1870] A THEOLOGICAL SOCIETY 139 



principles which must regulate us all in the formation of 

 our theological views. 



For in fact, although our opinions on specific points 

 can never be really firm and satisfactory until they are 

 evolved from definite principles, it is always in the con 

 sideration of secondary questions that we first reach a 

 clear view of these principles ; and to be able to lay 

 down the guiding notions according to which the system 

 of our theological beliefs is constructed and by which 

 our theological researches are directed is by no means 

 an early or an easy acquisition. Principles which are to 

 form the basis for the activity of a whole life cannot be 

 given from without ; they must grow up within us and 

 gradually unfold themselves before us as the explicit 

 development of that which is already implicitly a necessary 

 part of our life. Nor is the value of that dialectic in 

 which we are here practised merely educational. Not our 

 progress in theology alone, but the advancement of 

 theology itself is subject to the conditions just described. 

 The difficulties of theology, though it is in points of detail 

 in exegesis, perhaps, or in the details of some minor point 

 of doctrine that they first come to be felt, are really 

 difficulties as to principle, and are to be solved only by 

 determining more justly than has hitherto been done the 

 real order and true balance of the fundamental notions of 

 the whole science. A progress thus conditioned by constant 

 successive reflections between the concrete question and 

 the general principle is necessarily of a dialectic character. 



From these considerations, I think, it is manifest that 

 our Society has acted rightly in always refusing to 

 formulate the unity of spirit and aim which is necessary 

 to our success. Were all first principles fixed, not dis 

 cussion, but deduction would remain ; were some principles 

 fixed and others left undetermined we should render our 

 discussions one-sided and lose that free play of dialectic 

 which is gained by bringing all the principles involved to 

 bear freely on one another. 



