PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
Systematic Theology — Volume 3
Hodge, Charles, 1797–1878 · 407,138 words · 462 reading sections
§8.] THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT. 329
Paley says : "If the divine command was actually delivered at the creation, it was addressed, no doubt, to the whole human species alike, and continues, unless repealed by some subsequent revelation, binding upon all who come to the knowledge of it." * That the law of the Sabbath was thus given is, as has been shown, t…
969 wordsSECTION 182§8.] THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT. 331
observe it, and that its due observance is of essential importance, there is no difference of opinion among the churches of Christen- dom. But if so essential to the interests of religion, is it con- ceivable that God has not enjoined it ? He has given the world the Church, the Bible, the ministry, the sacraments ; the…
883 wordsSECTION 183§8.J THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT. 333
of the whole life and of all our time to God. With the Christian, it is said, every day is holy, and one day is not more holy than another. It is not true, however, that the New Testament re- quires greater consecration to God than the Old. The Gospel has many advantages over the Mosaic dispensation, but that is not on…
956 wordsSECTION 184§8.] THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT. 335
his own master he stands or falls ; to Him alone is he accountable for the use which he makes of his Christian liberty. But as no man is at liberty to steal or not to steal as he sees fit, so all " English speaking " Christians with one voice say, he is not at liberty to sanctify or profane the Sabbath, as he sees fit.…
936 wordsSECTION 185§8.] THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT. 337
for instruction. In Psalm lxxiv. 8, it is said of the heathen, " They have burned up all the synagogues of God in the land." The word here rendered " synagogues," means " assemblies," but burning up " assemblies " can only mean places of assembly ; as burning up churches, in our mode of expression, can only mean the ed…
1,009 wordsSECTION 186§8.] THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT. • 339
The second rule for our guidance is to be found in the precepts and example of our Lord. In the first place, He lays down the principle, " The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath." It is to be remarked that Christ says, " the Sabbath was made for man," not for the Jews, not for the people of any one a…
935 wordsSECTION 187§8.] THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT. 341
may require the people to respect Sunday as a day of rest, why may it not require the people to obey any or all other precepts of the Bible ? State of the Question, It is conceded, (1.) That in every free country every man has equal rights with his fellow-citizens, and stands on the same ground in the eye of the law.…
890 wordsSECTION 188§8.] THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT. 343
must be administered according to the principles of Protestant Christianity. By this is not meant that the government should teach Christianity, or make the profession of it a condition of citizenship, or a test for office. Nor does it mean that the govern- ment is called upon to punish every violation of Christian pri…
929 wordsSECTION 189§8.] THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT. 345
The principle that the religion of a people rightfully controls the action of the government, has of course its limitation. If the religion itself be evil and require what is morally wrong, then as men cannot have the right to act wickedly, it is plain that it would be wrong for the government to conform to its require…
897 wordsSECTION 190§8.] THE FOUKTH COMMANDMENT. 847
Conclusion, We are bound, therefore, to insist upon the maintenance and faithful execution of the laws enacted for the protection of the Christian Sabbath. Christianity does not teach that men can be made religious by law ; nor does it demand that men should be required by the civil authority to profess any particular…
865 wordsSECTION 191§9.] THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT. 349
implicit obedience. The fifth commandment, however, concerns onr duty to our fellow-creatures. First in order and in impor tance is the duty of children to their parents, hence the general duty is embodied in the specific command, " Honour thy father and thy mother." The Filial Relation. When a child is born into the…
894 wordsSECTION 192§9.] THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT. 851
