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C( 2z5?
SACRED HISTORY
AS A BRANCH OF
ELEMENTARY EDUCATION.
PART I.
ITS INFLUENCE ON THE INTELLECT.
PUBLISHED BY THOMAS SCOTT,
MOUNT PLEASANT, RAMSGATE.
Price, Sixpence.
�I
�SACRED HISTORY
AS A BRANCH OF
ELEMENTARY EDUCATION.
UGHT the teaching of Sacred History, in its tra
ditional and biblical form, to be approved of or
maintained in the primary schools of a free and pro
gressive people 1
Such is the question which I propose to discuss.
Thus stated, it does not address itself exclusively to
any one nation, nor to any one Church. It is not a
criticism of one denomination, nor of one school-system
more than of another. It has no special reference to
the religious instruction of Catholics or Protestants as
such. Important and interesting for all sects and
parties alike, it is addressed alike to all, and the dis
cussion of it ought to be entirely free from party spirit
and sectarian prejudice.
To avoid misunderstanding, it may be well, here, at
the outset, clearly to define and to circumscribe the
subject proposed for consideration. The position which
I am to maintain would be utterly absurd, if it were
extended beyond the limits which are assigned to it by
the very title of this essay. There is no question, there
can be no question here, of any but the popular Sacred
History,—of Biblical History as it is commonly taught
O
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Sacred History :
in schools, and as we have all learned it in onr child
hood. I declare formally that I am not to treat of the
Bible, nor of Biblical History, as viewed in relation to
the science of Religion, as studied in our universities,
in our theological halls, and generally in the higher
walks of learning, by the light of comparative philology,,
of archaeology, and of all the other sciences which are
now made subservient to the science of history.
I most expressly restrict my subject to the now pre
vailing popular primary teaching of Biblical History;
and I shall accordingly take for reference, not this or
that learned work of historical, critical, or exegetical
interpretation of the Bible, but only the authorized
translation of it, which every one possesses, and which
is used in our schools.
It will be seen that this question, though bearing
closely upon the highest theological doctrines, presents
itself here in a totally different relation; for it turns, in
the first place and chiefly, upon a practical problem of
popular education. The discussion of such a question,
however various may be the opinions held regarding it,
ought to be cordially welcomed by every man in a free
country such as this, where true progress is universally
desired.
It is not difficult to discern and to state the principles
by which we ought to be guided in this discussion; and
there can scarcely be any dispute about these principles
when stated. All must agree that education, in every
stage from the lowest to the highest, ought to have a
twofold purpose—the culture of the intelligence, and that
of the moral conscience. Such ought especially to be
the design and the aim of the primary education which
addresses itself to the children of the people, among
whom, in the majority of cases, it is not likely to be
followed up by any other regular instruction. Before
these children, who can scarcely be expected to have
afterwards either the time or the means for completing
�Its Influence on the Intellect.
7
or correcting the ideas which have once been inculcated
on their minds, a teacher ought to say nothing, do
nothing, inculcate nothing, which may not have a good
effect npon the intellect or upon the heart,—nothing
but what may contribute to teach them either to think
aright or to act aright. To make men:-—\his is the
glorious task of the teacher in modern society. To
make men, is to develop, in the youths committed to
his care, enlightened intellects and upright consciences.
It is from this twofold point of view that we propose
to consider the study of Sacred History; it is by its
effects upon our two essential faculties, the intellect and
the conscience, that we propose to judge it.
I. The
influence of
Sacred History
upon the
DEVELOPMENT OF THE INTELLECT.
Let us put ourselves in the position of a child who
is being taught sacred history, and endeavour to
realize and explain to ourselves the ideas of Humanity,
of Nature, and of God, which will thus be conveyed
to the mind of the child, in these three great depart
ments which complete the cycle of human thought.
Let us see, first, how the modern idea of humanity
will harmonize with that of a sacred history.
What is the meaning of this expression, sacred
history ? Wherefore sacred 2 In what respect is it
more sacred than other histories ? Is it that it will
present to us the ideal of sanctity or holiness in action?
Is it a history of the purest, the best, the most virtuous
men ? This title of sacred history would be intelligi
ble, if applied to a book which should present to our
view a gallery of portraits worthy to serve as models
to humanity, a series of biographies, such as those of
Joseph and of Moses among the Hebrews, of Aristides,
and of Socrates among the Greeks, of Cakyamouni in
Hindostan, of the great Roman Stoics, of the Christian
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Sacred History:
martyrs and missionaries, of a Spinoza, of a Luther, of
a Vincent de Paul, of all those in short who have lived
and died for the defence of their faith, their reason,
their conscience, their earnest convictions. We might
thus have an admirable collection of the benefactors of
the human race, of men devoted to their duty, taken
impartially from all periods, from all peoples, and from
all creeds. But these exalted and noble lessons are
not what men call sacred history. This history is thus
named, not on account of the holiness of the precepts,
or of the examples which it contains, but because it is
the history of a people who were not, like others, left
to their own resources, of a people who received, from
God himself, revelations, promises, supernatural lights,
who were, in a word, the “people of God.”
What idea is the child to derive from this title
alone ?
His first impression, if left to himself, will be that
God, like men, has His favourites, His proteges; that,
by an entirely unmerited choice, He honoured with a
special affection and care one nation to the exclusion of
all others. The child, with his simple, direct, and
wholesome logic, will say exactly what Calvin said.
“ Certainly,” wrote the great Reformer in his energetic
freedom, “ in that God of old adopted the seed of
Abraham, He has given a sufficiently clear proof that
He did not love the whole human race equally.
Having rejected all other nations, He loved one
alone.
He restricted His special love to a small
number, whom He was pleased to choose from among
the rest.” It is well known that, up to our own time,
this theory has been frankly accepted by the theologians
called orthodox. In these days, however, when it is
clearly becoming impossible to maintain such a theory,
a peculiar explanation has been adopted. The doctrine
of absolute predestination, which Calvin consistently
made the chief corner stone of the orthodox system, is
now rejected by many theologians as incompatible with
�Its Influence on the Intellect.
9
morality: and it is said that all nations and all men
have an equal share in the love of God,—that the
■provisional and exceptional election of the Jews is not
a privilege,—that Israel is chosen only as an instru
ment, not for himself, but for the benefit of the whole
human race,—as a monitor whom God employs for the
general instruction of all His children. Supposing this
latter interpretation to be the true one, it would in
some degree be a reply to the moral objection of the
Divine partiality, which we shall repeatedly find again;
but it does not at all remove the historical objection,
which is that the sacred history causes the child to
conceive a thoroughly false idea of humanity, by the
very fact that it teaches him to divide human history
into two parts, the one sacred, the other profane ; the
one, in which God speaks, acts, and shows Himself
directly or personally on every page; and the other,
in which He does not thus interfere, and in which He
acts only by the operation of natural laws.
Until recently, it was considered orthodox to see in
ancient history, the reign of God in Israel, and the
reign of the devil everywhere else; but it is now more
generally thought correct to recognise a negative pre
paration among the Gentiles, as well as a positive pre
paration in Israel. It is thus assumed that there have
been two distinct kinds of divine revelation, all the
other nations having been enlightened only by the dim
and indirect rays of natural light; while the Jews, on
the contrary, were alone privileged to be in constant
and immediate communication with God himself. See
how much is implied in the mere expression—sacred
history.
I do not at present inquire whether this notion can
be reconciled with that of divine equity; but I ask
whether it can be for a moment maintained in the face
of history. History now enables us to say with full
assurance, that humanity is one, in all the diversity of
its families; and that God, who is also One, has
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Sacred History :
spoken to man always and everywhere by the same
means, and in the same forms. He is the Father of
all men and of all nations, and has not shown himself
to some, nor concealed himself from others, any more
three thousand years ago than to-day.
The Jews, indeed, affirm that they received, from
God himself, revelations of an entirely special and
supernatural kind, which are recorded in the Bible.
But the Brahmins, the Budhists, the Parsees, and I
may say all the nations of the east, are no less positive
in affirming the same pretension. There is not a single
nation of Asia, ancient or modern, which has not its
Bible, or which does not declare that it is the holy
people—the chosen people of God; not one which, in
support of this exceptional “ calling and election,” does
not appeal to miracles, to numerous interventions of
the Deity, to the testimony of thousands of their best
men, and finally to books divinely inspired.
When among so many Bibles, among so many Words
of God, you take that of the Jews as absolutely true,
and declare those of all other nations absolutely false,
can you say, in all sincerity, that you have investi
gated, with equal attention, patience, and seriousness,
the claims of all these nations to this pretended revela
tion—to this pretended office of “ special instrument ”
of the Deity? Especially with reference to primary
instruction, is it not manifest that neither the pupils
nor the teachers are in a position to make this com
parison between the Hebrew Bible, the Veda of India,
the Avesta of Persia, the Koran of the Arabs, and the
other sacred books of the East ? They are virtually
forced to regard the Bible as an isolated monument,
without even dreaming of the possibility of tracing the
connection between the sacred codes of the various
ancient religions. The children do not know, and,
according to the present system, nine-tenths of them
will never know, that there are as many sacred histories,
and as many chosen peoples, and as many divine revela-
�Its Influence on the Intellect.
11
tions, as there have been, nations in the east, and almost
in all antiquity. By far the greater number, thanks to
this early instruction, will probably remain, all through
life, ignorant or misinformed regarding the fundamen
tal idea of human history—the natural progressive
development of all the human races, a development
which each of them attributes in the first place to a
miraculous revelation, but which the comparative his
tory of civilizations shows to be governed by law's
common to all, according to a general plan of divine
providence.
But how can the immense religious superiority of
the Jews, over all other ancient nations, be explained
on historical and natural grounds ?
In the first place, this superiority is neither so
decided nor so manifest, except to minds which are
unacquainted with the study of the ancient civiliza
tions. It is quite superfluous to say that, if we select
the most beautiful of the Psalms, or the purest and most
admirable pages of the Prophets, to be compared with
some gross form of fetichism, or of primitive idolatry,
if the Jehovah of Isaiah be opposed to the Jupiter of
Lucian, our minds may well be impressed with the
contrast. But take a wider view. Compare the moral
precepts of the Mosaic law with those of Zoroaster, or
of Manu,—the Hebrew poems with those of the Big
Veda; trace and remark the analogies of almost all the
prescriptions relating to manners, to legal defilements,
to ablutions, to the whole system of ritual, among the
Persians for example, and among the Hebrews. It
will then be found that the imaginary abyss of separa
tion has been nearly levelled up; and, instead of an
immense contrast, there will remain only inequalities
of various degrees. The Hebrews will have the advan
tage upon one point, the Persians upon another, and
upon a third the Hindoos, or the Egyptians.
Let us, however, forget for a moment that the mono
theism of Zoroaster is as real, if not as precise, as that
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Sacred History:
of the Hebrews; that the Persians and Parsees, no
less than the Hebrews, have had a horror of any
sensible representation of the Deity; that charity was
recognized and preached in India at an earlier date than
in Judea; that the appreciation and esteem of purity,
of holiness, and of labour, were more ancient, and pro
bably also more complete, among the Persians than
among the Jews ; and that numerous passages can be
quoted from the Vedas, or from the Yatpias, which
would sustain, in moral sublimity, a parallel with the
most admirable pages of the Bible.
Let us forget for a moment all these patent facts,
and many others similar, which might be noted, and let
us suppose that, in religion, the Jews have had, over the
rest of humanity, a clear superiority, equal to that, for
example, which the Greeks have had in the domain of
aesthetics. Would it be absolutely necessary, in order
to explain such a difference, to place that nation out
side of the common conditions of humanity, or to intro
duce for them alone the supernatural into history 1 If
you can explain, without any miracle, the genius of a
Homer, or of a Phidias, as well as that of a Zoroaster,
of a Budha, or of a Confucius, why should the same
explanation not apply to the genius of a Moses or of
an Isaiah ?
Seriously, whether we consult our own common
sense, or whether we examine the past, can we believe
that this same God, who now speaks to all men in the
same language, employed a few centuries ago extra
ordinary means, to make himself known exclusively to
a small Semitic tribe dwelling in Palestine, while, over
all the rest of the globe, the thousands and millions of
human creatures, whom He had there brought into
existence, were left by Him to grope in darkness 1 If
we desire to give to our children our cherished modern
idea of the unity, equality, and fraternity of men of
every race, and of every time, of every colour, and of
every clime, is it wise or right to teach them to behold
�Its Influence on the Intellect.
13
in the past some nations abandoned by God, and others
enlightened by Him, a handful of elect specially sur
rounded with miraculous cares, and all the rest,—that
is to say almost the totality of the human generations,
—deprived by God of these exceptional favours ?
Confining ourselves to this general criticism of the
dualistic character, which sacred history introduces into
the notion of humanity ; let us now see whether it will
give to our children better instruction upon the subject
of nature, and whether it will impart to them a more
correct idea of the physical than of the human world.
I shall not here formally enter upon the question of
the supernatural. Although perfectly convinced, for
my own part, that there have never been, in any time
nor in any place, more miracles than are now to be
seen in our daily life, I respect and would not unneces
sarily offend those persons who still to some extent
believe in the supernatural. Thank God, history
shows us, with sufficient clearness, the progress of
humanity in this question. From age to age, the
supernatural steadily loses ground. At the commence
ment of civilization all is prodigy,—the thunder, the
wind, an eclipse, a comet, the smallest meteor. By
degrees, in proportion as men come to understand a
little better the causes or the nature of such phenomena,
the circle of miracle becomes narrower; until at length,
as among Christians of the present day, men feel them
selves compelled to refer miracles to a remote period of
legendary antiquity, there to wait until another step of
progress be accomplished, which shall cause them to be
entirely renounced. Let us patiently and hopefully
await, from the force of events and the development of
humanity, the final fall of the few, frail, and ruinous
refuges of supernaturalism which still survive. Hu
manity moves, and is now again stirring itself; but
God guides the movement, and, notwithstanding every
obstacle, He will assuredly cause yet another stride on
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Sacred History:
wards to be taken in due time. It is only a question
of time, and it is useless for us to struggle passionately
against it.
But, without pausing to inquire what degree of
belief still generally retains its hold upon the minds
of men, and judging it more useful to regard the matter
from the believers’ point of view, let us seek to ascer
tain what part ought to be assigned to miracles in
education, especially in that of the children of the
people. However much you may believe in miracles,
I would say to a believer, yet you regard them only
as exceptions. You of course acknowledge that in
general the world is guided by invariable, inflexible,
universal laws. Would it not be well to maintain the
same position in the instruction of childhood ? Is it
not necessary to insist infinitely more upon the rule
than upon the exception ? In the first place, thoroughly
impress upon the child that there are laws of nature;
and let his mind, which is so readily inclined to fantasy,
be familiarized with those laws, and accustomed to seek
everywhere and always the physical explanation of
phenomena. After this has been done, it will be soon
enough to teach him, if you think it right to do so,
that in a very small number of extraordinary cases, two
or three thousand years ago, some revocations of or de
partures from those immutable laws have taken place.
If, on the contrary, at the age when his reason is still
so tender, so pliant, and so unsteady, you speak to him
continually of miracles and of prodigies, there must be
great danger of reversing the parts, of making him take
the exception for the rule, and, worst of all, of banish
ing from his mind the idea of seeking for the rule.
It ought to be borne in mind that reflection has to
be learned by the child. His spontaneous conception
of everything is under the figure of a material image ;
and, “as he has not yet any notion of the true condi
tions of knowledge and of certainty, his faith is in
�Its Influence on the Intellect.
J5
proportion to the effect produced upon his imagination,
and not in proportion to the evidence. He believes in
what is marvellous more easily than in what is simple.
The extraordinary is not only most interesting, but
also most convincing to the mind of a child. Miracle
is the thing which he most readily comprehends. It is
sufficient to make a strong impression upon his imagina
tion in order to convince him. The more brilliant the
colours, the more readily will his young genius be
captivated therewith. Nurses know this instinctively,
and hence their incredible stories often remain graven
in the memories of children, while reasonable and
probable narratives make little or no impression.
Phantoms have a much stronger hold than realities
upon the minds of children; ghosts are to them much
more formidable than living men; and fantastic pic
tures make a far stronger impression than the clear and
distinct reality.” These reflections of a great modern
philosopher explain how very difficult it is for a child
to acquire the idea of a Nature governed by regular
laws, and not by miraculous caprice.
Such being the instinctive propensity of a child,
must it not be injurious to the development of his
reason to implant in his mind at first, as the basis of
intelligence, a thick stratum of the marvellous, which
cannot but tend strongly to stifle the faculty of
rational reflection, of which the culture and the growth
are already so difficult and so slow 1 This is precisely
the danger which, in my opinion, is presented by
sacred history. Taking possession, as it does, before
any other history, of the still vacant mind, it widely
diffuses and plants therein a taste for the miraculous,
instead of furnishing an antidote to that taste already
by nature so strong.
Recall to mind the impressions of your childhood,—
your first lessons of sacred history. You will find that
these fall into two great classes, both belonging to the
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Sacred History:
marvellous ; on the one hand legends, and on the other
miracles properly so called.
By legends, I mean narratives which believers them
selves can no longer take in the literal sense, but are
now constrained to regard as allegorical, while attribut
ing to them a symbolism as profound as they may wish.
Bor example, Adam and Eve are placed naked and
innocent, in a delightful garden, at the centre of which
two mysterious trees spread their boughs. Do you
remember their magical peculiarities ? The one is the
tree of life, the other gives the knowledge of good and
evil. All at once a reptile, the serpent (for, do not
forget, Genesis does not say that this serpent was the
devil,—a personage who does not make his appearance
in the Jewish religion until a very much later time;—
it says merely that it was “more subtile than any
of the field,” Gen. iii. 1),—the serpent, then, caused
our first parents to eat the fruit of one of these trees.
It was the tree of knowledge ; and you know that, as
soon as they had eaten that fruit, it had indeed the
effect of making them know what they had till then
been ignorant of. Then, says the Bible :—
Gen. iii. 22-24.—“ The Lord God said, Behold, the man
is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now,
lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life,
and eat, and live for ever; therefore the Lord God sent
him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from
whence he was taken. So he drove out the man; and he
placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and
a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way
of the tree of life.”
Surely it cannot wound the religious feelings of my
readers to enquire simply, whether any of them can
here believe the Bible in the literal sense. Who can
now be found to maintain that there really did exist
two trees of which the magical fruits had these virtues,
the one to make man think, and the other to render
him immortal ? Who ever imagines now that the
�Its Influence on the Intellect.
17
knowledge of good and evil, which we all in some
degree possess, is actually derived, as Genesis says it is,
from a certain fruit eaten by our first parents 1 Who
can believe that God drove man out of Eden, for fear
that he should steal for himself immortality, as he had
already stolen knowledge ?—No one, assuredly. It is
so little believed, that, among modern theologians, it
is now generally thought necessary to apply a fanciful
interpretation to the whole of this primitive legend.
It has also been argued by some that it is impossible
to determine clearly what portion of this picture ought
to be taken literally, and what in a figurative sense.
Perhaps so; but that is precisely the character of a
myth. The phrase magical fruit, as here employed,
may be objected to, because there is no such expression
in the Bible; but then is not this one tree called the
tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and that other
the tree of life ? These words must either signify
nothing, or else they suppose qualities very different
from those of ordinary trees. Doubtless you may
spiritualize all this •, but then, who hinders you from
doing the same with all the analogous myths of the
Vedas and of the Avesta? If you were to give this
story to the children, as you in reality take it your
selves,—as a beautiful myth,—as an ancient and
simple legend, enveloping a great moral truth, it might
then be all right and proper. But was it necessary
that God should intervene to dictate only myths ? If
so, what difference, of any value, can you establish
between the Word of God and mythology1? Among
two neighbouring nations you find the same cosmogonic
allegory under different forms more or less poetic : in
the one case it shall be only an imposture, while in
the other case it is celestial truth ! Is this reasonable?
Without insisting upon a crowd of other myths, to
which the same or similar reflections would apply, let
us come to the miracles properly so called.
May it not be said that the most important function
B
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and aim of instruction ought to be, to make children
early practise the habit of putting to themselves always
these two questions,—WHY ? and HOW ? It is only
thus that they can acquire the knowledge that the things
which they learn from their teachers or from their
books, are truths and realities; and this alone is true
knowledge. It is only thus that they can be educa
tionally inspired with that thirst for the knowledge of
all things real and true, which is the mainspring of
human progress. It is only thus that their reasoning
powers, the highest faculties of their minds, can be
exercised, disciplined, trained, and developed.
But will a history composed of miracles, that is to
say, of things which cannot be explained—of which it
is impossible to know the why and the how ;—will such
a history tend to encourage or to extinguish the scien
tific curiosity of a child ? It has, to all his questions,
a stereotyped reply, which cuts short the spirit of
investigation:— Why.?—Because God willed it. How?
—As God willed it.
It is the peculiar character of the Semitic peoples,
and especially of the Jewish race, to disdain secondary
causes, and to prefer always, overleaping all intermedi
ate steps, to ascend at once to first principles, or to the
great First Cause. The necessary consequence of this is
a general want of relish for the detailed study of facts,
for the scientific observation of nature, for comparative
criticism and analysis. Ask an Arab how the grass
grows, how the stream flows, what produces earth
quakes, famines, or epidemics,-—a thousand similar
questions; and he will reply to you, astonished at your
ignorant curiosity,—Allah is Allah. Is not the reason
and cause of everything a decree of God ? What is the
use of climbing step by step in the series of secondary
causes ? Why not accept the will of God as a univer
sally sufficient explanation ?
This is exactly the effect which sacred history inevi
tably produces upon the intellect of childhood. It
�Its Influence on the Intellect.
J9
accustoms the mind to dispense with the laborious
investigation of the how and the why, causing it to
refer things directly to God without any other explana
tion. Instead of being trained to see God in all those
secondary causes and natural laws, by which He con
stantly manifests himself to us,—instead of being made
to perceive that every pathway of science leads straight
up to the Author of all, the child is led, through the
irregular eross-roads and by-ways of miracle, to seek
God chiefly by imagination, and is hindered from
learning that He is rather to be found by reason on the
one hand, and by conscience on the other.
Suppose that a pupil were to ask the question,—
Why and how could there be a universal deluge 1—■
Instead of having imparted to him a few scientific
notions as to the natural character and physical causes
of the great changes and revolutions of the globe, his
legitimate and wholesome curiosity will be snubbed and
repulsed, and he will be instructed to behold and to
wonder at the act of God, whereby “the fountains of the
great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven
were opened,” (Gen. vii. 11). Will not that child be
very much enlightened ?
When the account of the appearance of the rainbow
after the deluge is the Bible-lesson for the day; this
might be a favourable opportunity for making the chil
dren understand, in opposition to their natural propen
sity for seeing miracles everywhere, that there is
absolutely nothing at all supernatural about the rain
bow, and that it was quite in the nature of things that
a rainbow should be produced at the time, for example,
when the rains of the deluge ceased. But listen to the
explanation of the matter which they will be required
to accept:—
Gen. viii. 13.—“ And it came to pass in the six hundredth
and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month,
the waters were dried up from off the earth.”
Gen. ix. 8-17.—“ And God spake unto Noah, and to his
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sons with him, saying, And I, behold, I establish my cove
nant with you, and with your seed after you; and with
every living creature that is with you: . . . neither shall
there any more be a flood to destroy the earth. And God
said, This is the token of the covenant. ... I do set my bow
in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant be
tween me and the earth : and it shall come to pass, when I
bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in
the cloud; . . . and I will look upon it that I may remem
ber the everlasting covenant between God and every living
creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.”
I do not insist upon the significance of this latter
clause, which, taken in its literal sense, as it must be
taken by children, will represent to them God looking
upon His bow in order that He may remember His
covenant. The myth, which is here put in the place
of natural causes, is of small importance for wellinformed persons, but the truly important consideration
is that it is presented to children as an absolute fact,
and that they are thus taught and accustomed to rest
satisfied with merely chimerical explanations of natural
phenomena.
What must be the influence of a primary education,
which turns thus continually upon an inexhaustible
stock of marvels 1 How can we expect the intellectual
faculties of our children to be awakened, confirmed and
developed, if, to all their questions about the nature of
things, the only reply is this,—God is God, and He is
omnipotent.
Master, the child will say, is it really true that there
have been men who lived more than 900 years ? Is it
really true that one or two men have ascended up to
heaven in a chariot of fire ? That two or three others,
being actually dead, have come to life again ?—What
presumption to ask if these things are true ! How can
you be so wicked as to doubt it ?—They are written in
the Bible.
Master, how can a she-ass speak?—Everything is
possible to God.
�Its Influence on the Intellect.
21
But that cruse of oil which never failed nor was
exhausted, how was that?—God is all-powerful.
And how could Jonah have been able to live three
days and three nights in the belly of a fish?—My
child, if the Bible said that Jonah swallowed the whale,
instead of being swallowed by it, it would still be
necessary to believe it.
It is thus that, while wishing to teach our children
to honour God, and to believe His Word, they are in
reality taught to learn nothing, but to bend their minds
in passive submission to this modern and Protestant
form of the worst feature of Popery,—the Bible says
so, or the Bible does not say so.
I have often heard it said that there is nothing
which children learn more willingly than sacred history.
I can easily believe it ; for, excepting fairy tales, there
is nothing better suited to please their childish minds :
it is so full of prodigies ! But will the recounting of
prodigies convey genuine instruction to the children?
Will they thus be taught to think, to reflect, to observe,
and to search always for truth and reality ? Or will
the influence of such teaching be exactly the reverse ?
You see it is a practical question, demanding the
most serious consideration. The teacher of a primary
school is in the presence of children, by far the greater
number of whom cannot be expected to acquire in after
life any regular knowledge of the natural, physical, or
mathematical sciences. It must certainly be injurious
to make such children believe that one day, at the end
of a battle between two Asiatic tribes, in order to con
fer upon a Jewish captain the signal advantage of
slaughtering a few more fugitives, God actually caused
the sun to halt in its diurnal motion through the sky,
and to stand still for “ about a whole day,” and that
He moreover set to work, (for the Bible says so, and
the children will take it in the most literal sense,)
to “cast dozen great stones from heaven,” (hailstones)
whereby more of the fugitives died than those who
�22
Sacred History:
were slain by the victorious Israelites. (Josh. x. 11-13.)
To confirm the impression of this prodigious miracle as
a literal fact upon their minds, the children will
probably be reminded of another occasion, when,
touched by the prayers and tears of a sick king who
had been told that he was about to die, God relented
so far as to promise him a supplement of fifteen years
of life, and, as a sign that the promise would be ful
filled, “ He brought the shadow ten degrees backward,
by which it had gone down in the dial of Ahaz,” (2
Kings xx. 11); “So the sun returned ten degrees, by
which it was gone down,” (Isaiah xxxviii. 8).
What man of common sense, if he will only give the
matter a serious thought, can ever be persuaded that
this profusion of miracles, bidding defiance to all the
conclusions of human reason, and even to the laws of
mathematics, is a wholesome education for the minds
of children, ignorant, credulous, imaginative, and con
fiding, who will probably never afterwards be in a
position to acquire a scientific notion of the laws of
nature, and to whom therefore and henceforth, it will
seem, as it did to the primitive peoples, quite natural
that a miracle should, at any moment, interfere with
and upset the regular course of nature ?
There are, however, some teachers who, on the con
trary, maintain that nothing is better fitted to form the
intellect and to improve the mind of a child, than the
study of miracles. The miraculous is, according to
them, one of the best means of culture. Such a thesis
can only be maintained by those who do not properly
understand what a miracle is. If a child sets himself
to reflect upon the miracle of Isaiah or of Joshua, how
ever little he may have been taught of the elements of
cosmography, it will immediately occur to him that, if
the Sun (or the Earth) had stood still or gone backwards
in space, there must have thence resulted, in instant
succession, throughout vast systems of worlds, endless
perturbations, huge catastrophes, universal destruction ;
�Its Influence on the Intellect.
23
and, rather than, suppose such impossibilities to serve
no purpose but to favour a petty Jewish king, or to
complete the massacre of a troop of Amorites, a child
who has been truly taught to reflect will think of these
miracles exactly what you think of those of all re
ligions, except your own.
It is impossible to find any mode but one, of recon
ciling the miraculous with good instruction ; and that
is to explain it, or, in other words, to deny it; and
this is what even the believers are now, in some
measure, forced to do. In these days, for example,
even among the orthodox, you will find very few
persons who believe in the plagues of Egypt. It is
not now uncommon to hear even fervent defenders of
miracle explaining, that these plagues arose from natural
causes which occur in Egypt every year but in smaller
proportions; that frogs, lice, locusts, water resembling
blood, etc., are well known there; and that the Bible
narrative only shows us God giving to these facts a
proportion and a fitness, which raised them to the
sphere of the miraculous. Well, be it so ; but having
once entered upon this path, how far are we to go ?
With regard to the passage of the Red sea, the
physical possibility of this famous miracle may be
explained to the children by the action of the tides
combined with violent winds. As to the manna and the
quails it may be said that in winter innumerable flocks
of quails reach the warm countries, and that the manna
appears to have been the savoury fruit of a shrub which
grows abundantly in thedesert of Arabia. Elsewhere, the
teacher may explain to his pupils that the art of discover
ing springs of water, and of rendering the water drink
able, still continues to be a requisite qualification for the
guide of an army or of a tribe in the sands of Arabia, etc.
It is thus that some of our Protestant theologians
are now disposed to treat sacred history, while others,
more conservative, are ready to exclaim,—Take care
what you do, to explain a miracle is to reject it, and
�24
Sacred History:
all the miracles hang together, so that if you reject
one of them, you reject them all.
Very true; and, likewise, if you adopt one of them,
you adopt all the others. Human history is one great
book, of which every page is full of miracles. How
can the supernatural be preserved whole and entire in
a single one of these pages, when it is banished with
out hesitation from all the others? Tf God has
performed miracles among the Jews, why deny that
He may have done the same among the Hindoos and
among the Persians, among the Celts and among the
Germans, as the ancient writings of all these peoples
abundantly affirm that He did ?
Then you had better say at once that, in the name of
science and through hatred of the supernatural, you mean
to deprive us of the whole Bible, Old and New Testaments.
No, this discussion has no tendency whatever to
deprive you of the Bible, but only of the superstition
of the Bible. Even you who profess so absolutely to
revere the Bible as the “Word of God,” do you think
it would be difficult to make you confess that you
reject many passages of it as containing indefensible
errors? Do you believe, for example, that the hare
and the rabbit are ruminants ? It is not merely Moses
however, it is God himself who, according to two
formal texts of the Bible (I speak always of the Bible
which is in every hand), directly affirms that both these
animals chew the cud, (Lev. xi. 4-6; Deut. xiv. 7).
If there be one single error in the Bible, there may
be two, there may he ten, and we thenceforth differ
from one another only about a question of number;
which amounts to saying that no person can any longer
maintain the absolute infallibility of the Bible; and,
if it contains errors, then there is nothing, even from
the believers’ point of view, to hinder us or them from
regarding the supernatural as one of these errors.
Upon the third point, it is often affirmed that sacred
�Its Influence on the Intellect.
25
history abundantly compensates, in precious advan
tages, for all the objections which can otherwise be
brought against it. There are many who admit that
it presents deficiencies and inaccuracies with regard to
the knowledge of humanity and of nature, while main
taining its entire perfection with regard to the know
ledge of God.
I do not forget that Biblical history, suitably treated
from the Christian point of view, often serves admir
ably to impress upon the children these two grand ideas,
—that of the one God, and that of the living God.
Even here, however, is there not some illusion ?
Among the men of three or four thousand years ago,
the notion of God evidently was not, could not be,
that which it has become with the progress of humanity.
In the earliest times of which the vestiges have been
preserved to us in certain books of the Bible, it bore
the stamp of a rude anthropomorphism. But, however
rude it may have been, it is not we who shall forget
that, in its time, anthropomorphism was a progress,
and that it marked the first dawn of religious and
philosophical thought.
We do not at all wonder to see God humanized in
the most ancient pages of this same Bible, in the later
portions of which we shall find the purest and highest
expression of the religious sentiment, precisely because
we know that the Bible is neither an exceptional book,
nor even the work of one single period ; but merely a
collection of Hebrew literature from its first attempts
to its highest development.
In the earliest portions, everything bears the trace
of a primitive social state, everything there has, so
to say, the tone and the aspect of childhood; but by
degrees the images change, the symbols are purified,
and the worship, as well as the literature of the nation,
becomes more elevated and more spiritual. If this
development be taken into account, the differences
which appear between Genesis, for example, and the
�q.6
Sacred History:
poetic writings of the later period, are not greater nor
more surprising than the interval which separates the
Niebelungen from Klopstock and from Goethe, or than
the contrast between the “ legends of the round table ”
and the works of our modern historians. If, on the
contrary, this successive and progressive character be
abstracted from the books of the Bible, then sacred
history becomes a chaotic mixture of sublime and of
rude ideas, and then it must tend, upon many points,
to mislead the mind of a child.
If the Bible is a human book, its anthropomorphism
is not only no reproach, but must even be admired, as
it is admired in the commencements of other ancient
religions. When I read therein, God repents, God is
angry, God forgets, and God remembers, God is glad,
and God is grieved, when I read on every page, God
speaks, or God appears, I easily reduce to their true
value these various symbols, while fully appreciating
their ingenuity or simplicity, and the beauty or the
truth which they may contain. But when you give
these same symbols to a child, as so many supernatural
facts, derived from a book which not only is true, but
which is the very Word of God, then the danger com
mences, and it is necessary to protest against this sub
stitution of ancient Hebrew anthropomorphism for
eternal and pure truth.
God is not only thus humanly personified in the
Bible, but He is therein sometimes materialized to an
extent which is now almost inconceivable to us, who
are accustomed to contemplate Jehovah only through
the light of Gospel times. For example, when Noah
came out of the Ark, he offered a burnt-offering of
many animals to God ; “ and the Lord smelled a sweet
savour
“ and the Lord said in his heart, I will not
again curse the ground any more,” (Gen. viii. 21).
Would the most fervent imitators of the Biblical style
now venture to employ such an expression, even
under the pretext of symbolism ?
�Its Influence on the Intellect.
27
It would be more than wearisome to collect here all
the traces of a similar materialism, all the texts in
which corporeal forms are attributed to God. Think
of the burning bush; think of Sinai, where, from the
midst of cloudsand of thunders, with “the voice of
the trumpet exceeding loud,” God gives, with his own
hand, to Moses, two tables, written, says Exodus,
“with the finger of God,” (xxxi. 18 ; xxxii. 16). Think
especially of the prominence given to this idea,—
majestic, if its poetic symbolism be understood, but
extremely rude if taken literally as given in the Bible:
—no man can see or hear God without instantly
dying: one single people has been able to hear him,
one single man has been able to see him—without
perishing. Would it be easy to explain the following
passages, so that they shall not have, at least for
children, a sense decidedly too material ?
Exod. xix. 18-24.—“And Mount Sinai was altogether
on a smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire:
and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace,
and the whole mount quaked greatly. And when the voice
of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder,
Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice. And the
Lord came down upon Mount Sinai, on the top of the
mount; and the Lord called Moses up to the top of the
mount; and Moses went up. And the Lord said unto
Moses, Go down, charge the people, lest they break
through unto the Lord to gaze, and many of them perish.
And let the priests also, which come near unto the
Lord, sanctify themselves, lest the Lord break forth upon
them........... Thou shalt come up, thou and Aaron with
thee; but let not the priests and the people break
through to come up unto the Lord, lest he break forth
upon them.”
Exod. xx. 18-21.—“And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and
the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they
removed, and stood afar off. And they said unto Moses,
Speak thou with us, and we will hear; but let not God
speak with us lest we die..............And the people stood afar
�Sacred History:
off: and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where
God was."
Deut. v. 24-26.—“Behold, the Lord onr God hath
shewed us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard
his voice out of the midst of the fire: we have seen this
day that God doth talk with man, and he liveth. Now,
therefore, why should we die ? for this great fire will con
sume us : if we hear the voice of the Lord our God any
more, then we shall die. For who is there of all flesh that
hath heard the voice of the living God speaking out of the
midst of the fire, AS WE have, and lived? ”
And, as a commentary upon this scene, as grand
and imposing, as it is possible for an exhibition of
symbols to be, addressed only to the senses through
the imagination, let us see how Moses afterwards sums
it up and estimates its importance:—
Deut. iv. 32-36.—“ Ask now of the days that are past,
which were before thee, since the day that God created
man upon the earth, and ask from the one side of heaven
unto the other, whether there hath been any such thing
as this great thing is, or hath been heard like it. . Did ever
people hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of the
fire, as thou hast heard, and live? .... Out of heaven he
made thee to hear his voice, that he might instruct thee :
and upon earth he shewed thee his great fire; and thou
heardest his words out of the midst of the fire.”
Elsewhere it is not the voice, it is the sight of God
which kills. It is said to have happened, in a small
number of quite exceptional cases, that God has con
sented to let himself be seen, and seen by the eyes of
the flesh. These miracles are accordingly narrated to
us with the greatest solemnity.
One day, the seventy elders of Israel followed Moses
up into “ the Mount of God.” Moses, however, alone
went up to God in the mount, but the elders went up
so far, that, according to the text,—
Exod. xxiv. 10. 11.—“ They saw the God of Israel: and
there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a
sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his
�Its Influence on the Intellect.
29
clearness. And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he
laid not his hand : also they saw God and did eat and drink."
Moses alone,—and it was this which gave him in the
eyes of his people a supernatural character,-—was able
to penetrate into that cloud where resided “ the glory
of God,” and out of which God appeared like a con
suming fire. God himself renders to him this testimony,
that He would speak with him “ mouth to mouth" even
apparently, and not in dark speeches,” (Num. xii. 8.)
This peculiar privilege is repeatedly described —“The
Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as -a man speaketh
unto his friend,” (Exod. xxxiii. 11; Deut. xxxiv. 10,
&c.).
Such declarations as these, and many more such
might be quoted, have a character thoroughly and
undeniably materialistic, if regarded as records of literal
facts, and not as poetic fictions; but even these are
Dot the worst. The material conception or representa
tion of God has been carried to a degree of still more
astounding grossness. Witness that passage which
equals, in primitive rudeness, anything which the most
barbarous nations have written about the nature of
their, gods. Moses had long conversed with God, but
hitherto he had not seen him. He said to God one
day, “ I beseech thee, show me thy glory! ” God did
not reply that his essence being incorporeal cannot be
seen ; but, on the contrary, He consented to pass before
Moses, and to let him hear his voice: but, added He,—
Exod. xxxiii. 20-23.—“ Thou canst not see my face; for
there shall no man see me and five. And the Lord said,
Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon
a rock: and it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth
by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will
cover thee with my hand while I pass by : And I will take
away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts; but my
face shall not be seen.”
Would it not be highly irreverent and even profane
to regard this passage as a literal, and divinely inspired,
�30
Sacred History:
and therefore infallible record of facts ? What would
be said of such a story, if it were found anywhere else
than in “ the Holy Bible I ”
When people and teachers come to see, in all these
pretended miracles of Horeb and of Sinai, only their
true character of tragic and sombre poetry, there will
no longer be any question about the propriety of putting
them into the hands and heads of children, any more
than there is at present about the ‘ Prometheus ’ of
TEschylus, or the 1 Inferno ’ of Dante, or Milton’s
‘ Paradise Lost.’ But, once more, do you not perceive
what an abyss there is between admiring myths as
myths, and accepting them as supernatural facts dic
tated by God himself?
Elsewhere, God is represented as a man obliged to
make personal inquiry as to whether a rumour which
has reached him is correct or not:—
Gen. xviii. 20, 21.—“ And the Lord said, Because the
cry of Sodom and Gomorrha is great, and because their sin
is very grievous; I will go down now, and see whether they
have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is
come unto me; and if not, I will know.”
Again, men began to build a tower, whose top should
reach unto heaven :—
Gen. xi. 5-7.—“ And the Lord came down to see the city
and the tower, which the children of men builded. And
the Lord said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all
one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing
will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to
do. Go to, let us go down, and there confound their
language.”
And it is thus that the famous confusion of languages
is explained !
Surely the specimens which I have quoted, though
the series might easily be largely extended, are amply
sufficient to show, to those who require such proof,
that not everything in the Bible is fitted to convey to
�Its Influence on the Intellect.
31
our children such a pure and spiritual notion of God as
it has been customary to believe. Some one will hasten to reply:—11 But we never
read these passages in the schools, we suppress them,
or we suitably modify them in our lesson-hooks.”—I
am fain to believe that in many cases it is so; but,
whether you teach these things or not, they are never
theless in the Bible, and are there by the same title as
the most admirable passages; so that they suffice to
show to us clearly, in its true aspect, the degree of
civilization and of enlightenment, to which the books
containing them belong.
And then, although you may, in some measure,
suppress such passages as bear too visibly their date
upon them, you do not suppress those innumerable
revelations, apparitions, or manifestations of God, of
which the Bible is full, and you cannot deny that they
all (excepting perhaps some of the prophecies which,
moreover, do not come under the denomination of
sacred history) address themselves to the senses through
the imagination.
From one end of the Bible to the other, God speaks
to patriarchs, to judges, to kings, to warriors, to priests.
Is it by the voice of conscience 1 No, it is by a vision,
a “ sign,” by a miracle, by a dream. When He
speaks to all his people, it is by blessings or cursings
of a temporal kind. It is not from within, it is from
without that He governs : it is not by love, it is by fear.
Ah ! my readers, is there not still a necessity, even
after so many centuries of Christianity, for a fresh and
vigorous effort to extirpate that superstitious instinct,
which even now makes so many people tremble at the
noise of thunder and at the flash of lightning, as if God
were then either more present or more to be feared
than when the sun shines clearly in a serene sky ?
Must we still continue to propagate, in our families or
in our schools, that false idea which is the very soul of
the primitive history of every nation, and of the- Jews
�32
Sacred History:
as of the others :—if you suffer, God is punishing you :
if you prosper, God is blessing you: if an epidemic, a
famine, or an earthquake ravages a country, God is
angry : if the harvest is double, God is favourable : you
have been victorious, then the Eternal has fought upon
your side : vanquished, it is because He has abandoned
you 1
One of the masterpieces of Semitic literature, which
has been and must ever be in all ages admired,—the
poem of Job,—presents to us the first recorded protest
of the human conscience against this idea. Job is struck
with plagues and afflictions, and his friends thence infer,
according to the custom, that God is thus punishing
him for his sin. But Job replies with indignant
eloquence—“ No, I am not guilty. No, my suffering
is not an expiation.”
Job xiii. 15-18.—“ Though he slay me, yet will I trust
in him ; but I will maintain (in the margin, prove or argue)
mine own ways before him. He also shall be my salvation ;
for an hypocrite shall not come before him..............Behold
now, I have ordered my cause: I know that I shall be jus
tified.” (Read also ch. xxxi. &c.).
Every one knows that, at the end of the poem, God
declares to the three friends that they have been wrong,
and that Job’s view of the matter is correct :—
Job xlii. 7.—“For ye have not spoken of me the thing
that is right, as my servant Job bath.''''
This is manifestly the chief signification and purport
of the book ■, and it is to this that the attention of our
children ought chiefly to be directed, if we would have
them to understand what they read; instead of insisting
precisely upon the one circumstance which weakens the
lesson, by shewing them that, in the end, God restores
to Job all his possessions, and by thus teaching them,
here also, to regard material prosperity as a criterium of
the divine favour.
�Its Influence on the Intellect.
33
Plato, wishing to make us understand how entirely
the moral life is independent of external conditions,
shows to us the just man overwhelmed with sufferings,
with contempt, with calumnies, and with afflictions of
every kind; in the midst of which, and even upon the
cross where he dies, we are taught to recognize in him
the just man, the teacher of truth, the friend of God,
the pattern for our imitation, and, at the same time,
the most truly happy of men ! Would not this sublime
lesson be worth more than hundreds of Biblical miracles
for teaching our children to realize that they are more
or less near to God, not in proportion to the success of
their enterprises, not according to external indications
of prosperity or adversity, popularity or contempt, but
according to the internal testimony of their own con
science, according to their degree of obedience to duty ?
It would be absurd to look for this profound intelli
gence of the spiritual sense of religion, in a nation or
tribe at the commencement of its social development.
But it is none the less absurd that, three or four thou
sand years afterwards, it should still be imagined that
we have only to reproduce, without any change, the
first lispings of human thought, and to regard this
reproduction as an infallible revelation.
Where the notion of the Bather Almighty, revealing
himself to the reason and to the conscience, has not yet
acquired all its fulness, we need not wonder to find
that the relations between God and man are often pre
sented in a very imperfect fashion.
Take, for example, prayer or blessing, as it appears
in the first books of the Old Testament, and try to
discover in these a spiritual and moral character. You
will not find it any more than you will find there the
God who is purely spirit and purely love.
Prayer* is there, as among all the peoples of that
period, a mystic spell, a sort of magic power, a cabal* And Imprecation. See the history of Balaam, Num. xxiii.
25, 26.
�^4
Sacred History:
istic formula. Let us look at a single specimen. It is
at the crisis of a battle : Moses has not taken part in
the fight, but has withdrawn to an adjoining hill, armed
with his rod, and there he intercedes for his people.
Exod. xvii. 11-14.—“And it came to pass, when Moses
held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let
down his hand Amalek prevailed. But Moses’ hands were
heavy ; and they took a stone and put it under him, and he
sat thereon : and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the
one on the one side, and the other on the other side : and
his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.
And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the
edge of the sword. And the Lord said unto Moses, Write
this for a memorial in a book.”
Here again I would be the first to recognise a beauti
ful poetic image, if the story is to be understood in
the same manner as the analogous stories, which we
may read in the Vedas, or elsewhere. But those who
desire to make us and our children believe that the
thing has actually taken place, ought to see that, if
such virtue must be literally attributed to this
mechanical prayer of Moses, they have no longer any
right to ridicule the prayer-mills of the Budhists, or
the rosaries of the Roman Catholics.
But, it is said by some, this is a type, an emblem, an
allegory, which we must “interpret spiritually.”
Be it so, but who hinders you from interpreting
spiritually all the similar imagery, which abounds in
the other religious and mythological books of antiquity?
If you have so much indulgence for the rudest allegories
of Hebrew legend, whence comes your severity or con
tempt for the most beautiful and symbolical stories of
Greek, Hindoo, or Scandinavian legend ? God speaks,
God appears in person, God dictates a book ! and that
book contains pages which, in order to be accepted by
reason, require to be “ spiritualized,” neither more nor
less than those of Hesiod, of the Vedas, or of the
Eddas!
�Its Influence on the Intellect.
35
The truth, is that, among all primitive peoples,
prayer, blessing, and cursing have a peculiar virtue, a
mysterious influence, a magic power. Of this the
history of Isaac is one of the clearest examples.
The old man, wishing and intending to bless Esau,
is the dupe of a coarse imposition; and the words
which, in his thought, he addresses to Esau, fall,
unknown to him, upon the ears of Jacob. When
Esau returns from his hunting, to which he had been
sent by his father himself, Isaac, astonished and
trembling, says to him :—
Gen. xxvii. 33-37.—“ Thy brother came with subtilty,
and hath taken away thy blessing........... I have blessed
him, yea, and he shall be blessed............ I have made him
thy lord, and all his brethren have I given to him for
servants; and with corn and wine have I sustained him:
and what shall I do now unto thee, my son ? ”
Can it be denied in presence of words so clear, that,
for the Isaac of Genesis, the blessing was a kind of
talisman or spell, an enchanted formula, consisting in
the words, not in the thought, and having a virtue
equally independent of the intention of him who gave
it, and of the merit of him who received it 1 A stolen
blessing was not on that account the less valid I
How can all this be explained to children 1
But an explanation is not withheld, we have often
heard and read it, as follows :—Isaac knew very well
that, before the birth of the twin brothers, God had
said to Rebecca, “ the elder shall serve the younger.”
Moreover, when the blessing had been given to Jacob,
Isaac felt that it was, notwithstanding the imposture
of his son, an accomplished fact, which he did not feel
himself at liberty to undo, and which had acquired, by
its very accomplishment, a providential character.
The whole was the result of a divine decree, and this
was perceived by the conscience of Isaac at the very
moment when the act of blessing was consummated.
�36
Sacred History:
We frankly confess that, in morality no less than in
good sense, this incredible theory, of an accomplished
fact which acquires by its very accomplishment a provi
dential character, appears to us even more deficient, if
that be possible, than the explanation of the biblical
Isaac. “ Thy brother hath come with subtilty, and hath
taken away thy blessing, I have blessed him, yea, and he
shall be blessed.”
Samson is again another example, among a thousand,
of these false and rude ideas, regarding the relations
between God and man. Here it is neither a prayer
nor a blessing, but a vow, in virtue of which the hair
of Samson’s head (orthodox theologians believe it
still), was the thing, the charm, or the talisman,
wherein his supernatural strength lay !
Samson keeps company with a woman of loose
character, (Judges xvi.); but that does not in the
smallest degree deprive him of the divine favour
attached to his hair. His head being cropped, he
loses the distinctive blessing of God; but his hair
grows again, and with it comes back the divine bless
ing. It is impossible to see anything else in the text,
unless it be put there by force; for, immediately
before narrating the last exploit of Samson, the Bible
explains to us how he has regained his strength by
telling us :—
Judges xvi. 22.—“ Howbeit the hair of his head began
to grow again after he was shaven.”
What is the profound religious idea which we may
hope, without sophistry, to derive from this lesson, for
the improvement of the minds or the hearts of our
children ? Explain it as you may, Samson will always
be for them only the Jewish Hercules ; and, I confess
it, I greatly prefer for their instruction the Hercules of
the Greeks. The latter, at least, will not now teach
them to think that God—the true God, the God whom
they themselves ought to worship—has actually figured
�Its Influence on the Intellect.
y]
in scenes and anecdotes, which, like those about Samson,
are trifling, superstitious, and absurd.
In conclusion :—To excite, to over-excite, in children
the taste for the extraordinary, to make them seek God,
not where He is ever to he found, not in the laws of
the physical or moral world, not in the eternal har
mony of the stars, not in the marvellous organisation
of the flower or of the insect, not in the sublime spec
tacle of unity and design presented by the Universe,
but in all sorts of disorders and capricious interferences
which, if they had taken place, would have proved
nothing but the divine instability, improvidence, and
weakness ; thus greatly to exaggerate and to confirm,
instead of counteracting, in their young minds, their
naturally fantastic and chimerical notions of things,
their ignorance of causes, their disregard of rule, fear
instead of thought, credulity instead of knowledge ;
and then to seal the whole with this disastrous idea,
that, if they have the misfortune to contest the absolute
truth of even the most absurd narratives, doctrines, or
miracles attested by a pretended Word of God, they are
guilty of blasphemous sacrilege, and doomed therefore
to eternal damnation, unless they repent and learn at
least to say, that the whole book is a divine revelation
of truth:—behold and consider the kind of influence
which the teaching of sacred history always inevitably
exerts, only in greater or less degree according to the
absence or presence of various antidotes, upon the cul
ture of our children’s intelligence, and upon the forma
tion of their ideas of humanity, of nature, and of God.
Ere long we will publish the second and the more
important division of the subject; and therein we will
strive to show how this kind of teaching acts upon the
conscience, and upon the moral direction of life.
�
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A collection of digitised nineteenth-century pamphlets from Conway Hall Library & Archives. This includes the Conway Tracts, Moncure Conway's personal pamphlet library; the Morris Tracts, donated to the library by Miss Morris in 1904; the National Secular Society's pamphlet library and others. The Conway Tracts were bound with additional ephemera, such as lecture programmes and handwritten notes.<br /><br />Please note that these digitised pamphlets have been edited to maximise the accuracy of the OCR, ensuring they are text searchable. If you would like to view un-edited, full-colour versions of any of our pamphlets, please email librarian@conwayhall.org.uk.<br /><br /><span><img src="http://www.heritagefund.org.uk/sites/default/files/media/attachments/TNLHLF_Colour_Logo_English_RGB_0_0.jpg" width="238" height="91" alt="TNLHLF_Colour_Logo_English_RGB_0_0.jpg" /></span>
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Sacred history as a branch elementary education. Part I. Its influence on the intellect
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Place of publication: Ramsgate
Collation: 37 p. ; 18 cm.
Notes: From the library of Dr Moncure Conway. Date of publication from British Library catalogue.
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Thomas Scott
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[1870]
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CT208
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Education
Bible
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Bible-Criticism
Conway Tracts
Education
Religious Education
-
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Text
JEWISH LITERATURE
AND
MODERN EDUCATION:
OR,
THE USE AND MISUSE OF THE BIBLE IN
THE SCHOOLROOM.
BEING TWO LECTURES DELIVERED BEFORE THE SUNDAY LECTURE
SOCIETY, MARCH 26th AND APRIL 2d 1871.
PUBLISHED FOR THE AUTHOR,
BT
THOMAS SCOTT, RAMSGATE.
Price One Shilling and Sixpence, stitched.
On better paper and bound in cloth, Two Shillings and Sixpence.
�“ These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that
they
.
.
.
searched the Scriptures daily, whether those
things were so.”—Acts xvii. 11.
�PREFACE.
Whether or not the Solution, given in these Lectures,
of the “Religious Difficulty” in our National Education,
be acceptable for practical application, is a question other
than that of the intrinsic soundness of that Solution.
It is to this only that my responsibility extends. The
responsibility of declining to accept a proffered remedy
must rest with those to whom the offer is made.
I had intended to keep these Lectures in manuscript,
and repeat them wherever an audience might be found
desirous of hearing facts stated without respect to aught
but the facts. It is in compliance with very many
and pressing solicitations that I have, by printing them,
withdrawn them from further delivery as Public Lectures.
My hope now is that the readers will not be less nume
rous than the hearers would have been, had I adhered
to my original intention.
The Lectures are printed with the changes made on
their second delivery, in Edinburgh.
I cannot let them
�iv
Preface.
go from me without acknowledging my obligations to
the series of small publications issued periodically by
Mr Thomas Scott of Ramsgate, to whose indefatigable
self-devotion to the cause of “ Free Inquiry and Free
Expression,” the present rapid spread of information,
and consequent movement of thought on religious
matters, especially among the clergy of the Establish
ment,—(a movement far greater than the public is aware
of)—is in no small degree attributable. The tracts
entitled, The Defective Morality of the New Testament, by
Professor F. W. Newman; The Gospel of the Kingdom,
and The Influence of Sacred History on the Intellect and
Conscience,—especially deserve mention for the use I
have made of them.
A few brief passages given as
quotations, but without reference, are for the most part
taken, with more or less exactness, from The Pilgrim and
the Shrine.
E. M.
London, September 1871.
�SYNOPSIS.
LECTURE THE FIRST.
KOri 3TIOS
.11.
J2.
.83.
i4.i 5.
’ .‘< 6.
7.
- , J 8..
: .(9.
INTRODUCTION,
.....
DEFINITION AND FUNCTION OF EDUCATION,
THE SCHOOL BOARDS AND THE “RELIGIOUS DIFFICULTY,”
THE GENESIS AND HABITAT OF THE “DIFFICULTY,”
THE BIBLE AS A MORAL TEACHER,
THE BIBLE AS AN INTELLECTUAL TEACHER,
THE BIBLE “WITHOUT NOTE OR COMMENT,”
THE GOSPELS AND THE CHARACTER OF JESUS,
.
THE “KINGDOM OF HEAVEN,”
1
3
6
11
12
24
27
35
37
LECTURE THE SECOND.
.0110.
ill.
THE NEW TESTAMENT AS A RULE OF LIFE AND FAITH,
.
41
THE “CONTINUITY OF SCRIPTURE,” DOCTRINAL AND
OTHER,
.
.
.
.
.
.48
12. WHY THE BIBLE SHOULD BE TAUGHT IN OUR SCHOOLS, .
57
13. HOW IT SHOULD BE DEALT WITH,
.
.
.65
;14. “notes and comments;” the principle of thf.tr
CONSTRUCTION,
.....
69
115. BIBLICAL INFALLIBILITY,
.
.
.
.74
16. BIBLICAL INSPIRATION,
.
.
.
.78
17. THE BIBLE AND MODERN COMMENTATORS,
.
.
86
>18. THE BIBLE AND MODERN PRACTICE,
.
.
.88
19. THE SCHOOL AND TEACHER OF THE FUTURE, .
.
94
��LECTURE THE FIRST.
------- o-------
I.
Why is it with, us in England, that with all our achieve
ments in Science, Literature, and Art; in Government,
Industry, and Warfare; in Honour, Religion, and Virtue;
with conquests ranging over the whole threefold domain
of Humanity, the Physical, the Intellectual, and the
Moral,—why is it that the moment we attempt to ex
tend the manifold blessings of our civilisation to the
entire mass of our countrymen, we find ourselves at fault
and utterly baffled 1
Long has the condition of myriads among us been
known to be terrible in its degradation. Long have we
acknowledged an earnest desire to raise them out of that
condition. Measure after measure have we devised and
enacted; but none of them, not even the vast Church
establishment of the realm, has proved in any degree
commensurate with the evil. At length our efforts have
culminated in the elaboration and enactment of one
comprehensive scheme; and we have proceeded so far as
to have elected as our representatives to carry it into
effect, those of us whom, for superior intelligence and
energy, we deem best qualified for the task.
Shortlived, however, do our exultant hopes promise to
�2
'Jewish Literature
be. The very agents of our beneficent intentions, the
Schoolboards, in whose hands are borne the germs of our
redemption and future civilisation, are altogether at such
odds within themselves upon some of the leading and
most essential principles, that the scheme threatens
wholly to collapse in disheartening failure, or to become
a perennial source of bitterness and dissension.
Is it not passing strange ? Based though our culture
has for centuries been, upon one and the self-same book,
so far from our having attained any degree of unity
thereby, we are divided and rent into sects and factions
innumerable and irreconcilable, until it would appear as
if the very spirit of that proverbially perverse and stiff
necked people whose sacred literature we have adopted
as the rule of our faith and practice, had passed into
ourselves and become a constituent part of our very
nature.
The greatness of the emergency,—for it is the redemp
tion of our masses from pauperism, ignorance, and bar
barism that is at stake,—not justifies merely, but impe
ratively demands the strenuous collaboration of all who,
having the good of their kind at heart, have made this
question one of special investigation. It is in no spirit
of hasty presumption,—scarcely is it with much hope of
wide acceptance,—at least in the present,—that I have
responded to the invitation to recite here to-day the con
clusions to which my study of the points at issue has
brought me. Rather is it that it will be a relief to my
self to have thrown off the reflections and results which,
in a somewhat varied experience at home and abroad,
have accumulated upon me, and to feel that I have done
this at the time when there is most chance of their being
useful. It is thus that I have prepared my contribution
�and Modern Education.
3
towards the solution of “ the Religious Difficulty ” which
lies “ a lion in the path ” of our National Education and
all our national improvement, showing as- yet not the
smallest symptom of discomposure through any “ Reso
lution ” of Metropolitan or other School-board.
II.
In all emergencies, whether of conduct or of opinion,
where there is doubt and space for deliberation, it is
best to go back to the very beginning of the matter, and
there, in its initial principles, seek the clue which is to
conduct us safely out of our dilemma. It is wonderful
sometimes how readily a skein is disentangled when
once the right end of the thread has been found. Our
friends across the Atlantic, the Americans, were for a long
time disastrously hampered in their attempts at legisla
tion. It is not surprising that it should have been so,
when we consider that the principal object of legislation
is Man, and that the two great sections of the American
community differed altogether in their definition of Man;
the one holding that persons who had dark complexions
and a peculiar kind of rough curly hair, several millions
of whom lived in the country, were not men L and the
other holding that they were just as much entitled to be
treated as human beings as people with light complexions
and smooth hair. At length, after many years of bitter
quarrelling, ending with one of the most fearful inter
necine conflicts ever known, it was agreed to regard all
people as human, and to legislate alike for them with per
fect equality; whereupon the difficulty entirely vanished,
and the course of the nation became smooth and easy.
In like manner our difficulties, in regard to popular
�4
Jewish Literature
instruction, have all arisen through our neglect of a de
finition. We have not defined to ourselves the precise
object of the system of National Education, which, after
generations of anxious endeavour, we have at length
succeeded in obtaining, and which we are now seeking
to bring into operation throughout the length and
breadth of the land.
The first step towards obtaining what we want, ever
is to know what we want; and since in this case we
cannot purchase the article ready-made, but have to
fabricate it for ourselves, it is not sufficient to have a
bare name for it, or a vague apprehension about it, but
we must be conversant with its nature, characteristics,
and uses.
Let us further simplify and enlarge the scope of the
question, and ask what is the object of all the education,
public or private, which we give, or seek to give, to our
children ? What, in short, is the purpose of education 1
Using the term education in its broad sense, and
without reference to technical instruction in special
subjects, we can only answer, that its purpose is to
make children into good and capable men and women by
cultivating their intelligence and their moral sense, or
conscience.
It follows, if we agree to this definition, that we are
bound to reject as worse than useless, any instruction
which is calculated to repress or pervert either of those
faculties from their proper healthy development.
Those who at first hesitate to acquiesce in this defini
tion, in the belief that education should have a more
special object, such as to make good Christians, good
Catholics, good Protestants, good Churchmen, or good
Nonconformists, must on a little reflection perceive that
�and Modern Education.
5
they cannot really mean to rank the intelligence and
moral sense as secondary and subordinate to such ends,
but that they only desire people to be good Christians,
good Churchmen, and so on, because the fact of being so
would, in their view, involve the best culture of the
faculties in question. So that if they believed it did not
involve this end, they would abandon their preference
for such denominations. That is, they would rather
have people to be good men and bad (say) Noncon
formists, than good Nonconformists and bad men.
Agreeing, then, that the object of education is the
development of the intellect and moral sense, we shall,
no doubt, further agree that the best chance of success
fully cultivating those desirable qualities which we
designate virtues, lies in impressing the mind while
young with the most elevated and winning examples of
them, and guarding it from any familiarity with their
opposites ; and that it is because we deem such qualities
to be best, that we regard the Deity as possessing them
in the Infinite, and hold up as a pattern of life the most
perfect example of them in the finite.
Yet, though agreeing both in the object and method
of education when thus plainly put before us, so ingeni
ously perverse and inconsistent are we that we first
refuse to agree upon any common system of instruction
whatever, and then we insist upon neutralising or
vitiating such instruction as we do agree upon, by
mingling it with teaching which is at once repressive of
the Intellect, and injurious to the Moral Sense.
The sole impediment to the success of our efforts, the
rock upon which all our hopes of rescuing the mass of our
countrymen from ignorance and barbarism are in danger
of being dashed, consists in the unreasoning and indis
�6
'Jewish Literature
criminate veneration in which the Bible is popularlyheld among us. Impelled by that veneration, we hesi
tate not to degrade our children’s view of Deity by
familiarising them with a literature in which He is
represented as feeble, treacherous, implacable, and
unjust; and confound at once their Intelligence and
Moral Sense, by compelling them to regard that litera
ture as altogether divine and infallible.
Strange infatuation and inconsistency, if, after toiling
for years to obtain an effective system of national edu
cation, we either abandon the task as hopeless, or insist
upon accompanying it by teaching which involves a fatal
outrage upon the very intellect and conscience which it
is the express purpose of that education to foster and
develop!
III.
Before' considering the action of the School-boards, I
must advert for a moment to the principle of their constitution.
There is this difference between Government by Re
presentation and Government by Delegation. It is the
‘ duty of the mere delegate to vote on any given question
precisely as a majority of his constituents may instruct
him. The deliberative function rests with them. He is
their faithful, but unintelligent instrument. The repre
sentative, on the contrary, is selected on account of his
superior faculties or attainments, to go on behalf of his
constituents to the headquarters of information, and
there, in conference with other selected intellects, form
the best judgment in his power; his constituents deter
mining only the general principles and direction of his
policy.
�and Modern Education.
7
The School-boards which are charged with the deter
mination of our new educational system, having been
selected on this principle of representation, we are
entitled to look to their superior intelligence to sup
plement popular deficiencies ; to be superior to popular
prejudices; to be teachers, and, if need be, rebukers,
rather than followers and flatterers of the less instructed
masses : and it is due to such bodies that we carefully
examine the methods by which they propose to deal with
existing difficulties.
Those difficulties turning exclusively upon Religion,
one great step towards their solution has been gained by
the agreement to exclude from the common schools such
minor subjects of difference as the creeds and catechisms
of particular denominations. The Bible remains, the sole
stumbling-block and rock of offence.
The London Board may be taken as representative
not only of the largest and most intelligent. body of
constituents, but also of all the other School-boards. I
propose, therefore, to deal with the propositions by
which the members of that Board have sought to meet
the “religious difficulty.” They are six in number :
1. That the Bible be excluded altogether, on the
ground that its admission is inconsistent with religious
equality.
2. That the Bible be admitted and read,, but without
note or comment.
3. That the Bible be read for the purpose of religious
culture, at the discretion of the teacher.
4. That the teacher’s discretion in the use of the Bible
be so restricted as to exclude the distinctive doctrines of
any sect.
5. That no principle respecting the use of the Bible
�8
'Jewish Literature
be laid down, but that each separate school be dealt with
by itself.
6. That the Bible be read with such explanations in
matters of language, history, customs, &c., as may be
needed to make its meaning plain; and that there be
given such instruction in its teaching, on the first prin
ciples of morality and religion, as is suitable to the
capacities of children; always excluding denominational
teaching.
The Fifth Resolution, “ that no principle be laid down,”
aptly describes the condition of the question up to that
point. In the absence of a definition of its object, it
was impossible for the Board to lay down any principle
for its guidance. In the absence of any controlling
definition, it could only look back to its constituents to
see what they would bear from it. And looking to the
confused mass of public opinion and prejudice in the
absence of any light of one’s own, is like shutting one’s
eyes to avoid seeing the dark.
Travelling one day by a railway on which there are
several tunnels, I observed that whenever the train
entered a tunnel, a little boy who sat next to me, im
mediately pressed his hands over his eyes, and buried his
face in the cushions. To my inquiry why he did this,
he answered that it was because he was afraid of the
dark. I asked him whether it was not just as dark to
him when his face was buried in the cushions. He said
yes; but he had not thought of that, and he would not
know now what to do. I could not bear to deprive him
of his faith, however unenlightened, without giving him
another. A lamp was burning in the roof of the car
riage, too dim in the broad daylight to have attracted
his attention, yet bright enough to dispel the gloom of
�and Modern Education.
9
the tunnel. I suggested that, instead of covering his
face, he would do better to keep his eyes fixed on the
lamp. The little fellow brightened with joy at the
thought; and during the rest of the journey, the in
stant we entered a tunnel, there he was, no longer fear
ful and burying himself in deeper darkness, but steadfastly
looking to the light that shone above him.
“ Look to the light 1 ” is no bad maxim even for those
who have to determine grave questions for the benefit
of others. We have but to “look to the light” of the
definition we have already agreed upon, and difficulties
fly like darkness before the approaching dawn. Even
the difficulties themselves, like Daphne before the Sun
god, are apt to turn into flowers for our delectation. .
The Sixth Resolution, that proposed by Dr Angus, and
supported by Professor Huxley, is the first that shows
any consciousness that there is a light to which we may
look for encouragement and guidance. “ That instruc
tion should be given in the Bible on the first principles of
morality and religion” According to our definition, Edu
cation consists in the cultivation of the Intelligence and
the Moral Sense. This is the light on which the gaze
must be so steadily fixed, that no conflicting influences
shall be capable of diverting our attention. Interpreted
by it, the Bible itself bears witness to the way in which
it should be used. Here, in full accordance with it, is
one of its utterances, “ God is no respecter of persons;
but in every nation, he that feareth Him and worketh
righteousness, is accepted with Him.” (Acts x. 34-5.)
Acting in this spirit, our School-boards will be no re
specters of authors or books, but in every writing that,
and that only, “ which feareth God and worketh righte
ousness,” shall be accepted by them. Here is another,
�io
J
’ ewish Literature
also on the positive side: “ Whatsoever things are true,
whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just,
whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely,
whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any
virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”
(Phil. iv. 8.) And another seems to define that Scrip
ture or writing, as alone given by a holy inspiration,
which “ is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for cor
rection, for instruction in righteousness.” (2 Tim. iii. 16.)
And on the negative side we have “ Refuse profane and
old wives’ fables;” (1 Tim. iv. 7.) “not giving heed to
Jewish fables.” (Titus i. 14.) “But all uncleanness let
it not be once named among you ;” “ for it is a shame
even to speak of those things which are done of them in
secret.” (Eph. v. 3, 12.) And one more on the posi
tive side. “ Whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of
God.” (1 Cor. x. 31.)
Yet with these plain rules for our guidance, not one
of the resolutions proposes to place any restriction upon
the use of the Bible by the children. One, indeed, pro
poses to exclude it bodily from the schools, the good and
the evil together, but upon grounds in no way connected
with its fitness for the perusal of youth. And even the
resolution finally accepted by the Board, while ambigu
ously proposing “ to give from the Bible such instruction
in the principles of religion and morality as is suitable
to the capacities of children,” ventures on no protest
against the Bible as it now stands being put into the
hands of children at all.
The fact is, that the members have allowed themselves
to be so exclusively guided by the “ winds” of popular
“ doctrine,” that they “ have omitted the weightier mat
ters of the law” of morality, and “ passed over judgment
and the love of God.”
�b
and Modern Education.
11
IV.
The reason is not far to seek. A representative body
would not be representative were any wide interval to
intervene between its own intelligence and attainments
and those of its constituents. The latter can be guided
in their selection only by the light they possess j not by
that which they do not possess. Wherefore, for the
School-board to have passed any more radical Resolution
than that which it did pass, would have been for it to
have made itself, not the representative, but the inde
pendent superior of the body which elected it. The
primary defect, therefore, lies with the people at large.
It is the vast amount of bigoted ignorance and supersti
tion still remaining among us that constitutes the real
obstacle to any sound system of national education. It
is the elders who require to be instructed, before we can
begin to teach the children. It is true that a transition
has begun. But every step of the progress from the old
to the new, from darkness to light, is so vehemently
opposed by the vested interests of the dead past, that
the patience of those who believe in the possibility of
progress may well be exhausted, and their faith quenched
in despair.
To be effectual, therefore, remonstrance must be ad
dressed to the people at large, rather than to their
representatives on the School-boards. The transition of
which I spoke as having already begun, is the transition
from a morality affecting to be based upon theology, to
a religion really based upon morality, and, consequently,
to a sound system of morality. This transition must
attain a far more advanced stage in its progress before
the School-board can even begin to carry out the Re-
I
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solution it has passed. It is absolutely impossible to
“ give from the Bible, instruction in the principles of
morality and religion suitable to children,” until the
popular theory respecting the Bible, and the theology
based upon it, is so vastly modified as to amount to
an almost total renunciation of that theory. The ab
solute and irreconcilable antagonism between what is
called Biblical Theology and the modern principles of
“ Religion and Morality,” cannot be too distinctly
asserted or loudly proclaimed, if we sincerely desire
our children to have an education really consisting in
the development of their intelligence and moral sense.
Valuing the Bible highly as I do, for very much
that is very valuable in it, it is no grateful task to have
to search out and expose the characteristics which
render it an unsuitable basis for the instruction of
children, whether in morality or in religion. Such ex
posure, however, being indispensable to the solution of
the problem of our national education; to shrink from
it would be to abandon that problem as insoluble, that
education as impossible.
V.
Bearing always in mind our definition of the purpose
and method of education, namely the development of
the intelligence and moral sense by the inculcation of
“ the true, the pure, and the honest,”—bearing in mind
also the fundamental fact in human nature, that man’s
view of Deity inevitably reacts upon himself, tending
to form him in the image of his own ideal,—it is selfevident that to familiarise children with the imperfect
morality, the coarse manners and expressions, the rude
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fables, and the degrading ideas of Deity, appertaining to
a people low in culture—such as were the Israelites—
and to confound their minds and consciences at the most
impressible period of life by telling them that such
narratives and representations are all divinely inspired
and infallibly true,—is to utterly stultify ourselves and
the whole of the principles by which we profess to be
actuated in giving them an education at all. Did we
find any others than ourselves, say South Sea savages,
putting into the hands of their children, books containing
coarse and impure stories, detailing the morbid anatomy
of the most execrable vices, extollipg deeds prompted by
a spirit of the lowest selfishness, exulting in fraud,
rapine, and murder, and justifying whatever is most
disgraceful to humanity by representing it as prompted
or approved by their Deity, and so making Him alto
gether such an one as themselves,—surely we should say
that they must indeed be savages of the lowest and most
degraded type, and sad proofs of the utter depravity of
human nature.
