1. The connexion of this Article with the pre- ceding is obvious. In the preceding, Man is described as under the influence of disorderly pa/- sions that influence must affect his choice, or Free-will, as it is called; he will not fo easily chuse, what is right, as if he was free from that influence. This is a lamentable state, it may be said, if we consider the consequent punishment; true; but the present Article affirms, that God will afi/t man under this difficulty: by his spirit, or what has been usually called his Grace. So that the present Article relates as much to Grace, as to Free -will; or perhaps more; for the remedy is more the object of this Article, than the dis- order. However, it had been customary to discuss Freedom

BOOK IV. ART. x. SECT. 11. ‘195

Freedom of Will; and the fifth Article had laid down doctrine concerning the Holy Spirit.

11. We begin, as in former Articles, with History; and we must be careful not to repeat what was given under the ninth Article, nor to mention any facts, which would be more advan- tageously introduced hereafter. |

Let us first see whether Heathens and infidels have held any notions resembling our present doc- trine. The ancients seem not unfrequently to refer men’s good qualities to divine assistance and inspiration. Agamemnon says* to Achilles, in Homer’s Iliad,

Es E K&pTEpOS EXCH, Otoc Wu co. ToY cd: Fortitude is one of the four cardinal virtues. Park- hurst mentions * several instances, in which Homer uses the word everveuee» for inspiring the mind.— Pythagoras makes truth and virtue the gifts of God. Pindar says , of Virtues in general, Ex ®cwv Yap paxavu Warns Brortars aperars, & C. Socrates uled to say, Gens — cnuaivey Tous wbpwro wee Twv eviewreuw warrw ©, —Erasmus speaks of Cicero as inspired ; and, in modern times, Lord Herbert of Cherbury, a famous Deist, addresses God as © giver of all inward illuminations*.” — These seem to be instances of referring moral qualities to God:— natural events are frequently referred, as the finding of Polycrates’s® ring, to Neptune; but I will only

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Ken. Memorab. 1. 1. 19.

See Olivet’s Tusc. disp. beginning.

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196 BOOK iv. ART. x. SECT. 11m.

to Hercules, as that is an instance of uniting divine assistance with human endeavoursx.

111. The Fews seem to have been more in the habit of referring things to God, than any other people: they spoke of him, not only as the cause of good. but of evil. One reason probably was, that they were more immediately under the Govern- ment of God than any other people. When the more extraordinary communications between God and them ceased, they had the Prophets to connect them with him; and, when Prophecy at length was silent, they still remained a distinguished peo- ple.—I imagine no other people would speak of God’s hardening the Heart of an oppressive Prince, or of leading men into Temptation”. Yet they had not all exactly the same idea of the divine agency, when opposed to human. The Esenes are“ said to have favoured divine agency, the Sadducees human; and the Pharisees, to have been in a kind of middle opinion.— The Psalms contain some

prayers

i Fable of the Countryman and Hercules. * These instances do not express the Slavery or captivity of the will; nor distinguish between preventing and assisting Grace: nice-

ties are not to be expected: yet, in Dacier’s account of the doctrine

of Plato, (French Edit. p. 153, ) there is a something about blindness of the mind: and vicious actions becoming involuntary, which seems really to bear some affinity to the Christian (or Jewish) expressions. Men are drawn on, (Dacier says, repre- tenting the doctrine of Plato,) par le mal heureux penchant de leur coeur, qui leur fait commettre le mal qu’ils ne voudroient pas faire; ils sont 2//aves du peche, qui les domine, et au service

duquel ils ont engage leur liberté.“ — But I have not an oppor-

tunity at present of giving the passages in the Original.

1 Introd, to Part. 11. Sect. xvi.

m Burnet on the 15th Art. —Rogers on the 1oth Art. men- tions both Sadducees and Pharisees, as holding Free-will, © and that unto the best things,” |

BOOK IV. ART. x. SECT. IV. v. 197

prayers for moral qualities“. Maimonides | says *, that every man has it in his power to turn himself into a good way, and to be just, M, righteous. And this he proves from Gen. iii. 12, which is consequent to the Fall. — His expression is general; but it seems to be opposed, in his mind, to decrees, rather than to mental corruption, or slavery of the will.— Isaiah xi. 2, g.—and Ixi. 1. may be reckoned out of the ordinary course of things.— Prov. xvi. 1. 9.

Ivo With regard to early Christians, the same observations may be made here, which were made under the preceding Article*:—including that on the Manicheans : if any one doubts whether any passages can be found in the early writers, which are to our purpose, I need only refer him to

Vossius’s * Historia Pelagiana, and Nicholls on this 1oth Article.— Nicholls has collected some pas- sages, with regard to the S avery of the will, others concerning preventing, others concerning assisting Grace.—Baxter also tells* us, that both Greek and Latin Fathers, who wrote before the days of Augustin,” „deny any such Grace” as, by an in- superable operation, © shall infallibly convert,”

v. We now proceed to the fifth century: and here we again get into the Pelagian controversy. The history of Pelagius* has been given before; and a charge of inconsistency * against Augustin has been mentioned, which belonged, as to the sub- ject of it, to this place; though, as affecting his

character,

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P Art. 1x. Sect. v.

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character, more properly to the former. Our

present subje& seems to have been the principal one of the Pelagian controversy ; the others were rather secondary objects; but it admits of so many niceties, that to give the history of that contro- versy with precision, should be a separate work. — Vassius has been very attentive in giving it, and a student, who is defirous of searching into this mat- fer, can scarcely, I should imagine, read a better work”. Forbes may also deserve mention.—The general idea of the doctrine of the Pelagians, with regard to our present subject, is, that they wanted to reduce all the sayings of Scripture concerning the divine assistance in things moral and spiritual, or concerning the divine influence on the ind, to external helps; such as the publication of the gos- pel, the promise of eternal rewards and punish- ments, &c. these were allowed by all to influ- ence the mind; but the orthodox understood the scriptures to declare an immediate action of the Deity on the mind of man. — The Pelagians con- trived several expressions, which had very much the appearance at first of delivering the orthodox doctrines; but, on an accurate examination, the

were found to be ambiguous: such is that stron

one mentioned by Dr. Jortin*k, God “ assists us,” * by illuminating us with divers and ineffable gifts of his heavenly Grace :” this many orthodox would be ready to take in their own sense; but it is capable of being construed fo as to signify only external information: - and other parts of the Pela- glan writings required such construction, in order to avoid inconsistency. We have before produced

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u P. 8. Iam glad to see so good a character of this work as there is at the end of Plaifere’s 4ppello, given by Dr. Chr. Potter, p. 423.

BOOK Iv. ART. x. SECT. v. 199

the Creed of Pelagius, as delivered to Innocent the first. We find these words in it, with relation to our present subje&, © Liberum fic confitemur arbitrium, ut dicamus. nos Dei semper indigere auxilio.” Augustin shews 7 the ambiguity of aux- lio, which indeed may mean external help; and

was probably intended to convey that idea to the

Pelagians.— What the Orthodox doctrine was, we may see from the Letter of the African Bishops to Pope Zosimus, who seems to have taken the Pela- gians in the sense they wished, and therefore to have been desirous of favouring them. These prelates require, that Pelagius and Cælestius © do by a plain confession own, that we are in every 4000 assisted by the Grace of God, not only to understand, but also to pradtise righteousness ; in such wise, as that, without it, we are not able to do, to speak, to think; or to have anything of true and sincere piety » —It might be added to this account, that the Pelagians seem to have car- ried on their idea of imitation; as original sin was an imitation of Adam, fo the grace of Christ con- sisted in part in his setting * us a good example :— It should also be mentioned, that the Pelagians talked much of the grace of Christ illuminating the human understandinge; not perhaps internally *, as some moderns do, and immediately. — Jerom’s Letter to Cze/iphon may lastly be mentioned, as

shewing

De Gratis Christ, C. 33. Vol. 10. Edit. Benedit,— (See Wall, Chap. 19. Sect. 20.

5 Prosper contra Collatorem. C. 10. this translation is in Wall, C. 19. Sect. 15.—Prosper’s was a famous work against Cassian, i in defence of Augustin.

See Voshus Hist, Pel. p. 654, or Lib. 3. par. 2. Antith. 3. from Aug. adv. 4 4 Juliani—Responsionem, Lib. 11. Cap. 145. (should be 146). p. 753. Edit. Ben.

Voslius ibidem.— Wall, p. 171, or C. 19. Sect. 15. © See Ludlam’s Essay on the Spirit.

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• shewing the manner, in which the Pelagians argued

N divine grace; they used a kind of reductio

ad absurdum, by asking, whether, if we wanted to

do the most vulgar or unclean actions, (specifying them) we need require the divine affistance l.

vi. Though I have not read regularly all Augu/tir’s writings relating to the Pelagian controversy, yet from what I have seen, I retain my partiality for him as an acute and noble writer ; especially, the times considered. Allowing, that controversy warmed him into saying some things too strong in favour of divine agency, as interfering with human, (though I should doubt whether it really did, not- withstanding*® I have seen some things, which at first appeared strong) yet one would think nothing very bad could come from one, who uses the fol- lowing expressions*: “ si non est Dei Gratia, quo- modo salvat mundum ? fi non est liberum arbitrium, quomodo judicat mundum ?—Quaa ista questio, ubi de arbitrio voluntatis et Dei Gratia disputatur, ita est ad discernendum difficilis, ut quando defenditur

liberum

’ !

4 See Wall, Ch. 19. SeR. 20. © P. S. Sce afterwards in Art, xv11. Sect. v.— The change of opinion in Augustin consisted in this: (De Pred. San&. Cap. 3.) He once thought, we had something so much our own, that we need not ascribe it to God; but he was struck with 1 Cor. iv. 7. and he found other passages, in which even Faith was ascribed to God; as 1 Cor, vu. 25. therefore he determined to ascribe Faith to God :—his former opinion, he says, was right, as far as it awent; he had before ascribed /irtue (or Nd ant its chief source). to God; now he ascribes both Faith and Virtue. They are both our own, he says, “ propter 23 * yet both may be called the Gifts of God. Love with Faith.“ Eph, vi. 23. I see no fault but taking the sentimental expressions of Scrip- ture in too strict and speculative a way. But one fide did that as much as the other, Here is no scheme to set aside free-will : there is rather the contrary in the writings of Augustin to the monks at Adrumetum. Vossius Hist. Pel. ad init. from Aug. Ep. 46, ad Valentinum. printed Edit. Ben. in 19th Vol. p. 470.

