New Brun swick. N.J. Theological 5eminarY lnaugurQt\on of the Rev. A. B. Van Zand t 1 BV 4070 .N36 162 1872 ^- •■ 1 BV 4070 .N36 162 1872 New Brunswick Theological Seminary. Inauguration of the Rev. A B. Van Zandt, D.D,^ ."^^^* "" •"•"t/ys M ^11 \ ^X OF p1?%s^ %, ft «) :a/\ ^(^"^CAL suAvj:; t:nva ug xjRA^Tioisr j^EY. A.. P Van Zandt. p, P AS I'KoM.SSui: 111 KlliAi IK AM) rof.KMIf TIIKOI.OUY IN TlIK SKMINAKV OF THi: i: I I-. .|- m I i ) .lHlvTII I\ AMKKICA. New Brunswick, New ^Jersey, September 2-4, 1872. NKW VolJK : BoAKD OK Pi HLFCATION UF THK KkKOKMED ChLRCH IN A.MKKK \. No. 3 4 Vesey Strkkt. 1 S 7 -J . Nkw Vokk. OctolHT :i0lh, 1873. The U. V The undorsipnod fo«jl it to Ixj dm- to llit* iiii|iortanrc of the occa- sion iiixi to tho inlorcKts of iho entire liononiinution, tliat llio exercises ut the rei-ent inau^'nrntioct- fully rei|ue8t a copy of your discourse un the occasion. .lAMKS ANDKRLSON, New York, K. II. PRUYN. .Vn.any, C.VKDXKU A. SA<}E. New York. SAML H. SCIIIKIFKLIN. ' P. 11. BALLANTl.NK, Newark. JOHNSON LKTSON. New IJriii.sui.k. .Vi.HAXY, November 5th, 1872. .I.vMKS \NDKR.s;).\. .M. l".. lln.v. K. H. pRiYX. (Jaiiuner A. Saoe, and others: Oentleinen. I ciieerfully accede to your request, and will forward the manuscript of the Sermon preached at the inaupiration of Prof. Van Zandt, to the Chairman of your Commiitee. Very truly, yours, .1. 1:I..MKNDURF. To Jaues Axi)KR.sox, .M. I).. R. II. Piuyx. G. A. Sage, and others: (leutlenien, In compliance with your request. I herewith transmit a wjpy of tiie char^re delivered at the Inauguration of Prof. A. B. Van Zandt, Yours, truly. ('. II. ST ITT. Kingston, Nov. r.'tli. ls72 Tiieoi.o(;k-al Seminahy, New Brunswick, N. J., Nov. 4th, 1872. To Messrs. Axdersox, Pruyx, S.\GE, and others : Gentlemen, I reit)pnize your aeeustometl jrenerosity. in proposing to publish " for distribution throuphout the Church" the severid discourses deliv- ered at my Inauguration. It would, least of all. become me to decline your pro|x>sal, and I cheerfully submit a copy of my address on tliat occasion. Very truly, yours, A. B. VAN ZANDT. Order of Exercises. The services for the installation of the Rev. Dr. A. H. V as Zani>t, as Professor of Didactic :ind Polemic Theolo^'V in the Sem- inary of the lu'forturd C'lmrch in Xew Hriuiswick, N. .J., were held in the Second Heforrned (hnnli, at 11 o'clock on Tuesday morn- ing, September 24th. After an anthem had been tinely rendered by the choir of the church, the liev. Ahkl T. Stkwabt, of Holland, Midi., invoked tlie presence and blessing; of God. 'I'he Rev. Dr. AV. II. Ten Kyck, of Astoria, L. I., read the Scrip- tures, which was followed by singirg. Prayer was then offered l)y the Rev. Dr. Chakles IIonoE, the venerable Professor of Theology in Princeton Seminary, after which the 590th hymn was read by the Rev. Dr. Piiii.ii' Schaik, of the Union Theological Seminary, N. V. The Rev. J)r. Elmkxdokk, of Albany. President of General Synod, preached the sermon for the occasion, from 2 Tim. 3 : K",, 17: ''All Scripture is given hy inspiration of God, and is projitahte for doctrine, for reproof, for correctiiir.>i>ri:iteuess a titlo is an altidiiii^ |...\viT. That whicli l>y implication tlii' ai).»stle in tlie text, confers ui)on all true niini>tcrs of Christ, is surely the most ancient, honoralde and ennoliliiiir, that can be home l»y the human messeni^ers of God. This they may n<»t only asjtire to, hut in all its fulness of nieanino;, may legitimately a])i)ro- priate in the measure of their conscious faithfiduess to llini who hath called them. Employed a score and a half times in the Old Testament, and in every instance to desigiutte a •• prophet ot the I.onl," it seems ch-ar that Paul— who only, of New Testament writers uses the [)lirase — applies it to Timothy, as to one dedicated to (iod in the ministry: especially, when his W(.rd> in immcMliate connection -with the text are— "1 char-e thtc, theretore, hefore (iod and the Lonl .loas Chri>t, who shall judi^e thi' quick and the dead at his ai»i>earin_ir and his kin<^nlom ; preach the word, he instant in season, out of season, re)»rove. relmke, exhort with all lon;;-sutferinir and doctrine." 10 THE 31 A K OF GOD. "Witli many aiitlioritative expositors thus understanding the apostle, let ns briefly consider I. The man of God. My thought merely touches his creation, his call and his coimn ission. Tiio man of God is the realized divine idea of an instru- ment for a specific work in the church of God. David's contemplation of the preparation of such instrument, goes hack of the time of its manifestation to men. " Thine eyes did see my substance yet being nnperfect." His utterances in the connection are very obscure. Yet this is clearly his idea, that '•'■ all his members," — the elements of his being — "• all the events and influences of his life " — were written in God's book, before one of them existed. So the plan of God with regard to every instrument of di- vine grace for founding and extending his kingdom, includes his creation. And such creation takes on a specific and most impressive aspect. For illustration : — in its highest conception our Bible is an organized whole, of which each l]ook is an essential part. Then the truest idea of inspira- tion makes each Book to have depended essentially upon the intellectual, emotional and even imaginative temperament of its inspired author " directed, controlled, made truthful and pure as became the trustworthy agent of so holy a work." When then, the history of the kingdom of God in the world, shall be as complete as is the record of revelation, is it fanciful to anticipate, that it shall be seen that each human v.'//-; t/.i.v OF lioiK I I iiistniiiifiit ill the service of the chiireh, was as (Iciiitnistra- Itlv crra't'd for Iiis spet'iHi' work, as was i'a<-h lioly man ot" (J.mI thr-.n-h wl i thr ll-.lv (;hn>t >|h,U,. •• in ..M i imc T" IliTi', it'aMvwluTi' th»' iiKjuirv arises — what <»rii;;iiial eii«h>w- iiK'tits indicate "the man of (intl?" The <|iiestioii pnuiiises to he jn-actical, if not imh-cl \ erv t rouKK'-oinc. I'«.r the o|iiiiioii i> i>-iiinii- lVi>ni eiiiiiieiit and inlhirntial .-onrces that there an- ton niaiiv inini>tiT.- in the land, liecau.-e the avcr- a>;e piH-acher i> not up to the iiiteUeetiial standard imw (h-- niaudcd. Thi' cry i> " ^ix e ii> larnest, learned, ahle. eloipiciit, live ])reaeliers." Sit'tiiii:- jn-oeesses are sii<;i;esteity, the i-etitioii taimht his (dmrch hy her Head nin>t he amende<[ so tiiat it shall hi — "Pray ye the Lord of the harvest that lie would send forth '' Jiicr hut tuorc hiijJdij (jif't(try, as to eiidaiii^er the spiiMtnal interests of tin- cimrch and wi-akeii her streiii;tli ^ Are not many steriinir, ( 'hri>tdike (jiialitii-s overlooked or iimh-rx allied in many ministers of Ohrist. who are unahle or nnwiliinii- to >l»end the tinu' in preparation (»f their sermons, needed to adorn tliem with tlie charms of tinislied and taeinatini:: rlie- t->ric^ Is not oriiiinal. stirrin;:: Jiuhkui t/iom/Iit^ as an oiiject "f desire in sermons, more and iiioi-e siii)plantini:- the siinj>le •• trtith as it in .lesns '. "' If the chinHdi will not ri'inemher and hi- u-uide(l hy tiie ever eonsj)iciioiis truths — con.