The Literary Remains of Samuel Taylor Coleridge Volume Iv Part 7

A slight mistake of brother Martin's. The 'Behemoth' of Job is beyond a doubt neither whale nor devil, but, I think, the hippopotamus; who is indeed as ugly as the devil, and will occasionally play the devil among the rice-grounds; but though in this respect a devil of a fellow, yet on the whole he is too honest a monster to be a fellow of devils. 'Vindiciae Behemoticae'.

Chap. x.x.xVI. p. 390.

'Of Witchcraft'.

It often presses on my mind as a weighty argument in proof of at least a negative inspiration, an especial restraining grace, in the composition of the Canonical books, that though the writers individually did (the greater number at least) most probably believe in the objective reality of witchcraft, yet no such direct a.s.sertions as these of Luther's, which would with the vast majority of Christians have raised it into an article of faith, are to be found in either Testament. That the 'Ob' and 'Oboth' of Moses are no authorities for this absurd superst.i.tion, has been unanswerably shewn by Webster. [5]

Chap. x.x.xVII. p. 398.

To conclude, (said Luther), I never yet knew a troubled and perplexed man, that was right in his own wits.

A sound observation of great practical utility. Edward Irving should be aware of this in dealing with conscience-troubled (but in fact fancy-vexed) women.

Ib.

It was not a thorn in the flesh touching the unchaste love he bore towards Tecla, as the Papists dream.

I should like to know how high this strange legend can be traced. The other tradition that St. Paul was subject to epileptic fits, has a less legendary character. The phrase 'thorn in the flesh' is scarcely reconcilable with Luther's hypothesis, otherwise than as doubts of the objectivity of his vision, and of his after revelations may have been consequences of the disease, whatever that might be.

Ib. p. 399.

Our Lord G.o.d doth like a printer, who setteth the letters backwards; we see and feel well his setting, but we shall see the print yonder in the life to come.

A beautiful simile. Add that even in this world the lives, especially the autobiographies, of eminent servants of Christ, are like the looking-gla.s.s or mirror, which, reversing the types, renders them legible to us.

Ib. p. 403.

'Indignus sum, sed dignus fui--creari a Deo', &c. Although I am unworthy, yet nevertheless 'I have been' worthy, 'in that I am'

created of G.o.d, &c.

The translation does not give the true sense of the Latin. It should be 'was' and 'to be'. The 'dignus fui' has here the sense of 'dignum me habuit Deus'. See Herbert's little poem in the Temple:

Sweetest Saviour, if my soul Were but worth the having, Quickly should I then control Any thought of waving; But when all my care and pains Cannot give the name of gains To thy wretch so full of stains, What delight or hope remains?

Ib. p. 404.

The chiefest physic for that disease (but very hard and difficult it is to be done) is, that they firmly hold such cogitations not to be theirs, but that most sure and certain they come of the Devil.

More and more I understand the immense difference between the Faith-article of 'the Devil' ([Greek: tou Ponaerou]) and the superst.i.tious fancy of devils: 'animus objectivus dominationem in'

[Greek: tn Eim] 'affectans'; [Greek: outos t mega organon Diabolou hyparchei].

Chap. XLIV. p. 431.

I truly advise all those (said Luther) who earnestly do affect the honor of Christ and the Gospel, that they would be enemies to Erasmus Roterodamus, for he is a devaster of religion. Do but read only his dialogue 'De Peregrinatione', where you will see how he derideth and flouteth the whole religion, and at last concludeth out of single abominations, that he rejecteth religion, &c.

Religion here means the vows and habits of the religious or those bound to a particular life;--the monks, friars, nuns, in short, the regulars in contradistinction from the laity and the secular Clergy.

Ib. p. 432.

Erasmus can do nothing but cavil and flout, he cannot confute. If (said Luther) I were a Papist, so could I easily overcome and beat him. For although he flouteth the Pope with his ceremonies, yet he neither hath confuted nor overcome him; no enemy is beaten nor overcome with mocking, jeering, and flouting.

Most true; but it is an excellent pioneer and an excellent 'corps de reserve', cavalry for pursuit, and for clearing the field of battle, and in the first use Luther was greatly obliged to Erasmus. But such utter unlikes cannot but end in dislikes, and so it proved between Erasmus and Luther. Erasmus, might the Protestants say, wished no good to the Church of Rome, and still less to our party: it was with him 'Rot her and Dam us'!

Chap. XLVIII. p. 442.

David's example is full of offences, that so holy a man, chosen of G.o.d, should fall into such great abominable sins and blasphemies; when as before he was very fortunate and happy, of whom all the bordering kingdoms were afraid, for G.o.d was with him.

If any part of the Old Testament be typical, the whole life and character of David, from his birth to his death, are eminently so. And accordingly the history of David and his Psalms, which form a most interesting part of his history, occupies as large a portion of the Old Testament as all the others. The type is two-fold-now of the Messiah, now of the Church, and of the Church in all its relations, persecuted, victorious, backsliding, penitent. N.B. I do not find David charged with any vices, though with heavy crimes. So it is with the Church. Vices destroy its essence.

Ib.

The same was a strange kind of offence (said Luther) that the world was offended at him who raised the dead, who made the blind to see, and the deaf to hear, &c.

Our Lord alluded to the verse that immediately follows and completes his quotations from Isaiah. [6] I, Jehovah, will come and do this. That he implicitly declared himself the Jehovah, the Word,--this was the offence.

Chap. XLIX. p. 443.

G.o.d wills, may one say, that we should serve him freewillingly, but he that serveth G.o.d out of fear of punishment of h.e.l.l, or out of a hope and love of recompence, the same serveth and honoreth G.o.d not freely; therefore such a one serveth G.o.d not uprightly nor truly.

_Answer_. This argument (said Luther) is Stoical, &c.

A truly wise paragraph. Pity it was not expounded. G.o.d will accept our imperfections, where their face is turned toward him, on the road to the glorious liberty of the Gospel.

Chap. L. p. 446.

It is the highest grace and gift of G.o.d to have an honest, a G.o.d-fearing, housewifely consort, &c. But G.o.d thrusteth many into the state of matrimony before they be aware and rightly bethink themselves.

The state of matrimony (said Luther) is the chiefest state in the world after religion, &c.

Alas! alas! this is the misery of it, that so many wed and so few are Christianly married! But even in this the a.n.a.logy of matrimony to the religion of Christ holds good: for even such is the proportion of nominal to actual Christians;--all _christened_, how few baptized! But in true matrimony it is beautiful to consider, how peculiarly the marriage state harmonizes with the doctrine of justification by free grace through faith alone. The little quarrels, the imperfections on both sides, the occasional frailties, yield to the one thought,--there is love at the bottom. If sickness or other sorer calamity visit me, how would the love then blaze forth! The faults are there, but they are not imprinted. The p.r.i.c.kles, the acrid rind, the bitterness or sourness, are transformed into the ripe fruit, and the foreknowledge of this gives the name and virtue of the ripe fruit to the fruit yet green on the bough.

Ib. p. 447.

The causers and founders of matrimony are chiefly G.o.d's commandments, &c. It is a state inst.i.tuted by G.o.d himself, visited by Christ in person, and presented with a glorious present; for G.o.d said, 'It is not good that the man should be alone': therefore the wife should be a help to the husband, to the end that human generations may be increased, and children nurtured to G.o.d's honour, and to the profit of people and countries; also to keep our bodies in sanctification.