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LUCILL 
 
 THE READING OF THE BIBLE 
 
 BY ADOLPHE MONOD. D. D. 
 
 TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH. 
 
 " Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor 
 ■tandeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But 
 his delight is in the law of the Lord ; and in his law doth he meditate day 
 and night."— Psalm i. 1, 2. 
 
 THIRD EDITION 
 
 NEW YORK: 
 
 ROBERT CARTER & BROTHERS, 
 
 No. 285 BROADWAY. 
 
 1851. 
 
PREFACE, 
 
 BY THE TRANSLATOR. 
 
 The work of which a translation is here presented 
 to the English reader, has recently been published in 
 France, where the whole of the first impression was 
 sold in a very short period. It is the production of a 
 Protestant minister of deep piety, of pre-eminent 
 talents, and of ardent zeal in the cause of Christianity. 
 His design is to prove, that the Holy Scriptures are 
 inspired of God, and are, consequently, of divine au- 
 thority ; and that it is at once the privilege and duty 
 of all people to read them with a reference to their 
 personal salvation. The volume is therefore, on the 
 one hand, an antidote to Infidelity which regards the 
 Bible as a merely human composition, and to Popery, 
 on the other, which would restrict the reading of the 
 sacred books. The manner in winch the author has 
 executed his task is worthy of high praise. His rea- 
 soning is beautifully simple, lucid, and strong ; and his 
 spirit, kind, benevolent, serious, and firm. He speaks 
 with authority, for he thoroughly understands his sub- 
 ject ; and with tender affection, for his heart yearns 
 over those who obstinately reject the word of God, 
 and who are passing to their final account ignorant of 
 its blessed truths. 
 
4 PREFACE. 
 
 The work is especially adapted to France, where a 
 
 blind infidelity scoffs at the Bible, considered as a rev- 
 elation from God ; where the R Lsh priesthood in- 
 veigh against the genera] reading of that holy volume ; 
 and where the agents of Bible Societies are laboring 
 in the length and breadth of the land, with a most 
 laudable assiduity, to press it upon the attention of all 
 classes of the community, offering it at moderate prices 
 from door to door. It is hoped that this admirable 
 publication may be of considerable use in this coun- 
 try, where infidelity and Romanism are unhappily too 
 prevalent. Should it contribute, in any degree, to ar- 
 rest the progress of these kindred evils, and encour- 
 age the reading of that inspired book, which an old 
 writer has justly called " the great charter of the 
 world's blessedness," the author and translator will 
 consider themselves rewarded. It is committed to the 
 press with earnest prayers for the divine blessing. 
 
LUCILLA; 
 
 OR, 
 
 THE READING OF THE BIBLE. 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 LETTER I. 
 
 LUCILLA TO THE ABBE FAVIEN. 
 
 Sir : You will, perhaps, be surprised to receive a 
 letter from me. You will be still more so, when you 
 have read its contents. But you are the only person 
 in the world to whom I dare open my mind, on a sub- 
 ject by which it has been much engrossed for the last 
 few weeks. 
 
 For the first time in my life, I begin to perceive 
 that I have no religion, and I wish that I had one. 
 Like everybody else, or at least like every woman, 
 I have had moments of religious excitement ; espe- 
 cially about the age of fifteen, when I felt the neces- 
 sity of giving my heart to God. These were, how- 
 ever, but transient impressions. Soon the pleasures 
 of the world, and the reception I met with in society ; 
 then the attachment I felt for Mr. Lassalle ; and, lastly, 
 the duties connected with my position in life — my 
 husband — the cares of my household — my children, 
 — have absorbed all my attention ; and if the habit I 
 have acquired, of attending mass with my family, has 
 1* 
 
6 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 reminded me from time to time that there is a God, I 
 must confess that I have rarely thought of him when 
 not at church. My husband, as you know, takes 
 little interest in my religious convictions, [f 1 have 
 been indifferent, he is, 1 fear, altogether an infidel. 
 
 Probably you are not aware that I am a Protestant 
 by birth. Hardly, indeed, can I remember the fact. 
 My mother died at the time of my birth, and my 
 father before I had completed my twelfth year. At 
 the period of my marriage, I had none but very dis- 
 tant relations. Without resistance, without having 
 come to any decision on the subject, I complied 
 with the religious observances of the family of 
 which I then became a member ; and my children are 
 brought up in the practice of the same rites. But, 
 with shame I confess it, I have never communicated 
 in either the one church or the other ; and I am forty- 
 one years of age. 
 
 A circumstance, which you will, perhaps, consider 
 trivial, first directed my attention to these things. On 
 All Saints' Day. the weather being delightful, we 
 went out for a walk, and passed the walls of a neigh- 
 boring cemetery. Our conversation for a moment 
 lost its general frivolity, and for about five minutes 
 we spoke of death and the grave. This question 
 arose in my mind : " If 1 die, where shall I be in- 
 terred ? A Protestant by birth, a Catholic by posi- 
 tion, but, in reality, having no fixed belief, and hav- 
 ing communicated with neither, to which of these 
 two churches will my body belong ?" 
 
 Think of me as you will, sir, but this doubt tor- 
 mented me, pursued me, and gave rise to the first 
 serious reflections I had ever made concerning re- 
 ligion. I began by being perplexed about my body ; 
 and I ended by being anxious about my soul. In 
 short, I wished to know what I was. Or rather, I 
 wished to be a Catholic in reality : I see no reason 
 that should induce me to return to the religion of my 
 
INTRODUCTION. 7 
 
 fathers. Should the two communions be equal in 
 their claims, I should find it easier to remain what 1 
 am, or, at least, what I am believed to be. I can be- 
 come a Catholic without remark ; I cannot declare 
 myself a Protestant without exciting attention. I am 
 also desirous not to separate myself from my husband 
 ami children ; and 1 would do anything in the world 
 rather than cause a division in my family. 
 
 But I have graver motives for preferring the Cath- 
 olic religion. Do not consider this as a compliment ; 
 T should say the same thing were I addressing a Pro- 
 testant minister. Notwithstanding the prejudice of 
 birth, I must acknowledge that your religion has a 
 certain air of authority, which the other does not pos- 
 sess. Its extensiveness, its order, its antiquity, even 
 the pomp of its ceremonies, and the beauty of its edi- 
 fices, all conspire to attract me. I feel, nevertheless, 
 the necessity of being better acquainted with a sys- 
 tem which I am desirous of embracing ; and while 
 waiting for fresh light on the subject, I have applied 
 myself to the study of " The Christian's Manual,"* 
 which I had used at church, almost without thinking 
 of what I read. 
 
 One thing especially struck me in this book : I 
 mean the passages which I there find quoted from 
 the Holy Scriptures. Either I have thought that the 
 Bible is the common basis of the two Christian com- 
 munions, and that in reading it I was not acting con- 
 trary either to the Catholic or Protestant faith ; or 
 there is something peculiar and indescribable, which 
 stamps this part of the " Manual," and distinguishes 
 it from every other : but the fact is, these fragments 
 of the Epistles and Gospels have particularly at- 
 tracted my attention. I have read the rest of the 
 book once, with pleasure and edification ; but I have 
 read the Epistles and Gospels over and over again, 
 without ever being weary ; and they leave upon my 
 * Manuel du Chretiea. 
 
C INTRODUCTION*. 
 
 mind a double impression, for which I can hardly 
 account, and which you, sir, must assist ine in ex- 
 plaining. 
 
 On the one hand, as I have just told you, the 
 extracts from the Bible, which I have read in the 
 " Manual," appear to me to bear such an impress of 
 truth, and almost of Divinity, as disposes me to be- 
 lieve that those who have written them were indeed 
 inspired by God. But, on the other hand, I must 
 confess, I see things so strange, so opposed to all 
 our received notions, that 1 have great difficulty in 
 persuading myself that they can be true, and that God 
 can thus have spoken. To be sincere, I have great 
 difficulty in persuading myself that God has ever 
 spoken to man in any way. A revelation, prophets, 
 miracles — excuse my frankness, but it appears to me 
 hardly credible that such things can be ; and though 
 I am far from approving all that my husband says on 
 this subject, yet his reasonings sometimes have more 
 influence upon me than I desire. What is your opin- 
 ion, sir ? Are these marvellous accounts really true ? 
 I cannot doubt that you believe them. I know too well 
 the uprightness of your character. A man like your- 
 self would not yield without proofs. What are those 
 proofs ? Can you show me such as will completely 
 satisfy my mind ? It is not, as you see too well, very 
 open to conviction ; but neither is it closed against the 
 light. However this may be, I am not one to do 
 things by halves. Having once entered on this ex- 
 amination, I will go through with it. 
 
 You will easily suspect why I do not address my- 
 self to the Cure of our parish. Mr. Alexis is a wor- 
 thy man ; but he is one of those inexperienced per- 
 sons with whom the churches are now filled, and who 
 know nothing beyond what they have learned at their 
 seminary. I require a man who inspires me with 
 more confidence, and on whose discretion I can de- 
 pend. If you take the trouble to answer me, do not 
 
INTRODUCTION*. 
 
 forgot, I beseech you, thai I am neither gifted with 
 Learning, nor superior intelligence. Speak to me 
 
 with all plainness, and only supply mo with argu- 
 ments suited to my comprehension. 
 
 LETTER II. 
 
 THE ABBE FATTEN TO LUCILLA. 
 
 The " trouble of answering" you ! Ah, madam, 
 speak not thus. No letter could give me greater 
 pleasure than that which you have done me the honor 
 of addressing to me. What can be more satisfactory 
 to a minister of Jesus Christ, than to meet with a 
 person who seeks after truth with as much sincerity 
 as you do ? And what occupation could be more con- 
 formable, both to my taste and duty, than to assist you 
 in this research, according to my feeble ability, but 
 with devoted ardor ? 
 
 God has begun to enlighten you : that he will finish 
 his work, you need not doubt. It is true, you have 
 adopted a different course from that pursued by the 
 faithful in general. They usually begin by believing 
 in the church ; and then, on the faith of the church, 
 they believe in the Holy Scriptures, whose Divine 
 inspiration the church guaranties. But you, on the 
 contrary, seem desirous to go from the Bible to the 
 church. This could not fail to cause me some soli- 
 citude, were I not convinced that you will speedily 
 return to the accustomed path, which is, without dis- 
 pute, the safest and the most simple. You will soon 
 be led to acknowledge, madam, that there is no well- 
 grounded peace, but for him who refers to the church, 
 as the child to its mother, the care of leading him to 
 God. Prayer, experience, the study of your own 
 heart, even the difficulties which you have already 
 
10 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 met with, will make you feel this much better than 
 all my warnings can do, and will eradicate 1'rom your 
 mind this residue of Protestantism, which has led 
 you to reverse the order of conversion. 
 
 You desire that I should lay before you the proofs 
 which demonstrate the Divine origin of our holy re- 
 ligion. This would be very easy, or rather the task 
 would be superfluous, if you had followed the course 
 which I have just explained, and had, in the first in- 
 stance, learned to submit your judgment in all things 
 to the decision of the church. The Bible is a book 
 inspired by God ; for thus teaches the church, which 
 cannot mislead us. But in your present state, I see 
 too well, that this reply will not satisfy you. I will 
 not therefore refuse to give you one more conforma- 
 ble to your wishes, in order that my silence may af- 
 ford no ground for suspicion. On no account would 
 I give any cause of scandal to your dawning faith. 
 
 But, madam, the subject on which you consult me 
 is too comprehensive for a letter. I shall be better 
 able to explain myself in a conversation, when you 
 can at once propose your doubts and difficulties. I 
 intend, next week, to visit * * *. I shall not have 
 time to pause on my journey there ; but on my return 
 I shall have the honor of spending a short time at the 
 castle ; and we can then deliberately converse on a 
 subject which so deeply and so justly excites your 
 interest. 
 
PART I. 
 
 THE INSPIRATION OF THE BIBLE. 
 
 CONVERSATION I. 
 
 The Abbe. — I am now quite ready, madam, to re- 
 deem my promise. 
 
 Lucilla. — You are indeed welcome, my dear sir. 
 I am all impatience to hear you. 
 
 Mr. de Lassallc. — You wish to have a private in- 
 terview, I perceive. I will withdraw. 
 
 Lucilla. — You will not interrupt us, my dear. You 
 know that the subject of religion has deeply interest- 
 ed me of late. The Abbe, whom I have consulted, 
 has kindly come to clear up some doubts which I had 
 proposed to him. You, my dear husband, do not 
 stand less in need of his assistance than I do. Let 
 us both listen to him. Who knows? Perhaps the 
 one whom we least expect will be the first to believe. 
 
 Mr. de Lassalle. — My love, the Abbe knows how 
 much pleasure it always gives me to hear him ; but 
 it is better for you that 1 should retire. You know 
 my skeptical views ; and I should not like to be an 
 obstacle to your conviction. The fear of perplexing 
 you would embarrass me ; and I should not express 
 myself with the freedom necessary for a full discus- 
 sion, which otherwise I neither fear nor fly. 
 
 The Abbe. — Neither, sir, does religion fear it. It 
 is a favor, I ought to say a justice, which it always 
 demands, but rarely obtains. Remain, I beseech you, 
 and oblige me by expressing yourself without re- 
 serve. After what you have just said, your presence 
 
12 INSPIRATION 
 
 is necessary to mo, in order that I may be able to 
 produce conviction in the mind of Madame de Las- 
 sallc. In vain shall I reply to her objections. She 
 will always imagine that I should not have succeeded 
 so easily if I had argued with yon. 
 
 Mr. de Lassalle. — 1 will remain, since you wish it; 
 but remember, you must answer for the consequences. 
 And do not take offence if 1 should express myself 
 with perfect freedom. 
 
 The Abbe. — That is just what I require, and I will 
 myself set the example. Politeness is very well in 
 its place, but truth is before everything. 
 
 Mr. de Lassalle. — Well, sir, that we may under- 
 stand one another, I will at once confess that I am a 
 disciple of Rousseau. Voltaire and his school do not 
 suit me. He has too much levity to please a man of 
 thought, and too much malice to suit a man of worth. 
 But my profession of faith is that of " Le Vicaire 
 Savoyard." Here you find gravity, solidity, elo- 
 quence. It bears the stamp of sense and truth. I 
 believe in God, and in a future state ; but in revela- 
 tion I have no great faith.* 
 
 The Abbe. — And I, sir, if I had to choose a master, 
 would name Pascal. You will agree, I think, that 
 he yields to no one in true eloquence ; and for solidi- 
 ty of argument, and for character, he certainly equals 
 Kousseau. Does he not ? But let us leave men, and 
 come to reasons. What, I ask, are those which pre- 
 vent you from believing in a revelation ? 
 
 Mr. de Lassalle. — I have a hundred to one. The 
 first that presents itself to my mind is this : Every ; 
 nation in the world pretends to a revealed religion. 
 Each community has its own, which it has received 
 directly from God, and which boasts its irresistible 
 proofs, its miracles, its prophets. To believe them 
 all is impossible, since they contradict and anathe- 
 matize each other. But by what rule shall I choose ? 
 * This " profession" occurs in Rousseau's "Emilius." 
 
OF THE BIBLE. 13 
 
 To believe one. ami reject all the others! — excuse 
 my frankness; but is it not a manifesl partiality 1 I 
 am more consistent. 1 reject the whole of them. 
 
 llir Abbe. — Sir, your frankness by no means dis- 
 pleases me, but 1 think your logic is at fault. Let 
 there be as many religious as you please, which false- 
 ly boast their Divine origin, this is no proof that a 
 true revelation doc* not somewhere exist. Because 
 there arc twenty-three persons who, with yourself, 
 lav claim to the inheritance of your cousin, Mr. de 
 Lacombe, ought the judges thence to conclude that 
 there is no legitimate heir, and reject your preten- 
 sions, with those of the other aspirants, without ex- 
 amination ? 
 
 But this is not all. So many groundless preten- 
 sions convince me that a just claim does somewhere 
 exist. Falsehood is in itself so futile, that it would 
 never be able to make any way, did it not rest upon 
 some known truth, by favor of which it is established 
 in public opinion. These twenty-three competitors 
 would never have thought of producing their false 
 titles, had not the just claim of your family first sug- 
 gested the idea to them. No one would have made 
 counterfeit money, had not the true coin first existed ; 
 and charlatans in medicine only exert so much influ- 
 ence over the minds of people, because there are 
 physicians and real remedies. You understand me. 
 If God had not spoken to man, and if he had not 
 spoken to him from the beginning, what Rousseau 
 calls " the fantasy of revelations," would never have 
 had its rise. And thus, instead of concluding that 
 there is no true revelation, because there are so many 
 false ones, we should say, on the contrary, that there 
 are so many false ones, merely because there is a 
 true revelation.* 
 
 Mr. de Lassalle. — This reflection is quite new to 
 me. I could easily find something to say in reply ; 
 
 * Pascal's Thoughts, second part, xvi. 7. 
 2 
 
14 INSPIRATION 
 
 but I do not think it is requisite. For, however this 
 may be, it is Bufficienl thai bo many false revelations 
 exist, to render it impossible to discriminate between 
 them. Were there a true revelation, which I do 
 not believe, it would be vain to attempt the discovery 
 of it in the midst of so much confusion. 
 
 The Abbe. — It would not be so impracticable as 
 you imagine. Much has been said concerning false 
 religions, in order to throw discredit upon the true 
 one. There are, however, but few which seriously 
 and incontestably assume a Divine origin, in the same 
 sense as does the religion of Jesus Christ. In other 
 terms, there are few which present us with a book, 
 whose author is well known, and which they pro- 
 nounce inspired. Yet it is of these only that we 
 must speak. It would be an idle task to allege 
 against us, the nameless claims of such religions as 
 have no written testimony, and of which anything 
 may be affirmed, because they are lost in the night 
 of past ages. We must have something on which 
 to rest our discussion : and probably you will not 
 think of comparing the claims of the Christian reli- 
 gion with those of the Sybilline oracles, or of the 
 lessons of Hermes Trismegistus. 
 
 Mr. de Lassalh. — Agreed : let us confine ourselves 
 to those revelations which have a written evidence, 
 such as you have specified. Yet even in these we 
 shall find the religion of Jesus Christ, of Moses, of 
 Mohammed, of Zoroaster, of Sanchoniathon, of Con- 
 fucius, of Brahma, of Odin, etc., etc. 
 
 The Abbe. — That I deny. You speak according 
 to the philosophers of the last century, who were not 
 always very scrupulous in their assertions. With 
 the exception of Jesus Christ, Moses, and Moham- 
 med, there is nothing solid in all that you have al- 
 leged. All the other books you have just named are 
 of doubtful authenticity, or do not lay claim to inspi- 
 ration. It is one thing to meet with scattered allu- 
 
OF THE BIBLE. 15 
 
 sions to Divine aid, and another to find the repeated 
 assurance of inspiration, in the full sense of the word, 
 
 as is the case in the Bible, and the Koran. You 
 speak of the revelation of Zoroaster. But even were 
 not tradition involved in so much uncertainty, as to 
 reckon as many as six different Zoroasters ; and 
 Wi re not the authenticity of the Zendavesta a con- 
 tested point, as is the case ; still this book is rather 
 a treatise of theology, philosophy, and other matters, 
 than a professed revelation. The author is less a 
 false prophet than a legislator ; which is the charac- 
 ter given him by Mr. Anquetil du Perron : and he 
 may be compared to Solon and Lycurgus, who in- 
 voked the authority of the gods in support of their 
 laws, without declaring themselves to be prophets. 
 As to Confucius, he lays so little claim to this cha- 
 racter, that the books of which he is considered the 
 author are especially distinguished by the fact, that 
 no trace of the doctrine of a Divinity, or of a future 
 state, is to be found in them.* Of Sanchoniathon 
 we have only a fragment ; and that is more than 
 doubtful. It has passed through four different hands 
 before it reaches us. It is to be found in the fathers 
 of the church, who quote from Porphyry, (the declar- 
 ed adversary of Christianity,) who quotes from Phi- 
 Ion of Biblos, who quotes the Phoenician author. 
 The Hindoos, indeed, possess books, which they be- 
 lieve to be inspired, but the origin of these books is 
 any thing but authentic. The most impenetrable 
 mystery covers their origin. No, sir ; let us speak, 
 if you please, of things that are clear and tangible. 
 I tind no religion, which claims Divine inspiration 
 for well known writers, except these three : that of 
 Moses, of Jesus Christ, and of Mohammed. And all 
 these, you will observe, spring from the same source : 
 for the religion of Jesus Christ is based on that of 
 Moses ; and Mohammed pretends to rest his claims 
 
 * Tennemann, Geschichte der Philosophic, s. 74. 
 
16 
 
 INSPIRATION" 
 
 upon those of the two others. The Old Testament, 
 the most ancient book in existence, clearly proclaims 
 its Divine inspiration ; and it is from this common 
 head that all accredited revelations, whether true or 
 false, have their rise; and among these there are 
 only three whose authority it is either possible or ne- 
 cessary to bring to the test. 
 
 Mr. de Lassalle. — Yet it will be requisite, at least, 
 to study and compare these three religions, and these 
 three books. How many men are capable of such a 
 task? 
 
 The Abbe. — The labor would not be infinite. But 
 it can be confined within narrow limits. The Judaic 
 and Christian religions hold together in such a man- 
 ner, that if the second is of God, the first, to which 
 it bears testimony, must be of God also. And the 
 Christian religion is so strongly opposed to Moham- 
 medanism, that if the one is Divine, the other can- 
 not be so. Without proceeding farther, here is suf- 
 ficient proof of this : If Jesus Christ is God, ac- 
 cording to the gospel, Mohammed cannot be a great- 
 er prophet than Jesus Christ, as the Koran teaches, 
 without subverting the gospel from the beginning to the 
 end. This being the case, sir, we can begin our in- 
 vestigation with the religion of Jesus Christ. If we 
 find that its origin is Divine, everything will then be 
 said in favor of Moses, and against Mohammed. We 
 will examine, in their turn, the claims of the two 
 others. This order of proceeding is the more eligible, 
 because you must agree that appearances, to say the 
 least, are more in favor of the Christian religion than 
 of either of the others. Our discussion is now much 
 simplified, since the question is confined to one re- 
 ligion ; and the documents connected with that re- 
 ligion relate to a period which is well known. So 
 what becomes of all Rousseau's declamation on the 
 impossibility of advancing a single step in the in- 
 quiry in which we are now engaged ? His eloquence 
 
OF THE BIBLE. 17 
 
 carries you away, in spite of yourself. But it is the 
 eloquence of a sophist. 
 
 LucilJa. — I think, my dear, that you cannot refuse 
 to comply with the Abbe's proposal. It is an advan- 
 tage to both sides to limit the subject of discussion. 
 
 Mr. de Lassallc. — I am allowing you to arrange 
 matters too much your own way, my dear sir. But, 
 however, let us begin by examining the Christian re- 
 ligion, without prejudice to the others. I do not deny 
 that the gospel, especially in its morality, and in the 
 character of its Founder, possesses features so ad- 
 mirable, that I have sometimes been half inclined to 
 believe it. But this same religion contains things so 
 incredible, that I can neither admit nor comprehend 
 them. I would willingly say, with my favorite au- 
 thor, " If I find in its support proofs which I cannot 
 overcome, I also find objections against it, which I 
 cannot resolve. There are so many weighty reasons 
 for and against it, that not knowing how to decide, I 
 neither admit nor reject it." In dubio abstine* it is 
 said. So I abstain. 
 
 The Abbe. — In such a case as this it is impossible 
 to do so. The gospel contradicts general opinion on 
 many points. Whenever you remain undecided, you 
 adopt the general opinion, and reject the gospel. 
 What Pascal has said, in speaking of the existence 
 of God, " Not to believe that God is, is to believe 
 that he is not," is still more true of the Christian re- 
 ligion. Not to decide in its favor is to decide against 
 it. " He that is not with me," said Jesus Christ, " is 
 against me." 
 
 Mr. de Lassalle. — That may be, but it is not my 
 fault if Christianity is repugnant to my reason. 
 
 The Abbe. — In what respect is it so ? 
 
 Mr. de Lassalle. — Oh ! in many things. For in- 
 stance, that God should become incarnate ; that Je- 
 sus Christ should be born of a virgin ; that the inno- 
 
 * In doubtful matters suspend your judgment. 
 2* 
 
18 INSPIRATION 
 
 cent should Buffer for the guilty, etc. : and that wo 
 must believe all this whether we can or not, under 
 the penalty of being burned in hell, through all 
 eternity. 
 
 The AbbS. — Stop, my dear sir; let us proceed 
 with order. Thai you find in the Christian doctrine 
 things which astonish and alarm von. I can conci 
 But the point which we must first elucidate is this: 
 " Is the gospel of ( rod, or is it not ?" ( nice convinc- 
 ed that God hath spoken, yon will not, I think, r 
 to admit what he asserts, whether it be conformable 
 to your opinions or not. For, in fact, God must know 
 more about it than we do; and our reason cannot be 
 degraded by yielding to the reason of its Creator. 
 You tell your little son, Theophilus, that it is the 
 earth which revolves, and not the sun. This is con- 
 trary to the judgment of his youthful intelligence, 
 and even to the testimony of his eyes He believes 
 it, nevertheless, because you tell him so. Is he 
 wrong ? 
 
 Mr. de Lassalle. — He is right; he ought to trust 
 my judgment rather than his own. Yet be is quite 
 sure that it is his father who speaks to him ; but I 
 am not certain — I never can be certain — that God 
 has spoken to me in the gospel. It is this first step 
 that 1 find it impossible to take. For, indeed, how 
 can 1 be sure of it ? is it not by means of my reason ? 
 
 The Abbe. — Undoubtedly. 
 
 Mr. de Lassallc. — But if my reason as much re- 
 volts at the doctrines of the gospel, as it is satisfied 
 by its proofs, what must I do ? In this case, my 
 reason must be at fault either on the one hand, or the 
 other ; and might I not distrust it with equal justice, 
 when weighing the arguments in favor of Christian- 
 ity, as when scrutinizing its doctrines 7 
 
 The Abbe. — No, sir. To weigh arguments, and 
 to examine doctrines, are two very different tilings. 
 Allow me to pursue my comparison. If the reason 
 
OF THE BIBLE. 19 
 
 of Theophilus as much revolts al hearing that the 
 
 earth revolves, as it is convinced that his father is 
 addressing him, what will he do I According to you, 
 he might as weU doubt that you have spoken, as ad- 
 mit that the earth moves. 
 
 Mr. (ft Lassalle. — Ah! sir, you jest. He only- 
 wants eyes to recognise his father ; whereas, in order 
 to study the movements of the stars, it requires in- 
 telligence more than he possesses, and observations 
 which he is unable to make. Theophilus, young as 
 he is, understands this distinction. 
 
 The Able. Well said. I quite agree with you. 
 Ex ore tuo tc judicabo ; that is, your own mouth shall 
 condemn you. To weigh arguments, to ascertain 
 whether miracles have been performed, or prophecies 
 accomplished, only requires an examination of which 
 reason is capable. But to estimate doctrines, to learn 
 what God is, what are his nature, his will, his de- 
 crees, requires light which reason does not possess. 
 Whether the Bible comes from God, or from men, is, 
 if you will allow me the expression, a terrestrial fact, 
 and one which falls under human observation. But 
 every thing concerning the nature, will, and designs 
 of God, is a celestial fact, quite out of the range of 
 our experience. 
 
 Mr. de Lassalle. — Excuse me, sir, perhaps I do 
 not understand you ; but you seem to contradict your- 
 self. I still come back to this simple dilemma : 
 Either reason is able to guide us, or it is not. In the 
 first case, it does not need a revelation. In the se- 
 cond, it would be unable to verify and examine one. 
 
 The Abbe. — This is one of those general and abso- 
 lute maxims, which, while they appear to simplify a 
 question, only serve to render it more intricate. The 
 fact is, that reason is capable of guiding us in some 
 things, and incapable in others. It can guide us in 
 all that concerns experience and observation ; and 
 this is all that we require in order to verify the au- 
 
20 INSPIRATION 
 
 thority of the gospel. But with regard to the things 
 of God, it cannot guide us ; and tins alone renders a 
 revelation necessary. It is still like Theophilus, who 
 can recognise his father, but who cannot study the 
 motions of the planets. Let us make use of another 
 comparison, more applicable to this part of our sub- 
 ject. A blind man cannot find his way by himself; 
 but he can perceive whether the voice of the person 
 who offers to lead him be that of a friend. He is in- 
 competent, in the first case, because the organ of 
 sight is wanting. He is competent in the second, 
 because he possesses the organ of hearing. There 
 is no contradiction in this. Neither is there any in 
 me, sir, when I make use of the faculties which I 
 possess, to ascertain whether the voice of the gospel 
 is indeed the voice of God ; and when I afterwards 
 supply the place of those faculties, by allowing my- 
 self to be led by the voice which I have ascertained 
 to be Divine : distrustful till the requisite proofs are 
 given ; but, after that, perfectly confiding. For I am 
 not ashamed to confess, that my finite intelligence 
 does not stand less in need of light from God, than 
 does the blind man of the eyes of his friend. " Rea- 
 son," said St. Augustine, " would never yield, were 
 it not convinced that there are cases where it ought 
 to submit. It is, then, just that it should submit, 
 when it concludes that it ought to do so ; and that it 
 should not submit, when it concludes that it ought 
 not to do so. But we must take care not to deceive 
 ourselves."* 
 
 Lucilla. — This is a very simple distinction, my 
 dear, which never struck me before, and which over- 
 throws the greater part of the objections of your 
 " Vicaire Savoyard." 
 
 Mr. de Lassalle. — That I do not altogether deny. 
 But still I do not think we have made much progress. 
 It remains for us to inquire, whether our reason can 
 * Pascal's Thoughts, second part, vi. 2. 
 
OF THE BIBLE 21 
 
 indeed verify the authority of the gospel. The proofs 
 of revelation arc and ought to be, supernatural ; but 
 our reason, which is according to nature, cannot 
 appreciate anything that is supernatural. You call 
 this a •• terrestrial" investigation, sir ; but that I can- 
 not understand. What is more " celestial" than a 
 miracle ? 
 
 The Abbe. — A miracle comes from heaven, it is 
 true ; but it is performed upon earth. It is in this 
 sense that I have called it a " terrestrial" fact, which 
 falls under our observation, in contradistinction to the 
 thoughts and decrees of God, which no man can see, 
 and which cannot be known without a revelation. 
 The design of miracles being to prove the truth of 
 revelation, they do not require to be revealed them- 
 selves. They are seen exactly as a natural event ; 
 and those who have seen them bear witness to others. 
 Did Jesus Christ rise again from the dead 1 This is 
 a question of history, which human reason can re- 
 solve with as much accuracy as if the inquiry were, 
 11 Was Cesar assassinated in the Roman senate?" 
 The only difference that ought to be made between a 
 miracle and a natural event is, that justice requires 
 more essential evidence in favor of the former, be- 
 cause it is more difficult to believe than the other, 
 and because its results are more important. But the 
 miracle being once proved, our reason, well aware 
 that human nature is incapable of such achievements, 
 is obliged to acknowledge the hand of God, and to 
 confess that a religion accompanied by such signs 
 must be of God. 
 
 Mr. de Lassalle. — This I would concede, had I 
 seen the miracle with my own eyes. But the worst 
 is, that others have seen for me ; and those witnesses 
 have not been men of my choice. I cannot but think 
 of this expression of Rousseau : " How many men 
 between God and me !" 
 
 The Abbe. — That is to say, in order to be more 
 
22 INSPIRATION 
 
 free to reject miracles, you «pi«'stion the validity of 
 the witnesses, by whose testimony alone they can be 
 established. But observe the consequences: If you 
 
 can be sure of nothing that yon have not seen with 
 your own eyes, to what would yon be reduced ? How 
 many things are there which yon only know by the 
 testimony of others, and of which, nevertheless, you 
 do not entertain the slightest doubt! What other 
 proof have you that there is such a place as America, 
 or that the history of Alexander is true ? Did yon 
 ever think of doubting the one or the other ? Only 
 believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, as you 
 believe in America and Alexander, and I shall be sat- 
 isfied. Suppose that a true prophet should rise up in 
 France, at this present time, who should publicly 
 work real miracles in Paris, in Lyons, in Marseilles : 
 do you think that no means could be employed to at- 
 test their authenticity, which would convince sur- 
 rounding nations, and future ages, who had not been 
 eye-witnesses of the facts ? Let us be candid. In 
 reality you doubt the possibility of working miracles 
 far more than you doubt the possibility of proving 
 them, should they be performed. If you were not 
 pre-occupied by the thought that miracles are impos- 
 sible in themselves, you would soon be led to ac- 
 knowledge that a certain evidence suffices to prove 
 their truth ; and that this evidence exists in favor of 
 the miracles of the gospel. 
 
 Mr. de Lassalle. — I do not deny it. Miracles have 
 always appeared to me impossible ; because I think 
 them unworthy of Him to whom they are ascribed. 
 The beautiful order of nature, which miracles profess 
 to interrupt, is the greatness and the glory of God. 
 Could he not magnify one of his works, without de- 
 tracting from another ? 
 
 The Abbe. — Should it even be true, sir, that the 
 order of the material world is the most beautiful of 
 God's works, I do not see that the momentary sus- 
 
OF THE BIBLE. 23 
 
 pension of its course can be any detriment to his 
 glory. Not only would this suspension give more 
 striking prominence to the habitual harmony of crea- 
 tion, but also afford an incontestable proof that God 
 is its author and its master. It is not the glory of 
 the work, but the glory of the workman, that is of 
 importance. And what would you say, if a time 
 should come, when the heavens and the earth shall 
 be consumed with a fervent heat, to give place to 
 " a new heaven and a new earth?" This time will 
 come, sir ; and this miracle of miracles, believe me, 
 will detract nothing from the glory of God. But it 
 is a great error to imagine that the material world is 
 the most glorious work of God. The most glorious 
 work of God is the world of spirits, the moral world. 
 I have no doubt you agree with Pascal in this beau- 
 tiful thought : " All bodies, the firmament, the stars, 
 earth, and its kingdoms, are not worthy to be com- 
 pared with the meanest mind ; for it knows all these 
 things, and it knows itself; but body is incapable of 
 knowledge." The highest glory of the material 
 world is, that it typifies and represents to us the phe- 
 nomena of the moral world, of which it is, as it were, 
 an emblem and a reflection. " The heavens declare 
 the glory of God ;" and his invisible perfections are 
 clearly seen from the creation of the world, " being 
 understood by the things which are made." Thus a 
 tree, which grows and brings forth leaves and fruits 
 in their season, is the emblem of a mind increasing 
 in the knowledge of God, and expanding itself in 
 light and works of mercy. In this point of view, 
 comparisons may sometimes be arguments, in spite 
 of the proverb : for the same hand created the two 
 worlds, and the same design is observable in both. 
 This being the case, it may enter into God's plan to 
 sacrifice, in some measure, natural order, to preserve 
 and establish moral order. Such is the object of a 
 miracle. It is like an opening wrought in the natural 
 
24 INSPIRATION 
 
 heavens, that we may perceive the spiritual heaven 
 which lies beyond. 
 
 Mr. de Lassalle. — You have comparisons always 
 at hand, sir ; and all the graces of language seem at 
 your disposal. But shall I tell you a reason, which 
 of itself alone would lead me to determine against the 
 Christian religion 7 It is the fact of its not being uni- 
 versally known. It is indeed predicted that it will 
 penetrate, at some time or another, to the remotest 
 nations ; and that it will overspread the whole earth. 
 Predictions cost nothing. But in the mean while, it 
 allowed forty centuries to elapse before its appear- 
 ance in the world ; and during the eighteen centuries 
 that have gone by since its appearance, hardly has it 
 reached a quarter of the human race. How many 
 men, how many families, how many nations, have 
 perished without having heard of its existence ! Is 
 it credible, that a revelation, the knowledge of which 
 would be indispensable to eternal salvation, should 
 not be placed within the reach of every people ? ay, 
 more, of every man ? What ! from the first — or, if 
 you like it better — from the fourth day of creation, 
 the sun shines upon all men : and the light of reve- 
 lation, so much more essential, is hidden from the 
 greater portion of mankind ! 
 
 The Abbe. — You here raise a difficulty, sir, more 
 serious than any of the preceding. But it does not 
 ear upon religion alone. It concerns the whole of 
 God's plan regarding his free and intelligent crea- 
 tures. The sun sheds his light over the whole world 
 at once, because this is a thing over which man has 
 no control. But in all that relates to intellectual or 
 moral progress, where men can participate in the 
 work, we everywhere see that God allows them to 
 do so, and constitutes them " co-workers" with him- 
 self, to use the expression of Holy Scripture. Nei- 
 ther the light of civilization, nor the knowledge of the 
 arts, was at once promulgated among all nations. 
 
OF THF. BIHLE. 25 
 
 They were acquired by degrees, with the help of 
 man, and the Labor of centuries. Let us not com- 
 plain of this. God conicrs honor upon man, when 
 he thus associates hini in sonic measure with his work. 
 Why should we be surprised to see him following, 
 with respect to religion, .the same plan which he pur- 
 sues in everything else ? 
 
 Mr. de Lassalle. — It is very different. For igno- 
 rance concerning the things which you have just 
 named does not compromise salvation : whereas, ig- 
 norance in religion, according to your belief, prevents 
 salvation ; and all these miserable heathen are lost 
 for ever, because they do not believe in Jesus Christ, 
 of whom they have never even heard. 
 
 The Abbe. — Let us exaggerate nothing. The gos- 
 pel does not declare this ; neither does the church. 
 " God will judge the world with righteousness ;" and 
 none will be punished for being ignorant of that which 
 they could not possibly know. If the heathen be con- 
 demned, it will not be for having refused to believe 
 the gospel, but for having sinned against that natural 
 light which is granted to every man. It is for this 
 reason that St. Paul declares them to be " without 
 excuse," in the first chapter of his Epistle to the 
 Romans. 
 
 It is nevertheless true, I repeat, that we have met 
 with a real difficulty ; and I do not profess to be able 
 to give you entire satisfaction on this point. But I 
 strenuously deny that you have any reason, on this 
 account, to decide against the Christian religion. 
 You would have acted differently, had you been in 
 God's place, and perhaps I also. This is all. But 
 does it appear to you impossible that God should 
 have designs which we cannot penetrate ? And can 
 he do nothing without having first submitted it to the 
 approbation of his creature ; and that creature sin- 
 ful and fallible man ? If you are so averse to the 
 gradual progress of revelation, it is but just that you 
 3 
 
26 INSPIRATION 
 
 should indicate some other means of making it known. 
 Admit, for a moment, that a revelation exists. How 
 would you at once communicate it to every nation 
 upon earth, without performing miracles more strange, 
 and in far greater number, than those of the gospel ! 
 This is not all. You require that revelation should 
 be within the reach, not only of every nation, hut of 
 every man ; and in this you are consistent ; for the 
 reasons in favor of each are equal. Well, suppose 
 that by some means, which 1 cannot conceive, the 
 knowledge of a revelation should extend to every 
 country in the world. Might it not happen that fu- 
 ture generations would abandon the religion of their 
 forefathers, as many Asiatic nations have left the re- 
 ligion of Christ for that of Mohammed ? What would 
 you do in this case ? According to your views, jus- 
 tice would require the whole series of miracles to be 
 again performed, or nothing would be done. You 
 would cover the earth with miracles, which you 
 would renew every five or six generations ; and yet 
 you are their declared enemy. What a contradiction ! 
 
 Mr. de Lassallc. — I could easily avoid the contra- 
 diction by doing away with miracles, and having no 
 revelation. But let us examine your hypothesis. 
 Had there been a time when all men might have 
 known the revelation, and had they afterwards aban- 
 doned it, their ignorance might have been imputed, if 
 not to each individual, at least to the whole human race. 
 The difficulty would not indeed be removed ; but it 
 would have quite another character than when it was 
 by God's own act, not by any deed of man, that the 
 knowledge of salvation was hid from three-fourths of 
 mankind. 
 
 The Abbe. — And what would you say, if this time 
 had once existed ? 
 
 Mr. de Lassalle. — How ? what do you mean ? 
 
 The Abbe. — There has been a time when it de- 
 pended upon man alone, whether all the families of 
 
OF THE BIBLE. 
 
 27 
 
 the earth should receive, I do not say the gospel, but 
 that portion of revelation which was given to the 
 patriarchs, and which sufficed to save them. There 
 lias been ;i time when it depended on man alone that 
 all men should bo Baved. 
 
 Mr. </>■ Lassalle. — Explain yourself, sir. Of what 
 period do you speak ! 
 
 The Abbe. — Of the first day after the creation of 
 the world. Immediately after Adam had sinned, and 
 before the birth of his children, God gave him the 
 first promise of grace,* which announced to sinful 
 man a future Messiah, by believing in whom they 
 might be saved ; just as we may be saved by faith in 
 tin- Messiah already come. Abel believed, and was 
 saved. What Abel did, Cain might have done ; the 
 children of both might have done likewise ; then their 
 children's children : all, in short. It is impossible 
 to follow this hypothesis, which being realized, would 
 have entirely changed the order of God's revelations. 
 But, in fact, nothing on God's part has prevented the 
 promise of grace, introduced into the world imme- 
 diately after the fall, from being diffused wherever sin 
 has extended. That this has not been the case, is 
 the act of man ; which is just what you required. 
 
 Lucilla. — This is admirable, sir ! It is a ray of 
 light! 
 
 Mr. de Lassalle. — Beware of enthusiasm, my 
 dear. It is a bad guide in seeking the truth. I con- 
 fess, nevertheless, that the Abbe presents me with 
 reasons which I had never before heard, and which 
 give me much matter for thought. But you have just 
 told us, sir — and that has not escaped me — that you 
 find in the last objection I have made, a real difficul- 
 ty, and one upon which you do not boast that you 
 can give me entire satisfaction. I know the candor 
 of this concession ; but if by this avowal the advo- 
 cate gains in my esteem, the cause may well lose. 
 
 * Gen. iii. 15. 
 
28 INSPIRATION 
 
 For if religion presents this difficulty, it may like- 
 wise present others ; and even supposing you had re- 
 moved this objection by your remarks, there may be ' 
 others which remain in all their force. For my own 
 part, I find many that I am unable to solve. There 
 are certain questions which I could propose to you, 
 and to which I defy you to give an answer that would 
 fully satisfy me. 
 
 The Abbe. — I grant it. 
 
 Lucitta. — You grant it! 
 
 The Abbe. — Yes, madam ; and this confession 
 gives me no pain. On the eternity of God, on the 
 incarnation of Christ, on grace, on everlasting punish- 
 ment, and on many other points of Christian doc- 
 trine, you might ask me questions to which I should 
 simply reply, " I do not know." These are difficul- 
 ties, inexplicable difficulties, if you like ; but difficul- 
 ty is not doubt. 
 
 Mr. de Lassalle. — This is certainly the first time 
 I have ever heard revelation thus defended. What 
 is your meaning? 
 
 The Abbe. — It is this. A thing may be so clearly 
 demonstrated, that it cannot be doubted ; and yet it 
 may give rise to questions which cannot be solved. 
 The reason is plain. To know is one thing ; tho- 
 roughly to understand is another. We may know, 
 we may be fully convinced of a thing, of which we 
 can discover neither the how nor the why. Exam- 
 ples abound in every branch of human science. In 
 natural history, we know that a grain of wheat, placed 
 in the ground, germinates, grows, and produces an 
 ear. But if you were asked how this takes place, 
 could you tell ? Suppose that a man who had no 
 idea of the generation of plants, should hear you 
 speak of it for the first time, what questions, what 
 difficulties, what pretended impossibilities, he would 
 suggest ! To all this you would be obliged to reply, 
 in your turn, " I do not know ;" and yet you would 
 
of Tin-: r.im.K. 
 
 29 
 
 not for a moment doubl that the ear was produced 
 by the grain of wheat. With you, then, as with me, 
 difficulty is not doubt. In philosophy, I will ; and 
 
 my arm rises. An immaterial substance communi- 
 cates motion to matter. How can you account for 
 this ! 1 know not, yet 1 do not doubt. Mathema- 
 tical science itself will furnish examples, with which 
 you are better acquainted than I am. You demon- 
 strate that the asymptote continually approaches the 
 parabola, without their ever being able to meet. 
 Again, you demonstrate that the earth, in its evo- 
 lutions round the sun, arrived at the point where the 
 shortest distance separates it from that luminary, 
 and consequently where the force of attraction at- 
 tains its greatest power, suddenly flies oft', as by an 
 inconceivable caprice, at the moment when it seems 
 about to precipitate itself therein ; and that three 
 mouths after, by a contrary caprice, it draws near to 
 the sun, which one would imagine it was on the 
 point of abandoning for ever 1 Who can account for 
 this? But who can doubt it? Well, sir, the diffi- 
 culties that we meet, with in every other science, we 
 must not be surprised to find in religion, which is 
 the highest among them, We cannot explain a 
 blade of grass, and yet we are astonished that we 
 cannot explain God ! It may be clearly proved to 
 me, that the Christian religion comes from Him, 
 without my being able to comprehend why he has 
 not hitherto conferred its blessings upon every na- 
 tion. It may be clearly proved to me, that Jesus 
 Christ is at once God and man, without my being 
 able to comprehend how the Divine and human 
 natures are united in his person. It may be clearly 
 proved to me, that eternal punishment exists, with- 
 out my being able perfectly to understand its ne- 
 cessity. 
 
 After all, sir, I only act towards revelation as you 
 do towards natural religion. Doubtless, it also has 
 3* 
 
30 INSPIRATION 
 
 its mysteries ; nevertheless, they do not shake your 
 faith. Only to mention one. You cannot deny that 
 evil exists in the world, since you see it wiih your 
 own eyes. Can you explain how it came there ? Of 
 all mysteries this is at once the most clearly proved, 
 and the most inexplicable ; and reason, constrained 
 to admit this truth, is not very consistent in refusing 
 to believe every other. Yes, sir, there are many 
 things in religion which are above my comprehen- 
 sion, but this neither surprises nor distresses me. 
 I expected it. I understand that I cannot under- 
 stand. There are difficulties everywhere. It is im- 
 possible it should be otherwise, not only for us, but 
 more or less for every created being. A creature to 
 whom nothing would be incomprehensible, would 
 stand in God's place ; would see with God's eye ; 
 would be God. It is a contradiction in terms. No 
 shadows are visible to him who contemplates objects 
 illumined by the sun,- from the sun itself; but we, 
 who are upon the earth, see shadows. It is a ne- 
 cessity incident to our position. For the same rea- 
 son, he who contemplates objects from the bosom of 
 God, the centre and principle of creation, finds no 
 obscurity ; all things being seen, not only in their 
 true light, but in their true connexion with every 
 other. But for us, for every created being what- 
 ever, there are difficulties ; there always will be. It is 
 a law of our nature. It would be unreasonable, there- 
 fore, to seek a religious system absolutely free from 
 them. We shall never find one. It neiiher exists 
 for us, nor even for the angels themselves. We 
 must be content to adopt that which, with the best 
 proofs in its favor, presents the least difficulties. 
 Mark this, then, my dear sir. There are difficulties 
 in the Christian's creed, but there are fewer than in 
 that of the unbeliever : and reason alone would lead 
 me to become a Christian j because, in order to re- 
 
OF THE BIBLE. 
 
 31 
 
 ject the gospel, I should require a degree of credulity 
 of which I do not feel myself capable. 
 
 Mr. de Lassalle. — Ah ! this is new indeed ! It is 
 I then who am the most credulous of the two ! 
 
 The Abbe. — Yes, sir, it is you. 
 
 Mr. de Lassalle. — Hut I can hardly run any risk in 
 this respect, as I believe in nothing. 
 
 The Abbe. — This would be all very well, if you 
 could believe in nothing. But you canno^ help be- 
 lieving in something. For if the Bible is not of 
 God, it is of men ; is it not ? The Bible is of God ; 
 this is my belief. The Bible is of men ; this is 
 yours. Then I maintain that your belief is sur- 
 rounded by much greater difficulties than mine. Or, 
 to amplify my idea, if there are difficulties in the 
 way of my belief, there are absolute impossibilities 
 in the way of yours ; and if, in order to believe 
 ■what I believe, I must bow down my head before 
 God, which I do without shame, you, in order to 
 believe what you believe, must contradict what is 
 most evident in observation, in experience, and in 
 history. 
 
 Mr. de Lassalle. — I am, indeed, curious to see 
 how you will prove this. 
 
 Lucilla. — I am not less so than yourself, my dear. 
 But we must allow the Abbe a little time for repose. 
 You had better postpone the rest of your conversa- 
 tion till the afternoon. 
 
 Mr. de Lassalle. — Very willingly ; but I hope 
 that reflection will not damp your courage, my dear 
 sir. I will not give up till you have fulfilled your 
 promise. You must prove to me, that I am more 
 credulous than a believer. 
 
 The Abbe. — Make yourself quite easy. My con- 
 clusions are already formed; and I think I can en- 
 tirely satisfy you. 
 
32 INSPIRATION 
 
 CONVERSATION II. 
 
 The Abbe. — We did not proceed with much order, 
 sir, in our discussion this morning. We touched 
 upon many points, without thoroughly investigating 
 any. You must agree that this is, in some degree, 
 your fault. You have fixed upon me like a sharp- 
 shooter. J have submitted to this without complaint, 
 to have an opportunity of showing you, that there 
 are no objections, which your philosophers urge with 
 so much confidence, to which the gospel has not 
 something substantial to offer in reply. It is now 
 your turn to defend yourself, and mine to attack. I 
 will try to do so with as much order as can be pre- 
 served in a conversation, and trust that you will se- 
 cond mo in this endeavor. 
 
 Mr. de Lassalle. — I am quite willing to do so. 
 
 The Abbe. — The Bible exists. We must account 
 for its origin. My explanation is this: God in- 
 spired the men by whom it was written, and re- 
 vealed himself in it to mankind. This explanatioo 
 has its difficulties. We considered them this morn- 
 ing, and I will not again revert to them. I will con 
 fine myself to a general remark on the nature of 
 these difficulties. They bear almost entirely on 
 points which depend upon the Divine will or know- 
 ledge. " It is inconsistent with the wisdom or the 
 greatness of God, to reveal himself to men ;" — or, 
 again, " Supposing that God should purpose to re- 
 veal himself, it is incredible that he should have em- 
 ployed, to that end, the means which the gospel de- 
 clares him to have done ;" — or, " There are certain 
 doctrines in the gospel, which are not in accordance 
 with God's perfections." " God will not," " God 
 ought not:" such are the unvarying objections of 
 some; for they dare not say, "God cannot." In 
 order to render arguments of this description conclu- 
 
OF THE BIBLE. 33 
 
 sive, we should have a perfect knowledge of the 
 Divine nature. Do you, sir, possess this knowledge ? 
 And when, instead of seeking to discover what God 
 has done, we pretend, in the first place, to judge what 
 he ought to do, may we not fear to deceive ourselves? 
 This being the case, your objections are vague and 
 unfounded. They are conjectures more or less 
 probable ; but nothing more. You may say, " I 
 think," " I presume," but never, " I know." The 
 explanation I give of the origin of the Bible is in 
 some respects incredible, according to your opinion ; 
 but it presents nothing that is absolutely impossible. 
 It is not absurd. 
 
 Mr. de Lassalle. — Sir ! I did not say that it was so. 
 
 The Abbe. — Well, I, sir, cannot be so polite as you 
 are. Your explanation, according to which the Bible 
 is an ordinary book, falsely claiming Divine inspira- 
 tion, is surrounded with difficulties ; bearing not on 
 so mysterious a subject as the nature of God, but on 
 what is best known and most clearly proved among 
 men. This explanation is so strongly opposed to 
 facts, and to common sense, that you cannot support 
 it without falling into absurdities. My expressions 
 are strong. I hasten to justify them. To throw 
 light upon my view of the subject, let us leave gen- 
 eralities' and fix our attention on a single point. I 
 choose prophecy ; and more especially the prophe- 
 cies concerning the Messiah in the Old Testament. 
 
 Let us first clearly put the question. In the Old 
 Testament, the last pages of which were written five 
 hundred years before the Christian era, I find a great 
 number of predictions which refer to a future prophet. 
 In the New Testament I find all these predictions 
 fulfilled in the history of Jesus Christ. I explain 
 this without difficulty, by saying that Jesus Christ 
 was sent by God, who caused him to be announced 
 to the world by inspired writers, a long time before- 
 hand. But you, who believe neither in the Divine 
 
34 INSPIRATION 
 
 mission of Jesus Christ, nor in the inspiration of the 
 prophets, how do you explain the evident connexion 
 between the prediction and the event ? 
 
 Mr. de Lussalle. — Do not speak to me of prophe- 
 cies ! You could not make a more unfortunate choice. 
 Of all your proofs, it is that against which 1 nave the 
 greatest antipathy. I would rather, I think, admit 
 miracles. That a man should announce events which 
 are to happen in the course of live or six hundred 
 years, and that they should take place exactly as he 
 has said! Frankly, it is impossible. 
 
