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 ascertain, collect, and combine all the facts which God has revealed concerning himself and our relation to Him. These facts are all in the Bible. This is true, because everything revealed in nature, and in the constitution of man concerning God and our relation to Him, is contained and authenticated in Scripture. It is in this sense that " the Bible, and the Bible alone, is the religion of Prot- estants." It may be admitted that the truths which the theologian has to reduce to a science, or, to speak more humbly, which he has to arrange and harmonize, are revealed partly in the external works of God, partly in the constitution of our nature, and partly in the religious experience of believers ; yet lest we should err in our in- ferences from the works of God, we have a clearer revelation of all that nature reveals," in his word ; and lest we should misinterpret our own consciousness and the laws of our nature, everything that can be legitimately learned from that source will be found recog- nized and authenticated in the Scriptures ; and lest we should attribute to the teaching of the Spirit the operations of our own natural affections, we find in the Bible the norm and standard of all genuine religious experience. The Scriptures teach not only the truth, but what are the effects of the truth on the heart and conscience, when applied with saving power by the Holy Ghost.
The Theologian to he guided hy the same rules as the Man of Science. In the third place, the theologian must be guided by the same rules in the collection of facts, as govern the man of science.
1. This collection must be made with diligence and care. It is not an easy work. There is in every department of investigation great liability to error. Almost all false theories in science and false doctrines in theology are due in a great degree to mistakes as to matters of fact. A distinguished naturalist said he repeated an ex- periment a thousand times before he felt authorized to announce the result to the scientific world as an established fact.
2. This collection of facts must not only be carefully conducted, but also comprehensive, and if possible, exhaustive. An imperfect
12 INTRODUCTION. [Ch.L— Method.
induction of facts led men for ages to believe that the sun moved round the earth, and that the earth was an extended plain. In theology a partial induction of particulars has led to like serious errors. It is a fact that the Scriptures attribute omniscience to (yhrist. From this it was inferred that He could not have had a finite intelligence, but that the Logos was clothed in Him with a human body with its animal life. But it is also a Scriptural fact that ignorance and intellectual progress, as well as omniscience, are ascribed to our Lord. Both facts, therefore, must be included in our doctrine of his person. We must admit that He had a human, as well as a divine intelligence. It is a fact that everything that can be predicated of a sinless man, is in the Bible, predicated of Christ ; and it is also a fact that everything that is predicated of God is predicated of our Lord ; hence it has been inferred that there were two Christs, — two persons, — the one human, the other divine, and that they dwelt together very much as the Spirit dwells in the believer ; or, as evil spirits dwelt in demoniacs. But this theory overlooked the numerous facts which prove the individual personality of Christ. It was the same person who said, "I thirst;" who said, " Before Abraham was I am." The Scriptures teach that Christ's death was designed to reveal the love of God, and to secure the I'eformation of men. Hence Socinus denied that his death was an expiation for sin, or satisfaction of justice. The latter fact, however, is as clearly revealed as the former ; and there- fore both must be taken into account in our statement of the doc- trine concerning the design of Christ's death.
Necessity of a complete Induction. Illustrations without end might be given of the necessity of a comprehensive induction of facts to justify our doctrinal conclu- sions. These facts must not be willfully denied or carelessly over- looked, or unfairly appreciated. We must be honest here, as the true student of nature is honest in his induction. Even scientific men are sometimes led to suppress or to pervert facts which mili- tate against their favorite theories ; but the temptation to this form of dishonesty is far less in their case, than in that of the theologian. The truths of religion are far more important than those of natural science. They come home to the heart and conscience. They may alarm the fears or threaten the hopes of men, so that they are under strong temptation to overlook or pervert them. If, how- ever, we really desire to know what God has revealed we must be conscientiously diligent and faithful in collecting the facts which He