Class - B ( 7 5 Book 'Vl^s33 GopyrightN L^X^ COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY A Concise and Practical View of the Cardinal Doctrines and Institutions of Christianity^ BY JONATHAN WEAVER, D.D. Bishop of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom." — Paul 11 But the word of the Lord shall endure forever." — Peter MEMORIAL EDITION DAYTON, OHIO United Brethren Publishing House 1900 Copyright, 1900, by United Brethren Publishing House W. R. Funk, Agent Alt Rights Reserved Cl.M.cCU,<^-^.»S 00 Received from yright Office. 16 N'09 DEDICATION. So tf)c Cijurcl) of t|?e (Kmteti TBtetyttn in Cljri&t, within whose fellowship I have lived for more than half a century, and from whom I have received so many favors, and tokens of good will and sympathy, this unpre- tending book is affectionately dedicated by the AUTHOR. PREFACE. It is a source of encouragement and inspiration that, as good men close their well-spent lives, they have the promise that their works shall live for all the ages to come. "He who has added one leaf to the tree of humanity, one blossom to its wealth of bloom, or aught to its harvest of fruit, may rely upon the eternal law that neither things present, nor things to come, can deprive these out-going particles of their immortality." Ever on they will flow until they shall mingle with the "sea of glass" which is before the "throne of God and the Lamb in heaven." The debt of gratitude for the good that comes through such lives can never be paid. What Bishop Weaver is, and what he has done, will perpetually enter into the lives of those who shall come after him. While there has been no at- tempt to put into literary form his life-work, all that he writes is so charac- teristic, so like himself, that each new production is a contribution to the permanent influence of his unique personality. This last fruit of his fertile pen may be considered the supreme literary effort of his long and busy life. While age has made him venerable, it has not in any degree weakened his mental vigor, nor diminished its activity. The reader will find it to be a valuable contribution, both of knowledge and of power, to the subject of Christian theology. The work abounds with a richness gathered in three- score eventful years of active research in the great field of Christian thought. It is a clear setting forth of biblical truth, rather than any sectarian form of it. Like coins, it bears the stamp of the age and brain it was struck in. The doctrinal statements presented are chiefly deduced from the Revised Version, which gives us the purest form of the text thus far attainable by the best criticism and scholarship. The book is also characterized by that deeper insight into the truth which comes from an inner consciousness of its power, revealed by the Holy Ghost when he makes it the word of life to the soul. There is no field of thought so delightful and elevating as the one to which the reader is here invited. The Scriptures are a case enclosing one precious jewel. They reveal the Christ, the study of whose character transforms and transfigures the life as no other power can do. A man will be made after the manner of his thoughts. If these are employed in the realm of exalted great- ness his soul will expand until it reaches the dimensions of his aspirations. If he ponders over low and inferior subjects he will never rise above his theme, for as a man "thinketh in his heart, so is he." It is an exalted privi- lege to "think God's thoughts after him." Behind the curtain of nature and the play of forces stands an unseen Being who has created the world, pre- scribed the laws of nature, and stamped the whole with his thought. The Bible is the clear expression of the mind or thought of God as dimly out- lined in the book of the universe. Between these two revelations there is no discord. Theories of science conflict among themselves; but the verdict of the ripest scholarship of the age is that science and the Scriptures exhibit a more wonderful harmony as the world advances. The author places special emphasis upon the positive side of revealed v vi PREFACE truth ; a positive revelation from God, as the only infallible rule of faith and practice, is a priceless treasure. The church is the custodian of these sacred oracles. In this day when skepticism is so rife, and when men who pose as Christian teachers seek to betray the church with theories not in accord with the saving truth as revealed in the Word of God, a tremendous obligation rests upon the church to lift aloft the light of truth and let it shine out clear and strong, its rays unbroken by the film of doubt, its luster undimmed by irrational criticism, high or low. A most commendable feature of this work is its conciseness of statement. The great doctrines are given in condensed and convenient form. We are living in an intensely practical age. The majority of men will not take time for extensive reading in any line of study. The student of to-day who seeks help in the study of the Bible wants practical facts, not theories or wild speculations. This work admirably meets the demand. The student of to-day also requires that even theology be written in a lively way. Dullness in writing, or telling mankind how to find the way out of this tangled world, ought to be branded as a sin. The author happily meets this requirement. Nothing dull comes from his pen. He not only sees the truth clearly, and tells it plainly, but there is a refreshing sprightliness in the style, which infuses it with warmth and color and clothes it with beauty. The generous reception given to the writings of the Bishop, and his promi- nence as an author, are guarantees that the future of this book is assured. Such a gift to the church and to the world is a fitting climax to his good and useful life. The sunset of the nineteenth century will presage with added glory the coming of the twentieth because Bishop Weaver lived, thought, and wrote. H. H. Fout. CONTENTS. Preface, ---------- t Contents, ---------- v ji Introduction, ---------- x i CHAPTER I. Theology, 1 CHAPTER II. The Existence of God, -------- 9 CHAPTER III. The Attributes of God, ------- 21 CHAPTER IV. The Divinity of Christ, 3& CHAPTER V. Hypostatic Union, -------- 44 CHAPTER VI. The Personality and Deity of the Holy Ghost, - - - 49 CHAPTER VII. Influence and Office of the Holy Spirit, - 57 CHAPTER VIII. The Trinity, - 63 CHAPTER IX. Man, Origin and Fall, ------- 71 CHAPTER X. The Free Moral Agency of Man, ------ 83 ▼ii viii CONTENTS CHAPTER XI. Immortality of the Soul, ---..... 90 CHAPTER XII. The Existence of Angels, ....... 101 CHAPTER XIII. The Personal Existence and Evil Influence of Devils, - - 106 CHAPTER XIV. Evidences of Christianity, ------- 112 CHAPTER XV. The Atonement, - , - - - - - - - - 131 CHAPTER XVI. Repentance, - - - - - - - 149 CHAPTER XVII. Faith, __-------• 156 CHAPTER XVIII. Justification, - 162 CHAPTER XIX. Regeneration, --------- 170 CHAPTER XX. Adoption — Sonship, --------- 17G CHAPTER XXI. Witness of the Spirit — Assurance, ----- 180 CHAPTER XXII. Sanctification, -------- CHAPTER XXIII. Divine Providence, ------- CONTENTS ix CHAPTER XXIV. Love to God, ------- - - 205 CHAPTER XXV. Prayer, 212 CHAPTER XXVI. Reading and Studying the Scriptures, - - - - 222 CHAPTER XXVII. Purlic Worship, --------- 229 CHAPTER XXVIII. Christian Benevolence, -------- 234 CHAPTER XXIX. The Church, - - 242 CHAPTER XXX. Baptism, - - - - *. - - - - - - 248 CHAPTER XXXI. The Lord's Supper, - - - • 262 CHAPTER XXXII. The Sabrath, - 268 CHAPTER XXXIII. The Intermediate State, ------- 278 CHAPTER XXXIV. The Resurrection of the Dead, ------ 289 CHAPTER XXXV. Future General Judgment, ------- 299 CHAPTER XXXVI. Future State of the Righteous, ------ 306 x CONTENTS CHAPTER XXXVII. Future State of the Wicked, - - . - 312 CHAPTER XXXVIII. Hades (Hell), 321 CHAPTER XXXIX. Church Government, 327 CHAPTER XL. The Ministry, 337 CHAPTER XLI. Written Creeds — Disciplines, 352 CHAPTER XLII. Husbands and Wives, - - - - - - - - - 360 CHAPTER XLI II.- Parents and Children, ....... 