Unfortunately，whenColensofollowedthisadvicehisadviserbecamethemostuntiringofhispersecutors。WhileleavingtomenliketheMetropolitanofCapeTownandArchdeaconDenisonthenoisypartoftheonslaught，Wilberforcewasamongthosewhoweremostzealousindevisingmoreeffectivemeasures。
Buttime，andevenshorttime，hasredressedthebalancebetweenthetwoprelates。ColensoisseenmoreandmoreofallmenasarighteousleaderinanobleefforttocuttheChurchloosefromfatalentanglementswithanoutwornsystemofinterpretation；
Wilberforce，astheremembranceofhiseloquenceandofhispersonalcharmdiesaway，andastherevelationsofhisindiscreetbiographerslaybarehismodesofprocedure，isseentohaveleft，onthewhole，themostdisappointingrecordmadebyanyAnglicanprelateduringthenineteenthcentury。
ButtherewasafarbrighterpageinthehistoryoftheChurchofEngland；forthesecondofthethreewholinkedtheirnameswiththatofColensointhestrugglewasArthurPenrhynStanley，DeanofWestminster。HisactionduringthiswholepersecutionwasanhonournotonlytotheAnglicanChurchbuttohumanity。ForhisownmanhoodandtheexerciseofhisownintellectualfreedomhehadcheerfullygivenupthehighprefermentintheChurchwhichhadbeeneasilywithinhisgrasp。TohimtruthandjusticeweremorethanthedecreesofaConvocationofCanterburyorofaPan-AnglicanSynod；inthisasinothermattershebravedthestorm，neveryieldedtotheologicalprejudice，fromfirsttolastheldoutabrotherlyhandtothepersecutedbishop，andatthemostcriticalmomentopenedtohimthepulpitofWestminsterAbbey。[486]
[486]ForinterestingtestimonytoStanley’scharacter，fromaquarterfromwhenceitwouldhavebeenleastexpected，seeareminiscenceofLordShaftesburyintheLifeofFrancesPowerCobbe，LondonandNewYork，1894。ThelateBishopofMassachusetts，PhillipsBrooks，whosedeathwasabereavementtohiscountryandtotheChurchuniversal，oncegavethepresentwriteravividdescriptionofascenewitnessedbyhimintheConvocationofCanterbury，whenStanleyvirtuallywithstoodalonetheobstinatetraditionalismofthewholebodyinthematteroftheAthanasianCreed。ItistobehopedthatthisaccountmaybebroughttolightamongtheletterswrittenbyBrooksatthattime。SeealsoDeanChurch’sLifeandLetters，p。294，foraveryimportanttestimony。
ThethirdofthehighecclesiasticsoftheChurchofEnglandwhosenameswerelinkedinthiscontestwasThirlwall。HewasundoubtedlytheforemostmanintheChurchofhistime——thegreatestecclesiasticalstatesman，theprofoundesthistoricalscholar，thetheologianofclearestvisioninregardtotherelationsbetweentheChurchandhisepoch。Aloneamonghisbrotherbishopsatthisperiod，hestood“foursquaretoallthewindsthatblew。”asduringallhislifehestoodagainstallstormsofclericalorpopularunreason。Hehadhisreward。HewasneveradvancedbeyondapoorWelshbishopric；but，thoughhesawmenwretchedlyinferiorconstantlypromotedbeyondhim，heneverflinched，neverlostheartorhope，butboresteadilyon，refusingtoholdabriefforlucrativeinjustice，andresistingtothelastallreactionandfanaticism，thuspreservingnotonlyhisownself-respectbutthefuturerespectoftheEnglishnationfortheChurch。
AfewotherleadingchurchmenwerediscreetlykindtoColenso，amongthemTait，whohadnowbeenmadeArchbishopofCanterbury；
but，manlyashewas，hewassomewhatmorecautiousinthismatterthanthosewhomostreverehismemorycouldnowwish。
Inspiteofthesefriendstheclericalonslaughtwasforatimeeffective；Colenso，sofarasEnglandwasconcerned，wasdiscreditedandvirtuallydrivenfromhisfunctions。ButthisenforcedleisuresimplygavehimmoretimetostrugglefortheprotectionofhisnativeflockagainstcolonialrapacityandtocontinuehisgreatworkontheBible。
Hisworkproduceditseffect。IthadmuchtodowitharousinganewgenerationofEnglish，Scotch，andAmericanscholars。Whileverymanyofhisminorstatementshavesincebeenmodifiedorrejected，hismainconclusionwasseenmoreandmoreclearlytobetrue。ReverentlyandinthedeepestloveforChristianityhehadmadetheunhistoricalcharacterofthePentateuchclearasnoonday。Henceforththecrushingweightoftheoldinterpretationuponscienceandmoralityandreligionsteadilyandrapidlygrewlessandless。Thatanewepochhadcomewasevident，andoutofmanyproofsofthiswemaynotetwoofthemoststriking。
