message will not be injured or altered in its progress from heaven to earth. Are we not, then, warranted to affirm, that a second and essential element involved in the true idea of inspiration is, that Divine influence so guides the mind and words of the prophet, that the oracle comes forth from him, in form, veracity, and amount, unchanged from the original revelation which God had disclosed? We contend for plenary and verbal inspiration, as indispensable to our faith in the books of Scripture. Inspiration must be plenary, for the Divine influence will not cease to exert itself on the chosen medium of communication till the whole work aimed at be achieved. It will not stop at impartation, but continue to exert its supernatural controul till the oracle be spoken or written. Therefore that mysterious necessity within us, which instinctively clothes thought in words, was not left unexcited or unassisted. The tongue or pen was as much under Divine influence as the intellect or heart. If the prophet were not qualified to tell, with unfailing accuracy, what God had told him, his inspiration was imperfect, and the imperfection began at the most momentous and responsible point of the process. Without a pervading inspiration continued on till the publication of the message, how could it be named dabar Jehovah, or pnpa θέου, οι λογία θεόν? It was the prophet's oratory or composition that received these remarkable names; not his thoughts, but his thoughts delivered in words. I do not argue for such a theory of verbal dictation as is maintained by Haldane, Carson, Gaussen, and several of the earlier fathers. I believe their system of a rigid and uniform mechanism to be opposed at once to man's intellectual constitution, and at variance with all known results of the Divine presence," for where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." Still I hold, that it is not with truth, as it lay in the mind of inspired persons, that I have

to do, but with that truth embodied and published in writing. Though they got it purely from God, yet, if they did not give it purely to me, I may be led into error. But the purity of the message can be learned only from its words. It is not concerning ideas given by revelation, and occupying a place in the prophet's mind, but those ideas expressed in words, and those words committed to parchment, that the statement is made,-All SCRIPTURE is given by inspiration of God. The Bible claims that purity and infallibility for which we contend. "Every word of God is pure. Add not thou to his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar." "The Spirit of the Lord speaketh in me, and his word is in my tongue." "God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began." "Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." "Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth." The truth and accuracy of the language, and not merely of the thoughts, are distinctly referred to and affirmed in all these quotations. these quotations. What farther evidence is needed?

As there was no need of a mechanical dictation of vocables to minds filled and

guided by the Spirit, so, on the other hand, there is no warrant for us to reason on the question of degrees of inspiration. The theory of Frassen, a Franciscan monk of the sixteenth century, has been developed by Töllner and Knapp, borrowed by Doddridge, and from him received, illustrated, and defended, by Dick and Henderson. The terms employed by these authors, of superintendence, elevation, direction, and suggestion, are nowhere hinted at in Scripture, and their invention is an attempt to decide where elements of comparison are wanting. The Bible tells us of a work of the Spirit on the minds of the selected instructors of men; but it never says in what form, or to

what extent, it had been exercised. Does it not, then, savour of presumption, to attempt to estimate what actus theopneustias was necessary to each actus scribendi? Scripture claims something higher than either graduated or intermittent inspiration. The phraseology which it employs is very significant, and gives no countenance to the hypothesis on which we are animadverting. In the Old Testament, the Spirit of God is described as “coming," "falling upon," "filling," "entering into," "bearing away," the subject of extraordinary influence. Similar diction occurs in the New Testament, John xx. 22 — ἐνεφύσησε "he breathed upon them and said, Receive ye the Holy Ghost." Acts x. 44-ÉTÉTEσe-" the Spirit fell upon them." Luke xxiv. 49 -évdúσaobe-"ye shall be clothed with power from on high." 2 Pet. i. 21ὑπὸ πνεύματος ἁγίου φερόμενοι“ borne along by the Holy Ghost." Such language describes the Divine afflatus as thorough and commanding in its nature, and affords sufficient guarantee against error. Our view of plenary inspiration `is not impugned by the fact, that sentiments of bad men, and evil spirits, and snatches of profane history, are found in the Bible. All that we affirm concerning these things is, that the Spirit has judged the record of them necessary, and has vouched for their veracity. An objection against plenary inspiration, based on the occurrence of such sections in Scripture, has been employed by Coleridge. The song of Deborah, in which the tragic action of Jael is eulogised, has been put forward as an example of the error and danger of saying that all scripture is given of God. The speeches of Job's friends are also adduced in evidence against us. But these places of sacred writ claim not inspiration. They are portions of ancient literature, selected under Divine guidance, to teach certain truths, and to show the state of society in different periods of antiquity. They are a species of vouchers for the credi

bility of the narrative. So are the extracts from the book of Jasher found in Joshua and 2d Samuel. But does any one impugn church history as a veritable record, because the annalist occasionally cites the pernicious sentiments of heretics? Nor do we reckon the introduction of such sections a mark of imperfection, for they give us a dramatic view of humanity. Were you to paint the scene of the crucifixion, would the figure of a Roman soldier among the group be either unseemly in itself, or derogatory to the glory of the illustrious Sufferer, or would any eye mistake its character and meaning in the spectacle?

