The Sun.
London, England, 1861-05-24 00:00:00

Scriptures :

" There is no such troasury of instruments, and materials
as Scripture. The loss of Homer, or the loss of Shaks-
pearo would have affected the whole series of Greek or
English authors who follow. But the disappearance of the
Bible from the books which the world contains, would pro -
duce results far greater. We can scarcely conceive the
degree in which it would alter literature and language—
the ideas of the educated and philosophical, as well as the
feelings and habits of mind of the poor. It has been said,
with an allowed hyperbole, that Homer is Greece; with
much more truth may it be said that the Bible is Christen-
dom."

Once more, he says—
" Every part of Scripture tends to raise use above our-
selves—to give us a deeper sense of the feebleness of man,
and of the wisdom and power of God. It has a sort of
kindred, as Plato would say, with religious truth every-
where in the world. It agrees also with the imperfect
stages of knowledge and faith in human nature, and answers
to its inarticulate cries. The universal truth easily breaks
through the accidents of time and place in which it is in-
volved. Although we cannot apply Jewish institutions to
the Christian world, or venture in reliance on some text to
resist the tide of civilisation on which we are borne, yet it
remains nevertheless to us, as well as to the Jews and first
Christians, that Righteousness exalteth a nation," and
that Love is the fulfilling not of Jewish law only, but of
all law.' "

Referring to the Old Testament, he says :
" The beginnings of human history are themselves a
lesson, having the freshness of early dawn. Thereare forms
of evil against which prophets and the prophetical spirit
of the law carry on a warfare in terms almost too bold for
the way of life of modern times. There, more plainly
than in any other portion of the Scripture, is expressed
the antagonism of outward and inward—of ceremonial
and moral—of mercy and sacrifice. There, all the
masks of hypocrisy are rudely torn asunder, in which an
unthinking world allows itself to be disguised. There, the
relations of rich and poor in the sight of God and
their duties, towards one another are most clearly enun-
ciated. There, the religion of suffering first appears,—
' adversity the blessing' of the Old Testament as well as
the New. There, the sorrows and aspirations of the soul
find their deepest expression, and also their consolation.
The feeble person has an image of himself as the bruised
reed.' The suffering servant of God passes into the be-
loved one, in whom my soul delighteth.' Even the latest
and most desolate phases of the human mind are reflected
in Job and Ecclesiastes; yet not without the solem asser-
tion, that to fear God and keep his commandments is the
beginning and the end of all things."
Now, we must contend that it is utterly unfair
and mean to select passages in which the grossly
erroneous practices of ordinary interpreters of Scrip-
ture are dealt with as they deserve, and by appeal-
ing to conventional and ignorant prejudice to re-
present the writer as an infidel, without giving
also the statements which convey his full
and free meaning, and which thoroughly
qualify the invidiously chosen paragraphs. Mr.
JOWETT'S main principles of Scripture interpre-
tation must commend themselves to every scholar,
and to every man and woman of common sense,
who reads the Essay. They are those which every
boy is taught from childhood, to apply to every
classical writer he studies ; they resolve themselves
into this, that we are to understand a writer's lan-
guage not by the ideas and habits of our own age,
but by carefully endeavouring to understand and
appreciate those of the age in which the writer
lived. Indeed, Mr. JOWETT'S Essay is less an ap-
peal to theologians than to educated and reflective
persons generally ; and we are much mistaken if it
does not produce a considerable impression on the
great mass of the intelligent laity ; for in that ap•
peal they will find that the Scriptures "properly"
interpreted contain the most beautiful and earnest
truths extant—such that Faith, Hope, Philosophy,
and Poetry will ever cling to with instinctive and
pure devotion.