fathers. (Levit. xxv. 39-41 ; 2 Kings iv. 1 ; Is. 1. 1 ; Matt, xviii. 25.) These judicial enactments have passed away. They serve to prove, however, how intimate in the sight of God is the relation between parents and children. A father's benediction was coveted as the greatest blessing; and his curse deprecated as a f…
896 wordsSECTION 193§9.] THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT. 353
L e., that which He exercises by his word and Spirit through the parent as his organ. " Christ is represented as exercising this nurture and admonition, in so far as He by his Spirit influences and controls the parent." 1 According to the Apostle, this re- ligious or Christian element is essential in the education of t…
952 wordsSECTION 194§9.] THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT. 355
est by the way, and when thou heat down, and when thou risest up." (Deut. vi. 6, 7. and xi. 19.) " He established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their chil- dren ; that the generation to come might know them, even the children whi…
950 wordsSECTION 195§9.] THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT. 357
to civil rulers ; we are commanded to " Submit ourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake : whether it be to the king as supreme ; or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evil doers, and for the praise of them that do well. For so is the will of God." (1 Peter ii. 13-15.)…
925 wordsSECTION 196§9.] THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT. 359
its agents are simple and obvious. The first is that governments and magistrates have authority only within their legitimate spheres. As civil government is instituted for the protection of life and property, for the preservation of order, for the punish- ment of evil doers, and for the praise of those who do well, it …
942 wordsSECTION 197§9. 1 THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT. 361
3. All the prerogatives of tlie Church and all the powers of its officers are laid down in the word of God. 4. The prerogatives of the Church are, first, to teach. Its great commission is to teach all nations. It is to teach what God has revealed in his word as to what men are to believe and what they are to do. Beyon…
476 wordsSECTION 198PART IH. Ch. XIX. — the law.
from the nature of the case must judge for himself. No man can estimate the importance of these simple principles. It was by disregarding them that the Church came gradually to deny the right of private judgment ; to subordinate the Scriptures to its decisions ; and to put itself in the place of God. In this way it has…
437 wordsSECTION 199§10.] THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT. 363
their lives but also to promote their well-being. Murder, there- fore, is the highest crime which a man can commit against a fel- low-man. Capital Punishment. As the sixth commandment forbids malicious homicide, it is plain that the infliction of capital punishment is not included in the prohibition. Such punishment …
881 wordsSECTION 200§ 10.] THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT. 365
War. It is conceded that war is one of the most dreadful evils that can be inflicted on a people ; that it involves the destruction of property and life ; that it demoralizes both the victors and the vanquished ; that it visits thousands of non-combatants with all the miseries of poverty, widowhood, and orphanage ; an…
916 wordsSECTION 201§ 10.] THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT. 367
and his associates, according to the ' record in the tenth chapter of Acts, the Holy Ghost came with miraculous gifts, was allowed to remain in the army of even a heathen emperor. If magis- trates, as we learn from the thirteenth chapter of Romans, are armed with a right or power of life and death over their own citize…
850 wordsSECTION 202I U.] THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT. 369
doctrine which degrades marriage by making it a less holy state, has its foundation in Manicheeism or Gnosticism. It assumes that evil is essentially connected with matter ; that sin has its seat and source in the body; that holiness is attainable only through asceticism and " neglecting of the body ; " that because th…
984 wordsSECTION 203§11.] THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT. 371
by God in the very constitution of their nature, and as the best adapted to the exercise and development of all social and Chris- tian virtues. Thus Calvin says : " Unde constat et aliam quam- libet, extra conjugium, societatem coram ipso [Deo] maledictain esse ; et illam ipsam conjugalem in necessitatis remedium esse …
976 wordsSECTION 204§11.] THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT. 373
