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i~ E L 1 G 1 O ' l'J, OR T H E O L O G l .
(d Th~ F. ~n~h :1ge. A nd
(h) T h< E I1¡;lolh I.n ~u"gc. T he twn lanor of wlliei,
no\V ap~'(;.tr lH.:cdr.. ry lO cvcry mao uf k t(crs. al.d
p:t rl ly lO a thcologi3 n, 011 "-econO l of ..he: ex–
cclll'nl works which are WI OlC jn (hore lantiuJgC$.
2 . T he princ:ip ..d p.trIS of Phdolophy; as,
(,,) L ".;'<'
(b) 'hyfie,.
(e) Mora l pholoforhy.
3· Rht:toric il nd clo'luence, or the 41rt of fpc<tkillg cor_
teél ly. of wrili ng with elc::cance, and of pt!rfu.dion.
T 'o wl~ ich nny be :lClded,
4 . T he cl<menlS of Chronology, .nd Uoiverf. 1 H iOory.
5 . T he rludy of the J ewilh anuqu iti.. .
H e who would de\'ole himfelf 10 {he important employ–
mene of a theolo~ian. ::md has lhe nohle "mbition to C'xcel
in ¡tI thou ~d cilrl y imprefs 0 0 his mind there truths. : thal
the years which are pí((f.:d at ao univedity art: few; \hat they
run npídly a\Vay j lhat they are entirt ly e:ngroffl'd by (he
theoretíc rciellc~s ; and t1ut he who does not carry with him
to Ihe univerfi1Ya fU l111of kno\Vledge in lhe prepal atoly pa n s
of learning. cVfllmooly brinós very little away, whl n his
age or his parcots obbge him [O quit it.
VII . 'T he théoretic fciences of a theologian are,
l . T he p ognmie, or the d,eory of ' heology; whieh fOl1le
L :nin authors name aIro /he/ita , or jjflem:l/ica.
~. The E xegefis, or the [cience of au aining the true feore
of the holy ferip ,u res.
3, T he I1ermeneutic, or lhe 2rt of interpreting and ex·
plaining lhe rcriptures 100lhers . T his diCFers io general
bUI Jiltle (rom lhe exegeCis, 20d in Come reCpeéts il
quile lhe Carne.
4' P olemie lheology, or eontroverfy.
5. N . ,ural theology .
>S. Moral theology.
7. Sacred eriticlfm .
8 . T he hiOory of ,he C hureh, under the O ld .nd N ew
T dlaments .
V II I. T he pr<élical feicnces of a theologian are,
'1. p . Oor.1 theology, whieh is divided into,
(a) Homiletic.
(h) C atheehe,ic.
(e) C. fuifiic.
2 . C onr.rlori. l,heology, whieh eomprehe. d.
(d) The C. non l. ",.
3 . T he prudencial ex<reife of the different funélioos of
. themininry.
We do nOl here p:\rticularly name the pn/rij/ic /heo/bO,
(theologi. patrum feu p.trirlic., ) bec. ufe .11 ehri(loa" como
munions afe nOI agrecd in lheír opioions coo'cerning the
degree of authenticny and infallibililY 1har is to be at·
tributed co thefe aneienls fathers of the church . T~e
P rolefiants believt>, that thefe primitivc theolugians \Vere
liable to error in their rentiments as well as thoCe of
our days ; and, in all probability, thac they \Vere It(5
J'ki lfn l. lefs learneJ, lefs clear, and lef. aecuOomed tO
doCe .reafon;ng, Ihan lhe lan er, ;as philofoplly \Vas Ihen
more imperfl·tl. HU1;:!'s \Ve fi nd in the writings of tht'Ce f.l–
thers, many c1ucid,u ions of lhe dotl:rioe of lhe! primitive a–
pofiles. ;:!.nd ml ny irrefragable 1efiimooies of lhe aUlhentici·
ty of divers reOl.Hkable cvcnu , which lerve to cllablinl lhe
Iruth of Ch riHianity; and as \lIe there fee , morcove r, the
i>rigin of c:rrors, of ,ul.Jiuary ccremoDies, ólnu of IDa"y dJc·
trines t!tal lu ve uecn inTroJuced ínto tllt: Chrifii.1n cl;ur~h ;
[he ,¡;ad,ng anJ lhe fludy uf thefc f...lIH:rs cannm bUI b<. of
gr~<i l utlllly 10 lhe l hl'o¡')t!i~n. T o a VinU(l\lS citl zell, who
unltc.:s [u.t:h vanotr.i .rcienct.s. and employs the01 In pOl ntin~
OUt to hls fel~o.W.c1t1z:ns the path thin Jc¡u..ls lO tt:Ulpolat
ano eln fd lloll y. 10" worJ , tI,) a Wlre thcologian, whíl.t \'e.
ner",uon is noe duc?
