to a 
 revulsion of feeling at the Restoration, on this point, 
 as on many others. The license which ensued was 
 curbed by laws passed in 1677 (the twenty-ninth 
 year of Charles the Second's reign), which laws 
 have remained practically unaltered to the present 
 time. It is unfortunate that the good sense of the 
 community has not led to a revision. It is true 
 that a "Sunday Act" was passed in 1781, but its 
 provisions had not much effect. 
 
 As is well known, much of Sunday trading is 
 carried on in London and other large towns in 
 regard to the sale of food, tobacco, sweets, fish, 
 milk, newspapers, as well as in respect of the calling 
 of the barber. If any adverse action be taken, in 
 regard to this trading, it must be in accordance 
 with the provisions of a measure more than 230 
 years old ! Even this law permitted exceptions in 
 favour of articles clearly perishable. The preamble 
 runs : " An Act restraining the performance of 
 servile works, and the sale of goods, except milk, 
 
 329 
 
Sunday Observance 
 
 at certain hours, and meat in public-houses, and 
 works of necessity and charity — on forfeiture of 
 five shillings." 
 
 Generally speaking, such a law discriminates 
 between rich and poor. The rich man is shaved 
 by his valet — who goes free ; the poor man is 
 shaved by the street barber, who is haled before 
 the magistrate, and fined ! 
 
 (e) The Religious 
 
 The plea for the exclusively religious observance 
 of a seventh day may be said to be derived not from 
 Natural, but from Revealed, Religion, viz., being 
 based upon such references as are found in the 
 early part of the Book of Genesis, in Exodus xx., 
 and Deuteronomy v. In respect of these arguments, 
 we have to submit that the early parts of Genesis 
 are not intended in all cases to be literally inter- 
 preted. In the first two chapters, there is set 
 before us a series of representations illustrating 
 the main stages whereby the world was evolved 
 out of a nebulous and chaotic state, and finally 
 constituted a theatre of life. It was essential for 
 dramatic purposes, in order to enforce interest 
 and attention, that the Creator should be repre- 
 sented as finishing His work in so many distinct 
 stages, and as resting at its completion. Inas- 
 much as the six days are not to be taken in the 
 letter — for, indeed, the duration even of the early 
 geologic day was very different from our "day" 
 
 33° 
 
Sunday Observance 
 
 — so neither is the reference to the seventh day to 
 be taken literally. We may not accept the crude 
 anthropomorphic conception that the Almighty 
 (like a mechanic constructing some machine) 
 wound up the world, and then suffered it to 
 revolve indefinitely ; for we naturally postulate, 
 on the part of God, sustained power and constant 
 renewal and superintendence. 
 
 Doubtless, there is deep meaning in the passage 
 denoting the completion of the special intervention 
 whereby the Divine Being constituted man as a 
 moral agent in relation to Himself. This marked 
 the beginning of a stage, the end of which was to 
 be indicated by a further intervention leading to 
 the embodiment of the ideal man, even Jesus 
 Christ. In relation, however, to the obligation to 
 us to keep the Sabbath, the reference breaks down 
 in two points — viz., as to God's need of rest, (if 
 such, indeed, be implied), and as to the choice of 
 one " day " (such as ours) in seven. 
 
 It is true that, in early times, periods of seven 
 days are marked in relation, e.g., to the Deluge 
 and other occurrences ; but, as we have seen, this 
 is a natural division of time, adopted by many 
 nations as well as by the Jews, yet not exclusively 
 with a view to any distinct religious observance. 
 
 Further, it may be allowed that the story of the 
 delivery of the Ten Commandments to Moses is 
 expressed in the like dramatic form and spirit to 
 that of the Creation. It now seems clear that the 
 original compilers availed themselves of the well 
 known and traditional hyperbolical methods of 
 
 331 
 
Sunday Observance 
 
 Eastern narration. The dictum was as true then as 
 now — that no man had seen God or can see Him ; 
 but the phrases and descriptions employed in this 
 and similar cases were adopted as the setting most 
 appropriate, in the estimation of the writers, to 
 express the great truth that God really speaks 
 to the conscience and the heart of man, and lays 
 down certain salient principles of conduct ; in 
 this manner, leading individuals and peoples to 
 a solemn consecration to His service and to the 
 expression of faith in respect of the Unseen and 
 His laws. 
 