grace is given, " Omnes hujus dicti capaces esse negans, significat electionem non esse ppsitam in manu nostra, acsi de re nobis sub- jecta esset consultatio. Si quis utile sibi esse putat uxore carere, atque ita nullo examine habito, coelibatus legem sibi edicit, longe fallitur. Deus enim, qui pronuntiavit bonum esse,…
933 wordsSECTION 205§11.] THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT. 375
So much the better, for in that case Christ would come the sooner. * Siricius, Bishop of Rome A. D. 385, decided that mar- riage was inconsistent with the clerical office ; and was followed in this view by his successors. Great opposition, however, was ex- perienced in enforcing celibacy, and it required all the energy…
1,360 wordsSECTION 206Part 206
being a servant of the state, and bound to render obedience to its laws ; so it is not inconsistent with the fact that marriage is an ordinance of God, that it should be, in another aspect, a civil institution. It is so implicated in the social and civil relations of men that it of necessity comes under the cognizance …
481 wordsSECTION 207|I1.] THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT. 379
bring the law of man and the law of God into direct collision, and make the human supersede the divine. In Prussia a subor- dinate officer of the army cannot marry without the consent of his commander. If he should marry without that consent, it might be right to make him throw up his commission ; but to say that his w…
931 wordsSECTION 208§11.] THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT. 381
resented as the essence of marriage ; and monogamy is set forth as its natural and divinely appointed form." 3. Although this original law was partially disregarded in later times, it was never abrogated. Polygamy and divorce were in a measure tolerated under the Mosaic law, yet in all ages among the Hebrews, monogamy…
940 wordsSECTION 209§11.] THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT. 383
5. This Scriptural law is confirmed by the providential law which secures the numerical equality of the sexes. Had polygamy been according to the divine purpose, we should naturally expect that more women would be born than men. But the reverse is the fact. There are more men than women born into the world. The excess,…
976 wordsSECTION 210§11.] THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT. 385
life of a father and the life of his son are the same, in that the blood (i. e., the life) of the parent flows in the veins of his chil- dren ; so in an analogous sense the life of the husband and wife is one. They have a common life, and that common or joint life is transmitted to their offspring. This is the doctrine…
916 wordsSECTION 211§11.] THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT. 387
with death. And even now it is practically impossible to con- vict a husband of murder who kills the man who has committed adultery with his wife. This comes from human laws being in conflict with the laws of nature and of God. The law of God re- gards marriage as identifying a man and his wife ; the laws of the state …
926 wordsSECTION 212§11.] THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT. 889
opinion of the early writers and of some councils. (2.) The special respect paid among pagans to a woman who was " univira." (3.) The propriety, in the case of eTrCa-Koiroi and Slolkovoi, of a greater temperance. (4.) And the manifestation of a greater sanctity (ye/WT77s) of a single marriage, which he thinks is indica…
945 wordsSECTION 213§11.] THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT. 391
cides in favour of the first wife. The Roman Catechism 1 says : " Atque ob earn rem fieri intelligimus, ut, si infidelis quispiam, gentis suae more et consuetudine, plures uxores duxisset, cum ad veram religionem conversus fuerit, jubeat eum Ecclesia ceteras omnes relinquere, ac priorem tantum justaa et legitimaB uxori…
881 wordsSECTION 214§11.] THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT. 393
ing to Pharisees, who held that a man might put away his wife when he pleased, it was enough to say that such divorces as they were accustomed to, did not dissolve the bonds of marriage, and that the parties remained as much man and wife as they were before. Under the Old Testament, divorce on the ground of adultery, w…
973 wordsSECTION 215§11.] THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT. 395
proceeds to give directions to those who were already married. Of these there were two classes : first, those where both husband and wife were Christians ; and secondly, those where one of the parties was a believer and the other an unbeliever, i. e., a Jew or a heathen. With regard to the former he says, that as accor…
473 wordsSECTION 216PART in. Ch. XIX. — the law.
