Transcribed from the 1877 Hatchards edition ,
BY
THE REV. E. HOARE,
VICAR OFTRINITY, TUNBRIDGE WELLS,
AND HONORARY CANON OFCANTERBURY.
Second Edition.
LONDON:
HATCHARDS, PICCADILLY.
1877.
p. iiLONDON:
Printed by John Strangeways,
Castle St. Leicester Sq.
| PAGE |
INTRODUCTION | |
THE DIVINE ELEMENT | |
THE HUMAN ELEMENT | |
THE COMBINATION | |
DIFFICULTIES |
It is quite impossible toover-estimate the deep importance of this great subject, for onour conclusions respecting it must depend our confidence in allthe great mysteries of the Gospel. There is a sphere withinwhich the human mind is capable of astonishing achievement, and Iwould be the last to undervalue human intellect. It hasdone vast things already, and is doing great things now. But there is a limit beyond which it has no power to pass; p. 2a world inwhich it has no means of investigation; an unseen kingdom whichlies quite outside its range. Yet, though unseen, thiskingdom is all important; and, though an undiscovered country, itis one in which we are all most deeply concerned, for we are allrapidly hastening thither, and He who is our Father, our Creator,our Redeemer, our Lord, our life, is the great and unseen Head ofit. Thus, no science can ever inform us as to the nature ofthe Godhead, the plan of salvation, or eternal life; and it isaltogether unphilosophical and unscientific to attempt to reducesuch subjects to the ordinary rules of science andphilosophy. God’s plan of salvation can only be knownfrom God Himself; so that, if He has not imparted to us allneedful knowledge respecting it, there is no human power that canever supply the deficiency, and we must p. 3live and die convinced of thesoul’s immortality, but still in utter ignorance of theplan which God has arranged for its safety. Hence theinexpressible value of the inspired word of Scripture. Itis the communication from God to man respecting the deep thingsof the unseen world. It supplies that which lies beyond thereach of human investigation, and gives us exactly thatinformation which dying man requires. It unfolds to us theeternal nature of God, and the plan of salvation