132 LECTURES AND ESSAYS [1868- 



divine manifestation is to remain a permanent power in 

 history. It is not enough that the saving influences 

 flowing from the Person of our Lord should be trans 

 mitted from generation to generation so that to us the 

 Church would fill the room of the divine manifestation. 

 It is necessary that every generation should be able to 

 stand directly under the influence of the historical 

 manifestation of Christ. Now this is only possible 

 through an historical tradition, fixed in writing, during 

 the very course of the revelation itself. Without such an 

 original record both of the manifestation and inspiration 

 a record breathing the fresh life of the age from which it 

 flows it would be impossible for us to have such a 

 lively vision of the events of revelation as to feel ourselves 

 to be under the personal influence of the divine mani 

 festation. Apart from this no knowledge of religious 

 truths can save us. We must have such a record of 

 revelation as may serve as the medium to bring us into 

 personal contact with Christ. That the events of revela 

 tion can be brought before us in a perfectly real and 

 lively form only by a record at first-hand a record 

 whose author was himself an actor in the history he 

 records and whose narrative thus becomes itself a part 

 of the history is obvious. The great point is not the 

 superior accuracy of a contemporary record, but its 

 superior personality. In the record of an actor the 

 events of history live again. A subsequent historian 

 may by the help of criticism produce a much more 

 accurate narrative, but never a narrative possessing the 

 same living power. The authors of Scripture are in great 

 part the men who were directly in contact with the 

 divine manifestation, and in whom themselves one part 

 of revelation that which we have called inspiration- 

 took place. These men then are of necessity the 

 authentic expositors of revelation. If they did not 

 understand it rightly revelation fell dead upon the world. 

 And thus arises at once without any inquiry into the 



