loud and universal,-though his eye may for a time be dazzled by the glare that surrounds him, and his ear stunned by the echoes of a world's tumultuous praise,-it does not reach his heart, it cannot satisfy his spirit, because it is not just in itself; and he feels that he is a deceiver, while he knows that they who praise him are deluded. Knowing all this, Wordsworth chose well the better part, and determined to forego all the pleasure and profit of an immediate reputation, with a certain confidence that in labouring for the cause of truth and religion he should not labour in vain, and that the products of his industry should endure. For many years Wordsworth was far from being a popular poet. Indeed, the man who could discern the beauty and appreciate the high-souled sentiments of his earlier poems, was reduced to the alternative of keeping his opinions to himself, or of sharing with the poet the contempt and abuse of those who were either morally or intellectually incapable of relishing his simple illustrations of natural objects, or his sweet delineations of human feeling, as exhibited among the lowly inhabitants of his own hills, among "sheepcotes, and hamlets, and peasants' mountain haunts." From the dictator of the world of letters, the terrible Jeffrey-whose frown was destruction to the hopes and aspirations of common men-to the humbler spirits of the Monthly Review, the critics made common cause against the innovator, as Wordsworth was styled; and every cur felt himself at liberty to echo the growlings of the great mastiff of the north, who thought himself, as others thought him, to have crushed one of the noblest of Wordsworth's productions, by an ex cathedra, "This will never do!" It was a glorious spectacle! On the one hand were arrayed the literary authorities of the land, filled with all the prejudices of a false poetical taste, and all the great names embalmed in the hearts of the people of England; and on the other, the poet, almost alone, yet in the consciousness of his own power smiling upon the contest which his "adventurous song" had called into being; and still, in his retirement, nourishing his soul by communion with nature, with the mighty spirits of the past-(especially with Milton, with whose solitary soul-upliftings he could deeply sympathize)-and with "God-dread source, and still, with unwavering faith in the holy impulses that urged him, pouring forth, in numerous and various verse, the solemn lessons of his pure philosophy-the self-study of a mighty mind, humbled by a sense of its own weakness, and elevated by a consciousness of its own dignity--and the flood of natural images, which, however insignificant in themselves, received a beauty and a glory from their association with the emotions of a heart which gave its own hues of joy or sadness to every object, thought, and incident. Slowly, but surely, was the triumph preparing which before his death gladdened the heart of the "old man eloquent;"-one by one were his adversaries subdued; and here and there were voices heard, faint at first and fearful, speaking his praise. But, in the lapse of years, their number grew, and their power; the mists of prejudice were gradually dispelled; the sweet yet powerful tones of the mountain poet awoke a sympathy and an echo in many a heart; and those faint voices swelled into a hymn of praise,-and now that he is gone, an almost universal chorus of homage to the majesty of his genius, and to the constancy of his religious devotion to his noble art, will rise from every hill and valley of his native land, and from all pure hearts in her towns and cities. Even on these "strange shores" there are multitudes to be found whose tastes have been exalted, and whose affections have been refined, by the unequalled strains of the "Mighty seer Who celebrates the truths for whose sweet sake We to ourselves and to our God are dear!" A second series of Coleridge's "Friend "has been published in London, in three volumes 8vo., under the title of "Essays on his own Times," by S. T. Coleridge; edited by his daughter. It is made up mostly of his political contributions to the Post and Courier. A complete edition of the Philosophical works of J. F. Herbart is announced for publication by Voss, of Leipzig. It will be completed in twelve volumes, 8vo., edited by Prof. Hartenstein, of Leipzig, and will be finished in about two years. The tenacity with which old methods are adhered to in the English schools is remarkable. A striking proof of it is afforded by the preface to Arnold's Elementary Greek Grammar, in which the author deems it necessary to explain (as something new) Thiersch's method of forming the tenses of the Greek verb, though that method has been in almost universal use in Germany and America for a number of years. It is somewhat more surprising that the old artificial and arbitrary method still holds its place in France. The forty-eighth edition of Burnouf's Méthode pour étudier la Langue Grecque has just appeared, (1850,) and though prepared by a man of admirable skill and learning, it still carries the pupil round the old circle of tense-formations. The same thing appears in Pessoneaux's Nouvelle Grammaire Grecque, à l'usage de tous les établissements d'instruction publique, (Paris, 1849,) which is a very neat and com. pact manual of 115 pages. The syntax is clear and logical; but the forms of words are exhibited in the old and unscientific more The Natural History of Man, by Robert Gordon Latham, M. D., F. R. S.. 1 vol. 8vo. A Voyage to the Arctic Seas, in search of Friends with Sir John Franklin; by Robert A. Goodsir. Post 8vo:-The Personal Narrative of an Englishman Domesticated in Abyssinia; by Mansfield Parkyns, Esq. 8vo. :-Memoirs of the War of Independence in Hungary; by Gen. Klapka, late Secretary at War of the Hungarian Commonwealth, and Commandant of the Fortress of Komorn. 