 The phrases: "Thus saith the Lord," "The 
 Lord spake unto Moses," and the like, do not refer 
 to communications made as from man to man ; 
 but rather to the subjective action of the mind 
 and spirit of the Creator upon the mind and spirit 
 of the creature. From this thought we derive an 
 explanation of the statement : "In the image of 
 God created He man " — i.e., not in the outward 
 likeness, but in the inward and spiritual, so that 
 we can respond to the impulses of the Eternal, 
 and call that " good " which God pronounces to be 
 good, and that " evil " which He calls evil. 
 
 Probably, the commandments were originally 
 simple forms, or "words," even as the sixth, seventh, 
 and eighth now are — bearing a general resem- 
 blance to decrees found in compilations like the 
 Laws of Hammurabi. Later, the fourth com- 
 mandment would have been expanded in more 
 than one way (vide Exod. xx. and Deut. v.). Its 
 opening word " Remember " and its positive form 
 
 332 
 
Sunday Observance 
 
 — in which it differs from all the others — seem to 
 indicate that it possessed use and authority long 
 anterior to the time of Moses. 
 
 The reason given, in the first version, for its 
 authorization, viz., that the world was made in 
 six ordinary days, would cause embarrassment to 
 all scholars, were it not incumbent upon them 
 to make clear the non-natural sense in which the 
 words are employed. 
 
 In Deut. V, 12, the opening words of the same 
 commandment are : " Keep the Sabbath day to 
 sanctify it " — the word " remember " not being 
 employed. The reason also is entirely different 
 — viz., " And remember that thou wast a servant 
 in the land of Egypt." This is a later version than 
 that found in the Book of Exodus — the latter 
 being chosen for use in the services of the Christian 
 Church as being more general in its application. 
 
 It cannot be denied that the concession as to the 
 subjective nature of the delivery of the command- 
 ments tends to weaken the sanction which Sab- 
 batarians derive from the record ; but it must be 
 remembered that the arguments used by the straiter 
 sect have been discounted for some time past, and 
 that the strictness of observance insisted upon 
 has led to much mischief, being mainly respon- 
 sible for the revulsion of feeling that has been 
 witnessed. 
 
 In truth, the genesis of the Christian Sunday has 
 to be borne in mind, and the sanction which the 
 Church, and the Church alone, has given to it. 
 For example, members of the Church of England 
 
 333 
 
Sunday Observance 
 
 do not keep the Sabbath — they do not pretend to 
 keep it. Even the Jews have seriously fallen away 
 and, whenever possible, employ Gentile servants to 
 perform their domestic work on that [day. What 
 was possible for their forefathers in their simple 
 desert life, in an Eastern clime, is found to be 
 impossible for the descendants in a country with 
 a climate so variable as ours. 
 
 Doubtless, the Sabbath was kept with consider- 
 able strictness in Palestine in the days of our Lord, 
 especially in Judea, and by the Pharisees. There 
 was no subject on which our Saviour had so many 
 disputes with the extremists — there was none on 
 which He exercised His independence so freely. 
 Witness His acts of healing. His defence of the 
 same, and the notable declaration which persistent 
 opposition led Him to make, to wit : " The Sabbath 
 was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath." 
 
 Those early Christians who were originally Jews 
 seem to have observed the Sabbath and the Lord's 
 Day alike ; though, even so, the Lord's Day was 
 kept after the Eastern manner — viz., from even- 
 ing to evening. There seems no reason to doubt 
 that this Lord's Day was chosen to mark the great 
 fact of the Resurrection. It is, indeed, difficult to 
 account for its choice on any other ground, and it 
 is interesting to note that, conversely, it furnishes 
 one of the proofs of that great event. 
 
 Gentiles and later generations of Christians 
 either never accepted the Jewish Sabbath, or 
 ultimately dropped its use and kept the Lord's 
 Day alone. Finally, in accordance with the later 
 
 334 
 
Sunday Observance 
 
 civil usage in Western Christendom, the day was 
 reckoned from midnight to midnight. 
 
 It would appear therefore, from this resume, that 
 the Christian Church had perfect authority and 
 liberty to declare the manner in which the Lord's 
 Day should be kept — i.e., without any special 
 reference to the Jewish Sabbath, or any undue re- 
 liance on the reasons furnished by the two versions 
 of the fourth commandment. 
 
