Thoughts in theology Author:John Sheppard Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: ESSAY III. REUNION AND RECOGNITION. SECTION I. PRESUMPTIVE ARGUMENTS FOR REUNION AND RECOGNITION. OUR whole scriptural revelation from God assumes and ... more »appeals to some measure of prior unwritten revelation, both as to truth and duty. St. Paul declares, " the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen ; being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead."1 David had long before written, " the heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth His handiwork ; " 2 affirming also that it is " the fool" (the depraved or infatuated) who "hath said in his heart, there is no God;" 3 and appealing to the frame of man, in proof of the Creator's attributes, " Understand, ye brutish among the people ; and ye fools, when will ye be wise ?He that planted the ear, shall he not hear ? He that formed the eye, shall He not see," etc.l i. 20. 3Ps. xix. 1. 3 Ps. xiv. and liii. So, on the subject of duty and accountable- ness, Paul speaks to the Gentiles, as " knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things" (the crimes he had before mentioned) "are worthy of death; "2 and as showing " the work of the law written in their hearts; their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the meanwhile accusing or else excusing one another." Accordingly, though much of heathen and even of philosophic morality was wrong and corrupt in theory, and yet more in practice, we still find several great primary principles—such as truth, fidelity to promises, justice, filial piety, friendship, gratitude— strongly recognised and enjoined, and the opposite vices as strongly denounced and branded. If even the Old Testament does not profess to lay the whole primary foundations of theology and morals, still les...« less