Small and Large Meaning.

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the vitality, elasticity, comprehensiveness of meaning, answer all the requirements of life and knowledge; fresh truths are discovered, hidden depths are continually revealed (Ephes. i. 9, 10; Heb. xii. 27, 28; 1 Pet. i. 25).

66

Changes, rightly made, vindicate, rather than impugn, the fact of Divine inspiration; and out of the nettle, danger -from wrong interpretation-pluck the flower, safety, true meaning. To abide by the letter, yet find larger meaning in it; to hold the natural fact, yet see a spiritual reality; to discover that man's day is miniature of God's day; is gain not loss. Scripture cannot be broken." Men, from various stand-points, take opposite aspects; and truth, being progressive, the knowledge of past and present generations is necessarily incomplete; but this establishes our position: the Book is a wonder, the origin Divine, the diction by Inspiration, the substance of God. Men have been fearful, not fully knowing its depths. A half-civilised world explains it, the interpretation is erroneous, and the Mephistopheles of science rejoice. The unbeliever does not discern a mighty spiritual meaning in every variation, in narrowing, nor in widening of signification. What of that? The circle of knowledge is extended, physical nature is proved to be God Almighty's material garment, and the unbeliever becomes faithful. Though the words remain the same, their countenance is altered; and that which was suitable for the world's childhood, becomes a fit companion and consolation for our manhood. Milton-strong like a seraph; beside him-Shakespeare, careworn Dante-their song rising and descending with interchange of gift, and large-browed Verulam; these amongst the greatest of those who know and do, these bent in lowly reverential homage to the precepts of the ancient Sacred Book.

Theology, shouldered and jostled by the sturdy growths of modern thought, is becoming sturdier; conquering rude, malicious opponents; fascinating the intellectual. Theologians have been too patristic, too sectarian, have not yet done with their schools; doubtless, the higher Theology of the future will be moved as by the Spirit of God that was on the face of the waters, follow Nature with unfaltering steps, study God's great works and processes for which no measurement can be found. There were days without sun, a formless abyss, light coming forth from darkness, sky

clearing, firmament expanding, hills emerging, waters gathering, life quickening.

"Oh! I know the hand that is guiding me,

Through the shadow to the light;

And I know that all betiding me

Is meted out aright.

I know that the thorny path I tread

Is ruled with a golden line;

And I know that the darker life's tangled thread,

The brighter the rich design."

Anon.

Not unconscious of the argument against our earth's antiquity, drawn from the genealogies of Christ, a few reasons are appended to show that they do not historically fix the age of the world.

These genealogies prove that the computation of time was attended to in early periods; but the variations show that chronology was subordinate to the greater work of marking the line or family in which our Lord's birth was to be realised. Not even on this account were all the names preserved: it was the practice of the Hebrews to omit names from their genealogies for moral and judicial reasons;1 and in the times from the patriarchs down to Moses, or even to David, one name sometimes stands for a whole century in the series. The sojourn in Egypt of four hundred and thirty years has only the names of Levi, Kohath, Amram, Aaron, Eleazar, to correspond to it; and. five of the tribe of Judah-Pharez, Hezron, Ram, Amminadab, Nahshon. It was also the custom to repeat ancestral names generation after generation: the Pharaohs of Egypt, Benhadads of Syrian Damascus, Abimelechs of Gerar, show this. Definite round numbers were likewise chosen; for example, from the patriarchs to David are ten generations (Ruth iv. 18-22); but we learn from other sources (1 Chron. vi. 1) that twenty-two generations existed between Levi and David. Ten generations fill up the interval from Noah's sons to Abram's father; and further back, from Adam to Noah (Gen. xi. 10-26, and v.). Sometimes-the Hebrew having no terms for "grandfather" and "grandson"-grandsons and great-grandsons are counted sons (Matt. i. 8). Ozias (Uzziah) was three generations from Joram; Salathiel, son

"The New Testament," Luke iii. 31-38: Bishop Wordsworth.

Variations Have an Inner Meaning. 135

of Jechonias (Matt. i. 12), was really son of Neri (Luke iii. 27), Jeconiah's grandson. Zerubbabel is called son of Salathiel (Matt. i. 12); but we are told (1 Chron. iii. 19) of a different son: Zerubbabel being son of Jedaiah. A founder's paternity extends, in fact, over all who derive their origin from him (Gen. xxxi. 28-43; 1 Chron. ii. 50, 51).

