Digital Commons @ George Fox University Western Evangelical Seminary Theses Western Evangelical Seminary 5-1-1950 A Study of Two Early Theologians at Drew Theological Seminary: Randolph S. Foster and John Miley Paul Gerhadt Hvidding Recommended Citation Hvidding, Paul Gerhadt, "A Study of Two Early Theologians at Drew Theological Seminary: Randolph S. Foster and John Miley" (1950). Western Evangelical Seminary Theses. 360. https://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/wes_theses/360 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Western Evangelical Seminary at Digital Commons @ George Fox University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Western Evangelical Seminary Theses by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ George Fox University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. A STUDY OF r.11; 0 EAR Y 'l'HEOLOCJIANS AT DR ' W THEOLOGICAL 5:&\f iNAR'Y : RANDOLPH 6 . FOST ~"9. AND JOHN 14 lL~ A Thesis P resented t~ the Faculty of The \'!estern School of Eva ng elJ..cal Religion In Partial Ic,ulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Bachelor of Divinity by Paul Gerhardt Hvidding ay 1950 This thesis has be~n approved by the following f a culty committee: First reader: .Approved Second read.e~~ ----------------- ApJ~!'oved I. DP . l The problem. • • • . l the em • • • . l Justifi ion of the study • • . 2 storical . 2 procedure followed • • • • • • • • • • • . • 6 Limitations of study • • • • • • • • • • • 6 Compt:u•i son th basic works. • . .. • • 6 p • I s • • • • • g The h1storica.l background. • • • • • • . g Luther's philosophies~ commitments • . g ey 1 s accep e of Aristotle • • . g Foster's Prole~omena Thei em • • • . 9 Foster's debt to Locke • • . • • • • 9 Foster's pre s1t1ons • • • • • . • • • • • 13 ster•s istemology. • • • • • • • • • • • • 14 d.ist1ngu1 from belief. • • • • • 16 ion of reaeon to revelation • . 22 1on of • • • • • • • • • 27 III. The doctrine of native d ity • • . • • • 33 History of the problem • • • • • • . 33 Defin1 tion of terms I.Hsed . • • 33 36040 111 CHAPTER PAGE The modes of trcmsrn ission. • . 34- Ar mini an trea tment of origi nal sin • • 37 IV. SOTERI OLOGY . • • • • • • • • • • • • • • . 43 Theor ies of t he at onement. • . 43 Historical ba ckground •• . 43 The satisfaction theory of the teneme nt . 45 The gov er nmental theory of the atonement • 51 The doctrine of entire sa nctification. 54 v. EV .LUNr i O AND CONCLUSION . 59 Evaluation • . .. 59 .l!.Valu tion of Foster' s contributi on . 59 Evalua tion of Miley ' s contribution •• 63 Conclusion • • • • • • • • • • • . 64 BI BLIO GRAP HY • • • . 6S CHAPTER I TH E PRO BLEM AND P RO CEDURE FOLLO\ttED In all branches of learning there i s a p erennial need to check-up on material to determine if progress i s being made and to note wh ere a dead-end ha s been rea ch ed or a ctual retrogression has t aken pl a ce. In no field is this check-up mor e necessary t han in the field of t heology and philo sophy . I. THE PROBLEM St atement .Q! ~ problem. The problem of this study has been to determine if Ar miniart theology in ~ m e r ic a , a s repre .., ented by t 'vo of her mo st influential theologi ans, has been true to the philosophy and t heology of John esley and , al so, to determ ine if t hey have advanced this thought in any signif icant manner. ~ ore generally the problem of this study h as been to delineate the ma in current of wesl eyan-Ar minia n theology. Ra ndolph s. Foster and John Miley, cons ecutively profes sors of theology a t Drew Theological Seminary in the l atter half of the nineteenth century, were cho sen as r epresenting the most influenti 1 school of Ar minian theology in Am erica . In this study , comp rison ha s continually been made of the chosen Ame rican representatives ~ ith the three most influential British t heologi ans, Wesley, Wa tson, and P ope. 2 Jus~ification 2f ~ study. The tragic confusion of oont theology, which is but a refl ion of the oonfu of contemporary thou~pt in ed this • To return to bed-rock in philo theology s been need of our gen ion. of H 1n philosophy came to an end in l 1 as B son of the sent century. e to occupy