 It should be noted that there is a distinct danger 
 to be faced and avoided. The use of the phrase 
 " The Lord's Day " might seem to imply that it was 
 a day different from all other days of the week, in 
 respect of our thoughts and behaviour ; that is to 
 say, that one day was emphatically the Lord's Day, 
 to the exclusion of all others ; whereas, in reality, 
 every day is a Lord's Day, and should be equally 
 holy. The false conception above referred to has 
 done untold harm in respect of our religious and 
 social ideas, and has tended to self-gratulation and 
 hypocritical satisfaction, inasmuch as it has led 
 Anglicans to compare themselves, e.g., with Roman 
 Catholics and their " Continental Sunday." The 
 sentiment may be carried too far which is em- 
 bodied in the lines composed by Sir Matthew 
 Hale : " A Sunday well spent brings a week of 
 content." 
 
 We fail to note that the Latin-Roman conception 
 is difFerent from ours, and that their usage is, con- 
 sequently, different. It is in accordance with the 
 dictates of their conscience that they engage in 
 religious exercises in the early morning, and equally 
 
 335 
 
Sunday Observance 
 
 according to the dictates of their conscience that 
 they consider themselves free to take their pleasure 
 in divers ways during the rest of the day. Their 
 conscience is not our conscience ; ergo, what would 
 be sin to the Sabbatarian may be no sin to them. 
 One allows that this concession requires to be care- 
 fully safeguarded. 
 
 Again, it should be observed that, in Roman 
 Catholic countries, the faithful are enjoined to visit 
 the house of God as a matter of obligation every 
 day. In our adverse and partial criticism, we hardly 
 take this fact into account. 
 
 (/) The Social — Whether Personal or 
 General 
 
 The true mode of dealing with this subject must 
 be based on the assumption that the question is 
 social and national as well as religious. Much harm 
 has been done by well-meaning persons in putting 
 it on a basis exclusively religious. 
 
 In the present day, in our complex social state, 
 efforts in regard to Sunday observance will always 
 fail unless they take into account all the factors of 
 the case, and are broad-based on public expediency.^ 
 
 ^ Some districts of London are largely inhabited by Jews. These 
 people are called upon by their religion to observe the Sabbath, and by 
 the strict and literal law of the land to observe the Sunday also — thus 
 to keep two days in every week free from trading. This is hard both on 
 the small trader and on the small purchaser. Casual visitors to Hounds- 
 ditch, on the Sunday, are astonished at the signs of buying and selling 
 presented to their eyes ; but, after all, this is mainly confined to Jews, 
 whose conscience is clear as against any infraction of religious law, for 
 their Sunday is not our Sunday. *, ' 
 
Sunday Observance 
 
 In respect of the general aspect, the practical upshot 
 has come to be that the religious principle affects 
 not the many but the few. In the hands of the 
 elect, then, it lies to sanctify and uplift the day to a 
 height that, unfortunately, cannot be reached by all 
 the complex elements included in the State. 
 
 In taking account of all these variables, Christians 
 must make allowance, and strive to set the highest 
 example by way of recognizing three main principles 
 of conduct, viz., what is due to themselves, to their 
 bodies and souls — what is due to the bodies and 
 souls of others — and, above all, what is due to God, 
 Whose honour and glory our bodies and souls are 
 intended to subserve. 
 
 In regard to any specific act on any specific day 
 — a fortiori, the Sunday — the questions put by the 
 individual Christian to himself, under the influence 
 of an enlightened and a quickened conscience, as 
 to the lawfulness of any particular sport or plea- 
 sure, should be : " Have I put God first ? " " Have 
 I truly discharged any special duty, or worship, 
 or obligation due to this day ? " 
 
 Much good may be done in a general way 
 by improving the services in church, and furnish- 
 ing the best of everything in the way of reading, 
 preaching, and singing. 
 
 337 
 
A RECONSIDERATION OF OUR 
 BELIEFS 
 
 CONTEMPORANEOUSLY with the advance 
 of knowledge and the improvement of 
 mechanical skill and appliances, it has been found 
 possible and profitable, in the industrial world, to 
 work over again the rubbish-heaps found on the 
 site of disused gold and silver mines, in order to 
 recover much that preceding generations have cast 
 away as worthless. 
 
