SEVEN SERMONS PREACHED BEFORE THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD: WITH PRELIMINARY REMARKS: BEING AN ANSWER TO A VOLUME ENTITLED "Essays and Reviews." BY THE REV. JOHN WILLIAM BURGON, M.A., FELLOW OF ORIEL COLLEGE, AND SELECT PREACHER . I CANNOT HOLD MY PEACE, BECAUSE THOU HAST HEARD, O MY SOUL, THE SOUND OF THE TRUMPET, THE ALARM OF WAR. Oxford & London: J. H. and Jas. PARKER. 1861. Printed by Messrs. Parker, Cornmarket, Oxford. TO THE REVEREND WILLIAM SEWELL, D.D., FELLOW OF EXETER COLLEGE: LATE

SUBJECTS OF THE SERMONS. ( For a detailed account of the Contents of these Sermons, the Reader is referred to the beginning of the Volume .) PRÆVENERUNT OCULI MEI AD TE DILUCULO, UT MEDITARER ELOQUIA TUA. QUAM DULCIA FAUCIBUS MEIS ELOQUIA TUA: SUPER MEL ORI MEO. LUCERNA PEDIBUS MEIS VERBUM TUUM, ET LUMEN SEMITIS MEIS. ῼ ΚΑΛΩΣ ΠΟΙΕΙΤΕ ΠΡΟΣΕΧΟΝΤΕΣ, ΩΣ ΛΥΧΝῼ ΦΑΙΝΟΝΤΙ ΕΝ ΑΥΧΜΗΡῼ ΤΟΠῼ, ΕΩΣ ΟΥ ΗΜΕΡΑ ΔΙΑΥΓΑΣῌ, ΚΑΙ ΦΩΣΦΟΡΟΣ ΑΝΑΤΕΙΛῌ ΕΝ ΤΑΙΣ ΚΑΡΔΙΑΙΣ ΥΜΩΝ. Domine Deus meus, ... sint castæ deliciæ meæ Scr

There is yet another view of the nature and office of Inspiration,—another 'Theory' as it would perhaps aspire to be called,—which limits the extent of the Divine help and guidance which the writers, confessedly inspired, may be supposed to have enjoyed. According to this view, it is admitted that Inspiration was, from first to last, a continuous influence; exerted equally throughout: but then, it has been suggested that perhaps its office was not to protect a Writer against a certain class of e

(p. 50.) [ Bishop Pearson on Theological Science. ] "Ad publicam Theologiæ professionem electus et constitutus sum; cujus cum præstantiam dignitatemque considero, incredibili quadam dulcedine perfundit mirificeque delectat; cum amplitudinem difficultatemque contemplor, perstringit oculos, percellit animum, abigit longe atque deterret. "Cum Artes omnes Scientiæque Athenis diu floruissent, cum novam sedem Alexandriæ occuparent, cum ingenia Romana toto terrarum orbe personarent, etiam tum dixit Chr

(p. 71.) [ The Bible an instrument of Man's probation. ] "Multa enim propter exercendas rationales mentes figurata et obscure posita."—Aug. De Unit. Eccl. c. v.—"Obscuritates Divinarum Scripturarum quas exercitationis nostræ causâ Deus esse voluit."— Id. Ep. lix. ad Paulinum , tom. ii. p. 117. "The evidence of Religion not appearing obvious, may constitute one particular part of some men's trial, in the religious sense: as it gives scope, for a virtuous exercise, or vicious neglect of their unde

(p. 74.) [ The simplest view of Inspiration the truest and the best. ] "I suppose all thoughtful persons will allow that intellectual licentiousness is the danger of this our intellectual age. For speculation indulges our pride. Faith is an inglorious thing; any one can believe, a cottager just as well as a philosopher: but not all can speculate. The privilege of an intellectually advanced person is that. And the more novel the view he offers, the more evident the proof it gives of an independen

(p. 112.) [ The volume of the Old Testament Scriptures, indivisible. ] "In regard of the Old Testament, it will be observed that the whole volume stands or falls altogether. In whatever sense we understand the falling or standing, the volume stands or falls together. Each page of it is committed to the credit of the rest, and the whole book or collection of books is committed to the credit of each page. For this plain reason, that the book as we have it, is the book which, being known in the Jew

(p. 115.) (Some remarks had been partially prepared for insertion in this place, on Theories of Inspiration: but my volume has already been delayed too long, and has extended to a greater length than was originally contemplated. The paper in question is therefore reserved for the present.)...

(p. 117.) [ Remarks on Theories of Inspiration.—The 'Human Element .'] "It will be allowed by all persons accustomed to a calm and charitable view of Theological differences, that in those differences there is generally on each side some great truth wrongly held, because taken out of its due place, and wrongly set. Applying this topic to the subject before us, we are led to consider whether a mistake has not been made in bringing forward the Human Element of Inspiration, instead of permitting th

(p. 145.) [ How the Inspired authors of the New Testament handle the writings of the Inspired authors of the Old. ] "Let me repeat:—The question is, how we should address ourselves to the study of the sacred page? For example, how am I to regard, and how to deal with, the great diversities there are between the several sacred writers? For there is the greatest diversity of mind appearing between them. St. Paul is no more the same with St. John, than any two good men now are perfectly alike in th

(p. 199.) [ Bishop Bull on Deut. xxx.] "Jam hic etiam quæstionem unam et alteram solvendam exhibebimus.—Quæritur, An nullum omnino extet in lege Mosis Spiritus Sancti promissum? Resp. Legem, si per eam intelligas pactum in monte Sinai factum, et mediatore Mose populo Israelitico datum, (quæ, ut modo diximus, est maxime propria ac genuina ipsius in Paulinis Epistolis notio atque acceptio,) nullum Spiritus Sancti promissum continere, manifestum est. Si, inquam, per eam intelligas pactum in Sinai f