-tant vi'rifications ot' the h-irend of St. Francis — that many ot" her heaven-aj)prove(l and suc- cessful ministers have not had strikiiiir intellectual irifts : that 12 THE MAN OF GOB. unpromising candidates have risen to eminence in the church and rendered her long and distinguished service — in sorrow she may be compelled to learn the meaning of the scriptures " God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise ; and God hatli chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty." " Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of Hosts." We rejoice with profound gratitude, whenever God unites a splendid intellect with a loving heart and an humble, con- secrated spirit and sends it forth to flash its celestial concep- tions upon hnman minds with startling l)rilliancy; to melt human hearts, instrumentally, by most vivid delineations o Christ crucifled ; to lead enthusiastic multitudes by a radiant example " to spend and be spent" in the master's service. We would liave the responsibility fully met in every par- ticular, which is imposed by the solemn charge " lay hands suddenly upon no man." Yet neither the presence nor the absence of rare mental endowments, indicates conclusively " the man of God." God's own call dofs this. It is not necessary here to expound the doctrine of a special call to the minstry ; its scrj[)tural authority ; its deflnitions ; the distinctions and the conditions of disposition and princi- ples it includes. The essential thing for my purpose, is the the soul's recognition of its own '' heavenly calliiig." This must come to the sj)i?'it of the man hy the Sjnrit of the Lord. Apart from and below his sense of divine pardon and his re- sulting joy and peace in believing ; below his compassion for the souls that are ready to perish and his zeal for Jesus' glory in their salvation ; below the intensest longing to "grow 77/ A' .t/.l.V OF (lOI). i:> ill i;race :iinl in tlir kiiowli'dirc of the Lord .Icsiis Christ," to t':itlioiii lii'uv t'lilv iiiv>tiM-i'-s ;ri(l " (•(»iiii»rt'li('ii(l with all saints ^ I uhat is tin- l.i-fadlli an.l i.-n-tii and i\vy\\\ aixl hciirlit ; and !.. know tlu' lo\i' (if Chri-t which |»as>cth kiiowii'duv" — tiu' con- \iction i;rou> int«> tin- >oid of the called diic " ncccfisitij ift hiid upon III'." Aflcr the nio>t |>iavi'i-rul rc\ icw of all the wavs in which the l^.rd lia> h'; af'ter the nio>t careful otiinate him — out of the depths of that disciple's soul stru_-:,i;les the helief— as honest as was I'anl's — '*?w^y /,<* i)n\ [f I jtrcach not the Gos- ji.iy And thev who lu-ar thi> contes>ion, so frau-lit with siijniticance of di\ine au-encv, of human ol>lio;itioii, ..t' tem- ])oraI and eternal consiMpienco, do wi'll to acre])t the tact as a matter fundanuMitally hetween that >oul an«l its (Jod. and S(. treat it, that that ..tlier uv/, which is for those In/ irlioni oit'eiiMS come, fall not upon them. Whom tlic ^ureat Head of the Ohurch calls, he in his own time commiitsionx. •As my F ither hat li sent me, even the end oft 'me Dr. 15 auer nndei •>tand> t le expression — 'the mai 1 of (iod" as n eanin the .lace • of (mmI. S ■arce y less exalted is the ajiostle's e •nee )tion : '• now then wi' are andia.s sadtu's fo r Christ, asthoui. •h(o Midi 1 la seet h vou h \- us.' ' Mi dsters re present ( "lirist ; ivv t o ei •SMiia ll.v 1 •re.-t nt. The 14 THE MAN OF GOD. gospel message from their lips is God speaking throiigli tliem : is tlie vei-y wisdom of God and power of God to the salvation of those who believe. What human phrase could so declare the sublime dignity and awful solemnity with which the minister of Christ is invested ? The delineation of the poet is as true, as it may be trite — •■ There stands tlie messenger of truth ; there stands The legate of the skies ! His theme divine, His office sacred, his credentials clear. By him the violated law speaks out Its thunders; and by him in strains as sweet As angels use, the gospel whispers peace." " No man taketh this honor unto liimselt, but he that is called, of God, as was Aaron."" But he who is called, with- out vanity or presumption must feel and insist, that the essential quality of his commission is the principle of its divine origin and authority. This distinguishes and esta- l)lishes the Christian ministry al)()ve Imman dispensation or ban. This clothes it with the majesty and might which his own words give — whose name is above every other name and wdiose is all power in heaven and earth — " I send you :" " Lo, I am with j^ou alway." Yet the efficiency of " the man of God," his moral and spiritual power, are made to depend upon his character and (pialiilcations. So w^e consider II. His possible official perfection. " Tliat the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly fur- nished unto all o-ood works." '/•///•.' i/.i.v or ii:il s|.irit\i:ility, wliicli is cMJoiiicd l.v llic t»'Xt ujion every rhrisf/'ttn ns tlicv say, wlio umlcrstaiKl it as rcttTi-iiiir to (/> ,1' rt" iiiiiii>tcrial ('XccIIi'Mcc. 'I'Iic true aiul siic- cosst'ul iMiMi>t('r iiiii-t lie a man of ilf('|), cxiicriiiifiital. con- sistent plrty. I'. r.i-i!yrrc «lcclaiT< tiiicly what nio-t li.ivclrlf : ''Tlu'iv arc iii.'U >o IimIv that their \rry character is ^iitli- ciiMit to per.-iiaih'. They a|i|ii'ar, and the whoK- a»einMy i j wliich is to hear them, i> a> it were ali-eaily im|iresse(l ami eoiiviiu-c'd hy their |ire>eni-e.** ^'et piety, however i)rononii- | ('('(I anil tlistini:iii>he(l neither con.-titnto nor deci(h's one's titiu'ss tor the mini>try. And iierha|)> the hest test that he can :i]'|»ly. ^vho t"eels Inmself ealle(l to the sacred ottice, is, whether he feels called n/.so to the severe and ]>rotracted la- l»or and self-denial, surely inxohcd in such ]irej)aration to jtreaeli the j^ospel, as shall make him •"thoroughly fnnnslied unto all good works T' " That the man of (iod may he ])erfect." The official perfeetion here I'ujoined and declared possible, corres- ponds with the moral perfection which the cOniinand of Christ makes ohligatoi-y ujKtn every believer: '" ]'e ye therefore perfect ; evi-n as your Fatlu-r which is in heaven is pertect." The pert'ectiou of tlu' t i> the lielicver'> nioclel of virtue, and hi< ^uprenu' effort ami end in all the departments of his moral and sjjiritual lite i> t.. .-trive after likeness to God in purity, love, holiness. ''The discij)le is not above his mastei- ; but evi-ry one that '\> perfect shall be as his master." desus Christ is the ni i> the force u\' tlic word. 'I'Ik- (U'fl:ir:ili..M (.f tin- text i> cnni-criiiiiii- tlu- Old 'rr-.t;iniciit Scriptiiri'saiid thus cstuldi^lir.-. tlu'ir diviiiitv and alddiiiir aii- thoritv ; Imt uli, li.w imicii iimrf iiii|)..rtaiit and irloriuiis is its scopf, ulicii. a." r>>r ii> it Ain'>, it cuNcrs tlu' cuiiiiili'tccl vol- iiiiic of' Iv'<'\ flatioM. (mkI lia> iri\i-ii u> a |ifrt('cl I'onk and l>v it, with liis lik's- siiiir, the man ..t (Jod i> to In- made jicrfcct I'nr Ids work, (ind c.nii.Ictfd tlic r.iMc as lie (•uniiiietcd ciTati-.n in (.nr world, tliat tlu- ticld of man's cnorf- in its ma-tcry mi-lit iiave definite limits. The-e !• .unds while' di>tinrt are snl.limelv extended. St ret chin-- from the --lories of creation to till' irreater -lories of tlie '•final rotitntion of all thintrs;" feachin,-:- from the lowe>f depth of - the l.lackness of dai-kne»" to the intinitc heiu'lit> and the celestial ra- ordination of all the force> of evil to the redemptive and mediatorial triumphs and -lory of the Son of (iod. Vieldin-- its -;reat and savin-: truths to the intelli<;ent and jovful a|i- prehension of the child, these send up ever profoun«h r won- der.