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This is not the language of a Bigot !—Quod si forte latenter sentit, 7g#noscat aliter suspicantibus; ipse enim“ hoc facit, &c. it 15 Pelagius’s own fault if we suspect him, he might fo easily speak out : this {urely 1s liberal, as well as acute. In his book de Civitate Dei, Augustin speaks in favour of Free-

will, on principles of natural Religion; just as any

Philosopher would speik.

vii. Augustin died in the year 430; Fulgen- tius, who was Also an African Bishop, and lived to the year 533, may be considered as a successor to Augustin, in taking the lead as far as related to defending the orthodox doctrines. Indeed the Bishops in other parts of the world, both in Europe and Asia, seem to have had that diffidence with regard to the doctrine or expressions of Augustin, and to have felt that shock, which some good men in other parts have felt in most ages. This oc- casioned the sending of Petrus Diacouus from the East, at the head of a deputation, to confer with the Africans. It also was the occasion of lome debates, into which a countryman of our * own entered; his name was Faustus, and he was distin- guished from others of that name by the Title of Riensis, or Regenfis, from the Bishopric of Riez in France, which he held. —Fulgentius lived much under persecution, as the Arian party were in power in his time: —he wrote to Tun

with

. […] — *

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with great and unaffected dignity, at the time when he was under a sentence of banishment,

passed by the authority of Thrasimund himself:

— he wrote in a stile so manly and so rational, as nothing but a strong conviction and a fixed sense of duty could dictate.

VIII. We have already given a general idea of the Semipelagians. Their opinion with regard to our present subject, is most briefly expressed thus; they allowed an assisting or co-operating grace, but denied a preventing grace: this is said, but there are some distinctions, which might be made, if it were our particular business to get a very precise idea of their notions: as that they allowed a grace preventing, or previously inspiring, good works”, but not dictating Faith, or good will. They did not allow, that grace was given exactly according to men’s deserts ; yet they 5 A a good character was an occasion of giving it; rather of offering it; for they thought, that * man was free to accept or reject the divine“ assist- ance.— The person mentioned as the leader of the Semi-pelagians, is John Cassiau, who is placed in the year 424, fix years before Augustin’s death.— Cassian founded Wo Monasteries near Marseilles, and therefore the Semi-pelagians are frequently called Masslienses.— The chief person who opposed Cassian, was Prosper, who is placed in the year 434: he followed Augustin, and his works are sometimes made an appendix to the works of that Father. Notwithstanding his efforts, the Semi- pelagians gained ground in the sixth Century; and have never been extinct : they seem likely to

continue, I Art. 1x. Sc. 1x.

[…]

sanctorum, with the Letters of Prosper and Hilary prefixed, Ed. Ben. Vol. 10.

. Mosheim. Index.

BOOK IV. ART. x. SECT. IX. 203

continue, and to be popular; as they neither offend by depreciating scripture, nor by negle&- ing reason. The Engiih Divines have been fup- posed to favour their tenets, though the Liturgy of our church implies, in several * places, that we hold the doctrine of preventing Grace.

1x. The disputes about Grace, which began in the fifth Century, have never wholly subsided ; they have grown more and more zricate, and therefore more - voluminovs. Calmet says “, that more has been written by Divines upon Grace than upon any other subject. Yoltaire seems to account for it by saying, © cette question, ainsi que presque toute la * metaphylique, rentre pour le fond dans le labyrinthe de la fatalité et de la liberte, ou toute Pantiquite s’est Egarce, et of homme n’a gueres de fil qui le conduile.” — This being the case, we must content ourlelves with se- lecting a few remarkable æras.

The Mohammedans seem to attribute a great deal to the divine affistance ; nay, so much as to take away even human co-operation. See Calmet’s Dic- tionary under Grace.

In the zimth century, our doctrine, and those con- netted with it, occasioned disturbance. Gorescalc, or Godeschalchus, studied the works of Augustin with ‘preat ardour, and filled his mind with lofty conceptions of the divine Grace and decrees ; some of them such as Augustin had really never enter- tamed, as they ran into the extremes of absolute reprobation. He was a German by birth, but be-

longed to a monastery in France, near Sorssons ;

there is a Bishop of Soissons, but he is under the Archbishop of Reims.—This zealous monk took a

© See Nicholls on this tenth Article. p Dict, under Grace.

4 Siecle de Louis xiv. du jansẽnisme; near begitining,

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journey to Rome, in order to visit the Tombs of the Apostles : on his return, he visited the Bishop

of Verona, and poured forth to him the sublime

notions, which he had been imbibing ; the Bishop heard so much of

Fixed fate, free-will, foreknowledge absolute,“ that he began to be alarmed and terrified: he thought the matter required advice; he accord- ingly applied to Raban Archbishop of Mentz, to whom Gotescalc was as ready to open himlfelf, though in a Synod, as he had been to the Bishop of Verona. Raban caught the alarm, and accused this admirer of Augustin to his highest superior, the Archbishop of Reims; the hot, imperious Hinc- mar. Hincmar called a provincial Council, had the monk condemned, degraded, imprisoned, beat with rods ; nay, what might be worst of all, com- pelled to burn his own writings with his own hands. He died* in prison, and after the sacra- ments had been refused to him when alive, burial was refused to his body.—On this occasion, the flames of controversy about Grace (and the doc- trines allied to it) broke out atresh. And the affair of Gotescalc has seemed of such conse- quence in later days, that eminent men have written upon it; Vassius and Archbishop Usher particularly : Usher was a strong predestinarian, and published a little volume about Gotescalc expressly. Vossius has made the transactions here

imperfectly mentioned, the subject of the last part

of his Pelagian History.

x. The Schoolmen, in the twelfth century, seized on every question in the subtle controversies about Grace, and separated it into its minutest fibres:

which they moreover twisted with the fine _

r Paradise Lost. About the year 868, — He was imprisoned in his Monastery.

of che Aristotelian Philosophy. We shall have oc- casion to speak of the Schoolmen under the thir- teenth Article ; we will only mention some here as the leaders of Sefs. Thomas Aquinas, of the illus- trious Family of the Counts of Aquino ( Juvenal’s birth-place) followed the notions of Augustin. He is often called St. Thomas; his Summa Theologiæ, or body of Divinity, is praised by the authors of the French Encyclopedie, as a great effort of hu- man intellect. But what I mean now to fay of him is only, that from him his followers had the name of Thomists ; they were opposed to the Scotifts, whose head was John Duns Scotus an Englishman, (or Irishman according to Cave): probably his name was 7% n Duns; Scotus, as before observed, was in old times, the Latin word“ for Jrisiman; which might not be distinguished from English- man. In the age we are speaking of, the Domini- caus and Franciscans had all the learning of the times between them. The Dominicans were Tho- mists; and Scotus (or John Duns) being of the Franciscan order, the Franciscans were Scotifts., — Any one, who wished to take a slight view of the subtleties of the Schoolmen, with regard to the doctrine of Grace, might read part of the index to Thomas Aquinas’s Summa, There are in it about nine columns of the word Gratia.—Or he might read the disputes of the Dominicans aud Francis- cans at the Council of Trent”. The greatest in- tricacies seem to be about the beginnings of Grace, with acts of the 2077“: I think it was said, that God waited for the volition when a man was previ-

ously

• See Ladvocat.— Sir John Duntze is an English Baronet,

u Handel was called il Safsone: =So Paul Yeronese, Claude Lorrain, &c.

• Heylin’s Hist, Quinqu. Part 1,—Chap. 3. Sect. 4, &c,- Paolo’s History.

— ̃ . […] T . […] _

206 BOOK IV. ART. x. SECT. XI.

ously prepared by Grace ; that is, in the language of the Schools, when the man was “ constitutus in actu primo sufficiente ad bene operandum.” lt will not be forgotten, I hope, that I am here speaking historically, and not explaining or rea- soning.

x1. We will now proceed to the age of the Reformation. The Reformers in general, from Wickliffe down to Luther and Calvin, were much

inclined to high notions of the divine agency; or,

as they thought, to be followers of Augustin. —Seve- rity of manners, and great {seriousness about the Majesty and Glory of God, might promote this turn. The Pyar debated on as Lutheran in the Council of Trent are very strong 7 indeed. But the Church of Eugland meant to be much more moderate; as appears from the N ecessary doctrine; and as is well described by Glocester * Ridley in his Life of Bishop Ridley. — Nothing indeed can better shew the intention of our church than one short tentence at the end of ie Article of Free will in the Neceflary Doctrine“; * A men be allo to be monished, and chiefly preachers, that in this highe matier, they lokyng on both sides, so attempre and moderate themselves, that neyther they so preache the grace of God, that they take away thereby freewill, nor on the other fide fo extoll freewill

that injury be done to the Grace of God.“ - do not

think there was ever anything said miore sensibly on this subject . The reformatio legum has these words, Et similiter nobis contra illos progrediendum est, qui tantum in libero arbitrio roboris et nervorum

ponunt

[…]

z Book v. Chap. vii.

= Our church afterwards got nearer Calvinism.

Jr is like Augustin’s, Si non est Dei Gratia, &c. Sect. v2.

ponunt, ut eo solo fine alia speciali gratia, rectè ab hominibus vivi posse, constituunt“.“

We have no Homily professedly on this subject; some few expressions are to be met with in the first part of the Homily on Salvation, but nothing in the way of theory, or speculation, or. definition, — Room seems left by our church for persons of dif- ferent perswasions; the doctrine is left as unintel- ligible ; both Free-will and Grace being established, without any authoritative solution of the difficulty arising from their seeming inconsistency.— I sup- pose any of Plazfere’s five opinions might be pro- fessed in our church.

X11. We have before“ spoken of Antinomians, under the seventh Article. All we need fay of them here is, that they held Grace to be irressstible: which tenet would imply, that all human endeavours are unneceflary. Some who held tenets of this nature were* called Gospellers*; but Antinomians were of all countries. These Antinomians oppoled the Anabapti/ts*, who revived Pelagianism.

X111. The order of Feswits was founded in 1540. Bower says”, that they followed the Semi- pelagians ; they have been enemies to the high orthodox doctrines of Grace, &c.—So indeed have been other scientifical men.—There is a short his- tory of them, said to have been written by D’Alem- bert, which seems well worth reading; though I should not think the author a Friend to Revela- tion. He considers the Society as only using

Religion

© De Heresibus, Cap. 7. d Art. v1t. Set. 111.