Allied to such opinions is the notion prevalent in Germany, and couched in the motto, "The word of God is in the Bible; but the Bible is not the word of God." Such is the view of the admirers and followers of Schleiermacher. Many of them are men of renown and spiritual prowess. Their master was a mighty spirit-of swift and subtle dialectics, of keen and ardent temperament; daring, sweeping, and profound in speculation, lord of the realm of thought, and guarded from the insanity of unbelief by his better nature, which was early nursed in the still retreat of a Moravian seminary, and ever maintained its deep and placid reign within him. Yet, what difficulties at once beset us! Are we to admit errors in matters of detailnot blunders of the copyists, but essential imperfections of idea or statement? If the Bible, as one whole, be not the book of God, by what spiritual chemistry shall we disengage the faulty from the inspired? The test generally applied is individual taste and feeling, but men will not agree to a common criterion. The consequences might have been easily foreseen. One finds fault with Matthew, and another throws suspicion on Luke, while John does not escape objection. Luther threw off the Apocalypse. Neander shuts out second Peter. Schleiermacher rejected the

pastoral epistles; and the latter half of Isaiah has met with a similar refusal. There is safety only in taking the Bible as a BOOK of God's authorship.

Nor are we at all moved by its being told us, that the evangelists record much with which they were familiar: for to select such facts in our Lord's life as they have done-to place them in such light as they have done-proves the presence of inspiring power as really as the announcement of a minute and lengthened prediction. Which of Christ's attendants could have composed such books as our gospels, without Divine instruction? The Spirit only could counsel them what to say, and how to say it. Let any similar biography be compared with the gospels, and every one will see their immense superiority. At the same time, the verbal inspiration we contend for, is not only consistent with variety of style, but necessarily creates it. The mind of the prophet seems to have had a natural and peculiar aptitude for the species of oracle which he was to communicate. It vibrated in responsive harmony to the call of heaven, as the lyre of Memnon, struck by the rays of the early sun, answered in soft and mysterious music. There was free intellectual action under

God's Spirit. Inspiration conferred liberty of the highest form, for it pre

sented pure and appropriate truth to the mind, and freed it from the thraldom of error. On this account there is no dull monotony of style in Scripture. Spiritual peculiarities in the various writers are not melted down into one tame and tasteless uniformity. Moses writes with natural ease and dignity, for "history was born in that night he led the people out of Egypt."* Isaiah sings with magnificent imagery and varied melody, while the Hebrew muse is as wild, impetuous, and free, as the breeze that rippled the waters of Tiberias, wafted the odours of Sharon, or tossed the branches, and bowed the heads, of the cedars of Lebanon. Freedom of mental operation was felt by all the inspired writers. The supernatural so prompted and governed, that under its "perfect law of liberty," the natural moved with spontaneous vigour, and unfettered thought and expression. Such a mind, under the Spirit's influence, became virtually what it would have been, had the blight and gloom of sin never fallen upon it. So that, in reading a book inspired in sentiment and diction, we feel ourselves enjoying that intercourse with its Divine Author which Chrysostom so happily terms ópía Béov-conversation with God.

* Bunsen.

it became a fearful snare to his soul. When about eighteen years of age, the ministry of the Rev. was rendered

the means of awakening in his mind a deep sense of his sinfulness, and of the necessity of salvation. These convictions were frequently subject to change, but they were never entirely effaced. Instead, however, of acting as conscience dictated, he yielded to his favourite pursuits, and in association with a few other young men, determined to instruct himself in music, and to become one of a band of musicians.

It was soon seen that this matter occupied all his leisure time, and absorbed all the energies of his mind. His minister frequently told him that its prosecution would bring his body to the grave, and place in imminent jeopardy the interests of his soul; and his parents and friends also often admonished him;-yet still he was resolute, he could not be moved from the purpose which he had formed.

During the season of affliction the mind of this youth was often exercised with alternate hope and fear; — and when the certain and speedy tendency of his disease was clearly observable by those around him, his mother one day said to him, "William, I do not see or hear you pray much." "But," said he, "I think much;"-and then said, "Do you think that I shall get better?" She replied, "O no!"-but she added, "What do you think yourself?"—to which he answered, “I think as you think, I shall not live till April."

The anxious mother then inquired, "Would you not like some Christian friends to come and converse and pray with you?" To which he answered,

having trifled with my former convictions, and am thoroughly convinced that religion is a matter of all-absorbing importance;"-and then, with a look that bespoke the anxious emotions of his heart-a look which that friend will never forget-he said, "but it is not yet too late, is it?"

He was then reminded that the death of Christ has opened a way to the throne of God, for the vilest sinners;—that Christ came to save the lost;-that "he is able to save to the uttermost ;-and that he has graciously said, 'Whosoever believeth in me shall not perish, but shall have everlasting life.'"

Notwithstanding these gracious assurances, he was afraid to "trust the promise," and was apprehensive that, in his case, "the mercy of God was clean gone for ever;" but, after reading and prayer, a beam of hope seemed to kindle up in his mind. To another. friend he said, "I am glad to see you, I want to hear more about the love of Jesus; for this hard and obdurate heart of mine has resisted so long, that it seems as though it would not relent." This friend said to him

"There is a minister now in who was once in great anguish of soul. At this time he began to search the Scriptures, and, in the course of reading, that portion of Holy Writ arrested his attention, where it is said concerning Christ, that he tasted death for every man, Heb. ii. 9; he paused, and read again-and then said, 'Can this be true?" He paused again - and added, 'Yes, it must be true-for the Word of God declares it.' From that time, Mr. went on his way rejoicing, searching the Scriptures daily, that he might know the will of Christ."

The incident included in this short, but interesting narrative, seemed at once to relieve the young man's mind. His fears vanished, and a holy calm rested on his spirit during the remaining days of his earthly pilgrimage. One day he said to his weeping mother, "Do