THE

SABBATH SCHOOL MAGAZINE.

MICHAEL FARADAY, THE CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHER.

NO. II.

FARADAY'S biography reveals little of his religious life till the time of his marriage. His parents were members of a Sandemanian congregation, to which sect young Michael adhered. Robert Sandeman, from whom the body takes its name, taught, in accordance with the doctrine of his father-in law, John Glas, a Presbyterian clergyman in Scotland, "That the Church should be subject to no league nor covenant, but be governed only by the doctrine of Christ and His Apostles. He held that Christianity never was, nor could be, the established religion of any nation without becoming the reverse of what it was when first instituted; that Christ did not come to establish any worldly power, but to give a hope of eternal life beyond the grave to His people, whom He should choose of His own sovereign will; that the Bible, and that alone, with nothing added to it, nor taken away from it by man, was the sole and sufficient guide for each individual at all times and in all circumstances; that faith in the divinity and work of Christ is the gift of God; and that the evidence of this faith is obedience to the commandments of Christ." Writing to a lady of title, the philosopher described himself as belonging to "a very small and despised sect of Christians, known, if known at all, as Sandemanians; and," he added, "our hope is founded on the faith that is in Christ." Dr. Tyndall, his successor at the Royal Institution, and in whose progress as an experimental physicist he felt much interest, mentions that Faraday never spoke to him on the subject of religion but once, and then only in answer to a question. This reticence is explained by the circumstance, that one of the distinctive practices of the Sandemanians is the keeping silence on religious subjects to those who are not Christians. This branch of the Christian Church is ministered to by elders chosen by the people; and to this office Faraday NO. x.] [VOL. XXII.

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was in due time appointed, conducting worship on Sabbath mornings and on Wednesday evenings. As a chemist and an electrician, he was now in the zenith of his fame, both as a discoverer and a lecturer; but when he entered the meeting-house, we are told, "he left his science behind, and he would listen to the prayers and exhortations of the most illiterate brother of his sect with an attention which shewed how he loved the Word of truth from whomsoever it came." They tell, also, of his beautiful reading of the Scriptures, an acquirement which so few preachers possess. One testifies as follows:- 'I once heard him read the Scriptures at the chapel where he was an elder; he read a long portion of one of the Gospels slowly, reverently, and with such an intelligent and sympathizing appreciation of the meaning, that I thought I had never heard before so excellent a reader." As to his preaching, Dr. Jones remarks," Generally, perhaps, it might be said that no one could lecture like Faraday, but that many might preach with more effect," the reason being that in preaching he carefully avoided all aiming at rhetorical effect. The overflowing energy and clearness of the lecture-room were replaced by an earnestness of manner best summed up in the word devoutness." He preferred the use of Scripture language, and a stranger was equally struck with the number and rapidity of his Scriptural references, and the devout spirit of his address. His discourses were prepared with studious

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care, and delivered, like his unrivalled lectures, with the aid of a few notes.

Amongst other pleasing features of this great and good man's character, was his conjugal affection and love of home. His marriage was of rather an unromantic description, but was productive of unmingled domestic happiness. Previous to the marriage, he writes: "There will be no bustle, no noise, no hurry occasioned even in one day's proceedings. In externals, that day will pass like all others, for it is in the heart that we expect and look for pleasure." Eight-and-twenty years after, he wrote: "The union has nowise changed, except in the depth and strength of its character." Wherever he went, and with whomsoever he was associated, we find him yearning for his own quiet and delightful home. Long after the period mentioned, when he was now in his seventy-first year, we find him writing to his wife with the ardent affection of his early years; and the letter is to us the more interesting that its date is “5 Claremont Gardens, Glasgow, Aug. 14, 1863." "Dearest,-Here is the fortnight complete since I left you, and the thoughts of my return to our home crowd in strongly upon my mind. I long to see you, dearest, and to talk over things together, and call to mind all the kindness I have

received.

You will have to resume your old function of being a pillow to my mind, and a rest,—a happy-making wife."

We must pass over, as unsuitable to the present purpose, the history of Faraday's life-work as an explorer of nature and an interpreter of the secrets which she rendered up to his earnest and truth-loving investigations,—from the time when his successful experiments upon the condensation of gases first brought him into notice, till his reputation culminated in his brilliant discoveries in magneto-electricity, in the magnetism of light, and cognate subjects. It is a simple thing for us to say that Faraday established by experiment the connection of chemical affinity, electricity, heat, magnetism, light, and other powers of matter-the production of any one from another, and the conversion of one into another, stopping short, reluctantly, and yet hopefully, of embracing the force of gravity in the same grand generalization. But some faint idea may he formed of the mental labour bestowed upon the inquiries which yielded such rich results, from the fact that the notes of his experimental researches, kept for his own use, reached the astonishing number of 16,041. Many of these experiments were arduous, some of them attended by personal danger; one of them, resulting in an explosion, had nearly cost the philosopher his eyesight; but this was the noble and animating spirit in which he toiled. Speaking of the manner in which the natural forces are linked together, and how this connection, along with the universality of each in its action, point to "their probable unity in one," he says, "I cannot doubt that a glorious discovery in natural knowledge, and of the wisdom and power of God in creation, is awaiting our age; and that we may not only hope to see it, but even be honoured to help in obtaining the victory over present ignorance and future knowledge."

