CHAPTER VI.
THE CANON OF SCRIPTURE 90
CHAPTER VH.
THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD 101
CHAPTER VIII.
THE DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY, INCLUDING THE DIVINITY OF CHRIST, THE ETERNAL GENERATION OF THE SON, THE PERSONALITY, DIVINITY, AND ETERNAL PROCESSION OF THE HOLY GHOST, AND THE SEVERAL PROP- ERTIES AND MUTUAL RELATIONS OF THE PERSONS OF THE GODHEAD.. 129
V1U CONTENTS.
PAGE
CHAPTEE IX.
THE DOCTRINE OF THE DIVINE DECREES IN GENERAL 163
CHAPTEE X.
PREDESTINATION 174
CHAPTEE XL
THE CREATION OF THE WORLD 186
CHAPTEE XII.
THE DOCTRINE OF ANGELS 196
CHAPTEE XIII.
PROVIDENCE 204
CHAPTEE XIV.
THE ORIGINAL STATE OF MAN 216
CHAPTEE XV.
THE COVENANT OF WORKS 228
CHAPTEE XVI.
SIN— ITS NATURE; ADAM'S SIN, AND THE CONSEQUENCES THEREOF TO HIS
POSTERITY 233
CHAPTEE XVII.
ORIGINAL SIN 24T
CHAPTEE XVIII.
THE DOCTRINE OF FREE AGENCY AND OF HUMAN INABILITY 260
CHAPTEE XIX.
THE COVENANT OF GRACE 270
CHAPTEE XX.
THE PERSON OF CHRIST 281
CONTENTS. IX
PAGE
CHAPTER XXI.
THE MEDIATORIAL OFFICE OF CHRIST 289
CHAPTER XXII.
THE ATONEMENT: ITS NATURE, NECESSITY, PERFECTION AND EXTENT 299
CHAPTER XXIII.
THE INTERCESSION OF CHRIST 319
CHAPTER XXIV.
THE MEDIATORIAL KINGSHIP OF CHRIST 321
CHAPTER XXV. .
EFFECTUAL CALLING 333
CHAPTER XXVI.
REGENERATION 343
CHAPTER XXVn.
FAITH 352
CHAPTER XXVIII.
THE UNION OF THE BELIEVER WITH CHRIST 369
CHAPTER XXIX.
REPENTANCE ST5
CHAPTER XXX.
JUSTIFICATION 382
CHAPTER XXXI.
ADOPTION 398
CHAPTER XXXII.
SANCTIFICATION , 402:
X CONTENTS.
CHAPTER XXXIII.
PERSEVERANCE OP THE SAINTS
CHAPTER XXXIY.
DEATH, AND THE STATE OF THE SOUL AFTER DEATH 430
CHAPTER XXXV.
THE RESURRECTION 440
CHAPTER XXXYI.
THE SECOND ADVENT AND GENERAL JUDGMENT 447
CHAPTER XXXVII.
HEAVEN AND THE DOCTRINE OF ETERNAL PUNISHMENTS 450
CHAPTER XXXVIII.
THE SACRAMENTS 469
CHAPTER XXXIX.
BAPTISM— ITS NATURE AND DESIGN, MODE, SUBJECTS, EFFICACY AND NECES- SITY 479
CHAPTER XL.
THE LORD'S SUPPER 503
OUTLINES OF THEOLOGY.
CHAPTER I.
THE BEING OF GOD.
1. Can God be defined ?
As the human mind is finite, and conceives by defining the limits of the object of its thought, and as God is known to us to be infinite, it is evident that the human mind can never be capa- ble of conceiving God adequately as he is, or of defining his being.
But God is known to us by certain attributes or modes of be- ing, the conception of which is possible to us, and which truly represent him, as far as they go. We conceive of each of these attributes as possessed by God in a degree to which we put no limits, and to which we know that no limits can be assigned. In degree, therefore, our conception of the attributes of God is in- definite, and so can not be defined ; but on the other hand we may be truly said to define our idea of God when we furnish a comprehensive statement of all the attributes of God that are re- vealed to us in Scripture, and in the form in which they are con- ceived of by our finite understandings.
2. Hoiv has God been defined ?
As the conceptions which different men have formed of God are very various, so the forms in which these conceptions have been expressed have differed.
I. The Pantheist calls him to ov, absolute being, and to ndv. the all-universal being, for this is the sum of what he knows of God.
II. The Deist calls him the absolute, self-existent, infinite Spirit. This is true as far as it goes.
12 THE BEING OF GOD.
III. The definition given under the seventh question of the Larger Catechism, and the fourth of the Shorter Catechism, is a comprehensive statement of the divine perfections as they are re- vealed in the holy Scriptures, and as under the light of Scripture they are significantly taught by the works of God, creative and providential, physical and spiritual.
3. What is the origin of that idea of God which is found to be universally diffused among people of all nations and ages of the world ?
On this subject there are blended together two questions, which every human consciousness must in some way answer for itself. I. Is there any God ? II. What is God ? The answer to both of these questions, including his existence and his attributes, must enter into the complex idea which any mind entertains of God.
Now these conceptions and beliefs concerning the divine ex- istence, which in one or another of their various forms are uni- versally prevalent among men, originate in several different sources, all of which contribute, though in various proportions in different cases, to the conceptions which men form of God. These sources are — "I. The innate constitution of the human soul. II. The speculative reason of man operating reflectively upon the facts of consciousness and the phenomena of external nature. III. Tra- dition. IV. Supernatural revelation."
4. In what sense is the idea of God innate, and how far is it natural to man?