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The Attributes of God in the Thought of Stephen Charnock (1628-1680)

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The Attributes of God in the Thought of Stephen Charnock (1628-1680) Trinitarian Theology and Piety: The Attributes of God in the Thought of Stephen Charnock (1628-1680) and William Perkins (1558-1602) By Hansang Lee Th. M. Duke University, Durham, NC, USA M. Div. Korea Baptist Theological University / Seminary, South Korea B. P. A. Korea University, Seoul, South Korea A Thesis Submitted to New College, the School of Divinity of the University of Edinburgh, for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2009 Trinitarian Theology and Piety: The Attributes of God in the Thought of Stephen Charnock (1628- 1680) and William Perkins (1558-1602) Table of Contents Declaration …………………………………………………………………………. 6 Abstract …………………………………………………………………………….. 7 Acknowledgement ………………………………………………………………….. 9 Chapter One. The Context of the Doctrine of God in Charnock and Perkins ……………………………………………………………………………10 I. Reformed Scholasticism and Stephen Charnock …………………………… 10 II. The Historical Background of the Relationship between the Trinity and the Doctrine of Divine Attributes ………………………………………………. 16 III. The English Reformed Scholastic Doctrine of God: Charnock and Perkins 19 A. Parameter One: Doctrinal System and Scripture in Reformed Scholasticism ………………………………………………………….. 20 B. Parameter Two: Trinitarianism and the Divine Simplicity ……………. 24 C. Parameter Three: Continuity and Development from Perkins to Charnock …………………………………………………………………………. 28 IV. The Methodology of Our Study …………………………………………… 35 Chapter Two. The Knowledge of God: Theologia and Scriptura …. 38 I. The Nature and Necessity of Theology …………………………………….. 39 II. The Properties of Theology as Theologia Nostra …………………………. 45 III. The Term “Habitus” & the Genus of Theology ………………………….. 50 IV. Knowledge of God in Christ: The Limit of Natural Theology and Reason 55 V. Supernatural Theology: Christ the Mediator & Trinitarian God ………….. 62 VI. The Interpretation of Scripture: Toward “Theological” Interpretation …... 66 Conclusion ……………………………………………………………………. 73 Chapter Three. The Existence of God and Divine Spirituality ……. 76 I. The Existence of God & Practical Atheism ………………………………… 79 2 A. Perkins on God’s Existence & the Problem of Atheism ………………. 81 B. Charnock’s Exegesis regarding God’s Existence & the Problem of Atheism ………………………………………………………………... 84 C. Charnock’s Doctrine of God’s Existence & the Problem of Atheism: Merely Scholastic “Rationalism?” …………………………………….. 85 D. Charnock’s Praxis of God’s Existence & the Problem of Atheism: Rhetoric in the Context of Faith ………………………………………. 93 II. Divine Spirituality & Spiritual Worship …………………………………… 97 A. Perkins on the Spirituality of God & Spiritual Worship ………………. 98 B. Charnock’s Exegesis of the Spirituality of God & Spiritual Worship .. 102 C. Charnock’s Doctrine of the Spirituality of God & Spiritual Worship: The Act of the Faculties of the Soul ……………………………………… 103 D. Charnock’s Praxis of the Spirituality of God & Spiritual Worship: “Reasonable Service” in Trinitarian Theology ………………………. 105 Conclusion …………………………………………………………………… 110 Chapter Four. The Essential Attributes of God ……………………… 112 I. The Eternity of God ……………………………………………………….. 112 A. Perkins on God’s Eternity ……………………………………………. 113 B. Charnock’s Exegesis & Doctrine concerning the Eternity of God: The Eternal Decree and Covenant ………………………………………… 114 C. Charnock’s Praxis on the Eternity of God: The Trinitarian Basis of Piety ………………………………………………………………………… 118 II. The Immutability of God …………………………………………………. 120 A. Perkins on God’s Immutability ………………………………………. 121 B. Charnock’s Exegesis of Divine Immutability ……………………….. 122 C. Charnock’s Doctrine and Polemic on the Immutability of God: The Defence of Divine Simplicity ……………………………………….. 123 D. Charnock’s Praxis on the Immutability of God: Human Responsibility in the Federal Relationship …………………………………………….. 129 III. The Omnipresence of God ………………………………………………. 132 A. Perkins on the Omnipresence of God ………………………………... 132 B. Charnock’s Exegesis & Doctrine on the Omnipresence of God: The True Meaning of the “Being” and “Act” of God …………………………... 133 3 C. Charnock’s Praxis on the Omnipresence of God: The Basis of Communion with God in Nature and Grace …………………………. 138 Conclusion …………………………………………………………………… 140 Chapter Five. The Doctrine of the Divine Intellect …………………. 142 I. Perkins on the Divine Intellect …………………………………………….. 143 II. Charnock’s Exegesis & Doctrine of God’s Intellect ……………………… 145 A. The Distinctions of the Scientia Dei: The Dialectics of Thomism and Scotism ………………………………………………………………. 146 B. The Problem of the Middle Knowledge and Divine Foreknowledge ... 150 C. Concursus Dei, Future Contingency, and Divine Causality …………. 