The reader will remember the youthful Michael's fantastic idea of the moral superiority of men of science over men of trade, and how his early patron, Sir H. Davy, warned him that a few years' experience would set him right in this matter. Alas, that the demonstration should have proceeded from Sir Humphrey himself, ingenious, brilliant, and renowned as he was! Faraday had been his laboratory assistant, his amanuensis, and, when they travelled abroad, his valet; but times were changed, and the disciple rivalled the master in the reputation of his discoveries. Honours poured in upon him from all quarters, at home and abroad. The only honour he ever sought was the Fellowship of the Royal Society. His certificate as a candidate bore the signatures of Herschel, Wollaston, and other distinguished men. Many years after, Faraday gave the following

account of what had passed between him and Davy relative to his election:-"Sir H. Davy told me I must take down my certificate. I replied that I had not put it up; that I could not take it down, as it was put up by my proposers. He then said I must get my proposers to take it down. I answered that I knew they would not do so. Then he said, I, as president, will take it down. I replied that I was sure Sir H. Davy would do what he thought was for the good of the Royal Society." One of Faraday's proposers bears witness that "Sir H. Davy had walked for an hour round the courtyard of Somerset House, arguing that Faraday ought not to be elected." When the ballot was taken, there was one hostile vote. The young bookbinder had lived to learn by bitter experience that his early estimate of the superior moral feelings of scientific men was, indeed, a grave mistake. But Faraday, throughout his long and laborious life, never forgot his own ideal of the scientific character. He was devoted to science for its own sake. His principles as a Sandemanian required him to spend and give away his whole income, and he had no inclination to subordinate science to money-making, although a munificent fortune was at his command. Dr. Tyndall writes:-"Taking the duration of his life into account, this son of a blacksmith, and apprentice to a bookbinder, had to decide [when mere scientific business began to press upon him] between a fortune of £150,000 on the one side, and his unendowed science on the other. He chose the latter, and died a poor man!"

Some further particulars of the philosopher's career and character will justify our returning once more to Dr. Bence Jones' interesting volumes.

SABBATH SCHOOL UNIONS.

CONSIDERING the benefits which the cause of Sabbath schools has derived from the union and co-operation of Sabbath school teachers, the Directors of the Glasgow Union have issued a circular to some neighbouring parts of the country, where the workers in this field of Christian labour are still without the advantages of this kind of Christian fellowship, recommending and offering assistance in the organization of local unions. We wish them much success in their design, and have pleasure in subjoining the following extract from the circular:

"The Glasgow Union has been in existence for thirty-three years, and embraces the Sabbath schools connected with the following denominations:-viz., Church of Scotland, Free Church of Scotland, United Presbyterian Church, Reformed Presbyterian Church, United Original Seceders, Congregational Church, Baptist Church, Wesleyan Methodist

Church, Primitive Methodist Church, Church of England, as well as numerous societies unconnected with any denomination, but' which hold the doctrines of Divine Inspiration of the Holy Scriptures, the Deity and Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Personality and Influence of the Holy Spirit.'

"The great value of Sabbath School Unions to teachers, and their influence in extending and improving this important agency for the religious education of the young, is our only apology and reason for soliciting your co-operation in any efforts which may be required in forming such a Union in your neighbourhood; and it will afford us much pleasure to receive an expression of your willingness to render such aid, or any suggestions which you may consider useful, to enable us to secure a Conference of the teachers and other friends of Sabbath schools belonging to the different Evangelical denominations in your vicinity."

NATURAL HISTORY OF SCRIPTURE.

THE PAPYRUS OR BULRUSH.

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THE identity of the bulrush of Scripture with the papyrus has more than once been referred to in these pages. It still flourishes at the north end of the plain of Gennesaret, and in the marshes of Huleh, the ancient Merom, and is known to the Arabs by its old name babeer," of which "papyrus" is simply the Latinized form (Tristram). But it is remarkable that the plant is no longer found in the Nile Valley, where it once abounded. A writer in the Biblical Treasury furnishes the following animated reflections upon the fact, as proving the fulfilment of this prediction by Isaiah (xix. 7), “The paper reeds by the brooks, by the mouth of the brooks, and everything sown by the brooks, shall wither, be driven away, and be no more:"

"Never had prophecy greater circumstances of improbability to overcome, and never was prediction more completely fulfilled. The indispensable papyrus in the time of Isaiah flourished through the whole of the Thebaid, Heptanomos, and the Delta, as the three divisions of ancient Egypt were named. Of its utility no European reader can form an adequate idea. Stringent laws were established for its protection and cultivation; and from its first appearance to maturity the papyrus was considered to be under the especial care of local deities; it was planted, tended, and cut with an almost religious ceremonial. Adaptable for various uses, not only paper, cloth, and brushes, but the roughest_and most delicate manufactures were produced from it alike. Sails, cordage, and baskets for shipping, sandals, hats, skirts, carpets, chains, and seats for domestic service, were made of it. Men and animals fed upon the tender shoots. A syrup was obtained and medicine extracted from it. It formed the cradle of the Nubian baby; it decorated the canopy of Pharaoh's throne; it was scattered in processions through the streets; it was painted on the houses; it was wrought in granite on the temples. The