346 MEMOIR OF DR. HARVEY. 



to our minds. She is the horse-leech's daughter that cries 

 " give, give." She needs no " revelation," and would not trust 

 in one if she had it. If a perfect revelation, it would be her 

 death warrant ; if an imperfect one, her scorn. You know how 

 I have ever stood out against the geological apologies for Moses. 

 The more that science gets footing among the clergy, the less 

 will they feel inclined to accept the fancies of those apologistic 

 harmonists. Such apologies will assuredly lead to defeat. An 

 illustration which I heard to-day in church struck me at the 

 moment as apt to our present topic. The preacher spoke of the 

 ark being taken by the Philistines when the Levites had 

 brought it to the battle upon assurance of victory, and he said 

 this was because they had made an improper appeal to it. Now 

 it struck me that the conduct of those Levites was parallel to 

 that of the clergy when they bring forward the Bible to dis- 

 prove a scientific fact, and as recent events have sufficiently 

 shown, with the worst results to the cause of " the truth." Is 

 not the Ark of God now in the hands of the Philistines ? But 

 I must not run on. Suffice it that I value your gift both for 

 your sake and its own, and have no unpleasant drawbacks there- 

 with. 



Here I take up your letter to answer, and find on 



the first page your wondering whether I shall like the passage 

 on inspiration in the third sermon as much as you do. All I 

 can say is, that I like it completely ; it is just what I think, 

 and expressed in admirable language. Dr. V.'s sermons have 

 the three good points one commonly desires in a sermon — 

 brevity, terseness, suggestiveness ; besides having the three 

 graces without which " whosoever liveth is counted dead ;" but 

 I am not going to begin afresh. It is high time to conclude, 

 yea, time to go to prayers and bed. We went to the Cathedral 

 to-day, expecting to hear Mendelssohn's " My God, look upon 

 me," but instead of it the anthem was " Oh where shall wisdom 

 be found," &c, quite apt to the first portion of this letter. And 

 now farewell. 



Yours affectionately, 

 W. H. H. 



Is it possible that we never told you that we liked " Red 

 Snow ?" It has been more read and admired in our circle and 

 amongst our friends than any of your Parables. Enid has read 



