consciousness of penitence and religious desire in man form ground for hope in God's merciful interference. It is reasonable to suppose that He who has provided so liberally for the body would impart some information respecting man's religious necessities. The conviction of a free personality, and of a moral nature in God, make it most probable that He would not leave his intelligent offspring to wander on in darkness and endless doubt. Every man has a consciousness of sin and wrong doing, but without a Revelation, there would be no hope, for nature has no voice with which to answer prayer, and no agency to promote the religious welfare of men. "Working without will, she takes counsel neither of the good nor of the beautiful, casting up from her dark abyss only eternal transformations of herself, unconsciously and without end; furthering, with the same ceaseless industry, decline and increase, death and life-never producing what alone is of God and what supposes liberty-the virtuous, the immortal."

Now, I do think we may rationally conclude that this is not the unhappy position of the human race. Pondering the yearnings and expectations of mankind, considering the necessity, possibility, and probability of the interference of a God of infinite benevolence and wisdom, on behalf of His highest workmanship, and considering that man's consciousness seems adapted to be used by God as an instrument of inspiration, the conclusion is well-nigh self-evident that there must be a moral and spiritual Revelation from heaven. If not, materialism, atheism, and fatalism, are our only rulers. Man becomes a moral machine, and nature a physical engine. Sorrow for evil doing seems unreasonable, mind is only a higher form of matter, immortality disappears, and God becomes a personification of the universe, an impersonal existence or principle, and therefore no God at all. I see no escape from these dismal consequences, but by a belief in the existence of a Revelation of mercy and of good from a Divine

and Spiritual Personality, which our Saviour has taught us to call,-"Our Father which is in Heaven."

ALIQUIS. I cannot but see the Bible must have some connection with the Supernatural. Considering its intrinsic excellence, its rapid and extensive influence in Gentile regions, regions, notwithstanding the early and continued opposition of its foes, its triumphs over severe and repeated examinations, and its present indisputable power in the earth; considering these things I could not divest the Bible of a Divine association, and I believe many of my school of thought will go quite as far. There must be a Divinity in it, and with it. It would be absolutely so singular, and without any parallel on earth, if only a human production, that its alleged mysteriousness would be inconceivably increased. But my point is, not the rejection of the Bible, but a desire to know the nature and extent of its inspiration. If altogether inspired, it will be altogether true, and yet so many discrepancies and contradictions are arrayed against it, that I am almost driven to the conclusion it is only partially inspired.

NEMO. To account for the Holy Volume we must enter the region of the miraculous. We are driven to it as a necessity. But before we proceed further, as I have intimated, it will be right to hear what the Book has to say for itself. It clearly asserts its claim to be an inspired book, and the whole system of the religion it teaches is based upon the assumed fact, of a supernatural intervention of God in the revelation of its truth

and doctrines. The sacred writers unquestionably ascribe their compositions to Divine light and authority. The following is the Bible's account of its own origin; "The prophecy came not in old time by the will of man, but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." David says; "the spirit of the Lord spake by me, and his word was in my tongue." prophets frequently usher in their message by the solemn announcement, "Thus saith the Lord," or "The

The

".

Lord hath spoken." Sometimes the Lord speaks direct; "Hear now my words." The new Testament writers distinctly refer to the inspiration of the Older Canon ; The Lord spake by the mouth of His holy prophets;' and again; "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God." You will remember also some of our previous citations, in which the Apostles affirm, that they wrote in the clear consciousness of their supernatural relation to God, and sought a cordial reception of their communications "not as the word of man, but as the word of God." St. Peter writes as "an Apostle of Jesus Christ," and classes the writings of Paul with the other Scriptures. He further writes; "That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the Apostles of the Lord and Saviour." Here we have the writings of the Apostles as of co-ordinate authority with the Scriptures of the ancient prophets. Nothing then can be plainer than that the sacred writers claim to stand apart from human teaching, and upon their Divine Inspiration challenge our faith and obedience.

ALIQUIS. On this difficult subject I have found some relief in a theory like the following. All Christians believe that God has given a revelation to man, which consists in part of precepts to be obeyed, and in part of doctrines to be believed. All Protestants believe that that Revelation is contained in the Bible, to the exclusion of tradition, and while admitting that the Bible includes Christianity, it is consistent with this belief, to concede that as children learn religion and virtue from imperfect parents, and as subjects learn justice from laws imperfect in themselves, and administered by imperfect rulers, so it may have pleased Almighty God that the vehicle of His Revelation to man should not be absolutely pure and free from omissions and inaccuracies, which appears to be necessary to every thing else which is in any way mixed up with human agents. "There is no appearance in their writings that the

Evangelists or Apostles had any inward gift, or were subject to any power external to them, different from that of preaching or teaching which they daily exercised, and they no where lead us to suppose that they were free from error." The word of God is found in Scripture it is granted, but it does not follow that it is co-extensive with it.

NEMO. These, in the present day, are favourite views on the subject of Inspiration, but I hope you will find we must go further and higher. We have already learnt that the sacred writers affirm that they imparted statements of absolute truth, St. Paul distinctly averring, that what he communicated was taught him by the Revelation of Jesus Christ. That is very different from your account that the Apostles nowhere lead us to suppose that they were free from error. I agree with you that the Bible contains Christianity,. or the Christian religion; but it contains more, as for instance, the ceremonial and political laws of the Jews, the boastings of Sennacherib, with prophecies and utterances of vain and unholy men. Revelation is a word of much wider signification than Christianity, or the Christian religion; it comprises the way of salvation, and other things beside, and although these other things are not necessary to salvation, yet Holy Scripture includes them. By the inspiration of the Scriptures I understand that their writers were called of God to their work, and that in the composition and arrangement of their writings, whether from an immediate Divine afflatus, or from pre-existing materials, they were under a special supernatural guidance, and thus enabled to communicate their messages without error, infirmity, or defect. There may be some things in them we are tempted to regard as trifling and superfluous, and therefore as unworthy of God, but our judgment in such matters is not a rectifying standard, since we cannot see the end from the beginning, nor grasp the full harmony and design of Divine communication. Even the so-called trivial and unimportant portions of Holy

Writ, may possess a marvellous significance, and be of high service, albeit at present we may fail to perceive this. The evidences of Divine Truth do not consist in the identifications of its teachings with the "inward intuitions," or "subjective perceptiveness," or "introspective judgments," or any perceptions and decisions. of depraved human nature. We cannot permit the criminal to enact the laws by which he should be tried, nor place the culprit in the seat of the judge, and therefore we utterly dissent from the competency of fallen men, notwithstanding what the transcendental school may say to the contrary, to regulate the claims of Holy Scripture for our trust and guidance.

You will notice I speak of a human element, as well as of one Divine, in every part of the Bible. Inspiration does not supersede the intellect, nor habits of thought of the particular writers, but aids and controls them, and thus in their separate compositions their individual peculiarities of force, calmness, forms of expression, and style are preserved. Many things contained in Holy Scripture must have been imparted by the Holy Ghost, for they could not have been learnt except from His direct suggestion. In this case something like a mechanical use was made of the human agent, who was employed to reveal unknown truth to man. In other portions of Scripture the penmen delivered simply in their own language what had come to their knowledge, being left to express their messages according to the natural use of their faculties. Yet all the writers were kept from error by the presiding power of the Divine Spirit, and therefore the Bible possesses an indestructible accuracy and completeness. One part may be more important than another, yet every part is unquestionably true. "The whole collection of the books of the Old Testament comes to us with Divine credentials, prophecies in it fulfilled after they were uttered, Christ's attestation to them that they all testified of Him, St. Paul's testimony to them that they were