© Dr. Jortin’s 2d. Diss. p. 96. from Burnet.

At first, extolling Gel by setting aside Law; afterwards by heightening Gospel in any way.

s Life of Ridley, p. 344.

Printed 1765. (no place),

208 BOOK lv. AR r. x. SECT, xiv.

Religion as a means of getting Power; yet he considers Le Tellier (p. 107,) as sincere about doctrine.

The Jesuits might be, properly, religious at first, and when they found the effect of religion in ac- quiring power, might apply it to that purpose: this, 1 imagine, has been often done: they mu/ take up some dofrine about Grace, &c. and they took up that, which would succeed best, in courts particularly. Either extreme, of the Pelagians or their adversaries, would have impeded their pro- gress in the world: and thinking men would adopt prudential views most easily where they found they had no clear ideas,

The doctrine of the Romanists may be feen in the sixth Session of the Council of Trent; in the first five Canons concerning Justification. — I do not see, that our Article is incompatible with them.

The Romanists have been, since the Reforma- tion, perplexed to determine what part they should take in controversies concerning Grace, &c.— They have extolled Augustin fo highly, as to think they must be for him ; and they must be against the Reformers : yet the Reformers were great admirers of Augustin; and the Jesuits, devoted to Rome, inclined to Semipelagianism. This, and the divi- fions amongst themselves, have been the occasion of many inconsistencies, and of many refined strokes of papal policy. What we say of such transactions shall be arranged under heads of different countries, rather than in the order of time.

X1V. Spain has produced Molina“, or Molinos : he was a Jesuit, and a kind of leader in recon-

ciling

[…]

BOOK IV. ART. x. SECT. xv. 209

viling Grace and Free-will by nice distinctions!. Voltaire * reckons him the original author of the distinctions used in the controversies of the last Century ; but some persons, ascribe their origin to the Schoolmen.— Disputes ® have arisen on this question, into which it does not seem necessary for us to enter.— Molina has been of consequence enough to have his book called the precursor * of Antichrist, and to be appealed against at Romer. xv. Holland and Flanders have not only pro- duced the famous Michael Bay, a divine of Lou- vain, whose doctrines were condemned at Rome, and afterwards brought forward, in order to throw odium on a rival party; but they have been the scene of warm contests with regard to the agency of God, as opposed to the the agency of man.— Those who had high notions of the Divine agency in the salvation of Mankind, were called Gomarists, from one Gomar born at Bruges. Their oppo- nents were called Arminians, from Jacob van Har- mine, in Latin Arminius, born at Oude-water * in The Arminians got the name of Remonstrants; from remonstrating against the treatment they met with; and on that account, the Gomarists came to be called Contra-remonstrants: they are now most commonly called Calvinistis, from Calvin, who, though a Frenchman, was principally settled at Geneva. The famous Grotius, or de Groot, was an Arminian; he was born at Delft; his great eminence | See a short account of his Book in Dupin’s Compendious History, Cent. 17. Chap. 1. m Jansenisme ; Louis xx. | . ” See Vitringa’s Theology, Vol. 1. where he speaks de media scientid, under de Attributis Dei; (Sapientia).

VOL. 111. O

210 BOOK Iv. ART. x. SECT. xv.

eminence in Learning did not prevent his suffering _ for his opinions, In 1618, it was thought proper

to hold a synod at Dort (or Dordrecht) on account of the contentions between the two parties now mentioned, It fate from Nov. 1, 1618, to April 26, 1619: Politics got mixed with Religion : the Arminians were overpowered, Prince Maurice ex- erting himself against them; and their great sup- port, the Pensionary Barnevelt, was beheaded, under pretence of Treason, within a month after the Council broke up: Grotius was imprisoned soon afterwards, but escaped out of prison, and became an eminent statesman in Sweden, and an Ambassa- dor; nay, at last he received honours in his own Country. Arminius ended his life in a less fortu- nate manner; he was cited to the Hague, where he defended his opinions; but he was so harassed by the intrigues of the opposite party, that he died at the age of 49: this indeed was before the Synod of Dort; but after it, his followers were obliged to fly their country. —Amongst his followers have been many learned men: Episcopius, Limborch, Le Clerc; and others might be mentioned;

It may be as proper here“, as anywhere, to mention, that the points 1n dispute between Cal- vinists and Arminians are reduced to five; fre- quently called the five Articles, or the five Points. Heylin has written an History of them, which he calls his Hiftoria Quinquarticularis; a very respect- able work. — The first is Predestination; the se- cond is the extent of redemption ; the third, the state of the human vil before conversion to Christianity ; or what helps it requires to enable it to do right: the fourth, the nature of the divine

alhiftance

re c Phe quinquarticular” Controversy © is generally sup- preg to have acquired that name much about the time of olding the Synod at Dart.“ Tucker to Kippis, p. 69.

afifance in and after conversion : and the fifth is Perseverance*, These subjects constitute what we have called the second part of our 39 Articles (ad- mitting a sort of digression about works of supere- rogation); and they all come into the canons of the sixth Session of the Council of Trent under the head of Zu/tification. We may here read a few ex- pressions, shewing different notions of our present subject ; either in Heylin, Mofheim*, or in Plaifere’s” Apello Evangelium: We may read also a short passage in Wall on infant-baptism, 4to. p. 168. XVI. Germany produced both Luther and Me- lanfthon, great and able men; of very different tempers indeed; Luther bold and severe; Melanc- thon mild and amiable ; but both greatly instru- mental in promoting the Reformation. They lie buried near each other at Wittemberg, where they had both taughr Divinity. The worst of Luther’s opinions have just now been mentioned“; but, by correcting the errors of Agricola?, he moderated his own; and it is thought, that the moderate Lutherans in general are, in the Doctrines we are now speaking of, very near the tenet of the Council of Trent. The notions of Melan&hon, on our present subject; are well represented in Heylin’s quinquarticular History, from the Augustan confession, which

In the English Articles of 1552, there is one Article De li- zero Arbitrio, another De Grati4: in those of 1562, there is only one of these; retaining the title of the first, De libero Arbi- trio, —In Heylin’s account of the five Articles, according to the Doctrine of the Church of England, he puts the second and third as being botu contained in our present Article, the tenth. —PDean Tucker calls the five Points Predestination, Redemp- tion, Grace, Fustification, and Perseverance.” Letters to Dr. Kippis, p. 69. —hitly wrote a book on the five Points.

© Vol. 2. p. 521, quarto, or Vol. 5. p. 444, octavo.

u Plaifere, p. 28. |

• Se: x1. Y Art. v11, Sect. 111.

O2

— —__— CC

” _ *

:

— — ũrds . […] , —•—: AAA CG V — . […] 1 — —

which was compiled by Melancthon“ chiefly: though Luther is said to have been concerned in

it.— But for an account of this Confession J will refer to Dr. Robertson’s History of Charles V. as to a work which will be acceptable: Charles V. confirmed the Augustan Confession in 1555.

XVII. In France, the Doctrines of Free-will and Grace, (and the others with which they are connected) occasioned the memorable disputes be- tween the FJesuits and the Jansenists. Cornelius Jansen was born in Holland, but was afterwards Bishop of Ypres in Flanders. He was a great admirer of Augustin, and wrote accounts of his works, which made a Folio Volume; the Book was called Augustinus; and was published after his death, though left prepared: it is in our libraries. He died in 1638, but a friend of his, the Abbe of St. Cyran, spread the doctrines contained in it; in consequence of some directions in his Will. This gave great offence to the Fesuits, who made interest with the Pope to have it condemned as a sequel to the Book of Baius, which had been condemned before. The court of Rome was perplexed ; however the condemned fe propositions, and ordered all the Clergy to sign a condemnation of them. Voltaire gives the conclusion of the Form; Je condanne, de cœur et de bouche, la doctrine des cinq propositions conte-

• nues dans le livre de Cornelius Jansenius, laquelle

doctrine n’est point celle de Saint-Augustin, que Jan- senius a mal expliquee.” Now the five propositions, though collected out of Jansen’s Book, were not ex- pressed in his words ; nor were any places referred to, from whence they were taken. So that it may be

doubted, - 1st. Whether the five propositions were

really in Jansen’s book ;—and 2ly. Whether Jan- sen’s notions were really in Augustin’s works.— Here

z Introduction to Book 1v. Set. iv,

BOOK IV. ART, x. SECT. XVIII. 213

Here was a fine field for dispute | and the zeal, num- bers, rank, abilities, of the partizans, carried dis- pute to an enormous length. Miracles were per- formed on both sides: those of the Jansenists are introduced into Mr. Hume’s essay on Miracles. When the dispute becomes, instead of a compa- rison of doctrines, a trial of strength of parties, it ceases to be our concern. I had once“ occasion to mention some of the consequences of the dispute; the rest may be found in Voltaire“, and the book about Jesuits lately mentioned. -The five propo- sitions are in Mosheim’s ecclesiastical * History; and even in Dupin’s compendium.— Dr. Powell mentions the subject in his Charge on Contro- versy *.

XVIII. As we are going on according to Coun- tries, we may take the Sociniaus, as what they call themselves, Fratres Poloni, The Racovian Cate- chism will sufficiently shew us their opinions.— There 1s in it a chapter de libero arbitrio, from whence it appears, that they hold as follows; free-will was not taken away from Adam, (such de- privation was not mentioned as a part of his pumish- ment) nor from us, by his offence ; Man is weak, but a will remains, and he can do the will of God, “di- vino auxilio accedente;” and God refuses help to no man. Help is external, or internal; the latter is when Deus in cordibus eorum qui ipsi obediunt, quod promifit, obsignat. The drawing, mentioned John vi. 44. is by the excellence of God’s pro- mises.— It is true, that some men are incorrigible, in particular iastances; God rejectiug them from his Grace, There 1s also a chapter on the promise of

3 the

• B. 111. Ch. x.

d Siecle de Louis xiv. Jansẽnisme. © Sect. x11, Vol. 2. p. 397, quarto.— Vol. 5. p. 213, octavo. * P. 299. a

214 BOOK IV, ART. x. SECT. xvIII.

the Holy Spirit, in which the sealing on the heart is also mentioned, as that by which we acquire an hope safficiently strong to make us impregnable to temptations ; but it is affirmed, that the gift of the Holy Spirit is not previousiy necessary to our be- lieving the Gospel, because none have that gift ex- cept such as do already believe.

