MR. ABBOTT'S BIBLE LESSONS.*

MR. Annorr's book would at any time have great interest for all who are accustomed to consider theological questions. For his • Bible Lessons. By the Rev. Edwin A. Abbott, M.A., Head Master of the City of London School. Part L Old Testament. Part II. New Testament. Londont Macmillan and Co. 1870. Bible Lessons are not by any means of the elementary kind .to which, from the title they bear, they might not unnaturally be supposed to belong. They are, with the exception of a few passages which the author has added for the sake of giving com- pleteness to his work, the actual instruction which Mr. Abbott has

given to his head class in the City of London School, that is, to a number of picked boys, ranging in age from sixteen to nineteen, whose attainments and intelligence must be, thanks to the repeated processes of selection and the keen competition by means of which the head form of a good public school is sifted, very much above the common average. To this audience Mr. Abbott has been evidently accustomed to speak without reserve, grappling boldly with the difficulties with which, whether or no teachers choose to recognize

them, learners will concern themselves, will think and talk over among themselves, and will find, in one fashion or another, a way out of. Let those who are ready—and many will, we are sure, be Teady—to accuse Mr. Abbott of rashness in dealing unnecessarily

with perilous subjects, take heed to the words in which he records his own experience, and the conclusions to which it has drawn him."

"Sooner or later, these difficulties must be faced, and, as far as I know anything of Cambridge and Oxford, it is much better that a youth should go from school prepared with some explanation of difficulties, than in the expectation of finding the explanation at the Universities. it is a painful and a common experience to meet with men of high cul- ture and training (as far as the Universities give culture and training) who have ceased to believe in Christ. When asked for the reason of their disbelief, they have often alleged reasons so slight, difficulties so trivial (in comparison with the real difficulties and obstacles to belief), that the replies at once show they have never thoroughly studied either the Old or New Testament. In these circumstances, it must surely be the duty of every teacher to endeavour so to arm his pupils that they may not fall before the first slight missile—as old, may be, as Juvenal and .older, but now furbished up to look like new—that may assail the utility and reality of prayer, or the general morality of the Bible."

it is in this spirit and with this object that Mr. Abbott deals with his subject. To our readers at least it will be intelligible if we say

that his position with regard to the moral and theological problems which he discusses is, for the moat part, the same as that which we have ourselves endeavoured to take up. Emphatically, he believes in Revelation ; but he does not hamper this belief with propositions 3vhich demand credulity rather than reasonable faith in those who ceceive them, or with theories which outrage the conscience of humanity. Dealing with the Old Testament, for instance, he accepts it in the fullest sense as the history of the divine education of a people which was destined to be the teacher of the world; but he has no sympathy with those monstrous theories of inspiration which suppose an absolute perfectness and wisdom in the various utterances of men of every variety of temperament, character, and condition. We purpose, however, to give our readers an opportunity of judging of Mr. Abbott's treatment of his subject, but would first say a few

words about one aspect of these Bible Lessons of his which make them peculiarly interesting at the present time. " Were it not,"

says Mr. Abbott, " for the remarkable ambiguities and varieties of interpretation attending the word • unsectarian,' I would briefly describe these lessons as ' an attempt to teach unsectarian theology.' " These words occur in the preface to the second or New Testament part of the work, and even a very brief inspection of its contents suffices to show, if indeed it needed to be shown, that " unsectarian theology " is a very different thing from the "historical and geographical explanations" which form the ideal -" Bible lessons " of another school of thinkers. Mr. Abbott separated himself, we believe, from the associates whom he had -originally joined when England was discussing the Education Bill of the Government. It is easy to see that in so doing 'he was giving necessary expression to a radical difference of -opinion. He evidently feels that he cannot teach the Bible—in any intelligible sense of the word " teach "—without teaching theology, that the subject brings you at once into the presence of the very profoundest truths, that this book professes to reveal the relation between God and man, and that you cannot deal adequately with it without endeavouring to explain and illustrate this relation to the very- uttermost of your power. Mr. Abbott is as " liberal," to use a common phrase, as a man who holds steadfastly to belief in the Revelation of God in Christ can be ; but there is a gulf, as 'wide as it is possible to imagine, between secularism, intolerant or tolerant, affirming, " there are no realities with which theology is concerned, and you shall not teach such an imposture ;" or say- ing, "there may be such realities, but we see no proof of them, and, with a world of visible tangible things about us, cannot

afford the time to talk about them,"—between secularism in either shape, and the habit of thought which expresses itself in such

chapters, as are for instance, Mr. Abbott's on " Christ's Miracles " and " Christ's Sacrifice." It is manifest that he could not con-

