The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-08-24
cit Is All Mystery

| III Is All hth''if'
We have recently read letter writ
ten TO a friend by cultured Christian
woman. who is about sixty years oil
age. i'm which occurs the following pas
sage:
"AsI grow older am less and less
of theologian. 1t is all a mystery
But like child, | look up and say,
Abba Father. >"
We decidedly like the thought con-
viewed in the last of these sentences
Abba Father" is apostolic phraseolo-
gv. and is fitting to all lips. gal. ~.
I6) u is the language of filial conn
dence and hope In God. Jesus IN the
DAYS of his flesh, said; Even So
Father. for so it seemeth good IN tiny
sight" Matt. XII. 90 No one can
do apy better than to think of God as
ALWAYS being right, and always dong
that which is best. Spiritual optimism
is the true creed when the eye OF
thought is turned toward God; aud OF
this creed Abba Father" is a very APP
propriate summary. 1t satlhes The
head, aud comforts the heart.
We are not by any means as well
pleased with the other two sentences IN
the passage above quoted. Toe longer
one lives and the more be thinks anu
| learns, the more and not the less OF a
theologian he ought TO be. a tbeolo-
gian is one who has faith IN regard 10
God. and, in order intelligently to say
Abba Father. we must have such
faith. The more things which are en-
braced in that faith as truths, the more
reasons we see for saying Abba
Father. - and that. too, with perfectly
child like temper of mind. There Is no
Inconsistency between this saying and
theology. Indeed, the latter lays the
foundation for the former, and prepares
the head aud the heart to say Abba
Father" with an intelligence, a conf
dence. serenity and cOmposure OF mind,
that are not the natural fruits of mere
| ignorace. 1t is grave mistake to
place theology and Abba Father" In
virtual antagonism with each other, so
that if we have the former, we must
have it at the expense of the latter. NO
such fact exists. as q matter of expert
ence, in well-ordered minds.
But " it is all mystery, this lady re-
marks and the connection of the re-
mark shows that she means that theol'
ogy is "all mystery" We beg leave to
dissent most emphatically from tins
statement. God, so far as he is made
known to man, and in the respects IN
which he is made known, and thus be-
comes the object of apprehensive and
affirmative faith. is not a mystery at
all. That he exists. that he created
aud governs all things, that He is God
of knowledge and power. and that he
is infinitely molly and good, are elemen-
tary propositions in Christian theology
and Christian and to faith apprehend-
ing and affirming them, they are not
mysteries. but known aud accepted
truths. To calf them mysteries to such
faith is a misapplication and misuse OF
toe term. What God has revealed to
man, no matter in what way, whether
i'm relation 70 himself. or the plan of
human salvation, or the destiny and
condition of the soul after death, Is, so
far as revealed, an object of knowl-
edge.
But are there no mysteries in the
ology? Oh. yes, a plenty of them; and
the same is more or less true of every
thing that we know. and not truer of
theology than elsewhere. We know
that the circulation Of the blood is ne
cessary TO the continuance of animal
life: but precisely how it is necessary
we do not know. We know that in
some way the body and the soul are
united together. so that they mutually
affect each other; but the exact mode
of this union passes beyond our knowl-
edge. Nature is full of mysteries.
Living is a mystery, and dying is
mystery; and yet these mysteries do
not discredit or invalidate our real
knowledge, so far as it goes. That we
do not know everything is surely no
proof that we do not know anything.
How, then, shall we dispose of these
mysteries. Whether in theology or else
whereY Why, by simply minding our
own business and letting them alone.
We must not try TO know what by us
cannot be known. Ii is enough for us
TO know what we can know; and, to
this end, to make the best possible use
of our facilities. Ii the Bible reveals
TO us the doctrine of the Trinity. then
set down that doctrine as revealed
TACT. anu OtllCNC ~ vi INV NuNhOiAty vi
that book, and let that part of the doc
trine which is not revealed en-
tirely alone. And so if the Bible
gives US the doctrine of Cbrist's Iucar
nation. or the doctrine of his suffer
ings aud death as an atonement for our
sins, the wise way is not TO say that Ill
is all mystery" but TO believe what the
Bible says on the subject, and there
leave the matter. Taking this course
with our minds, we shall walk in the
light of what the Bible reveals. and not
trouble ourselves with what it does not
reveal; and if we do take this course,
then the more theology we have in the
head the better it will be for the heart.
There is no daDger-not the least in
the world-tbat any man or woman,
whether old or young, will ever over
stock his or her head with theology, or
ever get too much of it for his own
good The more of it the better. pro-
viding II has the Bible warrant for its
truth. God in revealing himself meant
that we sholld trust him, SO far as thus
revealed. and study and faith to this
end constitute an exalted and glorious
exercise of human powers. A sound
and enlarged theology, moving within
the circle of Bible revelation, is an
invaluable boon TO the soul. Theolo-
gy is indeed the royal science. rising
far above all the natural sciences, and
yielding much richer treasures. 1t
would be great blessing to the world
If every human being in 1t should make
the journey of life with the whole sys-
tenn of Pauline theology in his head.
1t did no harm to Paul's brains, and
will not harm the brains Of any man
or woman. OF some Thugs we can have
too much: bat theology does not hap.
pen to be one Of the things. The Inde-
pendent.
The latest development of evangeiz- |