Johannes Marck’s Marrow of Christian Theology, Didactic-Elenctic III
James Dodson
CHAPTER III
Of Religion
I. Religion is said to be from “binding again,” because it has regard to binding God to man by His reconciliation; man to God by his sanctification; man to his neighbor by charity; man to himself by temperance; and to the care of salvation.
II. Among the Hebrews it is chiefly called יִרְאַת יְהוָה [the fear of Jehovah / fear of God], Gen. 18:19; Ps. 25:9, etc., because it is prescribed by God and leads to God. In Greek it is θρησκεία [religion / worship], Jas. 1:26, and εὐσέβεια [godliness], 1 Tim. 3:16.
III. Religion is often taken for the external worship of God; here it is taken for the true manner of knowing and worshipping God, as reduced into a certain form.
IV. Therefore it is defined thus: the right manner of knowing—
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—and worshipping God, unto the salvation of sinful man and the glory of God, from Titus 1:1–2: ἐπ᾽ ἐλπίδι ζωῆς αἰωνίου [in hope of eternal life], etc.
V. The acts of religion are either elicited acts, which flow immediately from its nature, or commanded acts, which rest upon divine command. They are also either internal, external, or mixed.
VI. Against the Socinians and Remonstrants, we hold that religion is not completed by two acts, the observance of commandments and hope in promises, but that a third act must be added, namely the knowledge of things to be believed. This is according to many passages: 1 Tim. 2:4, “who will have all men to be saved, καὶ εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν ἀληθείας ἐλθεῖν [and to come to the knowledge of the truth],” etc.; compared with Titus 1:1, etc.; John 17:3, “This is eternal life, that they may know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent,” etc. It is also according to the nature of obedience and hope themselves, since these cannot subsist without the knowledge of faith.
Objection 1. Bare knowledge does not suffice.
Reply: Neither do we wish that, but we say that it is also necessary.
Objection 2. That foolish zeal is pleasing to God in all, Acts 10:34–35.
Reply: In all who know Him, and thus work righteousness pleasing to God.
Objection 3. Thus many men are damned.
Reply: Scripture also teaches this; nor is it absurd, because of the very great guilt of all men.
VII. For acquiring this knowledge of true religion, adult men should not be persuaded to doubt all the heads of religion at once; since such doubt implies unbelief, opposes the operation of the Spirit, and is a most dangerous tempting of God.
Objection: Many things are admitted by the mind in youth through error.
Reply: Those things, when by the reading—
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—of Scripture they are discovered to be false, must be rejected; and if this were pressed, since even now some things may still be admitted by us through error, we would have always to doubt in this way.
VIII. The rule that nothing is to be admitted before a clear and distinct perception, and that everything clearly and distinctly perceived is true, sounds altogether ill in theology; since the things of religion, being most obscure, cannot be clearly perceived by us in the state of grace, and we do not always equally clearly recognize divine revelation in all things. Meanwhile, we freely grant that one must strive for a clear perception of divine revelation, and that nothing is to be believed which is not perceived in some way from Scripture.
IX. The articles of religion are divided in various ways, but especially into less necessary and more necessary articles, or fundamental articles, from 1 Cor. 3:11–12: “Other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ; if any man build upon this foundation,” etc. The latter are those whose mere ignorance, or whose rejection according to the revealed will of God, excludes adults from salvation.
X. The more recent Papists sometimes do ill when they wish the weight of controversial articles to be investigated before their truth, since one must begin from truth, as the simpler thing; and even less necessary truth must be held rather than error. Yet in teaching, where method varies, the weight of some question may be set forth first.
XI. The Papists also do very badly when they wish to free themselves from every proof, and to devolve the burden of proof, both in negative and in positive articles, upon—
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—us alone. For the apostles prove their own assertions, 2 Cor. 4:2: τῇ φανερώσει τῆς ἀληθείας συνιστάνοντες ἑαυτοὺς πρὸς πᾶσαν συνείδησιν ἀνθρώπων ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ [by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God]. Confirmation is commanded in every way, 1 Pet. 3:15: “Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts,” ἕτοιμοι δὲ ἀεὶ πρὸς ἀπολογίαν παντὶ τῷ αἰτοῦντι ὑμᾶς λόγον περὶ τῆς ἐν ὑμῖν ἐλπίδος μετὰ πραΰτητος καὶ φόβου [being always ready for an answer to everyone asking you a reason concerning the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear]. And the most certain canon, that proof lies upon the one affirming, ought to obtain even more against the Papists, who wish to bring us back into the communion of their superstition and idolatry.
XII. Necessary articles are discerned, not from the universal consent of Christians, nor from explicit revelation, nor from the compass of a creed, but partly from the testimonies of Scripture concerning the necessity of the thing, such as is read in John 17:3, “This is life,” etc.; Gal. 5:4: κατηργήθητε ἀπὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ οἵτινες ἐν νόμῳ δικαιοῦσθε, τῆς χάριτος ἐξεπέσατε [ye are severed from Christ, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace]; and partly from the connection of the thing itself with our salvation.
