The Right To Systematic Theology by B.B. Warfield

Page 1


THE RIGHT OF

SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY

BY.

BENJAMIN

B.

WARFIELD,

D.D.

PROFESSOR OF THEOLOGY, PRINCETON UNIVERSITY

With an Introduction sy

PROFESSOR

J.

ORR,

D.D.,

EDINBURGH

EDINBURGH T.

&

T.

CLARK,

GEORGE STREET

38

1897



NOTE OF COMMENDATION

Proii^essor

Warfield

sides of the Atlantic. interest of Systematic of that

science in a

He

well

is

known on both

has rendered special service in the

Theology

;

and

his defence of the " Right

number

recent

Reformed Review^ which he of a

Princeton

of

edits,

The Presbyterian and

of

has appeared to us well worthy

wider circulation in this country than

it

can hope to have

in a journal published in America.

This explains the issue of the present book, which we com-

mend

who have

to the attention of all

in

any degree

realised

the importance of the subject.

William Garden Blaikie, D.D., LL.D.,

Professor in

New

College,

Edinburgh. A. H. Charteris, D. D., Professor, University of Edinburgh.

George

C.

M. Douglas, D.D.,

Principal,

Free Church

College,

Glasgow.

Robert Flint, D.D., LL.D., Professor, University of Edinburgh. William H. Goold, D.D., Martyrs' Free Church, Edinburgh. John Laidlaw, D.D., Professor, New College, Edinburgh.

Alexander Mair, D.D., United

Presbyterian Church, Morningside.

KoBERT Rainy, D.D., Principal, New College, Edinburgh. Alexander Stewart, D.D., Principal, St. Mary's College,

St.

Andrews.

James Stalker, D.D.,

Norman

L.

St.

Matthew's Free Church, Glasgow.

Walker, D.D.,

Editor of

Free Church of Scotland

Monthly. J.

Wardrop, D.D.,

Professor, U.P. College, Edinburgli.



INTRODUCTION BY THE

REV. PROFESSOR JAMES ORR, D.D.

EDINBURGH

Systematic Theology has fallen on her

may

what Kant of all

Preface

the

in

says of metaphysics

queen

evil

To

days.

be applied, with scarcely a change of a word,

"

:

famous

his

to

Critique

Time was when she was the

the sciences, and

we

if

take the will for

the deed, she certainly deserves, so far as regards the

high importance of her object-matter, this

Now

honour.

it

title

of

the fashion of the time to heap

is

contempt and scorn upon her, and the matron mourns, forlorn

and forsaken,

like

Hecuba

Modo maxima rerum,

'

Tot generis, natisqiie potens

Nunc

trahor exul, inops.'

But a subsequent sentence thinker ^

may

" So lately the

destitute."

also

be applied to theology gi-eatest

sons-in-law and children

.

woman in now .

.

.

.

.

^

"

of :

this

" E'or

it

great is

in

the world, powerful in so manyI

am

dragged away an

exile,


Introduction

8 reality

says, " to

he

vain,"

profess

indifference

in

regard to such inquiries, the object of wliich cannot Besides, these pretended

be indifferent to humanity.

however much they may try

inditferents,

themselves by the assumption

on

by changes doubtedly

propositions,

language

the

the

of

which they profess

un-

schools,

and

declarations

[theological]

into

fall

disguise

to

popular style and

of a

to

with so

regard

much contempt." The grounds on which a denial Systematic Theology to exist they of

may

at

bottom

all

is

of

the right of

based are various, but

be reduced to one

the denial

the existence of an adequate foundation on which

such a structure can be reared. the

human

faculties are held to

Whether be

incompetent to such a true knowledge

His ways as

is

it

be that

constitutionally

presupposed in theology

of ;

God and

or that the

nature of religion, as lying in sentiment or emotion, is

thought to preclude the element of knowledge

otherwise, indeed, than as the poetic vesture in which religious emotions

that there

is

transiently clothe

;

;

or

lacking in reason or revelation a reliable

source from which

be obtained

themselves

the

desiderated knowledge

may

or that the data in Scripture or religious

on which theology has hitherto been supposed rest have been rendered insecure or swept away by

facts to

the result

the same,

modern doubt and

criticism

that theology has

not a trustworthy foundation on

which

to

build,

and

that,

illegitimate pretender to the

in

is

consequence,

name

of science.

it

is

an

For

it


Introduction

9

be conceded that this last and highest branch

will

of theological discipline proposes nothing less to itself

than the systematic exhibition and

grounding

scientific

knowledge we possess

of wliat true

God and His

of

character and His ways of dealing with the world and

men

and

;

no such knowledge

if

what men have

really

exists,

if

at best vague yearnings, intuitions,

is

aspirations, guesses, imaginings, hypotheses, about God,

assuming

name the dim

a symbol of

the universe,

of

to be itself

this

anything more than

feeling of the

if

mystery at the root

these emotional states

and the

conceptions to which they give rise are ever changing

with men's changeful fancies and the varying

stages of culture,

— then

it

is

as vain to attempt to

construct a science of theology out of such materials as

it

would be

to

weave a

solid tissue out of

sunbeams,

or erect a temple out of the changing shapes

A

of cloudland.

"

exist to investigate the in religious

and

"

criticism

of

independent

the "

might

their

remain

mocking as

a

of

Theology,"

as

illusions,

study

Church's historical creeds

Science

still

psychological laws involved

phenomena and

dogmatics "

and hues

Science of Keligions " might

a

;

and

but an

body

of

natural and revealed truth about God, and His purposes and dealings, would no

We

shall

not

more have any

place.

anticipate Dr. Warfield's able dis-

cussion of the objections to Systematic Theology in

the succeeding pages by going at any length into the subject here, but would only observe that, divested of irrelevancies, the issue resolves itself ultimately into


Introduction

o

I

the one question of the fact, nature, and verifiableness of the

of

historical

Christian

The time

revelation.

when men's minds were captivated by

past

a "Natural Keligion

consisting of a few

"

revelation

from supernatural

apart

dream

of the Deists

and while

the

and

simple

of proof by, reason

drawn from, and capable

articles

is

the idea

favourite

that

eighteenth-century illuminists

theory which

" speculative "

;

would

render theology independent of history by resolving

still

domain a

advocates,

its

metaphysical

into

doctrines

essential

its

sceptre

its

There remains as

of really serious theology.

source

knowledge the positive

theological

of

has

ideas

long broken in the

is

re-

God which

vealing and redeeming acts and words of

constitute the subject-matter of historical revelation,

though

it

may

antagonism flecting

to

be contended that these stand in no conclusions

the

on the structure

of

sound reason

re-

pondering

of the universe, or

the deeper questions of origin and destiny, but rather are in truest consonance with the latter, and furnish

reason with a light to help danger,

accordingly,

stands arises from foundations sceptically

gone to the

tlie

mode

revelation

assailed,

sutticiently

faitli

it

a

on

which in

its

The

way.

theology

at

which these being

are

process

chief

present

historical

critically

which

has

and

already

extreme lengths with respect to

Old Testament, and

subvert of

of

in

is

now

being apphed

to

in such vital facts as the resurrection

our Lord, and the miraculous context of the

of Christ generally, in the

New.

It is in this

life

part


Introduction of

the apologetic

field,

battle will have to be possibility of theology

that one

result

probably, that a

new

decisive

fought in the interests of the ;

and

it is

satisfactory to observe

of the critical

been to impress on

1

movement

many minds

has

itself

the impossibility of

eliminating the supernatural factor from the explanation of the history either of Israel or of Christ.

When we first

read this article of Dr. Warfield's, on

its

appearance, some months ago, in The Presbyterian

and Reformed service

Revieiv, it

would be

seemed

rendered

circulation in a separate form,

by

to its

us that a special publication

and we heartily

and

rejoice

that the same thought has independently occurred to others,

and that the idea has now taken shape

this little volume.

Apart from

its

in

other merits, the

article will be found exceedingly informatory as to the

tendency and bearings

movements

of

certain recent

in Continental theology.

interesting



THE RIGHT OB'

SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY The question

the

of

right

Systematic Theology to exist

such

of

may

thing

a

as

be regarded as a

question in general philosophy or as one within the the

limits of

theological

disciplines themselves.

we

the former alternative be taken, at

such problems

once with

exist

May God

?

means

worthy

learning

of

:

Does God

Have we

?

trust-

concerning Him, His

nature. His works, His purposes all

these

as

known

be

If

are confronted

In other words,

?

the great questions with which Apologetics busies

itself

immediately loom before

Theology

us.

science of God, and the right of a science of exist will

depend on a favourable solution

They

problems.

are,

therefore, in

the

is

God of

to

such

every sense

of

the words, the fundamental problems with which the

theologian present,

has

it is

to

If

deal.

we

pass

them by

at

because of no underestimation of their

supreme importance.

We may

fairly

be

allowed,

however, to assume at this point, the existence and 13


The Right of Systematic Theology

14 the

knowableness

credible sources

God and

of

knowledge

of

the

accessibility

Him

of

in

of

a word,

the possibility and right of a theology, generically so

This

called.

to

make.

to

asking to be permitted

between men pro-

to raise a question to be discussed

fessing

be

to

assumption

after all not a very large

is

amounts only

It

instead

Christians,

one in debate

of

between the Christian and non-Christian worlds.

The

we propose

question, then, that

to consider lies

within the limits of the theological disciplines.

assumes the right concerning

the

says

theological

correlates

may

"

Systematic

against

it

would,

Christianity debate.

We

many

that if

valid, cut

But

itself.

And

shall of

to

the

certainly

the

deeper

this is a

its

We

kept carefully in

is

objection

raise

Theology.

contrary,

mind

to

other theological disciplines.

who

all

calls

in

Theology

Systematic

and

discipline,

the

in

Theology

Systematic

of

says

not find that the distinction

mind by the

right

He who

particular.

It

and inquires

of theology at large,

right

of

find,

on

objections still

urged

and destroy

common

incident in

the clear recognition at the outset of

the limits of the discussion will conduce to a proper

estimate of

those

forms of objection to Systematic

Theology in the mouths really insisted

nugatory. Christian

of

Christian men, which,

Such arguments prove so much that

men

disproved, in

if

upon, would render Christianity itself

they prove nothing at other

words, by

the

evidence which gives us Christianity.

all.

whole

for

They are mass

of

»


The Right of Systematic Theology

We

accustomed

are

queen

of

the

regard

to

1

theology as

the

and Systematic Theology as

sciences,

queen among the theological

But these

disciplines.

are not days in which lofty claims are readily allowed

and we need not be surprised which

Theology advances

Systematic

are

not

per-

that

her

mitted to pass unchallenged.

It

sister theological disciplines are

sometimes found

sisting her high pretensions

no

will

have her

loncrer

between

flict

elsewhere to

its

is

strength

of

than

by becoming divided against

itself.

may

the

more

nor

look

on with an amused

older-sister's pleased recognition

new

little

too conscious of

discipline of Bible Theology,

for example, tosses her fine of her

although

much

powers just now perhaps a

when

:

more here

and a certain

themselves,

them

the spectacle of con-

is

that a family will add

likely

Systematic Theology tolerance

re-

and declaring that they

edifying,

sisters it

little

is

to rule over

no more here than elsewhere

;

to discover that those

young head and announces

settled sister that her

day

But

is

over.

these w^ords have a

more ominous ring

in

them when

the lips that frame

them speak no longer

as a sister's

Imt as an enemy's, and the meaning injected into them threatens not merely dethronement but destruction.

The

right of Systematic Theology to reign

only

days

thing :

its

that

is

brought into question

very right to exist

is

is

not the

in

these

widely challenged.

There are few phenomena in the theological world

which are more striking indeed than the impatience which

is

exhibited on every hand with the effort to


1

The Right of Systernatic Theology

6

define truth and to state witli precision the doctrinal

presuppositions and contents of Christianity.

The

impatience

this

of

basis

is

latitudinarian indilferentisni, which sion

neglect

in

weary

formulated truth, and

of

what

of girding at

mere

a

often

expres-

finds its

never

is

represents as the hair-

it

splitting ingenuity of theologians

and the unprofitable-

ness of theological discussion.

But

is

root

at

are

doctrines

heated

dislike

and

;

this indifference

easy affirmation

passes very readily

useless

that

assertion

the

they are noxious.

contemptuous smile gives way to the flush

and

instead

of

unconcerned

an

opinion that theology ness,

we

is

that

the

into

Now, the of anger,

expression

the

of

a more or less amiable weak-

have the passionate assertion that theology

is

killing religion.

A

certain relief often

open

war.

difficult

This

is

to

Dead

comes with the outbreak

indifference

deal with

than

is

frequently

of

more

the most lively assault.

doubtless true in the present case also.

It is

not hard to show the folly of theological indifferent-

ism is

:

but just because

apt to pay

little

it

is

indifferent, indifferentism

attention to our exhibition of

its

But let us we only could get it to care it calmly goes to ever so much absurdity on in indifference. This indifference to its own refutation by no means extends, however, to its own propa-

folly.

If

reduce

it

!

contrary, a

most

widespread, persistent, and earnest propagandism.

We

gation.

It

lias

cannot escape

developed, on

its

wooing.

the

Turn where we may, we


The Right of Systematic Theology met with

are

of

full

is

prises

;

barriers

;

it

;

it

entrenches

mere amusement is

worthy

to us alike in

may

It

of

of social

behind philosophical

not be surprising that

is

idle hour,

though the

with which

is

it

to

it

the

serious-

commended

even such novels of contemplation as

Lanoe Falconer's

certainly

an

of note

Cecilia de

adventure as Dr.

like

and thought

dominant note among the purveyors

the

ness

life

itself

finds a voice for itself in the lightest of

current literature. is

air

presides over great religious enter-

It

colours the daily

it

intercourse

The

appeals, suggestions, assaults.

it.

1

Noel,

and such novels

Conan Doyle's Micali

Clark.

of

It

not surprising that a bright Jewish writer

Mr. Zangwill

^

should include

among

the sparkling

stories which he has gathered into his King of the

Schnorrers a pathetic appeal to us to recognise that all

the

differences

which

Jew and

divide

Gentile,

Romanist and Protestant, fade into nothingness before the spectacle of " the

human

eternal mystery "

suffering of

and in presence

of

But we cannot

death.^

us that modern and conduct, and to The religious dogmas which a these only, in His capacity as Judge. man happens to be taught and to believe are of no account or import'The righteous of all ance in this regard: the good life is all. that, according to nations shall have a share in the world to come the Jewish divine, is the doctrine of the Tahnud and of modern 1

Mr. Claude G. Montefiori, for example,

"Judaism teaches that God looks

tells

to character

;

'

Judaism" [The Jewish Quarterly Review, January

1896, p. 202;

cf.

pp. 210, 211).

"A

Tragi-Comedy of 2 The story referred to that entitled is It is only another form of the Creeds," p. 176 sq. of the volume. celebrated apologue of the "Three Rings " which Lessiiig made the core of his Nathan the Wise, concerning which it is worth while to consult Cairns' Unbelief in the Eighteenth Century, Lecture v.

ii.

ad finem.


1

The Right of Systeinatic Theology

8

miss of

its

significance when, in the midst of the stirrings

soul with

which we read

Drumtoclity of "

Ian Maclaren

those "

has

men

of

the doings in dear

of

whom

sturdy hearts

taught us to love, we find

it

slowly borne in upon us that the main purpose of this evangelical minister

is

to

wring from us the confession

that the Christianity approved of

enough

for the world.^

Much

of

Rousseau

is

good

even the professed

^ Let it not be thought that we do injustice to this delightful and profoundly religious writer. An editorial in The British IVeeJcly for

October 31, 1895, puts most strikingly just what we conceive the

"A parallel

of pro-

to be found in the place assigned to religion

by the and

attitude of his stories towards Christianity to be

found interest

is

older sentimentalists

and the new.

The

:

position of Ian Maclaren

Mr. Barrie seems to us exactly to coincide with Rousseau's. Rousseau always professed to be religious. He thought there was a certain want of moral depth and grandeur wherever religion was left out, and he would probably have said that this was necessary, for without religion the loftiest reaches of conduct were a form of insanity. At the close of his life Rousseau rejoiced that he had remained faithful to the prejudices of his childhood, and that he had continued a Christian ^ip to the point of membership in the Universal Church. Tlie words in italics precisely describe the religion that is glorified in Ian Maclaren's books. He is not unjust to Evangelicalism, and one of his noblest characters is Burnbrae, a Free Church elder. But he lingers witli most love and understanding on the Moderates Drumsheugh, Dr. Davidson, Dr. i\Iaclure, and James Soutar. Maclure, who has tlif best means of knowing, declares that if there be a judgment, and books be opened, there will be one for Drumtochty, and the bravest page in it will be Drumsheugh's. There is very little sympathy here for modernity the ministers who talk about two Isaiahs are laughed But there is just as little sympathy for extreme Evangelicalism. at. Plymouthism is treated as if it Avere hypocrisy of the grossest kind, and high Calvinism as almost too monstrous to be mentioned. The particular forms in which the religion of revivals expresses itself arc described with evident dislike. All this is, of course, Ian Maclaren's limitation. AVe should not care to lend him our cherished volumes of the Earthen Vessel. Still the heart of things is here. Say the

;

'

Name,' that

is

enough

— the name of Jesus,

in

which every knee

shall


The Right of Systematic Theology

and

many

too

in

When we

and

religion

literature of

its

recalling

many another

runs her picture

when

am

lesson.

"

we

find ourselves

conference which "

would

it

Of course

"

afraid

so

there was a tremendous crowd on

the Imperial

I

fit

High Commissioner gave

and everybody was so delighted with

his address, I

same

pulpits enforces the

read good Georgie Hesperton's description

without the need of her finessing.

the day

on platform

reflection

the " conference at Honchester,"

of

19

it.

do not exactly remember what his

subject was, but I

know he

said

it

seemed probable

that nothing in particular was true, but that people

could go on believing whatever they liked, which did

And

just as well.