- of meaninir to the cleared and stren«,''thened >]tiritual vi>ion, in answer to the jtrayer "open thou ndne eyes." Kn- foldinir a ^'uilty world in the arm.- of intinite mercy, it con- centrates alnd-fhty [lower ami eternal lo\e upon everv |m.(,i- dinner, wh(» peidti-ntly tn-ndtlo at its utterances. Li-andn- , finds in the holy Scripture- it- -imj.le-t and mo>t fathondo- 18 THE 31 AN OF GOD. subjects ; tlioiight its most familiar and most limitless topics ; eloquence its tenderest and most treuicndous themes ; duty its gentlest and mightiest motives ; henevolence its mildest and intensest stimulus ; faith anible teaching, obtain not merely a local but a world-wide reputation, and the association of these in organizations which have grown to be National and even International, make tliem, without their purpose, competitors for the palm of hia'hest usefulness. 22 THE 31 AN OF GOD. — wliic'li are among' the most cJieering signs of the times, — greatly multiply lay-workers and lay-preachers, and are lead- ing to the establishment of " lay-eoUeges" for their training. Of one of these we read recently, that it had live hundred stu- dents engaged in lay-preaching, visitation of the sick and poor and other kinds of religions work. While the systematic visita- tion and eloquent appeals of these l)retliren, necessarily, neither invade nor come in contlict with the prerogatives and work of the ordained ministry, yet they so resemble proper pastoral and pulpit etlbrts as to seem identical with them, to multitudes. With such, the very natural questions arise : AVhat do ministers more than these? What are ministers more than these ? And the answers which occur to them, are not always favorable to the maintenance of the special divine a])])ointment and authority of the ministerial office. Then, honest but misguided religious zeal, of wliich there is so nnich, when it pursues Christian work whicli interferes with attendance upon the regular sanctuary and social servi- ces of the cliurch, disparages the ministry. The growing- habit throughout Christendom, also of considering and mag- nifying the 2J6''sonal traits, rather than X\ie'oJficial cJiaracter of the minister; listening to the j^/vacAcr, rather than to his inessa(je\ criticising and estimating him according to his indi- vidual power, rather than by his fidelity to duty and his ability in its performance — obscures more and more, tiie genei-al perception of the special sacredness of the ministerial office. And the final results, in short, of these influences and tenden- cies are settled opinions such as were recently published by a quite eminent author and preacher. — " To neither the seven- ty nor the twelve does Jesus grant any corporate powers." THE MAN OF GOD. 23 "No word or act of Jesus before or after Lis resurrection, can be fairly employed to sustain the modern artificial dis- tinction between clergymen and lay-men." Tims the con- flict is coming. The testimony and seal of the church through centuries, to the divinity of the ministry, will not pi-event the contest. Although her progress and very existence de- pend upon the doctrine, the tiiial struggle for its maintenance is yet to be. And my thought is, that as the deepest conviction of the truth of the doctrine results in each "• man of God" from his clear and al)iding recognition of his own call of God; so his l)est defense of it will be, by a perfected official character, such as is furnished by mastery of the Scriptures. While he is to demonstrate that he has received the grace of God into his heart, as well as the truth of God into his head ; that the cultivation of his spirit has kept equal pace with that of his intellect ; and that his clearest apprehensions of doctrine have been received through an experience (^f their power, and of duties, l)y his own consecration to their per- formance,^ — yet must tlu-. superiority of his hnoiolcdye of the Sc/'ipturc'.<< compel the recognition of himself as their divinely commissioned'expounder, by his people. This much church- es may demand and ministers be prepared to give. No sys- tem of instruction, no ability and faithfulness of teachers can create genius and its electrifying manifestations. No long- ing can fetch the gift. " But if any man lack wisdom let him ask of God who giveth to all men lil)er;dly and upbraid- etli not, and it shall be given him.*' And he who ihrough intellectual and s[)iritual perception of divine things, as '• a steward of the mysteries of God," can unfold those involved things of the Spirit and open those deep things of the Spirit, which, while the natnral man receives them not, the spiritu- ally enlightened hail as new elements of their spii-itual life ; 24 THE MAN OF GOD. and can " make full proof of liis luinistry" in demonstrating the lielpfulnesB of all scripture "for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness," goes forth to his "good works" yet, under the same solemn conditions the Saviour pronounced over the Seventy; "He that heareth you heareth me ; and he that despiseth you despiseth me, and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me." And to Ilhn the unreasonably fastidious must answer for touching liarmfidly his prophets. Finally, we gratefully rejoice, that tlie services of this day restores the complement of teachers in our cherished Sem- inary. Echoing the unanimous deliverance of the General Synod, we exult with its anticipations. " The acknowledged ability, learning and weight of chai-acter which distinguish the Professor elect, the tried and faithful services of the learned and able men with whom he is to be associated, and the hope clearly held out to the Synod of the endowment of an an additional Professorship, promise to give to Ilertzog Hall such eminence before our own and other churches as it lias never j^et enjoyed." AVe expect the young "men of God" who come hence to l)e " thoroughly furnished unto all good works :" " mighty in the Scriptures:" workmen who need not be ashamed, and who as "wise master builders," in the places wlii(;h God shall appoint them, will form and fit the "living stones" into the walls of the spiritual temple, which are to compass the earth and rise, until they meet the "jSTew Jerusalem coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a l)ride adorned for her husbaiul." CHA.RGP] )=IeY. p. ji. ^TITT, p.p Prof. A, B. Y^n Zant, D.D My Dear Brother : I stand here in the Chnrch's name to bid you a hearty welcome to a higher, and wider field of labor and thought : A held whose centre and circumference is God. God's thoughts are every where, in the world around and within ; sparkling in the sk}^, blossoming on earth, throbbing in the ocean, tingling in every nerve and heart — throb of this mysterious Microcosm, " which God has fearfully and won- derfully made." But God's most precious thoughts are here, between the Bible lids ; — most precious to you and me, because they come direct from God's own heart. Some of them peer out like planets of the iirst magnitude ; others are 26 THE 31 AN OF GOD. finer than star-dust, as countless and jet as clear-cut as the sand. It is to be your work to gather up these scattered threads of thought, wherever you can find them, arrange them and weave them into a pattern, whose beauty and sym- etry shall enstamp itself on the soul. Your