Encyclopedia of sacred theology - pagina 13

INTRODUCTORY NOTE

XV

ing the stronghold of the Netherlandish Jerusalem with undaunted valor men who did not merely stand on the wall ;

and ward

off assaults,

but rushed forth from the gates and

But what did I find ? Everywhere a cry Everybody shut up in the hold, with of distressed hearts. no thought of anything beyond a weak defence, watching for the shots to fall, and only when they came giving some poor reply, while bulwark after bulwark of the faith was yielded Such an attitude was intolerable to one of to the enemy." and aggressive spirit. Nor did he find ardent Dr. Kuyjier's more comfort in the Ethical School, although he was by no means insensible to the attractions of its " Mediating Theology."^ The w^eakness and wastefulness of both apology and mediation as a means of establishing and advancing drove

off the foe.

Christianity he

felt,

moreover, most profoundly;

and, plant-

Word and Reformed Confessions, he consecrated all his great and varied powers to purifying the camp and compacting the ing himself once for

all

squarely on the infallible

the

The

forces of positive truth.

effect of the

assumption of

and " more moderate schools. " alienate the adherents The followers of Van Oosterzee and Doedes, of de la Sausmen who, according to their lights, saye and Gunning, had wrought each a good work in the defence and propagawere necessarily left tion of the principles of the Gospel, behind, where they did not even throw themselves into tlie camp of the enemy. But the result has vindicated not only Not merely as over its righteousness, but its wisdom. against the forces of more or less open unbelief, but also of those timid souls who would fain pitch their tents in neutral territory, Dr. Kuyper has raised the banner of unadulterated this bold, aggressive position was, naturally, to offend

of

the

—

—

1

In the Preface to the

first

volume

"Brought up under the teaching

of his Encyclopapdie Dr. Kuj-per says

of Scholten

and Kuenen,

iu

an

:

entii-ely

and later not less strongly influenced by Mediating Theology,' the author found rest neither for his heart nor for his mind until his eyes were opened to the depth, the earnestness, and the beauty of the Reformed Confession, which has come to us out of those spiritually rich days when Calvinism was still a world-power, not only in the theological, but also in the social and political, realm." different circle of theological ideas,

the

'

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