365 CHAPTER XLIV. Civil Government, 370 Index, 377 INTRODUCTION. The two principal sources of theology are nature and revelation. Natural theology has its held, but when compared with revealed theology it is as the early dawn to high noonday. In natural theology we find evidences of the existence of an intelligent first cause-— evidences of knowledge, wisdom, power, and goodness. But it is only when viewed in the light of revealed theology that we can arrive at anything clear and satisfactory. Dr. Miley says, "Many of the deeper truths of Christianity could never be discovered simply in the light of nature. No truths of theology are so clearly given therein as in the Scriptures." The fact that God in his infinite goodness has given us a revelation of divine things, is in itself sufficient evidence of its necessity. The wisest men of all the ages, after the most diligent and patient investi- gation, unaided by revelation, failed to arrive at any satisfactory conclusions concerning the fatherhood of God, the love of God, or a universal providence. Neither did they realize their moral and individual responsibility to God, nor how to worship him aright. Christian theology is aided in its development from the realm of nature, and from other sources, but revelation is the main source. There is no real conflict between true science and theology. When scien- tists shall understand theology better, and theologians shall understand science better, they will see the most beautiful harmony between the two. Some things are pressed into the field of science which do not properly belong there ; they are only theories and speculations, without any real fact as a basis. True science, while it should always be made subordinate to revela- tion, is not out of harmony with it. "In true religion," says Dr. White, "truth is first and supreme. Truth, exact, well-defined, and correlated, should be the object of the theologian as well as the scientist, both in the matters of nature and the records of Scripture. When this rule is thoroughly adopted and followed there will be no warfare between science and theology." While it is not claimed that too much attention is given to the sciences, it is to be feared that too little attention is devoted to revelation. It is offensive to the pride of human reason to be required to yield to anything superhuman. "Men who have been educated under the light of revelation, and who have access to the discoveries there made, may pursue an*d improve these discoveries, and then securely boast of what mighty things they can do by the strength of their own reason and penetration." Paul was a learned man, and doubtless knew something about the poets and philosophers of the pagan world ; nevertheless he says, "The world by wisdom knew not God" ( I. Cor. 1 : 21 ) . The poets and philosophers did know something about God, or the gods, but the wisest and best among them did not know God as he is made known by revelation. Human learning and philosophy have done their utmost to recover mankind from idolatry and polytheism, but have utterly failed. They have failed in "instructing mankind in the right knowledge and worship of the only true God." These observations are not made with the view of detracting one iota from human reason and philosophy, but to show that, unaided by revelation, they have failed, and must continue to fail to bring to mankind that knowledge of divine things which it is necessary to know, and which from his own intuitions xii INTRODUCTION he desires to know. Human reason and philosophy falter and tremble on the very threshold of the invisible. Pagan philosophers would sometimes talk about God, and then about the gods. Sometimes they seemed to believe in. the immortality of the soul and then again leave it in doubt. They often rea- soned well concerning a future state, but would affirm nothing. Between their lives you could always find that cheerless "if." Dr. Leland says, "It having appeared by experience, after a long trial, that human wisdom and reason, if left to itself, was insufficient to recover and re- form mankind, it pleased God in his great goodness to grant a revelation from heaven, which was designed to be published to the heathen nations." He also says, "If we have now the knowledge of the only true God, if not only men of great learning and deep speculation, but thousands of the people in Christian nations have a juster notion of God, of his providence, and of the worship that is due to him, in opposition to all idolatry and polytheism, than ever the wise men and philosophers among the pagans had, to what can this so properly be ascribed as to the light of divine revelation which shineth among us?" But for the light and benefit of a divine revelation the pre- sumption is that we should be wandering in the mazes of error and supersti- tion. If such men as Socrates, Plato, Cicero, and their coadjutors "were at so great a loss in what related to the knowledge and worship of the only true God," from what source have we reason to think such knowledge would come? Nature is a source of theology, but without the light of revelation thrown upon it, it furnishes no certain knowledge of God, of providence, and of the worship of the only true God. Neither does it furnish any certain knowledge of the origin and future destiny of mankind. Questions which deeply con- cern the human mind are all left in the realm of doubt. But under the light of divine revelation nature furnishes many beautiful and helpful lessons con- cerning the knowledge, wisdom, power, and benevolence of God. The study of Christian theology is not only instructive, but elevating and delightful. No subject in all the range of human thought is to be compared to it. As a science, it rises above all other sciences, and is, when properly understood, the basis of all science. "Theology proper," says Dr. Pope, "is the doctrine concerning God," while Christian theology is "the science of God and divine things, or religion, as based upon the revelation made to mankind in Jesus Christ and systematized within the Christian church." In studying theology we are brought into companionship with the purest and best minds of all the ages. We enter into companionship, and, if we will, into fellowship with Jesus Christ. We travel with him from place to place during the time of his ministry on earth. We listen to his Sermon on the Mount ; sit at Jacob's well and hear that wonderful discourse delivered to the woman of Samaria ; we are with him in the home of Martha and Mary, and go with them to the grave of Lazarus and hear him when he commands Death to give up his victim ; we are with him on the Mount of Transfigura- tion, and witness a scene never to be forgotten — heaven and earth brought in touch with each other. Descending from the mount, we listen to his parables, and witness his miracles — the deaf are made to hear, the blind to see, the lame to walk, and all manner of diseases are cured. With peculiar delight we listen to his words concerning the fatherhood and love of God. Then we are with him in the Garden of Gethsemane, and as he stands before Pilate. We go to Calvary, to see him nailed to the cross, and hear his seven utter- ances during the six hours of his indescribable suffering. Then we go with Joseph and Nicodemus and see his wounded body laid in the tomb. On the INTRODUCTION xiii morning of the third day we go back to the tomb, and lo ! the tomb is empty, and we confront an angel, who tells us he is not there, but is risen from the dead. Forty days afterward we go with him over against Bethany, and see him as he ascends to heaven. In like manner we travel about with patriarchs, prophets, and apostles, and finally go with John to Patmos, and catch some glimpses of what there is beyond this world. What study can be more delightful and of deeper interest than that of Christian theology? espe- cially since we find in it what we cannot find elsewhere, and realize that it meets a want in the soul which human reason and philosophy never have satis- fied, and never can. In the preparation of this book the author has not attempted to produce anything new or elaborate. There is a field for scholastic, polemic, and sys- tematic theology, but although this is fairly well supplied, there is a broad field demanding more of the positive — the plain truth stated in clear and positive form. Dr. Ralston says : "While in all the various branches pertaining to mere physical and intellectual sciences the master-minds of the age have gone forth in active and energetic search of improved methods of rendering these studies pleasing and easy, it is remarkable that in theology, the greatest and most important of all sciences, so little effort has been made in this direction. The science of divinity is a sublime system of positive truth, and should be set forth in an easy, natural, and connected form." It is a fact that a large per cent, of ministers, and a still larger per cent, of church people, are not in condition to enter successfully upon the study of polemic, scholastic, or systematic theology. They have not, and will not have the advantage of intellectual culture such as is necessary to enter upon such a course of study. The present needs of the church are to be considered, not what they have been in the past, nor what they may be in the future. Both the church and the world must be taken as they are, not at what they ought to be. He is a philosopher who will take things as they are, and, as far as consistent, adapt himself to them, and then try to make them better. There does not appear to be any lack of theories and speculations, but there is a lack of the positive. The pulpit should deal more largely in the positive and more sparingly in theories and speculations. There is no substitute for the plain simple truths of the gospel of Christ. It was the aim of the author to present, in a connected form, the cardinal doctrines of Christian theology. He offers no apology for the liberal use he has made of the Holy Scriptures. While he has consulted many authors on the several doctrines considered, his purpose was to make the Scriptures the standard of proof and appeal. We are living in an active and aggressive age. Everything is moving rapidly, and men are in too great haste to read or listen to critical and elaborate arguments for or against anything. The demand is for the positive, the plain, simple truth. Skepticism in its multiplied forms was never in a more confused condition than at this time. Its