ARROGANCE OF SELF-CONSTITUTED SAINTS. 287

religion, in his highest sense of philosophical faith in the necessary dependence of man upon the infinite and unseen, none are so truly ignorant as the theological class. And as

it was in the days of Noah, so it was in Jesus' day, and so it is now.

The Jewish theists conspired to destroy Jesus because he shewed them that with all their "brag" of election to salvation they knew not God, that their theory of regeneration was false in theory and in practice, and that they were not the children of God because descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The Hebrew collection of writings called Genesis, or the cosmogony of the begetting, speaks of two distinct races, sons of God and children of men; but, although it speaks of their intermarrying, it does not follow that their children were all necessarily children of God. For in the instance of Abraham's children, Isaac alone inherited the promised immortality as the anointed son; and of Jacob's two sons, born at the same time, one was taken and the other left to perish. The operation of this process of divine generation has nothing whatever to do with the opus operatum of the sacerdotalist's ordinances or mysterious rites. Nothing can well be conceived as being more outrageously indecent and blasphemous than for men to finger one another's heads, and profess to convey in such handiwork the unspeakable majesty of the holy spirit of life. They claim this power, and yet are absolutely impotent even to loose the bands of a stuttering tongue; nay, so complete is their imbecility, that one well educated and experienced physician is of more use to suffering humanity than the collected powers of every priest and parson upon the face of the earth, and yet the order of ministers that Jesus of Nazareth established was that of "mendicant physicians" in the truest sense of the word. When their successors sickened of their mendicant poverty, they lost their faith, and when they lost that, they were without diplomas, and turned to magic and juggling antics to make up for the loss of true science!

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CHAPTER XIII.

MESSIANIC.

IT is a true saying that, without the power of detecting error, man has no means of establishing the truth. So, before proceeding to consider the scriptural statements and predictions respecting the character and offices of the "Messiah," it will be instructive to investigate the nature of the talk of orthodox theists respecting their interpretation of these Hebrew writings. Here, for instance, is the Rev. C. H. Spurgeon, conventionally styled the great preacher of the age, who has given to the world, through the medium of the press, his sermon of the 31st October, 1859, delivered at the Music Hall, Royal Surrey Gardens, taking for the text of his discourse Rev. xix, 12, "On his head were many "crowns." The preacher takes for granted that the rider on the white horse (sheets of the press?) means Jesus of Nazareth, who wears, Mr. Spurgeon says, three sorts of crowns, viz., crowns of dominion, crowns of victory, and crowns of thanksgiving; amplifying the argument thus:—

"Side by side with this bright crown behold another. It "is the iron crown of hell, for Christ reigneth there supreme. "Not only in the dazzling brightness of heaven, but in the "black impenetrable darkness of hell is his omnipotence felt "and his sovereignty acknowledged. The chains which "bind damned spirits are the chains of his strength; the "fires which burn are the fires of his vengence; the burning rays which scorch through their eyeballs and melt their very heart are flashed from his vindictive eye. There is

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might.

THE SPURGEON GOSPEL.

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"no power in hell besides his. The very devils know his He chained the great dragon. If he give him temporary liberty yet is the chain in his hand, and he can "draw him back lest he go beyond his limit. Hell trembles "at him. The very howlings of lost spirits are but the deep "bass notes of his praise. While in heaven the glorious "notes shout forth his goodness, in hell the deep growlings "resound his justice, and his certain victory over his foes!"

This is not a very pleasing or endearing description of the character and offices of the Christ of the eternal Father, but of course, if Mr. Spurgeon fails to establish any sufficient authority from the Bible for his peculiar interpretation of the Greek text, he may plead divine inspiration; for all this class of preachers of the gospel of hell-fire fall back upon that reserve force, when their main line of defence has been routed by free and independent thinkers.

