Encyclopedia of sacred theology - pagina 412

388

IS

§71.

attributed to

it

THE NATURAL PRINCIPIUM ABLE

only in

common with

[Div. Ill

other writings.

And

when outside of the Scripture the blood of the martyrs was mentioned, the consensus of the Church, and the " natural and human character (conditio) of the writers themselves," arguments were produced which were so easily applied to Whatother sacred books that all their force evaporated. ever may be the worth of these arguments for those who are within the walls (intra muros) to combat doubt, outside of Oar acutest these walls (ad extra) they are of no value. dialectici, such as Maccovius for instance, have clearly seen His reference to Hagar in the wilderness this in their day. " he writes, " at first did not see the Hagar," shows this. well near by but after her eyes were opened, then at last she saw the well " (antea non vidit puteum in proximo sed postquam oculi ipsi adaperti sunt, turn demum vidit puteum) (Joh. Maccov. II., Theologic. quaestionimi, p. 4 in an analogy by which he Maco. redivivus, Franeq, 1654), tries to show, that the marks of its divine origin are truly in the Scripture but that no one can see them as long as the This is only taken away by veil still hangs before his eyes. the " enlightening " " by which the Holy Spirit discovers to us those inner relations of the Scripture, which had hitherto been concealed " (quo ostendit Spiritus Sanctus eas rationes ;

;

—

;

Scripturae insitas, quae antea

ei

occultae erant) (^Ibidem').

Hence our conclusion can be no other, than that whosoever confesses the Holy Scripture to be the principium of theology, both for himself and his fellow-confessors must certainly be able to give an account of the way in which this auxiliary principium is related to the permanent natural princi}>ium,

may remain rational but that can neither for himself be the ground, on which his confession stands, nor ever compel the opponent

in order that his confession

;

this ratiocination

to is

come to this confession. The witness of the Holy Spirit and ever will be the only power which can carry into

our consciousness the certainty concerning the special prinMoreover, in the footsteps of our old theologians, cipium. it must be observed that it is jiLso the witness of _G,Qd_ as Creator (Testimonium Dei Creatoris) that can i^lone_give_iis

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