I hear his address

satisfactory.

sort of

the bishops said

all

and no doubt you

tract,

and

very earnest

convincing."

is

it

was perfectly

to be printed as a

will read

it

;

it

was

The whole mass

^

popular religious literature seems surcharged with

of

attacks on

"

Intellectualism " and " Dogmatism," and

glowing with highly-coloured portraitures Christians " faith

of

and no

every faith,

name and no name,

under each

of

of of

"

good

every

which stands the

bow. Beyond that nothing is needed to create the noblest character. Mr. Barrie does not glorify Moderatism, but, like Ian Maclaren, lie declines a dogmatic religion, and is gently apologetic or humorous when speaking of what goes beyond the essence. Therein he differs from George Macdonald, whose books are full of theologoumena, and have suffered in consequence. But they side with Rousseau, who was wont to insist that the Christianity which appeals only to the moral conscience is alone comformable to the Spirit of Christ. Conduct, character

and ^

— these

were with him and are with them the great results

tests of true religion."

Jane Barlow's Maureen's Fairing,

p. 148.


The Right of Systematic Theology

20

legend written that since good Christians arise under

every form of faith or no faith alike,

much importance what men wrangle over this or that,"

no consequence

of

all

is

"

Let

others

common

cry

" it is

to

their

us leave

let

:

the

cannot be of

it

believe.

them

disputes and for ourselves be Christians."

Professor John Stuart Blackie's lines

The

quite

late

embody

the sentiment of the hour "Creeds and confessions? High Churcli or the Low? I cannot say but you would vastly please us If with some pointed Scripture you could show To which of these belonged the Saviour, Jesus. ;

I

think to

all

Not

or none.

curious creeds

Or ordered forms of churchly rule He taught, But soul of love that blossomed into deeds, "With human good and human blessing fraught.

On me

nor priest nor presbyter nor pope, Bishop nor dean, may stam[> a party name But Jesus with His largely human scope

The

service of

my human

life

may

;

claim.

Let prideful priests do battle about creeds, The church is mine that does most Christ-like deeds."

The inconsequence and the

line of

adopted,

when

pushed

sion,

reasoning

thought that to

is

is,

of course,

thus lightly

legitimate

its

conclu-

would obviously banish Christianity from the For

earth.

who

this

of

colossal,

if

doctrine be of no value, because some,

theoretically

exhibit

the

remain

to

traits

deny of

which we

would not be

or

a

can

neglect

good

attach

difficult to discover

;

and we should soon

nevertheless

importance

good

severally every doctrine of even the

Christianity

it,

what truth

life,

?

will It

men who deny

most attenuated

find ourselves forced


The Right of Systematic Theology to allow that not only those doctrines

2

i

which divide

Christian sects, but those also which constitute the

very elements of Christianity, are of no real moment.

But

us ask a brilliant young French theologian to

let

make

Says M. Henri Bois

this clear to us.

" Doctrine

is

But,

are told.

of little importance, it

what

being admitted that

^ :

of importance

is

is life,

the essential thing

life is

we

is as incontestable as it is uncontested, and which, admitted, saves us from Intellectualism in the only cen-

matter which

when

it is

surable sense of the word

— the

question

is

precisely whether certain

doctrines are not necessary for the production and maintenance of a certain

life.

they were. to

life

Does

life

!

Assuredly not.

No

one ever said

follow from that tliat they are not indispensable

Doctrines are not the cause of

?

it

Doctrines are not

But does it

life

On

!

that

we

are agreed.

follow from that that they are not one of the conditions of

"Here

life

?

Such and such a great Christian is adduced who does not profess some doctrines which we profess. And at once the consequence is drawn to the uselessness recourse

is

had

to a notable argument.

You see this scholar, as pious as he is learned he rejects these doctrines, and that does not prevent him from being pious. Therefore these doctrines serve no purpose or else, you must refuse to see a Christian in your brother, you must anathematise him, condemn him, " It will be wise to observe whither this argument leads. Apply it well, and it will not be easy to discover what it will leave subsisting for, after all, who of us does not know rationalists who lead a life as moral and spiritual as some evangelicals sometimes more so 1 Therefore, since it is conduct, life, sentiment, which is of supreme importance, there is no need to be evangelical. More than that, who of us does not know free-thinkers, unbelievers, superior in morality at least, if we hesitate to say in spirituality, to such and such Christians ? Therefore, there is no need to be a Christian. " 'Well, yes,' our honourable opponents will reply, 'there is no need to be a Christian, in the sense you mean there is no need to be evangelical in the sense you mean that is, in the doctrinal sense.

of these doctrines.

:

:

;

^ Le Bogme Grec (Paris, We shall have occasion 1893), pp. 40-42. during the course of this paper to draw very largely from two admirable books by Prof. Henri Bois his Le Dogmc Grec and his De la Connaissance Relvjieuse. Let us express here our appreciation of the value of these works as well as our indebtedness to them.


The Right of Systematic Theology

22

True religion is life.' And then, if you press tliem, they will tell you with a iine air that they know perfectly what they mean by Well, tell us, then, what it 'life,' however little you may believe it. communicate 3'our happy knowledge to is, if you know it, we reply If you open your mouth you will become But take good care us Intellcctualists on your own account at once Intellectualists ;

!

!

"This exaggerated aversion

to Intellectualism

leads logically to

rendering incapable of transmission and to isolating in the silence of the individual consciousness, a life which doctrines alone have

rendered possible, and which without them would not exist." Ill

one word, the whole latitudmariaii position

up upon the fancy that the product sentiment

Christianity

is

awakening whenever

ment

is

it

;

and

it is

of

is

built

the religious

destined to a rude

discovers that religious senti-

the natural possession of man, and performs

appropriate work in every atmosphere, and under

its

the tutelage of

no

less

every

The fetish-worshipper,

faith.

than the vested priest serving at some gor-

Eome or Moscow, possesses his religious and may through it attain a high degree of

geous altar at nature,

religious development.

that nothing

and

its

Newman ^

we take

the ground

we have cut up

sense,

by the

roots.

Christianity, in

So poor Francis

any

W,

found when in his half-taught zeal he stood

before the

p.

then,

needed but a deep religious sentiment

is

fruits,

intelligible

If,

Moslem carpenter

The

striking scene

32.

The reader

is

at Aleppo,^

and

his heart

described in Phases of Faith (London, 1870), James Macdonald's Religion and Myth

of Mr.

(London, 1893) will feel that Mr. Macdonald has gone through some such experience, in a less acute form, as Mr. Newman's. He, too, has discovered that even the lowest savages have a religious consciousness,

and

exercise religious faith

and enjoy

I)ure naturalism.

Cf. J.

Macbride

and is which amounts to

religious certitude,

led by it to a theory of the origin of Christianity Stcrrett's

Religion for some good remarks on this point.

Reason and Authority in


The Right of Systematic Theology was forced

him a man

to recognise in

23

deeper

of

reli-

gious nature and of higher rehgious attainments than

he himself possessed

him and such

— he who

him the

as

"

had come

to teach to

With the

true religion."

premises which had taken possession

of

his

mind,

what could he do but what he did give distinctive Christianity up ? What, after all, is peculiar to Christianity

not the religious sentiment and

is

working, but

its

To be

doctrine.

another way of

message

of salvation

indifferent to doctrine

we

saying

its

in a word, its

thus but

is

are indifferent to Chris-

tianity.

It

is,

of course, easy to say that in reasoning thus

we have pressed the

latitudinarian

warrantable extreme.

with

indifference

It is

upon

quite

doctrinal

idea

an un-

to

possible

to look

differences within

the limits of essential Christianity, without thinking of

no consequence

which

constitute

answer

those

equally

is

latitudinarian

great

essential

To refuse

easy.

idea

to

fundamental

this

extreme

to is

truths

But

the

follow

the

Christianity.

to

abandon

altogether the principle of the uselessness, the indifference of doctrines.

If there

which, as Christian men,

then

it is

be some doctrines to

we cannot be

indifferent,

no longer true that doctrines as such are

There may be some doctrines which we esteem as less important than others, or even as of no importance in the framing of a specificmatters of indifference.

ally

Christian

others, the

life but so long as there remain maintenance of which we esteem essential ;


The Right of Systematic Theology

24 to

the very existence

of

Christianity, our

attitude

towards doctrine as such cannot be that of amused

The very centre

contempt.

And

shifted.

so little

new ground,

this

debate

the

of

now

is

can doctrine be neglected on

that a serious attempt becomes at

once imperative to distinguish between essential and

Men may

unessential doctrines.

which the

to the exact point at

conceivably differ as

line of discrimination

But the very

between these classes should be drawn. attempt to draw

which

are

implies that there are doctrines

it

important,

useful,

And

necessary.

the

admission of this yields the whole point in debate. If

there be any doctrines, however few, which justly

deserve the

name

of essential doctrines,

the root of the Christian tions,

and stand at

life

as its conditions, founda-

it

surely becomes the duty

or presuppositions,

as well as the right of tlie

Christian

man

to

study

them, to seek to understand them in themselves and in

relations,

their

attempt

to

them with

state

to

accuracy and to adjust their statement to the whole

body

known

of

The extent

of this

an open question it,

in

a

word,

Systematic Theology

function of

for

truth

;

is

Systematic Theology

but a content

is

right

the

and

vhidicated.

may remain

already vindicated

and a place and function among the necessary conception of

theological disciplines, so soon as the " essential

doctrines,"

into thought.

becomes

at

however

He who once

an

limited, once

goes only so

far, in

" Intellectualist "

sense in which the Systematic Theologian

in is

emerges a word,

the

only

an Intel-


Right of Systematic Theology

TJie lectualist

that

is,

truth as well as

25

he recognises that Christianity

and as such addresses

life,

itself

is

to

the intelligence of men, and has claims upon their belief as well as

upon

He

their obedience.

at once a " Dogmatist " in the only sense in

Systematic Theologian

a Dogmatist

is

becomes

which the

that

is,

he

recognises the objective validity of a body of religious

truth and ance,

imperative claims upon

its

and

therefore prepared to

is

upon the attention their religious

of

all

In

life.

fine,

press this truth

he who only goes so far

spite

Theologian

and once having come

of

accept-

alike as the condition of

becomes in :

all for

himself

himself,

a Systematic

upon any

to look

doctrines as " essential," and to attempt to set forth

in

an

orderly

manner,

gradually to enlarge the will

he

circle

hardly

will

" essential "

which

of truths

admit to his systematic treatment.

that only the

them fail

he

Let us say

doctrines are to be included

but surely, in a systematic treatment of these,

cannot exclude the statement

and

development

:

we of

those other truths which, while not " essential " in and of

themselves, are yet necessary to the integrity and

stability of these " essential " doctrines,

and

so are, in

a secondary and derived sense, themselves " essential."

And

so

on in the

Thus the body hard

if

we do not

of a pretty It

tertiary

and quaternary rank.

of doctrine will

grow

until

it

will

be

find ourselves at last in possession

complete Systematic Theology.

would seem, then, that a mere doctrinal

ferentism cannot sustain

itself

as

indif-

over against

the


26

The Right of Syste^natic Theology

claims

of

Systematic

theology to exist

more

positive

Theology.

right

of

must be on some

to be denied, it

is

the

If

ground than that which merely affirms

when

It is only

that doctrines lack all significance.

the widely diffused dislike of doctrines takes the more directly polemic form of

but

useless

And

come

hierarchy

simple living

followers,

more

found a

to

machinery

ecclesiastical

freedom

and

and power

of

its

stripped

of

the

all

In their

tlie

and permitted once more as

faith

killing religion,

we

flexibility,

to

and

primitive

its

must be

it

envelopes in which

work on men

not

are told

it

;

in its

naked

Theology

dogma.

and the hope first

of

is

the

that religion

live.

There are naturally

somewhat "

ever to

perverse ingenuity of men,

future rests on our killing theology

may

the

toils faith is

it

if

:

reproduction,

artificial

has been swatlied by

simplicity,

holy

Eome was no

of

imprisoned, straitened, petrified

fecundity

His

impulse,

than the equally elaborate theological

foreign

regain

To His

hearts

religious

constructions of the dogmatists. is

are told,

religion.

whose pious

to

communicated a deep

elaborate

we

Christ,

teach a doctrine or to institute a

to

He came

;

contro-

real

of late this stronger assertion has

become exceedingly common. did not

the

that

noxious,

actively

versy begins.

them not merely

declaring

dogma,"

violent as

its

many forms

hostility

opponents

many grounds on which

it

to

like

taken

doctrine to

call

by

— it

seeks to support

this

or

to

— and

itself.


The Right of Systematic Theology

No

doubt

27

often only the expression of an innate

it is

antipathy to clear thinking and of a not very rare incapacity for truth

The

truth.

example, speaks

late

as

accuracy,"

his

a

sort

"

Andrew

he wrote,

"

comes in the shape struck out of

it

Lang

"

Half the

of a proposition.

in the process."

How

^

Truth

me when

becomes distasteful to

mucli more

could only have had more taste for exact fact

many

form

in

is

its life

whom

theologians to like

manner

afflicted

inaccuracy.

tutional

distasteful,

Men

like these

he

There

!

and

half, or

all,

because

with a lamentable and consti-

No wonder

minds exact statement seems

and theology appears

if

truth in propositional

seems dissipated, for the same reason

they too are

it

life is

trustworthy he would have been as a historian

are

in-

similar antipathy to formu-

lated truth in the spheres in which he dealt. itself,"

to

Froude, for

lamented and constitutional

exhibited a

^

colour-blindness

of

what Mr.

from

suffering

of

Mr. James Anthony

to

must be

upon such

that

an

to act like

be an

enemy

of

irritant,

religion.

classified as deficients

;

and

1 " In Mr. To the last he had Fronde's wine there were no dregs. the same captivating power, despite his lamented and constitutional

inaccuracy " (Andrew Lang, The Cosmox)olitan (magazine), September 1895, p. 576). -

"The

radical

Fortnightly Review, about which you ask,

publication.

doctrinaire politicians

for

are

my as

Many good men taste.

stiff

The

write in

formulas

and arrogant

of

it.

is

an advanced

But

advanced

it

is

too

English

as the formulas of theology.

becomes distasteful to me when it comes in the shape " of a proposition. Half the life is struck out of it in the process (J. A. Froude, letter to Gen. Cluseret, in The Independent, August 8,

Truth

1895).

itself


The Right of Systematic Theology

28

we can no more

yield

the

obedience to their outcries

consent to refuse

right

than

the colour-blind, or the musician

physicist can

study of liarmony

all

for music.

have no faculty for truth will always con-

sider an appeal

to

truth an

upon doctrinal Christianity

is

whom we must

those

On

it.

But the assault

evil.

from being confined

far

believe

the contrary,

possess reason,

to

who seem very chary

indeed, for they too are men, but of using

it

is

being carried on

to-day by the very leaders of Christian thought

men whose by

their trained dialectical skill their

religion"

incapable

is

save

is

theology and would

it

from

weak and

is

preserve tlie

killing

who

nevertheless

are fain

the reasoned assertion

It is

theological

of

to

Theology

not merely the wail of those

of

masters

and the profundity

"

learning.

tlieological

preserve their religion.

object

— by

shining intellectual gifts are equalled only

of

of

in

colour to please

he should bore those who have no ear

lest

Men who

to

the

discussion of

all

theology

of

science

whose

professed

Christianity in its purity and

dangers which encompass

erring world.

it

in this

a position, therefore,

It is

which deserves our most respectful consideration, and if

we

still feel

bound

to refuse

it,

we owe

selves to give a reason for the faith that

There are two chief points

of

right of doctrinal Christianity tlieologians of our day.

these schools of thought facts,

not dogmas

:

Tlie is

is

it

to our-

in us.

view from which the is

denied

watchword

by leading of

one of

that Christianity consists of

that of the other

is

that Chris-


The Right of Systematic Theology tianity consists of

tnrn what

Let us see in

not doctrine.

life,

29

meant by these phrases and what

is

is

to

the modes of conceiving

be said with reference to

Christianity which they represent.

we are told, What we rest upon

consists of facts, not

Christianity, then, of dogmas.

body

a

not

for our salvation is

constructions,

intellectual

theories,

of

speculative ideas, but a series of mighty acts of God,

He

by which

has entered into the course of

human

history and wrought powerfully for the salvation of

He

chose for Himself a people in

our lost race.

Thus,

Abraham and

gradually moulded them into a matrix

in

which salvation might

world

prepared for

be

and when the fulness

;

all

had come.

of time

the

He

descended into their midst in the person of His Son,

was born

woman,

of a

and suffered and died

lived

our salvation, and having died for our

and now ever

for our justification,

cession

for

acts

all

human

that

we

:

it

death for us

us,

by the

;

He

make

series

inter-

divine

of

side of these facts

many

impertinences.

of the person of Christ that

it

is

not by any theory of the atonement

it is

by the great

is

it is

by the great

fact

of

the

in-

fact of Christ's

not by any theory of His heavenly

we

high-priesthood that

High and

:

lives to

mighty

are saved

fact that

this

theories are only so

by any theory

are saved

carnation

Christianity

this is

It is not

we

This

us.

for

again

sins, rose

sits at

are saved, but by the great

the right

reigns over

all

then, renounce all

hand

of the

Majesty on

things for His Church.

our wire-drawn

theories

Let

and


The Right of Systematic Theology

30

take our stand once for all upon these great facts

which

Christianity

Christianity.

constitute

really

dogmas

consists of these facts, not of

:

and

it is

the

sole business of the theologian to establish these facts,

In

not to invent dogmas.^ imitating the

writers

of

moreover, he will be

this,

Scripture

:

"

for

Bible

the

simply recounts the facts without pretending to the least

shadow

The truth very obvious

;

whose watchword they are intended

Accordingly nothing

justify.

acts, to

of revelation

indeed,

God

in the series of

the exclusion

by word, which

in

as

All revelation

facts.

the patefaction of

redemptive

become more

has

than an appeal from the doctrines of

of late

Christianity to its to

nature

the

is

of

which consist facts

" religious "

and adopt which

in lie

is

reduced

His great

entire or partial

sometimes represented, the

ones

impossible. "

case

Churches are exhorted to lay aside their creeds

is

and we cannot wonder that they have

class of thinkers

common

underlies these representations

tliat

an influence far beyond the limits of the

exercised

to

-

of authority."

