ThemodernlanguageshaveonlybeenfittedtometaphysicalinquiriesbyadoptingthisLatindialect，orbyimitatingtheprocesswhichwasoriginallyfollowedinitsformation。ThesourceofthephraseologywhichhasbeenalwaysemployedformetaphysicaldiscussioninmoderntimeswastheLatintranslationsofAristotle，inwhich，whetherderivedornotfromArabicversions，theplanofthetranslatorwasnottoseekforanalogousexpressionsinanypartofLatinliterature，buttoconstructanewfromLatinrootsasetofphrasesequaltotheexpressionofGreekphilosophicalideas。OversuchaprocesstheterminologyofRomanlawcanhaveexercisedlittleinfluence；atmost，afewLatinlawtermsinatransmutedshapehavemadetheirwayintometaphysicallanguage。AtthesametimeitisworthyofremarkthatwhenevertheproblemsofmetaphysicsarethosewhichhavebeenmoststronglyagitatedinWesternEurope，thethought，ifnotthelanguage，betraysalegalparentage。FewthingsinthehistoryofspeculationaremoreimpressivethanthefactthatnoGreek-speakingpeoplehaseverfeltitselfseriouslyperplexedbythegreatquestionofFree-willandNecessity:Idonotpretendtoofferanysummaryexplanationofthis，butitdoesnotseemanirrelevantsuggestionthatneithertheGreeks，noranysocietyspeakingandthinkingintheirlanguage，evershowedthesmallestcapacityforproducingaphilosophyoflaw。LegalscienceisaRomancreation，andtheproblemofFree-willariseswhenwecontemplateametaphysicalconceptionunderalegalaspect。Howcameittobeaquestionwhetherinvariablesequencewasidenticalwithnecessaryconnection？IcanonlysaythatthetendencyofRomanlaw，whichbecamestrongerasitadvanced，wastolookuponlegalconsequencesasunitedtolegalcausesbyaninexorablenecessity，atendencymostmarkedlyexemplifiedinthedefinitionofObligationwhichIhaverepeatedlycited，\"Jurisvinculumquonecessitateadstringimuralicujussolvendaerei。\"
ButtheproblemofFree-willwastheologicalbeforeitbecamephilosophical，and，ifitstermshavebeenaffectedbyjurisprudence，itwillbebecauseJurisprudencehadmadeitselffeltinTheology。Thegreatpointofinquirywhichisheresuggestedhasneverbeensatisfactorilyelucidated。Whathastobedetermined，iswhetherjurisprudencehaseverservedasthemediumthroughwhichtheologicalprincipleshavebeenviewed；
whether，bysupplyingapeculiarlanguage，apeculiarmodeofreasoning，andapeculiarsolutionofmanyoftheproblemsoflife，ithaseveropenednewchannelsinwhichtheologicalspeculationcouldflowoutandexpanditself。Forthepurposeofgivinganansweritisnecessarytorecollectwhatisalreadyagreeduponbythebestwritersastotheintellectualfoodwhichtheologyfirstassimilated。ItisconcededonallsidesthattheearliestlanguageoftheChristianChurchwasGreek，andthattheproblemstowhichitfirstaddresseditselfwerethoseforwhichGreekphilosophyinitslaterformshadpreparedtheway。GreekmetaphysicalliteraturecontainedthesolestockofwordsandideasoutofwhichthehumanmindcouldprovideitselfwiththemeansofengagingintheprofoundcontroversiesastotheDivinePersons，theDivineSubstance，andtheDivineNatures。TheLatinlanguageandthemeagreLatinphilosophywerequiteunequaltotheundertaking，andaccordinglytheWesternorLatin-speakingprovincesoftheEmpireadoptedtheconclusionsoftheEastwithoutdisputingorreviewingthem。\"LatinChristianity，\"saysDeanMilman，\"acceptedthecreedwhichitsnarrowandbarrenvocabularycouldhardlyexpressinadequateterms。Yet，throughout，theadhesionofRomeandtheWestwasapassiveacquiescenceinthedogmaticsystemwhichhadbeenwroughtoutbytheprofoundertheologyoftheEasterndivines，ratherthanavigorousandoriginalexaminationonherpartofthosemysteries。