FormanyyearstheBamptonLecturesatOxfordhadbeenconsideredasaddingsteadilyandstronglytothebulwarksoftheoldorthodoxy。IfnowandthenorthodoxyhadappearedindangerfromsuchadditionstotheseriesasthosemadebyDr。Hampden，theselectureshadbeen，asarule，saturatedwiththeoldertraditionsoftheAnglicanChurch。Butnowtherewasanevidentchange。
Thedeparturesfromtheoldpathsweremanyandstriking，untilatlast，in1893，camethelecturesonInspirationbytheRev。
Dr。Sanday，IrelandProfessorofExegesisintheUniversityofOxford。Inthese，concessionsweremadetothenewercriticism，whichatanearliertimewouldhavedriventhelecturernotonlyoutoftheChurchbutoutofanydecentpositioninsociety；forProf。Sandaynotonlygaveupavastmassofotherideaswhichthegreatbodyofchurchmenhadregardedasfundamental，butacceptedanumberofconclusionsestablishedbythenewercriticism。HedeclaredthatKuenenandWellhausenhadmappedout，onthewholerightly，themainstagesofdevelopmentinthehistoryofHebrewliterature；heincorporatedwithapprovaltheworkofothereminentheretics；heacknowledgedthatverymanystatementsinthePentateuchshow“thenaiveideasandusagesofaprimitiveage。”But，mostimportantofall，hegaveupthewholequestioninregardtothebookofDaniel。Uptoatimethenveryrecent，theearlyauthorshipandpredictivecharacterofthebookofDanielwerethingswhichnoonewasallowedforamomenttodispute。Pusey，aswehaveseen，hadprovedtothecontrollingpartiesintheEnglishChurchthatChristianitymuststandorfallwiththetraditionalviewofthisbook；andnow，withinafewyearsofPusey’sdeath，therecame，inhisownuniversity，speakingfromthepulpitofSt。Mary’swhencehehadsoofteninsistedupontheabsolutenecessityofmaintainingtheolderview，thisprofessorofbiblicalcriticism，adoctorofdivinity，showingconclusivelyasregardsthebookofDanielthatthecriticalviewhadwontheday；thatthenameofDanielisonlyassumed；thatthebookisinnosensepredictive，butwaswritten，mainlyatleast，aftertheeventsitdescribes；that“itsauthorlivedatthetimeoftheMaccabeanstruggle“；thatitisveryinaccurateeveninthesimplefactswhichitcites；andhencethatallthevastfabricerecteduponitspredictivecharacterisbaseless。
Butanotherevidenceofthecominginofanewepochwasevenmorestriking。
Touprooteverygrowthofthenewerthought，todestroyeveneverygermthathadbeenplantedbyColensoandmenlikehim，aspecialmovementwasbegun，ofwhichthemostimportantpartwastheestablishment，attheUniversityofOxford，ofacollegewhichshouldbringtheoldopinionwithcrushingforceagainstthenewthought，andshouldtrainupabodyofyoungmenbyfeedingthemupontheutterancesofthefathers，ofthemedievaldoctors，andoftheapologistsoftheseventeenthandeighteenthcenturies；andshouldkeeptheminhappyignoranceofthereformingspiritofthesixteenthandthescientificspiritofthenineteenthcentury。
Thenewcollegethusfoundedborethenameofthepoetmostwidelybelovedamonghighchurchmen；largeendowmentsflowedinuponit；ashowychapelwaserectedinaccordancethroughoutwiththestrictestrulesofmedievalecclesiology。Asiftostrikethekeynoteofthethoughttobefosteredinthenewinstitution，oneofthemostbeautifulofpseudo-medievalpictureswasgiventheplaceofhonourinitshall；andthecollege，loftyandgaudy，loomedhighabovetheneighbouringmodestabodeofOxfordscience。KuenenmightbevictoriousinHolland，andWellhauseninGermany，andRobertsonSmithinScotland——evenProfessorsDriver，Sanday，andCheynemightsucceedDr。PuseyasexpoundersoftheOldTestamentatOxford——butKebleCollege，rejoicinginthefavourofamultitudeofleadersintheChurch，includingMr。
Gladstone，seemedaninexpugnablefortressoftheolderthought。
Butin1889appearedthebookofessaysentitledLuxMundi，amongwhoseleadingauthorsweremencloselyconnectedwithKebleCollegeandwiththemovementwhichhadcreatedit。ThisworkgaveupentirelythetraditionthatthenarrativeinGenesisisahistoricalrecord，andadmittedthatallaccountsintheHebrewScripturesofeventsbeforethetimeofAbrahamaremythicalandlegendary；itconcededthatthebooksascribedtoMosesandJoshuaweremadeupmainlyofthreedocumentsrepresentingdifferentperiods，andoneofthemthelateperiodoftheexile；
