the largest city or most mountainous dis- | other spheres, when the chances are counttrict in the vast continent of America.

S. S. does not think the stars are useless if they are "nothing more than

'The poetry of heaven;

*

*

A beauty and a mystery, which create
In us such love and reverence.'

less against it-for each planet of each solar system stands an equally good chance of being the favoured spot. The earth against the whole field of illimitable space! A safe book our friend has made, according to the ordinary rules of chance.

"Threlkeld" is not open to the charge of casting a blot upon the character of God by limiting his power; for he does not maintain, O most disingenuous S. S.! that "of course some worlds" are uninhabited, but simply that "it is probable that some worlds are in a brute, and inert, and chaotic state," and consequently uninhabited.

We confess our inability to realize the idea of the vast realms of space being peopled with huge material revolving bodies, for no other purpose than that they might form food for poetry to a few imaginative beings dwelling in another sphere. But as to the beauty? That, of those we can see, at least, is apparent to all. The mystery? That, The remainder of the paper under confor the most part, S. S. himself creates. sideration is devoted to a denial that the The love and reverence? How immensely scriptures will assist us. The inspired increased, and how much more powerfully record, says he, gives not the slightest hint would be declared to us the glory of God, if "that there are any beings in space except we believed them to be the seat of life and angels, men, devils, and the persons of the intelligence, of love and worship! But the Godhead." But surely our friend does not idea that "the planets and stars may be attach sufficient importance to this fact, as only the lumps which have flown from the to regard it in the light of a stumbling block Potter's wheel," is, we cannot but think, in our path. Surely it would be unreasonimpious. How we should laugh at the able to expect that the Bible should exfoolishness, clumsiness, and wastefulness of pressly speak of these beings, seeing that the poor potter who should dig up a waggon- the scriptures are a record given by God to load of clay, and fill his workshop with the man, to point out to him the way of his salscattered remnants of it in forming a tea-vation, and not to gratify his curiosity concup! And if the earthly potter does not act thus extravagantly, will the heavenly Potter so act, think you? If, too, these stars and systems be only "decorations and scenery to earth," we are at a loss.to imagine the possible use of Jupiter's moons or Saturn's rings, and can but wonder at the want of foresight which should place the great majority of these spheres so infinitely beyond the range of human vision.

"For aught science knows, suns and systems may be seen only by our eyes and telescopes!" For aught we know, the doctrine of Idealism may be but too true; S. S. himself a myth; this earth an intangible imagination; and the remark that it "may be as an Eden to other regions of the all," a mere phantom of a brain that is not. That it is but a phantom of S. S.'s brain, we most heartily believe. We should much like to know his reasons for supposing that the emigration from the garden has not already taken place; and further, how he can justify himself in supposing the earth to be this Eden, in preference to all the

cerning the Creator's dealings with those boundless portions of his realms with which man has no possible connection.

"Vincat Veritas" argues (p. 174), that if it be proved that no other worlds than our own can be inhabited by man, "it may also be taken for granted that there are no inhabited worlds except our own," for he does not believe that intelligence would be put into any other form than the "guise of man," "the image of God." We, however, have been taught to believe that "God took upon him the form of man," and not that man's physical frame was made in the image of God." "True philosophy will never be found to contradict scripture," rightly interpreted.

66

V. V. next endeavours "to controvert the fallacies adduced by Philalethes,' *** the most prominent of which is the adoption as fact" of the theory of La Place. We presume to think our fallacies cannot be very great, inasmuch as the "most prominent" is no fallacy at all; for we distinctly remarked (p. 18) that the La Placean cosmogony was

but "a beautiful theory," and spoke of the probability only of all the spheres having a common origin; and on it we did not mainly build our argument.

conclusion drawn by the supporters of the affirmative side of this question from scientific discoveries.

If we could consent to set aside the reason " with which God has blessed us, in reading the scriptures, we might be content to regard the stars as intended merely

Our friend denies that "all the astral" bodies are of like composition," because "all the elements of the earth have not been found in meteorites." We need only remark," to give light to the earth." But God's to show the value of this ingenious argument, that we should just as soon look to find the whole sixty-three simple elements in a handful of mother earth.

