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The following diagrams illustrate the method: Les cartes ou les planches trop grandes pour Stre reproduites en un seul clichd sont film^es d partir de Tangle sup6rieure gauche, de gauche d droite et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images ndcessaire. Le diagramme suivant illustre la mdthode : 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 I i M ESSAYS FOR THE TIMES. STUDIES OF EMINENT MEN AND IMPORTANT LIVING QUESTIONS. BY REV. E. H. DEWART, D.D. TORONTO: WILLIAM BRIGGS, WKSI.KY BUII.DIN-G.S. MoN TKicAi : C. W. CO.\ TES. 1S9S Hai.ii AX- : S. F. HUESTIS. ji e ^' p' fti , ^ •^- S957o m Entered according to Act of the Parliament of Canada, in the year one thousand eight hundred and ninety-eight, by William 15kk;gs, at the Department of Agriculture. M J THE AUTHORS PREPALT EVEK Y author who .appeals to the public to purchase and read a new book, should have a reason to ;jfive for such a demand. Some people think, because of the vast number of books ah'eaciy in existence, that there can l)e no need for publishing new books. But the literature of a country or age is the record of its thought and pro- gressive life ; and, unless all mental activity should cease, there must l)e a necessity for some literary expression of the thoughts of the tlioughtful on subjects of living interest. Besides, it should be borne in mind tliat every age has its own forms of error, A\hich require some suit- able exposure or refutation in the religious literature which is provided for the people. As every Essay in this volume was written, because the subject discussed took a special hold of my thoughts, and was felt to be a living (question nnpiiring to })e studied and discussed, I have been led to think that their publica- tion in book form would interest and help many readers, who have not had the same time and opportunity for studying these subjects. I was confirmed in this opinion by re-reading my review of "The Life and Letters of Frederic W. Robertson," pub- lished in the Methodist Quarterhj Review, of New York, over thirty years ago. I was gratified to find how well the views then expressed have stood the test of time, and how strikingly my opinion of the tendency of Robertson's theological views has been justified by the developments of recent years. I may venture to claim for this article IV PREFACE. that it presents uii appreciative recognition of Rol)ertson's great intellectual gifts and moral courage, while fairly pointing out some of his unsound and fanciful doctrinal theories. As Robertson's sermons are still widely read, this Essay should possess a living interest for many readei-s. James Arminius, the eminent Dutch theologian, is a subject of even greater interest ; not merely because of his far-reaching influence on theological belief, but also because the great majority of those who hold his views of Scrip- ture truth know very little about his noble character and stirring life-history. In " Questionable Tendencies in Current Theological Thought," I have pointed out some exaggerations oi truth, against which it is necessary to guard at the present time. " Theological Teaching in Public Schools " is a subject of special living interest. The same may be said of such questions as: "What Should Ministers Preach?" and "Is the World Growing W^orse?" If the views I have presented, in answer to these and other questions dis. cussed in this volume, are sound and scriptural, I may indulge a hope that the book will be instructive, as well as interesting, to younger ministers and other seekers after truth who read it. The essay on Charles Sangster, and the selections from the Poems I have written since the publication of my " Songs of Life," may interest readers to whom Poetry is more attractive than Theology. As these articles were written at widely different times and for different periodi- cals, each Essay discusses the subject of which it treats without regard to what may have been said in any other Essay in the volume. E. H. Dewart. Toronto, August, 1898 CONTHNTS. I. II. Tir. IV. V. VI. vn. VIII. IX. X. XI. RolilCKTSOX OF BUICMTON ...... ("IIARLKS SaNGSTKR, A CANADIAN I'oKT Ol' TllK UsT Gkneration --..... James Auminh-s, tiih (Jkkat Dvrvii Tjikouxman - QCESTIOXAIU.I.: TeXDEXCIKS in CrRRENTTlIKOLOClCAE Tjiouoiit ....... The Ti'iJiNOEX S(miool of Criticism COXFESSIONS AXD RETRACTIONS OF AX KmIXEXT •soiextist What Should Ministers Preach? - - . . Moral Teachixo of the Old Testament The Last of the Great Proi'hp:ts - - . . Is the World (Growing Worse? .... Theology ix the Pi'rlic Schools .... PAdK as 52 71 87 99 109 115 125 155 IGl LATHR POHMS Written since the fyuhlication of " Son^s of Life.'' Ta 'I'liK LoNo Vktokian Rkfcn ■ Tt) THE Canadian Nkjiit-hawk On the Death of Lord Tennyson Then and Now Oi'R Dear Dead Boy Death of John Keats - Lines to a Pessimist Christmastide The Song of the Wind William Envart Gladstone I'AUK 171 173 175 177 183 187 190 193 194 197 F.SSAYS FOR THE TIMFS. I. 1 ROBKRTSON OF miKJllTON.