621 / 868
I~
E L 1 G I O N,
o
R
T 11 E O L O G Y.
{aeh contro\'er(y, (rom hi:1ory. 5. Ex
Im;"c
lh e
nil.l\1 r~ 1
arder
a~(ordlng
la
w:)i~h
al! the errors h.tve
l.tk~n
lhe;r
I
d~.
"the one (ruin
Ihe
othc.. r : anti
h lUy.
6
C(lIl fronl tI:t
rcf"pcc ,
tive art;lInlcnts. lhe anfwers,
anlt
exct.'ptions , tn,H c.l .h
party has made
10
dl'fcnJ
ils
c.wle.·
" 0
;dl Ihis
1$
to bt!
addecl, 7 \ Vh:n (hey
ed il
C111egium
dijputar') ,
11111,:
:'IIl
ex·
u
c.fe.
by
\V llIeh
all
{llar is ¡c"roed in
lhe
c10kt
.mello
lhe
fchools ís callcd fonh
;:¡nd
:tntmatecl ,
under lhe inrpl..{tion
of a pro(c{f¡Jr ; anu
lhl! m;nd
is
accllttom~d
la
tnink,
anJ
lhe tonguc
[O
rpe.tk,
wi: h
f..
cdi,y
and dlic<lcy.
VIII. Th..: princip;:¡1contdls in whieh the theologia n may
be engaged , are,
l .
Againrl: [hoCe wha adl11it of no revcaJ.
ed relígion ; as
lhe
athe;í! and
u(i(l,
2.
AgainH lllOCe \Vho
a~mí[
of a revcaled religion, bUI adopt nOI lhe trlle Rc::vd .l–
tion; as Ihe Heathens, the Mflhomelans,
6 c.
3'
r\gain(l
thofe who bdievc anly a pan of {he trUe: RtlVddllOn ; as lhe
J ews.
4 .
Aga; nfl thofe wha add tO the true Revelation
nutter foreign
w
it
j
as trad itions,
ec.
5.
AcainH thoCe
who mak.e a f,tIfe interpretation uf Ihe C"cred leXI, and dr.&w
from il erroneous Cyllems; as lhe hel'etics and lhe fdllrnll–
tics.
&e.
Anrl lalUy, 6. Ag.inll thore ", ha m, k. a wrong
ufe of ce rt ain expreffions
o(
R c\'elation, and build. on
whimfica l nOliaos, ridlculous fyltems ; as the F.tnatics,
~a.kers .
&e.
I X. According to this ¿iviGon, the t!teologian will have
l O
combat pri nei p,llIy ""i th,
l .
T he Atheills, with Spinora al their !tead .
2 .
The D eills.
3. The Healhens and Idolaters.
4. The Mahometans.
5. The modern Jews.
6.
The Al ¡ans and
M
an¡cheans, or ra.ther thofe: who
in theCe days follow their antienl erron .
7. T he Socinians . .
8. The e"ltolics, oppored to the PrOtenants.
9. The P rOtenants, oppured tO the e.tholics.
10.
Tite M" linills, oppored tO the j.tnreOlns .
11. The J anrenifls, oppored to the Multndl•.
12.
T ite Rcfurmed, oppored to the L llIherans.
13. T he L utherans, oppored tO the Rcformed.
J
4.
The Armi nians.
15. The Anabaptifls.
16. The W eigelians.
17 . The
~,ke"
or T remblers.
18 . T he Fanatic.,
at
the head of whom i. Jacob
Boh m.
19. The pretended neIV Prophet9 .
2 0 .
Tite Indi/ferentS.
2' .
The P,eti!! •.
2 2 .
The Moravian Brethren. or the H erenhuters ,
6e.
X No\V,
as eaeh of lhe religions, commun;ons, or hcre*
fies aboye mentioned. have nOl rcrupled lo pul>lifh tO lhe
world thei r dogmas and creeds, (he theologiJo ought careo
f"!ly to innrué! himrdf in thore fymbolic book., in wh;ch
eaeh of thcm
h.vecomprifed its ry(lem; to lIudy and
10
make
a
gaod
d.~alyfis
of
t11t.. m : and
10
prep.tre fueh argu–
ments as are the moft juít, the moll weighty, and propcr
t o confulc Ihe," .
X I.
~dore
Wt;
quit this fubjdl . there is onc remark
to
be
rn
H-Ie, or r.Hhcr one caUlion thal is very eff\!ntiJI, which
lile wuuld
otra
tO the young;
theolo~i
....n: \Vhich
19,
that lhe
;j>OJemic i. uftful, anJ cyen nccclr..y io the (Iudy of tltco-
logy il' J!('ocr..
tI;
but thal it is a c..I ifcipline v.-hich
our.htto
be
Irl.!aicJ
\Vllh grc..
1
plud'::lce .. nJ nwdcralion. LJ,r pu·
t<flion in gener.d IS
a
thngt':.!'.Is
:1.rt;
ftnd rellginus dllputa–
tion is
.t
J t..ccit(ul fll l, and
uf
infinlte peril.
