\ CF PR///, .V ^K'CV?5 19' CHRISTIAN APOLOGETICS. V^ ^GiCALGeV THE LECTURES CONS'lTTU IING 11 IF, COURSE IN ETHICS AND APOLOGETICS. / PROF. CHAS. A. 'AIKEN, D. D, FOR THK MIDDLH AND SENIOR CLASSES. PRINCKTON ThHOLOGICAL SkMINARY. EDITED FOR THK CLASS OF 1880. PRINTED. NOT PUBLISHED. PRINCE TON: FRBSS PKINTINU ESTABLISH UBMT. 1879. — No man, whether learned or unlearned, can have the faith which makes him a Christian, without having a reason for it Thos. Chalmers. CHRISTIAN APOLOGETICS. PROLEGOMENA. INTRODUCTION. " To believe in Christianity, without knowing why we believe it, is not Christian faith, but blind credulity." — Whately. " Though we cannot always give a reason for ic/tai we believe, we should give a reason v-hy we believe it." — Boyle. " Be ready always to give an answer to every one that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you." — 1 Peter iii, 15. To him who would approach the subject of Christian Apologetics, two introductory questions suggest them- selves : 1. Why do I believe that I am a Christian ? 2. Why am I a Cliristiai\ in my belief? These questions differ more in meaning than in lan- guage. The first looks for its answer to the past : and personal and sacred experiences are recalled. We may answer a. From the remembrance ot sudden conversion ; of a gradual tendency towards Christ from early education : From something which has opened the blind eyes, or softened the heart. h. Our present love and obedience give us an ad- ditional source of faith in the fact that we are Christians. To the second question, why ain I a Christian in belief? and not a Jew, Pagan, Atheist, various answers may be given. a. Providential reasons may have decided ; early edu- cation or circumstances. But you must be able to point to some elements of Christianity which have secured your deliberate choice. You cannot say as a rational believer, that you merely follow the faith of your fathers. 6. You may say, I have adopted the faith of Christen- dom as that of the enlightened part of the world. But thi8 is 110 adequate reason. A Christian siionld be able to give some sound statement of the reason for demanding the same faith of others. Self respect re- quires that we give a reason. Loyalty to our fellow men demands it. The clearest intelligence on all matters of religion is essential. We cannot affect to be ignorant of these great questions. All men are in a sense becoming inquirers. Faith in Christianity involves intellectual elements, and there are reasons why we turn to Jesus as our Savior. Our work gives a demand for convictions of the " truths of Christianity, I speak as to wise men : judge " ye what I say is Paul's statement. (1 Cor. 10 : 15). Three practical ends are attained by the study of- Christian Apologetics. (1.) Justiticatiou and confirmation of our own faith as Christians. (2.) Our better qualification to commend Christianity. (3.) Our fuller confidence to defend our faith from whatever purpose or from whatever quarter it is assailed. Definition. — («.) " Christian Apologetics, is that part of Theology which vindicates the right of Theology in general, and of Christian Theology in particular to exist as a science." (Lindsay in Encyclopedia Brit.) Note. —This is not a full definition and provides only for Theological and not for practical purposes. 6. " That branch which sets forth the historical cre- dentials of Christianity. This also is but a partial definition. (c.) " The science which sets forth the principles ac- cording to which Christianity is to be defended." (Hagen- bach.) This is an etymological definition, but is also partial. (d.) " That branch of Theological Science, which sets forth the proofs, that the claims of Christianity, as a re- ligion, are justified." This is the proper and correct definition. It is more than a mere defense of truth. The term ApologeiUbs. —This term is of strictly Scrip- tural derivation, but somewhat infelicitous on account of prejudices. People ask, does Christianity need an apology ? Christ and the Apostles did not apologise, yet they justified and defended it. They used the term, d.7i<jXojia. The verb dizoloyiofmc means to defend, to vindicate, or justify, not simply to apologise. A-oloyia means tlierefore an answer which may be aggressive as well us defensive. The Apostle Paul speaks of his answer [a.7:okoYco) to the Jews. Acts 19 : 33 ; Acts 22:1; Acts 24 : 10 ; Acts 25 : 8-16 ; Acts 26: 1, 2; Acts 26: 24. The relatke position of Apolof/elics. —The scientific stnd}' of Christian Apologetics is of recent date, of this cen- tury in fact. Though there is a unanimity of opinion respecting the necessity of it, yet there is :i difference in re- gard to its relative place in Theological