And  let  us  think  again :  Most  of  dogmatic  theology  is  Philo-
sophy rather  than  Revelation.  It  is  at  the  very  best  man's  way
of  systematising  inspired  oracles.  There  Ls  nothing  divine  in  the


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Theory,  though  there  may  be  in  many  of  the  truths  which  it
contains  and  embodies.  And  philosophy,  mental  and  material,
must  greatly  influence  our  modes  of  thinking  about  systematic
doctrine,  and  the  way  in  which  we  should  frame  a  theory  of
the  universe.  A  Modern  cannot  believe  as  an  Ancient,  or  an
Englishman  as  a  Jew.  A  Platonist  cannot  theorise  as  an  Aris-
totelian, or  a  Kantist  as  a  Calvinist.  Dante's  Theory  of  the
Unseen  will  not  do  for  us  now,  and  even  Newton's  wonderful
revelations  of  material  laws  have  been  already  in  some  points
modified  and  enlarged.  This  at  least  is  unquestionable  that  the
Theology  of  a  people  must  be  imperfect  which  has  grown  up
amid  an  erroneous  Philosophy,  whether  physical  or  metaphysical :
and  no  theology  can  be  adequate  which  is  not  capable  of  ex-
panding itself  as  our  knowledge  of  the  universe  is  extended.
