* March 26,1893.
Thirty-eight clergymen, a year or two ago, gave the Bible a fresh
certificate of inspiration and infallibility. They signed a "round
robin," if we may apply such a vulgar description to their holy
document. But somehow the Bible is in as bad a position as ever. It
seems, indeed, in deadly peril; and if something strong and decisive be
not done for its protection, it will soon be doomed. Such, at any
rate, seems the view of a large number of clergymen, who have signed a
Petition, prepared by the Rev. E. S. Ffoulkes, of St. Mary's, Oxford,
and addressed to "the Most Reverend the Archbishop, and the Right
Reverend the Bishops, of the Church of England, in the House of the
Convocation of Canterbury assembled." The petitioners call upon the
Archbishops and Bishops to use "their sacred office and authority,"
and either to purge the Church of heresy or to "authoritatively and
publicly" recommend certain "orthodox and admirable works," which are
calculated to "arrest the spread" of "disastrous errors in the midst of
Our Beloved Church."
In order to show the precise nature of these "disastrous errors," we
print the following paragraphs from the petition:
"Whereas it is generally known that certain clergymen of the Church of
England, in positions of influence and authority, are deliberately and
altogether undermining, by their teachings and public writings, the
faith of this Church and country in the trustworthiness of the
Holy Scriptures, and are altogether repudiating the common faith of
Christendom, that the said Holy Scriptures, as received by this Church
of England, are the infallible and inspired Word of God.
"Also, that by what is known as the 'New Criticism,' these clergymen
do attempt entirely to rob the people of God of the Holy Scriptures
and altogether falsify the teachings respecting them of our Lord Jesus
Christ and of his Holy Apostles-declaring some parts to be 'myths,' some
'fables,' some 'the work of dramatists,' etc."
Ah then, the enemy is within the camp! It is no-longer a question of
"infidel" publications. Church professors, and doctors of divinity,
are sapping the very foundations of "the faith." Orthodox clergymen cry
out--in the language of this petition--for salvation from "the dangers
of Rationalism and unbelief _within_ the Church."
What does all this mean? It means that Free-thought is triumphing by the
permeation of the Churches; that "advanced" ministers are now doing, in
a sober, steady, scholarly way, the very work so brilliantly inaugurated
by Voltaire and Thomas Paine; that the Bible is being subjected to
rigorous criticism, in England as well as in France, Holland, and
Germany; that its documents are being shifted like the pieces in a
kaleidoscope, and every turn of the instrument makes them differ more
and more from the orthodox pattern. At present, it is true, the process
is almost confined to the Old Testament. There, however, it is nearly
completed. Presently it will extend in earnest to the New Testament;
and when it is completed _there_, the Bible will be something worse than
Luther's "wax nose," it will be a thing of "shreds and patches."
Old Testament criticism by men like Driver, Cheyne, Ryle, and Gore,
is indeed--as the petitioners assert--destroying faith in "the Holy
Scriptures" as the "infallible and inspired Word o\c God." They still
pretend it is _inspired_, but not infallible. "Infallible," at this time
of day, is a very "large order." Professor Bruce, himself a Christian
minister, is obliged to tell his orthodox brethren that "the errorless
autograph for which some so zealously contend is a theological figment."
"The Bible," he reminds them, "was produced piecemeal, and by the time
the later portions were produced the earlier had lost their supposed
immaculate-ness." And he warns the "infallible" gentlemen that their
position is really "perilous" when it is considered "in what state we
possess the Scriptures now." Yes, it is only country curates who can
stand up now for an "infallible" Word of God; even Mr. Gladstone is
obliged to admit "errors"--that is, errors in general, for he will not
confess any in particular.
The reference in the petition to "myths," "fables," and "the work of
dramatists," seem to be specially aimed at the Rev. Charles Gore, the
Principal of Pusey House, Oxford, and editor of _Lux Mundi_. His
essay in that volume on "The Holy Spirit and Inspiration" is horribly
distasteful to orthodox parsons. They cannot refute him, but they say
"he ought to know better," or "he shouldn't write such things"--in other
words, he is guilty of the shocking crime of letting the cat out of
the bag. He discards the Creation Story, just like Professor Bruce,
who calls the fall of Adam a "quaint" embodiment of the theological
conception of sin. He dismisses all the patriarchs before Abraham as
"mythical." He admits the late origin of the Pentateuch, and only claims
for Moses the probable authorship of the Decalogue. He says the Song
of Solomon is "of the nature of a drama." The Book of Job is "mainly
dramatic." Deuteronomy is the publication of the law "put dramatically"
into the mouth of Moses. Jonah and Daniel are "dramatic compositions."
Jesus Christ, it is true, cited both as historical; but he only
"accommodated" himself to the prevalent belief. He knew better, but he
did not choose to say so; or, rather, the moment was inopportune; so he
left us to find out the truth in this matter, as he left us to find it
out in everything else.
Canon Driver is perhaps glanced at in "fables," and perhaps also Canon
Cheyne. The former has publicly argued against the "reconciliations" of
Genesis and Science. He has likewise written very strongly against the
"historical" character of Jonah, which he treats as a story with "a
moral." Canon Cheyne regards it as "an allegory." Jonah is Israel,
swallowed up by Babylon; but, seeking the Lord in exile, the captive is
at last disgorged uninjured.
These clerical apostles of the "New Criticism" are accused of attempting
"entirely to rob the people of God of the Holy Scriptures." Poor people
of God! How anxious the petitioners are for their welfare! Some persons,
however, will be apt to regard the solicitude of these gentlemen as
_professional_. Robbing the people of the Holy Scriptures, in _their_
mouths, may simply mean rendering the clergyman's trade more difficult,
or perhaps altogether impossible; and therefore the bitter cry of
these "grievously beset" parsons (to use their own words) may be only a
parallel to the famous old shout of "Great is Diana of the Ephesians."
Why indeed do not the petitioners refute the apostles of the "New
Criticism," instead of appealing to the _authority_ of Convocation?
They plainly declare that the "New Criticis" rests on "utterly baseless
foundations"--which is a curious pleonasm or tautology for a body of
"educated" gentlemen. But if the substance of the declaration be true,
apart from its logic or grammar, the orthodox parsons may scatter the
heretical parsons like chaff before the wind. Principles which are
"utterly baseless" may surely be refuted. To quote from Hamlet, "it is
as easy as lying." Now that is a practice in which the clergy of all
ages have shown great dexterity. We therefore hope the orthodox parsons
will _refute_ the "New Criticism." Let them try to save the Bible by
argument. If they cannot it is lost, and lost for ever.