* SO^FE men owe their chief distinction to the cir- cuiiistanceH with which they happen to he con- nected. Others owe little to externals, and interest us mainly by the history of their interior life — by what they thon(rht and felt, the development of their moral and intellectual power. There is no doubt that every thoughtful mind has an inward history, which if it could be distinctly portrayed would prove worthy of attention and study. These volumes are pre-eminently a mental history, which chains our attention by laying bare the growth, conflicts and thinkings of a gifted and impassioned soul. It is frequently said that the organized associations which occupy every department of human activity, and other features of this age, are unfavorable to the development of individuality of character. The most laudable efforts of the solitary artisan are eclipsed and superseded by the result of the combined skill and * " Life and Letters of Frederick W. Robertson, M.A.," Incum- bent of Trinity Cliapel, Brighton, LS47-53. Edited by Stopford A. Brooke, ^LA., late Chaplain to the Embassy at Berlin. In two volumes. Boston: Ticknor & Fields. 1865. ESSAYS Foil Tin: TIMKS. industry ot' diircrent countries and o-eneration«. The sin^do-h.'inded valor of the "bravest of tho brave" no loni^^er turns the tide of battle. Whatever field of investi[;'ation we select, we discover the footprints of previous explorers, till learnini^ has beconui mainly a knowledge of what others have thought and done, rather than reading new pages from the book of nature for ourselves. Yet at intervals, as if to give evidence of undiminished vigor, nature gives to the world a man of character so sharply outlined, and so uinnistakably independent, that the admiration of those who are borne along by his intluen"e and the opposition of those who are alarmed at his disregard for canonized prejudices, alike point him out as a leader among men, one who has sufficient innate streno'tli of soul to swim anjainst the prevailinij tides and currents of the time. Such a man stands out before us in this biography. Whatever differences of opinion may exist respect- ing the soundness of his theological teaching, there can be no question that Frederick W. Robertson possessed rare mental gifts which lifted him out of the ranks of ordinary men. Such intensity of feeling and vivid imagination has seldom been found in union with equal clearness of intellect and power of sustained thought on abstruse subjects. In him are blended the mental subtlety of the philosopher, the spiritual vision of the poet, and the stern decision of the earnest practical worker. Though during his life his name was quite unknown on this side of the Atlantic, and comparativelj'' so in England, yet no sermons of our I ■.1 ■■a :i HOltKllTSOJ^ OF lUUdHTON. 9 he i (lay have awakened so deep and extensive an interest as the t'ra«(inentary discourses of this P>ri«T]iton curate, whose life was so sorely lacerated with the " thorns and briers of the wilderness," and who died with an oppressive feelin<^ of failure and disa])p()intnient, shroudinj,^ like a dai'k shadow his worn and bleedinj; heart. They have stirred the hearts of thousands, both in England and America, with their burninfr and electric eloijuence, and have probably been preached by many who have scarcely apprehended their theo- lon^ical standpoint, or grasped their logical tendencies. This extensive popularity of the sermons was naturally followed by a wish to know something of the author. To gratify this wish the present " Life and Letters " has been given to the public. Ijike moct recent biographies, the work consists mainly of selections from private correspondence. It is generally conceded that from no other scarce can we gain so true a con- ception of the character of a man. This method, however, may be overdone. Either from modesty or slothfulness, modern biographers frequently keep too much in the background. If the writer of a life be really qualified for the task he undertakes, by a special acquaintance with the subject of his work, he is surely under obligations to give the advantage of his superior knowledge to his readers, and by a judicious condensation to save them the labor of wading through piles of prosy correspondence for the sake of a very little additional knowledge. These remarks do not apply to the work before us. " Robertson, of Brighton," has been fortunate in his 10 ESSAYS Foil THE TIMES. biographer. 