tation
of the term, though his doctrines contributed to the growth of
neological thinking. Had he been theologian alone, and applied his
principles to the interpretation of Scripture, he would have done much
of Semler's work. It was, therefore, the latter and not the former whom
we would denominate the father of Rationalism. Moreover, Wolff
manifested a strict observance of the ecclesiastical institutions of
his day, and always professed the warmest attachment to the
church,--which was anything but the fact, as far as the followers of
Semler are concerned. Wolff wrote on a circular announcing some
university celebration the following words, which indicate the habit of
his life: "I see, and would like to be present. Yet as I have purposed
to partake of the Lord's Supper on the same day I do not know whether I
shall be able to be present, inasmuch as I should not like to change my
intention; yet I will consider the matter with my minister. Signed,
Christian Wolff, 1717."

Of the relations of the Wolffian philosophy to the theology of one
century ago, and of its general Rationalistic bearing, Mr. Farrar says,
"The system soon became universally dominant. Its orderly method
possessed the fascination which belongs to any encyclopaedic view of
human knowledge. It coincided, too, with the tone of the age. Really
opposed, as Cartesianism has been in France, to the scholasticism which
still reigned, its dogmatic form nevertheless bore such external
similarity to it that it fell in with the old literary tastes. The evil
effects which it subsequently produced in reference to religion were due
only to the point of view which it ultimately induced. Like Locke's work
on the reasonableness of Christianity, it stimulated intellectual
speculation concerning revelation. By suggesting attempts to deduce _a
priori_ the necessary character of religious truths, it turned men's
attention more than ever away from spiritual religion to theology. The
attempt to demonstrate everything caused dogmas to be viewed apart from
their practical aspect; and men being compelled to discard the previous
method of drawing philosophy out of Scripture, an independent philosophy
was created, and Scripture compared with its discoveries. Philosophy no
longer relied on Scripture, but Scripture rested on philosophy. Dogmatic
theology was made a part of metaphysical philosophy. This was the mode
in which Wolff's philosophy ministered indirectly to the creation of th