Bays, "Nota, Apostolum permittere hoc casu non tan turn thori divortium sed etiam matrimonii ; ita ut possit conjux fidelis aliud matrimonium inire." Lapide refers to Augustine, Thomas Aqui- nas, and Ambrose in support of this opinion.1 The Canon Law, under the title " Divortiis " teaches the same doctrine. Words- wort…
443 wordsSECTION 217$ 11.] THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT. 397
3. Desertion, from the nature of the offence, is a dissolution of the marriage bond. Why does death dissolve a marriage ? It is because it is a final separation. So u desertion. Incompatibility of temper, cruelty, disease, crime, insanity, etc., which human laws often make grounds of divorce, are not inconsistent with …
872 wordsSECTION 218§11.] THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT. 399
said to be the great mystery of godliness (1 Tim. iii. 16) ; and anything obscure or enigmatical is called a mystery (Rev. xvii. 5) ; thus the mystery of the seven candlesticks is their secret meaning. If, therefore, Paul says that marriage is a great mys- tery in the sense that no one can fully understand what is mean…
891 wordsSECTION 219§11.] THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT. 401
Church of Rome made consanguinity within the seventh degree an impediment to marriage; at present it forbids marriage within the fourth degree inclusive. u The old Catholic theory of marriage," says President Woolsey, " was practically a failure in all its parts, in its ascetic frown on marriage, in its demand from the…
817 wordsSECTION 220|11.] THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT. 403
masius (f 1728), who regarded marriage as merely a civil institu- tion designed for the purposes of the state, and which, therefore, might be set aside whenever it failed to answer the desired end.1 The present law of Prussia, although an improvement on the previous legislation, is far below the Scriptural standard. Be…
890 wordsSECTION 221§11.] THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT. 405
a marriage for any reason other than those assigned in the Bible, the marriage is not thereby dissolved. In the judgment of Chris- tians it remains in full force ; and they are bound so to regard it. And on the other hand, if the state pronounces a marriage valid, which the Bible declares to be invalid, in the view of …
921 wordsSECTION 222§11.] THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT. 407
be no efficient moral culture without religious training. If we would reform our fellow-men, we must bring and keep them from the beginning to the end of their lives under the influence of the truth and ordinances of God ; to accomplish this work is the duty assigned to the Church. Besides this general moral culture, t…
886 wordsSECTION 223§11.1 THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT. 409
Augustine's Theory. Augustine advanced a theory on this subject, which still has its earnest advocates. He held that the design of all these prohibi- tory laws was to widen the circle of the social affections. Brothers and sisters are bound together by mutual love. Should they inter- marry the circle is not extended. …
855 wordsSECTION 224§11.] THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT. 411
ing them to be depositaries of his truth to prepare the world for the coming of the Messiah. The reason assigned " is nearness of kin." This reason has as much force at one time as at an- other, for all nations as for any one nation. There was nothing peculiar in the relation in which Hebrew parents and children, Hebre…
952 wordsSECTION 225§11.] THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT. 413
continued obligation of the law forbidding marriage between near relations, whether the relationship was by consanguinity or affinity. 6. The Bible everywhere enforces those laws which have their foundation in the natural constitution of men. That this Levit- ical law is a divine authentication of a law of nature, may…
857 wordsSECTION 226§11.] THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT. 415
state of society ; but they are utterly unaccountable if the law be one of permanent and universal obligation. A rule of inter- pretation which brings uniformity and consistency into these enactments of Scripture, is certainly to be preferred to one which renders them confused and inconsistent. Prohibited Degrees. Th…
925 wordsSECTION 227§11.] THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT. 417
uncle's widow. 5. A brother's son's widow. 6. A sister's son's widow. 7. The sister of a deceased wife. As nearness of kindred is made the ground of prohibition, and as these casjas are included within " the degrees " specified, the Church has considered them as belonging to the class of prohib- ited marriages. It is,…
887 wordsSECTION 228§11.] THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT. 419
declared by Christ himself to be the nature of marriage, but it is the doctrine which underlies the whole Levitical law on this sub- ject. Nearness of kin is expressed constantly by saying that one is " flesh of the flesh " of the other, inttn "iSttJ, "iDarnem carnis suae s. corporis sui esse cognatam propinquam, quae …