votaries, as if by common consent, are seeking refuge in the delapidated fortress of agnosticism. If the church of the living God will stand firmly and uncompromisingly by the great fundamental truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and if the living ministry will deliver those truths in demonstration of the Spirit, there is good reason to believe that in the very near future the church will reap such a harvest as never before. With no small degree of timidity, and with many misgivings, the author submits his unpretentious book to the friends of Christianity, trusting that it may be helpful to all who will take time to read and examine its contents. CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY CHAPTER I. THEOLOGY. In entering upon the study of any science it is necessary that the student have fixed in his mind a clear and distinct un- derstanding of the meaning and scope of what he is about to study. Theology is a science, and as such it is the broadest and most comprehensive of all, because it not only touches but in- cludes all the sciences. To find its origin we must go back of all created things, back of all ages known to men or angels. God is the foundation of all theology. Christian theology is built upon this rock, and relies upon revelation for its facts, especially upon that which relates to Jesus Christ. "He is the supreme teacher both, of theology and religion ; they are united in him." There are many truths which relate to science which are ex- ceedingly interesting and profitable to mankind. "But the grandest truths in the great encyclopedia of physics sink into comparative insignificance when brought into comparison with the truth of Scripture." In this short chapter we desire to sub- mit in several forms, not wholly original, the wonderful science of Christian theology. It is not proposed to discuss any one point of doctrine in particular, but to so present the different branches of theology as to assist the reader in forming some conceptions of its vastness. In submitting these divisions and subdivisions of the subject we shall follow the general plan laid down by some of the most learned and able theologians that have ever written upon it. 2 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY The term "theology" comes from e^ God, and Uyoc doc- trine; the doctrine of God and divine things. The word, or term, first occurred in Plato and Aristotle, who understood by- it, not the doctrine of the true God, but the doctrine concerning the Greek gods. The Greek Christians used the term yv&ns (knowledge) when they wished to designate any deep philo- sophical truths of religion. The term "theology" does not occur in the New Testament. It came into use in the third and fourth centuries, especially by such of the Christian fathers as defined the doctrine of the deity of the Logos. In this sense John the Evangelist and Gregory of Nazianzus were termed "theo- logians." About this time, namely the third and fourth cen- turies, the term "theology" was applied specifically to the doc- trine of the Trinity. "In this century its application was wid- ened by Theodoret, who used the term to denote the whole circle of theoretical instruction in religion; and finally, Abelard, through his 'Theologia Christiana/ gave the word that com- prehensive signification it still bears, as expressive not only of a theoretical but also a practical exposition of religious truth. The word 'divinity' is sometimes used to denote the same thing as theology." Dr. Pope defines theology thus: "God is the source and the subject and the end of theology. The stricter and earlier uses of the word limited it to the doctrine of the triune God and his attributes. But in modern usage it includes the whole compass of the science of religion, or the relations of all things to God." Dr. Hodge says, "Theology, therefore, is the exhibition of the facts of Scripture in their proper order and relation with the principles or general truths involved in the facts themselves, and which pervade and harmonize the whole." These definitions cover substantially the whole field of Christian theology. The two great sources of Christian the- ology are nature and revelation. From the light of nature and our own consciousness we learn something about God and of THEOLOGY 3 our own individual responsibility. But many of the deeper truths of Christianity could never be discovered simply by the light of nature. The term "theology" is variously used by theologians to desig- nate the several branches of doctrine, or Scripture truths, and the several ways in which these truths are presented. We can do but little more than name and define some of the principal terms used in designating these several branches. The field of Christian theology is so vast that no one can discuss all its parts. The "science of God and divine things" opens up a line of thought which will doubtless occupy the mind through all the eternities. Natural Theology, This is an interesting and instructive branch of the science of theology which treats of divine things. It treats of the being, attributes, and will of God as manifest in the various phenomena in nature. Natural theology opens the great book of the universe, and finds on every page evidences of the existence of God, and to some extent the attributes and character of God. "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament sheweth his handiwork." Natural theology treats mainly of what is made manifest in the works of nature. It teaches us especially to reason from effect to cause. No thinking man, that "considers the heavens" in their vastness and glory, will venture to say that there are no marks of design to be seen in the universe. The ancient skeptics found nothing to set up against the evidences of design. The wisdom and skill manifest in the contrivance of the material universe force the mind to admit that there are at least some marks of design. If, therefore, we find in nature any evidences of design, it estab- lishes the fact of a designer. This is the rock upon which nat- ural theology rests. From the various phenomena in nature we may reason a posteriori, and prove the existence of a wise, 4 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY benevolent, and powerful God. This is the province of natural theology. Polemic Theology. This term was first used by Friedman Bechmann, a Jena theologian of the seventeenth century, who wrote a book under the title of "Theologia Polemica." Po^ lemic theology treats mainly of disputed points in a critical manner; "taking up the different or erroneous views that have been advanced respecting them, and refuting them either by logical argument or by an exposure of them by a true critical exposition of such texts of Scripture as bear upon the contro- verted points." Positive Theology. This treats more directly of what may be regarded as the fundamental doctrines of Christianity. It ap- peals directly and mainly to the Word of God and the testi- monies of the fathers, the decrees of councils, etc., to settle dis- puted points of doctrine without so much circumlocution. In this it differs widely from polemics. Polemics deal largely in negatives, communicating truth by revealing absurdities. Posi- tive theology aims to convey the truth to the mind upon its own merits, "without the intervention of any doubtful media." It seeks "to condense as much as possible and to bring the con- stellation of Bible doctrines within the field of vision from every standpoint in the activities of life and the gradations of intelli- gence." While we would not reject all polemics, we neverthe- less believe that the direct mode is the better way of dealing with the great doctrines of the Bible. Jesus Christ, the greatest teacher the world ever knew, dealt sparingly in the negatives; the same is true of the apostles. They taught what they be- lieved, and believed what they taught. The pulpit is never so strong and forceful as when it deals in the positives of Christian theology. Scholastic Theology. This is "that species of divinity which clears and discusses questions by reason and argument." In THEOLOGY 5 this it is the opposite of positive theology. It is a laborious way of reaching the truth, and can only be adopted by a few per- sons. In this practical age it is falling far behind, and is much less regarded than formerly. "This form of school divinity," says Professor Henderson, "is now fallen into contempt, and is scarcely regarded anywhere, but in some of the universities, where they are still by their character obliged to teach it." Systematic Theology. This implies and includes a methodic- ally arranged form of the great truths and precepts of Chris- tianity. By such an arrangement the student in theology will be better able to study and comprehend the cardinal truths of re- vealed religion. The doctrines of Christianity form a com- plete system — a perfect chain, reaching through all ages, adapted to all people, and including time and eternity. Viewed in the light of a complete system, the student in theology will be able to see the truths "in their natural connection, and thus to perceive both the natural dependence of the parts and the symmetry of the whole." Pastoral Theology. This is that department of theological science