pushes his opposition to the use of reason too far; and finding the words "absolute" and "infinite" used in transcendental senses by the Germans, he adopts those senses, and reasons as if no other definitions were pos- sible. For criticisms of his work, see London Bevietc, July, 18G0, p. 390 sq. ; Young, The Prorince of Reason (London, 18G0) ; McCosh, Ilethod of the Divine Govern- ment (Edinb. 1859, Gtli edit.). The Christian concep- tion of God over against the modern speculative idea is well set forth in the following passage : "The prob- lem in regard to God is simply this : The human mind is compelled to think a unity or synthesis of all things. But how is this to be thought ? Are we to think it in- side nature, or outside and above it .' Here it is that the Christian idea breaks off from the speculative. The Christian, realizing his own personalit}', feeling intensely that he himself in his inmost being is nu- mericallj' difierent from and above nature, is compelled to think of the divine as in like manner supernatural. Having attained to this stage, the next question that arises is, How are we to image forth the divine Be- ing ? and the answer is, not surely by the lowest kind of natural existence, but by the highest. The human personality itself, not the immutabilities of the mate- rial world, which are lower in the scale of being, must be the image which shall shadow forth the divine Be- ing. That which comprehends all things must, at least, equal in perfection the highest of these things. Thus the human personality becomes in the Christian sj'stem the image and likeness of God. God may, in- deed, be far higher than man — so high that to call him a person may be as inadequate as to call the human soul a power. But, at least, we are sure of this, that whatever he is in himself, all that we mean b}' person- alit}' is comprehended in him. Just as man is a pow- er and something more, so God is a person and per- haps something more. There is an indestructible be- lief in man, that all the pure feelings of the soul find a response in the infinite Author of all things. Under the impress of this universal conviction, men fall on their knees and worship. Such is the pure Christian idea, and it involves this consequence, that each indi- vidual soul stands in a special and personal relation to the infinite Autlior of all. There is an eye which is ever over us; a fatherly heait which yearns for us. There is One whose wisdom never fails, who is ever about our path and about our bed, and provides for us in all things. In like manner as he is all this to us, so we in turn are his children ; we are responsible to him as to a father, and must be judged by him. In- tellectually, too, the same Christian idea involves this consequence— that it is a grander and worthier concep- tion of his providence to think him as dealing with and disciplining individual souls, than as contriving and arranging a world of dead laws. The one reveals heart and soul, the grandeur of personalit}- and kingly might ; the other, if taken by itself, only ingenuity, not necessarily personalitj' at all. The speculative idea of God is the antithesis of this. It, too, recog- nises a central unity ; but, looking away from the world of mind and soul, it concentrates its attention on the world of matter. It takes the laws of the material world as the image of the divine. God is revealed in the evolutions of nature. His attributes consequently are such as these : perfect wisdom, infinite power, ab- solute invariability of purpose. He has neither heart nor soul, nor even consciousness, as we understand it. He is impersonal, and can have no personal relation to us. He has neither knowledge nor care of tlie in- dividual, but acts pureh' by general law. We need not, however, pursue the consequences, which are suf- ficiently apparent. It will be enough if we point out their bearing on practical life. Here are two opposing systems which hold a very different language to the human soul. The one says in the fine language of St. Augustine, 0 homo, agnosce dignitatem fuam ; the oth- er, O man, rejoice in thy degradation. The one digni-
GODDARD
910
GODLINESS
fies and ennobles the soul, and, supplying it with a lofty ideal and immortal hopes, raises it from the depth of selfishness ; the other degrades it to the level of the brute, and, depriving it alike of hope and fear, bids it snatch what enjoyment it can from the passing hour. That lofty conception of God, which has done so much for modern Europe, is jnirely the creation of Christian- ity. Were this latter taken away, it would instantly collapse, and there would only remain, for the upper classes, hopeless, seltisii atheism ; for the lower, de- grading superstition" {(^'hrl.ftiiin Bpinembrancer, July, 18GG, art. xiii). On the historij of the doctrine of God in general, see a series of able articles by Kitschl, in the Jahrhiicherf. deutsche Theologie, vols, x, xiii. — Ne- ander, Hutory of Dogmas, p. 102, 285, 485, 4G0 ; Beck, Dogmengeschkhie, p. 104-188 ; llagenbach, Dogmenge- schichte ; Hase, Evungelische Dogmatik, p. 03-111 ; INlei- ners, Hist. doct. de vero deo (Lemgo, 1780, 8vo); Per- rone, Prcelect. Theol. i, 296-500; Gieseler, Dogmenge- schichte, p. 107, 299, 486; Guericke, Christliche Symbo- lik, § M ; Storr and Flatt, Biblical Theol. bk. ii, pt. i ; Knapp, Theology, § 83-85 ; Rothe, Ethik, i ; Weisse, Die Idee der Gotlheit (1833) ; Hitter, Ueber d. Erkennt- niss Goites in d. Welt (1836) ; Sengler, Die Idee Gottes (1848-1852); Spiith, Golt u.d. Welt (1867). See also Pantheism ; Providence.