work lies at the root ot the Gospel and the Church. Somehow you stand back of the commission " go into all the world and preach, etc.," back of the living preacher and nearer to the divine Christ that sent him. Oh^ what a fearfully responsible position : To teach the teacher and iit him for his work ! If Isaiah felt that his lips needed to be touched with fire, as he stood between the people and the glory that shook the door-posts of the temple ; — How much more, you, who stand between the minister and the Lord of glory that sends him. You feel doubtless as Isaiah did when he cried, " woe ! is me, etc. ;" but take courage, my brother, I believe that Chi'ist's church and Christ himself have sent yon, the right man in the right place, and that he will touch your heart and lips with heavenly iire. Christ never sent a man to do his work, or light his battles on his own charges and with his own weapons. Though he has given you but sling and pebbles, he has given you the power and skill to w^ield them so as to make the giant form of errot bite the dust. 1 our work is the same that it has ever l)een — to fur- nish the minister of Christ with the system of gospel truths necessary to sul)due the world Himself. And yet it is not precisely the same. THE MAN OF GOD. 37 Yours will not be the same system of truth that was taught before the mode of the Divine existence was assailed and Nicene Trinitarianism arose out of the conflict; — not the same as before the living truth was buried under dead forms, and the seed-germs of the doctrine of " a standing or falling Church," were taken out of the ruins and planted in the Ee- formation soil, and grew 'till " it shooTc like Lebanon ;" — not the same system, as it was, Ijefore the semi-Pelagianism of the remonstrants began to corrupt the simplicity of the gospel, which compelled the Christian world to lift up the standards of Dort and AYestminister ; nor yet is yours to be the same system that was taught before the reign of Rational- ism and Neology of the nineteeth century, which by the priests of intensified, scientific analysis eliminates facts and probabilities from the hearers above and the earth beneath, only to throw suspicion on the records and Christianity and the character of its author. It will not do to sit brooding upon the old systems that have been reared by the upheaval of errors buried cen- turies ago. If we do we shall go under. No, we must plant our system above and beyond the high water marh, where the last wave of error has spent the fury of its force. We need a theology of the times, adapted to present exigen. cies and surroundings. God is permitt'ng the enemy to make his last desperate throw in tliese latter days. The old modes of attack and defence will not do. We must bring " treasures out of the word of God, both new and old." The grand, essential, saving truths of the word of God of which the cross is the centre, are to constitute the warp and woof of the system. 28 THE MAN OF GOD. Yet 1 fearlessly assert there must be progress and devel- opempnt in theology. TuTTH cannot he enhn-ged or (liniinished. Truth as it relates to (to(1 and his creatures is a; eternal and unalterahle as God himself. Truth relating to sin and redemption, dwelt with God hetbre the world w;!s, for ( hrist is the '■'"Latiih slain from, the foundation of the worldy'^ But theology is not neces- sarily or strictly truth, l)ut the human conception and ex- pression of it ; and I ask, is not that human expression im- 2)erfect, incohate, germinal^ and necessarily sul)ject to the law of growth and developement ? Truth is like the light of heaven, white and transparent. ])Ut the moment it enters a plant or tlower, it is decomposed and becomes blue or green, or violet, according to the nature of the substance. And yet it is the same truth still — only it takes on its hue from the constitution of the human subject. So with God's Truth. The moment it enters the human mind and receives its subjective tinge or hue, it becomes DOGMA or DOCTKiNE. Dare we then claim Infallibility ? No. — AVhat then ? Is our theology uncertain, unstable, un- reliable ? God forbid! Every conflict with error has brought out the clear white light of God's truth. It was the error of Ilymenas and Philetus that developed St. Paul's sublime argument for the resurrection in 1. Gor. : 15. It was the assault on God's sovereignty in redemption that established and developed the Doctrine in strong contrast with human freedom and shut down as futile, every future * Rev. 13:8. THE 3rAX OF GOD. 29 attempt at reconciliation, witli the Apostle's qnietns '■^wJw art thou, oh -man, that repliest against God,^^''' etc. It wa.s bald Ariaiiit5m, tliat brought out into white light the doctrine of the Trinity. It was Pelagian self-merit, that developed the doctrine of justification of foith, so as to com- mand the consensus of the Church in all future time. Let us hold on lo every form of sound \vords ; to every truth of God, and weave them into our Theology. They are like the ashestos ; they have been purified by the fire. Every one of them is dripping with martyrs hlood shed in -their de- fence ; aye ! dripping with the blood of the Great High Priest of our profession, in whose cross they centre and from which they radiate. But shall we sit still and fold our arms, while other truths are dimly seen and still others perverted and denied ? Who that glances at the situation can fail to see room for pro- The prince of British essa3^ists,f was never so unphilosoph- ical as when he denied progress to Theological thought. If he was right when he affirmed that a Christian in the fifth century with the Bible in his hands, was on a par with a Christian of the nineteenth century, then Copernicus was on a par with ITewton and ITerschell, and Agassiz, and Guyot, on the same level with Sir Thomas Browne and the King of the Alchemists. I feel that I cannot dismiss this subject of a Progressive Theology without urging home a three-fold ar- gument which enforces it as a present necessity. It is the NECESSITY — the development, utterance and de- fence OF THE TRUTH. * Rom. 9 : 20. f McAuley. 30 THE 3IAN OF GOD. 1. See tlie necessity for tlie development of tlie trutli. Modern Exegesis has made no uncertain progress during tlie last half century. It has swept away many a trusted text out of our Classis argumentorum and substituted new^ ones in their stead, and planted trembling feet more firmly on the Rock against which sophistry and scepticism have been dashing for centuries. But without touching on the arcana of Scripture, which call for exposition, let me point to the vast field of unfulfilled prophecy, which calls for a still more searching Exegesis to evolve God's hidden truth. Take for example the Apoca- lypse. Between the Dogmatism of Adventists who are not agreed among themselves, and the conflicting critical theo- ries of spiritual Interpretors, what a farrago of erudition has arisen like mist to darken counsel by word without knowledge. Amid the darkness and confusion the clmrch is yearning for something positive ; some exegetical Colum- bus who shall cross the unexplored sea and plant his foot upon the '^ terra incognita,'^ Rjid lead the church into the jn-edicted transition — triumph. So also with History. The buried facts of History are continually coming forth from the cells of the Convent and the ruins of Egypt and Syria and Palestine, to confirm the record of the Old Testament, and the personality and the divinity of Jesus." 