917 wordsSECTION 229§12.] THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT. 421
be, the Bible, surely, is not "a bundle of absurd and loathed forms." It is the wisdom of God, in the presence of which the wisdom of man is foolishness. 3. The great truth contained in these laws is, that it is the will of God, the dictate of his infinite and benevolent wisdom that the affections which belong to the …
925 wordsSECTION 230§12.] THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT. 423
hand, good, or, on the other, evil. But this is a roundabout way of getting at the truth. Whether an institution or a course of action be useful or not, must be a matter of opinion. And if a matter of opinion, men will differ about it ; and the opinion of one man, or even of the majority of men, will have no authority …
975 wordsSECTION 231512.] THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT. 425
in, and declares who shall be the successor, representative, or heir of the deceased ; that is, who alone shall have a right to enter upon this vacant possession, in order to avoid that confusion which its becoming again common would occasion." On the same page, speaking of the right of inheritance, he says : " We are …
960 wordsSECTION 232§12.] THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT. 427
Lord Mackenzie gives the doctrine of Cicero the sanction of his own judgment : " Where," he says, " the law of nature ab- solutely commands or forbids, it is immutable and of universal obligation, so that, although it may be confirmed, it cannot be controlled by human laws without a manifest violation of the divine wil…
981 wordsSECTION 233§12] THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT. 429
On the narrative as given in the Acts it may be remarked, — 1. That the conduct of these early Christians was purely spon- taneous. They were not commanded by the Apostles to sell their possessions and to have all things in common. There is not the slightest intimation that the Apostles gave any encouragement to this …
922 wordsSECTION 234§12.] THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT. 431
some of its advocates, as St. Simon, Fourier, and others, were sincere and benevolent men. Some of them, indeed, said that they only desired to carry out the principle of brotherly love so often inculcated by Christ. Communism and socialism are not properly convertible terms, although often used to desig- nate the same…
991 wordsSECTION 235§12] THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT. 43S
It is a historical fact that Communism had its origin in its modem form in materialistic atheism ; in the denial of God, who has the right to give laws to men, and the power and the purpose to enforce those laws by the retributions of justice ; in the belief that the present life is the whole period of existence allott…
921 wordsSECTION 236$12.] THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT. 435
sold as the productions of France, Portugal, or Madeira. It is said that more Champagne wine is drunk in Russia than is made in France. More cigars are consumed in this country, under the name of Havanas, than Cuba produces. A great part of the paper made in the United States bears the stamp of London or Bristol. This …
983 wordsSECTION 237§ 18.] THE NINTH COMMANDMENT. 43T
M Thou shalt not steal ; " i. «., thou shalt not take what in the sight of God does not belong to you. Gambling falls under the same category where advantage is taken of the unwary or unskilful, to deprive them of their property without compensation. It is, how- ever, impossible to enumerate or to classify the various …
933 wordsSECTION 238§ 13.J THE NINTH COMMANDMENT. 439
tion of false reports, u tale-bearing," as it is called in Scripture, is indicative of the same state of mind, and comes under the same condemnation. As the law of God takes cognizance of the thoughts and intents of the heart, in condemning an external act it condemns the disposition which tends to produce it. In con- …
951 wordsSECTION 239513.] THE NINTH COMMANDMENT. 441
manded that they should be fed and sent back to their master. Examples of this kind of deception are numerous in the Old Testament. Some of them are simply recorded facts, without anything to indicate how they were regarded in the sight of God ; but others, as in the cases above cited, received either directly or by im…
1,494 wordsSECTION 240Part 240
include the other elements of a falsehood ; but every lie is a viola- tion of a promise. It arises out of the very nature of human society, and from the relation in which men of necessity stand to each other, that every man is expected to speak the truth, and is under a tacit but binding promise not to deceive his neig…
470 wordsSource & rights
Public-domain historical edition (1872). Text from OCR of an original Internet Archive scan; OCR may contain recognition errors.
Project Gutenberg source record →
Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.