PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
Systematic Theology — Volume 1
Hodge, Charles, 1797–1878 · 293,425 words · 364 reading sections
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Bntered according to act of CongresB, in the year 1871, by Charles Scribner and Company, in the Office of the Librarian of Congress at WashingtOB. urissmE, OAitBRn>eB: • »B»«0TTPE1) AND PEINTSD If H. 0. HOUGHTON AND OOMFANT.…
38 wordsSECTION 2CARD.
The Messrs. Charles Scribner and Co., of New York, have made an arrangement with the Messrs. Thomas Nelson and Sons, of Edinburgh, Scotland, for the publication of this work in Great Britain. This has been done with the cordial approbation of the author, who feels under obligation to the Messrs. Nelson for the liberal …
100 wordsSECTION 3PAGI
§ 1. Meaning of the Word 61 PhilosopMcal Use of the Word 61 Mysticism as known in Church History 66 § 2. Mysticism in the Early Church 69 Montanism. — The so-called Dionysius. — New Platonism . .71 § 3. Mysticism during the Middle Ages 73 General Chai-acteristics of that Period. — Different Classes of Me- diaeval…
145 wordsSECTION 4ROMAN CATHOLIC DOCTRINE CONCERNING THE RULE OF FAITH.
§ 1. Statement of the Doctrine * . 104 § 2. Roman Catholic Doctrine concerning the Scriptures . . .104 Incompleteness of the Scriptures. — Obscurity of the Scriptures. — Latin Vulgate ; .... 107 § 3. Tradition 108 Tridentine Doctrine 109 § 4. The Office of the Church as a Teacher Ill The Organs of the Church in T…
165 wordsSECTION 5PA«I
§ 1. Theology a Science 1 § 2. Theological Method 3 § 3. The Speculative Method 4 § 4. The Mystical Method 6 § 5. The Inductive Method 9 Theologian to be governed by same Rules as a Man of Science 1 1 § 6. The Scriptures contain all the Facts of Theology ... 15…
48 wordsSECTION 6THEOLOGY.
§ 1. Its Nature 18 Definitions of Theology 19 Natural Theology 21 § 2. Facts of Nature reveal God 22 Scriptural Argument for Natural Theology .... 24 § 3. Insufficiency of Natural Theology 25 § 4. Christian Theology 32 Theology Proper, Anthropology, Soteriology, Eschatology, Ecclesi- ology 32…
42 wordsSECTION 7RATIONALISM.
§ 1. Meaning and Usage of the Word 34 § 2. Deistical Rationalism 35 §3. Second Form of Rationalism. — Its Nature, Refutation, History . 39 § 4. Dogmatism 44 § 6. Proper Office of Reason in Matters of Religion . ... 49 Reason necessary for the Reception of a Revelation. — Difference between Knowing and Understanding…
96 wordsSECTION 8PASI
is contradicted by Facts. — Recognition of an Infallible Church incompatible with either Religious or Civil Liberty . . . 149…
17 wordsSECTION 9THE PROTESTANT RULE OF FAITH.
; 1. The Statement of the Doctrine 151 The Canon 152 § 2. The Scriptures given by Inspiration of God 153 The Nature of Inspiration. — Inspiration Supernatural. — Distinc- tion between Revelation and Inspiration. — Inspired Men the Organs of God. — Proof of the Doctrine. — Argument from the Signification and Use of t…
124 wordsSECTION 10ORIGIN OF THE IDEA OF GOD.
§ 1. Knowledge of God as Innate 191 What is Meant by Innate Knowledge. — Proof that the Knowledge of God is Innate 194 § 2. The Knowledge of God is not due to a Process of Reasoning . . 199 § 3. The Knowledge of God is not due exclusively to Tradition . . 201 § 4. Can the Existence of God be proved ? 202…
57 wordsSECTION 11THEISM.
§ 1. Ontological Argument. — As presented by Anselm. — By Des Cartes. 204 — By Dr. Samuel Clarke. — By Cousin 206 § 2. Cosmological Argument 207 Principle of Sufficient Cause. — Nature of Causation. — Intuitive Conviction of the Necessity of a Cause for every Effect. — The World is an Effect. — Hume's Objection to t…
71 wordsSECTION 12PAQI
§ 4. Objections to the Teleological Argument 227 Denial of Final Causes. — Objections of Hume and Kant . . 228 § 5. The Moral or Anthropological Argument 233 Nature of the Argument. — Argument from the Existence of the Mnd. — From the Nature of the Soul. — From the Moral Nature of Man 237…
48 wordsSECTION 13ANTI-THEISTIC THEORIES.
