NATURAL THEOLOGY. The systematic arrangement of that knowledge as to God and man and their mutual relations which can he gained from the study of nature to the exclusion of revelation. Such. at least. is the ideal of natural theolog? anal its effort, as it was pursued for it large part of the last century. But it Ile% en maintained the actual independence of revelation which it was supposed to maintain. 'Flip proofs for the existence of Gott (q.v.) really presuppose the idea of a holy first cause, and this idea is historivally derived from the Chris t ian revelation. 'Nit hout this suggest ion t he proofs are inconclusive. But with this allowance to revelation, natural theology has a place and a work in the devehipment and defense of Chris tian doctrine. It exhibits the conformity of the idea of God to tile highest reason of man. The proper founder of the discipline among English speaking theologians was Archdeacon Paley. who published his VaIural Thcoloyy in 18(12, The merits of this work have been lately overlooked, and it has been the fashion with many who never read hint to sneer at Paley's arguments. In fact, the book was ;1 Nery able one. :Lod antieipated the lines of reply by which the first attacks of the more recent propounders of evolution upon the existence of (god have been met. In America the rationalizing spirit of the New England Theology 01.v• 1 led it to lay ninch weight upon natural theology, and it was generally ostensibly made the basis of the system of theology by theologians of this school. and by most others, during a large part of the century. The ar rangement of topics in the best forms if the science Were soinewlult as Begin ning was made with the principle of causation. which was established as a necessary truth. or
primal intuition of the human mind. Then came the arguments for the existence of God, predomi nantly or exclusively the o posteriori arguments, for a contriver. governor. ereator, preserver. and moral governor. 'Then followed the natural at tributes of tfod. In making the transition to the moral Attributes, it was sometimes the custom to interpose the doctrine of the immortality of the soul, and discussions as to the consistency of the existence Of sin in the world with the in order antooedentl• to remove the most difficult objections to the divine benevo lence. \Vhere the moral attributes of God were reduced to 111e one attribute of benevolenee, it was next customary to introduce 111e theory of human virtue, and to argue from benevolence as the 'Animate object of the obligation Iminan conscience to the nature of the divine virtue, since man is made in the image of I tot].
Filially, the benevolence of I having been proved. the argument could advanee to the Scrip ture:. the inspiration of whielt was proved by the need of man for revelation. and I ht. certainty that a benevolent Ibil would supply ?11 a need. 'Otis line of discussion was largely broken up at the end of the century by influences emanating from the more subjective schools of (;ernian theology, especially from Frank and Paley. eon-nit: Chadbourne.
Vouro/ Theo/ogy : Flint, 7'heisni ( Edinburgh. 1878I: id.. .1 nt i -Theistic 7'heories (il., 187 : danet, I 1 trans..
iii., I578i ; studies in (Nett Yllrk. : id., y of Thcinni lib., 1e71 ; I larri.. 7'11e l losophi,al Basin of Thc vs I8s3 l ; Fisher. Grotiads of Thrist ir mot chrisl Oh:, 1883 I .