of the gospel, the Bible only teaches that a just God will punish sin. (2.) The doctrine of the Church on this subject does not go beyond the facts of the case. It only teaches that God will do what we see He actually does. He leaves mankind, in a large measure, to themselves. He alloAvs them to make themselves sin- ful and miserable. It is no moi-e difficult to reconcile the doctrine than the undeniable fact with the goodness of our God. (3.) In the gift of his Son, the revelation of his Word, the mission of the Spirit, and the institution of the Church, God has made abundant provision for . the salvation of the world. That the Church has been so remiss in making known the gospel is her guilt. We must not charge the ignorance and consequent perdition of the heathen upon God. The guilt rests on us. We have kept to ourselves the bread of life, and allowed the nations to perish.
Some of the older Lutheran divines were disposed to meet the objection in question by saying that the plan of salvation was re- vealed to all mankind at three distinct epochs. First, immediately after the fall, to Adam ; second, in the days of Noah ; and third, during the age of the Apostles. If that knowledge has been lost it has been by the culpable ignorance of the heathen them- selves. This is carrying the doctrine of imputation to its utmost length. It is making the present generation responsible for the apostasy of their ancestors. It leaves the difficulty just where it was.
The Wesleyan Arminians and the Friends, admitting the insuffi- ciency of the light of nature, hold that God gives sufficient grace, or an inward supernatural light, which, if pi'operly cherished and followed, will lead men to salvation. But this is merely an amia- ble hypothesis. For such universal and sufficient grace there is no promise in the Scripture, and no evidence in expeinence. Besides, if admitted it does not help the matter. If this sufficient grace does not actually save, if it does not deliver the heathen from thos» sins upon which the judgment of God is denounced, it only aggra- vates their condemnation. All we can do is to adhere closely to the teachings of the Bible, assured that the Judge of all the earth will do right ; that although clouds and darkness are round about Him, and his ways past finding out, justice and judgment are the habitation of his throne.
§ 4. Christian Theology. As science, concerned with the facts of nature, has its several departments, as Mathematics, Chemistry, Astronomy, etc., so The-
82 INTRODUCTION. [Ch. II. — Theology
olo^- having the facts of Scripture for its subject, has its distinct and natural departments. First —
Theology Proper^ Which includes all the Bible teaches of the being and attributes of God ; of the threefold personality of the Godhead, or, that the Father, Son, and Spirit are distinct persons, the same in substance and equal in power and glory ; the relation of God to the world, or, his decrees and his works of Creation and Providence. Sec- ond, —
Anthropology^ Which includes the origin and nature of man ; his original state and probation ; his fall ; the nature of sin ; the effect of Adam's first sin upon himself and upon his posterity. Third, —
Soteriology^ Including the purpose or plan of God in reference to the salvation of man ; the person and work of the Redeemer ; the application of the redemption of Christ to the people of God, in their regenera- tion, justification, and sanctification ; and the means of grace. Fourth, —
Eschatology^ That is, the doctrines which concern the state of the soul after death ; the resurrection ; the second advent of Christ; the general judgment and end of the world ; heaven and hell. And fifth, —
Ecclesiology, The idea, or nature of the Church ; its attributes ; its prerogatives ; its organization.
It is the suggestive remark of Kliefoth in his " Dogmenge- schichte," that to the Greek mind and to the Greek Church, was assigned the task of elaborating the doctrine of the Bible concern- ing God, i. e., the doctrines of the Trinity and Person of Christ ; to the Latin Church the doctrines concerning man ; that is, of sin and grace ; to the German Church, Soteriology, or the doctrine of justification. Ecclesiology, he says, is reserved for the future, as the doctrine concerning the Church has not been settled by oecu- menical authority as have been the doctrines of Theology and Anthropology, and that of justification at least for the Protestant world.
The above classification, although convenient and generally re-
§4.] CHRISTIAiJ THEOLOGY. 33
ceived, is far from being exhaustive. It leaves out of Aaew the law (or at least subordinates it unduly), or rule of moral duty.' This is a department in itself, and under the title of Moral Theology, is sometimes, as in the Latin Church, regarded as the most important. Among Protestants it is often regarded as a mere department of Philosophy.
It has been assumed that Theology has to do with the facts or truths of the Bible ; in other words, that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the only infallible rule of faith and prac- tice. This, however, is not a conceded point. Some claim for Reason a paramount, or, at least a coordinate authority in matters of religion. Others assume an internal supernatural light to which they attribute paramount, or coordinate authority. Others rely on the authority of an infallible church. With Protestants, the Bible is the only infallible source of knowledge of divine things. It is necessary, therefore, before entering on our work, briefly to exam- ine these several systems, namely, Rationalism, Mysticism, and Romanism.