PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
Systematic Theology — Volume 1
Hodge, Charles, 1797–1878 · 293,425 words · 364 reading sections
§ 1, B.] THE HOLY SPIRIT. 627
This is a fact wliich admits of no rational solution if the Scrip- tures do not really teach that tlie Spirit is a distinct person. The rule Quod semper^ quod ubique, quod ah omnibus, is held by Prot- estants as well as by Romanists. It is not to the authority of general consent as an evidence of tnith, that Protestant…
958 wordsSECTION 302§ 2, A.] OFFICE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 529
in power and glory. (2.) He is subordinate to the Father and Son, as to his mode of subsistence and operation, as He is said to be of the Father and of the Son ; He is sent by them, and they operate through Him. (3.) He bears the same relation to the Father as to the Son ; as He is said to be of the one as well as of t…
460 wordsSECTION 303VOL. I. 34
530 PART I. —THEOLOGY. [Ch. YIH - The Holy Spirit. quas potius ipse ferebat et complectentibus firmamentum clabat con- gruum motum et limitem prgefinitum. . . . [Hie est] spiritus vitje cujus vivificus calor animat omnia et fovet et provehit et foecundat. Hie Spiritus Sanctus omnium viventium anima, ita largitate sua …
481 wordsSECTION 304§2, B.] OFFICE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 531
manner under the new dispensation the Spirit is represented as not on]}^ the author of miraculous gifts, but also as the giver of the qualifications to teach and rule in the Church. All these opera- tions are independent of the sanctifying influences of the Spirit. When the Spirit came on Samson or upon Saul, it was no…
932 wordsSECTION 305§8.] THE HOLY SPIKIT. 633
Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, through whom this reconcihation is effected ; and one Holy Spirit, by whom they are, through Christ, brought near to God. This all Christians believed, as they professed in their baptism, and in repeating and receiving the apostolic benediction. With this simple faith underly…
693 wordsSECTION 306THE DECREES OF GOD.
§ 1. The Nature of the Decrees. It must be remembered that theology is not philosophy. It does not assume to discover truth, or to reconcile what it teaches as true with all other truths. Its province is simply to state vv^hat God has revealed in his Word, and to vindicate those statements as far as possible from misc…
870 wordsSECTION 307§ 1, B.] THE DECREES OF GOD. 537
good, it of course follows that the more perfectly God is known, the more fully the highest good (not merely nor necessarily the high- est happiness) of the intelligent universe is promoted. But this is a subordinate effect, and not the chief end. It is therefore in ac- cordance with the whole spirit and teachings of t…
918 wordsSECTION 308§ 1, E.] THE DECREES OF GOD. 539
can be with Him no unforeseen emergency and no inadequacy of means, and nothing can resist the execution of his original inten- tion. To Him, therefore, the causes of change have no existence. With God there is, as the Scriptures teach, " no variableness, neither shadow of turning." (James i. 17.) " The counsel of the …
956 wordsSECTION 309§ 1, F.] THE DECREES OF GOD. 541
events embraced in the purpose of God are eqiially certain, whether He has determined to bring them to pass by his own power, or simply to permit their occurrence through the agency of his crea- tures. It was no less certain fi-om eternity that Satan would tempt our first parents, and that they would fall, than that Go…
898 wordsSECTION 310§ 1, G.] THE DECREES OF GOD. 543
Nothing can occur that Avas not foreseen, and if foreseen it must Jiave been inteiided. As the Scriptures teachlh'at the providential control of God extends to all events, even the most minute, they do thereby teach that his decrees are equally comprehensive. 4. Another argument is derived from the certainty of the di…
943 wordsSECTION 311§ 2, A.] THE DECREES OF GOD. 545
destruction of the Huguenots in France, the persecution of the Pu- ritans in England, laid the foundation for the planting of North America with a race of godly and energetic men, who were to make this land the land of refuge for the nations, the home of lib- erty, civil and religious. It would destroy the confidence o…
447 wordsSECTION 312VOL. I. 35
646 PART I. — THEOLOGY. [Ch. IX. — The Decrees minian writers, who admit that God's knowledge is not limited by anything out of Himself, but hold that it may be limited by his own will. In creating free agents, He willed not to foreknow how they would act, in oi'der to leave their freedom unimpaired. But this is to su…
479 wordsSECTION 313§2, B.] THE DECREES OF GOD. 547
against the plain declarations of Scripture, or against the facts of experience. In either case, it is for us sufficiently answered. It is vain to argue that a holy and benevolent God cannot permit sin and misery, if sin and misery actually exist. It is vain to say that his impartiality forbids that there should be any…
948 wordsSECTION 314§ 2, D . THE DECREES OF GOD. 549
plated, but also in their natural effects on the reason and conscience of men. The word Fatalism has been applied to different systems, some of which admit, while others deny or ignore the existence of a su- preme intelligence. But in common usage it designates the doctrine that all events come to pass under the opera…
278 wordsSECTION 315CREATION.
