THE VERY REV. H. WAGE, D.D., ON AUTHORITY. 



235 



the divinity of Scripture was coeval with Christianity. It did not 

 depend on the Fathers, it was prior to Irenaeus, for this belief was 

 an a1)original and essential part of the Christian faith. 



Dean Wage, in replying, said the discussion had unfortunately 

 missed the main point of the paper — the conflict between the Church 

 and the State as to their respective spheres of authority. Both had 

 great claims, and too often the rules as to moral duties laid down 

 by the one were found to be in conflict with those laid down by the 

 other. This led, as was continually being shown, to injurious as 

 well as inconvenient results. Nor could the Disestablishment 

 advocated by some do anything but aggravate the injury. At 

 present ])oth Church and State were restrained by their association 

 with each other. Any authority left alone and unrestrained would 

 lead to ruin. The Supremacy had held all the forces together till 

 now, and prevented one from overriding another. 



The Chairman, in summarising the paper and discussion, said 

 the Society was indel)ted to the learned author for the most 

 suggestive and able consideration of a sul)ject the importance of 

 which, at the jjresent time especially, received too little practical 

 acknowledgment. Without authority there could be no religion, 

 there could be no morality — for morality is founded on religion. 

 Take away authority, and the social order and faloric would be 

 shattered and fall to pieces — a concourse, not fortuitous but 

 shapeless and incoherent, of human atoms. 



At this point the Chairman called for a hearty vote of 

 thanks to the Dean of Canterbury, who had to leave the meeting. 

 This having been given by acclamation, and acknowledged, he 

 said there could be no doubt that (as was pointed out on p. 222 

 of the paper) it was in conscience or, as he preferred to call it, 

 the moral faculty, that they were given the idea of authority, and 

 that " the voice of conscience is the voice of a personal God." It 

 had historical authority. It had, too, the inherent claim, at every 

 point, to a divine authority. There was contained the actual record 

 of the words and works of the divine Word Himself, transmitted by 

 those who were acknowledged to be the most fitted to hand them on. 

 Authority was inherent in the moral relationship subsisting between 

 God and man ; it was connected with the ought. The notion of 

 authority was not of an intellectual, but of a moral character — mere 

 opinions were destitute of authority, even though professing to be 