 The Abbe. — Impossible! That is a strong ex- 
 pression, and one which you have already granted 
 that you have here no right to apply. This reminds 
 me of a circumstance that took place on my journey, 
 and which you must allow me to relate. Excuse the 
 association. It is only an example, which I use to 
 make myself better understood. Yesterday, in as- 
 cending a hill on foot, I found myself walking side 
 by side with one of your farmers, who was returning 
 from the fair. We were admiring the setting sun. 
 He made some remark, which led me to remind him 
 (you see that I again allude to the lesson of Theophi- 
 lus) that it is the earth which moves, and not the sun. 
 I did not believe that I should have found a peasant 
 in France who was not aware of this fact. But you 
 should have seen his astonishment. " Impossible !" 
 cried he, looking steadfastly at me, to see if I were 
 jesting. When he was convinced that I spoke se- 
 riously, " Impossible !" he repeated. " I see the sun 
 rise and set ; and I am very sure that I feel the earth 
 firm beneath my feet." I could not get him any far- 
 ther. It was in vain that I brought forth proofs, 
 .vhich I nevertheless endeavored to suit to his ca- 
 pacity. His mind was made up ; he would listen to 
 nothing I had to say. I ask, sir, which is the more 
 creduLous ? this peasant, incredulous concerning the 
 motion of the earth, and refusing to hear any thing 
 
OF THE BIRLE. 35 
 
 contrary to his opinions ? or you, believing in this 
 motion, because you have observed, and seen, and 
 beard ! You see my object. If you have not ex- 
 amined the problem of the prophecies, I, who ex- 
 amine, who listen, who observe, am less credulous 
 than you, who have neither eyes nor ears for this in- 
 quiry ; and who form a fixed opinion before you have 
 consulted facts, by which you will not afterwards al- 
 low yourself to be convinced ? I speak to one who 
 is better acquainted with science and its history than 
 myself. Is it not true, that science first deserved its 
 name from the period when the great Bacon laid 
 down this principle : " First observe facts ; and then 
 seek the theory by which they may be the best ex- 
 plained r Well, sir, in religion I proceed according 
 to the method of Bacon ; observing first, and after- 
 wards drawing conclusions : and you, permit me to 
 say, proceed according to the ancient method, form- 
 ing a theory, a priori, and leaving facts out of the 
 question. 
 
 Mr. de Lassalle. — You are mistaken, sir, I assure 
 you. Though I have not thoroughly studied the sub- 
 ject of the prophecies, they have nevertheless cost 
 me some little reflection. But Rousseau presents an 
 argument on this point, which I think decisive. 
 Three things, whose concurrence is impossible, are 
 necessary to my giving credence to the prophecies : 
 " I must be witness of the prophecy — witness of the 
 event — and thoroughly convinced that the event could 
 not accidentally coincide with the prophecy." 
 
 The Abbe. — I am delighted with this quotation. It 
 will assist us in our elucidation. Rousseau doubtless 
 wishes to have been witness of the prophecy in order 
 to be assured that there was no fraud in the predic- 
 tion. He wishes to have been witness of the event, 
 in order to be assured that there was none in the ful- 
 filment. Lastly, he wishes it to be clearly proved to 
 him, that the event does not accidentally coincide 
 
36 INSPIRATION 
 
 with the prophecy, without any preconcerted plan. 
 Your author thus furnishes you with three ways of 
 explaining the agreement of the event with the pro- 
 phecy, independent of Divine interposition. First 
 explanation. Either there has been no preconcerted 
 scheme at all : it is an accidental coincidence ; for 
 if there has been any preconcerted scheme, it is not 
 of God, but of men, who may have arranged the 
 matter in two different ways. Second explanation. 
 They may have prepared the event to suit the pro- 
 phecy. Third explanation. They may also have 
 composed the prophecy to suit the event already 
 transpired. A division worthy of the logic of Rous- 
 seau, and which appears to me to have exhausted the 
 subject. 
 
 Mr. de Lassalle. — Excellent ! You have thrown 
 fresh light upon Rousseau's idea, which is admirably 
 just and complete. I would not abuse the generosity 
 of my adversary ; but, as you say, " Truth before 
 everything." I am well fortified, I think, to resist 
 your attack. I required but one stronghold, and I 
 have three. I shall, indeed, be unfortunate, if you 
 overthrow them all. 
 
 The Abbe. — Let us examine. One alone of the ex- 
 planations would suffice you, I confess. You think 
 them all admissible : this is what we must investigate. 
 With which will you begin ? 
 
 Mr. de Lassalle. — With the accidental coincidence ; 
 it is a very simple means. Why should we not be- 
 lieve that the pretended prophets of the Old Testa- 
 ment have risked certain predictions, which have 
 been accomplished by a caprice of fortune ? — as it 
 may happen that dice thrown at random may present 
 a number which has been previously mentioned. 
 However precise, however explicit may be the proph- 
 ecy, this is not absolutely impossible. 
 
 The Abbe. — This last remark is a pure sophism. 
 But you are not responsible for it, as it is furnished 
 
OF THK HIULK. 37 
 
 by Rousseau. Let us not dispute about words. •• This 
 is not absolutely impossible;" no, if by that you only 
 mean thai it docs not imply a contradiction. I Jut this 
 is not the loss impossible, absolutely impossible, with 
 respect to prophecies which possess a certain degree 
 of precision and explicitness. Neither is it "abso- 
 lutely impossible" that printed characters, promiscu- 
 ously shaken together and scattered, should have 
 produced the Jmeid ; nor that the order of the uni- 
 verse was formed by the accidental meeting of atoms 
 in the regions of space ; and, nevertheless, he who 
 believes this would he a fool. Do you know who 
 says so S Rousseau himself; and, like the man who 
 appealed from Philip drunk to Philip soher, I oppose 
 Rousseau impartial to Rousseau prejudiced. " You 
 may talk to me as much as you please of combinations 
 and chances : what end will it answer to reduce me 
 to silence, if you cannot persuade me of the truth of 
 what you advance ! and how will you divest me of 
 that involuntary sentiment, which continually contra- 
 dicts you ? I confess that I ought not to be 
 
 surprised that any possible thing should happen, when 
 the rarity of the event is compensated by the great 
 odds that it did not happen. And yet, if any one was 
 to tell me that a number of printer's types, jumbled 
 promiscuously together, had disposed themselves in 
 the order of the letters composing the iEneid. I cer- 
 tainly should not deign to take one step to verify or 
 disprove such a story. It may be said, I forget the 
 number of chances ; but pray how many must I sup- 
 pose to render such a combination in any degree 
 probable ? I, who see only the one, must conclude 
 that there is an infinite number against it, and that it 
 is not the effect of chance."* Remark this, my dear 
 sir ; and the same principles which you think incon- 
 testable, when they are adduced to prove the exist- 
 ence of God, bear in mind when called upon to verify 
 
 * Rousseau, Profession de foi du Vicaire Savoyard. 
 4 
 
38 INSPIRATION 
 
 the arguments in favor of revelation. This is all I 
 ask. 
 
 Mr. dc Lassalle. — Agreed. There are certain com- 
 binations which cannot be the effect of chance; and 
 Rousseau's Language on the accidental coincidence of 
 the event with the prophecy is perhaps rather abso- 
 lute. Still, prophecies should be very full, very ex- 
 plicit, in order that this coincidence may not be ad- 
 mitted. For though we do not see letters thrown at 
 hazard produce an JEneid, yet we sometimes meet 
 with singular coincidences of this kind, and which it 
 would be difficult to believe, if one were not con- 
 strained by facts to admit their reality. The news- 
 papers, in giving an account of the great fire which 
 took place at Salianches, relate that the same catas- 
 trophe had already happened to this town, on an 
 Easter Sunday, some centuries ago. They have also 
 recently spoken of an old man, who died at the same 
 age, and on the same day of the year, as his father, 
 and as his grandfather did. How often do we hear 
 of dreams accomplished, of presentiments fulfilled ! 
 You do not, however, on that account, believe in 
 either dreams or presentiments. They are the 
 freaks of chance, left entirely to itself. With the 
 help of human prudence, as might be the case in a 
 prediction, it could do much more. The pretended 
 prophet, by a skilful calculation, might discern the 
 probable consequences of certain situations : or, again, 
 he might clothe his predictions in language so equiv- 
 ocal, that they could hardly fail to be accomplished 
 in one way or another. Thus the Delphic oracle did 
 not run any great risk of compromising itself, in 
 stating that Croesus would ruin a great empire, if he 
 declared war against Cyrus ; and Nostradamus, 
 though no sorcerer, has made many predictions, 
 which are realized in the same manner. But what 
 is more astonishing, the augur Vettius Valens, who 
 lived five hundred years before Christ, stated that the 
 
OF THE BIBLE. 39 
 
 Roman power would last twelve centuries, if it were 
 true that Komuliis had seen twelve vultures, when he 
 consulted the flight of birds with his brother Remus ; 
 and. in effect, about twelve centuries elapsed between 
 the foundation of Rome, and the fall of the western 
 empire. Tasso sometimes announces the French 
 Revolution ; and Seneca, you doubtless remember, 
 predicted the discovery of America, with a precision 
 which your Jewish prophets will find it difficult to 
 surpass. I recollect to have read these words in the 
 work of an English philosopher :* " Show me in 
 your Bible a prophecy as clear, and which has been 
 as exactly accomplished, as that which Seneca made 
 by mere chance, concerning the discovery of America 
 by Christopher Columbus, and I will believe." 
 
 The Abbe. — Among the coincidences you mention, 
 there are some which are remarkable, it is true ; es- 
 pecially the augury of Vettius Valens. As to the 
 prophecy of Seneca, which one must indeed be pre- 
 judiced to compare with those of the Bible, there is 
 every reason to think that it is a mere historical re- 
 cital. It only affords a proof, among many others,! 
 that America was not entirely unknown to the an- 
 cients, having been visited, at a very remote period, 
 by the Phoenician merchants. But allow me to ask, 
 have you read the Old Testament ? 
 
 » Collins. 
 
 f We will only quote two. The first is given by DiodorusSicu- 
 lus, who expresses himself nearly thus : " Opposite the coast of 
 Africa, and in the Great Ocean, is found an island of considerable 
 extent, and which is separated by an immense interval from the 
 rest of the world. The soil of this island, in some parts flat, in 
 others mountainous, is watered by large rivers. The cities are 
 embellished with sumptuous edifices. The climate is so mild, that 
 the trees bear fruit during the greater part of the year. In short, 
 this favored country seems more fitted for the abode of gods than 
 men. This island, long unknown on account of its remoteness, 
 was discovered in the following manner : — The Phoenicians have, 
 from time immemorial, undertaken long voyages, and founded es- 
 tablishments in Africa, and in western Europe. Their prosperity 
 increasing, they pushed beymid the Straits of Hercules, explored 
 the coast of Africa, and founded gardens in Bettica. But one day, 
 overtaken by a tempest, they were constrained to sail in the di- 
 
40 INSPIRATION 
 
 Mr. de Lassalle. — 'Not much. I must confess that 
 my notions of it arc rather superficial. 
 
 The AbbL — That is a pity. It will then be less 
 easy for me to convince you how different are the 
 prophecies of the Old Testament, from those with 
 which you dare to compare them. I hope, neverthe- 
 less, to be able to persuade you that this comparison 
 is unjust, and your explanation inadmissible. What, 
 in fact, do your examples prove ? That among so 
 many false presages, or presentiments, which have 
 remained unfulfilled, one or two have been found 
 which the event has justified. These alone have 
 been remembered ; and the others, by far the greater 
 number, have been forgotten. This I can conceive, 
 while I smile at the freaks of chance, or these suc- 
 cessful attempts of human sagacity : and I would seel; 
 no other explanation of the prophecies of the Old 
 Testament which are accomplished in the New, did 
 I see but one or two predictions among a thousand, 
 which fortune might have amused itself in verifying, 
 leaving all the rest to fall to the ground. But the 
 case is quite different. Here we have a body of 
 prophecies, one resting upon another, all tending 
 towards the same fact, the greatest revolution that 
 has ever occurred in the history of mankind ; and, 
 lastly, the whole fulfilled in so wonderful a manner, 
 that we defy you to cite a single one that has been 
 belied by the event. 
 
 rection of this large island, where they landed after a long navi- 
 gation. The fame of so beautiful and fertile a country was soon 
 spread abroad, so that the Etrurians, then possessed of e^reat naval 
 power, formed the project of colonizing it. But they were pre- 
 vented by the Carthaginians, who wished to reserve if as a refuge 
 to which they might retire, with their families, should their own 
 country be invaded."— Diod. Bibl., lib. iv. p'. 299, 300. Edit. 
 Rhodoman. 
 
 The second proof we have to adduce is the testimony of Avitus, 
 who declares, m a work of Seneca himself, " that ricn and fertile 
 lands are situated in the Great Ocean ; and that again other shores 
 and another world lie beyond." — Avitus in Scnec. Suasor, apu»l 
 Horn, de Origin. Americ. 
 
0P THK BIBLE. 41 
 
 Mr. d> LassaUe. — It is Dot sufficient to assert this, 
 my dear sir. You must prove it tome, if you please. 
 
 The Abbe. — That is what 1 am about to do. Above 
 all, observe thai the Old Testament does not merely 
 contain a few isolated prophecies. Its prophecies 
 are so numerous, and so closely connected together, 
 that one might regard the Old Testament, considered 
 as a whole, everywhere anticipating a new order of 
 things, as forming one great prophecy. As soon as 
 sin had entered into the world, it announces, under 
 the name of " the Seed of the woman," a Restorer, 
 who will destroy the work of the tempter, and raise 
 fallen man. From this passage, which is found in 
 the third page of the book, the Old Testament is but, 
 as it were, a pre-existing history of the Restorer, and 
 of a certain kingdom which he will found on earth. 
 The country and the people of the Messiah are al- 
 ready indicated in the twelfth chapter of Genesis. 
 He was to be born of the seed of Abraham, in the 
 land of Canaan, which God gave to Abraham for this 
 very purpose. It was this well-known promise which 
 led Abraham to Palestine ; which brought back his 
 descendants after an exile of four hundred years ; in 
 short, which formed the Jewish nation. It is this 
 which leads Pascal to say, that " there is a great dif- 
 ference between a book made by a private individual, 
 and sent forth among a nation, and one which makes 
 a nation itself." This commencement may give you 
 some idea of the prominent part given to the Messiah 
 throughout the Old Testament. Take from Roman 
 history the augury of Vettius Valens, and the twelve 
 vultures of Romulus, and what does it lose ? Noth- 
 ing more than an interesting anecdote ; and many 
 have learned the history of Rome who never even 
 heard of Vettius Valens. But take from Jewish his- 
 tory the promise of a Messiah, and you annihilate it. 
 You can no longer account for the origin, nor the 
 religion, nor the manners, of this singular people, 
 4* 
 
42 INSPIRATION 
 
 whose distinctive characteristic has always been, and 
 still is, the expectation of a Messiah. 
 
 After the calling of Abraham, you may trace the 
 course of prophecy throughout the whole of the Old 
 Testament. You will sec it unfold and display itself, 
 from age to age, from prophet to prophet, during an 
 interval of two thousand years, till at length it is ac- 
 complished in Jesus Christ, whose name signifies 
 Jesus-Messiah. Each prophet, in his turn, seems 
 only to have been sent to hear witness of him, and to 
 add his link to the chain of the narrative in which we 
 find clearly indicated the people descended from 
 Abraham, the tribe of that people, the family of that 
 tribe, the time, the place, in which the Messiah 
 should appear, with all that he would do, and all that 
 would be done to him. Hence this profound expres- 
 sion in the Apocalypse, " The testimony of Jesus is 
 the spirit of prophecy,'' Rev. xix. 10. And lastly, 
 remember, that, besides all these prophecies, or rather 
 this perpetual prophecy, the Old Testament contains 
 a succession of facts and institutions which bear 
 reference to the Messiah and to his work. I allude, 
 especially, to those sacrifices which prefigured a sac- 
 rifice to come, and to which, according to Daniel, the 
 Messiah would put an end. And, wonderful to relate ! 
 Jesus Christ did indeed put an end to them. They 
 were constantly offered till his appearance, but ceased 
 almost immediately after his death ; yet the Jews have 
 the same reason for offering them now, which they 
 had before the Christian era, since they are still in 
 expectation of the Saviour, for whom their fathers 
 waited. 
 
 Such, sir, is the great prophetic view which per- 
 vades every part of the Old Testament, and which, 
 in fact, has given to its writers the name of prophets. 
 Do you wish to feel the truth of this yourself? Open 
 it almost any where, and you will hardly find a page 
 whicn does not afford a glimpse into futurity, or 
 
OF THE niBLE. 43 
 
 some direct reference to the Messiah and his king- 
 dom. Moreover, this characteristic of the Old 
 Testament is sufficiently proved by the expectation 
 in winch we still see the Jews, who are the disci- 
 ples of the Old Testament. I could show you that 
 they looked for the Messiah precisely at the time of 
 Christ's birth. But it suffices for my purpose, that 
 they have always expected him ; and that, refusing 
 to recognise him in Jesus Christ, they still expect 
 him, as you yourself are witness. It is an unques- 
 tionable indication that they have found in their 
 books, as 1 have just said, not only prophecies, but 
 a constant and general prophecy, of the Messiah 
 and his kingdom. Should a prophecy of this \ature 
 be fulfilled, it would be preposterous to explain it by 
 an accidental coincidence, as might be the case with 
 one or two isolated predictions. There can be no 
 parity between the prophecies of the Old Testament 
 and the augury of Vettius Yalens, unless this augury 
 had formed part of a series of presages, which had 
 succeeded each other, century after century, from 
 the foundation of Rome. What do I say ? from the 
 beginning of the world ; and had announced, with 
 ever-increasing precision, the fall of the Roman 
 empire. 
 
 Lucilla. — I think, my dear, that the difference is 
 most striking ; and that the Abbe has sufficiently 
 established this distinction. 
 
 Mr, de Lassallc. — I do not exactly deny what the 
 Abbe has just said concerning the prophetic charac- 
 ter of the Old Testament ; but 1 reject the conclusion 
 which he thinks may be drawn from it. That this 
 book contains a compact and continuous prophecy, I 
 allow. This you have proved ; and I was already, 
 in some degree, aware of it. But the generality and 
 the extent of the prophecy do not prevent its acci- 
 dental fulfilment. It is simply a single prophecy, 
 reproduced under different forms ; the prophets hav- 
 
44 INSPIRATION 
 
 ing copied one another. Why should it not fall in 
 with the event, as well as the augury of Vattius 
 Valens, or the prediction of Seneca ? The very 
 generality of the prophecy is a facility in its favor. 
 That which is more general is also more vague, and 
 more easily adapted to any application it may chance 
 to encounter. 
 
 The Abbe. — This would all be very well, if we 
 found in the Old Testament nothing but a general 
 prophecy. But on this general prophecy rise and 
 rest a multitude of special prophecies, which enter 
 into the detail of events, and characterize the Mes- 
 siah with a precision which could find no coinci- 
 dence in mere fortuitous occurrences. So true is 
 this, that if you chose, you might collect materials for 
 writing a brief history of the Messiah from the 
 prophets alone : a history which you would after- 
 wards find in the New Testament, accomplished, 
 fact for fact, in Jesus Christ. Do you inquire at 
 what time the Messiah will appear ? Daniel pre- 
 dicts (ix. 24-27,) that he will come seventy weeks 
 (weeks of years), or four hundred and ninety years 
 after the going forth of a commandment to release 
 the Jews from their captivity, and to rebuild Jerusa- 
 lem ; and Haggai, (ii. 6-9,) that he shall honor the 
 second temple with his presence. (See also Mai. 
 iii. 1.) Jesus appears at the appointed time, reckon- 
 ing from the edict of Artaxerxes, and often shows 
 himself in the second temple, which was burned by 
 Titus forty years afterwards, as Daniel states in the 
 same passage. In what place will he be born 1 
 Micah informs us, (v. 2,) that it is in the tribe of 
 Judah, in the little town of Bethlehem. From what 
 family will he descend ? To this a whole train of 
 prophets reply, that he will descend from Abraham, 
 (Gen. xii. 3 ; xxii. 18,) in the line of Isaac, (Gen. 
 xxvi. 3, 4,) then of Jacob, (Gen. xxviii. 14 ; Num. 
 xxiv. 17,) then of Judah, (Gen. xlix. 10,) and thus in 
 
OF THE BIBLE. 45 
 
 succession to David, (lsa. xi. 1 ; Jer. xxxiii. 15.) 
 You remember that Jesus was born at Bethlehem, 
 and of the family of David. Do you wish to know 
 the events of his life, with those which will precede 
 his birth, and succeed his death ? All this is written 
 in the Old Testament : and if you connect the pre- 
 dictions which I am about to read, with the cor- 
 responding passages in the Gospels, which I will 
 also show you, you will find the accomplishment as 
 exact as the prophecy is circumstantial. He shall 
 send a prophet, who will prepare the way before 
 him. (Mai. iii. 1 ; lsa. xl. 3-5.) You recognise John 
 the Baptist. He shall be despised of man, Mes- 
 siah though he is, and shall present an unheard-of 
 union of greatness and abasement. (lsa. liii.) This 
 celebrated chapter has been called a fifth Gospel. 
 He shall enter into Jerusalem seated on an ass. 
 (Zech. ix. 9, compared with Matt. xxi. 1-9.) He 
 shall be betrayed by a friend, and sold for thirty 
 pieces of silver, which shall afterwards be paid to a 
 potter. (Psa. xli. 9; Zech. xi. 12, 13, with Matt. 
 xxvi. 15; xxvii. 3-7.) He shall be condemned as a 
 malefactor ; and he shall submit to his unjust sen- 
 tence with lamb-like resignation. (lsa. liii. 6, 7, 
 12, with the entire account of the passion.) They 
 shall pierce his hands and his feet ; they shall part 
 his garments among them, and cast lots upon his 
 vesture. (Psa. xxii. 16-18, with John xix. 18, 23, 
 24.) He shall be laughed to scorn in the midst of 
 his most fearful agonies. (Psa. xxii. 2, 7-9, with 
 Matt, xxvii. 39-44.) They shall give him to drink 
 vinegar mingled with gall. (Psa. lxix. 21, with Matt. 
 xxvii. 34.) Though destined to be buried with the 
 wicked, he shall, on the contrary, make his grave 
 with the rich. (lsa. liii. 9, with Matt, xxvii. 38. 
 57-60.) When all will seem lost, then his triumph 
 shall begin. After his death his work shall be 
 crowned with full success ; and his doctrine, reject- 
 
46 INSPIRATION 
 
 ed by the Jews, shall subdue kings and nations, and 
 at length cover the whole earth. (Isa. liii. 10-12; 
 xlix. 1-8; Gen. xxii. 18.) Are these, sir, vague and 
 equivocal predictions, which may be applied to any 
 one, or which chance alone might undertake to 
 realize ] Show me, in all history, another man, be- 
 sides Jesus Christ, to whom the whole of these facts, 
 though they form but a small portion of the prophecy, 
 may be applied : a man born in Bethlehem, of the 
 family of David, at the time when the second tem- 
 ple was in existence, but shortly before its destruc- 
 tion ; who was betrayed, sold for thirty pieces of sil- 
 ver, put to an ignominious death, like a felon, and 
 nevertheless buried like a rich man ; in short, who 
 was at once the most despised and the most honored 
 of mankind ; and who, rejected during his lifetime, 
 and believed in only after his death, has produced a 
 universal revolution in the world. 
 
 Mr. de Lassalle. — Sir, I am no sophist. I will 
 not maintain that the fulfilment of prophecies so 
 explicit as. these can be explained by chance, like 
 that of the augury of Yalens, or the presentiment of 
 Seneca. But that which I cannot help contesting 
 is, the meaning you give to the prophecies of the 
 Old Testament. I do not consider them in the same 
 light that you do. There is hardly one that is ex- 
 pressed in clear and natural terms 5 and the greater 
 part are so involved in the recital of contemporary 
 events, that it is very difficult to distinguish what re- 
 fers to the present, from what refers to the future. 
 Why is not the language of prophecy as lucid as 
 that of history itself? Take, for instance, the first 
 three or four predictions you have just shown me. 
 How do I know that this " Desire of all nations," 
 of whom Ha<:gai speaks, or " He that is to be Ruler 
 in Israel," whom Micafa tells us will be born in 
 Bethlehem, is indeed the Messiah ? Neither can 1 
 be sure whether he is referred to in " the Seed of 
 
OF THE BIBLE. 47 
 
 Abraham," nor, especially, in this " Star coming 
 out of Jacob," to which you may give whatever in- 
 terpretation you like. How can 1 know that the 
 11 seventy weeks" of Daniel are weeks of years ? 
 All this, I must confess, appears to me rather ob- 
 scure ; and in order to give any weight to your ar- 
 gument, it ought to be clear as the day. 
 
 The Able. — You here raise a real difficulty. This is 
 the only point in my argument that is open to attack ; 
 and 1 feel the force of your observation. Were you 
 of a disputatious spirit, I do not even know whether 
 you would not escape me here ; but 1 am sure that 
 such is not the case. I willingly do you this justice, 
 and believe you will be fully satisfied by the con- 
 siderations 1 am about to offer. 
 
 In the first place, I agree that the language of 
 prophecy is not, in general, so clear as that of his- 
 tory. Why ? Various reasons have been given. 
 On this subject we can only form conjectures ; and I 
 confine myself to a single observation. This partial 
 obscurity of prophecy harmonizes with the whole of 
 God's providential plan. For, in the first place, God 
 lays no restraint on the freedom of man ; and he 
 would be constrained to do so with respect to certain 
 prophecies, if they were such as you require ; because 
 the enemies of the faith might then undertake to pre- 
 vent their accomplishment. They must be so situated, 
 that they can fulfil the prophecy without being aware 
 of it themselves. Besides, God does not force man's 
 conviction. He does not, render truth so self-evident 
 that there remains nothing for man to do. On the 
 contrary, he every where obliges him to seek and to 
 pursue it, inasmuch as religion consists rather in the 
 feelings of the heart, than in the opinions of the 
 mind. This remark is not applicable to revealed 
 religion only: it is the same with natural religion. 
 The existence of God, and the immortality of the 
 soul, of which you do not doubt ; do they seem to 
 
48 INSPIRATION 
 
 you as clear as the day? W such is the case, the 
 profession of the " Vicaire Savoyard" might have 
 been much shorter than it really is. J)o not, then, 
 require in favor of revelation evidence which reason 
 Itself does not possess; and since you arc satisfied 
 
 Huh proofs in favor of the existence of God, and of 
 
 a future state, which suffice to persuade a candid 
 mind, be satisfied if prophecies are sufficiently clear 
 to enable you to ascertain, after the event, that they 
 had previously announced it. We have this in the 
 Old Testament ; and we have still more : we have 
 even all that is requisite to foresee the event ; at 
 least when it is of great importance. 
 
 Besides, sir, there are in the Old Testament pro- 
 phecies much less obscure than the generality of 
 those concerning the Messiah. On this point they 
 could hardly have been so clear as you desire, with- 
 out the Christian religion being proclaimed at the 
 same time as the Jewish, which would have inter- 
 rupted the progressive march of revelation. They 
 are involved, you say, in the relation of contemporary 
 events. This is true ; but it is by this means that 
 they are introduced. What they thus lose in clear- 
 ness, they gain in depth and extensiveness. But I 
 could show you other prophecies, much clearer than 
 these, and nearly such as you require. A brief 
 history of Egypt has been written from the prophe- 
 cies ; and the predictions of Daniel concerning the 
 four monarchies gave Rollin the plan of his Ancient 
 History. But you are not yet prepared to bear pro- 
 phecies so precise. You now complain of a want 
 of clearness : you would then complain that there 
 was too much. " This is not prophecy," you would 
 say ; " it is history ;" and its very clearness would 
 cause you to doubt. I speak from personal experi- 
 ence. I have found more faith required to believe 
 prophecies perfectly intelligible, than to believe those 
 which remained slightly veiled till the time of the 
 
OF 'I HE BIB! r 
 
 49 
 
 Went. Because wi feel that, generally speaking, 
 the Language of prophecy neither can be, nor ought 
 
 to be, as lucid as thai of history. Shall I tell you 
 where you will find prophecies in exact accordance 
 with your ideas, and (dear as the day? In the apo- 
 cryphal writings. There is a book, falsely ascribed 
 to Uaiah, and entitled. "The Ascension of Isaiah." 
 There you will find announced in detail, the resur- 
 rection of Jesus Christ, wiili the number of his dis- 
 ciples, their labors in this world, etc. You might 
 imagine you were reading the Acts of the Apostles. 
 But here it is that you feel the difference between the 
 work of God, and the work of man : and I have not 
 the least doubt, that if the prophecies of the Old 
 Testament had been written alter the event, they 
 would have be< n sufficiently clear to betray their 
 human origin, and to destroy all confidence in their 
 authenticity. Such as they are, they possess a 
 degree of light which, I repeat, enables you, not only 
 to recognise the event which they predict — which 
 would Buffice — but also to foresee it. 
 
 We must here make an important observation. If 
 the prophecies of the Old Testament are wanting in 
 clearness, when each is considered separately, the 
 case is altered, sir, when they are regarded as a 
 whole, and each one is viewed in its connexion with 
 prophecy in general. What would otherwise be 
 obscure, is no longer so when placed in this light ; 
 because the promise, which is every where found, 
 dispels whatever uncertainty might remain. Thus 
 when it is said, " He that is to be Ruler in Israel," 
 will be born in Bethlehem, we cannot tell, you say, 
 whether the Messiah or some Jewish prince is 
 meant. I might reply, that the words which follow, 
 "Whose goings forth have been from of old, from 
 everlasting," are sufficient to clear up any doubts on 
 this subject ; since the Messiah only is the ever- 
 lasting King. But should this elucidation be with- 
 5 
 
50 
 
 INSPIRATION 
 
 held, still there could be no ambiguity here, in the 
 Old Testament, which speaks from the beginning to 
 
 the end of a Messiah to come. The very fact, that 
 vou find no one else to whom this passage may be 
 applied, compels you to apply it to the Messiah him- 
 seLT. The same thing may be said of "the Desire 
 of all nations," who should appear in the second 
 em pie. We are constrained to allow that this refers 
 tf/ the Messiah, even were we not convinced by what 
 precedes and what follows ; especially when we 
 connect it with this prediction of Malachi, (iii. 1 :) 
 " The Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to 
 his temple, even the messenger of the covenant whom 
 ye delight in." The same observation holds good 
 respecting the words used to designate the line from 
 which the Messiah should descend : " The Seed of 
 Abraham ;" " the Star of Jacob." The word " star" 
 is used in the figurative style of the prophets, to 
 signify a man who exercises high authority, or who 
 occupies a brilliant position. This " star," which 
 " shall come out of Jacob," might apply to anyone in 
 an ordinary book ; but in the Old Testament it can 
 mean no other than the Messiah. Besides, all these 
 predictions hold together; and when I see clearly 
 announced, (Jer. xxxiii. 15,) that the Messiah will 
 descend from David, I am completely assured that I 
 have rightly interpreted " the Star of Jacob," and 
 "the Seed of Abraham;" since, descending from 
 David, he must necessarily descend from Judah, 
 Jacob, Isaac, and Abraham. As to the " weeks" of 
 Daniel, that is another question. It is an under- 
 stood fact, that " day" is used for " year" in prophetic 
 language. All Hebrew dictionaries are agreed on 
 this point, even those which are made by unbelievers. 
 Daniel may have been more easily led to express 
 himself thus, as he places the seventy weeks of 
 » years, which were to follow the captivity, in contrast 
 
OF THE BIBLE. 5] 
 
 with tin 1 seventy years during which the captivity 
 
 had lasted. 
 
 Mr. <l' Lassalle. — I set- the bearing of your ob- 
 servation, on the Light which special predictions 
 derive from general prophecy. But I am not con- 
 vinced. 1 believe that it' I had lived before Christ, 
 and it' I had been a Jew, a believing Jew, I should 
 have had great difficulty in foreseeing, as you Bay, 
 the history of the Messiah, even in its most striking 
 features. 
 
 Thi Abbe. — Your remark is most opportune. You 
 remind me of a very simple argument which I had 
 overlooked, and which will enable me to dispense 
 with every other. The very thing which you imagine 
 impossible, has been done; and the best proof that 
 the prophecies are not involved in such obscurity, is, 
 that they were understood before the event. 
 
 Mr. de Lassalle. — Understood ! and by whom ? 
 
 The Abbe. — By the Jews. This fact alone, that 
 the Jew r s have always expected a Messiah, proves, at 
 least, that they found no obscurity in the general 
 prophecy of the Old Testament. And you will soon 
 see that they found none in the more important of the 
 special prophecies. They understood that the Mes- 
 siah would appear at the time when Jesus Christ was 
 born. They understood this so well, and so long be- 
 fore the event, that they had time to communicate 
 their impressions on the subject to the surrounding 
 nations, and throughout the whole extent of the Roman 
 empire. The history of the New Testament shows 
 us that this expectation generally prevailed among 
 the Jews ; and profane historians inform us that its 
 fame had reached even Rome, where they knew not 
 what to think of it. You have not, perhaps, forgot- 
 ten this celebrated passage of Tacitus, in his narra- 
 tion of the siege of Jerusalem, (Hist. v. 13 :) " If we 
 may believe the assertion of a great number of men, 
 it was written in the ancient books of the priests, that 
 
Si INSPIRATION 
 
 just al this time hi East would acquire tlio prepon- 
 derance, and the empire would fall into the hands of 
 men coming from Judea." This testimony is corro- 
 borated by thai of Suetonius, who says, speaking also 
 of the reign of Vespasian, (i. 1 :) " It was an old, 
 firmly esta and prevalent opinion, throughout 
 
 the East, tint soothsayers bad promised the empire, 
 at this very epoch, to men coming from Judea." The 
 Jews had also understood that the Messiah would 
 descend from the house of David; for they called 
 him, as we see in the New Testament (Matt. xxii. 42), 
 and they still call him. ''the Son of David." They 
 had understood that lie would be born in Bethlehem, 
 tor they gave information to that effect to Herod, on 
 the faith of the same prophecy of Micah, which you 
 did not think sufficiently clear ; and it was for this 
 reason that Herod caused the children of Bethlehem 
 to be slaughtered, imagining this " King of the Jews," 
 whom every one expected, to be a temporal sove- 
 reign, who would succeed him in authority. And as 
 you have spoken of the " Star of Jacob," I will add, 
 that it was clearly understood to mean the Messiah; 
 siii<-e the false Messiah, Coziba, took the name of 
 Barcochab, or " Son of the star," in allusion to this 
 prophecy of Balaam.* 
 
 After this, sir, I have reason to conclude, that the 
 prophecies of the Old Testament are not so obscure 
 but that we can affirm they agree with the history of 
 Jesus Christ ; and this agreement, once acknowl- 
 edged, cannot be explained by an accidental coinci- 
 dence. The prediction is, at the same time, too full 
 and too circumstantial. The general prophecy will 
 not allow us to mistake the sense of the special 
 prophecies, which it concentrates on the Messiah 
 and his work ; and the special prophecies, in their 
 turn, will not allow us to magnify the first impostor 
 into the Messiah, since they characterize him too 
 * Basnago, History of the Jews, p. 315. 
 
OF THE BIBLE. 53 
 
 exactly to admit of a mistake. When united, they 
 form a perfecl whol< — a muss, a body of predictions, 
 whose accomplishment we cannot possibly ascribe to 
 accident ; especially when you consider that, while so 
 many points are verified in Jesus Christ, not one is 
 contradicted. As to myself, I assure you that, were 
 I in the present ease to imagine a fortuitous coinci- 
 dence, I should consider myself as falling into error, 
 impossibility, and absurdity. I had rather believe the 
 miracles of God, than those of chance ; and if I can 
 find no other explanation of the agreement of the event 
 with prophecy, to escape the imputation of credulity, 
 I see no refuge but in faith. 
 
 Lucilla. — My dear, I am afraid your first strong- 
 hold is in danger. 
 
 Mr. de Lassalle. — Oh ! you, my love, are always 
 ready to yield at the first shot. However, we have 
 a considerable force in reserve. I will suppose that 
 the agreement of the event with the prophecy cannot 
 be explained without a preconcerted plan. I say that 
 this plan is of men, and not of God. In fact, this 
 hypothesis is more probable than the other ; and I 
 ought to have chosen it in the first place. Fraud has 
 been employed in this instance, as in every revela- 
 tion, past, present, and to come. Pious fraud ! to this 
 we know the church is no stranger. 
 
 The Abbe. — We are not speaking of the church. 
 but of prophecy : let us not digress, I pray. It is no 
 longer by chance, but by fraud, that you undertake to 
 explain prophecy. Fraud ! It is very evident from 
 this unworthy supposition, that you are no better ac- 
 quainted with the New Testament than with the Old. 
 Had you read it, even in a cursory manner, you must 
 have been struck at every page by a candor, a sim- 
 plicity, a naturalness, not to be found in the same 
 degree in any other book ; and you would have ac- 
 knowledged that the apostles had no other reward to 
 expect for so infamous a deception, than persecution 
 5* 
 
54 INSPIRATION 
 
 and martyrdom. Upon your hypothesis, how inex- 
 plicable is their conduct and language ! Truly, you 
 only leave one difficult) to encounter a greater. " The 
 gospel bears an imprint of truth so great, so >t riking, 
 so inimitable, that its inventor would be more won- 
 derful than its hero." Von recognise the quotation? 
 However, for the Bake of argument, I will consent to 
 do violence to my feelings, and my reason, and will 
 suppose thai the apostles intended to deceive men 
 concerning the prophecies. Could theydoso? This 
 question will suffice me. How would they have set 
 t o w ork I 
 
 Mr. de Lassalle. — In one of the two ways which 
 you suggested when amplifying Rousseau's original 
 idea; they either made the event for the prophecy, 
 or the prophecy for the event. 
 
 The Abbe. — Which do you choose ? 
 
 Mr. de Lassa/le. — They adapted the event to suit 
 the prophecy. The prophecy existed in the Old 
 Testament. They had only to make the event 
 agree with the prophecy, by purposely arranging 
 it to that effect. Is there anything incredible in 
 this ? 
 
 The Abbe. — I see with pleasure that you no longer 
 find prophecy so very obscure ; for, before the event 
 could be arranged to suit it, it must necessarily have 
 been understood. But pray explain yourself. Did 
 they take measures in order thai the predicted events 
 might really occur? or did they relate them as having 
 happened, when, in fact, nothing of the kind had re- 
 ally come to pass ? Did they direct history, or did 
 they invent it ? 
 
 Mr. de Lassalle. — Both : there are so many ways 
 of deceiving men ! We have more than one string 
 to our bow. 
 
 The Abbe. — As many as you please ; but remember 
 one good string is better than two bad ones. 
 
 Mr. de Lassalle. — But, in fact, why could not the 
 
Of THE BIBLE. 55 
 
 principal events in the life of Jesus Christ have been 
 BO directed as to correspond with prophecy ! You 
 tell me, tor instance, thai the Messiah, according to 
 Zechariah, would enter Jerusalem seated on an ass. 
 ( lould not the disciples of Jesus take an ass, and seat 
 their Master upon it, that they might afterwards be 
 able to say that the prediction of Zechariah had been 
 fulfilled in his person ? 
 
 The Abbe. — Agreed : they might have done so in 
 this instance, and perhaps in several others. But 
 could they have done so for the whole prophecy ? 
 Consider, sir, a prophecy comprehending an entire 
 system of predictions, some relating to the most im- 
 portant events, others to the minutest circumstances: 
 a prophecy bearing not only on every fact connected 
 with the life of a man, and that man the Messiah ; 
 but, also, on what would occur both before and after 
 his appearance. The impossibility of this is evident. 
 There were predictions concerning the infancy of the 
 Messiah, concerning his birth, the mission of a proph- 
 et who would precede him. Had they chosen Jesus 
 to be the pretended object of these prophecies even 
 before he came into the world ? Did they purposely 
 cause him to be born in Bethlehem ? Did they send 
 before him a false precursor, and make a John the 
 Baptist in anticipation of the time when they should 
 make a Jesus Christ 1 There were predictions which 
 announced the Messiah as " a. man of sorrow, and 
 acquainted with grief," and as destined to suffer a 
 fearful death. Were they so assured of Christ's com- 
 placency, that, after having chosen him without his 
 consent, they could depend upon him to sustain his 
 part to the end, and cause himself to be hated, perse- 
 cuted, arrested, crucified ? But there were, also, 
 many predictions concerning the enemies of the Mes- 
 siah. When the Roman soldiers nailed Christ's body 
 to the cross, and pierced his hands and feet, accord- 
 ing to Psalm xxii. ; when the scribes and Pharisees 
 
56 INSPIRATION 
 
 accomplished to the very letter another part of this 
 Psalm, by Laughing him to scorn on the very cross ;* 
 when the Jews rejected Christ, and clamored lor his 
 death ; and then, a lew days after, were converted by 
 thousands, and adored him as their Lord and their God ; 
 did they thus act in obedience to the apostles ? and 
 did a few Galilean fishermen thus dispose at will of 
 the sanhedrim, of the Jewish people, of Pilate, and 
 of the Roman empire ? Apply the same hypothesis 
 to the history of our own time, and you will then feel 
 how utterly insupportable it is. Suppose a manu- 
 script should be discovered, bearing the date of the 
 twelfth century, in which it should be predicted that 
 in the course of six hundred years a man should be 
 born at Ajaccio, in Corsica, whom a terrible revolu- 
 tion would make master of France ; who would carry 
 his victorious arms from the Rhine to the Nile, and 
 fill the whole world with his fame ; who would con- 
 quer united Europe at Marengo, Austerlitz, and Jena ; 
 who would be suddenly arrested in the midst of his 
 career ; who would find his power annihilated in an 
 expedition against a great northern monarch ; and 
 who, lastly, after a brief exile, would reascend the 
 throne, again be driven from it, and be sent to die in 
 a remote and desolate island. Suppose further, that 
 certain persons should thence conclude that the au- 
 thor of this manuscript possessed the gift of prophecy. 
 
 • " But I am a worm, and no man ; a reproach of men, and de- 
 spised of the people. All they that see me, laugh me to scorn : 
 they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, Baying, He trusted on 
 the Lord that he would deliver him, let him deliver him, seeing he 
 delighted in him." Psa. xxii. 6— S. "And they that passed by 
 reviled him, wagging their heads, and saying, Thou that de- 
 stroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. 
 If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross. Like- 
 wise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and 
 elders, said, He saved others ; himself he cannot save. If he be 
 the Ling of Israel, let him now com? down from the cross, and 
 we will believe him. He trusted in God ; let him deliver him 
 now, if he will have him : for he said, I an the Son of God," 
 Matt, xxvii. 39 — 43. 
 
OF THE BIBLE. 57 
 
 What would you think of the man who should attempt 
 to silence them by saving, " I can explain the mys- 
 tery. All this is nothing bui a preconcerted scheme. \ 
 
 secret society. aware of this prediction, and wishing 
 it to be considered us n prophecy, have originated aU 
 these events for the purpose of verifying it." 
 
 Mr. de Lassalle. — it is true that this direction of 
 events is more difficult than I imagined. It would 
 be less so to invent them : and this the apostles might 
 have done. There is nothing impracticable in their 
 having related a tissue of false occurrences, such as 
 would agree with the prophecy. They might have 
 said that Jesus was born at Bethlehem, though he 
 was born elsewhere ; that he was crucified, though he 
 died a natural death ; and that his doctrine was re- 
 jected during his life, and received after his death, 
 though there might be no truth in either of these as- 
 sertions. What hindered them from inventing? 
 
 The Abbe. — What ! Every thing. History, which 
 at an age so well known as that of Jesus Christ — 
 the age of Augustus, Tiberius, Tacitus, Suetonius — 
 would never have accredited so flagrant a lie ; while 
 nowhere do we find the statement of the apostles con- 
 tradicted ; nowhere do we find the slightest trace of 
 the real facts, supposing your hypothesis to be true. 
 The Jews, especially, in the midst of whom Jesus 
 Christ had lived, in whose presence the apostles first 
 began to preach,* and who were as much opposed to 
 the disciples as they had been to the Master ; would 
 they, I ask, have allowed them to ascribe to Jesus 
 Christ, not only certain actions, but a complete his- 
 tory, without protesting against so shameless an im- 
 posture ? And while they sought every opportunity 
 against them,f would they have neglected so easy a 
 means of confounding them before all the people? 
 Sir, excuse my frankness ; these are thoughts which 
 may, indeed, suggest themselves to the mind of a 
 • Acts ii. f Acts iv. v. 
 
58 INSPIRATION 
 
 man who looks out for a new hypothesis, the moment 
 his former one fails him, but which cannot stand be- 
 fore a quarter of an hour's calm reflection. Tore- 
 vert to the imagined prophecy of Napoleon. Would 
 you not consider that man a fool, who affirmed that 
 the whole history of this distinguished personage was 
 arranged expressly for its fulfilment? But should you 
 have a more favorable opinion of him, who would 
 waive the difficulty, by saying that this history was 
 merely a fiction, composed by writers whose interest 
 it was to verify the prophecy ; and that Napoleon 
 never existed ; or, that he had never performed the 
 actions which have been ascribed to him ?* Yet this 
 assertion would not be more tenable than that of the 
 infidel who accuses the apostles of having invented 
 the life of their Master. In some respects, I affirm 
 that it would be even less so. For, besides the fact 
 that no one would be so deeply interested in contra- 
 dicting the false historians of Napoleon, as would 
 have been the Jews in contradicting those of Jesus 
 Christ, the life of Christ occupies a far different 
 place in the annals of the world than does even that 
 of Napoleon. What ! ancient and modern history, 
 which unite in bearing testimony to Jesus Christ, 
 would they unite in bearing testimony to an imagi- 
 nary being ? and would they both rest upon a tissue 
 of falsehoods, owing to the inconceivable audacity of 
 the apostles, and the still more inconceivable silence 
 of their adversaries ? Leave such hypotheses to a 
 Dupuy, or a Volney ; and be satisfied with the skep- 
 ticism of Rousseau. He, at least, never fell so low ; 
 and you cannot have forgotten this beautiful passage : 
 " Shall we say that the history of the gospel was in- 
 vented at will ? My friend, it is not thus that men in- 
 vent ; and the deeds of Socrates, of which no one 
 
 ♦See the witty pamphlet of M. Peres, in which lie proves the 
 non-existence of Napoleon, by the same arguments which are 
 used by Dupuy, against the personal existence of Jesus Christ. 
 
OF THK BIBLE. 59 
 
 doubts, are less authentic than those of Jesus Christ. 
 In tact, you evade the difficulty, without removing it. 
 It would be more inconceivable that several men 
 should agree to fabricate this book, than that a single 
 one should be found who could furnish its subject." 
 
 Mr, de Lassalle. — I am not convinced that the diffi- 
 culties in the case of Jesus Christ would be greater 
 than in that of Napoleon : but even were they the 
 same, I confess they are quite enough to render my 
 position untenable. But in the supposition of this 
 manuscript concerning Bonaparte, I should say that 
 the pretended prophecy had been made after the 
 event. This I maintain to be the case with respect 
 to the prophecies of the Old Testament. 
 
 The Abbe. — That is quite another thing. We are 
 then agreed that your second explanation is still more 
 inadmissible than the first ; and that it is impossible 
 to suppose that the event was made for the prophecy. 
 But I have another question to ask you on this sub- 
 ject: Is it necessary to have seen Napoleon, in order 
 to be convinced of the falsehood of the suppositions 
 which I have just made concerning his history 1 
 Mr. de Lassalle. — Certainly not. 
 The Abbe. — Is it necessary to have seen Jesus 
 Christ, in order to acknowledge the falsehood of the 
 analogous suppositions which you have made con- 
 cerning his history ? * 
 
 Mr, de Lassalle. — The one is not quite so clear as 
 the other ; yet I confess it is sufficiently so. 
 
 The Abbe. — Acknowledge, then, that one may be 
 perfectly sure of an event without having seen it; 
 and that Rousseau was utterly unreasonable in saying, 
 that he would not admit the truth of any prophecy, 
 unless he had witnessed its accomplishment. He 
 has thought fit to proclaim the necessity of a con- 
 dition which is not to be found in prophecy ; which 
 all generations could not find there ; and then, be- 
 cause this condition is wanting, he refuses to believe. 
 
60 INSPIRATION 
 
 This is prejudice, not candor. Let us now examine 
 
 your last explanation. 
 
 Mr. de Lassalle. — Really, sir. you tell me so many 
 things of which I was not previously aware, that I 
 begin to feel rather uneasy. Nevertheless, I think 
 that, in this instance, I only make a reasonable sup- 
 position. If men cannot do what tiny like with his- 
 tory, and with their fellow creatures, they can with 
 books. Paper is discreet, and does not complain. 
 We read of many interpolations of this kind in the 
 history of letters. Besides, I do not suppose that the 
 whole of the Old Testament was written after the 
 death of Christ. I only suppose that the apostles 
 intercalated prophecies relative to the Messiah, which 
 they inserted after the event. 
 
 The Abbe. — You forget, sir, the place occupied by 
 the prophecies in the Old Testament. They are 
 found in so great a number, they form so connected a 
 whole, they are so involved in the contemporaneous 
 history, that it would have been easier to remake the 
 entire book, than to insert them after the event. Be- 
 sides, there was one circumstance which greatly in- 
 creased the difficulty. When the ten tribes which 
 formed the kingdom of Israel separated from that of 
 Judah, they carried with them the live books of Moses, 
 the only part of the Old Testament then collected. 
 These books have been preserved to the present day 
 by the Samaritans, who are descended from the 
 Israelites. The apostles, not content with changing 
 the Hebrew Old Testament, must also have falsified 
 the five books of Moses, as possessed by the Samari- 
 tans, the declared enemies of the Jews. But this 
 is my least difficulty. 
 
 Do you not think, sir, that if the apostles had com- 
 posed the prophecies after the event, they would have 
 made them clearer ? You complain that they are not 
 sufficiently precise. Believe me, an impostor would 
 have taken care to avoid this reproach. You must 
 
OF THE niBLF. 61 
 
 not take it ill if I turn your own weapons against you. 
 This is my second difficulty. 
 
 Here is the third. It' the prophecies of the Old 
 T\ stamen! were made alter the event, how is it that 
 the .lews understood them before? Where had they 
 read that a Messiah was promised them ; that he 
 would appear at an appointed time ; that he would be 
 born in Bethlehem; that he would descend from Da- 
 vid, etc.? Had they read these things in predictions 
 which did not exist, and which were forged many 
 centuries later? You seem embarrassed by this re- 
 flection : let us leave it, and proceed to my last diffi- 
 culty, which 1 am impatient to submit to you. 
 
 " The apostles," say you, " have greatly altered the 
 text of the Old Testament. Paper is discreet, and 
 does not complain." But you forget that this paper 
 might fall into the hands of indiscreet men, disposed 
 to complain. Who were the natural guardians of the 
 Old Testament ? The Jews, the priests, the scribes, 
 the rulers of the synagogues ; that is to say, the mur- 
 derers of Jesus Christ. It is well known, that the 
 Jews carried their respect for their sacred books even 
 to superstition ; so much so, that if, in copying the 
 Scriptures, they met with a letter larger or smaller 
 than the rest, they carefully preserved these differen- 
 ces, which are still to be found in our Hebrew text, 
 and in which their doctors saw singular mysteries. 
 According to your account, they now for the first time 
 lay aside this excessive veneration, and, without scru- 
 ple, consent to the most barefaced interpolations. And 
 in whose favor do they make this enormous excep- 
 tion ? In favor of Christ's disciples, who attempt to 
 prove by, this lie, that He whom these same Jews 
 have just crucified is the Messiah and the Son of 
 God! 
 
 But granting that the apostles had gained with 
 
 what I We know that the apostles had neither money 
 nor credit; but, however, granting that they had 
 6 
 
62 INSPIRATION 
 
 gained the guardians of the Old Testament in Jeru- 
 salem ; granting that they had bought the silence, the 
 concurrence of the sanhedrim, of the priesthood in 
 this city, from the first to the last of its members ; 
 the opportunity, doubtless, was favorable ; they took 
 advantage of the time when these furious enemies 
 of Christ were discharging the remains of their wrath 
 on his disciples, were dispersing them on every side, 
 were stoning St. Stephen, were persuading Herod to 
 decapitate St. James. I grant that the Old Testament 
 was altered at Jerusalem to suit the Christians. I 
 concede much, but still you are not more advanced 
 than you were before. 
 
 There existed other manuscripts of the Old Testa- 
 ment. There was one, at least, in every synagogue, 
 that is, in every city of Judea. But what do I say ? 
 The Jews had been scattered throughout the world for 
 the space of two hundred years. Everywhere they had 
 synagogues, and everywhere they read the Scriptures 
 on the sabbath day. Not only must the apostles have 
 gained the Jewish priests at Jerusalem, but also the 
 scribes and elders of every city in Judea, with those of 
 Antioch, of Rome, of Athens, of Corinth, of Philippi, of 
 Babylon, of Thessalonica, those of the whole world. 
 
 Finally, this universal alteration of the sacred 
 books of the Jews, brought about through the co-ope- 
 ration of all the Jewish priests, scribes, and elders 
 in the world, was made with such profound secrecy, 
 that no one has discovered it to the present day ; thai 
 no remembrance of the authentic text has been pre- 
 served in any manuscript ; and the deluded Jews, 
 from century to century, confidently present us with 
 the same text which the Christians have altered, 
 while the Jews still retained them in their own hands ; 
 and altered on purpose to condemn the Jews ; while 
 it was only necessary to preserve the text as it was, 
 for the purpose of sustaining their own hopes, and 01 
 annihilating those of the Christians. — Are you still 
 
OF THE BIBLK. 63 
 
 of opinion that the prophecy was written after the 
 event ! 
 