" theological

that

is,

creeds

the mere enumeration of the great at

the

basis

of

Christianity,

the

advocates of this procedure usually having something the Apostles' Creed in mind.

like ^

" La

tlR'ologie

doit

peutetre

se

In

still

broader

bonier a constater des

faits

Nazareth et le devcloppemcnt de sa 2Jensee sur luiquoted by H. Bois, Le Dogme Grcc, p. 225). 07ienie, p. 156 -"La Bible raconte simplement les faits, sans pivtendre a la nioindre ombre d'aiitont»5 " (Astie, in Evangile et Liberte, Dec. 26, 1890 (juoted by H. Bois, De la Connaissance Rcligieuse, p. 342). (Stapfer, Jesus de ;

;


TJie circles, it

Right of Systematic Theology

3

has become very customary to distinguish

between what

is

and the theory when

called the fact

dealing with special doctrines, and to profess belief in the fact of sin, of the incarnation, of the atonement,

and

the

like,

while despairing

now

this

fashionable

mental elements

of

mode

of

A

tenable explanation of them. of

Christianity

discovering

any

recent example

dealing

may

of

with funda-

be found in the

essay on the Atonement which was contributed to the volume called Faith and Criticism, by Dr. K. F. a brilliant preacher, who, howHorton, of London

must not be taken

ever,

Such a mental

too seriously as a theologian.^

James Denney points

attitude, as Dr.

out,2 in a striking passage in the lectures

which he

New York Essays by Congregationalists. Faith and Critkism. V. The Atonement, pp. 188, 222, 237: '^It is the object of the present essay to advocate this sobriety of assertion in It may be a duty on dealing with the question of the atonement. :

1

E. P. Button, 1893.

the one hand to maintain that the death of Christ

is

the means by

pardoned and reconciliation between God and man and yet, on the other, to own that no real explanation of it effected can be found." " The New Testament has no theory about the atonenor is the case fully stated when we deny that the New ment Testament contains a theory there is a strong reason for suspecting differed," etc. that the several New Testament writers " In spite, too, of confident assertions 2 Studies in Theology, p. 106 " this distinction of fact and theory— this to the contrary," he adds, pleading for the fact as opposed to the theory— is very far from finding For my own part, I have no doubt support in the New Testament.

which

sin

is

;

.

.

.

;

.

.

.

:

Testament does contain a theory, or, as I should prefer to One may suspect that Dr. a doctrine of the atonement," etc. Denney had precisely :\Ir. Horton's essay in mind in penning this porcontion of his discussion ; certainly he traverses with very great the

New

say,

vincingness the contentions and illustrations alike put forward by Dr. Horton. The statement in the late Dr. Henry B. Smith's Si/stem of " AVIhmi we say Christian Theology, p. 460, may well be compared.


The Right of Systeuiatic Theology

32

recently delivered before the students of the Chicago Theological Seminary,

certainly not easy to under-

is

and cannot possibly

stand,

be

attitude in which not only do

final

many

but some even seem to glory.

but

it

an

is

Dr. John Watson, for

" little

example, in a delightful

:

acquiesce to-day,

book on religion," in

which, like Mr. Horton, he emphasises the importance of

Christ's

death for salvation, yet seems to take

considerable pride and to find great comfort in the idea that

it

is

could

make

little

band that evening,"

supper, "

how

"

for salvation.

— he

how His death

entirely inexplicable

says

in

Christ's death

Had

one questioned the

the evening of the last

customarily

his

striking

way,

would be of any good unto them

or the world, then

it is

had been

Much

silent.

probable that

St.

John himself

has been written since by

devout scholars, and some of their words have helped

and some have hindered, and the reason mystery There

of sacrifice has not yet

is

been declared.

one modern crucifixion which

satisfying because

and the soul

to

it

of the great

is

.

.

.

perfectly

leaves everything beyond Jesus

the imagination.

It is a

space of

black darkness, with some dim strokes of light, and as

you try

to pierce the

a crucified Man.

gloom they suggest the form

The

face

is

faintly visible

of

and a ray

from the forehead striking downwards reveals a kneelthat the deatli of Christ was instead of our puiiishment, and that

made facts.

expiation for our sins, .

.

.

We

we

it

are not statini,^ theories but revealed

do not suppose that anytliing which can properly is involved in any one of the points that we have

be called a theory

presented in respect to the doctrine of sacrifices."


The Right of Systematic Theology fio-ure

iiiir

o

o

human

place of this mystery the

best

it,

loves

darkness it

indeed,

If,

Is

^

where

Christianity thrives

Within the secret

at the foot of the cross.

and become one."

is

were

it

2>Z

and Jesus meet

soul

indeed true

then,

more

than

to

and

light,

least understood

necessary

tliat

?

distinguish,

as

sharply as this theory bids us, between the doctrines

and

facts of Christianity, there

the essence

find

is

none who w^ould not

Christianity in

of

the

fact of the incarnation, the atonement, the

high-priesthood

— here

Christianity, about if it

undoubtedly

which

its

is

The

facts.

the

heavenly centre

And

doctrines revolve.

were possible not merely

to

distinguish between

them, but to separate the doctrines from the then of course

it

would be

flee.

facts

without

their

facts,,

to the facts alone that

We may cherish

could

of

we

doubts as to the value of

interpreting

doctrines,

we

but

cannot but be sure that doctrines to which no facts correspond us

say

it

can be nothing other frankly,

lies.

It

is

to

than the

myths

force

of

let

this

suggestion that the representations under discussion their influence.

But the

a wholly false one.

No

owe is

antithesis thus

drawn

one would contend that

Christianity consists in doctrines as distinguished from ^ The "A mystic," says Dr. London, 1895, p. 75. UxJjjer Room. Watson, admiringly (p. 60), "gathers truth as a plant absorbs the It is certahily easy enough to light, in silence and without effort." refuse to make the requisite effort to obtain the truth :' and were it

only indubitable that thus the truth would be absorbed, the pathway knowledge would be royal indeed. It seems to be the characteristic of our modern mystics, however, to stop short of obtaining the truth and to

to proclaim it to be unnecessary, if indeed not positively undesirable.


The Right of Systematic Theology

34

far

facts,

that

less

tend that

far

that

less

man

to

in

it

and doctrines entirely

The incarnation

facts.

and

womb

virgin's

faith

but

:

vain,

is

if

is

are

yet

a fact

the apprehension

to

their adequate testimony

no eye saw

:

our

men and

of

but

:

in

is

it

He

most satisfactory manner.-^

witnessed by

at the

Dr.

"Christianity,

it will

be here said,

is

o.

says

true.

.

same time

James

Orr,

.

.

The gospel

:

fact-revelation

centre in a living Christ and not in a dogmatic creed. is

The

sins.

Kerr Lectures, brings out the truth here

in his noble

sense

enter the

an occurrence in time

:

the cardinal doctrine of Christianity.

in a

are

be not a true fact as well,

it

we

resurrection of Christ

coalesce.

doctrines

its

doctrine

a

is

all

God descend from heaven and

the Son of

level

as

Christianity consists

a true religion, which offers

is

facts are doctrines

its

our

from

facts

a real redemption that was really wrought out

history, its facts

All

in

and doctrines that are

in is facts that are doctrines,

Just because

consists

it

What

separated from doctrines.

facts.

wholly

doctrines

in

But neither ought anyone con-

consists in facts as distinguished

it

and

doctrines,

consists

it

unrelated to facts.

has

it

And

its

this in a

no mere proclamation of eternal God for mankind,

is

'

truths,' but the discovery of a saving purpose of

executed in time.

The

But the doctrines

are the interpretation of the

do not stand blank and dumb before us, but have a voice given to them and a meaning put into them. They are accompanied by living speech, which makes their meaning clear. Wlien facts.

facts

John declares that Jesus Christ God, he

^

is

Cf. Dr.

p. 25.

stating a fact, but he

is

is

come

and is the Son of enunciating a doctrine.

in the flesh

none the

less

James Orr's The Christian Vieio of God and

the IVorld,


The Right of Systematic Theology AVheii Paul affirms,

he

tures,'

'

Christ died for our sins according to the Scrip-

proclaiming a

is

35

fact, l)ut

he

is

at the

same time giving an

interpretation of it."

be of use to us to consider for a

It will

effect

the sharp antithesis which

of

dogmas, but in

What

facts.

separated from

does

Christianity

that

declaration

what

is

is

not

"

the

in

the

consist

in

a fact that

here called

is

moment

drawn

is

dogma

wholly "

?

If

doctrines which stand entirely out of relation to facts are myths,

we

lies,

facts

call doctrine

It is

what we

cance to

could have no meaning to us whatsoever.

call doctrine

to the contemplation of facts,

" doctrine,"

''•

theory,"

comprehension

is

of facts.

what the Herbartians

means

all their signifi.=^^

That intellectual element brought by

not understood.

of

winch gives

A fact without doctrine is simply a fact

facts.

the mind

which have no connection with what

of it

alone

is

which we

call

the condition of any proper It constitutes the call "

elements

apperception," and by

a fact capable of passing into our

minds as a force and in any measure influencing our And therefore Dr. James Denney, thought and life. in the passage to to allude,

which we have already had occasion

— where he

anyone should seem

is

expressing his surprise that

to glory

and triumph

to discover the theory of a fact

in inability

fundamental to Chris-

tianity—adds with the most complete justice

^ :

"

A fact of which there is absolutely no theory is a fact which stands out of relation to everything in the universe, a fact which has no conCf. the remark of Coleridge, in p. 106. None of your "' Facts— stuhborn facts! theory A most entertaining and instructive essay might be written on this text, and the sooner the better. Trace it from the most 1

Stiidies

Anima

in

Poetce,

!

'

Theology, p.

125:


The Right of Systematic Theology

36

nection with any part of our experience it is a blank unintelligibility, a rock in the slcy, a mere irrelevance in the mind of man. There is no such thing conceivable as a fact of which there is no theory, or even a ;

fact of which lot have no theory such a thing could not enter our world at all if there could be such a thing, it would be so far from having the virtue in it to redeem us from sin tliat it would have no ;

;

interest for us

and no

effect u])on us at all."

So closely welded are those intellectual elements those elements of previous knowledge, or of knowledge

derived from other sources

to facts as

taken up into

our minds in the complex act of apperception, that

we have

possibly

ordinarily failed to separate them,

and consequently, liuently "

matter

worship of what we

the naked facts," have very

what a bare have for

in our

fact

us.

is,

and what

M. Naville has sought

by an incident from

Even, he says

little

considered

meaning

little

to

it

could

illustrate

own

his

so

call

the

experience.

^

cjj. in Fracastorius' Be SyriiixUMd, cap. i., and Alchemy Book — even to that of your modern agriculturists, relating their own facts and swearing against each other like ships'

absurd credulity the

Oh

crews.

From

!

it is

the relations of the facts

— not the

the point of view of the historian. Professor

facts, friend

" !

Woodrow Wilson

{The Century Magazine, September 1895, pp. 787, 788) speaks to somewhat the same effect " Give us the facts, and nothing but the facts,' is the sharp injunction of our age to its historians. Upon the :

'

an eminently reasonable requirement. To tell the truth, is the unimpeachable first principle of all right living and historians have no licence to be quit of it. Unquestionalily they must tell us the truth." But " an interesting circumstance thus comes to light. It is nothing less than this, The truth is that the facts do not of themselves constitute the truth. abstract, not concrete. It is the just idea, the right revelation of what things mean. It is evoked only by such arrangements and orderings of facts as suggest meanings," ^ Le temoignage die Christ et Vunitddu mondc Chretien, pp. 293, 294 face of

it,

simply, openly, without reservation, ;

.

.

.

;

quoted by H, Bois, De la Connaissancc Religicuse,

p. 343.


The Right of Systematic Theology

2)7

"The things which we ourselves see have their lueaniiig and their import only through the adjunction of ideas taken upon testimony. One day, at Paris, I saw on the quay which runs alongside the Tuileries, the Emperor Napoleon iii. pass by in a cabriolet wliicli he Here

himself was driving. let

a fact

is

which

I

But

verified for myself.

us reduce this fact to the elements of personal perception, separated

I saw a large buihlfrom the ideas which came from another source. how did I know that this building bore the name of the Tuileries, and that it was the residence of the sovereign of France ?

ing

By

:

the testimony of others.

man was By French.

this

I

Napoloon

called

saw a man pass how did I know that and that he was the Emperor of the :

iii.

If I reduce the

testimony.

personal perceptions, here

what

is

is left

:

I

fact to

the data of

my

saw, near a large building,

man who drove a cabriolet nothing more. The facts that pass under our eyes have their meaning and value only by the intervention

a

which we owe

of ideas

If,

then,

of facts,

we

to the affirmations of our fellows."

are to affirm that Christianity consists

wholly separated from those ideas by which

these facts obtain their significance and meaning and

which

it

pleases us to call "

do but destroy gether

?

that

all

The great

are just as "

naked

dogmas

we know any other

facts,

they themselves but

their

we

they are

i.e.

until not only

doctrinal

significance is

The whole Christianitv

us.

facts resides in their

shall

and are just as

facts, until

not only perceived but understood,

to

—what

as Christianity alto-

facts that constitute Christianity

" as

meaningless to us as any other

made known

"

of these

meaning, in the ideas which are

involved in them, but which are not independently

gathered from them by each observer, but are attri-

buted to them by those who interpret them to us a word, in the doctrines

what are the great Strip

them 3

free

accompanying them.

in

For

facts that constitute Christianity

from

"

?

dogma," from that interpreta-


The Right of Systematic Theology

J8 -^

which has transformed them into doctrine, and

tion

what have we

left

at the

most but

this

that once

:

upon a time a man was born, w^ho lived charity, died on

and

An

no doubt, with elements of

interesting series of facts,

mystery

in poverty

the cross and rose again.

in them, of the marvellous, of the

touching

;

but hardly in their naked form constituting what we

For that they require

Christianity.

call

This

their interpretation.

He came

man was

to

receive

the Son of God,

we

are told

He

gave Himself to death as a propitiation for their

sins

;

and

indeed,

;

He

the flesh to save sinners

in

rose again for their justification.

we have

But

Christianity.

it

;

Now,

not consti-

is

tuted by the " bare facts," but by the facts as interpreted,

and indeed by the Give the

not otherw^ise.

we cannot give them

find in

facts as thus interpreted, facts

a different interpretation,

therefore, not

"

i.e.

specific

"

by the

manner.

Surely

to the Christian

man

of

Christianity:

and

by the

facts it is

as

this

have is

but by the

understood in

one

of importance, therefore,

great is

shall

Christianity

facts,

to investigate this

the

interpretation

call Chiistianity

and we

Christianity.

constituted,

dogmas

no interpretation, and

them what we can

something other than

and

the

facts

task

one Christian

that of

constitute

Systematic

Theology.

We at

must not fail to emphasise that the conclusion which we have thus arrived implies that there lies

at the basis of Cliristianity not only a series of great

redemptive

facts,

but also an authoritative interpreta-


The Right of Systematic Theology Amid

those facts.

tion of

many interwho will help

the perhaps

pretations possible to this series of facts, lis

39

one through which alone they can constitute

to that

Christianity

In the ordinary

?

enabled to arrive at the

meet

facts that

of life

affairs

by the explanations

us,

we

are

true interpretation of the of those

who

have knowledge of their meaning and who have a claim upon our belief

when they

explain them to

For example, in the instance cited from

man

could be assured that the

he saw driving the

was Napoleon

ledge

of

the Emperor he could trust.

facts

of

knowledge our belief

iii.

there

is

These great

anyone who has

meaning and who has

of their

when he

us.

Naville, he

by anyone whose know-

cabriolet

Christianity

M.

explains

them

to

us

a right to

who, in a

?

word, has authority to declare to the world what this series of great facts

Christianity

means, or in other words, what

It is

is ?

evident that

nothing less than authority

is

Christianity.

We

In

Him we

meaning

of Christian facts in

which

He was

have supreme confidence

facts.

means

whom He

of

find that doctrinal authority ulti-

of the

may

it

the existence of a doctrinal

this, that

whose knowledge

apostles

are face to

fundamental to the very existence

mately, of course, in Christ. in

we

And

face here with an anxious question.

;

and

to

discern one

of the great series

chief actor,

we can

whom, with the all nations, we

appointed to teach

safely go for the interpretation of the Christian

In the teachings of Christ and His apostles,

therefore,

we

find authoritative

Christian doctrine


The Right of Systematic Theology

40 "

doscma "

"

the

in

dogma

"

enters

But we are

told, as

this

very

the

into

word

the

sense of

strictest

and

:

essence

of

Christianity."^

may

perhaps be remembered,

M.

that the Bible does not contain " dogmas."

himself "

that

quoted,

already

passage

allowed

has

example,

for

Bible

the

recounts the facts without pretending

shadow

every Bible reader

M. Henri

Cf.

a

simply

of fact

be trusted to resolve

least

and

;

it

for

Obviously the Bible does not give us a

himself.-

1

may

in

the

to

It is a question

of authority."

Astie,

affirm,

to

Bois,

Le Dogme

pp. 110-117

Ghrec,

" Christianity is, and

:

therefore, without being this exclusively, a combination of facts ideas.

.

.

.

The

fact does

serves no purpose.

That

not suffice. The fact by itself is nothing, should avail anything, there is needed the

it

interpretation of the fact, the idea.

.

.

.

Who

Himself and those

whom He

make Him known

to the world.

to recount

what the

will tell us in

true interj)retation of the Christian fact consists

?

.

.

.

Jesus Christ

Himself chose, prepared and inspired to The mission of the aj)ostles was .

.

.

and interpret the Christian

facts to the world.

...

If

God

whole of humanity together, it seems to us altogether natural that He should have given also, in a definite fashion, by His Son, Jesus Clmst, Author of these acts, and by the apostles, witnesses of these acts, formed in the school of Christ and penetrated by His Spirit, an interpretation of these acts, valid for all humanity. God acted once for all, in a definite fashion but the first essential sense of this act does not change, since the act itself, There are therefore the past act, remains accomplished, immutable. We affirm, theredefinitive ideas by the side of definitive facts.

wrought certain

definite acts for the

:

.

fore,

.

.

that the writings of the witnesses of the Christian facts, their

accounts and their interpretations, have authority." ^

Prof.

Henry Wace,

in his

Bampton Lectures on The Foundations

of Faith (p. 121), neatly exhibits the nature of the frequent assertion that the Bible contains no "dogmas" in a characteristic incident or " It is the favourite contention of those who impugn the faith two. of the Church," he says,

"that the teaching of the Sermon on the

Mount is purely moral and independent of theology.

*

It is undeniable,


The Right of Systematic Theology bare

of

list

development

meaning

*'

naked

of facts

the interpretation their

facts "

but a rich account and

;

a

special

understood and interpreted.