 Doubtless, the same custom is followed — age by 
 age — in the world of philosophic thought. But, 
 in this direction, the difficulties are greater ; in- 
 asmuch as most men feel a distaste to hard 
 and original thinking, being content slavishly to 
 attach themselves to a school, or to a single ex- 
 ponent of a system. Therefore, we must perforce 
 admit that the study of philosophy is at a dis- 
 count, inasmuch as most men cannot, and many 
 men will not, engage in its pursuit. 
 
 What has been said of philosophy may be said 
 with greater force of a single branch of it — Religion. 
 Religion has come to us mainly from one people — 
 in many ways, a small and insignificant people 
 originally undistinguished in the world of thought, 
 
 338 
 
A Reconsideration of Our Beliefs 
 
 art, war, discovery, invention, philosophy, and 
 commercialism — pre-eminent only in the world 
 of morals. 
 
 For their position — for their system of ethics and 
 worship — they put forward the most tremendous 
 claims ; their God was the One Supreme — the 
 God of the whole earth; their nation the sole 
 depositary of the truth, being the only people 
 which had been permitted to enter into Covenant 
 with the Deity. Out of their nationality the 
 Anointed One was to come. Who should establish 
 His throne in Jerusalem, beat down all opposition, 
 and rule over the nations gloriously. 
 
 These claims were sustained and carried forward 
 by sage, prophet, and apostle — for their furtherance 
 multitudes of confessors bled and of martyrs died. 
 
 Finally, the idea of the Universal God was 
 accepted by the Jews as a cardinal principle. 
 The Scriptures relating to Him were expressed 
 in the Universal Language — Greek. The Apostle 
 Paul and others — Roman citizens — went along 
 the Roman highways proclaiming the Universal 
 Faith in the Universal Tongue throughout the 
 Universal Empire. 
 
 Such a combination of Universals proved irre- 
 sistible, but the crowning mercy was found between 
 three and four centuries after in the subversion of 
 the Roman Empire by false friends and open foes, 
 and the establishment of the Roman Pontificate on 
 its ruins. The Pope took the place of the Emperor 
 and Pontif ex Maximus ; the Church, of the Basilica ; 
 the Decretal, of the Imperial Mandate. 
 
 339 
 
A Reconsideration of Our Beliefs 
 
 From this exalted throne, during many genera- 
 tions, tradition and authority reigned supreme. 
 Independence of investigation, of thought, of judg- 
 ment, was discouraged, finally to be crushed alto- 
 gether out of existence by Council or Inquisition, 
 
 The Reformation brought about a transfer — not 
 a destruction; authority still prevailed ; " presbyter " 
 was but " priest " writ large ; the Thirty-nine 
 Articles and the Westminster Confession paralleled 
 the Decrees of the Council of Trent. Private judg- 
 ment was exalted as the supreme authority. 
 
 What is the position in the present day in respect 
 of our own Church as reflected by the pulpit and 
 the pew ? To a large extent, the same ideas prevail. 
 
 It is declared that there is but one covenant 
 nation — the Jews ; but one set of inspired writings 
 — the Bible ; but one voice of authority — the 
 National Church. All other nations are heathens, 
 worshipping idols — all therefore are doomed to be 
 devoted to outer darkness unless they absolutely 
 give up their own beliefs and accept Christianity 
 on the Western model, as the " orthodox " under- 
 stand and interpret it. 
 
 In the consideration of this great question two 
 principles may be laid down : — 
 
 (a) The desirability of retaining — both in faith and 
 practice — whatever has been found eflScacious in the past 
 — the conservative principle. 
 
 (b) The desirability of adapting the form of truth and 
 its presentation to the necessities of the present, and to 
 what we may conceive to be involved in the call of the 
 immediate future — the progressive principle. 
 
 340 
 
A Reconsideration of Our Beliefs 
 
 Every thinker would be disposed to accept the 
 first desideratum. The continuity of teaching — 
 the need of dogmatic instruction, of the holding on 
 to the past in relation to the constitution, teaching, 
 sacramental grace, ritual, formularies, and cere- 
 monies of the visible Church — all depend on this 
 principle. If it were absolutely surrendered, and 
 the attempt made to commence the setting up of a 
 Church and the elaboration of a Creed — de novo — 
 nothing but disintegration would result within the 
 existing body, and also absolute separation from 
 every conservative historic Church. 
 
 But many persons would interpret the principle 
 in a hard-and-fast sense, and would base their 
 position and formula of absolute changelessness 
 on the phrase : " The faith once delivered unto 
 the saints " ; their Creed, in effect, would be : 
 "As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever 
 shall be." Their prototype is to be found in 
 the Old Testament, viz.. Lot's wife — and we know 
 what became of her ! 
 
