Inspiration and Interpretation / Seven Sermons Preached Before the University of Oxford

CONTENTS.

	Dedication.
	Preface.
I.	Some account of the present volume
II.	Growth of irreligious Opinion.
III.	'Essayists and Reviewers' to be as 'freely-handled' as the Prophets, Evangelists, and Apostles of Christ.

	Table of Contents.
	Preliminary Remarks on "Essays and Reviews."	page
I.	Examination of the contribution of Rev. F. Temple, D.D.	ii
II.	Rev. Rowland Williams, D.D.	xxx
III.	Rev. Professor Baden Powell, M.A.	xlvi
IV.	Rev. H. B. Wilson, M.A.	lxiv
V.	C. W. Goodwin, M.A.	lxxxvi
VI.	Rev. Mark Pattison, B.D.	cxii
VII.	Rev. Professor Jowett, M.A.	cxxxix
	In what sense Mr. Jowett's fundamental principle, (that "Scripture is to be interpreted like any other book,") may be cheerfully accepted	cxl
	Mr. Jowett's main assertion that "Scripture has one and only one true meaning," shewn to be founded on his assumption that the Bible is uninspired,—"like any other book"	cxlii
	1. Eight Characteristics of the Bible enumerated, which shew that it is unlike "any other book"	cl
	But the distinctive characteristic of the Bible, is, that it professes to be the work of the Holy Ghost	clx
	Mr. Jowett's syllogism corrected, in consequence	clxii
	2. Mr. Jowett's proposal accepted, that we should "Interpret Scripture from itself." Notion of Interpretation obtained from the volume of Inspiration	clxii
	3. In addition to the testimony of Scripture, we have to consider the testimony of Antiquity	clxix
	Remarks on primitive Patristic Interpretation	clxx
	This part of the subject misunderstood by Mr. Jowett	clxxiii
	Remarks on primitive Tradition.—The Creeds, the records of Primitive Christianity	clxxvii
	This part of the subject also misunderstood by Mr. Jowett	clxxix
	4. Examination of some of Mr. Jowett's reasons for rejecting that method of Interpretation which has been (?) Established by our Lord; (?) Employed by His Apostles; (?) Universally adopted by the primitive Church; and (?) Accepted by the most learned and judicious of modern Commentators	clxxxvi
	The peroration of Mr. Jowett's Essay examined and commented on	ccvi
	Retrospect of the entire subject	ccxvi
	Conclusion	ccxxvii

SERMON I.

St. John vi. 68. Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of Eternal Life.

the study of the bible recommended; and a method of studying it described.

	The Gospel, as a written message, meets with the same reception at the hands of the World now, as in the days of the Son of Man	1
	Some points of analogy between the Written and the Incarnate Word	2
	Difficulties and seeming contradictions in the Gospel	3
	Unattractive aspect.—Union of the Human and Divine	4
	The Bible is generally little read.—Its preciousness	6
	The age unlearned as well as unfaithful	7
	Want of preparation for the Ministry.—The question of preparation narrowed to the duty of studying the Bible	8
	Conditions of successful Study:—a fixed time for reading the Bible, and a fixed quantity to be read	9
	Vigilance, and independent inquiry	10
	Consecutive reading.—The first chapter of Genesis	11
	Nothing to be skipped.—Result of such a method	12
	The Bible is to be read, not in the same manner, but with at least the same attention, as a merely human work	13
	A caution	14
	Men not competent to make their own Religion out of the Bible	16
	The advantages of such a study of the Bible as has been here recommended, explained	17

SERMON II.

Hebrews xi. 3. Through Faith, we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God.

natural science and theological science.

