excited to remove not only the sign, but the cause from which it has proceeded. The minister's duty is twofold: -first, to place the ordinance in a proper point of view before his people, so that no impediment shall exist to keep back from participation those who are worthily disposed; this is one part; but the much more important branch of his office is, to awaken those feelings and impress those principles which shall lead to the discharge of this, as of every duty, the prompt and grateful use of this, as of every means of grace. Let neither portion of the great task be neglected. Let the clergy instruct their hearers in their duty and their right to approach the Lord's table. Let them still more earnestly strive to lead them forward in the love and in the fear of God, and in reverence and gratitude to their Redeemer.

To recapitulate the suggestions we have made as to the course to be pursued in order to induce a more general attendance upon the ordinance of the Supper. That course is, in the first place, that the minister should explain to his hearers that they are, if sincere believers in the Gospel, and endeavouring to obey its laws, entitled to church-membership; that it is not an end, but a means, not a crown for

the victor, but a sword for the combatant.

Secondly, that he should meet prejudice by fair and clear explanation of the true grounds of regard for the institution; and try, in whatever use he makes of the ordinance, to keep prominently in view its character as a memorial rite, intended to engage the feelings in the cause of religion.

Thirdly, that he should direct special attention to the young, above all, to those who year after year leave the instruction of our Sunday schools; that, instead of suffering these to fall into the ranks of indifference, he should engage them to make the termination of their period of instruction the beginning of their membership in the church, consecrating themselves to God and to Christ at their entrance on the duties of mature life.

Lastly, that he should be excited, by regarding the scantiness of our communion-bands as a mark of the spiritual wants of our churches, to renewed ardor and perseverance, the exertion of every power and the use of every means to promote the growth of true piety among those intrusted to his charge.

S. G. B.

1847.]

Nature and Christianity.

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ART. III. NATURE AND CHRISTIANITY.

[A Dudleian Lecture, delivered in the Chapel of the University at Cambridge, May 12, 1847. By REV. WILLIAM H. FURNESS.]

THE subject of this Lecture is Natural Religion, a subject which, with all the ability with which it has been treated, remains but imperfectly understood; as is evident from the impression, so generally existing, that while Christendom, the region of Revealed Religion (as Christianity is called, in opposition to Natural Religion), rejoices in the full daylight of religious truth, the rest of mankind are lost in a midnight gloom, a very melancholy persuasion this, which, if well founded, destroys the value of the Christian revelation, and breaks up the very first principles of natural religion itself. For what sort of a world is this, what the Providence that watches over it, if the great majority of the human race are left, from the cradle to the grave, without guidance and without hope? However this belief may have been produced, whether it has been expressly taught or not, although upon this point there can be no question, the fact that such a faith exists is undeniable. It lies impressed upon the general mind of the Christian world, it is implied in much of our religious teaching and religious phraseology and religious action, that the boundaries of Christendom are the boundaries of all saving religious light, and that beyond all is dark, broken here and there by a few faint glimmerings which only suffice to make the darkness visible. The existence, the wide prevalence, of this notion gives an interest to our present subject, and makes us curious to know what the light of nature enables man to see, what Natural Religion is, what is meant by it.

I am not so presumptuous as to expect to make this matter all clear, certainly not within the limits of this discourse, nor indeed within any limits. My simple desire is to present what I have to say in a manner which, while the subject itself admits of it and Christianity authorizes it, will tend certainly not to diminish, but to strengthen rather, our conviction of the universal providence of Heaven, helping us to see the same impartial care shown for the moral and religious welfare of man universally, as for his physical well-being. I shall endeavour to keep in the light and under the guidance of plain

principles of Christian truth. Without their aid we cannot hope to elucidate this, or any mystery of our condition.

--

To ascertain how much religious light nature affords, an obvious method would seem to be, to discharge our minds of all the truth with which Christianity has made us familiar, to transport ourselves into the extra-Christian world, and, taking a position upon which no Christian light falls, see what can be seen from that point of view. But this cannot be done; it is impossible; - for the simple reason that we cannot transport ourselves out of ourselves. From the circumstances of our birth and condition, our minds have received hues which have dyed them through and through, which are indelible, and which must color all our conclusions. By no effort can we rid ourselves of the predilections, — I do not say prejudices, for it is no fault or misfortune, but a positive advantage, that it is so, the predilections and modes of thinking which our education has wrought into our moral and intellectual structure; and therefore it is impossible for us to go back into the Heathen world, and look at things with eyes unused to Christian light. It has been attempted, we all know, and laborious students have returned from their investigations into the religious attainments of antiquity, and laid before the world results which have been received by those who were of their way of thinking as decisive. certainly, if great labor and learning alone were necessary, amount of religious truth possessed by the world before Christ would long ago have been ascertained to the satisfaction of all. But the plain fact is, that such investigations into the religious condition of the old world have always been undertaken and pursued for special purposes and under special biases, to demonstrate, for instance, either the value of Christianity or the necessity of a revelation. And this is enough to vitiate the conclusions arrived at, though supported by never so many facts. Facts are very valuable. Their veracity is proverbial. Still, how much depends upon the way in which they are looked at, and in which they are used! Of the ambiguous nature of the evidence of facts have we not unnumbered instances? How differently, to mention only one example, is modern English history written by Protestants and Catholics, by individuals of opposite political parties! One sees indubitable tokens of progress in events which to another indicate a retrograde movement. So, if facts or quotations from ancient records are adduced to prove