In investigating from our present point of view the
contents of this most read, yet most misread, of books,
we must dismiss from our minds any idea that its most
objectionable features are amenable to revision or re
translation. The faults thus removable are but as
freckles upon the skin compared with a constitutional
taint. For it is the spirit as well as the letter of a large
portion of it, that whether “ for reproof, for correction,
or for instruction in righteousness,” is hopelessly in
fault: and the spirit of a book is of infinitely greater
importance than its superficial details.
Palpable to the eyes of all are the hideous tales of Lot
and his daughters; (Gen. xix.) Judah and Tamar;
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(xxxvii.) the massacre of the Shechemites; (xxxiv.)
the Levite of Ephraim; (Jud. xix.) David and Bathsheba;
(2 Sam. ix.) Amnon and his sister ; (xiii.) and whole
chapters in Leviticus and the Prophets. That such
things should be in a book given freely to children to
read, and that they should be expected notwithstanding
to grow up pure and uncontaminated in mind and habit,
is one of those anomalies in the British character which
makes it a hopeless puzzle to the world. Who can say
that much of the viciousness at present prevalent among
us, is not attributable to early curiosity being aroused
and stimulated by the obscenities of the Old Testament ?
To put the Bible as it is into the hands of our children,
is not only totally to bewilder their sense of right and
wrong,—it is to invite familiarity with the idea of the
worst Oriental vices.
Even in the case of those vices being mentioned only
to be denounced, the suggestion is apt to remain, and
the denunciation to be disregarded. It notoriously is
injudicious to put into the minds of children faults of
which they might never have thought themselves, for
the sake of admonishing them against them. It is
related somewhere that a catalogue of offences punish
able by law was once posted in the Roman forum as a
warning to the citizens; but that this was followed by
such a vast increase in the number and variety of the
crimes committed, that it was found advisable to remove
it. I myself know an instance of a pious mother sending
her daughter to a boarding-school, having first written
in her Bible a list of the chapters and passages which she
was not to read. It is remarkable how popular in the
school that particular Bible became. The other girls
were always borrowing it. There is no reason to suppose
that boys would have acted differently.
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It is true that the particular instances I have adduced
may not he immoral as they stand in the Bible, but they
are assuredly provocative of immorality in children who
read them. A far more serious indictment against the
Bible as a handbook of moral instruction must be founded
on its habit of representing the Deity as a consenting
party to some of the worst actions of its characters :
nay, so unreliable is it as a basis of anything what
ever, that after thus characterising the Deity, it deals in
strong denunciations against those “ who not only com
mit such things themselves, but have pleasure in them
that do them
(Rom. i. 32.) thus, by direct implication
condemning the Deity Himself. If it be desirable to
impress upon children the belief that only those “ who
fear God and work righteousness are acceptable to him,”
it is to stultify the whole principle of their education to
represent Him to them as an eastern monarch, selecting
his favourites by caprice, and independently of any merit
or demerit on their part. Yet the entire Bible rests
upon the idea that so far from being an equal Father of
all, “ whose tender mercies are over all His works,”
(Ps. cxlv. 9.) the Almighty selected out of all mankind
one race to be “ His own peculiar people,” (Deut. xiv. 9.)
and out of that race certain individuals to be His own
peculiar favourites, and this in spite of the most glaring
defects in their characters and conduct; and sustained
those whom He had thus chosen through the whole
course of their misdeeds.
Thus, Abraham is said to have had “ faith,” and this
faith is said to have been “ imputed to him for righteous
ness (Rom. iv. 22.) but how far was his actual conduct
righteous, and how much faith did it imply 1 Assured
by repeated promises of the divine favour and protection,
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as well as of a great posterity through his then childless
wife Sarai, he twice voluntarily prostituted her to Pagan
chieftains, pretending that she was only his sister. And
we read that “the Lord plagued,”—not the liar and
poltroon who thus degraded his wife, and entrapped the
kings, whose hospitality he was enjoying;—not the wife
so extraordinarily ready to “ obey her husband in all
things(it appears that her age was about sixty-five on
one occasion, and ninety on the other);—but “ the Lord
plagued Pharaoh and Abimelech with great plagues be
cause of Sarai, Abraham’s wife,” and in the case of the
latter, would only grant forgiveness upon the intercession
of Abraham, saying, “ for he is a prophet.” (Gen. xii. 20.)
Isaac, we read, copied the twice committed fault of his
father, in passing off his wife Rebekah as his sister upon
another king, and was divinely blessed notwithstanding.
In short, in all three transactions, out of the whole of the
parties to them, Abraham, Isaac, Sarai, Rebekah, .the
three kings, and the Deity, those only who indicate the
possession of any moral sense whatever are the Pagan
kings, who show it in no small degree, and these alone
are punished; while Abraham and Isaac retain the divine
favour throughout, the former being honoured by the
distinctive title of “ Friend of God.” (James ii. 23.)
The selfishness and cowardice of Abraham are still
farther illustrated by his treatment of Hagar and Ish
mael. There is no reason to doubt the perfect truthful
ness of the Bible narrative in respect to him. But when
it goes on to represent the Deity as encouraging him in
his cruel and unfatherly conduct to his son, and bid
ding him follow the lead of a frivolous and heartless
wife;—“ In all that Sarai hath said unto thee, hearken
unto her voice(Gen. xxi. 12.) then our m'oral sense is
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offended, and we refuse to identify the God of Abraham
with the God of our own clearer perceptions.
The utter indifference of “ the God of Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob” to any moral law whatever, reaches its climax
in the history of Jacob. A liar and a trickster from
early youth, yet constantly enjoying the presence and
approbation of God, who finds no word or sign of re
proach wherewith to touch his conscience or arouse his
fears,—such is the patriarch whom the Bible sets forth
as one of God’s especial favourites, because, forsooth, he
had “ faith.” In presence of this mystic quality, right
and wrong sink into absolute nothingness; and that
most fatal of all impieties, a total divorce between the
.will of God and the moral law, finds its plea and justi
fication. It is little that I would give for the moral
sensibility of the child who could read without a pang of
indignation and a tear of pity the tale of this ingrained
blackleg’s atrocities ; his taking advantage of his rough,
honest-hearted brother’s extremity of exhaustion through
hunger to extort from him his birthright; (Gen.
xxv.) his heartless deception of his poor, blind old
father; (xxvii.) his repeated cheats, thefts, and false
hoods against his father-in-law; (xxx., &c.) and the
divine confirmation to him of the blessings thus fraudu
lently acquired ; “ yea, and he shall be blessed,” and con
stant assurance of the divine presence and approbation.
It is without a word of repudiation that the Bible ac
quiesces in Jacob’s degradation of the Deity to a huck
stering or bargaining God; a God, too, who can be got
the better of in a business transaction. For, “Jacob
vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me in this
way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and raiment
to put on, so that I come again to my father’s house in
B
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peace; then shall the Lord be my God; and this stone
which I have set for a pillar shall be God’s house; and
of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth
unto thee.” (xxviii. 20, &c.)
When the Israelites reach the Promised Land, their
“ sacred history” consists of little beside perpetual but
cheries. The more directly they are represented as being
under divine guidance, the more sanguinary is their
career. Slaughter of men, women, children, infants at
the breast. None spared, none, except, sometimes—
and mark the exception made by the followers, not of
Mahomet, but of Jehovah—the unmarried girls. Every
sentiment of humanity and mercy is accounted an un
pardonable weakness. Jehovah appears as a savage
patriot-God, approving impurity, treachery, murder, and
whatever else was perpetrated on the side of his “ chosen
people.” A Bushman of South Africa being once asked
to define the difference between good and evil, replied,
“ It is good when I steal another man’s wives; evil when
another man steals mine.” Such is precisely the standard
of right and wrong laid down by the Bible in respect to
the Israelites and their neighbours. Can we wonder that
recent moralists have written to vindicate the Almighty
from the aspersions cast upon his character in the Bible.*
In all the events of the late dreadful war upon the
Continent, probably no single incident caused such a
thrill of horror as that of the wounded German soldier
who staggered from the field of battle into a peasant’s
cottage, and fell fainting upon the bed, and only lived
long enough to tell his comrades how that the woman of
the cottage had taken advantage of his helpless condition
to pick out his eyes with a fork. Possibly the French
* E.g. Theodore Parker in America, and Dr Perfitt in England.
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J9
woman had heard of the blessing pronounced upon Jael
for a similar act. Possibly she had learned from “ Sacred
History” that the most revolting perfidy and cruelty be
come heroic virtues when exercised upon one’s own side.
And were not we Europeans of to-day, with all our faults,
infinitely in advance of those bad times, we too might
find a patriot-poet rivalling the utterances of the
“divinely-inspired” Deborah, to laud the French tigress
as the Jewish one was lauded, detail with rapturous
glee every particular of the fiendish deed, and mock the
wretched victim’s mother watching and longing in vain
for her murdered son’s return.
Nay, the conduct of her whom the Bible pronounces
as “ blessed above women,” was even more flagrant in
its utter heinousness than that of the French woman.
For the husband of Jael had severed himself from the
hostile peoples; “there was peace between Jabin, the
King of Hazor, and the house of Heber, the Keliite
and he dwelt, a friendly neutral, in a region apart. The
general Sisera, moreover, utterly beaten and discomfited,
had fled expressly to Jael’s tent for safety, knowing the
family to be friendly, and she had invited him in with
assurances of protection. “ Turn in, my lord, fear not.”
(Jud. iv.)
While Abraham is described as “ the friend of God,”
to David is awarded the honour of being styled “ a man
after God’s own heart; ” (1 Sam. xiii. 14; Acts xiii. 22.)
“who turned not away from anything that he com
manded him all the days of his life, save only ” in one
particular instance. (1 Kings xv. 5.) In order to see how
little the Bible is fitted for the instruction of children in
respect of a moral sense, let us brush aside for a moment
the halo with which the name of David is surrounded,
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and read his history for ourselves. It is through want
of doing this, that a popular writer has recently described
his life as uniformly “bright and beautiful up to the
time of his one great sin.”* Yet, his career, soon after
the intrepid act which first brought him into notice, was
one of rebellion and brigandage. Collecting all that were
in debt, distress, and discontent, (1 Sam. xxii. 2.) he or
ganised them into bands of freebooters to levy blackmail
upon the farmers. One of these, named Nabal, when
applied to on account of David, boldly and naturally
answered, “ Who is David ? and who is this son of Jesse?
there be many servants now-a-days that break away
every man from his master. Shall I then take my
bread, and my water, and my flesh that I have killed
for my shearers, and give it unto men whom I know not
whence they be ?”
However, Abigail, the wife of Nabal, touched by her
servant’s account of the gallantry of the band, took of
her husband’s stores and gave liberally to them. Upon
this David assured her that, but for her conduct, he
would not have left even a dog of Nahal’s household
alive by next morning. A few days afterwards Nabal
died; the Bible, as if to remove any suspicion of foul
play, stating that “ the Lord smote him;” when David im
mediately took Abigail to be his own wife. (1 Sam. xxv.)
When the great contest took place between the Philis
tines and the Israelites, in which the latter were utterly
routed, and Saul and Jonathan, David’s bosom friend,
were slain, David with his forces stood aloof, unheeding
the peril of his countrymen. (1 Sam. xxx.) The crown
thus devolved upon Ishbosheth the son of Saul, who was
supported by eleven out of the twelve tribes. David,
* Miss Yonge, in “ Musings on the Christian Year.”
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21
however, would not accept their choice, even though the
whole strength of Israel was needed at that critical mo
ment to withstand the Philistines. (2 Sam. ii.) Exciting
a civil war, he got himself acknowledged as king by the
dissentient tribe of Judah. Treachery and murder came
freely to his aid, and he at length found the crown of
Israel in his hands. But he felt his tenure of it insecure
so long as any descendant of Saul remained to dispute it
with him. He therefore concerted with the priests, who,
since Saul had slighted their authority, had sided with
David, a plot to get rid of the seven sons and grandsons
of Saul. The country having been for three years dis
tressed by famine, David consulted the Oracles. In
Bible phraseology, he “ inquired of the Lord.” Of what
kind of a Lord he inquired, may be judged by the re
sponse. “ It is for Saul and his bloody house, because
he slew the Gibeonites ” many years before. Upon this
the Gibeonites, duly instructed, besought of David that,
as an “ atonement,” seven males of Saul’s family should
be 11 hanged up unto the Lord.” And David took the
seven and delivered them into the hands of the Gibe
onites, five of them being sons of his own former wife
Michal, “ and they hanged them in the hill before the
Lord. . . . And after that, God was intreated for the
land.” (2 Sam. xxi. 1-14.) Revolt, treason, murder,
human sacrifices, all in the name of “ the Lord ” !
On one occasion, after defeating the Moabites, David,
we read, assembled all the people of that nation on a
plain, made them lie down, and divided them into three
groups with a line. Two of these groups he put to death,
and the other he reduced to slavery. (2 Sam. viii. 2.) The
conquered Ammonites he treated with even greater fero
city, tearing and hewing some of them in pieces with
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harrows, axes, and saws, and roasting others in brick
kilns. (xii. 31.) His luxury and voluptuousness equalled
his cruelty. Having had seven wives while he ruled
over Judah alone, he added to the number all those who
had belonged to Saul, (8.) and took yet more wives and
concubines after he had come from Hebron, (v. 13.) But
these, and his vast pomp, were insufficient to satiate him.
Having caught sight of Bathsheba, the wife of one of his
captains named Uriah, he took her to himself, and sent
Uriah to join the army in the field, giving express orders
to his commanding officer to place him in the fore front
of the fight to insure his being killed.
It appears that there was then in Israel an honest pro
phet named Nathan, who had the courage to remonstrate
with the king, and who did so with such effect, that
David was made, for once, to see the enormity of his
conduct. We read, however, that the Lord put away
David’s sin, so that he did not die. But his child did.
And no sooner was the innocent thus punished for the
guilty, than “ David comforted Bathsheba his wife, and
she bare a son, and he called his name Solomon; and
the Lord loved him. And he sent by the hand of
Nathan the prophet,” now subsided into the obsequious
court chaplain, “and he called his name Jedidiah,” or
“ Beloved of the Lord.” (2 Sam. xii.)
Old age and infirmity wrought no amendment in the
truculent spirit of David ; a spirit so truculent as to make
it morally impossible that he could really have been the
author of any of those psalms which in after ages it
pleased his countrymen to ascribe to him; excepting
only, perhaps, the more ferocious of them. He has been
called, “ the Byron of the Bible,” which, after what has
just been stated, seems exceedingly unfair to Byron.
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Early in David’s career of blood, one Shimei had, in
generous indignation, cursed him for his murder of the
sons of Saul. (2 Sam. xvi.) He had afterwards begged
forgiveness and received it. (xix. 16-23.) Yet David’s
last instructions to Solomon were in this wise—“ Behold
thou hast with thee Shimei the son of Gera, which cursed
me with a grievous curse in the day when I came to
Mahanaim: but he came down to meet me at Jordan,
and I sware to him by the Lord, saying, I will not put
thee to death with the sword. Now, therefore, hold
him not guiltless . . . but his hoar head bring thou
down to the grave with blood. So David slept with his
fathers.” (1 Kings ii. 8-10, &c.) And Solomon “com
manded Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, which went out and
fell upon Shimei, that he died.” (46.) “ And Solomon
loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of David, his
father.” And “ the Lord appeared to Solomon in a
dream by night; and God said, ask what I shall give
thee. And Solomon said, Thou hast shown unto thy
servant David, my father, great mercy, according as he
walked before thee in truth, and in righteousness, and in
uprightness of heart with thee : and thou hast kept for
him this great kindness, that thou hast given him a son
to sit on his throne. . . . And God said unto him . . .
if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and
my commandments, as thy father David did walk, then
will I lengthen thy days.” (1 Kings iii.)
The mystery of these astounding utterances is not far
to seek. History in those days was the work of the
sacerdotal class. To support and subserve that class was
then, as it has been, for the most part, ever since, to be
pronounced, “ beloved of the Lord,” no matter how evil
the individual really was, or how derogatory to the di
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vine honour it might be to have such a preference ascribed
to it. To have “ faith ” in the priests counterbalanced
and condoned any quantity of wicked “ works.” Their
standard of right and wrong, good and evil, was that of
the Bushman. Whatever was for them was good ; what
ever was against them was evil. It is, then, for us seri
ously to ask ourselves whether, when we set before our
children as a fit object of worship such a being as the
Bible represents the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
of Samuel, David, and Solomon, to have been, we are
ministering towards the end we have in view in giving
to them an education; or whether, in place of raising
them in the scale of being, we are not rather ministering
to the total degradation in them of the human soul.
VI.
1 .
These are but a few of the instances in which the
Bible is antagonistic to one of the main objects of educa
tion, the development of the moral sense. We will now
examine how far its teaching is adapted to promote the
cultivation of the intellect, still confining ourselves to
the Old Testament.
What are the “ glorious gains ” of the modern mind,
of which we are justly proud, and what are the ideas re
specting the constitution of the universe, the recognition
of which we regard as necessary to entitle any one to
the appellation of an intelligent and educated person 1
Surely they are that the order of nature is invariable,
the whole universe being governed by laws so perfectly
appointed as to need no rectification, and fixed so inher
ently in it as to constitute its nature. That, though in
capable of interference from without, inasmuch as there
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25
can be no without, all things proceeding from within
from its divine immanent character,—its parts are en
dowed with a capacity of advancing by a process of con
tinual evolution to a degree ever higher of complexity
and organisation, as within the physical structure rises
the mental, with all its capabilities of moral, intellectual,
and spiritual, in grandeur surpassing the majesty of the
whole external Cosmos. That it is a low and degrading
superstition to regard deity as other than One, ever liv
ing and operating equally and impartially throughout the
whole domain of existence; or as dwelling apart from
the world, and only occasionally giving proof of his being
by disturbance of the general order. And that,—while it
is impossible truly to ascribe to him aught of feeling cor
responding to the love, hate, fear, passion, caprice, appe
tite, or other affection of men,—when for purposes of
instruction or devotion we seek to utilise the anthropo
morphic tendency of our nature, He is to be represented
as the absolute impersonation of all that we recognise as
best in Humanity.
To what depths do we fall when, abandoning these
hard-won gains of the Intellect’s long warfare against
ignorance, barbarism, and superstition, instead of placing
our children upon the vantage ground we have acquired,
and handing to them our lights at the point which we
ourselves have attained, that they may carry them on
yet further, we abuse their understandings at the most
impressible age, by compelling them to regard the
Almighty as no equal God and Father of the whole
human race, but the exclusive patron of a small Semitic
tribe dwelling in Palestine, whom he supported by
prodigies and miracles in their aggressions upon their
neighbours, revealing to them alone the light of his
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word, and condemning all others to enforced darkness.
By teaching them to believe in magic and witchcraft,
in talismans, charms, and vows; in beasts speaking
with human voices and sentiments; (Gen. iii. 1-4;
Num. xxii. 28-30.) in a deity writing with a finger; (Ex.
xxxi. 18.) speaking with a voice; (xix. 19.) enjoying
the smell of roast meat; (Gen. viii. 21.) standing face to
face ; (xxxii. 30.) walking in a garden ; (iii. 8.) revealing
his hinder parts; (Ex. xxxiii. 23.) coming down to obtain
information as to what men were doing, and to devise
measures in accordance therewith; (Gen. xi. 5-7 ; xviii.
20, 21.) impressing men, not through their consciences,
but by signs and wonders, miracles and dreams; recog
nising and confirming advantages gained by fraud, to the
irreparable disadvantage of their rightful owner; (Gen.
xxvii. 33-37.) in the case of one deliverer of his chosen
people, making his strength depend upon the length of
his hair; (Jud. xvi. 17.) allowing another, in virtue of
a hasty vow, to offer up his daughter in human sacrifice
as a burnt-offering; (xi. 30-39 ; Num. xxx.) and, lastly,
teaching them to believe in man created perfect, and
yet unable to resist the first and smallest temptation;
and, for such a peccadillo as the eating of the fruit of a
magical tree, being with his whole unborn progeny so
ferociously damned as to be redeemable only by another
human sacrifice, even the stupendous sacrifice of God’s
only Son.
How utterly bewildering to the expanding intelligence
of youth to be told that the God whom they are to
worship is revealed in the Bible, and to find him such a
being as this ! Terrible indeed is their responsibility
who proclaim as divinely infallible every absurd or
monstrous narrative to be found in the fragmentary
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legends of a barbarous and imaginative people. When
we consider how great is the difficulty of detaching the
mind from pernicious ideas when imprinted on it in
childhood, and fitting it to receive the later revelations
of reason and morality, we can but shudder at the sum
of misery undergone in the conflict between the Intellect
and the Conscience, through the former having com
menced its onward march, while the latter still continues
bound to the beliefs of childhood. A very Nessus-shirt
of burning poison and agony to all generations of
Christendom, has been the garb of ancient faith which we
have adopted and worn, in spite of its being totally
unfitted to us.
VII.
It is a practice with many savage tribes to invest some
object with certain magical properties, altogether inde
pendent of its real qualities, and to worship this with a
blind adoration, the whole process being known by the
name of Fetich-worship.
Now what else than precisely such Fetich-worship is
theirs who would put up a book to be venerated, but
refuse to allow it to be made comprehensible by any
kind of interpretation ? Yet, of all the Resolutions
considered by the School-board, that for which the
country at largS manifested the strongest preference at
the elections was the proposition “that the Bible be
read in the schools, but without note or comment.”
It can only be the absence of any precise notion as to
what education consists in that has prompted a sugges
tion so utterly opposed to any sort of wholesome de
velopment. To suggest difficulties—such difficulties—
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and forbid their explanation ! Better far that the
children read the Bible in the original tongues at once,
than in the “ authorised version.” They might not get
much good from the process, but they would assuredly
get less harm.
But we will test the working of this suggestion by a
few out of the numerous instances of apparent contra
diction which, “ without note or comment,” cannot fail
to plunge youthful readers in hopeless perplexity.
And first, concerning the Deity, we read that “ God
saw everything that he had made, and behold it was
very good.” (Gen. i. 31.) This was said after the
creation of man, when the character and liabilities of
that creation must have been fully known to God.
Yet we are told soon after that “ it repented the Lord
that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him
at his heart; (iv. 6.) implying that he was surprised and
disappointed at the way man had turned out, having
expected better things of him : implying, too, that the
divine prescience was at fault, the divine work a failure.
And in many other passages we read of the Deity as
repenting and changing his mind; being weary and
resting. Yet elsewhere in the same book it is declared
that “ God is not a man that he should repent;” (Num.
xxxiii. 19.) being one “with whom is no variable
ness, neither shadow of turning;” (Jam. i. 17.) “who
fainteth not, neither is weary.” (Is. xl. 28 ; also 1 Sam.
xv, 35 ; Jonah iii. 10 ; Ex. xxxiii. 1 ; &c.)
Even the all-important questions of God’s justice and
power remain in suspense with such passages as these
unreconciled : “ A God of truth and without iniquity,
just and right is he.” (Deut. xxxii. 4.) “ Hear now, 0
house of Israel; are not my ways equal ? are not your
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ways unequal ? Therefore I will judge you.............
every one according to his ways, saith the Lord God.”
“ The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father.”
(Ez. xviii. 20, 25-30.) And, “ I . . . . am a jealous
God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the
children.” (Ex. xx. 5.) Also, “For the children being
not yet bom, neither having done any good or evil, that
the purpose of God according to election might stand,
not of works, but of him that calleth, it was said unto
her (by God), the elder shall serve the younger. As it
is written, Jacob have I loved (Jacob !) but Esau have I
hated.” (Eom. ix. 11-13 ; Gen. ix. 25 ; Matt. xiii. 11-17.)
How, moreover, are children to reconcile this with the
declaration that “God is no respecter of persons?”
And while, notwithstanding that “ with God all things
are possible,” (Matt. xix. 25.) we are told that “ the
Lord was with Judah, and he drave out the inhabitants
of the mountain; but could not drive out the inhabi
tants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron.”
(Jud. i. 19 ; Josh. xvii. 18.) Also that the inhabitants
of Meroz were bitterly cursed “because they came not
to the help of the Lord against the mighty.” (Jud. v. 23.)
Notwithstanding that we read in several places that
God was seen face to face, and his voice heard, (Gen. iii.
9, 10 ; xxxii. 30; Ex. xxiv. 9-11; xxxiii. 11 ; Is. vi. 1.)
we are yet assured that “ no man hath seen God at any
time; ” (John i. 18.) hath “ neither heard his voice at any
time, nor seen his face.” (v. 37.) And God himself said
unto Moses, “ Thou canst not see my face; for there shall
no man see me and live.” (Ex. xxiii. 20.) And Paul
speaks of him as one “ whom no man hath seen, nor can
see.” (1 Tim. vi. 16.)
It is little that children will learn from the Bible con
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cerning the origin of evil, when, against “ I make peace
and create evil. I the Lord do all these things;” (Is.
xiv. 7.) “ out of the mouth of the Most High proceedeth not evil and good ?” (Lam. iii. 38.)—they set, “ with
out note or comment,” “ God is not the author of con
fusion;” (1 Cor. xiv. 33.) “a God of truth, and without
iniquity, just and right is he.” (Deut. xxxii. 4.) “God
cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any
man.” (Jas. i. 13.)
Concerning the divine dwelling-place, we read that
“ the Lord appeared to Solomon, and said ... I have
chosen and sanctified this house . . . and mine eyes and
heart shall be there perpetually.” (2 Chron. vii. 12-16.)
Yet we also read, “ Howbeit the Most High dwelleth not
in temples made with hands.” (Acts vii. 48.) In one
place he is described as “ dwelling in light which no man
can approach;” (1 Tim. iv. 16.) and in another it is
said, “ clouds and darkness are round about him.” (Ps.
xcvii. 2.)
Similarly contrast these also: “ The Lord is a man of
war(Ex. xv. 3.) “ The Lord mighty in battle(Ps.
xxiv. 8.) “ The Lord of hosts is his name.” (Is. li. 15.)
And, “God is not the author of confusion, but of peace.” (1
Cor. xiv. 33.) “ Bloody men shall not live out half their
days.” (Ps. lv. 23.) “ The God of peace be with you all.”
(Rom. xv. 33.)
In reference to the making and worshipping of images,
we have the positive command, “ Thou shalt not make
unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything
that is in heaven above, or in the earth beneath. Thou
shalt not bow down to them, nor serve (or worship)
them,” (Ex. xxii. 4.) and many repeated denunciations
of idolatry. Yet Moses was commanded to “ make two
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cherubim of gold.” (xxv. 18.) Also, “ the Lord said
unto Moses, make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a
pole, and it shall come to pass that every one that is
bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.” (Num. xxi. 8.)
A direct act of idolatry commanded by God himself!
The books of Exodus and Leviticus abound in direc
tions instituting and regulating sacrifice, in terms such
as “ Thou shalt offer every day a bullock for a sin-offering
for atonement;” (Ex. xxix. 36; also xviii.; Lev. i. 9;
xxiii. 27, &c.) and the most complex and gorgeous
system of ceremonial worship was based upon it, ex
pressly by divine command. Yet in the Psalms we find
the Almighty exclaiming, “ Will I eat the flesh of bulls,
or drink the blood of goats? Offer unto God thanks
giving, and pay thy vows unto the Most High.” (Ps. 1.
13, 14.) And in Isaiah, “To what purpose is the mul
titude of your sacrifices unto me ? saith the Lord . . .
I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of
he-goats . . . When ye come to appear before me, who
hath required this at your hand ? Bring no more vain
oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new
moons and Sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot
away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting.”
(Is. i. 11-13.) And Jeremiah represents the Almighty
as positively repudiating any connection with the Levitical code. “ I spake not unto your fathers, nor com
manded them in the day that I brought them out of the
land of Egypt, concerning burnt-offerings or sacrifices.”
(Gen. vii. 22.)
“ Without note or comment,” children would assuredly
fail to comprehend the significance of the antagonism
necessarily existing between the whole sacerdotal
class, with its “ trivial round” of ritual and observance,
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and immoral doctrine of compensation for moral de
ficiencies by material payments, and the honest, out
spoken prophet or teacher of practical religion. And to
fail to comprehend this, is to fail to learn one of the
most valuable lessons to be derived from the Bible.
Even the horrible practice of human sacrifice finds
justification with the sacerdotal followers of the Jewish
divinity. We have already seen how, backed by the
priests, David delivered up the seven sons and grandsons
of Saul, “ and they hanged them in the hill before the
Lord . . . and after that God was entreated for the
land.” (2 Sam. xxi.) Moreover, “God said unto Abra
ham, take now thy son, thine only son Isaac . . . and
offer him fora burnt-offering.” (Gen. xxii. 2.) Jephthah,
too, “ vowed a vow unto the Lord” that he would “ offer
up for a burnt-offering” whatever he met first on his re
turn home, provided the Lord would give him a victory.
The victory was given, and the bargain was kept; “ the
Lord,” of course, being in his omniprescience, well aware
what it involved; and, to judge by his antecedent and
subsequent conduct, by no means incapable of being in
duced thereto by the magnitude of the bribe. Jephthah’s
own daughter was the first to come to congratulate her
father j “ and he did with her according to his vow.”
(Jud. xi.) The sacerdotal law gave him no choice, for it
positively enacted that vows, however iniquitous, were
not to be broken, except when taken under certain cir
cumstances by a maid, a wife, or a widow. (Num. xxx.)
The liberality and mercifulness of God find expression
in many touching declarations in the Scriptures. We
read that “ every one that asketh, receiveth, and he that
seeketh, findeth.” (Matt. vii. 8.) “ Those that seek me
early shall find me.” (Prov. viii. 17.) Yet on the other
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side we have, “ Then shall they call upon me, but I will
not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not
find me.” (i. 28.) And notwithstanding such assertions
as: “The Lord is very pitiful and of tender mercy.” (James
v. 11.) “He doth not afflict willingly, nor grieve the
children of men.” (Lam. iii. 33.) “ The Lord is good to
all, and his tender mercies are over all his works.” (Ps.
cxlv. 9.) “I have no pleasure in the death of him that
dieth, saith the Lord God.” (Ezek. xviii. 32.) “ God is
love;” (1 John iv. 16.) “Who will have all men to be
saved;” (1 Tim. ii. 4.) “For his mercy endureth for
ever;” (1 Chron. xvi. 34, &c.)—we find also the following
ferocious utterances : “ The Lord thy God is a consuming
fire.” (Deut. iv. 34.) “ I will dash them one against
another, even the fathers and the sons together, saith the
the Lord. I will not pity, nor spare, nor have mercy,
but destroy them.” (Jer. xiii. 14.) “And thou shalt
consume all the people which the Lord thy God shall
deliver thee: thine eye shall have no pity upon them.”
(Deut. vii. 16, and 2.) “ Thus saith the Lord of hosts , . .
slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and
sheep, camel and ass.” (1 Sam. xv. 2, 3.) “ Because they
had looked into the ark of the Lord, even he smote of
the people fifty thousand and threescore and ten men.
And the people lamented because the Lord had smitten
many of the people with great slaughter.” (1 Sam. vi. 19.)
" I also will deal in fury; mine eye shall not spare,
neither will I have pity. And though they cry in mine
ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them.” (Ezek.
viii. 18.) “And the Lord said, Go through the city and
smite; let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity: slay
utterly old and young, both maids and little children,
and women. . . . and begin at my sanctuary.” (ix. 4-6.)
c
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It is no less impossible to derive from the Bible alone
any- certainty of God’s unfailing truthfulness than of his
mercy. It is true that we are told, “It is impossible for
God to lie.” (Heb. vi. 18.) “ Lying lips are an abomina
tion to the Lord.” (Prov. xii. 22.) “‘Thou shalt not
bear false witness against thy neighbour.” (Ex. xx. 16.)
“ These things doth the Lord hate ... a lying tongue
. . . a false witness that speaketh lies.” (Prov. iv. 17-19.)
And, “ all liars shall have their part in the lake which
burneth with fire and brimstone.” (Rev. xxi. 8.) Yet,
on the other hand, we find the lies of the Israelitish
women in Egypt, and of Rahab in Jericho, justified;—
“ that admirable falsehood,” as St. Chrysostom called
the latter. (Ex. i. 18-20; Josh. ii. 4-6.) We find the
atrocious deceit of Jael more than justified. (Jud. iv. v.)
And we have also this astounding revelation from behind
the scenes in heaven :—“ And the Lord said, who shall
persuade Ahab 1 . . . And there came forth a spirit and
stood before the Lord, and said, I will persuade him.
And the Lord said, wherewith 1 And he said, I will go
forth and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy
prophets. And he said, thou shalt persuade him, and
prevail also; go forth and do so. Now, therefore, be
hold the Lord hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all
these thy prophets, and the Lord hath spoken evil con
cerning thee.” (1 Kings xxii. 21-23.) And in confirma
tion of this otherwise incredible narrative, we read later,
“ If the prophet be deceived when he hath spoken a
thing, I the Lord have deceived that prophet, and I will
stretch out mine hand upon him, and will destroy him
from the midst of my people.” (Ezek. xiv. 9.) The New
Testament adopts a similar view of God’s dealings; for,
mingled with its “ glad tidings of salvation,” we read,—
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“ God shall send them strong delusion, that they should
believe a lie, that they all might be damned.” (2 Thess.
ii. 11, 12.)
Once more it must be asked, Can we wonder that
earnest and pious men of our own times have, in their
zeal for the honour of God, endeavoured to rescue his
character from the treatment it receives in the Scriptures ?
VIII.
The character of Jesus is as variously drawn in the
New Testament as that of the Deity in the Old; and
those who desire the children in our schools to recognise
in him the perfect man and infallible Teacher, should, to
be consistent, be the very last to wish them to read the
New Testament “ without note or comment.” Too often
it happens that the explanatory lessons with which the
Scriptures are accompanied, are utterly pernicious, and
even blasphemous. This very year, a youth who has
been for some years a student in one of the wealthiest of
our public foundation-schools, was required to give some
instances of human feeling on the part of Jesus. Of
the value, whether intellectually or religiously, of the
education given at that school, we may judge by
his answer. Of the tender sympathy shown by Jesus
towards all who were suffering : of his unselfish devotion
to the cause of the poor and the depraved; of his noble
indignation against injustice and oppression; of his in
tense sense of a personal Father in God, and instinctive
detestation of all sacerdotal interference;—of all these so
eminently human characteristics, our scholar said nothing.
The result of his compulsory attendance at the school
chapel every morning, and at two full services every
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Sunday, beside much other Scripture instruction, was to
impress upon him the belief that whatever is human is
bad, and whatever is bad is human. He concluded,
therefore, that by human feeling on the part of Jesus,
an instance of something bad was intended. And he
actually sent up for answer, as a solitary instance of
human feeling on the part of Jesus, the story of his losing
his temper, and cursing a fig-tree for being barren when
it was not the season for figs 1 (Mark xi. 13, 14, 21.)
As any explanations which accompany the reading of
the Old Testament should be contrived to disabuse chil
dren of the notion that the Deity could ever have been
such a being as is there described, so in reading of Jesus
in the New Testament they should be told that there are
indications of a better man than the Gospels make him,
peeping out through the corrupted text. “ It is impos
sible that such love and devotion as followed him through
out his life could ever have been won by a hard, unjust,
or intolerant character.” Yet he is represented as more
than once addressing his admirable and devoted mother
in a rough, unfilial tone; (John ii. 4; Luke ii. 4.) and
launching most uncalled for reproaches at a gentleman of
whose hospitality he was partaking, on the occasion of a
woman coming in and washing his feet with her tears,
and wiping them with her hair. (Luke vii. 32-50.)
Nor can there be any doubt as to what must be their
natural judgment of the spirit of one who could describe
his own mission in these terms : “ Whosoever shall con
fess me before men, him will I also confess before my
Father which is in heaven. But whosoever will deny
me before men, him will I also deny before my Father
which is in heaven. Think not that I am come to
send peace on earth: I come not to send peace, but a
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sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against
his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the
daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, and a man’s
foes shall be they of his own household.” (Matt. x. 32-36.)
Hardly will they reconcile this with the promise of his
birth-song, “On earth peace, good-will toward men;”
(Luke ii. 14.) but will hastily conclude that the angels
were sadly misinformed. And when they read that one
who is elsewhere described as “ going about teaching and
healing” among a people who were “ perishing for lack
of knowledge,” uttered to his disciples such words as
these, “ Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of
the kingdom of God : but unto others in parables ; that
seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not
understand;” (Luke viii. 8.) and read further, “ Therefore
they could not believe, because he hath blinded their eyes
and hardened their heart; that they should not see with
their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be con
verted, and I should heal them; ” (John xii. 39, 40.)—and
from these fearful utterances, turn to the declaration, that
this same Jesus had received “ all power in heaven and
earth;” (Matt, xxviii. 18.) and that he “ came not to judge
but to save the world;” (John xii. 27.) came especially
“ to seek and to save that which was lost;” (Luke xix. 10.)
it will be no wonder if their souls finally succumb to
despair, and they cry to their teachers, “ Be merciful:
take away from us this book, if you dare not explain to
us its meaning.”
IX.
I shall conclude the present lecture by pointing out
the notable contradiction apparent between the Bible
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and the fact of the world’s present existence. The New
Testament contains scarcely a passage of any length that
does not make some allusion to the near approach of the
end of the world.
We may conceive the perplexity of children when,
after reading in ordinary history the events of the last
eighteen hundred years, with their piteous tale of cruelty
and oppression, disease and death, they open their
Bibles and read that, all those centuries ago, men were
summoned to repent because “ the kingdom of heaven ”
was then “at hand;” (Matt. iv. 17.) and find that by
“ the kingdom of heaven ” was meant, not merely a social
or moral regeneration, though the phrase is sometimes
used in this sense, but the personal second coming of
Christ, and end of all things. That both the Baptist and
Jesus preached thus : that the twelve apostles were sent
forth to preach thus; (x. 7.) that the seventy were
charged with injunctions to announce to the inhabitants
of any city-on their entry, “the kingdom of God is
come nigh unto you (Luke x. 8-11.) that Jesus repre
sented himself as a nobleman who had gone into a far
country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return;
and instructed his disciples in these terms, “ Occupy till
I come (xix. 13.) that this was the kingdom for which
Joseph of Arimathea “ waited (xxiii. 51.) unto which
Paul prayed that he might be preserved; (2 Tim. iv. 18.)
charging Timothy to “ keep the commandment.............
until the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Tim.
vi. 14.)
How bewildering to the youthful intelligence, to per
ceive the world still going on much in its old track,
slowly elaborating its own destiny, and to find in the
records of its history no trace of the dread phenomena
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which they read in their Testaments were to portend
and accompany the return of the Son of Man and of God,
—the darkened sun, the falling stars, the bloodshot
moon, the roaring sea, the myriad hosts of heaven, the
voice of the archangel, and the trump of God; the
judgment of the quick and dead, the wailing of the lost,
and the gathering of the elect from the four winds of
heaven, the resurrection of those who slept, the ecstasy
of “we who remain,” as Paul said, (1 Thess. iv. 15-17.)
when “ caught up to meet the Lord in the air,” on his
“ coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great
glory;” (Matt. xxiv. 29-35.) for which all the disciples
were bid to watch ; (Mark xiii. 37.) and which some of
them were still to be alive on earth to see. For Jesus
had said, " Verily I say unto you, that there be some of
them that stand here now which shall not taste of death
till they have seen the kingdom of God come with
power.” (Matt. xvi. 28; Mark xi. 1; Luke xix. 27.)
“ Immediately after the tribulation of those days
and,
“ Verily I say unto you, this generation shall notpassaway,
until all these things shall be fulfilled.” (Matt. xxiv. 29,
35.) Add, too, the assurance of the angels to the disci
ples as they stood watching the Ascension, that he should
return “ in like manner;” (Acts i. 11.) add the declara
tion of Peter that “the end of all things is at hand;”
(1 Pet. iv. 7.) add the admonition of Paul to the
Romans, “ Now it is high time to awake out of sleep,
for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.
The night is far spent, the day is at hand;” (Rom. xiii.
11, 12.) “ these last days;” (Heb. i. 2.) even the days of
us “ upon whom the ends of the world are come ; ” (1 Cor.
x. 11.) add, lastly, the final book of “The Revelation,”
opening with the announcement that these things “ must
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shortly come to pass •” and concluding with the declara
tion, “ Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come,
Lord Jesus,”—a book which, claiming to be the final
utterance of divine truth, is charged with dire curses
against any who should add to it; instead of saying,
rather, “to be continued, so long as God continues to
work in man,”—add, I say, to all that has been set forth,
these and the yet other numerous similar intimations of
the then expected rapidly approaching end ; set children
to read them “ without note or comment,” but with the
belief which they will inevitably acquire, from the fact
of the Bible being put into their hands without informa
tion to the contrary,—the belief that it must therefore
be all infallibly true, that God did speak, the Lord did
say, all the things therein ascribed to him; and then,
if they retain any particle of intelligence whatever, most
surely they will have but a confused idea of God, a con
fused idea of man, and a confused idea of the relations
between them; a confused idea of right and wrong, a
confused idea of faith and fact; or rather, we may con
fidently declare, a false and pernicious idea of all things
whatsoever, in heaven and earth, from beginning to end.
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LECTURE THE SECOKD.
X.
It is not unusual for people, when pressed upon the
subject, to say, “ We do not lay much store by the Old
Testament. We concede much of what you say against
it as a teacher of morality and even of religion. We
value it chiefly as the basis and introduction of the New.
It is upon the New Testament that we take our stand.
The sufficient, and only sufficient, rule of life, its prac
tical religion and morality, are distinct and unimpeach
able.” I propose, therefore, to conclude my examination
of the effects of the popular proposition, “ that the Bible
be read without note or comment,” by showing that in
respect of its teaching, both religious and moral, even
the New Testament requires elucidation and correction
to prevent it from being productive of much that would
be immoral, irreligious, and grossly superstitious.
Passing over the innumerable discrepancies in the
gospel narratives, to reconcile which so many “ Har
monies ” have been constructed in vain, let us compare
first those utterances of the New Testament which have
regard to life—civil, political, and social. Are our chil
dren to learn from its pages to grow up to be intelligent
and independent citizens, respecting the laws, and re
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specting themselves ? It is clear that, “ without note or
comment,” they will hardly escape great perplexity of
conscience when on one side they read, “ Be subject to
principalities and powers, obey magistrates.” (Tit. iii. 1.)
“ Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit
yourselves.” (Heb. xiii. 17.) “The powers that be are
ordained of God. Whoso therefore resisteth the power,
resisteth the ordinance of God:” (Rom. xiii. 1, 2.) and
on the other side, find, that no sooner did a dilemma
arise, than “ Peter and the other apostles answered and
said, We ought to obey God rather than man.” (Acts
v. 29.)
Concerning the institution of Slavery, we find in the
Old Testament the most conflicting utterances, of which
one is, “ Of the children of the strangers that do sojourn
among you, of them shall ye buy . . . and they shall be
your possession. . . . They shall be your bondmen for
ever(Lev. xxv. 45, 46.) and another, “ Thou shalt
neither vex a stranger nor oppress him (Ex. xxxii. 21.)
both of which are in the books ascribed to Moses. While
the New Testament contains no direct reprobation of
Slavery, but rather the reverse. It must be remembered
that, wherever in our translation the word servant occurs,
the original means slave. And while masters are enjoined
to “ give unto their slaves that which is just and equal”
for their labour, and to “ forbear threatening ” them;
(Col. iv. 1; Eph. vi. 9.) it says nothing in repudiation
of the institution itself as being unjust and unequal;
but repeatedly admonishes slaves to be content with
their condition ; to “ count their masters worthy of all
honour (1 Tim. vi. 1.) and be “ obedient to them with
fear and trembling.” (Eph. vi. 5.) We read, moreover,
that Paul himself sent back to his master the slave Onesimus, after converting him to Christianity. (Philemon.)
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There are, indeed, ample grounds for fearing lest all
respect for Rights vanish in the prominence given exclu
sively to Duties. And even in the important matter of
respect and affection for parents and relatives, children
may fail to find a sufficient rule to exclude hesitation.
It is true that they read, “ Honour thy father and
mother,” for the low and unsatisfactory motive, “ that
thy days may be long.” (Ex. xx. 12.) “Husbands love
your wives.” (Eph. v. 25.) And “whoso hateth his
brother is a murderer.” (1 John iii. 15.) But there is to
be set on the other side this of Jesus himself, “ If any
man hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and chil
dren, and brethren, and sisters ... he cannot be my
disciple.” (Luke xiv. 26.)
Great will be their perplexity, too, when, after the
ordinary lessons of the schoolroom, inculcating respect
for property, the duty of industry, forethought, and thrift,
the disgrace of beggary, and evil of pauperism, they read
“ without note or comment,” “ Take therefore no thought
for the morrow“Lay not up for yourselves treasures
upon earth.” (Matt. vi. 34,19.) “ Sell whatsoever thou hast
and give to the poor;” (Mark x. 21.) and see how Jesus
backed up his communistic precepts by his practice, in
instituting the order of Mendicant Friars, by sending
forth the Twelve and the Seventy with injunctions to
“ carry neither purse nor scrip.” (Luke x. 3-7, &c.)
Neither can we consistently endeavour to cherish in
children a love of science, literature, and art, and all the
glorious uses of which man’s high faculties are capable ;
a love, in short, of that mental culture to obtain which
we expressly send them to school; if we ply them with
such contemptuous allusions to it as “ Beware lest any
man spoil you with philosophy and vain deceit; ” (Col.
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ii. 8.) “The Greeks seek after wisdom ;” (1 Cor. i. 22.)
“ Vain babblings and oppositions of science falsely so
called;” (1 Tim. vi. 20.) “Knowledge puffeth up;” (1
Cor. viii. 1.)—without telling them at the same time,
that ignorance ever “ puffeth up ” far more than know
ledge; that “science,” now-a-days stands on a very dif
ferent basis to that on which it stood in those days,
namely, on a basis of positive fact as ascertained by
actual investigation into the phenomena of the universe,
instead of on the imaginations and foregone conclusions
of men who believed in the infallibility of their mental
impressions, and pretended to knowledge independently
of experience; and that it is our highest duty and pri
vilege to cultivate “ every good gift and every perfect
gift,” intellectual and other, “ which cometh down from
the Father of lights.” (Jam. i. 17.)
Even in so simple a matter as the advantage of bear
ing a good character, they will be at a loss to determine
between “a good name is better than precious oint
ment ;” (Eccl. vii. 1.) “ it is rather to be chosen than
great riches;” (Prov. xxii. 1.) and, “Woe unto you
when all men shall speak well of you.” (Luke vi. 25.)
The Bible makes it a reproach to King Asa that “ in
his disease he sought not to the Lord, but to the physi
cians,” and significantly adds, “Asa slept with his
fathers.” (2 Chron. xvi. 12.) Of another patient it is
said that she had “ for twelve years suffered many things
of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and
was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse,” but straight
way was healed through faith. (Mark v. 25-29.) And
there is this express injunction, “ Is any sick among you?
let him call for the elders of the Church, and let them
pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the
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Lord: and the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the
Lord shall raise him up.” (Jam. v. 14.) “Without note
or comment,” but influenced, unconsciously perhaps,
within school or without it, to regard the plain teaching
of the Bible as intended to be followed unshrinkingly,
the children in our National Schools will be apt to grow
up with the belief that it is unchristian and wicked to
call in a doctor, or to take medicine, when they are ill.
Lawyers are scarcely named but to be censured in
such terms as these: “Woe unto you lawyers ! for ye
lade men with burdens grievous to be borne, and ye your
selves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers.
Woe unto you lawyers I” (Luke xi. 45, 52.) For “with
out note or comment,” the term rendered “ lawyers,” will
inevitably be held to signify, not the expounders of Rab
binical doctrine, but the members of that eminent profes
sion which is so indispensable to the maintenance of our
rights and privileges. While the despised “ publicans ”
of Jewish times, instead of being recognised as mere
collectors of taxes, are sure to be confounded with our
own respectable company of “ licensed victuallers.”
We have seen how summarily two of the learned pro
fessions may be disposed of. Following the Bible with
out guidance by “ note or comment,” the clergy will be
in danger of faring little better than the lawyers or doc
tors. And this brings us to the subject of religious
duties as laid down in the New Testament.
It is, whether rightly or wrongly I do not venture to
decide, a subject of peculiar pride with us, that we are a
prayerful and churchgoing people. But what is really
curious is, that the practice of assembling together for pub
lic worship, we regard as essential to our character as Chris
tians. Now, how can children be expected to understand
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“without note or comment” that it is their duty to
attend “ divine service,” when they find that Jesus, who is
held up to them as the infallible pattern and guide of life,
never joined in public prayer himself, but always when
he wished to pray or meditate went apart, either “ up
into a mountain,” (Matt. xiv. 23.) or some other “ solitary
place,” (Mark i. 35.) or “ withdrew about a stone’s cast
(Luke xxii. 24.) that he only went into the synagogue or
the temple to read or to teach ; (Luke iv. 16: Matt. xxi.
23.) or to indulge in what to children and unexplained
must appear to be riotous conduct in church, namely to
drive out with blows and threats a number of persons
who were exercising a lawful industry in its precincts;
(Matt. xxi. 12.) that the persons he mentioned in one of
his parables as “ going up to the temple to pray,” (Luke
xviii. 10.) belonged to the classes he most persistently de
nounced, being a pharisee and a publican; and even these
he distinctly exonerates from the reproach of having
joined in common prayer ; that moreover, in addition to
his example, he delivered precepts absolutely prohibitory
of all public praying in these emphatic terms: “ When
thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are; for
they love to pray standing in the synagogues, and in the
corners of the streets to be seen of men. Verily, I say
unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou
prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut
thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy
Father which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly;”
(Matt. vi. 5, 6.)—a rule which he relaxed only on the
condition that two, or at most three, should agree upon
a subject for petition, in which case they might gather
together in his name. (Matt, xviii. 19, 20.) It is indeed
a painful perplexity in which the minds of the more sen
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sitive children will be plunged when they ask themselves
how, in the face of Christ’s most positive precepts and
example, they can continue to pray in church or chapel,
and at the same time deserve to be called by his name.
The propriety of continuing to observe the Sabbath, if
rested on the Bible alone, will remain, to say the least,
doubtful. The difference in the reasons assigned for its
institution can hardly fail to create wonder as to the
authority upon which the command said to be “ written
with the finger of God” himself, basing the appointment
upon the creation of the universe in six days, (Ex. xxxi.
17, &c.) was changed to one representing it as a memo
rial of the deliverance out of Egypt. (Deut. v. 15.)
While the institution itself is, on account of the abuses
to which it led, referred to variously by the later pro
phets ; and, in the New Testament, seems to have been
repudiated in a great measure, if not altogether, by Jesus
and the apostles; Paul distinctly admonishing the Colossians in these terms : “You hath Christ quickened. . .
blotting out the handwriting of ordinances. . . Let
no man therefore judge you . . in respect of an holi
day, . . or of the Sabbath.” (Col. ii. 13-16.) So that
something at any rate has to be added to the New Tes
tament to justify our present usage in this respect.
In the absence of explanatory comment, the statements
of scripture respecting the resurrection of the body appear
in direct conflict with each other; as also do those re
specting the after-life of the soul. In the Old Testament
we are told, “ He that goeth down £0 the grave shall
come up no more.” (Job vii. 9.) “The dead know not
anything, neither have they any more reward.” (Eccl. ix.
5, 10.) And in the New Testament, “ The trumpet shall
sound, and the dead shall be raised(1 Cor. xv. 52.)
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“Then shall he reward every man according to his
works.” (Matt. xvi. 27.) While the narratives of the
ascent of Enoch and Elijah seem to find a positive con
tradiction in the declaration of Jesus, “No man hath
ascended up to heaven but he that came down from
heaven, even the son of man;” and the narrative makes
him add, “ which is in heaven,” putting what appears to
be an absurd contradiction into the mouth of Jesus.
(John iii. 12.)
And even concerning the status of Jesus himself, expla
nations are needed to reconcile the various contradictory
declarations; “I and my Father are one.” (John x. 30.)
“ He thought it not robbery to be equal with God.”
(Phil. ii. 6.) “ Jesus increased in wisdom and stature,
and in favour with God and man.” (Luke ii. 52.) “ My
Father is greater than I.” (John xiv. 28.) “ Of that day
and that hour knoweth no man. . . Neither the Son,
but the Father.” (Mark xiii. 32.) And his agonised ex
clamation when dying, which we can easily believe to
have been held up by the clergy of those days as uttered
in remorse of soul for a life spent in opposition to the
church orthodoxy of his country,—“ My God, my God,
why hast thou forsaken me ?” (Matt, xxvii. 46.)
XI.
Much stress has been laid by orthodox writers on the
“ Continuity,” or uninterrupted connection, of Scripture.
The inference which they have drawn from the con
sistency existing between its various parts, is that it
must all be alike the result of one divine harmonious
scheme. That such Continuity exists it is impossible to
help seeing, but the extent to which it exists, and its
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significance in relation to what is called doctrinal
religion, are likely, “ without note or comment,” wholly
to escape the observation of youthful scholars.
The whole religious system of the Old Testament rests
upon the theory that the object of Religion is, not the
exaltation of man, but the delectation of the Deity; and
the stimulants offered in it to the practice of religion are
of the most material and seductive kind, wealth, honour,
long life, numerous posterity. In the New Testament
the same idea is continued, with this difference, that
experience having demonstrated the theory to be unsound
as regards this life, inasmuch as prosperity does not by
any means always accompany virtue, nor adversity vice,
rewards and punishments are there reserved for a future
state of existence, in a region inaccessible to verification
by experience.
Two other instances of Continuity between the two
divisions of Scripture may be classed together as being
intimately connected with each other. These are, the
institution of Sacrifice, and the character of the Jewish
Deity. To the instances already given of the amazing
ferocity of this Being, as represented in the Sacred Books
of the Jews, may be added the tremendous threats and
penalties denounced for the smallest transgressions, the
readiness to dart forth from the mountain and deal
destruction upon any who might but touch it; and the
perpetual demand for blood. This propensity for blood
constitutes a notable instance of Continuity in the
character of the God of the Bible. Blood of animals;
blood of peoples hostile to the Israelites; blood of
transgressors among the Israelites; and in numerous
instances, blood of unoffending men, women, and
children, even from among his own chosen people.
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(1 Sam. vi. 19 ; 2 Sam. xxiv. 15 ; Ezek. ix. 6 ; &c.) We
have already dealt with David’s sacrifice of the seven
sons of Saul: “ They hanged them in the hill before
the Lord. .... and after that God was entreated for
the land;” (2 Sam. xxi.) Jephthah’s sacrifice of his
daughter; (Jud. xi.) and Abraham’s attempt to sacri
fice his son. (Gen. xxii.) Of this last I must speak
more fully, because there are, holding high positions
both in the church and in popular estimation, as thinkers
and scholars, men who insist on drawing from it a moral
which they deem favourable to the character of the deity
as represented in the Jewish Scriptures. But at present
they have failed to do more than read back into the
Bible the civilisation of their age and their own personal
amiability. So far from their being justified in regard
ing the arrest of Abraham as a protest on the part of
the Deity against the prevailing custom of human sacri
fices, the narrative distinctly asserts that “ God tempted
Abraham ” to commit the horrid deed: that his consent
to commit it was accepted at the time as an “ act of faith,”
and rewarded by a renewal of the promise of a numerous
posterity; and not only is there in the Scriptures no
expression whatever commending him for refraining
from completing the sacrifice, but the New Testament
treats it approvingly as being as good as completed,
saying in one place, “ By faith Abraham, when he was
tried, offered up Isaac; and he that had received the
promises offered up his only-begotten son;” (Heb. xi. 17.)
and in another place, “Was not Abraham our father
justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son
upon the altar ? Seest thou how faith wrought with his
works, and by works faith was made perfect ?” (Jam. ii.
21, 22.)
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So far from the principle of human sacrifices, or the
belief in a deity who required to be propitiated by blood,
being repudiated in the New Testament, “the Continuity
of Scripture ” is in these respects plain and indisputable,
and the principle is carried to a height undreamt of in
Old Testament times. The God of the Jewish priests
requires at length the blood of his own “ only-begotten,”
“ beloved ” son ! It is only when this tremendous climax
has been reached that the dread thirst is appeased. This
is the fundamental argument of the eminently sacerdotal
epistle to the Hebrews, (of unknown authorship). In it
we are assured that “ without shedding of blood there is
no remission of sins.” (Heb. ix. 22.) A human parent, not
in this respect “ made in the image of God,” can forgive
a repenting errant child. The divine parent, made by
priests, and at once unhuman and inhuman, must have
his “pound of flesh” from somebody. This epistle tells
us concerning Christ that “ neither by the blood of goats
and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into
the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for
us............... So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of
many;” (ix. 12, 28.) thus adopting and justifying the
view of the high-priest Caiaphas, who, by virtue of his
sacerdotal office, counselled and I prophesied that Jesus
should die for the people;” (John xi. 50, 51.) — a
view shared even by John himself, who in one of his
epistles declares that “ God sent his only begotten Son
to be the propitiation for our sins.” (1 John iv. 9, 10.)
Thus early were the attempts of Jesus to abolish sacer
dotalism, and promulgate purer notions of the Deity,
defeated by his own disciples, or by those who wrote in
their names; and the reformation which constituted the
real Christianity, overlaid and stifled by “ the Church.”
I
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Let the churches called Christian, demonstrate, if they
will, their “ Continuity ” with the most hideous of
Jewish superstitions ; and cherish the recollection of the
worst side of the Jewish Divinity, by perpetual repetitions
of the rite which, while declining to practice it simply
“ in remembrance ” of a loved and lost benefactor, they
yet profanely style “the holy Eucharist.” Say they, it
requires a miracle to keep the church up ? Well, perhaps
it does. But if we who “ have not so learned Christ ”
are to act consistently with our more advanced ideas of
religion and morality, the “notes and comments” by which
the reading of these passages in our schools is accom
panied, must direct attention rather to the higher and
better teaching of prophetical lips ; “ the sacrifices of
God are a contrite heart; ” (Ps. li. 17.) “ he saveth such
as be of a contrite spirit;” (xxxiv. 18.) and “ dwelleth
with him that is of a contrite and humble spirit;” (Is. lvii.
15.) as well as that of Jesus himself, “If a man love
me he will keep my words; and my Father will love
him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with
him.” (John xiv. 23.) There is no savour of blood here.
If an education is.to be imparted that is consistent
with “ the development of the intellect and mor^J sense,”
the doctrine that justice can be satisfied by the substitu
tion of the innocent for the guilty, must be rigidly ex
cluded from our schools. It is true that this doctrine is
not without a certain significance; that there is a way by
which the position of the wicked may be bettered through
the condemnation of the righteous. For the punishment
of the innocent involves the divine law of justice being,
not fulfilled, but so utterly shattered and destroyed, as to
be thenceforth absolutely non-existent. The sinner’s gain,
therefore, would consist in there being no law of justice
by which he could be arraigned.
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But so invincibly implacable is the deity of at least a
great portion of the New Testament, that even such stu
pendous atonement fails to gain him over. Its benefits
are confined to a fortunate few, and his fury towards the
rest is redoubled. As Burns says, he
“ Sends ane to heaven, and ten to hell
A’ for his glory.”
The penalties of evil-doing are infinitely enhanced, and
they are applied to a fresh class of offences. Here, too,
Continuity is combined with progression; but it is,
morally, a progression backwards. The Old Testament
consigns no one to eternal punishment, neither does it
make penal the conclusions of the intellect. The New
Testament abounds in menaces of the most fearful cha
racter, not only against malefactors, but also against un
believers. It represents the Almighty, when punishing
the reprobate, as uninfluenced by anything analogous to
the human motive of promoting the security of society or
the reformation of the criminal, but inflicting torture in
the spirit of a fiend, out of pure malignity, because with
no advantage to any. “ The unbelieving and the abomi
nable” are classed together, and, we read, “shall have their
part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone;”
(Rev. xxi. 8.) “where their worm dieth not, and the
fire is not quenched;” (Mark ix. 44.) “there shall be
weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matt. viii. 12.) “Depart
ye cursed,” is the final doom of those who had failed to
recognise Christ on earth, “ depart ye cursed into ever
lasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.” (Matt,
xxv. 41.)
Nay, more than this. The gospels, as we have them,
actually represent Jesus himself as pronouncing sentence
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of damnation upon all who cannot work miracles. His
last words to his disciples are thus reported: “Go ye
into all the world, and preach the gospel to every crea
ture. . . He that helieveth not shall be damned.
And these signs shall follow them that believe: in my
name they shall cast out devils; they shall speak with
new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they
drink any deadly thing it shall not hurt them; they shall
lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.” (Mark
xiv. 16.) Not to work miracles is not to believe, and
not to believe is to be damned. Is it not certain that if
the young are allowed to read the New Testament with
out explanation or correction by “note or comment,”
they will, as have millions of tender souls to their in
expressible terror and anguish, find the gospel of Jesus to
be to them but a gospel of damnation ?
Let us return to this world and the practical concerns
of life. In its manner of dealing with the crucial act of
life, marriage, and its treatment of the relations of the
sexes generally, the New Testament takes, in regard to
the Old, a great step backwards. A demonstration of its
vacillation and utter inadequacy to provide rules for the
conduct of civilised life on this most important of all
points connected with morals, will fitly conclude this
division of the subject. To the commendation of impotency uttered by Jesus, the stress laid by him upon mere
physical fidelity, (Matt. xix. 9, 12.) and his disregard of
all incongruity or incompatibility of character or affec
tion, as a plea for separation, (a peculiarity which we
have in our institutions but too faithfully followed), must
be added these sentences of Paul: “ Art thou bound to a
wife ? Seek not to be loosed. Art thou loosed from a
wife 1 Seek not to be bound. . . It is better to marry
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than to burn,” and, “ good for the present distress.” (1 Cor.
vii. 27, 9, 29.) Hardly from this will our youth learn to
recognise love as capable of being a pure and an elevating
influence, or to give to Christianity the credit, so often
claimed for it, of having raised woman from the depressed
position in which that age found her. It will be in vain
that they read “Marriage is honourable in all,” (Heb.
xiii. 4.) when they find the prevailing spirit of the
gospel to be ascetic, exalting absolute chastity as one of
the loftiest of virtues, and denouncing all natural desire
as sinful in itself. (1 Cor. vii. 1, 38; Rev. xiv. 4.) Will
not the later teaching of Scripture appear to them to
have receded sadly in its fitness for humanity, from the
earlier which commanded men to “ increase and multi
ply;” (Gen. i. 28.) commended a virtuous woman as “a
crown to her husband;” (Prov. xii. 4.) and pronounced a
blessing on “children and the fruit of the womb;” (Ps.
cxxvii. 3, &c.) and, in so far as the relations of the
sexes are concerned, excite in them a preference for the
Jewish regime over the Christian 1
The number is beyond all reckoning, of women, the
best and noblest of their sex, the most fitted to be the
mothers and early trainers of mankind, who through a
superstitious regard to this characteristic of the New
Testament, have renounced their natural “ high calling,”
leaving to inferior types the fulfilment of the functions
upon the right exercise of which the progress, elevation,
and happiness of mankind depend ; who have withdrawn
themselves from the duties of real life into artificial
isolation, through a conscientious but mistaken belief,
that in practising the selfishness of the devotee, they are
seeking a virtue which is possible only through the exer
cise of the affections. It is in vain that Paul in his
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riper experience wrote, “ I will that the younger women
marry, bear children, guide the house,” (1 Tim. v. 14.)
when Churches persist in making so much of his earlier
utterance delivered, as he himself acknowledges, with
hesitation and doubt. “ The unmarried woman careth
for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both
in body and spirit: but she that is married careth for
the things of the world, how she may please her hus
band,” and . . . “ I think that I have the spirit of God,”
(1 Cor. vii. 34, 40.)—as if the best, the only way of serv
ing God was not by serving man. This is but an
expression and echo of that same Manichaean principle
of Asceticism, which has led alike Pagans and Christians
innumerable to despise the material world. Blasphem
ously divorcing the Creator from his work, it teaches
that nature is so utterly corrupt and wrong, that the
more we go against and mortify it, the more likely we
are to be pure and right.
‘ And so it comes that woman, while promoted theo
logically to be “Queen of Heaven” and “Mother of
God,” ecclesiastically is regarded as a mistake of nature,
a thing to be snubbed and repressed, and condemned to
the living death of an enforced celibacy.’
One whom I dare to call the greatest of our philo
sophers, Herbert Spencer, has epitomised in a single
sentence all that can be said on this subject:—“Morality
is essentially one with physical truth. It is a kind of
transcendental physiology.” (“ Social Statics.”) It is
.through ignorance of this, the real basis and nature of
morality, that myriads of the best women in Christendom
have, in every generation, to the incalculable loss of the
whole species, made the saddest shipwreck both of their
own lives and of the lives which by their sweet and holy
influence they might have rendered supremely blest.
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There is a “ Higher Law” of morality which impels
ns to suppress our own affections and desires, not through
hope of reward here or hereafter; not through deference
to conventional standards, hut solely through an un
selfish regard to the feelings of those to whom it is our
lot to be allied. But that such a law is to be the law of
our lives, and sole standard of virtue, we find no intima
tion in the Testament, Old or New.
XII.
Yet, notwithstanding the failure of the Bible to pro
vide an authoritative or satisfactory rule either of morals
or of religion, I hold that, both for its own intrinsic
merits, and for the place which it occupies in the litera
ture and history of ourselves and of mankind, it ought
not to be excluded from the educational course of our
children.
It was proposed in the London School-board to exclude
it on the ground that its use as a religious text-book
outside the schools, makes its admission into the schools
inconsistent with religious equality. It certainly would
be, as is generally allowed, an act of gross unfairness to
admit partisan theology into a common school. But,
happily, as is also very generally allowed, speculative
dogma and practical religion are very far indeed from
being one and the same thing; and even those who
object most strongly to dogma in itself, desire to see
children brought up religiously, that is with reverential
regard for divine truth and law.
If fairness and impartiality forbid the Bible to be in
troduced and used as the text-book of any party or sect,
they equally forbid it to be excluded for happening to be
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such a text-book. For this would equally constitute
dogmatic teaching, though of a negative kind. Perfect
fairness requires that the question of the introduction
and use of a book within the schools, should not be in
any way dependent upon dogmatic opinions entertained
respecting it by parties outside the schools. Perfect
fairness forbids that anything which is good and instruc
tive in itself, be excluded merely on account of the source
from which it is derived; be it from Turk, Infidel, Heretic,
Pagan, Jew, or Christian. It is here that the limitation
imposed by our definition of education, comes to our aid,
“ The cultivation of the intelligence and moral sense” by
means of “ whatsoever things are true, pure, and honest;”
“ that fear God, and work righteousness;” and are “pro
fitable for doctrine (or teaching), for reproof, for correc
tion, for instruction in righteousness.”
Thus, in the common schools, nothing must be taught
as being the “ Word of God,” or as not being the “ Word
of God either assertion being equally dogmatic. But
everything must be allowed to derive its force from its
own intrinsic character. And. those who hold that the
children ought to be taught to regard the Bible as being,
or containing, exclusively the “ Word of God,” will only
betray their own want of faith if they express misgivings
lest that word fail to assert its own efficacy and speak its
own divine message to the soul, without special enforce
ment as such by the schoolmaster.
Perhaps, too, upon the idea being put before them,
they will even acquiesce in the suggestion, that for any
man, be he schoolmaster or priest, or any body of men,
lay or cleric, ancient or modern, even though dignified
by the title of “ General Council,” to take upon them
selves the responsibility of determining or declaring what
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is, or what is not, “ the Word of God,” is to lay them
selves open to the charge of the most stupendous pre
sumption of which finite being can possibly be guilty:
a presumption which is no other than that of declaring
themselves to be infallible, and entitled to sit in the
temple of God as if they were God. (2 Thess. ii. 4.)
And further, to declare that the Bible is or contains
exclusively “ the Word of God,” is to forbid the souls of
men to find a divine message elsewhere than in the
Bible. It is to dictate to God as well as to man. For
it is to forbid God to make of others “ ministers to do
his will.” (Ps. ciii. 21; Heb. i. 24.) It is to extract all
meaning from the saying of Jesus, “ Lo, I am with you
alway, even unto the end of the world.” (Matt, xxviii. 20.)
It is to reject that “ Spirit of truth” who was promised
to “guide us into all truth.” (John xvi. 13.) It is to
“ quench the Spirit that giveth life,” in “ the letter that
killeth.” (1 Thess. v. 1, 9; 2 Cor. iii. 6.) It is to insist
that the Almighty speak to men, like a clergyman of the
Establishment, only from a text in the Bible. Let us, if
we will, define as “ the Word of God” that which “feareth
him and worketh righteousness;” but let us not dog
matise as to what particular author or composition comes
under that category^ For “ the Word of God” can only
be the word or thought of which God makes use to im
press the heart of any. If we “ search the Scriptures,”
we find that neither by the writers of the Psalms, by the
prophets, nor by Jesus, scarcely, if ever, is the phrase
used to denote that which was already written, but only
the deeper impression then present in the mind of the
speaker or writer. If not used by God to impress the
heart, it is then not “ his word.” The same utterance
may be “ his word” on one occasion, and not on another.
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Varying for each person, it is not always the same for
any person, inasmuch as that which impresses us in
one mood, does not necessarily affect us in another. A
“ word of God” cannot fail, any more than a “ law of
God” can be broken. Any definition of Deity that does
not exclude such a possibility, is an utterly inadequate
definition, and one dishonouring to God.
But in the matter of the education of the young, we
have to use our best judgment in apportioning the means
to the end we have in view. And therefore we must
put into their hands such reading only as is plainly
adapted for their edification, whether we take it from
the Bible or from any other book. It is for children to
to be in statu pupillari to men. It is for men to be in
statu pupillari to God.
I hold, then, that the Bible should be used in our com
mon schools, First, for its intrinsic merits. In its pages
we find the most complete revelation of humanity to be
found in any written book, showing the gradual growth
of the moral and spiritual faculties from the most rudi
mentary ages to the Christiaii era. We find this mainly
in the exhibition of the rise and development, however
irregular, of the idea of God, until, from a Being so
limited in his nature and operations as to be able to
sympathise and side with only a few individuals or a
particular race, partaking all the deficiencies of their own
gross, rude natures, bribed by gifts, appeased by sacri
fices, partial, cruel, jealous, capricious, the patron and in
stigator of blood-thirsty and fraudulent men and actions,
the resort and associate of “ lying spirits,” and sharing
his sovereignty with the devil, — he is at length pre
sented to us as “ the high and holy one that inhabiteth
eternity;” (Is. lviii. 15.) “ the righteous judge;” (Rev.
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xix. 11.) “creator of all things;” (Gen. i. 1, &c.)
“ Saviour of all men;” (1 Tim. iv. 10.) “ whose kingdom
ruleth over all.” (Ps. ciii. 19).
Here we find first recorded the existence of a sense of
responsibility for our actions to a law and a power which
are above us. “ Here human nature is drawn in all its
extent, from its lowest depths to its loftiest reach; for the
Bible is a gallery in which all the paintings are life-like,
but the subjects so varied, that none are too gross for
admission. Being a revelation of God according to the
characters and imaginations of the men in whose con
sciousness his idea was conceived, it is emphatically a
revelation of man, inasmuch as man’s ideal is the index
to his own character and degree of intelligence.
This, however, is no speciality of the Bible. It is the
characteristic of all art and literature which speaks out
the genuine deeper feelings of men’s hearts ; and in this
respect, as containing the truest art, the Bible ranks as
the highest classics.
