The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1868-04-11
CHI A R L ES TON.
SATURDAY MORNING, APRIL Ii, 1868.
s1r. Gladstone on ssEcce Homo"

i ~
nIr. Gladstone on ssEcce Homo"
The finest tribute that has yet been paio
to this remarkable book is that which We
propose briefly to notice. The appearance
of his criticism at once corrected the state
ment heretofore made, with some show Of
authority, that its authorship was due to
the lettered statesman and extreme church
man who represents Oxford in Parliament.
It is true that Mr.. GLADSTONE defends the
tentative method of the Ecce Homo and
accepts most of the opinions advocated by
the anonymous writer. And he glides over
the weak places as rapidly as skater over
dangerous places of the ice field. His
critique is a commentator. Yet not with
out occasional objections, such as an intel
ligent partisan may justly urge. He also
distinctly states that the author is person
ally unknown to him. Great must be the
intellectual aaa moral power which, uu-
known in its seat, has subsidized the genius
and conciliated the admiration Of Mr.. GLAD
STONE.
The volume we have in hand consists of
three parts, of which the first vindicates
the method of the Yriter, the second COM
mends the purpose of the book, and the
third resumes the doctrines, chiefly of an
ethical sort, which he seeks to establish.
In all these parts, as is usual in moral dis
cussions, the subjects overlie each other;
yet the general course of the discussion
conforms to our rough outlines.
The substance of the apology for Ecce
Homo is found at the conclusion of the
second part. Mr.. GLADSTONE makes the
admission, singular enough in so famous an
advocate for authority, that the old evi-
dences based upon that principle now fail
to exercise any practical influence upon the
general mind. He claims, indeed, for Chris
tianity the prestige arising from the most
sensible and extensive social changes
such as the change in the condition of wo-
man, the progress of freedom, the general
retirement of social infamies into the shade,
the sense Of obligation to the sick and poor,
international justice, and the like. But ne
ia constrained to admit that in the eager
and tumultuous life of the present, the
voices of the Christian ages are unheard.
The world is impatient of forms whose
meanings it will not examine and systems
whose proof texts it will not search out.
The world demands not so much tenets OF
doctrine and rules of conduct, but rather
new life,-a life of loyalty, enthusiasm, de-
yotion,-a life of which the Gospels afford
the Incompatible motive and example.
What, then, is the first duty of the philan-
thropist if not to 60 back of all systems to
that which gave them their vital power
to the humanity Of JESUS, and to judge OF
his person and mission as on intelligent
Jew of that age would have judged? There,
when all else withers and dies, we discover
life, which, like Nature, perpetually re-
news its youth and beauty-an enshrined
veiled presence, through which the hidden
Divinity sheds light-an atmosphere
sweetawith the perpetual incense of sacri-
fee and devotion.
Mr.. GLADSTONE shows that the method,
according to which the mission of JESUS
WAS unfolded to the world, was analogous
to that adopted by the anonymous au-
thor of the Ecce Homo. The first part
and q portion of the second, are de-
voted to an elaborate discussion of this
subject. It is shown that the doctrine
of the person of our Lord was gradually
unfolded, not only by himself, but also by
the evangelical writer's First, he asserted
his authority; then he revealed himself
The records of the Christian faith have 6
similar Limitation and progression. Tht
synoptical Gospels are, for the most part
ethical; St. JoHN's, the latest, is theological
The Acts describe the founding of th'
Church; the Epistles furnish its creed. II
the earlier revelations pregnant thoughts
are scattered, in hint, and parable, an'
palmer speech, uttered "to fit audience
though few;"-in the later they break fortl
into flower and fruit
The extracts which, with Mr.. GLAD
STOKES comments, make up the third par
of the volume, exhibit the conclusions an'
illustrate the eloquent style of Ecce Homo
In this brief notice it will be Impossible 10
us to present summary, which, indeed
Mr. GLADSTONE himself ventureI to 90 oni.
with the aid Of large and liberal quotations
We may, however, say that while the earl!
chapters of Ecce Homo are not worm CRU