 Mr. de Lassalle. — But, sir, 
 
 Lucitta. — All, it is of no use, my dear ! You must 
 give up the point. Readiness to yield, of which you 
 accuse me, is no longer a question. Ready or not, 
 1 Bee no possibility that you can hold out any long- 
 er, at least in this stronghold ; which is your third, 
 and last. 
 
 The Abbe. — And do you think, sir, that in order 
 to decide against the interpolation which you sup- 
 pose, it is necessary to have witnessed the fulfilment 
 of the prophecy ? and that Rousseau is not pre- 
 judiced, unjust, insensate, if, without having seen, he 
 does not yield to proofs such as those which I have 
 just given you ? The fact is, that this hypothesis 
 contains in itself alone such an accumulation of ab- 
 surdities, that your third explanation is more incred- 
 ible than the second ; and the second is more so 
 than the first. If there be not a fourth, I am re- 
 solved, for my part, to believe in the intervention of 
 God with regard to prophecy, that I may not be 
 guilty of an excess of credulity. Observe, sir, the 
 order of our argumentation. There are only three 
 natural explanations, as we have learned from Rous- 
 seau himself, of the agreement of the event with the 
 prophecy. Either this agreement is purely acci- 
 dental : — but prophecy is so full and precise, that 
 this is no more possible than it would be to produce 
 an iEneid by throwing printed characters at hazard. 
 It is a philosophical absurdity. Or, the event has 
 been made for the prophecy : — but this is no more 
 possible than that the history of Napoleon was ar- 
 ranged or made at pleasure. It is an historical ab- 
 surdity. Or, lastly, the prophecy has been made for 
 the event: — but this supposition overturns all the laws 
 of criticism. It is a literary absurdity. Turn which 
 way you will, you can find no other issue. Impossi- 
 
64 INSPIRATION 
 
 bility, absurdity, will greet you at every step, anrl 
 your understanding will remain unsatisfied, until at 
 
 length you yield — which you may without shame in 
 a contest of this nature — and say, with the Egyptian 
 doctors, who had long withstood Moses, " This is 
 the finger of God !" Exod. viii. 19. 
 
 Mr. de Lassallc. — I cannot go so far as that ; 
 but I must confess there is more to be said in favor 
 of prophecy than I before imagined. It is a sub- 
 ject for examination. On reflection I may find 
 something to say in reply, which does not at. pre- 
 sent suggest itself to my mind. A thought strikes 
 me in support of my first explanation. It is hardly 
 fair to return to a position which I had almost aban- 
 doned ; but I clearly see it is the only one of the 
 three that is at all tenable. 
 
 The Abbe. — You are right, sir ; it is the only 
 tenable one amongst them. At least, I can conceive 
 that you still consider it such, on account of what 
 you call the obscurity of prophecy. When you have 
 studied the Old Testament, it will appear to you as 
 untenable as the other two. But let us hear your re- 
 flection. 
 
 Mr. de Lassalle. — The Jews, of whom you have 
 just spoken, do not believe that Jesus is the Mes- 
 siah, nor, consequently, that he has fulfilled the 
 prophecies. Nevertheless, they donot believe that their 
 books have been falsified. Neither, that I am aware, 
 do they deny the principal facts in the life of Jesus 
 Christ. They must account for this by supposing 
 the accidental coincidence which I myself urged at 
 the beginning of our conversation. Is it credible, 
 that a whole nation should admit an absurdity, 
 and admit it at the very time when it might be best 
 investigated ? 
 
 The Abbe. — " A whole nation !" That is going 
 rather too far. Many Jews believed in Jesus Christ. 
 When St. Paul took his last journey to Jerusalem, 
 
OF THE BIBLE. 65 
 
 the converted Jews were reckoned by many thou- 
 sands, Acts xxi. 20. If, admitting the fulfilment of 
 prophecy, you find it difficult to explain the obstinacy 
 of the greater number, the conversion of these many 
 thousands is, at least, as inexplicable without this 
 fulfilment. But the incredulity of the many, viewed 
 in its proper light, is a fresh proof of the truth of 
 prophecy ; first, because it was predicted ; so that 
 it is another prophecy fulfilled : secondly, because 
 it is the unbelief of the Jews which so wonderfully 
 guaranties the authenticity and integrity of the 
 prophetic writings, as I have just shown. These two 
 proofs united, the faith of some, the incredulity of 
 others, have admirable force. You would do well to 
 read what Pascal says on this point.* 
 
 \ ou cannot imagine that the Jews would have 
 admitted the accidental fulfilment of prophecy, had 
 it been as inadmissible as I say. But you forget, sir, 
 the power of prejudice and obstinacy, especially 
 among this unhappy people. They themselves give 
 us the measure of their blindness by their opinion 
 of the Messiah. For the Jews, believing in the 
 prophecies, and not finding them fulfilled in Christ, 
 expect another Messiah, in whom they will be ac- 
 complished. But, independent of the fact, that it 
 would be too incredible that another man should be 
 found who would unite in his person all the signs 
 of a prophecy at once so full and so explicit, there 
 are indications which it would be absolutely impos- 
 sible to reproduce ; and, therefore, the Messiah 
 whom the Jews expect cannot come. His time has 
 gone by. Should he be born to-morrow, in ten 
 years, a century hence, could they be sure that he 
 was of the family of David, now that the genealogi- 
 cal tables of the Jews no longer exist ? Could he 
 appear four hundred and ninety years after an edict 
 had gone forth, allowing the Jews to return to their 
 
 * Thoughts, Secend Part, viii. 11. 
 
 6* 
 
66 INSPIRATION 
 
 native land, now that the last edict of this nature 
 was published more than two thousand years ago ? 
 Could he show himself in the second temple, now 
 that this second temple is destroyed ? Could he put 
 an end to sacrifices, now that eighteen hundred 
 years have elapsed since their discontinuance ? 
 Question a Jew on the subject. Press him to tell 
 you precisely what he thinks of the expected Mes- 
 siah. I can tell you beforehand ; for I have already 
 made the trial. His answers will be so confused, as 
 to convince you that the opinions of this wretched 
 people are no authority in this matter ; and that the 
 men who were furious enough to commit the great- 
 est of crimes, are prejudiced enough to justify it by 
 an absurd and contradictory supposition. Believe 
 me, they have not fairly examined the question. 
 They made up their minds that Jesus, who opposed 
 them, who openly condemned their vices, who over- 
 threw their carnal hopes, could not be the Messiah; 
 and, therefore, they adopted the first hypothesis that 
 presented itself to their minds : just as the greater 
 part of our modern skeptics begin by laying down, 
 as a principle, that the Christian religion cannot be 
 Divine ; and then admit fanaticism, fraud, interpo- 
 lation, whatever you will, without caring whether 
 their suppositions can be defended, or whether they 
 are airy theories, which, when once clearly defined, 
 are for ever refuted. I do not refer to you, sir. Our 
 conversation proves that you are no sharer in their 
 injustice. 
 
 But if the Jews will not recognise Jesus Christ in 
 the prophecies of the Old Testament, can they refuse 
 to recognise themselves ? Listen, sir, to what has 
 been predicted of the Jews, since the time of Moses, 
 in this book which they honor as the book of God ; 
 and which they, having had the care of it, are well 
 aware has undergone no alteration. 
 
 " It shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken 
 
OF IRS BIBLE. 67 
 
 unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do 
 all his commandments and Ins statutes which I com- 
 mand thee this day; that all these curses shall come' 
 upon thee, and overtake thee. — And they shall be 
 upon thee lor a sign and lor a wonder, and upon thy 
 seed for ever. 
 
 •■ The Lord shall bring a nation against thee from 
 far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle 
 flieth ; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not under- 
 stand ; a nation of fierce countenance, which shall 
 not regard the person of the old, nor show favor to 
 the young : and he shall eat the fruit of thy cattle, 
 and the fruit of thy land, until thou be destroyed: 
 which also shall not leave thee either corn, wine, or 
 oil, or the increase of thy kine, or Hocks of thy sheep, 
 until he have destroyed thee. And he shall besiege 
 thee in all thy gates, until thy high and fenced walls 
 come down, wherein thou trustedst, throughout all 
 thy land : and he shall besiege thee in all thy gates 
 throughout all thy land, which the Lord thy God hath 
 given thee. 
 
 " And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body, 
 the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters, which the 
 Lord thy God hath given thee, in the siege, and in 
 the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress 
 thee : so that the man that is tender among you, and 
 very delicate, his eye shall be evil toward his brother, 
 and toward the wife of his bosom, and toward the 
 remnant of his children which he shall leave : so 
 that he will not give to any of them of the flesh of 
 his children whom he shall eat : because he hath 
 nothing left him in the siege, and in the straitness, 
 wherewith thine enemy shall distress thee in all thy 
 gates. 
 
 " The Lord will make thy plagues wonderful, and 
 the plagues of thy seed, even great plagues, and of 
 long continuance, and sore sicknesses, and of long 
 continuance. 
 
68 INSPIRATION 
 
 " And ye shall be left few in number, whereas ye 
 were as the stars of heaven for multitude ; beeause 
 thou wouldest not obey the voice of the Lord thy God. 
 And it shall come to pass, that as the Lord rejoiced 
 over you to do you good, and to multiply you ; so the 
 Lord will rejoice over you to destroy you, and to 
 bring you to naught ; and ye shall be plucked from 
 off the land whither thou goest to possess it. And 
 the Lord shall scatter thee among all people, from 
 one end of the earth even unto the other. 
 
 " And among these nations shalt thou find no ease, 
 neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest : but the 
 Lord shall give thee there a trembling heart, and 
 failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind: and thy lift 
 shall hang in doubt before thee ; and thou shalt feai 
 day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy 
 life : in the morning thou shalt say, Would God i< 
 were even ! and at even thou shalt say, Would Go<* 
 it were morning ! for the fear of thine heart where 
 with thou shalt fear, and for the sight of thine eye* 
 which thou shalt see. 
 
 " And the Lord shall brin£ thee into Egypt again 
 with ships, by the way whereof I spake unto thee. 
 Thou shalt see it no more again : and there ye shall 
 be sold unto your enemies for bondmen and bond- 
 women, and no man shall buy you. 
 
 " And I will brinij the land into desolation : and 
 your enemies which shall dwell therein shall be 
 astonished at it. And I will scatter you among the 
 heathen, and will draw out a sword after you : and 
 your land shall be desolate, and your cities waste. — 
 And upon them that are left alive of you I will send 
 a faintness into their hearts in the lands of their 
 enemies ; and the sound of a shaken leaf shall chase 
 them ; and they shall flee as fleeing from a sword ; 
 and they shall fall when none pursueth. — And they 
 that are left of you shall pine away in their iniquity 
 in your enemies' lands. 
 
OF THE bipi.i:. 69 
 
 " And I will deliver them to be removed into all 
 che kingdoms of the earth for their hurt, to be a 
 reproach and a proverb, a taunt and a curse, in all 
 places whither 1 shall drive them. — For, lo, I will 
 command, and I will sift the house of Israel among 
 all nations, like as corn is sifted in a sieve, yet shall 
 not the least grain fall upon the earth. 
 
 •■ So that the generation to come of your children 
 
 that shall rise up after you, and the stranger that 
 
 shall come from a far land, shall say, when they see 
 
 the plagues of that land, and the sicknesses which 
 
 the Lord hath laid upon it: even all nations shall 
 
 say, Wherefore hath the Lord done thus unto this 
 
 land? what meaneth the heat of this great anger? 
 
 Then men shall say, Because they have forsaken the 
 
 covenant of the Lord God of their fathers, which he 
 
 made with them when he brought them forth out of 
 
 the land of Egypt : — and the anger of the Lord was 
 
 kindled against this land, to bring upon it all the 
 
 curses that are written in this book : and the Lord 
 
 rooted them out of their land in anger, and in wrath, 
 
 and in great indignation, and cast them into another 
 
 .... 
 land, as it is this day."* 
 
 What say you, sir, to this prediction ? You will 
 not accuse it of obscurity. The language is almost 
 as clear as that of history. And has it not been 
 verified ? Is it not still verified before our eyes, 
 trait for trait ? I see you are struck by this. You 
 will be more so, if you consider each article sepa- 
 rately. Could the Romans be better described than 
 they are here ? "A nation coming from afar, like 
 the eagle ," speaking a " language" unknown to the 
 Jews ; whilst every other nation that had made war 
 upon them came from climes less distant, and spoke 
 languages very analogous to the Hebrew ? The 
 siege of Jerusalem by the Romans, is it not drawn to 
 
 * Deut. xxviii. ; Levit. xxvi. 32—39 ; Jer. xxiv. 9 ; Amos be. 9 ; 
 •Deut. xxix. 22—28. 
 
70 INSPIRATION 
 
 the very life ? These high and fenced walls, on 
 which they trusted throughout the land, this dreadful 
 famine, these families disputing for a morsel of food, 
 these children devoured by their own mothers ; could 
 we not imagine that, instead of a prophecy, we were 
 reading the recital of the siege by the historian 
 Josephus ? The calamities which have fallen upon 
 the Jews, have they not been " wonderful," and of 
 " long continuance ?" Do they not still continue ; 
 and have they not lasted nearly eighteen centui 
 Have not the vanquished Jews, contrary to the gene- 
 ral policy of their conquerors, been torn from their 
 native soil, and forbidden to return to it on pain of 
 death ? And more : they might, at least, have been 
 transported to one common retreat, where they might 
 have formed a colony ; but instead of that, have they 
 not been dispersed on every side ; and even in the 
 remotest corners of the world, are we not sure to find 
 a remnant of this scattered people ? And yet. 
 wonderful to relate ! have they not invariably re- 
 mained distinct from every other nation ? And how 
 striking is the image of the prophet Amos, who com- 
 pares them to corn sifted in a sieve, while not a 
 single grain falls to the earth ! And can we fail to 
 recognise in these traits the condition of the Jews 
 among foreign nations : ease ever flying from them ; 
 their hearts trembling ; their lives in jeopardy ? 
 Have you not read in Josephus, that the Jewish 
 prisoners were led by thousands into Egypt, at two 
 different times, under Titus, and under Adrian ; and 
 that these unhappy slaves were estimated at so low 
 a price, that eleven thousand were allowed to perish 
 from hunger ? Have not the Jews literally been " an 
 astonishment, a proverb, and a by-word,'' among 
 men ? and that, not in Christian countries only, but 
 among Mohammedans, and even among pagans ?* 
 
 • Might we expect to see the Jews trodden underfoot by Pagans, 
 who never heard of the Saviour ? Who taught the ftindoo to. 
 
OF THE BIBLE. 71 
 
 \iiil have not their calamities been the wonder of the 
 whole world ! Has not their condition been con- 
 sidered, in all ages, as something out of the ordinary- 
 course of nature, and as the effect of a direct curse 
 from God ! 
 
 Try to explain this prophecy by Rousseau's three 
 hypotheses. Accidental coincidence? How can we 
 admit this, when the prophecy is so explicit, and 
 when it refers to circumstances so special, to a his- 
 tory unique in the annals of the world ? Interpola- 
 tion ? But when could it have been made, to meet 
 the exigency of events which have lasted eighteen 
 centuries, and which still continue ? The invention 
 or the arrangement of history ? How can this be 
 possible in reference to facts which take place at this 
 present time, and under our own eyes ? Here you 
 have what Rousseau demands. You are witness of 
 the event. If you are not witness of the prophecy, 
 at any rate you are witness that there has been no 
 interpolation ; and this suffices. In short, you may 
 affirm that accidental coincidence is impossible, un- 
 less you admit that it is possible in every case ; 
 which is contrary to common sense, and to Rousseau 
 himself. Thus, sir, if one must be credulous, not to 
 believe the prophecies concerning the Messiah ; one 
 must be still more so, not to believe those respecting 
 the Jews. It would require a degree of credulity, 
 of which neither you nor I are capable. I promised 
 to show you that those who reject prophecy fall into 
 absurdity. I think I have redeemed my promise. 
 
 Lucilla. — Can anything be clearer ? Really, un 
 less we have determined not to be convinced, we 
 cannot but yield to such arguments. Is it not so, 
 my dear ? 
 
 Mr. de Lassalle. — I frankly confess, I never im- 
 
 punish the Jew, even to the present day, without knowing the 
 crime of which he has been guilty ? — Buchanan's Christian Re- 
 searches in Asia, pp. 297, 29§. 
 
72 INSPIRATION 
 
 agined that proofs, not only of such force, but also of 
 such a nature, could be alleged in favor of revelation. 
 This prophecy concerning the Jews, especially, is 
 most wonderful. 1 never observed it before. But I 
 repeat, I will think of all this again. You have in- 
 vited me to examine. I am quite willing to do so. 
 More I cannot say at present. 
 
 The Abbe. — It is all I ask. . I will only make one 
 more observation. Prophecy is but one of the many 
 proofs in favor of revelation. Had we chosen anoth- 
 er, instead of this, I could equally have shown you 
 that it requires more credulity to reject than to receive 
 revelation. I could have demonstrated this with re- 
 spect to miracles, the propagation of Christianity, and 
 the character of Jesus Christ ; not to mention the 
 morality or the doctrines of the gospel. 
 
 Miracles. — It is easy to say that they were falsely 
 contrived. But were this the case, how was it that 
 so many of Christ's disciples went throughout the 
 world attesting facts which they knew to be false (for 
 men cannot be mistaken with respect to facts, as they 
 may be with respect to doctrines), when they had no 
 other reward to expect for their imposture, than re- 
 proach, imprisonment, and death ?* IIow was it that 
 thousands believed their testimony, even in the very 
 cities where these imaginary events, on which their 
 preaching rested, were said to have taken place ; 
 while the interests, the passions, the habits of these 
 proselytes conspired to make them cleave to their 
 ancient belief? How was it that the enemies of the 
 gospel acknowledged the miracles of Jesus Christ, 
 and formed various conjectures to account for them, 
 when it would have been so easy to silence the apos- 
 tles by a single question, "Is this true ?" For the 
 Jews attributed the miracles of Jesus Christ to Satan ; 
 the pagans attributed them to magic ; but neither de- 
 nied them. We, who live in a more enlightened age, 
 * Pascal's Thoughts, part second, xvii. 56. 
 
OF THK BIBLB. 73 
 
 cannot admit either supposition. Vet the fact remains, 
 and the gospel is justified. 
 
 The propagation of the gospel. — How can we ex- 
 plain the fact, that the gospel has overspread the 
 earth, it' God be QOt for it ! It is in vain that the 
 success of Mohammed is urged in reply. Everything 
 is different, everything is directly opposite, in the two 
 niM's. Mohammed, with powerful resources, tri- 
 umphed over a feeble resistant e. Jesus Ohrist, with 
 the least possible resources, triumphed over the most 
 formidable resistance. The doctrine of Mohammed 
 favored tin' tastes and passions of mankind : that of 
 Jesus Christ withstood them to the face. Mohammed 
 employed force of arms, and was a murderer for his 
 religion. Jesus Christ employed nothing but persua- 
 sion, and was the martyr of his. The success of 
 Mohammed is in the natural course of things : that 
 of Jesus Christ is contrary to all human expecta- 
 tions.* 
 
 The character of Christ. — How can we explain, in 
 a simple individual — what do I say ? in a fanatic, or 
 an impostor — a moral perfection, of which another 
 example is not to be found in the whole human race ? 
 Or, if you think that the character of Christ is drawn 
 from imagination, how can you explain the fact that 
 a few T fishermen should have conceived the idea of a 
 character of such perfection, as no author, even in 
 the most enlightened countries, has ever equalled, 
 either before or since ? 
 
 And the morality of the gospel, the incomparable 
 
 * " Mohammed established himself by slaying ; Jesus Christ 
 by subjecting his followers to be slain ; Mohammed by forbidding 
 to read ; Jesus Christ by commanding to read. In short, thf y are 
 so contrary to each other, that if Mohammed has taken every hu- 
 man means to ensure success, Jesus Christ has taken every human 
 means to perish. And instead of concluding that since Moham- 
 med has sua eeded, Jesus Christ might succeed, we ought to say, 
 that since Mohammed has succeeded, Christianity must have per- 
 ished, had it not been sustained by a power altogether Divine." — 
 Pascal's Thoughts, art. xii. 
 
 7 
 
74 INSPIRATION 
 
 superiority of which even your philosophers are con- 
 strained to admit ; and its doctrine concerning God, 
 and a future state,' so just, so simple, and the whole 
 so new ! There is not one of these points on which 
 I could not embarrass you as much as I did on the 
 question of the prophecies. Be assured, my dear sir, 
 that incredulity cannot stand a (lose investigation. 
 Rousseau himself, notwithstanding his apparent depth, 
 has merely glanced at. these important questions in 
 his " Vicaire Savoyard." Examine it : you will eve- 
 rywhere find false assertions, false principles ; and 
 whatever of truth is blended with it, serves only to 
 condemn him by his own testimony. I appeal to his 
 celebrated passage on the Scriptures, and on the 
 character of Jesus Christ. On the one hand, Rous- 
 seau finds in Jesus Christ superhuman virtue, and in 
 the gospel a perfect moral code : on the other hand, 
 he finds in the same gospel doctrines which seem to 
 him strange and incredible. In presence of this two- 
 fold view, how ought he to reason ? Ought he to say, 
 " Since this book sheds divine light on moral ques- 
 tions, which are the least subject to dispute, I am 
 bound to receive it as coming from God ; and believe 
 its testimony on points which are beyond the sphere 
 of my observation, such as the thoughts and designs 
 of the Creator ?" Or, ought he to say, " Since there 
 are in this book, on subjects with which I am little 
 acquainted, certain statements which astonish me, I 
 am bound to reject it, though it is radiant with truth 
 on the clearest points ?" He adopts the latter alter- 
 native ; for his pretended suspension of judgment ex- 
 ists only in words. Sir, I maintain that Rousseau 
 has shown himself credulous in thus deciding : and 
 he is the more inexcusable in his error, inasmuch as 
 he felt the force of the evidence. " The life and 
 death of Christ are those of a God ; and we cannot 
 tell whether or not he be an impostor ! The morality 
 of the gospel is perfect ; and one cannot tell whether 
 
OF T/<E BIRLE. 75 
 
 or not it is the fruit of falsehood ! The apostles have 
 invented nothing ; and we cannot, tell whether they 
 have Bpoken truth, or whether they have lied!" 
 What arc the pretended contradictions of the gospel 
 after this ! Ah ! sir, you will find no repose, even 
 lor your reason itself, but in faith ; provided your rea- 
 son is reasonable, and not reasoning. 
 
 Mr. de Lussalle. — You are very severe upon Rous- 
 seau ; but allow me to ask another question. After 
 all, what need have we of a revelation, when, with- 
 out its aid, we can have such a religion as that of the 
 " Vicaire Savoyard ? " 
 
 The Abbe. — " Without its aid !" Do you then think, 
 sir, that Rousseau owes nothing to revelation, in his 
 ideas of God, of conscience, and the immortality of 
 the soul ? Christianity has been in the world eigh- 
 teen centuries. It has proclaimed, with perfect clear- 
 ness and assurance, the existence of God, and the 
 immortality of the soul. It is not, then, surprising 
 that a philosopher should arise and support these 
 truths in his turn. He establishes them by the aid 
 of reason alone, say they. But who knows whether 
 revelation has not been to reason what the clear- 
 sighted is to the blind, whom he instructs in reading 
 and writing, till the blind man is able to do both 
 alone ? I see but one means of ascertaining whether 
 this be the case or not. It is to see what reason did 
 before revelation was generally given to the world. 
 It is a question of history. What degree of light did 
 natural religion display, before there was a revealed 
 religion ? And yet this is a point which we cannot 
 completely solve. For if the Bible is true, revelation 
 is as ancient as the world itself ; and the patriarchal 
 revelation, which takes its date from the first man, 
 may have penetrated among pagan nations, where the 
 Mosaic revelation was unknown. But, in short, what 
 religion had mankind before the coming of Christ ? 
 Inquire, not among the more remote nations, but 
 
76 INSPIRATION 
 
 among the most civilized ; among the Greeks. What 
 was their belief concerning God, and a future state? 
 
 It is not necessary that I should remind you what 
 was the light, or rather the darkness, of this people. 
 Rousseau speaks of it in his " Profession of Faith :" 
 and on this subject he exhibits admirable truth and 
 eloquence. It is true, the Greek philosophers were 
 exempt from the superstitions of the vulgar ; but what 
 did they substitute for them ? They did not believe 
 in a hundred different gods, nor in the infernal re- 
 gions of Pluto ; but they had no clear conceptions, 
 either of the unity of God, or of a future state. 
 There was not one among them who taught these 
 two truths clearly, simply, and positively. We know 
 that Socrates, when near death, expressed himself 
 on the immortality of the soul as one who fears to 
 say too much. And do you think that Plato or Aris- 
 totle ever spoke of God as Rousseau speaks ? 
 
 But admitting that reason, without the help of re- 
 velation, could have discovered the doctrine of the 
 " Vicaire Savoyard," would this doctrine content you, 
 sir ? Have you so little reflected on God, the world, 
 and yourself ? For we cannot deny that we are sin- 
 ners, nor that sin is an infringement of moral order. 
 To repair this disorder is the grand problem of the 
 Christian religion. But does the " Vicaire Savoy- 
 ard" solve — does he even understand the full bear- 
 ing of this problem ? By no means. If the Bible 
 is a true revelation, the " Vicaire Savoyard" is pro- 
 foundly ignorant both of God and man. His religion 
 sufficient ! And it is in France, where philosophy 
 has been put to the test, and has been found so fear- 
 fully wanting, that this assertion is made ! W r as it 
 sufficient for Rousseau himself? Did it give him 
 peace of mind ? Did it render him humble, charita- 
 ble, and pure ? Let his life, let his death reply ! For 
 it is in the life, it is in the person of Rousseau, that 
 we must learn how to appreciate the " Vica\re Savoy- 
 
ov THE BIBLE. 77 
 
 aid," and not in the pages of ;i book. Were you 
 called upon to judge of doctrines by their advo- 
 cates, say, which should you find the most clearly 
 
 proved ! The truth of the Christian religion by Pas- 
 cal, Living in a holy and irreproachable manner, suf- 
 fering patiently, and dying in peace ; or the self- 
 sufficiency of natural religion, by Rousseau, who 
 
 ? But the detail is superlluous ; and I will 
 
 not offend the ears of Madame de Lassalle. One 
 would think that a just God, to confound this un- 
 happy sophist, had allowed him to exemplify the fal- 
 lacy of his own maxims by his conduct. He could not 
 but perceive that he himself was his own refutation; 
 so that, whatever effect his eloquence might pro- 
 duce, should be counteracted by the remembrance 
 of his life. 
 
 Mr. de Lassalle. — I do not seek to justify Rous- 
 seau ; hut you must not consider the doctrine re- 
 sponsible for its advocate. This would be a danger- 
 ous argument against the Christian religion. 
 
 The Abbe. — It is not a conclusive argument 
 against the doctrine of Rousseau ; but still it makes 
 me pause and reflect. Doubtless, there are infidels 
 who are both honorable and virtuous men in the eyes 
 of the world. There have been such among the 
 heathen. But even for these, natural religion neither 
 can nor will suffice. The doctrine of Christ is alone 
 able to sanctify, console, and save. 
 
 Mr. de Lassalle. — It is this doctrine which I find 
 so repulsive. It is so little in harmony with the 
 ideas we form of God, so incredible in every respect. 
 
 The Abbe. — This ought not to restrain you. 
 When we are once convinced, by solid proofs, that 
 the Bible has God for its author, we ought to be- 
 lieve it, even when its doctrines appear most strange. 
 May not our ideas be erroneous ? And how do you 
 know ; perhaps this doctrine only surprises you be- 
 cause it is true ? This is what Jesus Christ said 
 7* 
 
78 INSPIRATION 
 
 to the Jews : " Because I tell you the truth, ye be- 
 lieve me not," John viii. 4, 5. But there are aspects 
 in which this same doctrine appears perfectly clear ; 
 and it would furnish us, at need, with a fresh proof 
 in favor of Christianity. This is what is called 
 internal evidence. I did not mention it before, oe- 
 cause, strong as it is, it can only be appreciated by 
 one who is open to conviction, and who begins atten- 
 tively to study revelation. But if the arguments 
 which I have adduced can stimulate you to under- 
 take this study, a new order of considerations will 
 claim your attention ; and the contents of the Bible 
 will complete the justification of its theology. 
 
 You will be struck, in the first place, at rinding in 
 the Bible, written by authors, many in number, and 
 separated from each other by intervening centuries, a 
 marvellous connexion and unity. You will see the plan 
 of revelation gradually unfolding itself with revolv- 
 ing ages, and exhibiting the most evident marks of 
 oneness of design, and of its emanation from one com- 
 mon author. Who can this author be, but God alone 1 
 What other mind could comprehend fifteen centuries 
 at a glance ? You will then think it as incredible 
 that the Bible should be the work of man, as that a 
 perfect picture should be formed by fifty painters, 
 who should pass in succession before the canvass, 
 and each give a stroke with his pencil in passing. 
 
 You will afterwards be delighted to see what light 
 the Bible sheds on subjects the most useful and the 
 most profound. You will find, respecting God, his 
 law, and his government, notions as new as they are 
 instinct with truth. You will learn to know yourself 
 so well, that you will be constrained to confess, that 
 He who made the Bible made also the heart of man. 
 You will find the solution of these grand problems, 
 which have ever reduced philosophy to despair — the 
 origin of evil ; the disorders of society ; the contra- 
 dictions which are observable in man. You will 
 
OF THE BIBLE. 79 
 
 rest convinced that the Bible cannot be explained 
 without God, as you will acknowledge that the world 
 cannot be explained without the Bible. 
 
 You will be strengthened in this conviction by 
 comparing the instructions of this book with the con- 
 temporary lessons of human wisdom. Look at the 
 Jews, among whom reason had done comparatively 
 nothing. Look at the Greeks, among whom it had 
 worked prodigies. How is it, that while the first 
 possessed the most sublime views of religion, the 
 other had only vague conjectures among their philoso- 
 phers, and superstitions among the multitude ? Whilst 
 a few Galilean fishermen trace the only picture of 
 perfect holiness that the world ever saw; whilst they 
 announce one God, just, wise, and merciful; whilst 
 they reveal a blissful eternity, and show the way by 
 which it may be attained ; all is confused, abandoned, 
 and disordered in Rome and Greece. Let us go back 
 to the Old Testament. We must retrograde six hun- 
 dred years, to reach the last of the Jewish prophecies. 
 For the Old Testament is the most ancient of books, 
 and Jewish history is several centuries in advance of 
 that of Greece and Rome. The very time when the 
 prophets Malachi, Haggai, Daniel, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, 
 Isaiah, Hosea,* Avere preaching this glorious doctrine 
 to the Jews, " Before me there was no God formed, 
 neither shall there be after me. I, even I, am the 
 Lord ; and beside me there is no Saviour. I, even 
 I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine 
 own sake, and will not remember thy sins." " Holy, 
 holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts." " Cease to do evil ; 
 learn to do well." " Rend yt)ur heart, and not your 
 garments, and turn unto the Lord your God ; for he 
 is gracious and merciful," Isa. xliii. 10, 11, 25; vi. 
 3 ; i. 16, 17 ; Joel ii. 13 ; this very time corresponds 
 with that of the seven sages, when philosophy timidly 
 essayed its first steps ; when Thales drew the world 
 * From five to eight hundred years before Christ, 
 
80 INSPIRATION 
 
 from water, and Pythagoras taught the metempsycho- 
 sis ; Anaxagoraa had hardly appeared, and Socrates 
 was not yet born. At this time David celebrated the 
 creation, providence, and grace, in strains which, 
 from age to age, give pure and exquisite delight to 
 every pious mind, when confessing his sin, as an 
 act of rebellion against God ; but, at the same time, 
 confiding in the loving kindness of Him whom he 
 had offended, he wrote these words, which have no 
 counterpart in the whole of profane antiquity : " I ac- 
 knowledge my transgressions : and my sin is ever 
 before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, 
 and done this evil in thy sight. — Purge me with hys- 
 sop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be 
 whiter than snow," Psalm li. 3, 4, 7. This period 
 preceded that in which Homer and Hesiod, by their 
 beautiful, but vain fables, excited the admiration of 
 their countrymen. Moses, who published the Deca- 
 logue, that everlasting code of the purest morality, 
 the foundation of all laws and of all society, was con- 
 temporary with Orpheus : and the Greeks wept over 
 the adventures of Eurydice, while the Jews listened 
 with terror to the proclamation of the law from Mount 
 Sinai. Abraham, who understood the value of faith, 
 and the necessity of implicit obedience to the com 
 mands of God — Joseph, who when pressed to com- 
 mit an action which was regarded as a trivial fault 
 among the heathen, cried, " How can I do this great 
 wickedness, and sin against God ?" — correspond to 
 Inachus, Cadmus, Cecrops — to the most profound 
 moral darkness. So strong a light, on the one hand, 
 such total obscurity on tne other ; and the light among 
 a people deemed barbarous, and the darkness among 
 the most civilized ; who can explain this, if the Bible 
 be not the book of God ? How wonderful a people 
 are the Jews ! Before the coming of Christ, and 
 when they alone read the prophetic writings, they 
 were, in their knowledge of God, unequalled among 
 
OF THE BIBLE. 81 
 
 the nations of the earth ; and hardly had the gospel 
 extended to the < rreeks and Romans, than these same 
 
 Jews tell as much below as they had formerly sur- 
 passed them! And yet, men cannot perceive that 
 they owed their former superiority to their possession 
 of the Old Testament, and their subsequent inferiority 
 to their rejection of the New ! 
 
 Von will ihid all this in religion, sir; but you will 
 find greater things than these. You will find doc- 
 trines perfectly adapted to your moral necessities. 
 You will find in Jesus Christ the God of man ; the 
 God of sinners ; your God. Miracles, prophecies, 
 will then appear merely secondary proofs, to which 
 will succeed moral evidence, more precious and per- 
 suasive still. Your difficulties will he lost in a flood 
 of light ; and you will confess, that if the external 
 evidence in favor of the Bible is such that you can- 
 not but believe it, however strange its contents may 
 appear, the internal evidence, in its turn, is so con- 
 clusive, that you would recognise the Bible as the 
 work of God, were you to find it in a desert, unsup- 
 ported by any testimony. I express myself with 
 warmth, sir. It is because I speak from personal 
 experience. I confess there was a time when I 
 doubted ; but I examined, and I believed. 0, sir, 
 will not this blessed experience be yours also ? 
 
 Mr. de Lassalle. — You press me very closely, my 
 dear sir ; but not so quick. At all events, I cannot 
 understand how it is that every body is not convinced 
 of the truth of religion, if the evidence in its favor is 
 so strong. Nevertheless, I am quite sincere ; and 
 sure I am that if I have not believed, it is no fault of 
 mine. 
 
 The Abbe. — If men are not more generally con- 
 vinced of the truth of religion, it is because they give 
 no heed to it ; or because they reject it. You are 
 sincere, say you ? Sincere in the sense of Rousseau, 
 you certainly are, and more so than he was. But 
 
82 INSPIRATION OF THE BIBLE. 
 
 sincerity is not all that is requisite. In \ain might 
 the husbandman sow tares in his field, sincerely be- 
 lieving that he was Bowing wheat: he would never- 
 theless reap nothing but tares. So the doctrines of 
 infidelity, with whatever sincerity they may be re- 
 ceived, can neither enlighten nor save mankind. It 
 is truth that he requires. But I will say more. 
 Wherever sincerity really exists, Christianity is not 
 far off. Can that sincerity be true, which does not 
 lead us to examine ? Seek truth. Seek it by every 
 possible means. Then you will be sincere : but then, 
 without being a prophet, I foresee you will soon be a 
 believer. And should it be true, sir, that the Christian 
 religion is of God ! Should it be true, that you must 
 believe the gospel in order to be saved ! Should it 
 be true, that in neglecting it, you are consigning your 
 soul to eternal perdition ! 
 
 Lucilla, (after a pause.) — My husband has left us. 
 He is agitated. I am myself too much affected to 
 speak now. You have done me good. Be assured 
 of my warmest gratitude. I shall soon write to you. 
 Adieu ! 
 
PART II. 
 
 INTERPRETATION OF THE BIBLE. 
 LETTER I. 
 
 LUCILLA TO THE ABBE FAVIEN. 
 
 Blessed be the day when I first indulged the heav- 
 en-inspired thought of writing to you ! You have 
 dissipated all my doubts. Nothing, I imagine, can 
 give greater pleasure to a minister of Christ, than 
 to bring back a lost sheep to the fold. I, sir, am this 
 lost sheep ; and you have led me back. At least, you 
 have begun this good work ; and I confidently hope 
 you will complete it. Yesterday I received the par- 
 cel you have had the goodness to send me, with the note 
 that accompanied it. I gratefully accept the copy of 
 Pascal's " Thoughts," which you kindly enclosed, 
 and have already read several of the passages you 
 pointed out. They are of exquisite strength and 
 beauty. But how shall I describe the pleasure your 
 manuscript gave me ? It was indeed kind and con- 
 siderate of you thus to write down the two conver- 
 sations we have had together ; and you have done 
 this so naturally, that when I read it, I almost fancy 
 we are still talking together. 
 
 I have examined, with renewed interest, your whole 
 line of argument ; and if, while hearing you enlarge 
 upon it, I might have feared the seduction of your 
 eloquence, I am now convinced, by this deliberate 
 6urvey, that your eloquence is that of reason ; and 
 
84 INTERPRETATION 
 
 that the solidity of your proofs justifies the fervor 
 of your faith. Both mind and heart are equally in 
 favor of the gospel ; and I no longer doubt that Je- 
 sus Christ is the Son of God, nor that the Holy 
 Bible is an inspired book. 
 
 1 cannot tell you, sir, what comfort I derive from 
 this conviction. New light dawns upon my mind. 
 I have a foretaste of a new existence. Something 
 serious and profound is about to occupy the place 
 which has hitherto been absorbed by trivial interests. 
 I once heard a pious person say, " There is in the 
 heart of man a void, which only God can fill." It 
 seems to me as if I were now about to experience the 
 truth of this. Not that the future appears strewed 
 with roses. I anticipate conflicts, I expect sacrifices. 
 Nevertheless, I am not disheartened by this prospect. 
 I also begin to feel ill at ease with myself. I insen- 
 sibly discover in my heart and life things which are 
 not as they ought to be, and which must be displeasing 
 to God. But if God thus makes me feel my need of 
 him, surely it is not in order to cast me off! Amidst 
 all the thoughts which agitate me, I find inexpressible 
 consolation in saying to myself, " God has spoken ; 
 what more do I require ? God has spoken ; I have 
 only to listen to his voice, and follow him." 
 
 You it is who have taught me to discover this 
 voice. 0, provide me with the means of hearing it! 
 My heart already expands to receive its divine in- 
 structions ! The fragments of the Bible contained 
 in my " Manual" will not suffice me. I must see the 
 whole of the inspired w r ritings before I can fully ap- 
 preciate the wonderful harmony you have so well 
 described. Pray procure me a Bible, my dear sir. 
 I long to have one, to read it, to devote myself to the 
 study of its holy pages. I might have bought a copy 
 of the sacred writings from one of those wandering 
 colporteurs,* w r ho have hawked them about the coun- 
 * Hawkers. Various Protestant Societies in France employ col- 
 
OK THE BIBLE. 85 
 
 trv during the last year 01 two. But though they 
 offer us Catholic versions, our Cure has exhorted w 
 from the pulpit not to buy them. He affirms that 
 
 they are not the purr word of God; that important 
 alterations have been made in them; and that whole 
 hooks have been excluded. Jt is true, he is not a man 
 in whom one can place unlimited confidence : yet he 
 may he right : and I tremble at the thought of trust- 
 ing myself aione to the guidance of a book, which 
 some impious hand may have altered, even in the 
 least degree. I would rather defer my possession of 
 a copy of the Scriptures till I can receive one from 
 your hands. 
 
 Before I conclude, I must add a few words respect- 
 ing my husband. You have certainly made a great 
 impression upon his mind. Since your visit 1 have 
 not once heard him ridicule religion. He has read 
 your manuscript attentively ; and it is still his inten- 
 tion carefully to investigate the truth of Christianity. 
 But I see, with some uneasiness, that he puts off this 
 inquiry from day to day. 
 
 LETTER II. 
 
 THE ABBE FAVIEN TO LUCILLA. 
 
 You are not mistaken in thinking, that the pious 
 feelings which your letter displays would prove a source 
 of true consolation to my mind. If it be true, that I 
 have had any share in producing so happy a change, 
 I most heartily thank God for it. To Him let us 
 ascribe all the glory, overlooking the feeble instru- 
 ment of which, in his mercy, he has deigned to make 
 use. Doubt not, my dear madam, that He who has 
 
 porteurs, who travel through the country, and offer copies of the 
 Holy Scriptures, at cheap prices, from door to door. Great good 
 has been clone by the labors of these men. — Tr. 
 8 
 
86 1NTERPRETATI0N 
 
 brought you into the good and right way, will lead 
 you safely to the end ; and you may confidently say 
 with the psalmist, " The Lord will perfect that which 
 concerneth me : thy mercy, O Lord, endureth for 
 ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands," 
 Psalm cxxxviii. 8. As for me, I am quite willing to 
 lend you every assistance in my power. It is true, I 
 should have preferred your receiving the counsels of 
 your natural directors ; yet I dare not urge you on so 
 delicate a point. I can conceive all that is exception- 
 able in your position ; and if you think that I can be 
 of any service to you, you will find, at least, that my 
 zeal will not fail you. 
 
 You have done well in not buying a Bible. Those 
 which are sold by the agents of the societies called 
 Biblical and Evangelical are incomplete, as your Cure 
 stated. Several books are wanting, which the church 
 includes in the canon of the Old Testament ; such as 
 Judith, Susanna, Maccabees, and others. As to the 
 reproach of falsification, truth obliges me to say, that 
 it is utterly without foundation. I am not acquainted 
 with the Protestant versions, sold by these colpor- 
 teurs ; but I have myself bought a Catholic Bible 
 from one of them. It is according to the version of 
 Sacy, which is the best we possess in French. I have 
 compared it with an old edition, supported by the 
 approbation of several bishops ; and I have found no 
 other difference between them than the slight changes 
 which time almost invariably introduces into works 
 which are frequently reprinted. I am indeed grieved 
 that Mr. Alexis, who is a worthy man, in spite of his 
 little failings, should have allowed himself to make 
 so grave an imputation, not having duly examined the 
 subject. Unfortunately, he is not the only one who 
 has done this ; and I much fear the Catholic church 
 will be more injured by the use of such means, than 
 by the attack of its adversaries. 
 
 My opinion of the books which are sold by these 
 
OF THE BIRLE. 87 
 
 agents is exactly thai of one of our most respectable 
 prelates, who died Archbishop of Besangon. When 
 he occupied the sec of Montauban, a colporteur, who 
 
 had met with opposition from several ecclesiastics in 
 his diocess, took the wise precaution of submitting 
 his books to the bishop's inspection. This is the 
 answer which he received from his Grace. In order 
 to understand it, I must remind you, that the books 
 which the Protestants omit belong to the Old Testa- 
 ment only ; and that their New Testament is the same 
 as ours. 
 
 " Montauban, April 14, 1832. 
 " I thank you, Mr. Beneche, for the gift of the 
 Bible and the New Testament, edition 1831. It did 
 not require a long examination to assure me, that the 
 latter is in every respect conformable to the edition 
 of 1759, by Mr. Le Maistre de Sacy, under the ap- 
 probation of the French clergy. Consequently, no 
 obstacle exists to its circulation among Catholics. 
 
 " The case is not the same with respect to the Old 
 Testament, in which are omitted, in the edition of 
 1831, all or a part of the books which are not found in 
 the Hebrew text, but which the church has neverthe- 
 less recognised as canonical ; such as Tobit, Judith, 
 Esther, Ecclesiastes, Wisdom, Maccabees, and the 
 History of Susanna. 
 
 " To approve or to authorize the circulation of the 
 Old Testament among Catholics would be to recog- 
 nise in others, besides the Church of Rome, the right 
 of judging with respect to the inspiration of the sa- 
 cred writings, and to subject myself to the awful 
 threatenings of the Holy Spirit : ' If any man shall 
 take away from the words of this book, God shall 
 take away his part out of the book of life,' Rev. xxii. 
 19. So I advise Mr. Beneche to refrain from selling 
 the latter work. 
 
 " L. Guillaume, Bishop of Montauban." 
 
88 INTERPRETATION 
 
 Accor<]iri<_ r i<> this, [ should not have objected to 
 procuring a copy of the New Testament, sold 
 by the colporteurs, had I thought the time arrived 
 when the Holy Scriptures might be placed in your 
 hands. Bu1 I think you would do well to wait a little 
 longer; and [ would rather not send them to you my- 
 Belf, in spite of your earnesl and touching solicita- 
 tions. 
 
 Perhaps you are surprised at this. If, however, 
 you will call to mind my first letter, you will see that 
 my views have not changed. Now is the decisive 
 time with you. You have ascertained, beyond a doubt, 
 that the Bible is of God. You have been convinced 
 of this by evidence, and not by believing the simple 
 attestation of the church. So far this is well, pro- 
 vided that, being once enlightened on the subject, you 
 ever after submit to the guidance of the church, 
 which alone has received authority from God to in- 
 terpret the Scriptures. But if, unaided, you presume 
 to fathom their depths, I fear that you will be misled 
 by your private feelings, and that you will mistake 
 your own opinions for the thoughts of God. 1 fear 
 this doubly lor you, my dear madam, because of the 
 impression and habits of your childhood ; and also, 
 if the whole truth must be told, because of the im- 
 patience which you manifest to read the Scriptures — 
 to read the whole of them yourself. I cannot help 
 considering this as a sort of exaltation, which will 
 expose you, without defence, to the danger I have 
 just pointed out. My frankness will not displease 
 you, I am sure. From a priest you expect not vain 
 compliments. Beware of self-will, I conjure you. 
 Beware of idle curiosity. Beware even of excessive 
 zeal. You would not be the first whom it has led 
 astray. How sad, if when on the point of reaching 
 the desired haven, you should be cast farther from it 
 than ever ! 
 
 Begin, then, my dear madam, by consulting the 
 
OF THE BIBLE. 89 
 
 church, and by receiving the doctrines which it has 
 
 found in tlic Bible. They are contained in writings 
 which everyone may comprehend. You will find them 
 concisely, but clearly stated, in the " Catechism of 
 the Council of Trent," which I have the honor of 
 Bending you with this letter. I also enclose "Stories 
 from the Biblej" by Royaumont.* You will not dis- 
 dain this little work because it is written for children; 
 it is the more simple on that account : and as it ex- 
 actly follows the order of the Bible, it will, in some 
 measure, supply the place of that sacred book, with- 
 out presenting the same disadvantages. Moreover, 
 these disadvantages will not always exist ; and it is 
 not my intention eventually to forbid the reading of 
 the Bible. All that I desire is, that, like as the 
 " new-born babes," of whom one of the apostles 
 speaks, you will be satisfied for a time with the 
 11 milk" which the church — that good and tender mo- 
 ther — offers you, with so much love. In the course 
 of time, when you are able to bear " strong meat," 
 when, " by reason of use, your senses are exercised 
 to discern good and evil," you will be supplied with 
 a Bible. The church itself will give you one, pro- 
 vided you follow its directions, as to the order and 
 choice of the passages you may read, and adopt, as 
 is most due, its meaning in preference to your own. 
 
 LETTER III. 
 
 LUCILLA TO THE ABBE. 
 
 As you foresaw, your answer has surprised me to the 
 last degree. I never for a moment doubted that you 
 would eagerly grant my request. Far from enter- 
 taining the slightest scruple on the subject, I imagined 
 
 * Histoires de la Bible, de Royaumont. 
 
90 INTERPRETATION 
 
 that I was fulfilling a duly. What, sir, you persuade 
 me that the Bible is the word of God, and then re- 
 fuse me the satisfaction of reading il ! 
 
 I understand you perfectly, and God forbid that I 
 should mistake your pious intention ! You wish my 
 faith to be derived from the Bible, but I must not 
 draw it from the fountain-head. Others, better able 
 than myself, will draw it for me. And yet, the little 
 I have hitherto read has done me so much good! 
 Was it not the Bible, by the extracts I met with in 
 my ".Manual,*' that first inspired me with the desire 
 of saving my soul? and was it not this desire that 
 prompted me to address you 7 If I have had the pri- 
 vilege of hearing your instructions — if I am at length 
 roused from my long inditrerence — if I now seek the 
 truth, from which, doubtless, I am further removed 
 than I imagined — do I not owe all this to the Bible ? 
 I feel a sort of gratitude towards this sacred volume. 
 I expected it as one expects the visit of a faithful 
 friend, from whom we hope to receive salutary coun- 
 sels : as I expected you, my dear sir, on the day 
 when God, in his mercy, sent you to remove all my 
 doubts. 
 
 You fear the influence of the impressions which I 
 received during childhood. It is true, that I have 
 more than once seen the Bible in the hands of my 
 father ; and this may indeed increase my desire to 
 possess it. Do not, however, suppose that I am 
 prejudiced in favor of the religious opinions of my 
 family. I think I have already told you that my pre- 
 judices, if such I have, are all enlisted on the opposite 
 side. But that I may be fully enlightened, what more 
 simple means can I employ, than the study of the 
 book which both Catholics and Protestants recognise 
 as the word of God ? 
 
 You tell me that [ must mistrust myself. I feel 
 that this is very true : and I know not what to savin 
 reply. Does Christian humility require that I should 
 
OF THE BIBLE. 91 
 
 abstain from reading the Bible ! Well, then, I will 
 give it up. Believe me, it' this is not a question of 
 
 early impressions, it is still less a question of self- 
 love. Graver motives determine me ; an irresistible 
 
 feeling urges me on in spite of myself. I want to 
 my soul. At any price I seek my soul's salva- 
 tion. But may I not preserve my humility, and still 
 read the Bible? If I never open it without first 
 saving to God, " Lord, suffer me not to misunderstand 
 thy word ; and refuse nut the light of thy grace to 
 thy handmaid, whose chief desire is to know thee, 
 and to obey thy voice*' — O, sir, surely God, who is 
 goodness itself, would preserve me from error ! 
 
 Is the Bible, then, so obscure, that the simple and 
 the unlettered cannot understand it without an inter- 
 preter ? Has God spoken only to the learned? Has 
 he not first provided for the lowly and ignorant, such 
 as myself? Ah! if Christ were still upon the earth, 
 should I not flee to listen to him ; should I not desire 
 to see him : to see him with my own eyes ; and to 
 hear him with my own ears ? I have nearly a simi- 
 lar feeling with respect to the Bible. I know that it 
 is the voice of God. You have taught me to consi- 
 der it as such. I burn to hear it ; I want, to hear it 
 myself; whoever interposes between it and me, em- 
 barrasses and incommodes me Excuse me, 
 
 sir ; perhaps I offend God in the person of his mi- 
 nister ; God knows that this is not my intention ! 
 Forgive my ignorance, all these things are new to 
 me. 
 
 Allow me fully to explain myself. You wish that 
 I should allow myself to be directed by the church in 
 the reading of the Bible ; and that I should abstain 
 from it so long as the church sees good. I am ready 
 to do this, quite ready, if it be the will of God. But 
 you will not require me to yield without proofs. Give 
 me your reasons. Do in this instance what you did 
 when I doubted the inspiration of the Bible, and in 
 
92 INTERPRETATION 
 
 which you have so well succeeded. I confidently 
 hope that you will give me this fresh proof of your 
 zeal for my welfare. Speak: I listen. How can I 
 fear to err while I submit to your direction ! 
 
 P. S. I know not whether I ought to tell you of a 
 remark which was made by Mr. Lassalle. I had 
 given him your letter to read. In returning it he 
 said, rather sharply, " Then why did he urge me so 
 strongly to read the Old Testament ? Does he reckon 
 more on my docility than oif yours ?" This reply has 
 deeply grieved me. I hoped so much for him from 
 the reading of the Bible ; and it is true, as you will 
 remember, that you advised him to undertake it. 
 
 LETTER IV. 
 
 THE ABBE TO LUCILLA. 
 
 These demonstrations, these perpetual reasonings, 
 are not what I should have chosen for you. You 
 have a secret propensity for them, which I would 
 rather combat than cherish. You wish to see and 
 understand every thing. Believe me, you will find 
 no peace but in entire submission of mind. Have 
 you then forgotten what the Lord said to Thomas : 
 " Blessed are they who have not seen, and yet have 
 believed V But I feel that I have entered upon a 
 plan with you, which I know not how to abandon ; 
 and being placed in this alternative, either again to 
 satisfy you, or perhaps throw a stumbling-block in 
 your way, I think it my duty to prove to you the au- 
 thority of the church, as I have before proved the 
 truth of Divine revelation. You will soon be led to 
 acknowledge, that the first is not less clearly esta- 
 blished than the second ; and that the Bible and the 
 church are so inseparably connected together, that 
 
of the umr.E. 93 
 
 one cannot be a consistent Christian without being a 
 
 Catholic Christian. But when once convinced ol 
 this, stop, I conjure you. Allow yourself to be Led, 
 and beware of fighting against the truth. 
 
