Imágenes de página
PDF
ePub

exemplifying among the leading Churches of the

modern Christian world.*

*See Articles of Religion, Appendix Il Wesley's liberality would startle many Methodists of our day. I a1d a few examples: "This in Scripture, perhaps not once in the sense we now use it." Notes term, (converted,) so common in modern writings, very rarely occurs on the New Testament, Acts iii, 19. "True repentance is a change from spiritual death to spiritual life, and leads to life everlasting." Acts xi, 18. "He that, first, reverences God, etc.; secondly, from this awful regard to him, not only avoids all known evil, but endeavors, according to the best light he has, to do all things well, is accepted of Him-through Christ, though he knows him not. The assertion is express, and admits of no exception. He is in the favor of God, whether enjoying his written word and ordinances or not." Acts x, 35. "A mystic, who denies justification by faith (Mr. Law for instance) may be saved. But if so, what becomes of Articulus stantus vel cadentis Ecclesia? If so, is it not high time?

Projicere ampullas et sesquipedalia verba,

and to return to the plain word; 'He that feareth God and worketh righteousness is accepted with him?"" Journal, December 1st, 1767. "I have not for many years thought a consciousness of acceptance to be essential to justifying faith." A.D. 1768, vol. vii, p. 495. He published for the edification of his people the Life of one of the most active Unitarians of his day, and in the Preface remarks: "I was exceedingly struck at reading the following Life: having long settled it in my mind that the entertaining wrong notions concerning the Trinity was inconsistent with real piety. But I cannot argue against matter of fact. I dare not deny that Mr. Firmin was a pious man, although his notions of the Trinity were quite erroneous." Vol. vii, p. 574. "Who are we that we should withstand God? Particularly by laying down rules of Christian communion which exclude any whom he has admitted into the Church of the first-born from worshiping God together. O that all Church governors would conside. how bold an usurpation this is on the authority of the supreme Lord of the Church ! O that the sin of thus withstanding God may not be laid to the charge of those, who perhaps with a good intention,

Methodism has naturally, in the first century of its history, not developed largely in the way of systematic divinity. But it has a thorough and able doctrinal exposition in the "Theological Institutes " of Richard Watson, of whom Prof. J. W. Alexander, of Princeton College, says: "Turretine is, in theology, instar omnium: that is, so far forth as Blackstone is in law. Making due allowance for the diference of age, Watson, the Methodist, is the only systematizer, within my knowledge, who approaches the same eminence; of whom I use Addison's words: 'He reasons like Paley, and descants like Hall.'" Another systematic work is now in progress in the German language, from the pen of Prof. Warren; one of the most important contributions from an American hand to modern theological literature. This author has endeavored to determine the true relative position of Methodist theology, and says: "There are four great complete Christo-theological systems, the contrarieties of which are so fundamental and exhaustive that every writer on sysbut in an over fondness for their own forms, have done it, and are continually doing it!" Notes, Acts xi, 17. In fine he expresses his whole policy, as an ecclesiastical leader, in a letter to a friend: "The first of your particular advice is 'to keep in view the interests of Christ's Church in general, and of practical religion; not considering the Church of England, or cause of Methodism, but as subordinate thereto.' This advice I have punctually observed."

*

*Systematische Theologie, einheitlich behandelt. Von William F. Warren. Bremen, 1865

tematic theology who is not willing to give up the essence of Christianity itself must, in respect to them, choose and maintain a definite stand-point. The four mentioned great systems of doctrine are the Roman Catholic, the Calvinistic, the Lutheran, and the Wesleyan. These systems rest on different conceptions of the soteriological relation of God and man as established by Christ, and correspond to different stages of development of the religious consciousness. Besides these four great systems there is no other worthy of notice. The Greek Church has as yet formed no definite regular system of doctrine, and, so long as she retains her present views, can form none which can radically differ from Romanism. The Church of England

has, much less, a peculiar complete system. Her theology is a mass of the most discordant elements. Her books of doctrine are appealed to by Calvinists and Arminians, Puritans and Puseyites, Evangelicals and Sacramentarians, High and Low Churchmen, and with about equal propriety. If she is less onesided than the Reformed and Lutheran Churches, nevertheless her teaching embraces almost all the incompleteness and errors of them both."

"According to the Roman Catholic view of Chris tianity, salvation is imparted through the (Papal) Church alone, and is conditioned on a meritorious co-working of the subject with grace. With this

ground-view all the other peculiarities of the system, as, for example, the doctrine of the infallibility of the Church, priestly power, the merit of works, the sacrifice of the mass, purgatory, picture-worship, indulgences, angel and saint-reverencing, etc., are closely connected. According to its inmost spirit and essence, Catholicism is nothing other than an essentially pagan view of Christian truth.

"According to the Calvinistic view of Chris tianity, the salvation or non-salvation of each human being depends absolutely on the free action of God toward him. God, according to this system, has elected to certain salvation a certain unalterable number of mankind, accurately fixed before the foundation of the world, and has either predestinated all others to certain damnation, or within himself resolved to permit them, unredeemed, to perish in their inherited depravity. This eternal twofold decree he executes unfailingly in time through his gracious sovereignty. With this ground-view of Calvinism, all its other peculiarities, for example, its limited (partial) atonement, its total denial of human freedom, its dogma of the irresistibility of grace and of the impossibility of apostasy, are intimately connected. According to its inmost spirit and essence, this system is a conception of Christianity from the stand-point of an Old Testament faith.

"According to the Lutheran view of the soteriological relation of God and man, the salvation or non-salvation of each human being is solely dependent on his own personal action in regard to the means of grace, (the word and the sacraments.) If any one uses these properly, and everybody is capable of doing this through his own natural powers, then God will give to him, through these means of grace, faith, and with faith justification. If he continues diligently in the proper use of the word and of the sacraments, he will retain the received blessings and finally overcome death and hell. With this ground-view of Lutheranism, all the other peculiarities of the system, such as the bodily presence of Christ in the eucharist, the relative overestimation of the sacraments, over-attachment to the Church, etc., are closely allied. In respect to its inmost spirit and essence this creed is a view of Christianity from the stand-point of justification. According to the Methodistic view of the soteriological relation of God and man, the salvation or non-salvation of each human being depends on his own free action in respect to the enlightening, renewing, and sanctifying inworkings of the Holy Spirit. If, in respect to these inworkings, he holds himself receptively, then will he become holy both here and hereafter; but if he closes his heart against the same, he will continue in death

66

« AnteriorContinuar »