V. V: makes an endeavour-vain again, we humbly think-to upset our position, that "water forms a component part of the planets," and the consequences we deduced from it, by remarking that we overlooked "the fact that we are without proof that there is any air on the surface of the planets." But this is entirely a mistake on his part, for the very groundwork of that argument was "the fact that some of them" (Venus, Mars, Mercury, and the moon, for instance) did possess an atmosphere (p. 18). We deny, then, that V. V. can with truth claim "all the facts of science as so many arguments in his favour." On the contrary, he has most signally failed in shaking the

work tells us that some of the stars are so
distant, that it takes millions of years for
their light to reach us; and who shall cal-
culate the infinite number of those whose
light has not yet, and perhaps never may,
shine upon this earth?
God has failed to execute his purpose.

We cannot believe

The objection that the scriptures do not directly mention the inhabitants of the astral worlds has already been replied to; and as nothing else in V. V.'s article particularly requires answer, we take our leave of him and all our readers, believing that the great majority of them, upon carefully weighing the arguments adduced on both sides, will think that the facts of science, and the general testimony of the scriptures, as revealing to us the infinite character of the Creator, favour the notion of a plurality of inhabited worlds. PHILALETHES.

Bistory.

HAS MONACHISM BEEN BENEFICIAL TO EUROPEAN SOCIETY?
AFFIRMATIVE ARTICLE.-III.

"HISTORY," it has been well said, "is philosophy teaching by examples;" and one skilled to decipher in the growth of language "the monuments of the initiative movements of our rational nature," has claimed for it a far loftier mission, asserting that 66

classes of each generation work out, however unconsciously, lessons of wisdom for all time, how much easier might we find the solution of the perplexing questions presented to us by the great events-by all the battles, stratagems, discoveries, superstitions, 'man's intellectual history, and his aye, and by the christian revelation itself; moral history too, in part, is a development how much more readily feel our affinity with of the provisions God has made for convey- the good and wise of all ages, and appreing into our minds a perception of some ciate our interest in the universal mind of portions of his own."* Could we intelli-humanity. Then might we draw from the gently apprehend this theory, and see in the rise and fall of empires and institutions a stage on which the representative men and

depths of this philosophy lessons of practical wisdom; have our hopes emboldened, our philanthropy enlarged, and, looking beneath the surface to trace the groundwork of every epoch, might behold its entire development under the guidance of divine love, and might

less situation."*
tianity had, from various causes, failed to
deliver vast multitudes at the period when
Monachism began to spread from the East to
the West-for one reason, apparently, above
others, that the church had not sufficient
visibility; its doctrines were taught only to
the faithful, and though there are various
indications that a truly missionary spirit,
the vine-spirit of the church, was abroad
among the secular clergy, yet they had not
probably sufficient external insignia, or pomp,
or show of power, to attract the attention of
the heathens. This want the monks sup-
plied. "Their number was as imposing as
their singularity of life. The secular clergy,
the bishop or simple priest, were common to
the imagination of the barbarians, who were
accustomed to see, maltreat, and rob them.
It was a much more serious affair to attack
a monastery, where so many holy men were
congregated in one holy place. The monas-
teries, during the barbaric epoch, were an
asylum for the church," &c. In short,
they were to the heathen as visible witnesses
against idolatry and irreligion.

From this danger Chris- | idolatry, there might still be room to ques-
tion whether, with the evils gendered in its
corruption, it had been, on the whole, bene-
ficial to European society; but we find it
invested with a far more important vocation
in reference to the needs of Christianity.
Scarcely had the young church been relieved,
at the accession of Constantine, from the
severe discipline to which it had, for wise
purposes, been subjected-when as yet the
necessity for unity was as urgent as ever,
to enable it to reform society as well as to
convert the multitudes, still pagans in heart
and mind-before the seeds of disunion and
disintegration began to spring up, and show
their dire fruits. Already were there heart-
burnings and divisions; bishop was arrayed
against bishop, and church against church;
and, a century or two later, not only had
these feuds proceeded to an alarming extent,
but episcopal power had overstepped its pri-
mitive limits, and the clergy generally had
become scandalously corrupted, and neglectful
of their duties; and thus, while viciously am-
bitious of place and power, were gradually
loosening the only trustworthy bond which
such men, as a body, can have on the respect
or affections of the people; and there seemed
a strong probability that the new religion
would be self-destroyed by the strength of
these boyish passions and impulses—would
fall to ruin, as a house divided against itself.

But they were calculated to act in a far wider capacity than as the mere church-bell to the careless wanderer, inviting to thoughts of God and eternity. The heathen were sunk in the most brutal selfishness and indifference to the sufferings of others; they needed examples of religious devotion and self-denying love; they were slaves of the most degrading sensuality and voluptuousness; they needed instances of purity and hardihood. All this the monastic life supplied. "The spectacle of such a life, of so much rigidity and enthusiasm, of sacrifice and of liberty, strongly excited the imagination of the people,"§ and Christianity spread rapidly among persons of every grade.