In selecting from the world’s literature, reading lessons
inculcating “ the true, the* pure, and the lovely,” who
could have the heart to exclude the remarkable hymn of
the creation; the significant allegory of Eden; the charm
ing pastoral of Isaac and Rebekah in their first love; the
touching idyl of Joseph and his brethren and their aged
father; the wondrous romance of the Exodus; the story
of Moses, that king of men; the noble recitations of law
and legend in Deuteronomy; the interesting narratives of
Samson, Samuel, David, and Solomon; the simple tales
of Ruth and of Esther, so illustrative of the manners of
the ancient east; the sublime poetry of Job and the
Psalms; the shrewd wisdom of the Proverbs; the genial
cynicism of Ecclesiastes; the magnificent outpourings of
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Isaiah, denouncing the degradation and despair of his
countrymen, and encouraging them anew to hope and to
restoration through the moral regeneration of their
nature ? (Which of us even now could not point out
some nation that has sore need of an Isaiah ?) Then the
noble lesson of Jonah, wherein children are oftener
taught to see a tale of a cross-grained prophet, a whale,
and a gourd, than to recognise the poet’s protest against
the popular notion, shared by Jonah, that the Lord was
a mere district-god who could be avoided by change of
place, and to see the moral of the fable in the representa
tion of deity as everywhere present alike, even in the
depths of the sea.
And, added to these, the exquisite purity and simpli
city of the gospels, with their central figure of Jesus and
his enthusiastic life-devotion to the cause of man’s re
demption from sin and suffering, and deliverance from
the blighting effects of religious formalism, and the
crushing weight of sacerdotalism; producing from the
harmonious depths of his own great soul a sublime ideal
of God as a Father, and a rule of life for man most noble
in conception even when most impracticable of applica
tion. (Of all the characters of history, I know of none
who would have sympathised more intensely with the
object and the views I am seeking to advance, than the
Christ whom I find in the gospels. Of course to the or
thodox and the vested interests of his day, he was only a
sad blasphemer and dangerous revolutionist.) Then, the
varied and genuine humanity of the Epistles; and, no
tably, the magnificent monologue on charity, (in the thir
teenth chapter of the first epistle to the Corinthians,)
wherein Paul, dropping his too favourite character of
Rabbinical lawyer and quibbling controversialist, soars to
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an altitude whither the churches have never yet been
able to follow him. And, lastly, the lofty rhapsody of
the Apocalypse, wherein fervid imagination, escaping
from the woes beneath which mankind was being crushed
by a Domitian and a Nero, took refuge in an ideal
“ state of God,” where all wrongs should be redressed,
all tears wiped away, the tormentors relegated to ever
lasting punishment, and sorrow and pain be no more for
their victims.
And not for its intrinsic merits only, but for its in
fluence’ on the hearts of mankind, should our children not
be strangers to the volume in which, to borrow words
from one of our most highly inspired writers, “book after
book,Law and truth and example, oracle and lovely hymn,
and choral song of ten thousand thousand, and accepted
prayers of saints and prophets, sent back as it were from
heaven, like doves to be let loose again with a new
freight of spiritual joys and griefs and necessities; where
the hungry have found food, the thirsty a living spring,
the feeble a staff, and the victorious warfarer songs of
welcome and strains of music: which for more than a
thousand years has gone hand in hand with civilisation,
. . often leading the way. . . a book which good
and holy men, thepest and wisest of mankind, the kingly
spirits of historyl enthroned in the hearts of mighty
nations, have borne witness to its influences, and declared
to be beyond compare the most perfect instrument, the
only adequate organ of humanity; the organ and instru
ment of all the gifts, powers, and tendencies, by which
the individual is privileged to rise above himself.”*
To exclude all knowledge of the Bible from our youth,
would be to make a greater gap in the education of a
* S.T. Coleridge’s “Confessions of an Inquiring Spirit.”
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Briton than to omit almost any calculable number of
other books, including the bulk of the world’s history.
Indeed it would be to exclude almost all history what
soever; not ancient history merely, with knowledge of
Egypt, Palestine, Syria, and Rome in its decline and fall;
but the history of all Christendom itself, with that of the
Papacy and the Reformation, and the whole of our own
struggles for and against liberty | (for even we have not
always been consistently on the side of freedom:) almost
all of which struggles have been associated more or less
with the Bible; the rise and origin, too, of the United
States of America. All these in the past, together with
our own condition in the present and hopes in the future,
and the signification of the vast bulk of our literature,
would, without some knowledge of the book that has
filled a leading part in them all, be absolutely dark and
meaningless.
Besides, there is not so much wisdom and beauty in
the world that we can afford to throw any away. If we
exclude the Bible altogether as being a text-book of our
own religious sects, there is no plea upon which we can
admit the admirable teaching that is to be found in the
sacred books of the Hindoos and Chinese, the Mohamme
dans and Buddhists. Nay, to exclude the good parts of
any book merely because it happens to be the text-book
of a sect, is to put it in the power of any small knot of
persons to secure the exclusion of any book whatsoever,
by claiming it as one of their sacred books. Fancy a sect
of Shakespeare worshippers getting by such means all
knowledge of Shakespeare excluded from our educational
course ! Or a new sect of Pythagoreans to revive the
worship of numbers, and, setting up Colenso as their highpriest, forcing us to exclude arithmetic from our schools !
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Indeed, if only because of the very power and popular
ity of the Bible, it should not be left to be dealt with
exclusively by a class of interpreters who acknowledge
other allegiance than to the developed intellect and con
science of men. But, containing as it does, the whole
sacred literature of the most remarkable of all ancient
peoples, the Jews, and that of their most remarkable
sect of religious reformers, the Christians, who, together,
more than any other people, have influenced the develop
ment of the human mind and the course of human his
tory; to exclude all knowledge of it from our youth
would be to keep back from them the master-key to the
heart and facts of humanity.
XIII.
But the fact of the Bible being, not a single book, but
a whole literature ranging over many centuries, greatly
simplifies the question of dealing with it. We rarely use
the whole of any book in the schoolroom; never an entire
literature. Imagine the whole, or samples of the whole, of
our own literature being put at once into the hands of a
child, with its rude early legends and ballads, its laws and
statutes, its medicine and science, its trials and police
reports, and all the revolting details which even the least
respectable of our newspapers suppress as “ unfit for pub
lication !” Yet this is what we have done with the
ancient literature of the Jews. Instead of exercising any
discrimination, we crowd our houses with it, we read it
aloud to our families, we put it entire into the hands of
■our children; and when we find impurity and supersti
tion rife among us, instead of admitting that we have
■done our best to promote them, we postulate the horrible
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doctrines of “ original sin ” and “ total depravity,” and
shift the responsibility from our own shoulders to those
of “the devil!” It was remarked once by a well-known
Frenchman that “the English tolerate no indecencies
except in their Bibles.” Fatal exception, when we print
Bibles in millions, in all the languages of the earth, and
thrust them into the hands of every babe and suckling
and growing youth.
The remedy which I propose is twofold : First, that a
new version, omitting the whole of the parts which are
objectionable on the score of decency, omitting also the
headings by which ecclesiastical editors have sought to
palliate immorality or strain the meaning to the support
of particular doctrines, be made to take the place of the
existing “ authorised versionand that this be done
so completely that the old version be no longer accessible
to the young, but continue to exist only as a curiosity
or book of reference upon the shelves of students.
This change is one which, while it might be'initiated
by the School-boards undertaking to produce such a
version for the use of their schools, would require both
general and individual action on the part of the people
themselves. It will be aided by the wise resolve of the
Bible-revision Committee to omit the headings from their
new and improved version. If the powers of this Com
mittee were extended so as to enable it to make these
changes, a great step towards carrying out this part of
my proposed remedy would be gained. To further it
would be an admirable occupation for a society which
has existed for years among us under the presidency of
Lord Shaftesbury, calling itself “ The Pure Literature
Society.” Strange to say that, with all its zeal for
purity in literature, it has never yet tried its hand on
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the Bible. It will indeed prove itself worthy of its high
title and calling, when it joins in the chase of the
“ authorised version ” from our homes, and the pews of
our churches, so that children shall no longer be tempted
to beguile the tedium of a sermon by feeding their
curiosity on its improprieties.
It is related of Goethe that he was present at a meeting
of the Dutch clergy, when it was proposed to establish
a censorship to enforce the expurgation of any improper
books which might be brought forward for publication!
Goethe at once expressed his admiration of the plan, and
recommended that they commence with the Bible.
Whereupon the king of Holland said to him, “ My dear
Goethe, pray hold your tongue. Of course you are quite
right: but it won’t do to say so.”
This, however, is not enough. There are, as we have
seen, very many portions of the Bible which, while not
totally “ unfit for publication,” are yet shocking, to the
intellect and moral sense if accepted literally as true,
inasmuch as they are libellous to the Deity. I propose,
therefore, Secondly, that teachers be required, alike by
School-boards and by parents, whenever such portions
of Scripture are read,—(and they ought to be read, if
only to show the advance we have made)—to make their
pupils clearly understand that they represent only the
imperfect notions of a barbarous age and people. ' That
just as the Greeks had their supreme ruling divinity in
Zeus, their divinity of song in Apollo, of war in Ares, of
gain in Hermes, of storms in JEolus, of wisdom in Pallas,
and of love in Aphrodite; so the Jews, instead of dis
tributing these functions among a number of distinct
divinities, ascribed them all in turn, no matter how
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incongruously, as occasion required, to their own Jehovah.
By turn he is a “ man of war,” he is “love,” he is “fire,”
he “ rides on the wings of the wind,” and so on.
We cannot even accord to the Jews the credit, often
claimed for them, of being, in a world of polytheists, the
only pure monotheists. It is true that their institutions
forbade the worship of more than one God.; but they
recognised the existence of many gods. They were
monotheists in worship, but not in faith. Their Jehovah
was a far too unsociable, exclusive, “jealous” God, to
share their homage with others. He thus was made
strictly in the image of the Jews themselves, the most
exclusive of human races. That Baal and Chemosh,
Ashtoreth and Molech, were all realities for them, is
shown in frequent utterances ascribed even to Jehovah
himself. And Solomon, though “ the wisest of men,”
established their worship in Jerusalem. The Bible
shows, tod, by numerous instances, that the Jews were
by no means satisfied with their own deity. The minds
of their loftiest poets, indeed, occasionally, in their
loftiest moods, rose to the conception of a deity, one and
universal; but they did this in common only with the
loftiest minds of all peoples, ages, and religions; those
minds whose opinions have ever been regarded by the
conventional and superstitious as atheistic and blasphem
ous, whether it be Socrates, Spinoza, Shelley, or Jesus.
But even if the Jews acknowledged but one God, they
called him by various names ; and it would be an addi
tional safeguard against superstition if, in the new
version, those names were preserved. In translating
the Latin and Greek writers we never think of substitu
ting God for Jupiter or Apollo. There is no valid
reason for dealing differently with Jehovah, Elohim,
Adonai, Shaddai.
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This, then, is the whole conclusion :—
(1.) That the Bible should be admitted into the
schools; but it must be a purified, an expurgated Bible;
and (2.) That its reading must be accompanied by such
“ notes and comments ” as will make it really conducive
to the development of the Intelligence and Moral Sense
of the scholars.
But to minister to these ends, it must be read with no
adventitious solemnity that might specialise it as a
superior authority, and invest it with a preter-educational
character. For this would at once be to remove it from
the category of legitimate educational uses, by exempting
it from the operation of the normal digestive apparatus
of the intellect. In short, to make the Bible useful for
education, it must be taught comparatively. And as this
implies the possession of a certain amount of related
knowledge, it is clear that there is but very little of it
that is suited to the very young or very ignorant.
XIV.
Now for the general principle on which these u notes
and comments ” should be based.
It is universally acknowledged that the human mind
is endowed with a tendency to imagine the Deity as pos
sessed in perfection of all the qualities which are recog
nised by itself as best. The strength of this tendency is
ever in inverse proportion to the degree of the mind’s
development, being greatest in the most rudimentary
stage of intelligence.
Investing the Deity with the attributes of personality,
the finite mind cannot do otherwise than make God in
its own image. The character of that image is the mea
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sure of our own moral and spiritual capacity. For, when
by God we mean the ideal of our own imagination, it
follows that the character of our God indicates the de
gree of our own development. Later on, when the mind
attains a certain advanced stage of intellectual progress,
we find our conception of Deity so transcendently en
larged, that no definition satisfies us, save one which re
cognises Him as the sum of all the forces, physical, moral,
and spiritual, at work in the universe; the divine work,
which we call Nature, being the sum of all phenomena.
God the sum of causes, Nature the sum of effects. This
is no dogma. It is only a definition of what we mean
by God, what by nature.
For the purposes of early education, however, we have
to deal with God in a moral aspect, as the Ideal of
Humanity j the perfection towards which it is our high
est function to strive. Wherefore, nothing can be more
fatal to our moral progress than to have that ideal de
graded to a low type of character. If we are to call him
“ Fool,” who, denying cause and effect, says, “ there is
no God,” (Ps. xiv. 1.) what are we to say of him who
teaches that God is evil ? What, again, are we to call
those who, holding that God is absolutely good, and that
a firm belief in that goodness is requisite to enable man
to be good also, and who, moreover, desire to cultivate
goodness in their children, yet hesitate not to put into
the hands of those children narratives of impurity,
cruelty, and deceit, and tell them that the perpetrators
and their deeds were acceptable to, and indeed prompted
by, the Deity ? If the purpose of right education be to
develop the moral sense, what sort of education is this ?
If another- purpose be to develop the intellect, how is this
end to be served, when the only way of escape that such
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teachers have, on being questioned by their perplexed
pupils, lies in declaring it to be a “ mystery,” and so
closing the doors of their intelligence the moment it
begins to expand ? .
Keeping in mind the remarks I have made respecting
the inevitable anthropomorphism of all imperfectly de
veloped minds, you will perceive that it involves no
reproach to the Jews that, in those early stages of human
progress, they partook of the universal tendency, and
constructed their God in their own image; that they
credited him with the qualities, moral and immoral,
which they found in themselves; and, in their total
ignorance of natural law and phenomena, were more ready
to seek the divine hand in departures from the regular
order of nature, than to recognise it in its establishment
and maintenance. It is thus that all early literatures
necessarily contain prodigies and fables illustrative of the
imperfect notions of their period. And so far from these
things being true because they are in the Bible, or a re
proach to the Jews in being untrue, the miracle really
would have been if there were no miracles, no anthro
pomorphism, in the Scriptures. In this sense, therefore,
it may be said that the truth of the Bible is proved by
the untruths of the Bible.
Even if we give the Jews credit as having done their
best for the honour of their god in thus constructing him
in their own image, we assuredly cannot lay claim to
similar credit for ourselves. For we have fallen infinitely
below our own best, in the character we have assigned
to our God. Think for a moment how marvellous is the
anomaly we present. For six days of the week we avail
ourselves freely of the wondrous results of the most ad
vanced science and culture, philosophy and thought, of
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this nineteenth century after Christ, in which the labours
of all former centuries have culminated, and we do this for
our own advantage and enjoyment; and on the seventh
day, when the honour of our God is concerned, we are con
tent to jump back to the nineteenth century before Christ,
and borrow for him both character and lineaments from
a semi-barbarous Syrian tribe, whose whole literature
proves their absolute incapacity to comprehend the
simplest of his works in nature. And in their image,
fitful and vengeful, we make our God, refusing him the
benefits of the light we have gained. A wondrous feat
of moral and intellectual athletics is this our weekly
jump backward and then-forward again.
The resolution finally passed by the London Board
provides that “ the Bible shall be read, and there shall
be given therefrom such instruction in the principles of
religion and morality, as is suitable to the capacities of
children, no attempt being made to attach the children
to any particular denomination.”
Thus, the Bible is to be read “ with notes and com
ments.” If, however, these notes and comments are not
to be of the kind I have just described, the Resolution
means absolutely nothing. If the teachers are not to
explain that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Samuel, David,
and Solomon, were, in respect of the acts which have been
enumerated, exceedingly bad men, and that the deity
who is said in the Bible to have approved of them, was
but the imaginary local divinity of the Hebrews as re
presented by their priests, the Resolution is nothing but
an illusion and a blind. If the teacher is not to say that
Abraham was wrong to follow his impulse to sacrifice
his son; Jacob wrong to cheat his nearest and dearest
relations ; Samuel wrong to revoke his sovereign’s pledge
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of clemency, and rebelliously to set up a rival to him;
David wrong to sacrifice the sons of Saul, and to order
the execution of the man he had sworn to spare; if
he is not to say that Jesus and the apostles were mis
taken in expecting the early end of the world rand
re-appearance of Christ; that the story of his birth
is a piece of mere paganism, and that many of the
injunctions in the New Testament are not fitting rules
for civilised life—the Resolution is utterly devoid
of meaning. I am not saying that it may not be per
fectly sound theology to praise Abraham and Jacob for
these things, and represent the deity as approving of
them, but only that it is neither good religion nor good
morality; and it is not theology, but religion and mor
ality, which, both by the Education Act and the Resolu
tion, the teacher is bound to inculcate. Even if it be
true that morality is based upon religion, the religion
containing such theology can certainly not claim to be in
any way connected with morality. And to teach it will
be to go directly in the face of the Resolution which
provides “ that instruction be given from the Bible in
the principles,” not of theology, but “of religion and
morality.” Wherefore, when a question arises in the
schools, such as that of the propriety of Abraham’s com
pliance, of Jael’s treachery, or of Caiaphas’s counsel to
offer up Jesus in human sacrifice as an atonement for the
people;—the teacher acting in accordance with our
definition and the Board’s Resolution, will have no
choice but to reply, “ The justification of these actions
belongs to the domain of theology. Morality unequivo
cally condemns them. And my duty here is to teach
you morality.”
And this, I think, settles the question which has been
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raised since the passing of the Resolution, namely, the
question, Who is to give Biblical or religious instruction
in the schools, whether the ordinary teachers who are
responsible to the Board, or the clergy or other persons
specially appointed for that ^purpose by the various reli
gious bodies themselves ? The resolution declares that
the children are to be taught, not theology, but Religion
and Morality. To admit, therefore, independent teachers
of theology, would be, in so far as such theology is in
conflict with religion and morality, to admit teachers of
irreligion and immorality, and would thus neutralise the
Resolution of the Board, and the whole object of educa
tion, which, as cannot be repeated too often at this time,
consists in the development of the intellect and moral
sense.
Probably nothing could be put before the young more
pernicious than the teaching of the official theologian.
It was but the other day that a clergyman of the English
Establishment preached a sermon to the effect that Jacob
was quite right to cheat his father and brother because
he knew that he should make a better use of the property
than they would. No, however sound the theology of such
teaching may be, and this is no rare or extreme instance,
it certainly is not the teaching by which either the
intelligence or the moral sense of children is likely to be
developed.
XV.
So far from the simple and natural explanation which
I have given of the incongruities and contradictions con
tained in the Bible, having been diligently promulgated
by those who have’ undertaken to be its interpreters, our
spiritual teachers have, on the contrary, during some
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three hundred years done their best to erect the Bible
into an jinfallible standard, not merely of theology, but
of religion and morality. Outvying the apostle who, in
the excess of his zeal, cut off one ear, they have done
their best to stop up both ears against the voice of reason
and conscience. They forget that Jesus restored the in
jured organ.
It is true that an excuse for the existence of the popular
theory, and for the tenacity with which it has held its
ground, is not far to seek. It was natural that we should
feel a high degree of gratitude towards the book which
materially aided us in emancipating ourselves from the
yoke of mediaeval Papalism, and asserting our own indi
viduality among the community of the nations. It was
natural that our enthusiasm for the agent of our deliver
ance should lead us to place it high, even too high, in our
regards. And so it came that we replaced an infallible,
but discomfited, Pope by an infallible book; not per
ceiving that, if indeed it was a credit to the Bible to
have made us free, we do the reverse of honour to it by
allowing it to tyrannise over us in turn.
Again, in addition to being a grateful, we are an emi
nently prudent, folk. We prefer to be on with a new *
love before we are quit of the old. Hating anything
like an interregnum, we cry, “ The king is dead. Long
live the king,” without the interval of a moment. And
so we continue to cling to the old accustomed dwelling,
letting it crumble into ruin around us, rather than endure
a brief season of discomfort while waiting for the rear
ing of a new habitation on its site. “ If we give up the
Bible as an infallible guide,” it is asked, “ to what are
we to look in its place 1 ”
Having at present to deal with facts, and not with
fancies, there is no need to enlarge on the popular dogma
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further than to say that, not being contained in the Bible
itself, but being unknown alike to the Fathers of the
primitive Church, to the Reformers of the sixteenth cen
tury, and to the articles and formularies of both the
Romish Church and the English, it must have its basis
in modern innovation rather than in ancient authority.
I ascribe, then, the popular theory respecting the
Bible in some degree to the causes I have named, but
mainly to that instinctive monarchical tendency which
leads the uneducated to distrust their own intelligence
and moral sense, and require some palpable ruler and
guide. “ In their ignorance of the experimental cha
racter of human nature, men will seek infallibility some
where ; in an oracle, a priest, a church, or a book.” This
tendency has been, as a rule, sedulously fostered by
governments and teachers. Once deprived of their
Fetich, and roused from indolent acquiescence in its
supposed commands, they cry out that their gods have
been stolen from them, and fancy that the universe
will collapse, because they are now forced to fulfil their
proper vocation, and use their own faculties.
It was in virtue of this characteristic that the Swiss
theologians of the seventeenth century maintained the
inspiration • of the comparatively recent vowel-points of
the Hebrew text: that the early Christians ascribed a
supernatural origin to the Septuagint; and the Council of
Trent gave an authority superior to that of the original
texts to the Vulgate, which attained such a height of
superstitious respect that, according to Erasmus, some
monks, on seeing it printed in parallel columns between
the Greek and the Hebrew, likened it to Christ crucified
between the two thieves. (Colloquies.) And it was even
seriously proposed by the theological faculty of Mayence,
�'’-ft
^■r,'‘'7?-,?>,''z
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77
in the 15th century, to make a total “ revision and cor
rection of the Hebrew Bible, inasmuch as it differed
from the authorised Latin translation ! ”
Perhaps the most singular fact in connection with the
popular doctrine is, that to doubt its accuracy has come
to be treated as a piece of heinous moral depravity, and
this even by some who ought to know better. When
the eminent author of the “Christian Year” was con
sulted respecting a difficulty in the way of receiving it,
felt by Dr Arnold, then a student, Keble’s advice was
“ work it down 1 Throw yourself wholly into your
parish or your school, and work it down! ” * This
simply meant, “ ignore itas if faith consisted in the
suppression of doubt, and conscientious scruples were
demons to be exorcised.
Later in life, when pressed on the same point by Sir
John Coleridge, who urged the subject on him as one
that he was competent to deal with, adding that it pro
mised shortly to become the great religious question of
the time, Mr Keble, after endeavouring to evade an
swering, replied shortly that “most of the men who had
difficulties on this subject were too wicked to be reasoned
with.”t Such was the answer of one of the most vene
rated of modern Sacerdotalists to a near relative. of the
great Coleridge, who (in the book I have already quoted)
had pronounced the popular doctrine to be “ superstitious
and unscriptural.”
“ Ignore a conscientous scruple, or you are too wicked
to be reasoned with I” Respect a dogma because it is a
dogma, no matter how the reason and the conscience, nay,
the Almighty himself, be outraged thereby! Submit
humbly to authority, no matter how immoral its require* Stanley’s Life of Arnold.
f Coleridge’s Memoirs of Keble.
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ments! Ignore your scruples, and instead of manfully
“facing your doubts” and “beating your music out,” let
your doubt remain, an unresolved discord, to jar ever
more within your soul! To such straits are they driven
who remain in bondage to “ the weak and beggarly ele
ments” of the popular orthodoxy. Surely it is time for
us to say positively that we will not commit the minds
and consciences of our children to teachers who will bring
them up to regard sincerity as a vice, and crush at once
both intellect and moral sense by superstition, popular or
ecclesiastical.
XVI.
But though our immediate teachers in nursery, school
and pulpit, have laboured assiduously to inculcate this
dogma, it may safely be affirmed that, in addition to the
vast range of authorities already named who reject it,
there is not at this day a single scholar, (I do not say
“learned divine,” but scholar of acknowledged critical
ability,) lay or cleric, orthodox or heretic, in Christendom,
who holds it for himself. One and all, they recognise the
existence in the Bible of, at the very least, a largely per
vading. element of human imperfection. It is true that
Dr Hook in his “ Church Dictionary” defines “ Inspira
tion” as being “the extraordinary or supernatural in
fluence of the Spirit of God on the human mind, by
which the prophets and sacred writers were qualified to
receive and set forth divine communications without any
mixture of error,” and asserts upon his own sole autho
rity that in this sense the term occurs in the passage,
“ all scripture (is) given by inspiration of God.” (2 Tim.
iii. 16.) It is true that in this he is followed by Dr
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Wordsworth and other prominent churchmen. But no
critical scholar ventures to affirm that “ Inspiration ” is
identical with, or implies, “ Infallibility.” On the con
trary, their profoundest investigations only serve to de
monstrate the truth of the conclusion patent to common
sense, that humanity is so constructed as to be incapable
of infallibility in the absence of means of verification;
and that the being prompted by a “ holy spirit,” or dis
position, by no means guarantees a man against error,
however wide his spiritual range, or deep his spiritual
insight.
But farther, even if the original text could be regarded
as infallible, there is the. fact that we do not possess that
original text, and that the documents which claim to be
derived from it, have passed through the hands of many
copyists, each more or less accurate, more or less honest.
And were the text certainly perfect as it is certainly most
defective, there are still the difficulties of translation, diffi
culties which are, as every scholar knows, often absolutely
insurmountable. For the language of different nations
varies with their ideas, and their ideas vary with their
institutions, associations, and habits; so that different
languages frequently have no terms whatever in which to
express the ideas contained in other languages. Many
tropical tribes, for instance, have no words to express
such things as ice and snow, because those things are alto
gether unknown to them. A translation, therefore, of
the Bible into their language is, so far as ice and snow
are concerned, impossible. “ In the islands of the South
Seas there were no quadrupeds Until the first navigators
took some pigs there, when the name given by the natives
to the pigs, became the generic term for all four-legged
animals. The horse was the big pig that runs over the
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ground. The cow was the great milky pig. The sheep
the curly pig. We may imagine the feelings with which
the pious translators of the Bible for the islanders found
themselves compelled to use a corresponding designation
for the phrase “Lamb of God.” The Zulus of South
Africa had no idea of God or a future state, and prized
above all things flesh in an advanced stage of decomposi
tion. Wherefore the missionaries in translating the Bible
for them, and rendering the supreme good in their lan
guage, were obliged to identify God and heaven with
rotten meat.
The same lack of corresponding terms exists more or
less between all languages, as is shown by the fact that
words and phrases are often transported whole from one
language into another. Moreover, words used to express
actions, principles, or qualities, in one language, often be
come concreted into persons and things by the genius of
another. And in all languages, or nearly all, the same
word frequently has many different significations. (As
in English the words Jac,
&c., have each half-a-dozen
meanings.) It sometimes happens, therefore, that a trans
lator has to be guided by what he is led by the context
or some other criterion to think the passage is likely to
mean.
Thus, in the passage, “ Whosoever will save his life
shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake
shall find it. For what is a man profited if he shall gain
the whole world, and lose his own soul ? or what shall a
man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matt. xvi. 25, 26.)
—the word rendered soul is precisely the same, article
and all, with the word rendered life.
Again, for the word spirit, which is used by us in nearly
a score of different senses, personal and impersonal, the
�and Modern Education.
Greek equivalent, pneumo,, generally, if not always, signi
fies the air, breath, or life. In the well-known passage
in John, (iii. 8.) “ The wind bloweth where it listeth, and
thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence
it cometh and whither it goeth; so is every one that is
born of the spirit,”—the word rendered wind, and the
word spirit, are identical, article and all, with each other.
Yet the translators have given to the same word, occur
ring in the same sentence, two entirely different mean
ings. And, as if to justify this, the modern printers of
the. Greek text sometimes give a capital initial to the
word which is translated spirit; thus in a measure, alter
ing the text to suit the authorised version.
Such was the imperfection of the ancient Hebrew for
the purposes of expression in writing, that it was not
until long after the Bible had been written that the dis
tinction between the tenses of past and future was pro
perly developed. It was in their confusion between these
tenses that our translators, in the magnificent ode of
Isaiah beginning, “ Comfort ye, comfort ye, my people,”
produced the absurd and impious phrase, “ She hath re
ceived at the Lord’s hand double for all her sins,” in
stead of the joyous assurance, “ She shall receive . . .
double for all her sufferings.” (xl. 2.) It is easy to im
agine the difficulty attending prophetic expression in a
language which had no distinct future tense !
A very little reflection on the modus operandi of what
theologically is called “ Inspiration,” will at once exhibit
to us the fallacy of the popular notion. It can only con
sist of an impulse or impression on the mind, so strong
as to make the individual receiving it, ascribe it to a
preternatural source. But, however irresistible for him,
the authority and character of the impression must still
F
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be determined, not by its strength in relation to his
mind, but by its own intrinsic nature. A bad impres
sion cannot proceed from a healthy source; neither does
a strong impression imply accuracy of doctrine. It is
under an irresistible impulse that the maniac mother
flings her child down a well. It is under an impression
so strong as to be for him an inspiration or divine reve
lation that the celibate takes his unnatural vow, the
devotee starves himself into bad health, the Russian
fanatic mutilates his body, and the Revivalist goes into
convulsions of madness. Thus, whatever is claimed to
be a divine revelation, must be referred ultimately to the
test of the Intellect and Moral Sense, as the sole canon
of criticism. Even the common notion that infallibility
may be attested by the power to work miracles, must be
disclaimed in presence of the instances ascribed in
Scripture to magical or diabolical agency.
“ Wherefore, although a man may have an overwhelm
ing sense that something claiming to be God has spoken
to him, it is clear, that unless he has a prior, personal and
infallible knowledge of God,—a knowledge prior, that is,
to his ‘ inspiration,’—he knows not but that it may be
a demon assuming the garb of light, perhaps even one of
those ‘ lying spirits’ who are represented in the Bible as
infesting even heaven itself, or a fantastic creation of his
own excited fancy. It behoves him, therefore, still to
judge the communication in his calmer moments by its
own intrinsic character, and to deliberate upon the actions
to which it impels him.” The wider the range we learn
to assign to Nature and the human faculties, the less be
comes our necessity for seeking a preternatural origin for
our ideas and impulses, and the more honour we pay to
the divine worker and his work.
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The prevalent readiness to distrust our own ability to
.perceive the higher moral facts of the universe, and our
consequent liability to refer all revelation to the con
sciousness of men who lived ages ago, is, no doubt, attri
butable partly to our possession of so many ancient books
which claim our attention, and draw our minds away
from the contemplation of the direct action of the uni
verse upon our own individual consciousness; and partly
to the repressing influence of those sacerdotal interests
which naturally repose upon traditional authority rather
than upon living insight and reason.
The habit is one to be firmly checked if we would
avoid the practical Atheism of banishing G-od and Truth
from the living present to the dead past. “ The creed or
belief of any age is, at best, but the index to the height
■of the divine presence of Truth in that ago.” To adopt
its limitations as our own, is to turn a deaf ear to the
voice of that “ Spirit of Truth” or Truthfulness, of whom
it was said by one who himself drew all his inspiration from
within, that “ when he is come he will guide you into all
truth.” (John xvi. 13.) It is but a limited sway that this
Spirit of Truthfulness has as yet obtained. Wherefore
the effect of all dogmas,—whether formulated in creeds,
■catechisms, or articles of faith,—and their maintenance by
oaths and emoluments, independently of intrinsic pro
bability or any possibility of verification, is to arrest
the natural development of Humanity and to disturb and
retard the whole process of the evolution of the species,
in regard to its highest functions. It is to give the
world a base money-bribe to retain in its maturity the
form, the garb, the dimensions, the ^maturity of its
childhood. Hear a recent utterance of one who, with
whatever drawbacks, seeks still to combine the prophet
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and the poet, and thus, with “ Songs before Sunrise,’^ •
heralds the dawn of better times:
A creed is a rod,
And weapon of night:
But this thing is God,
To be man with thy might,
To grow straight in the strength of thy spirit,
And live out thy life as the light. *
The very word Inspiration, in its primary meaning,
relates to the atmosphere. It is an ancient supposition
that ideas are inhaled with the breath. A man found
himself possessed of an idea or thought which the
moment before he had not. Whence could it have
come, if not in-breathed, or inspired, with the air 1 It
was Pythagoras who conceived the idea that the vital
process of the world is a process of breathing, the
infinite breath or atmosphere of the Universe being the
source of all life. An imaginative Oriental people
readily, in their expressions, personified such supposed
source of life and thought. We matter-of-fact Westerns
go on to make such personification absolute and dog
matic. Pn&uma, the air, becomes a personal spirit, or
assemblage of spirits, and divinely “ inspires ” us: as in
the old days of philosophy in Persia, under the influence
of which, during, or after the Babylonish captivity,
many of the Jewish sacred books evidently were com
posed,—’the breath, or Div, formed a linguistic basis for
a personal Devil,j
Ideas in the air !
Those who know what it is to
* Swinburne, very slightly altered.
t Cons. Donaldson’s “ Christian OrthodoxyArt. “Interme
diate Intelligences.”
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-crouch in the unhealthy confinement of close study, ever,
as the Poet says,
“ With blinded eyesight poring over miserable books,”
till heart and head become heavy and dull; and then to
betake themselves to seaside or mountain, where the
fresh winds of heaven blow freely upon them, inflating
their lungs, aerating their blood, and “sweeping the
cobwebs from their brains,” until the renovated organism
becomes re-charged with creative energy, and ideas
begin anew to spring up in the mind, revealing to it
“ Tongues in trees, books in the running brooks,
Sermons in stones, and good in everything, ”
—such as these can well appreciate the charming old
fancy that peopled the air with ideas, and regarded
every new thought as a separate spirit. It is only under
theologic manipulation that such gentle poetry becomes
steam-hammered into hard dogma, that existence is rob
bed of its charm, and millions of mankind are doomed
to pass through life, and to leave it, without ever having
been allowed to know how good the world really is.
But above and beside the questions of Inspiration, of
Language, of Transcription, and Translation, there is
the question of Interpretation. And, supposing all other
difficulties surmounted, we are here met by an impass
ible barrier. For the proposition is nothing less than
axiomatic, that “ an infallible revelation requires an
infallible interpreter : and that both are useless without
an infallible understanding wherewith to comprehend
the interpretation.”
By such demonstration of the utter impossibility of
infallibility, (in the theologic sense,) the ground is
entirely cut away from beneath, not only all past, but all
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• future superstitions. For, by. annihilating “ authority,
it compels us to refer everything whatsoever to the
criterion of the intellect and moral sense of man. There
is now, therefore, no longer any space for " dogma.”
XVII.
To the list of authorities already given, I propose to
add a few representative names from the various schools
of theologic thought within the Established Church.
The first is that of the Bev. Dr Irons, who, in his
remarkable little volume, “ The Bible and its Inter
preters,” declares that “ any reasonable being who
would accept the Scriptures at all, must take them on
some other ground than that which identifies the written
Word with God’s Eevelation. A more hopeless, carnal,
and, eventually sceptical position, it is impossible to
conceive.” (p. 39.) Dr Irons, in this, follows the learned
Bishop of St David’s, Dr Thirlwall, whose recent noble
protest against the dishonesty of sacerdotal bigotry in
high places, in relation to the work of Biblical revision,
may well raise our respect for him to veneration, as one
who, in spite of his position, has dared practically to
point the distinction between Morality and the prevalent
Theology. In one of his Episcopal charges, Dr Thirlwall
points out the fact that “ Among the numerous passages
of the New Testament in which the phrase The Word
of God,” occurs, there is not one in which it signifies the
Bible, or in which that word could be substituted for it
without manifest absurdity.
It is notorious that the popular imagination is wont
to regard the same phrase, when used in the Psalms, as re
ferring, if not to the whole of the Old and New Testaments,
at least to the books ascribed to Moses and Samuel. .
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87
The late Dean of Canterbury, Dr. Alford, in his
“New Testament for English readers,” (p. 3.) says,
“Each man reported and each man selected according
to his own personal characteristics of thought and
feeling.”
Yet one other name, that of Bishop Colenso, whose
critical analysis of the Hebrew text is allowed by
scholars to constitute one of the most remarkable monu
ments of patient labour and sober judgment to be
found in literature. These scholars, approaching the
subject from opposite directions, agree in their main
conclusions. Their immediate motives, however, differ
considerably. The object of Dr. Irons is to force us
back, in the search for Infallibility, to rely altogether
upon “the Church.” “Hearthe Church,” is his maxim.
(Matt, xviii. 17.) But which Church ? we must ask,
and ask in vain. What saith the Church of England
in her articles? “As the Churches of Jerusalem,
Antioch, and Alexandria, have erred, so also hath the
Church of Rome erred.” (Art. xix.) Moreover, “General
Councils.............sometimes have erred.” (xxi.) (It was
a general Council that determined what books should
form the canon of Scripture, and what should be
rejected.) Can we wonder if the other Churches rejoin,
as at least one of them has done, with anathemas,
“ So also hath the Church of England erred ?”
The object of Dean Alford was to mediate between
the two extremes of popular orthodoxy and the results
of critical knowledge.
That of Bishop Colenso is simply to find out and state
what is the fact, believing that such purpose alone is
consistent with the deference due to the intellect and
moral sense of man, to truth, and to God Himself. In
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one of his “ Natal Sermons,” he sums up the results of
his labours by describing the Bible as containing the
“Early attempts at History,” the writers of which
record, with «the simplicity of childhood, the first ima
ginings of thoughtful men about the Earth’s formation
and history, and mingle with traditionary lore and
actual fact, the legends and mythical stories of a hoar
antiquity, yet tell us how men were “ moved by the
Holy Ghost,” in those days, how they were “feeling
after God,” and finding Him, how the light shone
clearer and clearer upon their minds, as the day-star
of Eternal truth rose higher and higher upon them. . . .
A human book, in short, though a book full of divine
life.............written, as Paul says, for our learning, but
not all infallibly true.” (i. p. 62, &c.) •
But Dr. Irons and Bishop Colenso, while differing
apparently so widely in their motives, yet have in reality .
the same object. The Bishop would force us back
directly upon the Intellect and the Moral Sense. And
Dr Irons would force us back upon them through the
intermedium of “ the Church,” whatever that may be.
For we need not entertain the uncharitable supposition,
that he would have us substitute the authority of the
Church for that of the Mind and the Conscience.
XVIII.
There is yet another authority to which it is necessary
to refer, inasmuch as it is the highest present expression
of the intellect and moral sense of the country applied
to the regulation of human life in its secular relations.
We have seep that, so far as following Christ and his
precepts are concerned, there are many respects in
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which both the Church and the world are palpably
anti-Christian. The world rejects communism, celibacy,
and contempt of knowledge; and both Church and
world set at nought the most positive injunctions of
Christ and of the Bible, as in taking medicine and in
praying in Church. The practice of our Courts of
Law is equally in opposition to the. popular doctrine of
an infallible Bible. Yet, with curious confusion, the
popular mind still endeavours to concur with both;
and judges still have the audacity to assert that the law .
of the land is founded on the Bible.
I will give an example or two.
You will remember the passages I quoted (p. 44.) in
reprobation of the medical profession, and of those who,
in illness, “ Seek not to the Lord, but to the physicians.”
Well, we have among us a small sect calling itself after
a Bible-phrase, “ The Peculiar People.” These hold
that prayer is the only allowable resource for Christians
in tijne of sickness. They do not refuse to cure them
selves of hunger by food, of fatigue by rest, or to pick
themselves up when they fall. They have no consistent
theory or uniform practice respecting the relation of
means to ends. But because a verse in one of the
Epistles enjoins the calling in of the elders to pray over
the sick, and declares that “the prayer of faith shall
save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up;” (Jam.
v. 14.) they prefer to die sooner than call in a doctor, or
take any medicine. Had the Apocrypha been thought
fit by our Church to be included in the Canon, this sect
would have had no existence, for the Book of Ecclesiasticus contains several warm commendations of medicine
and medical men : saying, “ Honour the physician. . . .
for the Lord hath created him............... the Lord hath
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created medicines out of the earth; and he that is wise
will not abhor them.” (xxxviii. i. 1-15, &c.)
A short time ago, however, the neighbours of the
people who are so very “ peculiar” as to show their faith
in the New Testament by their works, and to risk their
lives on the strength of a vote in an ecclesiastical council,
(that rejecting the Apocrypha,) were scandalised by
observing that they had allowed a child to die without
taking any human means to save it. An appearance in
the police-court followed, when the leaders of the sect
attempted to justify their conduct by an. appeal to the
Scriptures. But so diametrically opposed is the Spirit of
our Law to that of the Sacred Books upon which our
Law-Established Church is founded, that the magistrate,
though he made allowance for the offenders on the ground
of gross ignorance, flatly refused to receive their plea, and
warned them that on a repetition of the offence, nothing
would save them from being committed for trial on a
charge of manslaughter. And his conduct received the
approbation of a country calling itself Christian!
The other instance is that of the late case of “ Lyon
versus Home.” This was an action for restitution of’
money obtained under false pretences; and of course in
an action of this nature the one thing to be proved is
that the pretences under which the money was obtained,
were false.
The defendant Home is one of a sect of persons who
claim to hold intercourse with the spirits of the dead.
The prosecutor Lyon is, (or was,) a believer in thedoctrines of that sect, and in the defendant Home as one
of its chief apostles. She is, (or was,) also a wealthy
widow; and under the supposed injunctions of her
departed husband, as made known to her through the-
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mediumship of Home, she made over to Home a large
portion of her property, I believe some <£60,000, but
the amount, however material elsewhere, is not material
to our argument.
You will bear in mind that what I am about to relate
occurred in a country whose laws maintain, at an enormous
expense to its people, a Church called Christian, whose
Sacred Books,—which are accepted by the whole nation
officially as divinely inspired, and by the bulk of the
nation individually as infallibly true,—repeatedly and
unmistakeably affirm the leading doctrines of the sect to
which the parties in this case belonged; namely, that
intercourse is possible and frequent between the living
and the spiritual world.
To quote some of the numerous passages involving this
belief, there is the well-known story of the witch of
Endor, in which the spirit of Samuel is represented as
appearing to the witch, and delivering a discourse for the
benefit of king Saul. (1. Sam. xxxvii.) There is the
statement that at the crucifixion of Jesus, many of “ the
Saints which slept arose. . . . and appeared unto many.”
(Matt, xxvii. 52-53.) There is the story of the “Trans
figuration,” in which Moses and Elias, dead for hundreds
of years, appeared to the disciples; (xvii. &c.) the con
version of Paul, in which Jesus himself, sometime dead,
addressed Paul in an audible voice from heaven, (in the
words of a Greek Play ;*) (Acts ix. 4-6.) and the
summoning back of the spirit of Lazarus to his body.
(John xi. 25-43, &c.) There is the parable of the rich
man in torment conversing with the spirit of Abraham
in bliss, begging, with curious confusion between spirit
and matter, that the spirit of Lazarus might be permitted
* The Bacchae of Euripides.
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to “ dip the tip of his finger in water ” and cool the rich
man’s tongue : or, in case the alleviation of suffering
were not among the functions of the blessed, that the
spirit of Lazarus might be sent back to earth to convert
the five living brethren of the rich man; which last
request-was refused, not as the first was on the ground of
its impossibility, but as superfluous and useless. (Luke
xvi. 22, &c.). We read, too, of guardian angels, (Matt,
iv. 4.) and “ministering spirits;" (Heb. i. 14.) and of
a whole apparatus of intermediate intelligences existing
between God and man. In the Acts we find certain
pious Pharisees exclaiming of Paul, “ if an angel or
spirit hath spoken to him, let us not fight against God.” ♦
(xxiii. 9.) John tells us to “ believe not every spirit, but
try the spirits whether they be of God.” (1 John iv. 1.)
Job, in thrilling language, describes a spirit as passing
before his face and pausing to speak to him. (iv. 15, &c.)
The practice of necromancy is forbidden in Deuteronomy,
(xviii. 2.) its reality not being called in question; (though
how the Jews reconciled it with their denial of the after
life, does not appear.) The Gospels repeatedly refer to
cases of possession by spirits, without specifying their
nature or origin; and in Smith’s Dictionary of the Bible,
the fact of apparitions of the dead is regarded as being,
for the Bible, past a doubt.
S.uch, on this point, are the tenets of the book which
it is an article of faith with the very people whose law
was invoked in the case of “Lyon versus Home,” im
plicitly to believe. And yet, so far from any proof
being required of the falsity of the defendant’s pretences,
they were at once assumed to be an utter and monstrous
imposition; and the defence was laughed out of court,
in face of the contents of the very book upon which the
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witnesses in it had been sworn : the book upon which
our Religion is “ by law established
and for the sake
of inculcating which as infallible, we insist upon vitiating
or crippling our whole system of National Education !
To these illustrations of the growing divorce between
ancient credulity and modem Belief must be added that
of Witchcraft; concerning the belief in which John
Wesley said that “The Bible and Witchcraft must stand
or fall together.” While the anger excited among us by
the devout utterances of the Prussian king over his late
successes, may be ascribed in some degree to the fact
that we are learning to repudiate the old notions which,
recognising success as the test of merit, make Divine
Providence the arbiter in human quarrels ; and in some
degree to the consciousness of having ourselves been
such eminent practisers in the same pietistic line as to
make king William’s conduct look very much as if meant
for a caricature of our own.
Having paid some attention to the recent sittings of
the Church Assemblies in Edinburgh, I have been pleased
to observe symptoms of a growing respect for the authority
of the Intellect and the Conscience in regard to matters of
Eaith, north of the Tweed. I have read that one clergy
man declared his belief that the sacrifice of Christ was
an atonement of sufficient value to counterbalance the
misdeeds of Satan himself, and justify the Almighty in
pardoning the Arch-fiend; and that another “ elder ”
valued the character of the Deity so highly “that his hair
stood on end at the notion that God could ever be re
conciled to the devil.” I take it as a hopeful sign that
these two theologians should thus renounce all claim to
judge such questions by the old dogmatic standards, and
appeal instead to their own moral sense. They have only
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to carry the process somewhat further to perceive that the
God who could create such a being as the devil at dll, or
who could require to be propitiated towards his own off
spring by such a sacrifice as that of Christ at dll, is no
God worthy of being acknowledged or revered by any
being possessed of a spark of intelligence or independence
of spirit.
Lord Chesterfield once wrote to a friend, “Both
Shaftesbury and I have been- dead for several years; but
we don’t wish the fact to be generally known.” In the
same way very much of the Bible has been dead for
some time. It still exists, but is outliving its influence
for evil; and there are many who fancy themselves in
terested in keeping the fact from being generally known.
Yet that it is no chimera which I am encountering,
has just been powerfully illustrated by a discussion in
the House of Lords * in relation to University Tests;
wherein it was declared, both by Lord Houghton and by
the Marquis of Salisbury, that “ the immense majority
of the people of this country adhere to the authority and
teaching of the Bible; their reverence for it being so
absolute that any person who avows hostility to its
doctrines is disabled, not only from holding any office
connected with moral and religious teaching, but almost
from any political office. And that no one can appear at
the hustings with any chance of success, and announce
that he does not accept the Bible.”
XIX.
Sir John Coleridge was right when he said that this
Bible question promised shortly to become the great
* (Debate of May 11th 1871.)
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religious question of the time. It is so; not for the
reason he then anticipated, hut because the Bible, or
rather the popular theory about the Bible, stops the way
to our advance in all that favours the redemption, or
constitutes the highest good, of a people.
By reason of this one impediment our whole system
of national education “ hangs fire; ” while our systems
of private education are neutralised or vitiated. It is
therefore for those who are under no obligation to refrain
from using their reasoning faculties; those who decline
allegiance to any dispensation which imposes a penalty
for putting forth a hand to .sustain and forward that
which they regard as the Ark of their country’s redemp
tion ; (1 Chron. xiii. 9, &c.) those who believe that it is
only through man working together freely and intelli
gently with man towards the highest moral ends, that
real good is to be done;—it is for these, I say, to grapple
with the difficulty, and if need be, to take the place of
those who have hitherto been our teachers. If we are
no longer to regard the Bible as a Fetich, to be adored,
but not comprehended; if wfe are not to adopt as an
article of Faith the suggestion of the flippant Frenchman,
that the God of the Jewish Scriptures and of our own
advanced intelligence and moral sense, is in reality one
and the self-same Being ;■—that he was once as bad as
the Jews made him out to be, but has improved with
age and experience, (a suggestion I have lately heard
seriously propounded by a clergyman in despair at the diffi
culties he found in the Bible)—then the solution which
has now been proposed must be accepted by us: other
wise the intellect and the conscience must be rejected
altogether as illusory and inventions of the devil; and
some other criterion, and one which discards both
�96
yewish Literature
intellect and conscience, must be sought for to regulate
our judgment.
For my part, I think better of my countrymen than
to believe that when once the truth is put plainly before
them, they will long halt between the two opinions. I
believe that when once the alternative is shown to them
to lie between gross superstition and a rational religious
ness,—they will no longer endure that their faith be only
definable as believing what they know to be untrue; but will
insist on their children being trained to subject all
things to the test of a cultivated intelligence and moral
sense. Thus trained, they will peruse the Bible, no
longer as slaves, but in a spirit of intelligent appreciation,
sifting out the germs of truth for themselves, and not
scoffing at or rejecting the whole on account of the husks.
From henceforth the teacher in the schools of the
nation must never forget that it is the purpose of his
schoolroom to be the training-ground, not of any party or
sect, but whereon to develop the faculties which later in
life are to determine the nature of individual belief. To
impart a bias, or to anticipate or prevent the formation
of genuine, honest opinion, by the early instilment of
dogma, is at once to stultify every principle of sound
education, inasmuch as it is to repress the intellect and
contravene the moral sense. Whatever the views which
may be adopted in mature age by those who have been
educated under the system I am advocating, there will
be no cause to fear that they will be the' worse for being'
founded in an intelligence and moral sense which have
been thus rigidly trained in youth.
Shall it be said of our solution as was said by one
upon first beholding the sea, “ Is this the mighty ocean, •
�and Modern Education.
97
is this all ? ”
“ Yes,” we may confidently reply, in
respect to our reliance upon the intellect and the con
science developed by rational education, “ these are all.”
At first, indeed, you see from the margin but a small part
of them. But only trust yourself to them: launch boldly
out upon them: sail where you will with them, and they
will bear you safely through the whole universe of
being.”
At present, for us in England, the issue lies with our
School-boards. If their members are themselves ignorant
of the simple law of human development in religious
ideas, or are unworthily complacent to the ignorance and
superstition of their constituents, generations may pass
before the standard of education and religion is brought
up to the standard of modern thought and knowledge.
Generations may pass and the Bible will still be found
the subject of hopeless contention, and source of fatal
disunion and weakness. And generations long here
after will find the country sunk deeper and deeper in
ignorance and barbarism; while the nations which have
sprung from our race, and speak our language, will have
passed so far ahead of us that they can only look back
upon “ poor England” with pity and contempt as an effete
and imbecile land, “ whose prophets prophesied falsely,
whose priests bore rule by their means, and whose people
loved to have it so.”
TURNBULL AND SPEARS, PRINTERS, EDINBURGH.
�
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A collection of digitised nineteenth-century pamphlets from Conway Hall Library & Archives. This includes the Conway Tracts, Moncure Conway's personal pamphlet library; the Morris Tracts, donated to the library by Miss Morris in 1904; the National Secular Society's pamphlet library and others. The Conway Tracts were bound with additional ephemera, such as lecture programmes and handwritten notes.<br /><br />Please note that these digitised pamphlets have been edited to maximise the accuracy of the OCR, ensuring they are text searchable. If you would like to view un-edited, full-colour versions of any of our pamphlets, please email librarian@conwayhall.org.uk.<br /><br /><span><img src="http://www.heritagefund.org.uk/sites/default/files/media/attachments/TNLHLF_Colour_Logo_English_RGB_0_0.jpg" width="238" height="91" alt="TNLHLF_Colour_Logo_English_RGB_0_0.jpg" /></span>
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2018
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Conway Hall Ethical Society
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Jewish literature and modern education, or: the use and misuse of the Bible in the schoolroom, being two lectures delivered before the Sunday Lecture Society, March 26th and April 2d 1871
Description
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Place of publication: Ramsgate
Collation: 97, [1, 3] p. ; 18 cm.
Notes: Publisher's list on unnumbered pages at the end.
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Thomas Scott
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1871
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G3435
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[Unknown]
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Education
Judaism
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<a href="http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/"><img src="http://i.creativecommons.org/p/mark/1.0/88x31.png" alt="Public Domain Mark" /></a><span> </span><br /><span>This work (Jewish literature and modern education, or: the use and misuse of the Bible in the schoolroom, being two lectures delivered before the Sunday Lecture Society, March 26th and April 2d 1871), identified by </span><a href="https://conwayhallcollections.omeka.net/items/show/www.conwayhall.org.uk"><span>Humanist Library and Archives</span></a><span>, is free of known copyright restrictions.</span>
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English
Bible
Judaism
Religious Education
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Text
Second Million.
Ube
Explanatory Catechism of
GbHstfan Doctrine
CHIEFLY INTENDED FOR THE USS OF
Children in Catholic Schools
WITH AN APPENDIX
All rithtt rtitrvti.
LONDON:
BURNS, OATES & WASHBOURNE, LTD.
aS Orchard St. W.i. 8-10 Paternoster Row E.C.4.
And at Manchester, Birmingham & Glasgow.
�"Ribil ©bstat:
GUL. CAN. 8UT0LIFFB,
imprimatur •
FRANOISCUS CARDINALIS BOURNE,
Archiepiscopus, Westmonasterieh,
Die 23 Novembris, 1921.
SUMMARY
or the
CATECHISM OF CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE.
1. As to Man.
I. Faith...-
2. TheBeukt
to
F
The
Our Father.
II. Hcpe...-
III. Charity {
The
Hail Mart.
The COMMAND
MENTS
F
IV. The
Sacraments
The Seven
Great Means
of Grace,
CORRESPOND
ING TO
His first beginning.
His last end.
in God the Father;
in Jesus Christ;
in the Holy Ghost;
in the Holy Catholio
Church.
V
{ The seven Blessings
1. To be hoped for and
2. To be prayed for.
{ Assistance of the Blessed
Virgin and of the
Angels and Saints.
1. of God;
2. of the Church.
'1. ths birth,
2. the growth,
3. the nourishment,
4. the medicino, and
- 5. the journey of the
soul ;
6. the Christian Triest.
hood, and
,7. the Christian Family.
fl.
\ 2.
'1.
2.
- 3.
4.
(«) The Virtues and contrary Vices, (ft) The Christian’s Rule of
Life, (e) The Christian’s Daily Kxerciso.
�WXA3 NATI0Nal SECULAR society
€be
Bjplanatotp Gatecbfem of
Christian doctrine
FAITH.
CHAPTER I.
1. Q. Who made you 1 A. God made me.
2. Q. Why did God make you ? A. God made me to
know Him, love Him, and serve Him in this world, and
to be happy with Him for ever in the next.
To know God. By hearing instructions, reading good books,
knowing what He is, and what He has done for us.
To love and eerve God. By keeping His Commandments, and
doing all we can to please Him.
3. Q. To whose image and likeness did God make
you 7 A. God made me to His own image and
likeness.
Image. That which exactly represents anything.
Likeness. That which resembles a thing, as a picture or a
portrait.
4. Q. Is this likeness to God in your body, or in
your soul 7 A. This likeness to God is chiefly in my '
soul.
5. Q. How is your soul like to God 7 A. My soul is
like to God because it is a spirit, and is immortal.
Spirit. An immaterial living being, having free-will and
understanding, as God, the Angels, our souls. We cannot
touch or see a spirit.
Immortal. Not mortal, can never die. The soul has a twoA
�A
THE EXPLANATORY CATECHISM
fold life—(1) natural, which it receives at its creation, and
never loses; (2) supernatural, or the grace of God, received
in Baptism, lost by mortal sin, but regained by a worthy
reception of the Sacrament of Penance, or by an act of
perfect coutriiion.
6. Q. What do you mean when you say that your
soul is immortal? A. When I 6ay that my soul is
immortal, I mean that my soul can never die.
7. Q. Of which must you take most care, of your
body or of your soul ? A. I must take most care of
my soul: for Christ has 6aid, ‘ What doth it profit a
man if he gain the whole world, and suffer the loss of
his own soul ? ’ (Matt. xvi. 26.)
Profit. That which is for a person’s good.
Suffer the loss, Ac. To lose one's soul and go to helL
8. Q. What must you do to save your soul ? A. To
save my soul I must worship God by Faith, Hope, and
Charity; that is, I must believe in Him, I must hope
in Him, and I must love Him with my whole heart.
Worship. To adore, as in the case of Almighty God; to
honour or respect, as in the case of the Angels, or of the
Saints.
Faith. To believe: to have trust or confidence in what a
person says. There are two kinds of faith—(1) divine
faith, which is relying on the word of God; (2) human
faith, which is relying on the testimony of man.
CHAPTER II.
9. Q. What is fhith? A. Faith is a supernatural
gift of God, which enables us to believe without
doubting whatever God has revealed.
Without doubting, Ac. We must believe firmly all that God
has made known to us. Firmness and entirety are the
two qualities of faith. The denial of an article of faith
by one who has professed the Christian religion is called
heresy; to renounce or turn away from our religion is
called apostasy; denying the existence of God is called
infidelity.
10. Q. Why must you believe whatever God has
�THE EXPLANATORY CATECHISM
3
revealed? A. I must believe whatever God has revealed
because God is the very truth, and can neither deceive
nor be deceived.
The very truth. God is truth itself; He is all truth.
Deceive. To cause a person to go wrong, or to try to make
him believe that which is not true.
11. Q. How are you to know what God has revealed ?
A. I am to know what God has revealed by the testi
mony. teaching, and authority of the Catholic Church.
Testimony. To bear proof or witness to anything. The
Church tells us what she has been taught by our Lord.
Authority. The power or right to do a thing.
12. Q. Who gave the Catholic Church divine autho
rity to teach? A. Jesus Christ gave the Catholic
Church divine authority to teach, when He said, ‘Go
ye and teach all nations.’ (Matt, xxviii. 19.)
THE APOSTLES’ CREED.
13. Q. What are the chief things which God has re
vealed? A. The chief things which God has revealed
are contained in the Apostles’ Creed.
Contained. To be found or hold in it.
Creed. A form of belief. There are five forms of the Creed
—(1) the Apostles’, supposed to have been composed by the
Apostles before they separated to preach the Gospel
throughout the world ; (2) the Jficene, composed at the
Council of Nice; (8) the Athanasian ; (4) the Creed of Pops
Pius IV., which was drawn up immediately after the
Council of Trent, and (5) the anti-modernist Creed of Pope
Pius X. The Creed teaches us oxxr faith, or what we must
believe in order to be saved.
14. Q. Say the Apostles’ Creed. A. I believe in God,
the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth ;—
and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord;—who was
conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary;
—suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead,
and buried;—He descended into hell; the third day
He rose again from the dead;—He ascended into
feesven ; sitteth at the right hand of God the Father
�4
THE EXPLANATORY CATECHISM
Almighty
from thence He shall come to judge the
living and the dead.—I believe in the Holy Ghostthe
Holy Catholic Church; the Communion of Saints;—the
forgiveness of sins;—the resurrection of the body; and
life everlasting. Amen.
Amen. ‘ 3o be it,’ or ‘ May it be »o.’ This word at the eDd
of prayer expresses a wish that what we have been praying
*
for may be granted.
15. Q. How ia the Apostles’ Creed divided 1 A. The
*
Apostles Creed is divided into twelve parts or articles.
Articles. 8mall parts or divisions, short clauses. The articles
of the Creed may be divided into three parts—(1) the first
article, which treats especially of God the Father and the
work of Creation; (2) from the second to the seventh in.
elusive, is which particular mention is made of God the
Son and the work of Redemption; (3) from the eighth to
the twelfth, which treat of God the Holy Ghost and the
work of Sanctification.
FIRST ARTICLE OF THE CREED.
16. Q. What is the first article of the Creed ? A. The
first article of the Creed is ‘I believe in God, the Father
Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.’
Almighty. Being able to do all things ; all-powerful.
Creator. One who produces or makes something out of
nothing.
17. Q. What is God ? A. God is the supreme Spirit,
who alone exists of Himself, and is infinite in all per
fections.
Supreme. Greatest, highest, above all others. There can be
only one who is supreme, and that one is God.
Rxists gf Himself. He depends on no one for His life or
being. God is the origin of all life.
Infinite. Without end or limit in any way.
Perfections. Good qualities or attributes. God alone is per
fect in all things. Some of God’s perfections are—His
omnipotence, or being able to do all things; His omniscience.
or knowing all things; His omnipresence, or being in all
places ; His eternity, or having neither a beginning nor an
end ; His goodness, His me ret/, His justice, <fcc
�THE EXPLANATORY CATECHISM
5
18. Q. Why is God called Almighty? A. God js
called * Almighty ’ because He can do all thingB : ‘ With
God all things are possible.’ (Matt. xix. 26.)
Possible. That which one is able to do.
19. Q. Why is God called Creator of heaven and
earth ? A. God is called ‘ Creator of heaven and earth ’
because He made heaven and earth, and all things,
out of nothing, by His word.
Sis word. God had only to command, and what Ho wished
was done.
20. Q. Had God any beginning? A. God had no
beginning; He always was, He is, and He always
will be.
21. Q. Where is God? A. God is everywhere.
22. Q. Does God know and see all things ? A. God
knows and sees all things, even our most secret
thoughts.
Secret. Hidden, concealed.
23. Q. Has God any body ? A. God has no body :
He is a Spirit.
24. Q. Is there only one God ? A. There is only one
God.
25. Q. Are there three Persons in God? A. There
are three Persons in God : God the Father, God the
Son, and God the Holy Ghost.
26. Q. Are these three Persons three Goda? A.
These three Persons are not three Gods: the Father, the
Son, and the Holy Ghost are all one and the same God.
27. Q. What is the mystery of the three Persona in
one God called ? A. The mystery of the three Persons
in one God is called the mystery of the Blessed Trinity.
Mystery. The five chief mysteries of our faith are—the
Unity and Trinity of God, who will render t<> every man
according to his works; the Incarnation, Death, and
Resurrection of our Lord. Besides these there are many
other great mysteries, as the Creation, and the Holy
Eucharist. We are bound to believe all the mysteries of
our faith, because God commands us to do so.
Mystery of the Blessed Trinity. Three Persons in one God,
equal to one another in every respect.
�6
THE EXPLANATORY CATECHISM
28. Q. What do you mean by a mystery ? A. By a
mystery I mean a truth which is above reason, but
revealed by God.
29. Q. Is there any likeness to the Blessed Trinity in
your soul? A. There is this likeness to the Blessed
Trinity in my soul, that as in ono God there are three
Persons, so in my one soul there are three powers.
30. Q. Which are the three powers of your soul ? A.
The three powers of my soul are my memory, my
understanding, and my will.
Memory. That power which helps us to retain or keep what
we have learnt.
Understanding. That power of the soul by which it grasps
the meaning of things.
Will. The power by which we determine our choice, or by
which we act.
THE SECOND ARTICLE.
31. Q. What is the second article of the Creed ? A.
The second article of the Creed is ‘And in Jesus Christ,
His only Son, our Lord.’
And in Jesus Christ. The words ‘ I believe ’ are understood
here after the word ‘ and.’
Our Lord. Jesus is our Lord—(1) because He has redeemed
usjby His Precious Blood ; (2) because He preserves us from
sin by tlio Sacraments; and forgives us our sins, and will
judge us at the end of our life.
32. Q. Who is Jesus Christ 1 A. Jesus Christis God
the Son, made man for us.
33. Q. Ia Jesus Christ truly God ? A. Jesus Christ
is truly God.
Is truly God. Jesus Christ is really God, and proved that He
was so by His miracles, by what took place at Hie Baptism,
and at His Transfiguration; by His Resurrection from the
dead, and His Ascension into heaven.
34. Q. Why is Jesus Christ truly God? A. Jesus
Christ is truly God because He has one and the same
nature with God the Father.
8S, Q. Was Jscus Christ always Gcd? A. Jesus
�THE EXPLANATORY CATECHISM
?
Christ was always God, born of the Father from all
eternity.
36. Q. Which Person of the Blessed Trinity is Jesus
Christ?
Jesus Christ is the Second Person of the
Blessed Trinity.
37. Q. Is Jesus Christ truly man? X Jesus Christ
is truly man.
It truly man. Jesus Christ is really man, because fie has »
human nature like ours, consisting of a body and a souL
Our Lord proved that Ho had a body by suffering the pains
of the body, such as hunger, thirst, weariness, and death.
He had a totif, for we learn that the sufferings of His
passion and death began with His soul: ‘ My soul is
sorrowful oven unto death.’ (Matt. xxvi. 88.)
. 88. Q. Why is Jesus Christ truly man? A. Jesus
Christ is truly man because He has the nature of man,
having a body and soul like ours,
39. Q. Was Jesus Christ always man? A. Jesus
Christ was not always man : He has been man only
from the time of His Incarnation.
Tims of His Incarnation. Our Lord took unto Himself our
human nature when His Blessed Mother said to the Angel
Gabriel, * Behold the handmaid of the Lord: be it done
unto mo according to thy word.’ Thia occurred at the
Annunciation, March 25th.
—
40. Q. What do you mean by the Incarnation ? A.
I mean by the Incarnation that God the Son took to
Himself the nature of man: 'the Word was made
Flesh.’ (John i. 14.)
41. Q. How many natures are there in Jesus Christ ?
A. There are two natures in Jesus Christ, the nature
of God, and the nature of man.
There are two, Ac. The union of the divine with the human
nature, in the person of God the 8on, is called the
‘Hypostatic Union.’ .
42. Q. Is there only one Person in Jesus Christ ? A.
There is only one Person in Jesus Christ, which is the
Person of God the Son.
43. Q. Why was God the Son made man? A. God
�8
THE EXPLANATORY CATECHISM
the Son was made man to redeem us from sin and hell,
and to teach us the way to heaven.
Redeem. To buy back, to save.
Hell. The place, or state of eternal punishment, set apart
for the wicked, after death.
44. Q. What does the holy name Jesus mean? A.
The holy name Jesus means Saviour. (Matt. i. 21.)
Saviour. Ona who saves others from evil.
45. (?. What doos the name Christ mean? A. The
name Christ means Anointed.
Christ. The Anointed, the Messiah. Our Lord is called
‘Christ’ because He is a king, a priest, and a prophet;
the person chosen for either of these offices being always
anointed. Jesus is King of Heaven : He offers Himself
in sacrifice in the Mass, and is therefore a Priest: He
prophesied when on earth, and taught the law of God.
interpreted His will, and consequently is a Prophet.
46. Q. Where is Jesus Christ? A. As God, Jesus
Christ is everywhere. As God made man, He is in
heaven, and in the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar.
THE THIRD ARTICLE.
47. Q. What is the third article of the Creed ? A.
The third article of the Creed is * Who was conceived
by thfplloly Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary.’
Conceived by the Holy Ghost. Our Lord was made man by
the power of the Holy Ghost. He had no earthlv father.
St. Joseph was His Foster-Father.
The Virgin Mary. The Mother of our Lord, who by the
power of God remained a virgin all her life. She was
descended from King David.
48. Q. What does the third article mean? A. The
third article means that God the Son took a Body and
Soul like ours, in the womb of the Blessed Virgin
Mary, by the power of the Holy Ghost.
49. Q. Had Jesus Christ any Father on earth ? A.
Jesus Christ had no lather on earth : St. Joseph was
only his Guardian or Foster-Father.
Guardian. One who takes care of another.
Poster-father. One who takes the place of its father 1b
bringing up a child.
�THE EXPLANATORY CATECHISM
q
60. Q. Where was our Saviour born? A. Our
Saviour was born in a stable at Bethlehem.
Bethlehem. The City of David, about six miles from Jeru
salem. Our Lord was born here on ths 25th of December,
as the prophet Micheas had foretold.
61. Q. On what day was our Saviour born?
Our Saviour was born on Christmas Day.
A.
THE FOURTH ARTICLE.
62. Q. What is the fourth article of the Creed?
A. The fourth article of the Creed is ‘Suffered under
Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried.’
Pontius Pilate. The Roman Governor who ruled over Judea,
the southern part of Palestine.
Crucify. To put to death by fastening the body by the hands
and feet to a cross.
53. Q. What were the chief Bufferings of ChriBt?
A. The chief sufferings of Christ were—first, His agony
and His sweat of blood in the Garden ; secondly, His
being scourged at the pillar, and crowned with thorns ;
and thirdly, His carrying His cross, His crucifixion,
and His death between two thieves.
Chief sufferings. The greatest or principal sufferings. There
were many others besides these.
. Scourging. Whipping with great severity. Our Lord was
scourged in Pilate s ball. Here He was also crowned with
thorns.
Carrying His cross. Our Lord carried his cross from Pilate’s
hall to the summit of Calvary. The ‘ Stations of the Cross ’
is a devotion in honour of this journey.
54. Q. What are the chief sufferings of our Lord
called ? A. The chief sufferings of our Lord are called
the Passion of Jesus Christ.
55. Q. Why did our Saviour suffer ? A. Our Saviour
suffered to atone for our sins, and to purchase for us
eternal life.
56. Q. Why is Jesus Christ called our Redeemer?
A. Jesus Christ is called our Redeemer because His
Precious Blood is the price by which we were ransomed.
Ransomed.
Redeemed or bought back, and eo tnad» fr»a
�IO
THE EXPLANATORY CATECHISM
57. Q. On what day did our Saviour die ? A. Ous
Saviour died on Good Friday.
Good Friday. So called because on that day we were saved
from sin and hell, and therefore a great good was done
for us.
58. Q. Where did our Saviour die? A. Our Saviour
died on Mount Calvary.
Mount Calvary. This is a hill Just outside Jerusalem, and
was used as a place of execution for criminals. Here
St. Helen, the mother of Constantine the Great, erected
the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. It was she who dis
covered the true cross, after it had remained hidden for a
long time.
59. Q. Why do we make the sign of the cross? A.
We make the sign of the cross—;first, to put us in
mind of the Blessed Trinity; and secondly, to remind
us that God the Son died for us on the cross.
Sign of the cross. We make this sign—(1) to show that we
are Christians, or followers of Christ; (2) to ask God's help
in all that we do ; (3) to arm ourselves against temptation.
The cross is the sign of our Redemption.
60. Q. In making the sign of the cross how are we
reminded of the Blessed Trinity? A. In making the
sign of the cross we are reminded of the Blessed
Trinity by the words, ‘ In the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.’
In the name. This is to signify our belief in the Unity of God.
Of the Father, &c. By using these three names we express
our faith in the Trinity of God.
61. Q. In making the sign of the cross how are we
reminded that Christ died for us on the cross ? A. In
making the sign of the cross we are reminded that
Christ died for us on the cross by the very form of the
cross which we make upon ourselves.
THE FIFTH ARTICLE.
62. Q. What is the fifth article of the Creed? A.
The fifth article of the Creed is * He descended into
hell; the third day He rose again from the dead.’
Descend. To go down.
Sell. Here It means * Limbo,' where the souls of the Just were
�THE EXPLANATORY CATECHISM
II
detained. The word 'hell' is now always used for the
place where the devils and lost souls are punished.
63. Q. What do you moan by ths words, ‘He de
scended into hell’? A. By the words ‘He descended
into hell,’ I mean that, as soon as Christ was dead
His blessed Soul went down into that part of hell
called Liinbo.
64. Q. What do you mean by Limbo ? A. By Limbo
I mean a place of rest, where the souls of the just who
died before Christ were detained.
The just. The souls of those who died in a state of grace.
Detained. Held back, kept Bhut in, not being able to leave.
63. Q. Why were the souls of the just detained in
Limbo? A. The souls of the just were (retained in
Limbo because they could not go up to the Kingdom
of Heaven till Christ had opened it for them.
66. Q. What do you mean by the words, ‘ The third
day He rose again from the dead ? A. By the words,
*
‘The third day He rose again from the dead,’ I mean
that, after Christ had been dead and buried part of
three days, He raised His blessed Body to life again
on the third day.