Dr. Pries/dey* speaks as if what is said of men in common discourse, that they can do all that God requires of them, was to exclude the more strict Sys- tem of Christianity; as if St. Paul, in reasoning from what would be allowed by Gentiles, said all he would ever wish to say.— He allows a * moral impotence” to receive © the doctrines of Revelation,” owing to […] indulged, and © habits” con- tracted : which is seemingly all that one of our church need own : we conceive such habits to be partly what may be called hereditary ; but that is a matter belonging to the ninth Article. He con- siders the assistance given by God as consisting in instruftions and motives ; or as being external® ;—

though he allows of divine instueuce © on certain occasions,” given to men duly disposed; so as to be * the proper subjects of such extraordinary assistance.” Every one must perceive a likeness between Dr. Priestley’s notion of Grace, and that of the Pelagians.

Dr. John Taylor has made a collection“ of texts, in order to shew the different senses of the word ag. Pelagius reckoned up a number of senses, in which he allowed of divine Grace: or a number were reckoned up for him. Taylor makes ten

senses

f Familiar Illustration, p. 1. 4. 5. 10. 11.

Though the motive impells the Will, it is to be considered ab external: the choice is made in a manner purely human, as any other choice is made, in worldly concerns,

At the end of his Book on Original Sin,

| Wall, p. 169.

**——h— dS art, =

n ator i:

BOOK IV. ART. x. SECT, xix. 215

senses of xaęic, and concludes, that it does never « particularly, and only signify, the influence of the spirit of God upon the heart, disposing us to believe in Christ, and to practice Virtue.“ But it may possibly be included with © other blessings in the general notion of the favour, or Grace of God.” This collection of texts is a posthumous work, and relates only to one word, xags.—ln his paraphrase on Rom. viii. 27, Taylor says, that the Holy Spirit inspires good dispesitions.— Writers ule the word Grace as a technical term established by custom ; and as such we adopt it. XIX. Woe have now brought our History down to the present time; but we have not thought 1t worth while to mention all particulars; we have rather aimed at giving right general ideas than many particular ones; and have therefore dealt, as it were, by samples or specimens. I might here mention the distinction between common and special grace, as Taylor thinks it worth while to prove that such distinction is not founded“ in icripture ; and it is mentioned by Voltaire. Com- mon, or sufficient Grace seems to be such as may enable men to become Christians, if they do all in their power to become so. It seems supposed, that this grace might have its effect, but, through the weakness and vicious habits of men, it has not. — Special grace® supplies this defect; or is so strong, that it not only might succeed, but does succeed : this is also called efficacious Grace: A curious jumble of cause and effect! Voltaire says, ils solitenatent

k Orig. Sin, p. 249, 252.

Candide — Louis x1v. Jansenisme.

m Plaifere, p. 22.— ] should think, that the jest about Dr. Swift’s degree, being given speciali gratia, was an allusion to this technical expression of Theology; as well as to University Graces.—! see it is Hpeciali gratia in the Reform. Legum.

216 BOOK IV. ART. x. SECT. XX.

soũ tenaĩent une grace sufisante à laquelle la volonte peut consentir et ne consent jamais; une grace

efficace à laquelle on peut resister et à laquelle on ne résiste pas *.“

As Free-will is opposed to necessity, it may be proper to mention, that very worthy and sensible men have favoured the hypothesis of necessity; as Dr. Hartley and Jonathan Edwards ; I suppose few men have exceeded these two in understanding, in- formation, and Christian Piety. —Mr. Hume is not to be reckoned amongst the Friends of Chris- tianity, but his essay on Liberty and Necessity con- tains things, which seem reasonable. His ideas seem, in some respects, like my own; how far I may have formerly borrowed my thoughts from his, 1 cannot tell.

Amongst those, who own internal influence on the mind, there are, (or have been) some who hold, that such internal influence is immediately discermble ;—others who say, that it is only medi- ately perceivable; that is, 85 means of virtuous disposition and conduct. The former sort are, by the latter, accounted enthusiasts: and perhaps they may not allow such doctrine in the way of pro- feshon of Faith, or definition, though they are generally supposed to hold it.

Xxx. I have reserved for a separate mention those,

who have expressly and openly held, that God immediately causes the sinful state of some men $ minds, by withdrawing his Grace from them.— Something, indeed to this purpose has been pro- duced out of the Racovian Catechism, because the whole of what we wanted to take from it, came most commodiously together; though, by the way, I cannot at present reconcile God’s re- fusing Grace to no man, and his leaving some men

incorrigible, a P. 270.

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incorrigible, by rejecting them from his Grace. — There are, to be sure, in scripture, many expres- sions about hlinding men, hardening, giving them up to a reprobate mind, not renewing them, &c.; now, when these expressions are made into T heo- ries, they produce such hypotheses as those we are now speaking of*.—In the sixth Canon of the sixth Session of the Council of Trent, those Chril- tians are condemned who say, © mala opera ita, ut bona, Deum operari; non permissive solum, sed proprie et per se; that this is meant of human actions, appears by what follows; © adeo ut fit proprium ejus opus non minds proditio Judz, quam vocat io Pauli.” Some ancients are referred to in the margin; but we must not be too par- ticular. It appears from Ireneus?, that he was obliged to oppose one Florinus for holding, that God was the author of Sin. This might be con- ceived to happen either by decree or influence ; the latter only is our present concern. —Heylin“ says, that, after the time of Irenzus, the doctrine was not held till the sixteenth century, and then only by an illiterate set of men called Libertmi*, whom all parties disclaimed. Calvin gives us their notion in a few words; © Quicquid ego et tu facimus, Deus efficit; nam in nobis est.” —In the Synod of Dort, one “Macorius is mentioned as holding a doctrine near this.— And the Manichean doctrine seems the same in effect. — Jansen thought, that

Augustin © Martin Luther, in his Table-talk, expresses himself thus;

« When the Deity intends to destroy kingdoms and states, he taketh from them their wisdlom, he leaveth them no wise and

honest counsellors; that is, he linde them, and afterwards he

bereaveth them of their power and ability; they go on in blind- ness and security, and at last perish.” P Heylin Quing, r. 1. 2 Heylin, ibidem ; where are Calvin’s words here quoted, Antinomians. s Heylin quinqu. p. 529. 533»

218 BOOK IV. ART X. SECT. XXI.—XX11l.

Augustin held the impossibility of virtue in some men : not only in the blinded and hardened, but in the faithful and ut; grace failing: St. Peter was an instance.

xx1. I will close this History with observing, that it is credible the contending parties might each have a good meaning ; {ome being afraid of depre- ciating * Scripture, others fearing to do violence to right reason, or destroy the foundation of all Virtue; or encourage folly and superstition and enthusiasm, The truth is, (though no one party perhaps had a

full right to say so,) reason must rejoice in the

genuine sense of revelation ; and revelation must

wish to improve reason. —In setting aside Revela-

tion, there must always be danger of doing harm to reason; and, in neglecting reason, there must always be danger of mistaking Revelation.

XX11. Having finished the Hi/ory of our tenth Article, we come to the Explanation : which is, as before, intended to 7repare the propositions, and clear them of all extraneous matter,

The zitle ** Of Free-will,” might draw us into difficulties, because there may be some doubt about the propriety of the 3 but every man feels what is meant by it. He feels himself chuse the right hand or the left. He sometimes perceives himself and other men chuse with great difficulty that which is right; as in case of inveterate habits, of drinking, &c.

xxIII. The condition of Man: - this must relate to mankind, as such; and therefore would best be conceived, in the first place, of those, who Never were made Christians: though it may be

applied

Volt. Louis x1v. Jansenisme, p. 268, 269, Ed. Lond, 1752.

v See Dr. Potter’s Preface in Plaifere’s Apello Srangeliam ; 3 a; well as Art. 11. Sect. 111. |

a _ […] =

roOk IV. ART. x. SECT. XXIV. XXV. 219

applied to those, who call themselves Christians without being really such,

XX1V. ** After the fall of Adam;“ in strictness, this is not the same as saying, * because of the fall of Adam; yet no doubt he would most fully agree with our church, who considered the fall of Adam as the first beginning of our depravity, or of the undue prevalence of our inferior passions over our choice; or, as Dr. Priestley speaks, more strongly, of our © moral impotence?.” - Nevertheless, as every thinking man will keep in mind the faintness and obscurity of the scriptural History concerning our first Parents, it might perhaps be worth while to extend the question, proposed under the ninth Article, to the present. I mean about the expres- sion, „every man that is naturally engendered. of the offspring of Adam,” signifying only, © every * man.” I should imagine, that, had men continued in a state of original righteousness, they would have ascribed their good actions to divine assistance, in some way or other: but that state would have been so different from our present, that we cannot form distinct conceptions about it. We can see, that the more assistance we want, in order to be virtuous, the more should we ascribe to heaven when we are so.

xxV. © Is such, that he cannot turn and pre- pare himself […] may not this word be fairly understood in the same sense with the /crip- tural expressions beforementioned * : © it is […] it may, the meaning will be, that it is not at all to be expected, on a footing of probabi- lity, grounded on experience: taking this word ingly, it seems consistent with a man’s being able,

In

Y See Set. xv111. = Art. 1X, Sect. X1X. Matt. xviii. 7. Luke xvii. 1,—1 Cor. xi. 19. See Art. 1x. Sect. x 11. & xxx

in each ance, to turn and prepare himself.— And this may point out a sense, in which God may command things impossible; he may enjoin a num- ber of duties, each of which is practicable, though, considering our evil habits, it is not to be expected beforehand, that we should duly perform them all”, What is to be expected, is a matter of calcu- lion; but such calculations belong only to spectators; the agent has no more to do with them, than a running-horse has to do with the wagers, which are laid upon his winning: his business 1s only to exert himself, and strive to overcome. Difficulties on this subje& mult arise from some fallacy ; generally, from raking advantage of the different senses of the word impessible, and substituting the idea of natural for that of moral © impossibility. I do not mean to lay, that, if any one thought that man cannot py/- /ibly, in the strict sense, turn and prepare himself to Faith, he would dissent from our Article ;—1I would only wish, that hers should see in what sense they may assent. If it is strictly impossible for man to convert himself, we trust that God always affords help sufficient to make it possible, in each particular instance; though it seems clearly a Law of his Government, to punish our giving too much sway to any passion, by giving it still more power over us.—Yet, cannot without help, at most, means only, if he does, tis owing to help. XXVII. Turn and prepare himself.”—The word &* 7174” is probably an allusion to Jer. xxx1. 18. and

d Council of Trent, Session 6. Canon 18.—If it was thought, that cannot rather denotes fri impossibility, then the mind must go on to the end of the Article: and the meaning will be, can- not, without help from above: but this, since all men are to try and do their be/?, only means, that when they succeed, their success was owing to divine assistance. According to this sense, the Law of God enjoirs what it is ?mpoible for mere unassisted man to perform.

c See Wall, p. 166.

