and

are seen to be most gracious adaptations to the young References ages of the world, and most skilful methods of em- Authorities. bodying foundation truths for preservation down to the later ages. If God would give even the first generation of mankind the knowledge of His relations with them in human language, then we can see the fitness, Fitness of and adore the grace, manifest in the form of those early records, which we call history, or parable, or chapters of poetry, or legend, but which are essentially this: God telling His first living creatures, in the most effective way, all that could then be a hallowing moral power upon them.

pictorial form of early

the Bible.

A Book revelation. concerned only with morals, not with

It need only further be recalled to mind that the object of a Book revelation is to declare that, and that only, which the mind of man cannot, unaided, reach. Our Bible is therefore in no sense a revelation of Science. science. It is exclusively concerned with Morals, and its Divine Inspiration covers and concerns only religious truths. A Book revelation is Interpretative, Corrective, and Complementary; its special business is

sinners.

to lead and guide and teach sinners (not merely men), It is for for whom the harmony of the outward and the inward is lost.

NOTE ON THE FIVE ORTHODOX THEORIES

OF INSPIRATION.

Canon

Farrar on

1. The Organic, mechanical, or dictation theory. It held that every sentence, every word, nay, even every inspiration. syllable, letter, and vowel-point of Scripture had been divinely and supernaturally imparted; and that the authors were merely the amanuenses and instruments of the Holy Spirit.

and

The

theory.

References 2. The Dynamic Theory. It holds that Holy Scripture Authorities. was not dictated by, but "committed to writing under the Dynamic guidance of" the Holy Spirit. While recognizing the Divine energy, it does not annihilate the human co-operation. The Books of Scripture, though not dictated, are yet infallible, indisputable, perfectly truthful in the minutest particular.

Illumination 3. The Theory of Illumination. This recognizes theory. various degrees of inspiration. Properly speaking, however, inspiration does not admit of degrees. Some who uphold this theory distinguish between the grace of superintendency, of elevation, of direction, and of suggestion. Others distinguish between antecedent, concomitant, and consequent inspiration.

Essential inspiration.

4. The Theory of Essential as distinguished from Plenary inspiration. Its favourite formula is, that the Bible contains the Word of God, while it rejects, as inaccurate, the expression that the Bible is the Word of God. Inspiration is regarded as confined to matters of doctrine, matters of morality, and, above all, matters of faith. Ordinary 5. The Theory of Ordinary, as opposed to Extraordiinspiration. nary Inspiration. This regards inspiration as a thing entirely subordinate in the Divine economy. The action of the Holy Spirit, as exercised in the inspiration of Scripture, is not generally distinct from the ordinary influence of that Holy Spirit upon the heart and intellect of Christian men, which all admit to be analogous to it. The Bible is sacred, but not always supernatural; it is always to be reverenced, but not always and in every point to be accepted as divinely authoritative; it is divine only as all else is divine which is good and noble-in so far as the heart of man is divine when under the influence of the indwelling Spirit of God.

Notes from article on

Farrar regards all these as orthodox, in the sense of 'Inspiration' each being tenable within the pale of the English Church, Biblical and each compatible with earnest Christian faith. Educator.

in Cassell's

"It is plain that a miraculous revelation of scientific truths was never designed by God for man."-Speaker's Commentary.

"The opposition of natural science to Christianity is based, not upon what it knows, but upon what it does not know."-Dr. Wacht.

"Whatever human philosophy can clearly demonstrate, by invincible evidence, in God's works, let us show that it is not at variance with God's word. But whatever philosophy may propound which is clearly contrary to the Divine oracles, let us be able to show-or at least, let us firmly believe that what is so propounded is most false."-S. Augustine.

and

Two

istic

characterdispositions

of men.

THERE are two characteristic dispositions which have References always separated men from one another. The one is Authorities. the disposition to wonder and believe; the other is the disposition to reason and know. These can never be fully harmonized under our present conditions; those having them strongly marked can seldom understand each other; but they need not be antagonistic. They are the two ways in which man may stand related to the universe; and the one may be wisely used to qualify and supplement the other. The great thoughtleaders of each age are usually intense in the one usually one.

Great teachers

sided.

and

References faculty or in the other, and therein lies their power; receive measures

Authorities. but the multitude in each age may

Mind and heart are set

of the influence of both kinds of leaders; and, for
them, faith may well qualify reason, and reason tone
the possible extravagances of faith.
"With the heart man believeth."

in harmony. man reasons.

With the mind

But God has set heart and mind in harmonious relations within us, and there need be no antagonisms. And so with the spheres in which mind and heart are concerned. The seen and the unseen are in are set by God in mutual relations; and we men make the antagonisms between them, we do not really find them.

The seen and unseen

harmony.

Illustration

from

We may see this by thinking of the Science of astronomy. Astronomy. Manifestly the telescope does not reveal The all-being. We receive all that the Astronomer can

astronomer

is always

sure there is tell us, and listen to him as he reasons out the something

and behind

Have you

more beyond mysteries of the harmonious interworking of the myriad stars. But when he has done, faith says,— Is that all? Is there nothing more? seen the last star, and found out the ultimate laws? Behind and beyond all that you have seen, or thought out, there may be some all-mastering law, which really gives the key to all you have observed. And reason has no right to say that the all-controlling force may not be a being-may not be the living God.

Is there certainty in science?

But a notion has been allowed to prevail, that there is a certainty, a verifiableness, in the conclusions of science, conducted after Bacon's method, which are wanting in those things which are offered to the acceptance of our faith. This needs a little con

sideration. By science can I be said to know References absolutely and trustworthily?

and Authorities.

The certainty

can, at best, only attach

to the fact,

not to the theory.

facts and theories. See Note

1. If there be certainty in science it can only attach to the facts, not to men's theories about the facts, for these must carry with them the uncertainty that ever attaches to man-made theories, whatever their subject may be. Darwin may give us the Darwin's facts he has carefully observed, and we receive them with confidence; but Darwin's theories of evolution, based upon these facts, are open to discussion and doubt. Yet we often find that scientific men are more anxious about the theories than about the facts; and the very same facts are made the bases of altogether differing theories.

2. In what sense can certainty be said to attach even to the facts, seeing that they need special culture even for their discernment ? We cannot see spots in the sun; the man who shows us the telescope has to explain to us what they are like before we can see them; and who may say that he does not see them just because he has been told what to look for? The certainty of multitudes of so-called facts rests simply on the trustworthiness of those who tell them to us. They say, "It is a fact;" but we may readily respond, "What is a fact?" And, "I am unable to apprehend what you call a fact."

Facts need special culture for their apprehension.

Facts only deal with forms and relations, not with

3. So-called facts are very limited things; they only deal with the forms and relations of things, they never touch the essence. At its utmost limits science can never tell us what a thing is; it only tells us what See Note on it is like, and how it stands related to other things

essences.

Limits of
Science.