The Theistic Conception of the World: An Essay in Opposition to Certain Tendencies of Modern ThoughtCocker, B. F. (Benjamin Franklin)
Religion
The Theistic Conception of the World: An Essay in Opposition to Certain Tendencies of Modern Thought
Cocker, B. F. (Benjamin Franklin)
Theism
3. _The_ MORAL _attributes_. Perfect Personality (LOVE) must by the very
conception be wise and holy, righteous and blessed, for these are the
attributes of personality, and may all be ultimately grounded in love.
The reason of all existence and all personality is found, not in
infinite causality, but in the free love of the perfect personality.
This is the final cause of all existence. And if perfect Love be the
final cause of all existence, it must know the end, and ordain the law
and means. The highest end of the world is the perfect fellowship of man
with God; the physical must therefore be subordinated to the moral order
of the universe. The Perfect Personality must freely will to impart his
fellowship to those who are obedient to his moral law; and it must be
removed from fellowship with and deny itself to evil, which is
antagonistic to the ends of Love. Or, in other words, it must establish
a fixed and changeless relation between righteousness and blessedness in
the creature. It must approve the good and condemn the evil. And in
making the righteous "partakers of his joy," He must be "well pleased."
The absolute blessedness of God is found in the fullness and harmony of
the Divine life. He has in Himself the eternal and absolutely worthy
object of his love. But there is a Divine satisfaction, "a good pleasure
of God," which is found in the communication of Himself to the creature.
"He rejoiceth in the habitable parts of the earth, and his delights are
with the sons of men." "He taketh pleasure in them that fear Him, in
those that hope in his mercy."
WISDOM (Job xii. 13; Rom. xi. 33, 34; Eph. iii. 9, 10).
GOODNESS (Psalm xxxiii. 5; xxxiv. 8; cvii. 1, 8).
HOLINESS (Deut. xxxii. 4; Psalm v. 5; James i. 13, 17).
BLESSEDNESS (1 Tim. i. 11; vi. 15).
These are the moral attributes of God.[44] They are also called by
pre-eminence the Perfections of God, because they are free
determinations of the Divine nature, an everlasting "BECOMING," rather
than an eternal "BEING." The immanent attributes of God are a necessary
inbeing; the moral attributes of God are a voluntary outgoing, an
eternally free, alternative forth-putting of choice for the right and
the good.[45]
The doctrine concerning God above presented, in which we fain would
hope that philosophy and Christian thought are brought into harmony, may
now be summarily presented in the following schema:
_Fundamental Idea of Reason._ _Thought-Conceptions_
_Founded on Relations._
(Essence) {ETERNITY }
{as ABSOLUTE REALITY.... {IMMUTABILITY } Immanent
{UNITY } Attributes.
{IDEALITY }
UNCONDITIONED {OMNIPOTENCE } Transitive
WILL {as INFINITE EFFICIENCY.. {UBIQUITY } or Causal
{OMNISCIENCE } Attributes.
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