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and Lam. v. 21. passages the more familiar to our ears for having been introduced into our Liturgy. The passages in the net testament are equally neceflary to be kept in mind; not only where the word urn is used, as Acts xiv. 15.—Xxvi. 18. 20. but where anything is {aid about conversion: as Matt. xiti. 15.,—xvill. 3.— Acts iii. 19. &c. Con- version is the word often used in the five points.

The word * prepare,” is chosen with a view to several passages of Scripture; Rom. ix. 23.— Eph. ii. 10.—2 Tim. ii. 21.—Such passages as Palm Ixxviii. 8. (margin) might have some effect but Luke 1. 17. has both the words © Zury” and

• prepare,” used much as they are here, -Preparatio Gratiæ, 1s * used by Augustin, for predestination.

XXVII. By his own natural strength;“ this expression carries us back to what was said under the ninth Article® about the nature of man, and the corruption of that nature. It implies, that man, taken at any time, has some natural strength ; or that the subordinate propensities do not zotally overpower those principles, which ought to bear rule. For, according to what was said under the last Article, our natural strength consists in the comparative force or influence of our conscience and higher principles; and our natural weakness in the comparative force of our lower propensities. What I should wish to submit to your considera- tion is, whether the * natural strength,” or rather natural weakness, here spoken of, is anything fixed and iuvariable £ I should rather conceive, that the habitual weakness of our mental constitution, or na-

ture,

© Art, 1x. Sect. XV1I1. & XXVIII.

222 BOOK IV. ART. x. SECT. xxvi11. xxIX.

ture, is different in different ages and nations: that, it the intermediate generations between Adam and us had been more wicked, we should have been still more weak than we now are; and, if they had been more virtuous, we should now have more natural firength than we have: each generation might do something towards diminishing the natural weakness of man, or encreasing his natural strength.

xXVIII. And good works :” that is, his own, natural, good works; in the Latin, © naturalibus suis viribus et bonis operibus :”—there are, then, some good works which man, as mere man, may per- form: there is a something which may, in some sense, be called natural virtue; it may be imperfect, it may be insufficient to serve as the ground of a strict claim upon God]; but it may nevertheless be a great recommendation to God, (as in the cafe of Cornelius), and may deserve the applause and ad- miration of Man. We must not think, from the manner in which natural good works, acts of greatness and generosity, are here introduced, that we are forbid to be pleased with them, or even to weep over them with sympathetic joy and exultation all that 1s said is, that, according to the disorderly state of our passions, they are not sufficient, of themselves, to place us in a state of Christian per- fefion ; so that nothing more need be wished for, or attempted. And, though they must naturally make us iuclined to accept of a pure religion, yet when we do accept it, we should humbly thank God for enabling us so to do.

XX1X. Jo fait; —what kind of faith is that which is here meant? there is a faith in natural religion ; which Bishop Warburton understands to be described in the eleventh chapter of the Epistle the Hebrews : „without faith it is impossible to

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BOOK IV, ART. x. SECT. xxx. 223

please God.” For he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently * seek him.” Could our reformers mean to speak of Faith in general? No, it appears to me, that they meant Christian Faith; such faith as 1s spoken of in the following Articles : the subject in view is conversion to Christianity. The article sets forth an inability to acquire Faith ; how is that inability to be supplied ? by © the Grace of God by Christ ;” the faith which is acquired by suck help, must be faith in Christ. This is also implied in the words, ** ?urn and prepare.” — That Faith 7s the preliminary to conversion, 1s evident enough; from Mark xvi. 16.— Acts xv. 9. and Ephel. ii. 8. where being saved, means being admitted into the Christian covenant; as Mr. Locke shews in a note on the latter passage , well worth the perusal of every one, who is studying our present Article. xxx. And calling upon God: this must be considered as a kind of technical expression ; in its ordinary literal sense, it has no force in this place: any Pagan, surely, can call upon God: the phrase is used here, when joined with Faith, as it is several times used in the new Testament, for enterance on a course of Christian worship. Let any one compare Acts ii. 2 1. & ix. 13, 14. & Rom. x. 13. with Joel ii. 32: there he will meet with the term just mentioned, saved,“ which will shew how properly the phrase, calling upon God,” is joined to © Faith.” I sup- pose, if we were to go as far back as possible, we should find a more extensive sense for this phrase ; namely, worshipping God in an acceptable man- ner. — Acceptable worship must vary with cir-

cumitances ;

5 Heb, xd. ö. z Locke on Ephes. ii. 8.

See Parkhurst’s Greek Lexicon, under red; the second sense. 7 |

[…]

cumstances; but, when Christianity comes to be published, acceptable worship must be Christian worship. | xxx. Wherefore;”—this word divides the Article into 72wwo parts; the former may be consi- dered as premises, the latter as conclusion. The manner of drawing the conclusion may not seem strictly logical ;—we cannot convert ourlelves to Faith and right worship, ?herefore we cannot do works perfectly good, without divine assistance.— Perhaps the full force of this deduction may not appear till after the thirteenth Article: therefore we should endeavour to see what is our proper busi- ness at present. We are not to dwell on the nature of good works, for that subject is found in the twelfth Article; we are not to shew how only Christian good works are, in strictness, completely acceptable to God; for that is the business of the thirteenth Article. It was unavoidable to bring the expressions into this Article; but our proper ques- tion is, supposing works good and acceptable, to what are they to be ascribed taking this for the proper matter of the Article, the slavery of the will in the former part, is rightly connected with the divine influence on the will, in the latter part. XXXI1. * We have no poteer to do good works:“ not to repeat what has been said about the word […] this does not mean, that we, as men, cannot contribute anything towards the performance of our Christian Duty ;—nor are we to understand

from it, that we are to suspend the performance of

our

i There may have been an idea of joining in one Article, what is sometimes made the matter of two; and this may have made the connexion of the former part with the latter, less smooth than it might have been: yet, throw out what does not properly belong to this Article, and then, I think, the con- clusion is well enough connected with the premises. — See

Note * near the end of Sect. xv.

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BOOK IV. ART. x. SECT. xxxi ti. 225

dur duty till we are sure, that we have that assist- ance which is here declared necessary. The coun- tryman, who requested the assistance of Hercules, because he had u power to forward his own cart, was not therefore to be excused from exerting him- self ; indeed we may be said to have no potver * to do a thing, though we come ever so near doing it, if at last we fall short.—The latter observation here made results from the for: of assistance given: « what king, going to make war against another king, fitteth not down first, and consulteth whe- ther! he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with 7wenty thousand ?” —if, in such a case, he cannot preview/ly know that he can procure, from allies, the neceilary aid, he declines the combat ;—but, in spiritual difficulties, in […] the assistance is invisible, communicated in a manner, which we do not com- prehend ; we are therefore to attempt the per- formance of our most arduous duties, with our best efforts, and in the same manner as if all depended on ourselves, only begging of our invisible protector, that he would help our infirmities.

XXX111. © Pleasant and acceptable to God“ good works which are fo, are here opposed to our own natural good works, before“ spoken of: the works meant, then, are virtuous actions performed on Chri//ian principles, and regarded by God as done by men in the capacity of those belonging to that society,

of

k See Bp. Sherlock, Vol. 2. Disc. 4. p. 79. | Luke xiv. 31, 32. m The reader need scarcely be reminded, that this is Dr.

Priestley’s expression, quoted Set. xviii. from Familiar Ilustration.

® Sek, XXV III. vor. 111. 7

226 BOOK iv.

of which his Son is the Jead’; in the relation of branches to the“ Vine.

XXX1V. © Without the Grace of God by Christ preventing us.” — Grace is here used in the cufto- mary sense, for internal influence on the mind ; more particularly such as is 7mmediate.— Though the word prevent is now molt commonly used as synonymous to hinder, yet the Latin, and our Liturgy will make any explanation unnecessary.— Indeed we still hear sometimes of preventing mens wishes a. To prevent, is to come before: now, any person may come before another, either so as to seize upon that advantage which the other was aim- ing at, or so as to provide some benefit or enjoy- ment; so as to have that prepared for him, which it

was most probable he should otherwise have been

obliged to prepare for himself,

xxxv. We now pass on from Explanation to the Proof. After we have made the proper re- serves for the subsequent articles, we seem to have but few propositions left? the two following seem to comprehend every thing, which is athrmed in the Article.

1. We cannot convert ourselves from being

Heathens (or as Heathens) to the state of true

Christians. |

2. We cannot perform good works, strictly fo called, without the assistance of God; without his aid, both in the formation of our good purposes, and in the execution of them.

This 1s the form, into which 1t 1s natural for 1s to throw our propositions in the first instance ; but thinking upon them, and imagining ourselves to

enter

© Ephes. i. 22.

P John xv. 5.— Jonathan Edwards impresses this idea, I think, in his long discourse on Justification.

, 4 The word ler formerly meant the opposite to the modern et.

BOOK IV. ART. x. SECT. xxxv. 227

enter upon the proofs, will make us wish for some alteration. As the propositions now stand, it seems to be implied, that we are first to procure our assistance, and then to begin our tak ; but it has already been * observed, that the particular nature of our assistance requires, that, at the same time that we own 1ts reality, we should make our attempts and exertions as if we had none: there- fore it would be better (on this account, and for other reasons which may hereafter appear) if our propositions stood in some form better suited to the nature of that assistance, which can be most fully conceived on a review of its effects. As thus, —

1. When we have been converted to Christia- nity, we should thank God, and give him the Glory.

2. When we have done any virtuous actions (or what would be commonly called such) we should ascribe them, as far as they really are virtuous, to the assistance of God. And we should thank him both for the good dispositions and the good actious.

