estions, first, of the origin of the canon, its grounds and
contents; next, the authenticity and genuineness of the books; lastly, the
credibility of their contents. It is plain that, however objectionable may
be the conclusions arrived at on questions such as these, they are too
recondite and literary in character to possess the same doctrinal and
pastoral importance as those of the former kind; though the alarm which
they may cause will often be greater, because the variation from ordinary
belief is more easily apprehended by the mind, and, being a variation in
fact, and not only in idea, cannot be concealed by any ambiguity in the
use of theological terms, as may be the case in the former instances. Yet
in the third of these three questions, this species of criticism may have
a very intimate relation to practice; for it may so affect the rule of
faith as to overthrow the standard on which we repose for the proof of
revealed doctrines. In truth, in this branch it becomes identical with the
critical method before described, save so far as that examined the
credibility of doctrines, this of facts. But in spirit they are identical.
It proceeds upon the assumption, that the same critical process is
applicable in the investigation of the sacred history, as the former
assumed in the investigation of the sacred philosophy. The attitude of
both is independent: both teach that the sacred books are not to be
approached with a preconceived definition of their character or meaning:
prepossessions are not to bar the way to the exercise of criticism. The
difference from the first method above described will be equally obvious.
We may adopt the doctrine of inspiration as an illustration. The first
view would approach the contents of scripture with a psychological theory
of inspiration, as being a form of the intuition, which may furnish an
instrument for eclecticism: the second and third would investigate the
question empirically, and, declining on the one hand to accept the
psychological definition just described, and on the other to approach
Scripture with the preconceived notion of the nature of inspiration, as
held by the Church, would seek to determine the notion of inspiration from
the contents of scripture.(988)

The relation to holy scripture of the critical modes of inquiry will
obviously be as intimate in reference to the standard of faith, as that of
the philosophical in reference to doctrine. If the first of the three
met