2. S.) likewise in regard to UTTERANCE. There must 1)0 jn-ogress in the statement and illustration of the truth. There is but little of absolute truth in the world. Termin- * See the recently discoursed uniform inscriptions of such, confirming the Dehio'e of the Bible, and of Berosus. THE MAX OF GOD. 31 ology and modes of expression cannot resist the inevitable law of the mntation of language. And shall these Formnlaries of the early Church and the liuformed Church, that have been forged by the white heat of controversy l)e an exception to this law ? Surely they must be explained and qnalified so as to har- monize with the analogy of Faith. I know-there is a toning down tliat blunts the edge of the Truth. But who does not see that a little softening of the wire-edge will make the Truth cut the more keenly ? The dry, frigid didacticism of former centuries was a slveleton strung on logical wires. We want the bones clothed with the flesh, blood and muscle of the living truth. The great de- mand of the age is truth, mtalized, incarnated by actual personal experience. We must make the abstract to stand out in the concrete. God so taught the truth in the Levitical rites and Prophetic announcements. Jesus did it in his Parabolic utterances. He never buried the truth, but vitalized it, and fixed it in the mind of the disciple. ISTo man can clearly grasp a principle till he has seen it LiviNCi and breathing in real life. King William the Third, confessed to l^ishop Berkley that he never believed in the doctrine of Predestination till the doctrine of a personal pro- vidence become a part of his life experience. Here lies the power of the Teacher of Theology, as well as the Preacher of the Gospel. There is no limit to this field of illustration and analogy. Nature and its millions of ramnifications in God's universe are so many types of the spiritual kingdom — chords which are in harmony with God's hidden thought ; and shall 32 THE MAN OF GOT). we not teach them and bring ont the shmibering harmonies of Heaven ? 3. So likewise must there be progress in the defence of the Truth. The enemy is indeed " coming in like a flood," and the Spirit of the Lord, through his servants, must lift up a standard against him." Philosophy and science, by new and siibtler processes, are analyzing the stars, sapping and mining the earth, unpacking its surface, and denying mosaic record of the age, the unity, and the origin of the race. Beside this, the rationalism of France and Germany, of Oxford and lioston, that baptises itself with the name of Christian, by its exhaustive researches and analogies, is seek- ing to crush out the inspiration of the Bible and turn the Gospels into the vagaries of honest enthusiasts. Men every- where are losing their moorings and drifting about in the open sea of scepticism. The Dry-Rot has reached the Pul- pit and its thunder-tones have been suppressed into uncertain sounds. The boldest heroes of the Pulpit who have been loudest for human rights and human reforms, have been silent, or spoken witli 1>ate(l l)reath, before this overshadow- ing collossus of scientitic self assertion. Do not these new modes of assault imply new defences ? The old ones are crumbling or standing useless. Must we not meet the opposer squarely and dislodge liim in his chosen po- sition, opposing parallel to parallel, battery to l»attery, and point to point? Must we not have a Ttieology that will neu- tralize tlie shock of the student at the tirst blnsh of these bald inferences and assertions — and tide him over the shoals into good anchorage? It will not do to dodge the issue by crying " Avaunt," '• Brocul este protani ! " It won't do to decry THE 31 AN OF GOD. 33 science, and liold np the "shield of ignorance against the ar- rows of light/' No, we muMt take the drill and powder hlast and dig deeper into the howels of the earth, and prove how snperfieial are the dogmas of science and how God's truth in natui-e harnioiiizes with every ntterance of his word. AVe must keep pace with true sciences, and if we cannot bridge every chasm, we can ])oint to the rainbow-arch that surely spans it. Th3 Theologian of to-day is a mighty instrumental- ity, under God, in the fultillment of Prophecy and in shaping the world's destiny and the church's destiny. Ko mortal can estimate the tremendous power that emenates from this chair ! Dear Brother, 1 must magnity your office. x\s a student of past opinion the Theologian must point the coming preacher to the sjjecanis imitations of the Truth. He must tell him of the influence of the Philosophy and sci- ence i)f a ])eople on their Theology ; show him how much evil unsanctilied learning has done, and how much more sanctified ignorance has done ; — and above all point out the (piicksands which underlie a lu'oad Church and a creed which io'nores all creeds. If I have insisted on a fully developed Theology and a strengthening of o;^?" inorl's. it is to make the citadel impreg nahle ; it is not to develope new doctrine, but to fortity the old ones, which are dearer to us than life. Progress in the right direction not innovation. When Luther and Zuinglius and Calvin let go tlieir hold on Human Dogmas, they took a firmer hold on Christ and Him crucified. Here is your glory and defence. Never he ashamed of the Gospi'l. jNever lose sight of the Cross for a single mo- 34 THE MAN OF GOD. ment. Lift it up on higli. in all the fulness and freeness of a personal, positive, God-satisfviiio-, (rod-deterniined "Re- demption, so that, like Zion's golden turrets in the sunlight, every part of your system may reflect the glory of the Sun of Righteousness. Here, my Brother, is the beginning, middle and end of your teaching and of our preaching. I look on the past and bless God for a line of the predecessors, every one of which, from the sainted Livingston to the late lamented Berg, have shown so illustronsly in their love and loyalty to Jesus and his Cross. If your past record has any meaning, 1 know my dear brother, that you will not be a whit be- hiiul the chiefest of them. Finally, take heed, my Brother, not only to thy Doctrine, hut to thy life. You are the 'mould into which the doctrine and life of the future ministry and Church are to be cast. You are the S27urk, which, under Cod, shall set the ti-ain in motion and give it velocity and direction. You are to im- press your principles, life, spirit, manhood, upon the coming- ministry and age. Make full proof of your ministry. Get into complete sympathy with your pupils. Get close up to them, and let your humanity touch them at every point. Get down to the level of the minds you are dealing with. When the musician is teaching a child to sound a high note, he does not stand al)ove the octaves and cry " higher!" No, he comes down to his pupiFs tone and leads him on with his voice, till he has reached the lofty key. Get down to their level, be identitied with their doubts and difficulties and you will strike a responsive chord, which will lead them \\\) to your highest level. Creep with them and they will THE 31 AN OF GOD. 35 walk and run with you bye and bye, and it may be out- strip you. Oh, you have a peerless example here. Jesus came doAvn to our lowest level of darkness, doubt and death, that he might lift them up to his own light and