 In the present day, these conservative beliefs are 
 strenuously held by tens of thousands of attached 
 adherents — they form their rule of life — the national 
 Churches of Christ occupy a commanding position 
 in the eye of the world and in the moulding of 
 their respective societies — missionaries are sent out 
 in multitudes from Christian lands to evangelize 
 the heathen in the dark places of the earth. 
 
 Yet no close observer can be satisfied with 
 the existing state of things. The major part of 
 the population is largely untouched by the calls 
 
 341 
 
A Reconsideration of Our Beliefs 
 
 of personal religion — missionary efforts are largely 
 discounted by our feebleness and division, in 
 addition to being opposed and thwarted by the 
 earnest belief and action — whether racial, or re- 
 ligious, or both — of the Hindoo, Japanese, or 
 Mohammedan. 
 
 It may be allowed that larger, more beneficent, 
 results in every direction would be realized if 
 the doctrines of Christianity were more faithfully 
 proclaimed and more strenuously followed ; but 
 inquiry may be permitted as to whether the 
 doctrine of development is not applicable to our 
 religion derived from the traditional sources with 
 which we are familiar ; whether the old truths 
 might not be the better for a new setting and inter- 
 pretation ; whether the mode of their presentation 
 might not be varied so as to adapt it to the changed 
 condition of the time. 
 
 Morality may not be a matter of discovery — 
 we believe it to be based on religion, which is 
 generally treated as a revelation. Yet what is 
 revelation but a discovery — an opening out — a 
 progressive making known to the sense, experience, 
 judgment, and conscience of mankind of things 
 that tend to mould the character, to move the life ? 
 
 It is becoming clear that the only path of 
 progress — even of safety — is to be found in the 
 patient and intelligent carrying out of the second, 
 or progressive, principle. 
 
 This can be done only by spiritually-minded men, 
 earnest, wise, courageous, determined ; who, by 
 patient continuance, and both by their preaching 
 
 342 
 
A Reconsideration of Our Beliefs 
 
 and living — in spite of opposition and misre- 
 presentation — consistently bend all their energies 
 in the prosecution of the work of revision and 
 extension. It is a grave question how far party 
 spirit precludes such men even from being raised 
 up within the Church, 
 
 Most reforms are brought about by influences 
 from without. It may be that the point with 
 which we are dealing will be no exception to the 
 rule. Certainly, whether consciously or not, 
 science, agnosticism, rationalism, and unrestricted 
 criticism have all exerted influences — either attrac- 
 tive or repulsive — to this end. 
 
 But some important principles still need to be 
 debated — e.g., What importance is to be attached 
 to existing religions and creeds and sacred books ? 
 Here comes in the Comparative Study of Re- 
 ligions. In the first place, we want an adequate 
 supply of material — adequate in respect both of 
 time and place ; then, we desiderate an intelligent 
 and unbiassed conclusion from a survey of the 
 evidence thus furnished. 
 
 It will be seen how seriously these questions affect 
 the things that now are — the constitution, work, 
 ideal, and destiny of the Church of to-day and of 
 the future. Further, how vitally they affect the 
 conduct and ideal of missions to the so-called 
 heathen. Hitherto, these have proceeded along 
 narrow, well-defined lines — "the heathen were all 
 wrong, we were all right ; they must absolutely 
 resign most of their habits, forms, modes of 
 thought — i.e., they must strip themselves of their 
 
 343 
 
A Reconsideration of Our Beliefs 
 
 old beliefs, and give themselves up to all that 
 is new. They must put on the new religion 
 and the appliances, forms, and ceremonies with 
 which religion is associated in our Western 
 minds." In plain language, this would amount 
 to the putting away of all traditionary lore and 
 experience associated with their old hope and faith 
 and life, and the taking unto themselves a cast- 
 iron system of faith, morals, and worship such as 
 has been developed by people of a different race, 
 living in a land hundreds or thousands of miles 
 distant, and in a clime absolutely different from 
 their own. 
 