§ 1. Different Theories concerning the Origin of the Universe. The question concerning the origin of the universe has forced itself on the minds of men in all ages. That the mutable cannot be eternal, would seem to be self-evident. As everything within the sphere of human observation is constantly changing, men have b…
327 wordsSECTION 316§ 1.] THEORIES AS TO ORIGIN OF THE UNIVERSE. 551
a highly attenuated state. This matter had the properties, or forces, which it now ev^erywhere exhibits ; and under the opera- tion of these forces and in accordance with the laws of heat, mo- tion, etc., not only the great cosmical bodies were formed and arranged themselves in their present harmonious relations, but a…
915 wordsSECTION 317§1.] THEORIES AS TO ORIGIN OF THE UNIVERSE. 553
It is enough to remark concerning these theories, (1.) That they lea vethe origin oj things unaccounted for. Whence came the mat- ter, which the theory in one form assumes ? Whence came its physi- cal properties, to which all organization is referred ? And as to the other doctrine, it may be asked, Whence came the livi…
914 wordsSECTION 318|1.] THE SCRIPTURAL DOCTRINE. 555
on the other, something becoming nothing. When God is said to create out of nothing, we construe this to thought by supposing that He evolves existence out of Himself; we view the Creator as the cause of the Universe. ' Ux nihilo nihil, in nihilum nil posse reverti,^ expresses, in its purest form, the whole intellectua…
900 wordsSECTION 319§2.] MEDIATE AND IMMEDIATE CREATION. 557
production of light ; the formation of an atmosphere ; the separa- tion of land and water ; the vegetable productions of the earth ; the animals of the sea and air ; then the living creatures of the earth ; and, last of all, man. In Gen. i. 27, it is said that God created man male and female ; in chapter ii. 7, it is s…
932 wordsSECTION 320$8.] PROOF OF THE DOCTRINE. 659
God and the world. In thus ignoring all other doctrines, the Scriptures leave us under the necessity of believing that God cre- ated the world out of nothing. 2. The descriptions of the work of creation given in the Bible, preclude tlie idea of emanation or mere formation. God said, " Let there be light, and there was…
979 wordsSECTION 3215 8.] PROOF OF THE DOCTRINE. 561
by a word. The passage tlien expresses the highest idea of omnip- otence. The actual and the possible are equally subject to his will ; the non-existing, the merely possible, is as much obedient to Him as the actually existing. Or to call may as elsewhere mean, as De Wette explains it, to call into existence. " Der das…
1,388 wordsSECTION 322Part 322
our comprehension. They assume that we can understand the Ahniglitj unto perfection and search out all his ways ; whereas it is obvious that with regard to a Being who is eternal and not subject to the limitations of time, we are using words without meaning when we speak of successive duration in reference to Him. If w…
474 wordsSECTION 323$5.] DESIGN OF THE CREATION. 565
did not create the world in time, because before creation time was not. " Si literae sacrse maximeque veraees ita dicunt, in principio fecisse Deum coelum et terram, ut nihil antea fecisse intelh'gatur, quia hoc potius in principio fecisse diceretur, si quid fecisset ante coetera cuncta quae fecit ; procul dubio non es…
976 wordsSECTION 324§6.] DESIGN OF THE CREATION. 567
as under the government of God all sin, past or present, does se- cure a greater amount of hapfiiness than would otherwise be possi- ble, there is really no sin in the universe. (3.) This is generalized into the principle that it is right to do evil that good may come. This is the principle on which God acts, according…
942 wordsSECTION 325I 6.] OBJECTIONS TO THE MOSAIC ACCOUNT. 569
of the whole revealed plan of redemption. The whole Bible, there- fofe^Tests"upoh~lh"g"Te'c^^^ the work of creation, and consequently all the evidence which goes to support the divine authority of the Bible, tends to sustain the historical verity of that record. Objections to the Mosaic Account of the Creation. The …
915 wordsSECTION 326§6.] OBJECTIONS TO THE MOSAIC ACCOUNT. 571