immortality. Excelsior! Lift them up. This is eminently your mission, my Brother. " To soar to brig-hter worlds and lead the way." Let me congratulate you in the position which you occupy to day. Be assured. Dear Brother, you have the confidence and sympathy of the Cluirch wliich has called you to this high office, and the cordial co-operation of your brother professors. Shrink not from the ordeal of its labors and responsibilities — for you have the strength and presence of a personal Christ to lean upon. Your success and reward are sure. If you faithfully feed them, that feed the liock of God " when the chief Shepherd shall appear, yon shall receive a crown of o'lorv that fadeth not awav. p NAUGUP^^AL IJISCOURSE, BY PROFESSOR A. B. VAN ZANDT, D. D. A BIBLICAL THKOLOGY— ITS METHOD AND PBOGRKSS. The friends of sacred learning have reason to rejoice Mdien those to Mdioni God has given M'ealtli, liave given to them also the spirit of enlarged and enlightened liberality. It is to men of this spirit that our Seminary is a debtor for its ap- pointments and resources, to an extent which will perpetu- ate their, names in honorable mention, so long as an educated ministry is counted among the blessings of the Church, and gratitude is numbered among tlie cardinal virtues. It will not 1)6 deemed invidious to any of these noble benefactors, if we yield to the impulse of the present occa- sion, by a grateful reference to that veneraljle man, whose honored name lias so long been identified with the benevo- lence of the Church, and by whose princely munificence the chair now to be filled has been so amply endowed. His en- forced absence from these solemnities, by serious illness, is the one painful circumstance of this occasion. The heart of the entire Church Avill respond to the prayer, that he may yet long be spared to witness the fruit of his wise benefactions, 38 A BIBLICAL THEOLOGY. and to enjoy a present reward in, a still increasing, able, de- voted and efficient ministry. j I Entering npon the untried and responsible duties now be- j fore nie, I find my encouragement in the assured sympathies \ and prayers of my brethren of the General Synod and of the Church at large — in the hearty welcome, co-operation and counsel, of the able and experienced professors, my associates 1 in office — and in the early and earnest expressions of confi- dence and kindness, which have come to me from the hon- ored president and faculty of Rutger's College, the institu- tion most nearly allied to our own. To meet the rerpiirements of the position I will need all these supports ; and besides and above them all, I will need that help which comes only from God. I am tlie more sen- sible of my own deficiencies, when I recall the distinguished i men who have occupied this chair, and adorned it. And my j estimate of its importance and responsibility becomes well- nigh appalling, when I consider the new questions involved and new resources demanded, by the advanced condition of : theological science. Then only, does my consent to assume this responsibility appear to myself as less than presumption, wlien I remember that truth is always stronger than error, j and the God of truth is the promised guide and helper of the honest and earnest inquii-er. The usage which calls for this address has also sufficiently defined its scope, and we shall endeavor to meet the recjuire" ments of the occasion, by presenting some general intimations of the spirit and methods proper to the instruction commit- ted to this chair. A BIBLICAL THEOLOGY. 39 To the department of Didactic and Polemic Theology, be- longs the scieiititic statement of received truth, in its logical relations, together with its defence against opposing errors and heresies. Of the truth with which it is concerned, God is the author and God is the object ; and its factors are found in all those nuxnifestations which God has made of Himself in the works of His hand, the ways of His providence, the word. His truth and the experience of His people. The questions upon which it is exercised have respect to the existence of God, His nature and attributes, the modes of His subsistence, the final cause of creation and provi- dence, and the relations, nature, obligations, conditions, and destines of His intelligent creatures. A single glance at the held of in(|uiry reveals its extent, as commensurate with all that man can know of his Maker, of himself, of the world in which he lives and of the future which lies beyond it. To such investigations all knowledge is subordinate, and all possible attainments are applicable. For theology, in its broad sense, we can claim no lower place than that of queen of the sciences and the ultimate philo- sophy. In her broad scope theology embraces tlie whole circumference of truth; and from her infallible conclusions those principles are derived, which underlie all phenomena and harmonize all relations. The method of investion in theology, is substantially the same, with that which during the last two centuries has proved so fruitful in physical science and philosophy, and it is a conviction which each new development is strengthen- 40 .1 niiiLicAL TifEOLoay. ing, tliat honest inquirers along these different h'nes of thought, will ultimately arrive at conclusions that are co- incident. " He Avho gave the Bible built the universe, and His voice must be heard in the utterances of l)oth/' A true science in its tinal demonstrations, and a true theology in its last induc- tion, will always harmonize with a true interpretation of the Scriptures. God cannot deny Himself, and the scientist who rightly reads His record in the starry heavens, or His footprints in the rock ribbed earth, will recognize in l)oth the Jehovah of the Bible. There is no conflict between true science and revelation, and it is the mark of a sciolist, un- derstanding neither, to persist in proclaiming a fend. It is a weak device of the enemy, to represent an antagonism in order to create it. And it is the part of unwisdom, for the friends of religion either to fear or to flout the discoveries of science. Her achievements are written in imperishable results, and all who love the progress of the race will bid God-speed to her well-directed researcli. But M'hcn tortured nature shall have yielded her last response to the interrogatories of science, there will yet remain those problems to be solved, concern- ing which nature is silent; and in the presence of which im\\ revelation can take up the fallen clue, aud witness to her divine origin and authority, by guiding the bewildered incpiirer through the labyrinth of doubt and uncertainty to the knowledge of a personal God and Father, and the way of salvation through His g]-ace. But we should do injustice to theology if we claimed for its teachings no higher office tlian that of supplementing the A BIBLICAL THEOLOGY. 