'I'he letters, tlioui^h frai^iiientary and unconnected, help us to understand a man who is certainly worth kniwin^ij. The liglit tliey reflect upon the inner life and theological opinions of their gifted author constitutes the main value of this biography. They possess a rare freshness an(] attrac- tion, and give us clear glimpses into his soul's life. Every sentence throbs with life and feeling: and bears an unmistakable impress of sincerit}^ earnest- ness and independence. The portions of the work supplied by the pen of ]Vlr. Brooke, though little more than the fram^ in wdiich these fragments are set, evince superior mental grasp and culture, and a deep and appreciative admiration of Robertson's character and teaching. External events are properly only regarded in their influence on the development of his character. And although doubtless Mr. Brooke's warm admiration for the teaching and character of Robertson has led him to see everything in the most favorable light, we thankfully acknowledge the fear- less candor wdth which he gives us letters that some would think reveal too much weakness and petulance to be published. We want to see such a man for our- selves. And we have in these volumes, taken in con- nection with his published sermons, the means of forming a tolerably correct estimate of the man, and of his position as a theologian. The popularity of his sermons, and the manner in which his views are spoken of by many who claim an adherence to the standard theology of the Refor- mation, as well as the fact of his being in some sense 1 ROBERTSON OF HRKJllTOX. 11 a representative man, illustratinj:^ a tendency to freer thought and greater latitude of opinion in theology, warrant us in callinij attention to a brief review of his life and mental history as here indicated, and of the relation of his theology to the Bible, and to those central truths which constitute the creed of evan- gelical Protestants. Frederick W. Robertson was born in 1816. He was the son of a British officer, who outlived him. He owed much to the careful education and watchful- ness of his parents. Even in childhood, there seems to have been nothing in external nature that did not give him pleasure and awaken a vivid interest. He excelled in manly games and athletic exercises, and yet joined to this a love of reading and quiet remarkable for one of his age. His progress in his studies early evinced superior mental capacity. Enthusiastic admiration of a military life was early developed, and continued singularly strong to the end of his life. " I was r'-cked and cradled," he writes, " to the roar of artillery, and the very name of such things sounds to me like home. A review, suggesting the conception of a real battle, impresses me to tears. I cannot see a regiment man(euvre, nor artillery in motion, without a choking sensation." Application was made in his behalf to the authorities, and his name placed on the list as a candidate for a place in a cavalry regiment in India. He began to study for this prospective sphere with ardent enthu- siasm. It was long before the desired appointment was conferred, and in the meantime his friends began 12 ESSAYS FOR THE I'IMES. to urge him to enter tlie ministry. This caused him many mental struggles and deep perplexity. But at length, after the militar}^ appointment was obtained, mainly in deference to the wishes of his father, he decided for the ministry and went to Oxford to study for orders. Here he was brought into direct contact with the Tractarian controversy ; and, though reject- injj: the teachinof of the Hijxh Church leaders of that movement, he cherished a warm admiration for many of the men of that party, which was strengthened rather than diminished by the lapse of years. His Oxford life was chieHy distinguished by its exemplary character, and by his deep sense of the responsibilities of the sacred office to which he looked forward. He was ordained in 1840, and was successively curate of Winchester and Cheltenham, which latter place he left in 1(S4G, through causes that changed his whole future life. During these early years of his ministry, although observant minds recognized evidences of superiority, he had not yet developed that remarkable intellectual power which arrested such general attention afterward at Brighton. The ascetic severity with which he observed the duties of religion during this period reminds us of the struggles of John Wesley, before he clearly apprehended the doctrine of justification by faith. The issue, however, was widely different. Mr. Robertson had entered the ministry a decided adherent of the Evangelical Calvinistic party in the National Church, and for some years maintained the tenets of that section. ROBERTSON OF BRKJHTON. 