It should be observed, that, as the assistance which is given from above, is not understood by us, as our notions of it are extremely indistiuct, so should be our acknowledgments. But a Christian is bound to make his acknowledgments through Christ : or, to consider all the spiritual benefit which

he

If one was to hear, that a man was so ill, that he was unable to get out of bed without help, nothing would seem more clear than that he would lie still till help arrrived.—See also the mis- application of Ezek. xxiv. 27. (not an exact quotation) in

Whitefield’s first dealing, cited in © The Principles and Prac- tices of the Methodists,” —p. 18. | s Set. xxxii.

P 2

228 BOOK IV. ART. x. SECT. XXXVI. xxxviI.

he receives, as coming to him from the vine, of which Christians are the branches.

XxxVI. When we have been converted to Christianity, we should thank God, and give him the glory. This will sufficiently appear from the following texts. Jer. xxxi. 18.— Lam. v. 21.— John vi. 45. 65. —Xii. 40.— Xvi. 13.—Acts xv. 9. and xvi. 14.—1 Cor. xi. 3.— Ephes. ii. 8.—Phil.

To which may be added those texts, in which the influence of the spirit accompanies baptism; as John iii. 5.—Titus ii. 5, for that influence must be requisite to complete the conversion. —And, if we compare Titus iii. 5. with Mark xvi. 16. it will appear, that the faith, by which we are saved, or admitted into the Christian religion, 1s a gift of the spirit. For, in the one passage, the requisites are Bapeifin and the Holy Spirit; in the other, Bap- tism and Faith.

XXXVI1. The second proposition relates to both dispositions and afions.—As to our dispositions, seve- ral of the texts just now mentioned might be pro- duced again : as those from the old Testament, and Jer. xxxii. 39. Ezek. xxxvi. 26. & John vi. 44. 65. For though, in the particular circumstances, in which they were spoken, their first and immediate view might be to conversion, yet they are expressed generally, and may be applied to mens coming to do right actions at any time. Bishop Hurd has treated John vi. 44. in that sense. We may add Phil. ii. 13. —Also Eph. ii. 8, and perhaps Acts xv. 9, in both which texts, faith is ascribed to God; faith being a constant principle of action.

That our good aclions are to be ascribed to divine grace, 15 evident from many passages. Phil. 11. 13. may be mentioned again ; God worketh in us not only to 2021], but to G0. Add Rom. v. 5 Rom.

BOOK IV. ART. x. SECT. XXXVIII XXXIX 229

viii. verses 13, 14, 16. 26, 27.— 1 Cor. iii. 16.— Gal. v. 16.— Ephes. iii. 16, 17.—The doctrine is delivered more A large, 1 Cor. iv. 7. and 2 Cor. Il. 5.

Mete from Adam, as opposed to Christ, and from Eph. ii. 2. might here be admitted, in order to shew, that the remedy should operate upon our minds, because the disorder lies there. — The good derived from Christ is also much greater than the evil derived from Adam”. And the mm- ber of the things revealed 1a Scripture concerning the Holy Spirit should be attended to: such com- munications must have been intended for some purpose or other.

XXXVIII. Though our texts shew, that the Church, in all ages, has been right in professing some doctrine of Divine Grace ; yet their precise meaning does not seem capable of being ascer- tamed by attending to the mere expressions. In order to acquire a notion of that, we must recol- le& some of the elementary observations, which were offered in the Introduction to this second part of our Articles.

xxxix. Popular language, such as the Scripture. language must be, does not express acts of the mind as it seems to do, in the way of Theory or speculation; it should be construed as expressing merely our feelings*, and our wants, with some view to good. In order to see its true meaning, we mult see what practical end it has in view.

Whatever may have been said by writers, about the speculative doctrines of Scripture, if I were to hazard an observation, 1 shouid rather be inclined

to

See Short Defence of Atonement, p. 85, quoted by Lud- lam, Scrip. Met. p. 5. Rom. v. 20, * Introd. to Part 11, Sect. 1v.

230 BOOK Iv. ART. x. SECT. XXXIX.

to say, there is no such thing in scripture as a speculative doctrine, relative to the subjects most commonly controverted ; there are expressions, which have been collected and extended so as to form such, but that is the work of Man. I do not Conceive, that we have, in Scripture, any Theory of what is called the doctrine of Grace. In many 7inflances, our conversion, our good designs and actions, are referred to God, but in every in- stance the thing really expressed 15, some good feeling, with a view to promote some good priz- ciple. The good feeling is generally pious gratitude ; the end 1n view, to promote either that same, or humility, or some virtuous or religious sentiment ?, — If Zhere was a Theory of the doctrine of Grace, properly speaking, the propositions concerning di- vine assistance would be universal, and might be ulcd on all occa/ions ; trifling as well as important; future as well as past. Nay, an action inspired by God, might be pronounced good, befcrehand, 1n- stead of being ascribed to him, after it was per- formed, as far as it was good. But we find no such universality in Scripture. When we hear this popular language in common life, we generally can

lee

Y Here might appear the boyish and flippant object. on of Leclerc and Jortin to Augustin, for referring a discovery about divine Grace, made in reading the Scriptures, to the divine assistance: See Jortin’s six Dissertations, p. 33, 92. There is no appearance to me, that Augustin pretended to Revelation in the sense, in which these two writers take the word; or that he meant any more than to refer the correction of his error to God; in the manner of the instances mentioned in this Section. His phrascology was pious of course; and that 1s enough to produce his expression. Whether his for mer opinion was a a real error, makes no difference. God only knows that.

Calvin, about his Catechism, meant no wore when he said, *“ in quo scribendo Dominum mihi adfuisse confido.” —

I readily allow, that both Calvin and Augustin favoured Divine agency, | ;

BOOK Iv. ART. x. SECT. xxxix. 231

see the end, which is aimed at, and what is taken for granted. M. Luther would fay, It has W God to enlighten my mind, and employ me to rescue his religion from popish superstition.” — Cardinal Bellarmin, By God’s help, I have re- stored many to the Catholic faith, who had been seduced into calvinistic heresy.” Each taking his own religion for true, refers the protection of it to God; and with a view of promoting a zeal for its success.— The forming of our Liturgy is referred“ to the Holy Ghost: in 1548, the expression * by the aid of the Holy Ghost” was used; some objected to it; but others explained it in a manner not very different from ours. — The Scripture says, what hast thou“ that thou didst not receive?“ we must not think we have the right meaning of this question, till we see the end aimed at in pro- posing it; namely, “ left any man thould boast ;” expressed in these words, why dost thou glory?“ Nor must we think, that we apply it in the right sense, except when we use it as a motive to humi—

lity.

• There is a passage, in the third part of the Homily of Good Works, which might be mentioned here; “Honour be to God, who did put light in the heart of his faithful and true minister, of most tamous memory, King Henry VIII. and gave him the knowledge of his Word, and an earnest affection to seek his Glory, and to put away all such superstitious and pha- risiacal Sects by Antichrist invented, and set up against the true word of God, and glory of his most blessed Name, as he gave the like spirit unto the most noble and famous Princes, 7o/aphat, Jesias, and Execlias.— This expression seems no more than a pious and indistinct reference of the benefit of part of the Reformation to the Deity; made by those Who took for granted, that the Reformation was a real blessing; but not wy any presumtion of knowing the mind of God before-

and.

x Cor. iv. 7. < Eph. ii. .

P 4 =

• : * . w X FE

232 BOOK Iv. ART. x. SECT. xxx ix.

lity. Suppose any one used it thus; * 1 have no virtues which I did not receive, therefore it 1s in vain for me to endeavour to improve my morals : the conclusion 1s not unfair, on a footing of Theory; yet every one fees it is a fallacy. It is, in truth, a interpretation of the Apostle, arising from giving too /iteral a sense to popular language; and not construing his words by attending to his practical defion,

This observation supplies us with a solution of the dificulty proposed by the Pelagians, which 1s mentioned in Jerom’s Letter to Ctefiphon:—it we are to refer our virtues to the divine assistance, why not our most vulgar and unclean actions? no one can shew a reason, on a footing of mere Theory: but it is reason enough to say, because referring such actions to the divine assistance would answer no good end, promote no virtue. Jerom only ex- claims against the profaneness of such language.

This objection of the Pelagians reminds one of the Journals of Mr. Whitefield, Mr. Wesley, &c. who refer almost all events to the divine assistance. Some © have thought, that they make pretensions to an extraordinary communication with the Su- preme Being: those, who understand them in this tense, will take care not to give credit to {uch pre- tensions but upon sufficient evidence : upon such evi- dence as they will not be ashamed to produce at the judgment-seat of Christ.” It seems to me, that they may pesibly mean only to refer plain facts to the Divine agency; from an imitation of the sacred writers: if this be the case, they seem to confound different situations; and sometimes to refer events too trivial, to the agency of heaven; as a shower*

of

Principles and Practices of the Methodists considered, p. 17.

of rain, for instance, or a journey * to Bath. If they are, as some® have thought, evasive ; if they wish to run from one of these plans to the other, as they are driven; if they wish to have the lower people think them inspired, in a manner different from common men, yet express themselves so, that, when they are charged with this, they can give their narrations a different sense ; they appear more blameable than either for mere enthusiasm, or for want of discriminating cases somewhat alike. — Farther, I have not a decided judgment on this matter. | XL. In order to get at the true sense of popular expressions, it shouid always be remembered, that lome words, which have a positive sound, have only a negative senseb. With regard to expressions, by which actions are ascribed to the divine influ- ence, I will only suggest, that every man should watch his own mind, and prove his own thoughts, that he may be aware what it is that he compre- hends clearly and distinctly; that he may judge rightly how far his particular conceptions of divine influence on the mind extends. Does our distinct knowledge really extend beyond the following pro- position? it would be wrong, impious, irrational, to ear the Deny from power over the thoughts of men? or from any action, on which an human being values himself. Every man surely would be ready to say, as God does influence us, I know not but he may in this particular instance ; I see not

f Gibson, 262. References to Satan seem much of the same kind, and subje to the same remarks: Mr. Whitefield refers his idleness at College, to Satan, without diffidence: See his First Dealing, &c. p. 0%. quoted in Principles and Practices, &c. P. 17-

• Introd. to Part 11. Sect, v1.

234 BOOK IV. ART. x. SECT. xLI.

not how far, but to exclude him would be shock- ing; suppose he did, would not such or such a consequence follow ?* — and some men may think, that this is the chief of what is really meant by saying, God causes our thoughts and actions.

