DISCOURSE THIRTY FIFTH.

JOHN GODFREY VON HERDER.

HERDER was born August 25th, 1744, at Mohrungen, a small town in Eastern Prussia, where his father taught a school for girls. After pursuing his studies, and acting as instructor in Frederick's College, he was appointed, in 1764, assistant teacher of the Cathedral School at Riga, where, as instructor and preacher, he acquired great popularity. In 1771 he became court preacher, Superintendent and Consistorial Counselor, at Bückeburg, and in October, 1776, entered upon the duties of the same office at Weimar. He died in 1803. In 1819 a tablet of cast iron was placed on his grave by royal authority, with the words Licht, Liebe, Leben-Light, Love, Life.

Herder is said to have been a model of virtue, and Christian activity. Germany is greatly indebted to him for valuable works in almost every department. Few authors have done more to form its national taste. His works were published in 1806, in forty-five volumes, octavo, in Tübingen, and later, an edition was issued in sixty small 12mo volumes. Herder's "Geist der Hebräischen Poesie," or Spirit of Hebrew Poetry, is held in the highest estimation both in Europe and in America. It was translated in this country many years ago, but is now entirely out of print.

The style of Herder is pure and correct. He possessed a poetic fancy, and wrote some charming songs; his "Cid" is one of the most popular poems in Germany. His sermons are characterized by solid thought, a chaste and lofty style of eloquence, and a deep religious spirit. That which follows was preached in 1769, and is taken from volume ix, x, small edition, of Stuttgart and Tübingen, 1828. The translator pronounces it " a magnificent discourse, itself worth the book which is to contain it." Its exalted views of the character of the Holy Scriptures, its happy refutation of many of the foolish objections brought against their Divine origin, and its judicious and timely hints as to the manner of their profitable perusal, are the more grateful and valuable as they emanate from the land where loose opinions as to the Divine revelation have so generally prevailed.

THE DIVINITY AND RIGHT USE OF THE BIBLE.

There is no cardinal doctrine in the whole scheme of Christian truth which has been wont to awaken such deep, sequestered doubts, and which has been subjected to such misuse, as that which treats of the Holy Scriptures.

We all go by the name of Christians. By this we profess that we accept a revelation of God through Christ; that the simple light of nature does not suffice to procure for us perfect peace of mind; that we regard the Bible as the fulfillment, or as the supplement to this light; that we recognize what it says to be Divine throughout; that we therefore believe in it, conduct ourselves suitably to it, and through the promises which this Divine book imparts both for this life and the future, expect to become certainly and truly blessed. All this is included in the name of Christian; for Christ has grounded His revelation upon the Old Testament, and has instituted the New through the agency of His followers. of His followers. We become Christians simply from the fact that we take the Bible as the Word of God to man, as the fountain-source of our religious truths, and religious duties, and religious hopes, according to which we believe, live, and await the future.

Meanwhile there are yet those, concealed under the mantle of the Christian name, who, in reference to this cardinal doctrine of our religion, are any thing but Christians. In some, there spring up so many secret doubts respecting the truth of the Bible; among others, there prevail so many practical heresies in regard to its use, that it would be indeed a rare sight to witness the real opinions of each one on this point openly disclosed. I say some cherish doubts, but only with this difference, that many do not wish to cherish them, and turn a deaf ear upon every discrediting suggestion; they would fain imprison their reason, and suppress each skeptical thought which rises; while others, on the contrary, utter their doubts freely. No wit is to them more welcome than a scoff at the Bible, no jest more pleasing than that which casts ridicule upon this holy book.

Both these classes of persons merit attention; only the one from sympathy and interest, the other from pity and contempt. I am not pleased that any one should bring himself into such a condition as forcibly to resolve not to feel the doubt which yet he feels; as to suppress with violence the objection which still comes up, although it may as yet be but half thought out; this were a useless imprisonment of the understanding, a very dangerous triumph over one's

self, yea, a very torment to our being. One such doubt, like a piece of floating cork, as often as it is plunged violently down below the sur face, springs back as violently, and we come in the end to imagine that such doubts are actually inexplicable, because we either would not or could not explain them. It is therefore, indeed, a sacred duty which we owe to ourselves to be careful in this respect, and at once to give ear rightly to all such indistinct voices, and to hearken earnestly, both to what they say, and to what may be urged in reply-to what we must believe, and to what we must object. All this must we at once bring before our minds, with all uprightness of soul, impartiality of feeling, and earnestness of deliberation.

The other class of doubters are crude and bold. What they have never rightly reflected upon by themselves, this they bring up in the hearing of others; and what they were not perhaps capable of considering with earnestness and force, this they deride with their wretched wit. Wit and sorry ridicule in matters of religion are always attended with very evil consequences. They sort so very rarely with mature, cool reason, and calm consideration, that they always rather displace these qualities, just in proportion as they prevail in the soul. The more habituated a person becomes to the reading and utterance of mere witticisms, the more does he incapacitate himself for sober deliberation. At every turn derisive mirth steps in with its laughing mien. It throws itself athwart the path of investigation, and cuts up such a series of antics that we are entirely turned aside from our course. We try once more to reflect, but the jest returns; we laugh again, let go inquiry, and never attain to the knowledge of the truth. Is it not scandalous thus to spice one's conversation with these derisive doubts, thereby to lead astray the souls of others, and rob honest hearts of their rest? Is it not base thus to make the inquiry after truth difficult and impossible for impartial spirits? And how shall such conduct be met? Must we not encounter it? And yet, can this be done without a feeling of contempt? Oh, would ye, who carry so many witty jests against religion and the Bible ever on your tongue, would ye be free thinkers indeed, true philosophers, rational inquirers, ye would not be whispering your doubts in the ears of all the world. Rather, were ye earnest for the truth, ye would shut them up in the stillness of your own bosoms; and in solitude search, even with tears, after the truth in regard to a matter so momentous.