 We are agreed thai the Bible is inspired of God. 
 But what we require to know is, not the Letter, the 
 text, hut the spirit, the meaning. "The letter killeth, 
 but the spirit giveth Life,"saith the apostle, 2 Cor.iii. 
 6. How is the divine sense which is bidden in the 
 Bible to be discovered ? 'This is the question. To 
 tli is question there are two replies. Some, say, 
 " Every one must examine for himself, confiding in 
 his own private judgment." This is the natural way; 
 and I am not surprised that it is the first which has 
 presented itself to your mind. Others say, " God 
 has established a visible and permanent tribunal upon 
 earth, whom he has charged to interpret the Bible in 
 his name, and whose infallibility ho guaranties. Lis- 
 ten to it, and submit to its decisions." This is the 
 way of faith, and the only one, as you will soon per- 
 ceive, by which you may safely attain the true knowl- 
 edge of God. 
 
 1 will, in the first place, make a preliminary re- 
 mark, which will greatly simplify my task. There 
 are, properly speaking, two points to be proved : 
 First, that an infallible church exists ; secondly, that 
 this church is the Catholic. Were we fully to dis- 
 cuss the second point, it would involve us in histori- 
 cal researches unfitted for the limits of a letter. But 
 this labor is not necessary ; and I think that a few 
 words will be sufficient to elucidate this particular 
 article. I will reserve my longer arguments for the 
 general proposition. For in this case, when the prin- 
 ciple is fully established, the application is implied. 
 Let it be once acknowledged that an infallible church 
 exists, and it will be easy to show that this can be no 
 other than the Catholic. A very simple observation 
 on this point contains all that is necessary for our 
 
94 INTERPRETATION 
 
 present object : The Catholic church is the only one 
 that lays claim to infallibility. A church established 
 by God to pronounce infallible judgment in every case 
 of controversy, must itself be aware of the fact ; and, 
 consequently, all dissenting churches, as they do not 
 believe themselves infallible, cannot possibly be so. 
 This privilege, then, or rather this awfal charge, re- 
 mains uncontested with the Catholic church. Con- 
 sult experience. Have you ever met with any one 
 who believed in an infallible church, and who refused 
 to accept the authority of ours ? And is it not true, 
 that you yourself, madam, if you were convinced that 
 an infallible church exists, would never think of seek- 
 ing it elsewhere than in that church which you see 
 reigning over almost the whole of Christendom ? 
 
 Let us, then, confine ourselves to the chief point. 
 Let us prove the existence of a visible church, which 
 God hath established for the interpretation of the 
 Scriptures, and which he directs in all its decisions. 
 I shall adduce three proofs in support of this propo- 
 sition : Arguments, which demonstrate the necessity 
 of this infallible tribunal ; Holy Scripture, which 
 teaches us that it has been instituted by God ; and 
 tradition, from which we learn that it has always been 
 acknowledged. 
 
 FIRST PROOF. 
 
 THE NECESSITY OF THIS TRIBUNAL. 
 
 Reason alone suffices to show the necessity of an 
 infallible tribunal. The meaning of the Bible must 
 be obscure and profound, in proportion as it is Divine. 
 And yet we would trust to our own private judgment 
 for its discovery ! But what is more variable, more 
 subject to error, than private judgment ? In this case, 
 religion would be abandoned to the same uncertainty 
 in which all philosophical theories are involved. In 
 4 
 
OF THE BIBLE. 95 
 
 philosophy, doubt may be tolerated, because it does 
 not affect salvation. And men have not failed to in- 
 dulge in it. Plato and Aristotle, Leibnitz and Locke, 
 Kant and his disciples, condemn each other, and en- 
 gage in endless disputes. Some, indeed, have con- 
 sidered universal skepticism as the highest point of 
 wisdom. But the world fares none the worse for 
 their wrangling ; and if a philosopher is mistaken, the 
 only evil that results from his error is, that he is ne- 
 glected after his death, though he may have been in 
 high repute during his lifetime. But what would 
 become of us, if the question of our eternal salvation, 
 which constitutes the chief end of our religion, were 
 thus abandoned to the caprice of systems ? It is to 
 this, nevertheless, that private opinion inevitably 
 leads. It is in vain you urge, that the Bible is the 
 word of God. In this we are agreed. But we must 
 understand the Bible. If private opinion be charged 
 with its interpretation, it will turn the word of God 
 into as many meanings as there are teachers who un- 
 dertake its explanation. And why should not every- 
 body undertake it ? 
 
 At this rate, madam, of what service is the Bible ? 
 Revelation becomes useless. I will say more : it 
 would, perhaps, have been better for us never to have 
 possessed it. Then, at least, we should have been 
 spared the scandal of seeing the doctrine of God a 
 prey to all the caprices of opinion ; Holy Scripture 
 serving as food to hopeless quarrels ; the truth brought 
 into disrepute ; and, to use an expression of Jesus 
 Christ, " light itself turned into darkness." Would 
 you ever recognise this as the work of God ? No, no. 
 It is impossible to admit the order which our adver- 
 saries suppose, because it is unworthy of his wisdom ; 
 or rather, this order would be nothing less than or- 
 ganized disorder. Jesus Christ cannot have left his 
 work unfinished. He must necessarily have some- 
 where established a tribunal, to which he has given 
 
96 INTERPRETATION 
 
 sovereign authority and positive light to explain his 
 ■written word. Without this auxiliary, the written 
 word would qo more, suffice for the church, than a 
 code of laws would meet the wants of society, with- 
 out a body of judges to explain and enforce them. 
 Such a code, isolated, mute, unapplied, would only 
 engender endless disputes. Let us then conclude, 
 madam, that a visible tribunal exists ; because it is 
 indispensable for the peace of the church ; for the 
 unity of the faith ; and, if I may so express myself, 
 for the honor of the Scriptures themselves. 
 
 This is what reason itself suggests ; and you must 
 allow that its arguments are strong. But we have 
 something still more decisive ; I mean fact. If rea- 
 son cannot conceive that God should have established 
 his church, without forming, at the same time, an in- 
 fallible tribunal in its bosom, Scripture and history 
 combine to attest that such a tribunal has in reality 
 been formed. Let us first examine Scripture. 
 
 SECOND PROOF. 
 
 HOLY SCRIPTURE. 
 
 There exists on earth a church of Christ, which 
 has the promise of eternal protection. " The gates 
 of hell shall not prevail against it," Matt. xvi. 18. 
 This church has Jesus Christ for its celestial Head : 
 but it has also terrestrial heads, whom the Holy Ghost 
 has established over it. " Take heed therefore unto 
 yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the 
 Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the 
 church of God," Acts xx. 28 ; " He that heareth you 
 heareth me ; and he that despiseth you despiseth 
 me," Luke x. 16. We owe them obedience, even 
 when their virtue would not otherwise entitle them 
 to it. " Be subject also to the froward," 1 Pet. ii. 18. 
 And, above all, this church has a head, a successor 
 
OF THE BIBLE. 97 
 
 from St. Peter, to whom special promises are given : 
 u Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my 
 church. And I will give unto thee the keys of the 
 kingdom of heaven : and whatsoever thou shalt bind 
 on earth shall lie bound in heaven : and whatsoever 
 thou shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 
 Simon. 1 have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not. 
 And u hen thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. 
 Feed ray lambs, feed my sheep/' Matt. xvi. 18, 19; 
 Luke xxii. 32 ; John xxi. 15, 17. The ministers of 
 this church have power to remit and to retain sins ; 
 a power which we have just seen more especially 
 ascribed to the apostle Peter. " Whatsoever ye shall 
 bind on earth shall be bound in heaven : and what- 
 soever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in 
 heaven. Whosesoever sins ye remit, they are re- 
 mitted unto them ; and whosesoever sins ye retain, 
 they are retained." Matt, xviii. 18; John xx. 23. 
 This church is visible ; it may be consulted ; and its 
 decisions ought to be respected as those of God him- 
 self: '-If thy brother trespass against thee, tell it 
 unto the church : but if he neglect to hear the church, 
 let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publi- 
 can.*' .Matt, xviii. 15, 17. This church is " the pillar 
 and ground of the truth," 1 Tim. iii. 15. Christ will 
 never abandon it : " Lo, I am with you alway, even 
 unto the end of the world," Matt, xxviii. 20 : a prom- 
 ise which cannot apply to the apostles alone, but 
 which*must extend to their successors ; since the 
 apostles could not live till the consummation of all 
 things. Then, when leaving the earth, in order to 
 reassure them against the fear of being deprived of 
 his assistance, Christ promises them the Holy Spirit, 
 who shall ^uidethem into all truth : " I will pray the 
 Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that 
 he may abide with you for ever. He shall teach you 
 all things. For it is not ye that speak, but the Spiri 
 of your Father which speaketh in vou." John xiv 
 9 
 
98 INTERPRETATION 
 
 16, 26 ; xvi. 13 ; Matt. x. 20. And these same dis- 
 ciples of Christ, shortly afterwards assembled in Je- 
 rusalem, did not fear thus to commence a letter which 
 they addressed to the churches : " It seemed good to 
 the Holy Ghost, and to us," Acts xv. 28 ; thus show- 
 ing the authority which God conferred on his bishops 
 assembled in council. From all this, one of the apos- 
 tles draws, with respect to the interpretation of the 
 prophecies, a conclusion which is evidently as appli- 
 cable to the other parts of Scripture, and which of 
 itself alone is sufficient to decide the question : 
 " Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the Scrip- 
 ture is of any private interpretation," 2 Peter i. 20. 
 
 Frankly, madam, now are not these passages enough 
 to convince an unprejudiced mind that there must be 
 a visible church on earth, to which the gift of infalli- 
 bility had been promised ; and which, being traced 
 back to the apostles, through an uninterrupted suc- 
 cession, will endure to the end of time ? 
 
 THIRD PROOF. 
 
 TRADITION. 
 
 I appeal, lastly, to historical fact. A perpetual 
 tradition, which dates from the time of the apostles, 
 attests that men have always acknowledged the ex- 
 istence of an infallible church. 
 
 But let us here anticipate an objection, it may 
 be urged, that tradition cannot afford any positive 
 proof, because it is but the testimony of fallible men. 
 The answer is easy. I shall not appeal to your good 
 sense, madam, or, I ought rather to say, to your piety, 
 for an impartial opinion of a doctrine, according to 
 which, nothing is proved by the unanimous consent 
 of even the apostolic churches. I will not allege 
 that the testimony of men, when these men are Chris- 
 tians of the first centuries, the cotemporaries and the 
 
OF THE IUHLE. 99 
 
 immediate successors of tin- apostles, may have been 
 specially directed of God, and preserved from error. 
 though I could show that this has indeed been the 
 case. Bui what I wish to prove, is not, properly 
 speaking, the infallibility of primitive tradition : it is 
 the existence of an infallible church. To this end 
 it suffices to consider tradition as an historical testi- 
 mony, without urging the warrants of Divine protec- 
 tion, which render its authority equal to that of the 
 written word. Here, then, in this point of view, is 
 a short and peremptory reply to the ohjection I have 
 just mentioned. It is, that were the ohjection valid, 
 it would produce no less an effect than the overthrow 
 of Christianity itself. It would sap its very foundation. 
 For this tradition, which some affect to distrust, is 
 indispensable to all parties in order to demonstrate 
 both the authenticity and integrity of Scripture ; and 
 also the miracles and prophecies, which demonstrate, 
 in their turn, the inspiration of the Old and New 
 Testaments. Men must be consistent with them- 
 selves : if they reject tradition, they must reject it in 
 every case. Then, indeed, they may refuse to admit 
 its testimony in favor of an infallible church ; but they 
 must also refuse its testimony in favor of the inspi- 
 ration of the Scriptures. Is it to this that they would 
 bring us ? At all events, madam, it is not to this that 
 you wash to be brought. On the other hand, if we 
 receive the testimony of tradition in favor of the 
 Bible, there is no reason why we should doubt the 
 testimony of this same tradition in favor of the church. 
 We may then, I think, pass boldly over this pretended 
 difficulty, and without scruple, invoke the aid of tradi- 
 tion to establish the existence of an infallible tribunal. 
 We shall find the proof of this in several passages 
 drawn from the writings of the most ancient and 
 universally venerated among the fathers. I must not 
 forget that I write for a lady. Two or three quota- 
 tions will suffice me. 
 
INTERPRETATION 
 
 St. Irenaeus was the disciple of St. Polycarp, who 
 had been the disciple of St. John the Evangelist. 
 You see that Irenaeus was almosl cotemporary with 
 
 the apostles. This holy martyr, when contending 
 with the heretics, did not rest his arguments on the 
 Scriptures alone ; he especially brings forward against 
 
 them the invariable faith of the universal church. " It 
 is by this perpetual and uniform tradition," says he, 
 " it is by this faith preached by the apostles, received 
 into the world, and preserved to the present hour by 
 the bishops who succeeded them, that we confound 
 all those who convoke unlawful assemblies, from 
 whatever motive it may be, from self-love, blindness, 
 or malice." After having indicated the succession of 
 the bishops of Rome, he adds, farther on, addressing 
 certain heretical sects : — " I wish to show them the 
 force of tradition, and the absolute power it exercises 
 over the heart and mind. There are still many bar- 
 barous nations, — I call them barbarous as to language ; 
 but as to sentiment and doctrine they are wise and 
 well-pleasing to God, since they dwell in righteous- 
 ness and chastity. All these nations, I say, have 
 received the faith of Christ, without paper or ink. 
 They have nothing more than the doctrine of salva- 
 tion written in their hearts by the Holy Ghost : and 
 know no other rule of faith than the ancient tradition, 
 which they faithfully preserve, touching God the 
 Creator, and Jesus Christ, his Son. Their forefathers, 
 instructed by the apostles, or the first disciples, have 
 thus learned the tradition, and have transmitted it with 
 the same fidelity to their descendants from father to 
 son : not having hitherto had any heretical assemblies 
 among them." (Against Heresies, book iii. chap. 3.) 
 
 Thus the belief of these simple people rested, not 
 on the Scriptures, but on tradition ; and yet Ave find 
 that St. Irenaeus, writing so near the time of the 
 apostles, far from condemning, approves them. There 
 was, then, according to St. Irenaeus, independent of 
 
OF THE BIBLE. 101 
 
 the Scriptures, an authority, whose decisions were 
 law: there was an infallible church. 
 
 Another father, Tertullian, who wrote at the begin- 
 ning of the third century, declares also, "that we 
 cannot know what the apostles have preached, ex- 
 cept from the churches which they have founded, 
 and which they have taught, first, by word of mouth, 
 and afterwards by letter. All doctrine which agrees 
 with that of these apostolic and mother churches, 
 which are as ancient as the faith itself, is the true 
 doctrine ; since it is that which the churches have 
 received from the apostles ; the apostles from Jesus 
 Christ ; Jesus Christ from God." This language 
 supposes that the universal church preserves the 
 apostolic doctrine, without probability of error : and 
 Tertullian is so far from consenting that any private 
 person should be allowed to oppose the testimony of 
 Scripture to that of the church, that he adds these 
 remarkable w T ords : — " Even should the issue of these 
 disputes on Scripture not be equally favorable to both 
 parties, the order of things would still require that we 
 should begin by the examination we are now about 
 to make. To whom does the faith itself belong? to 
 whom the Scriptures ? from whom, by whom, to 
 whom, and at what time, has the Christian doctrine 
 been transmitted ?" — Prescriptions against Heretics, 
 sec. xix. xxi. 
 
 I could also quote St. Cyprian, the disciple of Ter- 
 tullian, who wrote, in his Treatise on the Unity of the 
 Catholic Church, " that the church founded by St. 
 Peter, is never separate from Jesus Christ ; that the 
 bishop is in the church, and the church in the bishop ; 
 so that he who is not with the bishop, is not in the 
 church ; that this chaste spouse of Christ Jesus can- 
 not be corrupted ; that it preserves us for God ; that 
 he who forsakes the church of Christ will never re- 
 ceive the recompense of Christ ; and, in fine, that he 
 who has not the church for his mother, cannot have 
 9* 
 
102 INTERPRETATION 
 
 God for his Father " — Unity of the Catholic Church. 
 end of letter lxviii. and under Eph. iv. 4. 
 
 But I fear lesl I should tire you, madam, and I 
 hasten to mention St. Augustine. No doctor enjoys 
 a higher reputation for piety, science, and genius; 
 and none more clearly allirnis the existence of a Ca- 
 tholic church, " which, set upon a hill, as the gospel 
 saith, must be known throughout the world, and can- 
 not remain hid. It is only in her bosom that one can 
 find sure and certain unity; so that it should never 
 be abandoned on any consideration." — Against the 
 Letter of Parmenian, book iii. chap. v. sec. xxviii. 
 This church being the only one which lias attested 
 the Divine inspiration of the Scriptures, is also, ac- 
 cording to St. Augustine, the only one that is able to 
 explain them ; and those who believe it in the one 
 instance, says he, ought, by parity of reason, to be- 
 lieve it in the other. This is precisely the same 
 argument which I have just employed respecting tra- 
 dition. Can any thing be stronger than what this holy 
 and learned man has written on the subject, to the 
 disciples of Manicheus : — " As for myself, I would 
 not believe the gospel, did not the authority of the 
 Catholic church determine me to do so. If, then, I 
 hearken to those who tell me to believe the gospel, 
 why should I refuse to hear them when they tell me 
 not to believe in Manicheus ? There is but one al- 
 ternative. Either you cannot show me any thing in 
 the gospel which is evidently favorable to Manicheus ; 
 and in this case, I would believe the Catholics rather 
 than you ; or you will find there some formal testi- 
 mony in his favor ; and then I should believe neither 
 the one nor the other. I should not believe them, 
 because they would have deceived me respecting 
 you ; nor you, because you bring forward a book 
 which I have only believed on the faith of men, who, 
 according to this supposition, would have deceived 
 me." — Against the Epistle of Manicheus, called Fun- 
 
OV TI1K niHi.E. 
 
 103 
 
 tUtmenti, chap. v. Wha1 signifies this language, if 
 there is not a visible church on earth; an infallible 
 trihiin;il charged with the interpretation of the Scrip- 
 tures, whose inspiration it alone has been able to 
 guaranty? 
 
 I could multiply testimonies without end. But 
 those which I have produced are sufficiently nume- 
 rous and important to show, that from the origin of 
 Christianity, men have believed in the authority of 
 the church, and in the necessity of implicit submis- 
 sion to its decisions. In order to doubt the truth of 
 this, we must not only refuse to accredit these testi- 
 monies, but also deny a number of well-authenticated 
 farts, which prove that such was the general convic- 
 tion. If we come to this, it remains for us to explain 
 how this belief suddenly arose, how it has become 
 prevalent, and has been established throughout the 
 world, without our being able to discover its com- 
 mencement, or to indicate either those who first pro- 
 posed or those who have resisted it ; or, in short, to 
 show any traces of this controversy. The fact, that 
 this belief has been produced and authorized by long 
 custom, till it has the force of law, affords an argu- 
 ment of great weight. For, if we consider how 
 contrary the doctrine of an infallible church is to 
 the self-will of man, (as you know by experience, 
 madam,) we may affirm, that the authority of the 
 church is sufficiently proved, by the fact alone, that 
 it has been recognised. In a case of this kind, suc- 
 cess is justification ; and it is as impossible to explain 
 the universal establishment of this authority, if it be 
 not legitimate, as to account for the propagation of 
 Christianity in the world, if God have not taken the 
 cause in hand. Such is the argument drawn from 
 tradition, or, if you will, from history. I cannot con- 
 tract it so as to suit the limits of a letter, without 
 diminishing its force ; but I think that I have said 
 enough to convince a mind like yours, which, indeed. 
 
104 INTERPRETATION 
 
 requires good reasons, but knows how to be satisfied 
 when it has found them. 
 
 You ask for proofs, madam ; I give you three. If 
 you consider that any one among them, taken sepa- 
 rately, is not perfectly conclusive, you must at least 
 admit that they complete and strengthen each other ; 
 so that, when united, they are irresistible. They 
 have appeared such to a Pascal, a Bossuet, a Fene- 
 lon, a Massillon. and to the brightest luminaries of 
 the church in all ages. The excellent men whom I 
 have just named, though divided in opinion on a few 
 points of minor importance, are all agreed in recog- 
 nising an infallible church, and the admirable order 
 which Christ has established in its bosom ; subject- 
 ing the faithful to their pastors, the pastors to their 
 bishops, and all the bishops of Christendom to the 
 Romish See ; where ends this wonderful Catholic 
 unity, which embraces the whole earth, and has no 
 equal in the history of mankind. How beautiful is 
 this exclamation, which escaped from the heart of 
 Bossuet, in the Assembly of 1682, when he was de- 
 fending the rights of the Gallican church : — " Holy 
 Romish church, mother of churches, and mother of 
 all the faithful, church chosen of God to unite his 
 children in the same faith, and in the same charity ; 
 we will ever seek the preservation of thy unity with 
 the most yearning solicitude !" 1 cannot, indeed, 
 conceive how any humble-minded lover of the truth 
 can resist such weight of evidence. I know that 
 you could show me, in the communion in which you 
 were born, and even among your reformers, both 
 learned and virtuous men. Far be it from me, 
 madam, to adopt the calumnies which, during the 
 last few years, some have taken the pains to utter 
 against them. But you know the power of prejudice, 
 even over an upright mind. Add to this, the tempt- 
 ation suggested by pride and independence, which so 
 easily glides into the hearts of such as possess supe- 
 
OF THE BIBLE. 105 
 
 rior faculties; and you u ill see nothing in the history 
 of all dissenting churches for which we cannot rea- 
 dily account, even admitting the truth of what I have 
 just demonstrated. 
 
 But the history of these churches would itself 
 furnish a fresh proof of the necessity of a visible 
 tribunal. The great Bossuet very clearly shows 
 this. The history of these churches is but that of 
 their variations. Hardly, indeed, can they be called 
 churches. The name of sects is much more appli- 
 cable to them : so ready are they to separate them- 
 selves into fractions, which again are subdivided with- 
 out end. And why should we wonder at this ? The 
 principle once established, they must submit to its 
 consequences, as they will not have a judge to de- 
 cide in cases of controversy. Dissenting sects can 
 have no centre of authority ; and having no authority, 
 they can have neither certainty for the faithful, nor 
 unity in the church. " Every one," says Bossuet, 
 " has made a tribunal for himself, in which he con- 
 stitutes himself the arbiter of his belief; and though 
 it would seem that these innovators had wished to 
 restrain the minds of men, by confining them within 
 the limits of the Holy Scriptures, yet as this has 
 only been on condition that each believer should him- 
 self become their interpreter, and should imagine 
 that the Holy Ghost will show him their meaning, 
 there is not a private individual who does not con- 
 ceive himself authorized, by this doctrine, to adore 
 his own inventions, to consecrate his errors, to make 
 God the creature of his own imagination. From 
 thence it has been truly foreseen, that license being no 
 Longer subject to any restriction, sects would multiply 
 to infinitude ; obstinacy would become invincible ; and 
 whilst some would engage in endless disputes, or 
 would set forth their reveries as inspiration, others, 
 weary of so many idle vagaries, and no longer able 
 to recognise the majesty of religion, thus torn by so 
 
106 INTERPRETATION 
 
 many sects, would, at length, seek a fatal repose, 
 and entire independence, in indifference or in athe- 
 ism."* This same Bossnet showed Claude, in his 
 famous discussion with that minister, to what lengths 
 the Protestant principle must lead him : and, it is 
 said, addressed to him this original question : " Do 
 you think, sir, that a poor old woman can possess as 
 much light as a whole assembly of bishops?" it is 
 added, that Claude was rather embarrassed by this 
 inquiry. It is, in fact, a somewhat perplexing one. 
 But, madam, this subject must be painful to you. I 
 do not think it will be necessary for me to enlarge 
 upon it, after all that I have said on the authority of 
 the church. And, moreover, you must be well 
 aware of the evil ; so much the more aware, because 
 you were born a Protestant. 
 
 Allow me, madam, to warn you against something 
 which your last letter suggested. Be not jealous 
 of the authority of the church, as though it obliged 
 you to abandon a part of your liberty. To yield in 
 such a case is not to give up one's liberty ; it is to 
 make use of it : and you ought rather to rejoice that 
 the church gathers and keeps in store for you all 
 the fruit that you might expect from the reading of 
 the Scriptures, while it spares you the danger of 
 their perusal. 
 
 Yes, madam, the danger ! It is too true, too 
 clearly proved by sad experience, that man, who 
 abuses every thing, may also abuse the word of 
 God ; and that this holy rule of faith and practice 
 may be injurious both to practice and faith, where il 
 is given up without precaution to every individual 
 " The law," saith St. Paul, " is holy, and the com- 
 mandment holy, and just, and good ; but sin, that it 
 might appear sin, worketh death in me by that which 
 is good," Rom. vii. 12, 13. We find in the Bible 
 actions contrary to all our received maxims, and 
 * Bossuet, Funeral Oration on the Queen of England. 
 
OF THE BIBLE. 107 
 
 nevertheless approved or commanded by God ; Avith 
 many other things difficult to believe, and winch 
 
 might :is;«)nish those who ;ire not well grounded in 
 the faith. We also find narratives opposed to all 
 our notions of decency, and which might be a sub- 
 ject of scandal to one brought up in the refinements 
 of the present day. I will not, however, enlarge on 
 this point. Few persons are gifted with sufficient 
 simplicity and strength of mind to bear the reading 
 of the entire Bible. There are not many, besides 
 the priests, Avho can endure so strong a light ; and, 
 consequently, it is to them that the Scriptures have 
 ever been intrusted. Moses expressly says this. 
 " When Moses had made an end of writing the 
 words of this law in a book, he commanded the 
 Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the 
 Lord, saying, Take this book of the law," Deut. 
 xxxi. 24-26. 
 
 This is, moreover, the opinion of a man whose 
 respect for the Bible no one would think of calling 
 in question. Fcnelon thus wrote to a bishop : — 
 " It must be confessed, that if a book of devotion, 
 such as the ' Imitation of Jesus Christ,' or, ' The 
 Spiritual Combat,' or, ' The Guide to Sinners,' con- 
 tained a hundredth part of the difficulties which are 
 met with in Scripture, you would think it a duty to 
 forbid its perusal in your diocess. The excellence 
 of the book would not prevent you from concluding 
 that it ought not to be promiscuously given to the 
 profane and curious ; because this nourishment, 
 though marvellous in itself, would be too strong for 
 them, and they would be unable to digest it." And 
 then this holy bishop concludes his letter by these 
 wise remarks : — " Christians must be instructed con- 
 cerning the Scriptures, before they are allowed to 
 read them. They must be gradually prepared for 
 them; so that before they do read them they may 
 be accustomed to hear them, and may be filled with 
 
108 INTERPRETATION 
 
 their spirit before they see the letter. Those only 
 must be permitted to read them who are simple, do- 
 cile, humble ; who seek not to satisfy their curiosity, 
 not to dispute, not to decide or to criticise, but to 
 find food for their souls. In short, the Scriptures 
 must only be given to those who, receiving the Bible 
 from the church alone, will not seek to discover any 
 other meaning in it than that of the church itself."* 
 
 Is not this, madam, just what I have already said, 
 and which I would take the liberty of again urging 
 upon you, after having given you the proofs which 
 you required, and after having quoted the authority 
 of a Christian so fervent, and, on the whole, so judi- 
 cious as Fenelon. It is zeal for your salvation which 
 prompts me thus to entreat you to submit yourself to 
 the church, and to wait till you have received its in- 
 structions, before you indulge yourself in the reading 
 of the Bible. 
 
 If, in order to decide you thus to act, you require 
 examples drawn from the Bible itself, I can provide 
 you with one which is in many respects analogous to 
 your own case. Perhaps you may remember the 
 Ethiopian officer, whom Philip, the evangelist, met 
 
 * Fenelon, Lettre sur l'Ecriture, art. xiii. ami xiv. The coun- 
 cil of Trent is more explicit than Fenelon : — " As experience has 
 shown, that the indiscriminate reading of the Bible in the vulgar 
 tongue is, on account of the rashness of men, more disadvantage- 
 ous than profitable, it will depend upon the bishops or the inqui- 
 sitor, who will have an understanding on the Bubject with the cur.', 
 or the confessor, to permit tins reading to those persons whom 
 they will judge able to undertake it without danger, and who will 
 gain from it an increase of faith and piety. This permission will 
 be given in writing. Win. ever, without having received a per- 
 mission of this nature, will dure to read or to possess a Bible, 
 cannot receive the absolution of his sins until he bus returned the 
 Bible to his cure. Booksellers who, without having the said per- 
 mission, sh ill sell the Bible, translated into the vulgar tongue, 
 will lose the price of their books, which will be set apart by the 
 bishops for pious purposes ; they will also he liable to other 
 penalties, according to the nature of the delinquency, and agree- 
 able to the judgment of the bishop. The priests themselves can 
 neither read nor buy a Bible without the permission of their su- 
 periors." — Concil. Trident. Regulce indicis, Rejj. iv. 
 
OF THE BIBLB. 109 
 
 while reading the Prophet Lsaiah. " Philip said, 
 Understandest thou what thou readest? And he 
 
 said. How can I, except some man should guide me ? 
 And lie desired Philip that he would come up and sit 
 with him," Acts viii. 30, 31. Here is a man who 
 begins, like yourself, madam, to turn to the Lord ; 
 whom no sacrifice daunts in his pursuit of truth ; a 
 man who imagines, in the first instance, that there 
 can be no better means for its discovery than the 
 reading of the Scriptures ; but a man who, instructed 
 by this very reading, and warned by a spirit of hu- 
 mility, soon acknowledged that he could not under- 
 stand them, unless some one explained them to him, 
 and who seized the first opportunity of placing his 
 Bible in the hands of a director. Philip, madam, 
 may be considered as the church ; and will not you 
 be as the Ethiopian ? Do you think you will be able 
 to do what this simple and pious man confessed that 
 he could not ? and this narrative, the first detailed 
 account of a conversion which is found in the book 
 of the Acts ; does it not clearly indicate the road in 
 which God wills that you should walk ? 
 
 Enter upon it, madam, with faith, with simplicity of 
 heart. Submit to the guidance of the church. To the 
 church, to the church alone, is applicable the remark 
 which you so kindly address to me at the conclusion 
 of your letter : — " How can I fear to err while I sub- 
 mit to your directions ?" 
 
 P. S. I do not think that I contradict, myself, when 
 I advise Mr. de Lassalle to read the Old Testament. 
 His position is very different from yours. I had 
 judged this perusal necessary to convince him of the 
 inspiration of the Bible, and more especially of the 
 fulfilment of prophecy. When once convinced on 
 those points, should he desire to penetrate into the 
 meaning of the Scriptures, I would invite him to rely 
 upon the judgment of the church, just as I have done 
 with respect to you. 
 
 10 
 
110 INTERPRETATION 
 
 LETTER V. 
 
 LUCILLA TO THE ABBE. 
 
 After the letter you have had the goodness to write 
 to me, I no longer dare persist in my desire to possess 
 a Bible. Your arguments stumer me, and your 
 warnings alarm me. What am I, a poor ignorant 
 woman, that I should withstand the wisest teachers, 
 and separate myself from the universal church ? I 
 see that I must yield, and address myself to those 
 whom you call my natural directors. Well, I will 
 obey. I have reached the term of my irresolution. 
 Why can I not also say, the term of my difficulties ? 
 
 I must confess that, in this instance, I do not feel 
 the same satisfaction which I experienced after 
 having heard your reasonings on the inspiration of 
 the Scriptures. In the reasons which you have 
 given me to-day, I do not perceive the clearness, the 
 simplicity, the evidence, which I found in your 
 former arguments. I was then convinced without' 
 reservation, and was happy to be so. Now I feel as 
 one who has no reply to urge, but who would not be 
 sorry to find an answer. The head is convinced, 
 but the heart is not so submissive as I could wish. 
 
 Because, in spite of myself, this idea is constantly 
 recurring to my mind, that I ought to read the Bible, 
 since it is of God. It is, as it were, an instinct 
 which sets aside all arguments, which resists them, 
 perhaps . . . But no, I resist no longer. I am de- 
 cided to adopt the way which you advise ; and if it is 
 the right one, as I hope, as I believe, God will doubtless 
 enable me to find in it that peace to which I am still 
 a stranger. Be easy, I will not purchase the Bible. 
 
 The Bible, which first opened my heart ! the 
 Bible, which you have taught me to call the book of 
 God ! the Bible, which has inspired you with an ad- 
 
0F THE BIBLE. Ill 
 
 miration you know so well how to communicate to 
 others ! I have road the ,k Catechism of the Council 
 of Trent/' and the " Stories of Royaumont." These 
 books are excellent, doubtless, since you recommend 
 them ; but they do not speak to my heart. They are 
 not like the Bible. Do not forsake me, sir. Pity 
 me. Pray for me. I know not what to think of my 
 own thoughts. I make a very unworthy return for all 
 your goodness ; and I fear lest I should weary your 
 patience. Here I will pause. I know not whether 
 I shall decide to finish this letter, or to burn it. 
 
 I have not shown your letter to my husband. I 
 would rather wait until my own views are less waver- 
 ing. Considering the state of mind in which we both 
 are at present, I fear we should only weaken each 
 other. 
 
 The same Day, Evening. 
 
 I am more perplexed than ever. You will find it 
 difficult to believe what I am about to relate. Is it a 
 direction from God ? Is it a snare laid for my soul ? 
 You will be better able to judge of this than I am. 
 Hardly had I laid down my pen an hour, when we 
 received a visit from Mr. Mercier. He is an old 
 friend of Mr. de Lassalle ; and you may, some years 
 ago, have seen him at our house. His affairs have 
 brought him into this part of the country ; and he has 
 had the kindness to come out of his way for the pur- 
 pose of paying us a visit.' He dined and spent the 
 evening at the castle. It is ten o'clock, and he has 
 only just left us. Almost all our conversation has 
 turned on what think you ? On religion ! 
 
 Mr. Mercier was born a Catholic, and lived till he 
 was upwards of forty years of age in the practice of 
 his religion, as well, or rather as ill, as a great many- 
 others. But within the last year or two he has be- 
 come, I was going to say, a Protestant ; but, in fact, 
 I know nothing about it ; for he has not once pro- 
 
112 INTERPRETATION 
 
 nounced that name. What is very certain, is, that he 
 is changed, and that in reading the Bible ; and I 
 suspect that he has come here on purpose to convert 
 us. I cannot blame him for it. I have always 
 thought, that a man who believes himself in the right 
 way, fulfils a duty in seeking to lead others into the 
 same path. 
 
 Mr. Mercier was the first that led the conversation 
 to this subject. My husband, though much cooled 
 since your first letter on the reading of the Bible, 
 then proposed several questions, which were sug- 
 gested, as I easily perceived, by what he had heard 
 and read from you. I was very much inclined to do 
 the same, in my turn, but was restrained by the 
 thought of your advice. I feared lest I should ex- 
 pose myself to some temptation. I remained silent, 
 and Mr. Mercier must have found me extremely 
 reserved. 
 
 I will not conceal from you, sir, the fact, that my 
 coldness was merely assumed ; and that I listened 
 with eagerness to the explanations which he gave 
 my husband. Will you believe it? His views bear 
 a wonderful resemblance to those w r hich I expressed 
 in my last letter to you. Mr. Mercier has passed 
 through the same state of perplexity in which I am 
 at present. He long hesitated whether he ought to 
 read the Bible. He at length determined to do so, 
 and blesses God that he was led to such a decision. 
 A new day, he says, has arisen upon his soul, since 
 he ceased to allow man to interpose between it and 
 God. 
 
 We gave him your manuscript to read. He ad- 
 mired it much, and said to Mr. de Lassalle, when he 
 returned it, " I have rarely seen the Divine inspira- 
 tion of the Scriptures at once so clearly and so briefly 
 established ; the evidence affords almost mathemati- 
 cal certainty. Nevertheless," added he, after a 
 moment's reflection, " unless the Spirit of God speak 
 
OF THE BIBLE. 113 
 
 to the heart of a man, even these proofs will not con- 
 vince him. 1 have experienced this myself. It is 
 
 one thing to have the mouth closed, and another to 
 have the heart opened." 
 
 sir, with what warmth, with what eloquence, he 
 Bpeaks of the Lord Jesus Christ, of what he has suf- 
 fered for our sins, and of what we owe him in return ! 
 He is so penetrated with this subject, that it has made 
 him quite another man; as serious as he was formerly 
 trifling ; swearing no more ; no longer yielding to an- 
 ger. Mv husband could not overcome his surprise. 
 He said to me, " If Mercier were born a second 
 time, he could not be more different from what he 
 was." 
 
 1 flatter myself, my dear sir, that in this instance 
 you will appreciate my distrust of myself. But I have 
 a project in view, which I will not put into execution 
 till I have submitted it to your approval. I should 
 like to write to Mr. Mercier, and ask him what are 
 the reasons which have determined him to read the 
 Bible for himself. I would fain hear what he has to say 
 on the subject. I think that I shall then be fully en- 
 lightened. This will not prevent me from yielding to 
 you in the end ; but I shall do so with a more tran- 
 quil mind, after having heard the contrary arguments. 
 And then, as I shall have them in writing, I shall not 
 run the risk of being taken by surprise. I can medi- 
 tate on them at leisure. I can. ask your opinion con- 
 cerning them. Pray, my dear sir, indulge me in this 
 fantasy. Or, rather, to speak seriously, do not refuse 
 me that which is almost necessary to satisfy my con- 
 science. Your opposition would cruelly embarrass 
 me ; for you know my deference to your judgment. 
 I shall expect your answer with much impatience. 
 
 10* 
 
114 INTERPRETATION 
 
 LETTER VI. 
 
 THE ABBE TO LUCILLA. 
 
 So then, madam, you are not yet at the end of your 
 questions. I had foreseen this. You find yourself 
 upon a declivity, where you will find it difficult to 
 arrest your steps. Oh that this warm heart, this un- 
 quiet mind, would at length seek repose in the bosom 
 of the church ' Oh that this ardor which consumes 
 you, were but peacefully spent in the service of the 
 Lord ! 
 
 You perplex me in your turn. I dare not direct 
 you in so delicate a matter, especially as I have no 
 other right or claim upon you than that with which 
 your confidence has invested me. I fear, I must con- 
 fess, that in writing to Mr. Mercier, you will enter 
 upon a perilous path ; doubly perilous with the dis- 
 position of mind in which you now are. But can I 
 forbid your doing so ? Even were I more assured of 
 vour docility than is the case, ought I not to fear lest . 
 I should lead you to doubt my reasons, by preventing 
 you from hearing those of others ? And again, per- 
 haps it is necessary for you to hear them, in order 
 to discover their weakness. From my knowledge 
 of you, I am sure that you will imagine them good 
 until you have heard them. However this may be, 
 I cannot encourage, hut I dare not restrain you. 
 Consult your Cure. Perhaps he will have more 
 liberty, or more light, than I have. 
 
 LETTER VII. 
 
 LUCILLA TO MR. MERCIER. 
 
 Sir, — The day on which we had the pleasure of 
 seeing you at the castle, I heard you say, that after 
 
OF THE BIBLE. 115 
 
 having long believed thai every Layman ought to refer 
 to the church forthe interpretation of the Scriptures, 
 you changed your opinion two years ago, and that you 
 now seek tin- meaning of the Bible for yourself, with- 
 out placing any man between ( rod and you. This was 
 your expression, which 1 well remember. Might I 
 take the liberty of asking you, what are the reasons 
 which have led you to adopt such a determination ? 
 1 shall be much obliged to you if you will kindly 
 enlighten me on this point. Doubt not that your re- 
 plv. in spite of certain appearances, will be to me an 
 object of the deepest interest. I confide in your dis- 
 cretion. 
 
 LETTER VIII. 
 
 MR. MERCIER TO LUCILLA. 
 
 Madam, — Be assured that you confer an obligation 
 upon me, when you provide me with an opportunity 
 of explaining my faith, and of giving glory to the word 
 of God ; and if my feeble testimony can engage you 
 to read that word in your turn, I shall render thanks 
 to the Author of every good thought. For what the 
 Bible has done for me, it will do for you ; it will do 
 for all who receive it, " not as the word of men, but 
 as it is in truth, the word of God," 1 Thess. ii. 13. 
 You wish to know the reasons which have determined 
 me to read the Bible in this spirit. In order to satisfy 
 you, I must go back a few years, and give you a full 
 account of the change* which God has deigned to 
 work in my heart. 
 
 I was born at the time of the Revolution, when 
 every creed was rejected. My infant lips were never 
 taught to breathe a prayer ; in my childhood I was 
 taught no other catechism than that of Dupuis and his 
 fellows ; and at sixteen I knew by heart the ignoble 
 
116 INTERPRETATION 
 
 witticisms of the " Philosophical Dictionary." In my 
 youth I never received what is called the " first com- 
 munion ;"* and till the age of thirty, I was totally un- 
 connected with the Christian family, except by bap- 
 tism. As to the Holy Scriptures, like many others, 
 I made a jest of them, without having any further 
 acquaintance with them than what I derived from the 
 quotations of Voltaire. 
 
 Being at Strasburg, in 1827, I heard of Oberlin, 
 the humble, but celebrated pastor of the Ban de la 
 Roche. He was mentioned, not as an eminent Chris- 
 tian, but as a great philanthropist. I went to see him. 
 I found more than I sought. I found him not only 
 superior to what I expected, but altogether different. 
 Doubtless, I admired the genius, fraught with indus- 
 try and beneficence, by which he had succeeded in 
 converting an almost savage district into one which 
 hardly yields to any other department in France, for 
 true civilization. I could not, without emotion, see 
 this good pastor, who, while still fulfilling all the du- 
 ties of his holy calling, had erected factories, found 
 means of exporting their produce, laid down roads," 
 constructed bridges, renewed the face of the soil, in- 
 troduced the culture of the potato ; laboring himself 
 when necessary, with pickaxe or spade in hand, q| 
 the head of his parishioners, whom he called his 
 children. But what especially attracted my attention 
 was the principle of all this. The heart of Oberlin 
 interested me even more than his labors, and I al- 
 most forgot the philanthropist in thinking of the man 
 of God. He did good w T ith so much simplicity, so 
 much forgetfulness of self, and so much happiness, 
 that it was easy to see he did it for God, as much, at 
 least, as he did it for man. I then, for the first time, 
 understood Christian piety, by beholding it in prac- 
 tice. This spectacle made a deep, an indelible im- 
 pression upon me ; and I said to myself, " The re- 
 * Equivalent to English confirmation. 
 
OF THE BIRLE. 117 
 
 ligion which has produced such a man deserves ex- 
 amination : the belief \\ Inch renders him so contented 
 in the midst of privations, and i'ar from the world, is 
 a thing to be considered." You see, madam, God 
 employs more than one means of bringing souls to 
 himself. A worthy priest convinced you of the in- 
 spiration of the Bible, by arguments as solid as they 
 are eloquent. The good Oberlin taught me the truth 
 of the Christian faith by the Christian life. Argument 
 came after. 
 
 At parting, Oberlin gave me a New Testament. I 
 received it as a book which would explain the char- 
 acter of Oberlin, and read it in the course of a few 
 days. I found many things in it which appeared to 
 me absurd ; with others, the greater number, which 
 I thought admirable. Being wounded in the face a 
 short time after, during a military exercise, and almost 
 deprived of sight for several weeks, I could not study 
 my book ; but I had retained a few passages, which 
 at times consoled me. I said to myself, " Perhaps 
 this really is the word of God." — " The word of 
 God !" this thought sent a thrill through my very 
 being. Even during the time of my infidelity I had 
 my better moments, like every one else. I then 
 wished to know what was true, and to do what was 
 right. But, the truth, the right, — how was T to dis- 
 cover them ? Where could I find a positive rule, a 
 perfect model ? Everything that proceeds from man 
 may be controlled by another man. But if there were 
 a word of God, what a difference ! We should then 
 have a solid, an immoveable foundation. This ap- 
 peared so glorious, that I dared not believe it. 
 
 A friend came to my help ; he was a pious priest, 
 who, in many respects, resembled the one whose 
 conversations on the inspiration of the Scriptures Mr. 
 de Lassalle showed me the other day. Thanks be 
 to God, we have more priests of this stamp in France 
 than is generally imagined. He, seeing my doubts, 
 7 
 
118 INTERPRETATION 
 
 advised me to read the New Testament, and, at the 
 same time, to ask of God to enlighten me. " It was 
 thus," added he, " that I myself became a Christian." 
 I did as he recommended ; and I soon remarked these 
 words of Jesus Christ: " If ye then, being evil, know 
 how to give good gifts unto your children : how much 
 more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit 
 to them that ask him?" Luke xi. 13. This encour- 
 aged me to pray for the Holy Spirit. I then began 
 to feel my sinfulness, and my need of a Saviour ; and 
 then to recognise in Christ the spotless sacrifice who 
 offered himself to God for us. As yet, however, my 
 views were very confused. But I was surprised to 
 find nothing in the New Testament on the worship 
 of the saints, and of the Virgin, nor on auricular con- 
 fession, nor on the mass, nor on many things which 
 I had been taught to regard as essential to Christi- 
 anity. I soon had an opportunity of again seeing my 
 friend the priest, and of opening my mind to him. 
 He was evidently alarmed at his own work, and en- 
 deavored to rectify it. I do not blame him ; that he 
 was sincere, and desired my good, I cannot doubt. 
 He believed the gospel, but he also believed the 
 church ; and when he saw that the one did not lead 
 me to the other, he thought it his duty to restrain me. 
 However this may be, he urged me to consult a di- 
 rector, both in the choice of what I read, and in regard 
 of its interpretation. 
 
 I felt this to be a sacrifice ; but, at this period, I 
 had too much conviction, and too little light, to resist 
 a man whom I had learned to consider as a model of 
 piety. Had Oberlin been alive, I should perhaps 
 have had recourse to him, Protestant as he was ; but 
 he had died a year before ; so I placed myself in the 
 hands of the church. From that time, everything 
 changed. As I could only read the New Testament 
 to find a doctrine previously determined, I found it 
 shorter to study this doctrine in the catechism, and 
 
OF THE BIBLE. 119 
 
 in the books of devotion which were recommended 
 me. As my heart grew cold towards the gospel, I 
 soon felt that my religious impressions grew cold 
 also. The Holy Spirit no longer occupied any place 
 in my thoughts. I imagined that my spiritual con- 
 ductors possessed it for me. In a short time, I had 
 nothing left but a borrowed Christianity, which satis- 
 fied my director without satisfying me, and which, in 
 all probability, would have ended by my relapsing 
 into infidelity, if God had not interposed, and with- 
 drawn me from the freezing hands of man. As to 
 the priest of whom I have spoken, we w r ere then far 
 distant from each other ; and he had done me so much 
 good, and so much harm, that 1 knew not how to write 
 to him. 
 
 I was in this state, madam, w r hen, about two years 
 ago, I met a friend of Oberlin, whom I had seen at 
 his house, in the Ban de la Roche. We spoke of 
 the good pastor. I saw tears in the eyes of Mr. 
 Z * * *. I was deeply affected ; my old impressions 
 revived ; I remembered the New Testament of Ober- 
 lin. In short, I related to Mr. Z * * * all that had 
 occurred. It seemed to me, in some respects, as if 
 I were consulting Oberlin himself. I was not mis- 
 taken ; this simple-minded, but sensible and pious 
 man, showed me the error in which I had been in- 
 volved ; and, by clear and solid arguments, drawn 
 mostly from the Bible itself, he convinced me that I 
 ought to seek God, without allowing any man to in- 
 terpose between Him and me. He succeeded so 
 much the more easily, as he had my own experience 
 in his favor ; and I resumed the reading of the New 
 Testament, to which I soon added that of the Old. 
 God, to whom I again addressed my supplications, 
 opened my heart to his word, and enabled me to find 
 what St. Paul so fitly calls " grace and peace." 
 
 There is in the Bible a word which seems to have 
 been used with a special reference to my benefit. It 
 
120 INTERPRETATION 
 
 is that of Rock. This name is often given to Jesus 
 Christ, to signify the immutable firmness of his doc- 
 trines and of his promises. A rock in the midst of 
 the quicksand of human opinions : this was, indeed, 
 just what I required. And even now, my heart thrills 
 whenever I meet with this term ; so that I often 
 exclaim, " I will look unto the Rock that is higher 
 than I." 
 
 The reasons which determined me, madam, and 
 which you desire to know, are those which Mr. 
 Z * * * gave me. I am quite ready to explain them 
 to you. But will you allow me to make an inquiry ? 
 Your letter leads me to presume that you have some 
 scruples as to the reading of the Bible. If such be 
 the case, they have doubtless been suggested to you, 
 as they had been to me ; for they are far from being 
 natural. Can you tell me the origin of these scru- 
 ples ? I should then be better able to suit my expla- 
 nations to your state of mind ; as my friend of the 
 Ban de la Roche did for me. However, if you con- 
 sider my question indiscreet, do not reply. I will 
 wait twelve days — then, if I do not hear from you, 
 I will write again, under the supposition that you 
 experience the same difficulties which for some time 
 arrested me. 
 
 LETTER IX. 
 
 LUCILLA TO MR. MERCIER. 
 
 I am about to give you a great proof of confidence. 
 But how can I doubt the discretion of one who writes 
 as you do ? It is true, that some one has given me 
 scruples as to the reading of the Bible. It is the 
 same priest who proved to me its Divine origin, a 
 true minister of God, an eminently good man. You 
 
OF THE BIBLE. 121 
 
 will find enclosed n copy of two letters which he has 
 written to me on the subject. I shall expect vour 
 Becond Letter with impatience. Yon know not how 
 much the first has interested me. 
 
 LETTER X. 
 
 MR. MERCIER TO LUCILLA. 
 
 "There is nothing new under the sun." I have 
 just read the letters which you have so kindly shown 
 me. They are a sacred deposite, of which you may 
 be assured I shall not make an unworthy use. The 
 reasons which are given by your respectable friend 
 for not allowing the reading of the Bible to laymen, 
 are almost word for word the same as those which 
 were alleged to me. I now see that even if you had 
 not intrusted me with the secret of your scruples, 1 
 should have been nearly sure to hit the mark, by as- 
 cribing to you all those which were formerly mine. 
 
 I am not sorry, however, to have the letters of the 
 Abbe Favien before me, and especially his second. 
 1 shall follow it from point to point ; and the perfect 
 order with which he has explained his views, will 
 enable me to put a little into what I shall say in re- 
 ply. I really feel a sort of shame in thus combating 
 the arguments of one who is, in so many respects, 
 my superior : but you have consulted me, madam ; 
 and it is my duty to declare the truth. Remember, 
 it is not a theologian who addresses you. It is a 
 retired artillery officer, who has nothing wherewith 
 to supply the advantages of which he is destitute, but 
 the desire to convince. This desire, at least, is sin- 
 cere, and profound. I can say with the psalmist, " I 
 believed, therefore have I spoken," Ps. cxvi. 10. 
 
 How I love this good old Abbe ! Do not imagine 
 
 11 
 
122 INTERPRETATION 
 
 that his letters destroy the favorable opinion which 
 his conversations on inspiration had led me to form 
 of him. Doubtless, I believe him to be in error ; but 
 in this error he shows so much sincerity, and so 
 much zeal for your salvation, that I esteem him even 
 when he defends it. It is easy to see, that this same 
 man, who so much fears your reading the Bible, has 
 himself read it, and read it with profit. Marvellous 
 contradiction of the human mind ! Wonderful power 
 of habit and of prejudice ! 
 
 Nevertheless, madam, we cannot but perceive a 
 striking difference, in point of solidity, between the 
 arguments contained in these letters, and in those of 
 the conversations. The advocate is still the same, 
 but the cause is altered. The terms are ill-defined. 
 The words "church," "tradition," etc. are far from 
 affording a clear and precise meaning. Neither is it 
 easy to perceive the exact bearing upon the question 
 of the passages from the fathers, and from the Scrip- 
 tures, which are adduced in testimony. In short, a 
 sort of chiaroscuro pervades the arguments of the 
 Abbe. One feels, after having read them, more- 
 dazzled than enlightened, and more embarrassed than 
 convinced. And yet, they should have very clear, 
 very strong reasons, who consider that they have a 
 right to say to others, " Do not read the word of God 
 yourselves ; we alone can understand it, and explain 
 it to you." Another thing struck me ; it is, that the 
 author of the Letter frequently contradicts the author 
 of the conversations ; and that several of the fruitful 
 and luminous principles, which directed Mr. Favien 
 in his first discussion, are wanting in the second. I 
 shall cite you more than one example of this in the 
 course of my reply. 
 
 These remarks are applicable from the very first, 
 to the terms in which the Abbe has put the question. 
 There are, says he, two ways of interpreting the 
 Bible : one is, to confide in your own private judg- 
 
OF THE BIBLE. 123 
 
 ment ; the other, to Bubmil to that of the church. 
 This would all be very well it' the Abbe had to deal 
 with Rationalists. It is thus that L denominate those 
 self-styled Christians who would Bubject the teach- 
 ings of the Bible to their own reason. The Abbe 
 may well condemn their principles ; and I condemn 
 them also. But we who submit to the Bible as to 
 the word of God, have nothing in common with such 
 men. We place not our confidence in the dictates 
 of our own spirit, but in the Spirit of God. We do 
 not say that each believer ought to rely on his own 
 private opinion; hut we say that he ought to read the 
 Bible, at the same time praying to God to enable him 
 to understand it. Surely, this is very different. Let 
 us not seek to throw discredit on one another's state- 
 ments, by placing them in a false point of view. The 
 Abbe, I am persuaded, has only confidence in the 
 pope and his councils, because he thinks that God 
 has promised to guide them by his Spirit : and we, 
 in our turn, only trust in our private judgment, be- 
 cause we think that God has promised to guide us by 
 the same Spirit. In reality, we both put our trust 
 and confidence in the grace of the Holy Spirit ; but 
 the point on which we separate is this : according to 
 the Abbe, the Holy Spirit only speaks indirectly to 
 each believer, through the organ of the church : ac- 
 cording to us, the Holy Spirit speaks directly to every 
 believer, and without the intervention which he sup- 
 poses. It is on this account that every believer, ac- 
 cording to the Abbe, ought, to leave to the church 
 alone the charge of interpreting the Bible ; and that, 
 according to us, he ought to read it for himself, with 
 prayer for the light of God's Spirit. 
 