He raised His blessed Body, &c. By His own divine power our
lord raised His Body from death to life, thus proving that
lie was God, and that He had gained the victory over sin
and death. Our Lord kept His five sacred wounds—(1) that
they might be proofs of Bis Resurrection; (2) that He
might present them to His heavenly Father as everlasting
memorials of His Passion ; (8) that we might meditate on
them as the sources of grace and the refuge of sinners.
67. Q. On what day did Christ rise again from the
dead ? A. Christ rose again from the dead on Easter
Sunday.
Softer Sunday. On this day Christians commemorate their
deliverance from the slavery of sin and the devil through
the Resurrection of their Saviour. The Resurrection of
Jesus Christ is the foundation of our faith and our hope.
This festival is therefore celebrated with great pomp and
ceremony.
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THE EXPLANATORY CATECHISM
THE SIXTH ARTICLE.
68. Q. What is the sixth article of the Creed? A.
The sixth article of the Creed is ‘He ascended into
heaven ; sitteth at the right hand of God the Father
Almighty.’
Ascend. To go up. As God, our Lord had always been in
heaven ; but as man, He was there only from the time of
His Ascension.
At the right hand, Ac. This means that Jesus is equal to the
Father as God, and next to Him as man.
69. Q. What do yon mean by the words, * He as
cended into heaven ’ ? A. By the words, ‘He ascended
into heaven,’ I mean that our Saviour went up Body
and Soul into heaven on Ascension Day, forty days
after His Resurrection.
On Ascension Day. Our Lord went to heaven—(1) to receive
His reward as man ; (J) to be our advocate ; (3) to prepare
a p'ace for us ; (4) to send the Holy GhoBt.
70. Q. What do you mean by the words, ‘Sitteth
at the right hand of God the Father Almighty ’ ? A.
By the words, ‘ Sitteth at the right hand of God the
Father Almighty,’ I do not mean that God the Father
has hands, for He is a spirit; but I mean that Christ,
as God, is equal to the Father; and, as man, is in the
highest place in heaven.
*
THE SEVENTH ARTICLE.
71. Q, What is the seventh article of the Creed?
A. The seventh article of the Creed is, ‘From thence
He shall come to judge the living and the dead.’
From thence, Ac. Our Lord will come from heaven to judge
and pass sentence on all mankind.
72. Q. When will Christ come again? A. Christ
will come again from heaven at the last day, to judge
all mankind.
The last day. The end of the world, when the following signs
will warn us that it is at hand -(1) the Gospel will be
preached throughout the whole world (Halt. xxtv. 14);
�THE EXPLANATORY CATECHISM
13
(2) great numben will forsake the faith; (8) the coming
of Klias, Henoch, and Antichrist. (2 Thes. ii.)
73. Q. What are the things Christ will judge 7
A. Christ will judge our thoughts, words, works, and
omissions.
74. Q. What will ChriBt say to the uicked? A.
Christ will say to the wicked, ‘ Depart from Me, ye
cursed, into everlasting fire, which was prepared for
the devil and his angels.’ (Matt. xxv. 41.)
75. Q. What will Christ say to the just? A. Christ
will say to the just, ‘ Come, ye blessed of My Father ;
possess ye the kingdom prepared tor vou,' (Jfott.
xxv. 34.)
76. Q. Will every one be judged at ueath, as well
as at the last day? A. Every one will be judged at
death as well as at the last day : * It is appointed unto
men once to die ; and after this, the judgment,’ (Heb,
lx 27.)
Judged at death, <L-e. Every one must undergo two Judg
ments—(1) the particular at the hour of death, when the
soul is Judged alone; (2) the general at tbs last day, when
the body and soul will be again united. This will be held
in the valley of Josaphat.
THE EIGHTH ARTICLE.
77. Q. What is the eighth article of the Creed?
A. The eighth article of the Creed is * believe in the
1
Holy Ghost.’
holy Ghost. Holy Spirit. The Holy Ghost is God like the
Father and the Son, and is a distinct Person in liimselL
He proceeds from the Father and Son, and is equal to them
in every roapect. He is often called the ‘Love of God,' the
‘Paraclete’ or Comforter, and the ‘Dove.’ lie appeared
in the form of a dove at our Lord s Baptism, and in the
form of tongues of fire on the day of PentecoBt.
78. Q. Who is the Holy Ghost? A. The Holy Ghost
Is the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity.
79. Q. From whom doth the Holy GhoBt proceed?
A. The Holy Ghost proceeds from the Father and the
Son.
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THE EXPLANATORY CATECHISM
80. Q. Io the Holy Ghost equal to the Father and
to the Son? A. The Holy Ghost is equal to the
Father and to the Son, for He is the same Lord and
God as they are.
81. Q. When did the Holy Ghost come down on the
Apostles? A. The Iloly Ghost came down on the
Apostles on Whit-Sunday, in the form of ‘parted
tongues, as it were, of fire.’ (Acts ii. 3.)
.
Whit-Sunday. Thia is also called ‘ Pentecost.' which means
fiftieth, because it is the fiftieth day after Easter.
89. Q. Why did the Holy Ghost come down on the
Apostles? A. The Holy Ghost came down on the
Apostles to confirm their faith, to sanctify them, and
to enable them to found the Church.
Confirm. To make firm or to strengthen.
Sa rurf (fy. To make holy and pleasing to God.
Enable. To help, to assist, to make able.
THE NINTH ARTICLE.
83. <?. What is the ninth article of the Creed?
A. The ninth article of the Creed is ‘The Holy
Catholic Church ; the Communion of Saints.’
Church. The whole body of Catholic Christians. It is
divided into three parts—(1) the Church triumphant, com
posed of the Saints in heaven; (2) the Church Buffering,
composed of the holy souls in Purgatory; (3) the Church
militant, composed of the faithful on earth.
84. Q. What is the Catholic Church? A. The
Catholic Church is the union of all the faithful under
one head.
Union. The being Joined together.
" Ths faithful. All those who have been baptized and who
profess the true faith. The whole body of Catholics.
85. Q. Who is the Head of the Catholic Church?
A. The Head of the Catholic Church is Jesus Christ
our Lord.
86. (J. Has the Church a visible Head on earth?
�THE EXPLANATORY CATECHISM
45
A. The Church has a visible Head on earth—the Bishop
of Rome, who is the Vicar of Christ.
PwiWe. That which we can gee. Our Lord la the Invisible
Bead of the Church. Invisible means that which we cannot
»•«.
Bitlop. An overseer, one who has charge of a diocese; a
successor of the Apostles.
Borne. The residence of the Popes, and the chief city of
Italy. St. Peter was the first Bishop of Rome.
Vicar. One who performs the office or duty of another; one
who supplies the place of another.
87. Q. Why is the Bishop of Rome the Head of the
Church? A. The Bishop of Rome is the Head of 'i-o
Church because he is the Successor of St. Peter, whom
Christ appointed to be the Head of the Church.
Successor. One who comes after or takes the place of another,
and is equal to him in power and authority.
Appointed. Chosen or picked out, placed over.
88. Q. How do you know that Christ appointed St.
Peter to be the Head of the Church ? A. I know that
Christ appointed St. Peter to be the Head of the Church,
because Christ Baid to him : ‘ Thou art Peter, and upon
this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of hell
shall not prevail against it. And to thee I will give
the keys of the kingdom of heaven.’ {Matt. xvi. 18,19.)
Peter. A rock. Our Lord added Peter to Simon’s name.
Oates of hell. The chiefs of the fallen angels.
Prevail. To overcome or to conquer, to defeat.
The keys, ice. The power given to the Apostles and their
successors to forgive Bins, and to rule the Church.
89. Q. What is the Bishop of Rome called ? A. The
Bishop of Rome is called the Pope, which word signi
fies Father.
Pope. Father. The Pope has charge of our souls, and is
therefore our spiritual Father.
90. Q. Is the Pope the spiritual Father of all
Christians ? A. The Pope is the spiritual Father of all
Christians.
91. Q. Is the Pope the Shepherd and Teacher of all
Christians ? A. The Pope is the Shepherd and Teacher
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THE EXPLANATORY CATECHISM
of all Christians, because Christ made St, Peter the
Shepherd of the whole flock when lie said, ‘ Feed My
lambs, feed My sheep.’ He also prayed that his * faith ’
might never fail, and commanded him to ‘confirm ’ his
brethren. (John xxi. 15-17 ; Luke xxii. 32.)
92. Q. Is the Pope infallible ? A. The Popo is in
fallible.
93. Q. What do you mean when you say that the
Pope is infallible? A. When I say that the Pope is
Infallible, I mean that the Pope cannot err when, as
Shepherd and Teacher of all Christians, he defines a
doctrine concerning faith or morals, to be held by the
whole Church.
The Pope is infallible. The doctrine of the Infallibility was
solemnly defined at the Vatican Council in 1870.
94. Q. Has the Church of Christ any marks by which
we may know her? A. The Church of Christ has four
marks by which we may know her : she is One—she is
Holy—she is Catholic—she is Apostolic.
Marks. The signs or notes which distinguish the true Church
from all others.
95. Q. How is the Church One ? A. The Church is
One because all her members agree in one Faith, have
all the same Sacrifice and Sacraments, and are all
united under one Head.
Because all her members, dec. The Church is One in faith, in
worship, and in government. The members of the Church
are those who belong to it, or form a part of it.
96. Q. How is the Church Holy? A. The Church is
Holy because sbe teaches a holy doctrine, offers to all
the means of holiness, and is distinguished by the emi
nent holiness of so many thousands of her children.
Because she teaches, &a. The Church 1b Holy in her doctrine,
in her means of holiness, and in the effects of her teaching
upon her children, which has made so many of them Saints.
Those means which help us to become holy are the Sacra
ments, prayer, Holy Mass, good example, hearing instruc
tions, reading good books, &c.
Distinguished. Marked out in a special manner.
Eminent. Rising above others, very remarkable.
�THE EXPLANATORY CATECHISM
17
97. Q. What does the word Catholic mean ? A, The
word Catholic means Universal.
Universal. Extending over the whole world or universe.
98. Q. How is the Church Catholic or Universal?
A. The Church is Catholic or Universal because she
subsists in all ages, teaches all nations, and is the one
Ark of Salvation for all.
Because she subsists, Ac. The Church is Universal in time, in
place, and in doctrine.
99. Q. How is the Church Apostolic? A. The
Church is Apostolic because she holds the doctrines
and traditions of the Apostles, and because, through
the unbroken succession of her Pastors, she derives
her Orders and her Mission from them.
Apostolic. Coming down from the time of the Apostles.
Because she holds, Ac. The ^Church is Apostolic in her doc
trine, or teaching; in her orders, or priesthood; and it her
mission, or that which she has been sent to do.
Pastors. The bishops and priests of the Church, who are the
shepherds of the fold of Christ.
Unbroken. To go on without break or interruption.
100. Q. Can the Church err in what she teaches ?
A. The Church cannot err in what she teaches as to
faith or morals, for she is our infallible guide in both.
To err. To make a mistake.
Faith. What we must believe. The Apostles’ Creed teaches
us the chief articles of our faith.
Morals. What we must do. The Commandments teach us
morals.
1 nfallibleauide. One who cannot deceive or lead in a wrong
way. The Pope, when speaking to the Church ex cathedrd,
as the successor of St. Peter, cannot err in faith or in morals.
101. Q. How do you know that the Church cannot,
err in what she teaches? A. I know that the Church
cannot err in what she teaches, because Christ pro
mised that the gates of hell shall never prevail against
His Church; that the Holy Ghost shall teach her all
things ; and that He Himself will be with her all days
B
�THE EXPLANATORY CATECHISM
even to the consummation of the world. {Matt. xvi.
18; John xiv. 16-26 ; Matt, xxviii. 20.)
102. Q. What do you mean by the Communion of
Saints ? A. By the Communion of Saints I mean that
all the members of the Church, in heaven, on earth,
and in purgatory, are in communion with each other,
as being one body in Jesus Christ.
Communion. To make common, to share, to join or unite
together.
103. Q. How are the faithful on earth in com
munion with each other? A. The faithful on earth
are in communion with each other by professing the
same faith, obeying the same authority, and assisting
each other with their prayers and good works,
104. Q. How are we in communion with the Saints
in heaven? A. We are in communion with the Saints
in heaven by honouring them as the glorified members
of the Church ; and also by our praying to them, and
by their praying for us.
105. Q. How are we in communion with the souls in
purgatory? A. We are in communion with the sou’s
in purgatory by helping them with our prayers and
good works; ‘It is a holy and wholesome thought to
pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins.’
(2 Macch. xii. 46.)
Purgatory. A place for cleansing or purifying.
106. Q. What is purgatory? A. Purgatory is a
place where souls suffer for a time after death on
account of their sins.
107. Q. What souls go to purgatory? A. Those
souls go to purgatory that depart this life in venial
sin, or that have not fully paid the debt of temporal
punishment due to those sins of which the guilt has
been forgiven.
Debt. That which one owes to another.
Temporal. Lasting only for a time.
108. Q. What is temporal punishment? A. Tern
*
�THE EXPLANATORY CATECHISM
19
poral punishment is punishment which will have an
end, either in this world or in the world to come.
109. Q. How do you prove that there is a purgatory ?
A. I prove that there is a purgatory from the constant
teaching of the Church; and from the doctrine of
Holy Scripture, which declares that God will render
to every man according to his works; that nothing
defiled shall enter heaven; and that some will be
Baved, ‘yet so as by fire.’ {Matt. xvi. 27; Apoo. xxi.
27 ; 1 Cor. iii. 15.)
Scripture. A writing; the books of the Bible, the written
word of God.
Render. To pay back, to give.
Defiled. Corrupted or stained, polluted, made dirty.
THE TENTH ABTIOLE.
110. Q. What is the tenth article of the Creed ? A.
The tenth article of the Creed is ‘ The forgiveness of sins. ’
111. Q. What do you mean by ’ The forgiveness of
sins’? A. By ‘The forgiveness of sins’ I mean that
Christ has left the power of forgiving sins to the pastors
of His Church. {John xx. 23.)
112. Q. By what means are sins forgiven ? A. Sins
are forgiven principally by the Sacraments of Baptism
and Penance.
Principally, dee. Because sin is forgiven by worthily receiv.
ing other Sacraments, as the Holy Eucharist and Extreme
Unction.
113. Q. What is sin? A. Sin is an offence against
God, by any thought, word, deed, or omission, against
the law of God.
An offence. Something which displeases, either by doing a
wrong, or neglecting to do good when we ought. We may
offend God by thinking of what is bad, and desiring it, as
in the case of the fallen angels; or by saying what is bad,
as in the case of cursing, swearing, using bad language,
telling lies: or by doing what is bad, as in the case of Cain
killing his brother Abel; or by omission, which is neglect
ing to perform our duty, aa in the case of missing Mass on
Sunday.
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THE EXPLANATORY CATECHISM
114. Q. How many kinds of sin are there ? A. There
are two hands of sin, original sin and actual sin.
115. Q. What is original sin? A. Original sin is
that guilt and stain of sin which we inherit from Adam,
who was the origin and head of all mankind.
Inherit. To receive or possess, as from an ancestor.
116. Q. What was the sin committed by Adam ? A.
The sin committed by Adam was the sin of disobedience
when he ate the forbidden fruit.
117. Q. Have all mankind contracted the guilt and
stain of original sin? A. All mankind have contracted
the guilt and stain of original sin, except the Blessed
Virgin, who, through the merits of her divine Son, was
conceived without the least guilt or stain of original
sin.
Conceived., dec. Not having tne slightest stain of sin on the
soul from the first moment of her existence.
118. Q. What is this privilege of the Blessed Virgin
called? A. This privilege of the Blessed Virgin is
called the Immaculate Conception.
Privilege. A particular favour or benefit.
119. Q. What is actual sin ? A. Actual sin is every
sin which we ourselves commit.
120. Q. How is actual sin divided ? A. Actual sin
is divided into mortal sin and venial sin.
Mortal sin. That sin which causes the death of the soul.
Three conditions are necessary in order to make a mortal
sin—(1) the matter must be grave; (2) the person who
commits it must have a clear knowledge of the guiltof the
action ; (3) there must be full consent of the will.
Venial sin. That sin which does not contain the conditions
necessary to make a mortal sin. Nonumber of venial sins
will destroy God s grace in the soul or make a mortal sin.
121. Q. What is mortal sin? A. Mortal sin is &
grievous offence against God.
A grievous offence. A serious or great offence,
122. Q. Why is it called mortal sin ? A. It is called
mortal sin because it kills the son! and deserves hell.
�THE EXPLANATORY CATECHISM
21
123. Q. How does mortal sin kill the soul? A.
Mortal sin kills the soul by depriving it of sanctifying
grace, which is the supernatural life of the soul.
Depriving. Taking away from one that which he possesses.
Supernatural. Above nature.
124. Q. Is it a great evil to fall into mortal sin?
A. It is the greatest of all evils to fall into mortal sin.
125. Q. Where will they go who die in mortal sin ?
A. They who die in mortal sin will go to hell for all
eternity.
126. Q. What is venial sin? A. Venial sin is an
offence which does not kill the soul, yet displeases
God, and often leads to mortal sin.
127. Q. Why is it called venial sin ? A. It is called
venial sin because it is more easily pardoned than
mortal sin.
THE ELEVENTH ARTICLE.
128. Q. What is the eleventh article of the Creed?
A. The eleventh article of the Creed is ‘ The resurrec
tion of the body.’
Resurrection. The act of rising again. The bodies of the
just will be immortal and have the four gifts of—impassi
bility, which will prevent them suffering; agility, which
will enable them to pass as swift as thought from one end
of creation to the other; brightness, which will make them
shine like stars for all eternity ; and subtility, which will
enable them to overcome all obstacles.
129. Q. What do you mean by ‘ The resurrection of
the body’? A. By ‘The resurrection of the body ’ I
mean that we shall all rise again with the same bodies
at the day of judgment.
THE TWELFTH ARTICLE.
130. Q- What is the twelfth article of the Creed ?
A. The twelfth article of the Creed is ‘Life everlasting.'
Everlasting.
That which has a beginning, but no end.
�THE EXPLANATORY CATECHISM
' 13L Q. What does 'Life everlasting mean? A.
*
* Life everlasting * means that the good shall live for
ever in the glory and happiness of heaven.
132. Q. What is the glory and happiness of heaven ?
A. The glory and happiness of heaven is to see, love
and enjoy God for ever.
To ses, <kc. This Is called the * Beatific Vision.'
133. Q. What does the Scripture say of the happi
ness of heaven? A. The Scripture says of the happi
ness of heaven * That eye hath not seen, nor ear heard,
neither hath it entered into the heart of man, what
things God hath prepared for them that love Him.
*
(1 Car. ii. 9.)
134. Q. Shall not the wicked also live for ever?
A. The wicked also shall live and be punished for
ever in the file of helL
HOPE.
CHAPTER III.
135. Q. Will Faith alone save us ? A. Faith alone
will not save us without good works; we must also
have Hope and Charity.
Good works. To keep the Commandments; to go to the
Sacraments; to attend at instructions and sermons; to
read good books; prayer, fasting, and alms-deeds. In
order to be saved it is necessary to perform good works:
'For even as the body without the spirit is dead, so also
faith withont works is dead.’ (James U. 26.)
186. Q. What is Hope ? A. Hope is a supernatural
gift of God, by which we firmly trust that God will
give us eternal life and all the means necessary to
obtain it, if we do what He requires of us.
Hope. To expect or desire anything. The sins against the
virtue of Hope are—(1) despair, or a want of confidence in
God, or distrusting God's goodness and His promises to us:
Caln and Judas were guilty of this sin ; (2) presumption,
�THE EXPLANATORY CATECHISM
23
which is a foolish expectation that God will give us salva
tion even if we do not make use of the proper means to
obtain it.
187. Q. Why must we hope in God? A. We must
hope in God because He is infinitely good, infinitely
powerful, and faithful to His promises.
138. Q. Can we do any good work of ourselves to
wards our salvation ? A. We can do no good work of
ourselves towards our salvation; we need the help of
God’s grace, r
Of ourselves. By our own power, without the help of any one.
Orace. A gift, a favour. The principal kinds or grace are—
(1) sanctifying or habitual grace, which is the state of the
soul possessed by the Holy Ghost, and which makes it holy
2? 1
actual yraccy or the action of the
Holy Ghost upon the soul, by which God enlightens our
understanding, and inclines our will to avoid evil and to do
what is good ; (3) Sacramental grace, which is the special
ion dlstlnguishinggrace conferred by each Sacrament.
139. Q. What is grace ? A, Grace is a supernatural
gift of God, freely bestowed upon us for our sanctifica
tion and salvation.
Freely bestowed. Given to us by the free will of God.
Sanctification. Making us holy and pleasing to God.
^oiration. Saving our souls and gaining heaven.
140. Q. How must wa obtain God’s grace ? A. We
must obtain God’s grace chiefly by prayer and the
holy Sacraments.
Prayer, Asking, beseeching. The two chief kinds of prayer
are—(1) mental, or praying with the mind alone; (2) vocal,
or praying with the voice as well as the mind.
PRAYEB.
141. Q. What is prayer? A. Prayer is the raising
up of the mind and heart to God.
142. Q. How do we raise up our mind and heart to
God? A. We raise up our mind and heart to God by
thinking of God ; by adoring, praising, and thanking
Him; and by begging of Him all blessings for soul and
body
�THE EXPLANATORY CATECHISM
'
143. Q. Do those pray well who, at their prayers,
think neither of God nor of what they say ? A. Those
who, at their prayers, think neither of God nor of what
they say, do not pray well; but they offend God, if
their distractions are wilful.
Distraction. A wandering of the mind, idle thoughts.
Wilful, That which is consented to.
144. Q. Which is the best of all prayers? A. The
best of all prayers is the * Our Father,’ or the Lord’s
Prayer.
TAs .Lord's Prayer. This prayer was made by our Lord in
answer to the petition of the Apostles, * lord, teach us how
to pray.’ It was on the occasion of His preaching the
■ ■ ‘ Sermon on the Mount.' The prayer is divided into seven
parts, the first three of which relate particularly to God,
the others to ourselves and to our neighbours.
145. Q. Who made the Lord’s Prayer? A. Jesus
Christ Himself made the Lord’s Prayer.
146. Q. Say the Lord's Prayer. A. Our Father who
art in heaven, hallowed bo Thy name; Thy kingdom
come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven ;
give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our
trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us j
and lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from
evil Amen.
‘Our Father who art in heaven. These words form, as it
were, the introduction to the petitions which follow.
147. Q. In the Lord’s Prayer who is called 'Our
Father ’ ? A. In the Lord’s Prayer God is called ' Our
Father.’
143. Q. Why is God called 'Our Father ’ ? A. God
is called * Our Father ’ because He is the Father of all
Christians, whom He has made His children by Holy
Baptism.
149. Q. Is God also the Father of all mankind?
A. God is also the Father of all mankind, because He
made them all, and loves and preserves them all.
Preserves. Keeps from harm, takes cars of us.
�THE EXPLANATORY CATECHISM
*
2
150. Q. Why do we say ‘ Our ’ Father, and not ‘ My'
Father? A. We say ‘Our’ Father, and not ‘My’
Father, because, being all brethren, we are to pray not
for ourselves only, but also for all others.
151. Q. When we say ‘Hallowed be Thy name,
*
what do we pray for ? A. When we say, ‘ Hallowed
be Thy name,’ we pray that God may be known, loved,
and served by all His creatures.
Hallmeed. Made or kept holy; praised, honoured, reverenced.
152. Q. When we say ‘ Thy kingdom come,’ what do
we pray for? A. When we say, * Thy kingdom come,’
we pray that God may come and reign in the hearts
of all by His grace in this world, and bring us all
hereafter to His heavenly kingdom.
Heigv. To have complete power over us, to rule.
153. Q. When we Bay, ‘ Thy will be done on earth as
it is in heaven,’ what do we pray for? A. When we
say, ‘ Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven,’ we
pray that God may enable us, by His grace, to do His
will in all things, as the Blessed do in heaven.
154. Q. When we Bay, ‘ Give us this day our daily
bread,’ what do we pray for ? A. When we say, ‘ Give
us this day our daily bread,’ we pray that God may give
us daily all that is necessary for soul and body.
AU that is necessary. Whatever we stand in need of—the
grace of God and the Holy Communion for our souls;
and food and clothing, <fcc., for our bodies.
155. Q. When we say, ‘Forgive us our trespasses, as
we forgive them that trespass against us, what do we
*
pray for? A. When we say,‘Forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive them that trespass against us,’ we pray
that God may forgive us our sins, as we forgive others
the injuries they do to us.
Trespasses. Injuries, offences, doing what Is wrong.
156. Q. When we say,‘Lead us notinto temptation,’
what do we pray for ? A. When we say, ‘ Lead uc not
�THE EXPLANATORY CATECHISM
into temptation,’ we pray that God may give us grace
not to yield to temptation.
Yield. To give way, to be overcome.
Temptation. Anything that may entice or provoke us to sin.
157. Q. When we say, ‘Deliver us from evil,’ what
do we pray for? A. When we say, ‘Deliver us from
evil,’ we pray that God may free us from all evil, both
of soul and body.
Deliver. To liberate or set tree.
158. Q. Should we ask the Angels and Saints to
pray for us ? A. We should ask the Angels and Saints
to pray for us because they are our friends and brethren,
and because their prayers have great power with God.
Saints, The souls of those who died in a state of grace, and
are now with God in heaven. The word ‘ saint * means
a holy person.
Angels. Those pure spirits first created by God, and who
have remained faithful. They have free-will, reason, and
understanding; but no bodies. The holy Angels are
divided into nine orders or choirs—Seraphim, Cherubim,
and Thrones; Dominations, Principalities, and Powers;
Virtues, Arcliangels, and Angels. The word ‘angel
means a messenger.
Brethren. Those belonging to the same family or society.
159. Q. How can we show that the Angels and
Saints know what passes on earth ? A. We can show
that the Angels and Saints know what passes on
earth from the words of Christ: * There shall be joy
before the angels of God upon one sinner doing penance.’
(Luke xv. 10.)
Doing penance.
for sin.
Being sorry and trying to make satisfaction
160. Q. What is the chief prayer to the Blessed
Virgin which the Church uses? A. The chief prayer
to the Blessed Virgin which the Church uses is the
Hail Mary.
The Hail Mary. This prayer is divided into three parts—
(1) the words used by the Angel Gabriel at the time of the
A nnnn elation : ‘ Hail, full of grace, tbs T.ord is with tbea.'
�THE EXPLANATORY CATECHISM
5?
(Lu&e I. 28); (2) the words used by 8t. Kiizabetu at the
time of the Visitation: ‘ Blessed art thou amongst women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb’ {Luke i. 42); (3)
the wordB added by the Church at the Council of Ephesus:
* Holy Mary,' Ac. The term * Hall' is the same as ‘ Ave * or
'Salve,' and means 'Be well,'' Health to thee,’ or * salute
1
thee.’
16L Q. Say the Hail Mary. A. Hail, Mary, full of
grace; the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou amongst
women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now,
and at the hour of our death. Amen.
162. Q. Who made the first part of the Hail Mary ?
A. The Angel Gabriel and St. Elizabeth, inspired by
the Holy Ghost, made the first part of the Hail Mary.
163. Q. Who made the second part of the Hail
Mary? A. The Church of God, guided by the Holy
Ghost, made the second part of the Hail Mary.
Guided. Directed, led, being shown the way.
164. Q. Why should we frequently say the Hall
Mary ? A. We should frequently say the Hail Mary to
put us in mind of the Incarnation of the Son of God;
and to honour our Blessed Lady, the Mother of God.
165. Q. Have we another reason for often saying
the Hail Mary ? A. We have another reason for often
saying the Hail Mary,—to ask our Blessed Lady to
pray for us sinners at all times, but especially at the
hour of our death.
166. Q. Why does the Catholic Church show great
devotion to the Blessed Virgin? A. The Catholic
Church shows great devotion to the Blessed Virgin
because she is the Immaculate Mother of God.
Devotion.
Honour, love, reverence, sjrc&t
Immaculate. Free from the stain of original sin. By the
'Immaculate Conception' we mean that the Blessed Virgin,
from the first moment of her existence, was, by a special
privilege of God, preserved from original sin. The doctrine
of the Immaculate Conception of our Lady waa defined as
an article of faith by Pope Pius IX. in 1854. We keep ths
�aS
THE EXPLANATORY CATECHISM
festival on the 8th December, the dav of our Lady's Conception. The dogma was defined on this day.
167. Q. How is the Blessed Virgin Mother of God!
A. The Blessed Virgin is Mother of God because Jesus
Christ her Son, who was born of her as man, is not
only man, but is also truly God.
168. Q, Is the Blessed Virgin our Mother also? A.
The Blessed Virgin is our Mother also because, being
the brethren of Jesus, we are the children of Mary.
CHARITY.
CHAPTER IV.
THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD.
16®. Q. What is charity? A. Charity is a super
natural gift of God by which we love God above all
things, and our neighbour as ourselves for God’s sake.
170. Q. Why must we love God? A. We must
love God because He is infinitely good in Himself and
infinitely good to us.
171. Q. How do we show that we love God? A.
We show that we love God by keeping His Command
ments ; for Christ says, ' If you love Me, keep My
commandments.’ {John xiv. i5.)
172. Q. How many Commandments are there ? A.
There are ten Commandments.
173. Q. Say the ten Commandments. A. I am the
Lord thy God, who brought thee out of the land of
aD<i out of the house of bondage.
1. Thou shalt not have strange gods before Me.
Thou shalt not make to thyself any graven thing, nor
the likeness or anything that is in heaven above, or in
the earth beneath, nor of those things that are in the
�THE EXPLANATORY CATECHISM
29
waters under the earth. Thon shalt not adore them
nor serve them.
2. Thon shalt not take the name of the Lord thy
God in vain.
3. Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath day.
4. Honour thy father and thy mother.
5. Thou shalt not kill.
6. Thou shalt not commit adultery.
7. Thou shalt not steal.
8. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy
neighbour.
9. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife.
10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s goods.
Ten Commandments. They are sometimes called the ‘ Deca
logue,’ which means ten words or precepts. They were
written on two stone tables: the first three, relating par
ticularly to God, being on one ; and the remaining seven,
which relate immediately to our neighbours and ourselveB,
being on the other. These Commandments are of them
selves always binding under pain of sin. They teach us
our Morals, or what we must do to be saved. They can
never be altered.
Egypt. A country in the north-east of Africa, where the
Jews were treated as Blaves until delivered by Moses.
Bondage. Captivity, slavery, deprived of liberty.
174. Q. Who gave the ten Commandments 7 A.
God gave the ten Commandments to Moses in the Old
Law, and Christ confirmed them in the New.
I.
175. Q. What is the first Commandment 7 A. The
first Commandment is, ‘ I am the Lord thy God, who
brought thee out of the land of Egypt, and out of
the house of bondage. Thou shalt not have strange
gods before Me. Thou shalt not make to thyself any
graven thing, nor the likeness of anything that is it
heaven above, or in the earth beneath, nor of those
things that are in the waters under the earth. Thou
shalt not adore them nor serve them.'
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THE EXPLANATORY CATECHISM
Strange gods. False gods or idols.
Graven. Carved or cut out, as an image.
/
/
176. Q. What are we commanded to do by the firA
Commandment? A. By the first Commandment ye
are commanded to worship the one, true, and livihgGod, by Faith, Hope, Charity, and Religion.
'
AeZ gion. As long as we live we must exercise the virtue of
Religion,’ which consists in giving to God the honbur
and service due to Him.
177. Q. What are the sins against Faith ? A. The
sins against Faith are all false religions, wilful doubt,
disbelief, or denial of any article of Faith, and also
culpable ignorance of the doctrines of the Church.
Culpable. Blamable, through one’s own fault.
False religions. Those religions which do not teach the truth.
Disbelief. Not believing. There are three kinds of disbelief
or infidelity—(1) Paganism, or the state of those who
are altogether without faith, such as atheists, who deny
the existence of God ; idolaters, who worship false gods';
deists, who believe in the existence of God, but deny His
goodness and reject all revelation ; and Mahometans, or
the disciples of Mahomet. (2) Judaism, or the religious
system of the Jews. (3) Heresy, or the denial of one or
more articles of faith by one who h»« been baptized and
has professed the Christian religion.
178. Q. How do we expose ourselves to the danger
of losing our Faith ? A. We expose ourselveB to the
danger of losing our Faith by neglecting our spiritual
duties, reading bad books, going to non-Catholic
schools, and taking part in the services or prayers
of a false religion.
179. Q. What are the sins against Hope ? A. The
sins against Hope are despair and presumption.
180. Q. What are the chief sins against Religion? A.
The chief sins against Religion are the worship of false
gods or idols, and the giving to any creature whatso
ever the honour which belongs to God alone.
Worship. To adore, to honour, to respect There are three
kinds of worship—(1) Latria, or supreme, paid to God only;
(2) Hyper dulia, or superior, given to the Blessed Virgin;
(8) Dalia, or ordinary, given to the 3ainte and Angela.
�THE EXPLANATORY CATECHISM
31
181. $. Does the first Commandment forbid the
making of images? A. The first Commandment does
net forbid the making of images, but the making of
idols; that is, it forbids us to make images to be adored
or honoured as gods.
Idols. Images of persons or things to which is given that
worship which should be paid to God alone. Worshipping
idols is called idolatry.
182. Q. Does the first Commandment forbid dealing
with the devil and superstitious practices? A. The
first Commandment forbids all dealing with the devil
and superstitious practices, such as consulting spiri
tualists and fortune-tellers, and trusting to charms,
omens, dreams, and such-like fooleries.
Dealing with the devil. Seeking after hidden or unknown
things by the help of the devil.
Superstitious practices are habits of giving to certain things a
power which they do not or cannot possess.
Fortune-tellers. Persons who pretend that they are able to
tell us what will happen in the future.
Charms. Things worn which are thought to have the power
of keeping away evil or bringing good.
Omens. Signs supposed to foretell what is to come.
Dreams. Thoughts or fancies during sleep; visions.
183. Q. Are all sins of sacrilege and simony also
forbidden by the first Commandment? A. All sins
of sacrilege and simony are also forbidden by the first
Commandment.
Sacrilege. To treat with disrespect or Irreverence any person,
place, or thing set apart or dedicated to the service of God.
Sxrnony. Selling any sacred office or thing, for gain. Simon
Magus offered money to the Apostles to give him the
sacred powor which they possessed. (Acts viii.)
184. Q. Is it forbidden to give divine honour and
worship to the Angels and Saints ? A. It is forbidden
to give divine honour or worship to the Angels and
Saints, for this belongs to God alone.
185. Q. What kind of honour or worship should we
pay to the Angels and Saints ? A. We should pay to
th© Angola
feints
inferior honour or worship
*
�33
THE EXPLANATORY CATECHISM
for this ia due to them as the servants and special
friends of God.
Inferior honour. A lesser or lower kind of honour.
186. Q. What honour should we give to relics, cru
cifixes, and holy pictures? A. We should give to
relics, crucifixes, and holy pictures a relative honour,as
they relate to Christ and His Saints, and are memorials
of them.
Belie. The bodioa of the Saints, or anything that has be
longed to them.
Crucifix. The representation of our Lord on the cross.
Relative. Being connected with or belonging to anything.
We honour holy pictures, images, <fcc., on account of those
they represent.
Memorial. That which serves to keep In the memory, a re
membrancer.
187. Q. Do we pray to relics or images? A. We do
not pray to relics or images, for they can neither see,
nor hear, nor help us.
II.
188. Q. What is thG second Commandment ? A. The
second Commandment is ‘Thou shalt not take the name
of the Lord thy God in vain.’
In vain. Without necessity, uselessly, not respectfully.
189. Q. What are we commanded by the second Com
mandment ? A. By the second Commandment we are
commanded to speak with reverence of God and all
holy persons and things, and to keep our lawful oaths
and vows.
Lawful. That which is according to the rule or law.
Oath. To call God to witness the truth of what we say. An
oath must have the qualities of truth, Judgment, and
Justice. (Jer. iv 2.)
Vowe. Deliberate promises made to God to do something
supernatural, which we are not already bound to perform.
190. Q. What does the second Commandment forbid?
�THE EXPLANATORY CATECHISM
33
A. The second Commandment forbids all false, rash,
unjust, and unnecessary oaths; as also blaspheming,
cursing, and profane words.
False oaths. Those which are not true. Taking a false oath
is called perjury.
Rash oaths. Those taken without sufficient judgment or
reflection,
Unjust oaths. Those taken with the intention of doing
wrong.
Unnecessary oaths. Those taken without sufficient reason.
Blaspheming. Speaking in an evil or impious manner of
God or His Saints, or any holy thing relating to God.
Cursing. Calling down evil or harm on ourselves or our
neighbour, or on any of God’s creatures.
Profane words. Speaking in a light or joking manner, or
making game of anything belonging to God or His service.
191. Q. Is it ever lawful to swear or to take an
oath? A. It is lawful to swear, or to take an oath,
only when God’s honour, or our own, or our neigh
bour’s good requires it
III.
192. Q. What is the third Commandment ? A. The
third Commandment is * Remember that thou keep
holy the Sabbath-day.’
Sabbath. The day of rest. The seventh day of the w’eek
among the Jews—set apart for rest from work, and kept
holy in memory of God having rested on that day, and of
their deliverance out of Egypt. Among Christians the first
<iay of the week Is kept holy, in memory of the Resurrec
tion of our Lord, and the Descent of the Holy Ghost.
193. Q. What are we commanded by the third
Commandment? A. By the third Commandment we
are commanded to keep the Sunday holy.
194. Q. How- are we to keep the Sunday holy?
A. We are to keep the Sunday holy by hearing Mass
and resting from servile works.
Hearing Mass. By this is meant that we must be bodily
present in the place where Mass is being said, and in such
a manner as to form part of the congregation, and pay
great attention to all that is taking place upon the altar.
The most important or solemn parts of the Mass are the
C
�34
THE EXPLANATORY CATECHISM
Offertory, tlie Consecration, and the priest’s communion.
We are excused from attending at Mass either by sick
ness, very bad weather, great distance from church, great
poverty, &c.
Servile works. Such works as employ the body rather than
the mind, and are usually done by servants and tradespeople. There are two other kinds of work—viz., liberal,
or that work in which the mind is more engaged than the
body, as drawing, music, writing, &c.; and common work,
or such as is followed by all classes, as fishing, hunting,
shooting, &c.
195. Q. Why are we commanded to rest from
servile works ? A. We are commanded to rest from
servile works that we may have time and opportunity
for prayer, going to the Sacraments, hearing instruc
tions, and reading good books.
Hearing instructions.
Sunday-school, &c.
Attending at sermons, catechism,
IV.
196. Q. What is the fourth Commandment ? A. The
fourth Commandment is ‘Honour thy father and thy
mother.’
197. Q. What are we commanded by the fourth
Commandment ? A. By the fourth Commandment
we are commanded to love, reverence, and obey our
parents in all that is not sinj
To love our parents. To have a very great affection for them.
.Reverence. To esteem, to respect or honour.
Obey. To do what we are told. We must not only obey our
parents, but also all those who are lawfully placed over us,
provided that such obedience is not sinful.
198. Q. Are we commanded to obey our parents
only? A. We are commanded to obey, not only our
parents, but also our bishops and pastors, the civil
authorities, and our lawful superiors.
Civil authorities. Those who administer the law.
199. Q. Are we bound to assist our parents in their
wants? A. We are bound to assist our parents in
their wants, both spiritual and temporal.
�THE EXPLANATORY CATECHISM
35
Temporal wants. The wants of the body, Buch as food,
clothing^and lodging.
Spiritual wants. The wants of the soul, such gs instruc
tions, the Sacraments, <fcc.
500. Q. Are we bound injustice to contribute to the
support of our pastors ? A. We are bound in justice
to contribute to the support of our pastors; for St.
Paul says, * The Lord ordained that they who preach
the Gospel should live by the Gospel.’ (1 Cor. ix. 14.)
Contribute. To give something towards a person’s expenser
Ordained. Ordered, commanded, made it a law.
201. Q- What is the duty of parents towards their
children? A. The duty of parents towards their chil
dren is to provide for them, to instruct and correct
them, and to give them a good Catholic education.
Duty. What one ought to do, one’s proper business.
202. Q. What is the duty of masters, mistresses,
and other superiors? A. The duty of masters, mis
tresses, and other superiors is to take proper care of
those under their charge, and to enable them to prac
tise their religious duties.
203. Q. What does the fouivh Commandment for
bid? A. The fourth Commandment forbids all con
tempt, stubbornness, and disobedience to our parents
and lawful superiors.
Contempt. To treat with disrespect, to despise, to slight.
Stubbornness. Being obstinate or self-willed, hard to move.
Disobedience. Neglecting or refusing to do as we are told.
Lawful superiors. Those who have a right to our obedience.
204. Q. Is it sinful to belong to a Secret Society?
A. It is sinful to belong to any Secret Society that
plots against the Church or State, or to any Society that
by reason of its secrecy is condemned by the Church ;
for St. Paul says: ‘ Let every soul be subject to the
higher powers ; he that resisteth the power resisteth
the ordinance of God; and they that resist purchase to
themselves damnation.’ (Hom. xiiL 1, 2.)
)
�36
THE EXPLANATORY CATECHISM
205. Q. What is the fifth Commandment ? A. The
fifth Commandment is ‘Thou shalt not kill.’
Kill. To take away life, to put to death.
206. Q. What does the fifth Commandment forbid 1
A. The fifth Commandment forbids all wilful murder,
fighting, quarrelling, and injurious words; and also
scandal and bad example.
IT Iful murder. Taking away human life purposely through
spite or malice. A person’s life may be lawfully taken
away, either in self-defence, in a just war, or in a case of a
criminal being executed. To kill a person accidentally
would not break this Commandment.
Injurious words. Words said to vex or injure others.
Scandal. Willingly influencing or giving a person occasion
to commit sin. The word ‘scandal’ means a snare or a
stumbling-block.
Bad example. Saying or doing what is wrong before others.
207. Q. Does the fifth Commandment forbid anger ?
A. The fifth Commandment forbids anger, and, still
more, hatred and revenge.
Anger. A strong but passing feeling of resentment or dis
pleasure against those whom we believe to have done us
an injury.
Hatred. A settled dislike of others, with the desire of in
juring them.
Revenge. Returning evil for evil. This is the result of anger
or hatred.
208. Q. Why are scandal and bad example for
bidden by the fifth Commandment ? A. Scandal and
bad example are forbidden by the fifth Command
ment, because they lead to the injury and spiritual
death of our neighbour’s soul.
VI.
209. Q. What is the sixth Commandment? A. The
sixth Commandment is, ‘Thou shalt not commit
adultery.’
210. Q. What does the sixth Commandment forbid ?
�THE EXPLANATORY CATECHISM
37
A. The sixth Commandment forbids all sins of impurity
with another’s wife or husband.
211. Q. Does the sixth Commandment forbid what
ever is contrary to holy purity ? A. The sixth
Commandment forbids whatever is contrary to holy
purity in looks, words, or actions.
212. Q. Are immodest plays and dances forbidden
by the sixth Commandment? A. Immodest plays
and dances are forbidden by the sixth Commandment,
and it is sinful to look at them.
Immodest plays and dances. Any amusements by which we
may commit sins against holy purity.
21S. Q. Does the sixth Commandment forbid im
modest songs, books, and pictures? A. The sixth
Commandment fcrbids immodest songs, books, and
pictures, because they are most dangerous to the soul,
and lead to mortal sin.
Immodest books. Books which may lead us to commit sin,
either in thought, word, or deed. The Commandment is
broken by sins against the virtue of Purity.
VII.
214. Q. What is the seventh Commandment? A. The
seventh Commandment is ‘Thou shalt not steal.’
Steal. To take away unjustly anything belonging to another.
215. Q. What does the seventh Commandment for
bid ? A. The seventh Commandment forbids all unjust
taking away, or keeping what belongs to another.
All unjust taking away. This may be done in several ways,
viz., by theft or robbery ; or by fraud, which consists in all
kinds of cheating in buying or selling, in passing an inferior
article as one of good quality, as in the case of bad money.
We may also take away unjustly, by neglecting or perform
ing carelessly any duty for which we are paid ; by unjust
lawsuits; by usury, which is demanding too high an in
terest for one’s money; and by wilfully destroying another’s
property.
Keeping what belongs to a/nother. This may be done uy re
fusing to give back what we have taken from another; by
�3«
THE EXPLANATORY CATECHISM
not restoring things left in our care; by refusing to pay
our just debts; by not taking means to find out the owner
of anything we may have found; by buying or receiving
goods which we believe to have been stolen, viz., ill-gotten
goods.
916. Q. Is all manner of cheating in buying and
selling forbidden by the seventh Commandment? A.
All manner of cheating in buying or selling is for
bidden by the seventh Commandment, and also every
other way of wronging our neighbour.
Cheating. Deceiving or defrauding; being dishonest in one's
actions ; imposing upon others.
217. Q. Are we bound to restore ill-gotten goods ?
A. We are bound to restore ill-gotten goods if wo
are able, or else the sin will not be forgiven ; we must
also pay our debts.
Restore. To give back again, to make satisfaction. Re
storing things obtained unjustly, or the value of them, is
called restitution, which we are bound to make, if in our
power, under pain of sin.
Debt. What one person owes to another.
218. Q. Is it dishonest in servants to waste their
master’s time and property? A. It is dishonest in
servants to waste their master’s time or property,
because it is wasting what is not their own.
VIII.
219. Q. What is the eighth Commandment? A.
The eighth Commandment is ‘Thou shalt not bear
false witness against thy neighbour.’
220. Q. What does the eighth Commandment for
bid? A. The eighth Commandment forbids all false
testimony, rash judgment, and lies.
False testimony. False Witness—to swear falsely in a court
of justice.
Rash judgment. Forming or expressing an evil opinion of
others without sufficient reason dr cause.
A lie. Saying anything which we believe to ha false, with
�THE EXPLANATORY CATECHISM
39
the intention of deceiving those to whom we are epeaking.
There are tliree kinds of lies—(1) jocose, or those told in
jest; (2) officious, or those told to escape some evil, to ob
tain some benefit, or to excuse either ourselves or others;
(3) malicious, or those told with the intention of injuring
our neighbour.
221. Q. Are calumny and detraction forbidden by
the eighth Commandment ? A. Calumny and detrac
tion are forbidden by the eighth Commandment, and
also tale-bearing, and any words which injure our
neighbour’s character.
Calumny. Saying what is not true of our neighbour, with
the intention of injuring his character.
Detraction. Making known the sins of our neighbour, with
the intention of injuring his character.
222. Q. If you have injured your neighbour by
speaking ill of him, what are you bound to do? A.
If I have injured my neighbour by speaking ill of him,
I am bound to make him satisfaction by restoring his
good name as far as I can.
Make him satisfaction. To do all in one’s power to bring
back the good name of one’s neighbour—in the case of
calumny, by contradicting the lie told ; in the case of
detraction, by doing all we can to restore the good opinion
.in which he had been held.
IX.
223. Q. What is the ninth Commandment? A.
The ninth Commandment is ‘Thou shalt not covet
thy neighbour’s wife.’
224. Q. What does the ninth Commandment for
bid ? A. The ninth Commandment forbids all wilful
consent to impure thoughts and desires, and all wilful
pleasure in the irregular motions of the flesh.
225. Q. What sins commonly lead to the breaking
of the sixth and ninth Commandments ? A. The sins
that commonly lead to the breaking of the sixth and
ninth Commandments are gluttony, drunkenness, and
Intemperance, and also idleness, bad company, and
the neglect of prayer.
�40
THE EXPLANATORY CATECHISM
X.
226. Q. What is the tenth Commandment ? A.
The tenth Commandment is ‘Thou shalt not covet
thy neighbour’s goods.’
227. Q. What does the tenth Commandment for
bid? A. The tenth Commandment forbids all envious
and covetous thoughts and unjust desires of our
neighbour’s goods and profits.
Covet.. Unlawfully and unjustly desiring, or wishing for,
anything which belongs to another.
CHAPTER V.
THE COMMANDMENTS OF THE CHURCH.
228. Q. Are we bound to obey the Church? A.
We are bound to obey the Church, because Christ has
said to the pastors of the Church, ‘ He that heareth
you heareth Me, and he that despiseth vou despiseth
Me.’ (Luke x. 16.)
Be that heareth you, de. Every one who attends to what
the bishops and priests of the Church say, and follows their
teaching, pleases God.
He that despiseth you, de. Those persons who have a con
tempt for their pastors, or think little of their teaching,
displease God.
229. Q. What are the chief Commandments of the
Church? A. The chief Commandments of the Church
are:
1. To keep the Sundays and Holydays of Obliga
tion holy, by hearing Mass and resting from servile
works.
i
>
47
The chief Commandments. The six principal ones given in the
Catechism. There are many other precepts of the Church
besides. These Commandments may be altered to suit
different circumstances or different places, as the Head
of the Church may think fit.
2. To keep the days of fasting and abstinence ap
pointed by the Church.
�THE EXPLANATORY CATECHISM
41
To go to confession at least once a year.
a year, and that at Easter di1 prist, once
5. To contribute to the support of our pastors.
6. Not to marry within certain degrees of kindred,
nor to solemnise marriage at the forbidden times.
230. Q. What is the first Commandment of the
Church? A. The first Commandment of the Church is
* To keep the Sundays and Holydays of Obligation
holy, by hearing Mass and resting from servile works.’
231. Q. Which are the Holydays of Obligation ob
served in England? A. The Holydays of obligation
observed in England are Christmas-day, the Cir
cumcision, the Epiphany, the Ascension, Corpus Christi,
SS. Peter and Paul, the Assumption of our Lady, and
All Saints.
232. Q. Is it a mortal sin to neglect to hear Mass
on Sundays and Holydays of Obligation ? A. It is a
mortal sin to neglect to hear Mass on Sundays and
Holydays of Obligation.
233. Q. Are parents, masters, and mistresses bound
to provide that those under their charge shall hear
Mass on Sundays and HolydayB of Obligation? A.
Parents, masters, and mistresses are bound to provide
that those under their charge shall hear Mass on Sun
days and Holydays of Obligation.
234. Q. What is the second Commandment of the
Church? The second Commandment of the Church
is ‘To keep the days of fasting and abstinence ap
pointed by the Church.’
Fasting. Eating only one full meal a day, which must not
be taken before mid-day. No person is bound to fast be
fore he has completed his 21st year, nor after he has entered
his 60th year. Dispensations are granted by priests at
Confession. We may be dispensed or freed from the
obligation of fasting through siokness, great poverty, very
hard work.
Abstinence. To refrain or keep from a thing ; here Is meant
flesh meat. All over seven years of age must abstain.
�42
THE EXPLANATORY CATECHISM
235. Q. What are fasting days? A. Fastis
-11
ata rtav.« on wKwIi w«
236. Q. Which are the fasting days ? A. The fastdays are the weekdays of Lent, certain Vigils; and
*
the Ember-days.
lent. A time of fasting and penance, beginning on Ash Wed
nesday and ending at mid-day on Holy Saturday. It
reminds us of the fast of our Lord for forty days in the
desert, after his baptism.
Vigil. A watching, the fast-day before a certain great feast
Ember. The ember days occur four times a rear, viz the
Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday next after the’first
Sun-lay in Lent; in Whitsun-week ; next after the 14th
September ; and next after the third Sunday in Advent
On these occasions we ask God’s blessing on the fruits of
the earth ; and that He will grant good pastors to His
Church, aB it is at those times they are usually ordained.
237. Q. What are days of abstinence ? A. Days of
abstinence are days on which we are forbidden to take
flesh-meat, and soups made from meat.
238. Q. Which are the days Of abstinence ? A. The
days of abstinence are all Fridays! except any Friday on
which a Holyday of Obligation falls; the Wednesdays
of Lent (in England); the four Vigils (unless one falls
on a Sunday) ; and the Ember-days.
239. Q. Why does the Church command us to fast
and abstain? A. The Church commands us to fast
and abstain that so we may mortify the flesh and
satisfy God for our sins.
■Mortify the flesh. To punish our bodies and weaken tempta
tion, and thus make us more fit for prayer and meditation.
*Lent ends at mid-day on Holy Saturday. The Vigils are those
of Pentecost, the Assumption, All Saints, and Christmas.
tl. When December 26th falls on a Friday the abstinence is at
present dispensed in England.
!. When one day of abstinence immediately follows another
leave is given to eat meat on the second, except tn Lent.
�THS EXPLANATORY CATECHISM
43
‘240. Q. What is the third Commandment of the
Church ? A. The third Commandment of the Church
is ‘ To go to confession at least once a year.’
At least once a year. We are bound to go once, but of course
we ought to go several times.
241. Q. How soon are children bound to go to con
fession? A. Children are bound to go to confession
as soon as they have come to the use of reason, and are
capable of mortal sin.
Capable of mortal sin. Able to do it, and to know that it Is
a mortal sin.
242. Q. When are children generally supposed to
come to the use of reason ? A. Children are generally
supposed to come to the use of reason about the age of
seven years.
243. Q. What is the fourth Commandment of the
Church? A. The fourth Commandment of the Church
is ‘ To receive the Blessed Sacrament at least once a
year, and that at Easter or thereabouts.’
Thereabouts. The time appointed in each diocese for ful
filling our Easter duties. This is usually between Passion
Bunday and Low Sunday, but a Bishop may extend the
time for his diocese.
244. <?. How soon are Christians bound to receive
the Blessed Sacrament? A. Christians are bound to
receive the Blessed Sacrament as soon as they are
capable of distinguishing the Body of Christ from
ordinary bread, and are judged to be sufficiently
instructed.
245. Q. What is the fifth Commandment of the
Church ? A. The fifth Commandment of the Church
is ‘ To contribute to the support of our pastors.’
246. Q. Is it a duty to contribute to the support of
religion? A. It is a duty to contribute to the support
of religion according to our means, so that God may
be duly honoured and worshipped, and the kingdom of
His Church extended-
�44
THE explanatory catechism
247. Q. What is the sixth Commandment of the
Church? A. The sixth Commandment of the Church
is * Not to marry within certain degrees of kindred, nor
to solemnise marriage at the forbidden times.’
Certain degrees, <kc. Certain states of relationship, as first or
second cousins. In the Catholic Church none can contract
matrimony whoare related by blood up to the third degree
inclusive, unless they obtain a dispensation or leave to do so.
Solemnise. To do anything in a religious or solemn manner,
with all the ceremonies.
248. Q. Which arc the times in which it is for
bidden to marry with solemnity? A. The times in
which it is forbidden to marry with solemnity without
special leave are from the First Sunday of Advent till
after Christmas Day, and from Ash-Wednesday till after
Easter Sunday.
Ash Wednesday. So called because ashes are blessed and.
distributed on this day, to remind us of our origin and of
our end.
THE SACRAMENTS.
CHAPTER VL
249. Q. What is a Sacrament? A. A Sacrament is
an outward sign of inward grace, ordained by Jesus
Christ, by which grace is given to our souls.
Sacrament. Something that is sacred or holy. Three things
are required in order to make a Sacrament—(1) Outward
sign, which consists of two parts, viz., the matter, or the
outward sensible things used in giving the Sacrament; and
the form, or the words said when applying the matter.
(2) Inward grace, or the invisible effect of the Sacrament on
the seul. (3) Instituted by Christ ; that is, it must have
been ordained or appointed by our Lord as a means of
giving grace to our souls.
�THE EXPLANATORY CATECHISM
45
250. Q. Do the Sacraments always give grace ? A.
The Sacraments always give grace to those who receive
them worthily.
Worthily. With the proper dispositions.
251. Q. Whence have the Sacraments the power of
giving grace? A. The Sacraments have the power of
giving grace from the merits of Christ’s Precious Blood,
which they apply to our souls.
252. Q. Ought we to have a great desire to receive
the Sacraments? A. We ought to have a great desire
to receive the Sacraments, because they are the chief
means of our salvation.
253. Q. Is a character given to the soul by any of
the Sacraments ? A. A character is given to the soul
by the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy
Order.
254. Q. What is a character? A. A character is
a mark or seal on the soul which cannot be effaced,
and therefore the Sacrament conferring it may not be
repeated.
255. Q. How many Sacraments are there ? A.
There are seven Sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation,
Holy Eucharist, Penance, Extreme Unction, Holy
Order, and Matrimony.
There are seven. The Sacraments may be divided into two
classes—(1) Sacraments of the dead, viz., Baptism and Pen
ance. They are so called because they alone have the power
of raising the soul from the death of sin to the life of grace.
(2) Sacraments of the living, viz., Confirmation. Holy Eu
charist, Extreme Unction, Holy Order, and Matrimony,
In order to receive these five Sacraments worthily, the soul
must be spiritually alive, that is, in a state of grace. There
are some Sacraments which leave a special mark or charac
ter on the soul, viz., Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Order.
These can only be received once; the others may be received
more than once. All the Sacraments, when received
worthily, either give or increase sanctifying grace. A
Sacrament is said to be received validly when the matter
and form ordained by Christ are properly applied by the
minister to one who is capable and willing to receive it.
�46
THE EXPLANATORY CATECHISM
A Sacrament is received lawfully or fruitfully, when be
sides what is wanted for its valid reception, there are in
tire person receiving it the dispositions required to obtain
the grace of the Sacrament.
I.
256. Q. What is Baptism ? A. Baptism is a Sacra
ment which cleanses us from original sin, makes us
Christians, children of God,and members of the Church.
Baptism. This word means a washing. Baptism is the most
necessary of all the Sacraments, as without it we cannot be
saved or receive any of the others; it is the beginning of
our spiritual life. There are three kinds of Baptism—(1)
Baptism of water, which is the Sacrament; (2) Baptism of
desire; (3) Baptism of blood, or martyrdom. A person may
be baptized when there is a aoubt about a former Baptism.
The words, ‘ If thou art not already baptized, ’ are added to
the usual form. This is called Conditional Baptism.
Outwa. d eipn. Tho matter is wator blessed on Holy Saturday
and on the eve oi Whtt-Sunday, and is applied in three wavs
—(!) by immerston, or being dipped in the water; (2)
. elusion, or having the water poured on the person;
(3) aspersion, or being sprinkled with the water. Baptism
by effusion is the mode chiefly in use. The form consists
of the words, 11 baptize,’ &c.
Effects. Cleanses the soul from original sin, andactual sin,
if any; remits both the temporal and eternal punishment;
gives habitual or sanctifying grace.
Institution. When instituted, not quite certain; but became
of obligation after the Resurrection, when our Lord said to
His Apostles, ‘ Going therefore, teach ye all nations; bap
tizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and
of the Holy Ghost.’ (Matt, xxviii. 19.)
Minister. A priest; in a case of necessity, any other person.
Christians. Followers of Christ. At Antioch, in Syria, the
disciples were first named Christians. (Acts xi. 26.)
257. Q. Does Baptism also forgive actual sins ? A.
Baptism also forgives actual sins, with all punishment
due to them, when it is received in proper dispositions
by those who have been guilty of actual sin.
258. Q. Who is the ordinary minister of Baptism ?
4- The ordinary minister of Baptism is a priest; but
�THE EXPLANATORY CATECHISM
47
any one may baptize in case of necessity, when a priest
cannot be had.
Case of necessity. When the person would most likely die
before a priest could attend.
259. Q. How is Baptism given ? A. Baptism is given
by pouring water on the head of the child, saying at
the same time these words, ‘ I baptize thee in the name
of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.’
260. Q. What do we promise in Baptism ? A. We
promise in Baptism to renounce the devil and all his
works and pomps.
To renounce. To reject, to give up.
Works and pomps.. The temptations of the devil to make us
commit sin.
261. Q. la Baptism necessary for salvation? A.
Baptism is necessary for salvation, because Christ has
said, ‘ Unless a man be born again of water and the
Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the kingdom of
God.’ (John iii. 5.)
II.
262. Q. What is Confirmation ? A. Confirmation is
a Sacrament by which we receive the Holy Ghost, in
order to make us strong and perfect Christians and
soldiers of Jesus Christ.
Confirmation. Being made firm or strong in our faith.
Outward sign. The matter consists of the imposition of hands
and the anointing of the forehead with chrism, which is
made of olive-oil mixed with balm, and blessed by the
Bishop on Holy Thursday. The form consists of the words
' I sign thee,' sc.
JSfects. Gives the Holy Ghost and a special Bacnunental
grace which strengthens and perfects the soul.'
Institution. The exact time of institution is not given in the
Gospels, but it is almost certain that it was after the Resur
rection. Instances of its administration by the Apostles—
(1)SS. Peter and John, being sent to confirm the Samari
tans, laid their hands upon them, and they received the
Holy Ghost (Acts viii. 14-17); (2) St. Paul at Ephesus:
‘And when Paul had imposed his hands on them, the Holy
�48
THE EXPLANATORY CATECHISM
Ghost came upon them, and they spoke with tongues, and
prophesied.’ (Acts xix. 6.)
Minister. A Bishop. The Pope may confer the power upon
a priest to administer Confirmation in a case where it is
very difficult to obtain a Bishop ; but even then the chrism
must have been blessed by a Bishop.
263. Q. Who is the ordinary minister of Confirma
tion? A. The ordinary minister of Confirmation is a
Bishop.
Ordinary. Usual; the person who has the power in his own
right.
Minister. The person who administers or gives a Sacrament.
264. Q. How does the Bishop administer the Sacra
ment of Confirmation ? A. The Bishop administers the
Sacrament of Confirmation by praying that the Holy
Ghost may come down upon those who are to be con
firmed ; and by laying his hand on them, and making
the sign of the cross with chrism on their foreheads,
at the same time pronouncing certain words.
265. Q. What are the words used in Confirmation ?
A. The words used in Confirmation are these : ‘ I sign
thee with the sign of the cross, and I confirm thee with
the chrism of salvation; in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.’
III.
266. Q. What is the Sacrament of the Holy Eucha
rist? A. The Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist is the
true Body and Blood of Jesus Christ together with
His Soul and Divinity, under the appearances of bread
and wine.
Holy Eucharist. Holy thanksgiving. This Sacrament is so
called because at its institution our lord gave thanks to
His Father ; also, because it is the chief act by which we
praise and thank Almighty God. It is also called the ‘ Holy
Communion,’ the ‘Holy Host,’ the ‘Viaticum,’ Ac. The
Holy Eucharist is the greatest of all the Sacraments, for it
contains our lord Himself, from whom all graces come.
Outward sign. The matter consists of wheaten bread and
wine of the grape. The form consists of the words; • Thh;
is 5£y Body ;’ ‘ This is the chalice,' &c.
�THE EXPLANATORY CATECHISM
49
SJects. Gives us our Lord Himself; increases ea’ictifylng
grace ; and gives a special grace which nourishes the soul.
Institution. On Maundy Thursday, at the Last Supper, when
Jesus took bread and blessed and broke it, and said, ’Take
ye, and eat: this is My Body.’ And taking the ohalice,
He said, ‘This is My Blood of the new testament, which
shall be shed for many unto remission of sins.' (Matt.
xxvi. 26-28.)
Minister. A priest, or sometimes a deacon.
I7hder tAe appearances, Ac. It looks, tastes, smells, and
feels like bread and wine. These appearances are some
times called the accidents ot the Sacrament.
267. Q. How are the bread and wine changed into
the Body and Blood of Christ? A. The bread and
wine are changed into the Body and Blood of Christ
by the power of God, to whom nothing is impossible
or difficult.
268. Q. When are the bread and wine changed
into the Body and Blood of Christ? A. The bread
and wine are changed into the Body and Blood of
Christ when the words of consecration, ordained by
Jesus Christ, are pronounced by the priest in the
Holy Mass.
Words of consecration. Over the bread : ‘ This is My body.’
Over the wine in the chalice : ‘ This is the chalice of My
Blood of the new and eternal testament—the mystery of
Faith—which shall be shed for you, and for many, to the
remission of sins.'
269. Q. Why has Christ given Himself to us in the
Holy Eucharist? A. Christ lias given Himself to us
in the Holy Eucharist to be the life and the food of
our souls. ‘He that eateth Me, the same also shall
live by Me ; ’ ‘ He that eateth this bread shall live for
ever.’ (John vi. 58, 59.)
270. Q. Is Christ received whole and entire under
either kind alone? A. Christ is received whole and
entire under either kind alone.
,
271. Q. In order to receive the Blessed Sacrament
worthily what is required ? A. In order to receive
the Blessed Sacrament worthily it is required that We
be in a state of grace, and fasting from midnight.
�50
THE EXPLANATORY CATECHISM
Fasting from midnight. The person to receive Holy Com
reunion must not partake of any food or drink whatever
from twelve o’clock the previous night. Those who are in
danger of death may receive Holy Communion without
fasting. It is then called the Viaticum, because it
strengthens those who receive it at the end of their jour
ney through life.
272. Q. What is it to be in a state of grace ? A.
To be in a state of grace is to be free front mortal
sin, and pleasing to God.
273. Q. Is it a great sin to receive Holy Commu
nion in mortal sin ? A. It is a great sin to receive
Holy Communion in mortal sin, ‘for he that eateth
and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh judg
ment to himself. (1 Cor. xi. 29.)
274. Q. Is the Blessed Eucharist a Sacrament only ?
A. The Blessed Eucharist is not a Sacrament only; it
is also a sacrifice.
275. Q. What is a sacrifice? A. A sacrifice is the
offering of a victim by a priest to God alone, in testi
mony of His being the Sovereign Lord of all things.
276. Q. What is the Sacrifice of the New Law?
A. The Sacrifice of the New Law is the Holy Mass.
The Mass. The oblation or offering made or sent to God by
the ministry of the priest. As a sacrifice, the Holy Eucha
rist is commonly called the ‘ Mass.’ In the Mass the Blood
of our Lord is not visibly shed as it was on Mount Calvary.
277. Q. What is the Holy Mass? A. The Holy
Mass is the Sacrifice of the Body and Blood of Jesus
Christ, really present on the altar under the appear
ances of bread and wine, and offered to God for the
living and the dead.
278. Q. Is the Holy Mass one and the same Sacri
fice with that of the Cross? A. The Holy Mass is
one and the same Sacrifice with that of the Cross,
inasmuch as Christ, who offered Himself, a bleeding
Victim, on the Cross, to His Heavenly Father, con
tinues to offer Himself in an unbloody manner on the
altar, through the ministry of His priests.
�THE EXPLANATORY CATECHISM ,
51
279. Q. For what ends is the Sacrifice of the Mass
offered ? A. The Sacrifice of the Mass is offered for
four ends: first, to give supreme honour and glory to
God ; secondly, to thank Him for all His benefits ;
thirdly, to obtain the grace of repentance; add fourthly,
io obtain all other graces and blessings through Jesus
Christ.
The ends. The objects for which it is offered.
Benefit. A favour, a good deed.
280. Q. Is the Mass also a memorial of the Passion
and Death of our Lord ? A. The Mass is also a memo
rial of the Passion and Death of our Lord, for Christ
at His last Supper said, * Do this for a commemoration
of Me.’ (Luke xxii. 19.)
IV.
281. Q. What is the Sacrament of Penance? J.
Penance is a Sacrament whereby the sins, whether
mortal or venial, which we have committed after Bap
tism are forgiven.
Penance. This word is used in three different senses—(1) as
a moral virtue which leads us to hate and avoid sin ; (2) as
the penalty which we suffer for past sin ; (3) as the Sacra
ment by which the sins committed after Baptism are for
given.
Outward sign. The matter consists of the acts of the penitent,
viz., contrition, confession, and satisfaction. The form is
the priest's absolution.
Effects. Takes away actual sin and eternal punishment due
to sin : it also restores habitual grace and the merits of
good works done in a state of grace.
Institution. ‘Receive ye the Holy Ghost: whose sins you
shall forgive, they are forgiven them ; and whose sins you
shall retain, they are retained.’ (John xx. 22, 23.)
Minister. A priest approved by the Bishop.
282. (J. Does the Sacrament of Penance increase the
grace of God in the soul ? A. The Sacrament of Penance
increases the grace of God in the soul, besides forgiving
sin ; we should, therefore, often go to confession.
283. Q. When did oar Lord institute the Sacrament
�52
THE EXPLANATORY CATECHISM
of Penance ? A. Our Lord instituted the Sacrament of
Penance when He breathed on His Apostles and gave
them power to forgive sin, saying, ‘ Whose sins you
shall forgive they are forgiven.’ (John xx. 23.) j
234. Q' How does the priest forgive sins ? A. The
priest forgives sins by the power of God, when he pro
nounces the words of absolution.
Absolution. Pardon ; taking away of guilt, and at least in
part, of punishment.
285. Q. What are the words of absolution ? A. The
words of absolution are : ‘ I absolve thee from thy sins,
in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the
Holy Ghost.’
286. Q. Are any conditions for forgiveness required
on the part of the penitent ? A. Three conditions for
forgiveness are required on the part of the penitent:
Contrition, Confession, and Satisfaction.
287. Q. What is Contrition? A. Contrition is a
hearty sorrow for our sins, because by them we have
offended so good a God, together with a firm purpose
of amendment.
Contrition. A deep sorrowfor sin, with the determination of
avoiding it in the future. There are two kinds of Contri
tion—(1) perfect, or that felt for having offended God alone;
(2) imperfect, or the sorrow we feel for our sins because by
them we lose heaven and deserve hell: this is also called
attrition. Sorrow for sin must be inward—that is, it must
come from the heart; it must be supernatural—that is, it
is not enough to be sorry from a human or natural motive;
it must be universal—that is, it must extend to at least all
mortal sins of which we are guilty.
388. Q. What is a firm purpose of amendment? A.
A firm purpose of amendment is a resolution to avoid,
by the grace of God, not only sin, but also the dangerous
occasions of sin.
Occasion of sin. Anything that may lead us into sin.
289. Q. How may we obtain a hearty sorrow for our
sins? A. We may obtain a hearty sorrow for our sins
by earnestly praying for it, and by making use of such
®©nsideratioixs an may lead us to it.
�THE EXPLANATORY CATECHISM
53
Earnestly. Having a strong desire ; being fervent and sin
cere, with intensity.
Such considerations, <tc. Such thoughts as will help us to
be truly sorry for our sins—such as thinking on the good
ness of God, the sufferings of our Lord on account of our
sins, the happiness of heaven, the misery of hell, &c.
290. Q. What consideration concerning God will
lead us to sorrow for our sins ? A. This consideration
concerning God will lead us to sorrow for our sins, that
by our sins we have offended God, who is infinitely
good in Himself and infinitely good to us.
291. Q. What consideration concerning our Saviour
will lead us to sorrow for our sins ? A. This considera
tion concerning our Saviour will lead us to sorrow for
our sins, that our Saviour died for our sins, and that
those who sin grievously ‘crucify again to themselves
the Son of God, making Him a mockery.’ (Ilcb. vi. 8.)
292. Q. Is sorrow for our sins, because by them we
have lost heaven and deserved hell, sufficient when we
go to confession? A. Sorrow for our sins, because
by them we have lost heaven and deserved hell, is
sufficient when we go to confession.
293. Q. What is perfect contrition? A. Perfect
contrition is sorrow for sin arising purely from the
love of God.
294. Q. What special value has perfect contrition ?
A. Perfect contrition has this special value—that by
it our sins are forgiven immediately, even before we
confess them ; but nevertheless, if they are mortal,
we are strictly bound to confess them afterwards.
295. Q. What is confession? A. Confession is to
accuse ourselves of our sins to a priest approved by
the Bishop.
Confession. To make known our sins. We are bound to
confess all our mortal sins.
To accuse ourselves. To lay the blame on ourselves; to tell our
sins; to acknowledge, as from an inferior to a superior. We
muBt make our confession humbly, truthfully, and briefly.
296. Q. What if a person wilfully conceal a mortal
�54
the explanatory catechism
em ji confession? A. If a person wilfully conceal a
mortal sin in confession he is guilty of a great sacrilege,
by telling a lie to the Holy Ghost in making a bad
confession.
Conceal. To keep secret; to hide completely.
297. Q. How many things have we to do in order to
prepare for confession ? A. We have four things to
do in order to prepare for confession: first, we must
heartily pray for grace to make a good confession;
eecondly, we must carefully examine our conscience ;
thirdly, we must take time and care to malts a good
act of contrition; and fourthly, we must resolve by
the help of God to renounce our sins, and to begin a
new life for the future.
