History of the Jews; in which, with what I
consider at least bad judgment, he took an external view of it, and hence
was led to assimilate it as nearly as possible to secular history. A great
sensation was the consequence among the members of his own communion, from
which he still suffers. Arguing from the dislike and contempt of polemical
demonstrations which that accomplished writer has ever shown, I must
conclude that he was simply betrayed into a false step by the treacherous
fascination of what is called the Philosophy of History, which is good in
its place, but can scarcely be applied in cases where the Almighty has
superseded the natural laws of society and history. From this he would
have been saved, had he been a Catholic; but in the Establishment he knew
of no teaching, to which he was bound to defer, which might rule that to
be false which attracted him by its speciousness.

10.

I will now take an instance from another science, and will use more words
about it. Political Economy is the science, I suppose, of wealth,--a
science simply lawful and useful, for it is no sin to make money, any more
than it is a sin to seek honour; a science at the same time dangerous and
leading to occasions of sin, as is the pursuit of honour too; and in
consequence, if studied by itself, and apart from the control of Revealed
Truth, sure to conduct a speculator to unchristian conclusions. Holy
Scripture tells us distinctly, that "covetousness," or more literally the
love of money, "is the root of all evils;" and that "they that would
become rich fall into temptation;" and that "hardly shall they that have
riches enter into the kingdom of God;" and after drawing the picture of a
wealthy and flourishing people, it adds, "They have called the people
happy that hath these things; but happy is that people whose God is the
Lord:"--while on the other hand it says with equal distinctness, "If any
will not work, neither let him eat;" and, "If any man have not care of his
own, and especially of those of his house, he hath denied the faith, and
is worse than an infidel." These opposite injunctions are summed up in the
wise man's prayer, who says, "Give me neither beggary nor riches, give me
only the necessaries of life." With this most precise view of a
Christian's duty, viz., to labour indeed, but to labour for a competency
for himself and his, and to be jealous of wealth, whether personal or
national, the holy Fathers are, as might