 The question being thus put, let us consider the 
 proofs which the Abbe gives in support of his opinion. 
 
 He begins by a preliminary remark, the professed 
 object of which is to simplify his task. Pie says, 
 that it will be sufficient for him to prove the existence 
 
124 INTERPRETATION 
 
 of an infallible church in general ; seeing that this 
 church, if it exist, can be ao other than the Catholic. 
 In this method he thinks that he can establish the in- 
 fallibility of the Roman Catholic church, by argu- 
 ments in w Inch it does not expressly figure. I can 
 easily understand that this way of reasoning simpli- 
 fies the Abbe's task ; and this simplification is usually 
 adopted in the present day by writers who support 
 the same doctrine. Perhaps they hope, by generaliz- 
 ing their theory, to escape the overwhelming difficul- 
 ties which are so often urged against the church of 
 Rome, the pretensions of Rome, the bishops of Rome. 
 One would think that the Abbe was afraid of this 
 word. He seems, like a true Gallican, to affect its 
 avoidance as some ultra-montane authors affect its 
 perpetual use. But I cannot conceive that he should 
 ever be able, by this means, to afford any solid proof. 
 The point of application, which they affect to disdain, 
 in order to fix their attention on the principle alone, 
 is, in this case, the capital point. What you want, 
 is to know whether you ought to receive, as infallible, 
 some determinate authority, to which you are direct- 
 ed to apply for the interpretation of the Scriptures ; 
 and not whether there exists somewhere upon earth an 
 infallible authority. What purpose would it answer, 
 madam, for you to know that somewhere in the world 
 there is a Saviour, if you are not also taught that this 
 Saviour is Jesus Christ ? The general proposition, 
 they tell you, implies the particular. It is rather the 
 particular proposition which implies the general. 
 Should they demonstrate the infallibility of the Roman 
 Catholic church, that would doubtless suppose the ex- 
 istence of an infallible church on earth ; but does the 
 existence of an infallible church ncessarily prove the 
 infallibility of the Catholic ? Not in the least. And 
 by what means can they prove the general proposi- 
 tion, when it is isolated from all application ? They 
 can never prove it. I mistake ; it is, on the contrary. 
 
OF THE BIRLK. 125 
 
 the only means by which it might be proved. It 
 must be bo estranged from practice and reality, it 
 must be rendered bo vague, that proofs may be given 
 in its favor, it" not convincing, at least difficult to re- 
 fute, because difficult to be apprehended. Thus they 
 gain two objects at once. They get rid of the par- 
 ticular proposition, which cannot be demonstrated, 
 by uniting it to the general question. And they render 
 the general proposition demonstrable, by dint of ab- 
 Btraction, separating it from the particular question. All 
 this, madam, inspires me with extreme distrust. 
 So tortuous and crooked a path was never that of 
 the truth. 
 
 In speaking thus, I have no intention of taxing the 
 worthy Abbe with want of uprightness. If his rea- 
 soning is subtle, it is less his fault, than that of his 
 cause, which cannot bear more solid argumentation. 
 Probably, he does not perceive the too great adroit- 
 ness of his manner, because prejudice and long custom 
 have warped his noble character, and led him to the 
 use of means unworthy of him. I make this remark 
 once for all. I must be allowed to express myself 
 freely concerning the arguments of the Abbe : and 
 truth will constrain me, more than once, to be severe 
 in my judgment ; but in doing this, I consider his 
 personal character to be altogether out of the question. 
 
 However this may be, I deny that he has succeeded 
 in proving the general proposition, in which he has 
 prudently taken refuge. He gives what he calls 
 three proofs in its favor. They ought, he says, to com- 
 plete each other ; so that what is wanting in one will 
 be found in the rest. I do not see that, madam. I 
 say, with the author of the conversations : — " It is 
 better to have one good string to your bow than two 
 bad ones." And as he has separately discussed 
 Rousseau's three explanations of prophecy, I also will 
 examine, one by one, the considerations by which the 
 11* 
 
126 INTERPRETATION 
 
 Abbe thinks he can establish the existence of an in- 
 fallible church. 
 
 FIRST PROOF. 
 
 argument: reason. 
 
 On this point I shall confine myself to a few words. 
 This proof is rather to be set aside than refuted. 
 
 The Abbe infers from the insufficiency of private 
 judgment in the interpretation of the Scriptures, the 
 necessity of an infallible tribunal. I could reply, 
 that this argument only concerns Rationalists. Be- 
 cause the human mind is insufficient, when left to it- 
 self, does it follow that it is so still, when led by the 
 Spirit of God ? For this, I repeat, is our belief. 
 
 But should the argument be even brought to bear, 
 it is utterly powerless. All this is only pure conjec- 
 ture. They go back to the birth of Christianity ; 
 they seek the means by which God has ensured its 
 spread and protection ; and they say they dare to af- 
 firm, " This is what he ought to have done. He could 
 not possibly have done otherwise." But what are 
 we, that we should prescribe to God the way which 
 he ought to take ? Can we not then be mistaken in 
 our suppositions ? And what authority will the doc- 
 trine of an infallible church possess, if it rests only 
 on our fallible reason ? 
 
 The Abbe could make this very remark to Mr. de 
 Lassalle, when combating his arguments against the 
 Divine origin of the Scriptures. It seemed impossi- 
 ble to Mr. de Lassalle that God should have revealed 
 himself to man, or that he should have done it in this 
 manner. But the Abbe shows him that, ignorant as 
 we are of the designs of God, we ought not to inquire 
 what he ought to have done, but what he has done. 
 This is what I say in my turn, madam, on the ques- 
 tion which now occupies us. The point is, whether 
 
OF THE BIBLE. 127 
 
 the Spirit of God prefers to speak directly to each 
 believer, or to speak to him indirectly, by the church. 
 Now, I maintain, that no man has a right to decide 
 this question, by the authority of his own reason; 
 and that, instead of seeking what God ought to do, 
 it is more humble, and more certain, to seek what 
 God has done ; in other words, to consult the Scrip- 
 tures. 
 
 The famous comparison of the code proves nothing. 
 We may well say, in this instance, comparison is not 
 reason. In fact, two things are here compared, which 
 are totally dissimilar — the judgment of God, and 
 that of man. Doubtless, when there is question of 
 the judgment of men, a visible tribunal is requisite, 
 because the judgment of men is exercised on visible 
 objects, and refers to the actual state of things. But 
 it does not thence follow, that there must be a visible 
 tribunal for the judgment of God, which is exercised 
 over the heart, and the consequences of which are 
 eternal, and invisible to eyes of flesh. 
 
 Acknowledge then, madam, that the first proof 
 which the Abbe gives you does not, cannot, demon- 
 strate his theory. But then, how is it that this proof 
 is precisely that in which the defenders of an infalli- 
 ble tribunal seem to take the most delight ? I was 
 one day present at a conference, which took place 
 between a priest and a minister, in the presence of 
 several witnesses, at the request of the Marquis of — . 
 It had been agreed, that each of the speakers should 
 bring with him a second, to support him in case of 
 need. But the discussion having turned on the Holy 
 Scriptures, the priest's second expressed himself to 
 this effect : — " I find myself obliged to withdraw from 
 the dispute. I am not a believer. I only came to 
 support the Abbe D — , from purely philosophical con- 
 siderations ; but as you appeal to the Scriptures, and 
 to faith, the only argument that I could use would be 
 out of place ; and therefore I must be silent." What 
 
128 INTERPRETATION 
 
 say you to this, madam ? A priest calls to his aid a 
 friend, who is an unbeliever, and who only defends 
 ihe church on philosophical grounds ! Does not this 
 fact give you a true estimate of the price which they 
 attach to this kind of argument ? and is it not worthy 
 of remark, that a church which calls upon the faithful 
 to disregard all reasoning, in order to submit to itself, 
 makes an abuse of reasoning to establish its authority ; 
 thus uniting the abdication of reason in others with 
 its exaltation for the church itself ? 
 
 I go to the second proof. Permit me to reverse 
 the order followed by the Abbe, and to begin with 
 tradition. He has reserved this article for the last, 
 doubtless because he thought it the one most calculated 
 to persuade you. But 1 have a similar reason for 
 ending by the Scriptural proof, which is, in my opin- 
 ion, both the most important, and the most decisive. 
 It is not the less my intention to treat the question 
 of tradition with every necessary development. This 
 will be the object of my next letter. 
 
 LETTER XL 
 
 MR. MERCIER TO LUCILLA. 
 
 Is it true, madam, that the primitive church believed 
 in the existence of an infallible tribunal, to which the 
 faithful ought to submit, without reserve, for the in- 
 terpretation of the Scriptures ? The Abbe seeks to 
 prove this by quotations from the fathers. Let us see 
 whether he has succeeded. 
 
 SECOND PROOF. 
 
 TRADITION. 
 
 Should all the testimonies which are adduced by 
 the Abbe Favien be as conclusive as he imagines — 
 
0E THE RIBLE. 129 
 
 should it be certain thai the Christians of the first 
 centuries, and the fathers themselves, believed in the 
 existence of an infallible tribunal — this would not suf- 
 fice for its demonstration, if it could not be established 
 
 bv Scripture. For the Scriptures alone can be the 
 rule of our belief, in matters of doctrine. The Chris- 
 tians of the first centuries, the fathers themselves, may 
 have been mistaken. You must not be offended at 
 this supposition ; it would be easy to justify it by 
 facts. I could show you that in passing from the 
 New Testament to the writings of the fathers, the de- 
 scent from Divine infallibility to human fallibility is 
 not only very perceptible, but also that the fathers 
 have fallen into positive errors ; and that they are not 
 always agreed, either with each other, or with them- 
 selves. But on this point I will confine myself to a 
 shorter course, which I have learned from the Abbe. 
 " A church which is infallible," says he, " must ap- 
 parently be aware of the fact." I say, in my turn, if the 
 fathers were infallible, they would undoubtedly have 
 known it. Now, they expressly declare the contrary, 
 and make this difference between their books and the 
 canonical Scriptures, that the latter alone ought to be 
 believed without reservation, and that the former 
 ought not. 
 
 Hear St. Augustine : — " Prove by any one of the 
 canonical books of the apostles or prophets the truth 
 of what Cyprian has written to Jubaianus, and I 
 shall no longer have any grounds for opposing it. 
 But what you advance not being canonical, I use 
 the liberty to which the Lord has called us ; and 
 whatever may be my estimation of a man, whose 
 merits I can never equal, whose numerous writings 
 are far superior to mine, whose genius charms me, 
 whose eloquence enraptures me, whose charity fills 
 me with admiration, and his martyrdom with respect; 
 I cannot submit to his decision."* Hear again this 
 
 * Contra Cresc. Gramm., lib. li. cap. 32. Oper. vol. vii. p. 610. 
 
130 INTERPRETATION 
 
 fine passage from St. Cyril of Jerusalem : — "When 
 we have to deal with the Divine and holy mysteries 
 of our faith, we must neither advance anything with- 
 out the authority of the Divine writings, nor allow 
 ourselves to be carried away by the charms of lan- 
 guage, or the display of argument. Neither must 
 you believe what I tell yon on my own authority, 
 without being sure that my instructions are demon- 
 strated by the Divine writings : for the security of 
 our faith depends not on artifices of languages, but 
 on the testimony of the Divine writings/'* And, 
 lastly, hear. St. Athanasius : — " Here," said he, 
 speaking of the canonical books, "here is the source 
 of salvation ; let him that is athirst drink of their 
 Divine oracles. It is by these alone that we can learn 
 the evangelical discipline of piety. Let no one add 
 anything thereto ; let no one take anything away."t 
 
 This is enough, madam, to show that the authority 
 of the fathers is not sufficient of itself alone to decide 
 a point of doctrine, and especially so capital a point 
 as that which now occupies us. It is insufficient, ac- 
 cording to the fathers themselves ; and one must in- 
 deed have a great zeal for them to grant them more 
 credit than they are willing to accept, and to respect 
 them so far as to disobey them. So that what I said 
 a short time ago, concerning reason, I now say con- 
 cerning tradition. It is fallible, according to its own 
 avowal, and a fallible testimony cannot prove an in- 
 fallible authority. 
 
 But here the Abbe brings forward a specious re- 
 flection, which he deems decisive. " Whoever re- 
 See also what the same father wrote on this subject to St. 
 Jerome. (Ep. ad Hier., torn, ii., quoted by Pictet, Thenlogie 
 Chret., p. 130 :) " For the books contained in'the Scriptures alone, 
 called also canonical, have I learned to feel thai respect which 
 leads me very firmly to believe that no one of their authors has 
 committed any error in writing them." 
 
 * Cathech. iv. p. 30. 
 
 f Epist. Fest. xxxix. Oper. vol. ii. p. 45. 
 
OF THE BIBLE. 131 
 
 fuses the testimony of tradition on one point," says 
 
 he, "cannot consistently admit it on another. If 
 vou think thai it cannot prove an infallible church, 
 von ought also to Bay, that it cannot prove the 
 Divine origin of the Scriptures ; and then what be- 
 comes of our faith ?" The Abbe here falls into an 
 error which he had so well refuted when answering 
 your husband's objections to Christianity. Mr. de 
 Lassalle said, " If reason is not capable of judging 
 doctrines, neither is it capable of verifying powers." 
 The Abbe replied to this by a very simple distinc- 
 tion. " This judgment and this verification being 
 two very different things, reason may indeed be in- 
 competent for the one, though it may be competent 
 for the other." I will say as much for tradition. 
 Tradition, which is a testimony of men, is not com- 
 petent to decide a question of doctrine, such as the 
 existence of an infallible church ; but it is competent 
 to authenticate a fact, such as the genuineness of the 
 Scriptures, or the truth of miracles. I know that 
 the Abbe invokes, in support of his assertion, an ar- 
 gument of St. Augustine ; but even should the mean- 
 ing of this eminent father be the same as that of Mr. 
 Favien,* the reasoning of St. Augustine can prove 
 nothing- against reason. It remains certain, that to 
 judge doctrines, and to verify powers, are things so 
 different, that no conclusion can be drawn from one 
 to the other. 
 
 Yet it is but just to acknowledge, that if the im- 
 mediate successors of the apostles, and (to extend 
 the limit a.9 far as we justly can) the fathers of the 
 
 * St. Augustine admits that if a passage were found in the Gos- 
 pel evidently opposed to the instructions of the Catholic Church, 
 the authority of this church must be rejected. This language 
 supposes, not only that everyone ought to read the Bible for him- 
 self, but also that he ousht not, in any case, to admit an interpre- 
 tation manifestly contradicted by the sacred text. This is enough 
 to show that St. Augustine did not believe in an infallible interpre- 
 tation, in the same sen^e in which it is now understood by the de- 
 fenders of the Romish church. 
 
132 INTERPRETATION 
 
 first three centuries, had unanimously taught the ex- 
 istence of an infallible tribunal, it would be, 1 do not 
 say an absolute proof, but a strong presumption in 
 its favor. For though the fathers cannot be con- 
 sidered as authority, like the Holy Scriptures ; yet 
 they can show us how they were understood in the 
 first ages of the church, when the faith must have 
 been purer, one would think, because nearer to its 
 source. Let us then confess, if it had been every 
 where believed, in the churches founded by the 
 apostles, and directed after their death by the pastors 
 who immediately succeeded them, that God had 
 established an infallible tribunal, for the interpreta- 
 tion of the Scriptures, there would be reason to be. 
 lieve that this doctrine came from the apostles, and 
 consequently that it was true. But, madam, the 
 fathers do not affirm this. A general belief in an in- 
 fallible tribunal did not exist in the primitive church; 
 and the Abbe only finds it there, because he strange- 
 ly mistakes the meaning of the fathers ; having given 
 to some of their expressions the sense which they 
 would have in his own mouth at the present day, in- 
 stead of that which they had in theirs. 
 
 This kind of mistake is not rare in the interpre- 
 tation of the fathers. Let us cite an example, 
 which is connected with our subject. The word 
 tradition, which the Abbe uses several times in this 
 part of his letter, often, in the fathers, has a meaning 
 so different from that which it bears in the present 
 day, that certain passages from the fathers which 
 are used to establish the docrine of tradition depose 
 against it. You know, madam, that by tradition is 
 generally understood " the word of God not written, 
 which the apostles received from the lips of Christ, 
 which they have verbally transmitted to their disci- 
 ples, or to their successors, and which has descended 
 to us by the teaching of ministers, the first of whom 
 
OF THE BIBLE. 133 
 
 were instructed by the apostles."* Tradition, then, 
 
 is essentially composed of articles not written in the 
 Bible ; and thus furnishes supplementary instruction, 
 intruded to complete thai of die written word, which 
 is not considered sufficient of itself. Tradition, thus 
 defined, is supported by passages from the fathers, 
 in which the same word in effect occurs ; but has it 
 tli" same acceptation? This they have forgotten to 
 inquire. The fact is, it generally occurs with a dif- 
 ferent, and even opposite meaning. It does, indeed, 
 signify oral instruction, but is composed of exactly 
 the same articles which are treated of in the writ- 
 ten word ; so that tradition, instead of being a non- 
 written supplement to the written word, is nothing 
 else but the written word itself, repeated by word of 
 mouth. Here are two proofs of this, among many 
 others. In the famous passage of St. Irenacus, which 
 is perpetually alleged in support of tradition, and 
 which the Abbe cites in his turn ; what is this " an- 
 cient t rad lit ion faithfully preserved by these barba- 
 rous nations, who have received the faith of Christ 
 without paper or ink?" Is it some precept on which 
 the Scriptures are silent ? No. It is the great truths' 
 with which the Bible is filled ; it is " the doctrine 
 of salvation, concerning God the Creator, and Jesus 
 Christ his Son :" and this doctrine, you will ob- 
 serve, not interpreted by an infallible tribunal, but 
 " written in their hearts by the Holy Ghost." My 
 second authority is St. Cyprian. " From whence 
 has this pretended tradition taken its rise ? Is it 
 descended from the authority of Christ, and from the 
 Gospels ? or does it come from the instructions and 
 the Epistles of the apostles ? God himself attests 
 that we are bound to practise what is written. If, 
 therefore, we find it prescribed in the Gospel, or 
 contained in the Epistles, or in the Acts of the Apos- 
 
 * Bergier, Diet. Theolog. art. Tradition. 
 12 
 
134 INTERPRETATION 
 
 ties, let us then observe this Divine and holy tra- 
 dition."* 
 
 After this truly inconceivable confusion, you will 
 not find it difficult to believe that other mistakes may 
 have been made. And I have no hesitation in say- 
 ing, that the Abbe has quoted the fathers according 
 to his own ideas, and not in conformity with theirs, 
 when he makes them assert the existence of an in- 
 fallible church. This is their real meaning, which 
 is quite different. The fathers argued against 
 heretical sects, who introduced new dogmas, un- 
 supported by Scripture. In opposing them, the 
 fathers urged the constant and universal faith, which 
 had been transmitted and maintained in the churches 
 since the time of the apostles, and said, " How can 
 we believe you, when all these churches are igno- 
 rant of your doctrine, and receive a contrary one ? 
 How, for instance, shall we believe you, Arius, who 
 arose three centuries alter Christ, to inform us that 
 he is merely a created being ; whilst all the churches 
 founded by the apostles, those of Jerusalem, Antioch, 
 Athens, and Rome, with all the others born of these 
 mother churches, those of Constantinople, Alex- 
 andria, Carthage, and Lyons, have constantly taught, 
 and still teach, that he is the true God and eternal 
 life ?" 
 
 This is a very simple argument, madam, and one 
 that I could have urged in their place ; I, who do not 
 believe in an infallible tribunal. It is an argument 
 often used by orthodox Protestant ministers, in con- 
 troversy with Socinians. They allege against them 
 the unvarying doctrine of their churches since the 
 Reformation, and the unanimous agreement of their 
 
 * Epist. lxxiv. Op. vol. ii. p. 211. It is a remarkable fact, that 
 the Jews and the heretics alone have believed in tradition as it 
 is taught by the Abbe Favien. See, for the heretics, Irenaeus 
 adv. Haeret., lib. iii. c. 1 , 2, p. 169, 170 ; and for the Jews, Pictet, 
 Theolog. Chret.,p. 115. 
 
OF THE BIBLE. 135 
 
 creeds. What do I say' They allege against them 
 
 tlu- very testimony of the primitive churches, which 
 the fathers urged against the heretics of their time. 
 The conclusion which the Ahbe draws from this 
 argument of the lathers has, in reality, no more 
 foundation than if he were to conclude that the church 
 of England believes in an infallible church, because 
 its only rule of faith is the Holy Scriptures, but the 
 Scriptures as ihey were understood by primitive 
 antiquity.* 
 
 To appeal to the constant belief of the churches, 
 is not to proclaim an infallible church. For, in the 
 first place, no particular church is meant ; but all the 
 churches, or the church of Christ in general. Se- 
 condly, and especially, infallibility is not meant to 
 be attributed to this church of Christ, but only fidelity. 
 It is one thing for a church to he established of God 
 for the interpretation of the Scriptures, and another 
 thing for it to have received grace to understand 
 them.f All that the language of the fathers supposes 
 is, that God always reserves to himself a faithful 
 church on earth, which preserves his doctrine, if not 
 entirely free from error, at least free from any capital 
 error, incompatible with salvation. In addition, let 
 us remark, that if the argument here used by the 
 fathers may be employed at any period, it had espe- 
 
 * Such also is the doctrine of the minister Claude, in the follow- 
 ing passage :— " Our faith has two relations : it is the daughter of 
 the word of God, and the sister of the faith of the ancient church. 
 Holy Scripture is the Divine principle, alone necessary and all- 
 sufficient to give it birth; the consent of the church is a human 
 principle, often calculated to promote its discernment." — Pictet, 
 Theolog. Chret., p. 131. 
 
 f Observe these words of Tertullian (de Praescr. adv. Hoer.,sec. 
 9. Oppr., ]>. 105:) — "Granting that all the churches have erred, 
 shall we say that the Holy Spirit has not looked upon any of them 
 to bring them back to the truth ; he who was expressly sent by 
 Christ, and expressly asked of the Father, to teach truth ? Shall 
 we u :v that this Minister of God, this Vicar of Christ, has ncg- 
 lected his work, and Buffered the churches to understand and be- 
 otherwise than he had himself taught the apostles to preach?" 
 
136 INTERPRETATION 
 
 cial force at a time when the remembrance of the 
 apostolic teaching was recent, and when the faith 
 had not yet undergone those general and essential 
 
 changes which we have since had to deplore. 
 
 Should any one attempt to support the interpreta- 
 tion which the Abbe gives to the fathers, here is de- 
 cisive authority against it, that of the fathers them- 
 selves. They believed, according to the Abbe, in 
 an infallible tribunal, to which the believer ought to 
 submit, without reserve, for the explanation of the 
 Scriptures. But you will now hear them say, on 
 the contrary, that the Scriptures alone are infallible, 
 and that every one ought to consult them for him- 
 self. 
 
 Since they speak so much of St. Augustine, let us 
 begin with him. In writing against the sect of the 
 Donatists, he says : — " Why do you produce the 
 authority of Cyprian for your schism, whilst you 
 reject his example for the peace of the church ? 
 Who does not know that the canon of the Holy 
 Scriptures is contained in limits which are very 
 clearly defined ; and that it ought to be placed above 
 all the letters which may since have been written by 
 the bishops ? For, as to the Scriptures, neither 
 doubt nor discussion is possible, on the truth or 
 justice of whatever is found incontestably written 
 therein. But the letters of bishops, which have been 
 written, or which may still be written, since the 
 canon has been fixed, may be controlled in case of 
 error, either by the more enlightened opinion of some 
 more skilful divine, or by the greater authority or 
 more extended knowledge of other bishops, or by the 
 decisions of councils. The national councils, or the 
 provincial, in their turn, ought to yield without con- 
 test to the authority of the general councils, assembled 
 from all parts of the Christian world. Lastly, it is 
 not rare for the general councils themselves to be set 
 right by succeeding councils, when longer experience 
 
OF THE BIBLE. 137 
 
 has opened what was sealed, and brought to tight 
 what was unknown."* 
 
 Will you, also, read the following testimonies, 
 and judge whether they accord with the Abbe's 
 sentiments, or with mine? "Let the shop of Her- 
 mogenes prove that what it advances is written ; or 
 if it be not written, let it fear the malediction uttered 
 against those who dare to add or to retrench."! 
 " The holy and divinely inspired writings are suffi- 
 cient, of themselves alone, to make known the 
 truth. "J " If you desire a new quotation, if you pre- 
 tend to affirm anything besides what is written, why 
 do you dispute with us, who are resolved to hear 
 nothing, and to say nothing, besides what is writ- 
 ten ?"§ u It is a mockery to ask questions, or to make 
 discourses, on that which is not written."! " What 
 the Scriptures have not declared, you will never 
 find."Tf " It is evidently a falling away from the 
 faith, and a proof of great presumption, to neglect any 
 part of what is written, or to introduce anything that 
 is not written."** " What is written, believe ; what 
 is not written, seek not to discover. "tf 
 
 I conclude by a passage from St. Chrysostom, 
 which bears directly on our subject : — " When we 
 receive money, we do not trust to those who give it 
 to us ; we wish to count it ourselves ; and when 
 there is a question of Divine things, would it not be 
 a folly rashly and blindly to receive the opinions of 
 others, when we have a rule by which we can ex- 
 amine everything ? I mean the Divine law. It is 
 for this reason that I conjure you all, without resting 
 
 * De Bapt. contra Dnnatist., lib. ii. c. 3. Oper., vol. vii. p. 37. 
 f Tertullian adv. Hermog. 12 Oper., p. 346. 
 \ St. Athanasius, Orat. contr. Gent., Oper., vol. i. p. 1. 
 § The same, De Incarn. Chr., Oper., vol. i. p. 484. 
 || The same, Epist. ad Serap., Oper., vol. ii. p. 29. 
 IT The same, De S. Trim Dial., Oper., vol. ii. p. 172. 
 •• St. Basil,' de vera fide, Oper., vol. ii. p. 386. 
 ft The same, Homil. de Trim, xxix. 
 12* 
 
138 INTERPRETATION 
 
 in the slightest degree on the judgment of others, to 
 consult the Scriptures."* 
 
 After what we have just seen, madam, we may 
 boldly affirm, the fathers have been misunderstood by 
 the Abbe ; they do not say what he makes them to 
 say ; they even say the contrary. 
 
 I do not wish to appear more learned than I am. 
 The greater part of my quotations have been furnished 
 by a friend, well versed in these matters. I also hold 
 from the same authority, that among the writings of 
 the fathers, quoted by the Abbe, there are some which 
 appear to have undergone alteration. The treatise of 
 St. Cyprian, on the Unity of the Church, is especially 
 suspected of interpolation. But it is not requisite that 
 I should engage in this critical discussion. I consi- 
 der the question in a point of view at once more 
 general, and more suited to my capabilities. 
 
 The Abbe terminates this article, by a remark to 
 which I shall only say a few words in reply. From 
 the fact that the belief in an infallible church has 
 prevailed in the world, he thinks that we may con- 
 clude that God is for it. Success appears to him to 
 justify the pretensions of the church ; as the esta- 
 blishment of Christianity proves its Divine origin. 
 But the cases are far from being similar. Whilst 
 Christianity clashed with every received idea, every 
 interest, and had no human aid whatever, the doc- 
 trine of an infallible church met with much less 
 resistance, and found great support. Self-will is op- 
 posed to it, says the Abbe. This may be true in 
 your case, madam, but with the generality of minds, 
 just the contrary is true. They find it very conve- 
 nient to be exonerated from the heavy responsibility 
 connected with the search of salvation ; and the na 
 tural unbelief of the human heart is but too well 
 satisfied to treat with man rather than with God. 
 Besides, this doctrine has, alas ! been early aided, to 
 * Homil. xiii. in 2 Cor., quoted by Pictet, p. 136. 
 
OF THE BIBLB. 139 
 
 what extent we are well aware, by Beculai power. 
 
 1 will not institute a comparison .hut if any one wire 
 inclined to do so, he would perhaps find more analogy 
 between its success, and that of Mohammed, than 
 that of Christ. There is another remark which is 
 applicable to this point. The New Testament an- 
 nounces a church which shall turn away from the 
 truth, and which shall extend its dominion over al- 
 most the whole Christian world. In this point of 
 view, madam, might not the argument which the 
 Abbe alleges in favor of his infallible church, be 
 turned againsl him ? 
 
 But it suffices me to have shown you, that in 
 neither of these two proofs, which we have just exa- 
 mined, will you hud that sure resting-place, that rock 
 on which alone your faith can repose unshaken. 
 Imagine yourself stretched on the bed of death. Is 
 it a Logical deduction, is it the testimony of man, that 
 can give peace to your soul, in presence of the judg- 
 ment of God ? Can you say, I am sure that my sins 
 are forgiven me, for I know it by argument, or from 
 history ? Ah ! madam, if, instead of all this, you had 
 a promise from God, a word from the Bible, a single 
 word ; is it not true that this would give you much 
 greater tranquillity ? Let us, then, learn what the 
 Scriptures say on the question which now occupies 
 us : the Scriptures which we all agree to consider as 
 the word of God. Let us listen to them without 
 prejudice. If it be true, as the Abbe says, that they 
 send us back to an infallible tribunal, we will receive 
 it ; if not, we will reject it. For it is written, " Be- 
 lieve in the Lord your God, so shall ye be esta- 
 blished ; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper," 
 
 2 Chron. xx. 20. 
 
 P. S. I see by the Abbe's first letter, that you 
 have been led to entertain doubts respecting the ver- 
 sions of the Bible sold by the colporteurs. They 
 have been represented to you both as falsified and 
 
140 INTERPRETATION 
 
 mutilated. Now that we are about to examine the 
 Bible, a few words of explanation on this subject will 
 not be useless. 
 
 The Abbe has done justice to the first of these 
 accusations, with a fairness that does him honor. 
 My testimony will add nothing to his, with respect 
 to the Catholic versions. As to the Protestant ver- 
 sion, sold by the colporteurs, I have attentively com- 
 pared them with that of Saci, and with the other 
 approved versions. I have found no other difference 
 in the New Testament besides that which i.s always 
 found between two translations of the same work. 
 The meaning is the same, the expression alone va- 
 ries. It is even difficult to decide which of these 
 versions is preferable. The Catholic ones are more 
 elegant, more French ; the Protestant have a more 
 antique tinge, and more closely follow the original. 
 For a long time, I preferred the former ; now I am 
 of a different opinion, because what I especially seek 
 in a translation is, to have the sense of the inspired 
 author with scrupulous fidelity, were it even a little 
 servile. I habitually use a Protestant version, and 
 from it I shall make my quotations in writing to yon. 
 But this is only matter of taste, and every one is free 
 to choose. That which is most essential is, to know 
 that the reproach of falsification i.s a mere calumny. 
 
 But in the Old Testament there is a real and im- 
 portant difference between the versions of the two 
 communions. The Catholic versions contain several 
 books which the greater part of the Protestant ver- 
 sions do not, because the Protestants consider them 
 as apocryphal, or uninspired. 
 
 I learned from Mr. Z * * *, that they are led to this 
 conclusion by the following reasons : 1 . These books 
 have never been recognised by the Jews, who are 
 the guarantees and depositaries of the Old Testa- 
 ment, as the Christian church is of the New : for, 
 " unto them," said St. Paul, " were committed the 
 
OF THE BIBLE. 141 
 
 oracles of God." 2. They do not exist in Hebrew, 
 hut only in Greek; an additional proof thai they do 
 
 not form a part of the canon of the old Testament, 
 <>f which Hebrew is the original language, as Greek 
 is thai of the New. To these two principal reasons 
 he added three others : that these books have never 
 been quoted in the New Testament, that they were 
 not admitted into the canon of the primitive church;* 
 lastly, thai it suffices to compare them with the ca- 
 nonical hooks to feel that the same Spirit could not 
 have presided at the compilation of both. " As Ober- 
 lin said," added he, "in passing from the canon to 
 the apocrypha, one experiences the same feeling as 
 in passing from the apostles to the fathers." 
 
 These reasons are grave, and have induced me to 
 purchase the version of Saci, such as it is sold by 
 the colporteurs, without the apocrypha ; and the fol- 
 lowing considerations ought to set your mind at rest. 
 Remark, in the first place, that all the books received 
 as canonical by the Protestants, are equally received 
 by the Catholics. In reading these books, as in- 
 spired, you therefore risk nothing. You have not, 
 according to the Abbe, the whole Bible ; but you 
 have, according to the Abbe himself, nothing beside 
 the Bible. In case of doubt, this is a safer way than 
 to expose one's self to the danger of ascribing to the 
 Holy Spirit books which are none of his. Besides, 
 this difference does not affect the New Testament, 
 which is exactly the same in the two communions. 
 So that you have only to begin as I did, and as the 
 bishop of Montauban authorized the people of his 
 
 * The reader who wishes to obtain full information on this sub- 
 ject, will do well to consult Bishop Cosin's " Scholastical History 
 of the Canon of Scripture :" a work of vast learning and research. 
 The author proves that the apocryphal books were never acknow- 
 ledged as inspired, either by the Jewish or the Christian church ; 
 and that canonical authority was first claimed for tliem by the 
 Romish council of Trent, which was held in comparatively modern 
 tunes. — Tr. 
 
142 INTERPRETATION 
 
 diocess to do, by taking the New Testament, and 
 taking the version of Saei ; for the rest, God will 
 guide you. 
 
 In a word, all that is said against the books of the 
 colporteurs has no other object than to awaken un- 
 founded scruples in the minds of men, and thus to 
 prevent them from reading the word of God. The 
 true question does not lie there. Is the Bible the 
 book of all, or is it but the book of the few ? This is 
 the capital point. When it has been solved, the rest 
 of the difficulties will solve themselves. 
 
 LETTER XII. 
 
 MR. MERCIER TO LUCILLA. 
 
 At length, madam, Ave are in presence of a very 
 intelligible question, and on determinate ground. 
 What we want to know is, whether God wills that 
 we should seek the meaning of Scripture for our- 
 selves ; or whether we should ask it of a visible 
 tribunal : and, in order to learn this, we are about to 
 consult the Scriptures themselves ; a book which 
 we have before our eyes, and which we have only 
 to read. 
 
 Others, besides Mr. Favien, will perhaps tell you, 
 that there are many who cannot read ; that as the 
 versions are not inspired, we cannot be assured of 
 their exactness, without researches of which every 
 one is not capable ; and, moreover, that before you 
 thus consult the Bible, you should already have de- 
 cided the question as to whether we can understand 
 it or not. But the Abbe has too much right feeling 
 to propose such objections, or rather such sophisms. 
 There are many who cannot read ; well, they can 
 hear the Bible read. It is comparatively unimportant 
 
OF THE BIBLE. 143 
 
 whether they actually see what is written, or only 
 hear it. We cannot be assured of the exactness of 
 the versions .' But is it not true, madam, that, with- 
 out knowing English, you may he assured of the 
 fidelity o\ a translation of Milton, by the testimony 
 of credible men, who know this language ? Now, in 
 this instance, you have more than the testimony of a 
 few individuals ; you have that of numberless divines, 
 and of entire churches. Moreover, let them choose 
 which they will among all the received versions, 
 Catholic or Protestant, that of Saci, that of Amelot, 
 that of Martin, that of Ostervald ; the most imperfect 
 is more than sufficiently clear for my purpose. But 
 you cannot tell, until you have decided the question 
 of a visible tribunal, whether you are able to under- 
 stand the passages which refer to this very subject ? 
 If such be the case, we shall never decide it. What ! 
 tiny conclude that the Bible is subject to the inter- 
 pretation of a human tribunal, without even allowing 
 it to say a word on the matter ! They dispose of 
 the word of God, without even consulting it ! With 
 this principle they may go any length. Truly, all 
 that they can reasonably require is, that we should 
 confine ourselves to plain and simple quotations ; and 
 this, you will see, I shall do. If they distrust your 
 judgment so far as to think you incapable of under- 
 standing even passages of this nature, why should 
 you be even less incapable of understanding the ex- 
 planations of the church ? If you cannot take a step 
 without infallibility, it will no longer suffice for the 
 church to be infallible ; you must be so yourself. But 
 the good Abbe who makes use of the Bible to support 
 his theory, cannot take it ill if we use it in the support 
 of ours. 
 
 Let us, then, open the Bible, to learn what it 
 teaches on the subject of its own interpretation. 
 
144 INTERPRETATION 
 
 THIRD PROOF. 
 
 HOLY SCRIPTURE. 
 
 In the first place, let us inquire whether the 
 Scriptures are in favor of Mr. Favien's doctrine. 
 He has produced his texts ; we have only to examine 
 them. 
 
 Let us begin by a general remark on the use which 
 he makes of Scripture. It is with grief I observe 
 that the Abbe, in several instances, quotes Scripture 
 unadvisedly ; applying the declarations of this holy 
 volume to subjects with which they have no connex- 
 ion. Here are several examples of this. When it 
 is said, 1 Pet. ii. 18, that we ought to be subject even 
 " to the froward," the apostle speaks of the duties of 
 servants towards their masters ; the Abbe, of those 
 of the faithful towards their pastors. The " sincere 
 milk," of which the same apostle speaks, 1 Pet. ii. 2, 
 is the milk of the word of God ; (see ch. i. 25 :) the 
 Abbe mentions it as the milk of the church. " The 
 letter" which " killeth," 2 Cor. iii. 6, is the Jewish 
 law ; and " the Spirit" which " giveth life," is the 
 Holy Spirit, shed abroad under the New Testament 
 dispensation. The Abbe gives to these two words 
 the sense which they have in ordinary language, but 
 which is altogether foreign to the subject of St. Paul. 
 This " holy law," by which " sin worketh death," 
 Rom.vii. 12, 13, is the commandment of God, which 
 condemns transgressors to death : the Abbe takes it 
 for the word of God, to which St. Paul makes no 
 reference in this passage. Lastly, the " private in- 
 terpretation," against which St. Peter forewarns the 
 faithful, 2 Pet. i. 20, is a private interpretation of the 
 prophet, and not, as the Abbe supposes, a private in- 
 terpretation by the reader.* The doctrine of the 
 
 * It must be confessed that certain Catholic versions, even that 
 .f Saci, which the Abbe has followed, countenance the error into 
 
OK THE BIBLE. 145 
 
 apostle is this: " Prophecy ought to be explained, 
 not by the private sentiments of the prophet, but by 
 the designs of God." Thus, when you meet with 
 the terrible imprecations which are found in the 
 
 Psalms, you must consider them, not as expressions 
 of vengeance on the part of the psalmist against his 
 enemies, but as the inspired declaration of the holy 
 wrath of God against his foes. It is evident that 
 such is the meaning of St. Peter, from the reason 
 which he gives for this declaration : " For prophecy 
 came not in the old time by the will of man ; but holy 
 men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy 
 Ghost." You see, from these examples, that the Abbe 
 sometimes quotes Scripture falsely ; an error which 
 is too common among the defenders of an infallible 
 tribunal. This will oblige you. madam, to verify the 
 quotations yourself. But I speak of verifying the 
 quotations ; — and, perhaps, you have not a Bible ! If 
 such be the case, I must strongly express my regret. 
 It is most desirable that you should have one before 
 you while reading my letters. Let us now examine 
 the texts cited by the Abbe ; which you will have the 
 goodness to re-peruse. (P. 94-96.) 
 
 Let us go at once to the point. In these two pages 
 of quotations, which one might imagine would contain 
 the strongest passages in favor of an infallible church 
 that are to be found in the Bible (and they have been 
 sought after for more than a thousand years), do you 
 find a single passage which formally proclaims that 
 God has established an infallible tribunal for the in- 
 terpretation of the Scriptures ? And, especially, do you 
 find one which says, that this tribunal is to be found 
 in the Roman Catholic church ? You see that I 
 wander a little from the general proposition to which 
 
 which he has fallen, by adding the words " is explained by," 
 which are not found in the original. The literal translation is, 
 " No prophecy of the Scripture is ot any private solution." Some 
 of the ancient Catholic versions render it thus : " No prophecy of 
 the Scripture is by private exposition." 
 
 13 
 
146 INTERPRETATION 
 
 we agreed to confine ourselves ; and I enter for a 
 moment on the particular question of the infallibility 
 
 of the Romish church, because the Abbess logical 
 display cannot hold good ; and in presence of the 
 word of God, it is impossible not to inquire wheth- 
 er it does not afford, at least, a few words in 
 favor of this specific church, which is, after all, in 
 practice, that to which we ought to listen, as to God 
 himself. Surely, they must expect this, if the doc- 
 trine of the Abbe be true. For this point is funda- 
 mental, quite as fundamental as that of original sin, 
 or redemption. We may even affirm that it is more 
 so, in one sense : because everything else depends on 
 this one article ; and an infallible tribunal once ad- 
 mitted, neither original sin, nor redemption, nor any 
 other doctrine, can be received but with its consent. 
 And if there should indeed exist, somewhere on earth, 
 a body to whom God has intrusted the work of ex- 
 plaining his word, what can be more urgent than the 
 discovery of it ? With it, I possess the whole truth ; 
 without it, all is error. It is as if I were told that 
 Christ is on earth, in person ; and that I can go and 
 interrogate him on all that concerns my salvation. 
 Oh! show me this infallible tribunal, this second 
 revelation, without which the first becomes useless ! 
 O Lord, show me the truth, in which my soul's' sal- 
 vation is involved ; on thee alone will I rely. Doubt- 
 less, thy word will enlighten me. 
 
 Acknowledge, madam, that this prayer would be 
 very natural ; and, moreover, that it would be fully 
 justified by the manner of God's dispensations. Re- 
 call to mind with what clearness he made known to 
 the Israelites under the Old Testament dispensation, 
 that it was in Jerusalem that the solemn feasts were 
 to be celebrated ; and there that the sacrifices pre- 
 scribed by the law were to be offered. He does not 
 confine himself to stating that in some corner of the 
 world there exists a city in which he designs to re 
 
OF THE BIBLE. 147 
 
 ceive the homage of his people ; Jerusalem is ex- 
 pressly named. The distinction is carefully estab- 
 lished between the tabernacle, which was destined 
 for a time to answer this holy purpose, and the tem- 
 ple of Jerusalem, which was to be substituted in its 
 place from the time of Solomon. This was so far 
 the case, that King Jeroboam no sooner attempted to 
 establish an altar elsewhere, than he immediately 
 fell into idolatry.* While the Old Testament thus 
 sp.aks a language so clear, would the New, which, 
 by every one's confession, possesses much more light, 
 and a fuller development, leave us in the dark on a 
 point connected with the very principle of our salva- 
 tion 7 Nevertheless, there is not a text to the point, 
 madam ; not a single one ! St. Paul, who, in his 
 fourteen Epistles, has treated of all the great ques- 
 tions of our faith — St. Paul, who addressed the long- 
 est of these epistles to the church of Rome itself, 
 says not a word on the subject ! St. Peter, who has 
 written two letters, addressed to so many churches at 
 once, and so complete in their brevity — St. Peter, 
 who, according to the Abbe, has the key of this im- 
 mense edifice, does not even mention it ! Jesus 
 Christ, who, with so much condescension, forestalled 
 the inquiries of his disciples, that he one day ad- 
 dressed to them these touching words, " If it were 
 not so, I would have told you," John xiv. 2, speaks 
 not of it ! Not one among them says a single word 
 of a Catholic church, nor of an infallible church, nor 
 of a tribunal charged with the explanation of the 
 Scriptures. What think you, madam, of this silence ? 
 does it not speak louder than words ? Would God 
 leave us to conjectures, or to inductions only, always 
 more or less uncertain, on the very foundation of our 
 faith ? No, assuredly no ; a thousand times no ! 
 
 But what, in fact, are these inductions, on which 
 they wish you to risk your eternal interests ? Let us 
 take, in the first place, the celebrated promise of our 
 
148 INTERPRETATION 
 
 Lord to St. Peter, Matt. xvi. 18, and let us pause a 
 little thereon; since, among all the Abbe's quotations, 
 it is the only one in which, according to his views, 
 the Romish church allows itself to be perceived, 
 though on a very dim and distant horizon. He has 
 not enlarged on this point ; but his meaning is suffi- 
 ciently evident, being that of all the partisans of an 
 infallible tribunal. In this passage they see St. Peter 
 as the vicar of Jesus Christ on earth ; then St. Peter, 
 as bishop of Rome ; and lastly, St. Peter transmitting 
 his prerogatives to the bishops of Rome, his succes- 
 sors. They see all this ; but do you see it, madam? 
 Here is a promise for the church : " The gates of 
 hell shall not prevail against it ;" (to this we shall 
 recur ;) and here are, also, personal promises for St. 
 Peter, to which we must confine ourselves for the 
 moment. 
 
 These promises, and especially the first, have re- 
 ceived more than one interpretation. Let us admit 
 that which is the most favorable to the Abbe's opi- 
 nion : the church of Christ will be built upon St. 
 Peter. Let us admit this, though it has not the au- 
 thority of the fathers in its favor ; for the most ancient 
 among them have preferred to see in " the rock" on 
 which the church of Christ was to be built, either 
 the person of Christ, or the testimony which his dis- 
 ciple had just borne to him ; seeing, says St. Augus- 
 tine, that " it is not the rock which is upon Peter, 
 but Peter who is upon the rock."* Even with this 
 
 * " Non petra super Petrum, sed Petrus super petram." Justin, 
 the most ancient of the fathers who have written on this passage, 
 gives us to understand that the rock on which our Lord has pro- 
 mised to build his church, is St. Peter's confession of faith. (Jus- 
 tin, Dial, cum Tryph., Oper., p. 255, Sylbourg. 1593.) According 
 to St. Athanasius, St. Jerome, St. Augustine, it is Jesus Christ 
 himself. (Athan., Unum esse Christ. Orat., Oper., vol. i. p. 519, 
 520, Commel, 1600. Hieron. Comment, in .Matt. xvi. IS, lib. iii. 
 Oper., vol. vi. p. 33. Colon. 1616. August., Kxpos. in Evang. Johan., 
 Tract, cxxiv., Oper., vol. ix. p. 206, Colon. 1616.) Chrysostom 
 contradicts himself in his explanation of this word In one pas- 
 sage he understands it to apply to the person of Peter, but in 
 
OF THE BIB] I'.. 149 
 
 interpretation, the promise made to St. Peter doe? 
 not suppose thai he was established the vicar of Jesus 
 Chris!, h is explained quite naturally, like so many 
 other of Christ's promises to his disciples, by the 
 book of the Acts of the Apostles; a practical com- 
 mentary, where we may learn, by i'acts, how the 
 apostles understood these promises, and what accom- 
 plishment they have received. The promise now in 
 contemplation is illustrated by the second and the 
 tenth chapters of this book: by the second, where 
 we set St. Peter the first to announce the gospel to 
 the Jews ; by the tenth, where he is the first to an- 
 nounce it to the heathen : so that he opens the king- 
 dom of heaven both to the one and the other, and 
 lays the first stone of each of the two churches, of 
 which the universal church is composed. Surely it 
 is a glorious privilege granted to St. Peter, as a re- 
 compense for his having been the first among all to 
 confess Jesus Christ, openly and publicly, as the Son 
 of God : a circumstance judged so worthy of remark 
 by the inspired historians of Christ, that it is among 
 the small number of those which have been related 
 
 another, he very explicitly condemns this interpretation, and sees 
 in the " rock" the confession of the apostle. (Chrysost. Homil. 
 ixix. in Petr. Apost. et Eliam Proph., Oper., vol. i. p. 856 ; Serm. 
 le Pentecost., Oper., vol. vi. p. 233, Commel, 1603.) This last 
 sentiment is also that of St. Eiilarius, (Hilar.de Trim, lib. vi. Oper., 
 p. 903, Paris. 1693;) and appears to have been shared by Cyril of 
 Jerusalem. (Cyril. Catech.xi. p. 93, Paris, 1631.) Origen himself, 
 who in ( ne of his writings takes the " rock" for the person of Peter, 
 explains himself elsewhere in very different terms: '-'The rock is 
 every disciple of Christ. If thou believest that God has built his 
 whole church on Peter, and on Peter alone, what becomes of John, 
 tlie son of thunder, and the rest of the apostles? Dare you assert 
 that the gates of hell shall not prevail against Peter in particular ; 
 but that they shall prevail against the other apostles, and against 
 the most accomplished Christians ? (t,:> v reXeiuf.) Is it not for all 
 the apostles, for each of them, that it has been said, ' The gates of 
 lull shall not prevail against it V And again, l On this rock will I 
 build my church V The keys of the kingdom of heaven, have they 
 been given to Peter alone? And ought none of the other disciples 
 to receive them?" (Orig., Comment, in Matt. torn. xii. Oper., 
 vol. i. p. 275. 
 
 13* 
 
150 INTERPRETATION 
 
 by all the four.* But of St. Peter being constituted 
 the vicar of Christ, of a supremacy in the apostleship, 
 the\e is not a word. Besides, this supremacy is po- 
 sitively contradicted by the history of the Acts, where 
 we see St. Paul occupying a rank at least as high as 
 that of St. Peter ; and by the Epistles, where we 
 hear the same St. Paul declare, that he is " not a 
 whit behind the very chiefest apostles," 2 Cor. xi. 5 ; 
 and that he " withstood Peter to the face" on one 
 occasion, "because he was to be blamed," Gal. ii. 11. 
 
 But even should it be true, that St. Peter was the 
 vicar of Christ, this would prove much for St. Peter, 
 but nothing for the Abbe's theory. He can only 
 support it by adding to his text two points, which 
 you I am sure will never perceive there : first, that 
 St. Peter was bishop of Rome ; secondly, that he 
 transmitted his powers to his successors. And this 
 is what they call proving a thing from the Bible ! In 
 vain your argument places one foot on this rock of 
 ages ; whilst the other rests on empty space ; it must 
 inevitably fall. 
 
 " St. Peter was bishop of Rome !" We cannot 
 even ascertain whether he ever was at Rome. Some 
 of the fathers affirm this, others deny it. But ob- 
 serve, madam, even those who attest that St. Peter 
 visited Rome, are not agreed as to whether he was 
 bishop of that city. Thus, according to St. Irenaeus, 
 St. Peter founded the church of Rome, with St. Paul, 
 but was .not its first bishop ; the first bishop of Rome 
 was Linus. f This remark suffices to overthrow the 
 whole of the Abbe's scaffolding, if you will allow me 
 such an expression. 
 
 And then, if St Peter had been bishop of Rome, 
 would it follow that his successors must inherit all 
 
 * Matt. xvi. ; Mark viii. ; Luke ix. ; John vi. 
 
 f According to the Apostolic Constitutions, likewise, (lib. vii. 
 c.46^ they say, in so many words, that " St. Paul ordained Linus 
 first Li.shop of the church of the Romans." 
 
OF THE BIHLE. 151 
 
 his powers? This transmission ! one would imagine 
 it to be so simple a thing, that it is ool even a< 
 sary to prove it; and, in fact, there is nol the Bhadow 
 
 of a proof in its favor. St. James was, according to 
 tht> unanimous testimony of antiquity, the first bishop 
 of Jerusalem; did his authority pass to his succes- 
 sors? In truth, madam, had there been a succession 
 of the nature of thai which the Abbe has supposed, 
 on the faith of so many others, one might much ra- 
 ther have expected it for the church of Jerusalem, 
 than for that of Rome. For the church of Jerusalem 
 had the double privilege of being the first that was 
 founded ; whence it was called, by a general council, 
 "the mother of all the churches ;"* and that of hav- 
 ing incontestably had an apostle for its bishop.f 
 
 One grows weary of combating such vain imagina- 
 tions. To sum up, madam : in order to agree with 
 the Abbe, you must admit, without Scripture proof, 
 that Sit. Peter was Christ's vicar ; without historical 
 proof, and contrary to the most authentic traditions, 
 that he was bishop of Rome ; and without rational or 
 
 * That of Constantinople, (Epist. Synod. Concil. Constant, ad 
 Damas. apud Theodoret., Hist. Eccl., lit), v. cap. 9.) 
 
 f The pretended transmission of St. Peter's power is very se- 
 verely judged by one of the fathers, who grants the greatest privi- 
 leges to this apostle ; and in a passage where he shows that, in his 
 opinion, " the rock" signifies the person of St. Peter, in Matt. xvi. 
 IS, Tertnllian thus expresses himself, (De Pudic, p. 767, 768,) 
 when addressing the bishop of Rome, who laid claim to supremacy 
 in the church, as being the successor of St. Peter :— " What ! be- 
 cause the Lord said to Peter, ' On this rock I will build my church ; 
 I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven ; what- 
 soever thou shalt hind on earth shall be bound in heaven ; and 
 whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven ;' 
 thou imaginest that this power has descended to thi e ; that is to 
 say, to the neighboring church of St. Peter! (Petri propinquam.) 
 Who art thou, thus to change and overturn the will of the Lord, 
 which was manifestly to confer this privilege on St. Peter person- 
 ally? For he said, On thee will I build my church ; I will give 
 thee the keys: and all that thou shalt bind and loose; ool that 
 they shall bind and Loose." (Super te, inquit, sedificaho eccle&iam 
 meam, et titri dabo claves ; et quaecumque solver is wl alligaveris, 
 non quae solverint vel alligaverint.) 
 