298. Q. What is satisfaction? A. Satisfaction is
doing the penance given us by the priest.
Satisfaction Making atonement or payment for; repairing
a wrong done. The penance given by the pripst in con
fession usually consists in the saying of some particulal
prayers or doing some good work. The guilt of sin and
its eternal punishment are taken away by a good con
fession ; the temporal punishment may be taken away by
performing the penance given by the priest, by prayer,
fasting, alms-deeds, and Indulgences.
299. Q. Does the penance given by the priest always
make full satisfaction for our sins ? A. The penance
given by the priest does not always make full satisfac
tion for our sins. We should therefore add to it other
good works and penances, and try to gain Indulgences.
300 Q. What is an Indulgence ? A. An Indulgence
is a remission, granted by the Church, of the temporal
punishment which often remains due to sin after its
guilt has been forgiven.
Zndu^cnce. A releasing or letting off from punishment.
There are two kinds of Indulgences—(1) plenary, when the
whole of the punishment is remitted or forgiven; Impartial,
when only a part of the temporal punishment is taken
away. Conditions for gaining an Indulgence are—(1) the
person seeking it must be a Catholio; (2) he must have the
intention of gaming it; (3) he must be in a state of grace:
(A; He ni'ist perform the sweesary good woike ordered for
.jieining it.
�THE EXPLANATOHV CATEOH1SHI
5.5
V.
301. Q. What is the Sacrament of Extreme Unction?
A. The Sacrament of Extreme Unction is the anointing
of the sick with holy oil, accompanied with prayer.
Airfrwne Unction. The last anointing, being given only in
danger of death by sickness.
Outward sign. The matterr consists of oil of olives blessed by
a Bishop; the form consists of the words used by the priest
whilst anointing the sick person : ‘By this holy anointing,
and of His own most tender mercy, may the Lord forgive
thee whatever thou hast committed by thy sight.’ The
eyes,ears, nostrils, mouth, hands, and feet are each anointed,
and the form of words repeated, except in cases of urgent
necessity, when one form of words is sufficient for all.
Effects. Cleanses the soul from venial sin ; takes away guilt
of unknown mortal sins which have not been forgiven in
any other way; increases habitual grace; restores health
where God sees it to be desirable.
Institution. Used in the time of the Apostles, according to
James (v. 14,15): ‘Is any man sick among you,' <fcc.
Minister. Each prieBt in his own parish.
Anointing. Pouring or rubbing oil on anything.
802. Q. When is Extreme Unction given ? A. Ex
treme Unction is given when we are in danger of death
by sickness.
303. Q. What are the effects of the Sacrament of
Extreme Unction? A. The effects of the Sacrament
of Extreme Unction are to comfort and strengthen the
soul, to remit sin, and even to restore health, when God
sees it to be expedient.
Expedient. When it is fit.
304. Q. What authority is there in Scripture for the
Sacrament of Extreme Unction ? A. The authority in
Scripture for the Sacrament of Extreme Unction is in
the 5th chapter of St. James, where it is said: ‘ Is any
one sick among you ? Let him bring in the priests of the
Church, and let them pray over him, anointing him
with oil in the Name of the Lord. And the prayer of
faith shall save the sick man ; and the Lord shall raise
him up : and if he be in sins, they shall be forgiven
him.’ (St. James v, 14. 15.)
�56
THE EXPLANATORY
CATECHISM
VI.
— 805. S’
*s
Sacrament of Holy Order? A.
“° Order is the Sacrament by which Bishops, priests,
y
*
and other ministers of the Church are ordained, and
receive power and grace to perform their sacred duties.
“W
P10 ministry, consisting of seven degrees, viz..
Po5t’?T>. ^^dsr, Exorcist, Acolyte, Sub-deacon, Deacon,
and Priest. The first four are called the minor or lesser
orders; the remaining three are called the holy or greater
orders. The, Priesthood has two degrees ef power and dig
nity—(1) that of the Bishop, whose office it is to govern the
particular district given to him (called a diocese), to give
Confirmation and Holy Order, inflict censures, pronounce
excommunications, gTant Indulgences, <fcc.; (2) that of the
rriest, whose office it is to offer sacrifice, preach to the
people, administer the Sacraments, <fcc.
Outward,signi. The matter consists of the imposition of the
Bishop s hands. The form consists of the prayer said by
the Bishop; m the case of a priest—1 Receive power to offer
sacrifices for the living and the dead, in the name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost’
Effects. Increases habitual grace: gives power to exercise
sacred functions. Tlio orders lower than the diaconate
were probably instituted by the Church and therefore do
not give grace.
Institution. Time of institution not certain. Its sacramental'
+h»^Ct-er ?£°Ved
the following = ‘ Neglect not the grace
tinn In tkee’/>whicJ was glven by Prophecy with imposi
tion of thehands of the priesthood.’ (1 Tim. iv. 14.) And
I admonish thee that thou stir up the grace of God
which is in thee by the imposition of my hands.’ (2 Tim. 1.6 )
Minister. A Bishop only, in the case of the greater orders.
VII.
Sacrament of Matrimony ? A.
Matrimony is the Sacrament which sanctifies the con
tract of a Christian marriage, and gives a special grace
to those who receive it worthily.
Matrimony. The contract or agreement by which marriagb
is blessed and made holy and pleasing to God.
Outward sign. The matter consists of the mutual giving up
of the contracting parties to each other. The form, consists
of the words and outward signs by which the man and
woman accept each other as husband and wife
�THE EXPLANATORY CATECHISM
5?
Effects. Increases habitual graoe, and helps parents to bear
the burdens and difficulties of the marriage state and bring
up their children in a Christian manner.
Institution. It is not known exactly when this Sacrament
was instituted, but it is supposed by some to have been
when, in speaking of marriage, our Lord said : 1 What God
hath joined together, let no man put acunder.’ (Matt.
six. 6.) Others say it was raised to the dignity of a Sacra
ment at the marriage-feast at Cana.
307. Q. What special grace does the Sacrament of
Matrimony give to those who receive it worthily ? A.
The Sacrament of Matrimony gives to those who receive
it worthily a special grace, to enable them to bear the
difficulties of their state, to love and be faithful to one
another, and to bring up their children in the fear of
God.
308. Q. Is it a sacrilege to contract marriage in
mortal sin, or in disobedience to the laws of the Church?
A. It is a sacrilege to contract marriage in mortal sin,
or in disobedience to the laws of the Church, and,
instead of a blessing, the guilty parties draw down
upon themselves the anger of God.
*
309. Q. What is a ‘ mixed marriage ’ ? A. A ‘ mixed
marriage ’ is a marriage between a Catholic and one
who, though baptized, does not profess the Catholic faith,
310. Q. Has the Church always forbidden mixed
marriages? A. The Church has always forbidden
mixed marriages, and considered them unlawful and
pernicious.
Pernicious. Hurtful, very injurious.
311. Q. Does the Church sometimes permit mixed
marriages? A. The Church sometimes permits mixed
marriages, by granting a dispensation, for very grave
reasons and under special conditions.
v
Dispensation. An exemption or freeing from some law or
duty.
312. Q. Can any human power dissolve the bond of
*For the marriage of a Catholic to be valid there must be
present: (1) cither the Bishop or the Parish-Priest or another
Priost duly delegated, and (2) two witnesses.
�58
THE EXPLANATORY CATECHISM
marriage ? A. No human power can dissolve the bond
of marriage, because Christ has said, ‘What God hath
joined together let no man put asunder.’ {Matt. xix. 6.)
Human pouter. The power of man, like that used in a divorce
court, which may be allowed by the law of the land, bulls
certainly forbidden by the law of God.
Dissolve. To undo; to separate; to loosen.
Bona. Anything that binds or fastens together.
CHAPTER VII.
OF VIRTUES AND VICES.
SIS. Q. Which are the Theological Virtues ? A. The
Theological Virtues are ‘Faith, Hope, and Charity.’
(1 Cor. xiii. 13.)
Theological. Belonging or relating to God. Faith, Hope,
ana Chanty have God for their direct object and motive.
The matter on which our faith is exercised is called the
object; why we believe is termed the motive.
virtue. Doing one's duty; the opposite to vice, which is a
blemish or fault.
814 Q. Why are they called Theological Virtues ?
A. They are called Theological Virtues because they
relate immediately to God.
316. Q. What are the chief mysteries of Faith
which every Christian is bound to know? A. The
chief mysteries of laith which every Christian is bound
to know are the Unity and Trinity of God, who will
render to every man according to his works; and the
Incarnation, Death and Resurrection of our Saviour.
316. Q. Which are the Cardinal Virtues? A. The
Cardinal Virtues are ‘Prudence, Justice, Fortitude,
and Temperance.’ (Wisd. viii. 7.)
Cardinal. Principal or chief, from Latin Cardo, a hinge. All
other virtues either depend or spring from them.
Prudence. This virtue enlightens our mind, and leads us to
take proper and effectual means for securing our salvation,
Jurffce. Giving what is d»e to God, our neighbours, and
eursolves’
�THE EXPLANATORY CATECHISM
59
Fortitude. Having courage to resist anything which may
hinder our salvation, and to bear bravely all trials for the
love of God.
Temperance. Being moderate in all things. ' He that is
abstinent, saith the wise man, shall increase in life.'
(Ecd. xxxvii.)
®17- & WhY are they called Cardinal Virtues ? A.
They are called Cardinal Virtues because they are, as it
were, the hinges on which all other moral virtues turn.
818. Q. Which are the seven gifts of the Holy Ghost?
A. The seven gifts of the Holy Ghost are: 1. Wisdom;
2. Understanding; 3. Counsel; 4. Fortitude; 5. Know
ledge ; 6. Piety; 7. The fear of the Lord. (Isa. xi. 2, 3.>
319. Q. Which are the twelve fruits of the Holy
Ghost? . A. The twelve fruits of the Holy Ghost are ?
1. Charity; 2. Joy; 3. Peace; 4. Patience; 5. Be
nignity ; 6. Goodness; 7. Longanimity ; 8. Mildness;;
9. Faith; 10. Modesty ; 11. Continency ; 12. Chastitv(Gal. v. 22.)
320. Q. Which are the two great precepts of Charity?
A. The two great precepts of Charity are : 1. ‘ Thou
shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and
with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind, and
with thy whole strength.’ 2. ‘Thou shalt love thy
neighbour as thyself.’ (Mark xii. 30, 31.)
Precept. A commandment, a maxim.
321. Q. Which are the seven Corporal Works of
Mercy? A. The seven Corporal Works of Mercy are:
1. To feed the hungry ; 2. To give drink to the thirsty;
3. To clothe the naked; 4. To harbour the harbourless;
5. To visit the sick; 6. To visit the imprisoned ; 7. To
bury the dead. (Matt. xxv. ; Tobias xii.)
Corporal works. Those done for the benefit of the body.
822. Q. Which are the soven Spiritual Works of
Mercy? A. The seven Spiritual Works of Mercy are :
1. To convert the sinner ; 2. To instruct the ignorant;
3. To counsel the doubtful; 4. To comfort'‘the saz-
�6o
THE EXPLANATORY CATECHISM
rowful; 5. To bear wrongs patiently; 6. To forgive
injuries ; 7. To pray for the living and the dead.
Spiritual works.
Those done for the benefit of the soul
323. Q. Which are the eight Beatitudes ? A. The
eight Beatitudes are: 1. * Blessed are the poor in spirit;
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 2. Blessed are
the meek ; for they shall possess the land. 3. Blessed
are they that mourn ; for they shall be comforted. 4.
Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice;
for they shall have their fill. 5. Blessed are the merci
ful ; for they shall obtain mercy. 6. Blessed are the
clean of heart; for they shall see God. 7. Blessed
are the peacemakers; for they shall be called the
children of God. 8. Blessed are they that suffer per
secution for justice’ sake; for theirs is the kingdom
of heaven.’ {Matt. v. 3-10.)
Eight Beatitudes. Eight blessings. The virtues pronounced
blessed by our Lord in His Sermon on the Mount.
324. Q. Which are the seven capital sins or vices
and their contrary virtues ? A. The seven capital sins
or vices and their contrary virtues are: 1. Pride;
2. Covetousness; 3. Lust; 4. Anger; 5. Gluttony;
6. Envy ; 7. Sloth. Contrary virtues : 1. Humility;
2. Liberality; 3. Chastity; 4. Meekness ; 5. Temper
ance ; 6. Brotherly Love; 7. Diligence.
Lust means impurity; sloth means idleness.
325. Q. Why are they called capital sins ? A. They
are called capital sins because they are the source's
from which all other sins take their rise.
326. Q. Which are the six sins against the Holy
Ghost ? A. The six sins against the Holy Ghost are :
1. Presumption; 2. Despair; 3. Resisting the known
truth ; 4. Envy of another’s spiritual good: 5. Ob
stinacy in sin ; 6. Final impenitence.
Obstinacy in sin. Being determined to go on living in sin
final impenitence. Not repenting even at the horn- of death.
�6i
THE EXPLANATORY CATECHISM
327. Q. Which are the four Bins crying to heaven
for vengeance ? A. The four sins crying to heaven for
vengeance are : 1. Wilful murder (Gen. iv.); 2. The
sin of Sodom (Gen. xviii.); 3. Oppression of the poor
(Exod. ii.); 4. Defrauding labourers of their wages
(James v.).
Oppression. Being very unjust or cruel, harming a person.
Defrauding. Taking away by deceit or by cheating.
328. Q. When are we answerable for the sins of
others 1 A. We are answerable for the sins of others
whenever we either cause them, or share in them,
through our own fault.
329. (J. In how many ways may we either cause or
share the guilt of another’s sin? A. We may either
cause or share the guilt of another’s sin in nine ways •.
1. By counsel; 2. By command ; 3. By consent; 4. By
provocation; 5. By praise or flattery; 6. By conceal
ment ; 7. By being a partner in the sin; 8. By silence;
9. By defending the ill done.
Counsel. To give advice or direction to a person.
Provocation. To incite another to do something.
Defence of the ill done. Taking the part of a bad person or
of his wicked actions, and trying to justify them.
330. Q. Which are the three eminent Good Works ?
A. The three eminent Good Works are Prayer, Fast
ing, and Alms-deeds.
Eminent. Remarkable, being above others.
Alms-deeds. Works of charity.
»
331. Q. Which are the Evangelical Counsels? A.
The Evangelical Counsels are voluntary Poverty, per
petual Chastity, and entire Obedience.
Evangelical. Being in accordance with the doctrine of the
Gospel. The writers of the Gospels are called Evangelists •
they are S3. Matthew, Mark. Luke, and John.
Voluntary. Of one’s own free will or choice.
Perpetual. Going on without ceasing.
Entire Obedience. Being obedient in everything that is not sin.
332. Q. What are the four last thingB to be ever
�62
THE EXPLANATORY CATECHISM
remembered? A. The four last things to be ever re
membered are Death, Judgment, Hell, and Heaven.
(Eccl. vii.)
CHAPTER, VIII.
THE OHBISTIAN’S BULE OF LIFE.
333. Q. What rule of life must we follow if we hope
to be saved? A. If we hope to be saved, we must
follow the rule of life taught by Jesus Christ.
334. Q. What are we bound to do by the rule of
life taught by Jesus Christ? A. By the rule of life
taught by Jesus Christ we are bound always to hate
sin and to love God.
335. Q. How must we hate sin ? A. We must hate
Bin above all other evils, so as to be resolved never to
commit a wilful sin, for the love or fear of anything
whatsoever.
336. Q. How must we love God ? A. We must love
God above all things, and with our whole heart.
337. Q. How must we learn to love God ? A. We
must learn to love God by begging of God to teach us
to love Him : ‘ O my God, teach me to love Thee.’
338. Q. What will the love of God load us to do ?
A. The love of God will lead us often to think how
good God is; often to speak to Him in our hearts;
and always to seek to please Him.
839. (?. Does Jesus Christ also command us to love
one another? A. Jesus Christ also commands us to
love one another—that is, all persons without exception
for His sake.
Without exception. Not leaving out one.
840. Q. How are we to love one another ? A. We are
„ to love one another by wishing well to one another, and
praying for one another ; and by never allowing our
selves any thought, word, or deed to the injury of anyone.
�THE EXPLANATORY CATECHISM
63
841. Q. Are we also bound to love our enemies?
A. We a,re also bound to love our enemies; not only
by forgiving them from our hearts, but also by wishing
them well, and praying for them.
342. Q. Has Jesus Christ given us another great
rule ? A. Jesus Christ has given us another great rule
in these words : * If any man will come after Me, let
him deny himself, and take up his cross daily and
follow Me.’ (Luke ix. 23.)
343. Q. How are we to deny ourselves? A. We
are to deny ourselves by giving up our own will, and
by going against our own humours, inclinations, and
passions.
Humours. Our own dispositions.
Passions. The natural inclinations of the soul
344. Q. Why are we bound to deny ourselves ? A,
We are bound to deny ourselves because our natural
inclinations are prone to evil from our very childhood ;
and if not corrected by self-denial, they will certainly
carry us to hell.
Prone. Inclined or disposed to do a thing.
345. Q. How are we to take up our cross daily?
A. We are to take up our cross daily by submitting
daily with patience to the labours and sufferings of
this short life, and by bearing them willingly for the
love of God.
Submit. To resign or to yield, to give way.
346. Q. How are we to follow our Blessed Lord?
A. We are to follow our Blessed Lord by walking in
His footsteps and imitating His virtues.
347. Q. What are the principal virtues we are to
learn of our Blessed Lord ? A. The principal virtues
we are to learn of our Blessed Lord are "meekness,
humility, and obedience.
348. Q. Which are the enemies we must fight
against all the days of our life? A. The enemies
�64
THE EXPLANATORY CATECHISM
which we must fight against all the days of our life
are the devil, the world, and the flesh.
349. Q. What do you mean by the devil? A. By
the devil I mean Satan and all his wicked angels, who
are ever seeking to draw us into sin, that we may be
damned with them.
350. Q. What do you mean by the world? A. By
the world I mean the false maxims of the world, and
the society of those who love the vanities, riches, and
pleasures of this world better than God.
351. Q. Why do you number the devil and the
world amongst the enemies of the soul ? A. I number
the devil and the world amongst the enemies of the
soul because they are always seeking, by temptation
and by word or example, to carry us along with them
in the broad road that leads to damnation.
852. Q. What do you mean by the flesh ? A. By
the flesh I mean our own corrupt inclinations and
passions, which are the most dangerous of all our
enemies.
Host dangerous of all our enemies. Because we always carry
them in our hearts, and can never get rid of them. The
Sacraments cleanse our souls from sin itself, but the
inclination to commit sin, or concupiscence, as it is called,
always remains.
353. Q. What must we do to hinder the enemies
of our soul from drawing us into sin ? A. To hinder
the enemies of our soul from drawing us into sin, we
must watch, pray, and fight against all their sugges
tions and temptations.
Suggestion. Something proposed or hinted.
354. Q. In the warfare against the devil, the
world, and the flesh, on whom must we depend ? A.
In the warfare against the devil, the world, and the
flesh we must depend not on ourselves, but on God
only : ‘ I can do all things in Him who strengtheneth
me.’ (Philip, iv. 13.)
�HIE EXPLANATORY CATECHISM
65
CHAPTER IX.
THE CHRISTIAN’S DAILY EXERCISE.
355. Q. How should you begin the day? A. I
should begin the day by making the sign of the cross
as soon as I awake in the morning, and by saying
some short prayer, such as ‘ O my God, I offer my
heart and soul to Thee.’
356. Q. How should you rise in the morning ? a.
I should rise in the morning diligently, dress myself
modestly, and then kneel down and say my morning
prayers.
Diligently. Attentively, industriously.
Modestly. With decency.
357. Q. Should you also hear Mass if you have time
and opportunity? A. I should also hear Mass if I
have time and opportunity, for to hear Mass is by far
the best and most profitable of all devotions.
358. Q. Is it useful to make daily meditation ? A.
It is useful to make daily meditation, for such was the
practice of all the Saints.
Meditation. To consider thoughtfully.
359. Q. On what ought we to meditate? A. We
ought to meditate especially on the four last things,
and the Life and Passion of our Blessed Lord.
360. Q. Ought we frequently to read good books ?
A. We ought frequently to read good books, such as
the Holy Gospel, the Lives of the Saints, and othei
spiritual works, which nourish our faith and piety, and
arm us against the false maxims of the world.
861. Q. And what should you do as to your eating,
drinking, sleeping, and amusements? A. As to my
eating, drinking, sleeping, and amusements, I should
use all these things with moderation, and with a desire
to please God
�66
THE EXPLANATORY CATECHISM
862. Q. Say the grace before meals. A. ‘Bless us,
0 Lord, and these Thy gilts, which we are going to
receive from Thy bounty, through Christ our Lord.
Amen.’
363. Q. Say the grace after meals. A. ‘We give
Thee thanks, Almighty God, for all Thy benefits, who
livest and reignest, world without end. Amen. May
the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy
of God, rest in peace. Amen.’
364. Q. How should you sanctify your ordinary
actions and employments of the day? A. I should
sanctify my ordinary actions and employments of the
day by often raising up my heart to God whilst I am
about them, and saying some short prayer to Him.
365. Q. What should you do when you find yourself
tempted to sin? A. When I find myself tempted to
sin I should make the sign of the cross on my heart,
and call on God as earnestly as I can, saying, ‘ Lord,
save me, or I perish.’
366. Q. If you have fallen into sin what should you
do ? A. If I have fallen into sin I should cast myself
in spirit at the feet of Christ, and humbly beg His
pardon by a sincere act of contrition.
867. Q. When God sends you any cross, or sickness,
or pain, what should you say? A. When God sends
me any cross, or sickness, or pain, I should say, ‘ Lord,
Thy will be done ; I take this for my sins.’
368. Q. What little indulgenced prayers would you
do well to say often to yourself during the day ? A. I
should do well to 6ay often to myself during the day
such little indulgenced prayers as—
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the
Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and
ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
In all things may the most holy, the most just, and
the most lovable Will of God be done, praised, and
exalted above all for ever.
�THE EXPLANATORY CATECHISM
6/
O Sacrament most holy, O Sacrament divine, all
praise and all thanksgiving be every moment thine.
Praised be Jesus Christ, praised for evermore.
My Jesus, mercy ; Mary, help.
366. Q. How should you finish the day? A. I
should finish the day by kneeling down and saying
my night prayers.
870. Q. After your night prayers what should you
do? A. After my night prayers I should observe due
modesty in going to bed; occupy myself with the
thoughts of death ; and endeavour to compose myself
to rest at the foot of the cross, and give my last
thoughts to my crucified Saviour.
�APPENDIX.
A SHORT FORM OF MORNING PRAYERS.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Ghost. Amen.
Blessed be the Holy and Undivided Trinity’ now and for
ever. Amen.
0 my God, I believe in Thee; do Thou strengthen my
Faith. All my hopes are in Thee; do Thou secure them.
I love Thee with my whole heart; teach me to love Thee
daily more and more. I am sorry that I have offended
Thee ; do Thou increase my sorrow.
O my God, how good hast Thou been to me, and how
little have I done for Thee! Thou hast created me out
of nothing, redeemed me by the death of Thy Son, and
sanctified me by the grace of Thy Holy Spirit. Thou hast
called me into Thy Church, and Thou givest me all the
graces necessary for my salvation. Thou bast preserved
me during the night past, and given me the present day,
wherein 1 may serve Thee. What return can I make to
Thee, 0 God, for all that Thou hast done for me ? I will
bles3 Thy holy Name, and serve Thee all the days of my
life.
I offer to Thee, 0 my God, all my thoughts, words,
actions, and sufferings; and I beseech Thee to give me
Thy grace, that I may not offend Thee this day, but that
I may faithfully serve Thee and do Thy holy will in all
things.
Our Father. Hail Mary. I believe in God.
An Act of Faith.—I firmly believe that there is one God;
and that in this one God there are three Persons, the Father,
the Son, and the Holy Ghost; that the Son took to Him
self the nature of man, from the Virgin Mary’s womb, by
68
�APPENDIX
<59
the power of the Holy Ghost; and that in this our human
nature He was crucified and died for us; that afterwards
He rose again and ascended into heaven ; from thence He
shall come to repay the just with everlasting glory, and
the. wicked with everlasting punishment. Moreover, I
believe whatsoever else the Catholic Church proposes to
be believed; and this because God, who is the sovereign
Truth, who can neither deceive nor be deceived, has re
vealed all these things to this His Church.
An Act of Hope.—0 my God, relying on Thy almighty
power and Thv infinite mercy and goodness, and because
Thou art faithful to Thy promises, I trust in Thee that
Thou wilt grant me forgiveness of my sins, through the
merits of Jesus Christ Thy Son ; and that Thou wilt give
me the. assistance of Thy grace, with which I may labour
to continue to the end in the diligent exercise of all good
works, and may deserve to obtain the glory which Thou
hast promised in heaven.
An Act of Charity.—0 Lord my God, I love Thee with
my whole heart, and above all things, because Thou, 0
God, art the sovereign Good, and for Thine own infinite
perfections art most worthy of all love; and for Thy sake
I also love my neighbour as myself.
An Act of Contrition.—0 my God, I am sorry, and beg
pardon for all my sins, and detest them above all things,
because they deserve Thy dreadful punishments, because
they have crucified my loving Saviour Jesus Christ, and,
most of all, because they offend Thine infinite goodness;
and I firmly resolve, by the help of Thy grace, never to
offend Thee again, and carefully to avoid the occasions
of sin.
Holy Mary, be a Mother to me.
0 my good. Angel, whom God has appointed to be my
guardian, enlighten and protect me, direct and govern me
during this day.
All ye Angels and Saints of God, pray for me.
May our Lord bless us, and preserve us from all evil, and
bring us to life everlasting ; and may the souls of the faith
ful, departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
Amen.
�7©
APPENDIX
A SHORT FORM OF NIGHT PRAYERS.
In the name or the Father, and of the Son, and of the
Holy Ghost. Amen.
Our Father. Hail Mary. I believe in God.
I confess to Almighty God, to blessed Mary ever a
Virgin, to blessed Michael the Archangel, to blessed John
the Baptist, to the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, and to
all the Saints, that I have sinned exceedingly in thought,
word, and deed, through my fault, through my fault,
through my most grievous fault. Therefore I beseech the
blessed Mary ever a Virgin, blessed Michael the Archangel,
blessed John the Baptist, the holy Apostles Peter and Paul,
and all the Saints, to pray to the Lord our God for me.
0 my God, I believe that Thou art here present; and
that Thou observest all my actions, all my thoughts, and
the most secret motions of my heart. I adore Thee and
I love Thee with my whole heart.
I return Thee thanks for all the benefits which I have
ever received from Thee, and particularly this day. Give
me light, 0 my God, to see what sins I have committed
this day, and grant me grace to be truly sorry for them.
Here examine whether you have offended God during
the day, by any thought, word, or deed, or by neglect
of any duty.
0 my God, who art infinitely good in Thyself, and in
finitely good to me, 1 beg pardon from my heart for all
my offences against Thee. I am sorry for all my sins, and
detest them above all things, because they deserve Thy
dreadful punishments, because they have crucified my
loving Saviour Jesus Christ, and because they offend Thy
infinite goodness ; and I am firmly resolved, by the help
of Thy grace, never to offend Thee for the time to come,
nd carefully to avoid the occasions of sin.
Here put yourself in the disposition you desire to be
found in at the hour of death.
0 my God, I accept of death as an act of homage and
adoration which I owe to Thy Divine Majesty, as a punish-
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71
Blent justly due to my sine, in union with the death of mj
dear Redeemer, and as the only means of coming to Thee,
my beginning and last end.
Into Thy hands, 0 Lord, I commend my spirit; Lord
Jesus, receive my soul.
O Holy Mary, be a mother to me.
May the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, and all th6
Saints pray for us to the Lord, that we may be preserved
this night from sin and all evils. Amen.
0 my good Angel, whom God has appointed to be my
guardian, watch over me during this night.
All ye Angels and Saints of God, pray for me.
May our Lord bless us, and preserve us from all evil, and
bring us to life everlasting; and may the souls of the faithful
departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
THE FIFTEEN MYSTERIES OF THE ROSARY.
THE JOYFUL MYSTERIES.
1.
2.
3.
4.
B.
The Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin,
The Visitation.
The Nativity of our Blessed Lord.
The Presentation of our Lord in the Temple,
The Finding of our Lord in the Temple.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
The Agony of our Lord in the Garden.
The Scourging of our Lord at the Pillar.
The Crowning of our Lord with Thorns.
The Carrying of the Cross by our Lord,
The Crucifixion.
THE SORROWFUL MYSTERIES.
THE GLORIOUS MYSTERIES.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
The Resurrection of our Lord.
The Ascension of our Lord.
The Descent of the Holy Ghost on the Apostles.
The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin into heaven
The Coronation of our Blessed Mother in heaven.
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APPENDIX
SALVE REGINA.
Hail, holy Queen, Mother of mercy; hail, our life, our
sweetness, and our hope. To thee do we cry, poor banished
children of Eve. To thee do we send forth our sighs,
mourning and weeping in this vale of tears. Turn, then,
most gracious Advocate, thine eyes of mercy towards us;
and after this our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of
thy womb, Jesus. O clement, 0 pious, 0 sweet Virgin
Mary.
THE ANGELUS.
To be said morning, noon, and night, in memory of God
the Son becoming man for our Salvation.
1. The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary:
And she conceived by the Holy Ghost.— Hail
Mary, &c.
2. Behold the handmaid of the Lord :
Be it done unto me according to Thy word.—Hail
Mary.
3. And the word was made Flesh :
And dwelt amongst us.—Hail Mary.
F. Pray for us, 0 Holy Mother of God.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of
Christ.
Let us pray.
Pour forth, we beseech Thee, 0 Lord, Thy grace into our
nearts, that we to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son,
was made known by the message of an Angel, may, by His
Passion and Cross, be brought to the glory of His resurrec
tion, through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
May the Divine assistance remain always with us.
And may the souls of the faithful departed, through the
mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
THE DIVINE PRAISES.
Blessed be God.
Blessed be His Holy Name.
Blessed be Jesus Christ, true God and true man.
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Blessed be the Name of Jesus.
Blessed be His most Sacred Heart.
Blessed be Jesus in the most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.
Blessed be the great Mother of God, Mary most holy.
Blessed be her Holy and Immaculate Conception.
Blessed be the name of Mary, Virgin and Mother.
Blessed be Saint Joseph, her most chaste Sponse.
Blessed be God in His Angels and in His Saints.
CHIEF HERESIES.
1. The Arians, founded by Arius, an ambitious cleric of
Alexandria, who denied the divinity of our Lord, and
said that He was not begotten of the Father, but made
by Him ; that He was not equal to, but inferior to, the
Father. These heretics were condemned at the Council
of Nice, a town in Bithynia, a.d. 325, under Popo
S. Sylvester I. The Nicene Creed was drawn up at this
Council.
2. The Manicheans, who taught that our Lord did not
take to Himself a real body, but only the appearanoe of
a body, something similar to what the angels assumed
when they visited holy persons, &c., as mentioned in
Scripture. They also said that there were two gods, a
good one and a bad one. These heresies were commenced
about a.d. 326.
8. The Macedonians, founded by Macedonius, who had
usurped the See of Constantinople. He denied the God
head, of the Holy Ghost, and said that He was only a
creation like the angels, but of a higher order. This
heresy was condemned at the First Council of Constanti
nople, A.D. 381, under Pope S. Damasus.
4. The Pelagians, founded by Pelagius, a native of Britain.
He denied the existence of original sin in the soul of man,
and taught that without the aid of grace man is perfectly
able to fulfil the law of God. This heresy was con
*
demned at a council of African Bishops held at Carthage,
a.d. 416; the decision of the council being confirmed by
Pope S. Innocent.
5. The Nestorians, founded by Nestorius, Bishop of Con
stantinople. He taught that there were two separate.
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APPENDIX
persons in our Lord, one the Son of God, and the other
the son of man; and that the Blessed Virgin was not the
Mother of God, but of the man Christ. This heresy was
condemned at the Council of Ephesus, a.d. 431, under
Pope S. Celestine I.
6. The Eutychlans, founded by Eutyches, who taught
that there was only one nature, the divine, in our Lord.
He said, .that at the moment of the Incarnation the human
nature was absorbed by, or changed into, the divine.
This heresy was condemned at the Council of Chalcedon,
A.D. 451, under Pope S. Leo the Great.
7. The Semi-Pelagians taught that the beginning of Faith
and first desire of virtue came from the powers of man
alone, unassisted by divine grace. They also said that
the grace of final perseverance can be merited by our
own efforts, and is not a free gift of God. This heresy
was first taught by some priests of Marseilles. It was
condemned at the Second Council of Orange, A.D. 529;
the decrees of the council being confirmed by Pope
Boniface II.
8. The Monothelites said that Jesus Christ had no separate
human will, but only a divine one. They were condemned
at the Third Council of Constantinople, a.d. 680, under
Pope S. Agatho.
9. The Iconoclasts, or breakers of holy images, rejected
the use of holy images and pictures, and the practice of
paying them due respect. They were condemned at the
Second Council of Nice, a.d. 757, under Pope Adrian I.
10. The Greek Heresy and Schism was commenced by
Photius, who, though not a priest, took unjust possession
of the See of Constantinople. This schism was con
summated in a.d. 1054, by Michael Cerularius, who broke
entirely away from the supremacy of the Popes, and
established what is called the ‘Greek Church.’ The
Greeks say that the Holy Ghost proceeds from the Father
alone, instead of from the Father and the Son, as taught
by the Catholic Church from the beginning. Photius was
deposed and condemned at the J’oiwfh Council of Con-
�APPENDIX
75
ttantinople, a.d. 870, under Pope AdrianII., and S. Igna
tius was restored to his See.
11. Heresy of Berangarlus, who was Archdeacon of Angers,
He said that the Body and Blood of our Lord are not
really present in the Holy Eucharist, but only in figure.
He was condemned at Rome a.d. 1078.
12. The Aioigenses taught that there were two Gods and
two Christs; they condemned marriage, denied all the
Sacraments and the Resurrection of the Body. It was
whilst preaching to these heretics that the devotion of
the ‘ Rosary,’ was revealed by the Blessed Virgin to S.
Dominic.
13. The Waldenses taught that it was a heinous sin for a
magistrate to condemn to death for any crime; that it
was a mortal sin to take an oath ; and that the clergy
became reprobates by holding one farthing’s worth
of property. The Albigenses and Waldenses were con
demned at the Third Lateran Council, under Pope
Alexander IIL, A.D. 1179.
14. Heresy of Wlckliff. This man taught that the Pope is
not the Head of the Church; that Bishops have no
pre-eminence over simple priests ; that all ecclesiastical
powers are either forfeited or are in abeyance during
mortal sin; that man is bound to sin; that God ap
proves of sin ; that confession is quite useless ; and that
temporal princes should cut off the head of any ecclesi
astic who sinned, &c. These doctrines were, after the
death of .Wickliff, preached by John Huss and his
followers in the towns and villages of Bohemia. Con
demned at the Council of Constance, a.d. 1414.
6. Heresy of Luther. Luther was a monk of the Order of
8. Augustine, and professor in the University of Witten
berg. Pride and jealousy induced him to attack the
Ancient Faith, and invent a new creed. Pope Leo X.
having granted a plenary indulgence, Luther was an
noyed that the commission to preach it was given to the
Dominicans and not to his own Order. He then attacked
the doctrine of indulgences itself. He also
that
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APPENDIX
Faith alone will save mankind ; that the sacrifice of the
Mass is an abomination • that there is no necessity for
confession, abstinence, fasting, or any mortification what
ever. He said that priests might marry ; he denied the
supremacy of the Pope; be wrote against purgatory, free
will, and almost every article of Christian belief.
16. Calvin, who is regarded as second only to Luther, was
the founder of Presbyterianism. His chief stronghold
was Geneva. He taught, among other things, that God
created mankind on purpose to damn the greater number
of them ; that God predetermined the Fall of Adam with
its consequences; and that man has practically no free
will. He renounced not only the Pope, but bishops and
priests also.
At the Council of Trent, held from 1545 to 1563 a.d.,
the heresies of Luther, Calvin, and others were con
demned. The ‘Creed of Pope Pius IV.’ was drawn up
at this council.
17. The Jansenists, so called after their leader Jansenius,
Bishop of Ypres, in Flanders. He maintained that man
was not free; that it was impossible to keep some of
God’s commandments; that all good works of un
believers are but sins; that God will punish us for not
practising virtues which are not in our power; that
our Lord died to save only a few privileged souls, and
not the whole human race. Two illustrious French
Bishops, Bossuet and Ftnelon, defended the truth against
these heretics. Christopher de Beaumont, Archbishop of
Paris (1746-1781), was also a great champion of the true
faith, and by his virtues and exertions did much to put
down this heresy, which bad already been condemned by
the Holy See.
18. The Modernists, who attempted to explain the faith by
rationalising it. Condemned by Pope Pius X.
COUNCILS.
A council is an assembly of the Prelates of the Church,
called together by their lawful head, in order to decide
questions concerning Faith, or Morals, or ecclesiastical dis
cipline. The following are the chief kinds of Councils:—
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77
1. A General or (Ecumenical Council, being one to which
the Bisho^js of the whole world are lawfully summoned
by the Pope, or with his consent, and presided over by
him or by his legates. Its decrees must also have the
approval of the Sovereign Pontiff. General Councils are
Infallible—that is, they cannot teach us anything wrong
in Faith or in Morals. 2. A Provincial Council, which
is a meeting of the Bishops of one province. 3. A
National Council, which is a gathering of the Bishops
of one country. 4. A Diocesan Council, which is a
Council composed of the Bishop and clergy of a diocese,
and is usually called a Synod.
The following are the names of tbe General Councils
which have been held up to the present time. The first
eight were held in Asia, or the Eastern part of Christen
dom ; and the remainder in Europe, or the Western
part:—
1. First of Nice, a.d. 325, condemned heresy of Arius.
2. First of Constantinople, A.D. 381, condemned heresy of
Macedonius.
3. Council of Ephesus, a.d. 431, condemned heresy of
Nestorius.
4. Council of Chalcedon, A.D. 451, condemned heresy of
Eutyches.
5. Second of Constantinople, A.D. 553, condemned books
of Theodorus favouring Nestorian heresy.
6. Third of Constantinople, a.d. 680, condemned heresy
of Monothelites.
7. Second of Nice, a.d. 787, condemned heresy of Icono
clasts,
8. Fourth of Constantinople, a.d. 870, condemned and
deposed Photius, author of Greek Schism.
9. First Lateran, A.D. 1123, regulated rights of Church
and Emperors in election of Bishops and Abbots.
10. Second Lateran, a.d. 1139, condemned heresies of Peter
of Bruys and Arnold of Brescia.
11. Third Lateran, A.D. 1179, condemned heresies of Wal
denses and Albigenses.
12. Fourth Lateran, a.d. 1215, for general legislation.
13. First of Lyons, a.d. 1245, decreed a general crusade.
14. Second of Lyons, A.D. 1274, decreed the double pro
cession of the Holy Ghost.
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APPENDIX
15. Council of Vienne, A.D. 1312, abolished order of Knights
Templars.
16. Council of Florence, a.d. 1439-45, a reconciliation of
the Greeks took place.
17. Fifth Lateran, a.d. 1512, for re-establishment of dis
cipline in Church.
18. Council of Trent, a.d. 1545-63, heresies of Luther,
Calvin, and others condemned.
19. Vatican Council, a.d. 1869-70, solemnly deoreed the
infallibility of the Pope in the following words: ‘ We
teach and define that it is a dogma divinely revealed:
That the Pi.oman Pontiff, when he speaks ex cathedrd
—that is, when, in the discharge of his office of pastor
and teacher of all Christians, by virtue of his supreme
apostolic authority, he defines a doctrine regarding
faith or morals, to be held by the Universal Church
—is, by the divine assistance promised to him in
blessed Peter, possessed of that infallibility with
which the Divine Redeemer willed that the Church
should be endowed in defining doctrine regarding
faith or morals; and that, therefore, such definitions
of the Roman Pontiffs are of themselves, and not
from the consent of the Church, irreformable.’
PRINCIPAL FEASTS.
1. * he Nativity is a solemn feast kept on the 25th of
T
December, in honour of the birth of Christ. It is also
called Chrtstmas from the Mass of the birth of Christ.
On this day priests are allowed to say three Masses in
honour of the three births of our Lord : (1) His eternal
birth in the bosom of His Father ; (2) His temporal birth
in the stable at Bethlehem; (3) His spiritual birth in the
hearts of the just.
2. * he Circumcision is a feast in memory of the day
T
upon which our Lord received the adorable name of
Jesus, brought down from heaven and made known to
Note.—The FeastB marked with an asterisk * are the Holidays
of Obligation in England.
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79
yhe Blessed Virgin by the angel Gabriel. This festival
is kept on the eighth day after Christmas, and is a very
ancient one. In the sixth century the Church made it a
solemn feast, in order to atone in some way for the
crimes committed by the Pagans on that day, which is
the first in the year, and is consequently called New
Year’s day.
o. * he Epiphany is a feast kept on the 6th of January,
T
in honour and memory of Christ’s manifestation to the
Gentiles, represented by the three kings of the East,
Gaspar, Melchior, and Baltassar, who, guided by a
miraculous star, came to adore Him. This festival is
also called Twelfth-day, because it is celebrated on the
twelfth day after Christmas.
4. The Purification is a feast kept on the 2nd of February,
in honour of (1) the Purification of the Blessed Virgin in
the Temple at Jerusalem, and (2) the Presentation of our
Lord on the same occasion, according to the law of
Moses. This feast is also called Candlemas, because
before the Mass of this day the Church blesses candles
and makes a procession with blest candles, in the
hands of the faithful, in memory of the divine light
with which Christ illuminated the whole Church at
His Presentation, when the aged and holy Simeon called
Him, ‘A light to the revelation of the Gentiles, and the
glory of His people Israel ’ (& Luke ii. 32).
B. The Resurrection is a feast in honour of our Lord’s
rising again from the dead by His own power on the
third day after His Crucifixion. It is kept on the first
Sunday after the first full moon following the 21st of
March, and occurs sometimes a day and sometimes a
few weeks after that date. It is called Easter, from
‘Oriens,’ which signifies the East or Rising, and is one
of the titles of Christ: ‘ And His name shall be called
Obeens ’ (Zach. iv. 12).
6. The Annunciation is a feast kept on the 25th of March,
in memory of the angel Gabriel being sent to our Lady
to announce to her that she should be the mother of
God. At this time our Lady was living at Nasareth.
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APPENDIX
7. * he Ascension is a feast kept on the fortieth day
T
after Easter, in memory of our Lord’s Ascension into
heaven from the top of Mount Olivet, in presence of His
Blessed Mother and His Apostles and disciples. He took
with Him the souls of the just who had died before His
coming.
8. Pentecost is a solemn feast kept on the fiftieth day
after Easter in honour of the coming of the Holy Ghost
upon the heads of the Apostles, in the form of fiery
tongues. The word ‘Pentecost’ means fiftieth. The
time from Easter to Trinity Sunday is the Paschal time,
which is a joyful preparation for this feast. It is also
called Whitsunday, from the Catechumens, who were
clothed in white, and were admitted on the eve of this
feast to the Sacrament of Baptism.
9. Trinity Sunday is the first Sunday after Whitsunday,
and is a day on which the Church honours in an especial
manner one God in three persons. The * Gloria Patri ’
is a prayer in honour of the Blessed Trinity. This devo
tion began about the end of the ninth century.
10. * he Feast of SS. Peter and Paul is kept on the
T
29th of June, in honour of the prince of the Apostles
and the great Apostle of the Gentiles, who were both
martyred on this day at Borne. S. Peter was crucified
with his head downwards, as he felt himself unworthy
to die in the same manner and posture as his divine
Master. S. Paul, being a Boman citizen, was beheaded.
11. The Invention of the Holy Cross is a feast established
in memory of the miraculous cross which appeared to
Constantine, a.d. 312, and of the finding of the true
cross by S. Helena, a.d. 326, after it had been hidden
and buried by the infidels for 180 years. This feast is
kept on the 3rd of May.
12. “Corpus Christi is a feast instituted by the Church in
honour of the Body and Blood of Christ, really present
in the most holy Sacrament of the Eucharist. The
festival is kept on the first Thursday after Trinity
Sunday. The observance of this feast became general
�APPENDIX
about the year 1312, after the Council at Vienne.
8l
It
was established tn order to assist in making reparation
for the sins committed against our Lord in the Blessed
Sacrament; and to reanimate the devotion of Christians
towards that adorable mystery.
13. .The Visitation is in memory of the Blessed Virgin’s
visit to her cousin S. Elizabeth. This feast was estab
lished by Pope Urban VI., and was afterwards extended
to the whole Church, in the fourteenth century, by Pope
Boniface IX. The 2nd of July is the day on which the
feast is kept.
14. * he Assumption is kept on the 15th of August, and
T
is in memory of our Lady being assumed or taken up into
Heaven, both soul and body, after her death.
15. The Nativity of our Lady is a feast in honour of her
birth, and is kept on the 8th of September. It is of very
ancient origin.
16. The Exaltation of the Holy Cross is a feast established
in the seventh century in memory of the exaltation or
setting up of the Cross by Heraclius the emperor, who
regained it from the Persians. He carried it on his own
shoulders to Mount Calvary. This feast is kept on the
14th of September.
17. The Feast of Michaelmas is kept on the 29th of
September, and is in honour of S. Michael, prince of the
heavenly host, who remained faithful to God, and de
feated Lucifer and the apostate angels in a great battle
fought in heaven in defence of God’s honour (Apoc. xii. 7).
18. * he Feast of All Saints is kept on the 1st of November,
T
and was established at Rome by Pope Boniface IV. On
this day we honour all the Saints, especially those who
have no fixed festivals during the year.
j.9. Commemoration of All Souls is a day set apart by the
Church in memory of all the faithful departed, and upon
which special prayers are said that they may be freed
from their suffering, and soon obtain everlasting rest in
heaven.
the dead.
On this day priests may say three masses for
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APPENDIX
20. The Presentation of our Lady is a feast kept on the
21st of November in honour of Mary, who was presented
in the Temple of Jerusalem by her parents, S. Joachim
and S. Anne.
21. Palm Sunday is the Sunday immediately preceding
Easter Sunday, and is in honour of our Lord’s triumphal
entry into Jerusalem. It receives its name from the cir
cumstances of palm branches having been thrown under
the feet of our Lord, the people crying out, ‘ Hosanna to
the Son of David’ (S'. Matt. xxi. 15). On this day palms
are blessed and distributed to the faithful.
22. Maundy Thursday is a feast in memory of our Lord’s
Last Supper, when He instituted the Holy Eucharist and
washed His disciples’ feet. During Mass on this day the
Bishop most solemnly blesses the holy oils used in the
administration of the Sacraments. There is only ono
Mass on this day in each church. The priest consecrates
two Hosts, one of which he receives, and the other is
placed in a chalice and carried in solemn procession to
an altar prepared for its reception, called the ‘Altar of
Repose’ or the ‘Sepulchre.’ Here it remains till Good
Friday, when it is taken back to the High Altar, where
the priest communicates.
23. Ash Wednesday is a day of public penance, and is so
called from the ceremony of blessing ashes on that day,
with which the priest signs the people with a cross on
their foreheads, at the same time saying, ‘Remember,
man, thou art but dust, and to dust thou shalt return.’
Lent begins with this day.
34. The Rogation Days are the Monday, Tuesday, and
Wednesday of the fifth week after Easter. They are
days on which special supplication is made for pardon
of sins, peace, fruits of the earth, temperateness of the
seasons, &c.
26. Holy Saturday is the day before Easter Sunday, On
this day the new fire, the Paschal candle, and the baptismal
font are blessed.
�APPENDIX
»3
VESTMENTS, &c.
1. The Amice is a white linen veil which the priest first
passes over his head and then covers his shoulders with.
It represents the veil with which the Jews covered the
face of Christ when they buffeted Him in the house of
Caiphas and bade Him prophesy who it was that struck
Him (S. Luke xxii. 64).
2. The Alb is a large white tunic which descends to the
feet. It represents the white garment that Herod put
on our Lord.
3. The Girdle is a cord passed round the waist and used for
holding up the Alb.
4. The Maniple is a vestment whioh the priest carries upon
his left arm.
0. The Stole is a vestment which the priest passes around his
neck and crosses over his breast. The girdle, maniple,
and stole represent the cords and bands with which our
Lord was bound during His Passion.
6. The Chasuble, or outward vestment, represents the
purple garment with which Jesus was clothed in derision
as a mock king in the house of Pilate. Upon this garment
is a large cross to remind us of that which Christ bore to
Calvary.
In these vestments the Church makes use of five colours,
viz. (1) White on the feasts of our Lord, the Blessed Virgin,
of the angels, and of saints that were not martyrs. (2) Red
on the feasts of Pentecost, of the finding and exaltation
of the cross, and of the apostles and martyrs. (3) Purple,
which is the penitential colour, is used in the penitential
times of Advent and Lent, and upon Vigils and Emberdays. (4) Green on most other Sundays and ordinary
days throughout the year. (5) Black on Good Friday and
in Masses for the Dead.
7. The Corporal is a square piece of linen upon which
the Host rests from the Offertory to the priest’s Com
munion.
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APPENDIX
3. The Pall is a square piece of linen, by which the cup
of the chalice is covered. The corporal, the pall, and
the altar-cloths, of which there are three represent the
linen in which the dead body of Christ was shrouded and
buried.
9. The Chalice is the cup which the priest uses at the
altar, in which to consecrate, and from which to receive,
the precious Blood of .our Lord.
10. The Paten is a golden plate upon which the priest puts
the Host, which he offers and consecrates in the Mass.
11. The Ciborium is a sacred vessel resembling a chalice,
closed with a lid, in which the Holy Eucharist is kept for
the use of Communicants.
12. The Monstrance is a kind of portable tabernacle made
in such a manner that the Blessed Sacrament may be
distinctly seen by the faithful. This vessel is sometimes
called the ‘ Remonstrance.’
13. Lighted Candles are always uHon the altar during
Mass (1) to honour the victory and triumph of Jesus by
these lights, which are tokens of our joy and of His
glory; and (2) to denote the light of faith with which
we are to approach Him, and to signify that Christ is
‘the true light which enlighteneth every man that
cometh into the world.’
14. The Missal is the Mass-book wherein the holy service
is contained.
15. A small bell is occasionally rung during Mass to give
notice to such as cannot see the altar of the more solemn
parts of the sacrifice.
16. Incense is symbolical of prayer, according to the words
of David: * Let my prayer, 0 Lord, be directed as in
cense in Thy sight.’ The priest is incensed because he
is the representative of Jesus Christ. To offer incense
to a person was a mark of great honour among the
ancients.
17. The Tabernacle Veil is to remind us of the presence of
our Ijord i-n the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar.
�APPENDIX
85
THE HIERARCHY.
Thb Church on earth is composed of two great parts,
viz., those who teach, and those who are taught. The
former consists of—
L The Pope, who is the visible head of the Church, the
successor of St. Peter and Bishop of Rome. His chief
advisers are the Cardinals or princes of the Church.
They are seventy in number, and mostly reside in the
neighbourhood of the Holy See. The Pope is elected
by the College of Cardinals.
2. The Bishops, who are the successors of the Apostles.
Each bishop rules a district called a diocese. Several
dioceses form a province, and the Bishop who governs
the chief diocese in the province is called an Archbishop.
A diocese is divided into parishes or missions, in which
live one, or two, or more priests.
3 The Priests are men who have received Holy Orders.
A priest chosen to be Bishop is raised to this high office
by consecration. The faithful in each parish or mission
are under their priests, who have to preach the Word,
administer the Sacraments, offer sacrifice, and direct in
the way of salvation those committed to their charge.
The priests are under their Bishops, and all the Bishops
are under the Pope. There are several Popes who have
occupied the pontifical throne over twenty-three years
each.
PRINCIPAL DEVOTIONS.
1. The Stations of the Cross is a devotional exercise in
stituted as a means of helping us to meditate on, and
have sympathy for, the sufferings of our Divine Lord.
The early Christians had the deepest love and venera
tion for those piaces made sacred by the sufferings and
presence of Jesus Christ. Devout pilgrims went to the
Holy Land, from the farthest narts of the earth, to visit
�86
APPENDIX
Jerusalem, the Garden of Olives, and Mount Calvary,
To enoourage the piety and devotion of her children, the
Church granted many and great indulgences to those
who with true sorrow visited the scenes of our Lord’s
Passion. Now there were many who wished to share in
this devotion, as well as the spiritual blessings attached
to it, but who, through various causes, were unable to do
so; therefore the Church sanctioned the establishment
in ohurches of the ‘Stations of the Cross,’ whioh are
fourteen in number. The same indulgences are granted
to persons who practise this devotion as are granted to
those who visit the Holy Places.
2. The Three Sours’ Agony is a devotion specially prac
tised on Good Friday, in honour of the three last hours
of the life of our Lord, We meditate upon His sufferings
on. the Cross, and upon His seven last words. The devo
tion usually begins at twelve o’clock, the hour our Lord
was nailed to the Cross, and finishes about three o’clock,
being the time He died.
3. The Sacred Heart. We owe to the Sacred Heart of
our Lord the same worship of adoration that we owe to
His Humanity, for it is personally united to the Divinity.
By practising this devotion, we honour the infinite love
of the Heart of Jesus for all mankind, and, in some
measure, repair the outrages to which He is exposed in
the Blessed Eucharist. This devotion was revealed to
Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, of the monastery of
Paray-le-Monial, who lived in the seventeenth century.
This festival is kept on the Friday after the octave of
Corpus Christi.
4. The Five Wounds. We honour the Five Sacred
Wounds of our Lord, and have devotion to them,
because they are the channels through which the
Prebious Blood flowed for our redemption.
5. The Precious Blood. We honour the Precious Blood
of our Lord, and have devotion to it, because it is the
price of our redemption, and our salvation is due to its
merits. This festival is kept on the 1st of July.
�APPENDIX
87
6. The ‘O.uarant’ * or ' Forty Hours’ ’ Prayer is a most
Ore
solemn form of Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament.
This devotion was first instituted in Milan in 1534, and
received the formal sanction of Pope Clement VIII. in
1592. It begins and ends with a High Mass and proces
sion, and accompanied with particular prayers.
7. The Benediction is a short and less solemn kind of Ex
position, which takes place after Mass sometimes, but
usually after Vespers, or as an evening service. After
the * Tantum Ergo’ has been sung, the priest makes the
sign of the cross with the Blessed Sacrament over the
people.
8. Vespers and Compline form a part of what is called the
* Divine Office,’ which all priests are bound to say every
day, and which is divided into seven hours or portions to
be said at certain hours. Of these the evening hours are
‘Vespers,’ which means ‘evening’; and ‘Compline,’
which means ‘ finishing,’ because it finishes the Office.
The order of Vespers is as follows: (1) Five psalms,
with antiphons; (2) the Capitulum, or Little Chapter ;
(3) a hymn; (4) Versicle and Response; (5) the Magnificat,
with its antiphon; (6) the Prayer; (7) Conclusion, after
which comes an anthem to the Blessed Virgin. Of these
there are four, which are taken in turn according to the
S6&S0Q
The order of Complin is as follows : fl) The Confiteor,
etc.; (2) three psalms, with one antiphon; (3) a hymn;
(4) a little Chapter; (5) the song of holy Simeon, the
’’Nunc Dimittis ’; (6) the prayer ; (7) one of the four
anthems used at Vespers.
9. The Angelas is a devotion in honour of the Incarnation
of Jesus Christ. It consists of three versicles or little
verses, each followed by a ‘ Hail Mary.’ .This devotion
reminds us how the mystery of our Lord’s coming into
this world was made known to Mary ; and how, on her
giving her assent to be the Mother of God, the Incarna
tion actually took place. It receives its name from the
first word with which it commences.
10. The Rosary is an easy form of vocal and mental prayer
in honour of our Lady. It is divided into three greater
�88
APPENDIX
parts, called respectively the Joyful, Sorrowful, nnd
Glorious Mysteries. Each of these la again divided into
five smaller parts, which commemorate some event eithei
in the life of our Lord or in that of the Blessed Virgin.
Whilst meditating upon each of these mysteries we say
one ‘ Our Father,’ ten * Hail Marys,’ and one ‘ Glory be
to the Father.’
The devotion was revealed by our Lady to S. Dominic
in the thirteenth century whilst be was preaching to the
Albigenses in France. There are several indulgences
attached to its recitation, and a special festival has
been instituted in its honour, which is kept on October
7th.
There is another form of this devotion, called the
‘Living Rosary,’ which has many indulgences attached
to it. The fifteen mysteries are divided among fifteen
people. Each person says one mystery every day for a
month, when a new distribution takes place for the next
month, and so on throughout the year. In saying the
Rosary it is the practice to use a set of beads made
specially for this devotion, which help us to say the right
number of ‘Hail Marys,’&e., without being distracted
by counting, or thinking of the number. Indulgences
may be gained by using blessed beads.
11. The Scapular consists of two square pieces of woollen
stuff, joined to each other by two strings, so that one
piece may hang over the breast, and the other over the
back, of the wearer. It represents the habit, or dress of
a religious order. The scapular must be blessed, and put
on each person in due form, by those who have the right
of investing with it. If the scapular i3 worn out, or lost,
you may make another for yourself, and wear it with the
same advantages and privileges as at first without having
it newly blessed. This does not apply to the soapular of
the Blessed Trinity, which must be blessed every time it
is renewed. The scapulars are each made of a different
coloured material. The following are the chief scapulars:
(1.) The Scapular of our Lady of Mount Carmel, the colour
of which is BROWN, and is the one mostly in use. It was
revealed by our Lady to 9. Simon Stock, superior of th«
�APPENDIX
89
Carmelites, in the beginning of the thirteenth century.
On the 16th of July, the day the vision took place, the
Church keeps the feast of our Lady of Mount Carmel.
(2.) The Scapular of the Seven Dolours, the colour of which
is BLACK, was founded in the thirteenth century by seven
gentlemen residing in Florence, whom the Blessed Virgin
herself, in a vision, ordered to wear a black habit in
memory of her dolours.
(3.) The Scapular of the Immaculate Conception, the colour
of which is blue, was instituted by S. Cajetan of Vicenza,
and by John Peter Caraffa, Archbishop of Chieti, who
was afterwards Pope Paul IV., and died in 1559.
(4.) The Scapular of the Blessed Trinity, the colour of
which is white, was instituted in France in the twelfth
century by S. John of Matha and S. Felix of Valois.
To the latter our Lady herself appeared wearing this
scapular.
(5.) The Scapular of the Passion and of the Sacred Hearts
of Jesus and Mary, the colour of which is RED, was re
vealed to a nun belonging to the Sisters of Charity of
S. Vincent de Paul by our Lord on the 26th of July
1846.
Each of the above Scapulars is connected with some
particular religious order. The brown scapular is con
nected with the Carmelites ; the black with the Order of
Servites; the blue with the Order of Theatines, or Clerks
Regulars; the white with the Order of Trinitarians for
the redemption of captives; and the red with the
community of the Sisters of Charity of S. Vincent de
Paul. A Scapular medal may now be worn in place of
a Scapular.
12. The ‘Agnus Dei’ is a tablet of wax on which the figure
of our Lord, as the 1 Lamb of God,’ is stamped. These
tablets are solemnly blessed by the Pope, on the Saturday
after Easter, in the first and every seventh year of his
Pontificate.
SACRAMENTALS AND CEREMONIES.
Sacbamentals are certain pious practices and things
which are not in themselves Sacraments, but bear a
�9°
APPENDIX
kind of relation or resemblance to them. The principal
difference between them is, that the Sacraments were
instituted by our Lord as the channels of grace, which
they give to all who receive them worthily; whereas the
Sacramentals were instituted by the Church, and do not
of themselves give grace, but produce their effects by the
prayers and blessings of the Church, and depend chiefly
on the pious intentions of the persons who make use of
them. Religious ceremonies are certain signs or actions
established by the Church for the more solemn celebra
tion of the Divine Service. They assist us in elevating
our souls to God and to the contemplation of holy things.
They represent in a visible manner mysteries invisible in
themselves, and thereby make it easier for us to meditate
on them. The following are some of the principal Sacra
mentals and Ceremonies:—
1. Holy Oils, which are employed in administering several
of the Sacraments. They are of three kinds, viz., Oil of
the Sick, which is used for the Sacrament of Extreme
Unction, and with which the different senses are
anointed; Oil of Catechumens, which is used at Baptism,
the person to be baptized being anointed with it on the
breast and between the shoulders ; and Chrism, which is
used at Confirmation, at the consecration of a Bishop,
and of some things specially set apart for the service of
God. The Holy Oils are all olive oil; but the Chrism is
oil mixed with balsam.
3. Holy Water is natural water mixed with a little salt
and blessed by a priest. It reminds us of our Baptism,
and strengthens us against the evil of wicked spirits. It
is in constant use among Catholics. We use it in going
in and coming out of church: in the morning when we
rise, and at night when we retire to rest. When we go
to High Mass the first thing is the * Asperges,’ or sprink
ling of the people with holy water by the priest, to re
mind us that we should be pure and holy when we appear
in the presence of God, and assist at Mass with attention,
innocence, and piety. At the entrance of every Catholio
church is placed a ‘ holy-water etoup,’ and whenever any
thing is blessed it is almost always sprinkled with holy
�APPENDIX
91
-water. Ever since the time of the Apostles holy water
has been in use. Pope Alexander I., who was out the
seventh Pope from S. Peter, makes mention of it in one
of his epistles.
3. Blessed Candles. On the feast of the Purification
candles are blessed before the Mass of the day and
distributed among the people, and lighted and oarried
in procession. This is to remind us that our Saviour,
who is the light of the world, appeared for the first
time on that day in the Temple. It is customary for
Catholics to keep blessed candles and palm-branches in
their houses.
4. Blessed Ashes. On Ash Wednesday ashes are blessed
and placed on the foreheads of the people to remind
them that they are only dust and ashes, and that they
ought to enter upon the holy season of Lent, of which
this is the first day, with a lnsmble and mortified
spirit.
5. Blessed Palma. On Palm Sunday, the first dav of
Holy Week, which is the name given to the week of
our Lord’s Passion, branches of palm and of other trees
are blessed and carried in procession to remind us of the
triumphal entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem. Some
of these are afterwards burned to make the Ashos for
the Ash Wednesday of the following year.
6. The Paschal Candle is blessed and set up on Holy
Saturday, and is the first symbol placed before us on
that day of our Saviour risen from the grave. The five
grains of incense which are inserted represent t)ie five
wounds of our Lord and the ‘ sweet spices' which em
balmed His Body. This candle is lighted, duringthe time
of the high Mass and Vespers ou Sundays and Festivals
in Paschal time, to remind us of the apparitions which
Christ made to His disciples during that period.
7. The Altar is the place of sacrifice—as it were, another
Calvary whereon is celebrated the memorial of Christ’s
passion and death by the pure and unbloody sacrifice of
the Mass. It also represents the table used for the Last
8upper.
�92
APPENDIX
8. The Crucifix, or image of our Saviour on the cross, is
placed upon the altar, that, as the Mass is said there in
remembrance of our Lord’s passion and death both the
priest and the people may have before their eyes during
this sacrifice the image which puts them in mind of those
mysteries.
^h® Tabernacle contains our Lord really present under
the appearance of bread in the consecrated Host; there
fore we bend the knoe in homage and adoration when wa
enter or depart from the church.
^^®en Lights set on a triangular figure on
ednesday, Thursday, and Friday in Holy Week, during
the office of Tenebrae, correspond to certain parts of the
office. The triangular figure signifies that all light of
grace and glory comes from the Blessed Trinity. The
light put under the altar at the end of the office is to
signify the burial of our Lord and the darkness that over
spread the earth at His death. The noise made is to
remind us of the earthquake and the rending of the veil
of the Temple, which happened at the same time,
IL The Drop of Water put into the wine in the chalice by
the priest signifies the union of. the divine and human
natures in Jesus Christ.
12. The Consecrated Elements are elevated by the priest
in the Mass, to represent the elevation of the cross after
our Lord was nailed to it.
13. The Blessing at the end of Mass by the priest represents
the benediction which our Saviour gave to His disciples
before He ascended into heaven from the Mount of
Olives.
14. The Latin Language is used in the celebration of Mass
and most of the other ceremonies of the Western Church,
in order that the service of God may be everywhere the
same; that the same words and prayers may be used, in
order to avoid the changes to which all living languages
are so subject; that the Pastors in all countries may
understand one another; and that Catholics passing
from one country to another may have no difficulty
in joining in the public service, it being the same
everywhere.
�APPENDIX
93
THE GIFTS OF THE HOLY GHOST,
1. Wisdom, which teaches us to direct our whole lives and
actions to the honour of God and the salvation of our
souls.
2. Understanding, which enables us to comprehend more
perfectly the great mysteries of our faith.
3. Counsel, which leads us to make a right choice in things
relating to our salvation, and to avoid the deceits of the
devil.
A Fortitude, whereby we are enabled to undergo and
despise all dangers for God s sake, and to be firm and
constant in the performance of our Christian duties.
5. Knowledge, by which we know and understand the wil]
of God, and learn the duties of religion, and distinguish
good from evil.
6. Piety, which makes us devout and zealous in the service
of God, and faithful to Him in all things, and put the
duties of our religion in practice.
7. Fear of the Lord, which checks our rashness, keeps us
from sin, and makes us obedient to the law of God, and
dread ever offending him.
THE FRUITS OF THE HOLY GHOST.
L Charity, which enables us to love God above all things,
and our neighbours as ourselves, for God 8 sake.
2. Joy, which enables us to serve God with cheerful hearts.
8. Peace, which keeps us unmoved in our minds, and helps
us to enjoy a perpetual calmness of conscience, in the
midst of the storms and tempests of the world.
4. Patience, which enables us to suffer willingly and with
resignation all the trials of this life for the love of God.
5. Longanimity, by which we persevere steadfastly in our
duty ; and never stop or grow weary whatever trials wa
may have to endure.
�94
APPENDIX
6. Goodness, by which we avoid injuring others, and are
always ready to be of servioe to others.
7. Benignity, which causes us to conduct ourselves towards
others with kindness and sweetness of temper, both in our
manners and conversation.
A Mildness, which keeps back all motions of passion and
anger, and makes a person really amiable, and beloved
both by God and man.
9. Fidelity, which enables us to keep to our engagements
and fulfil our promises. ■
10. Modesty, which enables us to observe a becoming
deportment and reservation in all our outward actions,
and avoid bestowing an undue amount of' praise upon
ourselves.
11. Continence, which enables us to restrain and resist
carnai inclinations, and become abstemious both in our
meat and drink.
12. Chastity, by which we are enabled to keep a pure soul
in a pure body, and have a great love ana esteem for
angelic purity.
THE HOLY SCRIPTURES AND TRADITION.
The Holy Scripture, or Bible, is the written word of
God. From the beginning the Church has considered
the Holy Scriptures as a treasure entrusted to her
keeping. The Bible is divided into the Old and the
New Testaments.
1. The Old Testament, which consists of twenty-one
Historical Books, relating to the history of the early
ages of the world, or to that of the Jewish nation;
seven Moral Books, consisting of prayers and holy
maxims ; and seventeen Books of Prophecies.
The Historical Books are: The Pentateuch, or five
Books of Moses, vis., Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Num
bers, Deuteronomy; the Book of Josue; the Book of
Judges ; th a Book of Ruth ; the four Books of Kings; th
*
�APPENDIX
two Books of Chronicles or of Paralipomenon; the Book
of Esdras ; the Book of Nehemias ; the Book of Tobias ;
the Book of Judith; the Book of Esther; and the two
Books of the Maccabees.
TAe Moral Books are : The Book of Job; the Psalms;
the Proverbs; Ecclesiastes, or the Preacher; the Canticle
of Canticles; the Book of Wisdom ; and Ecclesiasticus.
The Books of Prophecies are those of Isaias, Jeremias,
Baruch, Ezechiel, Daniel, Osee, Joel, Amos, Abdias,
Jonas, Micheas, Nahum, Habacuc, Sophonias, Aggeus,
Zacharias, and Malachy.
2. The New Testament, which consists of the four
Gospels, or histories of the life of our Saviour Jesus
Christ, viz., the Gospel of S. Matthew, that of S. Mark,
that of S. Luke, and that of S. John ; of the Acts of the
Apostles, by S. Luke; of fourteen Epistles of S. Paul,
viz., one to the Romans, two to the Corinthians, one to
the Galatians, one to the Ephesians, one to the Philippians, one to the Colossians, two to the Thessalonians,
two to Timothy, one to Titus, one to Philemon, and one
to the Hebrews ; of one Epistle of S. James, two Epistles
of S. Peter, three Epistles of S. John, and one Epistle of
S. Jude, and the Book of the Apocalypse.
It belongs to the Church alone to explain to us the
meaning of the Holy Scriptures.
rradition consists of the truths of the Catholic Faith
revealed by Jesus Christ to His Apostles, and handed
down to us through the teaching of the Church and the
writings of the holy Fathers and Doctors. The Fathers
and the Doctors of the Church were men distinguished
by their writings in explanation or in defence of Revela
tion. Some of the chief ones among them were the
following: 8. Athanasius, Patriarch of Alexandria, who
endured from the Arians a long and severe persecution
in defence of the true faith ; died A.D. 373. <8. Basil the
Great, Archbishop of Caesarea; d. 379. S. Gregory
Nazianzen; d. 389. 8. John Chrysostom; d. 407.
S. Cyril of Alexandria; d. 444. S. Ambrose, Archbishop
of Milan; d. 397. S. Jerome; d. 420. 8. Augustine,
Bishop of Hippo in Africa; d. 430. Pope 8. Leo the Great;
�<;6
d. 461.
(O.S.B.),
Aquinas
d. 1274.
Liguori;
APPENDIX
S. Gregory the Great; d. 604. S Bernard
Abbot of Clairvaux; d. 1153. <S. Thomas
(O.P.); d. 1272. S. Bonaventure (O.S.F.);
B. Francis of Sales; d. 1622. S. Alphonsut
d. 1787.
FORM OF CONFESSION.
After you have prayed to God for His grace to help you
(o make a good confession, and carefully examined your
conscience, repeat the Act of Contrition; then enter the
Confessional, and, kneeling down, make the sign of the
Cross, and say: ‘ Pray, father, give me your blessing, for I
have sinned.’ Then say the ‘ Confiteor ’ down to ‘ through
my most grievous fault.’ After you have done this, tell the
priest how long it is since your last confession, and accuse
yourself of your sins, taking care to tell, to the best of your
recollection, the number of times you have committed each,
or any circumstance which may add to its guilt.
When you have told all your sins, say : ‘ For these, and
all my other sins which I cannot recollect, 1 most humbly
ask pardon of God, and penance and absolution of you, my
ghostly father.” The priest will give you a penance,
which you must take care to perform in due time and in
a penitential spirit. He will then pronounce over you the
words of absolution, during which you will say the Act of
Contrition, and afterward leave the confessional, and give
God thanks for having allowed you to partake of the
^race of this great Sacrament.
Made and printed in Great Britain.
�O SALUTARIS.
1 O salutaris Hostla,
Quw coeli pandis ostium ;
Bella premunt hostiha,
Da robur, for auxilium.
2. Uni trinoque Domino
Sit sempiterna gloria,
Qui vitam sine termino
Nobis donet in patria. Amen.
LITANY OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN.
I
Bancta Dei Genitrix,
I Sancta Virgo Virginum,
I Mater Christi,
I Mator divinte gratia,
.Mater purissima,
f Mater castissima,
Mater inviolate,
Mater in ternerata,
Mater amabilis,
Mater admirabilis,
Mater boni coneilil,
!
F®
a
Vas honorabile,
Vas insigne devotionis,
Rosa mystica,
Tunis Davidica,
Tunis eburnea,
Domus aurca,
Foederis area,
Janua coeli,
Stella matutina,
Salus infirmorum.