 Further — we ask — are the Old and New Testa- 
 ment Scriptures to be put on a pedestal apart, or 
 are others — the religious books of the Hindoos, 
 Persians, Mohammedans, &c. — to be regarded with 
 a similar sympathetic interest and interpreted with 
 the same care and respect ? Are the Jews to 
 be accorded absolute " pride of place," or should 
 it be admitted that every other nation has had 
 a distinct message for mankind ? Is it to be 
 Palestine — or the world? Is the revelation of Jesus 
 Christ and His Apostles to be interpreted from the 
 point of view of Jewish ethics, as an unchanging 
 and unchangeable rule, or is it to be regarded as 
 adaptable to different nations in different ways at 
 different times ? Is it to be crystallized or fluid; 
 intensive or extensive ? 
 
 If only it were possible to be learned in all the 
 learning of the past, and so to catch the living spirit 
 of the present age as to go forth to the denizens 
 
 344 
 
A Reconsideration of Our Beliefs 
 
 of the lands of the earth and the islands of the 
 sea with a message instinct with perfect wisdom — 
 both divine and human — to the end that that 
 which was best and purest in their nature might 
 serve as a basis for the full and complete teaching 
 of Him Who came to lay down principles of faith 
 and hope and love for all, it can hardly be doubted 
 that every nation of the earth should at length 
 truly hear in its own tongue the wonderful works 
 of God, 
 
 Then would follow certain notable results ; viz., 
 the establishment of a true, yet varied and distinct, 
 type of religion in every land, in full accordance 
 with the traditions, genius, spirit, and destiny of 
 its people ; eventuating in the consolidation of 
 these various forms into such a full, complete, 
 comprehensive embodiment of Christianity as the 
 world never yet has seen, and never will see so 
 long as the existing system prevails. 
 
 345 
 
OUR UNHAPPY DIVISIONS— AND 
 FOREIGN MISSIONS 
 
 OFTENTIMES, one is so preoccupied in the 
 direct consequences of one's own action that 
 the desirability is overlooked of passing beyond 
 the narrow limits which encompass us, and of 
 trying to ascertain the way in which that action 
 strikes those who are concerned but in a 
 secondary sense. 
 
 It would, therefore, seem important to make 
 inquiry of those in a position to know how the 
 educational and disestablishment debates peren- 
 nially carried on in this country affect outsiders 
 (especially our fellow-subjects, say, in India), and 
 that from an important point of view, viz., of 
 missionary effort. 
 
 These debates have disclosed many differences 
 between the Church and dissenting bodies ; they 
 have led to the use of strong language on the 
 part of Nonconformist leaders ; they have elicited 
 the opinion of many politicians that the State 
 should have nothing to do with the teaching of 
 religion to the children, or with the religious 
 faith of the teachers in public elementary, or tax- 
 aided, schools and colleges. 
 
 All this seems to indicate a substantial change 
 346 
 
Our Unhappy Divisions 
 
 from the attitude assumed in dissenting circles 
 in the past with reference to the all-important sub- 
 jects of the religious instruction of the young, and 
 with the attitude of the State towards religion. 
 Thus, they are willing to face with equanimity 
 the total suppression of Voluntary Schools. 
 
 The end at which their prominent leaders 
 avowedly aim is the virtual secularization of 
 public elementary schools. Practically, they 
 profess themselves to be satisfied with ascer- 
 taining the competency of the teacher to impart 
 secular instruction alone. 
 
 Is not all this likely to convey to the mind 
 — say — of the cultivated Hindoo, Chinese, or 
 Japanese the impression that the feeling in 
 England in respect of Christianity is diminishing 
 in strength and conviction ? — that there is existent 
 a sharp antagonism between the different ex- 
 ponents of Christian religious truth ? Would 
 not these therefore be likely to infer that the 
 spirituality and sanctions of the Christian pro- 
 fession in England were weakening ? 
 
 If it be so, is not this impression likely to 
 react unfavourably upon such classes as have 
 been mentioned, in respect of their acceptance 
 of Christian truth — and to cause a fresh and 
 notable impediment to Christian missions in all 
 parts of the world ? 
 
 There is a tendency on the part of English 
 administrators, in India, in Egypt, and elsewhere, 
 to minimize the fact that we are a Christian 
 power, and, even somewhat ostentatiously, to 
 
 347 
 
Our Unhappy Divisions — and 
 
 assume a position strictly neutral, where religious 
 matters are concerned. To a large extent, this 
 policy has failed in its object, forasmuch as a 
 sincere Hindoo or Mohammedan expects and 
 respects a firm profession of faith in regard to 
 those with whom he deals, and is moreover fully 
 capable of recognizing the nobleness of a con- 
 sistent Christian life. 
 