13 The following quotations from his correspondence show his theological position during this period : " T believe there is at this time a determined attack made by Satan and his instruments to subvert that cardinal doctrine of our best hopes, justitication by faith alone ; and how far he has already succeeded let many a college in Oxford testify. It is the doc- trine which, more than any other, we find our own hearts continually turning aside from and surrender- ing. Anything but Christ. The Virgin, the Church, the Sacraments, a new set of resolutions — any or all of these will the heart embrace as a means to holiness or acceptance, rather than God's way." Again, speaking of a conversation with a professed Liberal in theology at Geneva, he says : " My chief point was to prove the death of Christ not merely a demonstration of God's willingness to pardon, on repentance and obedience, but an actual substitution of suffering ; and that salvation is a thing finished for those who believe, not a commencement of a state in which salvation may be gained ; insist- ing especially on Hebrews x. 14. . . . I admit that want of assurance is the mark of very low attainments in sfrace." And at a still later date he writes : " I quite agree with you about the Calvinistic doc- trines. I think we ought to preach them in the proportion in which they are found in Scripture, connected always with election unto holiness." These positions were very soon to be abandoned forever. As we pursue his history, we find him explicitly renouncing these views, and taking up a position of stern antagonism to the " Evangelicals," 14 ESSAYS FOR THE TIMES. wliich at times was distinguished by an intense bitterness and aversion that must be regretted as a weakness, partly resulting from his sensitive ner- vous organization. During the later j'-ears of liis stay at Cheltenham he began seriously to doubt the soundness of the views he had hitherto entertained. These doubts gradually grew upon him until his soul was steeped in perplexit}' and the creed of his youth seemed to drift from his grasp, like a wreck swept before the relentless waves of fate. In the latter part of 1846, on account of the failure of his health, he went again to the continent, where he remained for some months, preaching occasionally at Heidelberg, and deeply pondering the questions which now perplexed his soul with an agony of bewildering thought. Writing to a friend, he says : " For instance, suppose a man puts the question, ' Who was Christ ? V''^at are miracles ^ What do you mean by inspiration ? Is the resurrection a fact or a mj'th ? What saves a man, his own character, or that of another ;' Is the next life individual con- sciousness, or continuation of the consciousness of the universe ^ To these and twent}' other opinions which I could put, Krause would return one answer, Neander another, and Dr. Chalmers another." The wildness and grandeur of the scenery by which he was surrounded and the opportunity for solitary musing, afforded by relief from active duty and separation from friend.s, doubtless intensified the emotions which his inquiries awakened. Never, IIOREHTSON OF BRirJII TON'. ]o perhaps, were the striigi^les and doubts of a soul (Irit'tiii!:^ away from the once sacred way- marks of life more vividly described than in a lecture after- ward delivered in Brighton, in which he evidently portrays his own experience. Such words could onlv coiiie from a soul that had felt the bewilder- ing agony of doubt which they so vividly portray : " It is an awful moment wdien the soul begins to find that the pri;ps on which it has blindly rested so long are, many of them, rotten, and begins to suspect tbem all ; when he begins to feel the nothingness of many of the traditionary o])inions wliich have been received with implicit confidence, and in that horrible insecurity begins also to doubt whether there be any- thinir to believe at all. It is an awful hour — let him who has passed througli it say how awful — when this life has lost its meanincr and seems shrivelled into a span ; when the grave appears to be the end of all, human goodness nothing but a name, and the sky above this universe a dead expanse, black with the void from which God himself has disappeared ! In that fearful loneliness of spirit, when those who should have been his friends and counsellors only frown upon his misgivings and profanely bid him stiHe doubts which, for aught he knows, may arise from the fountain of truth itself ; to extinguish, as a glare from hell, that which, for aught he knows, may be light from heaven ; and everything seems wrapped in hideous uncertainty — I know but one way in wdiich a man may come forth from his agony scathless : it is by holding fast to those things that are certain still, the