, 1876-12-02


rationaism Of the age that comman IS
the respect Of u reasoning man rccog.
ni2c the virtues Of Christianity, but they
cannot love her theology.
And what do we observe? 1t is this
that theology is sustained, not 10y rra
soning men in their unassotiatcd cnpac.
ity, but by churches AS II system They
upon authority to assist Them The
great names OF antiquity, with all their
regal splendor Of great intellect, and the
cities, churches, peoples Of the past, are
called upon to give n testimony and u
law to the nineteenth century. Let us
look at the hearts of those who summon
this cloud af witnesses, and we shall find
that they fight. not to sustain a fnltcring
individual opinion. but to prop an ut.
tackled system and keep it from crumh-
ling to ruin in their hands. Here the
motive is i'll; it is not genuinely honest,
though 1t hwcIs in heart that beats
beneath the immaculate robes of o
bishop.
The Church plants itself upon ideas
advanced many centuries since and
these questioning minds in all honesty
fail to discover "primityc truth" in
them But il the bishop sees It, he is
also determined that they too shah
see it.
There is something antagonistic to all
this in human nature. Our opinions
seem to US as our private property,
something nearer and denrcr than all
personal property, and we cannot con-
sent that any man, or any body Of men,
any institution or system, shall control
them. We hold them as one of the in
estimablc gifts Of our natures, and we
alone can possess exclusive power over
them. We cannot yield them to our
Church, our State, our country; we can
yield them to nothing. But when we
act upon them, then we are forever
modifying them to effect common pur-
pose with others.
The Bishop OF Oxford would not have
the truth die out among men neither
would We. But he would use the force
of authority TO maintain men in the po-
sition of beng its advocates. We
would not do that. The truth is irwin
cible; and will maintain itself. 1t IS
not necessary that the power of tho
sword, or Of lenunciation, or eXcommuni-
cation should be used to sustain it. II
gentlemen cannot believe the Thirty
nine Articles, they should not teach
them; bot they should be dealt with,
not as criminals, but rs men and equals,
having difference of opinion only that
ought to be respected.
Essays and RcoieNs has brought new
phase Of mbeief before the world not
so new in its theories as new in its
modes Of presentation. II does not come
to US with coarse personalities and flip
pant jeers. They come " in more decent
garments and more comely features; y
they do not come from unprinCipled ad-
yenturers and wild spectators, but from
chapAins n-Ortinary to the Queen, pro-
iessors ot Hebrew in national colleges,
professors of mathematics in Oxford,
and professors of Greek in the same uni
versity. II the Church is attacked here,
it is attacked by enemies nourished in
its own bosom; if Christianity IL as-
sailed, it IL assailed by those who bring
the authority Of experience and OF ac-
knowledged erudition to assist them.
These gentlemen do not assail Chris
tianity as . system of ethics; they do
not lay the weight of q finger upon
Christianity as living faith for the re-
generation Of the race; but they give
respectful consideration to the doubts
, which come as necessity from the high
state of the ratiOnalism of the age. 1t Is
. not becoming in the Lord Bishop OF
} Oxford to say that shallowness," pas
/ sion," and Ignorance" chancterize the
efforts of men occupying these positions.
. What is the current of the thought Of
the age, its direction, depth, strength r
: Or have we no general tendency OF
thought, and are al things moving by
: chance rather than by law9 lfa higher
, law exists, If that current Of thought
n / ax;a4a anil IL in ita natural course 10