152 D. The Manner of Divine Knowing and the Significance of the Ad Extra oriented Arguments ………………………………………………….. 155 E. Sapientia Dei: The Christological and Trinitarian Emphases in the Opera Dei …………………………………………………………………… 157 F. Summary of Charnock’s Exegesis and the Doctrine of God’s Intellect ……………………………………………………………………….. 160 III. Charnock’s Praxis of the Divine Intellect: Our “Trinitarian” Knowledge of the “Triune” God …………………………………………………………... 160 Conclusion …………………………………………………………………… 161 Chapter Six. The Power and Dominion of God ……………………… 163 I. Perkins on the Power & Dominion of God ……………………………….. 165 II. Charnock’s Exegesis & Doctrine of the Power of God ………………….. 170 A. Potentia Absoluta Dei & Potentia Ordinata Dei ……………………. 170 B. The Ordained Power in Providence, Creation, and Redemption ……. 174 C. Summary of Charnock’s Exegesis and Doctrine of the Power of God ……………………………………………………………………….. 179 III. Charnock’s Exegesis & Doctrine of the Dominion of God: The Meaning of “Absoluteness” in the Decree of the Triune God & the Pactum Salutis …... 179 IV. Charnock’s Praxis concerning the Power & Dominion of God: Covenantal Faith and Obedience to the Triune God …………………………………… 183 Conclusion …………………………………………………………………… 186 4 Chapter Seven. The Holiness, Goodness, and Patience of God …... 189 I. The Holiness of God ………………………………………………………. 190 A. Perkins on the Holiness of God ……………………………………… 191 B. Charnock’s Exegesis and Doctrine on the Holiness of God: The Vindication of Holiness in Relation to His Righteousness ………….. 193 C. Charnock’s Praxis concerning the Holiness of God: The Trinitarian Basis of Sanctification towards “Union with Christ” ……………………… 199 II. The Goodness and Patience of God ……………………………………… 204 A. Perkins on the Goodness and Patience of God ……………………… 205 B. Charnock’s Exegesis: The Characteristics of the Summum Bonum …. 206 C. Charnock’s Doctrine of the Goodness and Patience of God: The Integrative Understanding of the Ad Intra/Ad Extra in the Triune God and His Works …………………………………………………………….. 208 D. Charnock’s Praxis concerning the Goodness and Patience of God: The Pursuit of the Knowledge of the “Prime Attribute” ………………….. 215 Conclusion …………………………………………………………………… 217 Chapter Eight. Concluding Remarks …………………………………... 219 Bibliography ………………………………………………………………….. 223 5 Declaration I hereby declare that I have composed this Ph.D. thesis by my own personal and independent study, and that it has not been submitted for any other degree or professional qualification. Hansang Lee 2009 6 Abstract Stephen Charnock (1628-1680) is arguably remembered for his importance, at the zenith of Puritan or English Reformed scholastic divinity, in terms of the doctrine of God’s existence and attributes. He also contributed to Reformed orthodox or Puritan theology through his writings on the knowledge of God, the doctrine of regeneration, Christology, and the atonement. He wrote all these work in the midst of the theological turbulence of the later seventeenth century, with the underlying purpose of defending the inseparability of theological system and piety. His work, with its eclectic acceptance of medieval scholastic intellectual tradition as a tool, plays a significant role in the development of an historical phase of trinitarian and federal theology. However, The Existence and Attributes of God as Charnock’s magnum opus has been unexplored in terms of its view of the full doctrine of God in its trinitarian and covenantal dimensions. This is despite the fact that the Puritan concept of the divine attributes is the very doctrinal area in which the theological loci are concentrated into “a system” associated with the pursuit of piety in the period of high orthodoxy. This lack of a comprehensive overview concerning the Reformed orthodox system has brought about a misunderstanding of his theology. Charnock’s work has been regarded, even in recent scholarship, as the product of a mere scholastic rationalism. William Perkins (1558-1602) is undoubtedly the “father” of the doctrine of God in the early Puritan or Reformed orthodox period. Although misunderstandings concerning his scholastic Puritan theology and its trinitarian system and piety have been successfully rectified by other previous researchers, a confirmation of it through an investigation of his idea of God’s attributes is necessary in our study. This is in order to prove the identity of Charnock’s doctrine of God with the Puritan Reformed orthodox theological system allowing, of course, for the development of the historical and theological context between these two periods. In particular, Charnock’s understanding of the theological prolegomena, Scriptural foundations, and God’s existence and attributes is dealt with in this current study in comparison with Perkins’ work. Charnock’s work has been viewed in terms of a continuity between the early and high orthodox doctrine of God within the flow of English Puritan
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