New-York tribune., 1883-11-04
MA TTHEW ARNOLD ON THE FUTURE
or CHRISTIANITY.
NECESSITY OF RELIGION AND THE CHURCH.
Erom The Pail Mol Gn,ett..

From The Pail M0N Gazette
Mr.. Matthew Arnold has written preface 10 the
now and popular edition of Literature ana
Dogma" published by Messrs. Smith, Elder & 20
After explaining that this book has been chosen iQF
publication at cheap price for these reasons; W
II has been more in demand than any OF MS prose
writings and it lent itself 10 his purpose, iurther,
By admitting Of considerable cOndensatlOnj ana W
OF all his books in prose he thinks 1T the one HOSJ
important aud most capable of being useful. Inc
sole notion of Literature and Dogma" with many
peoplc saws Mr. Arnold is that 1t is a book contain
ing an abOminable illustration, and attacking
Christianity. This illustration, in which Mr. Ar,
mold compared the Deity to magnifed LORD
ShaftesbuTy is now withdrawn. "The Illustration
has given pain, ] am told, in a quarter where my
Difference and the Difference Of all who can appre-
ciate one Of the purest careers and n0bleSt char-
acters of Our time, IS indeed due; ana hhding Lla1
in that quarter pain has been given by the illuStra-
tiOn, do not hesitate to eXpunge It," The Illus
tTatiOn, then disappears. , "
OF the object of Literature and Dogma" which
he asserts is to reassure those who feel attachment
to Christianity, to the Bible, but who recognize
the growing discredit Detailing miracles and the
supernatural, Mr. Arnold writes as follows:
Miracles have fallen into dIscredIt Justly and
process which had previously cxtngushed our beef In
witchcraft Is TO be frankly admitted also or course TO
pass from Christianity relying on It's miracles 10
Christianity relying on its natural truth s great change
to Christianity Is such that they cannot part with IT, and
but deal with It sincerely This the case
former great change the Reformation. Probably the
abandonment of the tie with Rome hardly less Of a
than the abandonment OF the proof from miracles Is TO
the ChristendOm OF to-day Yet the Germanic nations
we'll enough deal sincerely with themselves as to cer
icasm and tradition. Tho Latin nations did not break
Rome because they less the truth as to cer
icasm or tradtOn-a truth which had become evident
now But they did not really care enough about Chris
tianity speak Of the naOns not OF course OF indYd
uals TO feel compelled to deal sincerely with themselves
about It. The heretical Germanic nations, who re-
nounced coroallsm and tradition proved their attach
fn( It y
that serious hold upon mems minds which Is great ana
benehcen force to-day, and the force to which Ltera-
ture and Dogma" makes appeal Miracles have to go
the same way clericasm and traditOni and the I'M
portant thing is not that the world should be acute
enough this there needs, indeed, remarkable
acueness TO IT, but that great and progressive part
holding fast to Christianity To assist those called to
and Dogma It's real concern Is not with miracles but
that, among the more serious races OF the world the
ter them is TO establish it. At present refoner5 in re
giOn far too negative spending their labor some or
them in inveighing against false beliefs which
doomed; others, in concudng about matters Of dsci
pnc aud ritual which are Indifferent Popular Christian
y derived It's power from the characters OF certainty
and grandeur which it wore; these characters do act
ualy belong to Christianity In Its natural truth and to
show them there should be ouIB object rms alone Is
really important. And shown they can be. Certainty
and grandeur are really and truly characters OF
Christianity. But Christianity can De shown 70
be mankinds Indispensable way. The subject Of
tho Old Testament, Salvation by righteousness,
tho subject OF the New, righteousness by Jesus
Christ, are IN positive strict TRUTH mans most
nOmeutOuB matters OF sCOnCCrn. The command or the
Old Testament Fear God and keep His command
mens" put into other words what T. II but this: Roy
rc law of our being - and when shall that command be
dOno away The command OF the New Testament:
Watch that ye may be counted awOhy TO stand before
the son OF Man. put into other words WhaJ Is us
this: so i've to be worthy Of that high and true
ideal Of and of mans fe which shall be at last vic
toIous All the future Is there Jesus himself as ~
appears In the Gospels and for the very reason that He
Is manifestly above the heads OF His reporters there
h I'm the iargOn Of modern philosophy, an absOlute we
cannot explain Him. cannot get behind Him, and above
fectOn of IDEAL and IL ideal that the divine
has It's best worth aud reality The merrtng and
grace aud truth, are, moreover. at the time the law
for right performance on all mems great lines OF en-
deayor although the Bible deals with the line OF conduct
Even those corrections and they are many and grave
which will have to be applied to popular Christianity
to be drawn from Christianity itself The material
istic future state the materiastc kingdom Of Cod Of
standl vision faded" But they will dissolve through
the action, through the gradually increasing influence
other aud prOOunder texts OF Scripture than the pop
uar texts on which they base themselves. Using the
Langnage OF accommodation 10 the IDEAS current AMONG
thrones In tho kingdom OF GOd and texts OF this kind
what popular religion promptly seized and built
upon But other profoundGr texts meanwhile there
Were, which remained one may say, IN shadow. This
Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent; 1.-The Kingdom OF
God is righteousness and peace and JOY in the Holy
Spirit These deeper texts Will gradually come more
aud more into notice and prominence aud # be-
evident that the future state built the language
OF accommodation has no reality The teachers or reus
ion will moro and more bring these texts forward and
develop them. And as from being everywhere preached
and believed the usOry future state gained power ana
apparent substance, too by coming to be more and
dwelt upon and to possess mems minds more and
more the true ideal will acquire. in its turn, fulness
and force which no isolated endeayOrs can give to It.
This is but another way OF saying what is perfectly
true, that not only is Christianity necessary but the
Church also The Church is necessary the clergy are
necessary; the future of Christianity Is hardly cOnCev
able without them But ucidity Is condition from
which the Christianity Of the future cannot escape, so Is
It condition from which the Church and he clergy can
not escape either At present they scarcely to
comprehend this The Gudrdian prOclaims the miracle
of the Incarnation TO be the fundamental truth for
Christians How strange that should dev)lye the
office of instTucHg The Guardian that the fundamental
thing for Christians is not the Incarnation but the ma
ton Of Christi Iii insisting the miracle Of the ncar
tanity which is perishing Christianity is imnortaj 1t
has eternal truth, ineXhaustible value, bOundess
future. But popular religion at present oOnceiyos
the BIRTH ministry and death Of Christ altogether
stepped I'm prodigy brtmf III Of miracle-0nd miracles DO
not happen,
THE BO1TS For THE OPEN SEA