Inspiration and Interpretation Seven Sermons Preached Before the University of Oxford — Themes and Context

A Preacher's Urgent Appeal to Future Clergy

Burgon addresses the younger men in his congregation directly, seeing in them 'many of the future Clergy of England.' He entreats them to undertake a careful, daily study of the Bible, proposing a concrete schedule: master Genesis by December 10, then begin Exodus on December 11. This regimen, he insists, will yield immense advantages for ministry: the bishop's examination for Orders becomes 'nothing but an agreeable exercise,' and the preacher gains confidence to 'draw a bold clear outline round almost any department of Christian doctrine.' He contrasts this ideal with the current state of affairs, lamenting 'dull sermons, inattentive congregations, badly filled churches,' and 'astounding ignorance' among the upper classes. The passage is notable for its pastoral directness and its assumption that biblical literacy is the remedy for institutional decline.

Moral Theology from Old Testament Examples

Burgon argues that readers can detect 'the outlines of Moral Theology' for themselves by attending to recurring patterns in Scripture. He lists examples: God's strictness in punishing sin as seen in Moses; the efficacy of repentance in Ahab; the sure answer to forgotten prayer in Zacharias; the roundabout methods of providence in Abraham; the rewards of obedience; the faithfulness of divine promises; and the transformation of a curse into a blessing in Levi. Each case is cited with a bracketed reference, suggesting a systematic method of annotation. Burgon insists that such discoveries must be made personally—'no one else can do the work for him.' This emphasis on individual engagement with the text reflects his broader conviction that the Bible is self-authenticating and that its moral lessons are accessible to any diligent reader.

The Polemical Context and Rhetorical Strategy

The volume's title page announces it as 'an answer to a volume entitled Essays and Reviews,' and Burgon's preface makes clear that the sermons were shaped by a perceived crisis of unbelief. He notes that after his first sermon advocating Bible study, 'a considerable amount of unbelief prevailed respecting that very Book' for which he claimed 'entire perfection and absolute supremacy.' The sermons thus serve a dual purpose: they instruct in method while defending a high view of inspiration. Burgon's rhetoric is marked by urgency—he cannot hold his peace because he has heard 'the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war'—and by a confidence that the faithful will be revealed through controversy, as Vincent of Lérins wrote. The work is less a systematic theology than a sustained exhortation, grounded in the conviction that personal familiarity with Scripture is the surest defense against error.

Readers approaching this volume should be prepared for a work that is simultaneously a sermon series, a polemical tract, and a practical manual for Bible study. Burgon's prose is direct and occasionally combative, but his central argument—that clergy must know the Bible intimately—is supported by concrete reading plans and illustrative examples. The excerpts show a preacher who expects his hearers to take notes, to check references, and to internalize the moral patterns of Scripture. This is not a detached academic treatise but a call to action, rooted in a specific controversy and addressed to a specific audience. Those interested in Victorian religious debates or in the history of biblical interpretation will find here a vivid example of traditionalist apologetics in the heat of intellectual conflict.

There is something moving about Burgon’s insistence on daily Scripture study, as if the Word itself were a living weight we carry. It reminds me of opening old sermon collections and finding patience in their pages. The World's Great Sermons, Volume 08: Talmage to Knox Little — Reading Notes holds that same quiet steadiness, like a familiar echo from another era’s pulpit.