TAYIE]i'S CHRISTIAN ASPECTS OF FAITH AND DUTY. * IF the general
style of sermons from different churches be ex- amined, it will be found, we think, that the Nonconformists are distinguished by an accumulation of images reiterating as much as enforcing the same sentiment, and a telling but artificial force of style, in which effort—the determination "to do or dee "—is too visible. An unction sometimes verging upon poetry, sometimes upon mysticism, with an under-current of priestly assumption, cha- racterizes the better class of Romanists and Romanizing Tractarians. The English Church, so rich as it is in pulpit literature, exhibits more of individual genius or bent of mind in its remarkable preachers ; 'but its generic characteristic is a scholarship and sobriety rather prone to continue on a level than to fail by high-flying, and apter to fall into coldness than to rise into undue warmth. An Intel- fectual -vigour and independence of mind, coupled with a large liberality and a philosophical mode of looking at religion, distin- guishes the modern Unitarian preachers. In point of style, they have the force and effect of the platform, with more closeness and less mannerism ; sometimes they exhibit the gush and tenderness of the mystics, and in rational scholarship they approach more nearly than any of the others to the "sound divines" of the Church of England. The modern Unitarians, however, have the zeal and earnestness of a new sect, with the freshness and origi- nality which this newness gives occasion to. It may be added, that in a theological point of view they have less decision in their dogmas. In other churches, whatever may be thought of the dogmas themselves, it can rarely be said that there is uncertainty in their expression or the manner of advancing them. The Uni- tarians exhibit somewhat both of haze in meaning and hesitation in manner; the former perhaps from the nature of the doctrine, the latter seeming to arise from some "reservation."
Among the various contemporary writers usually classed under the head of Unitarians, we are disposed to place Mr. John James Tayler in the first rank. Ile is not altogether devoid of tender- ness, warmth, or poetical feeling, but he has them in a less degree than Francis Newman or the American Parker. His theological
* Christian Aspects of Faith and Duty. Discourses by John James Tayler, B.A. Published by Chapman.
views seem to be more definite than theirs, though he is not very distinct in some of his dogmas. On occasions, for example, he speaks of Christ as divine ; but in other places it is obvious he uses the term in a different sense from that of the Trinitarians. Again, he applies the word " inspiration" in a way which, if it were taken as it stands, would seem to coincide with the general view of the Trinitarian churches upon the subject ; but it is clear from other places that a more natural meaning is at- tached to the word. " Development" is a part of his doctrine, though in a different sense from that of Father Newman and his followers. To the superstition or frame of mind which verges towards Polytheism, whether in few or many gods, he is of course opposed, and equally so to that Pantheistic doctrine which, reject- ing the personality of the Deity, and considering him merely as the animating spirit of the universe, is, in Mr. Tayler's words, continually liable to " lapse into virtual Atheism." He argues against the German Rationalism, which looks on man as all-
sufficient, as in some way or other an emanation of the Divinity, and therefore capable of working out a sufficing perfectibility for and by himself. It may be questioned, however, whether something like this Rationalism is not at the bottom of his own creed ; whether a strict logic would not deduce a natural origin for all religion from his views or opinions. The following passage from the discourse on " God's Descent to Man " seems to contain the author's idea of what in Trinitarian language would be called Grace ; yet what he describes might certainly be attributed to natural causes—enthusiastic feeling operating upon a certain tern- peranient on favourable occasions.
" Whatever notion we can form of its direct and positive agency on our souls, is derivable, either from seine rare and blessed moments which have broken in on our ordinary mental condition with influences beyond ourselves, or from the manifold confessions of the devoutest spirits, which irreligious men distrust and spurn because they have never known a similar experience. But if God be a living Spirit—the Parent of free and responsible spirits— such a reciprocation of influence must subsist between Him and us ; and the more we cultivate intercourse with Him, the deeper will be our sense of its reality, and the distincter our consciousness of His operation on the mind.
