The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-07-07 00:00:00

THEOLOGY AND PHILOSOPHY

From the Westminster Review.

In his "Primitive Doctrine of Baptismal Regenera-
tion,"* Mr. Mozley treats of a subject or portion of a
subject more conveniently grasped, than that which he
discussed in his work of last year on the Augustinian
Doctrine of Predestination. In his present treatise, his
method is fully adequate to the illustration of his issues,
his style is clear, and he applies extremely well to his
purpose very sensible principles of scriptural exegesis.
He takes up as a result already gained, that not only in
St. Augustine, but in the texture of Scripture itself, there
is a predestinarian " grain,' and maintains that no theory
of regeneration will be found consistent with Scripture,
which does not recognise a doctrine of predestination.
The difficulty is to reconcile statements, which on the one
hand refer regeneration to the absolute will of God. and
on the other attribute it to all Christians, to all baptised
persons. For regeneration, as Mr. Mozley argues with
great force, does not imply, in Scripture phrase, an in.;
cipient state, or the communication of a capacity, but a
perfect conditiol ; not the bestowal of a faculty which
may be inoperative, but the realisation of a perfect moral
character, the development of the righteous image of
Christ. The solvent applied to the difficulty which
results is, that the scriptural expressions concerning the
regeneration of all Christians, like others concerning their/
election, are employed hypothetically and presumptivOli.
Thus whole congregations are spoken of presumptively
and antecedently as saints, but de facto many of them are
known to be sinners, sand are rebuked accordingly. To
the interpretation of the formularies of his own Church
on this subject, Mr. Mozley applies the canon, that her
language having descended from Scripture, means with
her what it meant in the Fathers, and that it meant in
them what it means in Scripture. But the meaning of
Scripture is to be ascertained by reason, and upon sound
rules of interpretation, not forcing a literal meaning
where it would be repugnant to common sense, or taking
assertions universally where facts require them to he un-
derstood generally or presumptively. We should be glad
if Mr. Mozley would apply his key of hypothesis or pre-
sumption to solve the difficulty on another side of the
predestinarian doctrine : apply his principle to the case
of the "reprobate," just as he has to that of the "elect,'
—to the unregenerate and unconverted as well as to the
regenerate and Christian. When St. John says, "We
know that we are of God, and that the whole world lieth
in wickedness," if facts require the universal to be taken
with limitation, and hypothetically in the former half of
the verse, facts and charity require it to be understood
with like limitations in the latter.

The author of the " Genesis of the Earth and of Aran,"t
says in his preface, that "attempts to reconcile the
sacred records with scientific discoveries by strained
interpretations of the former, have never given general
satisfaction." We are afraid that his own work will be
found to illustrate this position. He has felt, with many
others, that the results of recent physiological and
historical researches are scarcely reconcilable with the
theory of the origination of mankind from a single pair ;
and that the inference of Bunsen and others, from
philological investigations, are much too hastily general-
ised to give them any considerable weight in the scale
which affirms that doctrine. The views, indeed, of Bun-
sen are themselves not consistent with the literal accuracy
of the records of early human history in the Book of
Genesis. And as modern geology has demonstrated the
necessity of interpolating enormous periods between the
first creation of this globe and its becoming fit for human
inhabitancy, so the theory of the derivation of all lan—
guages from an inorganic or monosyllabic language, would
require the insertion into the history of many thousands
of years at least, during which the development of the
human speech into its several different forms could be
accomplished. if the origination of mankind from a pair
is assumed on the authority of Genesis, or in order not to
contradict Genesis, the chronology must be stretched in-
consistently with Genesis ; or if the only chronology to
be elicited from Genesis is to be taken as a datum, then
the difference in human language can only be accounted
for upon a supposition of the derivation of men from
different stocks.

If an original plurality of human races should be estab4
Billed, it must affect not only the literal truth of some of
the historical records of the Old Testament, but the
whole scheme of Christian doctrine which is reared upon
such a text as that, 1 Cor. xv 21,—" For as in Adam all
die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." The "na-
tural engendering" from Adam will not have been a source
of corruption to all mankind, if all mankind are not in
fact derived from him, nor the corresponding redemption
have been needed by all, if all did not actually
fall in Adam. Meanings and explanations can, no doubt,
be suggested, by which such texts will be made to square
with whatever facts shall ultimately be ascertained ; but
the literal interpretation of Scripture, as containing abso-
lute truth, and the dogmatic structure concerning sin and
atonement which has been erected upon it, will become
no longer possible. Our present author, indeed, sup-
posing that the earth had been occupied by several races.
considers the Adamite race, the last created, the created
" in the image of God," to have been the noblest ; and
that in process of time it has by intermarriage mingled
itself with the other races which originated before it,
exercising upon them the predominant physical influence
of the nobler stock, and so making at length all men that
dwell upon the earth to become literally "of one blood,"
because one blood is in them. We cannot think other-
wise than this is a force upon the Scripture words ; and
it is much more honourble to the authors or compilers of
the books of the Bible to suppose them to have been
mistaken, limited in their knowledge, and subject to
natural national prejudices, than to imagine that they
purposely spoke in enigmas ; or that a dictating Spirit
indited ambiguities like those or the heathen oracles,—
11711.0'-the-wisps, misleading successive generations, sup-
posed for ages to mean one thing, and, discovered at last
to mean precisely the reverse.
That there should, nevertheless, be some expressions in
Genesis, and some facts recorded in the history, which
really imply the existence upon the earth of others than
an Adamite race, is not surprising; for the compilers of
those records were not so analytical as to test the con-
sistency with each other of all the facts which they deli-
vered. Just as a child when it is first set to read the
Bible, must be more than ordinarily shrewd if it enquires
whom Cain could marry, or who could slay him, when
there were yet no men on the earth, mgr would be during
his lifetime, except his own near relations. And these
incidental admissions and undesigned coincidences between
the Bible narratives and scientific deductions, will he
found to constitute a chief value of those ancient records,
and to supply one of the most interesting fields of biblical
criticism and investigation.