sense ; but if that sense brings the Mosaic account into conflict with facts, and another sense avoids such conflict, then it is obliga- tory on us to adopt that other. Now it is urged that if the word " day " be taken in the sense of " an indeflnite period of time," a sense which it undoubtedly has in other parts of S…
763 wordsSECTION 327§6.] OBJECTIONS TO THE MOSAIC ACCOUNT. 573
There is so much that the most recent readings of science have for the first time explained, that the idea of man as the author becomes utterly incomprehensible. By proving the record true, science pronounces it divine ; for who could have correctly narrated the secrets of eternity but God himself?"^ The views given i…
518 wordsSECTION 328PROVIDENCE.
§ 1. Preservation. God's works of providence are his most holy, wise, and powerful preserving and governing all his creatures and all their actions. Providence, therefore, includes preservation and government. By preservation is meant that all things out of God owe the continu- ance of their existence, with all their p…
813 wordsSECTION 329§1.] PKESERVATION. 577
3. This doctrine does violence to the instinctive religious convic- tions of all men. Even those the least enlightened live and act under the conviction of absolute dependence. Thej recognize God as everywhere present and everywhere active. If the}'^ do not love" and trust Him, they at least fear Him and instinctively …
899 wordsSECTION 330§ 1.] PRESERVATION. 579
God to the world as effectually to make Him an unknown Being, merging all his perfections into the general idea of cause. The objection to the second form of the doctrine is not to the idea meant to be expressed. It is true that the preservation of the world is as much due to the immediate power of God as its creation…
909 wordsSECTION 331$ 2.J GOVERNMENT. 581
Scriptural Doctrine on the Subject. Between the two extremes of representing preservation as a mere negative act, a not willing to destroy, which denies any con- tinued efficiency of God in the world ; and the theory which re- solves everything into the immediate agency of God, denying the reality of all second causes,…
880 wordsSECTION 332$ 2, A.] GOVERNMENT. 683
A. Proof yf the Doctrine. This doctrine necessarily flows from the Scriptural idea of God. He is declared to be a personal being, infinite in wisdom, goodness, and power ; to be the Father of Spirits. From this it follows not only that He acts intelligently, i. e., with a view to an end, and on sufficient reasons, but …
952 wordsSECTION 333§ 2, A.] GOVERNMENT. 685
fairies, or supernatural agencies of any kind, refer events actually due to the operations of nature to the intervention of spiritual beings. To this it may be answered. First, that the sense of de- pendence, of responsibility, of obligation for mercies received, and of the control of outward events by the power of God…
908 wordsSECTION 334$ 2, B.] GOVERNMENT. 587
messengers, and the lightnings are his ministering spirits. Even apparently fortuitous events, such as are determined by causes so rapid or so inappreciable as to elude our notice, the falling of the lot ; the flight of an arrow ; the number of the hairs of our heads, are all controlled by the omnipresent God. " Are no…
913 wordsSECTION 335§ 2, B.] GOVERNMENT. 589
asserted in general terms, that his dominion extends ove|L.theif whole _ inward life, and especially over their gpod^ acts. Prov. xvi. 1, " The preparations of the heart in man and the answer of the tongue, is from the Lord." Prov. xxi. 1, " The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water : He tvirn…
1,458 wordsSECTION 336Part 336
B. Theory of Entire Dependence. Another theory, the very opposite of the one just mentioned, is founded on the principle that absolute dependence includes the idea that God is the only cause. This principle has been widely adopted, even in the Church. It has been strenuously advocated by many theists, not only among th…
372 wordsSECTION 337§ 8, B.] GOVERNMENT. 593
niora ista, quibus causarum nomen damns, non jure causas esse sed manus et organa, quibus aeterna mens operatur."^ Calvin did not go so far, although he uses such language as the following, when speaking of inanimate things, " Sunt nihil aliud quam instru- menta, quibus Deus assidue instillat quantum vult efficacise et…