With

significant

of

of

as, for

held

facts

these

of

in

rather

facts,

mere record, a large part

employed,

4

than with

the Bible

solely

is

example, the epistles of Paul

and

:

says the author of Supernatural Religion, with cliaracteristic strength of assertion,

'

that the earliest teaching of Jesus recorded in the gospel

as in any degree historical is pure morality, not quite, free from theological dogmas. Morality was the Two pages essence of His system theology was an afterthought.' later this writer states with perfect correctness, but with complete unconsciousness of inconsistency, that Christ's system 'confined itself But is to two fundamental ])rinciples, love to God and love to man.' there no theology involved in teaching love to God ? No theology in

which can be regarded almost,

if

;

the belief that God is, and that He is the rewarder of them that diligently seek Him, and that in spite of all the difficulties, perplexities, and cruelties of the world. He is worthy of the whole love and trust of our hearts Wliy, this is the very theological problem which has racked the heart and brain of man from the dawn of religious thought !

to the i^resent

moment. On these two commandments

curious phrase just quoted, Christ's system

is

— to which; in the

said to have

confined

'

though they Avere slight or simple on these two commandThey are the germ from mt^nts hang all the law and the prophets. wdiich has sprung the whole theoloj^ical thought of the Christian Church, and to which it returns and no theologian can wish to do more than to deepen his own apprehension of them and to strengthen their hold upon others. With similar inconsistency, M. R^nan

itself,'

as

;

declares that 'w^e should seek in vain for a theological proposition in

the gospel,' and yet states elsewhere that 'a lofty notion of the God,' Divinity was in some sort the germ of our Lord's whole being. '

'

he adds, is in Him He feels Himself in communion with God and He draws from His heart that which he speaks of His Father.' These ai'e strange inconsistencies. But there is nothing, perhai)s, more '

;

;

warn a thoughtful mind, at the threshold of sceptical specuthan the manner in which the vastest conceptions and the profoundest problems are thus passed over, The as it were, dryshod by such writers as have just been quoted." fine passage on })p. 194-198 on the influence of doctrine on life should fitted to

lations, of their essential shallowness,

also be read.


The Right of Systematic Theology

42

even when the immediate object

is

facts themselves, they are not set

the record of the

down

Denney is expositors who

thoroughly justified in his rebuke to

would neglect

this context

nakedly, but

Dr. James

in a distinct doctrinal context.

^ :

sometimes tempted," he says, "to read New had no context but that which stands they had from the very beginning, before him in black and white and have still, another context in the minds of Christian readers which it is impossible to disregard. They are not addressed to minds in the condition of a tabula rasa ; if they were, they could hardly be they were addressed to minds that had been understood at all delivered— as Paul says to the Romans a church, remember, to which such to a type or mould of teaching lie was personally a stranger

"Amere

exegete

Testament sentences

is

as if they

;

;

:

;

and a clew to the intention of a Christian writer they can take a hint, and read into brief words the fulI have no doubt that it was in this way such ness of Christian truth.

minds have

in this a criterion

;

expressions were interpreted as

we

find all

through the

New

Testa-

He loosed Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many Behold the Lamb of God that taketh us from our sins by His blood He is the propitiation for our sins.' To away the sin of the world ment

:

'

'

'

'

;

'

;

'

'

;

say that words like these express a fact but not a theory a fact as opposed to a theory is to say they mean nothing whatever. A member of the apostolic Church would be conscious of their meaning without any conscious effort what they suggested to him would be precisely that truth which is so distasteful to many of those who plead

;

for the fact as against 'theory,' that in Christ's

tion was endured by

Him.

This theory

is

death our condemnathere is nothing

the fact

;

else in these various expressions either to accept or to contest."

If there

be any justice in these remarks at

surely their justice lies

on their face

truer to say of the Bible that "

dogmas," than to say that

it

it

it

all

—and

would be

contains nothing but

contains only

" facts

"

1 Studies in Cf. the wise remarks of Dr. ThcoJo(jy, pp. 119, 120. Cairns, d^iropos of Sender, in his Unhclief in the Eighteenth Century,

Lecture v.

ii.,

near the beginning.


Right of Systematic Theology

TJie "

and no

"

dogmas

"

o

the facts given to us by Scrip-

all

:

ture are given as

4'^

dogmas," that

as facts that have

is,

a specific meaning for our souls.

Doubtless part of

the extremity of such deliverances as M. Astic's

due to a failure on the part facts bare

Christian

the

is

their authors to strip

of

enough.

It is the

fact as

interpreted and not the naked fact itself that they

But

call the fact.

Christianity "

it

dogmas," by calling

will scarcely do

in

consists

all

facts

of

No

doubt they are

but not in the sense intended by these writers

and thus the whole centre "

of the

debate would be

The contention would no longer be that

shifted.

"

dogmas merely

but

exclusion

the dogmas which enter into

the essence of Christianity facts. facts,

no

to prove that

the

to

enter into the essence of Christianity,

only

that

such

"

dogmas

"

enter

into

the essence of Christianity as are rooted in fact, to

the exclusion of such as have no basis in fact

other

words,

But

dispute.

will

myths and

of

it

lies.

does not

avail

This to

no

in

one

show that

Christianity consists of facts and not dogmas, but only

that the dogmas

which enter into Christianity are

true.

The antipathy

much

too

external authority in religion

to

mere exhibition

of

the necessity of interpretation to

render facts of any import or value to man. are

some

to

whom

of interpretation

ence

of

is

deeply rooted, however, to die with the

an

it

will still

may

external

There

seem that the necessity

be allowed, and yet the existdoctrinal authority

be

denied.


The Right of Systematic Theology

44

M. Kivier may be taken thought.

"

as an

Certainly," he says

example

of this

type of

^

" Certainly to verify a historical fact is far from conipreliending its and supernatural sense. An event whose significance remains foreign to us cannot have the least direct importance for our salvation, even though it may be ineffably rich in divine lessons and in religious motives. In order that we may know God, it evidently is not sufficient that he should act, it is necessary further that He should

religious

speak."

So

far,

everything runs along satisfactorily

the contention

we have been making.

:

it

is

just

But M. Rivier

proceeds at once to take the significance out of his "

admission. "

only "

is

Only,"

he

continues,

and

the

word

ominous

"Only it is necessary that he should speak to us. For we could never recognise His activity in a historical fact unless its explication made us personally verify a divine element in it. Now this interpreGod commonly

tation

gave, according to the biblical narratives, to

the witnesses of the events. facts,

Whilst we, in order to understand these more or less exact report of their

are to be reduced to the

authentic interpretation

" Therefore,"

!

comments M. Henry

imitable point

Bois, with his in-

-

"Therefore, in what the Bible and history transmit to us, there is nothing but the raAv facts for us to take into consideration. The rest it is of little consequence to us what God has said to is of no value others that alone is of consequence to us which has been said to us. Nevertheless, it is allowed that the facts without ideas are of no Consequently what history and the Bible value for salvation. transmit to us has no value for salvation value resides principally, fundamentally, in what God says to us, at present, in our revelations, :

;

.

.

.

.

.

.

:

^

Etude sur la revelation chretienne,

Dogme -

Grec^ p. 114.

Lc Dogme Grec,

p.

114

sq.

p.

44

;

quoted in H. Bois' Le


The Right of Systematic Theology

45

For having in our dreams. in our illuminations, in our fantasies, of the historic fact, we ^vished to discard the apostolic explications the historical fact ourselves quite naturally brought to discarding find

itself.

" And, indeed, we shall ask M. Rivier Wliy this different mode of In order that we may know God, it treating the fact and the idea \ is necessary further evidently is not sufficient that He should act it Only it is necessary that He should speak to that He should speak. :

'

:

But why not say also 'Only it is necessary by us, and in ws' % It is of no use to make God speak historically % Be it so. But why make Him act historAre we to be reduced to the more or less exact and more or ically ? certain men were witnesses less authentic reports of the facts of which many centuries ago % No, it is necessary that God should act for ns far so good.

So

lis:

thkt

He

and

in

:

should act for

The

%ls.

us,

ai.ostolic interpretation of

the Christian facts

is

given

nightmare of so-called us by tradition, that fatal tradition, that if you please, independent minds? It is true. But by what, then,

You

same tradition ? are you furnished with the facts, if not by this later commentaries, and declare that tradition reporting ideas needs a divine you exclaim, Is the latest commentary too clothed with should like you to tell us if tradition reporting facts authority % will criticism, perchance, then be clothed criticism '

'

We

has no need of with a divine authority

" In

short,

he who says

fact, history,

The more

tradition, authority.

more

:

?

fact."

We

scarcely

could

have a neater or of reduction

by the method

refutation pity

is

that everybody

reduction

is

to

The to

says at the same time witness, more tradition— the

authority, the

which

M.

that very position

the

would

thus

drive

M.

Eivier,

voluntarily assumed by others.

show that by parity of reasoning M. Eivier would refuse to that by which

Would M. with

is

does not see that

For the absurd position

absurdity.

Bois

completer

to absurdity.

Bois

be bound by the doctrines of the Bible, the facts, Undoubtedly, replies, for be refused? too, may example, Mr. G. Frommel

:

religion cannot consist of,


The Right of Systematic Theology

46

external

upon,

or rest

external doctrines

"By

:

their very nature historical facts lack the special evidence The most certain of them are only indispensable for faith.

which

is

Their probability, by the accumulation of evidences and

probable.

the weight of the testimony,

but

any more than upon

facts

^

never attains

it

it.

may

increase until it grazes certitude,

The best evidenced

historical facts rest

on

intermediary witnesses, with regard to whom doubt remains permisWere they even absolutely proved, they would remain in sible. essence incapable of forming authority for faith, the object of whicli

cannot in any case be a historical fact and, above all, not a past fact and which demands for its establishment the discernment in history of a divine activity, the initiative and permanent character of which

forms upon one a directly accessible impression."

That

to say, past facts

is

can enter into the essence of

Christianity just as little as past of Christianity

must be found wholly

the position of those of facts, not

who

what

in

of

another class who equally refuse to

that Christianity consists in

This position

outcome

of

present

cry that Christianity consists

allow the validity of Christian doctrine, is

is

dogmas, M. Bois has only driven them to

the position

cry

the essence

:

In reducing to absurdity

the soul here and now.

to

dogmas

comes before us thus the

demands

of

those whose

not doctrine. the

as

who

those

Christianity consist only of facts,

life,

and not

logical

will

have

at all of

dogmas. Before w^e turn to the consideration of this position, however, there is

contention doctrines, 1

La

1892

;

that

an extreme form

Christianity

consists

which claims our attention.

Crise du jyrotcslantisinc, in ^vangile quoted by Henri Bois, Le Dogme Grcc,

et

of

This

Libert^,

\\ 1'2.

of

facts, is

new the

not that

27th May,


The Right of Systematic Theology

vogue

which has gained such

positivism

curious religious

47

through the vicrour of the followers

of late

Albrecht Eitschl, and which occupies a sort

between the type

tional position

of

of

of transi-

thought which

declares that Christianity consists in facts, not dogmas,

and that which represents

The extremity

doctrine.

as consisting in

it

of

the circumstance that, while Christianity consists not in

effect, in

says in

one sole

That no dogmas

it

facts, it

metaphysics

Christianity consists,

:

is

another

it

at the root or enter into the

lie

Eeligion

is

one thing, he

is

tells us,

and Christianity

;

dogmas are

while

religion,

reduces

fact.

essence of Christianity, the proper Kitschlite fectly assured.

not

agrees in general that

dogmas but

these facts to a single fact

life,

this position resides in

per-

and

is

in essence

metaphysical

products.

The service which Jesus did the world was not that

He He

presented

gave

came from

it

it

with a revealed metaphysic, but that

The metaphysical element

a religion.

into historical Christianity when, in

primitive

its

simplicity,

it

came

centre

and

from

into contact with

the Greek mind, which at once

its

advance

primitive

its

and bondage upon

seized

it

to

and,

according to the inherent Greek tendency, philosophised it,

and thus wrought out what we

Christian dogmas.

call the

fundamental

These, therefore, so far from being

essential to Christianity, are corruptions of Christianity.

And must

if

we would have

strip

dogma,"

or,

off

from

to

speak

Christianity in

it

its

purity,

every remnant of

more broadly, every

we

"

Greek

"

meta-


The Right of Systematic Theology

48

physical " element which has

ages attached itself to

it.

the course

in

More,

m

Christianity from entire destruction criticism

from

it

of

modern

these

the searching

we must

times,

those metaphysical accretions by

and consequent confusion with which

modern thought.

the light of

from

all

connection

it

is

But

it

in

purity as a

its

be

cannot live

let it

such entangling alliances, we are

stand forth

brought

If it is to

entangled with an outworn metaphysics, in

separate

its

modern knowledge.

into conflict with

the

of

we would save

if

be freed told,

and

simple religion, and

philosophy and science will find that, as Satan found

with Christ, they desired

be

to

between the seen,

is

"

have nothing in

obtained

The

it."

sharp

effect

distinction

and the metaphysical,

religious

it

will be

the security of Christianity in the forum of

The whole realm

the world's thought. physical

by

tliis

is

at once

abandoned

of the

meta-

to the world, while that

of the purely religious alone is retained for Christianity

and the two spheres are represented practically mutually exclusive.

;

as

Keligion cannot properly intrude

into the region of metaphysics, and metaphysics cannot

invade the region of pure religion. be safe from attack on this

will

Thus Christianity side.

But

it is

not

only on the side of metaphysics that Christianity attacked in these days. of

liistory.

It

is

not only her

assaulted, but also her

her

"

we

to

dogmas

" to

defend at

all

It is attacked also

" facts."

"

dogmas

is

on the side "

When we

that are yield

up

the mercy of the metaphysician, are

hazards her

" facts "?

Is Christianity


The Right of Systematic Theology to

be represented as standing or falling with them

No, says

need "

49

of

doo-mas "

" facts "

so-called

its

worst, let

than

of

its

one fact alone will sufhce for

;

evaporate into the mist of

it

so-called

the one

it,

myth every

men have been accustomed

on which

found

to

Christianity, Christianity will remain untouched

constituted by this one fact only

Such, then,

truth and power in It is

it

it is

in, at least, its

of

obvious on the face of the

is

much

:

Christ.

That there are elements

most characteristic form.

statement.

— Jesus

the Eitschlite position,

is

?

no more

Let historical criticism do its

great fact of Christ.

fact

Christianity has

Eitschlite.

the

to protest against the identifi-

cation of Christianity with the changing metaphysics of

the schools

and

;

undeniable that Christianity

it is

has often been confounded by the Hegelian with his

Hegelianism, by

by the Platonist with

telianism,

with

Aristotelian

the

his

Aristo-

his

Platonism, and

has thus been subjected to unwarranted suspicion and It

distrust.

may

Christianity " facts "

is

something survive

and being worthy

is

many

of

true and

is

of

that

her

worthy

of her, is part of her being

her supports and stays, yet she does not

and one

of

draw

her sap from this one root.

all

realise

to

the loss

that though her history

;

of her,

also

Above

all, it is

a

great thing to have our eyes focused on Jesus Christ as

the great, the

about

whom

all

constitutive else

receives its significance,

have

all.

Through

its

fact

gathers, from

whom

to

of

have

insistence on

Christianity,

whom is

all

else

indeed to

such points as


The Right of Systematic Theology

50

wrought a good work

these, Ritschlism has often

theological circles of

good degree.

Germany, and earned

But, unfortunately, the theory

put forward goes in

beyond insistence on such points as It is

that

has

it

implications fatally

logical

its

in the

for itself a

these.

hard to take seriously the sharp discrimination proposed between religious and metaphysical

is

knowledge

;

and

it is

hard

to take

patiently the com-

placent abandonment of the whole body of Christian doctrine

which

distinction. "

proposed on

is

One

tempted

is

to

the

basis

look upon

this

of

as

all

it

playing to the galleries," as merely a clumsy flattery

offered to the tendencies of

an age essentially

positivist.

In an era when even our psychologists seek to steer clear of metaphysics,

it is

possibly not to be wondered

which

at that a theology also should be attempted

be free from tainly

it

"

metaphysical

"

question those

who

M. Fouillee warns us that

reject "

"

metaphysics

quickly discover that they reject

it

It is so in the present case also.

if

is

we

shall very

name

of a

their own.^

is

The whole Eitschlite

the outgrowth of metaphysical theories drawn

from Kant through the mediation

of Lotze.

basis of these metaphysical theories, ^

we

in the

metaphysical system, which naturally

is

cer-

can not be wondered at that the failure

even more complete.

system

shall

And

conceptions.

" Interrogez ceux qui rejettent

naitrez bien vite qu'ils la rejettent au

qui est naturellement

le

leur"

la

(Alf.

Fouillee, ;

On

the

are asked to

nieta})hysique

nom d'un

phyfiique fondee sur Vcxpericiice, p. 275 Grec, p. 51, note).

we

;

vous recon-

syst<^me metaphysique,

UAvenir

de la meta-

quoted by H. Bois, Le

Dogme


The Right of Systematic Theology

5

eviscerate Christianity of its whole doctrinal content

Nor do mixed with metaphysical elements " whole content doctrinal " of the w^e, in For what truth Christianity, overstate the matter.

as being

!

saying

God and

concerning

the soul can come to expression

without involving metaphysical conceptions

however primary, contains a meta-

truth,

religious

M. Bois

physical element. limits of fact

when

"Those who thus For

if it is

no

metaphysical.

within the

repel metaphysics do not understand themselves.

less certain

If

therefore

is

he says^ that

certain that all that

religious, it is

Every

?

metaphysical

is

that all that

you wish

is

not on that account is on that account

is

religious

be rid of metaphysics at any

to

Whoever

abstain from speaking of God.

cost,

'I believe in God,'

says,

deals with metaphysics."

must be admitted, however, that the Eitschlites, having placed their brand upon metaphysics in religion, It

do make the boldest possible skirts of it

And

altogether.

effort

to

cleanse their

herein, for us, lies their

For at the bidding of this theory, some have not hesitated to discard the most elementary

severest reproach.

M. Bois says

truths of religion.

that

we cannot even

say, " I believe in

God," without a tinge of metaphysics.

We

it.

fully believe

also,

and actually

raises

validly even say so

What it

is

That even

do we, after asked.

