Изображения страниц
PDF
EPUB

manners. Still, though Mr Trower's sneer was intended to injure, he is too simple-hearted to injure, even when he intends it. Telum imbelle sine ictu Conjecit. Or rather it recoils upon himself: for every intelligent reader will see at once, that he has violated the Scriptural law of not judging, and the law of conscience, which enjoins us to utter no word, least of all a word injurious to another, without a well-grounded conviction of its truth.

But further, what is the meaning of this shrinking from such an expression as "an enlightened pursuit of truth?" which Mr Trower thinks may not grate on my feelings, hardened as they are by the dreadful habit of guessing at truth, but which, he of course implies, does grate on his, and ought to grate on those of a rightininded clergyman. Every educated Englishınan has at least read the first of Bacon's Essays, unless Mr Trower forms an exception, from having been withheld by horrour at an Essay on Truth. In that Essay he may find some remarks which might be very useful to him, and to all such as think like him in this matter. After asking why people are not more diligent in the pursuit of Truth, Bacon says: "This same Truth is a naked and open daylight, that doth not shew the masks and mummeries and triumphs of the world half so stately and daintily as candle-lights.-A mixture of a lie doth ever add pleasure. Doth any man doubt, that, if there were taken out of men's minds vain opinions, flattering hopes, false valuations, imaginations as one would, and the like, but it would leave the minds of a number of men poor shrunken things, full of melancholy and indisposition, and unpleasing to themselves?— But howsoever these things are thus in men's depraved judgements and affections, yet Truth, which only doth judge itself, teacheth, that the enquiry of Truth, which is the love-making or wooing of it, the knowledge of Truth, which is the presence of it, and the belief of Truth, which

G

is the enjoying of it, is the soverein Good of human nature." But, says Mr Trower, "is Divine Truth to be discovered? or is it not rather TO BE DEFENDED?" Yes, assuredly, it is to be defended: but it is also to be discovered: and one of the main ways of defending it is by discovering it. In fact how can we defend it, until we have discovered it? Not to the Apostles alone, but to the Church in all ages, was the promise of the Spirit given, to guide us to the whole Truth. For, though the Truth is one, and ever the same, it is also infinite, full of infinite riches, capable of infinite expansion, of infinite, ever-varying applications to new forms of life, to new modes of thought, capable of animating and vivifying every condition of human intelligence or feeling. Errours too are continually springing up in every age, growing like suckers from the Truth itself, as planted in an earthly soil, errours sprouting out of those dogmatical tendencies which Dr Hampden so strongly combats: and these can only be eradicated by our discovering the Truth, and separating it from them, by shewing when and where and how they diverge, and through what perverse strainings of particular truths they have gained ground. Verily it would be a kind of death-warrant to a Church, to declare that Truth is no longer to be pursued in it. Evils will indeed result from an erroneous pursuit, as from every other perverted blessing: but these can only be overcome by our persevering, with God's help, diligently and undauntedly in the pursuit, trusting to the promist aid of His Spirit, and in the assurance that here also the Divine Law will be fulfilled, that they who seek shall find. It was by hoodwinking the intellectual eye, by checking and repressing the pursuit of Truth, that the Church of Rome almost quencht the Spirit within her.