Oj lh_ D OGM AT 'C.
l . U:i DE R lhe general terOl of dogmatic, we comprehe nd
th~1 pi'l n wh ich Ihe diffen:nt wrilers on theology h,l ve call ..
ed (ollJ..:timcs thl.'oreeic, Cometimes [ynem;u ic, and (ome ..
rimes Iheríc thculogy, 6~. l 'he term dogmatic "ppears lO
us tht.: ruon ¡encral, and the mon juU, tO expre(s ehe fub –
jeél. lh:"1 we ¡ , as it comprehends an en/ir( jjjhm o/al/
~he dogmal f}r /OU/I Iha/ eucA reli.¡ibn I'r~/tJJ'I; v. he:thu
H reach (hefé dogma') lJy the way of thefis, "S an ides oC
fa ith ; by public Icéture ; by caeechiling j or any oth:r mao.
oer whal(!ver.
[1. Every por.,i·ve religion muO, naturally , h. ve. fyOem
of cen ain roints of dotlri ne tO propofe lO in fo lJowers ; o–
the, \vlfe, eaeh une would furma pan icular Iyfi(m accordi ng
to his own faney ther,,:: would he as many diff~ren! relig:oD'
as there are ind,viduals on rhe eanh, and each fociety would
confin o( a confu(l'd maCs of f.lDtaClic opioions; as ehe difFe ...
r1!ne O1odc¡ of ehinklng. :¡ nd the diff..:rent degrees of dircern...
nlCnt, are varied and compounded by mankind to ¡nliniey;.
b Ul truth , on Ihe conlrary, is uniform and invariable.
111 . T he Chrifi ian rd igion is as compound io its dogma!,
as it is limpIe in its morAl princi pie. It ineludes, 1. T hc
dogmas (ounded on ,he ItghlS of reafon : 2 . T hofe drawn
from ,he O ld TeO.ment, and the law of Mofes: 3. Thofe
cakeo from the New TcHAn1ent, and lhe dotlnne of } :[us
Chnll: 4. Thofe ,¡,,, ,he fa,hers of the chureh have draw.
from the Holy Seriptnres : S. T hofe that Iht¡chu rch, under
the Ncw T d lamcnr, has prercribed to Chriflians, by ce.:u·
menic,d and other councils a{fembled in diffcrent ages :
6. The dogmas that ,he popes, in quali'y of he.d. of ,h.
ch"rch, have eO.b)¡lhed by their bulls : and ' o ,befe muft
b< . dded. on the pan of the protellants, 7. T he dogmas
th.u lhe reformers, efpecl;¡dl y L Ulheraod Calvin, hílve rau.:hu
S. T he dw Gons of fynods; and lallly, the teDeIS th.. ><0
maintaioed by lhe diffcrent feas, as Socioians , Anabapl ifl,:,
Quakers, 6 e. Each of (heft: particular religions or feth
prctend to fuppoTt their dogmas bodl by reaCon and revela ..
tiOD: we do not here ofFc:r a work o( controverfy, and are
Vtl)' f"r (rom attcmptiog tO dttermi ne on which lrueh
and reafon ate lO be found.
IV Our zeal, howen:r, for the Ch rifli an religion in ge–
neral, which we regard as perfeélly divlne, and as the ooly
religion addpted 10 promote lhe happiners of mankind in Ihi.
world. and to fecu re." it in Ihe next, and the delire \Ve llave
(hat 1t Olay endure to Ihe rnd of time, compels us 10 m:t¡"'c
in Ihis place ooe impon ant .reflcétion ; which is, T hat tim ·
plieity is C\'cr i\n dTcnlt"¡ 3ltribute of perreélion, as compIlo xi..
ty is of impedeélion llW, il cannoe be d! nied, wilhouc
dOlng violenc~ tO trulh, Ihat among Ihe rliffl.·r~nt d('1¡:mu
uf whicl! \\r have becn fp ....Aking. th ..o! ferro
10 be fOllnJcd on fpecul.Hior,s very "bllr u(e, on fub lllues
\'cry intri~ol1~. anJ on ínte'pretations 'iCry ambicuCluL GoJ
cen.l;oly n~vcr intc'nJfd Ilu t ~II m..nk·nJ flloulJ he Iht'olo·
r!IJns~ hl.' 11,\50 IWl ~iv~ n thl'm his dlvlne ~'ord 1\) b~ Ihe (::ilul'e
0 1' J II\:lJrd J11l0nr. IUC11 1 nor lhat lhC')' llioulJ plts thctr \lo hole
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