It is somewhat curious to observe the psycholo-
gical obtuseness and conscientious toleration which
have occasionally distinguished our " spiritual pas-
tors and masters," and then set in contrast the vio-
lent and sensitive outcry from the clergy, high and
low, against these "Essays and Reviews." Not to
mention the Romish rites and ceremonies—which
are as contrary to the Thirty-nine Articles, and as
abhorent to the English mind as any rlneteinee in
the Essays can be, and which Bishops
either encourage or view with passive in-
difference—our readers should know that it
was Iligh Churchmen who first proclaimed in
this land the insufficiency of the Scriptures. We
will give two extracts, and let the reader judge :
(1.) " It is vain that you look intp the Scriptures for a
full, clear, and succinct statement of the faith and practice
required of those for whose use they were written. The
articles of doctrine are scattered here and there without any
attention to order ; their meaning is frequently hidden under
the obscurity of the language : the advanc3 of the sincere
inquirer is repeatedly arrested by apparent contradictions :
and it seldom happens that any two readers, after a patient
and impartial investigation, agree in the same decision.
Of all the possible forms under which a rule of faith could
have been published to mankind, the New Testament is, as
such, the most incongruous and confused. It is what no
sensible man would ever have adopted : and certainly we
ought not t) attribute to the wisdom of God that which wo
judge unworthy the wisdom of man."
(2.) " Scripture is not one book—it is as if you were to
seize the papers or correspondence of leading men in any
school of philosophy or science, which were never designed
foe publication, and bring them out in one volume. You
would find, probably, in the collection so resulting many
papers begun and not finished—some papers systematic and
didactic, but the greetest part made up of hints or of notices
which assumed first principles instead of asserting them—
or of discussions on particular points, which happened to
require his attention. I say the doctrines, the first princi-
ples, the rules, the objects, of the school would be taken for
granted, alluded to, implied, not stated. You would have
some trouble to get at them ; you would have many repo •
tions, many hiatuses., many things which looked like con-
tradictions ; you would have to work your way through
heterogeneous materials ; and, after your best efforts,
there would be much hopelessly obscure; or, on the
other hand, you might look in vain, in such a casual col-
lection, for some particular opinions which the writers were
known to have hold, nay, to have insisted on. Such, I
conceive, with limitations presently to be noticed, is the
structure of the Bible."
Let the reader look carefully at these two
quotations—what does he suppose is their parent-
age. The first is from Dr. LINGARD, the
Catholic historian ; the second is from Tract
85 of another celebrated series of Oxford Essays,
published in 1839, by a too well-known set of Ox-
ford clergymen. We ask is there anything is
the Essays more calculated to shake faith in the
Scriptures than what we have just quoted—nor
have we quoted unfairly, for the whole drift and
object of the writers is to depreciate the Scriptures,
that they may exalt the Church. They tell their
readers, what may be true f.)r ought we know,
that Scripture authority id not to be demanded for
articles of faith, "that a broad, comprehensive
view of Holy Scripture would most avowedly
be fatal to Church Doctrines ;" they instance
infant Baptism and Establishments of the
Church amongst other things. In fact, " Down
with Scripture,
object of their aurgPe vrvaietth theß aCthwuer c
will
" is theenglarargned.
The proof is abundant to all who choose to seek it
—we only state two facts and ask one question-
1. In 1839, when the Scriptures were depreciated
to exalt the Church, bishops and Cler
gy looked on
and were silent or favourable.
2. When, in 1860, the Scriptures are critically
discussed, and the result is depreciating traditional
interpretation and the hierarchy, that whole
hierarchy is up in arms.
Query--Is it zeal fix the hierarchy or for the
Bible which calls forth these denunciations ?

