ON CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE.
INDEX OF SUBJECTS.
Absolute right and wrong, treated of,
562
.
Affections, change of, the way to heaven,
527
.
Aids to interpreting Scripture history,
549
; mechanical arts
and dialectics as,
550
.
Ambiguity, rules for removing,
557
,
558
.
Ambrose, examples of style from,
590
, etc.
Amos, examples of eloquence from,
580
.
Antony, a monk who committed the Scriptures to memory,
519
.
Astrologers, superstition of,
545
.
Body, love of one's,
528
; the resurrection, wholly subject
to the spirit,
529
.
Bondage, to the letter,
559
, etc.; to signs,
560
.
Canonical Books, list of,
538
.
Circumstantial considerations,
564
.
Charms to be avoided by Christians,
550
.
Child of grace, mature,
534
.
Christ, purges the Church by affliction,
526
; opens the way
to our home,
527
; is the first way to God,
532
.
Christian teacher, duty of,
576
,
581
.
Church, the, purged by afflictions,
526
; the keys given to,
527
.
Cicero, on rhetoric,
576
,
577
; on style,
583
,
586
; on the
aim of an orator,
583
.
Claudian's description of Neptune,
559
.
Commands, rules for interpreting,
563
.
Crime as distinguished from vice,
561
.
David, not lustful though he fell into adultery,
565
.
Death, not destruction but change,
527
.
Definition, the science of, not false, but may be applied to
falsities,
552
.
Devils arrange the language of omens,
547
.
Dialectics, use of, in interpreting Scripture,
550
.
Difficult passages, how and with whom to discuss,
581
.
Discourses of others, when they may be preached,
596
.
Divination, why we reject acts of,
546
.
Egyptians, spoiling of the, typical import of,
554
.
Eloquence, the rules of, are true, though sometimes used to
persuade men of what is false,
552
; of the sacred writers is united with wisdom,
577
.
Enjoyment, distinction between, and use,
523
; of man,
532
.
Faith, strengthened by the resurrection and ascension of
Christ, and stimulated by his coming to judgment,
526
.
Figurative expressions not to be taken literally,
559
; how
to discern whether a phrase is figurative,
560
; interpretation of,
561
, etc.;
variation of figure,
566
.
Flesh, no man hates his own, expounded,
528
, etc.
Gentiles, useless bondage of the, to the letter,
559
.
God, in what sense ineffable, and what all men understand by
the term,
524
; is unchangeable wisdom,
524
; is alone to be loved for his own
sake,
528
; uses rather than enjoys man,
531
.
God, wisdom of, how He came to us and healed man,
525
,
526
.
Hearers, to be moved as well as instructed,
583
.
History, to what extent an aid in interpreting Scripture,
549
.
Holy life, power of, in a teacher,
595
.
Hope, a buttress of faith,
526
.
See
Faith.
Human institutions, superstitious nature of,
545
; of those
not superstitious, some convenient and necessary,
548
.
Humility essential to the study of Scripture,
555
.
Idioms, how to attain a knowledge of,
542
.
Ineffable, in what sense God is,
524
.
Inference, logical, how valid,
551
.
Interpretation of Scripture, rules for,
519
–
521
; depends on
two things, understanding and making known its meaning,
522
; dangers of
mistaken,
533
; a diversity of, useful,
540
; how faulty, can be emended,
541
;
figures,
561
, etc.; sayings and doings ascribed to God and the saints,
562
;
commands and prohibitions,
563
; sins of great men,
565
; obscure passages to be
interpreted by clearer,
566
; passages susceptible of various interpretations,
567
; rules of Tichonius the Donatist,
568
–
573
.
Israel, the spiritual,
571
.
Itala, the, to be preferred to other Latin versions,
542
.
Jews, bondage of, to the letter, and how liberated
therefrom,
559
, etc.
Keys, the, given to the Church,
527
.
Knowledge, a step to wisdom,
537
; from a profane source, not
to be despised,
544
.
Languages, knowledge of, useful,
539
,
543
.
