Book Description

From The Princeton Theological Review, Volume 4: THIS monograph is an able and abstract essay designed to support the thesis that the World, the Bible, Conduct and Creed, and the Church each stands for an Intention which is as yet partially and imperfectly realized, but which is on the slow way of progress to its final fulfillment. As Prolegomena, we have extended treatises upon ''The Supernatural'' and upon' 'The Ordinates of Revelation.'' In the discussion of these ''Ordinates'' is developed what we should call the most striking thought in the book. As a question of form, we should say that the author made a mistake in introducing his discussion of this subject with an illustration which is so intricate and technical that to most minds it will poorly serve his purpose to illustrate. This is the illustration: "The ordinates of a point are those distances upon two lines at right angles to each other, from which lines produced until they intersect determine the position of the point in a plane" (pp. 53, 51). The truth which the author intends to illustrate by this is that the ordinates of revelation are need and desire. "On what we shall term the anthropistic side, need determines its own revelation and desire its own; on what we call the theopistic side, need and desire do the same. But when in anthropism need is strong, desire subordinate, in theopism need is subordinate and desire is strong; vice versa, when in anthropism desire is strong, need subordinate, in theopism desire is subordinate and need is strong" (p. 56). Accordingly, from man's standpoint, the Old Testament revelation was necessary and the New Testament revelation was desirable; while from God's standpoint, vice versa, the Old Testament revelation was desirable and the New Testament revelation was necessary. This is a suggestive seed-thought, and while the idea may not stand on all fours, it has enough in it to commend itself for thoughtful consideration. The author's psychological study of "Intention" is sane and thorough, and his application of the principles of it to the Divine Mind is in the interest of a modernly interpreted teleology.... ...Of course, the greater the distance between what is and what is to be, the larger the field for the display of this element of Intention and of its gradual realization; and when any writer is so completely possessed by any one idea as this writer is with that of'' Intention,'' he will be very likely to yield to the temptation to subordinate too much to that one favorite and comprehensive category.