Refugium peccatorum,
Consolatrix affllctorum,
Auxilium Christianorum,
Regina Angelorum,
Regina Patriareliarum,
Regina Prophetarum,
Regina Apostolorum,
Regina Martyrum,
Regina Confessorum,
Regina Virginum,
Regina Sanctorum omnium,
Regina sine labe originali concepts,
Regina Sacratissimi Rosarli,
Regina pacts,
Agnus Del, qul tollls peccata mundi,
Parce nobls Domine.
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi,
Exaudi nos Domine.
Agnus Dei, qul tollis peccata mundi,
Miserere nobis.
V. Ora pro nobls, sancta Del
Genitrix. R. Ut dignl efficlamur
promissionibus Christi.
Ora pro nobii.
■ Kyrie eloieon.
' Christe eleison.
■ Kyrie eleison.
; Christo audi nos.
Christe exaudi nos.
Pater de ca-lis Dene,
Pill Redemptor mundi Deus,
■Spiritus Sancte Deus,
I Sancta Trinitas, unus Deus,
J fiancta Marla,
O
3
•d
3
SS
o
op
Mater Oreatoris,
TANTUM ERGO.
Mater Balvatoris,
1. Tantum ergo Sacramentum
2. Genltori, Genltoque,
VirgoVeneremur cernul:
prudentissima,
Laus et jubilatio,
J Virgo veneranda,documentum
Et antiquum
Salus, honor, virtue quoquo
I VirgoNovo cedat ritui:
prredicanda,
Sit et benedictio,
I Virgo potens, supplementum
Prwstet tides
Precedent! ab utroque
I VirgoSensuum defcctul.
clemens.
Compar sit laudatio. Amen.
| Virgo Fanem de ccbIo prsestitistl <
V, fidelis,
B ■senium injustiti®,
Speculum se habentem. [Alleluia,•Is. [Alleluia.] B. Omne deleota'
Bedes sapien ti®,
■ Causa nostr® lastitia,
I Vas spirituals,
�PUBLISHERS, BOOKSELLERS, AND
COMPLETE CHURCH FURNISHERS
COMMUNION & CONFIRMATION MEMORIALS.
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FRAMED PICTURES. At 9d., Is. 9d , 2s., 4s., 8s.,
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GUILD BADGES.
Large variety kept.
Special Dies
cut to order.
HOLY WATER FONTS. China from Is. each ; White
and Gilt, Is. Sd. upwards.
MEDALS of every description and in all metals.
Miraculous from l.Jd. per doz. Children of Mary from ljd.
each. The New Scapular Medal from Id. upwards.
PICTURES FOR DISTRIBUTION.
Is. 6d., 28., 2s. 6d.,
per hundred.
ROSARIES.
Cocoa, Cocotine, and in Colours.
At
3d., 4d., 6d., 13. each. Silver mounted, from 2s. upwards.
ROSARY CASES.
Ed, 6d., 8d., 9d., 10d., Is. to
Is. 6d. each.
SACRED HEART BADGES. Jd. and id. each.
SCAPULARS. All kinds at Id., 2d., and 3d. each.
STATUES. Plaster. At Is., Is. 6d., 2s., etc.
Coloured Plaster, 3s. 6d.., 43. £d., 6s., and upwards.
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�
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Victorian Blogging
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A collection of digitised nineteenth-century pamphlets from Conway Hall Library & Archives. This includes the Conway Tracts, Moncure Conway's personal pamphlet library; the Morris Tracts, donated to the library by Miss Morris in 1904; the National Secular Society's pamphlet library and others. The Conway Tracts were bound with additional ephemera, such as lecture programmes and handwritten notes.<br /><br />Please note that these digitised pamphlets have been edited to maximise the accuracy of the OCR, ensuring they are text searchable. If you would like to view un-edited, full-colour versions of any of our pamphlets, please email librarian@conwayhall.org.uk.<br /><br /><span><img src="http://www.heritagefund.org.uk/sites/default/files/media/attachments/TNLHLF_Colour_Logo_English_RGB_0_0.jpg" width="238" height="91" alt="TNLHLF_Colour_Logo_English_RGB_0_0.jpg" /></span>
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Conway Hall Library & Archives
Date
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2018
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Conway Hall Ethical Society
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Pamphlet
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Title
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The explanatory catechism of Christian doctrine, chiefly intended for the use of children in Catholic schools, with an appendix
Description
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Place of publication: London
Collation: 96 p. ; 12 cm.
Notes: Part of the NSS pamphlet collection. Publisher's series list on back page.
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Burns, Oates & Washbourne Ltd.
Date
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[n.d.]
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N213
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Catholic Church
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[Unknown]
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<a href="http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/"><img src="http://i.creativecommons.org/p/mark/1.0/88x31.png" alt="Public Domain Mark" /></a><span> </span><br /><span>This work (The explanatory catechism of Christian doctrine, chiefly intended for the use of children in Catholic schools, with an appendix), identified by </span><a href="https://conwayhallcollections.omeka.net/items/show/www.conwayhall.org.uk"><span>Humanist Library and Archives</span></a><span>, is free of known copyright restrictions.</span>
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Text
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English
Catholic Church-Catechisms-English
Catholic Church-Doctrines
NSS
Religious Education
-
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4ce1534d4af2d690b3b4c5d885ed9b86
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Text
RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION
IN
SECONDARY FOUNDATION
SCHOOLS.
HOW TO DEAL WITH IT.
HE writer of the following brief remarks has been
impelled to commit them to print by the reflection
that whilst the propriety of allowing the Masters of
Primary Schools to give instruction in religion has for
the last two years formed a prominent subject of
national discussion, the objections which lie against
allowing or requiring the Head Masters of Secondary
Endowed Schools “to make provision, in conjunction
with the Governing Body,” for similar instruction, have
not, as far as he is aware, received adequate attention.
Under the system which at present obtains in the
Secondary Endowed Schools of England, a Head Master
of honesty and intelligence is evidently liable to find
himself in a dilemma of the following kind; either he
must teach the scholars (and whether he does so by
explicit inculcation or by the implication of reticence,
makes but little difference to the resiflt), at a peculiarly
impassionable age, that every detail of the Biblical nar
rative is truth unquestioned and unquestionable on pain
of offending God, and. the maxims of conduct therein
commended, of perfect morality; or he must acquaint
them with some at least of the conclusions to the con
trary established or advanced by modern criticism.
The first alternative, it will be admitted, is not only
very unfavourable to the teacher’s growth in accuracy
of thought on religious topics, and sensitiveness to the
responsibilities of his position, but involves the risk of
drawing the children of parents of broad and en
lightened religious opinions back into the terrifying
misapprehensions, to use no stronger word, which it cost
themselves possibly years of mental agony and painful
study to outgrow. The second alternative would most
assuredly involve him in contentions with the Governors
of the School and with parents of a narrow, unculti
vated, and, by consequence, intolerant type of ortho
doxy, whereby would be caused very probably the im
mediate decadence of the School, and, finally, the ruin
of the Head Master by dismissal where possible.
T
�2
Two courses are open by which the evils indicated
may be avoided. Either the curriculum of instruction
in these schools may be restricted to secular knowledge,
as is the case in the nascent Public Schools and Col
leges in New Zealand, among our colonies ; or the treat
ment of the text of the Bible may be conformed in
practice to that of the histories of Livy and Herodotus,
and the ethical treatises of Plato, Aristotle, and Cicero,
the established conclusions and critical methods of
modern science and historical proof being no more
ignored, discredited, or suppressed in the case of the
one department of study than in that of the other.
It is to be feared that some time must yet elapse
before either of these two courses is introduced by legis
lative enactment into Secondary Endowed Schools. He
desires, therefore, to advocate the immediate establish
ment of a College of Secondary Education, on the Pro
prietary system, after the model of Cheltenham College,
in which the second of the courses defined above, which
is also the one which appears to him abstractedly the
best, may form the distinguishing feature.
He entertains the conviction that the number of
persons has enormously increased of late years, and is
daily increasing still more rapidly, who, so far from
desiring to see promoted in their children, by the in
struction given them in school, a retrogression in reli
gious conceptions from the standard of enlightenment
they have themselves attained, desire to see them aided
and encouraged in achieving and maintaining a like
moral enfranchisement. He is also of opinion that in
the foundation of a school of this kind is to be found
the remedy for the fact that whereas many of the most
able and the most ardent friends of religious enlighten
ment only achieve late in life the mental development
necessary to qualify them for a position in the ranks of
its adherents (perhaps but a few years before they are
removed from active service by death or the infirmities
of advancing years), the champions of obscurantism,
obstruction, and intolerance are recruited, owing to the
present system of Public School education, by the enlist
ment of each successive generation in its childhood.
PRINTED BY C. W. REYNELL, LITTLE PULTENEY STREET, HAYMARKET.
�
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Title
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Victorian Blogging
Description
An account of the resource
A collection of digitised nineteenth-century pamphlets from Conway Hall Library & Archives. This includes the Conway Tracts, Moncure Conway's personal pamphlet library; the Morris Tracts, donated to the library by Miss Morris in 1904; the National Secular Society's pamphlet library and others. The Conway Tracts were bound with additional ephemera, such as lecture programmes and handwritten notes.<br /><br />Please note that these digitised pamphlets have been edited to maximise the accuracy of the OCR, ensuring they are text searchable. If you would like to view un-edited, full-colour versions of any of our pamphlets, please email librarian@conwayhall.org.uk.<br /><br /><span><img src="http://www.heritagefund.org.uk/sites/default/files/media/attachments/TNLHLF_Colour_Logo_English_RGB_0_0.jpg" width="238" height="91" alt="TNLHLF_Colour_Logo_English_RGB_0_0.jpg" /></span>
Creator
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Conway Hall Library & Archives
Date
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2018
Publisher
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Conway Hall Ethical Society
Text
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Pamphlet
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The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Religious instruction in secondary foundation schools: how to deal with it
Description
An account of the resource
Place of publication: [London?]
Collation: 2 p. ; 18 cm.
Notes: From the library of Dr Moncure Conway. Printed by C.W. Reynell, Little Pulteney Street, London.
Publisher
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[Thomas Scott?]
Date
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[187-?]
Identifier
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G5536
Subject
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Education
Religion
Creator
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[Unknown]
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<a href="http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/"><img src="http://i.creativecommons.org/p/mark/1.0/88x31.png" alt="Public Domain Mark" /></a><span> </span><br /><span>This work (Religious instruction in secondary foundation schools: how to deal with it), identified by </span><a href="https://conwayhallcollections.omeka.net/items/show/www.conwayhall.org.uk"><span>Humanist Library and Archives</span></a><span>, is free of known copyright restrictions.</span>
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application/pdf
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Text
Language
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English
Conway Tracts
Education
Religious Education
-
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0e814f88e67d6d19ba4ac584888b6492
PDF Text
Text
GRACE.
PUBLISHED BY THOMAS SCOTT,
II THE TERRACE, FARQUHAR ROAD, UPPER NORWOOD,
LONDON, S.E.
1876.
Price Threepence.
�LONDON
THINTED BY C. TV. REYNELL, LITTLE TULTENET STREET,
HAYMARKET.
�GRACE.
------ *-----VICTIM to the received system of religious
education, I have suffered considerably for socalled conscience’ sake. Finding nay questions as
irritating to my instructors as their answers were
unsatisfactory to me, I early sank down into the
mould prepared for me, and at nine years old was at
the top of the religious class in a school I attended.
An excellent memory, a distinct utterance, and a
sort of knack of finding out texts with great rapidity,
were points in my favour, and as I soon left
off asking what were called impertinent questions,
it was assumed that the process of thinking had,
by the merciful interference of a superintending
Providence, been checked ere it had developed into
an insurmountable hindrance to salvation. At first
I did not think very much, but I thought a little, and
to some purpose. I learnt a hymn which contained
these lines : “ I thank the goodness and the grace
which on my birth have smiled, and made me in
these Christian days a happy English child. I was
not born, as thousands are, where God was never
known,” etc. I did not sufficiently value my privi
lege of sitting in a close room learning abstruse texts,
and when I looked at the pictures of little negroes in
sugar-plantations I did not pity them at all, but
thought that they had the best of it.
A
�6
Grace.
To check the free expression of thought is an
admirable means towards the desired end—the an
nihilation of thought itself—and had not a counter
influence been at work out of school I should, doubt
less, have become a “ chosen vessel.” As it was, I
went about, as numbers do, under false colours, sup
posed to be very pious, because I had a good verbal
memory, a quiet, old-fashioned manner, and great
digital dexterity in finding out passages in the Bible.
I seemed, of course, like a piece of wax, as all good
children should be, ready to receive any religious
impressions stamped upon me by my teachers. I
was being educated in hypocrisy under the name
of religion. The system was calculated to foster
conceit, and, until a few years ago, I thought I under
stood all that is included in the comprehensive word
grace. I was called a child of grace, I coveted grace,
prayed daily for an increase of it, explained its sup
posed effects to others, pleaded with those who seemed
indifferent to it, and mourned over those who had
fallen from it. My teachers used grace as synonymous
with self-denial, self-control, patience, fortitude, re
signation, etc., and I was accustomed to attribute all
that is elevating to its influence, and all that is
degrading to its absence. But? when a mere child, I
had silently observed the supposed effects of grace in
those who never resorted to the “means ” of it, and
before I had attained maturity, I had, when away
from the restraints of school, indulged in many a
flippant remark as to the inefficacy of grace in those
who seemed indefatigable in their strivings after it.
I was puzzled and disappointed, but not until many
years had elapsed did it occur to me that I had been
deceived, deceived by well-meaning individuals who
were themselves deceived, and who, I have every
reason to suspect, preferred to be deceived, and
would have gone on deceiving others, even if
they had permitted themselves to be undeceived.
�Grace*
7
My spiritual masters and mistresses told me that
grace was “ a supernatural gift freely bestowed upon
me for my sanctification and salvation.” I was early
taught to seem grateful that, while thousands of chil
dren were suffered to live and die in heathen lands,
where grace was unknown, I had been elected by
special favour to be “a member of Christ, a child of
God, and an inheritor of the kingdom of heaven.”
I knew that the unbaptized were the devil’s children,
that God hated them, that they could get no grace
because they were not in a “ state of grace,” and that
actions, to all appearance meritorious, were of no avail
at all towards salvation unless they were performed
in “ a state of grace.” I was exhorted to thank God
repeatedly for the grace of baptism and to look upon
the unbaptized with a mixture of pity and horror.
But for “ prevenient grace,” I should, they told me,
yield to the suggestions of my corrupt nature and
tell lies, give blow for blow, steal, cheat, and become
a hardened sinner.
At school I committed to memory a surprising
number of hymns. I knew that grace was “ a charm
ing sound,” that there was “a fountain filled with
blood,’’ and that I deserved “ his holy frown.” But
at an early age grace began to lose ground in my
estimation. At home hymns were not esteemed;
my parents never asked me to repeat them, and
of “ grace ” I never heard, save at school. I
had a playfellow, about my own age, named Bobby.
Bobby’s real father was the devil, but his reputed
father was a respectable and respected Quaker who
lived close to us, a widower, with two attractive
children, whose education was his sole occupation.
Bobby was a gentle, manly, intelligent child, the
peace-maker in all squabbles, and a great favourite
in the play-ground. In the person of this little
Quaker, Satan had succeeded admirably in transform
ing himself into an angel of light, for a superficial
�Grace.
observer might easily have mistaken. Bobby for “ a
member of Christ, a child of God, and an inheritor
of the kingdom of heaven.” I knew better—I knew
that he was a child of wrath—that God’s holy frown
rested upon him, and that unless God in his infinite
mercy should call him to the font, his portion would
be “everlasting pains, where sinners must with
devils dwell, in darkness, fire, and chains.” Bobby
never was taken to a place of worship; he was
taught no prayers, and knew no hymns. He squinted
abominably, and it was in consequence of that sad
blemish that my childish thoughts were drawn to a
common-sense view of grace. He was taken to an
oculist, and returned with a most disfiguring glass
over one eye, in comparison with which the squint
seemed almost an embellishment. Poor Bobby ! we
laughed at him, pointed at him, danced round him,
squinted at him, and called him “ old goggle-eye !” I
had frequently wondered at the engaging manners and
generous conduct of the devil’s little boy, but on this
occasion he surpassed himself. He turned red, his
lips quivered, the well-known “ ball ” rose in his
throat, but with steady voice he said, “ You have
nearly made me cry ; you do not know how painful
my eye is; the doctor said crying would make it
worse; I promised him I would not cry. See, I
have got a shilling, let us go and spend it and play
at something else.” “I’ll tell father, see if I don’t! ”
said Bobby’s brother, with fraternal indignation, “ and
he shall know how that shilling went.” “Ho, you
will not,” said Bobby, laughing, “ for a tell-tale is
even worse than a teaze ! ” Of course we all de
clared we were only in fun, etc., but I felt keenly
that the children of God had not set the devil’s little
boy a very good example, and I valued my religious
privileges less from that hour. I continued commit
ting many hymns and texts to memory, but I suppose
I had already “fallen from grace,” for though I
�Grace.
9
recited them with my usual accuracy, they interested
me less. I left off begging to be allowed to learn
some particular hymns, and many of my former
favourites faded unregretted from my memory. My
schoolmistress was an Evangelical gentlewoman, and
I was one of her most attentive pupils. Hearing me
say that Bobby could be good without grace, she
looked very grave, and, turning to an assistant
teacher, remarked, “ How amazing it is that parents
suffer their children to associate with the uncon
verted ! ” I repeated her words to my father. Un
like most parents, he spoke very openly, and explained
to me in very simple language that he had never
observed any moral superiority in the baptized, and
that in his own circle of acquaintances he had found
more genial characters among the unbaptized. He
drew my attention to a gentleman who was a con
stant visitor at our house, one who was in great
favour with all the children who knew him, in conse
quence of his imperturbable good humour and amiable
devotion to their little interests. “That man,” said
my father, “was brought up among the Quakers, and
though he is not a Quaker now, has never been bap
tized, and I cannot see in what respect he would
be a better member of society if he had.
The
gentleman in question was a great ally of mine, and
his children were my playmates. It would have
been difficult to find better people than were these
who had taken no pains to cleanse themselves from
their inherited filth, and it is not surprising that,
with such amiable associates, a child under twelve
should lose sight of the inestimable privilege of
“ grace ” and cease to attribute virtuous conduct to
its influence. I gave up caring about grace. I let
it go without a regret, little knowing that a few
years later I should give myself wholly to its sup
posed influence, and suffer exceedingly in mind and
body ere I succeeded in wrenching myself from a
�iO
Grace.
grasp which was crushing my individuality out of
me.
Before my childhood was quite over an incident
occurred which I shall relate, for it made an im
pression, and preserved me from rushing in after life
into certain extremes, towards which my devotional
acquaintances tended.
There was a lumber-room in Bobby’s house ; books,
pictures, ornaments and furniture, which had been
undisturbed since his mother’s death, were heaped
together in dusty confusion. The humour seized
Bobby to sort out the objects and put the room to
rights. He asked me to help him and we set to work.
I caught hold of a mutilated copy of a book called
‘ The Soul on Calvary,’ and my eyes fell upon the
following incredible and revolting passage:—
“ We will here relate the example of a most
heroic patience in sickness and of a most perfect love
of God in the heart. Perhaps it may wound the
delicacy of some ; but many others will have sufficient
greatness of soul to be edified and touched by it. A
person had fallen into a malady equally painful and
humiliating : a great sore was formed, which, in the
course of time, had engendered a quantity of worms.
This person was eaten up alive by them, and suffered
excessive pains ; yet her lively love of God surmounted
the violence of her sufferings to such a degree that
if any of her worms happened to fall, she picked them
up and replaced them in the sore, saying that she was
unwilling to lose any part of the merit of her suffer
ings, and that she considered those worms as so
many precious pearls which might one day adorn her
crown.” From the disgust excited in me by this
horrible statement, I never rallied, though I was sub
sequently thrown into daily contact with people whose
religious fervour would have inclined them to go and
do likewise.
‘ The Soul on Calvary ’ is a cheap book widely
�Grace.
ii
circulated among Roman Catholics, many of whom
would not shrink from putting into practice the wild
and filthy experiments suggested by the perusal of
that and similar fanatical works.
At a boarding-school, to which I was sent "for six
months for change of air, considerable attention was
paid to the religious instruction of the children. I was
slowly regaining my strength, after a long illness, and
was probably more susceptible to what are called spiri
tual influences than I should otherwise have been; more
over, I was at the impressionable age of fourteen, and
of a grave turn of mind. I was soon “full of grace;” that
is to say, I thought and heard of little else; answering
Scripture questions occupied a great portion of my
time, for, being very weak, I was not required to study
much, and it cost me but little trouble to get up all
the hymns, catechisms, texts, collects, etc., with which
I had formerly been somewhat overburdened. I was
soon a great favourite with my teacher, and to “ grow
in grace” once more became the great object of
my life. For a few years I had been neglecting
grace, but had not retrograded morally, and was
not a whit more unruly than my more persevering
companions.
Schooled in grace for the second time, and
thoroughly engrossed with self, I should, I ima
gine, have become very much like the ideal my
teacher had in view. . She tried hard to work upon
the feelings of her pupils, and I have seen a child of
seven years leave the class in tears, and retire sobbing,
at the thought of her ingratitude to her Saviour; and
we were taught to admire the “ workings of grace ”
in her heart, and to deplore our own indifference. Of
practical piety I do not remember hearing. Faith, grace,
hymns, Bible questions and the Church prayers seemed
all in all. We were not encouraged to make clothes for
the poor, or to deny ourselves anything for the sake
of others; for the souls of others we were earnestly
�12
Grace.
enjoined to pray, but of their bodily wants I neverheard. Once, in consequence of illness, I and another'
girl of sixteen were the sole occupants of a room.
I remarked with horror that she did not kneel downbefore getting into bed. “ Why, Emily,” said I,
f‘you have forgotten your prayers.” “You meanthat I have forgotten to kneel down. I never say
prayers, but I kneel down in the big room because of
the others; I do not mind you.” “ But do you not
mind God,” asked I, with sincere surprise. “ No,”
said she, “ God minds me ! ” I was too much grieved^
to notice the drollery of the remark. Presently she*
resumed, “ What do you. suppose becomes of the
sponge-cakes ? ” I knew dozens of them were con
veyed to the boarders through one of the ser
vants, and now I was informed that they were always
devoured during the extempore prayer made every
evening by a teacher; it lasted, with other devotions,
twenty minutes, and as the girls turned to the wall
during prayers the opportunity was favourable to the
enjoyment of soft cakes. Emily’s revelations sad
dened me indescribably. Had she been an unprin
cipled, unruly, low-minded girl, I should have been
relieved, but, like the graceless Bobby of my child
hood, Emily was superior to the other girls in moral
worth; she never copied sums, verbs, &c., from her
neighbour’s slate, and had often surprised me by her
readiness to admit ignorance, to offer an apology, and,
in short, to act as if this so-called grace had taken
firm hold of her ; but she did not care about grace,
she even called it “ a hoax,” and said that all the
religious people she knew were very disagreeable.
Her father had yielded to the wishes of his wife in
sending her to this school, and as she was soon about
to leave it, she spoke, as all girls do under such cir
cumstances, with reckless candour.
Hypocrisy must infect those who are taught so
many solemn and startling confessions, creeds, hymns.
�Grace.
and texts long before they can understand them..
Emily had discontinued her prayers because she did
not assent to the assertions in them. lc As God made
me,” said she, “ he must know me far better than I
know myself, and therefore it seems very silly to pre
tend to inform him. I am not going to say ‘ I have
followed too much the devices and desires of my own
heart,’ because it is not true; if I were to follow
those desires I should be off in the morning, in spite
of my influenza.”
All she said made me feel extremely uncomfortable,
—she had given up grace, and yet seemed thoroughly
good. However, my six months of school life were
fortunately over, and I returned to a home where all
that is estimable was inculcated without any allusion
to hymns, grace, or any other supernatural means of
arriving at the ordinary virtues which should dis
tinguish the members of a civilized community. I
do not think my father had a Bible ; I never saw him
use one, save to look out some disputed text.
Having been forced in his boyhood to read the Bible
exclusively, he made up for it in his manhood by
reading any book except the Bible. Away from the
gracious influences which for a brief season had
surrounded me, shaken somewhat by Emily’s ex
perience, and highly dissatisfied with my own
immature conclusions, I soon grew very lukewarm as
to prayer and other religious practices, and was
actually learning “ to be good and to do good ” with
out having recourse to the supernatural. I was,
however, ill at ease within, for I had been so
thoroughly impressed with the necessity of grace,
that I was quite alarmed to find how easily I had let
it go and how very well I could do without it. I was
afraid of myself knowing, or rather having been
taught, that in me “ dwelt no good thing,” and I was
greatly perplexed to find no unholy tendencies arise
now that grace had Jost its hold on me. I should
�>4
Grace.
have been quite delighted to have been able to detect
some moral retrogression, which I should have been
justified in attributing to a withdrawal of grace.
I ardently wished to believe in the efficacy of prayer
and indeed in all the doctrines I had been
taught in my childhood, but I was losing both
faith and confidence. I pretended I had not lost
either.
I was afraid to think anything out.
About that time I was invited to pass a few
weeks with a lady and gentleman at Sydenham.
Owing to curious circumstances the lady, though a
Protestant, had been educated in a convent, and was
quite familiar with all the tenets of the various
religious sects. She talked, and apparently thought
frequently about piety, grace, resignation, etc., and
said she intended to leave a large portion of her
wealth to those who had grounded her in religion.
She was, as far as I could judge, an essentially worldly
woman, and, owing probably to her wretched health,
of a singularly trying disposition. In her husband
all those virtues, specially intended, where Christian
virtues are named, shone conspicuously, and I shall
never forget my amazement when with the utmost
composure he informed me that he was hostile to
every form of religion, and that, though it grieved
him sorely to thwart his wife, he had absolutely for
bidden her to teach his little nephew, who lived with
them, any creed, catechism or hymn; she gained her
point as to the Lord’s prayer, which the boy repeated
every night in the drawing-room, beginning thus,—
“ Our Father charty neaven.”
Full twenty years have passed since the day when
I discovered that the man whose character I so much
admired, whose forbearance so much amazed me, and
whose abstemiousness bordered upon the marvellous,
was what is called an infidel! Would that I could
meet him now! How readily would I confess to
him that ‘'whereas I was blind, now I see,”—see that
�Grace.
J5
I was the real infidel, faithless to my own secret con
victions, and faithless to the tenets I was supposed
to have embraced. Fettered by formulas, vague
fears, and by a feeling of restraint which for years
prevented me from daring to be myself, I was unable
to assimilate the wholesome ingredients in the sensible
conversation of my infidel friend, who sought to wean
me from useless theological speculations, and en
deavoured to direct my attention to things practical.
I was then and for years afterwards in the position
which Fichte has so clearly described : “ Instructions
were bestowed upon me before I sought them; an
swers were given me before I had put questions;
without examination and without interest I had
allowed everything to take place in my mind. How
then could I persuade myself I possessed any real
knowledge in these matters ? I only knew what
others assert they know, and all I was sure of was
that I had heard this or that upon the subject. What
ever truth they possessed could have been obtained
only by their own reflection, and why should not I by
means of the same reflection discover the like truth
for myself, since I too have a being as well as they ?
How much I have hitherto undervalued and slighted
myself ! ”
My infidel friend was aware that I was by no means
blind to his many good qualities, for I was frequently
present, to my great discomfort, when he was severely
tried, and was forced to acknowledge that he behaved
like a saint.
“ Well, little lady,” said he one day when we were
speaking of grace, “ I hate the very word grace, I
don’t fully understand its meaning, and as lean do very
well without it, I should consider it a superfluity;
but tell me to what you attribute all that strikes you
as good in me, for as I am the only graceless dog you
know, myself must be my subject ? ”
I had repeatedly asked myself that question, and
�i6
Grace.
invariably winced at my own answer. According to
my religious notions he ought to have been conspicu
ous for moral depravity, but according to my common
sense it seemed to me that no amount of grace could
make him a more genial specimen of a moral man
than he was. However, I said that as he had been
baptized and had been taught to pray in his childhood,
he must have received many graces, and that his
avoidance of great sins was due to God’s grace, which
had preserved him from great temptations. He smiled
as he replied : “ I am afraid your surmise will fall to
the ground when you hear that I early gave up my
prayers. I had a great misfortune when quite a little
fellow. I smashed a most expensive and much-valued
old china jar to atoms. My thoughts instantly flew
to the omnipotent and benevolent Being whose eyes
were in every place, and I ran upstairs to my little
cot, by the side of which I knelt, and most earnestly
entreated God to mend the jar and replace it upon the
bracket before my father returned. Down I rushed, fully
expecting to find all as I wished, the fragments gone,
and the jar in its place. At the bottom of the stairs
stood my poor nurse, too agitated to scold me, feeling
that she would get most of the blame, and dreading
the return of ‘ Master.’ Ko words can convey my
bitter disappointment at seeing the fragments where I
had left them. I had prayed with faith and hope;
but there was no new jar upon the bracket, and never
again did I turn with confidence to that omnipotent
and benevolent Being who had not helped me out of
my terrible scrape.”
What good end Providence had in view by throw
ing me into contact with Bobby, Emily, and this
honourable infidel, pious people have never explained
to me. “ To try your faith,” they told me ; but seemed
at fault when I asked if Providence foresaw that I
should lose my faith.
My visit ended, I returned home ill at ease, honestly
�Grace.
!7
doubting, but dishonestly concealing my doubts for
so-called conscience’ sake. It would, I thought, be
awful to become an infidel, and thus expose myself to
the just indignation of my maker; but it did not occur
to me for some years that my insincerity must long
have rendered me odious in the eyes of the searcher of
hearts, the God of truth, and that I had been in jeo
pardy ever since I had dared to use my own judgment
concerning grace and its effects.
In looking over the past I can say, with the utmost
deliberation, that in my case religion was a hindrance
instead of a help, as it is intended to be. While re
calling my past experience I feel sincerely sorry for
myself and for those who, owing to my devout adhe
rence to sundry New Testament injunctions which I
had “ grace” enough to carry out, suffered acutely.
The certainty that but few have sufficient “grace” to
“ go and do likewise,” is a source of satisfaction to
me. Were I not convinced by hardly-earned experi
ence of the futility of prayer, I would pray with great
fervour that the meaning I discerned in Gospel teach
ing might be for ever hidden from their eyes lest they
should become “ converted” and show forth their
faith as I did. By nature frank and fearless, I early
profited by the lessons taught me by my ghostly coun
sellors, and learnt, like multitudes of other young
people, to conceal what passed within, and to be afraid
of my corrupt nature, and of all that emanated there
from. I was afraid of thinking, of using my own
mind, of following my own impulses, in short, of being
myself.
Conscious of insincerity, alarmed at the probable
consequences of sincerity, siding secretly with what
are called dangerous opinions, frightened at my ten
dencies, confessing with my lips what my understand
ing refused to digest, clinging to planks which I felt
could ill bear my weight, I went on praying that
infidels might be brought to the knowledge of the
�Grace.
truth, but never realising the melancholy fact that
I myself was an arch infidel, for I was a dissembler
before God and man ; reciting incredible creeds in the
house of the former, and carefully concealing my real
sentiments from the latter.
After a while, by dint of pious reading, pious
friends, and lonely visits to sundry churches, I shook
off for a season some of my most disturbing doubts,
and, during four or five years “grace” assuredly
triumphed over nature, and, but for the timely inter
ference of common sense, I too might have been dis
covered magnanimously replacing fallen creepers in
their home on my epidermis !
“ Grace” prompted me to despise “the world,” to
keep aloof from my fellow-creatures, to become
odiously unsociable, and, in adhering to what I con
ceived to be the strict line of duty to God, to disregard,
all the little courtesies and concessions to others as
“ Satanic varnish,” deviations from truth, worldly
wisdom, &c. Reproaches or remonstrances had the
effect of making me persevere still more obstinately
in the course I had chosen. I felt like a martyr
“ persecuted for righteousness ” sake, and was su
premely happy in the conviction that an unusual
amount of grace was bestowed upon me. My spiritual
advisers encouraged me in despising all human con
siderations, and in devoting myself exclusively to my
religious duties, assuring me that the world would
certainly hate me as it had hated Christ, but that I
must “ overcome the world.” In short, I acted upon
the conviction that “ the friendship of the world is
enmity with God,” and that unless I came “ out from
among them ” I was no worthy member of a Head
crowned with thorns. I had the sweet approval of
my own conscience, and felt sure that God was on my
side, so did not fear what man might do unto me.
The requirements of the Gospel seemed to me
peremptory and unmistakable, and as long as I re-
�Grace.
*9
mained under the absorbing influence of what is
called “ grace” I did my best to carry them out; but
a change came over me; old doubts assailed me with
fresh vigour; they took firm hold of me, and I could
not shake them off. During those years of religious
zeal I had been undisturbed by misgivings, and had
acted with sincerity. I look back upon them with
mingled amusement and regret, and rejoicing that I
was at length enabled to be as true to my doubts as
I bad been to my folly and fanaticism. Of course it
will be said by many that I had been guilty of absurd
exaggeration, and that true religion does not demand
that we should fly in the face of the world, that it is
possible to continue in “ grace” without sternly
abjuring “ the world,” &c. ; but such a compromise
seemed to me then impossible, and, to be perfectly
candid, I am still of opinion that to yield to the dic
tates of “ grace ” is to become what I was once, but
with my enlarged experience can never be again.
“ Grace,” as understood by the orthodox, had taken
great effect upon me; it had done its work right well,
and rendered me quite unfit for this world, and, there
fore, as I was persuaded, a worthier candidate for the
other. In my exuberant self-satisfaction, I failed to
see that by steady adherence to my favourite Gospel
texts I was daily sinking deeper into that slough of
selfishness, bigotry, and intolerance, in which the
“Lord’s people” are wont to wallow. I knowmany who
are “ full of grace ;” I avoid them, for a “ burnt child
dreads the fire.” Withdrawn from the pernicious
influence of “ grace,” I can now look dispassionately
on my former God-fearing self, and see myself in the
light in which I must have appeared to those who
deplored my “ supernatural ” tendencies, and des
paired of my return to common sense. Released
from the fetters which so tightly bound me, and
which in my blindness I hugged so fondly, I have
now the “ grace ” to see, and the candour to confess,
�20
Grace.
that I was the victim of a degrading delusion. I have
returned to the miserable “ worldlings,” who are onlydoing their duty, and striving to make the best of the
only world of which we have any knowledge, and in
which I hope I may have “ grace ” to lead a rational
life and set a natural example !
PRINTED BY C. W. REYNELL, LITTLE PULTENEY STREET, HAYMARKET.
�
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A collection of digitised nineteenth-century pamphlets from Conway Hall Library & Archives. This includes the Conway Tracts, Moncure Conway's personal pamphlet library; the Morris Tracts, donated to the library by Miss Morris in 1904; the National Secular Society's pamphlet library and others. The Conway Tracts were bound with additional ephemera, such as lecture programmes and handwritten notes.<br /><br />Please note that these digitised pamphlets have been edited to maximise the accuracy of the OCR, ensuring they are text searchable. If you would like to view un-edited, full-colour versions of any of our pamphlets, please email librarian@conwayhall.org.uk.<br /><br /><span><img src="http://www.heritagefund.org.uk/sites/default/files/media/attachments/TNLHLF_Colour_Logo_English_RGB_0_0.jpg" width="238" height="91" alt="TNLHLF_Colour_Logo_English_RGB_0_0.jpg" /></span>
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Conway Hall Library & Archives
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2018
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Conway Hall Ethical Society
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Grace
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Place of publication: London
Collation: 18 p. ; 19 cm.
Notes: From the library of Dr Moncure Conway. Published anonymously. Author believed to be Annie Besant. "A victim to the received system of religious education, I have suffered considerably of so-called conscience' sake". [Opening sentence]. Printed by C.W. Reynell, Little Pulteney Street, London.
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Besant, Annie Wood
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1876
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Thomas Scott
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Rationalism
Free thought
Education
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<img src="http://i.creativecommons.org/p/mark/1.0/88x31.png" alt="Public Domain Mark" /><br />This work (Grace), identified by <span><a href="www.conwayhall.org.uk">Humanist Library and Archives</a></span>, is free of known copyright restrictions.
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RA1609
CT183
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Text
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English
Conway Tracts
Free Thought
Religion
Religious Education
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Text
THE
RELIGION OF CHILDREN
A DISCOURSE, WITH READINGS AND MEDITATION,
given at
SOUTH PLACE CHAPEL,
OCTOBER
2i, 1877,
BY
MONCURE D. CONWAY, M.A.
frige twopence.
�ORDER
1. Hymn 132—
“ Smiles on past misfortune’s brow.”—Gray.
2. Readings, pages 3 to 7.
3. Hymn 180—
“I think if thou could’st know.”—Adelaide Procter.
4. Meditation, p. 8.
5. Anthem 22—
“Gently fall the dews of eveP—Saralt P. Adams.
6. Discourse, p. 9.
7. Hymn, 191 —
“ Oh yet we trust that somehow good
Will be the final goal of ill. ”—Tennyson.
8.
Dismissal.
�HYMN 132.
READINGS.
HEBREW PROVERBS.
My son, if base men entice thee,
■Consent thou not.
Walk not in the way with them :
Keep back thy foot from their paths :
Tor their feet run to evil.
.'Surely in vain the net is spread,
In the sight of any bird ;
But these lay snares for their own lives.
.Such are the ways of everyone greedy of gain;
The life of those addicted to it, it taketh away.
Because they hated knowledge,
Therefore they shall eat of the fruit of their own way,
And from their own counsel they shall be filled.
T’or the turning away of the simple shall slay them,
And the carelessness*of fools shall destroy them.
�4
ORIENTAL FABLE.
The learned Saib, who was entrusted with the education of the
son of the Sultan Carizama, related to him each day a story.
One day he told him this from the annals of Persia
“A magi
cian presented himself before King Zohak, and breathing on his
breast, caused two serpents to come forth from the region of the
king’s heart. The king in wrath was about to slay him, but the
magician said, ‘ These two serpents are tokens of the glory
of your reign. They must be fed, and with human blood. Thisvon may obtain by sacrificing to them the lowest of your people ;
but they will bring you happiness, and whatever pleases you isjust.’ Zohak was at first shocked ; but gradually he accustomed
himself to the counsel, and his subjects were sacrificed to the
serpents. But the people only saw in Zohak a monster bent on
their destruction. They revolted, and shut him up in a cavern
of the mountain Damarend, where he became a prey to the two
serpents whose voracity he could no longer appease.
“ What a horrible history ! ” exclaimed the young prince, when
his preceptor had ended it. “ Pray tell me another that I can
hear without shuddering.” “ Willingly, my lord,” replied Saib.
“ Here is a very simple one :—-A young sultan placed his confi
dence in an artful courtier, who filled his mind with false ideas of
glory and happiness, and introduced into his heart pride and volup
tuousness. Absorbed by these two passions, the young monarch
sacrificed his people to them, insomuch that in their wretchedness
they tore him from the throne. He lost his crown and his
treasures, but his pride and voluptuousness remained, and being
now unable to satisfy them, he died of rage and despair.” The
young prince of Carizama said, “ I like this story better than theother.” “ Alas, prince,” replied his preceptor, “itis neverthelessthe same.”
�5
FROM “THE SPIRIT’S TRIALS.”
By J. A. Froude.
A TALENT, of itself unhealthily precocious, was most unwisely
pushed forward and encouraged out by everybody—by teachers
Ld schoolmasters, from the vanity of having a little monster to
display as their workmanship; by his father, because he vms
anxious for the success of his children in life, and the quicker
they <mt on the better : they would the sooner assume a position
It had struck no one there might be a mistake about it. Tw one
could have ever cared to see even if it were possible they migat,
or five minutes’ serious talk with the boy, or to have listened to
his laurh, would have shown the simplest of them that t rey we. e
but developing a trifling quickness of faculty ; that the powe
which should have gone for the growth of the entire rec
bein-directed off into a single branch, which was su ed g
disproportioned magnitude, while the stem was quietly decaying.
L to the character, of the entire boy-his temper, dispos tion, health of tone in heart and mind, all that was presumem
It made no show at school exhibitions, and at east due dy
assumed no form of positive importance as regarded after
So this was all left to itself. Of course, if a boy knew half the
Iliad by heart at ten, and had construed the Odyssey through a
eleven, all other excellences were a matter of course. . .
was naturally timid, and shrunk from all the amusements and
Xes of other boys. So much the better : he would keep to his
books
He was under-grown for ms age, infirm, an un
healthy'"and a disposition might have been observed in him
even then in all his dealings with other boys and with Ins master
X evade difficulties instead of meeting them-a feature whi
should have called for the most delicate handling, anc uou
have far better repaid the time and attention which were w
�6
in forcing him beyond his years, in a few miserable attainments,
. . In a scene so crowded as this world is, or as the little world
of a public school is, with any existing machinery it is impossible
to attend to minute shades of character. There is a sufficient
likeness among boys to justify the use of general, very general
laws indeed. They are dealt with in the mass. An average
treatment is arrived at. If an exception does rise, and it happens
to disagree, it is a pity, but it cannot be helped. “Punish,” not
“prevent,” is the old-fashioned principle. If a boy goes wrong,
whip him. Teach him to be afraid of going wrong by the pains
and penalties to ensue—just the principle on which gamekeepers
used to try to break dogs. But men learned to use gentler
methods soonest with the lower animals. As to the effects of the
treatment, results seem to show pretty much alike in both cases ;
but with the human animal an unhappy notion clung on to it,
and still clings, and will perpetuate the principle and its disas
trous consequences, that men and boys deserve their whipping,
as if they could have helped doing what they did in a way dogs
cannot. . . It would be well if people would so far take
example from what they find succeed with their dogs, as to learn
there are other ways at least as efficacious, and that the desired
conduct is better if produced in any other way than in that. . .
On the whole, general rules should have no place in family
education. It is just there, and there perhaps alone, that there
are opportunities of studying shades of difference, and it should
be the business of affection to attend to them. When affection
i s really strong, it will be an equal security against indulgence
and over-hasty severity. . . .
I take it to be a matter of the most certain experience in
dealing with boys of an amiable, infirm disposition, that exactly
the treatment they receive from you they will deserve. In a
general way it is true of all persons of unformed character who.
�7
Come in contact with you as your inferiors, although with men it
cannot be relied on with the same certainty, because their feel
ings are less powerful, and their habit of moving this way or that
wZy under particular circumstances more determinate. But with
the very large class of boys of a yielding nature who have very
little self-confidence, are very little governed by a determined
will or judgment, but sway up and down under the impulses of
the moment, if they are treated generously and trustingly, it
may be taken for an axiom that their feelings will be always
strong enough to make them ashamed not to deserve it. Treat
them as if they deserved suspicion, and as infallibly they soon
actually will deserve it. People seem to assume that to be
governed by impulse means, only “ bad impulse,” and they
endeavour to counteract it by trying to work upon the judg
ment, a faculty which these boys have not got, and so cannot
possibly be influenced by it. There never was a weak boy yet
that was deterred from doing wrong by ultimate distant con
sequences he was to learn from thinking about them. It is idle
to attempt to manage him otherwise than by creating and foster
ing generous impulses to keep in check the baser ones. And
the greatest delicacy is required in effecting this. It is not
enough to do a substantial good. Substantial good is Oiten diy
or repulsive on the surface, and must be understood to be
valued ; just, again, what boys are unable to do. . . Strong
natures may understand and value the reality. Women, and
such children as these, will not be affected by it, unless it shows
on the surface what is in the heart. Provided you will do it in
a kind, sympathising manner, you may do what you please with
them ; otherwise nothing you do will affect them at all.
HYMN iSo.
�8
MEDITATION.
As we gather to-day, apart from the conventional world of
worshippers, we are still between those vast realms of moral
good and evil which are reflected in all human consciousness.
Beneath, stretches that abyss which human imagination has
peopled with demons and devils, and the manifold tortures of
souls in eternal pain and despair ; above, the fair realms of joy
with its spirits of light, angels, cherubim and seraphim. But
these are all within each of us. All those demons mean only
hearts sunk low in selfishness ; all those angels mean hearts
raised high in burning love. Not mean or poor is any lot which
gives room to deny self, to put all self-seeking passions under
foot, to ascend by the ardour and spirit of love. There is the
grand conflict between angel and demon waged, the struggle
between light and darkness, and there the victory is being won.
Great is love 1 Whether it sends its sweet influence through a
community or a home, whether it is saving a world or a heart,
great and divine is love! For it closes over and hides
the dark region of guilt and baseness within us, it quickens the
mind and expands the heart to their fulness of life. In each
heart are the two doors—one opening downward to the pit of
selfishness in all its forms, one opening upwards to the purest
joys ; and it is when we give all to the spirit of Love that the
hell is for ever conquered, and we build around us henceforth our
eternal heaven.
ANTHEM 22.
�THE RELIGION OF CHILDREN.
In some respects the child living in the present age
finds its lines fallen in pleasant places. It is not, like
its ancestors, tortured with nauseous drugs, nor so
much with the rod. The clergyman no longer pro
nounces over the babe at baptism, as he once did,
“ I command thee, unclean spirit, that thou come out
of this infantnor delivers it up to be dealt with as
if its natural temper and will were efforts of the unclean
spirit to get back again. In Iceland the old people
account for elves by saying that once when the Al
mighty visited Eve after the fall, she kept most of her
children out of the way because they were not washed;
on which these were sentenced to be always invisible,
were turned into elves, and became the progenitors of
such. But we are beginning to be more merciful than
that even for the unwashed, and have gone a consider
able way towards humanising them and making them
presentable.
�Id
As to their literary culture and entertainment, there
were probably more good and attractive books for
children published in the last ten years than in the
whole of the last century. Many of the finest writers
of our generation—Dickens, Thackeray, Hawthorne,
Kingsley—the list would be long—have rightly thought
it a high task of genius to write books for children.
But in religious matters the children can hardly be
congratulated on the age upon which they have fallen.
The child is a piece of nature—physical, mental, moral
nature. Heaven and earth meet in it; the laws of
reason are in its instincts as well as zoologic laws;
and these harmonise in it. The child is a unit. Con
science is for a time external; it knows good and evil
in the parental conscience, not in itself. There is no
divorce between the two kinds of goodness—what
is good for eye and mouth, and what is good, for the
soul. There is no fruit inwardly forbidden. Confucius
said 11 Heaven and earth are without doubleness,’’ but
Hebrew Scriptures say God has made all things double
—one is set against the other. Our theology has been
largely evolved out of this Hebraism, but our children
live morally in that primitive age which cannot realise
profoundly any dualism. The child, therefore, lives in
a heaven and earth without doubleness; if its parent
only consents to a thing, it feels no misgiving; but it
is early introduced to a religion full, not only of double-
�II
ness, but of duplicity. It is the gangrene of our
age that it says one thing and means another; professes one thing and believes another; and nearly
.
every child, taught any religion at all, is taug t mgs
incongruous. I used, in childhood, to wonder about
the meaning of that prayer in the Zh Dam,
e
us never be confounded;” but as time went on,
whatever else was obscure, the confusion grew clear.
Not only that old sense of a word which reqmres
philology to explain ; but the sense of every chapter
•n the Bible, every sentence in the Catechism,
requires the interpretation of knowledge and. expe
rience; whilst the sentences being m Eng ,
apparently, the young mind is compelled
p
some meaning into them-a meaning pretty certain
to be wrong—or else be put to confusion It is not,
however, the double tongue of formal teaching wh 1
is worst; the mental confusion is not so bad as the
moral; and there it is impossible to conceive anything
more anomalous than most of the rehg.ous induct o
—so-called—around us. It is the necessity of the
home, the nursery, and of the school, that the c>
should be taught to be forgiving, gentle knd and
never angry or hateful. It is instructed that all
X be «». But just so fast, and so far as
dogmas can be crammed into the child, it is1 asyste
which begins with God’s wrath against the whole
�12
world, and ends with Christ’s damnation of vast
multitudes. A little boy in an American family with
which I am acquainted, being in a passion with his
playmate, declared that he hated him, and never
would see him again. His sister rebuked him, told
him that was very wrong, and not like Christ. “ Christ
never hated and abused others, not even his enemies.”
“No,” said the boy, “but he’s going to.”
It may be that only one boy in many would be
clear-headed enough to say that, but many can feel
what one or none can say. It is impossible that
children can be taught in one breath a vindictive
Christianity and a gentle Christianity—dogmas of
fear and principles of trust—and not imbibe either
muddy waters of confusion or the waters of bitterness,
where they should find only fountains of light and joy.
In one respect the Reformation had an unhappy effect
upon the work of nurturing little children. It trans
ferred the care of “ saving its soul,” as it is called,
from the outside to the inside of a head too small to
manage it. In the Catholic family the drop of holy
water and sign of the cross on the child’s forehead are
alone required; and for many years it is mainly left to a
natural growth; at any rate, not encouraged to grapple
with everlasting problems.
Under the reformed
religion there grew an increasing anxiety as to how
the souls of the children were to be saved; and the
�13
way fixed on was to stimulate strongly its fears and its
hopes.
Luther brought with him a bright children s para
dise from the Church of Rome. Here is his letter to
his son, aged 4 :—•
il Grace and peace in Christ, my dearly beloved
little son. I am glad to know that you are learning
well and that you say your prayers. So do, my little
son, and persevere; and^hen I come home I will
bring home with me a present from the annual fair.
I know of a pleasant and beautiful garden into which
many children go, where they have golden little coats,
and gather pretty apples under the trees, and pears,
and cherries, and plums (pflaumen), and yellow
plums (spillen); where they sing, leap, and are
merry; where they also have beautiful little horses,
with golden bridles and silver saddles. When I
asked the man that owned the garden ‘ Whose are
these children ? ’ he said ‘ They are the children that
love to learn, and to pray, and are pious.’
“ Then I said, ‘ Dear Sir, I also have a son I he is
called Johnny Luther (Hanischen Luther). May he
not come into the garden, that he may eat such
beautiful apples and pears, and ride such a little
horse, and play with these children ? ’ Then the man
said ‘ If he loves to pray and to learn, and is pious,
he shall also come into the garden; Philip too, and
�14
little James; and if they all come together, then they
may have likewise whistles, kettle-drums, lutes and
harps; they may dance also, and shoot with little
crossbows.’
“Then he showed me a beautiful green grass
plot in the garden prepared for dancing, where hang
nothing but golden fifes, drums, and elegant silver
cross-bows. But it was now early, and the children
had not yet eaten. Thereupon I could not wait for
the dancing, and I said to the man, ‘ Ah, dear Sir,
I will instantly go away and write about all of this to
my little son John; that he may pray earnestly, and
learn well, and be pious, so that he may also come
into this garden; but he has an aunt Magdalene,
may he bring her with him ? ’ Then said the man,
(So shall it be ; go and write to him with confidence.’
Therefore, dear little John, learn and pray with de
light ; and tell Philip and James, too, that they must
learn and pray; so you shall come with one another
into the garden. With this I commend you to
Almighty God—and give my love to aunt Magdalene ;
give her a kiss for me. Your affectionate father,
Martin Luther.” (In the year 1530.)
It is plain that the man who wrote that letter was
himself a child. Thunder for the Emperor, lightning
for the Pope, but a shower of rainbows for little
Johnny. But that child’s paradise is now as obsolete
�iS
as the Elysian Fields, or the Indian’s happy hunting
ground There was already a worm amid its blossoms
while Luther described them: for Calvinism was
lurking near, with terrors to blacken not only the earth
but the blue sky. Happily for Johnny, his father was
not logical, else it might have occurred to him that if
prayer and piety were the way to reach the heavenly
garden, they would naturally be the chief occupation
there. But Calvin was logical; and there is no worse
affliction than your logical man when his premisses
are false. Calvinism made heaven into a large Presby
terian assembly, all the children turned to rigidly
righteous elders ; no children there at all. One by one
in the child’s paradise the blossoms fell blighted.
Instead of the dance, behold a Puritan Sabbath school;
instead of plums and cherries, texts and hymns ; cross
bows yield to catechisms ; and the child learned at last
that its heaven was to be a place where congrega
tions ne’er break up, and Sabbaths have no end.
Well, we have measurably recovered from that. . At
least, many well-to-do families have; the Puritan
paradise is one we are generally quite willing to give to
the poor. It is still largely the ragged-school para
dise, and I suspect that endless Sabbath fixes m many
a ragged boy the resolve never to go there. Meanwhi e,
for the children of a happier earthly lot, the fading away
of the little Luther paradise has left them almost none at
�i6
all. Protestantism, with its education, has shot out
into various theories of the future life for grown-up
people. The Reformer hopes for a scene of endless
progress. The Theologian imagines the supreme bliss
of seeing his own doctrines proved true, and his oppo
nents’ all wrong. The Baptist’s heaven shows the
sprinkling parson confounded; and the Wesleyan will
shout glory at the convicted Calvinist. “ There,” say all
of them, “ we shall see eye to eye”—that is, everybody
shall see as we always saw.
But what has all this to do with the children ? They
do not care for the theological heaven, nor the heaven
of endless progress. The learned Protestant world is
so absorbed in the controversy whether there be any
future at all, that it forgets the little ones who would
like to know whether it be a future worth having.
What is provided for them as the reward of their
prayers, piety, and self-denial ? They go to church ;
they read the Bible; they sit through the tragedy;
but when they look for the curtain to rise on beauty
and happiness, it rises on metaphysical mist, not by
any means attractive or even penetrable to a child.
Since, for us, Luther’s plum-paradise, and the
Puritan paradise, are equally gone beyond recall, we
may look at them calmly and impartially; and we
may see that both have their suggestiveness, and
point to a truth. Luther’s letter is a celebration of
�17
the child’s nature—the purity and sweetness and
even holiness of its little aims and joys. It is like
birds singing over again the old theme—“ Of such
is the kingdom of heaven.’’ But the paradise
Luther promised his child was much too definite.
He went too far into detail; and when little
Johnny grew from the age of four to ten or
twelve, and during that time had learned his lessons,
he would see his paradise losing its summer beauty.
By that time he might have outgrown the whistles, and
become careless of kettle-drums. He might prefer
gold in his pocket to a golden coat. He might find
it, as time went on, impossible to stimulate prayer by
a prospect of silver cross-bows, or even of yellow
plums. And so leaf by leaf, blossom by blossom, his
paradise would fade away; and it could never bloom
again.
On the other hand, the Puritan paradise, with all its
sombreness, did have the advantage of raising the
mind to large conceptions. It was false—cruelly false
__in crushing the innocent mirth and despising the
little aims of the child. That which Puritanism called
petty, was not petty. The boy at his sports is training
the sinews which master the world. The doll quickens
to activity maternal tenderness. It is said Zoroaster
was born laughing, and a sage prophesied he would
be greatest of men. That sage was wiser than the
�i8
Puritan. But it is not necessary to chill the mirth or
to dispel the illusions of childhood, in order to
keep it from the delusion of holding on to its small
pleasures as if the use of existence lay between a
penny trumpet on earth and a golden trumpet in
heaven.
It appears to me that the true religion of a child
is to grow ; and when it is old, its religion will
still be to grow. The child ■will turn from its toys ;
will return to them after longer and longer intervals ;
and lastly leave them, and turning say, “ Mother, what
shall I be when I grow up ? ”
If the mother only knew it, all the catechisms on
earth have no question so sacred as that! The
child that dreams of its future in the great wrorld has
already learned far enough for the time the pettiness
of life’s transient aims : it is already overarched by
an infinite heaven. In the great roaring world, seen
from afar, nothing is defined, nothing limited—it is a
boundless splendour of possibility. All that man
or woman may dream of heaven, a child may dream
of the great world of thought and action into which it
must enter at last, and find there a heaven or a helk
Religion can teach the child no higher lesson than
that, nor stimulate its good motives by any nobler
conception. As its sports train to manly strength, its
little pleasures develop the longing for intellectual
�i9
and moral joys. And if the parent’s tongue is not
equal to the high task of telling the truth about the
tragic abyss of evil to be shunned, or the beautiful
heights of excellence to be won, there are noble
books awaiting the child, the boy, the youth j ready
to meet every phase of the growth, and follow every
fading leaf with a flower more fair, more full of
promise than the cast-off toy or pastime.
What a training for the child entering upon school
life are the stories of Miss Edgeworth—a training in
manliness, independence, sincerity, and justice,
which can make the playground the arena of heroism
and duty ! And there is Scott: the horizon grows
lustrous with noble presences, as the boy reads.
Dickens will tell him the romance of humble life
how kindness and sympathy can find pearls in London
gutters, and scatter them again wherever they go.
Plutarch’s “Lives” frescoe earth and heaven with
heroic forms that remain through life as guardians of
conscience and measures of honourable conduct.
Happily the catalogue is long—too long to be now
repeated—of the good books which tell the young,
what brave and faithful men have done, and can do,
to help the weak, redress wrong, uplift truth and
justice, and make human lives melodious and beau
tiful amid the jarring discords of the world.
And the lives of noblest men and women have for
�20
their dark background the evils they conquered, the
wrongs they assailed; evils and wrongs which are the
■only real hell to be shunned. It is only the fictitious
hell that terrifies the child. The snare set on pur
pose to injure it by a “ ghostly enemy ” ; the dangers it
incurs unknowingly, from an invisible assailant it
may not avoid; these are the terrors that unnerve
and unman. The real dangers of life, when seen,
nerve the strength, man the heart, endow with resolu
tion and courage.
The old man said to a child afraid to go into the
dark—“Go on, child; you will see nothing worse
than yourself.” And that is the fundamental doctrine
for a child. All the hells—their mouths wide open
on the street—the seductive haunts of vice in all its
shapes—they are the creations of human passion and
appetite. According to what they find in us do those
fell dragons devour us, or else feel the point of our
spear in their throat.
And even so we make or mar our own heaven.
Our acts our angels are, or good or ill,
Our fatal shadows that walk by us still.
The little boy came to his mother, angry and weep
ing, complaining that in the hills some other boy
had called him bad names. He had searched, but
could not find him. But the mother well knew that
other concealed abuser of her son. il It was,” she said,
�21
“but the echo of your own voice. Had you called
out pleasant names, pleasant names had been returned
to you; and all through life, as you give forth to the
world, so shall it be returned unto you.
Amid these ever-present hells and heavens your
child must move—onward from the cradle to the
grave : why give it dismay or hope of heavens and
hells not present ? Do not pour that living heart into
ancient moulds and examples, even the best. While
it has to thread its way through London, why give it
the map of Jerusalem? While it must live high or
low in the nineteenth century, why bid it build for a
distant age or clime? True it is, that a noble and
brave life is worthy to be studied, whether lived mthe
year One or One thousand or in r877 J but its noble
ness is in itself, not in its accidents of time and space,
not in its vesture of name and scenery. When a youth
reads of the fidelity of Phocion, is it that he may
confront Alexander, or withstand the follies oi
Athenians ? It is that he may be true and faithful m
his relations to living men and women. If he fancies
that it is like Phocion to slay the slain, and deal with
dead issues, let him repair to Don Quixote, and see
what comes of fighting phantoms and giants that do
not exist And if the life be that of Christ, the fact is
nowise changed. That life is not yet written ; we have
the figure-head of a Jewish sect, painted to suit itself, and
�22
-called Christ; the figure-head of Gentile sect, painted
to suit itself, and called Christ; and so we have a Greek,
an Alexandrian, a Roman, a Protestant Christ, each
with its sectarian colours and glosses; each an anomaly
.and an impossibility. There is no volume you can put
into the hand of a child, and honestly call the Life of
Christ. The time has not come when that great man
can be brought forth as he really was, to quicken men
instead of supporting prejudice. But where there is
no prejudice instilled, the heart may be trusted to
pick out from the New Testament the record of a
valiant soul, the deeds of a hero, thoughts of a sage,
death of a martyr; and these too will help to idealise
life for the young, and teach them its magnificent
possibilities. Let the child know well that all it reads
of Christ is true of itself. Let him know that all he
reads there or elsewhere which marks that or any
■other life off from human life, as something miracu
lous, is mere fable• and that his own daily life
is passed amid wonders equally great, and conditions
just as sacred and sublime. Ah, how sublime!
What tears are there to be wiped away ; what faces
of agony to which smiles may be called ; what wrongs
to be righted, high causes to be helped; what heights
of excellence to be won—summits all shining with the
saintly souls that have climbed them, and radiant with
the glories of which poets and prophets have dreamed I
�23
That teaching which belittles our own time, and
lowers our powers beneath those of any other, may be
called a religion, but it is a moral blight and a curse.
When we demand of our children the very highest
aims that were ever aspired to, the very truest,
noblest lives ever lived—nor let them be overshadowed
by any names, however great—then shall we see rising
our own prophets and heroes, and see our own world
redeemed by a devotion not wasted on a buried society,
by an enthusiasm no longer lavished on a world for us
unborn.
HYMN 191.
Oh yet we trust that somehow good
Will be the final goal of ill,
To pangs of nature, sins-of will,
Defects of doubt, and taints of blood.
DISMISSAL.
Printed
by waterlow and sons limited,
London wall, London.
�WORKS TO BE OBTAINED IN THE LIBRARY.
BY M. D. CONWAY, M.A.
The Sacred Anthology: A Book
of Ethnical Scriptures.........................
The Earthward Pilgrimage
Do.
do.
Republican Superstitions.........................
Christianity
>.....................................
Human Sacrifices in England ..
David Frederick Strauss.........................
Sterling and Maurice.........................
Intellectual Suicide .
.........................
The First Love again.........................
Our Cause and its Accusers
Alcestis in England
.........................
Unbelief: its nature, cause, and cure ..
Entering Society ..
PRICES.
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NEW WORK BY M. D. CONWAY, M. A.
Idols and Ideals {including the Essay
on Christianity^ 350 pp.
7 6
Members of the Congregation can obtain this
work in the Library at 5/-.
BY A. J. ELLIS, B.A., F.R.S., &c., &c.
Salvation....................................................... 0
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Truth
....................................................... 0
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Speculation
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Duty
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The Dyer's Hand........................................... 0
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BY REV. P. H. WICKSTEED, M.A.
0
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The Modern Analogue of the Ancient
Prophet....................................................... 0
1
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Going Through and Getting Over
••
BY REV. T. W. FRECKELTON.
BY W. C. COUPLAND, M.A.
The Conduct of Life
Hymns and Anthems
................................ 0
*
..
2
V-, 2Si-
�
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Victorian Blogging
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A collection of digitised nineteenth-century pamphlets from Conway Hall Library & Archives. This includes the Conway Tracts, Moncure Conway's personal pamphlet library; the Morris Tracts, donated to the library by Miss Morris in 1904; the National Secular Society's pamphlet library and others. The Conway Tracts were bound with additional ephemera, such as lecture programmes and handwritten notes.<br /><br />Please note that these digitised pamphlets have been edited to maximise the accuracy of the OCR, ensuring they are text searchable. If you would like to view un-edited, full-colour versions of any of our pamphlets, please email librarian@conwayhall.org.uk.<br /><br /><span><img src="http://www.heritagefund.org.uk/sites/default/files/media/attachments/TNLHLF_Colour_Logo_English_RGB_0_0.jpg" width="238" height="91" alt="TNLHLF_Colour_Logo_English_RGB_0_0.jpg" /></span>
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Conway Hall Library & Archives
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2018
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Conway Hall Ethical Society
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The religion of children : a discourse, with readings and meditation, given at South Place Chapel, October 21, 1877
Creator
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Conway, Moncure Daniel, 1832-1907
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Place of publication: [London]
Collation: 23, [1] p. ; 15 cm.
Notes: Includes extract from the text of 'The spirit's trials' by J.A. Froude. Printed by Waterlow and Sons Limited, London Wall. With a list of 'works to be obtained in the Library' of South Place Chapel at the end of pamphlet. Part of Morris Miscellaneous Tracts 1.
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[South Place Chapel]
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[1877]
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G3337
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Religion
Education
Child rearing
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<img src="http://i.creativecommons.org/p/mark/1.0/88x31.png" alt="Public Domain Mark" /><br /><span>This work (The religion of children : a discourse, with readings and meditation, given at South Place Chapel, October 21, 1877), identified by </span><span><a href="https://conwayhallcollections.omeka.net/items/show/www.conwayhall.org.uk">Humanist Library and Archives</a></span><span>, is free of known copyright restrictions.</span>
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English
Child Rearing-Moral and Ethical Aspects
Children
Moral Education
Morris Tracts
Religious Education
-
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& 2-37 2-
NATIONAL SECULAR SOCIETY
PRICE TWOPENCE
THE
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
OF CHILDREN
BY THE LATE
Rev. JAMES CRANBROOK
(EDINBURGH)
[issued for the rationalist press association, ltd.]
London :
WATTS & CO.,
17, JOHNSON’S COURT, FLEET STREET, E.C.
1908
��THE RELIGIOUS EDUCATION OF
CHILDREN
Religion is only a form of feeling. This needs to be dis
tinctly understood, or else we shall blunder at every step we
take. But I feel I have no occasion to go into any very
elaborate proof of it, as most rational thinkers have become
familiar with the arguments on which it rests. They know
that religion is not the observance of forms and ceremonies,
inasmuch as men may observe all these most punctiliously
and yet be mere hypocrites and pretenders to the religious
life. Nor is religion the belief of certain creeds, inasmuch
as men have held parts of every kind of orthodoxy, and yet
been most atrociously impious. But, as it is generally
expressed, it is a state of the heart, of the feelings, a state
of faith, reverence, awe, love, dependence, or fear, according
to the character of the divine object presented to the mind.
No distinction can be more important than that of this
modern one between theology and religion. It is necessary
to the interpretation of all the religious history of the past,
and to all intelligent religious action in the present. Religion
is the feeling which arises when a divine object is presented
to the mind ; theology is the explanation the intellect gives
of that object, its nature, character, and relations, the analysis
of the feeling itself, and the exposition of the forms of expres
sion or worship to which the feeling gives rise. So that it is
quite clear that religion must precede theology in the order of
time; the thing analysed and explained, ?>., must come
before the analysis and explanation. And it is further clear
that religion and theology may exist quite independently of
3
�4
THE RELIGIOUS EDUCATION OF CHILDREN
each other—i.e., the intellectual process which explains is
quite a different thing from the emotional state which seeks
for the explanation. A man may feel deeply, and yet, through
defect of intellect, be entirely without the theological know
ledge ; or he may through his power of intellect understand
the whole question of the theology, and yet seldom or never
in the faintest degree be the subject of the religious feeling.
Bearing in mind, then, these distinctions, what is it we are
inquiring into when we propose to ourselves the subject of
a child’s religious education ?
By religious education do we mean the education of that
feeling which arises upon the perception of a divine object?
or do we mean the analysis and ascertaining of the truths or
facts respecting the divine object of the feeling—z.e., theo
logy? or do we mean both the education of the feeling and
of the intellectual process of its interpretation ? Now, if I
mistake not, the popular idea of religious education is wholly
limited to the second meaning—z.e., the learning of theology.
Hence, e.g\, you will see in the prospectuses of various
schools a long rigmarole about the great importance they
attach to religious education, and the pains they give to it ;
and then, when you come to look into the processes by which
they carry on this important work, you will find that it often
happens that the sole effort they make in this direction with
one class for a whole year is to instruct their pupils in the
question of the Christian evidences 1 Now, I admit to the
fullest extent the great importance of this question. It is
one of the great questions of the day. In matters of theo
logy, it is the great question. But it is not a question of
religion. It is a question of historical criticism. And
historical criticism is a science of recent times, and requires
more learning, hard and dry study, power of acute and
accurate reasoning, and maturity of judgment than any other
science of the same class. To set children, therefore, to the
study of the Christian evidences, and then to call this
�THE RELIGIOUS EDUCATION OF CHILDREN
5
proceeding their religious education, seems to me as egregious
a piece of blundering as ever was perpetrated, and at the
same time proves what I said—that in popular estimation
religious education means, for the most part, education in
theology.
I do not mean to say, however, that there is no religious
education. On the contrary, there is a great deal of it,
Sometimes too much, and out of all proportion. But it is
carried on, and especially by pious mothers, without any
idea that it is education, and, consequently, without any
thought or system. The only thing called and attended to
as education consists of theological doctrines. But, in the
sense in which I speak of religious education, it is the first
of those I named—z’.e., the education of that feeling or those
feelings which arise upon the presentation to the mind of a
divine object, or, in other words, on the contemplation of the
mystery of the universe—the education of the feelings of
wonder, awe, reverence, love, and dependence. It is not
forming our minds to the study of theological truth. That
may be used as a means of religious education indirectly ;
and we may see thereafter that it is a means. But the
religious education itself is the development, direction, and
promotion of the growth of the religious feeling, the
purifying it from gross superstitions and sensual elements,
and rendering it elevated and elevating, pure and purifying,
noble and ennobling. Now, by what process is this to be
effected ? I have already alluded to the means generally
employed. Pious parents feel it their duty at the very
earliest period to begin with teaching their children theology—
notions respecting God, the soul, eternity—and in instructing
them in the feelings they ought to cherish with regard to
these objects. As soon as they can lisp, they teach them to
say prayers ; as soon as they can repeat sentences like a
parrot, they teach them a catechism. Now, not only is this
most destructive to the intellect, by teaching the child to use
�6
THE RELIGIOUS EDUCATION OF CHILDREN
words without a meaning, but it is creating in the child, so
far as it awakens religious feeling at all, a merely super
stitious religion founded on a false theology, which it will
afterwards have to correct. It is sad to reflect that in most
schools children receive to-day the same ideas in regard to
the universe and the destiny of man which their ancestors
entertained, and which are in direct contradiction to con
temporary knowledge.
Let us take as an illustration of what I mean the first two
questions of the simplest and the most generally used cate
chism for little children I know—Dr. Watts’s. I have known
it taught to children three years old, and, of course, before
they could read ; and have constantly heard it referred to as
the very model of a manual for the purpose. And most
certainly it represents the spirit—and very much of the letter
—of teaching children yet in their early years. It begins
with asking: “Can you tell me, child, who made you?”
The answer is: “The Great God who made heaven and
earth.” Now, here at the very outset are two notions
involving the most recondite and difficult ideas, which lie
utterly beyond a child’s comprehension. What idea can a
child have of God which is not utterly false ? Whatnotion
can the words convey but what is grossly superstitious? To
give the word “ God ” to a young child without explanation
is to teach him to use words without meaning—the greatest
curse of most people’s lives. To attempt to give him an
explanation is simply to call his creative fancy into play, by
means of which he will form for himself a most ridiculous
idol. If you awaken religion at all—i.e., feeling towards this
misconceived object, this idol—it will be a religion as super
stitious as ever was that of pagan nations. But then, in this
answer there is another notion besides that of God, and as
utterly incomprehensible to a child—that of a cosmogony—
the generation of a world, of the universe. What are you
going to say to a young child about God’s making the
�THE RELIGIOUS EDUCATION OF CHILDREN
7
heavens and the earth? Will you explain, supposing you
are able to do so? He could not comprehend. Would you
leave it unexplained, and let him form his own notions?
“ Oh,” you say ; “ who would think to teach a child your fine
scientific ideas ? I would leave him to the plain common
sense meaning of the words; every child knows what to make
means.” To be sure ! You are quite right. A child knows
what to make means, for he has seen your cook make pastry,
or he has made mud houses in the streets ; so he takes the
meaning of to make as thus learned—the only thing he can
do, according to the laws of thought—and applies the notion
to God’s making the heavens and the earth ! Is that, how
ever, the meaning you would have him take the words in ?
Do you think such a notion will produce in him any deep
religion—that is, reverence, wonder, love, dependence upon
him who has done for the heavens and the earth what the
child knows he has done for the mud house made in the
streets? It is all an absurdity together. If the child think
and feel about it at all, it will be false thought and feeling.
If he do not think and feel, he has learned to use words
without attending to the ideas they represent.
Let us now go on to the second question in the cate
chism, recollecting we quote it, not merely because it is very
generally used, but because it exactly expresses the spirit of
what is called “ religious ” education where it is not used.
That question is : “ What does this Great God do for you?”