We may be blinded in

deed by gazing rashly at the light; but we are sure to

be blinded by living in darkness; and even though we retained our eyesight, we could not see. By wrapping up the Truth in a napkin, we shall not preserve it, or discharge the duty which our being entrusted with it imposes upon us. We must put it out to use; we must make more with it. The more we have, the more we ought to make, and the more we shall make; whereas, from those who have not, from those who think they have only to keep it lockt up and defended, will be taken away even that which they seem to have. When they look into their chest, they will find nothing in it but a mummy. For, though Death may be deemed a safe keeper, as he never lets anything escape from his clutches, that which he clutches moulders in his grasp. Most rightly also does Coleridge urge (Friend, i. p. 135): "The inspired writings received by Christians are distinguishable from all other books pretending to inspiration, from the scriptures of the Brahmins, and even from the Koran, in their strong and frequent recommendations of Truth. I do not here mean veracity, which cannot but be enforced in every code which appeals to the religious principle of man, but knowledge. This is not only extolled as the crown and honour of a man; but to seek after it is again and again commanded us as one of our most sacred duties." Butler too, in an excellent passage of the Analogy (p. II. c. 3), insists on the necessity of pursuing and discovering truth, in order to a right understanding of Scripture: "The more distinct and particular knowledge of those things, the study of which the Apostle calls going on to perfection, and of the prophetic parts of Revelation, like many parts of natural and even civil knowledge, may require very exact thought, and careful consideration.-And as, it is owned, the whole scheme of Scripture is not yet understood, so, if it ever comes to be understood, before the restitution of all

things, and without miraculous interpositions, it must be in the same way as natural knowledge is come at; by the continuance and progress of learning and of liberty, and by particular persons attending to, comparing, and pursuing intimations scattered up and down it, which are overlookt and disregarded by the generality of the world. For this is the way in which all improvements are made, by thoughtful men's tracing on obscure hints, as it were, dropt us by nature accidentally, or which seem to come into our minds by chance. Nor is it at all incredible, that a book, which has been so long in the possession of mankind, should contain many truths as yet undiscovered. And possibly it might be intended, that events, as they come to pass, should open and ascertain the meaning of several parts of Scripture." It may appear strange to have to vindicate the pursuit of Truth in these days; but an excess in whatsoever direction is always followed by a reaction. There are very many now to whom Bacon's above-cited description is singularly applicable, many who, having at one time been bit by the mad-dog of Rationalism, have been infected ever after with a kind of alethophobia.

These observations, though suggested by a passage not immediately connected with our subject, have a close bearing on the whole spirit which has been kindling the present agitation. But to turn from the Preface, in which I am only brought in by the way, to the Plain Remarks on my Letter: the first Remark relates merely to my style. Mr Trower complains of what he calls my "comic allusions." This is a question of taste, the discussion of which would be out of place here. I will only observe, that, as, after quoting my application (in p. 6) of the appeal from Philip drunk to Philip sober, he says, "Dr Hampden will be flattered by the illustration," he does not seem peculiarly qualified for judging even of

"comic allusions." What meaning he may have attacht to my words, it is not easy to conceive; though he would hardly have relisht them more, had he understood them better.

66

To stumble at the threshold is always a bad omen. As Mr Trower, before he gets through half a page, has so strangely misconceived the first words he quotes from my Letter, one is led to think there must be some mist before his eyes, which will hardly clear up as he proceeds. Nor does his latter end belie his beginning: servatur ad imum, Qualis ab incepto processerat, et sibi constat. In the next page he picks out certain expressions that I have used, effrontery, clamour, ignorance, dishonest and perfidious citation, and envenomed ferocity, and complains of my applying such terms as these to the large body of my brother clergymen, who have protested against Dr Hampden's elevation to the Episcopate, including many names distinguisht for learning, piety, and ability." Were it not for the mist before his eyes, he must have seen that I have done nothing of the sort. The word effrontery (p. 20) is applied to a particular act of a particular person. The expressions, a dishonest extract (p. 34), a perfidious citation (p. 50), it is plain on their face, refer to specific acts, and no way touch any one except the maker of the extracts. That, as so applied, they are at all too severe, I cannot see: nor do I see any good, but much evil, in mincing the language of reprobation, when such conduct is pursued. If men of eminence are involved therein, it only becomes so much the worse, worse as an example, worse, far worse, because it cannot be pleaded that they sinned out of that ignorance and confusion, which are ever sure to rise up when controversies are astir. Be it remembered too, that this most dishonest and fallacious series of Propositions, professing to be extracted from Dr

« ПредыдущаяПродолжить »