importance to the doctrine of baptismal grace, asserted that the soul is itself mortal, but rendered immortal by becoming connected with the Divine Spirit in baptism. None but the Episcopal church enjoys the true possession of this baptismal grace! This assertion gave rise to several replies. The controversy lasted principally from the year 1706 to 1708. See Lechler, Geschichte des englishchen Deismus, p. 211. ss.-Will Coward (1702-1704) defended the idea of a sleep of the soul. Comp. Baumgarten, Geschichte der Religionsparteien p. 71.

4 Art. 26. (in reference to the doctrine of purgatory): Jam quod traditur de spiritibus vel animabus mortuorum apparentibus aliquando viventibus, et petentibus ab eis officia, quibus, liberentur, deputamus, apparitiones eas inter ludibria, artes et deceptiones diaboli, qui, ut potest se transfigurare in angelum lucis, ita satagit fidem veram vel evertere, vel in dubium revocare. (Deut. xviii. 10. 11. Luc. xvi. 31.)

5 Conf. Aug. 1. c.: Damnant Anabaptistas, qui sentiunt, hominibus damnatis ac diabolis finem pœnarum futurum esse. Damnant et alios, qui nunc spargunt judaïcas opiniones, quod ante resurrectionem mortuorum, pii regnum mundi occupaturi sint, upique oppressis impiis.

6 Valentin Weigel, Jacob Böhm, Felgenhauer, Drabicius, Quirinus Kuhlmann, etc. Comp. Corrodi, Geschichte des Chiliasmus, und Adelung, Geschichte der menschlichen Narrheit.

7 John William Petersen (was from the year 1688 superintendent in Lüneburg, dismissed 1692, and died 1727 on his estate Thymern near Zerbst) published from 1700-1710 his Mysterium Apocatastaseos, in which the common millennarian doctrine (concerning a twofold resurrection, and Christ's visible kingdom on earth, which will last a thousand years) was connected with Origen's notion of the restitution of all things. His wife, Johanna Eleonora von Merlau, agreed with him in all points; both boasted of having received particular revelations from God. See Petersen's Autobiography 1717. Corrodi iii. 2. p. 133 ss. Schröckh, Kirchengesch. nach der Reformat. viii. p. 302 ss.

8 Spener, firmly believing in the final victory of Christianity,

a He also held the idea of Christ's heavenly body (compare § 263. note 7.)

entertained "the hope of better times." Previous to the general judgment the Jews will be converted, and papacy overthrown. But in his opinion this glorious state does not abrogate the kingdom of grace, nor will it manifest itself in a visible manner. He did not venture to determine anything respecting the exact period of time (the period of a thousand years.) "But his opponents found no difficulty in drawing invidious inferences from the moderate hopes of Spener." Schröckh viii. p. 292. The views of Joachim Lange, concerning the revelations of John, were more literal than those of his master; see Corrodi iii. 1. p. 108 ss.

354

FIFTH PERIOD.

FROM THE YEAR 1720 TO THE PRESENT

DAY.

THE AGE OF CRITICISM, OF SPECULATION, AND OF ANTITHESIS BETWEEN FAITH AND KNOWLEDGE, PHILOSOPHY AND CHRISTIANITY, REASON AND REVELATION.

A. GENERAL HISTORY OF DOCTRINES DURING THE FIFTH PERIOD.

§ 271.

INTRODUCTION.

Von Einem, I. A., Versuch einer Geschichte des 18. Jahrhunderts. Leipz. 1776 ss. Schlegel, Kirchengeschichte des 18. Jahrhunderts, Heilbr. 1784 ss. ii. continued by Fraas. Schlosser, Geschichte des 18 und 19. Jahrhunderts. Heidelberg. 1836 ss. 2d vol. to the year 1763. (For a more complete account of the literature see Hase, Kirchengeschichte 1841. p. 455. 56.)

Gieseler, I. K. L., Rückblick auf die theologische und kirchliche Entwickelung der letzen 50 Jahre. Gött. 1837. (kritische Prediger Bibliothek xviii. part 5. p. 908 ss.) On the other side: Tholuck, Abriss und Geschichte der Umwälsung, welche seit 1750 auf dem Gebiet der Theologie in Deutschland stattgefunden, in the Berliner evangelische

Kirchenzeitung 1830. (see his Vermischte Schriften vol. ii.) The antirationalistic literature from the commencement of the nineteenth century is given in Tholuck's Literarischer Anzeiger. 1836. No. 15-18.

The spirit of investigation having been awakened, and the belief in human authority having been shaken by the Reformation of the sixteenth century, the signal was given for a more liberal, progressive movement. But as the Reformers, at the same time, declared, in terms quite as decided, that no other foundation can be laid than that which is laid, and strengthened the belief in the divine authority of Scripture, they directed the attention of Christians to the past condition of the Church as a something to be restored. Neither of these two points should be overlooked, if we would form a correct judgment of Protestantism, and its importance in history. During the first half of the sixteenth, and the whole of the seventeenth century, most theologians had lost sight of its true significance as regards the former aspect, by again submitting to the yoke of human authority, and thus preventing all progress. The very opposite tendency characterises the eighteenth century. Theologians and philosophers, animated by an ardent desire after enlightenment and spiritual liberty, gradually renounced their allegiance to the only foundation on which the Reformers had thought it safe to build, and for which, no less than for liberty, the martyrs of the Protestant Church had shed their blood. The authority of Holy Writ was by degrees lessened, together with that of the symbolical books, and not long after, those doctrines which the earlier Protestants, as well as Roman Catholics, had rejected, as opposed to the spirit of Christianity, became prevalent in various sections of the church. But in the midst of the contests and storms of those times, there were found some men of a conservative tendency; attempts were also made to restore

what had been destroyed, and to bring about a reconciliation between the two extremes. It is the task of the history of doctrines during this last period, to represent this remarkable struggle in all its details, and to treat of them separately, as well as in their relation to each other.

§ 272.

INFLUENCE OF PHILOSOPHY UPON THEOLOGY.

There is perhaps no better argument for the practical nature of Christianity than the fact, that it owed neither its origin nor the restoration of its purer principles, to a system of philosophy.1 At the same time, its more profound speculative import, and considerable importance in a scientific aspect, are clearly proved by this, that it has always met with either a hostile or a friendly treatment at the hands of philosophers who have endeavoured either to destroy it, or to introduce into it their own speculations.2 The attempt made by the scholastics appeared at first successful. But after the vain subtilties of the schools had brought philosophy into disrepute among evangelical Christians, the Protestant Church, which had opposed scholasticism, kept aloof for some time from the speculations of philosophers which had now assumed a more systematic form. 3 But it must be admitted, that Protestantism itself gave rise to modern philosophy, and furthered its develop

ment.

1 Comp. vol. i. p. 34, 35. and § 211.

2 It is sufficient to remind our readers of the phenomena of Neoplatonism, Gnosticism, and the philosophy of the school of