1000000031

E L 1 G IO N,

T 11 E O L ()

but

r':'~::Inls

Ihis

Jo\'e

ollly ::15

a ¿u t}'

th~ [

rcrults

(r,lm tlllr

lo\'e cow:\I d.:: GoJ; and thrtt from

lhe

prin¡;iplc. T hJ.t C t."l

muH ¡ove all his crcatur\!s "s Ihe

\VOl

O!'

h ¡~

h.tnd s; i4nu

thi\t we cano{.t thercfore, from Ihe n:.ry

nAun,- \.(

lov~ .

ple.tfe him, without

lntcrLlinillll

!c",illl:!llI~

ni"

:1l1~l9 1I')n

[O–

w:lrds Ihofe 10 whom lhe

Soverc;gn

I.ol

oí

tIte

U:li.ver,e

VOllchfaf(,.'s

his ben'g" rcg'ud. Na'.V,

as lllt

l\trlni.1n

1110-

nlity does

nOI rcg,lrd virtllC,

bU[ as

is a

dUly

towarut

Cad

and as

confiJ crs all

OUT ...

élions, th;u

hdVe

ilny ().

1her motive. ei thcr as bl,¡meablc, or

Ié'idl

i n)rtrfc~t,

,¡ntl

bU I

little accept:\blc

[ht.! Suprcmc

B~;ng;

dOl:'i

OClt

rcgiud

Ihe

;utvantages

lbat r(fult

from

Ihcm la

(o~ietYI

uut

:ts

ur~ful

con[('qlH!nCCS of the true Ch riH"ul

virt u~ ;

3nd

fr oll1 this principie it draw! ncw arguments for (he encou–

ranif'g

of man!,:nJ ro

Ihe pnt tice

Il.

From

wl-;:J.(

has been ( lid,

frcond difFaence arifes

be,ween C

hrilli.ni

,y .ntl pllllofophy. The lidl adds

,he

ft"cond nill ne\V motives to

~ h\!

prcitlicc: of vinue. T hat of

rcdcmption, and pardon, obtainec\

Jefus Chrifl, is no(

one of ,he le.n, l IS .rgumen, is ,[¡is:

God has fo lovcd

mankincl.

to '2fford theOl

Iht:

meaos

which

the cvi l,

caufed by ,heir o"'n

f.ul

" may be .bolllhed , °i, would be

the

gre;ttdt

of all

ingrariludc and maltee towards bimfcJf,

ir nJan (hould not endc?vour

acknowledg~

Ihis loye, to

merit it, and ro embracc the means of ple..fing G od.

thírd motive, takw alfo

(' 001

the merit o( J e(us Chrifl, here

Qffer~

¡trelf

an auxillaly to the

{wO

(ormer: f\ecorJlng to

the Chriflian dotl rine, metn h1ls not by n;¡olfe 'lhe powcr

pratlifc

.11

thoCe virtuts whieb are ;¡greeable tO God: but

the fame dotlrine teaches , on lhe olhet hand, {he condí·

.ions by whieh i, i, pomble 'o picare ,h.. moll holy and pero

red Bei ng; and gives ,he Chriflian hope alfo, ,ha, he Ihall

neyer labuur

vain.

Xi .

L , OIy, ,he Chrillian morali,y is of far gre..er elli·

cae)' in ¡dverfity, than' philofophy: it carríes with it

weJO'

derful conrolatíon in míd" n une, ;¡,nd e\'en in the hour

death; for the Chri l; ian m:,y fay, widl ,he Apollle,

Ihal

godlinefl

(or ,he pr.diee of ev.n2elio morals)

ÍJ

in a/l

Ihingl p'.jilaMe,

huvin.~

Ihe p'.1IIife o[ Ih< p,,[enl life,

Rl1d l hol

rwhich

j¡

l o come.

OfPOL. EMI C

TH E OL 'OGV,

o,.

CO N'l· ROVERSY .

' VE

canoot ruffi cientl y Iament, that the church of

the

C od of peace (houJd be a

clJllr,h

1II'¡il a1Jf;

tlnd lhac a doc·

trine fo ftmplc a.d e1e"r as

,It..

of d:e Gofpel Ihould be

'the caufe of difcord, even :lmong Chrifti;Jns themfd\·cs.

Nevt'nhdt rs, as the uuth is fo

dilli..:ult

Jireover in

"JI

t hi ng~,

;tod efp:cially in OllttCrs

oi-

rcJig';()n~

;'1$

fo fre·

<]uently covered \\ ilO lhe cJouds of inl erd t

anct

¡ullhition~

as the filme

ohjf.él

appears

J.ff~

to dlA·ercnt I11l..'n; ?nd

¡S error . in the

r ..

oí

the world, conH:wtly etií'J¡:H'S

Ihe

malk of truth

it is r·u,

juf1:

that

lhe

tru~'

rdif.i,)!,

!1("

(ull·dh·

ed v.ith arms tOcomb H C:fror, and

I /]

¡dutk en:

:hol

cIl:C":l l'

fuI

mil.fl<

hy ·.vllicl.

l";lany poor

mon.ds

are f..:.lncC'.1,

11. T he

tht')logi:;.n,

\~)O

h;ts

nltide Ihc propcr prcr:;.ra·

~ory

fbrlies, \Vho IS lhornrt'ghl y innillt1c <! in n;'ltllral

rcli~ion,

I!,

tll·.! do:!nlll,ic and rhe herrnc neutic,

and

who joins

thefe

luu nd logic. is alrt ady

w(·:1

pn'palcJ (or this. Ipiriru;;1como

bar : ht is armcd. but

hl!