"To seize a definite conception and to prevent our being lost in vague and fathomless speculation, we must confine our attention specially to the moral relation which God sustains towards us—as a fact, witnessed by our own ex- perience and by that of devout men in all ages. At one end at least of this relation, we encounter indisputable realities, and get hold of truths which no sophistry can wrest from us. If men whose characters are a warrant for their sincerity, and whose understandings on every other subject bear in- dubitable marks of soundness and vigour, deliberately assure us, that in the highest moments of their being, when the soul most fervently aspires to- wards God, they have been conscious of an accession of spirit and life to their moral energies, which they had never found any mechanical effort of self- discipline—any mere volition, however earnest and sustained—at all adequate to produce, we have an attestation to the reality of the Divine agency on the human mind, which cannot be questioned without shaking the foundation of the largest part of that knowledge on which in our intercourse with one another we are compelled to rely.'
As regards mere literature,—meaning the power of furnishing selected but copious ideas, illustrating them by lively images, and presenting them closely and clearly in words,—Mr. Tayler may vie with any of his compeers. We do not know that he is supe- rior to them in a philosophic spirit, but we think he is in its ap- plication to the affairs of life, or in tracing the origin of religion and its various phases to the nature of human minds. In his manner of looking at the existing condition of society, or at its past stages as preserved to us in history, Mr. Tayler approaches closely to Dr. Vaughan. This is a useful passage at the present day, when so much of heartburning and of crude unsettled notions are abroad on the subject of the social relations.
"The spirit of human brotherhood is not promoted by artificially breaking down those lines of natural separation in the intercourse of different classes, which result inevitably from congeniality of pursuits and interests from correspondence in social position, and from harmony in manners, tastes, and sentiments. The folly here is in meddling with the spontaneous operations of nature. Left to themselves the different elements of society fall easily into their proper places, and assume their natural functions, and work peacefully together without any collision—each man happy in habitual as- sociation with those whom education and circumstances have fitted him most readily to sympathize with, and enable him best to understand. Nor does this view of society justify a spirit of pride and exclusiveness. On the contrary, it is the vicious predominance of such qualities which produces an inordinate tendency in the opposite direction. It is the presumptuous at- tempt of cold and haughty natures to throw up an artificial barrier between the social grades, which disinclines men to recognize the natural one. No- thing forced and artificial ever succeeds. There is an obvious feeling of pro- priety in these matters, which a genuine humanity will be content to fol- low: and indeed the truly sympathetic and actively benevolent rarely over- look it or protest against it. Complaint usually comes from the restless and the vain—impatient of the barriers which confine their ambition, and han- kering for sudden distinction. Is there a more valuable class in society than our domestic servants ? Who have such an influence on our daily comfort and happiness ? Who have so strong a claim on our sympathy ? Virhom are we more bound to treat with habitual consideration and courtesy ? Yet it is quite clear, that we should in no wise increase their happiness or our own, if we were to break through the conventional rules of decorum, which long experience has ratified, and familiarity were to replace the old usage of re- spectful reserve and friendly regard—if they, for instance, were to sit down at table with us, and take a part in the conversation of our friends ; or we as unreasonably: and improperly were to obtrude ourselves on their intervals of leisure and join the circle of their personal acquaintance. This is an ex- treme case, but it tests the principle. Try it in another way. Consider the relations of the middle class to the aristocracy. We should feel it very un- becoming and very foolish to claim admission on terms of perfect freedom and familiarity into the society of those" whose station and mode of life, whose habits and ideas, are so widely different from our own ; and we should cer- tainly resist, as an intolerable impertinence, any attempt on their part to in- trude on our privacy, to disturb our natural affinities, and interrupt our chosen intercourse. Each class best works out its own objects independently. within the limits which the constructive organism of society has thrown around it, for the protection of its specific agency."
