The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-04-14

| against rationalisfn in Germany with
train Of controTersialists and commenta-
tors reputed as orthodox. Yet even in
these, more or less OF nationalist under
tone is perceived There is tendency
more or less apparent to minimize the su-
perna tural, TO throw the miracles into the
background, and dwell rather on the spir-
ituai Significance of Christs character
and words. This is very conspicuous in
Neandcr, the head of the line. An ortho-
dox English divine such as Mr.. Rose
/ might well, after survey Of German
| theology, make rather mournful report.
In Holland. ever the land of free specula-
ton. criticism advanced without fear. and
at last, by the pen of Kuenen, arraigned
the authenticity, antiquity, and authority
| of the historical books of the Old Tesla
ment to an extent totally subversive of
their character as records of a primeval
history, much more as organs of divine
revelation.
German philosophy had mingled with
| English theology through Coleridge Ger
| man criticism of the Bible did not lag
much behind. Miman's History of the
| Jews" dealing with the subject in the
spirit of an ordinary history, treating Pa
| triarchs as Arab Shelks and minimizing
miracles, gave serious shock to ortho
| dox sentiment in England Even what
was deemed orthodox in Germany APP
| peared rationalistic to the Anglican di-
vines. To the Evangelicals especially.
| whose leader was Simeon, and who occu-
| pied many of the fashionable pulpits, any
thing like critical treatment of the sacred
| history seemed impiety. Yet they. with
their inward persuasion of conversion and
| spiritual union with the Saviour, as well
| as the Quaker with his inner light, or
the Roman Catholic with his implicit
faith in the Church. were really beyond
the critics reach.
| long line Of leaders of thought and
religious controversialists succeeds. RAJ
! tionalist and heterodoX in different de-
grees were Thomas Arnold, Frederick
Maurice, Stanley, Jowett, the writers of
Essays and Reviews and Robertson of
Brighton. Decidedly skeptical were Mat
| thew Arnold, Carlyle, and James Anthony
Froude. Reaction on the High Church
| side found leaders in Pusey, Newman, and
Hurrell Froude. The evangelical pulpit
combated at once rationalism and High
Church. The State Church was awakened
from its long torpor and under the in
SEPARATION of it's High Church party strove
to reanimate its Convocation
Frederick Maurice impressed more by
his character than by his writings. which
were fatally obscure. He was nationalist
enough to be deprived of his professor
ship in an Anglican college At the same
time he could persuade himself that sub
scription to the Thirty-nine Articles was
h,r,
thought. To his yoke-fellow, Kingsley. is
to be traced muscular Christianity"
rather suspicious adaptation of the Ser
mon on the Mount to our times. But the
pair exercised more influence as social
missionaries striving In conjunction with
Thomas Hughes to, give the labor move
ment a religious turn than as religious
philosophers or critics.
Thomas Arnold, the headmaster OF
Rugby. was Il man of noble character
powerful mind, and intense earnestness
OF purpose. He was firm believer in
Christianity as a revealed religion But
he held most liberal view of the Church
He would have admitted TO it all the
sects of DisseRters and have identified IL
as far as possible with the nation. His
theory OF the identity of the Church with
the nation probably came to him from his
passionate study OF the ancient Common
wealtbs. He forgot that the philosophers
OF Greece. though they might sacrifice a
cock to Esculapius, We're really outside
the State on religion, and that the State
religion made the chief of them drink
hemlock. Prince of educators as he was.
he sometimes laid too heavy a strain ON
his pupils. and prematureIy developed
their speculative tendencies. In the case
of Clough, especially. mental health and
vigor seem TO have been impaired by
premature development
With Thomas Arnold may be coupIed
his friend Whately, who, though as Pri-
mate of the State Church of Ireland. he
held the most equiYocal of prelacies was.
by reason of his strong understanding.
his fearless character, and his shrewd
wit, essentially an iconoclast and a re-
buker of ecclesiastical pretensions, as well
as a vigorous promoter of education His
keen sayings flew abroad, but his personal
influence was greater than his influence |
as a divine.
Bishop Connop ThirlwaII was q man of |
first-rate power. AT Cambridge he had !
set out as a nationalist, translating Ger |
man theology of heterodox cast and |
Niebuhrs History of Rome" But his |
intellect was stifed by bishopric, and |
though he delivered liberal charges and |
personally eXerted liberal influence he |
was lost to the direct service of reason
Arthur Stanley was Arnold's best boy |
his most devoted adherent and his model |
biographer. He embraced Arnold's theory |
Of the Church as cO-extensive with the |
nation and carried his theory of the SUI |
premacy of the State so far as TO feel a |
kenzie" as the defender of a State Church |
against the independence of the Cove |
nanters of Scotland. His name was for |
a time terror to all the orthodox, High |
Church or Low. Yet there was little that |
was terrible about him. The sweetness |
of his character was remarkable His
liberality of religious sentiment was |
boundless. But he had little Of the logical |
or critical faculty, and showed scarcely
the desire, still less the ability, to make |
his way to definite truths. His passion
was history, and the historical pictur-
esque was his forte. In haze of this to |
the last he fioateds coming to no de-
terminate conclusion. His best works, |
apart from biogra ply. are not his com
or sermons. but his lectures on
the history Of the Russian Church and
his SINAI and Palestine" although we
cannot help smiling when, in his Sinai
and Palestine we see him hunting with |