which relates to the practical duties of the ministerial office. It combines in the sacred office the idea of watchman, shepherd, and evangelist. Its importance arises from the very nature of the case — "the personal application of the pulpit min- istry to the proper individualities of the people." "No branch of Christianity should be studied with greater care than this. To these might be added exegetical, biblical, dogmatic, and historical theology; but these cover substantially the same ground, and are largely included in the several branches named. Dr. Pope sums up the whole science of Christian theology thus : "(1) That God is the sole teacher of the things concerning him- self ; he alone who gave the faculty and instinct can respond to it. (2) That the essence of theology is the practical knowledge of God as revealed in his Son through his Spirit. (3) That 6 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY the study can be successfully carried on only in the spirit of reverence and devotion. All is concerning God, and comes from God, and leads to God." It should not be considered an objection to the Holy Scrip- tures, because no such systematic arrangement may be found in them. "Holy Writ is given us that it may be used by us for our spiritual instruction and improvement; reason is given us to enable us to make the proper use of both the temporal and spir- itual benefits which God has seen meet to bestow. We are, then, at liberty — nay, it is our duty — to arrange the doctrine of Holy Writ in such a way as may prove most useful in assisting us both to understand and to retain it." In the providence of God, learned and devout men have been raised up who have devoted many years to studying and arrang- ing the great truths of Christianity into a system, so that the student in theology, while he must always cling closely to the Word of God, is materially aided in his study of the great doc- trines of the Bible by this systematic arrangement. It may still be a little more comprehensive to consider this subject in a somewhat different light. Our object is, as much as possible, to get before the mind of the student what is implied and included in the science of theology. In the analysis of the- ology as given by Dr. Henderson, the whole system has been divided into four parts, namely, exegetical, systematic, histor- ical, and 'pastoral. We give this because we have not seen any- thing better : I . Exegetical Theology. This department comprehends, 1. Biblical Introduction, which treats of the age, origin, contents, and character of the sacred writings. 2. Biblical Criticism, distinguished into (1) Verbal Criticism, which relates to the integrity of the original text; (2) Higher Criticism, which examines the authenticity of the several books; (3) Biblical Interpretation, or Herma- neutics; (4) Biblical Exposition, or Exegesis. THEOLOGY 7 II. Systematic Theology. This department comprehends, 1. Theoretical Theology, or Dogmatics, dis- tinguished into (1) Biblical, which draws its system exclusively from the Scriptures; (2) Ecclesiastical, which exhibits systematically the doctrines of a church; (3) Polemic, which undertakes to refute false exhibitions on the spot; (4) Apologetic, which is the defense and confirmation of Chris- tianity in general. 2. Practical Theology, or Christian Ethics, which system- atically applies the Christian rules of duty to (1) the Internal Affections and Motives; (2) the Visible Actions of Mankind. 3. Didactic Theolo- gy. This further distinction arises from the mode in which Systematic The- ology is taught, which may be (1) Scientific, which puts in requisition all the aids of learning; (2) Popular, which leaves out of view all that cannot be apprehended without learned attainments. III. Historical Theology. This department comprehends, 1. The General History of Religion among mankind. 2. The History of the Christian Religion, or Church History. 3. History of Doctrines (including Patristic, or the writings of the Fathers). 4. History of Creeds and Denominations. 5. Antiquities, Jewish and Chris- tian, of Archaeology. 6. Theological literature, of Bibliography. IV. Pastoral Theology. This department comprehends, 1. Sacred Rhetoric, which is divided into (1) Homiletics, or the preparation for the Pulpit; (2) Catachetics, or the Instruction of the young. 2. Pastoral Duties, including (1) Officia, Charac- ter, and Habits; (2) Forms of Worship and Devotion. 3. Ecclesiastical Discipline, or Law, which is (1) General, or common to all Christian de- nominations; (2) Special, or belonging peculiarly to his own. The whole circle of theological learning is fully included in the foregoing arrangement. In magnitude and grandeur no science is to be compared with that of theology — a the subject God and man, eternal life, eternal death." God and man. The doctrines which relate to God, as ar- ranged by Dr. Ralston, include (1) "the existence of God, (2) the attributes of God, (3) the divinity of Christ, (4) the per- sonality and divinity of the Holy Ghost, (5) the Holy Trinity, (6) the creation, (7) divine providence. The doctrines relating to man are (1) the primeval state of man, (2) the fall of man, (3) the effect of the fall — depravity, (4) the moral agency of man, (5) the final destiny of man." The Holy Scriptures, with such helps as we may be able to 8 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY obtain, should be studied with great care, praying the while that the Holy Spirit may lead us into all truth. Truth, which is "a principle of eternal verity, inherent in God," and revealed in his Word, is what we must seek for. This is the living soul of Christian theology. CHAPTER II. THE EXISTENCE OF GOD. All nations, even from the remotest antiquity, have believed in the existence of God. Through all the revolutions of successive ages this idea was never wholly lost. This belief forms the foun- dation of all religions, whether natural or revealed. Eliminate this idea from the human mind, and there would be no religion at all. If there is no being in the universe superior to ourselves, then there is no object of worship, and if there is no object of worship, there can be no such thing as religion. Religion and worship mutually imply each other. Neither can exist without the other. With this sublime idea the first sentence of the Holy Bible opens, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." According to the learned Dr. Adam Clarke, the term "God," from the Hebrew Elohim, is traced back to the Arabic root Alaha. This not only implies a supreme being, but that he is good, and the only proper object of worship. In Latin the word God is Bens, and in Greek Theos, which signify supreme being. In all languages the term "God" implies and includes the idea of worship. All nations, therefore, that worship, in what- ever form, must believe in a being superior to themselves ; and as all nations in all the ages have worshiped, we conclude that all nations believe in the existence of God. The universal idea or belief in the existence of some being superior to man is an unanswerable argument in favor of theism. Whence this idea ? If it be said that it is traditional, the force of the argument is not weakened. Man is not eternal. There must have been a first man. Whence did he obtain this idea? It cannot be attributed to the light of revelation, for the idea obtains among the lowest heathen nations on earth — nations and peoples 10 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY upon whom not a ray of the light of revelation has ever fallen. Whence did they derive this idea ? Dr. Miley says : "Religion is as widespread as the human family, and pervades the history of the race. But religion carries with it some form of the idea of God or of some order of supernatural existence." It must be so, else there would be no religion. But religion in some form or other is universal, and therefore the idea of some form of supernatural existence must be universal. !No matter how we may account for the origin of man, the fact remains that wher- ever he is found upon the face of the earth the idea of the ex- istence of some supernatural being or beings prevails. ~No mat- ter what they worship, whether it is wood or stone, there is some- thing more present in their thought than the visible object they worship. Again we ask, Whence this universal idea of the existence of some being or beings superior to man? Since it cannot be affirmed that it came by tradition or revelation, the only remain- ing answer is that it is intuitive. It inheres in the very nature of man. He cannot get away from himself. His own conscious- ness abides with him. Dr. Miley says : "The idea of God as a sense or conviction of his existence is a product of the intuitive faculty. There is an intuitive faculty of the mind — the faculty of immediate insight into truth." If it could be proved beyond all doubt that there are nations and tribes of men who have no religion at all — that do not worship anything, — it would bear against this intuitive idea of God. But such a nation or tribe is yet to be found. The idea of the existence of some being or beings superior to man is universal, and hence intuitive. The history of all past ages, together with the facts of the present age, shows