The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1871-08-12 00:00:00

THE LATE DEAN MANSEL.

At hoth morning and evening services on Sunday at
St. Paul's Cathedral, London, references were made to
the recent sudden death of Dean Mansel.

In the morning the Bishop of London founding upon
it a sermon On the necessity of dilligent preparation
for the future state, dwelt rather upon the siblilehnem
of the decease than on the life laid work of the late
Dean.

In the afternoon Canon tuition preached under the
dom.: to a C. mgregation numbering seventh thousands,
and spoke at leir,th on his late friend's character
writing,. Taking for his text John ix., verse 4, "I
must work the works of Him that sent Me white it is
dog ; the nioht rometh when no HIS., ran work," he said,
after some preliminary observations

Dean Memel was gifted with an Intellect of exceptional
power—an intellect id that particular type and solidity
which is more commonly found among gifted men of Scotch
or Berman blood than amongst Euglishmen. Dean llansel
was born a metaphysician when a young man he became
conspicuous Inc his ability he had a marvellous capacity
for abstract thought ; he was decorated with the highest
academical honours, and his acquaintance was always
eagerly sought after by men of letters. In later years he
became the ablest exponent of the continuity of mind of
Sir William Hamilton. Ile completed, in some respects,
what that distinguished man began ; and he held until
his death a unique position in the world of mental
science, acquired, it is needless to say, by immense
labour of the brain. His great powers were always
consecrated to the service of God. He hml, as a young
man, no idea -and he (Canon Liddon) had reason for
saying no—ot any high position in the thumb—he had
no future before his eye, but that id an academie
student and teacher. When he fret brought his clear and
powerful intellect to lite task of determining the real rela-
tion which soloists between the natural powers of human
thought and the contents of the Christian revelation, the
fruit of his study was seen in the most celebrated work of
his life—a work whist bad always labia remarkable place in
Mulish philosophy and English divinity—his in Hampton Lee-
Dues ion the Limit of Religious Thought." In that book he
disl not profess to furnish any direct proof of the truth of
Christian revelation—he merely insisted that reason,
when cross examined, wits bound in her own terns, and in
tier own interest, to make r for revelation. The
constant effort of reason, especially when engaged in making
war inn revelation, was to claim to occupy the whole field
of possible religious thought mtd, faith—to have a word,
Whether of approval or disapproval, to utter upon every pro-
position which, upon whatever authority, could come Mort I
it. It way this claim which Dean Mania disputed. 'teeing
himself upon a celebrated paper of sir William Hamilton, •
on the philosophy of the Unconditioned, he showed by a •
' subtle suit vigorous analysis that the human Intuit could not
of itself attain to any mmitive conception of the nature if an
absolute and infinite Being that the very fundamental laws
of our mental consciousness, when cloaely examined. pre-
vented it ; and that, therefore, beyond the region in which
religion could reign without exaggending her powers, there
was a sphere of thought open to the human mind, and
legitimately occupied by a revelation which could be
shown to rest upon sutheient evidence of Divine authority.
Of the worth of that evidence reason was the proper judge ;
but reason could nod, considering the limits within which she
worked, criticise whit was the subject matter of revelation
itself, without being false to It really philosophical estimate
of her own powers, as well as without risk of serious religious
disaster. It was inevitable that an argument which insisted
upon the demonstrable impotence of thought should annum
the jealousy of professional thinkers. They had passionately
exclaim.' that the lecturer was defending orthodoxy by
atheistic arguments ; they insisted too hastily that if God
could not he known as Hu is, Ile condo' not Inc known at
all; they refuseol to examine with sufficient patience and
sympathy the lecturer's characteristic doctrine of regula-
tive truth—that although we cannot kuoow perfectly what
(list is hi 'Unmet', %wean know from analogies and approxi-
mately what lie Is. They turn a deaf ear to the long line
of auth anefent and modern, who had virtually ac-
cepted the sloctrine which they assailed as a novel mid in-
ward heresy. They raised the cry that the lecturer taught
• two moralities—a divine and a human—and that he had
. virtually extended the existence of an absolute mid 'neon-
, testable right aunt wrong. Certainly, he did teach that,
for instance, although justice was in itself ever the same,
: yet that the Creator as such moist have rights which
made it impossible for us to apply to His dealings
with His creatures that particular and restricted notion of
justice which belonged tnt dealings between man and nmn
but that was merely to show that the Creator was
not the creature, that the source of all existence could
not so divest Himself of His necessary relation to
His creatures as to cease to he Himself ; that as we slid not
know God as He was, we could led lay down any rules for
His conduct, annl practically assume that we knew all about
Him. The Hampton Lectures, although the most consider-
able of the late Dean's works, was sally nine of the many
efforts sit his pen. He worked hard too the very last, and died
in harness. His time, latterly, was chiefly devoted to
the interpretation of Scripture lie was actively engaged
on the speaker's Commentary," and only a few slays
before he left London lie told h ' (the pecan-her) that
he believed he was able to answer thoroughly certain
objections which had been raised against the Gospel of St.
John. Ile lived in hopes of seeing the cathedral com-
pleted and restored, but death snatched hint away in the
most sudden manner. It came to him one short week
ago, in the fulness, as it seemed, of his mental strength.
Only last Sunday he took his part in the morning and after-
noon services of the Church. At that very hour he was to all
appearance in his usual health, and there was no strain
which, humanly speaking, was likely to distract him. He
retired to rest after making arrangements for coming tin town
by an early train on Monday morning. ()tie short minute,
however, and all was over. There Was no time for anything
that could be called a death-struggle—sleath must have been
instantaneous. A blood-vessel had given way at the base of
the brain—there was a single sigh, and he had passed assay!
. Sudden death reminded men of the true terms of tenure by
which they held their earthly existence ; they were but mere
tenantmat -will, their master being able ho disposses them at any-
moment. The death of Or, !damsel coulol not have taken hint
by surprise, for he was continually dwelling on the thought of
separation from earth, and only- last month, after reading
the burial service in that Cathedral over the body of Mrs.
Witness., he wondered whosc turn it would lie next, adding,
that they were au God's care. On another occasion he
expressed an opinion that sudden death was a merciful WO
blessed manner of passing away, and he invariably irgarled
death calmly, earnestly, and contently. Whereas as an in-
tellectual giant he was always manly to combat the stronguAt
forms of a modern infidelity, yet he was content to kneel
before his Master in the most perfect and chiloblike trod
and faith. The lescon of his life was that he made the most
nI his work in the time that Goilallosvcd to him, am! that
.• .

. .....—... .......... .
when the Mahr,ime—although 9uddenly—he was found pre.
pared to meet Ills saviour.

After the sermon, diming the delivery of which the
Canon was at times visibly affected, the hymn com-
mencing "A few more years shall roll "IVaS sting by
the congregation. The "Dead March' in &red was
played by Mr. Goss upon the organ afterwarib4