152 INTERPRETATION 
 
 any other kind of proof, that his power has passed 
 from hand to hand, to all the bishops of this church. 
 And this laborious argumentation, endlessly compli- 
 cated by suppositions on Scripture, suppositions on 
 history, suppositions on the designs of God, must be 
 the support of your eternal hopes ! A moving sand, 
 a fleeting cloud, must be the rock of your salvation ! 
 But if the infallibility of the Roman Catholic church 
 remains improved by Scripture, that does not disturb 
 the Abbe. It suffices him that Scripture clearly 
 proves the existence of an infallible church in gene- 
 ral. This is hardly sufficient, in my estimation ; but 
 is even this borne out by Scripture ? Let us ex- 
 amine. 
 
 It would be tedious to consider all the passages 
 quoted by the Abbe, in proof of the existence of an 
 infallible church. Let us confine ourselves to those 
 to which he most confidently appeals. 
 
 There is, according to the New Testament, a 
 church, which is " the pillar and ground of the 
 truth ;* with which the Saviour will be present, even 
 to the end of the world ; and against which the gates 
 of hell shall not prevail." Truly, these are glorious 
 promises, which ought to fill the Christian's heart 
 with joy. But do they imply an infallible church ? 
 By no means. We must here repeat the two reflec- 
 tions which we have already made on similar ex- 
 pressions in the fathers. There is no question here 
 of a determinate church, but of the church of God in 
 general ; and the Lord promises to render this church 
 not infallible, but faithful. It suffices for the fulfil- 
 ment of this promise, that the Lord should always 
 reserve to himself upon earth a church which pre- 
 serves the essentials of the Christian faith ; this 
 
 * It is worthy of remark, that St. Irenaeus uses the same terms, 
 in speaking of the writings of the apostles : ; * In Scripturis nobis 
 tradiderunt fundamentum et coJumnam fidei nostras futurum."— 
 Adv. Haer. lib. ill. c. i. p. 169. 
 
OF THE BIBLE. 153 
 
 church may be composed of members belonging to 
 
 more than one particular church, [n other terms, th< 
 religion of Christ will never perish in the hearts of 
 
 men ; it will always be preserved in one or another of 
 the branches of the great ( Jhristian church. This sen- 
 timent has been well expressed by Tostatus d'Avila, 
 who himself belonged to the Romish church. " The 
 universal church never errs, because it never errs in 
 all its branches."* This is what God has promised ; 
 this is what has hitherto been performed, even at the 
 worst periods ; and this will be the case to the end 
 of time. But between this and an infallible tribunal, 
 established for the interpretation of the Scriptures, 
 there is a vast difference. 
 
 But, says the Abbe, in the following passages, 
 there must indeed be a determinate church, the in- 
 fallibility of which Christ guaranties ; there must 
 indeed be successors to the apostles, to whose deci- 
 sions we ought implicitly to yield : — " Whatsoever 
 thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven : 
 and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be 
 loosed in heaven. Whosesoever sins ye remit, they 
 are remitted unto them ; and whosesoever sins ye 
 retain, they are retained." No, madam, there is no 
 question here of successors to the apostles, still less 
 of infallible successors. A single remark will suffice 
 to overthrow this interpretation. " He who proves 
 too much, proves nothing," says the proverb. If we 
 were to admit the Abbe's interpretation, these two 
 passages would prove nothing less than* the infallible 
 authority of every disciple of Christ. For read w T hat 
 
 * Elsewhere this same writer gives a very remarkable develop- 
 ment of this idea : — " The Latin church is not the universal church, 
 it is but a certain portion of it : whence it follows, that even sup- 
 posing the Latin church had erred throughout, the universal church 
 would not have erred on that account. For the universal church 
 always remains in its branches which do not err, whether they be 
 or be not in greater number than those which err.'' (Tostat. 
 Abulens, Praef. in Matt., qusest. xiii. ; id. quaest. iv. in Matt., ad 
 proleg. 2.) This author lived in the fifteenth century. 
 
104 INTERPRETATION 
 
 follows the former quotation. After having said, 
 Matt, xviii. 18, "Whatsoever ye shall bind," etc., 
 Jesus Christ immediately adds, " Again I say unto 
 you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as 
 .touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be 
 done for them of my Father which is in heaven. 
 For where two or three are gathered together in my 
 name, there am I in the midst of them." This is 
 evidently a consecutive discourse, the whole of which 
 is addressed to the same persons ; and it is evident, 
 from the last words I have just quoted, that these 
 persons are simple believers. As to the second quo- 
 tation, " Whosesoever sins ye remit," etc., you have 
 only to compare the chapter from St. John, in which 
 it is found, (John xx. 19 — 23,) with the Gospel ac- 
 cording to St. Luke, (xxiv. 36 — 49,) to pereeive that 
 these two passages refer to one and the same con- 
 versation between our Lord and his disciples ; and 
 that on this occasion he spoke not only to his disci- 
 ples, but also " to them that were with them," Luke 
 xxiv. 33. Lastly, in a corresponding passage in the 
 Psalms, where there is question of binding their 
 kings, and executing upon them the judgment written, 
 Ps. cxlix. 8, 9, it is expressly added, " This honor 
 have all his saints." 
 
 I do not deny, that the promise in question was in- 
 tended, in the first place, for the apostles ; nor that it 
 belongs to them in a special sense : but it is certain, 
 from the proofs I have just given, that it also has a 
 more extensive acceptation, according to which it ap- 
 plies to every true disciple of Christ. What, then, 
 is the meaning of this promise ? I cannot explain it 
 without anticipating what 1 shall have to say in speak- 
 ing of the gift of the Holy Ghost, with which it is 
 closely connected. This is very evident from St. 
 John's Gospel, where it immediately follows the 
 promise of the Holy Ghost. " He breathed on them, 
 and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost • 
 
OF THE BIRLE. 155 
 
 whosesoever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto 
 them ; and whosesoever sins ye retain, they are retain- 
 ed." I will now express myself very briefly on this 
 subject. My next letter will contain a fuller explana- 
 tion of my meaning. 
 
 When Christ was upon earth, and when he ad- 
 dressed to the sinner these consoling words, " Thy 
 sins are forgiven thee," this sinner could say, " It is 
 the Lord who gives me this assurance of pardon." 
 But when Christ was no longer here below, what 
 man, what teacher, what apostle could assure us of 
 forgiveness ? What will become of the church of 
 God ? Will it be reduced to endless uncertainty ? 
 And will it have unceasingly to regret that the voice 
 of Christ is no more heard ? It is to this important 
 question that the Saviour replies in the promise which 
 now occupies us. He is about to depart ; J?ut he will 
 not leave his children comfortless. His Spirit will 
 remain with them, and will speak to them. 
 
 The Holy Ghost will speak, in the first instance, 
 by the apostles. He will impart to them supernatural 
 and miraculous gifts, which will be theirs alone, and 
 which will render them infallible teachers of divine 
 truth. Doubtless, they will not, like Christ, reconcile 
 the sinner with God ; but they will announce, with 
 the authority of Christ, the word of reconciliation. 
 Thus, when they say, " Believe on the Lord Jesus 
 Christ, and thou shalt be saved," they may be listen- 
 ed to with as much confidence as the Saviour him- 
 self ; and the poor jailer of Philippi, who heard none 
 other than St. Paul, might be as certain of his salva- 
 tion as the paralytic of Bethesda, who had heard Je- 
 sus Christ himself. 
 
 The same Spirit will also speak by every true dis- 
 ciple of Christ. Having received in their hearts the 
 grace announced by the apostles ; confiding in the in- 
 spired and infallible writers of the gospel, as these 
 writers confided in their Divine Master ; those who 
 
156 INTERPRETATION, 
 
 are neither inspired nor infallible, will say in their 
 turn, " Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou 
 shalt be saved ;" and they will say it with as much 
 confidence as the apostles themselves. 0, marvellous 
 
 virtue of the word of God, and of the Spirit of God ! 
 O, true successors, not of the apostles, but of Christ 
 himself! It is by this that, not only a St. Paul be- 
 fore Festus and Agrippa, but a simple confessor, of 
 Jesus — a John Huss before the council of Constance 
 — the most obscure Christian before the world, remits 
 and retains sins, binds and looses, opens and shuts 
 the kingdom of heaven, the keys of which he holds 
 in his hands ! 
 
 Our promise, then, in one sense, concerns the 
 apostles ; in another sense, it concerns every believer ; 
 but in no sense does it concern the successors of the 
 apostles. Qr rather, the apostles, as apostles, neither 
 have, nor can have, any successors, any more than 
 the prophets. As believers, all believers are their 
 successors. A body of teachers and priests who in- 
 herit the infallible authority of the apostles, is no- 
 where to be found in Scripture. When Christ said, 
 " I am with you alway, even to the end of the world," 
 it is not only with you, apostles, I agree ; it is also 
 with you, believers of every age : but where is it 
 said, that it is with you, priests, successors of the 
 apostles ? 
 
 Distrust these associations of ideas, which pervert, 
 the meaning of the Bible, under pretence of com- 
 pleting it. When the Abbe reads, " He that heareth 
 you heareth me," he immediately infers that the 
 priests must be heard ; but Jesus Christ spoke not of 
 them. It must be ascertained to whom the you in the 
 text refers : now, it applies either to the apostles, or 
 to every believer. The priests have no more right to 
 rest their claims on this passage, than I should have 
 to imagine I should be king of Israel, because it is 
 written, " Thou shalt be king over Israel." It has, 
 
OF THE BIBLF. 157 
 
 indeed, been said ; bul to SolomoD, no1 to me. Whal 
 the Abbe quotes, lias likewise been said ; bul uol to 
 
 the priests, who are not named in his texts, and who 
 are everywhere introduced by means oi this slighl 
 addition, alter the word "apostles,'* and their .succes- 
 sors: an addition with which it has apparently no 
 connexion, and which entirely alters the meaning of 
 these promises. There is but one way by which the 
 pretended successors of the apostles may enjoy thes< 
 promises; it is by humbly confounding themselves 
 with the believers to whom they are made. 
 
 The reconciliation belongs to the Lord alone ; the 
 inspired word of reconciliation, to the apostles; the 
 word which binds and looses, to all. Once more I 
 repeat, "This honor have all his saints.'' In all this 
 there is nothing infallible, but the Lord, his Spirit, 
 and his word.* 
 
 It is time to conclude, madam. They undertake 
 to prove to you from Scripture, that, instead of read- 
 ing for yourself, you ought to rely on the interpreta- 
 tion of an infallible tribunal : a fundamental doctrine, 
 and one as to which you have a right to require the 
 most decisive testimony. And what do they show 
 you ? Of passages which interdict the reading of the 
 Bible, not one. Of passages which establish the in- 
 fallible tribunal, to which they pretend you ought to 
 yield, not one. There remains nothing but five or 
 six declarations, isolated from their context, arbitrarily 
 explained, more arbitrarily applied ; and from these 
 they draw remote and most unwarrantable inductions. 
 
 ♦The council of Jerusalem, cited by the Abbe Favien, proves 
 nothing more, in favor of councils, than the promise of binding and 
 loosing, in favor of the priests. The council of Jerusalem was 
 presided over by the apostles. What! because this council could 
 say, '' It seemed good to the Holy Ghost and lo u>,'' does it fol- 
 low that the council of Constance, or any other, composed, per- 
 haps, of bishops destitute of piety, and presided over by a pope 
 unworthy of the name of Christian, may say so with an equal 
 right. 
 
 14 
 
158 INTERPRETATION 
 
 Does this suffice you ? Will you risk thereon the 
 salvation of your soul ? Pause and reflect. 
 
 For myself, I do not hesitate to say, and you may 
 make the trial, with such a method of interpretation, 
 I engage to find in the Bible whatever you will. 
 Name any system you like, religious or philosophical, 
 Plato, Aristotle, Spinosa, Mohammed, in short, what- 
 ever you choose, I will find it in the Bible, by the 
 Abbe's process of interpretation : a process of which his 
 prejudiced mind cannot see the full bearing. What 
 do I say ? What I engage to do has been done ; and, 
 what is more, has been done for St. Simonism. Yes, 
 madam, even this immoral, impious, and anti-chris- 
 tian doctrine, has sought support in the Bible, and 
 has found it there. You must remember, that the 
 St. Simonian preachers willingly quoted the Bible, 
 and quoted it sometimes in so specious a manner, as 
 to surprise persons who only knew it from these ci- 
 tations. Alter this, who would despair, no matter 
 what may be his opinions, of giving them some ap- 
 pearance of conformity with the Holy Scriptures ? 
 
 Ah ! thus to employ the word of God, is not to use, 
 but to abuse it. Let us tremble at the thought of 
 wresting from this holy book a forced testimony in 
 favor of a doctrine already fixed upon, and derived 
 from our own invention. Let us rather listen to it 
 with the deepest humility, and receive the doctrine 
 which God has taught there, whatever it may be. 
 Then only shall we treat the Bible with the respect 
 which is its due ; but then, madam, we shall find the 
 right secured, or rather prescribed, to each believer, 
 of reading it himself, with prayer for the aid of the 
 Holy Spirit, to enable him to comprehend it. 
 
OF THE BIBLE. 159 
 
 LETTER XIII. 
 
 mi:. MERCIES TO ltvilla. 
 
 Continuation of the Third Proof— The Bible written for all. 
 
 Is taking up my pen to-day, for the purpose of 
 showing you, from the Bible thai God permits you, 
 that he commands you to read it ; I feel no other em- 
 barrassment than what arises from the clearness, the 
 abundance of my evidence. It is with my subject 
 almost as it is with the existep.ee of God, which the 
 Bible no where establishes, because it is everywhere 
 supposed. Why should it declare that it must be 
 read, when it was only written to that end ? All that 
 I can do, is to choose several passages in which this 
 general tendency shows itself, if possible, more clear- 
 ly than elsewhere. But it is not to forced interpre- 
 tations, to consequences laboriously deduced, that I 
 am about to appeal; it is to simple declarations, taken 
 in the first sense in which they present themselves 
 to the mind of a simple man. Of this you shall your- 
 self judge. 
 
 Let us begin with the Old Testament. Under this 
 first economy, inferior to ours in light and liberty, 
 what use were the people to make of the word of 
 God? 
 
 Moses, the most ancient among the prophets,, will 
 reply, Dent. xxxi. 9 — 13: "And Moses wrote this 
 law, and delivered it unto the priests the sons of 
 Levi, which bare the ark of the covenant of the 
 Lord, and unto all the elders cf Israel. And Moses 
 commanded them, saying, At the end of every seven 
 years, in the solemnity of the year of release, in the 
 feast of tabernacles, when all Israel is come to appear 
 before the Lord thy God in the place which he shall 
 choose, thou shalt read this law before all Israel in 
 
160 INTERPRETATION 
 
 their hearing. Gather the people together, men, and 
 women, and children, and thy Btranger that is within 
 thy gates, thai they may hear, and that they may 
 learn, and fear the Lord your God, and observe to do 
 all the words of this law : and thai their children, 
 which have not known anything, may hear, and learn 
 to fear the Lord your God, as long as ye live in the 
 land whither ye go over Jordan to possess it."* This 
 law inns! he read every seven years, to all the people, 
 men, women, and children ; simply read, there is no 
 mention made of its interpretation ; read entirely, not 
 partially ; read in order, that those who heard it 
 might learn to fear the Lord their God. So salutary 
 is this reading. 
 
 But this book, the Abbe tells you, " was confided 
 to the care of the priests." This is true ; the book 
 which Moses had written with his own hand, was 
 intrusted to them. It was necessary that it should 
 be delivered to some one ; and to whom could it be 
 more appropriately given than to the men whose office 
 obliged them to read it to the people, and to watch 
 over the preservation of the sacred text? But 
 between placing the original copy of the law in the 
 hands of the priests, and giving up to them every 
 succeeding copy that might be made, there is a 
 mighty difference. We must not forget that books 
 were very rare at this period, when they were writ- 
 ten by the hand, with great labor. From that time 
 the precations of Moses were dictated by necessity ;f 
 and they are no authority for restraining the use of 
 the holy volume in our more favored times, when it is 
 accessible to all. Nothing here indicates an ex- 
 
 * See also Josh. viii. 35. 
 
 f Notwithstanding these precautions, the book of the law had 
 been lor a long time lo.st, when it was found by Hilkiah, at the re- 
 paration of the temole by the order of kins Josifth. What would 
 have become of it, had it not been confidedto the priests, and kept 
 in the temple ? Is it not probable that it woidd have perished? 
 
OF THE BIBLE. 161 
 
 elusive deposit, nor a right of interpretation ; nor, 
 above all, a guarantee of infallible interpretation. 
 
 Let us, however, finish the verse. You see that 
 Moses has taken care to prevenl the false explanation 
 which the Abbe gives of his meaning. For it is not 
 to the priests alone that he confided the book of the 
 law ; it is " to the priests and to all the elders of 
 Israel." The Abbe, doubtless, quoted from memory ; 
 so that he has overlooked this latter clause. Now, 
 the elders were heads of families, men of every pro- 
 fession, and of every tribe. It was then, in reality, 
 to the representatives of the entire people that the law 
 was delivered, to be read to the whole nation. 
 
 " But it was only to be read every seven years !" 
 This is not said. They were enjoined to read it in 
 public at least once in seven years, in order that 
 every Israelite might have several opportunities of 
 hearing it in the course of his life. But that did not 
 prevent the guardians of the law from reading it more 
 frequently to the people, nor private persons from 
 reading it in their houses, if they possessed a copy. 
 As to the public reading, we see, in effect, that it 
 took place under many other circumstances. It was 
 always the first means adopted by pious men, when 
 they endeavored to revive the piety of the nation : 
 either kings, such as Jehoshaphat, 2 Chron. xvii. 9 ; 
 and Josiah, 2 Chron. xxxiv. 30, 31 ; or prophets, 
 such as Ezra and Nehemiah. Neh. viii. 2, 3, 7, 8.* 
 But especially remark the account given by Jeremiah, 
 of the reading of his prophecies before the people by 
 Baruch, his scribe. Baruch read this book to all 
 classes of society successively : to the multitude, to 
 the magistrates, and, lastly, to the king and his ser- 
 vants. It was a simple reading ; and this reading 
 was so well understood, that it moved the whole 
 court. The princes were afraid, and the king so 
 
 * In this instance the reading of the law is followed by an ex- 
 planation given by the Levites. There were reading and preaching. 
 14* 
 
162 INTERPRETATION 
 
 irritated, that ho cut the roll of Baruch with a pen- 
 knife, and cast it into the fire. 
 
 Listen to the use which the kings of Israel in par- 
 ticular were enjoined to make of the holy volume. 
 " And it shall be, when he Bitteth upon the throne of 
 his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this 
 law in a book out of that which is before the priests 
 the Levites. And it shall be with him, and he shall 
 read therein all the days of his life : that he may 
 learn to fear the Lord his God, to keep all the words 
 of this law and these statutes to do them : that his 
 heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he 
 turn not aside from the commandment, to the right 
 hand, or to the left : to the end that he may prolong 
 his days in his kingdom, he, and his children, in the 
 midst of Israel," Deut. xvii. 18 — 20. Would kings 
 have been less subject than the rest of mankind to 
 the authority of this infallible tribunal, had one ex- 
 isted? It is not thus, madam, that it is customarily 
 taught ; and they would be hardly disposed, I think, 
 to dispense with their obedience on this point of the 
 general law. Here we see the kings of Israel 
 obliged to write with their own hand a copy of the 
 law, and to read it every day of their lives ; and why ? 
 because this reading will teach them to fear God, and 
 to keep his commandments. If it teaches this to 
 kings, will it not teach it to private individuals ? 
 
 Here, again, the beautiful exhortation addressed by 
 Moses to Joshua, who was not a priest, nor even a 
 member of the tribe chosen for the service of the tab- 
 ernacle. " This book of the law shall not depart 
 out of thy mouth ; but thou shalt meditate therein day 
 and night, that thou mayest observe to do according 
 to all that is written therein : for then thou shalt make 
 thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good 
 success," Josh. i. 8. A governor, the general of an 
 army, ought to meditate day and night in the law of 
 God , and it is this which shall make his way pros- 
 
OF THE BIBLE. 163 
 
 perous : and why should not every other believer ;ip- 
 ply to himself this commandment, and this promise ! 
 
 It is not surprising thai the instruction of those who 
 exercise the first offices in the state should be spe- 
 cially provided for ; but we cannot conceive that this 
 should be to the exclusion of others. 
 
 However, we are not reduced to simple inductions. 
 The same recommendation which was made to Joshua, 
 we here find, almost word for word, addressed to all, 
 and accompanied by the same promise : " Blessed is 
 the man that walketh not in the counsel of the un 
 godly, or standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth 
 in the seat of the scornful, lint his delight is in the 
 law of the Lord ; and in his law doth he meditate day 
 and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the 
 rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his sea- 
 son ; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever 
 he doeth shall prosper," Psa. i. 1-3. You see, ma- 
 dam, that which essentially characterizes the godly 
 man, that which distinguishes him from the wicked, 
 that which ensures the blessing of God on all his un- 
 dertakings, is precisely that from which they seek to 
 turn you ; reading and meditating upon the word of 
 God. I confess, that if the Abbe could have quoted 
 a single passage of Scripture, where the obligation of 
 yielding to a visible tribunal was as clearly establish- 
 ed as the right of reading it one's self is in this, 
 the obligation would be better proved than it is by his 
 three arguments united, even with all their accessary 
 considerations. 
 
 As time advances, and as God's people obtain more 
 light, we see the reading of the Bible more recom- 
 mended, and more general. After what I have just 
 shown you, it will suffice for me rapidly to indicate a 
 few other testimonies from the Old Testament. The 
 Psalms (and how should we wonder at it, after such 
 a commencement ?) are full of this doctrine. " The 
 law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul ; the 
 
164 INTERPRETATION 
 
 testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the sim- 
 ple. The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the 
 heart : the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlight- 
 ening the eyes," Psa. xix. 7, 8. But all your doubts 
 will soon be dissipated, madam, if you only read Psalm 
 cxix. It is so filled with the praises of the word of 
 God, that, among the hundred and seventy-six verses 
 of which it is composed, there are not more than four 
 or five wherein it is not mentioned, either by one 
 name or another. It is easy to see, that the author 
 of this Psalm fully practised the precept of Psalm i. 
 Read some of these verses, which breathe so ardent 
 a love for the inspired word of the prophets. Ought 
 that of the apostles, that of the Son of God, to be less 
 precious to us ? " Wherewithal shall a young man 
 cleanse his way 1 by taking heed thereto according 
 to thy word. Thy word have I hid in my heart, 
 that I might not sin against thee. Open thou mine 
 eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy 
 law. Thy testimonies also are my delight, and my 
 counsellors. And I will delight myself in thy com- 
 mandments, which 1 have loved. My hands also will 
 I lift up unto thy commandments, -which I have loved; 
 and I will meditate in thy statutes. The law of thy 
 mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and 
 silver. Oh how love I thy law ! it is my meditation 
 all the day. I have more understanding than all my 
 teachers ; for thy testimonies are my meditation. I 
 understand more than the ancients, because I keep 
 thy precepts. How sweet are thy words unto my 
 taste ! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth ! Thy 
 word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. 
 The entrance of thy words giveth light ; it giveth un- 
 derstanding to the simple. I prevented the dawning 
 of the morning, and cried : I hoped in thy word. 
 Mine eyes prevent the night watches, that I might 
 meditate in thy word. Great peace have they which 
 love thy law ; and nothing shall offend them." 
 
OF THE BIBLE. 165 
 
 Ah! madam, may the day soon arrive, when the 
 word of God will be to you all that it was to the 
 psalmist ! Arc those indeed animated with the same 
 spirit as ho — those who suggest scruples as to the 
 reading of the Bible ! Scruples as to the reading of 
 the Bible! what a strange association of ideas! And 
 why d<> they not. also, suggest to you scruples on 
 prayer? No; this respectful distance at which they 
 pretend to keep you from the word of God, the holy 
 prophets knew it not. You cannot m their estimation, 
 approach it too nearly. Language seems to fail them 
 in describing the strict intimacy which ought to exist 
 between it and you. " Bind them" (the words) " upon 
 thy fingers, write them upon the table of thine heart. 
 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, 
 and 'they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. 
 And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, 
 and on thy gates. And thou shalt teach them dili- 
 gently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when 
 thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by 
 the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou 
 risest up," Prov. vii. 3 ; Deut. vi. 6-8. 
 
 Obey God, rather than man. Instead of leaving 
 the Bible, to listen to a church, no matter what 
 church it be, leave all the rest, to go to the Bible. 
 " To the law and to the testimony !" This fine ex- 
 clamation is found in Isaiah, (viii. 20 ;) and he adds 
 this warning, which ought to call forth your most 
 serious reflection : " If they speak not according to 
 this word, it is because there is no light in them." 
 Yes, madam, " to the law and to the testimony !" 
 This voice resounds from the entire Old Testament. 
 Evidently, its believers were to read and meditate on 
 the word of God for themselves ; evidently, there was 
 no infallible tribunal charged with its explanation. 
 And if this tribunal had existed, where should we 
 seek it, but in the solemn assembly of the scribes and 
 priests at Jerusalem ? This assembly was so little 
 
166 IXTKRPRETATION 
 
 gifted with infallibility, that it persecuted the proph- 
 ets, and ended by crucifying the Son of God ! 
 
 After this, ought we to expect to find the reading 
 of the Bible restricted under the New Testament 
 Is it more obscure than the Old ? Or has the 
 disciple of Christ less liberty than the disciple of 
 Moses ? But we will leave the New Testament to 
 speak for itself. 
 
 I open this holy volume, and in the fourth chaptei 
 of the first Gospel, I read that the Lord Jesus, three 
 times tempted of the devil in the wilderness, onh 
 opposes to each of these temptations a citation from 
 the word of God, preceded by these solemn words, 
 " It is written," Matt. iv. 1-10. Do you not think. 
 madam, that in every circumstance of his life, but espe- 
 cially on this occasion, Jesus left us an example, that 
 we should follow his steps ? 1 Pet. ii. 21. And that 
 we cannot find a more powerful weapon wherewith 
 to overcome temptation, than this same, " It is writ- 
 ten ?" by means of which Jesus triumphed. But 
 how will you find, like him, a special text, to employ 
 against each special temptation, if you have not that 
 exact knowledge of the Scriptures which personal 
 study alone can give ? Farther on, Jesus, when in- 
 terrogated by a teacher of the law, as to what he 
 must do to obtain eternal life, proposes to him, in his 
 turn, this question, " What is written in the law ? 
 how readest thou?" Luke x. 26. Suppose, madam, 
 that it had been addressed to you, how would you 
 have replied, if you knew not what is written ; if 
 you did not read ? Connect together these two facts 
 of the Gospel : " It is written." This is the weapon 
 that Christ places in your hands. " What is written ?" 
 This is the question which Christ proposes to you ; 
 and yet you ought not to read ! 
 
 Let us proceed. Christ said to the Jews : " Ye 
 search the Scriptures ; for in them ye think ye have 
 eternal life : and they are they which testify of me. 
 
OF THE BIBLE. 167 
 
 And ye will not come to me thai ye mighl have life !" 
 
 John v. 39. Christ here appeals to the Bible, as to 
 a book which was read by every one ; he approves 
 of those who road it ; and only blames the Jews be- 
 cause they had not there Learned to recognise him.* 
 
 l):i von know, madam, what is, according to the 
 Saviour, the foundation of all religions instruction, 
 and a foundation which suffices of itself alone ? It 
 is this : "They have Moses and the prophets; let 
 thorn hear them," Luke xvi. 29. It is Abraham who 
 replies in these terms to the rich man in the parable. 
 The rich man proposes a new means of warning his 
 brethren, by a mission from the dead. It is useless, 
 replies Abraham : " They have Moses and the pro- 
 phets ; let them hear them. If they hear not Moses 
 and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded 
 though one rose from the dead." Can you imagine 
 The Abbe thus summing up, in one single declaration, 
 the whole teaching of religion : " They have Moses 
 and the prophets ;" or, still better, they have the Gos- 
 pel and the Epistles ; " let them hear them ?" 
 
 And whence came the errors of the Sadducees 1 
 " Ye do err," said our Lord, " not knowing the Scrip- 
 tures, nor the power of God," Matt. xxii. 29. Thus, 
 madam, if the reading of the Scriptures engenders 
 heresies, according to the Abbe ; it is, on the con- 
 trary, from not knowing them that we fall into error, 
 according to Christ. Can we doubt that He would 
 himself have placed them in your hands, had you 
 been able to consult him personally ? Let us proceed 
 to the Acts of the Apostles, and to their Epistles. 
 
 The superscription of the Epistles says everything 
 by itself alone. The first is addressed " To all that 
 
 * An interpretation has here been followed, which differs from 
 the generality of received versions, but which is allowed by the 
 original, and which is more in unison with our Saviour's argument. 
 If the common version be preferred, it would furnish Mr. Mercier 
 with a still stronger argument, a positive command to read the 
 Scriptures. 
 
168 INTERPRETATION 
 
 be in Rome, beloved of God ;" the second, " Unto the 
 church of God which is at Corinth ;" another, " To 
 all the saints which are at Philippi, with the bishops 
 and deacons." Assuredly, the Epistles must have 
 been read to all those to whom they were written; 
 and that was, as you have just seen, to the entire 
 churches, to all the saints ; that is, to all the Chris- 
 tians, and not to the pastors only. But this does not 
 suflice the apostles ; they insist again, at the conclu- 
 sion of some of their letters, that they should be read 
 of all : " And when this epistle is read among you, 
 cause that it be read also in the church of the Laodi- 
 ceans ; and that ye likewise read the epistle from 
 Laodicea," Col. iv. 16. "I charge you by the Lord 
 that this epistle be read unto all the holy brethren," 
 1 Thess. v. 27. 
 
 In the seventeenth chapter of the Acts we find a 
 passage to which I cannot conceive what the Abbe 
 would urge in reply. St. Paul preaches at Berea. 
 The Bereans are desirous to know whether the doc- 
 trine which he announces is true. What did they 
 do ? They " searched the Scriptures daily, whether 
 those things were so," Acts xvii. 11. You imagine, 
 perhaps, that it was only the teachers who did this ? 
 No, madam, it was the whole Jewish population of 
 Berea, and women among the number, (ver. 12.) 
 Does not the Holy Spirit blame them for this ? No, 
 madam, the Holy Spirit commends them for it, and 
 calls them " more noble than those in Thessalonica." 
 But w r as not their faith in peril? Again, no. "Many 
 of them believed ;" and " they received the word with 
 all readiness of mind." Allow me to ask you a ques- 
 tion on this point. Had you been then at B ere a, with 
 the Abbe's principles, what would you have done ? 
 You would have feared to be wanting in humility, and 
 to expose your soul by examining the Bible yourself. 
 You would have had recourse to your " natural di- 
 rectors," that is to say, doubtless, to the chiefs of the 
 
OF THE BIBLE. 169 
 
 Jewish church at Berea; or, for si ill greater security, 
 to those of the church at Jerusalem : and, by an in- 
 evitable consequence, you would have rejected St. 
 
 Paul, you would have deprived yourself of the grace 
 of God. What, madam ! the .lows did well to search 
 the Scriptures, to know whether they confirmed the 
 
 doctrine of St. Paul ; and we ought not to examine 
 them, to know whether they say, in effect, what the 
 church makes them to say ! 
 
 But what do I say — the church ? Should you have 
 an apostle, an angel from heaven, to guide you, you 
 would still be bound to ascertain for yourself whether 
 he taught nothing but what is written. " Though we, 
 or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel 
 unto you than that which we have preached unit) you, 
 let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now 
 again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you 
 than thai ye have received, let him be accursed," 
 Gal. i. 8, 9. Yes, madam, if St. Paul rose from the 
 dead, and preached before you, you ought not to say, 
 " He is one of Christ's apostles, he cannot mislead 
 me ;" and if an angel descended upon earth to instruct 
 you, you ought not to say, " This is an angel from 
 heaven ; he cannot seduce me." No : " for Satan 
 himself" may be " transformed into an angel of light ;" 
 and " his ministers as the ministers of righteousness," 
 saith the Holy Spirit, 2 Cor. xi. 14, 15. But you 
 ought to examine whether the things which this apos- 
 tle, this angel, may tell you, are conformable with the 
 gospel you have received. And how can you judge, 
 if you have not read this gospel ? Thus, far from 
 obliging us to seek in a human tribunal an infallible 
 light to fix the meaning of his word, God wills, on 
 the contrary, that we should seek in this word an in- 
 fallible light, by which to judge of the teaching of an 
 apostle, of an angel, how much more those of a priest, 
 of a bishop, of a pope, of a council ! 
 
 We have the same doctrine expressed, in other 
 15 
 
170 INTERPRETATION 
 
 terms, in St. John : " Beloved, believe not every 
 spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God : 
 because many false prophets are gone out into the 
 world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God : Every 
 spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the 
 flesh, is of God," 1 John iv. 1, 2. You must, with 
 every other believer, try the spirits of the teachers 
 before you believe them ; and you must try them by 
 their doctrine. But how can you do so, otherwise 
 than by comparing it with the word of God yourself? 
 If you lay the charge of this examination on others, 
 you again fall into the danger from which it is de- 
 signed to save you. Those whom you consult may 
 deceive you, as well as those on whose account you 
 consult them. There is danger with every man. 
 When we shall have employed one man to try all the 
 rest, he himself must be tried ; and this cannot be 
 done, but by the word of God. 
 
 Shall it then be said, that you are thus reduced, as 
 a last resource, to your own private opinion ? This 
 would be pure sophistry. You do not consult your 
 own spirit, like the Rationalists, as a flambeau which 
 will enlighten you ; but you consult the word of God 
 with your spirit, as with an eye without which you 
 can see nothing. You must always come to this : 
 and the Abbe, who wishes you to consult the church, 
 probably wishes you to consult it with your mind. 
 All that we can do is, to. pray God to preserve us 
 from error ; and if we ask him with sincerity, he has 
 promised to hear us.* 
 
 After evidence so clear, it would be superfluous to 
 multiply quotations. I shall confine myself to point- 
 ing out a few more passages, without enlarging upon 
 them : " Whatsoever things were written aforetime 
 were written for our learning, that we through pa- 
 tience and comfort of the Scriptures might have 
 hope," Rom. xv. 4. 
 
 * Ps. xxv. 8 ; xxxii. 8, etc. 
 
OF THE BIBLE. 171 
 
 " We hare also a more sure word of prophecy . 
 
 whereunto ye do well that ye take herd, as unto a 
 light that shineth in a (lark place, until the day dawn, 
 and the day star arise in your hearts. " 2 Pet. i. 19. 
 St. Peter approves of those Christians who meditate 
 upon the writings of the prophets, in spite of the ob- 
 scurity by which they are still, in a measure, veiled : 
 will lie not, also, approve of them, when they read 
 the clearer parts of the Scriptures, and especially the 
 New Testament ? 
 
 In the beginning of his Revelation, St. John de- 
 clares, that blessed is he that readeth : " Blessed is 
 he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this 
 prophecy, and keep those things which are written 
 therein ; for the time is at hand," Rev. i. 3. 'Every 
 one, however, will confess that this book is the most 
 difficult in the whole Bible. Give heed to these 
 words, madam : " Blessed is he that readeth !" Ah, 
 when the Abbe Favien says, " Do not read ;" and 
 when the Spirit of God says, " Blessed is he that 
 readeth," can you hesitate ? 
 
 I conclude by a passage from St. Paul, which ex- 
 plains the reason why he who readeth is blessed. 
 " But continue thou in the things which thou hast 
 learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom 
 thou hast learned them ; and that from a child thou 
 hast known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to 
 make thee wise unto salvation through faith which 
 is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by in- 
 spiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for re- 
 proof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; 
 that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly 
 furnished unto all good works," 2 Tim. iii. 11-17. 
 These words, madam, need no commentary; let them 
 crown your determination. Is it not your. desire to 
 be "perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good 
 works ?" Well the Holy Spirit points out the way, 
 for you, and even for your children ; it is the "know- 
 
172 INTERPRETATION 
 
 ledge of the Holy Scriptures ; which are able to 
 make you wise unto salvation, through faith which is 
 in Christ Jesus." Take them, therefore, and read. 
 
 LETTER XIV. 
 
 MR. MERCIER TO LUCILLA. 
 
 Continuation of the Third Proof — The Bible interpreted by the 
 Holy Spirit. 
 
 You are told, that if you read the Scriptures your- 
 self, there is great danger of your not understanding 
 them — a book obscure from its antiquity ; obscure 
 from the depth of the subjects on which it treats ; 
 obscure from the fact alone, that it comes from God. 
 
 Be easy, madam ; God who commands you to read 
 the Bible, will take care that you lose nothing by 
 obeying him. But now that I am about to show you 
 the means by which he has provided against this — 
 shall I confess ? — I fear that you will find it too 
 wonderful to be believed. Listen here, I beseech 
 you, not to your own opinions, not to the maxims 
 of an unbelieving world — Christian as it calls itself 
 — but to the word of God ; and when God speaks, 
 when God promises, doubt not. This is the true 
 faith, and this is also true humility. 
 
 That we require a guide in the study of the 
 Scriptures I willingly grant ; but what is the guide 
 that we require ? In order to know this, it is im- 
 portant that we should know what is meant by the 
 obscurity of the Bible. 
 
 Is the style in which it is written obscure ? as 
 the Abbe would lead us to imagine. No, madam, 
 quite the contrary. Notwithstanding the depth of 
 the subjects on which it treats, the style in which it 
 is written is exceedingly clear ; it is the most popu- 
 lar of books. It has evidently been composed with 
 a reference to the simple and lowly, and whoever 
 
OF THE BIBLE. 173 
 
 wishes to learn how to speak of the things of God 
 in language intelligible to every one, cannot take a 
 better model. Not that it does not contain passages 
 difficult to be understood, even after all the learned 
 explanations which have been given of them ; but all 
 that is necessary for salvation is most clearly made 
 known. 
 
 The fathers, whom the Abbe quotes with so much 
 confidence, have expressly acknowledged this char- 
 acteristic of the Bible ;* but what is still more deci- 
 sive is, that it lays claim to it itself. According to 
 its own account, it is a lamp unto our feet, and a 
 light unto our path ; it giveth wisdom to the simple ; 
 it enlightens the eyes ; and if " secret things belong 
 unto the Lord our God, those things which are re- 
 vealed belong unto us and to our children." If the 
 gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost, in whom 
 the god of this world (Satan) hath blinded their 
 minds, Psa. cxix. 105 ; xix. 7, 8 ; Deut. xxix. 29; 
 2 Cor. iv. 3, 4. 
 
 Whence, then, arises the obscurity which is found 
 in the Bible, if it is so clear in itself? The last pas- 
 sage that I have quoted explains it to us. This ob- 
 scurity comes from the darkness which sin has shed 
 over our understanding. Man, before the Bible, is 
 like a blind man before the sun. The sun is light 
 
 * St. Irenes, disputing against heretics, who maintained that 
 there was another God and Creator besides the Father of our Lord 
 Jesus Christ, and who brought forward obscure expositions of 
 certain parables, tells them, "All prophetic and evangelical 
 Scripture may be understood openly, and without ambiguity, by 
 every man;" and shows them, "that they should be contented 
 with the testimony of God, which is clearly set forth." St. 
 Chrysostom, in his third Homily on the Second Epistle to the 
 Thessalonians. thus expresses himself: " Every thing in the Holy 
 Scriptures is clear and straightforward ; all things necessary are 
 dear." And in his first Homily on St. John, he says, "There is 
 no obscurity in this Gospel ; it is clearer than the sun's rays." 
 St. Augustine, after having enumerated the books of Scripture, 
 says, " That among the tilings which are clearly taught in them, 
 are found all those which concern faith and practice." — Pictet., 
 Theol. Chr,p. 119. 
 
 15* 
 
174 INTERPRETATION 
 
 itself; nevertheless the bl i nil man cannot see it. The 
 Bible also is full (if clearness ; " but the natural man 
 receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, neither 
 can he know them," 1 Cor. ii. 14. He may, indeed, 
 have an historical knowledge of them ; but of that 
 spiritual and salutary intelligence which giveth life 
 to the soul he is utterly destitute. 
 
 And how shall he obtain it? In order that the 
 blind man may see. it will be of no avail to alter the 
 sun ; the closed eyes must be opened. The eyes of 
 our mind must also be opened, madam, in order that 
 the Bible, which we find obscure, may become clear 
 to us. It is from our hearts, and not from the Bible, 
 that the veil must be removed. Thus teaches the 
 apostle Paul, when, speaking of the Jews, he says, 
 " Even unto this day, when Moses is read, the veil is 
 upon their heart ; nevertheless, when it shall turn to 
 the Lord, the veil shall be taken away/' 2 Cor. iii. 
 15, 16. It was not sufficient for Christ's disciples, 
 that their Master should explain to them the Scrip- 
 tures ; it was also necessary that he should " open 
 their understandings, that they might understand 
 them," Luke xxiv. 45. Neither was it sufficient for 
 Lydia to hear the preaching of St. Paul ; it was ne- 
 cessary that her heart should be opened, to attend unto 
 the things which he said, Acts xvi. 14. Here, then, 
 is the difficulty, madam ; and the guide that we re- 
 quire in reading the Scriptures, is one who can not 
 only explain them to us, but who, above all, can open 
 our hearts to receive them. 
 
 Where shall we find this guide ? In the visible 
 tribunal to which they would fain subject you ? Ad- 
 mitting that this tribunal is what the Abbe believes it 
 to be ; and that it can explain the Scriptures without 
 danger of error ; it is a valuable help, certainly ; yet 
 it is not that of which you have the most urgent need. 
 It only removes the least of your difficulties ; the 
 chief obstacle still subsists in all its force. It is as 
 
OF THE RIBLE. 175 
 
 though a surgeon, called to undertake the cure of a 
 blind man, were to fix all his attention on some appa- 
 ratus for increasing the intensity of the sun's rays; 
 and were to do nothing for the restoration of his sight. 
 In vain the Bible is explained, commented upon, in- 
 terpreted ; so long as the heart remains closed, the 
 Bible will remain so too. Now, does the Abbe's 
 visible tribunal engage to open your heart? The 
 bishop of Rome, the fathers of a council, even of a 
 general council — what do I say ? even the angels of 
 heaven — do they engage to give, or to take from you, 
 a single feeling, a single thought 1 No, madam, and 
 you might perish for lack of knowledge at the feet of 
 an infallible tribunal, which, all infallible as it is, is 
 not the master of your heart. 
 
 But there is another guide who offers to lead you : 
 it is God himself; it is the Holy Spirit. It is he 
 who, after haA'ing acted upon the spirits of the proph- 
 ets and apostles, to the end that they might write 
 the Holy Scriptures, is ready to act upon your spirit 
 also, that you may receive them. 
 
 Let us hasten to correct a mistake which is too 
 prevalent. By the Holy Spirit, promised to every 
 Christian, I do not mean inspiration. Inspiration is 
 one thing, the gift of the Holy Ghost is another. In- 
 spiration, the design of which is to make man the in- 
 fallible depositary of Divine revelation, and which is, 
 generally attested by miraculous powers, has been the 
 portion of a very limited number of individuals, whom 
 God has chosen to proclaim his word, and especially 
 to write it ; and we have every reason to believe that 
 it was discontinued about the time that the canon of 
 the New Testament was brought to a close. It is 
 not, therefore, of inspiration that I speak. Let me 
 beg you to bear this in mind, madam, because those 
 who apply to themselves the promise of the Holy 
 Spirit are generally accused of pretending to inspira- 
 tion. We hold the prophets and apostles alone to 
 
176 INTERPRETATION 
 
 have been inspired ; but the gift of the Holy Ghost, 
 which is necessary in order to a reception of the in- 
 spired Scriptures to salvation, is promised to us as 
 well as to those men of God ; and it was as neces- 
 sary to them as it is to us, inspired as they were. 
 Christ even taught them to estimate this general gift 
 more highly than the special privilege : hence this 
 beautiful passage : "In this rejoice not, that the spirits 
 are subject unto you ; but rather rejoice, because your 
 names are written in heaven," Luke x. 20. Such, 
 madam, is the goodness of God. In grace, as in na- 
 ture, his most precious gifts are the most common. 
 
 But this gift of the Holy Spirit, how shall I describe 
 it to you ? The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, de- 
 scending into the heart of man. The Holy Spirit ia 
 God in man : it is the crowning of the work of sal- 
 vation ; and beyond this nothing can be conceived. 
 A divine of the church has remarked, " The Old Tes- 
 tament already shows us God the Father, or God for 
 us. The Gospels go still farther, and show us God 
 the Son, or God with us. The Acts and the Epistles 
 complete the plan, and show us God the Holy Ghost, 
 or God in us." How glorious, madam ! 
 
 This is the grand promise, the distinctive privilege 
 of the New Testament, Gal. iii. 14. Some believers 
 under the Old Testament dispensation were allowed 
 to contemplate the Son of God, on those solemn oc- 
 casions when he appeared to them under a visible 
 form. "Abraham rejoiced to see his day: and he 
 saw it, and was glad," John viii. 56. But the full 
 gift.of the Holy Ghost was reserved for "the latter 
 times ;" even when the Son of God was " manifest in 
 the flesh." The Holy Spirit, such as he has since 
 been vouchsafed to the Christian Church, was not yet 
 come. This is confirmed by the following admirable 
 passage in St. John's Gospel : " In the last day, that 
 great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, 
 If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. 
 
OF THE BIBLK. 177 
 
 He that believeth on me, as the Scripture hath said, 
 out of his belly shall How rivers of Living water. But 
 he spake this of the Spirit, which they that believe 
 on him should receive : for the Holy Ghost was not 
 yet,* because that Jesus was not yet glorified," John 
 vii. 37-39. 
 
 At length, the day of Pentecost arrives, and the 
 kingdom of heaven is founded upon earth. The day 
 of Pentecost is the grand day of the new covenant, 
 and the point of demarcation between the Old and 
 New Testaments. There begins the full light of 
 faith ; there, the free preaching of the gospel ; there, 
 newness of life ; there, the church of Christ. From 
 this day " the least in the kingdom of heaven, is 
 greater than John the Baptist," who was, neverthe- 
 less, the greatest among the prophets, Matt. xi. 11. 
 For the Spirit, which was given on that day, fulfils all 
 in all : as it is He who inspires the apostles, and 
 makes them speak many languages which they had 
 never learned ; it is He who causes their doctrine 
 to penetrate into the hearts of those that hear ; He 
 who enlightens the faithful soul, who consoles it, 
 who teaches it how to pray, who produces every 
 good disposition ; in short, who prepares it to under- 
 stand and receive the things of the Bible. 
 
 " What man knoweth the things of a man, save the 
 spirit of man which is in him ? even so the things of 
 God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now 
 we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the 
 Spirit which is of God ; that we might know the 
 things that are freely given to us of God," 1 Cor. ii. 
 11, 12. Do you perceive, madam, the force of this 
 
 * We read in most versions, " for the Holy Ghost was not vet 
 given , ; ' but this last word is not found in the original. Not that 
 the Holy Ghost had been inactive during Christ's sojourn upon 
 earth, and even under the Old Testament dispensation ; but he be- 
 gan to act in a manner altogether new on the day of Pentecost. 
 Before, he had operated in the world ; then, he gave himself to the 
 church. 
 
178 INTERPRETATION 
 
 argument, at once so simple and so profound ? As 
 the spirit of a man alone knoweth what is in that man, 
 so the Spirit of God alone knoweth what is in God. 
 If you find any obscurity in this letter, to whom could 
 you more fitly apply than to me, by whom it is writ- 
 ten ? If you find any in the Bible, you must, by 
 parity of reason, address yourself to the Spirit of God, 
 by whom it is dictated. He being the author of this 
 book, is also its most sure interpreter. 
 
 Whoever has this Spirit, madam, is taught of God 
 himself, according to this prophecy of Isaiah : " All 
 thy children shall be taught of the Lord," Isa. liv. 
 13 ; and according to the testimony which St. John 
 bears to every true believer : " The anointing which 
 ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need 
 not that any man teach you," 1 John ii. 27. Who- 
 ever has this Spirit is as highly favored as if the Lord 
 Jesus Christ were near him, under a visible form, and 
 he could interrogate and hear him, as men could in 
 Judea eighteen centuries ago. What do I say? He 
 is more highly favored still. Yes, madam, he is 
 more so. Let us not fear to affirm this ; for the Lord 
 himself has declared it. Jesus has just announced 
 to his disciples that he is about to leave them ; then, 
 seeing their sorrow, he adds these wonderful words : 
 " Because I have said these things unto you, sorrow 
 hath filled your heart. Nevertheless, I tell you the 
 truth ; It is expedient for you that I go away — " 
 And why, madam ? Is it because the bishop of 
 Rome will hereafter supply his place upon earth ? 
 Is it he — is it the councils — is it the visible tribunal, 
 whose presence is better for man, than that of Christ ? 
 Finish the Saviour's answer : " It is expedient for 
 you that I go away : for if I go not away, the Com- 
 forter will not come unto you ; but if I depart, I will 
 send him unto you," John xvi. 6, 7 ; xiv. 26. 
 
 O, madam ! this Guide, whose presence would foe 
 more precious to you than even intercourse with the 
 
OF THE BIBLE. 179 
 
 Saviour himself, this Spirit of God, may it indeed be 
 yours ! This is the whole question. For if you 
 have it cot, nothing in the world can supply its place. 
 In vain they say that this Spirit instructs others for 
 you. Once more, madam ; should another be in- 
 structed lor you, infallibly instructed, he might set 
 the truth before you, I allow ; but could he cause it 
 to penetrate into your heart ? If he is enlightened 
 for you, will he, also, be convinced for you 1 touched 
 for you ? consoled for you ? justified for you ? saved 
 for you ? Leave, then, these blind guides, who dare 
 to place themselves between your soul and God. 
 Take, oh, take the true Guide, which Christ an- 
 nounces, and which God promises to you. Yes, 
 madam, lie is promised to you, for lie is promised to 
 all ; and this grace, so glorious, that we hardly dare 
 believe it possible even for the greatest saints, is as- 
 sured to the least disciple of Christ. 
 
 In effect, open the New Testament at the second 
 chapter of the Acts, at the history of the day of Pen- 
 tecost. The Holy Spirit has just descended on the 
 apostles ; the astonished multitude have seen its won- 
 derful signs ; and the believers inquire, as you inquire 
 to-day, whether every disciple of Christ may pretend 
 to any part in a grace so new, and so prodigious. 
 What must they have felt, madam, whenlhey heard 
 the following words uttered by St. Peter : " Repent, 
 and be baptized every one of you in the name of 
 Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall 
 receive the gift of the Holy Ghost ! For the promise 
 is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are 
 afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall 
 call," Acts ii. 38, 39. Does not this precisely reply 
 to the question which fills your heart ? and does it 
 not reply in terms clear as the day ? Does it not 
 expressly say, that this gift is not for the apostles 
 only, but for every believer ? for each of us, for our 
 children, for all that are afar off, for as many as the 
 
180 INTERPRETATION 
 
 Lord our God shall call ? Can anything be more 
 comprehensive ? Do you still require further proofs ? 
 you will find them everywhere. It is to all the be- 
 lievers in Corinth that St. Paul writes, " Know ye not 
 that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit 
 of God dwelleth in you?" 1 Cor. iii. 16. It is 
 to all the Christians at Ephesus that he elsewhere 
 writes, " After that ye believed, ye were scaled 
 with that Holy Spirit of promise," Eph. i. 13 ; and 
 again, " Be filled with the Spirit," Eph. v. 18. 
 " If any man-' have not the Spirit of Christ, he 
 is none of his," Rom. viii. 9. " No man can say- 
 that Jesus is the Lord but by the Holy Ghost," 1 
 Cor. xii. 3. 
 
 What a promise, madam ! The day in which you 
 receive it in your heart, will be your pentecost, and 
 a new life will begin for your soul. Then your faith 
 will become living, dead as it was before. Then 
 your eyes will be opened, your heart enlarged, your 
 soul " created" anew, according to the expression of 
 the Holy Ghost, Eph. ii. 10. Then, having the 
 Holy Spirit for your Guide, you will have God for 
 your Father, and Jesus Christ for your Brother ; for 
 it is written, " As many as are led by the Spirit of 
 God, they are the sons of God," Rom. viii. 14. And 
 what must be done to obtain this spirit ? Only to ask. 
 " Ask, and it shall be given you ; seek, and ye shall 
 find ; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For 
 every one that asketh receiveth ; and he that seeketh 
 findeth ; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 
 If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, 
 will he give him a stone ? or if he ask a fish, will 
 he for a fish give him a serpent ? or if he shall ask 
 an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If ye then, 
 being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your 
 children ; how much more shall your heavenly Fa- 
 ther give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?" 
 L.uke xi. 9 — 13. 
 