8vo. :-The New Cratylus. Contributions towards a Accurate Knowledge of the Greek Language: by J. W. Donaldson, D. D., Head Master of King Edward's School, Bury St. Edmunds. Second edition, revised and considerably enlarged. 8vo. :-The Autobiography of Leigh Hunt, in 3 vols., post 8vo., with portrait :-Woman in France during the 18th century; by Julia Kavanagh. 2 vols., post 8vo. :-The Expedition for the Survey of the Rivers Euphrates and Tigris, carried on by order of the British government, in the years 1835, 1836, and 1837, by Lieut. Col. Chesney, R. A., F. R. S., Commander of the Expedition; vols. 1 and 2, royal 8vo: Mr. W. E. Baxter's Impressions of Central and Southern Europe: including Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, and the Levant. 8vo. -Mr. Thomas Forester and Lieut. M. S. Biddulph's Rambles among the Fields and Fords of Central and Western Norway, in 1848 and 1849. With map, woodcuts, and ten coloured plates. 8vo. :-London Literary Society in the days of Samuel Johnson. By William Weir. 2 vols., post 8vo. :The Rev. R. Milman's Life of Tasso. 2 vols., post 8vo. :-Memoirs of a Hungarian Lady, comprising full and interesting details of the late Events in Hungary. By Theresa Pulszky. With an Historical Introduction, by Francis Pulszky, late Under-Secretary of State to Ferdinand, Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary. 2 vols. 8vo. Among the works in classical and miscellaneous literature recently announced on the continent are the following: Collection des Auteurs Latins, avec la Traduction en Français, publiée sous la direction de M. Nisard:-Ammien Marcellin, Jornandés Frontin (Les Stratagèmes), Végèce, Modestus, avec la traduction en Français, publiés sous la direction de M. Nisard. Royal 8vo. Connaissance des Temps ou des Mouvements célestes à l'usage des Astronomes et des Navigateurs pour l'an 1852. 8vo. Religions et l'Antiquité, considérées principalement dans leurs formes symboliques et mythologiques. Par F. Creuzer. Traduit de l'Allemand, refondu en partie, complété et développé par J. D. Guigniault. 8vo. 2 tom. Degland (C. D.), Omithologie Européenne, ou Catalogue analytique et raisonné des Oiseaux observés en Europe. 2 vols. 8vo. D'Orbigny (A.), Cours Elémentaire de Paléontologie et de Géologie stratigraphiques. Vignettes gravées en relief et sur cuivre par M. E. Salle. 2 vols. 12mo. Essai sur l'Histoire de la Critique chez les Grecs, suivi de la poétique d'Aristote et d'extraits de ses problèmes, avec traduction Française et commentaire. Par E. Egger. 8vo. Denkmäler aus Aegypten u. Aethiopien nach den Zeichnungen der v. Sr. M. dem Könige v. Preussen Friedrich Wilhelm IV. nach diesen Ländern gesendeten u. 18421845 ausgeführten wissenschaftl. Expedi tion auf Befehl Sr. M. d. Königs hrsg. u. erläutert. Von C. R. Lepsius. Parts I. to IV., 40 plates, many coloured and tinted, folio (Berlin). Bibliographie biographique, ou dictionnaire de 26,000 ouvrages, tant anciens que modernes, rélatifs à l'histoire de la vie publique et privée des hommes célèbres de tous les temps et de toutes les nations, depuis le commencement du monde jusqu'à nos jours, etc. Par Ed. Marie Oettinger. Leipzic. pp. 788, 4to. THE METHODIST QUARTERLY REVIEW. OCTOBER, 1850. ART I.-MORELL'S PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION. The Philosophy of Religion. By J. D. MORELL, A. M., Author of the History of Modern Philosophy, &c. New-York: D. Appleton & Co., 200 Broadway; Philadelphia, George S. Appleton, 164 Chesnut-street. 1849. 12mo., pp. 359. SECOND PAPER. RESUMING our examination of Mr. Morell's book, we turn now to the author's views of Inspiration, embodied in the sixth chapter. These will be gathered from the following extracts: "Inspiration does not imply anything generically new in the actual processes of the human mind. It does not involve any form of intelligence essentially different from what we already possess; it indicates rather the elevation of the religious consciousness, and with it, of course, the power of spiritual vision, to a degree of intensity peculiar to the individuals thus highly favoured of God. We must regard the whole process of inspiration, accordingly, as being in no sense mechanical, but purely dynamical, involving, not a novel and supernatural faculty, but a faculty already enjoyed, elevated supernaturally to an extraordinary power and susceptibility: indicating, in fact, an inward nature so perfectly harmonized to the Divine; so freed from the distorting influences of prejudice, passion, and sin; so simply recipient of the Divine ideas circumambient around it; so responsive in all its strings to the breath of heaven,-that truth leaves an impress upon it which answers perfectly to its objective reality."-Pp. 148, 149. 66 According to this view of the case, inspiration, as an internal phenomenon, is perfectly consistent with the natural laws of the human mind,-it is the higher potency of a certain form of consciousness, which every man to some degree possesses. The supernatural element consists in the extraordinary influences employed to create these lofty intuitions, to bring the mind of the subject into perfect harmony with truth, and that, too, at a time when, under ordinary circumstances, such a state could not possibly have been enjoyed.”— P. 159. "We cannot infer that any one of these books was written by an express commission from God. We cannot infer that they are verbally inspired, any more than were the oral teachings of the Apostles. We cannot infer that they had any greater authority attached to them, than the general authority which was attached to the apostolic office. We cannot infer that they were regarded FOURTH SERIES, VOL. II.