was but a word; yet this word remained upon their soul, spoke to it, preached to it, sounded there as if all the bells of the city of God were ringing to call them to fasting, to bend the knee, to pray, to meet Jesus Christ, to hope, to rejoice. It was but a word, but this word was of God. It was in appearance, but one of the most delicate chords of this heaven-descended harp; but this chord was tuned in unison with the human heart; harmonies sounded forth, unexpected, delicious, omnipotent, which moved all their being, and was as the voice of many waters. They felt then, that that chord was attached to the very heart of God, and that its harmonies came from heaven. They had there recognised the appeal of Jesus Christ; and his word. had been to them powerful as that single word, "MARY!" which astonished Mary Magdalene near the sepulchre.— Like her, they exclaimed, "Rabboni, my Master! It is then thy voice, oh my Savior; thou callest me; I recognise thee! Ah! behold me, Lord; I give myself to thee; speak, thy servant heareth thee."

Such is then the voice of the Church; such has been in all ages the unanimous testimony of the saints; this inspiration. which the Bible attributes to itself, we, they say, have recognised. We believe it, not only because it attests it, but also because we have seen it, and because we can ourselves render testimony of it by a happy experience, and an irresistible sentiment.

We might adduce such examples by thousands. Let us content ourselves with naming here two of the noblest spirits that have influenced the destinies of the Church, and served as guides to humanity. Let us remember how the two greatest luminaries of ancient and modern times were kindled; and how it was one single passage of the Scriptures which came, prepared of God, to shed upon their souls the light of the Holy Spirit. Luther, an Augustinian monk, was going to Rome; he was still sick upon his

bed, at Bologna, in a strange country, bowed down under the weight of his sins, believing himself about to appear before God. It was then that the 17th verse of the first chapter of the Epistle to the Romans "The, just shall live by faith," came to enlighten all his being, as a ray from heaven. This single sentence had seized him twice with resistless power; first at Bologna, to fill him with strength and an inexpressible peace; then afterwards at Rome itself, to cast him down, and to lift him up, whilst with an idolatrous crowd, he was dragging his body on his knees, up the fabulous staircase of Pilate. This word commenced the western reformation. "Transforming word for the Reformer and the Reformation;" exclaims my precious friend, Merle D'Aubigné. It was by it that God then said: "Let there be light, and there was light." "In truth," says the Reformer himself, "I felt myself as it were, entirely renewed; and this word was for me the very gate of paradise." "Hic me prorsus renatum esse sensi, et apertis portis in ipsum Paradisum intrasse.”*

Are we not here reminded again of the greatest of the doctors of Christian antiquity, that admirable Augustine, when in his garden near Milan, unhappy, without peace, feeling too, like Martin Luther, a storm in his soul, lying under a fig tree; "jactans voces miserabiles, et dimittens habenas lacrymis," groaning and pouring out abundant tears, he heard from a young voice, singing and repeating in rapid succession: "Tolle, lege, Tolle, lege !" take and read, take and read. He went to Alypius to procure the roll of Paul's Epistles which he had left there; adripui, aperui, et legi in silentio; he seized it, he opened it, and he there read in silence the chapter on which his eyes first alighted. And when he came to the 13th verse of the 13th chapter of the Epistle to the Romans, every thing

*L. Opp. lat. in Præf.

was decided by a word. Jesus had conquered; and that grand career of the holiest of the Fathers there commenced. A word, a single word of God had kindled that glorious luminary which was to enlighten the church for ten centuries; and whose beams gladden her even to this present day. After thirty-one years of revolt, of combats, of falls, of misery; faith, life, eternal peace came to this erring soul; a new day, an eternal day arose upon it.

After these words, he desired no more; he closed the book; his doubts had fled. "Nec ultrá volui legere, nec opus erat; for, with the end of this sentence, a stream of light and security was poured into his soul; and all the night of his doubts had vanished. Statim quippe cum fine hujusce sententiæ, quasi luce securitatis infusâ cordi meo, omnes dubitationis tenebræ diffugerunt.'

Such is then the threefold testimony which we desired to produce, and by which the Church attests to us that there is a wisdom and a power of God diffused through the minutest parts of the Holy Word; and that all the scriptures are divinely inspired. At the same time, let it be understood, that we have not pretended, in this appeal, to impose the experience of one upon another. Proofs from feeling, we are aware, are proofs only to those who experience it. They have unquestionably, an irresistible force for those who, by experiencing its power, have had a living evidence of the divinity of the word of God; but nothing would be less logical than to give them as demonstrations to those who are strangers to them. If you had had these experiences, you would have been already more than convinced, and our argument might be spared. We have then presented them to you only as strong historical presumptions, hoping to dispose you by this means, to receive with more favor and with more prompt submis

* Confessions, Book viii. ch. 12.

sion, the scriptural proofs which we are about to submit to you. An entire generation of educated and pious men, we tell you, attest to you for ages, and by a three-fold experience, that by a closer study of the word of God, they have been led to recognise on evidence, the inspiration of the Scriptures, even in their minutest parts. Let this be to you, at least a powerful recommendation to hear respectively and without prejudice, the testimonies of the Bible to its own nature. We are about to furnish these testimonies; but, in the mean time, we ask that this voice of the Church may be to you as that cry from a neighboring house: take and read, take and read. Go take your Bible, my brother; adripe, aperi, lege in silentio ; take, open, read in silence; and you yourself shall feel how far its inspiration extends, and you also shall say to yourself with Augustine, after so many combats and so many tears: no more doubt, for the morning star has arisen upon my heart!—and you will have no need to read any farther, in order to banish every doubt.

CHAPTER V.

DIDACTIC SUMMARY OF THE THEOPNEUSTIC DOC

TRINE.

We have now defined and refuted; it remains for us to prove. But it must be done by the word of God alone. If God, reveals himself, it is for him to tell us, in this very revelation, to what extent he has designed to do it. Far be from us all vain hypotheses on such a subject. They could contain nothing more than our own phantasies, which might dazzle the eye of our faith, but could not enlighten it. The great question is, the entire question ; what do the Scriptures say?

It has been asked if the Bible is inspired even in its language. We have affirmed that it is. In other words, (for we have cheerfully consented to reduce our entire thesis to this second expression, equivalent to the first), it is asked if the men of God have given us the Scriptures exempt from all error, great or small, positive or negative. Our answer to this, is affirmative.

The Scriptures are composed of books, of phrases and of words. Without making any hypothesis upon the manner which God has adopted for dictating the one and the other, we maintain, with the Scriptures, that this word is of God, without any exception,-and if any one should still ask us, how God dictated all the words of his book to the sacred writers, we should delay our answer, until some