Both the genealogies, by St. Matthew and St. Luke, are probably not only of Joseph, but also of Mary;1 and if the Matthan of St. Matthew is the same as the Matthat of St. Luke, Jacob and Heli were own brothers. St. Matthew reduces the seventeen generations, from David to the carrying away into Babylon, to fourteen: leaving out Ahaziah, Joash, and Amaziah, between Joram and Ozias; and in order to make up the fourteen, from the Captivity till Christ, Jeconiah has to be twice counted. In the genealogy of St. Luke, from Adam to Abraham, Cainan is inserted between Sala and Arphaxad, in accordance with the LXX. version. The Hebrew makes Arphaxad to be aged thirty-five years at the birth of Salah; but the LXX. states that Arphaxad was one hundred and thirty-five when he begat Cainan, and Cainan was one hundred and thirty when he begat Salah, and adds one hundred years to the ages of every one of these-Salah, Eber, Peleg, Reu, Serug; and one hundred and fifty to Nahor. Indeed, the LXX. adds one thousand four hundred and sixty-six years to the pre-Abrahamic period. Shem is put first of the sons of Noah, but was probably the youngest, and Japheth the eldest (Gen. x. 21; 1 Chron. xxvi. 10). St. Paul says there were four hundred and fifty years of lifetime for the judges, but only four generations are named-Salmon, Boaz, Obed, Jesse; yet for a similar period, from David to the manhood of Jehoichin, were nineteen or twenty-one generations (2 Kings xxiv. 8-16). "No interpreter of Scripture, from the earliest times down to the present day, has ever been able to identify the ancestors of Christ, mentioned by St. Matthew or St. Luke, with any of the descendants of Zerubbabel, or other members of the house of David, whose names are recorded in the Old Testament." 2

From B.C. 536 to в C. 457, is only seventy-nine years; yet six generations are named (1 Chron. iii. 17–24).

1 "Genealogies of Our Lord," pp. 57-66: Lord Arthur Hervey. 2 Ibid., p. 94.

In

our copies of St. Luke, there are seventy-six generations from Adam to Christ; but Irenæus speaks of seventy-two, Augustine made seventy-seven-a mystical number from which he extracted wonders. It is also significant that in the whole time from the entrance to Canaan till the birth of Samuel, a space of four hundred years, only three high priests are named: Eleazar, Phinehas, Eli.

These examples, which can be multiplied, suffice to show that names are used to bring us into contact with regions and epochs not as accurate measures of time, but as links to unite the old and ever-young humanity with God by means of Jesus Christ. Names, placed in symmetrical series, and numbers three. seven, ten, forty, reduced, or increased, or multiplied; are chosen with symbolical meaning. Indeed, at first there was no permanent chronological era even in common life. Facts were handed down, by memory and tradition, from father to son. As for Scripture the words of every account extend to some great man-to the patriarchs, to Noah, to Adam, thence to God. There are no ways of historically filling these gaps. Names actually and literally true, as applied to individuals, are also applied symbolically and collectively to the families, tribes, nations, by whom the earth was replenished. Dates, names,

sometimes numbers, seem to be copied from records which had been taken for different purposes. We arrive at the conclusion that chronology, in an exact and scientific sense, lies outside Revelation; only exists for genealogical not scientific purposes. Charges of errors as to chronology are not to be regarded, do not affect those Divine and spiritual truths which it is the object of Revelation to teach. We may, nevertheless, be sure that comprehensive interpretation will be able to explain the whole satisfactorily.

STUDY VIII.

DAY I.-LIGHT.

"Truth is the Body of God, and Light is His shadow."-PLATO. "Sicut lux si ipsum et tenebras manifestat, sic veritas norma sui et falsa est."-SPINOZA.

STELLAR Worlds existed before the earth. The poetry of Job (xxxviii. 7) is beautiful and true: when the foundations of the earth were laid, "the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy." We adopt the words of St. Jerome-"What eternities, what times, what originals of ages, must we not think there were before; in which angels, thrones, dominions, and the other powers served God; and existed apart from the changes and measures of times?"

Light is a wave-like movement, a peculiar shivering motion of the ultimate particles of bodies. The all-pervading ether takes up these molecular tremors, and conveys them with inconceivable swiftness to our organs of vision. This transported shiver of bodies, millions of miles distant which awakes the splendour of day, and shines in the firmament at night, is, when translated into human consciousness, light. When we detect by a thermometer, or by sensation, that from which, as Locke says, we denominate the object "hot," that is heat; and when we become aware of it by the eye, it is called “light.”

There is no body in nature absolutely cold, and every body not absolutely cold emits rays of heat. To render radiant heat visible, it must be raised to a certain temperature, then it emits a feeble red light; as heat grows, light augments in brilliancy, until, finally, it is dazzling white. "The difference between radiant heat and light is simply the difference between a low note and a high one. If we 1 "Recent Advances in Physical Science: " Prof. P. G. Tait.

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