-33 by the early Christians as being the Word of God in any other sense than as being the productions of those who lived with Christ, were witnesses of his history, and were imbued with his spirit; as being, in a word, veritable representations of a religious life which they had derived by a special inspiration from heaven."-P. 171. The plain meaning of all this is, that inspiration is identical with a high degree of sanctification; and that the man who writes with clear conceptions of spiritual things, is inspired. But it cannot be said of these writings that they are inspired, for inspiration is a phenomenon of the intuitional consciousness, and not the property of a writing. The Bible, therefore, is not inspired, and does not contain an infallible rule of faith and practice. This theory he maintains, in opposition to what he chooses to term the me chanical theory of inspiration. This he states to be, "that which supposes a special dictation of the actual words inscribed on the sacred page, distinct from the religious enlightenment of the writer."-P. 151. The unfairness of this statement of the common notion is obvious at a glance. Does not Mr. Morell know that the theory of plenary inspiration, as held by most theologians, is not fairly stated in the definition, "a special dictation of the actual words inscribed on the sacred page?" Does he not know that the position, that the Holy Spirit so guarded the words of the inspired writers that they should not convey any error, differs from that which asserts a special dictation of every word as to an amanuensis? Does he not know that such special dictation is commonly limited to those parts of Scripture where such dictation was needful to guard from error? He has himself admitted (p. 176) that this is not precisely the theory held by the more moderate orthodox divines of the present day. Why, then, grapple with it? Why confound verbal inspiration with verbal dictation? Had he fairly stated the common view, most of his objections would have been answered by that simple statement. This will be perceived as we examine his objections to what he terms the mechanical theory. His first objection to this theory is, that "There is no positive evidence of such a verbal dictation having been granted. The supposition of its existence would demand a two-fold kind of inspiration, each kind entirely distinct from the other. The Apostles, it is admitted, were inspired to preach and teach orally; but we have the most positive evidence that this commission did not extend to their very words. Often they were involved in minor misconceptions; and sometimes they taught specific notions inconsistent with a pure spiritual Christianity, as Peter did when he was chided by Paul. The verbal scheme, therefore, demands the admission of one kind of inspiration having been given to the Apostles as men, thinkers, moral agents, and preachers; and another kind having been granted them as writers."-P. 151. This objection contains almost as many errors as sentences. The two-fold inspiration supposed, is solely in the nomenclature of the author. He first confounds inspiration with personal holiness, and then argues that verbal inspiration is inadmissible, because it would make a second kind. Undoubtedly, if spiritual enlightenment is one kind, we must admit another, or fail to include the very phenomena in question. Again: it is not alleged by the verbal theory that the Apostles had one kind of inspiration as preachers, and another as writers. If, then, they had an inspiration as preachers to teach orally, what makes another kind needful for them as writers to teach scripturally? Why confound their spiritual enlightenment as men with their inspiration as teachers; and because the former was distinct from their inspiration as writers, assume that the latter was so likewise? His error proof that But we have "positive evidence that this commission did not extend to their very words." And what is this positive evidence? Why, forsooth, that they were "often involved in minor misconceptions." Suppose they were; the question is, Did they ever teach such misconceptions orally or in writing? If they did, our theory breaks down. What, then, is the proof? "They taught specific notions inconsistent with a pure spiritual Christianity, as Peter did when he was chided by Paul." Peter did no such thing. was one of action and not of teaching, and we have no then or at any other time he taught any such notion. Peter the man, who was imperfectly sanctified, is confounded with Peter the Apostle, who was perfectly inspired to teach the doctrines of the gospel; and because he erred in the one capacity, he is charged with having erred in the other. And this is the positive evidence that their commission did not extend to their very words! It is with such bald sophistry that we are to set aside the positive statements of Christ himself: "When they shall lead you and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate, but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye, for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost!" Yet Mr. Morell has "positive evidence that their commission did not extend to their very words!" The second objection is, the improbability "That each writer should manifest his own modes of thought, his own temperament of mind, his own educational influences, his own peculiar phraseology; and yet, notwithstanding this, every word should have been dictated to him by the Holy Spirit.”—P. 152. This objection can lie only against the extreme theory of verbal dictation, and not the common view of verbal inspiration. When it |