	Special act of Faith assigned to ourselves in Hebrews xi.	23
	The first Chapter of Genesis considered: Verse 1	24
	Province of Geology	26
	The Work of the First Day	28
	——————— Second and the Third Day	29
	——————— Fourth and the Fifth Day	30
	——————— Sixth Day	31
	The Mosaic History of the Creation true	33
	Objections considered	34
	Speech ascribed to God	35
	Adam's knowledge	36
	The first pair.—The days of Creation real days	37
	Objections of pretenders to Natural Science	39
	The plea that the Bible is not a scientific book	40
	The historical truth of the Bible insisted upon	44
	Natural Science not undervalued	46
	The term "Science" not to be opposed to "Theology"	47
	Theology the Queen of Sciences	48

SERMON III.

2 Tim. iii. 16. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God.

inspiration of scripture.—gospel difficulties.—the word of god infallible.—other sciences subordinate to theological science.

	The meaning of 2 Tim. iii. 16	53
	St. Paul nowhere disclaims Inspiration	54
	Holy Scripture is attributed in Scripture to the Holy Ghost	56
	Forms of unbelief concerning Inspiration	57
	Impertinence of the modern way of speaking of the Evangelists	60
	Supposed inaccuracies, slips of memory, misstatements	61
	The Gospels not four but One	62
	A principle laid down for the reconcilement of all Gospel difficulties	63
	Illustration from a supposed case of testimony	64
	Computation of the hours in St. John's Gospel	66
	The accounts of the blind man restored to sight at Jericho, harmonized	67
	Characteristics of an Inspired narrative	68
	The mention of "Jeremy the prophet," and of Cyrenius, considered	70
	Faultlessness of the Gospel	72
	Absurdity of the common allegations against it	73
	The absolute Infallibility of Scripture maintained	74
	Every syllable of Holy Scripture inspired	75
	The nature of Inspiration illustrated	76
	Theology, the noblest of the Sciences	79
	Insubordination in these last days of Physical Science	80
	The infidel spirit of the Age, protested against	81
	Theological Science can never be called upon to give way before Physical Science	83
	Relations of Morals to Theology	84
	Conscience and the Moral Sense have been informed afresh by Revelation	87

SERMON IV.

St. John xvii. 17. Thy Word is Truth.

the plenary inspiration of every part of the bible, vindicated and explained.—nature of inspiration.—the text of scripture.

	Cavils against the Bible	92
	Absolute infallibility of every 'jot' and every 'tittle' of Holy Scripture	94
	The popular view of Inspiration stated	95
	No middle state between Inspiration and non-inspiration	96
	The popular theory applied and tested	96
	A different view of the nature and office of Inspiration stated	100
	Inspiration still the same, however diverse the subject-matter	102
	What is meant by 'a Prophet'	104
	The message still God's, whatever its nature may be	106
	Note of Inspiration in the Historical Books of the Bible	108
	The Title on the Cross	109
	Remonstrance	110
	Theories of Inspiration to be rejected	115
	Remarks on the nature of Inspiration	116
	Proof that men generally hold that the words of Scripture are inspired	117
	Absolute irrelevancy of objections drawn from the state of the Text of Scripture	118
	The Substance of Scripture inseparable from the Form	120
	Antichristian spirit of the age	121
	The Study of Scripture in a childlike spirit recommended	122

SUPPLEMENT TO SERMON IV.

	A favourite view of Inspiration stated	126
	Vagueness of this theory	127
	The theory practically tested, and found unmanageable	128
	Further examination of the theory	132
	Our Saviour's reasoning as difficult as that of St. Paul	134

SERMON V.

St. Matthew iv. 4. It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

interpretation of holy scripture.—inspired interpretation.—the bible is not to be interpreted like any other book.—god, (not man,) the real author of the bible.