study. Some would put it in Practical Theology; the object in tliia view is to fit the worker for defence; but Apologetics is not merely the training for a Chi'istian soldier; it is for every one. Others would combine it with Systematic Theology. Its specific object, and the fulness and variety of its nui- terial, claim for it a place of its own, and an early place in the course of theological studies; for unless the claims of Christianity as a religion are justified the Christian docti'ine can have no more authority than other systems. JjUerature of Apologetics. —Manj^ works called apolo- gies are specific and defensive in form, taking up special points. Many of these aim to remove practical errors and objections, and are designed to meet a hostile etate of mind. Christian Apologetics addresses itself to the Christian man, with tliis implication, that what binds the Christian should bind others. In our day religions have been compared as never before. Pli^'sical and Metaph3-si- cal Science are constantly opening new fields, or present- ing old thoughts in new forms. These must l)e noticed in their relations to Christian Apologetics. We are not bound to run after every new theory, yet tliere are times when we canr.ot keep silence. Never has the literature of the church, so largely taken the Apologetic form, as at the present time, except during the Second Centurj-. The Apologists of that century, aimed at practical result with tlae Jews and heathen, and their conversion to Christianity. So in the Middle Ages a special object was in view. [Vide Farrar's History of Free Thought.) In our da}' specific attacks have brought out a multi- tude of treatises. The attention of men has been di- : 8 rected to the divinity of Clirist; again to Prophecy; again to miracles; again it has been attempted to reduce Christianity to natural religion. The XVIII. century objected that its founders were impostors ;. the XIX. century talks of myths and mistakes. Therefore Apolo- getical literature is largely specitic, a body of apologizing rather than of works of a complete and comprehensive sort. The most successful way to retute, is not to try to overthrow the error, but to build the truth into a system, in which the skeptic finds himself satisfied. Our great work is to point to Christ. For our own satisfaction however, we must have both the power to refute and to build. Apologetics, including what has been cnWedfundamental apologetics, involves the whole field of science. It eiiters into every department of knowledge. For example, in Metaphysics we must go back to the query, is there such a thing as human knowledge ? If so, whait are its limi- tations? —Is there any knowledge of material things ? Can we have any knowledge of spiritual things? Does the amount, or kind of evidence justify what religion calls for ? Such are some of the questions which lie back of Christian Apologetics. In another direction an im- portant and essential consideration is, The kind of evidence —What can be known? The facts of Christianity are various and must be established by various kinds of evidence. Logic, as well as Meta- physics must be consulted. If there is a God, are his revelations genuine, or is doubt reasonable? Where does refusal to believe convict a man ? These are ques- tions which must be solved to get at some forms of un- belief. We shall be largely occupied, in discussing the sub ject of Apologetics, with historical evidence. The world has been, and is full of religions — Christianity is one of them. In the midst of conflicting claims, and of errone- ous systems, we find this to be the claim of Christianity, and this is the proposition which we are to examine : Christianity is the true, divinely sanctioned, and authoritative religion, for us, and for all men. CHRISTIANITY AS A RELIGION. Christianity is a religion, bnt not the only religion. Judaism, Molianimedanism, Buddhism and a host of other systems are religions. All these are species. Religion in itself is more generic. We are therefore to inquire into the relative and absolute excellence of Christianity as a religion, not as a civilizing power. It vfould be unimportant to prove that it is a civilizing power. Christianity is to be asserted as the true religion, not a true religion. It is not to be denied that there are elements of truth in other religions, but Christianity is the ti'iie religion. It is the divinely sanctioned religion, not a divinely sanctioned religion. Other sanctions have been superseded by the sanction that has been given to Christianity. It is the authoritative religion. In one sense Ciiristianity alone is a religion, because it alone tills out the conception of religion. Other systems do not deserve the name.