Learning, what branches of, are useful to a Christian,
553
.
Letter, the, killeth, expounded,
559
, etc.
Logical sequence, valid, not devised, but only observed by
man,
551
.
Lot, the, for deciding whom to aid,
530
.
Love to God and our neighbor, includes love to ourselves,
529
; the order of,
530
; never faileth,
533
; its import,
561
.
Lucus-quod minime luceat
,
567
.
Mechanical arts contributory to exegetics,
550
.
Men, ministry of, employed for teaching and administering
sacraments,
520
.
Muses, the nine, legend of their origin,
544
.
Natural science, an exegetical aid,
549
.
Neighbor, who is our,
530
; love to our,
533
.
Neptune, described by Claudian,
560
.
Number, the science of, not created but only discovered by
man,
553
.
Numbers, the mystical,
543
,
571
.
Omens, how far of force, and the part devils have in them,
547
.
Orator, aim of the,
583
,
594
.
Paul, example of eloquence from,
577
, etc.
Perspicuity,
582
.
Persuasiveness,
594
.
Philosophers, heathen, what they have said rightly to be
appropriated to our uses,
554
.
Plato, was in Egypt when Jeremiah was there,
549
.
Prayer, ability to read granted in answer to,
520
; to be
engaged in before preaching,
584
,
597
.
Preaching the discourses of others, when permissible,
596
.
Prohibitions, rules for interpreting,
563
.
Pronunciation, how it serves to remove ambiguity,
557
.
Punctuation, ambiguities of,
556
.
Purification of soul, necessary in order to see God,
525
.
Pythagoras, not prior to the Hebrew Scriptures,
549
.
Rhetoric, use of,
552
; what use a Christian is to make of the
art,
575
, etc.; it is better to listen to and imitate eloquent men than attend
teachers of,
576
.
Scripture, rules for interpretation of,
519
,
539
,
567
,
568
;
its fulfillment and end is the love of God and our neighbor,
532
; use of the
obscurities in,
537
; in what spirit. to be studied,
539
,
553
,
555
; compared
with profane authors,
555
; what it enjoins and asserts,
561
;
See
Interpretations.
Septuagint, the authority of,
542
, etc.
Signs, as distinguished from things,
523
; nature and variety
of,
535
, etc.; when unknown and ambiguous, they prevent Scripture from being
understood,
539
; knowledge of languages, especially of Greek and Hebrew,
necessary to remove ignorance of,
540
, etc.; conventional,
536
,
547
.
Solecism, what it is,
541
.
Solomon, gave way to lust,
565
.
Stars, folly of observing the, in order to predict the
events of a life,
546
.
Style, necessity for perspicuity of,
582
, etc.; threefold
division of—majestic, quiet, temperate,
586
; to be different on different occasions,
587
; examples of, from Scripture,
588
; from Ambrose or Cvprian,
590
; necessity
of variety in,
593
; effects of the different styles,
593
, etc.
Superstitious nature of human institutions,
545
, etc.
Teacher, the true, made by God, yet human directions for,
are not to be despised,
585
; power of a holy life in,
595
.
Terence, quoted,
553
.
Thing, what a, is,
523
.
Tichonius the Donatist, rules of, for interpreting
Scripture,
568
–
573
.
Translations, usefulness of comparing,
540
; preference
among, to be given to the Latin, Itala, and the Greek Septuagint,
542
.
Trinity, the, true object of enjoyment,
524
.
Tropes, knowledge of, necessary,
567
.
Truth,
552
,
596
.
Use, different from enjoyment,
523
; what, God makes of us,
531
.
Varro, on the nine Muses,
544
.
Vice, as distinguished from crime,
561
Wicked men, judge others by themselves,
564
.
Wisdom, unchangeable,
524
; steps to,
537
,
576
.
Word, the, made flesh,
526
.
See
Christ.
Words, hold the chief place among signs,
536
; have special
meanings,
566
; strife about, expounded,
596
.
Writing, origin of,
536
.