XL1. Causes assigned as total, are often only * par- tial. Hence, ascribing to God, need not exclude human endeavours: nor need human agency exclude divine: either, or both, may be assigned; and which shall be assigned, is determined by some practical good in view; according to the observation made in Sect. XXXIX. St. Paul, in Phil. ii. 12, 13. assigns both divine“ and human agency; we are to work out eur own salvation with fear and irembling, because God worketh in us “ both to will and to do of his good pleasure :” because we are ae d by one, by 2 partner, as it were, or aftociate, with whom we may not trifle; who is engaged in assisting us by no views of interest, but assists us from a benevo- lence, which the greatness and majesty of his cha- racter makes deeply affecting. St. Paul also, in Rom. viii. 13. gives much the fame idea. If ye, through the Spirit, do mortify the deeds of the Body, ye shall hve.” —Christians are the agents, but they perform their duty /hrough the Holy

irit. Nor is this peculiar to the eto Covenant; the Psalmist does the fame. © Except ® the Lord build the Houle, their labour is but lost that build it: Except the Lord keep the city, the

| watchman

& Crotius speaks as if Civil Government might be referred either to God (Rom. 111. 1.) or Man, (1 Pet. ii. 13.) De Jure, MC 172 2. |

| Tit 35, with care and respeR, as appears from Psalm ii. 11. (Bible).—Dan. vi. 26.— Mark v. 33.— 1 Cor. ii. 3.2 Cor. vii 15. —Ephel. vi. 5.

m Psalm cxxvii. 1, 2.

BOOK IV. ART. Xx. SECT. xLI. 235

watchman waketh but in vain.” See also Psalm xliv. 3, 4. where it is not to be supposed, that the Children of Israel did not fight“.

And, as it 1s sometimes most useful to refer things to 4074 divine and human agency, it seems, on lome occasions, a matter of indisfereuce to which they are“ referred, St. Paul, in 1 Cor. xv. 10. first gives a plain relation of his diligence; then immediately gives the same over again, in a way calculated to make a good impression, or raise a religious sentiment : first he says, I labour more abundantly than they all:“ then he says, “yet not J, but the Grace of God, which was with me.“ It is the /ame relation, as to fact, whether he says, « [ laboured,” or © nt I:“ the latter tells us no more than the former, In 2 Cor. xi. 23, he ex- presses his comparative diligence, by the words, * in labours more abundant,” without any refer- ence to the divine agency: but his business was not then to encourage ptous gratitude and humility, but to maintain the dignity of his own character, which had suffered under aspersion. In an in- {tance before-mentioned, things were to be re- ferred to God, lest any one should glory; but, in the present instance, St. Paul says, he“ must

needs

” In Shakspeare’s Tempest, Act. iv. Scene 1. Prospero says

to Ferdinand, |

Thus as my 3%, and thine own acquisition

Worthily purchased, take my daughter. . this is natural popular language; in /riness, the same thing is not a gift and a purchase.

It might not be amiss here to see the manner, in which acts are referred to God the Father and to the Son, so that one being considered as a cause does not exclude the other. Eph. 1. . compared with texts in which Christ makes known the Will of Ged. The Father gave his Son, 1 John iv. 9. 10; the Son

gave kimself, Gal. i. 4,——See Pearson on the Creed, p. 259, 440. or p. 130, folio.

236 BOOK IV. ART. x. SECT. XLI.

needs glory: he was called upon to support his

honour ®. It seems to follow from hence, that, when either

the divine or human agency is mentioned sepa- rately, the other must be considered as implied. St. Paul, when he speaks of himself as © in labours* more abundant” than some other ministers, cer- tainly did not mean to exclude the Grace of God: nor, when he was told, that God’s Grace was suf- ficient” for him, did he understand, that he was not to endeavour to extract the thorn* in his

flesh.

The strongest expressions of divine agency are those, which represent God as creating a right spirit, or good works, or causing a resurrection of those, ** who were dead in trespasses and fins.” —

Yet,

St. Peter says (2 Pet. iii. 18.) © grow in grace.” St. Paul favs (Eph. v. 18.) © be filed with the spirit;“ though in one case the Christian is active, in the other pashve, yet they must mean the same thing; we seem to say indifferentiy, I iucline to such a thing,” and, I am inclined:“ which should be con- fidered as an experiment, inewing how easily the mind changes from the idea of acting, to that if being acted upon.

4 2 Cor. xi, 23. „ SY

s Dr. Rutherforth, in a Concio ad Clerum, gave reasons for thinking, that this thorn in the fiesh,” was the disorder of fore eyes: for that disorder a friend once recommended to me Smellome’s cintment, which seemed to suceetd: on our meeting after my recovery, I should naturally say, I am indebted to yer for being able to read and write comiortably : were the pro- prie tors of the ointment to ask me aster its efficacy, the answer would as naturally be, f cured me, when other things failed.-— Were 1 speaking with a religious view, the natural expression would be, it pleased God, such a night, to relieve me from my « thorn in the Flesh.” — The fa# is one only.

Matt. vi. 26. Our heavenly Father feedeth the fowls of the air: not surely without any endeavours of their own. It is an act of rational piety, in Grace at meals, to refer our plenty to God; but such devotion does not lessen the care of those, who furnish the repast, | |

© Eph. ii. 1.

Yet, from Ezek. xxxvi. 26, 27. and Ephel. ii. 10. and v. 14, 15. It appears, that we may be spoken of as agents even under such representations: to walk, is the part of one who is active.

xLII. When we wish to get the exact sense of popular expressions, we must always consider in what circumstances they are* used : for every such expression, being of a practical sort, must be made in order to fit certain circumstances : and therefore missing the right circumstances, is missing the right sense. It requires some attention to find out the circumstances, to which any saying is adapted; but, if many instances occur, one may discern what things belong to them in common.—-Let any one then try whether future actions are not represented in scripture as dependent on Auman agency; and whether actions ascribed to divine agency, are not in some sense pat“. As in the case of Lydia; her conversion, as an effef*, is referred to the Lord’s opening her heart as a canse. If this proves to be a rule, we have no right to talk of Grace“ in general: and it should be seen, at some time, that referring our past good actions to God makes us humble and pious; though, to lay our past bad actions on God, would increase our wickedness ; but referring any future actions to divine agency, would make us neglect our own part; would hin-

der

» Archbp. Sharp’s Sermons, Vol. 3. Ser. 13.

• IntroduQtion to Part 11. Sect. 1x,

Sect. XXXV. z Acts xvi, 14.

• Whenever the ett comes, it is as past; and the cause is prior to the effect: it some declarations of divine influence in scripture, seem free from the idea of time past, as John iii. 5.— Titus iii. 5, suppose an 7n/tance, and then this observation ap- plies. — Observe also, that :Axzvo, John vi. 44. may be rendered, shall have drawn.

» Wall seems to have felt something of this, p. 168, © It is one thing thankfully,” &c.

238 BOOK IV. ART. x. SECT. XLI Ts

der us from doing our best. It might also be

gathered, from the scriprural instances of referring

events to God, that no zrifing events are referred

to him; the reason of which has been“ assigned;

but, if we saw 10 reason, the uniformity of the

practice would be sufficient to lay a restraint on us

It may be likewise observed in scripture, that where an author is entering into the views of the agent, he speaks as if our will was free: where he enters into the views of the spectator, as if the will was influenced: which agrees with what was laid down“ about freedom and necessity; but, without that, would have afforded a sufficient reason why we should do the same : in this light we may com- pare, * it must zeeds be that offences come,” with Isaiah’s description of the age of discretion in man; that age when he knows © to refuse the evil, and choose® the good.” Or with St. Paul’s dilemma what I shall c/oose 1 wot not, for I am in a strait between * two.”

If the scriptures do, in a constant and uniform manner, speak of future actions as depending upon the human agent, it must appear natural, that re- wards and punishments should be proposed without reference to divine agency. Nor does there seem any reason for its being introduced in the grand descrip- tion of a future judgement contained in the twenty fifth Chapter of St. Matthew’s Gospel.

Some popular expressions, which seem to be affirmative, or speculative, are merely declamatory. Readers of scripture should be aware of this, when they fee expressions about divine Grace : all which

seem

ce Set. xxx1x.

6 Introduction to Second Part, Sect. v. II. vii. 15. f Phil. i. 22, 23.

BOOK IV. ART, x. SECT. XLIII,—XLV. 239

seem designed to excite good sentiments ; and belong more to the Heart than the Head.

The New Testament adopts Jewish modes of referring evil to the divine agency: as when it speaks of hardening, blinding, &c. but this, being the most difficult part of our subject, had better be reserved, as the History of it was, to the last.

xXL III. The result of what has been said seems to be this; take a man, in his moral or religious capa- city, at any instam, and he is to set out upon prin- ciples of free-will and human agency ; these will include praying to God for spiritual assistance.— When he has proceeded in a course of good living, or what may be ordinarily called such, he is to /ook back upon his conduct with Aumility, and ascribe it to the influence of the Holy Spirit, with pious gratitude, Thus he sets out a fort of Pelagian, and finishes his course as a follower of Augustin.

Not that he must be unmindful of the assistance which he receives, as a Man, from Conscience, and intellect; and from the continual proofs which he may find, in the courle of zature, of an hatred to vice and a love to virtue, in the author of nature and Governor of the world. — This assistance has been considered as the firf® grace of God; and as that, by which an Heathen may be saved.

XLIV. I have now finished what I meant to offer in the way of direct progf of the propositions contained in our Article. But some indirect proof seems requisite here, as well as on former Articles; there are some objectious, which are of weight enough to deserve an answer.

XLV. It may be asked, is not this subject too intricate and perplexed for the generality of man- kind? and does not this manner of treating it make it more so? particularly, is there any such

[…] thing

t Sec Jortin’s six Dissertations, p. 84.

240 BOOK Iv. ART, x. SECT. xLv.

thing as getting a clear conception of the beginnings of preventing Grace and free-will? - We answer, it is not necessary, in order to shew the zruth of a doctrine, to prove, that all men can comprehend it. We have had an whole Chapter on unintelli- gible Doctrines, and we have allowed, that the doctrines of the first, second, and fifth Articles are all above human comprehension. But we may believe the reality of divine influence, without un- derstanding the particular manner, in which it operates.

Our manner of treating the subject does require some thought, and some power of distinguishing; but every man makes as many distinctions, and that very frequently, in the common affairs of life, as we require. Whoever will let his mind ply freely to circumstances, only in the same way he does in interpreting common discourse, will make references to Divine assistance in a right manner, and with right limitations; and will understand them as they are really meant, when they are made by others“.