The following ideas of human happiness are not likely to meet
the approval of extreme religionists, but they are a good comment- ary 'on-Milton's text, "To know that which before us lies in daily life is the prime wisdom." "Taking our stand on the vantage-ground of these great efforts of social reform, let it be our first object to multiply the number of virtuous and happy homes. The domestic hearth is the seed-plot of a noble and flourish- ing commonwealth. All laws are vicious, all tendencies are to be deprecated, which increase the difficulty of diffusing through every rank the relined and holy influences which are cherished by the domestic affections. Reckless speculation among capitalists, disturbing the steady and uniform course of employment—and its sure counterpart, improvidence and debauchery among workmen—are the deadliest foes of the household virtues. In bow small a compass lie all the elements of man's truest happiness, if society were only conducted in a rational and moderate spirit, and its members of every class could be restrained from vicious indulgence and the pursuit of phantoms! A marriage contracted with thoughtfulness and cemented by pure and faithful love, when a fixed position is gained in the world, and a small fund has been already accumulated—hard work and frugal habits at the commence- ment of domestic life to meet in time the possible demands of a future family—a dwelling comfortably furnished, clean, bright, salubrious, and sweet—children well trained and early sent to school—a small collection of good books on the shelves—a few blossoming plants in the window—some well selected engravings on the walls—a piano, it may be, a violin or a flute to accompany the family concert—home made happy in the evening by cheerful tasks and mutual improvement, exchanged at times for the conver- sation of friend or neighbour of kindred taste and congenial manners—these are conditions of existence within reach of every one who will seek them— resources of the purest happiness lost to thousands, because a wrong direction is given to their tastes and energies, and they roam abroad in pursuit of in- terest and enjoyment which they might create in rich abundance at home. This is no romantic, visionary picture. It is a sober, accessible possibility, such as even now, under the pressure of many adverse circumstances, is real- ized in the homes of not a few working men who have learned the art of extracting competence from narrow means, and maintaining genuine re- spectability in a humble station."
This passage, again, is a truthful and powerful picture of a be- setting evil of our intellectual age.
"Churches still exist where feeling is allowed to overpower reason, and on pretence of religious grounds all intellectual freedom and activity are forbidden. When reaction comes with the rise of a spirit of inquiry, men are thrown into the opposite extreme, and begin to exalt reason above feel- ing. They become hard, captious, and self-opinionated. It is all at once the fashion to affect independence and originality of mind. Nothing is now heard of but the rights of intellect. Hence the growth of a popular cant, rapidly propagated from mouth to mouth. For cant is the adoption of some notion at second-hand and the bustling promulgation of it, without any cor- responding depth and 'steadiness of conviction. It is forgotten, that the number of those who can really strike out new and original ideas, ever has been, and ever must be, exceedingly small. "Tendencies of this description pervade at the present time to a large extent the younger portion of society. There is amongst them a great dis- trust of old dogmas ; a weariness of all established usage ; a feverish thirst for novelty as such ; and with the growth of an earnest spirit, conscious of many and great evils that oppress the world, a precipitate eagerness, not wholly inexcusable, to catch at every specious theory that promises to relieve them. But the good that exists in such tendencies, readily turns into evil. Complaint and scepticism, mixed with some presumption, infect the public sentiment. Original intellects waste their strength in profuse wailing and unmeasured contempt. Inferior minds take up the strain, and scorn to use the old phrases and believe the old truths. They strangely set up for ori- ginals by slavishly squaring their modes of thought and Weir very forms of speech to the pattern prescribed for them by some idolized authority. They as- sume a mission from heaven to regenerate the old world, and prove their fitness for it by despising everybody and abusing everything. On all who do not em- brace their views and swear by their oracle, they look down with ineffable dis- dain, as very ordinary and ignorant people, scarce worthy of notice and not de- serving a refutation. It is their folly to affect originality at any cost. Nothing snore deeply offends them than the imputation of the commonplace. Our po- pular literature has not escaped the contagion. The simplest truths cannot be expressed in a simple way. Good taste is despised as a sign of mediocrity. Good manners are ridiculed as a weak concession to conventionalism. Good sense is spunied as incompatible with original strength of intellect. Exaggeration, coarseness, false and monstrous sentiment, pompous obscurity of phrase that hides meanness of conception under an air of profundity, and an incessant straining after novelty that often destroys at one blow simple truth and pure English—are mistaken by numbers for the tokens of genius, and hailed as Indications of the approaching millennium, when all the littleness and pre- judice of the past shall be thrown aside, and a new and more glorious career open before the emancipated soul."
Previous page