“He keeps me from harm by night and by day, and is always
doing me good.” Now, the criticism upon this is very short
and very sharp. In the only sense in which a young child
could understand it, it is absolutely untrue. In the only
sense in which anybody could understand it, it is partially
untrue. God does not keep us from harm by night and by
day, and is not always doing us good. He sometimes lets
us get into a very great deal of harm, and sometimes does us
a great deal of evil. “Oh, but that is all for wise and
�8
THE RELIGIOUS EDUCATION OF CHILDREN
gracious purposes.” But the catechism does not say so ;
and besides, whatever the purpose, harm is harm, evil is
evil ; and, in the sense of the catechism, God does not keep
us from the one and does inflict the other. What of truth
would there have been in the answer if those children who
lost their lives in the fire last week had repeated it before they
went to bed? “ He keeps me from harm by night and by day,
and is always doing me good ’’—and yet to wake up in the
agony of suffocation and a horrible death by fire ! “ Oh,
yes,” you say ; “ but those poor children may have been saved
from worse calamities by this premature death, agonising
and dreadful as it was.”
Ay ! but to die and go we know not where,
To lie in cold obstruction and to rot;
This sensible, warm motion to become
A kneaded clod........... ’tis too horrible !
The weariest and most loathed worldly life
That age, ache, penury, and imprisonment
Can lay on nature is a paradise
To what we fear of death.
But, indeed, all the poets might be quoted in the same strain,
showing that our human nature shrinks from death as the
greatest of earthly evils ; nor could any sophistry persuade
one that it were better to die the agonising death of those
children than to live on in poverty. What I say, therefore,
is that that catechism does not teach truth when it teaches
“God keeps us,” etc. He may have higher and wiser pur
poses to serve than we could comprehend; but in our mortal
state harm is constantly happening to us, and we constantly
suffer evil. If, therefore, the child’s religion be founded upon
such teaching, it will be an erring, blind, superstitious reli
gion. It will trust God for what it will not get, depend upon
him for what he will not do ; and the consequence will be, if
the child ever become thoughtful, he will have to abandon,
and perhaps with agonising conflicts and doubts, all you
have ever taught.
�THE RELIGIOUS EDUCATION OF CHILDREN
9
Having thus prepared the way, the next step generally
taken in the child’s religious education is to introduce a
catechism of a more theologically recondite character. It
may be taught at school or at home. But, with any notion
of religion, the idea of training a child in it at school,
surrounded by a large and restless class, and all the want of
seriousness which belongs to children’s nature, is simply
preposterous. It is the work of home ; of solitude, if pos
sible ; of quiet, if not sombre ; but certainly serious
circumstances. However, that is of no consequence now.
Let the education be conducted at home or at school, it is
generally most pernicious. The catechism most commonly
used in this country (Scotland) is, as everyone knows, the
Assembly’s. Now, I do not speak yet of the truth or untruth
of what it teaches—I speak of the capacity of the child to
comprehend. And I know of no thoughtful person who
would pretend that a boy or girl between eight and sixteen
could comprehend the doctrines, philosophical, metaphysical,
and theological, it contains. Again, I will pass over the
intellectual injury done by teaching a child to handle words
which convey to him no distinct or clear idea ; and I simply
ask, What is the result? It is obvious throughout society.
Children so taught are not even grounded in theology—they
are simply furnished with theological words ; they, therefore,
MS they advance in life, easily become indoctrinated with that
weak, watery, and illogical form of evangelicalism which has
become popular in our pulpits during recent years, and which
is infinitely more detestable than the stern, consistent, daring
Calvinism of the catechism. The last is the system of men
of strong, trained, logical minds ; the first is pure fanaticism.
But, even supposing a child could understand, what would
you have gained in the way of religious education? What
could the knowledge of some 500 (as I have heard say there
are) difficult questions of metaphysics, physics, philosophy,
and theology do towards developing in his nature the feelings
�IO
THE RELIGIOUS EDUCATION OF CHILDREN
of reverence, wonder, love, and dependence? Does feeling
spring forth from metaphysics ; emotion from philosophy ;
love from theology? Divine humanity, how thy history
shudders at the thought I No, it is other things than dry,
intellectual propositions which inspire feeling, and so long
as you are occupying the mind with the propositions of the
catechism you are necessarily keeping the attention from
those other things. And then, when you add to these
considerations the utter falsehood of the theology of the
catechism, the gross and wicked representations it contains
of the character and government of God, and the pernicious
effect this, so far as it is understood and heartily believed,
must have upon the whole character, one is forced to conclude
that the so-called “ religious ” education of the masses of
children in this country is altogether irreligious, and one
continued misnomer and mistake.
There is one other catechism used, upon which I need
here only make but a passing remark. I refer to the
catechism of the Church of England, used in this country
also, I believe, by the Episcopalians. As an epitome of
theology, it is altogether deficient. It has the advantage,
however, of being entirely practical in the body of it, and,
therefore, immeasurably superior to the Assembly’s as a
manual for a child. But then, on the other hand, it begins
and ends with the monstrous notions about the sacraments
which place the system bound up with them on a level with
the magic of the rain-makers of South Africa. I would
rather, however, that children were taught this than to think
of God under the awfully malignant aspects in which he is
represented in the Assembly’s catechism. I have already
referred to the additions which are made to the religious (!)
education of children in some schools by instruction in the
evidences of Christianity, and in the same connection may
be mentioned what is called Bible history. I have shown
you that teaching the evidences is not teaching religion, but
�THE RELIGIOUS EDUCATION OF CHILDREN
ii
the application of the science of historical criticism, and that,
if it be done thoroughly, it requires a knowledge and a
development of faculties no child can possess. And how
Bible history could be thought specially connected with
religion one would be at a loss to imagine, if it were not
for that doctrine of inspiration which is now becoming
rejected by all the more advanced of even the orthodox
school. It is true that Bible history refers all events to the
immediate and direct management of God ; but so do all the
histories of people in their ancient, barbarous state. In the
early histories of Greece and Rome, e.g., the gods were
always interfering as much as in the early history of the
Hebrews, and if this fact constitutes the Bible history
religious, all ancient histories are religious. And then,
while I grant that certain forms of religious feeling may be
excited by some of the facts and events of Bible history, I
must add, they are superstitious and erroneous forms, mostly
connected with that doctrine of a special providence against
which the whole experience of mankind protests. I do not say
anything now about the intellectual mischief done by teaching
Bible history as it stands ; because it is not greater than that
done by teaching the events of the siege of Troy, the
wanderings of Ulysses, and the stories of Romulus and
Remus as true history, excepting, indeed, that the sacred
element mingled with the Bible history renders it more
difficult to discern the purely mythical character of the
narrative.
Well, then, when I consider what religion is, and what is
the formal and systematic education given to a child to culti
vate the religion, I am forced to conclude there is little of a
directly systematic religious character in it; and that what
little there is is of an erroneous character, only leading to
mischief. Parents and teachers substitute theology for reli
gion, and indoctrinate with a theology which I deem utterly
false. But I do not mean that children therefore get no
�12
THE RELIGIOUS EDUCATION OF CHILDREN
religious education. Nature has been to them too bountiful
for that, and begins their education in religion almost as soon
as it is begun in knowledge. She surrounds the child from
its earliest days with objects calling forth its reverence,
wonder, love, dependence, worship, and thus gradually
prepares it for the devout recognition of God. Spontane
ously, Nature furnishes the child with all that is necessary
for the culture of its religious life for many years. First of
all, just as in the Book of Exodus Jehovah is represented as
saying to Moses, “ Lo! I have made thee God unto Pharaoh ”
—z.e., by the miracles he enabled him to work—so Nature
makes the parent God to the child through the miracles of
power, wisdom, and goodness which the parent seems to the
child to display. The parent, if of ordinary attainments and
character, stands up before the child as a mysterious source
of knowledge, wisdom, supply, protection, and happiness—
incomprehensible to it, and calling forth all its wonder and
faith, all its devotion and love, all its reverence and depen
dence. The word of the parent is infallible ; the action of
the parent is necessarily right. He has a seeming omni
potence about him, an irresistible will. What is there a little
child thinks his father cannot do? What is there his mother
does not know? For what of love will he not trust her
wholly? Yes, a little child has nothing greater he could
imagine to make a God out of than the parent. Nothing he
could imagine (seeing it would be but an imagination) could
by any means call forth half the depth and intensity of reli
gious feeling the parent calls forth. Practically the parent is
the young child’s God ; he knows no other, can know no
other; and no other, simply by the knowing, could do him
any good. And when the mother, in her ignorance, takes
him upon her knee and strives to make him understand
about the God she imagines, and is ready, perhaps, to burst
into tears because her efforts are so much in vain, all the
while great Nature is developing the child’s deepest and
�1
THE RELIGIOUS EDUCATION OF CHILDREN
13
truest religious life through the trust and love awakened in
his heart by the light and love which pour into his soul from
her eyes. By and by, however, as the child’s intellectual
nature is developed, the perception dawns upon him that the
parent is not quite so powerful and wise as he had thought.
There are things he cannot do, things he does not know ;
trust gets disappointed, dependence is shaken. Then a
higher object becomes necessary to call forth the perfect
reverence and trust the parent can no longer do ; and,
generally, that object is found in the teacher. I would not
speak with the same certainty with respect to the teachers of
large schools as with regard to those in smaller ones, where
the connection between master and pupil is more intimate.
But in a well-ordered school a boy looks up with profound
reverence and trust to his master, and regards him for long
years as the very embodiment of wisdom and knowledge.
Here again, then, is the provision made in nature for the
direct culture of the religious nature of the child—not by
means of a dogma, but by bringing the mind into contact
with real objects, which necessarily excite those feelings in
the exercise of which religion consists. After a while, how
ever, even the teacher’s wisdom is found sometimes to fail,
and his knowledge to have its soundings. Then the sceptical
period in the child’s mind is renewed. There are, however,
other provisions as useful as these, which, at this later
period, come into more active operation — I refer to the
grander object of Nature herself, ever appearing more grand
and glorious as our knowledge extends. From early years
such objects make some impression on the child, and they
would do more if he had judicious parents to guide his eye
sight. But it is in after years, when science has interpreted
the laws, the order, the forces of these objects to him, that
they make the deepest impression and excite the deepest
reverence, adoration, wonder, and dependence. It is then
that inquiry leads to the perception of the grand and awful
�i4
THE RELIGIOUS EDUCATION OF CHILDREN .
mystery which surrounds the whole universe ; and the mind
takes refuge from its exhausting, fruitless questionings in the
conception of an infinite, efficient, conscious force working in
all and by all. It is at this point religion and theology
mingle, and the latter becomes of any practical service to
the former. For when the active intellect has begun seriously
to inquire into the nature and origin of those deep feelings
which the great objects of the universe, its order, its mystery,
excite, its answers react upon these feelings according to the
attributes with which the answers clothe its conception of that
infinite, efficient Force into which it resolves the whole. If
that force be dealt with subjectively, and so have ascribed to it
human qualities and affections, there results an imagined
object which excites many other feelings besides those of
reverence, wonder, love, and dependence, and which may
degenerate into the lowest forms of superstition to which man
is liable. But if it be dealt with objectively, then it remains
the sublimely generalised conception of all the forces in the
universe, and is known, worshipped, and adored only as it
manifests itself in man and the outer world.
Now, this being the only form in which I can think of
God, the course of the child’s religious education seems to
me very simple. It merely consists in leading him face to
face with those objects which excite religious feeling. First,
as parents, by the development of his own nature to the
highest, preserving his reverence, wonder, love, and depen
dence until the last moment—which is natural ; then, as
teachers, securing his devotion by the real resources of
wisdom and knowledge we have treasured up in ourselves ;
and then, finally, when both these fail—and even concur
rently with them—ever lead him forth to gaze upon those
wondrous objects of which physical nature is full, and those
not less wondrous characters and events of which the history
of humanity is full. And as he gazes and marvels, the
deepest feelings of his being will be stirred, and he will
�THE RELIGIOUS EDUCATION OF CHILDREN
i5
begin to wonder and adore. But wonder and adore what?
At first blindly, and simply instinctively. But if this happen
before his knowledge is matured, he will soon construct for
himself a fetish. It is yours to stand by, and, by means of
clear, intellectual light, beat down the fetish. And so, in the
whole course of his progress, you must help him to destroy
all the false gods he will create for himself whilst attempting
to solve that mystery of Nature which makes him feel so
deeply, until, at last, he come to rest on the only thought
which remains for this and the coming age—a God who is
the all-in-all, ever immanent in all that is, the one absolute
force ; unknown in himself and unknowable, but recognised
and felt in the forces and order of universal Nature. To sum
up, then, I say : Never attempt to give a God to a child until
the child’s nature asks for one. And then your work will be
more destructive than positive—-the destruction of his idols as
he forms them. Leave theology as much as possible alone
until he learns it in history. If, in the meanwhile, you would
have his religious life be growing, reverence, adoration,
wonder, love, and dependence becoming deeper and more
habitual, you must not create for him imaginary beings by
the play of the metaphysical fancy, but you must lead him
to whatever is great, sublime, glorious, and divine in this
universe. To that direct his eye steadily, and by the act you
will place him under the influence of all that has power to
‘ inspire a pure, religious life.
WATTS AND CO., PRINTERS, 17, JOHNSON*S COURT, FLEET STREET, LONDON, E.C.
��
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The religious education of children
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THE CURSE OF MY EARLY LIFE.
By AN EMANCIPATED SLAVE.
PUBLISHED BY THOMAS SCOTT,
NO. 11, THE TERRACE, FARQUHAR ROAD,
UPPER NORWOOD, LONDON, S.E.
1 87 6.
Price Threepence.
��THE CURSE OF MY EARLY LIFE.
HE curse of my early life was religious superstition,
and I
for many
and
Tnights of hold it accountable for years of days health,
unnecessary terror,
bad
which had a lasting effect upon my constitution, for
hundreds of lost joys, for a deleterious exercise of mor
bid thought and feeling, for an irreparable waste of
misdirected effort, and for an irrecoverable forfeiture of
advantages and opportunities. In reviewing the his
tory of an individual or of a nation, it is of course
impossible to affirm with certainty what results would
have been produced if causes and influences had been
different; hut I know that I should have been happier,
and I believe that I should have been better and more
useful, if I had been brought up as a child of “ the
world,” than I have been under the training of ortho
dox Christianity. I cannot, therefore, repress a feeling
of bitter resentment against the system that kept me
so long in hopeless bondage. I owe it no generous
consideration, for it showed me none. It trampled
ruthlessly upon my finest feelings and my best
impulses ; it repressed all useful ambition in me ; and
it warped and cramped my energies and my whole
being. Entirely and for ever freed from its tyranny,
my only duty in connection with it is to do the
little that I can do to' effect the enfranchisement of
those who still remain in bondage to it. Perhaps a
brief sketch of my religious history may have some
influence in this direction. It may provoke the spirit
�4
The Curse of my Early Life.
of inquiry, that generally leads to freedom, amongst
those who suffer as I suffered, and it should at least
warn parents of the danger of flaunting the terrors of
religion before the keen sight and excitable imagination
of their young children.
At a very early age I was indoctrinated with the
mysteries and the horrors of the fashionable religion of
my time and country. I cannot remember when I did
not regard the Supreme Being as an awful Judge and
almighty Avenger, from whose eternal resentment there
seemed to me but a very small chance of escape for a
naughty little boy. It is true that I was told that, by
being washed in the blood of Christ, I should be made
clean and acceptable to God; but I could not in the
least understand the process, and consequently I felt
no confidence whatever in being so fortunate as to pass
through it. But although I felt no confidence, I was
glad to catch at this mysterious straw as my only
chance of salvation, as a trifling but suggestive incident
of my very early childhood will show. I distinctly
remember as if it had been yesterday, although I think
I could not have been more than six years old at the
time, that on a certain Sunday afternoon I was giving
free vent to my superfluous energy in various antics
upon a featherbed that for some reason had been placed
upon the floor of the nursery. Suddenly the awful
thought occurred to me—it was a genuine awakening
of conscience—that I was guilty of the heinous sin of
Sabbath-breaking. Bor one moment I was paralysed
with fear, but in the next I joyfully exclaimed—“ Oh!
never mind; the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth from
all sin;” and I toppled heels over head again on the
featherbed.
Of course my childish ideas of the Supreme Being
were extremely — almost ridiculously— anthropomor
phic, and in describing them it is not easy to avoid the
appearance of irreverence. It must be borne in mind,
however, that the God of my childhood is no God to me
�The Curse of my Early Elfe.
5
now, and that therefore I owe him no more reverence
than I owe to any other false deity. Once I dreamed
that this awful being appeared to me in person,
advancing towards me down our garden path. In my
terror I awoke before I knew the occasion of the awful
visitation. But what chiefly impressed me, and indeed
coloured my imagination for many years, was that this
God of my dream appeared in the form and likeness of
the keeper of the subscription gardens of the town in
which I lived. This man was tall and of a stately
bearing, and his aspect to me was not unfrequently
one of great sternness; for I often incurred his displea
sure by heedlessly running over his flowerbeds, as the
paramount exigencies of hide-and-seek or hunt-the-hare
impelled me, and, I must confess, by sometimes pluck
ing his fruit in moments of strong temptation. He
was regarded with great fear by all the juvenile fre
quenters of the gardens, one and all little depredators
like myself. My conscience always sharply reproved
me after I had yielded to the temptation of picking an
apple which hung too invitingly within my reach, and
I looked upon the keeper of the gardens as one who
had a right to judge me severely. Hence it was that
his image was represented in my dream, and, strange
as it may seem, for many years afterwards the idea of
God was inseparably connected in my mind with that
image.
I do not think that my parents distressed me much
with the teaching of the dreadful faith which they
thought they were bound to believe. They were
religious, but not “ unco guid.” They were too wise
and too kind to have thrust the horrors of their religion
very prominently upon the minds of their children,
although they felt it to be their duty to teach us what
they believed to be the religion of the Bible. But who
knows where children pick up their religious ideas ?
Perhaps from servants, or from other children, or from
their reading, or rather from all these. Happily in the
�6
The Curse of my Early Life.
case of most healthy children the doctrines of orthodoxy
take no great hold upon them, so strong is the revul
sion of human nature against such morbid abominations.
But weak and nervous children, and even some strong
ones whose imaginations are peculiarly active, feel
these doctrines much more keenly than the generality
even of religious grown-up people. To these such a
religion is a curse, as it was to me. Not that in my
childhood I brooded continuously over the thoughts of
death and hell: my temperament was too hopeful for
that. In the daylight, or when amongst friends or
playfellows, I was one of the merriest. It was only at
night, or when listening to some horrible “ sermon to
the young,” that “ the fears of hell gat hold upon me.”
Then the anguish was often great, far more acute than
any that I have since experienced. Many a night,
when sleep refused to come to me, have I knelt up in
my little bed tearfully praying that in God’s infinite
mercy I might not “ awake and find myself in hell”—a
charming phrase that I had learned from our Book of
Family Prayers ; and intense was the feeling of relief
when next morning I awoke to find myself alive and
in the world. I do not know whether many children
suffer as keenly as I did from the horrors of religion.
No one knows what young people do suffer in this way.
Children are extremely reserved in such matters, and I
have no reason to suppose that my experience has been
very peculiar. Thousands of children are as nervous
and imaginative as I was, and are at the same time far
more rigorously drilled in doctrinal religion. I suppose,
therefore, that such children silently endure, as I did,
mental agonies that their friends have no idea of. But
what comfort could their friends give them if they
knew of their sufferings ? The only permanent relief
is that which is derived from unbelief, and that their
orthodox friends cannot supply. At the best they can
only endeavour to divert attention, and to occupy the
mind in other directions, or to place the hopes of their
�■™>l—
The Curse of my Early Life.
y
faith, in the strongest lights; hut the first of these
remedies can have no lasting effect, unless it he ex
tended to the inculcation of indifference, and the second
cannot satisfy a keen and logical mind.
I have said that my parents, although religious, were
not 11 unco guid.” But of course they deemed it neces
sary to “ keep the Sabbath,” and that their children
should keep it too. Thus on the first day of every
week all toys were carefully put away, and all story
books of a secular character. In this latter respect it
was not always easy to draw the line to a nicety, and
we young ones sometimes got the benefit of the doubt. I
remember that, as far as the scruples of my own conscience
were concerned, I was quite satisfied that a book was a
“ Sundaybook’’ if I could see the word “ God” once or
twice in every half-dozen pages. In those days there was
very little of the entertaining Sunday magazine litera
ture that now so cheerfully lightens the gloom of the
Christian Sabbath. The lives and happy despatches of
precociously pious infants were then in great favour
amongst parents. This was not very cheerful reading;
for, apart from the depressing fact that these infant
phenomena invariably died very young, their super
natural saintliness was perfectly exasperating. As for
the large family Bible, although its numerous pictures
somewhat secularized it in my estimation, there was
something awful about it as the very fountain of all that
was most gloomy in my life and in my ideas of a future
existence. Besides this, it was extremely painful to
me to allow my thoughts to dwell on the brutal tales
of the Old Testament. The picture of the little chil
dren being devoured by bears roused in me any but
what would have been supposed to be correct feelings.
My indignation against Elisha was very bitter, and I
dared not let myself think about God’s responsibility,
as the supposed sender of the bears, for a punishment
so glaringly incommensurable with the sin of the suf
ferers. The story of the destruction of Korah, Dathan,
i
�8
The Curse of my Early Life.
and Abiram, with their friends and families, for what
was simply in their minds an act of civil rebellion, was
even more horrible, if possible, and I could hardly
repress the rebellious thought that God and Moses
were the chief culprits in this terrible episode of
Hebrew history. Similarly, in the atrocities committed
against the Canaanites, my sympathies were uncon
trollably with the invaded people, and against the rob
bers and murderers led by Moses and Joshua under the
supposed direction of their cruel and unscrupulous God.
So the Old Testament by turns terrified and disgusted
me, and I hardly ever read it except as a class book.
To the New Testament I turned with some sense of
relief, but that was not without its awful mysteries and
perplexing difficulties. On the whole, then, my Sun
day reading was painful rather than pleasurable to me,
and at the same time unprofitable. Whatever influence
it had upon me was of a morbid nature, as indeed was
that of the whole religious system of which it was a
part. How I hated the “ sacred day,” though I dared
not admit as much even to myself. “ Thou shalt not
be happy on the Sabbath,” is the law that strict Chris
tian parents promulgate against their unfortunate chil
dren. Many of my youthful companions were not even
allowed to take a walk on that day, except to church
or chapel and home again. My brothers and sisters
and myself were not under this monstrous prohibition,
but although we might go for a walk, running, as par
taking of the nature of playing, was forbidden.
Children sometimes adopt very ingenious expedients
to escape from the galling trammels of Sabbatarianism,
and one of the most amusing that I can call to mind
was related of some acquaintances of ours. These
young people had, it seems, so far forgotten themselves
as to indulge in a game of hide-and-seek on a Sunday.
Their cries of “ whoop ” soon brought their mother up to
reprove them. For a time all was quiet in the nur
sery ; but soon the inmates of the parlour were astonished
�The Curse of my Early Life.
9
by hearing loud calls of “ Glory,” and on going to in
quire into the cause of this apparent enthusiasm they
found that the game of hide-and-seek was still going on,
after having been sanctified, as the children fondly
hoped, by the substitution of a quasi-religious for a
secular call.
But irksome as Sabbatarianism was to me, it was an
essential part of my religion, and I no more thought of
questioning its divine origin than I thought of doubt
ing the inspiration of the Bible. So sacred was the
day in my estimation, that I can remember being very
much shocked by what seemed to me a lapse in its
proper observance on the part of my parents. This
consisted in sending to an inn for beer on Sunday,
when staying at the sea-side. At home we had beer
in casks, and I thought it no sin to have it drawn; but
to purchase it on Sunday seemed to me a very dif
ferent thing, and I thought it should have been pro
cured in a bottle on Saturday evening. How many
parents there are who prohibit innocent recreation to
their children on Sunday, and yet do not hesitate to
encourage Sunday trading rather than not have their
ale fresh from the cask !
Before the iron of an unnatural faith had entered
into my soul, I was accustomed to resist tyranny and
wanton aggression as English boys are in the habit of
resisting it. But after a time I came to see that Jesus
distinctly inculcated the doctrine of non-resistance, and
I felt that it was sinful to fight. With a keen sense
of injustice and a burning hatred of oppression in any
form, this Christian lesson was a very hard one for me
to learn. I never did learn it with the perfectness that
would have involved the turning of “ the other cheek”
when a blow had been struck—my blood was too hot
for that—but I submitted to a great deal of insult, and
got an undeserved reputation for meanness and cowar
dice in obedience to what I held to be a divine com
mand. I have often thought since, that if I had my
f
�io
The Curse of my Early Life.
school life to live over again, some of the bullies who
perpetrated cowardly cruelties upon little boys should feel
the strength of my arm. Tn schools, an immense amount
of wrong-doing passes quite unnoticed by the authori
ties, so that if the boys do not protect themselves and
their fellows against bullies and oppressors, the immoral
doctrine of the immunity of criminals is virtually incul
cated with the most mischievous consequences to all
concerned. In after-life there is less need for indi
viduals to protect themselves against wrong, because the
strong arm of the law is in most cases a sufficient pro
tection ; but until something of the nature of a Court
of Justice is established in every large school, boys, and
girls too to a less extent, must take the law into their
own hands. At present tale-bearing, that is, evidence
of alleged wrongs, is discouraged both by masters and
by public opinion, and the small and timid boy, who
has no protector amongst his schoolfellows, commonly
suffers under a harassing tyranny that has nothing to
equal it in later life. I hold it to be not only not a
virtue to submit to wrong, but a crime to allow wrong
doing to triumph—a crime not only against ourselves
or any other victims whom we have the power to pro
tect, but also against the evil doers themselves, by the
encouragement that is thus given to an uncontrolled
indulgence of their tempers and all the most brutal
propensities of their nature.
It is astonishing to how small an extent the religious
faith of most people is really a part of their very selves,
permeating their whole life and conduct. For the most
part men’s religion is something which wraps them round
indeed, but does not enter into them. It is more like
a straight waistcoat constraining them from without
than a vital principle directing them from within. This
is because the vast majority of people have their re
ligion put on them in their childhood, when they are
incapable of analysing and comprehending it. As they
get older they continue to wear it, become attached to
�The Curse of my Early Life.
11
it, and would feel sadly at a loss without it. They are
discouraged from all attempts towards an independent
examination of it, and the business, cares, and pleasures
of life distract their attention from it. In nine cases
out of ten they are well contented to have their religious
thinking done for them instead of by them. The great
authority of fashion, and a commendable reverence
towards parents and teachers, keep them in the groove
that has been cut for them. They go through life,
perhaps, without ever intelligently comprehending
what it is that they profess to believe. So true is this,
that if a preacher not suspected of heresy were to intro
duce the most unorthodox doctrines in his sermon,
nine-tenths of any ordinary congregation would fail to
find him out. It is within my own knowledge that
the most distinct heresy has been preached to orthodox
congregations without any protest being made, and
that on the next Sunday doctrines diametrically opposed
to that heresy have been received with the like tacit
consent. Thus it is that the religion of an ordinary
person has but little effect upon his daily life, and upon
any opinions which he may form for himself. If all
Christians were logical and consistent, the “peace-atany-price” party would not be merely a small minority
of the nation. All Christians would be Quakers, at
least as far as the peace principles of that sect are con
cerned. In other respects they would be more like
Ranters than Quakers. Moody and Sankey would
produce no sensation, for the ordinary Christian
would be a revivalist, with hardly a thought beyond
“ spending and being spent” in saving souls from the
perdition to which the vast majority of mankind are
said to be' hastening.
The indifference of the good people around me was a
great puzzle to me in my later youth and early manhood.
How could they sit indulgently over their fruit and
wine on Sunday afternoons when thousands of souls
were perishing around them ? How could they be
�12
The Curse of my Early Life.
entirely absorbed in business throughout the week,
leaving it to professional soul-savers to do all the work
which they were quite competent to take part in ? How
could they spend their money on expensive luxuries
and frivolous pleasures when churches and chapels
required to be built, and Bibles and religious tracts
might be spread broadcast over the world ? Why was
not every professed Christian, according to his or her
ability, an active evangelist, a snatcher of brands from
the burning ? As for me, I dared not eat, drink, and
be merry, as if this world were something better than
a vale of tears, a scene of probation, a mere training
ground for heaven or hell. A word spoken, a tract
given, a chapter of the Bible read, or a prayer uttered,
might bring some indifferent child of the world to a
sense of his need of Christ, and thus through God’s
blessing be the means of saving him from the wrath to
come. What then if, through my want of zeal, that
soul were lost to all eternity 1 What an awful responsi
bility 1 How utterly worthless, how contemptibly
insignificant by comparison, was all else but the work
of leading my fellow-meD out of the broad road that
leads to destruction into the narrow path that leads to
eternal life. If I met or overtook anyone in the fields
or quiet country roads, might not a few words well
chosen cause him to think of his lost condition, and
thus lead to his salvation ? and if I neglected to say
these few words, might not his everlasting damnation
be upon my head ? No matter if it were an imperti
nence to thrust my counsels thus upon him; let not
mere politeness stand in the way of saving souls. In
the busy streets such a course of proceeding was not
always practicable, but there tracts might be given.
Who could tell the effect of a single tract read in quiet 1
It might convert a worldly man, and he in his turn
might be the means of converting hundreds of others.
My pocket-money at that time was very limited, but I
never spent a penny in self-indulgence without a twinge
�of conscience. Would not that penny have bought a
tract, and perhaps have saved a soul 1 How terrible if
through my indulgence a fellow-creature should suffer
eternal death ! If I purchased any fruit, I did so with the
excuse that it was necessary to my health. That I must
preserve in order that I might do God’s work ; but to
spend money in mere indulgences was a crime. From
seven in the morning till eight in the evening my time
was not at my own disposal, except on Sunday. But
whatever time was my own I was bound to use in
God’s service, which, according to my conception, con
sisted almost solely in saving His creatures from the
doom to which He had consigned them. Study to fit
me better to do this work was, of course, not only
allowable but a duty. Out-door exercise was also to
be permitted on the score of health. But all mere
pleasures were a waste of precious time. Should I
attend a concert when I might be distributing tracts,
reading the Bible in some low lodging-house, or assist
ing some amateur preacher at a cottage meeting? I
was fond of music, and had some little taste for it; but
what time was there for the cultivation of my tastes
when souls were perishing around me ? Thus my
religious fervour warped and narrowed my nature, and
I became morbid, prejudiced, and uncharitable. I
lost sympathy with friends who were of the world
worldly, or at least less zealous than myself in the only
work that seemed to me to be 'much worth doing..
Even philanthropic effort, that had only to do with
men’s temporal comfort or happiness, I regarded as
insignificant by comparison; for what did it matter
how men spent their brief span of fife here when an
eternity of bliss or torment was hanging in the balance ?
The “ one thing needful” rendered all else compara
tively trivial and unworthy of pursuit.
These views of mine were, no doubt, extreme, but
they were only consistent with my faith as an orthodox
Christian. Strongly as I now contemn them, and the
�14
The Curse of my Early Life.
course of action which, resulted from them, I still hold
that, given the truth of my premises, my conclusions
were unavoidable, and my conduct imperative.
But, firmly convinced as I was of my duty, and
bitterly as my conscience condemned me when I
shrank from its performance, my nature rebelled
against my faith and what it led me to do. Well may
the orthodox inveigh against the “ natural man,” for
human nature is, happily, utterly at enmity with their
morbid creed. A great deal of my work I did, there
fore, with suppressed loathing. It was very painful
to me to thrust myself upon those whom I desired to
“ convert,” either by conversing with them, reading to
them, or giving them tracts. At the conversing I was
never good, and in leaving that branch of the work as
far as possible to more eloquent and less delicate asso
ciates, I comforted myself with thinking that they were
better suited to it than I was, and that I could be more
useful in 'other ways. It was an immense relief to me
when I took to contributing to the religious periodicals,
for then I thought I had found my true vocation, and
could with a clear conscience devote my spare time
almost exclusively to it. But in order to write I
found it requisite to read more and to think more, and
reading and thinking are deadly foes to orthodox
Christianity. I soon began to “weed” the tracts which
I still distributed, occasionally burning those which
revolted me by their coarseness, or shocked me by their
impiously assumed familiarity with the unrevealed
secrets of a future life. The leaven of free-thought had
begun to work in me.
There is a period in the history of nearly every
thoughtful person who has been brought up under the
influence of orthodox Christianity, when the revulsion
of feeling against the religion of his youth is- almost
too strong for endurance. For an enlightened English
man of the nineteenth century to believe in the barbar
ous god of a barbarous people is an anomaly that can
�The Curse of my Early Life.
J5
only be preserved at the cost of great violence done to
his moral and intellectual nature. His ideal god would
he so infinitely superior to the ideal god of an Israelite
of the time of even the latest of the Old Testament
writers, that the acceptance of the latter must involve
a great sacrifice, and it can only be from haziness of
thought, or insincerity of profession, that he can
voluntarily accept the lower and reject the higher
ideal. I say voluntarily, because although he may be
distinctly conscious that the God of the Israelites is a
less perfect deity than even his own poor faculties enable
him to conceive, he may yet be so completely a slave
to the dogma of the inspiration of the Bible, as to feel
bound to accept and worship this inferior deity, impos
sible as it may be to love him. In such a case, if he
dared to let his mind have free play, and to put his
thoughts into words, he would say:—“ This is the
Almighty God as pourtrayed in His own word, and
faulty as He seems to me to be, He has the power to
send me to hell if I do not worship Him.” From such
a terrible confession orthodox people usually escape by
repressing all thought on the subject, and accepting
their belief ready made. In a true sense this is not
belief at all, but only undiscriminating acquiescence.
Intelligent belief in two such contradictory present
ments as the God of Joshua and the God of Jesus is
simply impossible ; yet orthodox Christians profess to
believe in both.
In degrading bondage to this monstrous dogma of
biblical inspiration I laboured long and painfully, and
slow and painful too was my emancipation. Of course
I felt no genuine love towards the instigator of whole
sale murder and the vindictive inventor and preserver
of an everlasting hell. Like most other Christians I
feared God, and loved Christ. But I wanted to love
God, and would have given anything to have been able
to think better of Him! Great, then, was my joy
when I first saw the scriptural authority of the dogma
�16
The Curse of my Early Life.
of everlasting punishment called in question. At that
time I should have rejected the denial of the dogma on
any other ground than that it was unscriptural. By a
studious collation of texts from the New Testament I
became convinced that, judged only by the plain sense
of the English version, there were at least as many pas
sages against as for the doctrine; and, that being the case,
I was glad to accept the teaching of those learned men
who disputed the accuracy of the translation of aluviov
into everlasting. Eagerly did I read the works of the brave
Robertson, the once brave Kingsley, and that chained
eagle of deep and free thought, F. D. Maurice. Of these
writers Robertson gave me by far the greatest satisfac
tion, the two others leaving me under a strong im
pression that they withheld themselves from a full con
fession of their opinions. But, unsatisfied as they left
me, I owe them much for the encouragement to inde
pendent thought and inquiry which a study of their
books afforded me at a critical period of my religious
history. George Combe introduced me to the new
world of natural religion, and superficial as I now
regard many of his conclusions, his “ Constitution of
Man ” was like a new gospel to me. Eagerly pursuing
my course of inquiry, I read at intervals John Stuart
Mill, Theodore Parker, F. W. Newman, Frances Power
Cobbe, the “Essays and Reviews,” Colenso, and a
great deal that I have a less distinct remembrance of.
Step by step free thought advanced upon me, my
old faith retreating, though fighting till the last..
Butler and Paley, Hamilton and Mansel, stimulated
instead of setting at rest my increasing doubts. My
emancipation was slow in its progress, but all the more
complete at last. By the time that I first was intro
duced to “ The Sling and Stone,” I was in a fit state
to enjoy its bold and uncompromising championship of
religious freedom. I considered these sermons, and
some of Mr Scott’s excellent series of pamphlets, to be
admirably suited to awaken thought in the minds of my
�The Curse of my Early Life.
17
old religious associates, and so, using the post-office as
my agency, I was still able to keep up to some extent
my old habit of tract distributing. Rejoicing as I did
with a great joy in my emancipation from the old
slavery, should I not do my utmost to lead my former
fellow slaves to the like freedom ? But my efforts, as
might have been expected, were frequently rejected
with horror, and many a stem reproof and imploring
appeal did I receive in return. In some cases it
happened that those who at first all but cursed me,
came in after years to rejoice with me in a common
freedom from our old bondage; but the majority
utterly refused to examine the evidences of their faith,
as is the custom with the bigoted, and either mourned
for me as for a lost sheep, or denounced me as an
infidel.
In the early years of what I regard as my true
“conversion,” the usual persecution of free-thinkers
was rampant and bitter. It has by no means yet
subsided j but now that free thought is permeating the
mass of educated people, the very number of the
heretics renders them respectable, and their would-be
oppressors have to moderate their religious rancour.
There is, therefore, less excuse now than ever for that
very numerous class of people who, although they have
lost all sympathy with orthodox Christianity, still
ostensibly cling to it, and, Sunday after Sunday, bow
their heads in the Temple of Rimmon.
TURNBULL AND SPEARS, PRINTERS, EDINBURGH
��..
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INDEX TO ME SCOTT’S PUBLICATIONS,
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Cruelty and Christianity : A Lecture,
•0 6
HANSON, Sir R. D., Chief-Justice of South Australia.
Science and Theology
-04
HARE, TheRight Rev FRANCIS, D.D., formerly Lord Bishop of Chichester.
Difficulties and Discouragements which attend the Study of the Scriptures 0 6
HENNELL, SARA S.
On The Need of Dogmas in Religion. A letter to Thos. Scott
- 0 6.
HINDS, SAMUEL, D.D., late Bishop of Norwich.
-
to the Question, “ What have we got to Rely on, if we
CANNOT RELY ON THE BIBLE
■ -06
to the-Question, “Apart from Supernatural Revelation, What
is the Prospect of Man’s Living after Death
-06
A Reply to the Question—“Shall I seek Ordination in the Church of
England ?”
-06
The Nature and Origin of Evil. A Letter to a Friend
- 0 6
Another Reply
A Reply
HOPPS, Rev J. PAGE.
Thirty-nine Questions on the Thirty-nine Articles. With Portrait
- 0 3
HUME, DAVID.
Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion. Parts I. and II. Is. each Part
HUTCHISON, THOMAS DANCER—The Free-Will Controversy, -
-20
o g
�List of Publications—continued.
s. d
JEVONS, WILLIAM.
The Book
of
Common Prayer Examined in
Parts I. and II. 6d. each Part
-
the
-
Light of the Present Age.
-
-
-
-
-10
Claims of Christianity to the Character of a Divine Revelation, Considered 0 6
The Prayer Book Adapted to the Age
-03
KALISCH, M. Ph.D.,
Theology of the Past and the Future. Reprinted from Part I. of his Commen
tary cn Leviticus. With Portrait ----10
KIRKMAN. The Rev THOMAS P., Rector of Croft, Warrington.
Church Cursing and Atheism
-10
On Church Pedigrees. Parts I. and II. With Portrait. 6d. each Part
- 1 0
On the Infidelity of Orthodoxy. In Three Parts. 6d. each Part
- 1 6
Orthodoxy from the Hebrew Point of View. Parts I. and II. 6d. each,
- 1 0
LAKE, J. W. Paul: the Disowned Apostle.
- 0 6
The Athanasian Creed ; a Plea for its Disuse in the Public Worship of National Church, 0 6
Plato, Philo, and Paul; or, The Pagan Conception of a “Divine Logos,” shewn
to have been the basis of the Christian Dogma of the Deity of Christ, - 1 0
LA TOUCHE, J. D., Vicar of Stokesay, Salop.
The Judgment of the Committee of Council in the Case of Mr. Voysey - - 0 3
LAYMAN, A, and M.A., of Trinity College, Dublin.
Law and the Creeds -----06
Thoughts on Religion and the Bible -06
LEIGH, ARBOR. “Key-Notes”
*
-CO
LEWIS, TERESA. Cremation
................................................0 3
MACFIE, MATT.
A Neglected View of Education -04
The Mysteri* of Evil, -----o 9
The Religious Faculty: Its Relation to the other Faculties, and its Perils,
0 6
The Cardinal Dogmas of Calvinism traced to their origin, - 0 6
M.A., Trinity College, Cabmridge. The Orthodox Surrender - 0 3
Pleas for Free Inquiry. Parts I., II., III. and IV. 6d. each Part
- 2 0
MACKAY, R. W. The Adversaries of St. Paul in 2d Corinthians,
- 0 6
MACLEOD, JOHN Recent Theological Addresses. A Lecture
- o 3
MAITLAND, EDWARD.
Jewish Literature and Modern Education: or, the Use and Abuse of the
Bible in the Schoolroom
-16
How to Complete the Reformation. With Portrait
- 0 6
The Utilization of the Church Establishment 0 6
MUIR, J., D.C.L.
Religious and Moral Sentiments. Freely translated from Indian Writers,
- 0 G
Additional
Ditto
-06
Three Notices of the “ Speaker’s Commentary,” translated from the Dutch
of Dr. A. Kuenen,
---06
M.P., Letter by. The Dean of Canterbury on Science and Revelation
- 0 6
Neale, edward vansittart.
Does Morality depend on Longevity ?
- 0 6
Genesis Critically Analysed, and continuously arranged; with Introductory
Remarks
-------
Reason, Religion, and Revelation, -'
The Mythical Element in Christianity
The New Bible Commentary and the Ten Commandments
1 0
1 0
0 3
NEWMAN, Professor F. W.
Against Hero-Making in Religion Ancient Sacrifice,
-----James and Paul
-----On the Causes of Atheism.
With Portrait
On the Relations of Theism to Pantheism ; and On the Gali
On the Historical Depravation of Christianity On this World and the other World,
The Controversy about Prayer
The Divergence of Calvinism from Pauline Doctrine
The Presence of God, ---=
The Religious Weakness of Protestantism
The Service of God, The True Temptation of Jesus. With Portrait
Thoughts on the Existence of Evil The Two Theisms
OLD GRADUATE. Remarks on Paley’s Evidences
OXLEE, The Rev JOHN. A Confutation of the Diabolarchy
Religion
0
0
0
0
0
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0
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6
3
6
6
3
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3
3
3
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PADRE OF THE ESTABLISHED CHURCH.
The Unity of the Faith among all Nations
-
- 0 G
�List of Publications—continued.
s. a.
PARENT AND TEACHER, A. Is Death the end of ah things for Man?
0 6
PHYSICIAN, A.
A Dialogue by way of Catechism,—Religious, Moral, and Philosophical
Parts I. and II. 6d. each Part
-10
The Pentateuch, in Contrast with the Science and Moral Sense of our Age
Part I.—Genesis, Is. 6d. Part II.—Exodus, Is. Part III.—Leviticus, Is.
Part IV.—Numbers, Is. Part V.—Deuteronomy, Is. Part VI.—Joshua, 6d., - 6 0
Introduction to the Pentateuch and Book of Joshua, - 0 6
PRESBYTER ANGLIOANUS.
Eternal Punishment. An Examination of the Doctrines held by the Clergy of
the Church of England
-06
The Doctrine of Immortality in its Bearing on Education
- 0 6
ROBERTSON, JOHN, Coupar-Augus.
Intellectual Liberty
. o 6
The Finding of the Book
-2 0
ROGERS, WALTER LACY. Evidences of Christianity
- 0 6
A Review of a Paper called “ The Fallacies of Unbelief,”
- 0 4
SCOTT, THOMAS.
Basis of a New Reformation -09
Commentators and Hierophants ; or, The Honesty of Christian Commentators
in Two Parts. 6d. each Part
-10
Practical Remarks on “The Lord’s Prayer.”
- 0 6
The Dean of Ripon on the Physical Resurrection of Jesus, in its Bearing
on the Truth of Christianity
- 0
The English Life of Jesus. A New Edition
-40
The Tactics and Defeat of the Christian Evidence Society
- 0 6
SHAEN, MISS—Prayer and Love to God,
per doz. 1 4
STRANGE, T. LUMISDEN, late Judge of the High Court of Madras.
A' Critical Catechism. Criticised by a Doctor of Divinity, and defended by
T. L. Strange
-0
An Address to all Earnest Christians
Clerical Integrity
-03
Communion with God
-03
The Bennett Judgment
The Bible; Is it “ The Word of God ? ”
- 0
The Portraiture and Mission of Jesus
- 0
The Speaker’s Commentary Reviewed
- 2
The Christian Evidence Society
-0
The Exercise of Prayer,
-0
The Pauline Epistles --------- 0
Scripture and Science
-06
The Christian Evidences, with Portrait
-06
SUFFIELD, Rev. ROBERT RODOLPH.
The Resurrection An Easter Sermon at the Free Christian Church, Croydon
Five Letters on Conversion to Roman Catholicism The Vatican Decrees and the “Expostulation,” TRAVIS, HENRY, M.D. The End of the Free-Will Controversy
VOYSEY, The Rev. CHAS. On Moral Evil
W. E. B. The Province of Prayer
An Examination of some Recent Writings about Immortality WHEELWRIGHT, Rev. GEORGE.
The “ Edinburgh Review” and Dr Strauss
-
0 3
- 0 3
- 0 6
- 0
- 0 9
-06
- 0 6
- 0 3
Three Letters on the Voysey Judgment and the Christian Evidence
Society’s Lectures,
-06
WHIPPLE, CHARLES K. The Good and Evil in Orthodoxy - 0 3
W. J. Liberal Protestantism—What is It?
- 0 3
WORTHINGTON, The Rev W. R.
On the Efficacy of Opinion in Matters of Religion
-
-
-
- 0 6
ZERFFI, G. G., Ph.D.
Immanuel Kant in His Relation to Modern History, - 0 3
Ethics and ./Esthetics ; or Art and its Influence on our Social Progress - 0 3
The Spontaneous Dissolution of Ancient Creeds
-,-03
New Edition.
In One Volume, 8vo, cloth, post free, 4s. 4d.,
THE ENGLISH LIFE OF JESUS.
PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHOR,
THOMAS SCOTT,
11 THE TERRACE, FARQUHAR ROAD, UPPER NORWOOD, LONDON, S.E.
�
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Victorian Blogging
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Conway Hall Ethical Society
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The curse of my early life
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Emancipated Slave
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Place of publication: London
Collation: 17, [4] p. ; 18 cm.
Notes: Part of Morris Miscellaneous Tracts 4 and from the library of Dr Moncure Conway. Publisher's list on unnumbered pages at the end. No author given.
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Thomas Scott
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1876
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Christianity
Free thought
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Text
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English
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<a href="http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/"><img src="http://i.creativecommons.org/p/mark/1.0/88x31.png" alt="Public Domain Mark" /></a><span> </span><br /><span>This work (The curse of my early life), identified by </span><a href="https://conwayhallcollections.omeka.net/items/show/www.conwayhall.org.uk"><span>Humanist Library and Archives</span></a><span>, is free of known copyright restrictions.</span>
Christianity
Conway Tracts
Free Thought
Morris Tracts
Religious Education
Sabbath Observance
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Text
SOME RELIGIOUS TERMS
S!MPLY_ DEFINED
(FOR THE USE OF CHILDREN)
St-
'
1
<■
BY
■jfelF E. L. MARSDEN
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[issued for the rationalist press association, limited]
•a-$/Uc Bjr ' .
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-K
London:
WATTS & CO.,
17 JOHNSON’S COURT, FLEET STREET, E,C.
Price Threepence
�Note.—Books preceded by an X are copyright in America,
and cannot be supplied to customers in that country.
“ These splendid handbooks belong to an age of wonders.”
f
—Birmingham Gazette.
HISTORY OF SCIENCE SERIES.
Each about 160 pages, with Illustrations ; cloth, Is. net, by post Is. 3d.
The 13 vols. post free 14s.
XAstronomy (History of). By Prof. XPsyehology (History of). Vol. I:
From the Earliest times to John
George Forbes, M.A., F.R.S.
Locke. Vol. II: From John Locke
JfChemistry (History of). Vol. I: 2000
to the Present Time. By Prof J.<
B. c. to 1850 A.D. Vol. II : 1850 A.D.
Mark Baldwin.
to Date. By Sir Edward Thorpe,
C. B., LL.D., D.Sc., F.R.S.
XOld Testament Criticism (History
of), By Prof. A. Duff.
^Geography (History of). By J.
Scott Keltie, LL.D., and O. J. R. XNew Testament Criticism (History
of). By F. C. Conybeare, M.A.
Howarth, M.A.
XGeolOgy (History of). By H. B. XAneient Philosophy (History of),
Woodward, F.R.S., F.G.S.
By A. W. Benn, author of The
History of English Rationalism in
XBiolOgy (History of). By Prof. L. C.
the Nineteenth Century, etc.
MiAll, F.R.S.
XAnthropolOgy (History of). By XModern Philosophy (History of).
By A. W. Benn,
A. C. Haddon, M.A., D.Sc., F.R.S.
PAMPHLETS for the MILLION.
Eaeh with Coloured Cover and Portrait
1. Why I Left the Chureh. By 7. The Age of Reason. (Parts I and
II only.) By Thomas Paine. 124
Joseph McCabe. 48 pp.; id.
pp.; 2d.
2. XWhy am I an Agnostic ? By
8. Last Words on Evolution. By
R. G. Ingersoll. 24 pp.; J^d.
Professor Ernst Haeckel. 64 pp.;
3. Christianity’s Debt to Earlier
id.
Religions. By P. Vivian. 64
9. Science and the Purpose of
pp.; id.
Life. By Fridtjof Nansen, (the
4. XHow to Reform Mankind. By
well-known explorer). 16 pp.;
R. G. Ingersoll.
24 pp.; J^d.
5. Myth or History in the Old Tes 10. XThe Ghosts. By R. G. Inger32 pp.; id.
tament? By S. Laing. 48 pp.; id.
6. XLiberty of Man, Woman, and 11. The Passing of Historical
Christianity. By the Rev. R.
Child. By R. G. Ingersoll, 48
Roberts. 16pp.; J£d.
pp.; id.
The Set of eleven Pamphlets post paid for Is. 2d. Special terms
for quantities. (100 of any one pamphlet at half-price, plus
carriage and small charge for packing.)
THE INQUIRER S LIBRARY.
1, The Existence of God.
By 3. The Old Testament.
Joseph McCabe. 160 pp.; cloth,
9d. net, by post is.
V'Z
1
By ChilEdwards. 160 pp.; cloth,
9d. net, by post is.
peric
2. XThe Belief in Personal Im 4. Christianity and Civilization.
By Charles T., Gorham. 160 pp.;
mortality. By E. S. P. Haynes.
164 pp.; cloth, 9d. net, by post is.
gd. het, by post is.
WATTS AND CO., 17 JOHNSON’S COURT, FLEET STREET, LONDON, E.C.
/
,
j
,71
�NEVE
NATIONAL SECULAR SOCIETY
SOME RELIGIOUS TERMS
SIMPLY DEFINED
FOR THE USE OF CHILDREN)
BY
E. L. MARSDEN
( ISSUED FOB THE RATIONALIST PRESS ASSOCIATION, LIMITED )
London:
WATTS & CO.,
17 JOHNSON’S COURT, FLEET STREET, E.C.
1914
��FOREWORD
The result of “pious” parents beginning to teach children
at an early age theology, prayers, catechisms, etc., is that
many children learn to use words icithout having any
definite conception of their meaning.
This is intellectually
injurious, and as a rule azoakens a mere superstition founded
to a large degree on false history.
1 have here attempted to
explain in a rational manner and as simplzj as possible the
meaning of a feio of those expressions zvhich children are
constantly zcsizzg and hearing zcsed, words of whose meaning
they have but the vaguest idea.
This pamphlet is zvritten in the hope that a simple explana
tion of some of the more comznon zoords zcsed daily izi religious
instruction znay be of beziefit to the youzig, and possibly to
a few of their teachers.
E. L. M.
May, 1914.
��SOME RELIGIOUS TERMS SIMPLY
DEFINED
BIBLE TEACHING
RELIGION appears to be the only subject in which teachers make
no use of the most recent authorities and the latest discoveries.
The practice of most Christian ministers, and of many 1 other
teachers of religion, of ignoring modern Biblical criticism amounts
to a scandal. Children are given the impression that the Bible is
for us what it was for our ancestors. Congregations are kept in
ignorance of what has taken place in historical research, textual
criticism, and comparative mythology; they are not informed that,
however useful and edifying as parables the old tales of the Bible
may be, those tales have no claim to be treated as historically true.
Knowledge and research have shown that the traditional theories
about the Bible are no longer tenable ; but many children from their
earliest years are given utterly false impressions on the subject. It
is not honest to preach as if the Bible consists of absolutely trust
worthy documents when scholarship, both Christian and secular,
knows them to be otherwise. The old matter-of-course assumption
of the divinely guaranteed accuracy of the Old Testament has dis
appeared from the minds of the well-educated, and no well-informed
person treats the Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch as anything
but unsupported tradition.
Some few years ago the Encyclopedia Biblica was issued, the
purpose of which work was to ascertain the real facts and to state
them. This book is the work of some of the greatest of the world’s
Biblical students, and it sums up, supported by a mass of learning,
the conclusions of modern criticism. A glance at the list of con
tributors will show the large number of scholarly Churchmen who
have abandoned the theory of the literal truth of the Bible. We
5
�6
SOME RELIGIOUS TERMS SIMPLY DEFINED
learn from these volumes that the creation story originated in a
stock of primitive myths common to the Semitic races, and is almost
identical with the Babylonian myth ; that the very existence of the
Old Testament patriarchs is uncertain; that the whole book of
Genesis is not history, but a narrative based on older records, long
since lost; that the story of Joseph was, compiled in the seventh
century B.C.; that the book of Exodus is a legend; that it is
doubtful whether Moses is the name of an individual or of a clan•
that the alleged origin of the Ten Commandments is purely tradi
tional ; that it is very doubtful whether David wrote any of the
Psalms ; that everything in the Gospels is uncertain ; that we do
not know when Jesus was born, when he died, or who was his
father ; that the supposed virgin birth has no evidence in its favour;
that it is impossible to separate the truth from doubtful legend and
symbolical embroidery in any of the Gospels; that the accounts of
the Resurrection. exhibit contradictions of the most glaring kind;
that the view that the four gospels bearing the names of Matthew,
Mark, Luke, and John were written by them and appeared thirty
or forty years- after the death of Jesus can no longer be maintained,
nor can they be regarded as credible narratives ; that the genuineness
of the Pauline Epistles is far from clear. These and a hundred
other conclusions can be found in the Encyclopedia Btblica, wherein
eminent Christian scholars proclaim results quite contrary to the
usual orthodox teachings.
Nevertheless, dogmas discarded by enlightened Christian ministers
continue to be taught to our children, whereas real religion, the
development and direction of the moral and spiritual feelings, is
neglected to a great extent. Highly as we may prize the Bible,
a system of instruction which makes it a fetish tends to degrade it,
and it is much to be regretted that it should be so much misused in
religious education. To treat as solemn fact every Hebrew legend
and impossible miracle, to try to harmonize Old Testament fables
of lust, slaughter, and deceit approved by Jehovah with the spirit
of the Sermon on the Mount, can do nothing but harm ; to teach
a child the story of the Fall as historically true when he will soon
know that man has not fallen, but gradually risen, can only unsettle
his mind.
If we were to exclude the idea of absolute historical accuracy in
teaching the Bible, we should eliminate much unreality and insincerity
from the moral atmosphere. It is not the book, but the conventional
superstition with which it is treated, that is at fault. Treated with
�RELIGION AND THEOLOGY
7
intelligent discrimination, it will always have its educational value,
but it cannot supply the place of instruction in real religion, in the
morals of daily life. Scripture is one thing, morality another.
Now that many ministers of all sects admit that nearly every
book in the Old Testament is of unknown authorship, and much of
it is mythical and fabulous, it is time that we should protest against
our children being taught that the: Fall, the Deluge, the plagues of
Egypt, the massacres in Canaan, etc., are part of an infallible and
divine revelation; that view is gone except for the grossly ignorant,
and to cause children to regard these stories as authentic history is
demoralizing both to teachers and taught.
RELIGION AND THEOLOGY
RELIGION is not the observance of forms and ceremonies, for men
may observe these and be wholly wanting in religious life ; nor is it
the belief in some particular creed, for men have held every kind of
orthodox creed and yet been quite impious. Religion is a state of
the heart and feelings, a state of reverence, awe, love, or dependence,
according to the character of the divine object presented to the
mind. Religion is the feeling, theology is the attempted explanation
of that feeling; hence religion must precede theology, and they may
exist independently of each other.
Questions of theology, <l historical criticism ” of Scripture, and
such subjects, are of undoubted importance, but are not matters of
religion. The end of religious education should be the development
and direction of the moral and spiritual feelings, and instruction in
the morals of daily life, leading to the victory over Self. Theology
is the supposed knowledge as to God and the unknown, and what
man believes about supernatural beings and about those things at
present inexplicable by any known laws of nature. Such beliefs
should be freely discussed, but not made the subject of ridiculous
quarrels, as no human being knows the truth about these matters ;
and it should be remembered that man’s early theological beliefs,
which we are asked to accept, were due to • thA limitations of his
knowledge and experience.'
"■"■L
�8
SOME RELIGIOUS TERMS SIMPLY DEFINED
TRUTH AND LAWS OF NATURE
Truth is the most perfect knowledge attainable concerning any
given .question, and such knowledge is what we depend upon for the
highest ends of life. Truth is acquired by experience and study, and
the only permanent truths are those of observation and inference.Formerly they were few ; but with modern scientific development
they are increasing rapidly, and they stand apart from truths derived
from supposed revelations. The latter’s durability is comparatively
short; there are everywhere traces of extinct religions once devoutly
believed. Real truths are always in harmony, not so theological
truths ; time strengthens the one and weakens the other. When we
seek truth, we are seeking a knowledge of that which is capable of
verification and proof. In science, the truth is a statement giving a
correct representation of facts; in theology, the truth is a statement
supposed to be in accordance with the particular revelation which is
accepted. Science appeals to facts ; theology appeals to supposed
miracles, and asks us to believe in a number of events contrary to
all experience, on the authority of unknown writers. “ Laws of
nature” means the invariable order in which facts occur, all facts
.being links in an endless chain of cause and effect; one single
exception to this invariable order, and it cannot be a law of nature.
Truth is founded upon laws of nature.
REVELATION AND REASON
In the history of the human race there have been many so-called
revelations ” claiming to teach us things we should not otherwise
know. Such are the Zoroastrian,. Brahman, Buddhist, Jewish,
Christian, Mohammedan; they all claim divine origin, and each
condemns the others as unreliable and incomplete. In separating
.what is true from what is false in these various revelations, or in
.accepting one of them as the only true one, we must use our
■judgment. It follows, therefore, that our reason is a higher
authority than revelation, for we cannot believe anything without
�GOD
9
the approval of our reason. (What people say they believe is a
different matter.)
In all the revelations and bibles there are many mistakes in
history and science, and numerous contradictions. Such mistakes
are natural, as all these bibles are the work of man. All we can do
is to follow the best light we have—our reason ; for even if it
sometimes leads us into error, we have nothing better to follow.
In the name of Revelation or the “ Word of God ” many of the
worst crimes have been committed, and some of the world’s noblest
men have either known nothing of it or disbelieved in it.
Many people in this country believe that the ancient Jews were
Specially favoured with a revelation ; while the Greeks, the most
advanced people of antiquity, had none. If this were true, it would
show that morality and intelligence are possible without revelation,
and are in no way dependent upon it. Those who believe in
revelation think that it makes truth known to us by “ inspiration.”
If so, these questions arise: What is inspiration ? How are inspired
thoughts distinguished from uninspired ? and, How did the selectors
choose between genuine and spurious ? These questions have never
been answered.
GOD
By the word “God” is meant the power which exists behind
the facts of the universe. If such a power exists, its nature is
unknown and unknowable. The popular idea of God is that he is
a Person who created the universe, that he knows and sees every
thing and is everywhere; also that he is just and holy. Man has
made God in his own image, consequently God has grown better as
man has improved in intelligence and character. The God of the
savage was a savage; the God of the ancient Jews, as represented
in the Old Testament, was bloodthirsty, vindictive, jealous, and
petty; the God of the Christians was a being who punished the
errors of this brief life with eternal torments. This is still the
opinion of many Christians, but it is difficult to understand how
anyone can believe this horrible doctrine. God has been known by
different names in different countries—Zeus, Jove, Ormuzd, Brahm,
Jehovah, Allah, among others ; he is also called the Supreme Being,
�10
SOME RELIGIOUS TERMS SIMPLY DEFINED
tli© Infinite, the First Cause, Nature, etc. Some people when they
say God mean a person, others an idea. Belief in several Gods was
the earliest belief of all nations. It is quite clear from the Old
Testament that the ancient Jews believed in other Gods, of whom
their God was jealous.
The sun, moon, mountains, rivers, animals, almost everything,
have been regarded as Gods, and men have prayed to them and
sacrificed to them. As mankind advanced in knowledge the belief
in Gods decreased, and now nearly all educated people believe either
in one God or in none. The old argument that, as every effect must
have a cause, the universe must have a cause which is God, is met
by the obvious rejoinder that, if every effect must have a cause, God
must also have a cause. It is just as easy or difficult to imagine
a universe without a cause as a God without a cause. The existence
of God cannot be demonstrated, but is a very general belief. Each
man makes his own God, which word represents the highest ideal
of the individual. Hence one man’s God may be better and nobler
than that of another, as each man is the measure of his own ideal
or God. Theologians who profess belief in an all-wise, all-powerful,
and all-good God have never been able to give a rational explanation
of all the pain, misery, and evil which exists in the world, and some
have believed that God allows an evil spirit, Satan, to tempt every
body. If God had wished sin to abound, what more could he have
done than to appoint a being to the office of tempting mankind at
all times and places ? Any parent who allowed his children tli
associate with bad characters would deserve censure.
PRAYER
Prayer is a supplication to God, or a desire for communion with
him. No one prays to laws of nature or to great ideals ; prayers
are always addressed to a personal God. But the idea of a God and
a person is incongruous. To be a God is to be infinite ; to be a
person is to be finite. Prayer originated in a desire to appease the
anger or secure the favour of invisible beings. When after a long
period of drought a minister prays for rain, it is in the belief that
God caused the drought, and can be persuaded to discontinue it.
As a drought does not last for ever, such prayers are apparently
�CHRISTIANITY
11
answered. It may happen that some people are praying God
to do what other people are just as earnestly praying him not
to do, and such prayers imply that God is an individual ready to
adapt himself to the convenience of everybody. There is no reason
to believe that God has any less control over the law of gravity than
over the weather, but people never pray to have the law of gravity
suspended for their benefit; they know such law is inviolable, and
they will stop praying about the weather when they learn that the
laws governing it are equally inviolable.
It is said that God demands that his creatures should continually
address him in terms of glorification and endearment. Such an
idea insults God ; a really great and good being would not constantly
want our prayers and laudations. The idea, of course, came from
the East, where sultans can only be approached with presents and
salaams. Prayer makes men look for help outside themselves, and
thus weakens their self-dependence. When we offer flattery, build
churches, give money, etc., to obtain a favour it is an attempt to
corrupt God by. bribery. It makes morality and justice of less
importance than rites, prayers, and dogmas. It is inconsistent with
any high ideal of God that he will be influenced by prayers and
praise. Public prayer is less desirable than private prayer, as it is
formal and not spontaneous, professional and not personal. Even
in the New Testament Jesus is reported as saying that we should
not pray in public (Matthew vi, 5-6).
CHRISTIANITY
It may be said that the Christian revelation has exerted more
influence in the world than any other, as it has helped to shape the
history of the first-class nations. This particular revelation is found
in a book called the Holy Bible, divided into two parts—the Old
Testament and the New Testament. It consists of sixty-six books,
written by different authors at different periods in different languages
and in different countries; these books were gradually collected into
one volume by religious councils. The Old Testament relates the
history of the Jews, their laws, customs, and wars. This history is
not materially different from that of other primitive people, and
there is no reason why it should be regarded as the “ Word of God.”
�12
SOME RELIGIOUS TERMS SIMPLY DEFINED
The New Testament consists of a number of writings collected about
one hundred-and-fifty years after the death of Jesus Christ, and of
these writings we have no knowledge of the authorship, with the
possible exception of four letters of Paul and one of James. The
titles, The Gospel according to Matthew,” etc., represent the
opinion of the editors or translators ; and probably the name of an
apostle was used to give the work greater authority. The apostles,
expecting the world would end in their lifetime, did not write their
own messages.
There were many other gospels besides those in the New
Testament; but they have been excluded as being doubtful—that
is, they did not receive the necessary number of votes in ecclesiastical
councils to be considered inspired. The books of the Bible were
written in Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic; and as the original
manuscripts from which our English Bible is said to have been
translated are not in existence, we do not know that the translation
is accurate. Our translation is from the supposed copies of the lost
originals, which copies were produced possibly hundreds of years
after the originals had been lost, so that we cannot know that the
copies are reliable.
The Christian revelation teaches that humanity was originally
perfect, that it fell into sin, and that a select few may escape
through faith in the atoning death of Jesus Christ. We now know
that the human race has been ascending slowly, and that incarna
tion and atonement are world-wide myths. We also realize that the
idea of a guilty person pardoned through the atoning death of an
innocent victim has no moral value. Christianity, in the light of
modern knowledge of comparative mythology, is one member of
a large family of religions (Buddhist, Zoroastrian, Mohammedan,
etc.) which in one form or another are co-extensive with the history
of humanity. Christianity might have led on to true religion, but
has taken its place; in its petrified form it holds prisoner the forces
of real religion.
THE CANON OF THE BIBLE
The “ canon ” of the Bible consists of those books which
ecclesiastical councils have declared of divine authority; this
canon has not always been the same. The earliest Christians
�JESUS AND HIS TEACHINGS
13
regarded only the Old Testament as the word of God, and the
Apostolic Fathers apparently did not look upon the New Testament
as of equal authority with the Old. Schisms between early Chris
tians gave rise to the idea of a canon; a generally accepted word of
God was necessary, and the demand created the supply.
The first reference to a canon was in the latter half of the second
century. In 352 A.D. the canon of the Emperor Constantine was
produced, and contained the present number of books except the
book of Revelation. Many books in the Bible have been questioned
at various times. Luther did not regard the book of Revelation and
the Epistle of James as part of God’s word. The Roman Catholic
Bible contains seventy-two books, as it includes as inspired some
books that Protestants reject. Roman Catholics hold that it is the
Church that gives the Bible its authority, and do not allow private
interpretation of it; while Protestants look upon it as infallible, but
each individual must read and interpret it for himself. The Holy
Spirit does not, apparently, reveal the same meaning of the Scrip
tures to all readers ; for, in spite of the assumed infallible revelation,
all Protestants are not agreed on such important questions as
Baptism, Predestination, Eternal Punishment, Atonement, and the
Divinity of Jesus.
Apart from the fact that the meaning of the Bible is not clear to
everybody, the objection to an inspired book is that it limits the
possession of truth to one people or race, and makes it a thing of the
long past; it makes research needless, and gives the Church power
to suppress new truth. Fortunately, the Bible’s power for harm is
-decreasing now that we are beginning to regard it as the literature
■of a primitive and uninformed people. It is only worshipped as
infallible by the least educated of mankind.
JESUS AND HIS TEACHINGS
The prevailing belief about Jesus is that he was both God and
man, that he was begotten by the Holy Ghost, that he was without
■sin, that he worked miracles, and was equal to God. We have only
the word of man on the subject, and, as all religions have claimed
power to work miracles, there is no reason for treating the
miraculous element in the life of Jesus in any other wTay than
�14
SOME RELIGIOUS TERMS SIMPLY DEFINED
we treat the same in the life of Buddha, Moses, or Mohammed.
All our knowledge of Jesus is contained in broken records of a few
months in the last year of his life.
“ Towards the middle of the second century A.D. certain
documents are found to be in circulation professing to describe
the life of a religious teacher who had lived in a remote part of
the Empire more than a hundred years before. These documents
or gospels are many in number, and all of unknown authorship;
they are in the possession of an obscure and fanatical sect, and many
of them contain obvious absurdities. Gradually the more absurd are
denounced as apocryphal, and four are retained, which, together
with some letters of one of the early Christians, form the New
Testament’ of future ages.” (Joseph McCabe.)
With regard to these documents or records next to nothing is
known. Their authors, place of origin, the motives that caused
their compilation, are all matters of guesswork. The charm of the
narratives, viewed as literature, is greatly due to our magnificent
“ Authorized ” version. As contemporary writers are entirely silent
on the subject of Jesus ; as Apostolic literature knows nothing of the
Jesus of the Gospels, of his virgin birth, of his alleged miracles; as
our only knowledge of him is contained in the New Testament, the
utmost we are justified in thinking of Jesus is that he was a man of
noble life, with a remarkable influence over his fellow-men. His
undoubted sincerity in believing that he was divinely chosen to
teach the people is no proof of the truth of his belief. He believed
that the earth belonged to the devil, but that some day he (Jesus)
would be recognized as the king of kings. “ Verily, I say unto you,
this generation shall not pass till all these things be fulfilled.” That
prophecy, uttered by Jesus himself, has not been fulfilled; it was
uttered about 1,900 years ago. He recognized Caesar’s authority,
and advised others to do the same. He did not denounce war or
slavery; but he said to his disciples : “ My peace I give unto you.”
Those who called themselves Christians, however, have not lived in
peace with one another, but have repeatedly waged war with one
another and persecuted one another ; the worst persecutors in the
world have been Christians. The teaching of Jesus is partly
responsible for this, inasmuch as he said that they who did not
believe on him would be damned ; and his followers, to save people
from damnation, tried to compel them to become Christians. This
persecution, this attempt to maintain an opinion by violence, to
conquer the reason without enlightening it, has characterized the
�THE CHURCH, CREEDS, AND CLERGY
15
larger part of Christian propaganda. The teachings of Jesus about
love, charity, brotherhood, justice, and forgiveness, although not
entirely original, embody the finest ethical code ever presented to
mankind; but an attempt to make them a universal rule of conduct
would in our present state of society be impracticable; no Christian
shapes his life on the principles of the Sermon on the Mount. He
taught that this world was of no importance, and, instead of trying
to right wrong conditions here and now, he advised non-resistance to
evil. He told those who wept and suffered to rejoice, for they would
have their reward in another world. This teaching has consoled
some people, but has prevented many from trying to right their
present wrongs. It has encouraged the rich and powerful to answer
the cry for justice by suggesting to the oppressed that they ought to
be satisfied with the reward promised in the next world. Those in
power have always encouraged religion among the poor; orthodoxy
is generally on the side of the oppressors. In spite of the fact that
the words of love and goodness spoken by Jesus have been an
immense influence for good, his theological doctrines have caused
much hatred, bloodshed, and misery.
THE CHURCH, CREEDS, AND CLERGY
The word “ church” originally meant an assembly or congrega
tion, and was at first merely an organization of fellow-believers, out
■of which has gradually arisen the distinction between clergy and
laymen. There are many Churches in Christendom, of which the
most important is the Roman Catholic. It was organized about the
time that the Roman Empire became converted to Christianity, and
the Emperor Constantine, one of the worst criminals in history, was
its first imperial head and protector. It soon became covetous,
ambitious, partisan, and intolerant, and its domination over the
■conscience and its punishment of heretics has caused an immense
amount of useless suffering.
In the sixteenth century the Church was split up chiefly through
Martin Luther, the principal author of the Reformation movement.
The seceders from the Church of Rome were called Protestants.
The Church of England dates from the time of Henry VIII, who,
■quarrelling with the Pope over a matter of divorcing his wife, founded
�16
SOME RELIGIOUS TERMS SIMPLY DEFINED
a new Church, of which he became master. In the past the
Protestant Churches have persecuted almost as much as the Roman
Church in their desire to exterminate what they looked upon as
heresy. In these days, when blind belief and superstition are not
regarded as a virtue, the Churches have not the power to persecute
except quite indirectly. Liberal and Broad Churches exist which
make little of theology and much of character, and the number of
people who look upon religion as something apart from formal ritual
is gradually increasing.
Disagreements among believers necessitated an authoritative
expression of Church doctrine; this was the origin of “ creeds,” the
object of which was to enforce uniformity of belief and prevent
independent thinking. The oldest Christian creed is supposed to be
the Apostles’ Creed, which we know was not written by the apostles.