He

is

this.

And

^

is

?

infinite?

No.

only know Lc Dogme

That he that

he

Grec, pp. 51, 52.

know

it

may

God

as this, " I believe in

!

of

God,

Certainly

not.

as Christian men,

all,

That he

We

the question whether we

much

a person

the EitschUte perceives

exists is,

as

?

Not

Eitschl


The Right of Systematic Theology

52

himself

once put

postulate "

for

it,

a " Hlilfsvorstellung "

the validating

God, in other words

"

of

Dr.

as

a useful

our practical

Denney

-

encls.^

brings out

Eitschl's idea *'God, in other words, is a necessary assumption of the Christian's but, scientifically, view of man's chief end in its bearing on the interpretation of nature and history, for exami)le, it may be left an open question whether there be a God or not."

;

^

Prof. Otto Ritschl thinks that his father's former

employment of

the term HiiJfsvorstellunfj in this connection ought not to be remem-

bered against him.

But with the

and Ritschlism a

we do not see God still remains for Ritschl The case is the same, of course,

excision of the term

that the conception has been changed. heuristic postulate.

with the Deity of Christ and its implications, as, for example, His pre-existence, which Ritschl similarly spoke of as a Hulfdinie for the comparing it thus Avith the imaginary lines traditional conception, assumed in geometrical reasonings, which have no reality, and are "VVe note Prof. Otto Ritschl's welcome declaraintended to have none. tion that it might as well be asserted of his father that he denied the existence of God and taught atheism, as that he did not intend to teach and we rejoice in this testimony to the Deity of Christ as a reality Ritschl's personal faith in two matters which do indeed stand for him

;

similar

in

relations.

We

too,

rejoice,

make

Ritschlites have been led to

in

the concessions which

in the matter of the proper Deity

But we are of Christ (see them exhibited in Orr, as cited, p. 448 sq.). not here concerned with Ritschl's personal convictions, nor with the indications in his followers of a not unnatural recoil from the full rigour of liis teaching, but with the logical implications of that teachins

itself.

And

tliere is after all a

considerable difference between

working hypothesis and the dX-qdivbs debs of the New Testament. For one thing, those to whom God is a working hypothesis are apt to conceive of Him as their creature who cannot be permitted to wander from the place and function He was called into being to fill and serve. The extremity of this feeling Avas startlingly exhibited by Heine, who, when asked in his anguish whether he had hope of forgiveThe distance that is what God is for." ness, repli.'d, " Oh, certainly between this attitude and the Christian conception of God is measured by the contrast between looking upon God as existing for us and

God

as a

:

realising that ^

we

exist only for

Studies in Theology, p. 8

;

Him. cf.

Orr, Christian View, etc., p, 45.


The Right of Systematic Theology In

similar

Herrmann

spirit,

teaches

that

53 "

for

maintaining of the impulse of religious faith,"

" it

the

does

not matter whether our conception of the world theistic, pantheistic, or

we may come

materialistic."

when we

to

element in religion, and

God

of

what

is

religious knowledge.

brought

truth

we need know

insist that all

in

residuum

the

in

It is the old

back,

is

what

is

refuse every metaphysical

involved

is

This

^

extreme

the

of

idea of regulative

includes the implication that what true for the needs of our practical

is

form

which

postulated as

life

may

in

the

sphere of theoretical knowledge be at the same time recognised as

And

false.

mode

this

Christianity

is

domain

said, into the

a characteristic

with

with the foundations of

of dealing

carried by this school, also, as of " facts."

we have

Denney quotes ^ example from Harnack when dealing

the miracles

"

Jesus.

of

Dr.

The

historian,"

says

Harnack,* "is not in a position to reckon with a miracle as a certainly given for in doing so he destroys that very method of looking at things on which all historical investigation rests. Ever}' historical event

;

See Orr, Christian View of God and the World, pp. 46 sq. Cf. Orr, as above, p. 29: "Under the plea of expelling metaphysics from theology, the tendency is at present to revive this distinction in a form which practically amounts to the resuscitation of ^

-

the old doctrine of a

double truth the one religious, the other not held necessary that even where the two overlap they should always be found in agreement." philosophical

;

and

'

'

it is

^

Studies in Theology,

^

Docjmengeschichte, Ed.

p. 12. 1,

i.

50, note 4

;

cf.

E. T.

i.,

p. 65,

where, however, the concluding words are quite different: conclusion itself belongs to the province of religious faith

:

note

3,

"This though


The Right of Systematic Theology

54

single miracle remains, historically, entirely dubious

tion of the dubious can ever

amount

to a certainty.

and no summa-

;

If,

in spite of this,

the historian convinces himself that Jesus Christ has done what is extraordinary, and even in the strict sense miraculous, he argues from

an ethico-religious impression which he has received of this person, to a supernatural power belonging to Him. This inference belongs itself We may conceive, however, a strong to tiie domain of religious faith. religious faith in the teleological reign of the divine and the good in the world, which does not need such an inference."

That

is

to

say, as

belongs

to

the

Denney

Dr.

domain

of

points out, " since

religious faith,

belong to the domain of assured fact," and to

it

it

it

cannot is

only

those of little faith that the supernatural power

and miracles

From

of Jesus are

passages like this

real import of the historical Jesus

not matters of indifference.

we may begin

to

learn the

constant Eitschlite appeal to the

— that

fervent and devout appeal to

the very central fact of Christianity which gives their writings such attractiveness to us

By

the

emphasis

which

all.

they

place

" historical Christ," who, according to them,

upon is

the

the one

great constitutive fact of Christianity, the Eitschlites

intend

first

of all

exalted

Christ

promise,

is

of

to

— the

exclude from consideration the Christ who,

according

to

His

with His followers always, even to the end

the world, the living source of

and the fountain

of all their

life.

all

For

their strength this

there has seldom been a strong faith that would not have

school of drawn

it."

(which alone is accessible to us as we write) runs " Dieser Schluss gehort selbst dem Gebiet des religioseu Glaubens an. Es liisst sich aber ein starker religioser Glaube an die Herrschaft und Zwecksetzung des Gottlichen und Guten in der Welt denken, welcher

The German

of Ed.

1

eines solrhen Schlusscs nicht bedarf."


The Right of Systematic Theology thought, which piques

itself

greater antipathy to what religion than to

indeed

what

"

positivism, has no

its

calls "

it calls "

introducing

be

on it

55

metaphysics

mysticism."

metaphysical

" in

would

It

elements

"

to

conceive of Jesus, dead for two thousand years, yet

God and

ruling the world from the throne of

No

instilling

by some magical process into the hearts

life !

of

men.

we can know nothing but the who lived and died in Galilee, and by His " historical Christ,"

the Christ life of

pure faith has

He, at

the world.

an indelible impression upon

left

least, is a fact

magnitude that face

face

to

and a

;

fact of such

Him we

with

cannot

escape the conviction which was the spring of His

and which, from the

spectacle of His

cated to us, that there

we

are not merely the

is

"

God who

a

life

communi-

life, is

loves us, and that

step-children of time."

Yet we must guard ourselves from supposing that this

Christ

historical

pointed

the

is

Christ

to

which we have thus been

of

the

historical

which have preserved the memory deeds to

on the

us.

documents

His

of

life

and

For, by the emphasis which they place

" historical

Christ," the Eitschlites intend, in

the next place, to exclude

all " unhistorical "

from the picture they would bring before

elements

us.

It is

not the Christ of legend to which they would direct our eyes, but the Christ of sober history willing to relegate to the

domain

:

and they are

of legend all that

the most exigent criticism would ask of them.

not the Christ

welcomed

by

It is

who was born of a virgin, who was who wrought wonders, who,

angels,


of Systematic Theology

TJic RigJit

56

having died for our

again from the dead and

sins, rose

ascended in bodily form into heaven Christ who, according to them,

critical history

He a

lived

and died and This

life of faith.

tianity

whom we

of

:

It

We

consists.

is

the Christ

can say but this

Him

behind

left

is

not this

is

it

the one great con-

is

Christianity.

of

fact

stitutive

of

that

the aroma of

the one fact of which Chris-

cannot

ourselves

rid

of

the

impression which this historical figure makes upon us, of the lesson of faith

which His

life

teaches us

:

in it&

and see

we can walk our allotted pathway in life God in the events that befall us, and so live, like Jesus, in communion with the God light

the hand of Jesus'

of providence

we

the religion of Jesus

:

are Christians.

what He did

all

is

thus ours, and

AVho Jesus was, what He was, His life of this is indifferent to us :

love in the world has begotten religion in our souls

and

this is

enough.

It is to

Christ "

point of view would reduce the

" historical

the one fact that constitutes

Christianity.

we

find

it

hard

abandonment

of

on the plea that

to

take

it is

sum

of

And

if

complacent

patiently their

the whole

;

that the Ritschlite

this

Christian doctrine

metaphysical, shall

we not

find it

impossible to take patiently their equally complacent abandonment of the whole series of Christian facts, on the ground that

it is

unhistorical

The inconsistency of the has often been commented metaphysical character of

bias,

thoy

Christianity:

?

,.

Ritschlite procedure here on. insist

First, in

on

Christianity

their anti-

the

historical

is

not meta-


The Right of Systematic Theology physics but fact

:

it is

to the historical Christ,

57 and not

we

to the Christ of theological construction, that

go

to

Christ

the

Nicene Greeks or

Galilee, not the Christ of the

And

scholastics. is

are

actually lived and died in

that

of the

then this historical Christ Himself

calmly handed over to the tender mercies of un-

believing critics,

what they

Him

with permission to do with

more

It is

list.

our present purpose,

to

however, to note the effect of this double dealing, in the evaporation of the whole essence of Christianity.

We

a Christianity which

all desire

unbelieving

is

world,

secure from the

whether

those

assaults

of

the

assaults

are

made in the name of philosophy and But the name of history and criticism.

science, or in

this security is

in a

to be sought

and can be found only

and doctrines are

Christianity whose facts

so

intrenched against the inevitable assault that, whatever

What

else falls, they shall stand. it

fatuity it

rather by yielding to the assault all

it

is

to seek

chooses to

demand, and contracting Christianity into dimensions too narrow to call out the world's antipathy and too

weak

may no

longer be worth the world's notice, and

by that same token preservation. point,

Such an eviscerated Chris-

to invite its attack.

tianity

and

is

It

is

no longer worth the Christian's

has

been reduced

ready to

pass

away.

to It

vanishing

a is

entirely

fatuous to suppose that the spheres of religion and

thought, of religion and history, can be kept apart

what

is

what

is

true in metaphysics trve in religion

is

is

:

true in religion, and

true in

lii

story, or, in

one


The Right of Systematic Theology

58

we

word,

shall profess ourselves willing to

We may acquiesce in

false religion.

confess a

the implications of

Let

the persistent activity of our religious sentiment.

metaphysics decide the problems of being as criticism decide the problems of history as

animal.

a religious

is

But

it

may,

let

may, man

it

say that the special

to

form and direction which have been given

the

to

action of this religious sentiment by a specific body of

convictions and a specific body of facts are independent of philosophical

and

historical determinations, passes

beyond the apparent absurdity actually absurd.

paradox into the

It sounds very well

to ask, as

declare that the full

and complete

satisfaction of the needs of

the conscience and the aspirations of the heart

is

involved in the

solution of a problem of historical criticism of ichatcver importance this not to cast souls into trouble

and

it is

them

to expose

that crown which they are exhorted to hold fast

But

"

is

to the loss of

" ?

surely one thing for the soul to be sure with

an immovable surety that the conceptions the

M.

^

Lobstein asks

"To

of

dogmas

"

—and

and are implicated criticism whatever

:

the facts that underlie in

it

that

its

is,

faith

cannot be shaken by any

and quite another thing

for

one to

imagine that he can lightly surrender them at the

demand

any criticism you

of

faith undiminished.

his eye

will

and yet retain

his

Accordingly, M. Bois justly fixes

on the extremity

of

M.

Lobstein's language

that faith cannot depend on the solution of a problem of

historical

may

be

^

criticism, no

matter what

Quoted by H. Bois, Le Do(//ne Girc,

its

p. 54,

{wportance


The Right of Systematic Theology "Will " for

it

59

be iiulifferent, then, to the Christian faith," he demands,^ we do not possess a single authentic

it

to be demonstrated that

Paul's that the Fourth Gospel is the work of a forger, and that the Synoptics arc only a tissue of legends and traditions without the least historical value ? Will it, then, be indifferent to the Christian faith for it to be proved to us, for example, that Jesus Christ did writinj,' of

not rise from the dead or even that He never existed ? We should very mucli like to know what will remain to Christianity when there have been excluded from it the ideas (since metaphysics must be excluded) and the facts (since we must be independent of historical

Note that thus the eliminated from Christianity, and

of Christ is completely reduced to vague, obscure,

person

criticism).

it

is

On the other to sentiment in its pure estate. do we not know that the school of Ritschl does not wish to hear the mystical union spoken of, that is to say, internal, personal and What then is left livincr relations between the soul and its Saviour 1 Nothing at all— except, perhaps, the maxim of of Christianity? Bene dicere de priore, facere officium suum certain mediaeval monks

doubtful sentiment side,

:

taliter qualiter, sinere

mundum ire quomodo

vadit.

In

all

ways, the

reaction against intellectualism, pushed to the complete i)roscription of doctrine, of metaphysics, brings us to nihilism in the matter of religion,"

Thus we see reduces it

itself

must go

extremes

that

Eitschlian

the

in order to save its principle.

it

tendency also

absurdity in the extremes to which

to

must go or

For

to these

admit a metaphysical, a

else

truly dogmatic element at the very heart of Christianity.

Kecoil from them ever so slightly, and the centre of

the debate

is

at once shifted

:

we no

longer are dis-

"

dogma " enters into the essence of Christianity, but what " dogmas " may be rightly recog-

cussing whether

nised as holding

constitutes Christianity

can be asked

What

for,

Jesus Christ alone

that position.

for

Jesus Christ 1

?

;

in

Him

is

included

the perfect religion.

The

all

Jesus of the Gospels

Lc Dogme Grec,

p. 54.

that

So be ?

it.

Or


The Right of Systematic Theology

6o

the Jesus of

Gospel

The Logos Jesus of John's The heavenly Jesus of the Apocalypse ? Or

?

Strauss?

the purely earthly Jesus of Plieiderer and

Or even perchance

the

Pierson and Naber and

our intelligence to

how

Christianity

tell

?

entirely imaginary Jesus of

Loman

us that

it

It is

?

makes no

an insult to ditierence to

But the

these queries be answered.

beginnings of an answer to them introduce the

first

From which

dogmatic element. that

cannot

Christianity

which

it

puts

exist

the business of

is

investigate

"

Eenan

and

state.

follows at once

it

without

the

dogma

Systematic Theology to

As M. Henri

Bois

^

eloquently

it

Still we must enter In order that two moral subjects should communicate with one another there must needs be manifesta-

Cliristianity

is

the person of Jesus Christ.

into relations with this person.

tions between them.

A

and

;

his acts

his

words

person manifests himself clearly to us only by

and he has value

ourselves a certain idea of him.

only as we form for

for us

Christianity

therefore essentially,

is

above all, a person but on pain of reducing it to a magic, which would no longer possess any ethical and, consequently, no longer possess any religious quality, we must needs grant that Christianity, ;

precisely because

it is

cssentinlly a person, is also a

body of facts and

of ideas.

"For the contem])oraries of Jesus Christ, who could see and hear Him, the teaching that fell from His lips, and the deeds performed by Him, constituted this necessary middle term between Jesus Christ and them. For us, with no wish certainly to deny the personal, present, and living relations of Jesus Christ with the soul of the redeemed, Ave cannot, without opening the door to the most dangerous mysticism, reduce Christianity to these relations, in derogation of the acts and revelations of the historical Christ, which we have neither seen nor lieard, but which have been transmitted to us by tradition, by the liible tliis would l)e equivalent to cutting down the tree at its roots, ;

under pretext of being thus better able to gather ^

Le Dogmc

Grcc,

]>.

its fruit."

107.


The Right of Systematic Theology On

6

down Christianity at its we shall thus be better we must admit a doctrinal

pain, then, of cutting

roots, under the pretext that

able to gather

its

element at

very

merely

of

"

its

Jesus

fruits,

basis.

Christianity consists not

Christ,"

but of that Jesus Christ

which the apostles give us of the apostolical

may

"

choose to fancy in

ours.i

Are there

in a word, of the

Jesus

dogma," and not of any Jesus we

"

this

nineteenth century of

metaphysical

"

elements in this

Then metaphysical elements enter apostolical dogma ? Are there traces into the very essence of Christianity. Greek thought perhaps in these apostolical interpreOf what importance is tations of the Christian facts ?

of

that to us

?

M. Bois says truly

"Whether there be in these interpretations Greek elements or not, a very secondary (question, and one wholly without the importance that it is sought to give it. There is no good reason known to us for rejecting a teaching of St. Paul's or of St. .John's, under the pretext

is

that

it

The

has a Hellenic colour."

apostolic interpretation

is

an inseparable element

in the fundamental fact-basis of Christianity

;

and

it

cannot be rejected because a part of the providentially

formed peculiarity distasteful to us.^ 1

"

I

of the apostolic

Call

it

mode

of

thought

metaphysical, call

it

is

Greek,

determined to know nothing among you save Jesus Christ, and

Him as crucified"

said the apostle, defining a special doctrine of Jesus

as the essence of Christianity. - Dr. E. L. Hicks' suggestive paper on "St. Paul and Hellenism," which opens the fourth volume of the Oxford Studio, Bihlica et Eccle"Greek thought," siasHca, will well repay consulting on this matter. he says, "had provided for St. Paul a vocabulary, and a set of ideas

as well as phrases, wherein to express his doctrine a doctrine in nowise borrowed from Hellenic thought, but which could hardly be made in-


The Right of Systematic Theology

62 if

you

But remember that

will.

the essence

of

it is

of Cliristianity.

By no means, Christianity

man

is

a

whom

in

itself is

text-book of

life,

this

the

in

the answer comes back to us at once

not a doctrine

life

implanted

is

instance a

first

is

a Christian

and the Bible

;

means

of grace, not

anti-doctrinal posi-

all

which proposes a Christianity wliich

independent

of

it

now and

probably clear by this time that, Christianity

to

is

under this banner.

