and brighten the God-consciousness within us? Let no one fear lest the Scriptures should not abide a test like that. Herein is precisely the strength of their hold on human kind, on the generic consciousness, on the common heart of the race. For not one man in a million can estimate the historic accuracy of the story of David, or judge the technical validity of his claims, or those of the other Psalmists, to inspiration. But all can feel the peace that steals over the soul with the words, "the Lord is my shepherd I shall not want;" all can perceive the expansive faith of the resolve, "I will run the way of thy commandments when thou shalt enlarge my heart;" all can realize the completeness with which the relation of sinful man to God is set forth in the words, "I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek thy servant, for I do not forget thy commandments." And in proportion to the power with which such utterances appeal to the God-consciousness, will inevitably be the strength of a man's confidence in the inspiration of the writer.

For my own part, unless when pressed by enquirers or compelled by the duties of a teacher, I have never felt any desire to form for myself an intellectual theory of inspiration. But when I have felt the reality of the thing itself breathe like an invigorating air from the pages of the Scriptures, this has been a joy which it is hard for articulate speech to set forth. And I do not know any part of the Bible with which the experience of this joy has been more associated than with the first

Epistle of St. Peter. This does not tell of any great mental gifts; it has none of the intellectual eagerness of St. Paul. But there seems such a quiet deep-toned earnestness about it, such a clear-eyed artless sincerity, such a quick insight into the practical spiritual power and highest use of facts and doctrines, that one can hardly fail to realize in it the direct impulse of God's Spirit. The exuberant thanksgiving at the outset is radiant with heartfelt joy in the higher life which God's grace has given. The appreciative sympathetic communion with Divine Love, shown in all the allusions to Christ; the moral elevation which rises to a tone of grandeur touched now and then with human scorn* in the second chapter; the hallowing light shed on all human suffering from the cross of Christ†-such characteristics as these require no external formulas of sanctity to ensure their appeal to the heart. They come straight home there at once.

Finally, if in this view the Bible should cease to be in the harsher sense a perpetual miracle, on the other hand there are voices in your own souls which at once claim a supernatural dignity. Moses, Elijah, Paul and Johnputting aside for a moment external miracles, which are not

"For so is the will of God, that with well-doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men "-literally-muzzle the ignorance of fools. (verse 15.)

"Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing had happened unto you: but rejoice inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings.” (iv. 12, 13.)

necessarily connected with inspiration-became prophets and apostles through obedience to the same voice that sounds in your own consciences and your own hearts. In proportion as the creature will prevails, and considerations of policy and expediency usurp the tribunal of the soul, so will God seem to be far away, and inspiration an incredible fable of the past. But he that will do the will of the Father shall have experience of this doctrine. And in proportion as expediency and prudence are bowed before the majesty of duty; in proportion as the sanction which touches the conscience with awe is owned to be the supremacy of God; in proportion as we acquaint ourselves with God, and feel that to devout self-sacrifice communion with Divine Love is real and possible; so shall we realize that to contemplative faith all life may be a perpetual inspiration.

LECTURE IV.

INFALLIBILITY.

"Yea, and why even of yourselves judge ye not what is right ?”— Luke xii. 57.

THERE is somewhere or other in the Government offices a standard yard measure, which is the criterion of all other measures of length used in this realm. And of course by hypothesis it is an infallible test, by which every draper's yard wand and every surveyor's chain may be finally and indisputably judged or corrected. In such a case it is most satisfactory, and indeed absolutely necessary, to have an external standard of final appeal, which will permit of no farther discussion or controversy. Similarly men very commonly think that God must of necessity have given us, in some outward objective form, an infallible standard of religious truth and moral right. But in such a mode of argument there is too often forgotten an important element in the case, which has no place at all in the analogy

suggested; an element which may perhaps be brought into view by another illustration. I suppose in rifle practice one object in training is to acquire a quick and approximately accurate power of judging distance. For without this, in the field the rifleman would be incapable of accommodating the sights and elevation of his weapon to the required range. And therefore it is the custom in some corps, perhaps in all, to assemble the men for practice in judging distance by naming the range of various objects that may be in sight. Here then, by the very nature of the case, reliance, on the part of the men in training, on any infallible standard is altogether excluded. And why? Simply because the express object of the practice is the education of the power of measurement by the eye. Some hasty unreflecting youth, who did not understand the object, might naturally exclaim, "what fumbling sort of guess-work this is! How much better to stick to a ground already marked out!" Here is in effect a desire to fall back upon the infallible yard measure. But the obvious answer would be, " our purpose is not to inform you what the distance is; but to practise you in judging for yourselves." That, as you see, is an element of consideration which was entirely left out in the analogy suggested just now. Religious and moral truth, say some, is so ineffably important, that to suppose a Government of the universe, which leaves us without any external and infallible appeal in such a matter, is as absurd as to imagine a civilized earthly Government