901 wordsSECTION 338§8, C] GOVERNMENT. 595
consciousness of every man. We know, as certainly as we know anything, that we are free agents, and that free agency is the power of self-determination, or of originating our own acts. It contradicts not only our self-consciousness, but the laws of belief which God has impressed upon our nature. It is one of those laws…
970 wordsSECTION 339S 8. D.] GOVERNMENT. 59T
elusion that all force may be will force ; and thus the whole uni- verse is not merely dependent on, but actually is, the Will of higher intelligences or of one Supreme Intelligence." ^ This theory is substantially the same as that previously men- tioned. They differ only as to the extent of their application. Accordi…
918 wordsSECTION 340§ 8, E.] GOVERNMENT. 599
operations, as when two horses are attached to the same vehicle, which is drawn partly by the one and partly by the other. The efficiency of the first cause is in the second, and not merely with it. Deus " immediate influit in actionem et efFectum creaturse, ita ut idem effectus non a solo Deo, nee a sola creatui-a, ne…
895 wordsSECTION 341S 8, E.] GOVERNMENT. 601
modum causae naturalis, cum causis liberis per modum causae li- berae." ^ " Duo sunt causarum genera, alias definitae et generales, quse eodem modo semper agunt, ut ignis qui urit, sol qui lucet ; aliae indefinitse et liberas, quae possunt agere vel non agere, hoc vel illo modo agere : ita Deus naturam earum conservat,…
1,402 wordsSECTION 342Part 342
The Reformed theologians protested against the aspersion freely made by Romanists, and afterwards by the Remonstrants, that the Augustinian doctrine led by any fair process of reasoning to the conclusion that God is the cause of sin. They quote from their opponents admissions which involve all that they themselves teac…
475 wordsSECTION 343§ 4, A.] .GOVERNMENT. 606
with the power to originate our own acts. (2.) A second objec- tion to the doctrine is that it is an attempt to explain the inexpli- cable. Not content with the simple and certain declaration of the Bible, that God does govern all his creatures and all their actions, it undertakes to explain how this is done. From the …
913 wordsSECTION 344§ 4, A.] GOVERNMENT. 607
tion is in the remotest regions of space what it is here on our earth. It acts always, and always in the same way. The same is true of all other physical forces. Light, heat, electricity, and chemical af- finities are everywhere the same in their mode of operations. Laivs of Nature. The ambiguity of the words, law an…
928 wordsSECTION 345$ 4, A.] GOVERNMENT. 609
God is spoken of as general. Many men are willing to admit of this general superintendence of the world on the part of God, who deny his intervention in the production of definite effects. The Bible, howevei', clearly teaches, and all men instinctively believe in a special providence. That is, that God uses his control…
916 wordsSECTION 346§ 4, A.] GOVERNMENT. 611
have been made. First, some say that nature itself is intelligent. By nature they do not mean the material world, but the vis in rebus insita. The forces which are active in the world, are con- ceived of as belonging to a substance or animating principle, or anima mundi. Some who believe in an extramundane personal God…
931 wordsSECTION 347§ 4, A.] GOVERNMENT. 613
why should it be thought incredible that the Infinite Mind should pervade and govern the universe ? In support of the view here given, that the intelhgence displayed in all vital processes is the intelligence of the everywhere present and everywhere active mind of God, it may be urged, in the first place, that the pri…
924 wordsSECTION 348§4, B.] GOVERNMENT. ' 615
to that which He exercises in the guidance of material causes ; whereas his agency in the operations of his grace is more analo- gous to his mode of action in prophecy, inspiration, and miracles. In the former, or in his providential agency over minds, nothing is effected which transcends the efficiency of second cause…
675 wordsSECTION 349MIRACLES.