TheLatinChurchwasthescholaraswellastheloyalpartizanofAthanasius。\"ButwhentheseparationofEastandWestbecamewider，andtheLatin-speakingWesternEmpirebegantolivewithanintellectuallifeofitsown，itsdeferencetotheEastwasallatonceexchangedfortheagitationofanumberofquestionsentirelyforeigntoEasternspeculation。\"WhileGreektheologyMilman，LatinChristianity，Preface，5wentondefiningwithstillmoreexquisitesubtletytheGodheadandthenatureofChrist\"——\"whiletheinterminablecontroversystilllengthenedoutandcastforthsectaftersectfromtheenfeebledcommunity\"——
theWesternChurchthrewitselfwithpassionateardourintoaneworderofdisputes，thesamewhichfromthosedaystothishaveneverlosttheirinterestforanyfamilyofmankindatanytimeincludedintheLatincommunion。ThenatureofSinanditstransmissionbyinheritance——thedebtowedbymananditsvicarioussatisfaction——thenecessityandsufficiencyoftheAtonement——abovealltheapparentantagonismbetweenFree-willandtheDivineProvidence——thesewerethepointswhichtheWestbegantodebateasardentlyasevertheEasthaddiscussedthearticlesofitsmorespecialcreed。WhyisitthenthatonthetwosidesofthelinewhichdividestheGreek-speakingfromtheLatin-speakingprovincestherelietwoclassesoftheologicalproblemssostrikinglydifferentfromoneanother？ThehistoriansoftheChurchhavecomecloseuponthesolutionwhentheyremarkthatthenewproblemsweremore\"practical，\"lessabsolutelyspeculative，thanthosewhichhadtornEasternChristianityasunder，butnoneofthem，sofarasIamaware，hasquitereachedit。Iaffirmwithouthesitationthatthedifferencebetweenthetwotheologicalsystemsisaccountedforbythefactthat，inpassingfromtheEasttotheWest，theologicalspeculationhadpassedfromaclimateofGreekmetaphysicstoaclimateofRomanlaw。Forsomecenturiesbeforethesecontroversiesroseintooverwhelmingimportance，alltheintellectualactivityoftheWesternRomanshadbeenexpendedonjurisprudenceexclusively。Theyhadbeenoccupiedinapplyingapeculiarsetofprinciplestoallthecombinationsinwhichthecircumstancesoflifearecapableofbeingarranged。Noforeignpursuitortastecalledofftheirattentionfromthisengrossingoccupation，andforcarryingitontheypossessedavocabularyasaccurateasitwascopious，astrictmethodofreasoning，astockofgeneralpropositionsonconductmoreorlessverifiedbyexperience，andarigidmoralphilosophy。ItwasimpossiblethattheyshouldnotselectfromthequestionsindicatedbytheChristianrecordsthosewhichhadsomeaffinitywiththeorderofspeculationstowhichtheywereaccustomed，andthattheirmannerofdealingwiththemshouldborrowsomethingfromtheirforensichabits。AlmosteverybodywhohasknowledgeenoughofRomanlawtoappreciatetheRomanpenalsystem，theRomantheoryoftheobligationsestablishedbyContractorDelict，theRomanviewofDebtsandofthemodesofincurring，extinguishing，andtransmittingthem，theRomannotionofthecontinuanceofindividualexistencebyUniversalSuccession，maybetrustedtosaywhencearosetheframeofmindtowhichtheproblemsofWesterntheologyprovedsocongenial，whencecamethephraseologyinwhichtheseproblemswerestated，andwhencethedescriptionofreasoningemployedintheirsolution。ItmustonlyberecollectedthatRomanlawwhichhadworkeditselfintoWesternthoughtwasneitherthearchaicsystemoftheancientcity，northeprunedandcurtailedjurisprudenceoftheByzantineEmperors；