§ 1. What is Meant by Anti-Theism. — Atheism 241 § 2. Polytheism 243 § 3. Hylozoism 245 §4. Materialism 246 Doctrine of Epicurus. — Materialism in England during the Eight- eenth Century. — Locke. — Hartley. — Priestley. — Materialism in France during the Eighteenth Century. — Positivism . . 254 Scientific Materia…
179 wordsSECTION 14KNOWLEDGE OP GOD.
§ 1. Can God be known ? .835 State of the Question. — God Inconceivable. — God Incomprehen- sible.— Our Knowledge of God partial 337 How do we form the idea of God ? — Proof that this Method is trustworthy 339 § 2. God cannot be fully known 345 Sir William Hamilton's Argument against the Transcendentalists 346…
51 wordsSECTION 15PAOB
S 3. Sir William Hamilton's Doctrine 349 God an Object of Faith but not of Knowledge. — Different Kinds of Ignorance. — Proof that Sir William Hamilton denies that we can know God. — Arguments Against his Doctrine. — The Unthinkable or Impossible cannot be an object of Faith . . 352 Knowledge essential to Faith. — Our…
85 wordsSECTION 16THE NATURE AND ATTRIBUTES OF GOD.
§ 1. Definitions of God 366 § 2. Divine Attributes 368 Relation of the Attributes to the Essence of God. — The Divine Attributes do not differ merely in our Conceptions . . .371 The Divine Attributes cannot be resolved into mere Causality. — They differ virtualiter 373 § 3. Classification of the Divine Attributes …
245 wordsSECTION 17X CONTENTS OF THE FIEST VOLUME.
§ 11. Holiness of God 413 Grounds on which Moral Attributes are denied to God . . 414 § 12. Justice 416 Meaning of the Word. — Justice in its relation to Sin. — Refor- mation of the Offender not the Primary Object of Punishment. — The Prevention of Crime not the Primary Object of Pun- ishment. — Proof of the Script…
126 wordsSECTION 18THE TRINITY.
§ 1. Preliminary Remarks 442 § 2. Biblical Form of the Doctrine 443 What that Form is. — Scrijitural Proof of the Doctrine. — Pro- gressive Character of Divine Revelation. — Formula of Bap- tism. — Apostolic Benediction 448 § 3. The Transition Period 448 Neciessity lor a more Definite Statement of the Doctrine. — C…
174 wordsSECTION 19THE DIVINITY OF CHRIST.
S 1. Testimony of the Old Testament . . . . ■ . . . 483 Protevangelium. — Jehovah and the Angel Jehovah. — Evidence containod — 1. In the Book of Genesis; 2. In the other His-…
27 wordsSECTION 20PASB
torici Books of the Old Testament ; 3. The Book of Psahns. — 4. The Prophetical Books 492 § 2. The General Characteristics of the New Testament Teaching con- cerning Christ 495 1. The Sense in which Christ is called Lord .... 495 2. Christ presented as the Object of our Religious Affections . .497 3. The Relations…
124 wordsSECTION 21St. John. — The Apocalypse . . . . • .511
2. The Epistles of St. Paul. — The Epistle to the Romans. — Cor- inthians. — Galatians. — Ephesians. — Philippians. — Colossians. — Pastoral Epistles of St. Paul. — The Epistle to the Hebrews. — Other Sacred Writers of the New Testament . . .520…
35 wordsSECTION 22THE HOLY SPIRIT.
§, . His Nature 522 His Personality. — Proof of his Personality. — Divinity of the Holy Spirit 527 § 2. Office of the Holy Spirit — 1. In Nature ; 2. In the Work of Redemp- tion. — The Revealer of all Divine Truth. — Applies to Men the Benefits of the Redemption of Christ 532 § 3. History of the Doctrine concerning …
58 wordsSECTION 23THE DECREES OF GOD.
§ 1. The Nature of the Divine Decrees 535 The Glory of God the Fmal Cause of his Decrees. — Decrees re- ducible to One Purpose. — The Decrees of God are Immutable. — They are Free. — They are certainly Efficacious. — They relate to all Events. — Free Acts are foreordained .... 543 $ 2. Objections to the Doctrine of D…
85 wordsSECTION 24CREATION.