Brief though the reply given last evening by the
Foa7eign Secretary in answer to the inquiries of Mr.
GR IFFITHS, in regard to the doings of the Austrian
Government and the hopes of Hungary—that terse
reply r)f Lord JOHN'S was not unimportant. True
that 'the noble lord—as is so often the case with
Mi' aisters when thus pointedly interrogated—
hai I no information to give upon the parti-
eu' tar matter referred to relating, as it
b.. Livened, in the present instance to the
ru moured removal of the tro >ps of ex-Duke
(
Of Modena from the territory of Venetia, and their
tr 'mnsference to Hungary for the purpose of employ-
me ut there in gathering taxes from the Hun-
garians ! True, Lord JOHN RUSSELL last
evening bad nothing whatever to say upon
that pa int, good, bad, or indifferent; but, aP '
pended t
o his non-explanation, came these words,
worth; nt 4 without their signifina,nce :—..“ He

The extravagant waste of time, labour, and money
consequent upon the mismanagement of our naval
affairs at the Admiralty, and especially in her MA-
Dockyards, monopolised the attention of
h
Y'
House of Commons upon the first night of its
tJEeS T B
sitting (that is yesterday) after Whitsuntide. But
little good has come of these discussions, however,
beyond the advantages that may possibly result

in its truth and purity inexhaustible by the after genera- from
.their continual re-ventilation. If the public
tibia of men."
realizes thoroughly the necessity for some speedy
The following is his estimate of the value of the and comprehensive change for the better in any of
the great public departments—it assuredly does so
in regard to the maritime department. It is in the
recollection of the complete exposure during this pre-
sent session beyond all other sessions of imperial Par-
liament, it is in the remembrance of the comprehen-
sive revelations of evil at the Admiralty, and more
particularly in the Admiralty Dockyards during the
course of the last three or four months, that we find
our one consolation in regard to our Legislative
doings in 1861, If nothing else of any importance
has been done, that, at least, has been accomplished
—the demonstration, beyond the chance of further
denial, of the absolute and imperative necessity there
is for a bold and almost, we might say, audacious
series of innovations in the conduct of our maritime
department. Anxiety is beginning to be felt in
regard to other results of our Parliamentary
labours this year—for example, in respect to
the fate of the Attorney-General's Bill for the
rearrangement and readjustment, generally, of
the laws relating to Bankruptcy and Insolvency.
While we, of course, believe the Earl of
DERBY to have been perfectly sincere in
his disavowal of any intention whatever to
obstruct the progress of that measure by any un-
necessary delays with a view to its more careful
consideration, we cannot but regard it as, at this
moment, rather seriously threatened with post-
ponement, after all, another year, to the session of
1862—ominous as the rumours are in regard to
the doings of that committee of inquiry, appointed
by the Lords, that select committee appointed by
their lordships, to examine into the details of the
measure, with a more rigid scrutiny than the Bill
has certainly hitherto been subjected to in either
House of Parliament. According to these whispered
hints of evil omen to Sir RICHARD BETIIELL'S
latest undertaking as a law reformer, his pet measure
would appear to have a prospect of being so
tampered with, of being so divided and subdivided,
and emended and emasculated that the Author of
its Existence will hardly be able to recog-
nise it when it comes back to the Commons
from the Lords in due course, to enable
the former to take into consideration the
various improvements (?) suggested by the latter.
The mere knowledge that the Bankruptcy Bill is
really just now before a Select Committee of the
House of Lords—whatever truth or falsehood there
may be in the measures we have been here refer-
ring to—the simple knowledge that it is before that
Select Committee renders us dubious as to the
happy completion this year of the proposed reform
in the laws of Bankruptcy and Insolvency. No
drawback, however, of this character have we, in
reference to what we may again designate as our
one genuine solace of the session—meaning the
thorough and conclusive demonstration of the need
there is for a sweeping change in the general
organisation of affairs at the Admiralty and in the
Admiralty Dockyards.
There is no possibility any longer of blinking the
evil that is now so vividly and universally recog-
nised. The Board of Admiralty is pledged to assist
in furthering whatever improvements may be
eventually decided upon. All the former First
Lords and Secretaries of the Admiralty are vieing
with each other in enforcing the urgent need there
is for promptly and energetically carrying out the
beneficial changes now either meditated or in actual

preparation.
Yet—wonderful to tell—in spite of all this—there
is the same apparent apathy on the part of the
House of Commons , in regard to matters of this
vital importance, to the well-being, to the safety,
and to th© absolute existence of the country—the
same amazing appearance of indifference in respect
to the votes taken annually in Committee of Supply
during the consideration, item by item, of the naval
estimates. As a matter of course, therefore, the
House of Commons was last evening but thinly
attended. As a matter of course, the resolution
proposed by the house before going into
Committee of Supply with a view to the
consideration of the naval estimates —as a
matter of course, we say, that resolution pre-
pared by Sir FREDERIC SMITH went for nothing,
the resolution insisting upon the expediency of
such reforms being made in the control and man-
agement of the Dockyards as would tend to
promote greater efficiency, and consequently, to
ensure greater economy in those establishments.
Equally, as a matter of course, the hon. gentleman
the member for Sunderland got nothing whatever
from the thin House that just tolerated Mr.
LINDSAY'S explanation of his suggestions of thrift
—got nothing whatever from that thin and
apathetic House, save the rejection, one after
another, of his various economic amend-
ments. It was thus when he proposed
an amendment reducing by £300,000 the sum of
£949,371 set down for timber—a proposal nega-
tived by sixty-two to thirty ! It was thus when
he moved to reduce by £71,757 the sum of
£271,757 demanded for metals et cetera—a " penny
wise" economy rejected by seventy-six to thirty-
two ! It was thus also that Mr. LINDSAY'S last
suggestion yesterday, to the effect that the
sum of £lOO,OOO for iron for an iron-
cased ship to be built at Chatham, should
be summarily struck out of the estimates, was
in its turn also rejected by sixty-six to thirty-one!
Null and void though every effort thus made by
the member for Sunderland, and those who sympa-
thise with him, in a desire to put a stop as soon as
possible to the old careless habit we have got into
both at the Admiralty and at the Admiralty Dock-
yards, that old dreadful habit of extravagant ex-
penditure—the reiteration of those adverse
divisions we cannot but recognise, after all,
as having about it, in reality, a very happy signifi-
cance. The course pursued by the House of Com-
mons last evening in Committee of Supply indicates
as plainly as possible that the country begrudges
no reasonable sum that may be set down by our
responsible administrators as essential for the well-
being of our Navy—that its one sole solicitude is
that whatever amount of money may be voted for
the expenses of our maritime service shall be pro-
perly applied, and judiciously disbursed—not, as
hitherto, extravagantly squandered—by the Board
of Admiralty and its subordinate delegates at the 1
Admiralty Dockyards.