William Ames — the anonymous 1642 English translation of Ames’ Medulla Theologiae (1627); from the Text Creation Partnership’s transcription of that edition, keyed by hand from the page images.
Ames opens with the definition that governs everything after it — divinity is the doctrine of living to God — and builds the whole of theology on it in two books: the first on faith in God, from his essence and decree through creation, the fall, Christ and the application of redemption to the church and sacraments; the second on observance, which is that faith lived. Written in Franeker for students, it was the textbook of New England divinity for a century.
This is the seventeenth-century English Marrow of Sacred Divinity, not the modern translation published as The Marrow of Theology, which is in copyright. Spelling and punctuation are as printed in 1642. A few words the transcribers could not read, and the Greek and Hebrew their transcription does not carry, are marked […].
Up: William Ames
Contents (63)
The First Book of Divinity — Of Faith in God
- Of the Definition, or Nature of Divinity
- Of the Distribution or parts of Divinity
- Of Faith
- Of God, and his Essence
- Of the Subsistence of God
- Of the Efficiency of God
- Of the Decree, and Counsell of God
- Of Creation
- Of Providence
- Of speciall Gubernation about intelligent Creatures
- Of Mans Apostacy, or Fall
- Of the consequents of Sinne
- Of Originall Sinne
- Of Actuall Sinne
- Of Corporall Death
- Of the Consummation of Death
- Of the Propagation of Sinne
- Of the Person of Christ, the Mediator
- Of the office of Christ
- Of Satisfaction
- Of the Life of Christ being humbled
- Of the Death of Christ
- Of the Exaltation of Christ
- Of the application of Christ
- Of Predestination
- Of Calling
- Of Iustification
- Of Adoption
- Of Sanctification
- Of Glorification
- Of the Church mystically considered
- Of the Church Instituted
- Of the extraordinary Ministers of the Church
- Of the holy Scripture
- Of ordinary Ministers, and their Office in Preaching
- Of the Sacraments
- Of Ecclesiasticall Discipline
- Of the administration of the Covenant of grace before the comming of Christ
- Of the administration of the Covenant from Christ exhibited to the end of the World
- Of Baptisme and the Supper of the Lord
- Of the Application Perfected at the End of the World
The Second Book of Sacred Theology — Of Observance
- Of Observance in generall
- Of Vertue
- Of good Workes
- Of Religion
- Of Faith
- Of Hope
- Of Charity
- Of hearing of the Word
- Of Prayer
- Of an Oath
- Of a Lot
- Of Tempting of God
- Of instituted worship
- Of the manner of Divine worship
- Of the time of worship
- Of Iustice and Charity toward our neighbour
- Of the honour of our Neighbour
- Of humanity toward our Neighbour
- Of Chastity
- Of commutative Iustice
- Of telling Truth. Veracity
- Of Contentation