§ 1. Different Theories concerning the Origin of the Universe. . . 550 1. The Purely Physical Theory. — 2. The Theories which assume Intelligence in Nature itself — 3. Scriptural Doctrine . . 553 8 2. Mediate and Immediate Creation 556 xii CONTENTS OF THE FIEST VOLUME. § 8. Proof of the Doctrine of a Creation ex nihi…
100 wordsSECTION 25PROVIDENCE.
§ 1. Preservation 575 The Nature of Preservation. — Preservation is not a Continued Creation. — Objections to the Doctrine of a Continuous Crea- tion. — Scriptural Doctrine on the Subject . . . .581 § 2. Grovernment 581 Statement of the Doctrine. — Proof of the Doctrine. 1. The Evidence of the Operation of Mind ever…
241 wordsSECTION 26MIRACLES.
J 1. Usage of the Word 617 Definition of a Miracle. — Objections to this Definition . . 618 Answer to the above Objections 620 The Doctrine of a Higher Law 624 Objections to the Doctrine of a Higher Law ..... 622…
38 wordsSECTION 27CONTENTS OF THE FIRST VOLUME.
§ 2. PossibUity of IVIiracles 626 §3. Can a Miracle be known as such? 629 Lying "Wonders. — Lisufficiency of Human Testimony . . .633 §4. Tbe Value of Miracles as a Proof of Divine Revelation . . . 635…
33 wordsSECTION 28ANGELS.
§ 1. Their Nature 637 § 2. Their. State 639 § 3. Their Employments . 639 § 4. Evil Angels 643 Power and Agency of Evil Spirits. — Demoniacal Possessions. . 645…
25 wordsSECTION 29CHAPTER I.
ON METHOD. § 1. Theology a Science. In every science there are two factors . facts and ideas ; or, facts and the mind. Science is more than knowledge. Knowledge is the persuasion of what is true on adequate evidence. But the facts of astronomy, chemistry, or history do not constitute the science of those departments o…
747 wordsSECTION 30§ 2.] THEOLOGICAL METHOD. 8
and mutual relation. It is only thus that we can satisfactorily exhibit their truth, vindicate them from objections, or bring them to bear in their full force on the minds of men. Fourth, Such is evidently the will of God. He does not teach men astronomy or chemistry, but He gives them the facts out of which those sci…
868 wordsSECTION 31M-] THE SPECULATIVE METHOD. 6
Dogmatic Form. 2. The second is the method adopted by those who admit a su- pernatural divine revektion, and concede that such a revelation is contained in the Christian Scriptures, but who reduce all the doc- trines thus revealed to the forms of some philosophical system. This was done by many of the fathers who ende…
868 wordsSECTION 32§4.] THE MYSTICAL JVIETHOD. 7
or in which the doctrines of the Bible have been modified and perverted, it is not to be denied that great authority is due to our moral nature in matters of religion. It has ever been a great evil m the Church that men have allowed the logical understanding, or what they call their reason, to lead them to conclusions …
914 wordsSECTION 33§5.] THE INDUCTIVE METHOD. »
and his views of divine things. (4.) Consequently the duty of a theologian is not to interpret Scripture, but to interpret his own Christian consciousness; to ascertain and exhibit what truths con- cerning God are implied in his feelings toward God : what truths concerning Christ are involved in his feelings toward Chr…
903 wordsSECTION 34§5, A.] THE U^DUCTIVE METHOD. 11
dence. But self-evidence is included in universality and necessity, in so far, that nothing which is not self-evident can be universally believed, and what is self-evident forces itself on the mind of every intelligent creature. Facts to he collected. In the second place, the duty of the Christian theologian is to asc…
902 wordsSECTION 35§ 5, A.] . THE INDUCTIVE METHOD. 13
has made known, and in giving them their due weight. If a geol- ogist should find in a deposit of early date implements of human workmanship, he is not allowed to say they are natural productions. He must either revise his conclusion as to the age of the deposit, or carry back to an earlier period the existence of man.…
989 wordsSECTION 36§6.] FACTS OF THEOLOGY IN THE SCRIPTURES. 16
theology is a jumble of human speculations, not worth a straw, when men refuse to apply the same principle to the study of the Word of God. § 6. The Scriptures contain all the Facts of Theology. This is perfectly consistent, on the one hand, with the admission of intuitive truths, both intellectual and moral, due to o…
953 wordsSECTION 37§6.J FACTS OF THEOLOGY IN THE SCRIPTURES. 17
for a man to resolve to admit into his theology nothing whicn is not sustained by the devotional writings of true Christians of every denomination. It would be easy to construct from such writings, received and sanctioned by Romanists, Lutherans, Reformed, and Remonstrants, a system of Pauhne or Augustinian theology, s…
186 wordsSECTION 38THEOLOGY.