II. Yet, had Monachism only served the purposes which it undoubtedly did, to many secret and open votaries of the ancient

Now it appears unquestionable, and has been acknowledged by the profoundest historians, that Monachism must have had a powerful consolidating and conservative influence. Similarity of life naturally begot similarity of views and feelings-a disposition to brotherly union; for the same order or rule, the Benedictine, rapidly spread all over the West; distant monasteries held communication with each other, and colonies of monks would emigrate into unexplored or heathen regions, and there establish themselves as missionaries; and western Monachism, we are assured, partook largely of western civilization, for "it was in order to conversation, as well as to religious edification, that the first monks met."* And not only did this communism, or unity of life and religious feeling-a species of union, by the way, which, in one form or another, in the family, in the association for a particular

religious or political object, or in the nation, their fellow-men, rather than pollute their is founded on the essential principles of own souls. But the less rigid asceticism of human nature, as distinguished from that of the West was certainly not wholly useless to the brutes, and which exists in its highest the future welfare of humanity. One form degree and perfection among the most re- of it was the transcribing of manuscripts, fined and civilized of men;-not only did it call sometimes performed voluntarily, sometimes off the attention of the bishops from quarrels imposed as a penance. And in an age when, among themselves, but eventually had a according to an infidel historian, notorious powerful influence in curbing their over- for the jaundiced eyes with which he looked grown power. Guizot, noticing the danger at everything christian, there was a general to Christianity from their arrogance and dearth of learning and literature, and when excesses, continues:-"The church herself printing was unknown, was it not a forcontained the germ of a remedy. Side by tunate thing that there were men inspired side with the secular clergy there had been with more than ordinary zeal for the prerising up another order, influenced by other servation of the divine records? Manuprinciples, animated with another spirit, and scripts were copied at great cost, and with which seemed destined to prevent that dis- much labour and loss of time.* The credit solution with which the church was me- of producing something new and original, naced; I speak of the monks."* Monach- which should cause the author's name to ism, in fact, was needed, not only to arm live for even a century or two, is an inducethe church against its pagan adversaries, ment to exertion which is easily understood; but to calm the tumultuous elements which but when it is considered that the copyists were at work within its bosom; not only of the Greek and Hebrew scriptures, and of was it an incentive to sobriety, purity, and the treasures of Greek and Latin literature, devotion, but it served to show the members gained no renown-were probably not known of all churches that they were brethren, beyond the walls of their convent, the extrabound to each other by no ordinary ties, ordinary zeal they displayed in their laudcalled each one by the same divine voice, able occupation appears perfectly marvellous, exposed to the same trials and dangers in and imagination can scarcely range too far obeying it, and looking through the wilder-in speculating upon the probable evil conseness of this life to the same goal of glory at the end of it.

The strict asceticism and seclusion of eastern monks, made, strangely enough, a charge against Monachism, has been strongly reprobated, not always with reason. At a period when the Christian religion was become so fashionable that there must have been many false professors, and when the most powerful temptations to vice and impurity were, we know, fearfully prevalent in Constantinople and all the cities of the East, converts who felt their own weakness might surely be pardoned if they construed more literally than we the command to "flee from temptation;" when " persecuted," were it but by being forced to witness blasphemy or obscenity, "in the city," to betake themselves to the desert; to "avoid the very appearance of evil;" to "cut off their right hands," and "pluck out their right eyes," or to render themselves, save as examples, useless to

* Vol. ii., p. 59.

quences to European civilization had it not existed. Gibbon, who could not deny, has summed up their merits in this respect in few words:-"The curiosity or zeal of some learned solitaries has cultivated the ecclesiastical and even the profane sciences; and posterity must gratefully acknowledge that the monuments of Greek and Roman literature have been preserved and multiplied by their indefatigable pens." And Hallam observes:-"The monasteries were subjected to strict rules of discipline, and held out, at the worst, more opportunities for study than the secular clergy possessed, and fewer for worldly dissipations. But their most important service was as secure repositories for books. All our manuscripts have been preserved in this manner, and could hardly have

Hallam, "Europe during the Middle Ages," vol. ii., p. 337. At a time when books were excessively scarce, "un cloître de l'Isle de Gothland contenait, dit-on, une bibliothèque de deux mille manuscrits."