XIII. These articles can be reduced to certain heads: 1. To the principle of believing, or Holy Scripture. 2. To the knowledge and worship of God. 3. To the misery of man. 4. To the person, offices, and benefits of Christ.
XIV. Yet it is not necessary, nor can it conveniently be done, to determine the number of fundamental articles; since one article virtually comprehends very many things in itself, and Scripture does not always name the same heads, but various heads in various places: Acts 8:37, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God”; Rom. 10:9, “If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thy heart that God raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved”;—
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—1 Cor. 2:2, “For I determined not to know anything among you save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified,” etc. Nor do the Papists seek anything else in this determination than material for quibbling.
XV. Fundamental articles must not be multiplied too much, as is done by the Papists according to their own pleasure; but neither must they be so diminished with the Socinians that only six things concerning God are necessary to be believed, and scarcely anything concerning Christ. By this means they wish to introduce indifference of religion and the common salvation of all; when, nevertheless, apart from Christ known and acknowledged there is no salvation, and the Gentiles are excluded from the hope of salvation, according to Acts 4:12: “There is salvation in no other, neither is there any other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved”; Eph. 2:12: ἐλπίδα μὴ ἔχοντες καὶ ἄθεοι ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ [having no hope, and without God in the world].
XVI. It is not enough to retain the words of the fundamental articles, but one must also receive the genuine sense. Hence the Papists, with other heretics, are rightly charged with apostasy, from 2 Thess. 2:3: ἐὰν μὴ ἔλθῃ ἡ ἀποστασία πρῶτον [unless the apostasy come first], etc., even though outwardly they retain the Creed and Decalogue. But when some one article is truly believed, and another by which the former is destroyed is also believed, while those believing both do not see the contradiction—as we observe this to have place among the Lutherans concerning the omnipresence of Christ’s human nature—apostasy should not therefore be attributed to such men.
XVII. The opposites of religion are impiety and superstition. True religion is opposed by unbelief, in which the Christian name is not admitted; and by heresy, in which the same name is retained. When the alteration from true religion is meant, it is called apostasy. Schism denotes a rupture—
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—of the Church for a lighter reason. But not every error excludes from true religion.
XVIII. The general marks by which the Christian religion is known as true are: 1. The knowledge of God, most agreeable to His supreme perfection, and drawn from His own revelation. 2. The worship of God alone, instituted by Himself and immutable. 3. The best manner of reconciliation with God.
XIX. The special marks by which the Reformed religion is discerned as true are: 1. Esteem and observance of the Scriptures, 2 Pet. 1:19–20, “Ye do well that ye take heed to the prophetic word,” etc. 2. The greatest incitement to piety, 1 Tim. 1:5: τὸ τέλος τῆς παραγγελίας ἐστὶν ἀγάπη ἐκ καθαρᾶς καρδίας, καὶ συνειδήσεως ἀγαθῆς, καὶ πίστεως ἀνυποκρίτου [the end of the commandment is love out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned]. 3. The most powerful consolation of conscience, Rom. 15:4: “Whatsoever things were written before were written for our instruction, that through patience and consolation of the Scriptures we might have hope”; John 10:28: “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give unto them eternal life; they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand.” 4. Finally, the highest preaching of God’s glory, Ps. 115:1: “Not unto us, Jehovah, not unto us, but unto Thy name give glory.”
XX. True religion requires free confession, Matt. 10:32–33: “Whosoever shall confess Me before men, him will I also confess before My Father which is in heaven; but whosoever shall deny Me before men, him will I also deny before My Father which is in heaven.” Rom. 10:9: “If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thy heart,” etc., “thou shalt be saved.” Yet this confession must be prudent, Matt. 10:16: γίνεσθε φρόνιμοι ὡς ὄφεις [be ye wise as serpents]. Nor ought true religion to be mixed with false religion, whether in the same men, 1 Kings 18:21, “How long halt ye—
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—between two opinions? If Jehovah be God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him”; or in the same Church, Tit. 3:10, “A man that is a heretic after the first and second admonition reject,” παραιτοῦ [reject / avoid]; Rev. 2:14–15, “But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam,” etc.; “so hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate,” etc. Thus there must never be entered into either a universal syncretism of Christians, or any syncretism with heretics, but only with those who differ in lighter things while holding the same foundation, Phil. 3:16: πλὴν εἰς ὃ ἐφθάσαμεν, τῷ αὐτῷ στοιχεῖν κανόνι, τὸ αὐτὸ φρονεῖν [nevertheless, whereunto we have attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing]; 1 Cor. 1:10–12, “that there be no schisms among you,” etc.
XXI. Yet in the external society of the world, unbelievers, even Jews themselves, must be tolerated; indeed, they should be helped toward repentance by suitable means. This tolerance, however, must not extend to the free exercise and progress of internal idolatry and blasphemy. And, indeed, heavier penalties may sometimes be appointed for blasphemous and contumacious heresiarchs.