beyond all reasonable doubt that man is con- stitutionally religious. How else can we account for the uni- versal disposition to worship ? If man had no intuition of the existence of a being superior to himself, he would not worship TEE EXISTENCE OF GOD 11 at all. From whatever source he derived his existence he derived this intuition. If God created man, as the Bible affirms, then we have a solution of this problem. But if there is no God, and man came from no one knows where, the problem remains unsolved. "If atheism is true, then man is out of harmony with truth." This is an anomaly, and how are we to account for it ? Atheism says there is no God — no supernatural first cause ; but man has within him the intuitive conviction that there is a God, and this conviction is as universal as the family of man. If man is the offspring of chance, or if he is evolved from some lower order of being, it is strange indeed that he should be so completely "out of harmony with truth." It would seem most reasonable that whatever caused him to exist would impress upon his nature the truth. But if atheism is true, then that which caused man to be is untrustworthy, for it impressed upon his consciousness the conviction that there is a God — some being or beings superior to himself. But turning from atheism to theism, we find an easy solution of this problem. God created man and impressed upon his immortal nature the idea of himself, so that man, wher- ever you find him, is not out of harmony with truth, but out of harmony with atheism. Arguments in proof of the divine existence may be gathered from every nook and corner of the material universe, but the fact of this universal intuitive conviction ought to settle the question beyond all doubt. Our general idea of God is well expressed in the following language: "God, that infinitely great, intelligent, and free being; of perfect goodness, wisdom, and power; transcend- ently glorious in holiness; who made the universe, and con- tinues to support it, as well as to govern and direct it by his providence and law." A few other definitions may be added. Martensen gives a 12 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY definition which Dr. Hodge thinks cannot be surpassed, "God is a spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in his wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth." Dr. Miley de- fines it thus, "God is an eternal personal being, of absolute knowledge, power, and goodness." Mr. Rothe, that great thinker of Germany, says, "It is an incomparably great thing to affirm the existence of God." Modern atheistic philosophy has made it more reasonable to make this affirmation. Facts are stubborn things against which, to contend. Marks of design and workmanship are so clearly manifest in the multiplied contrivances in the material universe that skeptics find no argument to set up against them, and do not so boldly affirm that there is no God. They have taken shelter under the thin covering of agnosticism, and say, "We do not know." There lies before me a book. It is neatly bound. I open it and find letters put together forming words, and words put together forming sentences. I notice also commas, colons, semicolons, and periods. Everything about it seems to be in order. Whence this book ? Was it made ? Did somebody put it together ? The agnostic says, "I do not know." But no man of common sense would accept such an answer as satisfactory. The material universe is a book with unnumbered marks of design and workmanship. Was it made ? Did some one arrange its different parts and set them in motion ? The agnostic says> "I do not know." The know-nothingism of the great body of skeptics to-day is the surest evidence of the weakness of their cause. Driven from the field of downright atheism by the great army of facts so apparent in the material universe, against which they have no argument, they seek shelter in the dilapi- dated castle of ignorance, "I do not know." To prove the existence of a God such as the Bible represents, it is only necessary to admit the existence of cause and effect, and their proper relation to each other. It must be conceded THE EXISTENCE OF GOD 13 that the cause is equal to the effect. "No attribute, power, or quality can reside in the effect superior to the single or aggregate properties of the cause." The material universe in all its mil- lions of parts, stands before us as the effect of some cause, and the cause must be equal to the effect. All right reason stands ready to affirm this. Furthermore, wherever we see evidences of design we must admit the pre-existence of a designer. It is not supposable that the complete adaptation of one thing to another is the result of chance; nor is it possible to suppose that nothing produced something. Something must have always existed, else we have an effect without a cause, which is impossible. There are but two primary substances in the universe known to philosophers ; these are matter and mind. Now, whichever of these existed first must be the cause of the other. Which is the greater, mat- ter or mind ? If mind is superior to matter, then mind must have produced matter. If matter produced mind, then we have an effect vastly greater than the cause. If it be assumed that matter is eternal, then how shall we account for the production of life \ So far as we know, life proceeds from life, and from nothing else. If inert matter under any circumstances produced life, these same elements and forces must still remain as properties of matter, and like re- sults would follow. But such is not the fact. At the very threshold of this theory rests the far-reaching and unanswered question, Can that which is mutable be eternal \ All matter is mutable, subject to change, and hence in the nature of things cannot be eternal. God only is immutable, and he only is eter- nal. He is from everlasting to everlasting; the first cause of all that is. "That which is a first cause is uncaused. There is nothing back of a first," and that first is eternal. If matter is eternal, then it is first cause. But matter is mutable, and therefore cannot be eternal. 14 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY The idea of spontaneous generation is contrary to all philo- sophical nniformitarianism. We see everything around which has life, vegetable or animal, deriving existence in a manner which ought forever to silence the advocates of spontaneous gen- eration. Are plants and trees produced without seeds or scions \ Do animals grow on trees, and men spring up out of the ground % No. "Plant produces plant, tree produces tree, animals spring from animals, and man from man." With these facts before us we can arrive at but one conclusion, which is this, "There must have been a first plant which did not spring from a pre-existing plant; and there must have been a first pair of human beings who were not begotten by any previously existing human be- ings." The only logical conclusion that we can reach is this: There must have been a Creator who existed before all created things, for in no other way can we account for the origin of man or the production of life in any form. "The plain argument," says Maclaurin, in his "An Account of Sir Isaac Newton's Philosophy," "for the existence of the Deity, obvious to all, and carrying irresistible conviction with it, is from the evident contrivance and fitness of things for one another which we meet throughout all parts of the universe. There is no need of nice or subtle reasonings in this matter ; a manifest contrivance immediately suggests a contriver. It strikes us like a sensation ; and artful reasoning against it may puzzle us, but it is without shaking our belief." An Arab was asked how he knew there was a God. "How do I know," he asked, "whether a camel or a man passed my tent last night ? I know by the footprints." Whoever will take time to consider the evidences of the divine existence, as mani- fest in the contrivances, order, and complete fitness of things throughout all parts of the universe, must conclude that a wise, intelligent, and benevolent being devised and arranged it all. Cicero said that he would as soon believe that every line of the TEE EXISTENCE OF GOD 15 "Iliad" of Homer was written by shaking letters together in a bag as that this universe arose out of blind chance. Can it be that all the planets came whirling into their places without the existence of an intelligent first cause? a The moon revolves around our earth ; the earth, with its associate planets, revolves around the sun. The sun, with all its circling planets, moons, and asteroids, is rushing along upon a still mightier orbit, thirty-three millions of miles in a year, in a revolution which it takes eighteen thousand years to accomplish. All the infinite host of heaven is grouped into clusters and systems that revolve orbit within orbit, and world around world, until a firmament of millions of suns is balanced by another as great, and all go sweeping together around some mightier center." The mind is awe-stricken as the facts of science flash upon it. Think of this earth apparently at rest, and yet it is carrying us eastward at the rate of a thousand miles an hour, and is being whirled about the sun at the rate of nineteen thousand miles an hour ; and the sun himself, whose size is so great that our earth is only a pigmy by his side, is moving at the rate of three thousand miles a minute. Then it is to be remembered that all these vast worlds and systems of worlds are held in their "eternal grooves without variation" by two opposing forces, so evenly bal- anced that neither appears greater than the other. These are the centripetal, which draws toward some greater body, and the centrifugal, which repels from the center. All this contriv- ance, and this complete adjustment and adaptation of one thing to another are facts which cannot be set aside, for they are clearly manifest in the material universe. Let any thinking man contemplate what the result would be if one of those mighty worlds, such as Jupiter, should be thrown from its "eternal groove." In a moment all worlds would be thrown into wild confusion, and as if maddened by such mis- hap, would dash against each other until they all would be 16 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY broken into fragments. But no such catastrophe has occurred. For ages untold each world has kept within its own groove. Can all this be attributed to the caprice of chance \ If there be no God, no intelligent First Cause, then all this harmonious ar- rangement, all this complete adaptation of one thing to another, is, and of necessity must be, the offspring of nothing. Reason, philosophy, and all true science revolt against such an incon- ceivable theory. In whatever direction we turn our eyes or di- rect our thought we are greeted with unmistakable evidences of wisdom, power, benevolence, and design. But notwithstanding these and in spite of these, "the fool hath said in his heart, there is no God." We see evidences of design, but no designer; a creation, but no creator ; a universe, but no God. We are chil- dren, but have no father. Whence we are, and whither bound, we know not. Fatherless, homeless, hopeless ! How reasonable and comforting the belief of the Christian, that "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth" ; that this God is infinitely great, intelligent, of perfect wisdom, power, and goodness. All things were made by him and for him, for he was before all things. "The invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being un- derstood by the things that are made." Nature, philosophy, revelation, and our own consciousness, all certify that there is a God of infinite wisdom, power, and goodness. We intuitively feel that there is a being superior to ourselves. We cannot get away from this conviction. No matter what conceptions we may have of that being, the fact abides in our own consciousness. This sentiment obtains among all the nations and peoples of the earth. Whence this universal conviction? The old philoso- phers, while they held strange views concerning the gods, never seemed to doubt the fact of their existence. Men to-day who reason, or attempt to reason against the existence of God, are but trying to quiet this inner consciousness. It is a battle be- TEE EXISTENCE OF GOD 17 tween their will and their convictions. Joseph Cook says, " Con- science is the voice of God." If it be not so, whence this voice ? Mr. Anselm says, "The idea of God in the mind of man is the one unanswerable evidence of the existence of God." If there is no being superior to man, whence this feeling of dependence, this sense of obligation, this conviction of right and wrong ? Do not these all point to a higher power? No matter what the standard of right and wrong may be among the different nations and peoples of the earth, the fact remains that these convictions are universal, and can only be accounted for by a belief in the existence of God. If it be assumed that all things come into existence by the combined action of certain laws and forces, we are still at sea. If it could be demonstrated beyond ail doubt that the universe, by these laws and forces, were evolved from one single atom, the question would then be, Whence these laws and forces ? and whence that atom ? An atom is something, and so are laws and forces. Were these evolved from nothing \ If they were, then nothing is something. That which evolves is, and of necessity must be, something. No matter what the assumption of evo- lutionists and skeptical scientists may be, they cannot establish as a fact that the universe was evolved from nothing. Some- thing must be eternal, and that something is the first cause of all created things. What was that first something? Was it mind or matter ? If we say matter, then we must account for the production of life. Professor Huxley, notwithstanding his evolution theories, says, "The present state of knowledge fur- nishes us with no link between the living and not living." Tyndall is compelled to say, "I affirm that no shred of trust- worthy experimental testimony exists to prove that life in our day has ever appeared independently of antecedent life." Henry Drummond, in his "Natural Law in the Spiritual World," says, "It is now recognized on every hand that life can 18 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY only come from the touch of life." This is no far-fetched dec- laration. It is in perfect harmony with the manner in which we see everything around us deriving existence. Back of all laws and forces; back of all animal and vegetable life; back of everything else we must find life. The eternal God is that life. Back of this we cannot go. Aside from this we can give no in- telligent account of the origin of matter, nor of the existence of life. We search in vain for an adequate cause to produce either matter or life outside of this sublime declaration, "In the begin- ning God created the heaven and the earth, and all that in them is, visible and invisible ; and he sustains, protects, and governs these with gracious regard for the welfare of man, to the glory of his name." Here is solid rock, upon which we may stand secure. Arguments in proof of the existence of God may be drawn from the Scriptures: (1) The exact fulfillment of prophecies. An astronomer may predict an eclipse of the sun or moon many years in advance of its occurrence, but this differs widely from prophecy. The time of an eclipse is based on the most certain data — fixed laws. It would be a miracle if it did not occur at the exact time predicted. ^Not so with prophecy. It has no data — no fixed law by which it is or can be determined. ^None but an infinite mind can foretell future events which are contingent upon human agency. (2) Miracles, like prophecy, are proofs conclusive of supernatural power. A miracle is not performed by the operation of any fixed law, but in a manner different from the regular method of providence, by the power of God himself. (3) Unity of the Holy Scriptures. The Bible contains sixty-six books, written by about forty different per- sons, during a period of sixteen hundred years, "yet one aim, without consultation or preconcert on the part of the writers, pervades the Scriptures from beginning to end. Unity under such peculiar circumstances would be impossible except on the THE EXISTENCE OF GOD 19 supposition of one dictating Author using inspired men as his amanuenses ; therefore, this Book of books can be accounted for only by assuming the existence of God as a sufficient cause." (4) The remarkable preservation of the Scriptures through so many ages is evidence of the supervision of a wise and gracious Providence. (5) The complete adaptation of the sacred Scrip- tures to the needs and wants of mankind is a standing proof that the author is divine. No class of uninspired men, scattered through sixteen centuries, could write such a book. But these facts will be more fully considered in connection with the evi- dences of Christianity. A creation without a Creator ; a design without a Designer ; a stupendous universe without a God, are thoughts which fill the heart with sadness and gloom. Launched from some unknown shore, sailing amid storms and breakers, we know not whither, brings but poor comfort to voyagers. The human mind is in endless protest against all theories and speculations which would divorce God from the universe. But turning from these cold and cheerless thoughts, how delightful and comforting to look up with confidence and say, "Our Father, which art in heaven." Gurnall says, "This little word 'Father,' lisped by faith in prayer, exceeds the eloquence of Demosthenes, Cicero, and all the famous speakers in the world." "Our Father," says Dr. Barrows, "is the ultimate address of humanity to God. All knowledge which the sons of men shall gather in the cycled times cannot add to it a single letter or change to sweeter melody its enchanting syllables." All who believe in the existence of God, Father Almighty, and in the doctrine of a universal providence, as revealed in the sacred Scriptures and manifest in the realm of nature have solid rock upon which to stand, while atheism, agnosticism, and all forms of skepticism leave us in mid-ocean without chart or compass, Launched from some unknown shore and destined 20 CHRISTIAN THEOLO GY we know not where, brings neither comfort nor satisfaction to that something within which we call consciousness. An old Greek being asked how he did, replied, "I am plodding on toward immortality." Such