OF THE BIBLE. 181 
 
 Hero, then, is the true means by which God lias 
 provided lor the explanation of his word. " \\ ho 
 
 shall instruct me in the things of God, but God him- 
 self. '" s.iys a Christian poet. With the Uible in your 
 hands, and with the Holy Spirit in your heart, should 
 von be alone in the desert, you would still have all 
 that is necessary lor the knowledge of God. and for 
 the salvation of your soul. They will tell you, that 
 thus to confide in the Holy Spirit, is to believe your- 
 self inspired ! No ; it is simply to believe that God 
 deigns to enlighten your mind, and to touch your 
 heart. They will tell you that it is to pretend to in- 
 fallibility! No ; you will not be sheltered from every 
 error, but rely upon God to give you the degree of 
 light which is indispensable. They will tell you, 
 that it is presumptuous thus to confide in yourself! No; 
 unless a child who will listen to his father alone, may 
 be accused of presumption, because, in order to hear 
 him, he uses his own understanding, and his own 
 ears. They will tell you, that it is to despise all 
 counsel ! No ; you will hearken to counsel, but you 
 will examine it by the word of God ; and you will 
 not become " the servant of men." Let them tell 
 you what they will, madam, but give glory to God. 
 Rest humbly and steadfastly on his promises ; and if 
 you meet with some one who pretends to despoil you 
 of the glorious privileges of the children of God, 
 under the pretext that he is Christ's vicar, reply with 
 Tertullian,* that " Christ has no other vicar than the 
 Holy Ghost." 
 
 Of all the Abbe's arguments, the most specious is 
 that which is furnished by the Ethiopian, who says 
 to Philip, " How can I understand, except some man 
 should guide me ?" The Abbe makes a clever use 
 of this reply; but a very simple reflection overturns 
 all his reasoning : it is, that the man whom he cites 
 is no authority. It is not an infallible apostle who 
 
 • In a passage already quoted. 
 
 16 
 
182 INTERPRETATION 
 
 here speaks. It is an humble and pious disciple, 
 doubtless, hut one upon whom the lighi isonlybegin- 
 ning to dawn: and what we ought especially to ob- 
 serve is, that as yet he knows not the Holy Spirit. 
 Because he is humble, he feels that he requires a 
 counsellor; and because he knows not the Holy 
 Spirit, he imagines, perhaps, that he needs a man to 
 guide him. But follow him when the gospel has 
 been fully explained to him, and after he has been 
 baptized in the name of the Father, of the Son, and 
 of the Holy Ghost. " The Spirit of the Lord caught 
 away Philip," whose directions were, doubtless, no 
 longer necessary to bis disciple. What then does 
 this new convert? He has just lost the guide with- 
 out, whom he had imagined a few hours before that 
 he could understand nothing; will he think himself 
 utterly abandoned, and without resource? No, ma- 
 dam; "he went on his way rejoicing,"' Acts viii. 30 
 — 39. Because the same Spirit which caught away 
 Philip, but which had not caught away his Bible, ex- 
 plained it to him, instead of Philip, and better still 
 than Philip could have done. 
 
 This history, properly understood, is calculated, 
 on the contrary, to encourage you to read the word 
 of God. " Here is a man who was enlightened while 
 reading the Holy Scriptures. He held an important 
 office, and possessed great riches ; and, nevertheless, 
 he applied himself to this study, even when travel- 
 ling : what, then, would he not do when at rest in his 
 house ? But there is much ground for admiration in 
 the means which God employed in order to his con- 
 version. He had not seen Jesus ; no miracle had 
 been performed in his presence ; how then was this 
 sudden change wrought in him ? and whence is it that 
 he was so disposed to receive what Philip said ? Be- 
 cause his soul was engrossed by the things of God ; 
 because he was attentive to the Scriptures, and was 
 employed in reading them. So advantageous and 
 
OF THE BIBLE. 183 
 
 useful is it to read the Holy Scriptures." Do you 
 know who said this? St. Chiysostom. The con- 
 clusion which he draws from this recital is, in my 
 opinion, quite equal to the opposite conclusion which 
 is drawn from it by the Abbe Favien. 
 
 My task, is ended, madam ; and you now know the 
 reasons which have induced me to read the Bible. 
 Will they not, also, induce you to do the same? 
 What wait you for? Use a right which God has 
 given you; obey a command written by his hand. 
 Then your faith, resting " not in the wisdom of men, 
 but in the power of God," will be firm as the rock of 
 ages on which it is founded. 
 
 LETTER XV. 
 
 LUCILLA TO MR. MERCIER. 
 
 How, sir, can I be sufficiently grateful for the 
 trouble you have taken in replying to me! If I were 
 obliged to judge between the Abbe and you, by the 
 kindness which you each have shown in defending your 
 cause, I should indeed be embarrassed. But it is not 
 this, I feel, which ought to determine me. I ought 
 to weigh your reasons. Those of the Abbe had near- 
 ly convinced me ; but you have greatly shaken this 
 feeling. Perhaps I am wrong to confess this to you. 
 Ought I not rather to tell Mr. Favien, in order that 
 he may endeavor to strengthen me ? 
 
 This worthy Abbe, how can I believe him in error? 
 How can I abandon him who has shown me the way 
 of salvation, and persuaded me of the truth of the 
 Christian religion ? I fear I know not what seduc- 
 tion. Yes, sir; I confess I fear that you will entice 
 me; that you will turn me aside from the Catholic 
 church. You must be a Protestant yourself, though 
 
184 INTERPRETATION 
 
 this word is not found in your letters. One would 
 think that you studiously avoided it. 
 
 It would be difficult for me to describe the feelings 
 to which your letters have given rise. They delight- 
 ed and grieved me by turns. They gave me glimpses 
 of a new existence ; and the moment after they again 
 plunged me into distressing uncertainty. I find there, 
 as you formerly found in the gospel, many things 
 which are admirable, with others which I know not 
 how to believe. I require new explanations, and I 
 hesitate to ask them. Am I acting right ? Am I 
 doing wrong? I know not; I fear to inquire ; and yet 
 I cannot remain in my present state. 
 
 However this may be, since I have begun, I must 
 finish. My uncertainty must be brought to an end ; 
 and while I consider it, in some sort, a point of con- 
 science to write to you, I also feel, as it were, con- 
 strained to do so. God seeth my heart. He knows 
 that it was my anxious desire after salvation that 
 prompted me to enter upon this path, which I know 
 not how to abandon. 
 
 I have confessed, sir, that your reasons appear to 
 me the stronger of the two. The passages which 
 you quote from the Scriptures have especially made 
 a deep impression upon my mind. I conceive that 
 neither my fallible reason, nor a necessarily uncertain 
 tradition, can afford solid ground for my salvation. 
 Only God and his word can do this. Scriptural 
 proofs must constitute the essential point. Those 
 which are alleged by the Abbe had appeared to me 
 sufficient; but I now perceive that, as you say, I 
 completed the meaning, and added to these texts 
 something which does not exist in them ; at least, 
 which is not evident. 
 
 Nevertheless, I also see objections against your 
 views, so important, so decisive, that they cause me 
 still to lean to the other side. Is it from a spirit of 
 contradiction ? If it be, I am ill acquainted with my 
 
OF THE BIBLE. 185 
 
 own hear! ; for I believe that 1 seek truth alone. 
 These objections have been touched upon by the 
 Abbe at the close of his letter. It is for this reason, 
 perhaps, that yon have Dot thought necessary to al- 
 lude to them: besides, you had enough to do to re- 
 ply to his three proofs. It was, nevertheless, these 
 accessory considerations which struck me the most 
 in all that he has written; especially as I have, more 
 than once, heard them adduced by priests ; and really 
 I can hardly conceive what could be urged in reply. 
 They are drawn from the experience of the dis- 
 senting churches. Having no judge to decide in 
 doubtful cases of controversy, the members of these 
 churches must find themselves in continual perplexity 
 You say, indeed, that they have the Holy Spirit; but 
 as the Holy Spirit is neither seen nor heard, it is 
 easy to say that he has been received, and difficult to 
 furnish proof. " This being the case," say these 
 priests, (and 1 heard one speaking on the subject a 
 few days ago,) " tin y fall, with their doctrine of in- 
 dividual inspiration, into all the inconveniences of the 
 system of the Rationalists. How, in effect, can they 
 thus have a centre of authority ? and if two persons, 
 who both imagine that they have the Holy Spirit, do 
 not see the same thing in the Bible, who shall decide 
 between them ? And how can the faithful have any 
 certainty of having found the true meaning of the 
 Bible, when it may be, and in fact is, so diversely un- 
 derstood ? And again, how can there be that unity in 
 the church which Jesus Christ so evidently desired, 
 when every individual forms his own religious opin- 
 ions ? Do we not see in France, and elsewhere, dis- 
 senting sects divided and subdivided without end? 
 They agree, it is said, on fundamental points ; but 
 what right have they to choose among the subjects of 
 revelation ? And who will be charged to draw up 
 the list of fundamental points ? And lastly, what is 
 the use of the ministry of pastors, if we are not 
 16* 
 
186 INTERPRETATION 
 
 obliged to submit to their decisions ? If the pastor 
 can do nothing but what every one else could do as 
 well eus himself, let him descend from his pulpit, place 
 a Bible there, and every thing will be said." 
 
 Such was the discourse of this priest. You see 
 it is little else than a development of what the 
 Abbe Favien said in conclusion. Perhaps you can 
 throw some light on the subject ; this, however, ap- 
 pears to me very difficult. The variations in the dis- 
 senting churches seem to me a much greater evil 
 than even blind submission. Is, then, the danger of 
 the present day that of believing too much ? Is it 
 not rather that of being wanting in faith ? 
 
 Ah ! sir, whatever you may say, I should be much 
 more tranquil if Christ were upon earth, and I could 
 go and consult him. This would, doubtless, be bet- 
 ter than the pope and his councils ; but I am not quite 
 convinced that it would not also be better for me, 
 at least, than the Holy Spirit. This doctrine of 
 the Holy Spirit perplexes me ; I am among those 
 who would fear it as a sort of inspiration. 
 
 I shall not beg you to excuse all the trouble I give 
 you. This would not accord with the high opinion I 
 have formed of your Christian kindness. 
 
 LETTER XVI. 
 
 MR. MERCIER TO LUCILLA. 
 
 Reply to some Objections. 
 
 I have received the last letter which you have 
 done me the honor of writing to me. I fancy that I 
 can perceive, through all the agitation of your soul, 
 symptoms of a dawning faith ; and, at all events, I 
 see an ardent desire to know and to follow the truth. 
 This suffices to re-assure me ; for it is written, " He 
 
OF THE BIBLE. 187 
 
 that seeketh, Budeth," Matt . vii. 8. But be calm, 
 madam. I entreat you ; you will attain the desired 
 end the more surely, and the more promptly ; lor it 
 is also written, " Res1 in the Lord, and wait patiently 
 for him," Psa. xxxvii. 7. 
 
 My arguments strike you, but you are prevented 
 from adopting my views by difficulties which are 
 deemed inseparable from the doctrines which 1 sup- 
 port. That there are difficulties in the principle I have 
 maintained, I agree ; hut I say with the Abbe, " Diffi- 
 culty is not doubt ;" and even an insoluble difficulty- 
 could not shake a well-established proposition. Ap- 
 ply this wise maxim to the subject of our correspond- 
 ent .\ and you will no longer be disturbed by the 
 discourse which you have reported to me. Admit- 
 ting that I cannot answer all the hows of this priest; 
 God has permitted, has prescribed, the reading of 
 the Bible to all. This is enough to enable you to do 
 it in peace. 
 
 However, madam, I think that I can diminish the 
 doubts which pre-occupy you. They will only be 
 completely dissipated when you have received the 
 light of the Holy Spirit. Of this light you are des- 
 titute, as is also the priest of whom you speak ; and 
 hence arise all these questions. But I am now 
 about to show you that the difficulties of which he 
 complains are less than he imagines. I do not in- 
 tend to enter so much into detail, as when I was dis- 
 cussing the Abbe's proofs. If my former replies 
 were solid — and I believe them such — a few words 
 will suffice for each of the minor points on which you 
 now consult me. 
 
 And especially remember, madam, that your sal- 
 vation, your personal salvation, is concerned in this 
 matter. " What must I do to be saved ?" was tho 
 question of the Philippian jailer, Acts xvi. 30 ; and 
 it is what you, also, should propose. This question 
 is simple and precise ; let us not confound it with 
 
188 INTERPRETATION 1 
 
 *hat of the church, which is embarrassed and com- 
 plicated. Do not neglect this precaution ; you can- 
 not imagine how much it will facilitate your task. 
 The believer exists before the church, as the trees 
 are before the forest ; and Adam, for instance, if he 
 believed the promise of grace, was saved by faith 
 before there was a church in the world. The word 
 of God makes believers ; and believers make the 
 church. Begin, then, by the question of salvation ; 
 that of the church will follow. 
 
 Moreover, madam, you will do well to bear the 
 following reflection continually in mind during the 
 present discussion. They tell you, that without an 
 infallible tribunal you will meet with certain diffi- 
 culties. This is all very well ; but have they them- 
 selves this infallible tribunal ? The important point, 
 evidently, is not to have a tribunal reputed infallible ; 
 it is to have one which is such in reality ; for what 
 you require, is not to believe yourself saved, but to 
 be saved in reality. A tribunal reputed infallible, 
 and which is not such, might be very convenient for 
 the souls which blindly trust in it ; but it would be 
 very dangerous. It might give them security ; but 
 would not place them in safety ; and such security- 
 is only the bliss of sleeping on the edge of a preci- 
 pice. The authority which would be conceded to 
 such a tribunal might be exercised in favor of here- 
 sy; the assurance it would give to the faithful might 
 be illusive ; the unity which it would produce in 
 the church might be that of error ; and the pastoral 
 ministry that it would sanction might be a ministry 
 of ignorance or of seduction. This observation is 
 so simple, that it may appear superfluous ; neverthe- 
 less, it is not so. The minds of men are easily mis- 
 taken in cases of this kind ; and they often reason as 
 if the Abbe's visible tribunal did indeed possess the 
 infallibility to which it lays claim. If I believed that 
 it did, I would immediately rangeiinyself on its side ; 
 
OF THE BIBLE. 189 
 
 but I believe I have shown yen that it has not. Let 
 us now proceed to your difficulties. 
 
 They ask, in the first place, how, without a visible 
 tribunal, we van have an authority. which judges 
 without appeal incases of controversy? It cannot 
 be denied, that the churches which do not believe in 
 a visible tribunal still have all the authority requisite 
 for the government of their affairs, and for the pre- 
 servation of their internal order. Thus, not to men- 
 tion the churches of England, of Scotland, of Ger- 
 many, the Reformed church of France virtually pos- 
 sesses, and really possessed, in more happy times, a 
 synodal government, which maintained through the 
 length and breadth of the land one common confession 
 of faith, and one common discipline, to whose de- 
 cisions every one was obliged to submit, under pain 
 of expulsion from the church. But this government 
 would not satisfy you, madam ; for, however respect- 
 able it might be, it is not absolutely sheltered from 
 error. You wish for an authority which puts all 
 controversies at rest by sovereign and infallible de- 
 cisions. For want of this, say they, we can never 
 demonstrate that the truth is with us. Had we really 
 the Holy Spirit, this Spirit could not serve us as a 
 proof in the eyes of others. 
 
 I grant this, although with certain restrictions. 
 We are not mystics. The things which the Holy 
 Spirit teaches us, are not altogether of an invisible 
 nature. With the Bible in our hands, we can justify 
 our belief by clear and positive testimony ; and I 
 think we can convince of its truth all who, like us, 
 receive the Bible as the word of God. But I grant, 
 that if any one contradicts it, we cannot close his 
 mouth by calling forth the decision of a sovereign and 
 infallible authority. 
 
 But this, madam, is not indispensable. For. ob- 
 serve, what I want is, to have the truth, not to prove 
 that I have it. If I have it, God will assuredly 
 
190 INTERPRETATION 
 
 know. " The Lord knowcth them that are his," 2 
 Tim. ii. 19. This is the all important point, since it 
 is God who will judge us, not man. " But with 
 me," said St. Paul, in his first epistle to the Corinth- 
 ians, "it is a very small thing that I should be judged 
 of you, or of man's judgment : yea, I judge not mine 
 own self. — He that judgeth me is the Lord. There- 
 fore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord 
 come, who both will bring to light the hidden things 
 of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of 
 the hearts : and then shall every man have praise 
 of God," 1 Cor. iv. 3 — 5. Let men believe me 
 damned, what do I lose by it, if I am saved? Let 
 men canonize me, what do I gain, if I am consigned 
 to hell ? 
 
 This objection arises from a general and capital 
 error. Man, inclined to walk by sight, and impatient 
 in his judgments, would anticipate the sentence of 
 God. Hence he transfers to earth and to time a 
 judgment which is reserved for heaven and for eternity; 
 he takes it from the Creator, to give it to the creature. 
 Always bear in mind, that the salvation of your soul 
 must be settled between God and you, not between 
 you and your fellow-men. John Huss, burned by 
 the council of Constance, may be calm in spite of the 
 anathemas of a whole assembly, if he possesses an 
 inward and well-grounded assurance that he belongs 
 to Christ. And we, madam, provided we are in the 
 truth, and can " assure our hearts before God," 
 1 John iii. 19, have no need of any human authority 
 to furnish us with the means of proving it to the rest 
 of the world. 
 
 But, at least, continues your priest, if you have no 
 absolute need of proving to others that you have the 
 truth, vou require to know it with certainty yourself; 
 and you cannot do this without an infallible tribunal. 
 
 And why not, I pray ? Cannot the Spirit of God 
 give me an inward assurance " that this is the true 
 
OF THE BIBLE. 191 
 
 grace of God wherein I stand l n 1 Peter v. L2. The 
 best proof that he can, is that he does ; he affirms 
 
 this himself in many parts of Scripture. St. John 
 writes in his general epistle, " Hereby we know that 
 he abideth in ns, by the Spirit which he hath given 
 us,'' 1 John iii. 24. Again he writes, " Hereby know 
 we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath 
 given us of his Spirit," 1 John iv. 13. St. Paul 
 writes to the Romans, " Ye have not received the 
 spirit of bondage again to fear ; but ye have received 
 the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, 
 Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our 
 spirit, that we are the children of God," Rom. viii. 
 15, 16. When God himself deigns to assure our 
 hearts that we belong to him, what need have we that 
 his testimony should be guarantied to us by that of 
 man 1 Surely, when the poor sinful woman heard 
 the Saviour say, " Go in peace ; thy sins are forgiven 
 thee," she required nothing more ;-and if the whole 
 sanhedrim had met her on that occasion, they would 
 have taken nothing from her by denying her forgive- 
 ness, nor added anything by confirming it. Well, 
 madam, with the Holy Spirit, you have as much, you 
 have more than this poor woman had. I have al- 
 ready pointed out this wonderful passage ; but I 
 delight in showing it to you again : " It is expedient 
 for you that I go away : for if I go not away, the 
 Comforter will not come unto you ; but if I depart, 
 I will send him unto you," John xvi. 7. 
 
 And where have they learned that we can have no 
 peace of mind until the sentence of grace has sounded 
 in our outward ears ? The Lord, in order to speak 
 to our hearts, has a voice which may be heard with- 
 out the help of organs, and which silently penetrates 
 to the inmost recesses of the soul. Behold a man 
 who has been a prey to the deepest anguish, and who 
 has cried at the sight of his sins, " How shall I ap- 
 pear before my Judge !" Behold him when he has 
 
192 INTERPRETATION 
 
 found the peace of God, and when he joyfully repeats 
 this blessed testimony of one of the apostles, " 1 know 
 in whom I have believed." What has taken place in 
 this man ? You have seen nothing, you have heard 
 nothing. The Holy Ghost has spoken to him, 
 madam ; and while a blinded priest refuses to believe 
 in a pardon unheard by his outward ears, the 
 faithful soul secretly appeals to God himself: he 
 says, " My witness is in heaven ;" and you will as 
 easily persuade him that it is noon at midnight, as 
 you will lead him to doubt that God is his Father, 
 Christ is his Saviour, and the Holy Spirit his Guide. 
 This is the true assurance ; and far from saying, that 
 with the Holy Ghost, without a visible tribunal, one 
 cannot be sure of being received in grace, it must, on 
 the contrary, be confessed that the Holy Ghost alone 
 can give us well-grounded peace. 
 
 Observe, madam, that the assurance of which I 
 here speak, is the assurance of salvation, not an as- 
 surance of infallibility. I do not state that the soul 
 of the believer will be so enlightened on every point 
 of doctrine, that it cannot fall into error on any ques- 
 tion. I only say, that it will be so enlightened on 
 the fundamentals of the faith, that it cannot be mis- 
 taken therein. For there are fundamental points 
 which are essential to salvation ; and there are other 
 points of which, however important they may be in 
 themselves (for nothing is indifferent in the word of 
 God), we may, nevertheless, remain ignorant with- 
 out causing the loss of our souls. You must not take 
 offence at this distinction. Every one is obliged to 
 make it : and the Abbe Favien, for instance, regards 
 both Fenelon and Bossuet as true Christians, though 
 they were not entirely agreed between themselves. 
 How is this, unless it be that he considers the points 
 on which they were united as of more importance 
 than those on which they were divided ? Scripture 
 itself has given us the example of this ; it suffices to 
 
OF THE BIBLE. 193 
 
 study it with some attention I r, noi only that 
 
 there are fundamental points, but also to discern what 
 they are ; and to draw up the List required by the au- 
 thor of your objections.* It' it be true, thai Bossuet 
 a>kcd Claude whether a poor old woman mighl be in 
 the righl when opposed to a whole council, and that 
 
 • The doctrine of fundamental points is established by St. Paul, 
 1 Cor. iii. 10—15; for it follows Irom this passage that we cannot 
 be ignorant of " the foundation which is J^sus Christ," without 
 being lost ; but that there are other points on which one may err, 
 and nevertheless " be saved, yet so as by fire.' 1 
 
 •• Hut who will undertake to draw up the list of fundamental 
 points?" This is a favorite question among the controversialists 
 of the Roman Catholic church. To this, two answers may be 
 given. 
 
 In the first place, this task would not be so difficult as they ap- 
 pear to imagine. The work is already performed in the Bible ; 
 and we have only to distinguish what it has distinguished. Thus, 
 when St. Paul, interrogated by the jailer of Philippi as to what he 
 mu>t do to be saved, replies, •• Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, 
 and thou shalt be saved," Acts xvi. 31, there is evidently a refer- 
 ence to a fundamental point ; and when the same St. Paul, writing 
 to men who were believers, and converted, says, •• Let us. there- 
 fore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in anything ye 
 be otherwise minded, God shah reveal even this unto you.'* Phil. 
 iii. 15, he evidently alludes to points which are not fundamental. 
 One might be aided in this research by taking the most accredited 
 creeds of the different Christian communions : for instance, that 
 of the council of >"ice, that of the council of Trent, that of the 
 reformed church of France, that of the church of England, that 
 of the Lutheran church • selecting from them those articles which 
 are common to all. 
 
 But this task, to go on to my second reflection, would not be 
 absolutely necessary. It is so for those who wish to instruct oth- 
 ers ; but it is not so when there is a reference only to our personal 
 salvation. For there may be, and doubtless there are, persons 
 who know all tliat is necessary to salvation, without being able ex- 
 actly to explain what are the necessary articles. It is one thing to 
 believe ; it is another to be able to write a formula of one's belief. 
 If a mother sives a child a sufficient quantity of wholesome food, 
 without teaching it to analyze the different substances of which it 
 is composed, or to appreciate the greater or less need it may 
 have of each of them, will the child be less nourished? The 
 great point is, that the mother should not be mistaken. It also 
 suffices for us, in a strict sense, that God should be perfectly aware 
 of what are fundamental points, and of what are not. Even should 
 we not be capable of discerning this ourselves, it is enough thai 
 God is, and that he has promised not to leave us ignorant of what 
 is necessary to our salvation ; and he promises this in more than 
 a hundred passages. 
 
 17 
 
194 INTERPRETATION 
 
 Claude was embarrassed at this question, it was a 
 want of faith on his part ; he should boldly have re- 
 plied, "Yes." For it may be that this poor old wo- 
 man had the Spirit of God, and that this assembly 
 of bishops had it not. Else what signifies this prayer 
 of our Saviour : " 1 thank thee, O Father, Lord of 
 heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things 
 from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them 
 unto babes. Even so, Father : for so it seemed good 
 in thy sight," Matt. xi. 25, 26 The pious widow 
 of Sarepta was in the right, against all the priests, 
 and almost all the prophets, of her time, i Kings 
 xvii., connected with 1 Kings xix. Rahab was in 
 the right against all the people of Jericho, its king, 
 and its priests. Lydia was in tire right against all 
 the magistrates of Philippi ; and the thief who was 
 crucified beside our Saviour was in the right against 
 the whole sanhedrim (the council of the Jewish 
 church.) Yes, madam, and this poor old woman, 
 despised by the sage Bossuet, may be so strength- 
 ened by the word of God, that she may say with St. 
 Paul, " I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, 
 nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things 
 present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor 
 any other creature, shall be able to separate us from 
 the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord," 
 Rom. viii. 38, 39. 0, madam, when will this language 
 be yours ? 
 
 I now come to your third difficulty, madam, which, 
 if I may judge by experience, is the most important 
 of them all, and that on which the priest must have 
 laid the greatest stress. " How can there be unity 
 in the church without a visible tribunal ?" 
 
 This point, however, is not so important as it is 
 represented ; that which we have just considered is 
 much more so. For truth is union with God ; unity 
 is union with men. Truth without unity would still 
 save us ; but unity in error would consign us to perdi- 
 
OF THE BIBLE. 195 
 
 don. At the Bame time, I am far from denying that 
 unity is most desirable, and that it is strongly recom- 
 mended by Scripture ; but in what consists this 
 unity which Christ enjoins upon his church .' 
 
 There is an external and visible unity, and there 
 is a unitv which is internal and invisible. The for- 
 mer is thai which exists between two men who be- 
 long to the same religious denomination, who follow 
 the Bame pastors, who communicate at the same table. 
 The second is that which exists between two men 
 who have the same sentiments, the same mind, the 
 :ame heart. One can conceive these two unities 
 inited, and this is indeed a lovely sight ; but the one is 
 Often seen without the other. Two men may be ex- 
 ternally and visibly united in the same communion, 
 tfough one may have faith in his heart, and the other 
 miy not ; so indeed that the one may walk in the road 
 wfich leads to heaven, and the other in that which 
 lea's to hell. This is an earthly and temporal union, 
 wh.-;h ends by eternal separation. Two other men 
 ma) be inwardly and invisibly united, both having 
 faitlin their hearts, though they may belong to dif- 
 feret communions : no matter, both are in the way to 
 heavn. If they do not go hand in hand to heaven, 
 theyvill join hands when they arrive there. Theirs 
 is a -ief separation, which ends in an eternal union. 
 Of tl»se two unities, madam, which is, in your opin- 
 ion, 'lit to which Christ attached the most importance ? 
 Thcecond, without dispute. Surely there is more 
 unityvvhen both go to heaven under different names, 
 than/hen, with the same name, one goes to heaven, 
 the Cier to hell. Moreover, the primitive church 
 itselfiad not the complete enjoyment of outward 
 unity Between the Christians who had left the 
 synajgue, and those who had abandoned paganism, 
 there as some diversity of opinion and practice ; and 
 the ajstles endeavored less to effect its dissipation, 
 
196 [INTERPRETATION 
 
 than to maintain 'Mho unity of the Spirit in the bond 
 of peace," Eph. iv. 3-6. 
 
 With our principles, madam, what then is the kind 
 of unity in which we maybe wanting? It is external 
 unity. I confess, it every one reads the Holy Scrip- 
 tures, with prayer for the aid of the Holy Spirit, and 
 without having recourse to a visible tribunal, several 
 distinct churches may be formed, according to the 
 spirit of the age, the genius of nations, the character 
 of pastors. There may be a Lutheran church in 
 Germany, an Episcopal church in England, a Presby« 
 terian church in Scotland and France. But the in- 
 ward unity of minds, far from being hindered by our 
 plan, will be its necessary consequence ; for the Hoy 
 Spirit is one. He has promised to all those who aik 
 it, the aid of his light ; and this light is one. Ie 
 shows them the way of life, and this way is oie. 
 He inspires them with charity, and charity is <ne. 
 He reveals to them " one God," the Father ofall, 
 " one Lord," the Saviour of all, and reveals himelf 
 to them as " one Spirit." Two souls who have pgsed 
 through this school, and who have really profit^ by 
 it, can only have, in the main, the same doctrine the 
 same hope, the same baptism, the same feeling? the 
 same language. This is what a father of the cbrch 
 required : In necessariis unitas ; that is to say^nity 
 in essentials. 
 
 This unity will exist, madam, in spite of crtain 
 differences on points of secondary importance. If a 
 Tahitian, converted to the Christian faith, by 3 in- 
 structions of a missionary belonging either 1 the 
 English or Lutheran churches, came to visit ie, I 
 can assure you beforehand, that I should find rrself 
 one with him. We should find that, at a distate of 
 two thousand leagues from each other, we h: the 
 same experience, acquired the same light, leaed to 
 invoke the same God, the same Saviour, th<same 
 Spirit ; and when we shall have rejoiced togeer in 
 
OF THE BIBLE. 197 
 
 the loving kindness of Christ, when we shall have 
 bowed the knee together before him, when we Bhall 
 together have thanked him for giving us "one heart 
 and our mind;" think you that. I should grow cold 
 towards my brother when I learned that he bore a 
 different name from mine, and that he did not follow 
 with me the Master whom he follows like me, and 
 better than I do ? 
 
 And more : not only may this divergence on sec- 
 ondary points exist without disturbing the union of 
 hearts, but it may in a manner foster it. It exercises 
 toleration ; it humbles our pride ; it excites us to 
 search the Scriptures with holy emulation ; it obliges 
 us to cling more closely to the foundation which is 
 common to all — " Christ and him crucified." Where- 
 fore, in expectation of the time when the Head of the 
 church shall join his people into " one fold, under 
 one shepherd," we affirm that all men, who are really 
 led by the Spirit, will be united in heart; and that 
 they will be so in proportion as they possess more 
 piety and more charity. I add, that this unity is the 
 best means of attaining the other ; and that it is by be- 
 ginning to have one mind, that we shall end by form- 
 ing one body. 
 
 Lastly, madam, it appears to you, or rather to .the 
 priest who has suggested your objections, that if every 
 one may read the Bible, under the direction of the 
 Holy Ghost, the ministry of pastors becomes useless. 
 
 That pastors are not infallible, that they are not so 
 necessary but that we may be saved without them, I 
 agree ; but that does not prevent them from being 
 useful, very useful : infallibility and usefulness are 
 two very different things. You do not think yourself, 
 madam, an infallible mother; nor so indispensable to 
 your children, that they would be deprived of every 
 means of instruction, should they have the misfortune 
 10 lose you; but do you thence conclude that your 
 cares are useless to them? There is no infallible 
 17* 
 
198 INTERPRETATION 
 
 teacher in any science : is it, therefore, useless that 
 there should be masters and professors ? Is it also 
 useless that there should be judges, magistrates, and 
 princes, because they are not infallible in their deci- 
 sions ? 
 
 A false idea is entertained of the pastoral ministry. 
 Religious ministers are considered as a separate class 
 of beings, surrounded by a sort of mysterious halo, 
 and who serve as mediators between God and man ; 
 but it is not in this light that they are described in 
 Scripture. God has everywhere established a hier- 
 archy, and has given authority to some over others. 
 This order exists in the family, it exists in the state, 
 it exists also in the church ;. hence arises the pas- 
 toral ministry. Pastors are simply the guides of the 
 churches. 
 
 Under the Old Testament, one tribe was reserved 
 for the service of the temple, and one family of this 
 tribe for the immolation of the victims ; but as there 
 no longer exists a temple in which only the Lord 
 will be invoked, to the exclusion of every other place, 
 neither is there any longer a priesthood. The veil 
 of the temple is rent, and the Holy of holies is open 
 to all the people. And Jeremiah thus expresses him- 
 self when predicting the gospel era : " They shall 
 teach no more every man his neighbor, and every 
 man his brother, saying, Know the Lord : for they 
 shall all know me, from the least of them unto the 
 greatest of them, saith the Lord : for I will forgive 
 their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no 
 more," Jer. xxxi. 34. St. Peter, in his turn, calls 
 the Christian church a generation of priests : " Ye 
 are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy 
 nation, a peculiar people ; that ye should show forth 
 the praises of him who hath called you out of dark- 
 ness into his marvellous light," 1 Peter ii. 9. What 
 was formerly reserved for a privileged class, now 
 belongs to all the people of God : preaching, the 
 
OF THE BIBLE. 199 
 
 sacraments, the word which hinds and looses, the 
 discernment of doctrine ; all these gifts are accorded 
 under the gospel, not to a few, but to all. If some 
 have the mission of dispensing them, it is for the 
 preservation of order, and as the delegates of all. 
 The pastoral office is a function, not a privilege ; it 
 is an administration, not a priesthood. 
 
 They tell you that the pastoral office, thus cur- 
 tailed, answers no end whatever. And I say, on the 
 contrary, how much good may be done by pastors 
 who consider their task in this humble point of view ! 
 There is no fear that they will ever place themselves 
 between the believer and his God; or that he will 
 ever be tempted to lay upon others his own responsi- 
 bility before God. Far from usurping the place of 
 Christ, the true pastor endeavors to retire, that his 
 Master may alone be seen. The spirit which ani- 
 mates him is that of John the Baptist, who said to 
 his disciples, while showing the Lord, " He must 
 increase, but I must decrease," John iii. 30. Humble 
 and affecting words, which ought to serve as a motto 
 to every minister of the gospel ! There is no reason 
 why such a pastor should confine himself to reading 
 the Bible ; (though, be assured, this reading which 
 some seem to disdain, is a most honorable and inte- 
 resting function in his eyes;) he also explains the 
 word of God; he preaches it. The voice of man, 
 his personal experience, the accent of conviction ; 
 all these have so much power over the hearts of the 
 people. What the book, had not done alone, it will 
 do when explained by a sinful man, who draws from 
 this very infirmity, which he shares with his hearers, 
 the advantage of being able to say to them, " I have 
 obtained mercy ; I believe, and therefore have I 
 spoken," 1 Tim. i. 16; 2 Cor. iv. 13. What a glo- 
 rious sight, a sinner saved by grace, announcing the 
 same grace to other sinners ! And when they also 
 see the servant of Christ governing the affairs of the 
 
200 INTERPRETATION 
 
 church, administering the sacraments, instructing 
 children and young persons, visiting the sick, com- 
 forting the afflicted ; and all this from the same word 
 of God, which reveals salvation to him and to his 
 flock ; who would dare to accuse his ministry of 
 barrenness? 
 
 In constituting him a priest, a sort of necessary 
 mediator between God and the sinner, far from in- 
 creasing his usefulness, they diminish it ; for, by 
 rendering himself thus prominent, he throws Christ 
 and the Holy Spirit into the shade : whereas, it is 
 his duty and his mission to promote their undivided 
 reign. Then he would exercise over the men whom 
 ignorance has subjected to him, an oppressive domi- 
 nation. The true pastor leads by the word of God, 
 men whom Christ has made free. He loves to re- 
 mind them of these words of Christ : " One is your 
 Master, even Christ ; and all ye are brethren," Matt. 
 xxiii. 8 ; whence he draws this conclusion, with St. 
 Cyril of Jerusalem : " You must not take my word 
 for what I tell you, without having ascertained that 
 my instructions are borne out by the Holy Scrip- 
 tures." What faithfulness, what dignity is in this 
 language ! and how much confidence it shows in 
 those that hold it in the truth which they announce ! 
 Let them give us such pastors as these, and we will 
 be subject to them, as God commands : " Obey them 
 that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves : 
 for they watch for your souls, as they that must give 
 account, that they may do it with joy, and not with 
 grief: for that is unprofitable for you," Heb. xiii. 17 
 But a man who interposes between the Lord and me 
 — a man without whom I cannot have any intercourse 
 with God — a man who receives the Holy Spirit in 
 my place ; I will have none of him. Jews may have 
 said to Moses, " Speak thou with us, but let not God 
 speak with us," Exod. xx. 19; but such is not the 
 language of Christian faith. Speak, will we rather 
 
OF THE BIBLE. 201 
 
 Bay; speak, Lord ; thy servants hearken : thy sheep 
 
 know thy voice! 
 
 These are my answers, madam, to the four diffi- 
 culties vim propose. Let believers have the Holy 
 Spirit, and they will have no need of the authority 
 which may be exercised by a visible judge of con- 
 troversies ; nor of the assurance that he may give ; 
 nor of the unity that he may produce ; nor of the 
 pastoral ministry that he may authorize. If they 
 have not the Holy Spirit, what I have said is, of 
 course, no longer applicable : left to an interpretation 
 of their own, they leave Christianity, and fall into 
 rationalism. Then, I agree, the faithful will have 
 no true authority, no true assurance, no true unity, 
 nor any true pastoral ministry : but neither could 
 they have them with the visible tribunal, even were 
 it infallible. They would only have the appearance 
 of them. Why ? because, being visible and external, 
 this tribunal only possesses a visible and external 
 action : whereas, the religion of Christ is addressed 
 to the heart, and requires that God should be wor- 
 shipped " in spirit and in truth ;" and hence a merely 
 external influence can never serve its purpose. On 
 the contrary, it falsifies and distorts that which it 
 professes to explain. When the quarrel between 
 Fenelon and Bossuet was decided at Rome, against 
 the former, Fenelon might withdraw his book ; he 
 might retract it ; he might burn it ; but think you 
 that he could inwardly abandon his conviction, merely 
 because it had been condemned at Rome ? He could, 
 had he been convinced of error by the Holy Spirit ; 
 because the Holy Spirit would, at the same time, 
 have impressed his soul with a new view of the sub- 
 ject : but he could not with the visible tribunal of 
 Rome, which has no dominion over the mind. So 
 that this boasted infallible authority — this judge of 
 controversies, which professes to terminate them all, 
 in reality terminates nothing. Its rights end where 
 
202 INTERPRETATION 
 
 true religion begins; it steps at the door of the sanc- 
 tuary; it rules all, except the heart, which is the 
 first thing to he ruled : the heart which God has 
 commanded to be " kept with all diligence." It de- 
 crees, it canonizes, it excommunicates, it sometimes 
 kills and tortures ; but it toucheth not ; it converteth 
 not ; it unite th not : all this belongs to the Holy Spirit 
 alone. The Holy Spirit alone answers every pur- 
 pose ; and in receiving it you will sec all your diffi- 
 culties vanish. 
 
 And whence arise these difficulties ? Merely be- 
 cause the promise of the Holy Spirit is not believed. 
 No, madam, it is not believed.* It is believed, in- 
 deed, for the priests, but it is not believed for every 
 Christian ; and false notions are entertained of the 
 Spirit, which is believed in for the priests. I once 
 heard a Cure, with whom I was discussing the sub- 
 ject, say, " I, indeed, have received the Holy Spirit, 
 since I was in orders." Truly, madam, the Holy 
 Spirit which is communicated by certain rules, cer- 
 tain exercises, a certain costume, is not the Spirit of 
 which I have spoken to you in this and the preced- 
 ing letter. The Holy Spirit which God has promis- 
 ed is not believed in for the faithful in general ; and 
 for the priests some other Holy Spirit is believed in, 
 of which God has never spoken. Your objections 
 have no other cause. They want a visible authority, 
 because they are unacquainted with the invisible 
 authority which resides in the Holy Ghost. They 
 want a visible assurance, because they know not the 
 invisible assurance which the Holy Ghost imparts. 
 They want a visible unity, because they know not the 
 
 * Mr. Mercier here, and in the following pages, speaks of the 
 doctrine of the Romish church, such as it exists in practice, and in 
 real life. That there is another in their theological trealises, and 
 especially in their apologies, is very possible ; out this neither en- 
 lightens nor saves the people. It has been more than once remark- 
 ed, the Romish church has one doctrine for controversy and another 
 for practice ; and it is in the latter that its true spirit is discovered. 
 
OF THE BIBLE. 203 
 
 invisible unity produced by the Holy Ghost. They 
 want a visible priesthood, because they know not this 
 invisible priesthood, which Christ exercises through 
 the Holy Ghost. In a word, they want an entirely 
 visible economy, because they know not the Holy 
 Ghost, and do not understand that his inward and in- 
 visible action is the characteristic and privilege of the 
 new covenant. 
 
 It is written in the New Testament, " We look not 
 at the things which are seen, but at the things which 
 are not seen," 2 Cor. iv. 18. Your priests have re- 
 versed this order. To hear them, " the things which 
 are not seen" cannot suffice us ; we everywhere re- 
 quire " the things which are seen ;" a visible tribunal, 
 which interprets the Scriptures, instead of the unseen 
 Spirit, which explains them to the heart of the be- 
 liever ; — a visible head, who " walketh before us,"* 
 instead of this unseen King, who governs his church, 
 seated in heaven, at the right hand of God ; — a worship 
 altogether visible and external, instead of that unseen 
 adoration, which takes place " in spirit and in truth;" 
 — a visible absolution, which strikes upon the outward 
 ears ; — a visible sacrifice, which we can see with 
 our eyes, touch with our hands, convey to our mouth; 
 — a visible sign, which applies the sacrifice of Christ 
 to our bosom ; — a visible cross, which we can take 
 into our hands, and kiss with our lips ; — visible images, 
 before which we can prostrate ourselves ; — a visible 
 mark of salvation on the dying. 
 
 Constant appeal is made to what is called the faith ; 
 and in refusing to believe all that is enjoined, you fear 
 to be wanting in faith. This is a strange confusion 
 of terms. The faith of which they boast, is quite 
 contrary to that which is so strongly enforced in the 
 
 * Le5 the reader pursue this comparison. He will find consider- 
 able resemblance between the spirit which animated the Israelites 
 on this occasion, and that which appears in the arguments of the 
 apologists of the Romish church. 1 Sam. xii. 2-12. 
 
204 INTERPRETATION 
 
 gospel. The faith of the gospel is opposed to sight; 
 for it is written, " We walk by faith, ool by sight;" 
 " Blessed arc they that have not seen, and yet have 
 believed ;" " Faith is the evidence of things not seen." 
 2 Cor. v. 7 ; John xx. 29; Heb. xi. 1. But the faith 
 of your priests rests entirely on sight; for it only ap- 
 plies to things which are seen with the eyes, and 
 heard with the ears. Here is the explanation of this 
 difference. Their faith is faith in man ; the faith of 
 the gospel is faith in God. Follow the counsels of 
 your priests, madam, and you will, in effect, have 
 much faith, but it will be in the priests. Follow those 
 which 1 make bold to give you ; or rather, follow the 
 commandment of God in his word, and you will have 
 less faith in man, but you will have more in God. 
 You will have faith in his word ; you will have faith 
 in " the things which are not seen," and which " are 
 eternal ;" you will have confidence in that which is 
 the true object of faith. Ah ! it is not surprising that 
 the maxims of your priests should seduce the people, 
 and that ours should startle them. Man likes so much 
 to see, so little to believe. But that which pleases in 
 their doctrine is against them ; and that which as- 
 tonishes in ours is in our favor. The faith which is 
 recommended to you arises from a principle of unbe- 
 lief; and what is called our incredulity, proceeds 
 from a principle of faith. Whatever they may say, it 
 is to the yoke of man that they would subject you. 
 This yoke is imposed in God's name ; but it places 
 man constantly in view, and God is forgotten ; so 
 easily do we forget him ! 
 
 Your priests say much of the difficulties of the path 
 on which I urge you to enter. But even should these 
 difficulties be such as they are represented, which I 
 have shown that they are not, it remains to be ascer- 
 tained if we should not find difficulties infinitely greater 
 in the way which Mr. Favien advises you to adopt. 
 The reply I here make to his objections is that w r hich 
 
OF THE BIBLE. 205 
 
 he has himself made to the objections of Mr. dc Las- 
 salle. "The difficulties which you advance, as a re- 
 proach againsl Christianity," said he, " are nothing to 
 those of infidelity, which you entirely overlook." I 
 say, in my turn, The difficulties you see in the doc- 
 trine of the Holy Spirit, are not to be compared to 
 those which embarrass your visible tribunal.* The 
 prejudiced mind of the Abbe does not perceive them ; 
 la:', you, madam, may turn your attention to them for 
 a moment. 
 
 If there docs indeed exist upon earth an infallible 
 tribunal, established by God for the interpretation of 
 the Scriptures, to which it is necessary to submit, in 
 onhr to salvation,! how is it that the seat of this in- 
 fallibility, the first point necessary to be ascertained, 
 can never be exactly and positively determined ; and 
 that there are interminable disputes as to where the 
 infallibility lies — in the bishops of Rome, in the 
 councils, or in some inexplicable union of both,? How 
 is it that they have never been able to find, in sup- 
 of this infallibility, on which they pretend to 
 the salvation of the whole world, proofs solid, 
 palpable, natural, and adapted to every one's capa- 
 city .' How is it, especially, that Holy Scripture, so 
 explicit on every fundamental point, has not once 
 expressed itself clearly on an infallible church ; and 
 that it has abandoned the defenders of its infallibility 
 to the fallible testimony of reason and tradition ? 
 How is it that they are afraid of a book, which they 
 acknowledge to be the word of God ; that they con- 
 ceal it from the people ; that they only allow its 
 
 * One view of this idea is admirably developed in an English 
 work : " The Difficulties of Romanism. By G. S. Faber.'-* The 
 mine author has written a book, not less distinguished, on " The 
 Difficulties of Infidelity." One of these works has been of great 
 u>f to us in our first part ; and the other in the second. 
 
 f Thus teaches the council of Trent : " I engage to retain and 
 to confess this true Catholic faith, without which no one can be 
 saved.'' Prof. Fid. Trident., in Syllog. Conies., p. 5. 
 18 
 
206 INTERPRETATION 
 
 perusal with unheard-of precautions ;* that it is the 
 most frequently interdicted in the vulgar tongue ; that 
 there are so many priests, who repel, and who burn 
 it? How is it that the chief authorities of this infal- 
 lible church, that popes, that councils, should be 
 found in flagrant contradiction one to another, some- 
 times even in open quarrel ; and that they cannot be 
 reconciled without having recourse to the most subtle, 
 the most unwarrantable distinctions ?f How is it that 
 this infallible church has taught, and still teaches, 
 doctrines evidently opposed to the clearest declara- 
 tions of Scripture ? Witness the worship of Mary, 
 and of the saints, which it cannot bear to hear called 
 idolatry, but for which it only thought itself able to 
 vouch by suppressing that one of the ten command- 
 ments which forbids idolatry ? thus condemning itself 
 for its own justification. How is it that a great num- 
 ber of the heads of this infallible church, of these 
 pretended vicars of Christ, have been men impious, 
 wicked, perfidious, and debauched ; and that the his- 
 tory of the popes is one of the most shameful pages 
 in the annals of human nature ; whilst the true inter- 
 preters of the Divine mind, the men whom God 
 inspired to write the Old and New Testaments, form 
 a constellation of saints ? How is it that this infalli- 
 ble church has executed, or decreed, as a church, 
 and in the name of its popes, or of its councils, some 
 of the most execrable crimes of which the history of 
 mankind has preserved the remembrance ;. that it has 
 organized, or caused to be organized, by secular 
 power, (it matters little which,) a system of oppres- 
 
 * See a decree of the council of Trent, which we have already 
 quoted. " The Scriptures," says Hermannus, " are of no more 
 value than the fables of Ksop, if they are deprived of the authority 
 of the church." Another author thus expresses himself: " The 
 Scriptures are like a nose of wax, to which any man may give the 
 form he pleases." (V. Baill., Tract. 1, quaest. 17; Albert Pigh., 
 Hier. Eccles., lib. iii. c. 3.) 
 
 f Examples of this may be seen in Faber, " Difficulties of Ro- 
 manism," p. 247, etc. 
 
OF THE BIBLE. 207 
 
 sion and torture, surpassing- in cruelty all that lias 
 been found among pagans themselves ; thai it has 
 shed more Christian blood than ancient Rome, iii her 
 ten merciless persecutions; and has put to death, on 
 one single occasion, a million of French subjects?* 
 How is it that the council of Constance, a general 
 council, joining perjury to barbarity, burned John 
 Huss, who came to Constance on the faith of a safe 
 conduct; justifying themselves by the detestable 
 maxim, that oaths contrary to the interests of the 
 church are not binding ?f How is it that this church 
 acts in direct opposition to the spiritual character of 
 the gospel ; that it thinks more of external govern- 
 ment than of internal holiness ; that it produces men 
 attached to outward practices and forms, rather than 
 men of faith and prayer ; that it has constantly dis- 
 couraged those amongst its members who have laid 
 special stress on inward purity ; that its glory is in 
 the pomps and splendor of the world, when Christ's, 
 and that of his church, are in self-denial and simpli- 
 city ; and that, instead of glorifying God and his 
 word, it tends incessantly to put man in God's place 
 — what do I say ? to raise man, in some sort, above 
 God ?J How is it that there exists among the greater 
 part of those who defend it, at the present day, a tone 
 of levity and profanity, abuse, and revolting calum- 
 nies ; so many means, in short, which truth and 
 charity agree to disavow ; whilst fair, moderate, and 
 charitable apologies, like that of Mr. Favien, are rare 
 
 * The Albigenses, at the beginning of the thirteenth century. 
 
 f A maxim expressly advanced by the third Laieran council: — 
 " Oaths contrary to the interests of the church, and to the precepts 
 of the holy fathers, are not true oaths, but perjuries." It would 
 he well, also, to see in what terms the council of Constance, in its 
 turn, supported this doctrine. (Faber, p. 253.) 
 
 t In a collection of hymns, which we have seen in the hands of 
 the people of Lyons, are found these impious words: — "God or- 
 dains mortah for his sacred ministry , stamps them with a character 
 of holiness, and devotes them to his altars. By them the sinner 
 becomes righteous ; heaven is subject to their laws; and, in an 
 august sacrifice, even God obeys their voice." 
 
?-08 INTERPRETATION 
 
 exceptions? And, lastly, how is it that the conduct 
 pursued by this church, its language, its worship, in 
 a word, its whole order, present bo striking a pontrast 
 to every idea that the gospel lias <iiven us of the 
 Christianity of the apostles: and that, it has, on the 
 contrary, so fatal a resemblance to the unfaithful 
 church announced by the prophets, which will forbid 
 to marry, command to abstain from meats, have the 
 form of godliness, while denying its power ; and from 
 a city seated upon seven hills, will subject to its do- 
 minion almost the whole of Christendom ? 
 
 You ask if I am a Protestant, madam. I hardly 
 know what to reply. You know that I am, by birth, 
 a Catholic. My education, my habits, my affections, 
 my interests, my prejudices, are all in favor of the 
 Catholic church ; but the arguments I have unfolded 
 in my various letters have detached me from it, in 
 spite of myself. There are, nevertheless, so many 
 excellent things in this Catholic church ; it has so 
 constantly maintained the Divine nature of Christ, 
 which several sects have abandoned ; it has given its 
 name to so many pious and charitable institutions ; it 
 has reckoned among its members so many men emi- 
 nent for knowledge and piety, that I have long hesi- 
 tated. I also feared, in separating myself from it, to 
 lose the little credit 1 may have with my friends, and 
 which I am very desirous of employing for their in- 
 struction. You would not have consulted me, madam, 
 had you thought me a declared Protestant. Yet I 
 feel that I am now a Protestant in reality; for the 
 Reformation goes entirely on the principle which I 
 have maintained in writing to you ; namely, that a 
 Christian can and ought to read the Bible for himself, 
 with prayer for the light of the Holy Spirit. This 
 avowal will, perhaps, offend you. 1 have only been 
 brought to this after many conflicts ; conflicts the 
 most sincere, and sometimes the most painful Even 
 to this present moment I have not made a public pro- 
 
OF THE BIBLE. 209 
 
 fessionof Protestantism. Either from deference to my 
 family, or from real or mistaken prudence, I have not 
 yet been able to make up my mind to receive the 
 communion in a Protestant church. It is the last 
 step that remains for me to take; perhaps 1 ought 
 rather to say, a last link to sever ; and it seems to me 
 as if God had brought about this correspondence, to 
 lead me to acknowledge its necessity, and to give me 
 the requisite courage. 
 
 If he, also, call you to " buy the truth," by some 
 painful sacrifices ; if he oblige you to separate from 
 the good Abbe Favien, you must resignedly submit. 
 The Abbe is much to you, I conceive ; but your Sa- 
 viour is still more. And remember, He who first be- 
 gan to draw you towards God, was not the Abbe; it 
 was the Holy Spirit. Yes, madam, this Spirit, to 
 whose guidance they dare not intrust you, spoke to 
 your heart when as yet you knew him not. He it 
 was who opened your mind to the proofs of the truth 
 of Scripture adduced by the Abbe, otherwise they 
 would have produced no effect upon you, as they un- 
 happily appear not to have made any impression on 
 Mr. de Lassalle. He, also, it was who, doubtless, 
 inspired you with the thought of having recourse to 
 my poor instructions ; for he purposely chooses feeble 
 means, that the success maybe ascribed to Him alone. 
 This same Spirit is now waiting to lead you to an- 
 other voice, more powerful than that of man, and 
 which alone can change the heart ; to the voice of the 
 Lord Jesus Christ; who, to borrow his affecting lan- 
 guage, " calleth his own sheep by name." May he 
 speak to you himself, madam ! May he " enlighten 
 the eyes of your understanding," and " call you out 
 of darkness into his marvellous light!" Then will 
 vanish, of themselves, all this " philosophy and vain 
 deceit, after the tradition of men, and not after Christ," 
 C<ol. ii. 8. Then will be fulfilled in you this second 
 birth, without which none can see the kingdom of 
 18* 
 
210 INTERPRETATION 
 
 God, and by which we are made " new creatures," 
 John iii. ] — 8. And then, led by the Spirit of God, 
 you can call him "Abba;" that is to say, your "Fa- 
 ther," Rom. viii. 15, and enjoy all the privileges of 
 his children. I cannot form a wish more worthy of 
 the regard which I feel for you. 
 
