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visitation'。 His only uncertainty was whether this termination of

an aion would turn out to be the absolutely final one; but that

he believed 'no created being knows or can know'。 In any case; he

had 'not the slightest expectation of what is commonly meant by

the Millennium'。 And his only consolation was that he preferred

the present Ministry; inefficient as it was; to the Tories。



He had planned a great work on Church and State; in which he

intended to lay bare the causes and to point out the remedies of

the evils which afflicted society。 Its theme was to be; not the

alliance or union; but the absolute identity of the Church and

the State; and he felt sure that if only this fundamental truth

were fully realised by the public; a general reformation would

follow。 Unfortunately; however; as time went on; the public

seemed to realise it less and less。 In spite of his protests; not

only were Jews admitted to Parliament; but a Jew was actually

appointed a governor of Christ's Hospital; and Scripture was not

made an obligatory subject at the London University。



There was one point in his theory which was not quite plain to

Dr。 Arnold。 If Church and State were absolutely identical; it

became important to decide precisely which classes of persons

were to be excluded; owing to their beliefs; from the community。

Jews; for instance; were decidedly outside the pale; while

Dissentersso Dr。 Arnold arguedwere as decidedly within it。

But what was the position of the Unitarians? Were they; or were

they not; members of the Church of Christ? This was one of those

puzzling questions which deepened the frown upon the Doctor's

forehead and intensified the pursing of his lips。 He thought long

and earnestly upon the subject; he wrote elaborate letters on it

to various correspondents; but his conclusions remained

indefinite。 'My great objection to Unitarianism;' he wrote; 'in

its present form in England; is that it makes Christ virtually

dead。' Yet he expressed 'a fervent hope that if we could get rid

of the Athanasian Creed many good Unitarians would join their

fellow Christians in bowing the knee to Him who is Lord both of

the dead and the living'。 Amid these perplexities; it was

disquieting to learn that 'Unitarianism is becoming very

prevalent in Boston'。 He inquired anxiously as to its

'complexion' there; but received no very illuminating answer。 The

whole matter continued to be wrapped in a painful obscurity;

There were; he believed; Unitarians and Unitarians; and he could

say no more。



In the meantime; pending the completion of his great work; he

occupied himself with putting forward various suggestions of a

practical kind。 He advocated the restoration of the Order of

Deacons; which; he observed; had long been 'quoad the reality;

dead; for he believed that 'some plan of this sort might be the

small end of the wedge; by which Antichrist might hereafter be

burst asunder like the Dragon of Bel's temple'。 But the Order of

Deacons was never restored; and Dr。 Arnold turned his attention

elsewhere; urging in a weighty pamphlet the desirabitity of

authorising military officers; in congregations where it was

impossible to procure the presence of clergy; to administer the

Eucharist; as well as Baptism。 It was with the object of laying

such views as these before the public'to tell them plainly'; as

he said; 'the evils that exist; and lead them; if I can; to their

causes and remedies'that he started; in 1831; a weekly

newspaper; 〃The Englishman's Register〃。 The paper was not a

success; in spite of the fact that it set out to improve its

readers morally and; that it preserved; in every article; an

avowedly Christian tone。 After a few weeks; and after he had

spent upon it more than £200; it came to an end。



Altogether; the prospect was decidedly discouraging。 After all

his efforts; the absolute identity of Church and State remained

as unrecognised as ever。 'So deep'; he was at last obliged to 

confess; 'is the distinction between the Church and the State

seated in our laws; our language; and our very notions; that

nothing less than a miraculous interposition of God's Providence

seems capable of eradicating it。' Dr。 Arnold waited in vain。



But; he did not wait in idleness。 He attacked the same question

from another side: he explored the writings of the Christian

Fathers; and began to compose a commentary on the New Testament。

In his view; the Scriptures were as fit a subject as any other

book for free inquiry and the exercise of the individual

judgment; and it was in this spirit that he set about the

interpretation of them。 He was not afraid of facing apparent

difficulties; of admitting inconsistencies; or even errors; in

the sacred text。 Thus he observed that 'in Chronicles xi; 20 and

xiii; 2; there is a decided difference in the parentage of

Abijah's mother;' 'which'; he added; 'is curious on any

supposition'。 And at one time he had serious doubts as to the

authorship of the Epistle to the Hebrews。 But he was able; on

various problematical points; to suggest interesting solutions。



At first; for instance; he could not but be startled by the

cessation of miracles in the early Church; but upon

consideration; he came to the conclusion that this phenomenon

might be 'truly accounted for by the supposition that none but

the Apostles ever conferred miraculous powers; and that therefore

they ceased of course; after one generation'。 Nor did he fail to

base his exegesis; whenever possible; upon an appeal to general

principles。 One of his admirers points out how Dr。 Arnold

'vindicated God's command to Abraham to sacrifice his son and to

the Jews to exterminate the nations of Canaan'; by explaining the

principles on which these commands were given; and their

reference to the moral state of those to whom they were

addressed thereby educing light out of darkness; unravelling

the thread of God's religious education of the human race; and

holding up God's marvellous counsels to the devout wonder and

meditation of the thoughtful believer'。



There was one of his friends; however; who did not share this

admiration for the Doctor's methods of Scriptural interpretation。

W。 G。 Ward; while still a young man at Oxford; had come under his

influence; and had been for some time one of his most

enthusiastic disciples。 But the star of Newman was rising at the

University; Ward soon felt the attraction of that magnetic power;

and his belief in his old teacher began to waver。 It was; in

particular; Dr。 Arnold's treatment of the Scriptures which filled

Ward's argumentative mind; at first with distrust; and at last

with positive antagonism。 To subject the Bible to free inquiry;

to exercise upon it the criticism of the individual judgment

where might not such methods lead? Who could say that they would

not end in Socinianism?nay; in Atheism itself? If the text of

Scripture was to be submitted to the searchings of human reason;

how could the question of its inspiration escape the same

tribunal? And the proofs of revelation; and even of the existence

of God? What human faculty was capable of deciding upon such

enormous questions? And would not the logical result be a

condition of universal doubt?



'On a very moderate computation; Ward argued; 'five times the

amount of a man's natural life might qualify a person endowed

with extraordinary genius to have some faint notion (though even

this we doubt) on which side truth lies。' It was not that he had

the slightest doubt of Dr。 Arnold's orthodoxy Dr。 Arnold; whose

piety was universally recognisedDr。 Arnold; who had held up to

scorn and execration Strauss's Leben Jesu without reading it。

What Ward complained of was the Doctor's lack of logic; not his

lack of faith。 Could he not see that if he really carried out his

own principles to a logical conclusion he would eventually find

himself; precisely; in the arms of Strauss? The young man; whose

personal friendship remained unshaken; determined upon an

interview; and went down to Rugby primed with first principles;

syllogisms; and dilemmas。 Finding that the headmaster was busy in

school; he spent the afternoon reading novels on the sofa in the

drawing…room。 When at last; late in the evening; the Doctor

returned; tired out with his day's work; Ward fell upon him with

all his vigour。 The contest was long and furious; it was also

entirely inconclusive。 When it was over; Ward; with none of his

brilliant arguments disposed of; and none of his probing

questions satisfactorily answered; returned to the University to

plunge headlong into the vortex of the Oxford Movement; and Dr。

Arnold; worried; perplexed; and exhausted; went to bed; where he

remained for the next thirty…six hours。



The Commentary on the New Testament was never finished; and the

great work on Church and State itself remained a fragment。 Dr。

Arnold's active mind was diverted from political and theological

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