De Moor I:16: Natural Theology before and after the Fall

The third observation, which our AUTHOR here inserts, is that the Natural Theology of the Way obtained in a far more perfect degree in our First Parents in the State of Integrity, than now in the State of the Fall; which is immediately evident from the Creation of man in God’s Image, an Image now greatly effaced and almost destroyed.

In particular, our AUTHOR contends that Intact man through this Natural, Theological Wisdom, apart from Special Revelation, which nevertheless he does not at all deny to him, knew both the entire moral Law, as the norm of his Actions; and the Triune God, as the Object of his religious Worship:  which latter especially the Most Illustrious LEYDEKKER, in his Face Veritatis, locus IV, controversy IX, observes against LUDWIG VON WOLZOGEN, of the Walloon Church,[1] while he was living, Pastor at Groningen, Middelburg, Utrecht, and Amsterdam, and also Professor of History in the Gymnasium of Amsterdam, as previously Professor of Ecclesiastical History extraordinaire in the Academy of Utrecht,[2] in his de Interprete Scripturarum, book II, page 158, whose πρῶτον ψεῦδος, fundamental error, Leydekker observes to be that in our Idea of God the concept of the Trinity is not involved; which Wolzogen himself indicates distinctly enough, writing in the place cited, “But that the Mystery of the Trinity was not known to the first man, except with God revealing it, appears to be confirmed, for in the image of God we know nothing that ascends higher than the divine essence and its properties.”  And he writes no less clearly in his Censura Censuræ adversus Johannem de Labadie,[3] pages 175, 196, 197.  But just as Wisdom and Original Righteousness were not of an habit infused into the first man, as the gift of tongues was into the Apostles, nor of an habit acquired by constant training; but concreated, as after the Fall Corruption is our inborn and innate habit:  so also by no lesser right is Wisdom and Righteousness able to be said to be Natural to upright man, as after the Fall Corruption is wont to be said to be Natural to man.  Therefore, if the Knowledge of the Triune God also pertains to this Wisdom of upright man, even this ought to be said to be Natural to man:  but it is hardly able to be doubted that the Knowledge of the Triune God was inseparable from the nature of Upright man.

1.  For, if man was Created good and upright,[4] he was created as apt for the glorification of God.  The Glorification of God consists in the appropriate Worship of God.  No one is able to furnish Worship pleasing to God without knowledge, both of the divine Will, and of the worship of the true God Himself.  No one knows the true God, unless he recognizes Him to be Triune, as He is.  Without this one is able to apprehend Deity in the abstract; but no one is able to be said to know God in the concrete, except one who knows Him who possesses the divine nature:  but He is Triune.  But divine Worship ought to be directed toward God in the concrete.  Therefore, the good and upright Creation of man requires that at the same time with the remaining Wisdom and the knowledge of the moral Law was also concreated in man the Knowledge of God as Triune.

2.  If you doubt, choose one or the other:  Adam naturally proposed to himself God, either as Triune, which we maintain:  or with only one personality; which cannot be admitted, unless you determine that upright Adam was implicated in a most grievous error concerning the highest Deity, which error supernatural Revelation then ought to have corrected.

3.  Our knowledge of God, remaining after the sin, is excessively advanced, and that, which belonged to the first man, is at the same time excessively disparaged; when these two things are compared together in such a manner that from this fact, that now after sin we do not know the Trinity by Innate Theology, we conclude that neither was this knowledge Concreated in Upright man.  On the contrary, from this difference between the Natural Theology of Upright man and of Fallen man the gravity of our Corruption, by which we are even ignorant of the true God, is able to be known.

It is not to be asserted that the Knowledge of the Trinity pertains chiefly to the mystery of the Redemption and Salvation of Fallen man, in which the Most Holy Trinity brilliantly revealed itself.  For, a.  by the Λόγον/Word and Spirit of His mouth God also created all things,[5] and so the Creator was also to be adored as Triune:  b.  and whatever may be, the Son and the Holy Spirit have always been ὁμοούσιοι/ consubstantial with the Father and ἰσότιμοι, equal in glory, and so what we read in John 5:23 and 1 John 2:23 always equally obtains.  Rightly, therefore, did the Most Illustrious WITSIUS, in his De Œconomia Fœderum, book I, chapter II, § 5-8; and his Exercitatione VI in Symbolum, § 14-19, wish to go against the Most Illustrious Amyraut,[6] who, having advanced further than the Reverend Wolzogen, contends in his Dissertatione de Mysterio Trinitatis, page 121, and at greater length on page 158 and following, “The Economy that exists between the three persons of the Deity principally consists in the procuring of salvation for the human race, in such a way that the knowledge of it was not able to pertain to the state of innocence, in which there was no place for salvation or redemption.”  Rightly again does Witsius in those same places teach that through repeated Revelations this Mystery of the Trinity was able more and more to become known to Adam.  In addition, the same Witsius is able rightly to affirm that the doctrine of the Trinity is such that man is not able to draw it from the consideration of himself and the creatures alone; if you understand this with respect to Acquired Natural Theology, which is drawn from a contemplation of the creatures, among which also is man.  For the fabric of the Soul and of the Body, or of the other Creatures, does not teach the Trinity.  But nothing hinders this, so as to prevent that through Wisdom concreated with the Image of God, which Wisdom precedes Acquired Theology, man already possessed the knowledge of the Trinity, as the arguments brought by us above evince:  which Natural Knowledge, nevertheless, was able to be confirmed further by added Revelations.  The notices in this paragraph are also held against LAMPE, who, in his de Fœdere Gratiæ, chapter II, § 15, page 51, does not dread to affirm that God only appeared to Adam as His Creator, Patron, Law-giver, and highest Good; Adam was able to stand in the Covenant of Works without it being regarded as necessary to know God as Triune.

[1] The Walloon Church was composed of members from the Southern Netherlands and France; services were generally conducted in French.

[2] Ludwig Wolzogen (1633-1690) was a Dutch Reformed pastor and theologian.  He served as Professor of Practical Philosophy at Groningen (1660-1663), Professor of Church History at Utrecht (1664-1670), and Professor of Church History at Amsterdam (1670-1690).

[3] Jean de Labadie (1610-1674) was a Jesuit priest, converted to the Reformed Church in 1650.  Over time, his views drifted toward a more radical pietism and communalism.

[4] Ecclesiastes 7:29.

[5] Psalm 33:6:  “By the word of the Lord (בִּדְבַ֣ר יְ֭הוָה; τῷ λόγῳ τοῦ κυρίου, in the Septuagint) were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath (וּבְרוּחַ; τῷ πνεύματι, by the Spirit, in the Septuagint) of his mouth.”

[6] While studying at Saumur, Moïse Amyraut (1596-1664) was heavily influenced by hypothetical universalism of Scottish theologian John Cameron.  He served as professor at Saumur (1633-1664), together with Louis Cappel and Josué de la Place.