There is another misuse of the Bible, yet more manifold and general in its kind. How few there are to be found, who, without superstition or stupid thoughtlessness, make all the use of this holy book which they ought and are able to make! How few who use it

altogether to the improvement of their souls, to the quickening of their spirits, and for instruction in the truth! How few, who, with this book in their hands, can go before the throne of God in order to be judged by it, and by every word of it!

Thou merciful One! Thou Friend of man! Art Thou He whose voice I hear in this book, and whose word, by means of it, echoes down out of Thy mysterious dwelling-places here into the seat of my weakness? Art Thou He, O God, who appeared to Moses in Sinai and Horeb, and in the time of Solomon filled the temple with His glory, and in Christ enlightened the world, and hast now translated Him to Thine own right hand, and in Him wilt Thou appear to judge the world? Art Thou He, O God, who hast given me this book as the direction of my faith, as the rule of my life, as the ground of my hopes, as the statute-book whereby Thou wilt judge me? Here stands a creature before Thee, blind and ignorant, but perchance sincere; corrupt perhaps, but not stiff-necked; he stands before Thee, and opens to Thee the very depths of his soul. Speak, Lord, for Thy servant heareth; but convince me also that it is Thou that speakest. All-knowing-one, Thou seest that, not in boldness and confidence do I implore the wonders of Thy love. Holy Father, may a creature that has often struggled with himself supplicate Thee for Thy grace and compassion? Wilt Thou hear the voice of a wretched one who, with Thy book of revelation, appears before Thee asking for the enlightenment and the confirmation. of his soul? Verily, O God, Thou art near him who seeks after truth.

"For whatever things were written aforetime were written for our learning," etc. Rom. xv. 4-13.

Our text furnishes abundant material for our purpose, as it instructs us upon the truth of the Bible revelation. It assures us of the truth of the Old Testament (v. 8). It explains to us the form in which the Christian religion appeared in the world and was built up so wonderfully upon the Jewish religion (v. 8); but that this re ligion was to be a religion for the world and for all nations (v. 9-12); that it therefore was the first duty of Christianity to be of one heart and mind, not contentious in opinions, not full of hate in life (v. 6-7) ; that it was the aim of the Bible not to support conflicting parties, but to serve for doctrine, and comfort, and consolation (v. 8); and it concludes with a wish which should also confirm our discourse.

We propose, therefore, to rescue the faith of Christians in a Di vine revelation, as well from any doubts of the human heart, as from the manifold misuse of this revelation.

"How can that be the word of God," it is said-"a series of God's thoughts to man, where I discern so much that is human? where there is so much that is insignificant and worthless, which, I can hardly deem worthy of the highest Godhead? where there is so much concerning a miserable nation with its kings, and generations, and ceremonies, when it purports to be a revelation for the whole world? where so much on the weightiest topics which I would gladly know is left out, and so much that is useless fills its place? where such a strain, sometimes of monstrous and often unworthy images, sometimes of confused precepts, sometimes of unsupported promises, sometimes of unimportant narratives, appears, that, in listening for the voice of God one hardly knows where to begin and where to end? where the character of each particular age in which a book is written, and of each particular author by whom it is written, is so manifest even to his very temperament, his failings, his ignorance, that I seem every where to hear ignorant Jews speaking, but nowhere the voice of the all-knowing God? where much is so enigmatical, that from the beginning, through all centuries of Christianity, new strifes have ever arisen as to how this or that word should be understood, how this or that verse should be explained, and how this or that truth should be conceived? where these hundreds of parties have each been willing to bear testimony, almost unto death, in behalf of their own opinions, and yet each one has referred to the Bible-to the dark ambiguous Bible-as to the voice, of God which has sounded forsooth in His ears alone? How, it is asked, can that in any way be called a Divine book for the human race, which bears so many tokens of a low, pitiful origin?"

I have, my hearers, here adduced much that is severe against the Bible; but yet not so much as many mad and wicked people have uttered. But with all this, nothing has been said which can hold its place for a moment, in the estimation of an impartial, fervent lover of truth. Very desirable would it be if we could take up all the hard charges which we have just heaped together like great stones, and put them singly to the test; but this would be a task too great for the few moments which I have here to occupy. I must, therefore, abide only by generalities, aiming merely to stop up the fountain out of which all particular doubts do flow. I will give you, as it were, a history of the biblical books, from which, if we are only observant and honest, each particular doubt will obtain its own natural solution.

1. Now what do we mean, my hearers, when we call the Bible the word of God? Do we mean that these are just God's thoughts, which He thinks upon this and that subject? Is it that He so