T he
(ludcot
wdl
d)
IIJ:'lt wd l to rl!ml'mber, thal thc!re is
00
(e,-C(,
00
eOIlHll:l1lion
un
cHIIl. tllAt
IS
perfeél ly true in
.m
its
do~mas
wlthout
cx·;cp;;lon: th tt lhen: are fome- fmall errors In ..
11
rc.:lig.:lns ; lhu in(.tlltballty ncver \\'''''', oor C\'er wdl be,
lhe
porl i\m o( hU ln..l, nlly . He fhollld Ilkewife rememher,
t hit
the m IItcrs
w!w
,eaeh him, or ,he books that he reads, are
conH.l ntly p 'flial lo lh e rc::ltgion they pl ofefs :
and
lhat
when
h~
h ,IS
fi.rpportcd a Ihc·(is, and confu led his al
1
verfanes in
a
ctlllc).!i
ti
dlfpllfC ( where hls adver(.t.ries, as
well
as
h.s
pre–
ceptur!', are of Ihe fam: f¡de o( Ihe queftion, aod \ViII not
f,,¡J
10
,Hl jlhige him the vc80ry,) he (hould
be
perfu.tded,
thal lhe
vlC~hH
y \Vollld not ha\'e lIe::n fa eafi ly obtaloea
h...d
he
(ont~ndcd
with ótblc advcrfaries of the oppofi te rdlgioo:
he OlOuld remt:m' c:r. that
we
triumph without glory when
we c( mb¿t
\1,
idlUUl
danger
j
í\nd
·Iet hlm not be valO o( his
J.H1rels, nor imagine himfelf fome wonderful {chalar
j
fee.
ing that it
IS \'1:1
y poffible, th..u he;: may Ca off viélonous
{rom (ueh a d.frute, that he may receive:
,'aH
applanfe from
his profcfft'ls and his colleagues, anJ at ,he faOle time ha'{"e
r..foned )¡ke a dol,.
Xl[ O n the olher h.nrl . the mon
.bl~
theologían., . nEl
the mo!l confllmmate profdfors
in
tllIs fcience, lIugh t to be
cooOantIy on Ihcir guard againíl lhe abule of polemic theo·
logy
j
whi..:h
(r('quentl y ferves le{s
tO
clear and confi rm the:
truth
of
the dogm:ts o( a commUnlon, than tO
dhbldh
per–
petu,"¡ dlreord "nd hal red among Chriílians. E\'ery t!leo–
lo~itln
fhould alfo rcmcmber, thal by Ihe nature of the fub·
jetl.
il is nl)( poflible
lO
produce
d~lI/(;nJlrQlion
in (u ppon of
)-is tht fes and oplnions
j
bu! thal hls argu mt.ots will be on–
ly
valld . itnd preponderate in proportian
10
(heir
de~ree
of
evidence ; and
I.dlly,
lhat it is " ridlculous and infuffe rable
vanily
te
imagin~J
thitl e\'ery man, who does nnt cbink pre–
cirely as we do, i. gutlty of pJlpable error.
PASTO
R.ALT HEOLOGV.
1.
H AVING
defe ribed Ihe theoreric friences of
lheolo~r,
we
no",
come to thofe 'which
r~c;ud
lhe praél:ice.
Ir
would
~e
to burr the ta.!ents lha! God h"s g;vt,. n him. and Ihe
lIudtes Ihat he
h .iS
mdde,
i(
Ihe theo1ogl4ln did not employ
them
10
,he t dtli":.tllon of his neighbour, and Ihe pro(perH Y
of Ihe Church. Hls offiee
;0
(ucit'ty is attendeJ \\11th eon–
(b r,t
olod anxious
I~bt,urs
H I".'
.s clurgcJ
wlth
Ihe'
,::Ir~
,/
fou/¡,
wirh
.he inOru{h on o( yOlllh. wit h pre..l,ching of Ihe
G ol pd, lhe condutl
of
hls t\u,,·k. and lhe adminnlr.uion of
the: Sdcraments, with vlli '.tllons
10
,he.'
fick ;:¡ nd 'lhe dy, ng,
with c.t lming
' h('
l error~
o(
Wt
ak
mlnds, wi th admiOlllnng
comfons
tO
.c ffi:élt·cI
fnu ls. and many other fundlons eqll,d ly
d ffi ..:ult and importam. T he prtlélicallclt"oct's Ih.H
w t'
11ull
hcre der..:rtbe, wdl fcrve him as
g~lIdes
in this
unbound~J
field.
11 p.noral theology ís u(ually divideJ into time par,,;
which are.
, . Ilnmil;tic T hrulogy.
2.
C'
.Ul!chl'tlc
Th.'olo~y.
3. e,ru"lic Throl"gy.
T o which are
:lJdcd•
.1,
The Conliltorial Pl'tI.!: nce .
5. Thl' !"ud
111131
E.s.clclc ofehe Jilr.:rc:nt
f.llh.'li~'05
of
lhe minl11.)'.
.-\.