that SchelHng and Hegel taught the world to recognize in his- tory " the ever opening sense of eternal thoughts, an always ad- vancing rational development of the idea of humanity, and its rela- tions to God." This theory of historical development was adopted, and partially Christianized by Schleierniacher, from whom it has passed over to Dr. Schaff, as set forth in his work above quoted, as well as to many other equally devout and excellent men. The basis of this modified theory is realism. Humanity is a generic life, an intelligent substance. That life became guilty aijd pol- luted in Adam. From him it passed over by a process of natural, organic development (the same numerical life and substance) to all his posterity, who therefore are guilty and polluted. This generic life the Son of God assumed into union with his divine nature, and thus healed it and raised it to a higher power or order. He becomes a new starting-point. The origin of this new form of life in Him is supernatural. The constitution of his person was a miracle. But from Him this life is communicated by a natu- ral process of development to the Church. Its members are par takers of this new generic life. It is, however, a germ. What ever lives grows. " Whatever is done is dead." This new life is Christianity. Christianity is not a form of doctrine objectively revealed in the Scriptures. Christian theology is not the knowl- edge, or systematic exhibition of what the Bible teaches. It is the interpretation of this inner life. The intellectual life of a child expresses itself in one way, of a boy in another way, and of a man in another and higher way. In each stage of his progress the man has views, feelings, and modes of thinking, appropriate to that stage. It would not do for a man to have the same views and thoughts as the child. Yet the latter are just as true, as right, and as proper, for the child, as those of the man for the man. It is thus with the Church. It passes through these stages of childhood, youth, and manhood, by a regular process. During the first centuries the Church had the indistinctness, vagueness, and exaggeration of views and doctrines, belonging to a period of infancy. In tiie Mid- dle Ages it had a higher form. At the Reformation it advanced to the entrance on another stagfe. The form assumed by Christianity during the mediaeval period, was for that period the true and proper, but not the permanent form. We have not reached that form as to doctrine yet. That will be reached in the Church of ttiH future.
120 INTRODUCTION. [Ch. V. — R. C. R. of Faith
Development as held hy some Romanists.
There is still another and very different form of the doctrine of development. It does not assume the Mystical doctrine of the in- dwelling of the substance of Christ, in the soul, the development of which works out its illumination in the knowledge of the truth, and finally its complete redemption. It admits that Christianity is, or includes a system of doctrine, and that those doctrines are in the Scriptures ; but holds that many of them are there only in their rudiments. Under the constant guidance and tuition of the Spirit, the Church comes to understand all that these rudiments contain, and to expand them in their fulness. Thus the Lord's Supper has been expanded into the doctrine of transubstantiation and the sacri- fice of the mass ; anointing the sick, into the sacrament of extreme unction ; rules of discipline into the sacrament of penance, of sat- isfactions, of indulgences, of purgatory, and masses and prayers for the dead ; the prominence of Peter, into the supremacy of the Pope. The Old Testament contains the germ of all the doctrines unfolded in the New ;. and so the New Testament contains the germs of all the doctrines unfolded, under the guidance of the Spirit, in the theology of the mediseval Church.
Although attempts have been made by some Romanists and Anglicans to resolve the doctrine of tradition into one or other of these theories of development, they are essentially different. The only point of analogy between them is, that in both cases, little becomes much. Tradition has made contributions to the faith and institutions of the Christian Church ; and development (in the two latter forms of the doctrine above mentioned) provides for a similar expansion.
The Real Question.
The real status qucestionis, on this subject, as between Romanists and Protestants, is not (1) Whether the Spirit of God leads true believers into the knowledge of the truth ; nor (2) whether true Christians agree in all essential matters as to truth and duty ; nor (3) whether any man can safely or innocently dissent from this common faith of the people of God ; but (4) \v[i ether ajj^rtJbQm the revelation contained in the Bible, there is another sup piemen-^ tary and explanatory revelation, which has been handed down out' side of the Scriptures, by tradition. In other words, whether there are doctrines, institutions; arid^ ordinances, having no warrant in the Scriptures, which we as Clu'istians are bound to receive and obey on the autliority of what is called common consent. This Romanists affirm and Protestants deny.