§ 1. Its Nature. If the views presented in the preceding chapter be correct, the question, What is Theology ? is ah'eady answered. If natural sci- ence be concerned with the facts and laws of nature, theology is concerned with the facts and the principles of the Bible. If the object of the one be to arrange and systema…
399 wordsSECTION 39§1.] WHAT IS THEOLOGY? 19
than the astronomer can adjust the mechanism of the heavens according to his own good ])leasure. As the facts of astronomy- arrange themselves in a certain order, and will admit of no other, so it is with the facts of theology. Theology, therefore, is the ex- hibition of the facts of Scripture in their proper order and…
1,346 wordsSECTION 40Part 40
§ 2. The Facts of Nature Reveal God. Those who deny that natural theology teaches anything reliable concerning God, commonly understand by nature the external, material universe. They pronounce the ontological and teleologi- cal arguments derived from the existence of the world, and from the evidences of design which i…
424 wordsSECTION 41§ 2, A.] THE FACTS OF NATURE REVEAL GOD. 28
legitimate senses. It is not only used to designate the external world, but also for the forces active in the material universe, as when we speak of the operations and laws of nature, sometimes for all that falls into the chain of cause and effect as distinguished from the acts of free agents ; and, as natura is derive…
935 wordsSECTION 42S 3.] INSUFFICIENCY OF NATUKAL THEOLOGY. 25
have said, ' Foi- we are also his offspring.' Forasraucli then as we are the ofF-^pring of God, we ought not to think that the God- head is Hke unto gold, or silver, or stone, gi'aven by art and man's device." (Acts xvii, 24-29.) Not only the fact of this revelation, but its clearness is distinctly asserted by the Apo…
891 wordsSECTION 43§3,B.] INSUFFICIENCY OF NATURAL THEOLOGY. 27
are condemned for the sin of the one, so all are saved by the riorht- eousness of the other, those only excepted whom the Scriptures except ; but the principle assumed throuo-hout the whole discussion teaches the same doctrine. That principle is that it is more con- genial with the nature of God to bless than to curse,…
907 wordsSECTION 44§3,C.] INSUFFICIENCY OF NATURAL THEOLOGY. 29
ranee that is in them because of the blindness of their heart: who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciv- iousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness." (Eph. iv. 17-19.) 5. All men being sinners, justly chargeable with inexcusable impietj and immorality, they cannot be saved by any effort or …
923 wordsSECTION 45§4.] INSUFFICIENCY OF NATURAL THEOLOGY. 31
of the gospel, the Bible only teaches that a just God will punish sin. (2.) The doctrine of the Church on this subject does not go beyond the facts of the case. It only teaches that God will do what we see He actually does. He leaves mankind, in a large measure, to themselves. He alloAvs them to make themselves sin- fu…
957 wordsSECTION 46CHAPTER III.