41 discoveries of natural science and pliilosopliy. It is not too much to say, that all inquiry, into things material or spiritual, owes its birth and beginning to the pressure upon the human soul of those problems upon which theology is special- ly exercised. The cpiestions of being, causation, responsibili- ty and destiny, awakened less by the appeals of external nature than by the voice of God within the soul, have in every age kept alive the energy of thought, and preserved the race from the stagnation of mental and moral death. From the starting-point of these problems all the civiliza- tions of the world have emerged, and their progress has been proportioned to the measure of truth, drawn from the depths of the interior life or from partial revelations, and formulated into religions more or less consistent or absurd. We go still farther, and assert as a historical fact, that natural science and philosophy owe to the theology of the Bible tlie dis- covery and application of that only method of inquiry which has ever proved remunerative, and by which alone they have reached their present advanced position. It is a well- known fact that those sciences which now claim the " induc- tive method " as peculiarly their own, were a chaos of con- tradictions, or a congeries of disconnected facts, until Bacon had unfolded and applied to the study of nature, that system which has immortalized his name. And it is more than a coincidence that by the, perhaps unconscious, application of that system to the study of religion, nearly a century before^ Luther was emancipated and the Bible unchained. The great iconoclast who beat down the images of superstition in the temple preceded and prepared the way for that other, who smote the " idols of the tribe, the den, the market and the forum." Tyndal's translation of the English Bible pre- 42 A BIBLICAL THEOLOGY. ceded, by nearly a hundred years, tlie publication of the No- vum Organum. And there never could have been a Bacon "vvithout the Bible. That philosophy which is the mother of all true science is itself the product of the Keformation, and belongs to Pro- testant Christianity, under the influence of which it obtained recognition and has achieved all its triumphs. Moreover, this inductive method, in its application to theology, finds the ultimate test and grandest illustration ot its utility. The facts and phenomena which are the con- tents of natural science, are all within the contents of theolo- gy, and besides and beyond all these, there is a whole de- partment ot truth which is peculiarly its own. It is the province of science to trace and expound the fundamental laws of the physical universe ; theology unfolds the uniform laws of God's moral and spiritual government. The utmost generalizations ot the former reach only to relations which are natural and finite ; the conclusions of the latter extend to those which are supernatural, and take hold upon the in- finite and incomprehensible. And yet all the facts which it is the province of theology to collect and combine into the unity of a system, consistent and complete, are gathered within the compass of a book — the Book., which is itself the standard by which all conclusions must be tried. Thus the analytical method here finds its utmost sco23e, and its capa- bility and conclusions are alike brought to the test of an in- fallible standard. The fact just referred to mai'ks a peculiarity in Christian theology, on account of Avhicli some have been disposed to exclude it from the circle of the sciences. Its materials are A BIBLICAL THEOLOGY. 43 not gathered by observation and experiment, but are given immediately by revelation. Many of its conclusions also transcend our reason, and rest alone upon the authority of the Scriptures which contain them. But to bring out these conclusions, and arrange them in their order and coherence, requires a patience, diligence and rigid accuracy of induction equal to that which is demanded by the most searching scrutiny of nature. In both cases, the materials lie scattered in apparently the utmost disorder. Yet in both there is a unity of design, a key of harmony, and an articulation of parts, which it is the business of science to discover and of philosophy to unfold. The theologian collects his data, scattered through histories, poems, prophe- cies, precepts, promises, and epistles of the Bible, and from these derives his doctrines, and builds his divinity, just as the philosopher gathers his facts from the broad field of nature, scrutinizes and combines them, and builds up his science. To the inquiries of both alike, there will also be a necessary limitation in those ultimate truths beyond which finite minds cannot go. In the one case, the conviction of these truths may rest upon an induction of facts, certified by observation and experiment. In the other case, an equal certainty may be as philosoj)hically reached by an induction of facts, certified by consciousness and revelation. For it is a marvelous assumption which yet forms the basis of man}^ a deceptive theory, that positive truth has no relations with the supernatural, and is to be sought for only within the possibilities of rational demonstration. Rev- elation itself, as a fact to be ascertained, conies within the range of demonstration, and demands it. But its divine an- 44 A BIBLICAL THEOLOGY. thority once conceded, and all its forms of truth are as positive as any demonstrations of physical science. Hence, when its disclosnres carry ns beyond the bonnds of the com- prehensible, we may yet rest in the conviction of an ulti- mate truth, equally as when science has reached its last analysis. Thus we arrive at the true idea of a Biblical theology. It is not a system of dogmas, arbitrarily assumed, or implicitly received, and for the defence of which texts are to be gath- ered and marshalled, and strained and twisted, until the tor. tured record yields up a meaning that can be made to square with the doctrine. The cardinal pr'jiciple of the Reforma- tion, which afterwards wrought also the emancipation of philosophy, was the rejection of human authority and the right and responsibility of private judgment. In the sense originally intended by the phrase, " The Bible and the Bil)lc alone, is the religion of Protestants." But in their investi- gations of truth, Protestants do not start even with the as- sumption that the Bible is true. The theologian is not bound to assume anything, except those fundamental laws of the human mind which must be admitted before reasoning can begin or discovery is possible. From the remotest starting point of philosopliy itself he may advance, step by step, with a true induction, in estab- lishing the credibility and authority of the Scriptures, until his argument shall have gathered the force of a moral demon- stration. And after he has reached that point, he will still pursue the same method of induction in ascertaining Avhat the Scriptures do actually teach. A recognition of the divine authority in the Scriptures is no more derogatory to the exer- A BIBLICAL THEOLOGY. 