It is

it

mode

an anti-doctrinal position.

of thinking, the sole

Bible

we

is

quicken

to

divert

it

from

as anything else

life,

its

all,

must be

it

immediate purpose

not to satisfy curiosity, and

proper use when

is

at an end

we go

to

it

— than

the im-

able to save our souls.

When

has performed this function is

its

of the

than the living and abiding word

planted word which

ment

seeks

it

According to

through which we are begotten again

it

it is

indeed that every

other tendency of thought inevitably drifts, as to defend

have

and

;

the onset on doc-

if

succeed at

towards

again

be

shall

We

both facts and doctrines.

already had a glimpse of

trinal

a

Thus we are brought back

theology.

once more to that extremest of tions

he

;

;

its

its

dogmas and

immediate employits facts

may

alike

minds of his time, or to our own minds to-day, unless had prepared the human mind for such grand and far-

telligible to the

(Ireek tliought

"The influence of 6 7dp (pt.\6cro(pos (twotttikSs tls." Hellenism began, in fact, with the first preaching of the gospel and That influSt. Paul is the foremost representative of the process. ence was of course indirect and unconscious, and did not involve any deliberate adoption of Hellenic practices, but it had been a leaven

reaching ideas:

;

working

in the

Church from the

first.


The Right of Systematic Theology when we

be passed by in indifference

6 v)

possess the life

being once formed in us,

that Christ-life which,

And

surely renders us superior to all extraneous aid. for the inception of

this

life

we cannot be dependent

on any book or on any dogmas or

facts whatever, laid

hold of by the intellect and embraced in knowledge. Its source can only be the

and loving God Himself grant

to

Fountain of Life

and He

;

only to shining intellectual

it

— our

living

cannot be supposed or to

gifts,

exceptional intellectual opportunities, or to the knowledge which

is

standing

no bar

is

Him, and poverty

His grace

to

;

knowledge rather puffeth up Christianity

sight.

consist in or to rest is

a

and

life,

is

for this

the

leading

extended

its

say for its

precious in His it is

or

thought to

dogmas

;

it

God,

solely on

all life.^

has

commended

minds

our

of

itself

time,

to a multitude

and which has

influence so far beyond the circle of its

have coloured

minds

if

facts

we depend

life

own proper adherents to

is

go without saying that a manner of thinking

like this, w^hich of

ill-conceived

upon either

the ever-living Source of It will

under-

seldom conjoined with great knowledge

which

for

of

while that poverty of

spirit

is

The poorest

the fruit of these things.

as the richest before

is

all

itself.

that

modern

We

characteristic

it

may

be truly said to

religious thought, has

much

need only turn over in our

modes

of expression

to

find

enshrined in them the deepest truths of Christianity. ^

Cf. Dr. Orr's discussion of this

View,

etc., ])p.

18

sq.

mode

of statement in

liis

Christian


The Right of Systematic Theology

64 It is

true that Christianity

hid with Christ in God, the

be said that

it is

God, the

of

must

it

but Christ that

it,

series of Christian facts, the

whole body of Christian doctrines, do exist only order to

this

Christ

life.

many

natural

marvellous facts into history

He might

His action

of

constitution

it

;

that they might have it

more abundantlv.

has been revealed to

make them

sophy, to to

them

knowledge on

the

of

was

to save

life,

and

life, it is

We

And no sing^le men merely as wise

;

eacli

salvation.

they might have

a tenet in philo-

and every one

by the power

life,

all

tliat

our souls are amenable to

Christian

life

that

we

Son

to give

God, by

of

Him

and

;

becomes

of the

to

it

God

open to the truth, or its

This

discipline.

live is not the creation of the

doctrines or of the facts of Christianity

working

be

Christian

only because of the indwelling of the Spirit of

in our hearts that our ears are

sent

may

they all

knowledge

of the

is

and terminates

virtue of a vital relation of our souls to is

the

facts,

Christian doctrine

Yet though

not in the power of

live

of

the souls of men,

tliat

thus only in order to

is

insert

course

dull

as a piece of glad tidings, that

made wise unto

life.

the

the historical sequence, was not the

beautifying of

end

the

:

in

not come into the

did

world, die, and rise again, merely that so

is

that

life

which

life of

not we that live

The whole

lives it in us.

the hfe that

life,

communion with the Son

lived in is

a

is

;

it

is

tlie

Spirit of God, who, abiding within us,

us a second and higher

self.

These are

the fundamental elements of the gospel of Christ

;

and


The Right of Systematic Theology we count

it

65

most luippy thing that they are em-

a

we have now Above all, we rejoice

phasised as the school of thought which

under view emphasises them.

that in the face of a positivist and materialistic age

there have arisen

in

men who

divine

reality of the

boldly proclaim the

so

the actual presence of

life,

men, and the prevalent work

To the

heart.

as

it is

if

Christian

community

as

if

extremer

Spirit

the general influence that

i.e.,

that

all

;

takes

bare

a

allowed

is

by a bare

ethicism, supported

Providence

belief

now

the teaching

ticism once

But the very

of thoudit,

and

to

it is

those

able

to

special

of the service it

may

do justice to

Christianity, or even

institutes

wholly in

life,

declares

and not

that

at all

between

Christianity in

it

preoccupation with

the sharp separation which it

the

in this

Christianity which

elements of

it

of

be unable to allow

still

its

doctrine,

the

has rendered in

thus has taken up, when, in

and

core

in the world.

truth which are embraced

emphasising them, we

is

;

recognition, however,

heartiest

precious elements of

a simply

God and we are making Christian mys-

for

it

more a power

With the

is

engaging our attention

profoundly grateful to

that

place

belief in a loving

great conception of the indwelling

mode

its

which cannot reach the

height of theoretical knowledge. of

sort, at least,

the spirit of the

;

there were no divine power within us work-

ing for righteousness

human

Holy

Christians as a body

exhales from it is

Eitschlite, of the

there were no

God

the Spirit in the

of

doctrine.

life

consists It

may


The Right of Systematic Theology

66

possibly conduce to a clearer understanding of

the real implications of this contention are, select

some

learn

it

him

Fortunately this

ideas.

will

thought

forms, and seek through

fundamental

its

we

if

fair representative of the school of

whose watchword

what

to

has

been rendered especially easy by the recent publica-

on the part

tion,

of the learned Professor of lieformed

Theology at Paris, Professor Auguste Sabatier, of certain

documents apparently designed precisely

as a manifesto of his school.^

In the discussion which

among French

necessarily arose

to serve

around

Protestants

such utterances, the chief burden in behalf of the essential doctrines of

by the

venerable

whose expositions

and more

Christianity was borne at

Professor of

Scripture

by the

latterly

Godet,^

we have

brilliant

whom we

Montauban, from

Frederic

all

first

from

profited,

young professor

of

have already quite largely

quoted in this paper, Professor Henri Bois.^

During the

course of the controversy the postulates and implications of the

mode

of conceiving Christianity

advocated

by Professor Sabatier have naturally been brought under a very searching hibiting ^

in

the

light,

clearest

way

Especially his Lci Vic Intimc des

tion,

and

with the result of exinability

Dogmcs et Icur Puissance

d' Evolu-

his Essai d'une Theorie Critiqtw dc la Connaissance Religieuse.

-

Pa})ers in the Chretien Evangelique lor 1891

^

Especially in his Le

gieuse.

utter

their

In the latter

and 1892.

Dogme Grec and his De la Connaissance Reliwork, pp. 5 sq., M. Bois gives an exact account

of the primary literature in the controversy.

An

interesting narra-

was given by the late Professor Grctillat in the Presbyterian and Reformed Review for July 1892 and July 1893. tive of the early stages of the controversy


The Right of Systematic Theology do justice

to

67

or even to preserve the essence

to,

of,

Christianity.

At

the bottom of

ing there proves to

all

lie

M.

Sabatier's relifdous think-

a crass philosophical empiricism,

be more precise, the empiricism of Mr. Herbert

or, to

Out

Spencer.

of

empiricism there springs im-

this

mediately the fundamental principle of his theory of

knowledge, which

is

none other than the ordinary

postulate of the sensational school

—now

being anew

pressed upon our acceptance by certain of our physiological psychologists

the

is

M.

source

of

^

that sensation

knowledge.

all

Sabatier's contention

is

in time as well as in value

lies

In

its

rarely that

it,

:

happens

this

come only

ideas

On

^

first

after-

or, if

so imperfectly

we need not take account

role of ideas "

strictness,

that " feeling conies

wards, and ideas cannot produce feeling,

can produce

behind, and

they

and

so

the

of this in

the other hand, sensation does

produce ideas, and

all

and are the product

of sensation

our ideas rest ultimately on :

"

our ideas are only

the algebraic notation of our impressions and of our

When

movements."

^

of

this

religion,

carried

philosophical

over into the sphere

theory

of

knowledge

becomes M. Sabatier's fundamental theological postu-

^

' '

The tendency

origin of intellect

Sensation

is

of physiological psychology

H.

2

E.

p. 299.

to

make

the feeling that points towards the intellect.

the feeling that points towards the will." 2

is

W.

.

Desire

.

.

is

T, Harris.

De

la Connaissance Eeligieuse, p. 34. Goimelle, in the Montauban Revue de Theologie,

Bois,

feeling the

on the one hand, and of will on the other.

May

1895,


The Right of Systematic Theology

68

As sensation

late.

Christian

life

mother

the

is

mother

the

is

Christian

and doctrine

:

doctrine.

only a product of the

is

It follows, of course, at once that

life.

the

not merely in importance,

Life, then, is before doctrine,

but in time

Christian

of

so

of ideas,

God

does not reveal Himself except througli and by means of the Christian life

thing as

"

an

:

there

objective

is

and cannot be any such

Himself only in and by piety," and

A

produces dogmas."

man

in

action

;

:

Christian

that Christian

and one

"

revelation."

of

life is first

reveals

faith that

quickened

effloresces into Christian

life

form

God

it " is

being intellectual

action

action. Christian action ultimates

among

other things

As M.

Christian thought, knowledge, doctrine.

in

Dandiran puts "

We

there

clearly

need a dogmatic

;

there

a Christian pliih^sophy

is

sophies. the

it

end

;

^

is

;

a Christian verity in Christianity

it is

the most extensive of

Only, instead of placing it at the beginning, 1 i^lace it at making it precede the Christian life, we make it

instead of

This

the difference l)etween us

proceed from the Christian

life.

and our opponents, but it two opposed theologies."

great enough to

All

is

is

make

us say, Here are

Christian doctrine being thus but

festation of precedent Christian

life,

the mani-

doctrine will, of

course, vary as the Christian life varies.

M.

;

all philo-

And

here

Sabatier brings in and operates with the concep-

tion of evolution

— the evolution

of religion,

and with

the evolution of religious thought, and finally of

it

Christian dogmas. 1

In t,vangiU

Dogme

et

Grec, p. 28.

In the course of

Libcrte, Sept. 4, 1891

;

human

develop-

quoted by H. Bois in Lc


The Right of Systematic Theology which

ment,

normally,

proceeded

has

man

always

has disengaged himself

69

naturally

and

by

little

little

from animalism and gradually created himself man. In the course of this upward growth he has slowly attained the free

life of

the spirit

:

his first religious

stage was that of egoism, corresponding to the religions of

nature;

then came the stage of moralism

the stage of

lastly,

"

;

and

the consciousness of Christ, in

which a new relation springs up between God and Thus as the religion of ^man, the relation of love." law succeeded the nature

religions, the religion of love

But the stream

has succeeded the religion of law. still

flows

flows on on,

;

and as the stream

inevitably

of spiritual life still

stream

the

dependent on the spiritual

of

religious

also flows on,

life

doctrines vary, age by age, in spite of ourselves.

children

may

speak the words

of the fathers,

cannot mean them in the same sense. the underlying spiritual lectual concepts

life,

The

and the river

ideas

and our

The

but they river of of intel-

and doctrinal ideas dependent on the

fluctuations of the spiritual

life,

inevitably flow on for

ever.

This

is,

then,

what M. Sabatier means when he

says that Christianity it is

quite clear that,

is

a

life,

not a doctrine.

when taken

And

in its entirety, the

theory amounts to the formal renunciation of ChristiTanity as anything else than one stage in the religious

(development of humanity, having, like of religious

development, in

and

and

its

hfe

its

all

other stages

relative fitness

I

value,

in its

teachings

its

relative

truth


The Right of Systematic Theology

JO

relative to the times

and the men

and which have given

birth

it

which

to

belono-s

it

but possessing as

;

little

absoluteness of value or truth as any stage of religious

development wliich has preceded tells us, is "

he

which dominates the manifestations that

life itself "

wish to

to

"

Eeligion,

it.

too,

subject to the law of transformation

and

;

it is

life

and

therefore folly for orthodoxy

what was born

the absolute

elevate to

human

of

in

time and must necessarily be subject to modification it is

if

to live in time "

of a river

:

^

we cannot

by building a dam across

Sabatier's conception everything

is

bar the course

Thus, in M.

it.

and the

in a liux;

doctrines which Christianity proclaims, and even the

form

of life

which underlies them and

which they

of

moment

are the expression, are only one evanescent

As M. Godet

the ceaseless advance of mankind.

in

has eloquently put "This

religion

porary form of

is,

it,

from

like all those that

human development

have preceded

— 'one

^

view

this point of

of the

it,

only a tem-

day's works of

humanity,' as Lerminier said a simple product of consciousness and reason on the road of indefinite progress, a form of the religious life of which it cannot be affirmed any more confidently than it may of all predecessors, that

its

it

is

the

last.

representative of this point of view '

One who was

— M.

Scherer

in

some

— expressed

Christianity, the fruit of a long elaboration of the

human

sort the it

thus:

conscious-

ness, destined to pre}»are for other elaborations, represents only

of

tiie

phases of the universal transformation.'

This

is

one

to proclaim, as

sharply as possible, the })erpetual banishment of authority in matters An authority intervening in tliis continuous work would of faith.

mark

in it a point of arrest,

taneous progress which ^

^

is

and would become a

fetter

upon the spon-

looked upon as the supreme law of history.

II. Bois' Be la Connaissance lieligieuse, pp. 204, 205. Chretien A'vangcliquc, April 20, 1891, pp. 148, 149 quoted by Bois, De la Connaissance lieligiexLse, pp. 348, 349.

Citations in

;

7T.


The Right of Systematic Theology

7

view the sacred books of the Christians have no for religious thought than that which may be possessed for philosophical thought by the treatises of Aristotle or the dialogues of Plato: interesting documents, no doubt, they could have no authority."

From

this point of

otlier

kind of vahie

That M. Sabatier has admitted

to

mind such

his

implications of his theory of evohition as applied to religion,

inclusive

here

Christianity, as are

of

gested, such sentences as the following assure us

"The

sug:

transformation of religious ideas does not always take place It is more frequently insensible, but it never

in a violent fashion.

pauses, whatever precautions

be thrown up against

may

The

it.

be taken or whatever barriers

may

river of the spiritual life flows on con-

tinuously."

"The

sons pronounce the same words with the fathers, but they no

longer understand

"We

them

in the

same way."

continually speak of the inspiration of the prophets and

apostles, of expiation, of the Trinity, of the divinity of Christ, of

miracles, but

we understand them, peu

The

fathers.

river flows

last

this

It is

"You drop What .

.

oil j)rou,

comment

M. Godet's

of

this phrase as in passing

but

;

conception] the

it

rouses

to

the

^ :

much

thought.

No

doubt that of that is [according to your of intellectual concepts It flows on continually, essentiall}" variable element. on

river flows thus continually

doctrinal ideas,

otherwise than our

for ever."

remark which gave occasion

following eloquent

.

on

?

;

'

'

this doctrinal river, transforming itself, purifying itself, spiritualising itself,

from

present

its

source on the shores of the Lake of Gennesaret to

mouth on

And who

the Boulevarde Arago.

whom we

its

are these fathers

no longer in accord, we Luther and Calvin ? I comfort myself. Augustine and Athanasius, Polycarp and Ignatius ? Now I do not so easily St. John, St. Paul ? I still comfort myself. comfort myself. Jesus Christ ? This time I do not comfort myself of

whom

you speak, and with

are

their children of the nineteenth century

^

Rcvxic Chretienne, April 1892, p. 262

Connaissance Ee/igieuse,

p.

Sabatier will be found also.

;

?

quoted by H. Bois, De la above clauses from 51,

208, where the


The Right of Systematic Theology

72

at all, and I even tremble, although fear is forbidden us. What we understand the inspiration of the })rophets and apostles otherwise than He did ? Ah, well, pass on But expiation, the meaning of His own death ? He made a very close connection between His outpoured !

!

blood and the remission of our

The conception

sins.

That

to be corrected

is

whom He

The

!

His Father and of whom He said No one knows the Son except the Father neither the Father except the Son and him to whom the Son willeth to reveal Him The divinity of the Son ? The conception which, according to the narrative of His disciples. He has given us of His own person Miracles ? Those facts Avhich He considered the witnesses of the Father in His behalf, but which we know to-day to have been only the benelicent and natural ed'ects of His personality Yes, ^jc^6 oit prou, we understand all this and much else besides, of which I do not here speak otherwise than He did. And when all this Hebrew sediment has been cast away so as to save only the 'vital germ,' what we have left is 'the consciousness of the Son of God, wbich has been placed in the midst of history and in the bosom of humanity, as a power Forme, what strikes of life capable of engendering life after itself.' Trinity

?

:

of God,

called

'

;

!

'

!

!

me

'

in all this,

is

that in place of possessing, as

I

believe

do,

I

ness in the Christ of the Gospels, I see form itself before

me

a.

ful-

a void

in wliich there disappears the Jesus of the Church, the Jesus of Jesus

Himself."

It will, of course, go

makes a vigorous void

to

which

without saying, that M. Sabatier

effort

his

to

escape from this

empty

theory inevitably conducts him.

Despite the necessary implications of his conception that Christianity

is

but one of the passing phases of

the religious life of the race,

and

its

doctrines but the

evanescent expression of this passing phase, and Christ

Himself but the phase of religious

earliest life,

form

typical

M. Sabatier cannot

this

new

refrain

from

of

speaking of the religion of love, with wliich he identifies

and

Christianity, as the perfect of Christ as

religion in

and

definitive religion,

having perfectly realised this perfect

His own

life.