RATIONALISM. § 1. lleamng and Usage of the Word. By Rationalism is meant the system or theory which assigns un- due authority to reason in matters of reh'gion. • By reason is not to be understood the Logos as revealed in man, as held by some of the Fathers, and by Cousin and other modern philosophers, nor the intuitio…
320 wordsSECTION 47§ 2, A.] DEISTICAL RATIONALISM. 35
cates of the modern, or, as it perhaps may be more properly desig- nateil, the modern pantheistic philosophy of Germany. Althongh in a measure banished from its recent home, it con- tinues to prevail in all its forms, variously modified, both in Europe and America. Mansel, in his " Limits of Religious Thought," * incl…
891 wordsSECTION 48§ 2, B. C] DEI STIC AL RATIONALISM. 37
satisfaction, What is to become of the mass of mankind ? Are they to be left in darkness and despair? (4.) The experience of ages proves that the world by wisdom knows not God. The heathen nations, ancient and modern, civilized and savage, have without ex- ception, failed by the light of nature to solve any of the grea…
1,347 wordsSECTION 49Part 49
object of that revelation is to make more generally known, and to authenticate for the masses, the truths of reason, or doctrines of natural rehgion. These doctrines are received by cultivated minds not on the ground of authority, but of rational evidence. The fun- damental px'inciple of this class of Rationalists is, …
443 wordsSECTION 50§ 3, B.] RATIONALISM PROPER. 41
the mystery of reproduction. Even the Positivist who would re- duce all belief to zero, is obliged to admit the incomprehensible to be true. And those who will believe neither in God nor spirit be- cause they ai-e invisible and intangible, say that all we know is the unknowable, — we know only force, — but of force we …
835 wordsSECTION 51§8, C] KATIONALISM PROPER. 43
tempted to qonstruct a regular system of Deism. He maintained that God could not intend that men should ever be without a re- ligion adequate to all their necessities, and therefore that a revela- tion can only make knovvn vehat every man has in his own reason. This internal and universal revelation contains the two tr…
798 wordsSECTION 52§ 4, A.] DOGMATISM. 45
were the doctrinal statements of the Bible in the form in which they are there presented. The ground of faith is simply the testi- mony of the Scriptures as the Word of God. The objects of knowledge were the speculative or philosophical ideas which under- lie the doctrines of the Bible, and the ground on which those id…
834 wordsSECTION 53§ 4, B,] DOGMATISM. 47
any man read the pretended philosophical demonstrations of the Trinity, the Incarnation, the resurrection of the body, or any other of the great truths of the Bible, and he will feel at liberty to re- ceive or to reject it at pleasure. It has no authority or certainty. It is the product of a mind like his own, and ther…
926 wordsSECTION 54S6, A.] PROPER OFFICE OF REASON. 49
them. So far as they succeed to the satisfaction of those who make them, they change the relation of the soul to the truth, and, of course, to God. The reception of the truth is not an act of faith, or of trusl> in God ; but of confidence in our own speculations. Self is substituted for God as the ground of confidence.…
1,536 wordsSECTION 55Part 55
2. This prerogative of reason is constantly recognized in Scrip- ture. The prophets called upon the people to reject the doctrines of the heathen, because they could not be true. They could not be true because they involved contradictions and absurdities ; be- cause they were in contradiction to our moral nature, and i…
201 wordsSECTION 56§ 5, C] PROPER OFFICE OF REASON. 53
the foundations are bi'oken up. All distinction between truth and falsehood, between right and wrong, would disappear. All our ideas of God and virtue would be confounded, and we should be- come the victims of every adroit deceiver, or minister of Satan, who, by lying wonders, should call upon us to believe a lie. We a…
926 wordsSECTION 57§6.] PHILOSOPHY AND REVELATION. 65
Christians, therefore, concede to reason all the prerogatives it can rightfully claim. God requires nothing irrational of his ra- tional creatures. He does not require faith without knowledge, or faith in the impossible, or faith without evidence. Christianity is equally opposed to superstition and Rationalism. The one…
831 wordsSECTION 58§ 6.] PHILOSOPHY AND REVELATION. 67
gards it. Comparative philologists hold up their hands at the ob- tuseness of men of science, who maintain that races have had differ- ent origins, whose languages render it clear to demonstration that they have been derived from a common stock. Considerino- the overwhelming weight of evidence of the divine authority o…
875 wordsSECTION 59§ 7.] THE SENSES IN MATTERS OF FAITH. 59
and his relation to the world ; concerning the origin, nature, and destiny of man ; concerning the nature of virtue, the ground of moral obligation, human liberty and responsibility ; what is the rule of duty, what is right and what is wrong in all our relations to God and to our fellow creatures. These are subjects on…
759 wordsSECTION 60CHAPTER IV.
MYSTICISM. § 1. Meaning of the Words Enthusiasm and Mysticism. In the popular sense of the word, enthusiasm means a high state of mental excitement. In that state all the powers are exalted, the thoughts become more comprehensive and vivid, the feelings more fervid, and the will more determined. It is in these periods…
796 wordsSource & rights
Public-domain historical edition (1877). Text from OCR of an original Internet Archive scan; OCR may contain recognition errors.
Project Gutenberg source record →
Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.