grand, simple landmarks of morality. In the darkest hour throuirh which a human soul can pass, whatever else is doubtful, this at least is certain. If there be no God and no future 16 ESSAYS FUR THE TIMES. sttaie, yet even then it is better to be generous tlian selfish, better to be chaste tlian licentious, better to be true than false, better to l)e brave than to be a coward." Durinelieving that " it has been given us to know our base from our noble hours ; to distinguish between the voice which is from above and that which speaks from below out of the aby.ss of our animal and selfish nature," like a strong swimmer wdio has confidence in his strength he cas* himself boldly into the tide of life, and parted forever from the position he once occupied. The honored term " Protestant," that had been the watchword of the Church in many a grave crisis, henceforth he strangely regards as designating only the Calvinistic Evangelism which excited his strong aversion; and hence he often charges "Prot- estantism " with views that the great majority of Protestants would indignantly repudiate. Of the existence of a consistent system of theology, based on juster views of human freedom and responsi- bility and nobler conceptions of the breadth and full- ness of divine benevolence revealed in Christ, as held MOBERTSON OF lUlKJHTON. 17 s than tter to l)e a deeply ne re- h tlum e coin- lets he feeling ' toler- iriguish volved. )w our etween I speaks selfish ence in ide of once at had grave iiating ,ed his Prot- 'itv of jology, ^ponsi- d fuU- ,s held bv a lar^e section of the Protestant Churcli, he seems to have known nothin*''. As we follow him from tliis great turning point in his mental history, we are sometimes saddened at seeing him so impulsively and fiercely assume })Osi- tions that we cannot but regard as uii .enable and unsafe ; yet he continues to tlie last distinguished by high-souled manliness, profound human sympathy and unswerving fidelity to his convictions of truth. l^eforc returning from the continent he surren- dered the curacy of Christ's Church, Cheltenham, which he had held for nearly five years. After remaining for a few months without a pastoral clmrge, he was appointed by the Bishop of Oxford to the curacy of St. Ebbs, Oxford. Here the elo- ((uence and independence of his preaching were begiiming to atti'act attention, when, with the consent of the Bishop, he accepted the perpetual curacy of Trinity Chapel, Brighton, which continued to be the scene of his labors till his death in 1853. The year previous to his coming to Brighton was, as we have seen, the transition period in his theo- logical views, and as he came with a fixed purpose to speak out his sentiments fearlessly, he soon awakened profound attention : like all earnest and independent preachers, securing both opposition and admiration. Many who had previously gone to no place of worship were charmed by the fresh- ness and vigor of his sermons, and thronfjed his church. Thoughtful and inquiring minds for whom he had cast light upon some of the perplexing 18 ESSAYS l\)\{ THE TIMES. problems of theolo<,'y, or at least had put a con- struction upon them that made them less objection- able, hung upon his woi'ds with deep and admirinj^ interest. His friends claim for him that he was the means of brinf^ing many Unitarians, and even Roman Catholics, into the Church. But there is certainly ground to question whether this result was not attained rather by going a long way to meet them, tha)i by In-inging them to receive the historic doc- trines of the Church of England. He displayed a deep interest in the social and mental improvement of the working classes ; organ- izing an institute and library for their benefit, delivering lectures on social and literary topics, and courageously op})Osing the introduction of infidel books into the library. He was so much the soul of this movement that the institute did not survive him. Though education and natural tastes prompted him to side with the aristocracy, his liberal principles and broad human sympathies led him always to identify himself with the people, and to defend the rights and dignity of manhood. This sympathy was so deep in tone and warm in expression, that in some (quarters he was charged with being in league with the Socialists and Chartists, whose errors he so fear- lessly and wisely combated. During the whole period of these Brighton labors, which encircle his name with such brilliant renown, though no longer the subject of such severe mental conflicts as those that harassed his soul at Chelten- ham, his life was overshadowed by a morbiy liis independence from syinpatliy, opposed and misunder- stood hy furmtu- frieiuls, a pioneer m intricate and thorny patlis, witliout human i,aii