Oill (()

J..::lrn h.,'v 10 ufe there

a.r~s:

",u!l

"Ifu be marle aeCjuainlcu ",ilh

th..:

ent mi<'s

15 10

e:ncountr'r

know

thci r forre, znd the arts

(bey

wilJ

uft againH

l1 im.

pJain

(nou~h,

\VC'

(11¡,rOre .

lh...

\VI!

h{:rc

fpeak

of (pu·iw::l

arG1S

úf

!hore

Wilh which

\'le

are

fUI

nij~lcd

reafen ::In,1 the

h .ly

!)uip:u:-e:

("il l

¡Iim

thal rmplov'i

any

otlu.r:

f~.n.e

is e\'er

tiO

i:lf.,i:ILlc proof

Ihe

W~lH

:HgUinCn t.

Thc

!',Oraz.

.Ilon

a rel'gion

the (word, a(ler Ihe

ma:"lnH

('If

1.II'

O'\1C:;

ref f~cu tions,

ei–

Iher fe:cnt or op::n

cor¡O

r.li

nt, viviente. every

(mt

(Jf re-

1<!iclIIS W:lr. is

atl oeiaus,

cOlltr.try

the:

fpi,r:t of

lhe

G nfp,,·I,

in:t \\'ord.

(1)

dc-tdLblc, that

t:\'uy

truC

CI.ritliall

lllufI

n\'e tt his (igll t from ru':h infamous horrors .

ContrCI"crfy is cODdu{tcJ. either

froOl

the

pulpít

01'

chíli r.

' hy

way

t'f

harrangtle,

cnnvel LHion, cr by \\'ridng.

The 6rH C] ll.dit)" IhAt is necellAry ro a difpularlf is

r~(JflT1,

and the

nex t

1//{1t1.'raliof:;

in what manncr foevl

r the

con–

Iell is conducred, ,ltefe

' \VO

qualities Ihould eonHantly be

OIanifefl, during

[he

whole courfe of altncal ion,

IV.

T here ..re rome crrors [hat auack the

fiflnll

of re–

ligion, nnrl

I~ere

(¡ re others that attack even its

11/6,-"lil.1.

In order prope.r1 y

Opp,?fCl an error, \Ve muO begin by

finoing

Out

its rea l meaOlng:

wc muH

thcrdore rtully thl.!

nlfferent fyrlems of other rcligions.

and

Ihe principal here·

fics, if \Ve would fucctfsfu lly nfllte ,hem.

don't mean

by this, thar Ihe theologian n\outd know alJ the errors that

fpri nc up in the brain of ea

individual ; \Ve (peak ooly of

,hofe ,h" are profefied by whole

fe~s.

They who attack our religion, found thei r opinions.

rither on the inlerprCtíltioDof ,he f;.¡crcd text,

phi

lofophy, or hmory ; .nd we Ihotlld . I. '.ys oppofe ,heOl

with the (ame arOlS with which rhey pntend

defeat uS'.

is nceelf.. y ' o begin by d,vd ling ou rfdve, of all prej u–

dice, in order [he better

n\CWothers tho{e prtjudices by

which they are deludeJ. Vve nlould neve r l11i1ke ufe, but

efpeeially when we oppore \l'eak minds, of (\pprobrious terms

in rhe <,ou r[e of [he debate, Dor comend eibout words or

ex preffions. nor attack incidental circuOIfhnccs that may at·

tend crroneous principies; but bend ou r \Vhule force agitinft

the roor of Ihe tree, the princi pal error ; tO unccver it, tO

dig ir up, tOde/hoy it.

VI.

Polemic rbeology is taught in \Iniverfities uy two

methods, aecurJing to

Ih~

views oE the (ludent,

he learn

ir merely

order hcreafter tO defepd his pari(h,ioners agai,nfl:

tht: mofi prevalent crrors, he is only

exaUllne lhe pnn_

eip:!.1 controvel'fi es 3cc.:ordiog to the fy(lcmalic arder of lhe.

ology

ann may content himfelf with knowir¡g their true

meaning, logcther Wilh the argumenls bEthort that oppo[e

them. BUI ir

be his ¡n¡eOliOn lO tcach this [cienee to 0-

lhers, or

eng"ge in eontr()\'erfy, eilhcr

.con\·erfation

or wri ting: in fllOfl, if he . [pire tOreno\Vn

he fllould

findy the origín ;'Ind hi(tory of tach conuo\'erry, he fhould

01 . 1..("

himr<:lf

complctC"

m ;,flt! f

the argumenls for and

ag~jnO

it,

the cxceprions that

mJkes. ils inlerd"!!::, its

cLffltC';'jt

revolu.ions and al.'lu?1

H ...

te,

&c.

T he[c follo

J ,

tllIS

OuJy ,

~idlU

Ihe arder d l,lbl¡f}¡cú in "he dogmatic.

01'

Ih.1t which is "red.

fymbolic books,

lh.n

is, fu

trc;¡t

0 11

:.trtidcs of f"il h,

VI!. In

olcn the bettcr lO elucidare

the

method to be

obfcrved in Ih s ron of ftudy, \Ve (hAll feiY, Ihat lO acq\lire

• comple,e knowl.d ne of ,heologie.1 difpule', ,he Iludent

fh ould,

l .

l\hke

th~

eX?lOcn

cach religiCln, and e\'en or–

(ach contrcwcrry.

2 ,

Hc fllollld thoroughly examine

his

fyHem

111 lhe

(Ylllbolic books. and likewife the rources of

his religion.

He fllould prccifcly J ctermine the princi–

pal

antl

c;¡ piral error of (,3eh rcligion,

[c:[t,

or individual;

that

whiel!

lhe fourec from w}lrnce all Ihe other error!

;)ow,

SClrch

¡mo

lhe:

politicill

CdUreS

of each error,

and ~

c¡lch¡