 LETTER XVII. 
 
 LUCILLA TO MR. MERCIER. 
 
 I have received your letter, sir, and am still agi- 
 tated by the feelings to which it has given rise. What 
 is there in your letters that thus shakes my inmost 
 soul? Those of the Abbe himself, so kind, so cha- 
 ritable, did not produce this impression upon me. 
 
 I must tell you the whole truth. The time for 
 precaution is gone by. Fear not to have offended 
 me by speaking as you have done of the two church- 
 es. Though a Catholic by position, I am a Protest- 
 ant by birth. But, as you say, the salvation of my 
 soul is my first concern. The question of the church 
 will come after. 
 
 In your first letters I did not fully apprehend this 
 wonderful doctrine of the Holy Spirit. Doubtless I 
 still understand it but imperfectly ; nevertheless, I 
 seem to have a glimpse of it. How beautiful, how 
 very beautiful it is ! I still fear some illusion. Ex- 
 altation must be easy on so delightful a subject. The 
 objections I have heard can no longer restrain me. 
 Independent of the fact, that they appear sufficiently 
 refuted by your explanations, they cannot, I see, 
 counterbalance the difficulties which are found on 
 the opposite side, and of which I had never before 
 thought. 
 
 Ah! you are indeed right, when you say that I 
 
OF THE BIBLE. 211 
 
 am still destitute of true faith ' But this faith, sir, in 
 what does it consist ' 1 shall learn this, you say, by 
 reading the Holy Scriptures. 1 ought to read diem, 
 doubtless; yet bear with me again in this mat 
 there is in the Abbess letter a point on which you 
 have not touched : 1 mean what he says on the dan- 
 ger connected with this perusal. It had not at first 
 struck me : but I have been reading Fenelon's letter 
 on the Holy Scriptures ; and 1 must confess that I 
 am quite stunned by it. If there are really so many 
 things in the Bible which might shake the faith of the 
 simple, and even give them occasion of offence, 
 would it not be better, after all, that I should confine 
 myself to reading choice extracts from the Scriptures, 
 or works in which the Christian doctrine is explain- 
 ed, but with the suppression of those features, so 
 strange, or so opposed to the delicacy of modern re- 
 finement ? 
 
 I began to read several books of this description, 
 and, in particular, " The Imitation of Jesus Christ." 
 I find much profit in its perusal : could I not rest 
 here ? There are, in fact, many pious people who 
 never read the Bible ; and hardly was it known in 
 our rural district before the coming of the colporteurs. 
 
 LETTER XVIII. 
 
 MR. MERCIER TO LUCILLA. 
 
 Pretended Dangers in the Reading of the Bible. 
 
 It is not from forgetfulness, madam, that I have 
 been silent on the dangers which are feared for you, 
 from the reading of the Bible. The Abbe's uneasi- 
 ness on this subject seemed to me sufficiently to re- 
 fute itself; and I confess that I could not but feel 
 
212 INTERPRETATION 
 
 painfully impressed by this part of his letter. It ap- 
 peared to me unworthy of him. The reading of the 
 Bible dangerous ! and he who says this considers it as 
 the word of God ! Can prejudice obtain such pow- 
 er over an enlightened mind 1 Besides, I flattered 
 myself that my first letters would induce you to read 
 the Scriptures ; and had you done so, your own ex- 
 perience would have shown you the true value of these 
 unaccountable fears. But, since you still hesitate, I 
 will make an effort, in spite of my feelings, to show 
 you that the reading of the Bible is not dangerous. 
 There is nothing which may not be abused ; and 
 
 1 do not deny that a man may find cause of offence 
 in reading the Bible. It could offend a Voltaire, 
 when in its sacred pages he sought subjects of di- 
 version for the profane readers of his profane writ- 
 ings. It may offend others, who, without carrying 
 impiety to this excess, read it, nevertheless, with a 
 prejudiced mind, or a heart disposed to evil. The 
 preaching of the gospel was also " to the Jews a 
 stumbling-block, and to the Greeks foolishness," says 
 St. Paul, 1 Cor. i. 23 ; and the same apostle else- 
 where writes : " We are unto God a sweet savor of 
 Christ in them that are saved, and in them that 
 perish : to the one we are the savor of death unto 
 death ; and to the other the savor of life unto life," 
 
 2 Cor. ii. 15, 16. Was it necessary, on this account, 
 to abstain from the preaching of the apostles? Cer- 
 tainly not. It was necessary to hear them, but to 
 hear them with a desire for instruction, and for sal- 
 vation. In this spirit, also, must the Bible be read ; 
 then offence is impossible, and gives place to edifi- 
 cation. 
 
 Let us begin by the most delicate point, that of 
 morals. There are, it is said, certain things in the 
 Bible, which may inspire the reader with evil thoughts, 
 and even give him the idea of evil with which he is 
 unacquainted. This subject gives me some embar- 
 
OF THE BIBLE. 213 
 
 rassment. I will treat it briefly and clearly, in the 
 manner of the Bible itself. Living in a world which 
 • lieth in wickedness," 1 John v. L9, we see evil all 
 
 around us ; we feel it in ourselves : we cannot, then, 
 be absolutely ignorant of it; and the problem to be 
 solved is this: "How can we know it with the 
 least possible danger '" This problem the Bible 
 solves with a wisdom, a purity worthy of its Author ; 
 and man cannot learn to know evil with less peril 
 than in its panes. The Bible exposes wickedness, 
 or rather relates it, gravely, briefly, clearly; yes, 
 madam, clearly ; calling every thing by its name : 
 and this trait which is urged against it as a reproach, 
 is admirable. It shows sin in its shameful naked- 
 ness, and does not cover it with those demi-transpar- 
 ent veils which only serve to excite indiscreet curi- 
 osity. It is in the Bible that we learn to see sin 
 with the same eye that God sees it, and to turn from 
 it with holy indignation. That which elsewhere 
 might be a subject of temptation, here, in God's book, 
 under God's eyes, and, as it were, in the society 
 of the most faithful of God's servants, becomes a 
 humiliating light, and a salutary warning. I am so 
 fully convinced of this, that I placed the Bible in 
 the hands of my children as soon as they could read, 
 as did the pious mother of Timothy.* Besides the 
 advantage of receiving the first notions of evil from 
 the holiest of books, children have that of receiving 
 them at an age when the ideas from which injury is 
 apprehended are still obscure ; and when they be- 
 come clearer, long and respectful custom will have 
 taken off the keen edge of the danger. What I fear, 
 is not the guileless simplicity of the Bible ; it is rather 
 the concealments of the world ; those detestable 
 equivocations with which the language of society is 
 
 * 2 Tim. iii. 15. The words, " from a child," do not give the 
 fidl force of the original. The Greek word (jfytyos) signifies a 
 child in the earliest stage of infancy. 
 
214 INTERPRETATION 
 
 filled, in proportion as it becomes civilized, or rather 
 as it becomes immoral. Among the ancients, as 
 among the moderns, delicacy of language has in- 
 creased in proportion as purity of manners has been 
 lost ; and the most ticklish tongues are found in the 
 most corrupt nations. 
 
 In line, madam, those who will not allow the 
 Bible to speak to mankind of evil, what do they sub- 
 stitute in its place ? The confessional ! You can- 
 not be ignorant of the revelations which have more 
 than once been made on this subject, nor of the real 
 danger which the confessional substitutes for the 
 imaginary danger of the Bible. I confine myself to 
 three questions : — Is it better to learn the existence 
 of evil from the mouth of a man, than from a 
 book ? Is it better to learn it with the developments 
 of an interrogatory, where the omission of no detail 
 is allowed, than in a brief recital w r hich hastens to 
 conclude the painful theme ? Lastly, is it better to 
 learn it from the discourse of a sinner, ever open to 
 temptation, than from the solemn language of that 
 God who " cannot be tempted with evil ?" There 
 are no people so moral as those among whom every 
 one reads the Bible, and reads it from his childhood. 
 Can as much be said for those countries from which 
 the Bible is banished, and where the confessional 
 holds its undivided reign? Hear what a priest has 
 himself told me : — " Confession is truly a corrupting 
 practice, both for the faithful, to whom it often sug- 
 gests the idea of sins previously unknown ; and for 
 the priest himself, whose natural lust places itself 
 under covert of ecclesiastical obligation, to propose 
 questions worse than indiscreet." 
 
 Another danger is, also, found in the reading of the 
 Bible ; it contains, they say, many things that as- 
 tonish, that seem unworthy of God, and that may 
 perplex such as are weak in the faith. I grant that 
 there are in the Bible facts mysterious, strange, even 
 
OF THE BIBLE. 215 
 
 according to our ideas ; but I maintain that the best 
 plan is to read them in the Bible itself, not to refrain 
 from the Bible In order to avoid them. 
 
 In the first place, it is useless to refrain ; you can- 
 not aroid them. The most considerable of these 
 difficulties are. so closely connected with the ground- 
 work of its doctrine, or its history, that you cannot 
 undertake the study of religion without meeting with 
 them. How will you relate, for instance, the es- 
 tablishment of the Israelites in the land of Canaan, 
 without mentioning the command which they received 
 from God to exterminate the Canaanites ? and this, 
 as you know, is one of the, facts which gives the 
 greatest offence. And again, how can you live in 
 the world without hearing of these obscure points in 
 religion ! 
 
 Besides, in reading the Bible, we see these obscure 
 points surrounded by certain circumstances which 
 raise or diminish the difficulty ; whilst, separated 
 from this frame-work, they appear much more strange 
 than in the place where God has put them. Thus 
 the order to exterminate the Canaanites is much more 
 likely to give offence in a quotation of Voltaire, or 
 even in a catechism, than it is in the Bible, where we 
 see, by what precedes, and by what follows, how far 
 the destruction of these pagans was justified by their 
 crimes ; and how necessary this terrible warning was 
 to the Israelites, who lost their prosperity and their 
 religion entirely through having allowed these people 
 to remain among them. This is especially true with 
 regard to all who, like you, madam, are aware that 
 causes of offence exist in the Bible ; and who would 
 flee for the purpose of not meeting with them. It is 
 in the nature of the human mind to imagine these 
 difficulties greater than they really are ; and the ap- 
 prehension that there are in religion things which 
 you cannot examine with impunity, will do more to 
 stagger your faith, than the sight of these things 
 
216 INTERPRETATION 
 
 themselves. So that even should the danger of 
 which we speak be real, you must still resign your- 
 self to it, as the only means of escaping from a still 
 greater peril. But approach the Bible with an 
 humble heart, madam, and the danger with which 
 they terrify you will not exist. It will then appear 
 to you quite plain, that there should be, in the ways 
 of God, things which astound our feeble reason ; and 
 believing in the great mysteries of religion, you will 
 feel that there would be much inconsistency in your 
 finding cause of offence in the lesser difficulties. 
 What ! you believe in the fall of the rebellious angels, 
 and you cannot believe in the fact related concenuiiLf 
 the herd of swine at Gennesareth ! You admit the 
 incarnation of the Son of God, and you cannot admit 
 that Christ was tempted of the devil in the wilder- 
 ness ! You submit your reason to the miracle of the 
 inspiration of the Scriptures, and your faith recoils 
 before the history of Balaam ! This would, indeed, 
 be " to strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel." 
 
 And more, madam. These strange and mysterious 
 things, which are found in the Bible, have their 
 utility ; a utility entirely their own, and which no- 
 thing else could supply. They confound our igno- 
 rance ; they place us in our true position before God ; 
 they teach us to be silent in his presence, and to 
 allow him to act even when we cannot understand all 
 hat he does. I one day asked a child of seven 
 years old, whether God was unjust in allowing the 
 consequences of Adam's sin to extend to his pos- 
 terity. " No," replied he. " And why, my dear?" 
 " Because nothing that God does is unjust." This 
 answer would have drawn a smile of pity from the 
 infidel logician ; to me it appeared admirable. It is 
 with this simple eye that we ourselves must learn to 
 regard the mysterious points of revelation ; for, as 
 Moses says, in a passage which I have already 
 shown you in another point of view, if there are re- 
 
OF THK BIBLS. 217 
 
 vealed things which belong to us and to our children, 
 
 there arc also secret things which belong unto the 
 Lord our God, Deut. xxix. 'J9. This alternation of 
 light and darkness is marvellous, and truly divine. 
 Pascal, the Abbe's favorite author, has some fine 
 pages on this subject, which I invite you to read. 
 This clearness and this obscurity exercise our faith 
 by turns, each in its place, and in its manner ; and 
 to an humble and upright mind, the darkness remain- 
 ing in the Bible will not be less salutary than its most 
 luminous instructions. 
 
 But I am weary of justifying the word of God. I 
 owe it too much to preserve, while defending it, the 
 attitude of a cold advocate. It is with a heart full 
 of emotion and gratitude that I would speak of it. 
 Every time I take it in my hand, I seem in some sort 
 to enter a new world. It is there, especially, that I 
 feel myself in the presence of God. Have you not 
 felt this yourself, madam ? But I forget that you 
 have not read the Bible ; and really I can hardly 
 understand that it should have had no share in pro- 
 ducing the ardent desire with which you seek salva- 
 tion. In general, it belongs to the Bible alone thus 
 to arouse the heart. 
 
 11 Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt 
 be saved." " He that hath the Son hath life." " By 
 grace are ye saved through faith." " God so loved 
 the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that 
 whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but 
 have everlasting life." " We love him, because he 
 first loved us." " Be ye holy, for 1 am holy." 
 " Pray without ceasing." " Whether ye eat, or 
 drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of 
 God." What language, madam ! I speak not here 
 of the literary merit of the Bible ; nevertheless, it 
 equals, it surpasses, the most perfect productions of 
 human poesy, or human eloquence ; and it has fur- 
 nished our best writers with their most admired pages. 
 19 
 
218 INTERPRETATION 
 
 I speak not even of that marvellous union of simpli- 
 city an 1 depth, which lias Led a father of the church 
 to compare it to a river, which in some parts might 
 be forded hy a lamb, and which in others could not 
 be crossed by an elephant without swimming. By a 
 pious man of our own ag<-, it has been compared to 
 the <jrass which serves lor food at once for the least 
 animals and to the greatest ; but on condition that 
 the latter should bow the head. I speak of some- 
 thing more inimitable, m;>re celestial still ; I mean 
 the gravity, the unction, the superhuman force which 
 breathes throughout the Bible, and which can be 
 better felt than described. How well the Bible has 
 been called by St. Paul, " the sword of the Spirit!" 
 Eph vi. 17. The Abbe has taught you to admire 
 the beauty, the polish, the edge of this sword ; it 
 remains, madam, for it to penetrate into your heart. 
 This is the work of the Holy Spirit. He alone can 
 wield this " word of God, quick and powerful, and 
 sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to 
 the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the 
 joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts 
 and intents of the heart," Heb. iv. 12. The Bible 
 elsewhere compares itself to a hammer, which 
 breaks the hardest hearts ; to bread, which feedeth 
 the soul to li-fe everlasting ; to a lamp, which en- 
 lighteneth our path ; to a shield, which protects us ; to 
 tried silver; to a fire, which consumeth every impurity. 
 It produces on those who read it an impression similar 
 to that which the voice of Christ produced upon his 
 hearers. As they were compelled to cry out, " Never 
 man spake like this man," John vii. 46, we, in read- 
 ing it, are constrained to say, Never book spoke like 
 this book ! 
 
 No, madam, never book spoke like this book. In 
 vain you think to supply the place of the reading of 
 the Bible, by substituting that of any work of devotion 
 whatever. You mention " The Imitation of Jesus 
 
OF THE BIBLE. 219 
 
 Christ.'' Without going as far as Fcntenelle, who 
 called it " the finest book that has issued from the 
 hand of men, since the Bible is not theirs ;" I ac- 
 knowledge that it contains much that is excellent ; 
 and why ? because it is derived from the Holy Scrip- 
 tures. But it can never supply their place. It is not 
 given to the spirit of man to contemplate things from 
 the same point of view as God, and to show through- 
 out, as does the Bible, God as the first cause, and all 
 the rest in its connexion with God. Besides, for you, 
 and for all who, like you, are still in search of truth, 
 the '• Imitation" has great defects. It is more fitted 
 for the development of faith in the soul, than for its 
 production ; it says much of the Christian life, and 
 little of regeneration. But the Bible is equally use- 
 ful in beginning the work, in carrying it on, and in 
 completing it. 
 
 Extracts, it is said, may be made from the Bible, 
 catechisms, expositions of faith. But all these are 
 to the Bible merely what a museum of natural history 
 is to nature — a meager substitute, whose only use is 
 to recall some faint image of the originals, in the 
 minds of those who have begun by the study of nature 
 itself. How cold is the language of the catechism, 
 beside that of the Bible ! When I read in the Gos- 
 pel these touching words of our Lord, " Come unto 
 me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will 
 give you rest ; take my yoke upon you, and learn of 
 me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall 
 find rest unto your souls ; for my yoke is easy, and 
 my burden is light," Matt. xi. 28-30, I say to my- 
 self, It is Jesus, it is my Saviour, who speaks to me. 
 I think I can hear his voice. And then each of these 
 words is inexpressibly sweet : " Come unto me ; I 
 will give you rest ; I am meek and lowly in heart ; 
 ye shall find rest unto your souls ; my yoke is easy." 
 All this goes directly to my heart. I see him bear- 
 ing his cross, and helping me to bear mine. I take 
 
220 INTERPRETATION 
 
 courage, and strive to follow his steps. But when, 
 instead of this, the catechism tells me that Christ has 
 invited sinners to come to him ; that he gives ease to 
 those that suffer ; and that his burden is not painful ; 
 it is, in truth, the same doctrine, but does it produce 
 the same impression ? 
 
 There are, you say, pious persons who have never 
 read the Bible. I am not quite sure of this, madam. 
 There are many souls, perhaps, that are fed in secret 
 by the word of God ; and as to such as are entire 
 strangers to it, I cannot but think that something is 
 wanting to their Christianity. They may have the 
 zeal of a saur de la charite, or of one of the "freres" 
 who take charge of the " Christian schools" (a zeal 
 which is unquestionably useful and respectable), but 
 the soul of the Christian life, communion with the 
 Saviour, must always be in a low state. All true 
 piety rests, in one way or another, on the Scriptures; 
 and this support is felt even in the midst of many 
 errors and infirmities. 
 
 Believe, madam, the unanimous testimony of the 
 holiest divines of every age. It forms a perfect con- 
 cert of praises to the glory of the word of God. With- 
 out recalling the manner in which the prophets and 
 apostles have expressed themselves on this subject 
 (for this is more than the testimony of the holiest of 
 men, it is that of God himself), you will find in the 
 church, as it were, a choir of venerable servants of 
 God, who join hands from the apostles to us, and 
 who all acknowledge that they cannot express what 
 they owe to this reading, from which others seek to 
 deter you. 
 
 " Let us feed our souls," writes St. Augustine, " by 
 the meditation and study of the Divine writings ; let 
 us satisfy our hunger, and quench our thirst, by the 
 heavenly meat and drink which it affords. Let us 
 seek instruction in this school, so noble and so wor- 
 
OF THE BIBLE. 221 
 
 thy of the children of God.'* — " Of this you maybe 
 smv, that as is our flesh when it only receives food 
 once in several days, bo is our soul when it is not 
 frequently nourished by the word of God. For, as 
 hunger and the want of food make our bodies meager, 
 so the soul which neglects to strengthen itself by the 
 bread of the word of God, becomes feeble and barren, 
 and unfit for any good work. Consider, then, if it be 
 just that our body, which is only formed of earth, 
 should sometimes receive two repasts in the course of 
 one day, while our soul, which is the image of God, 
 hardly receives the word of life after having been de- 
 prived of it for several days. Continue to listen, as 
 usual, to the reading of the Holy Scriptures in the 
 church, and read them in your houses. "t 
 
 You should see with what vivacity St. Clement of 
 Alexandria replies to those who believe themselves 
 incapable of reading the Scriptures : " But we are 
 not all capable, you will tell me, of this divine phi- 
 losophy. We are not all capable, then, of attaining 
 true life. What is this you dare affirm ? How is it 
 that you have believed, how is it that you love God 
 and your neighbor, if you are not capable of the phi- 
 losophy of which I speak ? How is it that you love 
 yourselves, if you have no taste for the other life ? 
 But I have not learned to read, will you again tell 
 me ? If you know not. how to read, you are bound, 
 at least, to hear all that is read to you."! 
 
 Origen places the reading of the Bible among the 
 number of things which feed the soul, and the ne- 
 glect of its perusal among the greatest dangers to 
 which our souls can be exposed. § If we are allowed 
 to seek any pleasure in this life, it ought to be, ac- 
 cording to St. Gregory of Nazianzen, only in the 
 reading of the word of God, and in the meditation 
 
 * Of True Religion, c. 51. f Serm 56. Of Time. 
 
 % Pedag. lib. iii. c. II. 
 
 § Homel. ix., in Lev. ; chap. xvi. in Rom. lib. x. 
 
 19* 
 
222 INTERPRETATION 
 
 of his law.* " ft is just and necessary," writes St. 
 Basil, in his turn, " that everyone should learn what 
 is useful from the Holy Scriptures, as much for his 
 advancement in piety, as that he may not become ac- 
 customed to the traditions of men"\ 
 
 But of all the fathers, the most frequent, the most 
 urgent, in recommending the reading of the Bible, is 
 St. Chrysostom. You may already have seen what 
 he thought on the subject, from a few lines which I 
 quoted from one of his writings in my reply to the 
 Abbe, on the article of tradition. He repeatedly re- 
 curs to the subject : it is evidently one in which he 
 takes great delight. I will confine myself to two or 
 three citations : " Listen, I conjure you, all who are 
 engaged in the cares of this life ; procure the Holy 
 Books, which are the medicine of the soul. If you 
 will not take the whole of them, have, at least, the 
 New Testament, — the Acts of the Apostles, — the 
 Gospels ; let them be your masters at every moment. 
 The cause of every evil is, that we do not know the 
 Scriptures. We go to battle without arms. — I exhort 
 you always, and will never cease to exhort you, not 
 to be satisfied with what you hear in this place ; but 
 when you have returned to your houses, apply your- 
 selves assiduously to the reading of the Holy Scrip- 
 tures ; neither have I ever neglected to insist upon 
 this point with those who come to consult me in pri- 
 vate. — And let it not be urged, I live in the world ; it 
 is not for me to read the Scriptures ; it is the business 
 of those who have renounced the world, and who 
 have withdrawn to the mountains. What do you tell 
 me ? It is not your business to study the Scriptures, 
 because you are distracted by a thousand cares ! It 
 is on this very account that it is more your business 
 than theirs. But, perhaps, you will tell me, we do 
 not know the things which are contained in the Scrip- 
 tures. Well, if you do not know them, you have 
 
 * Orat. 38. \ Reg. Brev., resp. 95, torn, ii., p. 440. 
 
OF THE BIBLE. 223 
 
 much fruit to expect from their perusal alone. Be- 
 sides, it is not possible that you should be equally 
 ignorant of all ; for the grace of the Holy Spirit has 
 expressly confided the composition of these books 
 to unlettered men, in order that no one may make a 
 pretext of ignorance, and that all, even the least in- 
 structed, may understand and profit by the word of 
 God. Who has need of a master to understand words 
 such as these : ' Blessed are the meek ; Blessed are 
 the merciful ;' and many other such ? And the mira- 
 cles, the prodigies, the histories, are not all these 
 clear and intelligible for everyone ? The reading of 
 the Scriptures is a great preservation from sin ; and 
 to be ignorant of them is a mighty precipice, a deep 
 gulf. To know nothing of the Divine laws, is greatly 
 to endanger one's salvation. It is this which has 
 brought forth heresies, which has introduced corrup- 
 tion of life, which has turned everything upside down ; 
 for it is impossible, yes, impossible, that this reading 
 should remain fruitless, for any one that applies him- 
 self to it with assiduity and attention."* Most as- 
 suredly, madam, if you could consult St, Chrysostom 
 on the question now in hand, he would not tell you 
 that the reading of the Bible is dangerous, either to 
 faith or to morals ; since it is ignorance of the Scrip- 
 tures, if we may believe him, which has brought forth 
 heresy, and introduced corruption of life. 
 
 It would be superfluous to cite St. Bernard, St. 
 Anselm, the author of the " Imitation." Pascal, and 
 many others ; but I feel a pleasure in concluding this 
 series of testimonies in favor of the reading of the 
 Bible, by that of two popes. I do not know, however, 
 whether we can give this title to the former of the 
 two, St. Gregory : he was, indeed, bishop of Rome, 
 but so far from pretending to the supremacy to which 
 his successors have laid claim, he has not feared to 
 declare, that whoever calls himself a universal bishop 
 
 * Third Sermon on Lazarus. 
 
224 INTERPRETATION 
 
 is a " precursor of Antichrist." — " Give diligent heed, 
 my dear brethren," said he, " to meditation upon God's 
 word. Neglect not these Divine writings, which are 
 as letters addressed to us by our Creator. Great ad- 
 vantage may be drawn from them ; for it is by the 
 perusal of them that our heart is warmed, and that 
 we prevent our love from being extinguished, or from 
 being slackened by the cold of iniquity."* Lastly, 
 here is what was written by Pope Pius VII., in a 
 letter, dated April, 1778, and addressed to Mr An- 
 toine Martini, of Turin : " You are very right in think- 
 ing that the faithful ought to be excited to read the 
 Holy Scriptures ; for they are the most abundant 
 fountains, and they ought to be left accessible to all. 
 You cannot, therefore, find a more efficacious means 
 than to publish the sacred books in the vulgar tongue 
 of your country, which will place them in every- 
 body's reach." 
 
 But it is not necessary, madam, to go far in search 
 of proofs of the benefit resulting from the reading of 
 the Bible. They are renewed in every age ; and I 
 have myself seen the most touching examples. I 
 will only refer to one, which will be especially inter- 
 esting to you. The mother of a family was married 
 to an infidel, who made a jest of religion in the pre- 
 sence of his own children ; yet she succeeded in 
 bringing them all up in the fear of the Lord. I one 
 day asked her, how she had preserved them from the 
 influence of a father, whose sentiments were so openly 
 opposed to her own. This was her answer : " Be- 
 cause, to the authority of a father, I $id not oppose 
 the authority of a mother, but that of God. From 
 their earliest years my children have always seen the 
 Bible upon my table. This holy book has constituted 
 the whole of their religious instruction. I was silent, 
 that I might allow it to speak. Did they propose a 
 question ? did they commit any fault ? did they per- 
 * Horn. xv. in Ezek. 
 
OF THE BIBLE. 225 
 
 form any good action ? I opened the Bible, and the 
 Bible answered, reproved, or encouraged them The 
 constant reading of the Scriptures has alone wrought 
 the prodigy which surprises you." 
 
 I dare not place my feeble experience beside that 
 of the great servants of God whom I have just named, 
 nor even beside that of this humble and pious mother. 
 Nevertheless, I wish to tell you, in my turn, how sal- 
 utary the reading of the Bible has been to me. It is 
 a debt I owe. 
 
 You will, perhaps, recollect, madam, that after my 
 visit to the pious Oberlin, 1 derived from the reading 
 of the New Testament the first dawning of faith, which 
 I had nearly lost by giving up this perusal. But when, 
 after my conversations with Mr. Z * * *, I again took 
 up the Bible, to make it the subject of attentive and 
 connected study, I was shaken to my inmost soul. 
 Until then, if I believed myself a sinner, it was on 
 the faith of others, coldly, and without effect ; but 
 when 1 read with my own eyes in this book, which I 
 had learned to receive as the word of God, " The 
 wages of sin is death," Rom. vi. 23.; "Cursed is 
 every one that continueth not in all things which are 
 written in the book of the law to do them," Gal. iii. 
 10 ; I thought that I saw hell opened beneath my feet. 
 The sword had pierced me through and through. I 
 remained several weeks in this state, living in uneasi- 
 ness, and fearing to die. At last, the same word 
 which had so much troubled me, showed me the de- 
 liverance that God has prepared for the penitent sin- 
 ner. It showed me my Saviour expiring on the cross 
 for my sins : yes, madam, for mine ; for 1 firmly be- 
 lieve that he has so much loved me, that even had I 
 been the only person in the world to save, he would 
 have come for me alone. " God so loved the world, 
 that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever 
 believeth in him should not perish, but have everlast- 
 ing life," John iii. 1G. I understood that, being lost 
 
226 INTERPRETATION 
 
 by my works, I had no other resource than to give 
 myself up to Christ, that I might be justified by his 
 omnipotent grace. O madam, what a day of light! 
 From this moment all was changed. All my old ideas 
 of merit and virtue vanished away. 1 saw nothing 
 but the grace of God, free grace surrounding me on 
 every side : the Father calling me by grace ; the Son 
 redeeming me by grace ; the Holy Spirit regenerat- 
 ing me by grace. " By grace are ye saved, through 
 faith : not of works, lest any man should boast. For 
 we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto 
 good works," Eph. ii. 8-10. " Created in Christ 
 Jesus :" this is, indeed, the true expression : a new 
 creation had really taken place in my soul ; and the 
 Holy Spirit bore witness with my spirit, that I was 
 become a child of God. It was not " of works," but 
 it was " unto good works :" for how can we forbear 
 to love God, when we have been saved by grace ? 
 and loving him, how can we forbear to do all that he 
 desires ? " We love him because he first loved us/ 
 1 John iv. 19. Then what I had so much sought, a 
 sure rule, a solid resting-place, a rock, 1 felt that I had 
 found it in the Bible. 
 
 After having thus brought me forth into the life of 
 God, the same Bible affords daily food for my soul, 
 and provides for every ihing. All my strength is in 
 these three words by which Jesus Christ himself re- 
 pulsed the temptations of Satan in the wilderness : " It 
 is written." Am I afflicted, and ready to sink under 
 the weight of grief ? it is written, " Whom the Lord 
 loveth he chasteneth," Heb. xii. 6. Am I uncertain 
 what I ought to do ? it is written, " The Lord will 
 teach sinners in the way," Psa. xxv. 8. Am I railed 
 at for my faith, and rejected even by my own rela- 
 tions ? it is written, " All that will live godly in Christ 
 Jesus shall suffer persecution," 2 Tim. iii. 12. Am 
 I tempted ? it is written, " God will not suffer you to 
 be tempted above that ye are able," 1 Cor. x. 13. 
 
OF THE BIBLE. 227 
 
 Am I sick? it is written, " Blessed are the dead which 
 die in the Lord," Rev. xiv. 13. Do I pray ? it is 
 written, " Every one that asketh receiveth," Matt. 
 vii.8. Thatthe vain reasoningsof men,and theiruncer- 
 tain traditions, may seduce those who have never read 
 thr Bible, I can also conceive; but forme, who have 
 made the blessed experiment of its perusal, should all 
 the priests, all the bishops, all the councils, in the 
 world, unite to tell me that it is dangerous, my answer 
 is ready. As the man born blind, whom Christ had 
 healed, said to the Pharisees, " Whether he be a sin- 
 ner or no, I know not : one thing 1 know, that where- 
 as I was blind, now I see," John ix. 25 ; I shall say, 
 in my turn, whether the Bible be a dangerous book or 
 no, one thing I know, that whereas my eyes were 
 closed, now it has opened them. 
 
 These dangers, then, are so difficult to discover 
 that they have escaped the attention even of God him- 
 self, since he has so often prescribed the reading of 
 his word. Doubtless, he was not aware of them when 
 he inspired David with the promise contained in the 
 first Psalm : " Blessed is the man whose delight is in 
 the law of the Lord." He was unacquainted with 
 them when he dictated these words to St. Paul : 
 " All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is 
 profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for 
 instruction in righteousness," 2 Tim. iii. 16. He was 
 unacquainted with them when he praised the Jews 
 of Berea in these terms : " These were more noble 
 than those in Thessalonica, in that they searched the 
 Scriptures daily, whether those things were so," Acts 
 xvii. 11. 
 
 Ah! the Bible is indeed dangerous ; but for whom ? 
 It is dangerous for infidelity, which it confounds ; 
 dangerous for sin, which it curses ; dangerous for 
 the world, which it condemns ; dangerous for Satan, 
 whom it dethrones ; dangerous to false religions, 
 which it unmasks ; dangerous, yes, highly dangerous, 
 
228 INTERPRETATION 
 
 for every church which dares to conceal it from the 
 people, and whose criminal impostures, or fatal illu- 
 sions, it brings to light ! 
 
 I conclude, madam ; I will no longer urge you to 
 read the Bible. I know of no other arguments to add 
 to those I have already given you ; and I dare affirm, 
 that if they do not persuade you, nothing will. These 
 are not sophisms, like the objections of your priests , 
 they are plain and simple reasons, drawn from the 
 word of God itself. You now perfectly understand 
 the matter; yes, madam, you understand it. It is su- 
 perfluous to inquire further. There are no longer 
 any doubts to be cleared ; but there is a resolution to 
 be taken. God says, Read ; the Abbe Favien says, 
 Read not. It is for you to choose. To obviate every 
 difficulty, I send you a New Testament of Sacy. 
 Madam, obey God rather than man ; take, and read. 
 
 Or if you will not what shall I say then? If you 
 
 will not to-day, I fear you never will. I fear that a 
 longer resistance will offend God, and, perhaps, cause 
 him to withdraw from you. I fear that you will do, 
 as many others have done, whom the grace of God 
 has attracted, but who have refused its invitations, 
 and whom it has left to their own devices. Although 
 I thus speak, madam, " I am persuaded better things 
 of you, and things that accompany salvation." Hasten 
 then to write to me, that you have chosen the word 
 of the Lord, as "the strength of your heart, and your 
 portion for ever!" 
 
 LETTER XIX. 
 
 LUCILLA TO MR. MERCIER. 
 
 What will you have thought, sir, of my long si- 
 lence ? Perhaps, you will have despaired of me. 
 
OF THE BIBLE. 229 
 
 But no; you could never have thoughl thai God would 
 abandon me. The bitterness caused by my de- 
 lays can alone have suggested such an idea ; but I 
 felt that this bitterness was all charity, and your 
 charity has overcome me. The letter I received 
 from you a month ago affected me more than any of 
 the others; and its last lines almost broke my heart. 
 
 When 1 had finished them, I immediately took up 
 your New Testament, which I received at the same 
 time. It seemed sent from God. I opened it at the 
 first page : I knelt down, and offered up this prayer 
 to God : — Lord, this book is thy word. If it be true 
 that thou hast commanded thy children to read it, 
 deign to enlighten me by thy Spirit. If I have re- 
 ceived evil counsels, withdraw me from error, and 
 never allow me to forsake thee. Then I immediate- 
 ly began to read ; but I resolved to write no more, 
 either to you, sir, or to the Abbe, and to live a whole 
 month without any other guide than God himself. 
 Had the result been contrary to your expectations ; 
 had the reading of the Bible proved a source of per- 
 plexity and offence to my soul; you would never 
 more have heard of me : hut how different has been 
 the effect! This perusal possessed such an interest, 
 such a charm, that I sometimes devoted to it a part 
 of the night. In less than a fortnight I had read the 
 New Testament through. I immediately began it 
 again ; and I have just finished it a second time. 
 
 What a book, sir! It, indeed, produces all the 
 feelings you describe. It terrifies and consoles me, 
 it disturbs and rejoices me, by turns. During the 
 last few days I begin to understand it. What you 
 have found in the Bible, I also find there ; and this is 
 a fresh proof of the unity of feeling which the Holy 
 Ghost produces in those who read it with faith. My 
 short experience convinces me even better than your 
 letters ; and you will not be jealous, if I say to you 
 what the Samaritans said to the woman who had an- 
 20 
 
?,30 INTERPRETATION 
 
 nounced Christ to them: " Now we believe, not be- 
 cause of thy saying ; for we have heard him our- 
 selves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the 
 Saviour of the world," John iv. 42. I have learned 
 to see myself as I really am, a poor sinner, who has 
 never yet known her own heart ; and who imagined 
 herself without reproach, while trampling on the holy 
 law of God. But I have learned, at the same time, 
 to see in Jesus Christ a Saviour full of mercy, dying 
 to reconcile me to God. I hardly dare speak of my 
 hope, it is so new : but new as it is, I feel that it is 
 firm; and I admire the suddenness with which it has 
 been developed. Doubtless, there has been a pre- 
 paratory work of God in my heart. You cannot 
 imagine, sir, how much 1 was struck by that part of 
 your letter, in which you express your surprise at my 
 being so anxiously desirous to obtain salvation, with- 
 out acknowledging that the Bible had any share in 
 producing this deep interest : you are not aware that 
 the serious impressions which first induced me to 
 write to the Abbe, were called forth by some extracts 
 from the Bible, which I read in my " Manual." 
 
 Am I a Catholic, or a Protestant ? I hardly know. 
 I feel that I am become a Christian, and that suffices 
 me ; God will do the rest. On him alone do I de- 
 pend. I know my own weakness ; and it is with 
 respect, with submission, that I should receive the 
 counsels of a pious pastor ; but I will place no man 
 between God and me. I say this with you ; and I 
 now say it with a full understanding of the whole 
 force of your meaning. 
 
 Can you imagine, sir, with what emotion, with 
 what gratitude, I think of you, to whom God himself 
 directed me ; of you, who have so patiently borne 
 with me ; who have so kindly instructed me ; of 
 you, in short, who have led me to take the first step 
 in a path, at the end of which I can perceive eternal 
 life. 
 
OF THE BIRLE. 231 
 
 But no ; gratitude must not render me ungrateful. 
 If you have led me to take the decisive step, il was, 
 nevertheless, bul the second; the firsl 1 owe to the 
 
 Abbe Favien. This (rood Abbe! — I must tell you el 
 my last conversation with him ; but oner more re- 
 member, that all I say of him is strictly confidential. 
 
 As to myself, my new sentiments will soon be known , 
 but I should indeed be sorry to compromise this wor- 
 thy ecclesiastic, who is already not on the best terms 
 with his bishop. 
 
 My intention was to write to him, giving him an 
 account of my correspondence with you ; but I would 
 not do this until I had completed my month of retire- 
 ment. He did not wait for my letter. Passing the 
 day before yesterday, at some little distance from the 
 castle, he came to pay us a visit. 
 
 As soon as we were alone, he mildly complained 
 that I had not informed him of my decision. Then, 
 without giving me time to reply, he said, " Do you 
 read the Bible, madam ?" " Yes, sir." " Just as I 
 had foreseen ; I see you abandon us." I was, I 
 confess, rather embarrassed by this abrupt address ; 
 but my firmness gradually returned. " Surely, to 
 attach myself to the- word of God is not to abandon 
 you." " You read the Bible, then ! and in what ver- 
 sion, if you please?" "In that of Sacy." "That 
 may do yet ; and your Bible, at least, is it complete ?" 
 " I have hitherto only read the New Testament ; but 
 I have a great desire to procure the Old." " Yes, 
 the Old Testament, mutilated by the Reformers !" 
 
 During this short conversation, he spoke with a 
 certain irritability which I had never before seen. 
 He recovered himself, however, and, as if he re- 
 proached himself with this emotion, said, " Do not 
 think that I wish to disturb your mind ; but, my 
 child," added he, very seriously, " are you reconciled 
 with God?" "I hope so, sir." "You have, then, 
 resolved to confess ?" " No." " And how can you 
 
232 INTERPRETATION 
 
 know that you are received in grace?" "God has 
 told me so." " God has told you ! and how ?" " In 
 his word." " Explain yourself, I beg." "It is written 
 in the gospel, ' Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and 
 thou shalt be saved.' I have believed in him, sir. 
 Oh yes ! in Him alone : how, then, should I not be 
 saved ! what God has promised will he not per- 
 form ?" 
 
 The Abbe listened to me with agitation, but with- 
 out anger. A double feeling seemed to animate him ; 
 a fear that I should wander from the right way ; and, 
 perhaps, a desire of being himself enlightened, if I 
 may say so without presumption. " Madam, your 
 language surprises me to the last degree. Tell me 
 all that has happened to you ; tell me all. I conjure 
 you to conceal nothing from me." I then gave him 
 an abridged recital of our correspondence, and of the 
 conflicts to which it had given rise in my mind. I 
 offered to show him your letters, whenever he liked. 
 You will not be displeased at this ? It would be 
 impossible for me to describe the expression of his 
 countenance during this recital. He appeared ab- 
 sorbed in some profound reflection. When I had 
 finished, he remained several minutes in a kind of 
 revery, when, suddenly, " Madam," said he, with a 
 look which seemed desirous of piercing my very 
 heart, " have you peace ?" " Yes, sir, I have peace 
 with God ; thanks be to him for it." " If that is the 
 case, I have nothing more to say. You know how 
 to pray ; pray." He immediately arose, and left me. 
 
 Do you not think, sir, that this good Abbe will 
 have said to himself, that the way in which I walk 
 may indeed be the right one ? If he dare not encou- 
 rage me in it, at least he has not sought to turn me 
 aside ; and who knows ? he would, perhaps, have 
 succeeded ; I am still so weak. But God has spared 
 me; and this visit, which I dreaded a little, has only 
 served to strengthen me in my new sentiments. Im- 
 
OF THE BIBLE. 233 
 
 mediately after, I boughl the whole Bible of a col- 
 porteur, ami began to read the Old Testament. I find 
 more difficulties than in the New; but, doubtless, 
 they will diminish at a second reading. At all *\ ents, 
 I am in the Lord's school. He will teach me, in his 
 good time, all that I require to know. 
 
 To the service of this all-merciful God I wish, 
 from this time, to devote myself. Redeemed by the 
 blood of Christ, all my desire is to live for him, and 
 to die in him ; happy if 1 can see my husband and 
 children partakers of the same faith. I have read a 
 passage on this head, which fills me with hope ; it is 
 the reply of St. Paul to the jailer of Philippi : " Be- 
 lieve on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be 
 saved, and thy house," Acts xvi. 31. Unite with me 
 sir, in imploring the grace of God upon my house. 
 20* 
 
CONCLUDING ADDRESS TO THE READER. 
 
 The subject of the work which you have just read 
 is a fiction ; but a fiction formed of real details. The 
 words, the facts, here and there cited in this book, 
 are all true. Lucilla, Mr. Mercier, the Abbe himself, 
 are, with the exception of the names, and of a few 
 circumstances, historical and still living personages. 
 Whatever may be the case with the means I have 
 employed to attract your attention, the end I have 
 had in view is most important : it is to induce you to 
 read the Bible. 
 
 You may, perhaps, remember the following fact in 
 the life of St. Augustine God had begun to speak 
 to his heart, by the conversion of Alipus, his friend 
 and old companion in pleasure ; but he still wavered 
 between the service of Christ and the slavery of sin ; 
 when he one day heard, or seemed to hear, a voice 
 which said to him, Tolle, et lege, " Take, and read." 
 He obeyed ; he took the Bible ; he read, and he be- 
 lieved. Well, dear reader, I would perform for you 
 the same office, as did this friendly voice ; and my 
 desires would be fulfilled, if you would take leave of 
 my little book, with this admonition impressed upon 
 your heart : " Take, and read." 
 
 Nothing is easier at the present day ; it is the age 
 of the Bible. At the same time that, translated into 
 
CONCLUDING ADDRESS. 235 
 
 more than a hundred and fifty Languages, it is spread 
 from one end of the world to the other, the Bible every 
 where penetrates, in our towns and in our rural dis- 
 tricts, where it is sold at a low price by bumble col- 
 porteurs. Is it, then, a law in our poor world, that 
 good can never be done without opposition ? Would 
 not one think, that some favor raighl be hoped lor an 
 enterprise so pure, so charitable, so evidently dis- 
 interested ? But no : there have been found men 
 so unhappy, as to require that the word of God 
 should remain unknown ; and who, having recourse 
 to means worthy of their cause, have not feared to 
 utter false imputations against the religious societies, 
 against the colporteurs, against their very books, 
 which they have accused of falsification. This ac- 
 cusation, we say it in the face of whoever chooses to 
 hear it, is an odious calumny, which they have 
 never seriously tried to prove, and which they never 
 will prove. Respectable ecclesiastics have them- 
 selves done justice to it; witness the bishop of 
 Montauban, whose expressions have been quoted 
 word for word, (p. 87, 88). The only complaint he 
 makes against the Bible sold by the colporteurs bears 
 upon the Old Testament, where he regrets the ab- 
 sence of some books which the Romish church has 
 added to the canon of the primitive church. Well, 
 do what this pious bishop authorized the people of 
 his diocess to do : take the New Testament, the 
 Testament of Sacy. What do you risk ? Begin by 
 this. When the New Testament is read, you will 
 see what you ought to do for the Old : " Take, and 
 read." 
 
 Have you doubts as to the Divine inspiration of 
 the Scriptures ? Alas ! there would be nothing as- 
 tonishing in this, in a country where impiety has so 
 long reigned under the usurped name of philosophy, 
 and when Voltaire and Rousseau have, pel haps, 
 been among the first authors you have had in your 
 
236 CONCLUDING ADDRESS 
 
 hands. Well, if you have doubts, must they not be 
 cleared up ? Are you so determined, so enlightened 
 in your incredulity, that it is useless for you to listen to 
 the reasons of Christianity? or is it not worth while? 
 If it were true, shall we tell you, with the Abbe 
 Favien, that the Bible is the word of God, as so 
 many excellent, so many gifted men have thought ; 
 the Pascals, the Fenelons, the Bossuets, the Mas- 
 sillons ? If it were true, and if you had been ignorant 
 of it till this day, and if it only required a little at- 
 tention on your part to be convinced of it; and if you 
 would, in short, examine religion and its proofs, how 
 could you do it better than by taking it at its source, 
 and by reading this book, which by every one's con- 
 fession, is the foundation of the Christian faith? 
 " Take, and read." 
 
 But if you are so happy as to believe, if the Bible 
 is in your eyes an inspired book, what shall prevent 
 you from reading it, in order to learn for yourself 
 which is the way of salvation ? If you have not read 
 the only book in the world that has come from God, 
 how can you know the doctrine of God, and the will 
 of God, with that firm assurance which is so neces- 
 sary in order to live well, and to die M r ell ? Others 
 will seek it for you, perhaps you say ? But can you 
 impose upon others the care of your salvation ? This 
 would be to forget your privileges as a Christian, and 
 your dignity as a man ; this would be to alienate a 
 sacred right, which is, at the same time, a duty. The 
 faith which saves cannot be received by a substitute ; 
 and we cannot go to heaven by proxy. And if those 
 to whom you intrust your soul should mislead you ? 
 If they deceive themselves ? What ! you must re- 
 ject an apostle, an angel, if he announce a new 
 gospel ; and you receive a gospel ready-made, on 
 the faith of human guides, without consulting the 
 word of God ? O, my friends ! I would not wound 
 your feelings ; but you are aware of the power of 
 
TO THE READER. . 237 
 
 habit, and of prejudice. Beware of the prejudices of 
 childhood. The strangest errors, when imbibed with 
 our mother's milk, may become to us a second na- 
 ture. Know, then, by what way you are led ; and 
 allow not others, without your concurrence, to dispose 
 of your eternal condition. "Take, and read." 
 
 Perhaps you will charge him who writes to you 
 with a spirit of proselytism. He wants you to leave 
 the Romish church, to become a Protestant. I want 
 but one thing ; it is the salvation of your soul. The 
 important point is not the name you bear, but the 
 state of your heart ; " for the Lord pondereth the 
 hearts," Prov. xxi. 2. When we shall appear, you 
 and I, before the judgment seat of Christ, he will not 
 ask us if we have been Catholic or Protestant ; but 
 he will ask us, if we have believed in him — if we 
 have loved him — if we have served him, upon earth. 
 Provided you become a faithful disciple of the Lord, 
 I am content. Should your change remain all your 
 life long a secret between God and you, I am con- 
 tent. Doubtless, the name, the position, the church, 
 are not to be lightly chosen, or even lightly retained. 
 To say that a man, who has acknowledged that the 
 church in which he was born is not the true church 
 of Christ, ought, nevertheless, to remain in it, because 
 he was born there, is to support a fatal prejudice, to 
 w T hich indifference alone could have given birth, and 
 which would have kept the Jews in their synagogues, 
 and the Gentiles in paganism. But begin by be 
 coming good Christians, and the truth will do the 
 rest. " Take, and read." 
 
 My country ! the religion of the Bible is the only 
 one thou hast not tried. No ; the doctrine of Jesus 
 Christ, in all its simplicity, and such as it is found in 
 his word, thou hast not yet known. Among us, the 
 number of its disciples is only few ; but they would 
 wish to be for thee like the "little leaven, which 
 leaveneth the whole lump." The secrets, in search 
 
238 . CONCLUDING ADDRESS 
 
 of which thou hast vainly consumed thyself for so 
 many years, —the secret of order with liberty — the 
 secret of solid prosperity — the secret of public virtue 
 — thou wilt find them all in the Bible, because thou 
 wilt there find the first secret on which they all de- 
 pend, that of salvation. Oh ! if the Bible could serve 
 as a guide to every individual, to every family, and 
 to the whole nation, what a happy change! What 
 purity of manners ! what gentleness of mind ! what 
 family peace ! what wisdom in education ! what jus- 
 tice in governors ! what submission in the governed ! 
 The primitive church of Jerusalem, where reigned 
 unexampled charity, had no other rule than the word 
 of God. Happy the day when this Divine rule will 
 become that of entire France ! It would then acquire 
 a new glory among the nations : it would not be that 
 of arms ; not that of freedom ; nor that of industry : 
 it would be that of godliness. But because " godli- 
 ness is profitable unto all things, having promise of 
 the life that now is, and of that which is to come," 
 1 Tim. iv. 8 ; this glory according to God, more 
 surely than every precaution of human prudence, 
 would cause France to triumph throughout the world. 
 " Take, and read." 
 
 Priests of the Romish church ! I have a word to 
 say to you, in conclusion. You will not complain 
 that I have wronged you in this work. The priest 
 who represents you there, is a man of piety, modera- 
 tion, and perfect honor ; and the reasons which I 
 have placed in his mouth are. if not the best you 
 could have given — it is here I feel the difficulty of 
 my task — at least the best I have been able to find. 
 However this may be, I conjure you, in God's name, 
 by the salvation of the souls committed to your care, 
 by your own salvation, hinder not the people from 
 reading the Bible. I know that there are among you 
 pious ecclesiastics, who recommend its perusal to 
 their parishioners ; but they are, there is reason to 
 
TO THE READER. 239 
 
 believe, a small, a very small number. What ! the 
 Bible is in the world, ami you would keep it from the 
 people! and you would place yourselves between 
 them and the warnings of the Holy Spirit! and yon 
 would aot fear the terrible anathema which the Lord 
 has pronounced against those teachers who have 
 taken away the key of knowledge, and hindered men 
 from entering in ' Many of you are sincere, I am 
 willing to believe ; it would be too awful to suppose 
 the contrary ; and indeed the power of prejudice is so 
 great, that it can account for even this inexplicable 
 error. But by what argument, by what sophism, can 
 you then persuade yourselves, that you labor for the 
 conversion of souls, by taking from them the word 
 of God ! You. who doubtless read this word, you 
 cannot be ignorant of the blessings promised to those 
 that read it; of the praise which St. Paul bestows 
 upon it, in his second Epistle to Timothy ; of the 
 approbation given to the Jews of Berea, for having 
 done — what ! that which you prevent your flocks 
 from doing in their turn ! How dare you boldly con- 
 front such direct declarations ? Answer me : when 
 you ascend the pulpit, to exhort your hearers not to 
 procure the word of Christ ; or when you penetrate 
 into a house, to carry away this treasure, does not 
 your heart fail you ? does not your voice falter ? 
 does not your hand tremble ? And when you lie 
 down to sleep at night, the remembrance that you 
 have prevented some one from reading the Holy 
 Scriptures, does it say nothing to your conscience ? 
 Ah ! if you have no pity for your (locks, have pity on 
 yourselves! Be faithful. If yon have not sufficient 
 courage, sufficient piety, to recommend the reading 
 of the Bible, at least, do not oppose it. Allow the 
 Lord to work ; and until you can be " workers to- 
 gether with him," beware of doing the work of the 
 great adversary. 
 
 Moreover, " the Lord reigneth ;" and he will know 
 
240 CONCLUDING ADDRESS. 
 
 how to give glory to his word. Consent, or resist 
 truth will have its course, to the confusion of its van- 
 quished enemies, but to the glory and the eternal joy 
 of all those who have devoted their efforts to promote 
 its triumph. 
 
 THE END. 
 
BS530.M753 
 
 Lucilla, or, The reading of the Bible 
 
 Princeton Theological Semmary-Speer Librar 
 
 1 1012 00037 7616