* "The Primitive Doctrine of Baptismal Regeneration." By J.
H. Motley, R.D., Fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford. London :
Murray. 1856.
" The Genesis of the Earth and of Man : a critical Examina-
tion of passages in the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures, chiefly with a
view to so u•ion of the tuiestion whether the varieties of the
human species be of more than one origin : with a supplementary
comoendium of physical. chronological, historical and philological
observations, relating to Ethnology." Edited by Reginald Stuart
Poole, M.R.S.L., &c. Edinburgh : Black. 1856.

UNIVERSITY OF DUBLIN
COMITIA /E3TIVA, 1856.

The following degrees were conferred on Tuesday by the
Ri4ht Hon. Francis Blackburne, Vice-Chancellor of the
University : _

A.B.—Robert Potter, Robert Young, James Drummond
(Sizar and Senior Moderator), Henry Thornhill, (Sec.
C,,m.), Gilbert Nicholson, John Russell, Frederick Foote,
George Foote, Samuel Frackleton, Thomas Ewing, Thomas
11. Peters, Osborne Kidd, Alfred Trevelyan (Sec. Com.),
Mervyn Archdall, Patrick Murphy (Siz.), William Smith,
William R. Kerr, James Clarke, George Garnet (Sec .
Com.), Edward Robertson (Sch. and Jun. Mod.), William
Chartres, Edward Leeson (Sec. Com.), Thomas Phillips,
Robert, Eardley. John Fawcett, John F. Andrews.
GN)rge Alker, Reverendus Carolus Andrew,
Rev. Johannes H. Armstrong, Robert Billing, Jacobus A.
Bruce, Georgius Price Beaumont, Rev. Cirolus Collier,
Rev. Archibildus Crawford, Ricardus Curballis, Rev.
Edmundus B. Chalmer, Rev. Henricus W. Dearden, Bev.
Johannes Edvardus Else, Rev. Carrolus W. Ferrall, Rev.
Thomas S. Gray, Rev. Benjamin Gibson. Rev. Josephus
Henry, Gulielmus Hoare, Rev. Johannes Irwin, Rev. Bolton
Waller Johnstone, Rev. Richard H. Loane, Rev. James C.
M'Cheane, Alexander Mulholland, Rev. Ricardus Lyons
M 'Arthur, Rev. Johannes A. M'Dowal, Rev. Lewis
Montague Maunsell, Rev. Johannes Monsarrat, Rev.
Gainelmus R. Morrison, Rev. Henricus Rooke, Rev.
Galielrnus Steele, Rev. Edvardus Roe Seymour, Rev.
Gmraullietelmrs,uSßseev. Scott, Rev.
.JC3l3.awnnielsliaGm.s,Scott,Jacobus R iv. R‘,vibielrs
Wilson,
on:
Jacobus Simpson, Rev. Johannes R. Tucker, C .rolus
Rev. Henricus D. Willis.

M.B.—Henry Thomas Cary, Richard Thomas Daniel,
Thomas Fitzpatrick, Frederick R. Wilson.
M.D.—William Johnston Fyffe.
LL.B. and LL.D.—Rev. John Samuel Busby Monsell,
Samuel Downing, George Ferdinand Shaw, F.T.C.D.,
Edward Maynard Goslett, Rev. John Alexander, David G.
Douglas.

LL.D.—Rev. John Brydges Sayers.
LL.B.—Eev. Edward D. Burrowes, Rev. J. William
Thomson, Rev. Thomas Sneyd Wallace.
B.D. and D.D.---Rev. Edward Hassard, Rev. Henry D.
Willis.

B.D.—Rev. John Cotter Mae Donnell, Rev. William.
Hoare Rev. Arthur Gore ityder, Rev. John Torrens

The official memorandum of the arrangements pro-
posed to be adopted on the occasion of Her Majesty's
reviewing the brigade of Guards on their return to
London, from the Crimea, is published in Saturday's
papers. The day is not yet fixed
The Earl of Shelbourne is appointed Under secretary
for Foreign Affairs, and will be raised to the peerage by
his present title. General Sir William Williams, of
Kars, will succeed him as representative for Caine.

CAUTION TO LADIES.____~ A new kind of fraud," rays the
Journal d'Elbety,
.. has just been orig nated. Ladies'
muslin
ppearance, handsomer-
,
embroider, d,
t
and when the purchaser proce( de to
handle the new article a little roughly the seeming :,re offered
collars,
fursale,
em-
broidery falls off, being nothing else than little lumps of
o t o all a
y
this town for selling such articles."
arrestedliu
paper neatly pasted on the muslin. A man has been

printed and Pub Hailed by CHARLES WILLISIER. of 21, rd
street, at his General Printing and Stationery Establianient, II
South John-stMet,Liverpool.
MONDAY, JULY 7, liMfi.