§ 1. Their Nature. Meaning and Usage of the Word. The word miracle is derived from miror, to wonder, and there- fore signifies that which excites wonder. In this etymological sense of the word it may be used to designate any extraordinary event adapted to excite surprise and rouse attention. The words used in the Bibl…
789 wordsSECTION 350§1.] MIRACLES. — THEIR NATURE. 619
que natura sit ? Portentum erojo jRt, non contra natnram, sed con-' tra quam est nota natura." ^ Baden Powell, in behalf of men of science, protests against being called upon to believe in anything " at variance with nature and law." " The enlarged critical and inductive study of the natural world," he says, " cannot b…
893 wordsSECTION 351§1.] MIKACLJ1.S.— IHEIR NATURE, 621
nullus alius miraculorum esset usus, nisi ut absolutam illam divinaa voluntatis libertatem demonstrent, humanamque arrogantiam, im- modicse legis naturalis admirationi junctam, compescant, miracula baud temere essent edita." ^ (3.) The authority of Scripture is for Christians decisive on this point. The Bible everywhe…
891 wordsSECTION 352§1.] MIRACLES. — THEIR NATURE. 623
present, and everywhere acting, controlling physical laws so as to accomplish his purposes ; but they insist that He never operates immediately, but always acts through the established laws of nature. Thus the Duke of Argyle, whose excellent woik on the " Reign of Law " is thoroughly religious, says i^ " There is nothi…
1,524 wordsSECTION 353Part 353
It is true that the strict definition of a miracle does not include events of the kind just mentioned. Such events, therefore, are called by Trench "providential," as distinguished from "absolute miracles." This want of comprehensiveness, however, does not seem to be a sufficient reason for rejecting the common definit…
296 wordsSECTION 354$2.] THE POSSIBILITY OF MIRACLES. 627
Deo tamen certo modo determinatam." ^ As he denies that there is any distinction between the power of God and the power of na- ture, he of course denies that there is any ground for the distinction between natural and supernatural events. " Leges naturae uni- vex'sales," he says, " mera esse decreta Dei, quae ex necess…
903 wordsSECTION 355J 8.] CAN MIRACLES BE KNOWN? 629
proximately due ; that the divine efficiency does not supersede those causes, but upholds and guides them in their operations. But at the same time this ahnighty and omnipresent Being is free to act with or without or against those causes, as he sees fit ; so that it is just as consistent with his nature and with his r…
940 wordsSECTION 356§».] ■ CAN MIRACLES BE KNOWN? 631
the works of Satan and his angels. But the question is, Are they to be regarded as true miracles ? The answer to this question depends on the meaning of the word. If by a miracle we mean an}^ event transcending the efficiency of physical causes and the power of man, then they are miracles. But if we adhere to the defin…
970 wordsSECTION 357§S.] CAN MIRACLES BE KNOWN? 6.33
they were performed, or of the evidence by which they are sup- ported. Not one in a thousand of them could stand the test of such an examination ; most of tliem, indeed, are barefaced impos- tures openly justified by the authorities on the ground of pious frauds. It is a sufficient reason for repudiating, prior to any …
921 wordsSECTION 358§4.] THE VALUE OF MIRACLES. 635
know and are forced to believe, that good men will not intention- a]]y deceive ; and, therefore, by a law of our nature we are com- pelled to receive their testimony as to facts within their personal knowledge. Experience, instead of being the foundation of belief in testimony, corrects our credulity by teaching us the…
893 wordsSECTION 359ANGELS.
So much is said in the Scriptures of good and evil angels, and such important functions are ascribed to them both in the provi- dence of God over the world, and especially in the experience of his people and of his Church, that the doctrine of the Bible con- cerning them should not be overlooked. That there are intelli…
809 wordsSECTION 360§§2,3.] ANGELS. - THEIR STATE AND EMPLOYMENTS. 639
permanent emanations or aeons ; and (3.) To tlie rationalistic view, which denies them any real existence, and refers the Scriptural statements either to popular superstitions adopted by the sacred writers in accommodation to the opinions of the ao;e, or to poetical personifications of the powers of nature. The grounds…
927 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.