"Also I direct and appoint, that the eight Divinity Lecture Sermons shall be preached on either of the following Sub'jects to confirm and establish the Christian Faith, and to "confute all heretics and schismatics-upon the divine au thority of the holy Scriptures-upon the authority of the "writings of the primitive Fathers, as to the faith and prac"tice of the primitive Church-upon the Divinity of our Lord "and Saviour Jesus Christ-upon the Divinity of the Holy "Ghost-upon the Articles of the Christian Faith, as compre"hended in the Apostles' and Nicene Creeds. "Also I direct, that thirty copies of the eight Divinity Lec"ture Sermons shall be always printed, within two months "after they are preached; and one copy shall be given to the "Chancellor of the University, and one copy to the Head of "every College, and one copy to the Mayor of the city of "Oxford, and one copy to be put into the Bodleian Library; " and the expense of printing them shall be paid out of the "revenue of the Land or Estates given for establishing the "Divinity Lecture Sermons; and the Preacher shall not be paid, nor be entitled to the revenue, before they are printed. 66 "Also I direct and appoint, that no person shall be quali"fied to preach the Divinity Lecture Sermons, unless he hath "taken the degree of Master of Arts at least, in one of the "two Universities of Oxford or Cambridge; and that the "same person shall never preach the Divinity Lecture Sermons twice." PREFACE. THE publication of these Lectures has been delayed through my having to take up new work at Canterbury and at Oxford immediately after their delivery. I do not think it right to delay it longer; but I am conscious that the Lectures still bear in some respects the marks of insufficient care. In a work which takes in so large a range of history it is hardly possible that there should not be some mistakes of fact or inference, which will be noticed as blemishes by those who have made special periods their study, or who have been able to devote more time to historical pursuits than has been possible to me. But I have endeavoured to verify each statement which I have made, and to give references to the facts and to the books in which they may be found. In the formation of the views which I have set forth in the Lectures I have received considerable help from the works of Dr. Arnold, and the Theological Ethics of Richard Rothe. There are points, however, in which I differ from the conclusions of those great teachers, and I have indicated my dissent from one main position of Rothe's (p. 333, and Appendix, Note XX). Having formed my views on the subject of these Lectures early in life, I have been able to test them, not only by reading various authors who have touched upon the subject, but by constantly endeavouring to apply my views to the discussions of the last thirty years, and above all to the conduct of active parochial work during nearly the whole of that period. I commend them therefore to my readers, not merely as a plausible theory, but as the expression of convictions which have stood the test of experience. BALLIOL COLLEGE, Oxford, January, 1885. W. H. FREMANTLE. ANALYTICAL TABLE OF CONTENTS. PAGE Two questions answered. I. What is the World? It is the universal organism of which mankind is the head; not evil in itself, but, though fallen into an evil state through human selfishness, capable of restoration Views of the Protestant and the Catholic theology on this, compared with II. What is the Church? It is the portion of Human Society which partakes of Redemption-ultimately the World Redeemed (2) That independent study of morals must further the The study of comparative religion shows this The process of restoration is by the principle of election Human progress is identical with the influence of the spirit of Christianity Each association of men demands for its perfection the Christian spirit... As seen in the family in the associations for the pursuit of knowledge and art and in social and political life ... The Christian ideal of life comprehends and vivifies the others But Christianity takes form in an organized community This community is ultimately the world transfigured by the spirit of Christ... 44 Lect. III. in the Church of the New Testament Lects. IV, V, VI, in the attempts at a Christian Society made by Lects. VII. and VIII. will show the spiritual basis needed for Religion consists in right relations of men with God and with one another 62 |