But

if

ever an

illogical


The Right of Systematic Theology

jt*

thinker was fairly scourged out of his inconsistencies,

M. Saba tier's incoherences of this M. Bois kind have been cured by M. Bois' lash.

we may

believe that

refuses

to

believe

that,

evolution put forth by

on the theory

M.

of

religious

any

Sabatier, there can be

necessity or place for such a one as Christians recognising Christ at

all.

he

" Is it,"

asks,^

"that evolution was not sufficient to guarantee the transformation did the Spirit of the religion of law into the religion of love ?

Why

of God, enveloping, penetrating humanity, need anything else than His own universal and continuous action to leveal to us the true way ?

What

necessity could there have been for Jesus Christ to come into You tell me that Jesus Christ was simply the first man

the world

!

evolution introduced the transformation of the religion of law into the religion of love. I reply. In that case it is evident that Jesus Christ represents the lowest degree of the religion of love in

whom

we are superior to Him by evolution has long ago passed Him nineteen centuries of evolution. You wish to say that Jesus Christ How perfectly realised the principle of love ? That is inconceivable. can we admit tiiat the highest degree of the religion of love appeared suddenly in a people still entirely immersed in the religion of law ? ;

Natura non facit saltus. If Jesus Christ actually realised love fectly, He must have been the end-terra of an anterior evolution.

perIt

would be necessary to trace this evolution— not an easy task and then it would be necessary to explain by evolution the spectacle which the nineteen centuries of Christianity present to us evolution would ;

:

demand

that you should show us a

new

principle of subjective religion

taking the place of the principle of love. But M. Sabatier does not desire this, since he declares that the religion of love is the perfect

and

definitive religion.

"The perfect and religion

definitive religion!

Have we read

!

aright

?

.

.

Then

.

a definitive, unchangeable religion

is

not after

all

subject to the law of transformation which dominates the manifestaThe contradiction tions of the human life and that life itself.' '

.

.

.

In order to justify the incomprehensible arrest which evolution underwent when it attained Christ, the ingenious critic declares It is very evident that we are morally able to conceive of

is

flagrant.

:

'

^

De

la Convaissance BcUgicusc,

]i.

203.


The Right of Systematic Theology

74

nothing above the religion of love.' A good reason, indeed We, religious men of the nineteenth century, we cannot conceive anything better that is very possible but what of our descendants of the twentieth and twenty-tirst centuries ? And then, methinks, this is strange language from the pen of our author, and shows a singular forgetfulness of his own theories. "We are morally able to conceive of nothing above the religious experiences that we are having or have had ? Ah, it is too plain. Or, does M. Sabatier renounce his theory, according to which the idea, the conception, follows on the expeiience ? We cannot conceive anything above the experience we have had because we have had only this experience. But when our we posterity have had another experience (it is not my aifair how know from other passages that religious ex})erience is a kind of inexplicable, spontaneous generation), they will without trouble conceive something superior to the religion of the men of the nineteenth century. By what right do you erect into a universal law your personal faculty of conceiving or not conceiving that empirical product of the By what right do you exercise and habitudes of your own thought ? !

;

;

affirm that our successors will not have experiences superior to ours

No

?

experience permits you such an affirmation.

". It does not seem to me that our subtle theoriser can escape from the olyection drawn from his own premises to his own point of view. If continuous transformation is the universal law, if religion itself has evolved during so many centuries, we cannot see why we do religion should suddenly become immutable and definitive not see why Jesus Christ should occupy the preponderant place which .

.

Him. M. Sabatier affirms that it is because and by Christ religion attained a certain point of moral perfection but how do we know that we have not advanced far And otherwise, beyond what was for him morality and religion ? If we place ourselves this does not remove the contradiction. at the point of view of M. Sabatier's theory of evolution, that theory absolutely interdicts that any symbol whatsoever, any religious word Christians attribute to

in Christ

;

.

,

.

The

whatsoever, even Jesus Christ, should preserve an eternal value. river flows on continuously

river of the word.

But

if

What

remains

M. Sabatier

self in contradiction

Christ

— the river of

the river of doctrine, the " permanent life,

?

Logically, nothing

occasionally thus involves him-

—whenever, namely, he

and Christianity

instead of according to

!

in

the

traditional

the demands

speaks of

manner,

of his theory

;

in


The Right of Systematic Theology

we may be permitted to believe, which he learned to speak of them before he had

the manner, that in

75

worked

is,

and which

his theory out,

tends to usurp other times, as

we have

occasionally

still

wonted place upon

its

his

lips

at

seen, he frankly follows the

implications of his theory to the legitimate result of

conceiving

really

distinctive

importance to the Christian

Christianity life.

as

no

of

comes out

This

curiously even in utterances, the fervour and breadth of

whose piety are apt

the hasty

reader.

their extremity

to veil

from

Take, for example, the following

beautiful passage from his Discourse on the Evolution

of Dogmas, where he

is

^

pleased to imagine

"ill one of our churches a great crowd come together for worship. There are, perhaps, in this auditory," he continues, "poor old women, very ignorant and possibly superstitious, men of the middle class with a tincture of literature, scholars and philosophers who have conned Kant and Hegel, possibly even professors of theology, All bow thempenetrated to the marrow with the critical spirit. all speak the same language learned in selves in spirit and adore infancy all repeat with heart and lips, I believe in God the Father Almighty I do not know if there is on earth a more touching ;

'

;

!

'

anything more like heaven. All these spirits, so different from one another and perhaps incapable of understanding each other one in the region of the intellect, really commune with one another identical religious sentiment penetrates them and animates them. The moral unity of which Jesus spoke when He said, That they may But do be one as we are one,' is for the moment realised on earth.

spectacle,

;

'

you suppose that the same image is awakened in all these spirits by The poor old this one word 'God,' pronounced by all these lips? woman, who still remembers the pictures in the big Bible, has a glimpse of the figure of the eternal Father with a great white beard and bright and burning eyes like coals of fire. Her next neighbour would smile at this simple anthropomorpliism. He has the Deistic idea, rationally established

1

in

his

philosophical course at college.

Quoted in M. Henri Bois' De la Counaissance RtUgieusc,

p. 35.


The Right of Systematic Theology

76

This notion in turn would appear rude to the disciple of Kant,

knows that

God

who

and who, to escape from contradiction, takes refuge in that of the Unknowable. For all, however, the doctrine of God subsists, and it is because it is all positive ideas of

still

living that

it

but

it

living

is

express a piety

A

many

lends itself to so

let it

felt in

are contradictory,

be well remarked

common by

different interpretations

— only because

;

serves to

it

these believers."

all

we

true and affecting picture,

say, of the

will all

condition of Christianity in the world to-day, gathering in of every kind in order to elevate and purify their partial or to all

wrong impressions

who and what

really

our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

M.

God, and teach

of

God and Father

the

is

Only

of

this is not

Sabatier's conception of the import of the scene he

has brought so vividly before

To him

us.

it

to pass

away

learns

to

for each of the worshippers as

know

Christ.

It

is

life,

state.

flourishes

extreme differences conceptions

of

in

:

a unity which

the presence

In

religion.

a

most

the

of

even the most

in

is

the fulfilment

It is

prayer for Christian unity

and

exists

he better

a picture of what

and what most nearly

normal in the Christian approaches the heavenly of Jesus'

not a

is

away and

picture of Christian imperfections, passing

fundamental

word, M.

Sabatier

places before us here only another picturesque plea for the

extremest religious indifferentism.

fore the rebuke

which was administered

late Professor Charles Bois "

I

stood ^

^

And to it

was fully deserved

there-

by the :

avow myself," says M. Bois, "not to have thoroughly underhow M. Sabatier can go into ecstasies over the conmiunion of

Definition

p. 166,

ct

Role dc Dorjme in

quoted by H.

Ijois,

De

the licvue

la Con. Rcliy.

\).

36.

Theologiquc,

1890,


The Right of Systeviatic Theology

77

the souls which compose his assembly of superstitious devotees, deists, Hegelians, worshippers of the Unknowable all repeating the I

'

Father Almighty,' all prostrating themselves before Him, all united in a moral and religious communion which can be compared to the communion of the Father and the Son, and in which we can see realised Jesus' prayer, That they may be one in God,

believe

the

'

we

What

M. Sabatier have of the union of the Father and the Son ? What they are one as the Father and Son are one they are morally and religiously one, these men, one of whom believes in a God who concerns Himself about him, enters into the details of his life, knows his prayers and answers them another of whom holds such belief to be superstitious, and believes only in a •God who directs tlie universe by general laws promulgated once for as

are one.'

idea does !

;

without special care for individuals a third of whom thinks he can affirm nothing of God without contradiction, unless we limit ourall,

;

selves to calling

Him

the Unknowable

Hegel, does not even believe that

a fourth of whom, a pupil of God knows Himself, and confesses ;

He exists All these worshippers are religiously one they should discover to one another, I do not say the bottom of their thoughts, but the bottom of their hearts, they would perceive

only that

But

!

!

if

as great a contradiction between their sentiments as between their

convictions.

Their communion

in formula.

And

this

is

is

only apparent

it is

only in

ritual,

just the least touching and the least admir-

able thing in the world."

In

fine,

the goal to which M. Sabatier's theories have

conducted him,

is

just the proper latitudinarianism of

The outcome

the day.

of

his

theorising

is

only to

supply a reasoned basis to the unreasoning indifferent-

ism that vexes our time his

work

:

and we may best look upon

as an attempt to justify this indifferentism

by placing beneath

it

a philosophical foundation, in a

theory of religious knowledge and a theory of religious evolution.

that

if

Its

meaning

to us will be, therefore, simply

doctrinal indifferentism

basis on

which

hand,

as

if,

it

must build

we have

is

to stand, this

itself

;

but,

is

the

on the other

seen, indifferentism cannot

remain

Christian except at the cost of admitting the claims


The Right of Systematic Theology

yS

of Christian

work

doctrine and providing for the essential doctrine

that

of

Christian

then,

life,

words, are religion

;

against

the

M.

distinctively

a

man,

Christian

the

must

indifferentism

for

basis

rational

The arcrnments

forming

in

for

this

with

fall

it.

Sabatier's theories, in other

arguments against indifferentism in arguments,

these

more

impinge

indeed,

sharply against his theories than against unreasoned indifferentism, in so far as the points

especially

were

impinge

latent

in

on which they

and are

it

the-

explicit postulates of his theories.

Indifferentism,

we

will

remember, does not precisely

condenni Christian doctrine

;

it

only neglects

M. Sabatier does not

true to his indifferentist results,

deny the

possibility or the right or even the necessity

even of Christian dogmatics.

of Christian doctrines, or

He

confesses that a living religion

itself

in appropriate religious

doctrines which

faith without ]

embody

faith

works

is

must needs

express-

thinking, and in those

For him

this thinking.

only a special case under

is

And,,

it.

general rule that

the

No

dead.

this

faith

a living

is

It is not

which does not produce doctrine.

then

exactly against the possibility or right of Christian doctrine

that he protests

that he denies.^ 1

It

He

:

it

conceives

must be confessed that the

only

is

it

not as the former

writers of this school are not always

entirely consistent witli themselves on this point.

When M.

{Dc la Vic Jntimc dcs Dorjmes, pp. 25, 26) says: Christian dogma, we suppress Christianity all

religious doctrine,

which does not express

we

kill

itself

usefulness

its

;

"In

Sabatier-

sni)prcssing

in casting off absolutely

religion itself.

... A

would not be aware of

religious

itself,

life:

would not


The Right of Systematic Theology and director determiner of

occasion of

the

faith,

of

79 and

rise

its

form, but as the product of faith,

its

of and therefore as only the manifestation and index fluctuate, therefore, the underlying life. Life does not,

Vand the nature

of faith change, according to doctrine

according to the life-move-

doctrine fluctuates

/but

which

of

life

movement, and

is

is

it

in

doctrine

abounding [

more

it

told, renders

it

an

not

is

is

:

be measured by

evil,

but

a

sign

a really living Christianity,

doctrinal

its

In

and malleable.^

this,

since

follows that changeable-

The more unstable a doctrine

life.

living

may

vitality

richness of vital motion,

ness

And

only a reflection.

ments

of

is,

the

we

are

product peculiarly supple as

seems,

it

we reach

the

We are very apotheosis of religious indifferentism. prepared in its light not only to look upon variations in doctrine with indifference for

them

as the

mark

of a

;

shall anxiously seek

we

deep and rich religious

life.

Periods of doctrinal unrest and uncertainty will betheory. communicate itself "—he is still speaking on the lines of his theologie et de de F^cvue in Dogmes, des Fin {La Astie But M. its bounds philosophie, July 1891, pp. 372, 374) seems to pass beyond of the when he writes: " A development of dogma is indispensable, Practical piety by itself is insufficient. lirst necessity. pain of lapsing Christian feeling, which is, of course, the first factor, on Christian reason to into fanaticism, into subjective fantasy, needs a Here is a use to which dogmas give it tone, to lend it steadiness." in Grec, Dogme p. 34, and his criticism can be put. Cf. H. Bois, Le affirmation Fe la Connaissaiice Religieuse, p. 23 sq.: "M. Sabatier's .

very

comes to this obvious assertion religion, be known. But of what advantage is

if it is

:

known ? 1

p.

it

.

.

not known, will not itself to be

to this life

" etc.

Cf. above, p. 445,

215 and note.

and

cf.

H.

Bois,

Fc

la Connaissaiice Religicnse,


The Right of Systematic Theology

8o come faith

us

to

stability

eras

of

— which seem

will

faith,

we have to us

to

and periods hitherto

doctrinal

of

called

ages

of

deadness in

be times of

religion.

It is

of the greatest

observe

M.

these

that

importance for

however, to

That

theory of evolution in religion.

Sabatier's

on

dependent

not

are

results

us,

theory serves only to introduce order into the variations of doctrine consequent on the multiform activities of religious

down

lay

life

to postulate for

:

them

for

fundamental postulate

which M. Sabatier

and

exclusive

sense

proclaims

it,

For

in

in

whole school

whicli

we

of

life

when proclaimed school

this

independently of

if

and

to

The the

thought

brilliant a representative,

principle that

doctrine,

all

call in to

of

proceeds in

the

thought

further hypotheses

complete their world-

are to define religion in this exclu-

sive sense as a feeling,

religion

so

its

which individuals may view.

of the is

and must follow from determines

goal,

the direct outgrowth of

results in question are

of

them a

a course through history.

and

to define

Christianity as a

terms of the religious feeling alone, we

have certainly identified Christianity with the religious sentiment, and have failed to institute any essential distinction like

it

of

between the

it

and other

religious

religions, the products

sentiment.

The most that

could be said on this ground, would be that in wliat

we

call Christianity the religious feeling first

its rights,

and

for the first time

and freely in accordance with

comes

to

expresses itself fully

its truth.

But even

so.


The Right of Sysieinatic Theology Christianity

represented as essentially one with

is

other religions, differing differs

8

r

all

from them only as the perfect All religions at once take

from the imperfect.

their places as relatively true

they stand no longer

:

in opposition to Christianity, as the false to the true,

but in a hierarchy of relatively partial or complete.

And above

all,

we

lack

work to

:

succeeded

length it

may

ground from

this standpoint

Christianity the religious feeling

for declaring that in

has at

all

producing her perfect

in

be as yet her masterpiece

;

but what

assure us that in the coming ages there

may

is

not

spring out of her depths some consummate flower of religion as

much

surpassing Christianity as Christianity

surpasses Fetishism

On

?

and truest product to us.

]

the purest

known

doubts, of course, that religion

things, a feeling

is,

nor need we doubt that

:

the implications of this feeling

fully

drawn out and

— and

a theology, let

if

stated would give us a theology,

frankly at once, which would be true, and

us say

it

would

enter

element of

Christianity

into

its

common

—a to

all

which Christianity

we should have

is

men

were

is

also,

one doubts

among other

form which the religious

specific

implication of this specific

fundamental

And no

doctrinal system.

things, a feeling

the

as

that Christianity, as a religion,

feelino;

is

of the religious feeling as yet

Now, no one

among other

we cannot

this postulate,

get beyond the judgment that Christianity

takes

form

all

of

:

or

that,

if

tlie

religious feeling

brought out and stated,

a specifically Christian theology.

But

the very enunciation of these facts involves recognising


The Right of Systematic Theology

82

that behind the specific form of religious feeling which Christianity

common

there are implications which are not

is,

other forms of religious feeling,

and

to it

and which have determined the religious feeling into It might be conceivable that these this specific form. implications

come

should

knowledge

our

to

only

subsequently to Christianity, and as a result of an but in the analysis of the Christian phenomena ;

order

thought

of

precedent

and

Christianity

to

any

nature they are in

of

and

producing

the

case causes of the specific form which the religious feeling takes in

it.

Now, the pressing question form

specific of

What

is.

the religious feeling which

of

Christianity

is

distinctive

that the Christian

man

speaking, specifically differently

from

Why

?

feels, religiously

produces the

is

it

the Buddhist, the Shamanist, the Fetish-worshipper

?

The old answer was that the difference in the form which the

religious

sentiment takes in the diverse

from the difference in the religious conceptions characteristic of these religions and we do not see that any better answer has been or can be arises

religions

;

There

offered. religions,

and

is

this

something that

common

common element man

arises

action of the religious nature of

prompt

is

to a religion,

and

it

:

it

to

all

from the suffices to

will secure that

man, so

long as he remains man, will remain a religious being, accessible to religious ideas

and

to religious training.

What,

however, is distinctive of the several religions

arises

from

differences

between

them

in

religious


The Right of Systematic Theology

%'}^

conceptions, which mould and direct the action of the religious feeling into this channel or that.

If this be "

a religion independent of conceptions,

so,

would be confined

to a

common

possess nothing not

dogmas,"

and could

religion of nature,

to all religions

and

;

to

proclaim Christianity independent of doctrine would

simply to

be

revert

'only

is

through

conceptions which

animate

other

religions

a

it

type of

specific

ligious

that

But

life.

thought

this school of

life

cause

as

if

of

religious

which form

for

and

re-

experience

then

it

is

the

doctrine precedes

:

specific

To be

itself.

it

and

so,

is

not true

beneath

and

it

is,

and

is

of distinctive Chris-

indifferent

were only an index

steadily

life,

form which the religious

takes in Christianity, that

tianity

different

religious this

if

the it

The

religion.

distinguished from

is

precedes doctrine in the sense intended by

life

the

natural

which Christianity

in

and

Christianity

distinctive

off

fundamental

the

to

way

cast

to

this

of the life

independently

doctrine,

flowing on of

it,

is

therefore to be indifferent to distinctive Christianity itself.i

Of course, there

which the

in

is

a sense less exclusive than that

school

thought

of

discussion uses the phrase, in which

We

precedes doctrine. deny,

we

involved ^

Cf.