And

the

1847.] Christianity the Interpretation of Nature.

33

that without Christ men had no religious light, an equally imposing body of facts may be arrayed in support of a different position. However abundant may be the materials for forming a judgment as to the religious condition of man unassisted by Christianity, their significance must depend upon the principles upon which they are selected and interpreted. And besides, it is, I repeat, impossible to project ourselves into the religious life of the Pagan world, without carrying with us principles and modes of thought, derived from our Christian culture, which must greatly affect our results.

But it is not only impossible, it is so far from being either necessary or desirable to take this method of ascertaining what the light of nature teaches, that we have cause for special self-gratulation in the Christian light which we enjoy. So far from excluding this light from our minds, in order to see what can be seen without it, the more fully we are illuminated by the truth, the more thoroughly we are imbued with the spirit of Christianity, the better shall we be qualified to discover what Natural Religion is. For Christianity, new, original, a revelation, as we believe it to be, is nevertheless a fact in nature and a fact of nature. By no sound principle of thought can it be separated and set apart from this great Nature, whose religious import we seek to ascertain. I use this term, nature, in the most comprehensive sense, as synonymous with the whole of being. I do not see how it can be otherwise used, in an inquiry like the present. Christianity is not only a fact in nature, it is the most luminous fact. It does not lead us away from nature, but leads us into it, into the very centre and heart of it, whence all its light radiates, and where alone we can occupy the true point at which all our inquiries, and our religious inquiries especially, are to be commenced. Christianity sends far and wide its illumination over the whole condition of mankind. Yes, it is the very thing for our present purpose. It gives us the very assistance that we need. The Christian religion is to be prized on all accounts, but on no account is it more truly valuable than for the aid it affords in just such inquiries as this. The teachings of Christ throw a light upon our subject, which comes from no other quarter. I turn, therefore, to Christ to tell us what Natural Religion is, what nature teaches. And in his religion I find the religion of nature, a full revelation of Natural Religion. This Christianity plainly is, whatever else and whatever more it may be represented to be, Natural Religion unveiled.

Let me pray your attention to this representation of it. The religion of Christ is, I say, the interpretation of nature. I do not know precisely what idea of our religion they have who are not disposed to accept this view of it; but it sometimes seems to be thought that Christ invented, created truth, gave existence to his religion, or at least that as a revealer of religion he raised the veil from before mysteries which lie wholly out of the sphere of nature, and which sustain no relation to nature, between which and nature there exist no harmony and no connection. Indeed, some have appeared to think that it is of the first importance to the dignity of Christianity that it should be shown to be nonnatural. Now to my mind nothing is more clear than that, just so far as this notion is carried, the credibility of Christianity is impaired. If we represent the substance or the form of Christianity, that is, either its principles or its facts, as lying beyond nature, independent of nature, and opposite to it, we lose the means of determining its truth, and we cannot distinguish it from a fiction. We are prepared to believe a thing, nay, we cannot help believing it, it has our faith, if we see that it is true. But what do we mean when we say that a thing is true? What is truth? Whatever is is true. Truth, then, must harmonize with truth. For whatever is accords with all else that is. All that is is one. Indestructible ties of relationship, binding together the all of being, run in and through and round all things, from the greatest to the least. There is no such thing as cutting out and insulating a single fact or a single atom from the great sum of being. Whatever is real is in unison with all reality; and to demonstrate the truth of any proposed fact or statement is only, in other words, to show how it agrees with itself and with all acknowledged facts and statements, how it fits into the great sum of things and contributes to the unity and consistency of the whole. Of all truth, religious truth, as the highest truth, must, most especially, be all-related. It must harmonize with all truth, giving evidence to all and receiving it, sending demonstrations of its own reality through every portion, through every fibre of nature. Christianity, therefore, is not, cannot be, what it is sometimes represented, I know not what, an addition, an after-thought, a sudden creation of truth, an invention on the spot. It is a revelation of what is, of course, of what is in nature, and not of any thing out of nature. It is, in fine, as I have said, the religion of nature.