that“thereisaconsiderableidealizingelementinOldTestamenthistory“；that“thebooksofChroniclesshowanidealizingofhistory“and“areadingbackintopastrecordsofaritualdevelopmentwhichisreallylater。”andthatprophecyisnotnecessarilypredictive——“propheticinspirationbeingconsistentwitherroneousanticipations。”AgainashudderwentthroughtheupholdersoftraditionintheChurch，andhereandtherethreatswereheard；buttheEssaysandReviewsfiascoandtheColensocatastrophewerestillinvividremembrance。Goodsenseprevailed：Benson，ArchbishopofCanterbury，insteadofprosecutingtheauthors，himselfaskedthefamousquestion，“MaynottheHolySpiritmakeuseofmythandlegend？”andtheGovernment，notlongafterward，promotedoneoftheseauthorstoabishopric。[487]
[487]OfPusey’sextremedevotiontohisviewofthebookofDaniel，thereisacuriousevidenceinalettertoStanleyinthesecondvolumeofthelatter’sLifeandLetters。FortheviewsreferredtoinLuxMundi，seepp。345-357；also，onthegeneralsubject，BishopEllicott’sChristusComprobator。
Inthesisteruniversitythesametendencywasseen。RobertsonSmith，whohadbeendrivenoutofhishighpositionintheFreeChurchofScotlandonaccountofhisworkinscripturalresearch，waswelcomedintoaprofessorshipatCambridge，andothermen，nolessloyaltothenewtruths，weregivenplacesofcontrollinginfluenceinshapingthethoughtofthenewgeneration。
NordidthewarfareagainstbiblicalscienceproduceanydifferentresultsamongthedissentersofEngland。In1862
SamuelDavidson，aprofessorintheCongregationalCollegeatManchester，publishedhisIntroductiontotheOldTestament。
IndependentlyofthecontemporarywritersofEssaysandReviews，hehadarrivedinageneralwayatconclusionsmuchliketheirs，andhepresentedthenewerviewwithfearlesshonesty，admittingthatthesameresearchmustbeappliedtotheseastootherOrientalsacredbooks，andthatsuchresearchestablishesthefactthatallalikecontainlegendaryandmythicalelements。A
stormwasatoncearoused；certaindenominationalpaperstookupthematter，andDavidsonwasdrivenfromhisprofessorialchair；
buthelabouredbravelyon，andothersfollowedtotakeuphiswork，untiltheideaswhichhehadadvocatedwerefullyconsidered。
So，too，inScotlandtheworkofRobertsonSmithwascontinuedevenafterhehadbeendrivenintoEngland；and，asvotariesoftheolderthoughtpassedaway，menofideasakintohisweregraduallyelectedintochairsofbiblicalcriticismandinterpretation。Wellhausen’sgreatwork，whichSmithhadintroducedinEnglishform，provedapowerbothinEnglandandScotland，andthearticlesuponvariousbooksofScriptureandscripturalsubjectsgenerally，inthenintheditionoftheEncyclopaediaBritannica，havingbeenpreparedmainlybyhimselfaseditororputintothehandsofothersrepresentingtherecentcriticalresearch，thisveryimportantworkofreference，whichhadbeeninpreviouseditionssotimid，wasnowarrayedonthesideofthenewerthought，insuringitsdueconsiderationwherevertheEnglishlanguageisspoken。
InFrancethesametendencywasseen，thoughwithstrikingvariationsfromthecourseofeventsinothercountries——variationsduetotheverydifferentconditionsunderwhichbiblicalstudentsinFrancewereobligedtowork。DowntothemiddleofthenineteenthcenturytheorthodoxyofBossuet，stifflyopposingtheletterofScripturetoeverystepintheadvanceofscience，hadonlyyieldedinaveryslightdegree。
Butthencameaneventusheringinanewepoch。AtthattimeJulesSimon，afterwardsoeminentasanauthor，academician，andstatesman，wasquietlydischargingthedutiesofaprofessorship，whentherewasbroughthimthevisitingcardofastrangerbearingthenameof“ErnestRenan，StudentatSt。Sulpice。”
AdmittedtoM。Simon’slibrary，Renantoldhisstory。Asatheologicalstudenthehaddevotedhimselfmostearnestly，evenbeforeheenteredtheseminary，tothestudyofHebrewandtheSemiticlanguages，andhewasnowobliged，duringthelecturesonbiblicalliteratureatSt。Sulpice，tohearthereverendprofessormakefrequentcomments，basedontheVulgate，butabsolutelydisprovedbyRenan’sownknowledgeofHebrew。OnRenan’squestioninganyinterpretationofthelecturer，thelatterwaswonttorejoin：“Monsieur，doyoupresumetodenytheauthorityoftheVulgate——thetranslationbySt。Jerome，sanctionedbytheHolyGhostandtheChurch？Youwillatoncegointothechapelandsay`HailMary’foranhourbeforetheimageoftheBlessedVirgin。”
“But。”saidRenantoJulesSimon，“thishasnowbecomeveryserious；ithappensnearlyeveryday，and，MONDIEU！Monsieur，I