is the intuitive aspiration of every Soul not benumbed and crushed by the stubbornness of a de- praved will. To a mind unbiased and unimpaired by the de- ceitfulness of sin, the idea of existence is desirable. Who wants to cease to be? Every impulse of the human soul protests against the theory of non-existence. But if there be no God, nothing better than annihilation awaits us. Who wants "to sleep — perchance to dream," forever and ever % CHAPTER III. THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD. By the attributes of God we are to understand the several qualities and perfections of the divine nature. Our knowledge of the divine essence is necessarily very limited. All we can know of his perfection we learn from what he has been pleased to reveal to us in nature and in his Word. And even with this help we can only know in part. God is incomprehensibly and incomparably great. The attributes of God have been distinguished into negative and positive, absolute and relative, natural and moral, com- municable and incommunicable, internal and external. A more recent classification places the divine perfections in the follow- ing order : primary, essential, natural, moral, and consummate. All these divisions may be quite clear and satisfactory in the minds of those who made them, but to most readers they will appear somewhat arbitrary and unnecessary. Theologians differ so widely in their classifications of the at- tributes that we are left in doubt as to which or whether either is correct. Dr. Hodge accepts the classification as given in the Westminster Catechism. He does not commend it as the very best, but as having some advantages over others, especially in its simplicity. Dr. Pope gives a classification differing some- what from the one Dr. Hodge accepts. Dr. Cocker gives a classi- fication different from Dr. Pope. Dr. Miley objects to all three, and divides into what he calls predicables and attributes. He thinks that some of the perfections of the divine nature are called attributes when in fact they are predicables, such as spir- ituality, eternity, and immutability. But whether we call them 21 22 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY predicables or attributes, they all inhere in each other, and neither is before the other. All the perfections of the Almighty are eternal, so that neither proceeds from the other. There rises above all arbitrary classifications of his attributes this sublime truth, "The eternal God is one God," and all his perfections, whether they be named predicables or attributes, inhere in this one divine being, and operate in the most perfect harmony with each other. When, therefore, we speak of the attributes separately, we are not to be understood as teaching that the divine nature is divided into separate parts, but that all inhere in one essence. We should seek to know as much of God as we can, without going into the realm of doubt or specula- tion. One fact concerning God is worth more to the human soul than a thousand speculative theories. In this brief review of the perfections of the Almighty, we can do little more than name and define the attributes as we find them set forth here and there in the sacred Scriptures : 1. Unity. This denotes that there is but one God — one self- existent being. A firm belief in the unity of God is essential to all true and acceptable worship. To suppose two or more eternal, self-existent, separate, and independent beings would not only be absurd, but virtually destroy all reverence and devo- tion in worship. The Scriptures are very explicit on this point. "Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord" (Deut. 6:4). "The Lord he is God; there is none else beside him" (Deut. 4: 35). "There is no God else beside me . . . I am God, and there is none else" (Isa. 45:21, 22). "There is no God but one" (I. Cor. 8:4). "One God and Father of all" (Eph. 4:6). "Yet to us there is one God" (I. Cor. 8:6). When we reject the doctrine of the divine unity, we are in danger of falling into the fatal error of the heathen, who "changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things." THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD 23 2. Eternity. God alone is eternal. Three facts are to be considered : (1) God is ; (2) God ever has been ; (3) God ever will be. These facts fix in the mind that there is with God a mode of being entirely different from our own ; that all that is, or has been, or will be, is a part of his serene and ever-present consciousness ; that God is to what we call time that which he is to space; that he who inhabits immensity also and equally in- habits eternity. With him there is no past, no future. He a dwelleth in an eternal now." But do the Scriptures, the in- spired word of God, affirm this doctrine ? Let God by his own spirit speak to us. "And thy years shall have no end" (Ps. 102 : 27). "Even from everlasting to everlasting thou art God" (Ps. 90: 2). "Whose goings forth are from of old, from ever- lasting" (Micah 5:2). "The eternal God is thy dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms" (Deut. 33:27). "Who only hath immortality" (I. Tim. 6 : 16). "Now unto the Xing eternal, incorruptible, invisible, the only God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen" (I. Tim. 1: 17). "Hast thou not known \ hast thou not heard \ the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary" (Isa. 40:28). "For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity'' (Isa. 57: 15). God alone is eternal. In vain we may try to grasp the tre- mendous thought — He always was. Our very thought tires -and faints in its effort to comprehend its vastness. We can do no better than to unite with the pious psalmist and reverently exclaim, "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting to •everlasting." 3. Spirituality. "God is a Spirit" (John 4:24)'. "Now the Lord is that Spirit" (II. Cor. 3: 17). However incompre- hensible to us the spirituality of God may be, it is nevertheless an essential attribute of the divine essence. We can analyze material things, but cannot analyze pure spirit. The eternal 24 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY existence of an infinite, personal spirit is the only theory of religious belief adapted to the condition of man as an account- able but dependent moral agent. We may form some concep- tion of the Spirit, but we cannot comprehend it. "God is a Spirit," without body or parts; invisible, indivisible, but a real essence. Watson says: "He is spirit, not body; mind, not matter. He is pure spirit, unconnected even with bodily form or organs." God being a spirit, we can understand why all acceptable worship must be spiritual. Paul understood the nature of true worship when he said, "I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also : I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also." Jesus said, "God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth" (John 4 : 24). "This," says a learned theologian, "is one of the first, the greatest, the most sublime, and necessary truths in the compass of nature ! There is one God, the cause of all things, the fountain of all perfec- tion, without parts or dimensions, for he is eternal, filling the heavens and the earth, pervading, governing, and upholding all things, for he is an infinite spirit/' 4. Omniscience. God is infinite in knowledge. "But all things are naked and laid open before the eyes of him with whom we have to do" (Heb. 4 : 13). "Saith the Lord, who mak- eth these things known from the beginning of the world" (Acts 15: 18). "For the Lord searcheth all hearts, and understand- eth all the imaginations of the thoughts" (I. Chr. 28:9). "Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; his understanding is infinite" (Ps. 147: 5). "Even the darkness hideth not from thee, but the night shineth as the day : the darkness and the light are both alike to thee" (Ps. 139 : 12). "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God ! how unsearch- able are his judgements and his ways past tracing out" (Eom. 11T33). The Scriptures abound with references to the om- TEE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD &5 niscience of the Almighty. The whole realm of nature, with its ten thousand contrivances and adaptations, unites in pro- claiming the wisdom and knowledge of God. To a Christian this is a most pleasing reflection, but to the unsaved it is an alarming thought. The psalmist was overwhelmed with the thought when he said, "Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. . . . For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether. . . . Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it" (Ps. 139 : 2-6). We must discriminate between the power to know and knowl- edge itself. They do not mutually imply each other. God's knowledge is absolute. It can neither be increased nor dimin- ished. It is eternally perfect. The past and future are as clearly seen and as fully known to him as the present. All things in heaven, in the earth, and in all the worlds are naked and opened unto him. "The darkness and light are both alike unto him," This knowledge belongs to God alone, and cannot be communicated to any creature. God alone is all-wise. "He knows all, and all things, independently, distinctly, infallibly, and eternally." 