45 cise of the luiman reason, in ascertaining wliat is taiiglit by them, and what are the relations of truth, then a recognition of the Liw of gravitation is derogatory to the exercise of in- genuity and skill, in its application to the purposes of prac- tical science. In botli cases there is an ultimate truth ever before the mind, to which all its reasonings and inventions must still be held subordinate. But in both cases that ulti- mate truth no further restrains us than as it limits a lawless speculation, and holds it to the anchorage of fundamental principles. But an important distinction meets us here, between the use of reason as an interpreter of Scripture, and its perver- sion when it is made the arbiter of truth. A '■'■revelation''^ must reveal something, and the claim of the Scriptures to be a divine revelation cannot be maintained unless they disclose to us what could not otherwise be known. If the human reason is able to pronounce what they ought to contain, the implication is unavoidable that reason might also have discovered their contents, and thus the necessity of a revelation is superc3ded, and its credibility fatally impaired. We may judge of the reasonableness of a revelation, and of the evidences by which it is accredited. We may also em- ploy all our powers, with the aid of the highest culture, in ascertaining the contents and meaning of the record. But just in proportion as it bears an impress of the Divine hand, and is recognized as the word of God, we will expect its teachings to rise above the phine of the human understand- ings and that its mysteries will transcend our finite reason. Hence any so-called " philosophy of religion" Avliich assumes to explain the rationale of divine things, will always end in a denial of the distinctive doctrines of the Bible, or, what is 46 A BIBLICAL THEOLOGY. equivalent to a denial, sucli an exposition of them as elimi- nates all their vitality. For reason to judge of the truth of doctrines clearly re- vealed is as absurd and irrational as for reason to judge of the truth of the facts revealed in nature. The office of reason, in either case, is to ascertain what are facts, and then to believe in them, however incomprehensible and apparently contrary to other facts or preconceived opinions they may be. Whenever it attempts more than this, reason is unreasonable. The truth and comprehension of a fact in nature, or a doc- trine in revelation, is not the province of reason, l)ut only the ascertaining of the testimony and the determination of the evidence by which they are proved to he facts in nature? or doctrines of revelation. Thus in its method, as well as in its conclusions, a true Biljlical theology stands opposed, alike to the dreams of fana- ticism, the superstition of Romanism, and the license of Ra- tionalism, in all their multitudinous forms of development. ! The fanatic consecrates the vagaries of his own bewildered i imagination, and accepting them as the direct illumination | of the Spirit, is careless to ascertain the meaning of the written word. The Romanist has no further use for the | reasoning faculty, after it has bi'ought him to what he re- i gards as an infallible Church, whose dicta are to be received, 1 regardless alike of the contradictions of his senses, his i reason, or the word of God. In opposition to both, the Ra- tionalist exalts his own reason to the throne of judgment. A BIBLICAL THEOLOGY. 47 accepts it as a sufficient guide, and refuses to submit to the guidance of God, or to assent to wliat lias all the inward and external marks of truth, because he cannot fathom the in- comprehensible, or give a rational account of those deep things which God has not seen fit to explain or which lie beyond the grasp of the finite mind. By these opposite errorists the reason is either deified or debased. But in the method which has been indicated we find its true position, as neither a sovereign nor a slave, neither all-sufficient nor hopelessly imbecile, but as that faculty, divinely given, by which we are enabled to apprehend the voice of God, when He speaks in His works or in His word. From this brief statement of its materials and its method it is easy to infer the nature and elements of true progress in theological science. " A progressive theology " is one of those popular phrases which by a constant iteration, with divers and discordant meanings, or with no meaning at all, rapidly degenerate into cant. From its frequent abuse, as a convenient cover for all sorts of theological absurdities, this phrase has come to be regarded with suspicion by conservative thinkers. And yet, in its true sense, it is an apt expression of a desirable and necessary inovement. The history of theology is the history of progress, nor can it be supposed that the whole field of inquiry has already been explored, and every question been subjected to so exhausting a scrutiny as to leave no ground for its revision — no possibility of a modifi- cation of results, with a nearer approximation to truth. If there is danger that speculation will become erratic, and a craving after novelties become chronic and destructive, there may be danger on the other hand, that conservatism will be- 48 A BIBLICAL THEOLOGY. come stagnation, and authority nsurp again the place of in- telligent research and responsible judgment. With improved apparatus, consequent upon the advance of those sciences nearly related to interpretation, the sacred text becomes daily more luminous. , Portions of it, long neg- lected, assume a new importance from a clearer insight of their meaning and connections, and a broader comprehen- sion of the grand scope and miraculous unity of the whole. As the relations of truth are better understood, its doctrines arrange themselves in logical order, and out of the seeming chaos of disjointed dogmas grows up a coherent system, symmetrical and complete. For what has already been attained in this direction we owe more than can be expressed to the pious labors and em- inent learning of the pasf. And it is the height of empiri- cism to ignore its results, or contemptuously discard its es- tablished conclusions. There is a manifest divine providence which has guided the Church through all the great epochs of lier theological development. And that same God who gave the written word, in successive accretions to the canon, as His purposes were unfolded in the history of redemption, until He had closed the Book and sealed it with His anath- ema, in like manner has led on the bride of heaven to the understanding of her charter, as the exigencies of her con- dition demanded the support and consolation of its truths. And in like manner He will lead her still, with ever-increas- ing apprehension of its significance and value, until the light of the written word shall give place to the light of His presence who " in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. A BIBLICAL THEOLOGY. 49 Thus there is a development of doctrine, a " progressive theology,- ' bnt it is wide as the poles from that modern theorj^ which is the convenient invention and fevorite refnge of errorists. It is one thing for the Church, under the discipline of Divine Providence, and urged by her own needs, to be brought to a more earnest and thorough research into the meaning of Scripture, and into a deeper insight and more exact definition of its doctrines ; and it is another and very different thing, under pretext of " development," to pro- ject these doctrines on to conclusions outside of the re- cord, overlaying the truth with human additions, and making it void with doubtful speculations. We cannot abandon the fundamental principle that the Scriptures contain all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, and are always the ultimate and infallible standard, without casting ourselves adrift upon a shoreless sea, to be driven by every wind of doctrine, through the rayless gloom of never- ending uncertainty. All truth is in the Bible, but is there like treasures hid in a field, and that field is so vast, and those treasures so abundant, that the research of all ages, so lar from exhausting, will only develop new stores of wealth as new exigencies arise. Thus there is, and ever must be, "^j>ro^r