	Interpretation described	140
	Three sources of Interpretation compared	141
	Eusebius on "the Captain of the Lord's Host"	143
	The principle must be ascertained, on which Inspiration is to be conducted	144
	How this is to be done	145
	This question may not be needlessly encumbered with difficulties	147
	The Holy Spirit's method of Interpretation must be the true method	148
	Specimens of Inspired Interpretation	149
	The very narrative of Scripture mysterious	152
	Divine exposition of the history of Melchizedek	152
	Further proofs of the mysterious texture of Holy Scripture	156
	Moses wrote concerning Christ	157
	Two propositions established by the foregoing inquiry: (1) That the Bible is not to be interpreted like any other book: (2)That the meaning of Scripture is not always only one	160
	Scripture to be interpreted literally	160
	The story of Joseph and Potiphar's wife remarked upon	162
	The Bible is the Word of God	163
	Bishop Butler on Inspiration	165
	Unbelief remonstrated with from the analogy of Nature and of Providence	168
	How the inspired writers may be supposed to have understood what they delivered	171
	The question of Interpretation not be argued on À priori grounds	173
	Interpretation would be hopeless, but that the fountain of Inspiration is one	174
	An apology for these Sermons	177
	Exhortation to transmit the Faith	180

SERMON VI.

Romans x. 6-9. But the Righteousness which is of Faith speaketh on this wise,—'Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into Heaven?' (that is, to bring Christ down from above:) or, 'Who shall descend into the deep?' (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) But what saith it? 'The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thine heart:' that is, the word of Faith, which we preach; that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

the doctrine of arbitrary scriptural accommodation considered.

	Many insidious methods of denying the Inspiration of Scripture	184
	The most subtle method of all, characterized	185
	The term "Accommodation" not in itself objectionable	187
	Arbitrary Accommodation explained	188
	Reasons for rejecting this theory	189
	Learned research proves that the theory is gratuitous	190
	St. Paul's exposition of a passage in Deuteronomy xxx, (Rom. x. 6 to 9,) proposed for examination	191
	License of Inspired quotation	194
	How the phenomenon is to be regarded	195
	St. Paul's exposition examined by the light of unassisted Reason	198
	Shewn not to be an instance of arbitrary Accommodation, but of genuine Interpretation	211
	The success or failure of such inquiries, unimportant	212
	No "Accommodation" when an inspired writer quotes Scripture	213
	Remarks on Inspired Reasoning	215

SERMON VII.

St. Mark xii. 24. Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the Scriptures, neither the power of God.

the marvels of holy scripture,—moral and physical.—jael's deed defended.—miracles vindicated.

	Sadduceeism of the day	221
	The Moral and Physical Marvels of Scripture proposed for consideration	222
	Moral Marvels:—Jael.—How her story is to be read	223
	History of Jael. Her conduct explained and defended	224
	Jacob,—the Canaanites,—Abraham,—David	230
	Physical Marvels:—The greatest of those in the Old Testament are witnessed to in the New	232
	Design of the quotations in Holy Scripture	234
	Dr. Arnold and the Book of Daniel	235
	Miracles are not to be called violations, &c. of Nature	237
	Law in relation to God	238
	An objectionable Theory of Miracles exposed	239
	Bishop Butler on Miracles	240
	Miracles may be pared down, but cannot be explained away	242
	"Ideology" applied to the explanation of Miracles	243
	Ideology explained and exposed	245
	The Resurrection of Christ the foundation-truth of Christianity	248
	False and true Charity	250
	A parting Exhortation	252

APPENDIX.

	A Bishop Horsley on the double sense of Prophecy	257
	B Bishop Pearson on Theological Science	258
	C The Bible an instrument of Man's probation	260
	D St.Stephen's statement in Acts vii. 15, 16, explained	261
	E The simplest view of Inspiration the truest and the best	265
	F The written and the Incarnate Word	267
	G The volume of the Old Testament Scriptures, indivisible	268
	I Remarks on Theories of Inspiration.—The 'Human Element'	269
	J How the Inspired Authors of the New Testament handle the writings of the Inspired Authors of the Old	271
	K Bishop Bull on Deuteronomy xxx	273
	L Opinions of commentators concerning Accommodation	277

Clyx.com