Prof.

rather wish in

the

Orr's

Christian View,

at

present

it is

true that

proclaim, the great truth

watchword 18

sq.

life

not only have no desire to to

of

the greatest

remarks on the relation of ideas to

etc., pp.

under

of

the

religion,


84

The Right of Systematic Theology

fathers^

and schoolmen, Credo

by the Keformers

maxim

the

in

ut i/iteUig am,

and adopted

Fides prcccedit

of

rationem, and before the Reformers or schoolmen or

proclaimed by Paul in the immortal words

fathers,

tliat " tlie

Spirit of

natural

man

God, for they are foolishness unto him

(1 Cor.

ii.

can understand Christian truth

man

competent

is

;

and

them because they are spiritually None but the Christian man 14).

he cannot know

judged"

receiveth not the things of the

none but the Christian

;

There

state Christian doctrine.

to

is a low ground on which this obvious proposition may be defended, which even Aristotle was able to formu-

late

:

€KaaTo<;

dyaOo^

ecTTiv

Ka\(o<;

/cptr/J?

*

aTrXco?

Sevfievo^,

has

Paul

Kpivei

It

doctrine.

is

KaO'

irdv

Tvepl

S'6

dpa

a

much

the guidance

only through

Holy Ghost, dwelling within

o

rreirat-

But

ireiraLhevp.evo^.

Christian

the

taught

a yivcoaKeo, Kai tovtcov efcaarov

us, that

higher the

of

we can reach to Were

the apprehension of the deep things of God.

meant by the assertion that life must precede doctrine, we would give it our heartiest

this

all

that were

assent.

mean

to

And

so far as

however true

;

is

has already

may

be thought

and they

Deinn

I'oic tiers,

been

life,

said,

we

witli

no creative power in doctrines, will

huiiianu.s, nisi })er lideni

([uidein uatur.ini

(Hilary of

as

it,

There

acclamations.

Animus

assertion

that doctrine alone cannot produce

would welcome

^

this

douuin spiritus hauserit, habebit

iiitclligeiidi set!

De Trimtate,

ii.

pass over dead souls,

lumen scienti;^} non habebit " Sic accepite, sic credite,

34).

ut mereamiui intelligere tides enini debet prrecedere intellectuni, ut " (Augustine, Scrmones de verb Dom.). sit intellectus tidei prtcniium :


The Right of Systematic Theology

85

them

the

leaving

dead souls into \

all

who

competent

is

and without

;

will be,

doctrines

the

/what

one spark of

the

in

Him

life

But

world.

What

meant by

is

blooms and flourishes

Christian

whether

life

are

produced by this life

not

is

precedes

that the Christian

wholly

independently of

these

known

quicken

to

it is

Christian conceptions, and that

fundamental

it is

:

there has never

intended by the watchword that

is

doctrine. life

life

and never

been,

they found them

as inert as

Creator Spiritus alone

or

it is

indifferent to the

conceptions

— however

Against this

not.

protest with all the energy possible, and pronounce

proclamation a blow at distinctive Christianity

We (<

accord,

fully

words

with

therefore,

M.

we its

itself.

strong

Bois'

^ :

We

conclude, then, that in religion the idea precedes

ledge precedes

feeling

knowledge following

(which does not at

Even

life).

constitutes the essence of religion

if

all

life,

know-

a

certain

prevent

we admit that

it is feeling

— a feeling of dependence,

which

of love or

of fear— it is still necessary for the feeling, no matter what it is, to have an object, known and thought. We are not able to love or fear what we have no knowledge of. We are not able to love what we do not think worthy of love, nor to fear what we do not think an occasion of fear. We are not able to feel dependent on something of whose existence

we

are ignorant.

If religion

is

a feeling, this feeling supposes

a certain knowledge

which explains and justifies it it is illusory and is condemned as such by conscience and reason, which command us to repel it and to eliminate it, if it has no object or if its object is not known. To make religion a feeling without precedent knowledge is to make it an illusion or a disease its history is no more than the history of an illusion or of a disease, and the science which can be made of it is only a section of mental pathology. " But this is not all. We refuse to make religion consist solely and ;

:

essentially in a

^

6

feeling.

.

.

.

Thought

is

not an

Henri Bois, De la Connaissance Bcligieuse,

epiphenomenon p. 31,


The Right of Systematic Theology

86

superadded to piety it forms an integral part of it. Doctrines are not something external and posterior to religion they are an essential Intellect and will have part in religion as Avell as element of it. "Without conscious all the human faculties concur in it. feeling^ ideas there might be obscure feeling, blind passion, fatalism, magic, Should there would not be either morality or religion. all you wish ;

:

.

.

.

.

.

.

:

be emotions and feelings without ideas, those feelings and emotions would be neither moral nor religious."

there

But

known

object

is

that feeling without a

and meaningless

blind

would be suggestive

we allow

in proportion as

of disease rather

in that proportion

we

to

us

— and

than of the divine

give a place to doctrine at the

root of religion, and to Christian doctrine at the root

ception, so, then, first

As

Christian religion.

of the

is

the feeling

importance for

the

is :

the underlying con-

and

Christian

it

becomes

man

of the

rightly

to

conceive these fundamental ideas which give form and direction to the ideas

gate and secure

:

right conception of these

and thus the right and function

Systematic Theology It will

The

life.

the task of Systematic Theology to investi-

it is

is

add greatly

of

already vindicated.

to the confidence with

which we

recognise this fundamental place of Christian truth

with reference to Christian 1

Cf.

Dr.

considered,

life,

to

Ladd's definition of religion:

may

be defined as an attitude of

remind ourselves

"Religion,

mind

subjectively

intellect, feeling,

towards Other Being, on which I recognise my dependence being and my well-being, and to which I feel myself somehow responsible in the way of control" {The New World, Sept. 1895,

and for

will

my

So also Prof. Laidlaw {The Bible Doctrine of Man, ed. 2, is evident, on a general review of the facts, that we cannot assign religion to any single faculty or power in man as its The intellect, the affections, and the will are seen exclusive function. p. 415).

p.

130): "It

to be all

concerned in

Theolofjy, pp. 54-59, for

it."

He

refers to Alliott's Psychology

good remarks on the subject.

and


The Right of Systematic Theology

Z"]

that such was evidently the conception of the founders

the Christian religion concerning the relations of

of

doctrine and

This fact

life.

he makes of his matter

and then the

it

:

written large over the

is

by the very distribution

Epistles of Paul, for example,

ever

is

the doctrine

first

The

with him.

life

transition at the

opening of the twelfth chapter of the Epistle to the

Eomans regard.

preceded

a typical example of his practice in this

is

Eleven chapters

chapters of precepts are to succeed

five

;

and he passes from the one has

been

his

called

"

to

this

revealed

Paul's

truth and

be

said,

In these

so.

is

was that

of

!

life,

is,

of

the relation

his

it

How

given to His

might know the truth and have

for

fulfilled

in

them was that they might be

by the truth which God's

exhibition of

between

Word which had

Word

of course, clear recognition that faith is

" is

need scarcely

and that His joy might be

moral basis and

"I

:

because

Master before him.

Him and which He had

His prayer

sanctified

therefore "

" therefore,"

of the Father's

followers, that they

them

tremendous therefores

conception

much Jesus makes

eternal

"

"

The same conception,

life.

been given to

the other with what

tremendous

beseech you therefore, brethren all

had

of doctrinal exposition

was.

There

rests

upon a

not to be compelled by the mere

truth.

Gregory

of

Nazianzen did not

go beyond the teaching of the founders of Christianity

how Keep the commandments

in "

his

theory

prescription

to ;

become a theologian:

conduct

irpa^L^ eVZ/Sao-i? eecopia^."

is

the ladder to

Our Lord Himself


The Right of Systematic Theology

88

any one willeth

declared, "If

Me, he

that sent

know

shall

the teaching whether

be of God, or whether I speak from Myself,"

it

that

only in the good ground of a good heart that

is, it is

even the good seed of the gospel can produce

But

Eim

do the will of

to of

nowhere did

He

that the good seed

that the unsowed

any

or

is

soil,

of

unnecessary for the harvest

however good,

produce the golden return.

itself

to

God's

\vill

God's

will,

fruit.

His apostles ever teach

is

competent

of

Knowledge

of

wath them was ever the condition of doing

and lay

at the root of all good conduct

and

true religion in the world.

And from

that day to this, this has been the funda-

mental conception

of the Christian religion

The meaning

adherents.

of

this

is

among

forth at the opening of that eloquent book. Dr.

Macgregor's

The Apology of

Other religions have sought is

what

peculiar to Christianity

it

made

"No ^

Beligion.

is

characteristic

its

and

appeal from the

men's reasons.^

other religion," says Dr. Maegrcgor, "has ever seriously set to reason the sinful world out of worldliness into godli-

...

itself

p.

:

James

propagate themselves

to

in various ways, but this

first to

Christian

the

its

delightfully set

Compare also Dr. James Orr's remarks, The Christian View, etc., "If there is a religion in the world which exalts the office of

23

:

It has it is safe to say it is the religion of Jesus Christ. been frequently remarked that in pagan religions the doctrinal element is at a minimum, the chief thing there is the performance of a ritual. But this is precisely where Christianity distinguishes itself from other

teaching,

religions

it

It comes to men Avith definite, does contain doctrine. it bases religion on it claims to be the truth

positive teaching

conditions."

;

;

knowledge, though a knowledge which

is

only attainable under moral


The Right of Systematic Theology ness.

The aspect of the new

89

religion thus appearing towards the

human soul, in aridressing itself to the reason in order man in his conscience and his heart, struck the intelligent

freedom of the to reach the

heathens as a presumptive evidence of truth and divinity, since is 'the door' (John x. 1 s^-.)— the lawful way of seeking to win and to control the manhood. And that aspect was given to the religion from the beginning by the author of it."

reason

Christianity has thus from the beginning ever

men

the

as

rational

religion,

primarily to the intellect.

not merely, as

itself

It has

to men's accceptance,

truth

seeks

it

to

it

all

their

other

has truth to offer

and by their acceptance

rule

pre-

it,

but also pre-

Above

religion. ;

to

appeal

thus ever evinced

religion,

religions, it consists in doctrines

come

its

Macgregor puts

Dr.

eminently as the apologetical eminently as the doctrinal

making

lives

and

of this

save

their

souls.-^

How world

else,

indeed, would

We may

?

speak

propagate

itself in

the

of " spiritual contagion "

and

it

of the hidden work of the Spirit of God in the heart and each phrase enshrines a precious fact without which Christianity could not live in the world. Chris-

tianity does propagate itself prairie

fire

from soul

leaps from spear

to

to

spear

soul, as

of

the

the tall

^ It is probably, then, not mere accident that in Rom. vii. 23 it is from the j/ous— the " mind "—that the conquest of Christianity over the life proceeds outwardly to the members. Christianity makes its

"mind" and secures the affection of the "inward man" and thence advances to victory over the "flesh" and "members." Accordingly it is by the "renewing of their mind {jov ;/oo's) " that sinners are to be so metamorphosed as to be no longer fashioned according to the world, but to prove the will of God (Rom. xii. 2). Compare the rich expressions of Eph. iv. 18-24. The noetic root of appeal to the first,

salvation

is

continually insisted on in the Scriptures.


The Right of Systematic Theology

90 grass

our Lord Himself

:

tells

the world

all

the religious

God is

the

has

]\Iaster

" spiritual

Word

us was

given

He

nor has

:

should work His wonders

Word.

The

promise after

to

followers

is

commission

grace

;

the

Are we,

declared

that

preach the gospel

to

but

it

is

Was

?

own

their

of

preaching after

of

Christ

all

and

:

ohcycth.

strengthening

when he will

on the

exercise " of no value

men

we

is

apart from that

Go, i^rcach

is,

useless evil, inliicted on

above

depend

to

a kind of spiritual gymnastics for

and

the foolishness

Is

the

promised that the Spirit of

" spiritual

a mere

manifestation

faith?

till

suppose that this great duty laid on His

beyond themselves the

not

him that hearcth and

to

is

all,

the

But the commission that

leavened.

contagion," but to sow the seed which

God

of

:

leaven hidden in the meal, and

is like

works silently and unobservedly from within whole mass

in

life

God

the creation of the Spirit of

is

Ivingdom of

us that the seed are the

And

children of the kingdom.

all

a

Paul mistaken

had sent him forth ?

We may

think as

very evident that the founders of

Christianity earnestly believed, not that the so-called

Word

of

God

is

the product of faith and

is

to witness to the faith that lies behind

it

birth,

seed of

but that the veritable

faitli,

ing by the

Word

of

its it

only use

and gives

God

is

the

that faith cometh by hearing and hear-

Word

of

behind the Christian intelligently believed.

asks the Galatians,

"

God,

life

or,

in

other

words,

that

stands the doctrine of Christ,

When,

for example, the apostle

This only would I learn of you,


7'/ze Right of Systematic Tlzeo!ogy

9r

Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law or by , the hearing of faith ? , he intimates with entire distinctness that it is in connection with the truth of God offered to faith that the Holy Spirit is given ; and therefore elsewhere, although the gospel is naught save as it is attended with the demonstration of the Spirit and with power-and Paul may plant and Apollos may water in vain if God do not Himself give the increase-yet this very gospel itself and its preaching is called the "power of God unto salvation " (Rom. i. 16 ; 1 Cor. i. 24). In insisting, therefore, on the ��Y of Christian doctrine, and on the consequent right and duty to ascertain and accurately to state this doctrine-­ which is the task of Systematic Theology-we have the consciousness of beiug imitators of Paul even as he was of Christ. How much the apostle made, not merely of the value of doctrine as the condition of life, but of the importance of sound doctrine ! His boast, we will remember, is that he is not of the many who corrupt the truth, but that he, at least, has preached the whole counsel of God. He is not content that \ esus Christ should be preached, but insists on a special doctrine of Christ-Jesus Christ and Him as /crucified. He even pronounces those that preach any other gospel than that he preached accursed: and we should carefully note that this curse falls not on teachers of other religions, but on preachers of what we might speak of to-day as different forms of Chris­ tianity. In a word, in all his teaching and in all his

y


92

The Right of Systeviatic Theology

practice alike, Paul impresses

upon us the duty and

the supreme importance of preserving that purity of doctrine which its

it is

the aim of Systematic Theology in

investigation into Christian truth to secure.

BENJAMIN

B.

Princeton. X.J.

PRINTED BY

MORRISON AND GIBB LIMITED, EDINBURGH

WARFIELD.


JUST PUBLISHED.

In

Crown

8yo.

Price

3s. 6d.

THE HOPE OF ISRAEL A REVIEW OF THE ARGUMENT

FROM PROPHECY BY

H.

F.

WOODS,

B.D.

SOMETIME FELLOW AND THEOLOGICAL LECTURER OF ST.

jobn's college, oxford

Vicar of Chalfont

yviJoaecrde t7]v dXrjOeiav, 7]

Peter

St.

dXi^deia eXevdepibaeL

St.

Kal

v/Jids

John

32

viii.

CONTENTS

— Introductory.

Chapter II. The Spiritual and Moral Chapter III. The Predictive Element of Tone of the Prophets. Prophecy its Nature and its Limitations. Chapter I V. Methods of Chapter V. The Material Elements of the Interpreting Prophecy. Chapter VI. The Eeligious Aspect of the Messianic Messianic Hope. Chapter VII. The Messianic King. Chapter VIII. The Hope. Prophetic and Priestly Aspects of the Messiah. Chapter IX. The Atoning Victim. Chapter X. The Fulfilment of Prophecy in ChristiChapter XI. —Progressive Christianity the most Perfect Fulfilanity. Chapter XII. The Practical Value of ment of Jewish Prophecy. Prophecy as an Aid to Christian Faith.

Chapter

I.

:

— —

A

' frank, courageous, and able attempt to restate the argument from . This candid . biblical prophecy in the light of recent biblical exegesis. and valuable work will win gratitude from all enlightened students of .

Hebrew

British Weekly.

prophecy.'

EDINBURGH T.

London

:

&

T.

CLARK,

38

GEORGE STREET

SIMPKIN, MARSHALL, HAMILTON, KENT & CO. LTD.


and

In

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T. Clark's Publications.

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NEW TESTAMENT THEOLOGY; OR,

HISTORICAL ACCOUNT OF THE TEACHING OF JESUS OF PRIMITIVE CHRISTIANITY ACCORDING TO THE NEJF TESTAMENT SOURCES.

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By Dr. WILLIBALD BEYSCHLAG, PROFESSOR OF THEOLOGY AT HALLE.

'A

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Testament well worthy of study.'

exposition of the teachings of the

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Dr. Beyschlag has achieved so large a measure of success as to have furnished one of the best guides to an understanding of the New Testament. In the belief that it will .... These pages teem with suggestions stimulate thought and prove of much service to ministers and all students of the sacred text it expounds, we heartily commend it to our readers.' Methodist Recorder. '

In

'

many

respects a masterly treatise, and in this admirable translation, for all praise, is sure to be widely read in this

which Mr. Buchanan deserves Glasgow Herald. country.'

In Two

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OLD TESTAMENT THEOLOGY. THE RELIGION OF REVELATION IN ITS PRE-CHRISTIAN STAGE OF DEVELOPMENT. By Prof.

HERMANN SCHULTZ,

D.D.,

Gottingen.

AUTHORISED ENGLISH TRANSLATION. By

Prof.

A.

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PATERSON, D.D.

Professor Paterson has executed the translation with as much skill as care. Readers may rely on his having given the meaning of the original with . the utmost accuracy.' Frovi the Author's Preface to the Translation. '

.

.

The book will be read with pleasure, and, it need not be said, with profit, not only by professional students, but by all intelligent persons who have an Though externally popular and of singular interest in the Old Testament. literary finish, the author's work within is a laborious and able study of the whole subject.' Professor A. B. Davidson, D.D. '

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