The fundamental beliefs of this creed are those in the Trinity, the
Virgin Birth, and the Resurrection of the Flesh. No proofs are
given; they are assumed to be true. The Nicene Creed, the
Athanasian Creed, the creed of the Greek Church, the Church of
England Creed (the Thirty-nine Articles), the Westminster Creed—
all contain statements of belief narrow and intolerant. They tend
to prevent the pursuit of truth and confine it to one sect. Our
creed should be one in accord with facts, and one which keeps
abreast of our growing knowledge. To subscribe to a creed thatforbids freedom of thought lowers the dignity of man, whose reason
is his greatest possession. A clergyman is a man who has received
Holy Orders ” from the Church. A man can become a clergyman
by passing an examination and asserting his belief in the creed of
the particular Church to which he applies for admission.
THE EARTH AND MAN
The Bible states that some six thousand years ago God created
heaven and earth and all that they contain. Science teaches us
that the earth is many millions of years old, and that there has been
for countless ages a slow growth and gradual ascent. The origin of
matter remains a mystery.
Science teaches us that man is hundreds of thousands of years
old, and is descended from the lower animals. In the structure and
�DEATH AND IMMORTALITY
17
functions of his organs he is exactly like an animal; every bone,
muscle, and organ can be paralleled in the animals ; he is composed of
the same materials, and is subject to the same laws of life and death.
The human embryo, before birth, passes through stages of develop
ment when it has gills like a fish, a tail, a body covered with hair,
and a brain like a monkey’s ; thus showing that man, in his long
existence, has climbed through all these forms to his present state.
He was not specially created, but grew slowly upwards, and his mind
or reason was evolved in the same manner as his body, the struggle
for existence having been the chief contributor to his development.
Some people still believe that he was created “ perfect.” What
they mean by “ perfect ” is probably “ as perfect as a man can be.”
Had he been perfect, he could not have fallen. It is said that God
permitted him to fall, and encouraged Satan to tempt him, the con
sequence being sin, suffering, and death for all mankind. People
believed these stories because their fathers and mothers believed
them ; but hardly any enlightened people now hold these unreasonablebeliefs.
DEATH AND IMMORTALITY
Many people fear death because they think that it is the
beginning of an irrevocable doom ; but the rational view is that it
either secures happiness or ends suffering. We can conquer death
by serving some noble cause in which we may live after we have
passed away. When we are dead we shall not miss life, and to
lose what we cannot miss is not an evil.
It is popularly believed that there is a soul or spirit temporarily
inhabiting the body, which soul continues to live after death; that
men, but not animals, have souls ; that the body cannot live without
the soul, but that the soul can live without the body. It is impos
sible for the finite human mind to form a conception of this soul,,
this spirit without form or extension. Theology teaches that at
death the soul leaves the body and goes to some other world, each
sect having its own view of what sort of place this other world is.
The view of the Christian creeds is that only those who have thetrue faith will be happy; others will go to eternal misery. Even
great and good men and women not holding the true faith will go to>
�18
SOME RELIGIOUS TERMS SIMPLY DEFINED
hell, according to this view. The desire for immortality, a conscious
personal immortality, is almost universal ; it is an extension of the
instinct of self-preservation.
We know nothing of any future life, and, although the belief in
it is very general throughout humanity, many general beliefs have
turned out to be illusions. All we can say is that we do not know.
But we can safely affirm that all that we say and do will contribute
to build the world of the future, in which we shall live again as
influences and examples, as moral and intellectual forces. In this
sense we are certainly immortal, and the knowledge should inspire
us to cultivate only what is true and noble. A future life for each
personal individual is an enormous assumption to be made without
proof, and yet all the alleged consolations of orthodox religion hang
on this. Many people believe enough to be full of anxiety and fear,
and never have complete peace ; belief to them is a source of inward
unrest and alarm. For one death-bed smoothed by orthodox beliefs
it is probable that hundreds have been turned into beds of torture.
GOOD AND BAD
ANYTHING adjusted for some purpose and efficiently accomplish
ing that purpose is “ good when it fails in that purpose it is “ bad.”
For example, a knife is good when it cuts well; a road is good when
it makes travelling easy and comfortable ; a watch is good when it
keeps time correctly. When a knife is blunt, a road uneven, or a
watch incorrect, in each case it is “bad.” Thus efficiency is good
ness, inefficiency badness ; and to know whether conduct is good or
bad the first question to be asked is what purpose social conduct is
intended to serve. Social conduct is conduct adjusted for the benefit
of society, or co-operation. Conduct which tends to draw individuals
closer together is good ; conduct which repels them from one another
is bad. To the conduct of a single individual on a desert island,
where no act of his could affect anyone but himself, the terms “ good ”
and “ bad” in a moral sense would have no meaning. Man is dependent
■on the co-operation of society, and the aim of the moral code is to
discourage actions injurious to social co-operation and to encourage
•conduct which promotes it; therefore good and bad actions may be
�THE CHIEF OBJECT OF LIFE
19
roughly defined as those which benefit or injure somebody else or
society as a whole.
Theologically, “ good ” and “ bad ” mean obedience or disobedience
to the supposed will of some God, apart from any ethical or social
value in the action itself. Adam’s crime was disobedience ; the
command not to eat of the tree of knowledge was quite a capricious
and arbitrary one ; no reason was given why he should not eat of
it, and it was a natural thing for him to think that a knowledge of
good and evil was an excellent thing to acquire. But eating the
fruit, simply because it was an act of disobedience, was so great
a crime that the whole human race was damned for it. Abraham
agreed to commit the crime of burning his son; but because this
was an act of obedience theologians hold him up as a model of
virtue.
We now realize that a “ good ” man is one who promotes the
happiness and well-being of his fellow-creatures, and that morality
does not consist in blind obedience at the expense of our conscience
and reason, especially as, even assuming the existence of a God
whom we ought to obey, we have no means of knowing his will.
THE CHIEF OBJECT OF LIFE AND THE
RELIGION OF THE FUTURE
OUR duty is to seek those things that increase and elevate life;
to learn by experience (the accumulated experience of humanity as
well as our own) what is right and what is wrong, good and bad.
We need no revelation to tell us what is right and what is wrong;
we must discover it for ourselves. Nature is the sum of all the
forces which keep the world in movement; she is our first and
oldest teacher. We obey her because we must. She has joined
cause and consequence in such a way that every act and word bears
seed. If we sow evil, we reap pain; if we sow good, we reap
happiness. The reward of goodness is to be good. If we will not
be good without future rewards and punishments, others will; and,
by the law of the survival of the fittest, theirs will be the power of
the future. What is needed is knowledge ; we must know what is
for our highest good. Knowledge will give us sympathy instead of
�20
SOME RELIGIOUS TERMS SIMPLY DEFINED
prejudice, justice and humanity instead of oppression and greed.
Knowledge will help us to make the highest use of this life, without
reference to imaginary heavens and hells of which we can know
nothing.
In accordance with the law of evolution, we progress very slowly ;
but truth will ultimately prevail, and, even if its results cause pain
to some people, they must be accepted without hesitation. Man, as
a rational being, will no longer accept his religious opinions without
a mental conviction of their truth—a conviction demanded in every
other province of knowledge. Reason and experience will replace
theology, and, free from the difficulties and mysteries generated by
dogmas, we shall no longer try to force our conscience and intel
ligence to accept ancient revelations.
But, although theology will die, religion will remain; not the
religion which consists in singing hymns and reading bibles, in
pious talk and unctuous prayers, but the religion of acting rightly
and kindly. Real religion—the sense of duty arising from our
relationship to some superior Power, even though the nature of
that Power is unknown to us—will grow stronger. Our object in
life will be to promote the well-being and happiness of our fellow
creatures, and every new truth we learn will fit us better for this
task. Sympathy will replace selfishness ; those tendencies injurious
to social life will become weaker, those which facilitate social
co-operation will become stronger. We know that all faculties and
organs are strengthened by exercise and weakened by disuse. Our
duty, then, is to cultivate the faculties that are social and sym
pathetic, and to neglect those that are not. Every good act benefits
not only others, but self ; for it strengthens the faculties by which it
is performed. Conversely, every bad act not only injures others,
but also the actor ; for it strengthens faculties which should be
unexercised and allowed to die out from disuse.
No churches for propitiating imaginary deities will be built, but
we shall propitiate our conscience by the fulfilment of duty. No
imaginary heaven will arouse hope, and no hideous phantoms of
eternal hell will terrify the mind ; but we shall face the unknowable
with calmness and without fear.
PRINTED BY WATTS AND CO., JOHNSON’S COURT, FLEET STREET, LONDON, E.C.
�
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Victorian Blogging
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A collection of digitised nineteenth-century pamphlets from Conway Hall Library & Archives. This includes the Conway Tracts, Moncure Conway's personal pamphlet library; the Morris Tracts, donated to the library by Miss Morris in 1904; the National Secular Society's pamphlet library and others. The Conway Tracts were bound with additional ephemera, such as lecture programmes and handwritten notes.<br /><br />Please note that these digitised pamphlets have been edited to maximise the accuracy of the OCR, ensuring they are text searchable. If you would like to view un-edited, full-colour versions of any of our pamphlets, please email librarian@conwayhall.org.uk.<br /><br /><span><img src="http://www.heritagefund.org.uk/sites/default/files/media/attachments/TNLHLF_Colour_Logo_English_RGB_0_0.jpg" width="238" height="91" alt="TNLHLF_Colour_Logo_English_RGB_0_0.jpg" /></span>
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Conway Hall Library & Archives
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2018
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Conway Hall Ethical Society
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Some religious terms simply defined, for the use of children
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Marsden, E. L.
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Place of publication: London
Collation: 20 p. ; 22 cm.
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Watts & Co.
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1914
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N474
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Religion
Education
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Religious Education
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Text
V E R B A TI Al R E 1'0 RT
OF THE PROCEEDINGS OF A
DEPUTATIOA
THE RIGHT HON. AV. E. GLADSTONE, ALP.,
(First Lord of the Treasury,)
THE RIGHT HON. EARL DE GREY AND RIPON,
(Lord President of the Council,) (hid
THE RIGHT HON. AV. E. FORSTER, ALP.,
(Vice-President of the Council,)
ON WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 1870.
BIRMINGHAM.
PRINTED FOR THE NATIONAL EDUCATION LEAGUE.
Offices:—No. 47, Ann Street.
�4
resolutions to Mr. Gladstone, with a view of impressing upon the
Government the objections entertained by the League to the Bill.
In accordance with this resolution, a request was addressed to
Mr. Gladstone, asking him to receive a Deputation. The right
bon. gentleman consented to do so, and appointed Tuesday, the
Dtli of March, to receive the Deputation, at his official residence in
Downing Street.
Arrangements were consequently made for the representation of
the 'Branches of the League on the Deputation, and on the day
above named the following Members of Parliament, the Executive
Committee, the Officers of the League, and the undermentioned
Delegates from the Branches, met at the Westminster Palace
Hotel, and proceeded thence to the Prime Minister’s official residence
in Downing Street, where they were received by Mr. Gladstone,
who was accompained by Lord de Grey and Mr. Forster:—
Anstnrther, Sir IL, M.P.
Armitstead, G., M.P.
Carter, R. N., M.P.
Cowen, J., M.P.
Beaumont, II. F., M.P.
Brogden, A., M.P.
Bright, Jacob, M.P.
Dalrymple, Donald, M.P.
Dilke, Sir C. 3V., Bart., M.P.
Dixon, George, M.P.
Eykyn, Roger, M.P.
Fawcett, Henry, M.P.
Forster, C'has., M.P.
Harcourt, Vernon, 31. .
Herbert, Hon. A., M.P.
Hoare, Sir H. A., M.P.
Howard, James, M.P.
Illingworth, Alfred, M.P.
Johnson, Andren, M.P.
Kirk, William, M.P.
Lawson, Sir Wilfred, M.P.
Leatliam, E. A., M.P.
Lewis, J. D., M.P.
Lush, J. A., M.P.
Melly, George, M.P.
Miall, E., M.P.
Parry, Love Jones, M. P.
Philips, R. N., M.P.
Potter, E., M.P.
Rylands, Peter, M.P.
Samuelson, B., M.P.
Samuelson, H., M.P.
Simon, 31 r. Serjeant, M.P.
Shaw, IL, M.P.
Sartoris, E. J., M.P.
Sherriff, A. C., M.P.
Stepney, Colonel, M.P.
Stevenson, J. C., 31. P.
Sykes, Colonel, 31. P.
Taylor, P. A., 31.P.
Villiers, Right Hon. C. P., M.P.
AVedderburn, David, 31. P.
AVlialley, 31r., M.P.
White, James, 31. P.
AVhitworth, Thos., 31. P.
Weguelin, T. 31., M.T.
�5
DELEGATES FROM THE BRANCHES.
Ashton-under-Lyne—
Green, Thomas, M.A.
BathDalrymple, D., M.P.
Edwards, R. P.
Maenaught/Rev. J., M.A.
Mureh, Aiderman Jerom, J.P.
Banbury—
Tin* Worshipful the Mayor
Brookes, R. H.
Carter, Rev. L. G.
Griftin, Dr., J.P.
Turner, Rev. J.
BedfordHill, Rowland
Ransom, Edwin
Belper—
\
Cox, J. Charles, J.P.
Birkenhead—
Billson, Alfred
Cooke, Bancroft
Cowie, Alfred
Stitt, Samuel
Birmingham—
The Worshipful the Mayor
(Thomas Prime, Esq.)
Dixon, George, M.P.
Bunce, J. Thackray, E.S.S.
Brown, Rev. J. J.
Chamberlain, Councillor Joseph
Collings, Councillor Jesse
Clarke, Rev. Charles, F.R.L.S.
Dawson, George, M.A.
Field, Alfred
Hadley, Felix
Harris, Councillor William
Hayes, E. J.
Jaffray, John, J.P.
Lloyd, Councillor G. B.
Martineau, R. F.
Middlemore, Win. J.P.
Osler, Follett, F.R.S.
Philli] is, Aiderman, J.P.
Timmins, Samuel, F.R.S.L.
Vince, Rev. Charles
Wright, J. S.
All Saints’ Ward—
Pay ton, Henry
Rolason, Councillor
B 3
Birmingham (Continued)—
Deritend Ward—
Eliaway, H. H.
Griffiths, Thomas
Hawkes, W. C.
Dviideston Ward—Ingall, George
Hampton Ward—■
Barratt, Dr. A.
Biddle, J.
Mills, W.
St. Martin’s Ward—
Bennett, W. P.
Gosling, Wm.
St. Pavi/s Ward—
Edwards, Mr. Councillor C. H.
Manton, Mr. Alderman
St. Peter’s Ward—
Adams, Francis
Deykin, Councillor
Gosling, Alfred
Whitlock, H. J.
Sr. Thomas’ Ward—
•
Baker, George
Mann, Robert
Brown, Charles
Bai.sall Heath—
Holland, Aiderman
Flint Glass Makers’ Associa
tion (T. J. Wilkinson, &'.'.)
Bolton
Lee, Henry
Winkworth, Stephen
BradfordHolden, (’ouneillor Angus
Illingworth, Alfred, M.P.
Brighton—
Burrows, J. C., J.P.
Creak, A., M.A.
Clark, A., B.A.
Davey, Councillor
Mackenzie, W.
Pettitt, W.
Tapper, Rev. Dr.
Wood, Councillor
White, James, M.P.
�c
Bristol—
Darwen-
Caldicott, Rev. J. W., M.A.
Gotch, Rev. F. W., LL.I>.
James, Rev. W.
Pease, Tlios.
Thomas, Herbert, J.P.
Baron, Joshua, J.P.
Dunmock, James
McDougall, Rev. James
DenbighWright, Robert
Bromsgrove—
Derby—
Macdonald, A.
Seroxton, Mr.
Beswick, G.
Brown, William
Renals, Aiderman J.
Burslem—
Devonport
Woodall, Wm.
The Worshipful the Mayor
(J. Rolston, Esq.,'M. DA
Lewis, Mr., M.P.
Bawling, S. B.
BuryPhilips, R. N., M.P.
Canterbury—
Dewsbury—
The Worshipful the Mayor
(Henry Hart, Esq.)
Brent, Aiderman
• ’ooper, John R.
Cromwell, Rev. Dr.
Hamilton, R.
Joyce, James
Peirce, J. H.
Clarke, John
Kilner, William
Dukinfleld Bucklev, N.
Marshall, William
Dudley—
Cochrane, Aiderman, J.P.
Robinson, Rev. Wade
CarlislePotter, E. Esq., M,P.
Howard, Hon. George
Sutton, William
Edgbaston—
Kenrick, Timothy, J.P.
Carmarthen
Exeter—
Sartoris, E. J., M.P.
Stepney, Colonel, M.P.
Bowring, Sir John
Norrington ('ouncillor
Carnarvon—
Falmouth—
Evans, Rev. E.
Fox, Howard. J.P.
M illmore, Arthur
Cheltenham—
Halifax
Onley, Samuel
Bubb, J.
Hutchinson, Alderman, J. D., J.P.
Shaw, Aiderman, J.P.
Scarbrough, T. S.
Chesham—
Carr, Rev. John
Cave, James
Hawkes, C.
Plato, C.
Rose, D.
Rose, G.
ChesterBeckett, Joseph
Parish, W.. ex-Sheriff
CoventryBray, Charles
Cash, Councillor John
Handsworth—
Ann, Rev. Robert
Harborne—
Newey, C. J.
! Hastings—
I
Banks, John
Hinckley Atkins, John
Atkins, Thomas
Burrows, Rev. Mr.
Davis, Samuel
Perkins, Rev. Mr.
�Huddersfield—
The Worshipful the Mayor
Dodds, John
.Mellor, Wright, J.P.
Skilliek, R.
Huntingdon—
Millard, Rev. J. IL, B.A.
Hyde—
Adamson, Daniel
Dowson, Rev. H. E., B.A.
Hibbert, Edward
Hibbert, John
Robinson, Rev. T., B.A.
Herefordspem-er, Philip Russell
IpSWichJones, Rev. E.
Maude, Rev. F. H.
Notcutt, S. A., jun.
Rees, Ml’.
Zincke, Rev. F. Barham, M.A.
Kendal—
Busher, Edward
Russell, Rev. John
Swinglehurst, Henry
Thompson, William
Leeds—
The. Worshipful the Mayor
(W. G. Joy, Esq.)
Barran, Aiderman
Clarke, F. R.
Crowther, William, J.P.
Lupton, Joseph
LeicesterTim Worshipful the Mayor
(G. Stevenson, Esq.)
Coe, Rev. C. C.
Harley, Rev. Robert, F.R.S.
Hodges, T. W., J.P.
Paget, T. T., High Sheriff
Walker, William Henry
LondonAllan, William
Alder, T. P.
Applegarth, R.,
Atkinson, Rowland
Beales, Edmond, M.A.,
Bennett, W. C., LL.D.
Botlv, William
Bovill, W. J.
Brenehley, Julius
B 4
London (continued )—
Buekmaster, T. C.
Chunrock, E. J., M.A.
Church, R. H.
Clayden, Rev. P. W.
Courtenay, J. 1.
Cremer, W. R.
Crompton, Henry
Cunnington, John
Dilke, Sir C. W.. Bart., M.P.
Dodds, George Will.,
Edwards, J. P.
Emerson, F. R.
Evans, Howard
Fooks, W. C., jun., LL.B.
Fry, Herbert
Goodwin, Rev. Dr.
Galpin, T. 1).
Guile, Daniel
Hill, A. H.
Hoare, Sir H. A., Bart., M.P.
Hole, James
Holyoake, G. J.
Hoppus, John, LL.D., F.R.S.
Howell, George
Herbert, Hon. A., M,P.
Hodgson, Dr.
Hansard Rev. S.
Hales, John
lerson, Rev. IL, B.A.
Jones, Lloyd
Levi, Professor, Leone
Lushington, G.
Mackay, C., LL.D.
Middlemore, J. T.
Miall, E., M.P.
McClelland, Janies
Moore, S. P., LL.B.
Motterslmad, T.
Nasmith, I)., LL.B.
Odger, George
Pare, William, F.S.S.
Parry, L. J., M.P.
Payne, J.
Pennington, Frederick
Price, Richard
Rawlinson, Sir Christopher, C.B.
Robson, John, B.A.
Robertson, Professor C.
Russell, R.
Sliaen, William
Shortt, John, LL.B.
Slack, H. J.
Stanesby, H. J.
Somes, George
Taylor, P. A., M.P.
Varley, C.
�8
London (eoìithiucd)—
Webster, Thomas, Q.C.
Williams, Robert
Worley, A. E.
Bloomsbury—
Johnson, E.
Miller, Rev. AV.
Young, Sir George, Bart.
Camden—
Bottomley, J. F.
Shoveller, John
Chelsea—
Armstrong, IT. Stephen
Beales, Edmond, M.A.
Boyd, John
Davis, .Mr.
Finch, AV. Newton
Jet! lies, John
Jones, P.
Liggett, Mr.
Pite, H. G.
Sellis, Win.
Symes, Chas.
Deptford—
Smiles, R.
Matthews, A.
Greenwich—
Bell, John, M.A.
Bennett, AV. C., LL.D.
Goodwin, Rev. Thomas, LL.D.
Hackney—
Aspland, Dr.
< Tennell, Air.
Fretwell, J., jun.
Green, C. E.
Aliali, Rev. William
Hiding, B. S.
Pieton, Rev. J. A., ALA.
Kensington—
Gladstone, Dr. J. IL, F.R.S.
Heywood, James, ALA., F.R.S.
Lobley, J. Logan, F.G.S.
AleClelland, Jas., J.P., F.R.A.S.
Osborne, John
Reade, Rev. C. Darby
Lambeth—
Alder, T. P.
Emblin, R.
Greenstreet, T.
Gibbons, G.
Hearson, Rev. G.
Mottershead, T.
Sayer, AV.
I London (continued}—
Stainsby, D.
Silvester, H. R.
Taylor, S. S.
Wèrley, A. E. T.
Marylebone—
Guedalla, J.
Pratt, Alagee
North London—
Bartram, Richard
Clarke, T. C.
Geikie, Rev. C.
Glover, R. R.
Hooper, AV. B.,
Hickson, G.
Lueraft, B.
Freedy, A.
Preston, J. T.
Sinclair, R.
Spicer, Henry, jun., B.A.
Tit ford, A.
AVade, J. M.
AVright, G. W.
AVilson, George
Peckham—
Yeats, Dr.
Westminster—
Beal, James
Carr, J. T.
Courtney, G. J.
Ely, Air.
McDonald, C.F.
Alilligan, Air. '
Noble, John
Tufnell, Air.
West Ham—
Johnson, A., ALP.
Godlee, L.
Woolwich, Plumstead, and
Charlton—
Noble, John
Pike, Rev. J. B.
Richards, Rev. J.
Wates, Joseph
AVliite, George
Lichfield—
< hawner, R. C.
< ïosskey, Rowland, ex-Mayor
Al<• Lean, J. C.
Liverpool—
Frange, Councillor F. G.
Sinclair, Air.
Thomas, John
�9
Manchester—Bazley, C. H. J.P.
Alathews, Rev. E., M.A.
Rumney, Alderman
Steinthal, Rev. S. A.
Middlesborough—
Jones, John
Williams, E.
(Rover, R. R.
N ewcastle-on-Tyne—
( 'owen, J., M.P.
Cowen, J., jun.
Hengel], Win. M.
Rutherford, Dr.
Street, Rev. J. C.
Newport—(Isle of Wight)
< 'olman, Alfred
Pierce, John
Norwich-
Cooper, R. A.
NorthamptonHarris, Henry
North ShieldsHudson, Thomas
N ottingham—
Cox, Sami.
Ellis, Edward John
Eelkin, William, F.L.S.
Felkin, Fredk.
Clipper, Edward
Hollins, Mr.
Paget, Charles, J.P.
Rothera, G. B.
Oldbury—
Jubb, Rev. W. W.
Stableford, W.
Wheeler, John
OxfordHarcourt, Vernon, M.P.
Peterboro’
Taylor, Benjamin
Plymouth—
Anthonv, Rev. F. E., M.A.
Collier, W. F.
Reading—
'Elie Worshipful the Mayor
(T. Spokes, Esq.)
Culpin, Thos.
Stevenson, Rev. F.
Rochester—
The Worshipful the Mayor
Aveling, Thos., ex-Mayor
Aveling, Dr.
Belsev, J.
Belsey, F. F.
Boon, James
Bullbrook, Councillor
Coles, Aiderman
Edwards, Mr.
Fond, J. R.
Hanhain, C. F.
Jellie, Rev. W. H.
Knighton, Dr.
Naylor, Aiderman
Steele, Dr.
Warne, T. S.
Wyles, Thomas
SalisburyJones, Rev. W.
Short. Geo., B.A.
Williams, Charles
Sheffield—
Allott, Councillor
Beal, Councillor
Bragge, William, F.R.G.S.
Drontield, Mr.
Griliitlis, Dr.
Knox, G. Walter, B.Se.
Short, Rev. J. Lettis
Shrewsbury—
Stephens, R.
Southampton—
Maxse, Captain, R.N.
South ShieldsCowen, .Josh., jun.
Edgar, John
Stafford—
The Worshipful the Mayor
Stockport—
The Worshipful the Mayor
Black, Rev. James, M.A.
Coppock, Major
Howard, Alderman
The Town Clerk
Walthew, Aiderman
Stourbridge—
Maginnis, Rev. D.
StroudCooper, Wm.
�10
Tipton—
Blackburn, Rev. F. <'.
Tynemouth
Hudson, T.
Walsall—
The Worshipful the Mayor
(AV. B. Duignan, Esq.)
Cotterell, G.
Holden, E. T.
Warrington—
'file Worshipful the Mayor
(C. J. Holmes, Esq.)
Long, William, jun.
Milner, Edward
Rylands, Peter, M.P.
West Bromwich
Jukes, .1. G.
Kerni< k, J. Arthur, J.P.
West Kent—
Bird, G.
Bedell, Mr.
Coombs, Rev. J. Wilson, B.A.
Howard, James, M.P.
Miall, Edward, M.P.
Offor, George
< )utram, G. E.
Thomjison, C. W.
Todd, AV.
Whitehead, James
Winchfield Kingsley, Rev. Canon
Wolverhampton—
The Worshipful the Mayor
(Thomas Bantock, Esq.
Eelkin, Robert
Glittery, Rev. Thomas
Horton, Rev. Tlios. G.
Hatton, William
Loveridge, H.
Mander, S. S.
’Walton, Frederick
Wiguelin, T. W., M.P.
Worcester—
Airev, J. F.
MacLean, Councillor
Sherritf, A.
M.P.
Woodward, Francis
Williamson, Count illor
WindsorBrowning, Oscar, M.A.
Chamberlain, T., ex-Mavor
Grove, H. J.
Harris, AV. H., B.A., F.G.S.
Platt, J.
The Deputation was introduced by Mr. Dixon", M.P., Chairman
of the Council of the League, who spoke as follows :—Mr.
Cladstone, my Lord de Grey, and Mr. Forster,—The Deputa
tion which I have now the honour of introducing to you
consists of about four hundred gentlemen collected from about
seventy different localities, and including thirty Members of Par
liament and twelve Mayors. These, sir, are the representatives
present here to-day of the National education League, a body
which has been in existence only a very few months ; but. during
that time it has grown into an organisation of unusual magnitude
and power, such as will be described to you by the Chairman of
the Executive Committee, Mr. Joseph Chamberlain.. It is about
twelve months since this organisation was projected by a few
gentlemen in Birmingham, unknown beyond their immediate
locality, and who were mainly distinguished by their earnest
perseverance and by their strong conviction of the importance of
the principles that they entertain. (Applause.) Those principles
�were, that it was the duty of the State to see to the education of
every child in the country, and that that was to be effected by a
combination of rates and taxes administered by local management,
with central executive inspection, and strong control. (Applause.)
It was believed that this could best be carried out by making the
schools both free and unsectarian—(hear, hear, and applause)—and
requiring that attendance at these schools should l)e made com
pulsory on the children. (Cheers.) 1 may mention, sir, that the
.Executive Committee of the League, upon its formation, was over
whelmed by applications from all parts of the country to attend
meetings, and explain more particularly the objects of the League.
I myself attended upwards of twenty of such meeting's in the most
important localities in the country, and it will be interesting to
you, sir, to know that, although it is true that at those meetings
I did not find myself surrounded by many Conservatives—they are
generally adverse to great changes—(laughter)—though I. did not
find myself accompanied on to the platform by many members of
those Churches whose vested interests seemed to be attacked, yet 1
did find that those meetings were thronged by three important
classes. The Nonconformists were always there in great force—
(applause) those leaders of the great Liberal party, who on all
great occasions make themselves prominent, were never found
wanting ; and behind those bodies we found the working classes
assembled in constantly increasing numbers. All this led me to
the conclusion that, if this agitation were to he continued for
another twelve, months—(cheers)—it would be more than probable
that in all the Liberal boroughs of the empire we should find that
the majority of the voters would be associated with this great
organisation, in carrying out what they conceived to be, not merely
the question of the day, but the greatest one that has ever occupied
the attention of the people. I ought perhaps to say that upon one
point—that of free schools—the Leaguers are not quite unanimous;
but the people everywhere Lave endorsed the opinion of the
League; and also, 1 would say in addition, that with reference, to
the religious question, there is only a section of the League that
has any difference of“ opinion, and this section takes up a still more,
advanced opinion than the great body of the Leaguers. (Applause.)
I have now the pleasure to call upon Air. Joseph ('hamberlain, the
Chairman of the Executive; Committee of the League, who will
address you upon the general question.
�12
Mr. Chamberlain : Mr. Gladstone, my Lord de Grey, and Mr.
F,,rster,—It is part ot‘ my business to make myself acquainted
with the general work of the League, to estimate its real strength,
and to study opinion throughout the country, as far as I can
correctly gather it from the reports of our branches. Now, of
those branches we have already established 114, and I believe
there is not a single important town in the kingdom which is not
in this way represented.
In connection with almost everyone of
those branches we have held large public meetings ; and, as I
have seen it said that a public meeting may be held on either side
of a great question, I should like to point out that our meetings
have been almost entirely open meetings, at many of which
amendments have been moved ; and 1 may also remark that many
of them have been town’s meetings. For instance, of this nature
was the large meeting which was held in the great Hall in
Birmingham, on Monday night, at which a resolution was almost
unanimously carried in favour of the points which I am about
to urge, and the Mayor of the town was requested to attend and
form part of this Deputation. There are two considerations to
which I should like to call your attention, as showing the strength
of this movement. In the first place, there is that point to which
Mr. Dixon has made allusion—namely, that this agitation is of
very recent and rapid growth. I should say that the League has
been officially constituted only live months, although the question
was first agitated in Birmingham twelve months ago ; but T am
quite sure that, if the Government entertain any doubt as to the
opinion of the country, and will give us a little time, longer—(loud
applause)—we will make that opinion sufficiently manifest. The
second point is, that this agitation is almost entirely voluntary. 1
say that, because I do not believe there is a man connected with
the League who has made one penny by his services in connection
with it. Almost the whole of the work—the work of speaking,
and an immense deal of secretarial work—has been done by
volunteers, and oidy for some of the clerical work have we paid,
and in the case of poor persons only have we made some compen
sation for the services which they have rendered ; but never more
1 believe, and in many cases much less, than they would have
earned in any other sphere of work. Now, we have received in
the course of our agitation the co-operation of the great trades
unions, and of almost all the leaders of the great trade societies in
�13
the kingdom ; and 1 believe I may say that there has never been
a meeting of working men called to consider this question at
which resolutions have not been passed in favour of the scheme
which we urge upon you. Also, we may fairly claim to represent
the great bodies of Nonconformists in this country ; but inasmuch
as they have established a separate organisation, I feel some
delicacy in speaking for them. Now, I will state very briefly the
points upon which we are agreed in dissenting from the principles
of the Government measure. The day after the Bill was intro
duced, the Officers issued a circular to all our branches, asking for
their opinions upon the subject, and the replies disclosed an
almost unanimous concurrence upon certain points. The earnestness
of this concurrence is manifested by the fact that not seventy, as
Nir. Dixon stated, but ninety-six branches are represented in the
present Deputation. They have come from as far north as Newcastle,
as far south as the Isle Of Wight, as far west as Falmouth, and as far
east as Ipswich. (Applause.) In the first place, we object to the
year’s delay. We think this would be merely to give twelve,
months to the Denominations to run a race of wasteful expenditure,
and to increase sectarian bitterness of feeling. Our remaining
objections may be almost summarised in a sentence. Wé object,
sir, to the permissive recognition of great principles; we ask that
the Government should decide those principles for the country ;
we ask that they should not leave them as controversies of annual
recurrence, and subject to varying, and sometimes contradictory,
conclusions. (Applause.) We object to the retention of school
fees ; we think that a free school is a necessary corollary to the
compulsory attendance of children ; we believe that it is impolitic
to ticket one class on account of their poverty—(applause)—and
we believe that it will be absolutely impracticable to define the
limit at which payment should properly be made. (Applause.)
But the strongest objections which we entertain are on the subject
of the permissive compulsion, and what I must be permitted to
call the permissive sectarianism of the Bill. ()n these points there
is an absolute unanimity of opinion. We object to permissive
compulsion, because we say that the measure would only be
efficient in large towns, and that in other places it would not be
enforced—not because there is any sort of opposition to the
principle, but on account of a fear which many persons entertain
of any measure which in the slightest degree may increase the
�14
burden of the rates. Sir, we say that such Acts as Denison’s Act,
which lias been an utter failure, and the Free Libraries Act, which
has only been applied partially, are illustrations of the results of
such legislation. (A Voice : The Baths and Wash-houses also.)
Then, with reference to this permissive sectarianism, the Town
Councils object to it, and regret the importation of a new element,
causing their election to turn upon religious opinion, and not upon
personal fitness; and, when they are elected, dividing them into
two hostile camps. The Dissenters object to this measure, which
they conceive will hand over the education of this country to the
Church of England entirely in many parts of the kingdom,
especially in agricultural districts; and they think that it must
necessarily be followed by a measure which will hand over the
education of the people in 1 reland to the Church of Borne—(loud
applause)—and that in this way the influence, social and political,
of those two Churches will be unfairly increased. (Hear, hear.)
Further, we consider (that this Conscience Clause which is con
tained in the proposed Bill, or any Conscience Clause, will be
absolutely unsatisfactory. (Applause.) Where it is not needed,
there, Sir, it will be absolutely nugatory, because the parents will
not dare to make use of it; they will be afraid of placing
themselves, by signing such a document, under the ban of the
Squire and the Parson. (Cheers.) Besides, sir, we say that a
Conscience Clause of any kind does not touch the hardship of
which Dissenters complain—that the minority will in many
districts be taxed to pay for the support of schools which arc1 part
of the machinery for perpetuating doctrines to which they have a
conscientious objection. (Hear, hear.) Therefore, in conclusion,
1 have been instructed tn express a very earnest hope that the
Government, which secured the cordial and unwavering support of
the great majority of Liberal ('hurehmen, and of all the leading
Dissenting bodies in this country, in their effort to carry out the
principles of religious freedom and religious equality in Ireland
— (applause)—will not reject our petition for the application of
those principles to England and Wales, and that they will consent
to remove from what we all think otherwise a noble measure,
those, clauses which we conscientiously believe will inflict an
intolerable hardship and oppression upon a large class of the
community. (Loud applause.)
Sir Charles W. Dilke : Air. Gladstone, my Lord de Grey,
�15
and Mr. Forster,—The point which has been entrusted to me to
bring before you to-day is that of permissive compulsion—of
the conflict between the principles of permissive and of direct
general compulsion. Now, the fact of Mr. Chamberlain having
so fully stated the views of the League upon that point, and also
the fact that you have thought it right, and the Cabinet have
thought it right, to insert a principle of direct compulsion in
some shape in the Bill, clear my task is so considerably that I
think it will be necessary that I should speak only upon the per
missive character of the compulsion which is proposed. It will not
be necessary that I should say anything with regard to the neces
sity, or with regard to the justifiableness, of compulsion in general,
because those, are admitted by the insertion of the principe in the
Bill. But what I would wish, on behalf of the Deputation, and on
behalf particularly of the London Branch, in whose name I speak,
to call your attention to is, not that we feel, or are able to say, that
it might not have been right in the Government to insert some con
dition with regard to compulsion—we feel it might be proper, in
the state of public feeling on compulsion, that some condition
should have been inserted by way of a test which should be prece
dent to compulsion being required ; but we feel (and 1 think 1
speak the opinion of the whole Deputation on this point) that the
condition which is made precedent to the application of compulsion
is a condition which is wholly a bad one. Compulsion is a
matter which concerns attendance and attendance only, and the
conditition by which, under tlie Bill, compulsion is to be applied
is one which concerns not attendance, but school accommodation.
You make, in this Bill, one condition hinge upon another; you
say that where there is a deficiency of school accommodation, and
there only, you will have permissive compulsion. Well, even in
that case, the compulsion is permissive—and permissive with
whom ? It is permissive in the country with Boards which will
be chiefly composed of farmers. (Hear, hear.) That is to say,
Boards composed of persons who have a direct interest in seeing
that the compulsion is not applied. In the towns those Boards
will be Boards which, whatever their merits or demerits may be,
are bodies which very naturally have a strong opinion against any
temporary increase of the rates, and thus you give permissive
powers to Boards who will consider less the ultimate decrease of
the rates than the immediate increase which will result upon the
�1G
principle of compulsion being applied. Well, but we go much
farther than this, and we object altogether to the permissive
legislation of which this Bill is full. As Mr. Chamberlain has
pointed out, the Deputation, and the League generally, object
not merely to permissive compulsion, they object to permissive
free schools and to permissive religion—(applause)—as well as
permissive compulsion. We feel that either compulsion is right
or wrong. By putting it in the Bill you have acknowledged it is
right. If it is right, then, it should be declared to be right by
the Imperial Legislature, and if it is wrong it should not be
placed in a Government Bill. What we ask is, that compulsion
should not be left to Local Boards of any kind or however con
stituted, but that if you are to have compulsion at all, it should
not depend upon local bias, but it should l>e imposed upon the
people by the act of the Imperial Legislature. (Loud applause.)
Mr. Mundella (M.P. for Sheffield): Mr. Gladstone, my Lord
de Grey, and Mr. Forster.—The few remarks which I shall detain
you with will have reference to the effect of compulsion as an
educational power. In the first place, I believe that it is the
experience of all those who have seen the influence of education
abroad, that without compulsion nothing like a good education is
secured. However much you may cover the land with schools,
however ample, the provision may be that you may make for those
schools, as in Ame rica, as in France, indeed, and as in Holland,
the results will be altogether inadequate to your efforts unless you
make it the absolute duty of the parent that the child’shall be in
attendance, regularly and consecutively, for a certain number of
years. My attention was first drawn to this by reason of the fact
that I am an employer of labour abroad, that I have seen the
working of this system in Switzerland and Germany ; and I have
seen its contrast, too, in Holland and in France. I am conscious,
also, of what is going on in America, and I am bouud to say that
although America has made the most ample provision of any
country in the world for schools, yet American education, instead
of progressing, is on the decline. I received only a few days ago
a report from the State of Massachusetts. Compulsion may be
practically said to be, in America, permissive, as it would be under
this Bill. In the city of Lowell, the compulsory powers aie carried
out as effectually as they can be : 90 per cent, of the children are
in school. Tn the city of Fall Biver. on the other hand, in the
�17
same State, tlie compulsory powers have been altogether neglected,
as the School Boards confess, and the result is that 50 per cent, of
the children are out of school. (Cheers.) Now, I am sure it
must have been said to you often, and you must have often read
it, that we exaggerate the educational destitution of this country.
Sir, I believe it is impossible to describe it, much less to exag
gerate it; and I believe those reports which we are all anxiously
looking for from the Privy Council, on the state of education in
the four largest cities in the M idland Counties and the North, will
more than corroborate what 1 say, and that when the} arc pio
duced they will be the most black and appalling page in the
history of our country. So far from education progressing in this
country, I believe it is not progressing in the same ratio as the
population, and that we are raising around us a mass of ignorance,
pauperism, and crime which is a disgrace to us as a Christian
people. (Loud applause.) I am glad to say that this is not
exclusively a Liberal question—(hear, hear)—or a Dissenters
question, for 1 have in my possession at this moment some dozen
letters from clergymen of the Church of England, managers of the
largest schools in England—one of whom has a school of 1,-00
children—and they all, with one exception, say to me: “Me
agree with you: we must have compulsion, or we shall have
nothing effectual ; and we are quite prepared for a separation of
the religious teaching.” (Loud applause.) Now, if we can only
introduce that sort of kindly spirit into this controversy, that ve
are all willing not to urge the teaching of those things on which
we differ, but those on which we agree—(applause)—and to insist
upon the attendance of children; if you, sir, will only make it
absolute that it is the right and the appanage of every child in this
country to receive the highest education that can lie gii en
(applause)—because, Sir, we must set up a high ideal ; we mud
not compare ourselves with ourselves, but we must compare ouiselves with those great nations that for thirty or forty years hare
adopted compulsory education, and have thereby produced the
most marvellous and extraordinary results. We must not, as
Englishmen, be content with anything short of wliat they have
attained.
Mr. Gladstone : Which nations, Mr. Mundella ?
Mr. Mundella : Prussia, Saxony, Wurtemburg, Switzerland.
Baden Baden.
�18
A Voice: Holland.
Mr. Mlndella : No ; Holland is not' compulsory. But I will
speak of the great North German Confederation as affording the
model-tlie high ideal-of what we must and ought to attain to in
education
Sir 1 have wandered from one end of Saxony to.
another, I have been through Prussia and in many of its latest
departments, and I could not find an ignorant child, go where I
might (Loud applause.) It is not only that they are not ignorant,
or that, hke our own children, they have attained to the readin" of
a signboard or the scrawling of a name-that is not education—
that is not the education which they have enjoyed; but it is an
education that is useful to them in its culture and in its assistance to
them m acquiring knowledge in every relation of life. (Loud
applause.) Sir, I say if you confer that blessing upon English
children great as have been all the works that you have done
before-(loud and prolonged applause)-great as is the promise
and the hope of what you will do-(cheers)-vour name will be
associated with a still greater work-with the greatest blessinwhich can descend from generation to generation upon the people
of this country. (Loud and prolonged applause).
Mr. Robert Applegarth : My only desire for troubling you
with any remarks on this occasion is on account of the great de
termination there is on the part of the working classes to speak for
emselves on these great questions. (Hear, hear). They feel that
hitherto the upper and the middle classes have spoken on their
»‘half, perhaps too much, and that they have said too little for
enise ves. Me hold that on the education question we have
been grossly misrepresented. Lord Robert Montagu has spoken
m the name of the working classes, the Archbishop of York has
spoken, Lord Marlborough has spoken, and many such gentle
men—(laughter and applause)—whose good intentions 1 do not
questson, but whose knowledge of our wants and requirements I
do question very much. (Hear, hear). They have said we wanted
what we do not want, and they have said we are satisfied with
what we are very discontented with. (Laughter and applause),
he Kev. Canon Beechey says—speaking of the miners of this
country-that they would strike against compulsion. Now, against
that statement I protest as a falsehood. (Laughter, and cries of
) \\ ell, that is a strong word to use., I admit ; but it is un
true, and the truth should be spoken. (Laughter and applause).
�19
The miners of this country have met in conference by their dele
gates, and they have declared—not that they wanted more wages,
not that they wanted shorter working hours, or any special remedy
of that sort ; but the lirst and most important tiling they have de
clared is, that they must have compulsory education for their chil
dren. (Loud applause.) Sir, the working classes throughout the
country have long declared in favour of compulsory education, and
I should be sorry to be regarded as speaking in the name of those
that I know little about; but my claim in speaking for the work
ing classes is that 1 have worked with them and tor them all the
days of my life, and I would not for one moment say on their be
half what 1 did not conscientiously believe they would desire me
to say. (Hear, hear.) Perhaps Mr. burster will tell me, as he
has told me before, that there is a large class in whose name the
representatives of our class generally cannot speak. M ell, I can
only say that, having worked for and with the better part of my
class all my life, I am in at least as good a position as Lord 1\obert
Montagu, or the Duke of Marlborough, or the Archbishop of < can
terbury, to speak on behalf of that class ; and I say that from the
miners up to the most skilled artisans of the country, they have all
declared in favour of compulsory education. As an instance, I may
mention that, last Thursday, I was in Glasgow ; there were 1,000
men crowded into a large room, and they were drawn together
under circumstances of a most unfortunate kind, because they were
engaged in discussing the whys and wherefores of a strike not the
best circumstances under which to take into consideration the ques
tion of education. Hut having been invited to speak to them, and
having said what I had to sayr with reference to their dispute, I asked
permission to turn that strike meeting into an education meeting.
(Loud applause.) It was unanimously' accorded, and, after having
spoken to them, I asked them if they' would embody their opinions
in the form of a resolution, and the following is the resolution that
was passed :—“ That this meeting of operative carpenters and
joiners, of Glasgow, expresses its cordial sympathy with the work
men of England and Wales in their efforts to obtain the establish
ment of a compulsory, secular, and free system of National
Education, and we hereby pledge ourselves to use our influence to
assist them in their endeavours.” Well, now, that is the way’ in
which the working classes have spoken, to my certain knowledge,
for the last fourteen years. It is now some fourteen years ago that
�20
1 first ventured to speak to a body of workmen on the question of
education ; and, I care not whether it has been in connection with
strikes or with any other business, I have always endeavoured to
put in the thin edge of the education wedge, and I have been con
tinually driving it home ever since. (Laughter and applause). But
the one question upon which they have been unambiguous is this
question of compulsion. (Applause). It is no answer to our ap
plication, to our appeal, to tell us that the Union, on the other
hand, has made a counter demand; I submit that such a list of
names as the. Union musters in their sheets, is not an answer to the
demand on the part of the working classes of this country. It
may be well for the Archbishop of York, or the Duke of Marl
borough, or Lord Robert Montagu to say we do not want compul
sion ; but what do we say for ourselves ? We say we want it, and
what is more, I mean to say, with all respect, that in the end we
will have it. (Laughter and applause). We intend to agitate until
we do get it, and, further, we think we have a lair claim upon the
present Government. (Loud applause). During the last election
we lent our best exertions to move the public and to get that noble
majority from which we hope so much in the present and in the
future—(applause)—and we hope to get in return the best assist
ance from the Liberal party to obtain for us that which we require.
On these grounds, I say, we have a claim that the present Govern
ment shall do something in the way of granting what we ask for.
In conclusion, I would simply say again what I have already stated
before, that hitherto our names have been used by those who
know too little about us to be able to state what our wants are;
and in that view we have made up our minds, upon this and every
other great question, to speak for ourselves. (Loud applause).
Rev. S. A. Steixtiial (of Manchester) : I represent the branch
of the League in Manchester and the neighbourhood, embracing
nearly the whole of the manufacturing district of South Lancashire,
and including a considerable portion of Cheshire and other districts
in that neighbourhood ; and I have to speak, sir, upon one point
on which Mr. Dixon has told you there exists some difference of
opinion amongst the leaders of the League. I happen not to be
amongst those, but I represent those who follow, and amongst
them there is no difference of opinion on the subject of the
freedom of schools. 1 have had an opportunity, as Secretary of
our Manchester District Branch, to address a large number of
�21
meetings, comprised, generally speaking, ol‘ the working claesss of
our district, and everywhere there has been the strongest feeling
that the plan suggested by the Government is a dangerous method
of meeting the difficulty with regard to the payment of fees. It
has been felt that, by the plan proposed in the Government Bill,
there would be the greatest danger of introducing a pauper spirit
where it does not yet exist—(applause)—while if the schools were
opened free to all classes of tin1 community, and all were placed
upon an equal footing, there would be no danger of sapping the
independence of the community. But, on the other hand, if you
do make it compulsory upon those whose circumstances are poor to
come before a Board and show their poverty, and prove it, in order
to escape the payment of as small a sum as sixpence per week, you
have certainly done that which will undermine their sense of
independence, and teach them to apply to Boards for help in
matters connected with their personal expenditure. (Applause).
And, sir, as we believe that independence of the population
will be best preserved by putting the maintenance of the schools
upon the local rates and upon the Government taxes, and as we
find the people nowhere averse to an increase of the rates in this
direction—for they are well aware of the economy that it ■will be
in so many others—we claim that, as these schools should be
entirely supported by public money, the public should be entitled
to their free use at all times. (Applause.)
Mr. Illingworth (of Bradford, M.P. for Knaresborough, : Air.
Gladstone, my Lord de Grey, and Air. Forster,—I have been
deputed to speak to the mode in which it is proposed to deal with
the religious difficulty in this Bill, and I believe I am giving
utterance to the convictions of the great Nonconformist bodies in
this country, and not of them only, but of all that worthy section
of Episcopalian and other Churches who join with us in all
Liberal movements, when I express a strong feeling of regret that
there, is not a clear enunciation of sound principle in the Bill upon
ecclesiastical and religious matters, when the groundwork which
was laid down in the last session of Parliament seems to have
been forgotten both in its inception and in its results ; and that,
further, between the two parts of the Bill—one part having refer
ence to existing schools, and the other to the schools to be created
by public money, and to be directly under public control—there
ought to have been a greater distinction drawn than that which
�oo
prevails in tlie Government Bill. Dissenters will be disposed to
recognise rights in existing schools on the part of a class which it
would be impossible they could consider for one moment in ratecreated and publicly-managed schools ; but, so far as the existing
schools are concerned, the universal feeling is that nothing of the
character of a Conscience Clause, according to its present or almost
any possible, acceptation, will be of the slightest use. (Hear, hear.)
I wish to draw attention to this fact, that there is in existence
what is called a national system of education in Ireland, governed
by national conscience, and that in that system the religious rights
of the minority have been protected. And why ! Because the
minority of Ireland happen to be connected with the governing
body in England, and therefore it is that their rights have been
thought of and effectually guarded. Now, we ask a reference on
the part of the Government to the working of that measure, and
to the particular provisions of the Irish system; and we say surely,
after having done, as Nonconformists, what we did last session
towards the bringing about of that happy condition in Ireland in
which the State minds its own business and leaves the religious
bodies to manage theirs—(applause)—we ask that in England equal
rights may be conceded, and that not suing in forma pauperis—
(heai1, hear)—nor any longer accepting the crumbs that fall from
the table—(applause)—but as sitting ourselves at the table, we
claim equal rights. (Loud applause.) 1 have the honour of being
one of tin* constituents of my right honourable friend Mr. Forster,
and no one can have a higher regard for him than I have, and,
indeed, for all the members of the Cabinet. I believe they are
about the best men that ever a party was asked to follow. (Loud
applause.) But, at the. same time, that does not exclude us from
stating with great respect, but with great candour, our demands
upon this question, and we say it is impossible for any satisfaction
to ensue from the carrying of this measure, because it does not
provide for that separation of religious teaching which I have
before pointed out. With that the demands of the Dissenters will
cease. They will ask equal rights with all other religious bodies,
and they look forward to a time when a. controlling national
system of education shall educate all the children of the land.
(Loud applause.)
The Rev. F. Barham Zincke (Chaplain to the Queen) : Mr.
Gladstone, my Lord de Grey, and Air. Forster,—Mr. Mundella
�23
says that this is not a Nonconformist question. I rise as a member
of the Established Church, and as the Chairman of the Ipswich
Committee, upon which two other clergymen of the Established
Church sit, to state that it is our opinion that the time lias now
come when the question of religious teaching should be settled in
a different manner from that by which it is proposed to be settled
in this Bill. We think that that time has come, because to
whatever part of the country we look we see indications in favour
of our opinions. (Applause.) 1 need not enter into particulars.
We know that it is so in Wales, we know that it is so in Scotland,
we know that we must do nothing in this country which will
endanger the national system in Ireland—(applause)—we know
that large bodies of the inhabitants of this country, such as
Nonconformists and the artisan class, whom we have represented
here to-day, are in favour of dealing with the religious question in
a manner different from that in which it is dealt with by this Bill.
We know that if it is dealt with in the manner proposed, a
variety of great evils will immediately follow ; we know that it will
produce an enormous amount of animosity—(hear, hear)— and of ill
blood in every borough and in every rural district in the country.
We know, too, when we look at what is passing in our great
English Universities, and what we have lately heard coming from
Trinity College, Dublin, that people’s minds are changing upon
this subject; and with reference to my own mind, speaking as a
member of the Established Church, I should feel no fear for the
cau^e of religion or for the cause of the Established Church, not
merely if we went as far as it is proposed to go, but even if we
went further—as far as appears to be required by the principality
of Wales. (Applause.) I think that the strength of the Church
does not consist in arrangements which were made centuries ago,
and have come down to us from a time when the political situation
was very different from that of the present day, and when all the
conditions of the question were very different. But it must
depend upon the estimate in which the Church is held by the
people; and if religious teaching is separated from secular, then
the country will feel that there is a great work to be done by the
clergy, and I believe that in the present temper of the clergy they
would do it heartily. What would be the result ? Why, then
the people would feel more respect and more gratitude and more
affection for the clergy than they do at the present. That would
�form a secure basis on which to rest the Establishment, ami that
is the only basis upon which, 1 think, in these days it can stand.
(Loud applause.)
The Rev. Charles Vince (Nonconformist .Minister) : Mr. Glad
stone, Mr. Forster, and Lord de Grey,—I should like to say that
the treatment of the religious difficulty has been put as the last
point to be spoken upon to-day, not because we consider it the
least important, but because we consider it the most important.
Many of us feel that the proposed treatment of the religious
difficulty is so unsatisfactory', that even it the other matters we
object to were adjusted to meet our wishes, we should still be
constrained to deprecate the passing of the Bill. (Applause.) I
should like, further, to say that our position of antagonism to Her
Majesty s Government is one that we did not anticipate, and now
we are forced into it we deeply lament it. Nothing, indeed, but
the strength and depth of our convictions as to the mischievous
results which will follow if this Bill becomes law in its present
form, would have induced us to come here in opposition to a
Ministry' whose advent to power was with some* of us the greatest
political joy' of our life. (Applause.) I would respectfully urge
that the religious difficulty is not met in the Bill, but is practically
ignored. The Imperial Parliament is asked not to decide the
matter, but to pass it on to a number of local Parliaments, in
which probably it will be perpetually discussed, but never finally
settled. (Applause.) AVe cannot see that there is the slightest
restriction put upon the power of the ►School Boards. They are at
liberty7, in establishing schools, to make them of what theological
colour and complexion they please, provided there is a Conscience
(Clause ; and, having determined to establish schools of such a
sectarian character as they deem fit, they have power to rate all
the inhabitants of the district for the maintenance of the schools.
The School Board in each district will be a Convocation—not
with the semblance of power, but with the reality of power.
(Applause.) It will be an ecclesiastical council, with authority to
determine what particular creed shall be exalted and endowed as
the creed of the State school in that particular district. I would
submit that no municipal or parochial body' was ever before
entrusted with such powers. A body invested with these preroga
tives by’ the Imperial Parliament cannot be annually elected
without strife and bitterness. It has been said that this will be
�the Church-rate contest over again. It will be so, with a very
important addition. The vestries in the Church-rate, contests had
to decide nothing about the services to be performed or the
doctrines to be taught; they had only to decide whether the
parish should be rated for the maintenance and repair of the
fabrics of the Episcopal Church. The School Board will have to
decide what doctrines shall be taught, and, therefore, it is the
Church-rate contest over again, with more important issues to be
determined, and, consequently, with greater danger of party strife
and bitterness. (Hear, hear.) We feel, sir, that our fears cannot
be denounced as chimerical. It cannot be said that we are going
simply upon conjecture, because there is the history of the past to
guide us. It has been well said that “ History is the Statesman's
book of prophecy.” With the history of the Church-rate contest
in our hands, one needs far less than a Statesman’s sagacity to
foresee what must be the issue of these contests for the election
of a body invested with the extraordinary functions which T think
I have fairly described. (Applause.) We feel, sir, that the
Conscience Clause does not meet the difficulty. There is one most
important class for whom no Conscience Clause is proposed.
There are two parties to be affected by these schools—the children
who will go to them, and ihe ratepayers who will have to support
them. Now, there is no Conscience Clause provided for the
protection of the ratepayers; and if, as is extremely probable
in certain districts, the rate-supported school should be a
sectarian school, then, as Mr. (’hamberlain has said, the
minority will be taxed to support the teaching of the religion
of the majority.
It is very certain that, if that state of
things is brought about by an Act of Parliament, we shall have
■distraints for school rates as we used to have distraints for (Ihurcli
rates. I fear there are many who would feel bound to take that
determined stand, because it is generally considered that the time
is passed by for ever for any man in England to be directly taxed
for the teaching of another man’s religion. (Applause.) I would,
moreover, respectfully submit that it is not merely contests between
Nonconformists and Episcopalians that are to be dreaded. I need
not say that the differences of opinion which have always been
more or less latent in the Episcopal Church are now developed
into great prominence, and are held and maintained with great
•earnestness. It is quite likely that, in certain districts, in the
�26
election of a Hoard there will he contests between different parties
in the Episcopalian Church, as well as contests between Noncon
formists and Episcopalians. (Laughter and applause.) English
(Christendom dees not increase in uniformity of opinion. (Laughter.)
I believe it does increase in unity of spirit. It seems to us that
the- proposal of Her Majesty’s Government for the treatment of
the religious difficulty will aggravate the evils incident to diversi
ties of opinion, and will aim a deadly blow at that charity of
spirit which increasingly prevails amongst all religious parties in
this country. (Loud applause.)
The Right Hon. W. E. Gladstone: Mr. Dixon and gentlemen,
—On behalf of my colleagues, Lord de Grey and Mr. Forster,
and on my own behalf, I wish to say that I have had great
pleasure in receiving, from so many sources, gentlemen of so
much weight and ability, and so various (if I may so say) in
colour upon many matters, and hearing from them the expression
of their views. You are much too well aware of the gravity of
the question at issue, and of the necessity of weighing with very
great care every resolution of the Government upon them, to
complain, I am quite sure, if I say that I think our business on
this occasion is to take the expression of your views for careful
scrutiny and consideration. (Applause.) But I should wish to
he quite sure that, as far at least as you are disposed to carry the
matter, 1 understand the nature of them; and I admit that
nothing can be clearer than that you take great objection to
several of the provisions that are contained in the Government
Bill. (Laughter.) But at the same time, I listened with great
comfort and satisfaction, not only to the general expressions of
good-will which you gave us—I am sure beyond our deserts—
(cries of “No”)—hut likewise to the declaration of Mr.
Chamberlain, who I may consider as in some sense being your
chairman—the representative of you all—who did not hesitate to
state that he thought in other matters, outside the limit of your
objections, the Bill may fairly he regarded as “ a noble measure.”
That admission on the one side—or rather that avowal, for I
won't call it an admission—together with the frank statement of
your difficulties upon the other, affords, I think a basis upon which
we cannot but hope that by our united efforts, and by a spirit at
once of firmness and conciliation in all quarters, we shall be able
to work out a result of which I won’t anticipate the precise con
�27
dition and details at present, because you know very well that we
have other matters in hand—(laughter)—which for the moment,
and for a few weeks to come, perhaps, will afford us plenty of care
and occupation. But now, with regard to your particular views
upon the points that have been raised, there are two upon which
I should, for the satisfaction of my own mind (I don’t know
whether Lord de Grey and Mr. Forster would like to put any
other question), like to be clear as to what your views are. I have
not quite distinctly gathered the manner in which you would
propose to deal with existing schools. You have stated, I think,
very distinctly, through the mouths of several speakers, that you
do not approve of the Conscience Clause inserted in the Bill;
not so much on account of the particular form of that clause, but
because you mistrust altogether, and are inclined, I think, almost
to repudiate—(applause and laughter)—anything in the nature of
a Conscience Clause. (Applause.) Now, if that be so, do I
understand that you, Mr. Dixon, or Mr. Chamberlain, as far as
you can venture to speak, wish me to understand that in dealing
with existing schools all through the country, your term of dealing
with them would be that they should receive no aid from rates—
(a voice, “ Or taxes ”)—or from the Privy ('ounc.il—(cries of “ No,
no ”)—that they should receive no aid from rates excepting upon
the terms of conforming to your basis ; so that the basis of all
schools aided by rates should be one and uniform throughout the
country I (Hear, hear.) Do I understand that to be the opinion
of the meeting generally?
Mr. Dixon : 1, perhaps, had better tell Mr. Gladstone what, so
far as I know, is the prevailing sentiment with reference to the
existing schools. It is, that there should be separate religious
teaching, as a condition of the further grants which it is proposed
under this Bill to make to them; and that with reference to th«
new schools which may be provided out of the rates, those schools
shall be entirely unsectarian. (Applause.)
Mr. Gladstone : Then the existing schools might differ from
the new schools, in respect of their having separate religious
teaching ?
Mr. Dixon : ()f their own denomination.
Mr. Mvndella : At separate hours.
Mr. Gladstone : I understand that: but that teaching must be
confined to particular hours. (Applause.) Then, with regard to the
�28
power of the Local Boards as to religion : certainly, I think if any
one objection has been taken more strongly and broadly than
another, it has been both to the amount and the kind of that
power. That has been made perfectly clear to my mind. But 1
have not gathered with equal clearness what it is that you would
substitute for it. The principles are, as 1 understand, that educa
tion is to be free, or. for the sake of avoiding ambiguity of words,
gratuitous. (Applause.) I understand from Mr. Dixon there is
some difference of opinion, but that the bulk of you are united
upon that subject. (Applause.) But with reference to the com
pulsory principle, T have not understood from ATr. Dixon or any
speaker, that then* was a difference of opinion among you. (Cries
of ‘‘None.’’) With respect to the question of the power of Local
Boards as to religion, what am 1 to understand would be your
basis I Where would you draw the line between the school that is
secular and the school to which you would object on the ground of
its being what is now termed sectarian ? Would anything what
ever in the nature of religion he permissible in your schools, or
would it not ! The reason 1 put the question is that I think it
one of very great importance, because it has been stated that the
view of the League (I do not pretend to be accurately informed,
and 1 only ask for information) is that the Holy Scriptures might
be read in the schools provided they were not explained. Now,
only for the sake of greater clearness, I will put it according to the.
old story of the three courses. Here are Holy Scriptures read and
explained; Holy Scriptures read and not explained; and simple
secular instruction, without any reading of the Scriptures at all.
(“ The last ! the last ! ’’ and loud cheers). I do not know whether
Mr. Dixon or Mr. Chamberlain is authorised to speak upon this
point in the name of the League; but, if they were, I think it
would be of advantage to us to know. In stating those three
courses I have not at all wished to preclude him or any other gen
tlemen from stating any other. 1 only state those as being what
have prominently occurred to myself. With regard to what might
be, called theological or religious instruction, I have begged the
question so far—I have assumed that you would include that; but
with regard to any of those particular methods which it may be
(or by some may be thought to) fall short of denominational in
struction, it would be an advantage to us to know whether the
League have an article of its creed if I may so call it, upon that
�29
subject; and, if so, which of those three courses it is disposed to
follow.
Mr. Chamberlain' : Sir, in the draft of a Hill which was
prepared on behalf of the League, in order to put in the clearest
form their views before the country, and which was passed by the
Executive Committee, subject, however, to further revision, there
occurs this clause, which, to a certain extent, answers your ques
tion :—“ That in the national rate schools no creed, catechism, or
tenet peculiar to any sect shall be taught in any national rate
school, but the School Board shall have power to grant the use
of the school rooms out of school hours for the giving of
religious instruction, provided that no undue preference be
given to one or more sects to the exclusion of others.
But the rooms shall not be granted for the purposes of
religious worship. The School Board shall have power to permit
the reading of the Scriptures in the schools, provided that no child
shall be present at such reading if his parents or guardians dis
approve. That the time for giving such reading be before or after
the ordinary school business, and that it be so fixed as that no
child be thereby in effect excluded directly or indirectly from the
other advantages which the school affords.” I may point out that
that clause does not say anything about the explanation of the
Scriptures. It was thought that was sufficiently provided for in
the first part of the clause, which says that “no tenet peculiar to
any sect shall be taught; ” and it was considered, therefore, that if
the reading were allowed in the schools, it must be of a perfectly
unsectarian character. It is, however, only fair that I should say,
before I .sit down, that although that was the clause as adopted
provisionally by the Executive Committee, yet there is a Aery
strong feeling amongst the members of the League that for that
clause should be substituted one requiring that secular instruction
alone should be given in the schools which are aided by the rates.
(Applause.)
Mr. Gladstone : It would seem to me to follow that if that
clause were acted upon, something in the nature of a Conscience
Clause is introduced into flic basis of your own Bill.
Mr. Chamberlain : What is called the “time-table Conscience
Clause ” would have to be introduced with regard to the Bible
reading, to meet the difficulty of the Iloman Catholics, who use a
different version of the Scriptures, as in Ireland.
�30
Air. Gladstone: Then with reference to the power (one cannot
mistake the object of it) of the Board to permit the use of the
room for denominational instruction out of school hours, have you
no tear at all that that would introduce into the vestries the same
element of religious contention which has been so vividly described
by Mr. Vince ?
Air. Chamberlain : The clause only permits the use of the
school rooms for such purposes “provided that no undue preference
be given to one or more sects.”
Air. Gladstone : I have not, as I have said, the least doubt
about the object—it is that perfect impartiality should be observed;
but with regard to the administration of the matter under the
clause, it occurs to me that the very conditions of time and light
available, in a district where there might be a variety of sects claim
ing the room, would make a considerable amount of practical diffi
culty ; and I only ask whether you apprehend that with reference
to the administration of that portion of the clause, if it were
carried, you might not be open to a portion of the very same evils
as those that have been foreshadowed by Air. ATnce.
Air. Chamberlain : That was apprehended by many members of
the League.
Air. Gladstone : Then 1 do not think there is anything more
that I need troAle you upon. Gentlemen, I am much obliged to
you.
Mr. Dixon : On behalf of the Deputation, Air. Gladstone, I
tender you our most gratefid thanks for the patience with which
you have received us.
The Deputation then withdrew.
I
�NATIONAL EDUCATION L E A G U E.
O EJECT.
The establishment of a system which shall secure the Education
of every Child in the Country.
J/AIA A’S.
1. —Local Authorities shall be compelled by law to see that
sufficient School Accommodation is provided for every
Child in their district.
2. —The cost of founding and maintaining such Schools as may
be required shall be provided out of Local Rates, sup
plemented by Government Grants.
3. —All Schools aided by Local Rates shall be under the
management of Local Authorities, and subject to Govern
ment Inspection.
4. —All Schools aided by Local Rates shall be Unsectarian.
5. —To all Schools aided by Local Rates admission shall be free.
6. —School"Accommodatian being provided, the State or the Local
Authorities shall have power to compel the attendance of
children of suitable age not otherwise receiving education.
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF THE LEAGUE.
George Dixon, M.P., Chairman of Council.
Joseph Chamberlain, Chairman of Executive Committee.
John Jaffray, J.P., Treasurer.
Jesse Collings, Honorary Secretary.
Applegarth, Robert, London.
Bazley, C. IL, J.P., Manchester.
Booth, Charles, Liverpool.
Bragg, William, Sheffield.
Brown, Rev. J. Jenkyn, Birmingham.
Bunce, J. Thackray, F.S.S., Birmingham.
Caldicott, Rev. J. W., M.A., Bristol.
Chamberlain, J. H., F.R.I.B.A., Birmingham.
Chamberlain, Joseph, Birmingham.
Cheetham, William, Manchester.
Clarke, Rev. Charles, F.L.S., Birmingham.
Collier, W. F., Plymouth.
�Cowen, J., jun., Newcastle-on-Tyne.
Crosskey, Rev. H. W., F.G.S., Birmingham.
Dale, R. W., M.A., Birmingham.
Dawson. George, M.A., F.G.S., Birmingham.
Dilke, Sir 0. W., Bart., M.P., London.
Fawcett, Professor, M.P., Cambridge.
Fawcett, Mrs.
Ferguson, Major, Carlisle.
Field, Alfred, Birmingham.
Fry, Herbert, London.
Harris, William, Birmingham.
Herbert, the Hon. Auberon, M.P., London.
Hodgson, W. B., LL.D., London.
Holden, Angus, Bradford.
Holland, Henry, ex-Mayor of'Birmingham.
Howell, George, London.
Huth, Edward, Huddersfield.
Kenriek, William, Birmingham.
Kingsley, Rev. Canon, Eversley.
Kitson, James, jun., Leeds.
Lloyd, G. B. Birmingham.
Macfie, Rev. M., F. R.G.S., Birmingham.
Mander, S. S., Wolverhampton.
Martineau, R. F., Birmingham.
Mathews, 0. E., Birmingham.
Maxfield, M., Leicester.
Maxse, Captain, R.N., Southampton.
Middlemore, William, Birmingham.
Osborne, E.
Birmingham.
Osler, A. Follett, F.R.S., Birmingham.
Prange, F. G., Liverpool.
Rothera, G. B., Nottingham.
Rumney, Alderman, Manchester.
Ryland, Arthur, Birmingham.
Steinthal, Rev. S. A., Manchester.
Timmins, Samuel, F.R.S.L., Birmingham.
Vinci1, Rev. < ’hartes, Birmingham.
Webster, Thomas, Q.C., Loudon.
Winkworth, Stephen, Bolton.
Wright, J. S., Birmingham.
Zineke, Rev. F. B., M.A., Ipswich.
FINANCE COMMITTEE—Chairman, William Harris.
PUBLISHING COMMITTEE—Chairman, J. Thaikray Bunce.
BRANCHES COMMITTEE—Chairman, R. F. Martineau.
Francis Adams, Secretary.
Central Offices, 47, Ann Street,
Birmingham.
THE “JOURNAL” PRINTING OFFICES, NEW STREET, BIRMINGHAM.
�
Dublin Core
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Title
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Victorian Blogging
Description
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A collection of digitised nineteenth-century pamphlets from Conway Hall Library & Archives. This includes the Conway Tracts, Moncure Conway's personal pamphlet library; the Morris Tracts, donated to the library by Miss Morris in 1904; the National Secular Society's pamphlet library and others. The Conway Tracts were bound with additional ephemera, such as lecture programmes and handwritten notes.<br /><br />Please note that these digitised pamphlets have been edited to maximise the accuracy of the OCR, ensuring they are text searchable. If you would like to view un-edited, full-colour versions of any of our pamphlets, please email librarian@conwayhall.org.uk.<br /><br /><span><img src="http://www.heritagefund.org.uk/sites/default/files/media/attachments/TNLHLF_Colour_Logo_English_RGB_0_0.jpg" width="238" height="91" alt="TNLHLF_Colour_Logo_English_RGB_0_0.jpg" /></span>
Creator
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Conway Hall Library & Archives
Date
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2018
Publisher
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Conway Hall Ethical Society
Text
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Original Format
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Pamphlet
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Verbatim report of the proceedings of a deputation of the Right Hon. W.E. Gladstone, M.P., the Right Hon. Earl de Grey and Ripon, the Right Hon. W.E. Forster, M.P. on Wednesday, March 9, 1870
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
National Education League
Description
An account of the resource
Place of publication: Birmingham
Collation: 30, [2] p. ; 21 cm.
Notes: From the library of Dr Moncure Conway. Aims and objectives of the League and committee members listed on unnumbered pages at the end. Includes list of delegates from the branches.
Publisher
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National Education League
Date
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1870
Identifier
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G5207
Subject
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Education
Rights
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<a href="http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/"><img src="http://i.creativecommons.org/p/mark/1.0/88x31.png" alt="Public Domain Mark" /></a><span> </span><br /><span>This work (Verbatim report of the proceedings of a deputation of the Right Hon. W.E. Gladstone, M.P., the Right Hon. Earl de Grey and Ripon, the Right Hon. W.E. Forster, M.P. on Wednesday, March 9, 1870), identified by </span><a href="https://conwayhallcollections.omeka.net/items/show/www.conwayhall.org.uk"><span>Humanist Library and Archives</span></a><span>, is free of known copyright restrictions.</span>
Format
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application/pdf
Type
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Text
Language
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English
Conway Tracts
Earl de Grey and Ripon
George Forster
Religious Education
State Education
W.E. (William Ewart) Gladstone
William Edward Robinson