If Mr. Spurgeon can fairly and honestly demonstrate the fact of his possessing the direction and plenary inspiration of the Spirit of life, to guide him in this application of a horribly vindictive and savagely repulsive office to Jesus Christ, then the argument must be concluded, and a verdict given in his favour. But a little further on the preacher pauses, overcome, as he says, by the majesty of his subject; and so, instead of continuing his perorations, he breaks off to proceed with what he calls acting the part of a seraph, by exclaiming, "Holy, holy, holy art thou, Lord God of hosts." This idea of the nature of seraphic strains is very vague indeed, for it is expressly stated that the peculiarity of the seraph's praise consists in the fact of its being unceasing, untiring, or eternal; so that between this ceaseless performance of the seraphim, and the parenthetic interjection of a parson "gravelled for lack of matter," there is all the difference in the world. Again, in this same sermon, Mr. Spurgeon says, that he is preaching in his own spirit against wind and tide; complaining that he gets nothing for himself even if he gives anything to his patient auditory, which it appears he thus admits to be very doubtful. Now this complaint is either querulous talking at the Holy Spirit for leaving him in the

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lurch, declining to prompt a puzzled parson in spouting extempore twaddle, or it is addressed to his congregation for not visibly sympathising with his distress, or it is simply a candid confession that he has really got nothing to talk about, and does not know how to say that nothing so as to make it appear to be something. It is but too plain that this preacher of orthodox theism is fixed in the above trilemma; but as for getting nothing from his flock in return for giving them nothing, it is generally understood that he gets his salary paid him as per agreement, and thus, if he is punctually paid for talking nonsense, he supplies the demand as per contract; so that the theological account current is balanced with interest pro et con when the stamped receipt is duly handed over, and there remains no balance to be brought down to his credit as a reward on the day of judgment.

In another part of his sermon Mr. Spurgeon says that Christ is King of kings, and he is his poor brother. It seems strange that any man should claim relationship to one whom he makes chief ruler of the infernal regions, and of whom he draws a portrait that might serve for a likeness of old Scratch, and Pluto in Europe, of Siva or Kali in Asia, or some other heathen deity of a like amiable character.

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Mr. Spurgeon asserts that on the head of Jesus of Nazareth is the crown of creation. He says, "All things were made by him, and without him (Jesus) was not anything made that was made. His voice said let light be, "and light was. It was his strength that piled the "mountains, and his wisdom balances the clouds. He (Jesus) is creator. If you lift your eyes to the upper spheres and behold yon starry worlds, he made them. "They are not self-created. He struck them off like sparks "from the anvil of his omnipotence. The earth must die, "the sun must grow dim with age, and nature sink into "years, if Christ supplied it not with perpetual strength. "His courts are thronged with holy spirits who live upon "his smiles, who drink light from his eyes, who borrow glory "from his majesty."

MODERN IDEAS OF CHRIST'S OFFICE..

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The above extract will serve to shew this preacher's singular interpretation of the teaching of him who said emphatically, "I come not to seek my own glory, but the glory of him who sent me. I can of my own self do "nothing." Again, "The Son can do nothing of himself "but what he seeth the Father do. The works that I do I

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"do not of myself, but the Father that dwelleth in me he "doeth the works."

In this same sermon of Mr. Spurgeon we find the following graphic picture of Michael's victory over the antagonist of the divine will:-"Satan was nibbling at "Christ's heel, and Christ trod on him and smashed his "head." Well, " time was that when the brains were out "the man would die," and if Satan be actually that particular, special, or individual evil spirit that theologians contend that he is, then according to the Spurgeonic gospel the devil ought to be dead, and decently buried; but if Satan or the antagonist, means the self-will of the human mind, then the above picture of the great battle is calculated to mislead.

How is it possible that the same spirit of truth can prompt and guide these parsons, who each and all claim divine inspiration, and yet of several thousands all preaching at the same moment, not a score agree together in anything. Split up into sects and subdivisions, they are employed in firing volleys into one another's ranks, and incessantly echo and re-echo the confusion of tongues that was commenced and set up in stereotype at the ancient theological tower of Babblement.

No two churches, and hardly any dozen brick makers in the same church, concur in their views of the character and office of the Messiah. So we had better turn to ancient canonical writings of the Hebrews themselves, and see if any fresh information is deducible therefrom.

First of all, there is Joseph's vision of his brother's sheaves bowing down to his sheaf, and the still more remarkable one of the sun, moon, and eleven stars bowing down before him. For these dreams his brothers hated and