tament;
and when it is completed _there_, the Bible will be something worse than
Luther's "wax nose," it will be a thing of "shreds and patches."

Old Testament criticism by men like Driver, Cheyne, Ryle, and Gore,
is indeed--as the petitioners assert--destroying faith in "the Holy
Scriptures" as the "infallible and inspired Word o\c God." They still
pretend it is _inspired_, but not infallible. "Infallible," at this time
of day, is a very "large order." Professor Bruce, himself a Christian
minister, is obliged to tell his orthodox brethren that "the errorless
autograph for which some so zealously contend is a theological figment."
"The Bible," he reminds them, "was produced piecemeal, and by the time
the later portions were produced the earlier had lost their supposed
immaculate-ness." And he warns the "infallible" gentlemen that their
position is really "perilous" when it is considered "in what state we
possess the Scriptures now." Yes, it is only country curates who can
stand up now for an "infallible" Word of God; even Mr. Gladstone is
obliged to admit "errors"--that is, errors in general, for he will not
confess any in particular.

The reference in the petition to "myths," "fables," and "the work of
dramatists," seem to be specially aimed at the Rev. Charles Gore, the
Principal of Pusey House, Oxford, and editor of _Lux Mundi_. His
essay in that volume on "The Holy Spirit and Inspiration" is horribly
distasteful to orthodox parsons. They cannot refute him, but they say
"he ought to know better," or "he shouldn't write such things"--in other
words, he is guilty of the shocking crime of letting the cat out of
the bag. He discards the Creation Story, just like Professor Bruce,
who calls the fall of Adam a "quaint" embodiment of the theological
conception of sin. He dismisses all the patriarchs before Abraham as
"mythical." He admits the late origin of the Pentateuch, and only claims
for Moses the probable authorship of the Decalogue. He says the Song
of Solomon is "of the nature of a drama." The Book of Job is "mainly
dramatic." Deuteronomy is the publication of the law "put dramatically"
into the mouth of Moses. Jonah and Daniel are "dramatic compositions."
Jesus Christ, it is true, cited both as historical; but he only
"accommodated" himself to the prevalent belief. He knew better, but he
did not choose to say so; or, rather, the moment was inopportune; so he
left us to find out the truth in this matter, as he left