 It is a notable fact that the Indian Mutiny 
 was quelled by the action of leaders, many of 
 whom — e.g., the Lawrences, Colin Campbell, 
 Havelock, &c. — were men of conspicuous piety ; 
 and that the conflict was largely brought to a 
 successful issue by the staunch adherence of 
 native Christians to the English flag. 
 
 This fact furnishes an object-lesson, the sig- 
 nificance of which cannot be overlooked. It 
 would indeed appear to be directly addressed 
 by the Almighty to the British nation. 
 
 It is but a few who could pretend to have 
 such a knowledge of the mission field as to 
 enable them to answer the query as to whether, 
 or how far, the divergent opinions expressed on 
 public platforms in England on educational and 
 religious questions generally, are likely to affect 
 the operations of our agents in the various foreign 
 fields where they are labouring ; but, if there 
 should be the least fear of such a calamitous 
 result, may one not plead this danger (amongst 
 other reasons) to the religiously-minded amongst 
 our political opponents as an additional cause for 
 inducing them to take a more charitable view of 
 
 348 
 
Foreign Missions 
 
 the persistence of Churchmen in affirming their 
 views as to the union of Church and State and 
 as to the absolute necessity for definite religious 
 teaching in public elementary schools ? 
 
 There cannot be a doubt that if the Church 
 were disestablished and disendowed a serious 
 blow would be struck both at her authority and 
 efficiency ; or that if the policy of the Liberal 
 Government were pursued unchecked in our 
 rate-aided schools, the nation would be advanced a 
 considerable stage along the road to secularism. 
 
 It is disconcerting and humiliating to observe 
 the apparently light-hearted manner in which 
 Parliament — Lords as well as Commons — deal 
 with such subjects as the Marriage Laws — the 
 National Witness of the Nation to God — the 
 Religious Education of intending teachers. It is 
 time that the Church stood firm, and refused to 
 allow that Statute Law should be capable of 
 overriding Church Law, where the latter deals 
 directly with subjects involving faith or morals. 
 In that realm, it is the function and glory of the 
 Church to bring it about that vox populi should be 
 equivalent to vox Dei! 
 
 Printed by Ballantyne, Hanson &• Co. 
 Edinburgh dfi London 
 
Crown 8yo, 348 pages. Oloth, 5s. net. Post free, 5s. 4d. 
 
 Egypt and the 
 Egyptians 
 
 Their History, Antiquities, Language, 
 
 Religion, and Influence over Palestine 
 
 and Neighbouring Countries 
 
 By the 
 
 Rev. J. O. Bevan 
 
 M.A., F.G.S., Assoc-Inst. C.E., F,S.A.. 
 
 Sometime Prizeman, Exhibitioner, and Foundation Scholar of 
 
 Emmanuel College, Cantab. ; Rector of Chillenden, Dover 
 
 Author of " The Genesis and Evolution of the Individual Soul," 
 
 *' The Birth and Growth of Toleration, and other Essays," 
 
 '* Exposition of the Collects, Epistles, and Gospels 
 
 of the Book of Common Prayer," &c. &c. 
 
 With Preface by 
 
 Sir G. H. Darwin 
 
 K.C.B., M.A., LL.D., F.R.S., F.R.A.S. 
 
 Plumian Professor of Astronomy and Experimental Philosophy 
 
 in the University of Cambridge 
 
 London: George Allen & Sons 
 
 44 & 45 Rathbone Place, Oxford Street 
 And of all Booksellers 
 
Crown 8vo, 300 pages. Cloth. 3b. 6d. net 
 
 Exposition of the Collects, 
 
 Epistles, and Gospels 
 
 of the Church's Year 
 
 (Sundays and Holy-days) 
 By the 
 
 Rev. J. O. Bevan 
 
 M.A., F.S.A. 
 
 Fellow of the College of Preceptors 
 
 Sometime Prizeman, Exhibitioner, and Foundation Scholar 
 
 of Emmanuel College, Cambridge 
 
 Rector of Chillenden, Dover 
 
 Author of " The Genesis and Evolution of the Individual Soul," 
 
 "The Birth and Growth of Toleration, The Virgin Birth, 
 
 and other Essays," "Egypt and the Egyptians " 
 
 London : George Allen & Sons 
 
 44 & 45 Rathbone Place, Oxford Street 
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