Hodge v.1, intro, ch. 4: Mysticism (Theology Thursday)

Hodge v.1, intro, ch. 4: Mysticism (Theology Thursday) source
It's "Theology Thursday," which currently means volume 1 of Hodge's Systematic Theology. The following is a precis of pp61-103
Introduction, Chapter 4: Mysticism
"those who ignore or reject the guidance of the Scriptures, and assume to be led by an inward divine influence into the knowledge and obedience of the truth, are properly called Enthusiasts" (p61) but have come to be called by the slippery word 'Mystics'. Rationalists bend this word to include all who believe in direct knowledge of God, or God's direct impact upon us, even when this knowledge and impact are properly and primarily mediated by the Scriptures and the ordinary means of grace (p63), so even orthodox Christians are "mystics" in this sense.
'Mysticism' as we are using the word refers to "those who give predominant authority to the feelings in matters of religion; [with] their impulses, developing themselves in the form of faith, [as the] true and infallible source of knowledge" (p65).
Historically, mystics have been present from the very early church, "those who claim an immediate communication of divine knowledge and of divine life from God to the soul, independently of the Scriptures and the use of the ordinary means of grace" (p66). Mysticism differs from the true illumination of the Holy Spirit, who enables us to understand and appreciate those things "already objectively revealed in the Bible," for which ministry we do not passively wait but actively pray for the Spirit and duly attend upon the means of grace (p68). In contrast to this, the mystic calls his own imaginings--both those that contradict the Scripture and those that cohere with it--the knowledge of God.
Spiritual guidance, another true Scriptural doctrine, is also not mysticism. Biblical guidance comes partly from wise response to God's providential ordering of circumstances, partly from the Scriptures, and partly from the inward influence of the Spirit who does this through the Word (p68).
[Following this in the chapter is a long, historical tracing of mysticism, which produces the following helpful points:] some mystics have been dangerous blessings to the church; in times of dead formalism, they have preserved in the church an emphasis upon the [necessary! biblical!] inward spiritual life and sincerity of religion in the heart (p79).
During times of excitement such as reformation and revival, the duty of every individual to believe for himself is often abused into the right of every individual to judge for himself what the truth is, and the duty of sincere heart-religion is often abused into the supremacy of emotions over all else in religion (p80). Mystics may often intentionally silence the mind and will in hope of being drawn into God Himself, as infinite God, through the emotions (p85). [my note: contemplative prayer!]
[I did take some notes on the extensive discussion of the Quakers, but it is not relevant to this precis. Interested readers, see pp88-97]
Mysticism is basically an abuse of the biblical and true idea "that God has access to the human soul" and can "supernaturally and immediately reveal truth objectively to the mind" which indeed God did in the ages of miracles and prophecy (p97). But even in these ages, He primarily spoke to all through objective revelation, and He promised a further age in which He will have given us all truth and all that Jesus teaches (cf. Jn 16:13 and Matt 28:20 and contexts).
Since God has promised and declared the sufficiency of Scripture, mysticism basically boils down to a doctrine of the insufficiency of Scripture:
It is not taught by the Bible (p99, cf. earlier definition of proper/biblical illumination).
It is opposed to the whole presentation by the Bible of itself as God's objective revelation, in which He says, "'Thus saith the Lord.' Men were required to believe and obey what was communicated to them, and not what the Spirit revealed [within] each individual"; and, that God saves men by the foolishness of preaching (p100, cf. 1Cor 1-2).
It is opposed to the entire witness of Christian history, in which God has blessed preaching to the salvation of many and their knowledge of Him, as opposed to directly communicating this salvation and knowledge to their hearts (p100); "all experience shows that without the [reading or preaching of the] written Word, men everywhere and in all ages are ignorant of divine things--without God, without Christ, and without hope in the world" (p101).
It supposes that God has left us to know Him by an untestable and unstable way that we cannot verify (p102)
It eventually leads to much evil, not least/first of which is despising of: the church, the ruling/teaching of the elders, the sacraments, the Lord's Day Sabbath, and serious study of and submission to the Scriptures (p103).