for long authority. most promi tain and son, st its most brill t 1ves. H liEU! all in of it e v e fi theol of history. Cont theology s been a.n h~ve been forcin the dia.l ics. theol of John s ee dial it 1 i ' from severe corro I of 1 ts philo in its vi s. Historical background. erica ha.s not ion for t originality in its thinking. en its politi s been 1 borrowed from e. Until recently its philosophy theology also came from e. one or can philo s have been 3 successful in starting the current in the site direct • However, se currents carne a.t too late a to influence the of e. , in am, in ca. em f er. aP were early re I but their contribution l18S p ra. • I in of •s ..;;..:;:~,, came to 1 s, visits were by on e, e s were p 1i ef ies con ream. was of P rote stan t 1 em 1 s were I to to , were to e it out. s ean was to this into clear e it for use in close e that lf'as follow in e of ea. It \'laS er tle t , in of t , that e of se clarifying in camps. 4 s t es • a.ns, s 1 inst It is a. of t e, on es s. can of the e, a. e 1 s in Te contribution to ian • es of it in s tenses. Prior to e ear2nce se s I i ion con tin or s, to note, , ju s n ion on a e t or since, so l>Jas a "t•re:re too too e ca the s of as in the churches. The ere, self- 5 c ere, such as a of ca.rd:tnal ctrines ot e em in ~tnt t • e so B. Civil oture B se of , e stria.l , CC<.n 11 em B ar stream to er t its s it was more , in 1 , cannot even s. won success over at e Prate 6 success en 1 e s t.;ere t'lon to sm. t II. limit era over e so reason to rev of • Comp~.rison with basic 'l!lrorks. of this s to the contributions, on these cs, of er one was the ronger, with the P or er philo basis of theol • ey entirely on e topics of anthropology so ol th ion the sub-topic of entire sanctif1 ion, in hcmdling of eh both men used. This study s used Locke's Essay g! 1h! Human Unc1erst~::moin97 to check eter•s Prolegomena Theism. 7 , in ing s s, to of e son, e. Thus the this pt;trt or the study not a son a on to if s conclusions were valid. an one. mo color for or for evil their stems of theology their philosophi commitments. I. Luther's philosophical commitments. Lutherl had not trained in philosophy of Aristotle. He had little The most influentia.l minds in his were se of Augustine and the Germe~ mystics, notably John Tauler. John in2 also closely to ine. Thus, Augustine e a dominant force in the theologies of both the Lutherans the Calvini s. Neither Lutheran nor vinistic theology e much ace to the philo cal sis of theology. Neither Luther nor in s to the logic metaphysics of stotle. Wesler's acceptance S1! Aristotle. 1 Julius Koestlin, in Luther, 11 The New t5chaf'f- Herzog Encyclopedia Q! Religious Knowledge,-vii:-t9-70. 2 Jamin B. eld, '*Calvinism sm, n The Schaff-Herzog Ency;cloeedla .2! Religious Knowledge, II, 360. 9 committ f sics of st ca.n to in • C'L'"- ..·"~"'' over of . •s say sappointed: no mee.ns equel to • The more I con 1t, more convinced I was that s was, (vain !) to drive stotle logic of the he cordially, but never understood: sa, because he an u.n ful er, hooks upon the ect.3 It been of i.nt to this to ermine if ster ey the Aristotelian of eya.n theology. schools of erica came from a Puritan Calvinistic did not t Aristot sophy. The study of philo came into can Protestant schools a much later data. II. references to Lo 's Essaz. influence of this book is evident throughout the Prolegomena. It s s of the Essay, pertinent ions ch deal most directly the ems treated in the ~.r9legomena. Lo influenc outet 3 John \<tasley, \'10£ks ( York: J. B. , 1!31), VII, p. 44S. 10 theologians. ay had a high for Locka, correcting principally he departed fro41 the logic , to books, acqua.int with and pri stood in ion to Lo stood in to J},ristotle. s, l self-educated in philo , ~JEtS never 1 to see the sic importance of stotle. opinion of himself more ma. erful than in enta for innateness of• s principles. cl the grou.nd of all debris, in order the arise upon a clean foundation, i slay wrote: I e no innate principles from all obj s that , it was highly needful to 1 as that follows rests on as it 11::ras at that time an utter philo 1 the religious 4 Fo er leaned heavily upon Locke.