ceive of human life without this divine element, could not talk of human life without recognizing it. So much, then, for his attitude as regarding secularism, but what of it as regarding sectarianism ? Practically, we believe, Mr. Abbott has not met with any diffi- culties. This is owing, doubtless, in part to his own good judg- ment. "I have never yet," he says, had leisure to turn my attention to any of the points of difference between the Church of England and Nonconformists." Had he lectured on the Scrip- tural authority for episcopacy, it is tolerably certain that the peace which he has enjoyed would have been disturbed ; but we can well imagine, from what we have ourselves seen, that he 'may use bold language upon subjects infinitely more important—upon the theories of Atonement, for instance, or the nature and efficacy of the Sacra- ments—without giving offence. Sectarianism has its sensibilities, but a schoolmaster at least ought to be able to speak his whole mind as far as things essential are concerned without offending them. We take it as a signal proof that the danger of arousing controversial animosities by the teaching of Scripture has been monstrously exaggerated when we read these Bible Lessons, and know that they were given to a class of which one-third, on an average, have been children of Nonconformists, Nonconformists, too, probably as intelligent as any that are to be found in England.

Our readers will like to see some specimens of Mr. Abbott's method. Here is a very suggestive passage on the subject of sacrifice :-

" Teacher.—Why did not the ancient Patriarchs say as you have suggested= Thy will, not mine, be done ?' Surely that would have been shorter, simpler, and clearer than to slay a bullock or a sheep?

"Pupil.—I cannot explain that. " Teacher.—What is the will ?'

" Pupil.—I scarcely know how to express it. "Teacher.—If you do not, certainly the Patriarchs did not, who were much more accustomed to action than to speech. Besides, their words would have failed them. After many thousands of years we have accumulated a large store of words to express different aspects and actions of human nature, such as will," sin,'righteousness,' purity,' forgiveness,' and the like. The Patriarchs felt no less, perhaps more, than we feel, but they had no words to express their feelings glibly, and therefore they talked through the medium of signs,' strange cere- monies, piled-up stones, huge monuments, music and dances, and sacred rites. Hence, when a man in the old times felt that he had not lived in harmony with the Supreme Lord, that he had sinned against his will by doing his own will, that he had not only injured his neighbour, whom he could compensate, but also One above whom he could not com- pensate, the thought might naturally arise, How can I unite myself to God and merge my will in his ? How can I express my complete sub- mission to him? I must not kill myself since he has sent me here, and he will summon me hence, and until his angel of death calls me I must not go. Yet I desire to die, and to give up my life to God.' And the answer came with Divine authority that the death of one out of his flock or herd might best express the spiritual sacrifice which he could not put into definite words. And as the smoke of the victim rose in the air, the heart of the man rose upward with it, forswearing the life of sin, and consecrating himself to a new life in the service of God. With such sacrifices God was well pleased ; for they expressed the very words of our prayer, Thy will be done.' "

And here is another, which may help to clear up the difficulties of St. Paul's language :—

" It should be noticed that here, as elsewhere, St. Paul does not treat of the individual so much as the collective body of mankind, who have a continuous history, and whose apparent retrogression in one age can be compensated by progress in another. The branch of Israel that is lopped from off the olive-tree of the Church can be regretted a thousand years hence. The sin of Adam is more than compensated by the righteousness of Christ. The law caused sin to abound, but the abundance of sin pre- pared the way of grace. The Apostle does not try to deny or explain that apparent waste of spiritual life in particular cases which accom- panies the general development of humanity. He leaves that question unsolved, almost untouched, contenting himself with tracing the progress of the race as a whole. The incarnation and death of Christ is the central fact of the history of the world which is to answer all doubts and mental difficulties. It is a sufficient justification for any event to say that it prepared the way for the coming of Christ and the proclama- tion of the Gospel to the Gentiles. The sin of Adam, the fall of man, the introduction of death, the rigidity of the imperfect law, the conse- quent disobedience of Israel, the captivity or destruction of the chosen people, the demoralization of the survivors, the conclusion of the whole world in unbelief,' the rejection of Christ,—all these are so many stages in the glorious opening of the revelation of God to the whole world. If the Apostle admits that God hath concluded all in unbelief,' he adds that God did this in order that he might have mercy on all ; and a review of the history of mankind, with all its sins and imperfec- tions, leads the Apostles to this exclamation as his most natural con- clusion : 0 the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God ! How nnsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!'"

We might quote other passages equally forcible. We have seldom, indeed, seen a book more full of thought, thought which commends itself by its wisdom and by a freedom which is wholly without irreverence. In the bands of a judicious and intelligent teacher, for it is emphatically a teacher's text-book, it will, whether it be used in the school or in the family, be found of the very greatest service.