II.
In the Symbol of Faith, in the Epistle of the Eastern Patriarchs, in Filarét’s Catechism, in the Dogmatic Theology, the first dogma is the dogma about God. The general title of the first part is: “Of God in himself, and of his general relation to the world and to man (θεολογία ἁπλῆ, that is, simple theology).” That is the title of the first part. The second part will be: “About God the Saviour and about his special relation to the human race (θεολογία οἰκονομική, theology of house-management).”
If I know anything about God, if I have had any conception about him, these two titles of the two parts destroy all my knowledge of God. I cannot connect my conception about God with a conception about a God for whom there exist two different relations to man,—one, general,—the other, special. The concept “special” attached to God destroys my conception about God. If God is the God whom I have comprehended, he can have no special relation to man. But, perhaps, I do not understand the words right, or my conceptions are incorrect. Farther on I read about God: “Division I. Of God in himself.” Now I am waiting for the expression of the truth about God, revealed by God to men for their salvation and known to the church. But, before getting an exposition of this revealed truth, I meet with Art. 9, which speaks of the degree of our cognition of God according to the doctrine of the church. This article, like the Introduction, does not speak of the subject itself, but in the same way prepares me to understand what is going to be expounded:
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