5. Omnipresence. God is a spirit, and is therefore essen- tially present everywhere. The universal presence of God is clearly set forth in the Holy Scriptures, as may be seen from the following passage, "Whither shall I go from thy spirit ? or whither shall I flee from thy presence ? If I ascend up into heaven thou art there : if I make my bed in Sheol, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea ; even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me" (Ps. 139 : 7-10). "The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch upon the evil and the good" (Prov. 15:3). "Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him ? saith the Lord. Do not I fill 26 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY heaven and earth ? saith the Lord" ( Jer. 23 : 24). "The fulness of him that filleth all in all" (Eph. 1: 23). "Thou art a God that seest" (Gen. 16 : 13). "And lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world" (Matt. 28 : 20). The thought that God is everywhere present, beholding the evil and the good, ought to fill all hearts with awe and holy fear. "Thou God seest me." This is a solemn and yet glorious truth. To the wicked it is a fearful truth ; but to all sincere Christians it is a delightful truth. In prayer, afflictions, troubles, and temptations, the Christian may be comforted in the thought that his Heavenly Father sees and knows all things — where he is, what he is, and what he needs. A universal presence is essential to the divine character. Without it he would not be God, and therefore could not govern the universe. "At every step," says Mr. Gilfillan, "we feel ourselves God-inclosed, God-filled, and God-breathing men ; with a spiritual presence lowering or smil- ing on us from the sky, sounding in wild tempest, or creeping in phonic stillness across the surface of the earth; and if we turn within, lo! it is there also — an 'eye' hung in the central darkness of our own hearts." 6. Omnipotence. This attribute is essential to the very na- ture of God. If he were not almighty, he would not be perfect and independent. His power is incomparable and incompre- hensibly great. "God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God" (Ps. 62: 11). "But the thunder of his power who can understand?" (Job 26:14.) "He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom . . . when he uttereth his voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens, and he caus- eth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings for the rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of his treasuries" (Jer. 10: 12, 13). "And God said unto him, I am God Almighty" (Gen. 35: 11). "I appeared unto TEE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD 27 Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, as God Almighty" (Ex. 6:3). "God, even God, the Lord, hath spoken" (Ps. 50:1). "Let all the earth fear the Lord : let all the inhabitants of tha world stand in awe of him. For he spake, and it was done ; he commanded, and it stood fast" (Ps. 33 : 8, 9). "For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigneth" (Kev. 19: 6). The Scriptures throughout abound with declarations setting forth the infinite power of God. But because he is all-powerful, we are not thence to conclude that he will exercise that power so as to imply a contradiction in itself, or that will in any way conflict with any other of his attributes. This power, wisdom, justice, mercy, and goodness are all infinite, and move in the most perfect harmony with each other. "Whatsoever the Lord pleased that did he in heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places." Defended and sheltered by a being of such matchless power, what need those that put their trust in him fear ? "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will we not fear, though the earth do change, and though the mountains be moved in the heart of the seas" (Ps. 46 : 1, 2). "For this God is our God for ever and ever" (Ps. 48 : 14). 7. Immutability. "This is a perfection," says Dr. Blair, "which perhaps more than any other distinguishes the divine nature from the human, gives complete energy to all its attri- butes, and entitles it to the highest adoration. From hence are derived the regular order of nature and the steadfastness of the universe." God is immutable in his essence, in all his attri- butes, in his purposes, in his promises, and threatenings. What he now is he always was, and always will be, eternally the same. In proof of this fundamental truth we cite the following texts : "For I the Lord change not" (Mai. 3:6). "But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end" (Ps. 102: 27). "But thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail" (Heb. 1: 12). 28 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY "Every good gift and every perfect boon is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom can be no variation, neither shadow that is cast by turning" (Jas. 1: 17). "That by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we may have a strong encouragement, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope before us" (Heb. 6: 18). The two immutable things are the oath and promise of God. These rest upon his immutability. If he is not immutable, then the oath and promise are not immutable. Every attribute of the divine one is immutable. So far as we know, all material things change. But God is now what he always was, and always will be — "the everlasting God." Trusting in the immutability of God, those who have fled to- him for refuge have a strong consolation. Every promise is as immutable as himself. Heaven and earth may pass away, but the word of the Lord shall endure forever. The "I AM" that spoke to Moses out of the burning bush is the "I AM" of the universe to-day. 8. Holiness, This attribute is abundantly set forth in the Holy Scriptures. "God is originally holy; he is so of and in himself; and the author and promoter of holiness among his creatures." This is an essential attribute of the divine essence,, and is infinite, immutable, and eternal. The holiness of God is both negative and positive, for it not only implies the absence of all evil, but the presence of "all possible, positive, operative goodness." Relative holiness may be found in men and angels, while absolute holiness belongs to God alone ; it inheres in his nature. Only a few texts will be necessary to prove the absolute holiness of God. "Thou that art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and that canst not look on perverseness" (Hab. 1: 13). "And the stars are not pure in his sight" (Job 25 : 5). "Ye shall be holy ; for I am holy" (I. Pet. 1: 16). "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD 29 of hosts" (Isa. 6:3). "And they have no rest day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God, the Almighty" (Rev. 4:8). "Unto thee will I sing praises with the harp, O thou Holy One of Israel" (Ps. 71: 22). "The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and gracious in all his works" (Ps. 145:17). Man is called upon to be holy, but how can he be, since he is sinful and unholy, and "the holiness of God alone would never recall him." But through the intervention of atonement, the way has been made possible. The atonement at once protects divine holiness and restores it to man. If it were not possible for man to be relatively holy, God would not require it. "Be ye holy ; for I am holy," is the divine requirement. 9. Justice. In strictness this perfection of the divine na- ture might be included under the head of holiness. The one necessarily includes the other. "The justice of God is that per- fection of the divine nature whence arises the absolute rectitude of his moral government." Like every other perfection of the divine nature, it is absolute and eternal. Whether viewed as judge or legislator, God is eternally just. "The Rock, his work is perfect ; for all his ways are judgement : a God of faith- fulness and without iniquity just and right is he" (Deut. 32 : 4). "Righteousness and judgement are the foundation of thy throne : mercy and truth go before thy face" (Ps. 89 : 14). "And there is no God else beside me; a just God and a saviour" (Isa. 45: 21). "The Lord in the midst of her is righteous; he will not do iniquity" (Zeph. 3:5). "The judgements of the Lord are true and righteous altogether" (Ps. 19: 9). "Who will render to every man according to his works" (Rom. 2:6). "And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, O Lord God, the Almighty; righteous and true are thy ways, thou King of the ages" (Rev. 15:3). 10. Truth. This perfection of the divine nature, like jus- 30 CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY tice, might be considered as one specific form in which holiness is manifest. Truth, like holiness, inheres in the very nature of the supreme being. The one cannot exist without the other. We present them separately, however, because we may thereby see more of the divine nature. The more we know of God, the more we will see in him to fear, love, and obey. All the attributes and perfections of God inhere in each other. We may think and speak of them as distinct, but not as separate and apart from each other. If God had said,