If any one asked, in particular, which begins first, preventing Grace, or virtue? I should not scruple to answer, I do not know: if our part is clear, we may safely leave the part of God to himself. —Our business is, to profess that God 7/pires us, and that we are to ascribe to him our good thoughts and actions. Now, we are not hindered from pro- fessing either of these things, by our ignorance of the nascent operations of divine and human agency. No time can be assigned, when we cannot thank God for any virtuous act or purpole, of which we are conscious. The nascent acts of mutual sym-

pathy,

d See Principles and Practices, &c. p. 49, 40. many dis- tinctions may be necessary now, which were not so when his (St. Paul’s) Epistles were written.“

BOOK IV. ART. x. SECT. XLVI. 241

pathy, or friendship, are almost as unintelligible as those of divine influence and human virtue. XLVI. Is not the general tenor of the scriptures as if man was free is it not full of precepts, com- mands, Laws, which presuppose freedom ? Does not conscience imply the same? Are we not exhorted to repent*, and © grow® in Grace?” Nay, are we not told, that, if a’ man” © purge /imself,”— « he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified and meet for the Master’s use, and prepared (the word of our Article) unto every good work? Can the supposition of our being passive, impelled in some mysterious manner, stand against sayings fo plain and intelligible as these 7— If our remarks are ac- cepted, I apprehend, that an answer has already® been given to this difficulty. It is now proposed in order that, in case they should not, another may be offered. Free-will and Grace are opposed; but are they really incompatible with each other ?— why may not they both be received? even though no reconciliation between them should be at- tempted ?—they seem both to be received by our Church; and also by Augustin. If they both are separately proved to exist, they are reconcileable in their nature, though we should not, at present, know how to reconcile them.—Indeed experience seems to shew, that they do exist together, in the minds of thousands.— We will, then, grant our objector, that there is 2 harm in his referring actions to the agent; nay, that it does not imply any fa//hood : we only desire him to grant, that to ascribe good actions to the Deity is more pious; and therefore, on some occasions, more proper, nay, with a view to religion, more prudent ; as it will Adds iii. 19. k 2 Pet. iii. 18. 2 Tim. ii. 21. = Set. xL III. a Set. xi.

VOL, Tit. © Q

will corre& and amend our principles, by exciting some good sentiment or affection. 2

xXxLVII. It may be urged, that it 1s inconsistent to say, that past actions only are the objects of the scriptural sayings concerning Grace, when it is cer- tain, that we are commanded to pray for it; which implies looking forwards into iturity.

But all the prospect we have of Grace, in pray- ing for it, is very obscure; all the notion we have of it then is quite indistinct ;—that there is such a thing may, to be sure, be seen at any time, or without any relation to time. Prayer is an action itself, which we may refer, with a retrospective view, to the divine assistance s. It implies endeavours in active virtue accompanying it.—lIrt is itself an endeavour; an effort to procure the means of acting well; and in this light it is seen in future, as human agency; as well as the end it aims at. There seems nothi unscriptural, when we are using any honest endea- vours, in hoping for future assistance, in some in- definite manner. In short, prayer may, in some way, mix ideas of divine and human agency; but does not imply any contradiction to our notion, that particular actions are not to be considered as inspired, till they are past.

XLVI1I. It has been objected, by a Friend” of mine, to my way of interpreting and limiting pas- sages of Scripture relating to divine Grace, that it has an appearance of lotvering their importance, and also the importance of God’s revealing the per- sonality of the Holy Spirit. But it seems to me, that

this is only a temporary appearance, which would go off on consideration.

1. It ® Rom. viii. 26. P Mr. Twining, the author of the work so well known and so much esteemed amongst the learned, on Aristotle’s Poetics.

BOOK IV. ART. x. SECT, XLVIII, 243

1. It cannot diminish our respect for the scrip- tures to look upon them as written in popular lan- guage : if they were not, they would in reality be written in no language at all; that is, in no words, which would convey ideas, especially to such per- sons as they were addressed to. The connexion between words and ideas is arbitrary, and wholly dependent on cy/ffom : sounds, to which we are un- accustomed, are no language; and, if those sounds were ike something we were used to, they would confound us the more. ;

2. Though references to divine agency may be indistinct, and though the words which express them may require /imitation in getting at their real mean- ing, yet they may be ever so important : they may be sublime, affecting, and in short may warm the heart to virtue and piety, [

3. It is surely of great importance to see all ex- pressions about Grace in such a light, that they {hall leave the efficacy of rewards and punishments undiminished ; and shall afford no pretence for re- missuess in spiritual diligence. So long as our part in working out our salvation is disentangled from mystery, the part of God may safely be committed to the clouds and darkness, which surround * his Throne.

4. It does not appear, that the power of the Holy Ghost is limited, by our notions, either upon the understanding of man, or upon his will. —On the other hand, it is consistent with those notions, to maintain, that virtues may be referred to him with a fuller confidence because his parti- cular office is revealed: though still his influence be only mediately perceivable, and though the manner of referring virtues to divine agency con- tinues as before revelation.

4 5. Lastly,

2 Psalm xcvli. 2.

244 BOOK IV. ART. x. SECT. XLIX,

5. Lastly, could we flatter ourselves, that our manner of extracting the good from different opi- mons, would have a tendency to silence disputes,

we might venture to say, that it would be the

means of making the scriptures generally re- spected as they deserve.

XxLIX. But, though CAristians should be brought to respe& Scripture, yet still the same objection remains with regard to infidels, which was men- tioned under the preceding* Article. Will not any doctrine of Grace disgust men of plain common sense; or of philosophical minds, and make them averse to Revelation? particularly, by taking reli- gion out of the regions of experience and common sense, into those of fancy and enthusiasm? and by establishing a sort of doctrine of necessity, on the ruins of freedom of will?

First, with regard to experience. That men are influenced and assisted by the Holy Ghost, we do not learn merely by experience ; but there is no- thing in the doctrine, which is contrary to expe- rience. The rational Philosopher will allow, that there is an over-ruling* Providence; though the manner in which it rules, in particular cases, is unknown. Why therefore should it be objected to the doctrine of Grace, that the manner of in- fluencing minds is not understood? It is as /ikely, that God should influence mind as matter: to ex- dude him from the former, when his influence upon the latter is allowed, seems a great incon- sistency, supported by no philosophical reason.— When men encourage themselves in rejecting the operations of the Spirit, because they do not /z: them, they are apt to fancy, that they do /ee the

_ objects, which excite their passions. The objects

indeed r Art. ix, Set. xL. Sete Powell - Discourse xiIi. P · 218.

BOOK iv. ART. x. SECT. xLIix. 245

indeed they do see, in some sense, but in one that is but little to the purpose; because they see no- thing of the manner, in which those objects exer- cise any powwer over their minds. They see too the lightening and the earthquake, they hear the thunder ; which they may call, with the Psalmist, © the voice of the Lord;”—but the application of these to the moral government of the world, they under- stand as little as they do the inspiration of God’s Holy Spirit. Many material things raise or de- press our spirits, draw us into speculations of a chearful or melancholy sort; we know not how; nor are we sensible of the effect, till experience shews us it on looking back; what presumption can true philosophy entertain against the same kind of secret influence from heaven?

Entliusiasim has”, in fact, been owing to presump- tion; those who have believed the reality of Inspi- ration, thinking that if they were inspired they must feel it, have presumed, that their internal sen- sations were immediately from God.

And, with regard to the doctrine of Necefity, if the Christian doctrine of Grace did introduce it, I see not that the Philosopher need be disgusted on that account: many able men have * favoured that doctrine, independently of Christianity. The scheme of necessity is misunderstood, if it is thought inconsistent with Virtue, or any part of moral discipline. Hartley“ says, By the me- chanism of human actions I mean, that each action results from the previous circumstances of body and mind, in the same manner, and with the same cer- tainty, as other effects do from their mechanical

| caules.” t Psalm xx ix.

v Powell, Discourse xiii. or p. 216. Enthusiasm was treated Book 111, Chap. xv. Sect. x1.

246 BOOK IV. ART. x. SECT. XLIRX,

causes.” This, however, he allows to be con- sistent with each man’s having a power © of delibe- rating, sulpending, chusing, &c. or of resisting the morives * of sensuality, ambition, […] But saying, that certain motives will produce certain volitions, seems something like Sir Isaac Newton’s second law of motion, the change of motion is proportional to the moving force im- pressed; to which, objection has been rightly * made, as being an identical proposition z because the force can only be known à posteriori, by the change of motion. Waving formal definition, it is ealy to conceive the mind acted upon, without considering it as acting; the Vill as passive, with- out thinking of its activity. —Virtue is not excluded by this way of viewing the mind; for that consists in calling up good motives, so as to overpower the bad ones: and it implies a character, which is some- thing fixed: rewards and punishments move the mind, and are proposed on purpose that they may do so; conscience acts as both reward and punish- ment; exhortations, and all the parts of education, move the will, and occasion good volitions. The will itself must be su pposed to exist, because it is constantly 1mpelled ; and therefore a necessary ac- tion is still a voluntary one.—If any one evaded his duty, on pretence that he was a machine, he must be punishable for his inconsistency, as he would not cease, on that pretence, to secure his property and provide his sustenance ; and his very evasion would bring on evil, which would act as a motive to reformation.— Our familiar use of the

word motives shews, that we really do admit all

this, whether we recognize it in systematic form, or not.

Let * Hartley, Vol. 1. p. fol. pr. Powell’s M. S. Lectures.

BOOK Iv. ART. x. SECT, XLIX. 247

Let not any one think, that I am particularly a favourer of the hypothesis of Necessity; 1 am, in truth for both Freedom and Necessity, according to the explanation before * given; from which, 1 think, it appears, that they do not interfere with each other: and may and do exist together: both hypotheses seem capable of admitting virtue and moral discipline. The phznomena of freedom, or the train of thoughts arising in that system*, arise from the Agen!‘s feeling himself free to chuse: the phenomena, or train of thoughts in the system of necessity, arise from the Spectator’s observing how a man chuses, and according to what rules : and from expecting, on a footing of experience and probability, that the same causes will produce the {ame effects. From whence it follows, that the language of Freedom is that, which the Agent naturally uses ; the language of Necęssity that, which most naturally occurs to the SHectator.— It seems as if it should be remarked, that there is a possibility of some kind of deception in that internal feeling of Liberty, which we never dispute. Brutes do not kill themselves; yet I should think it highly probable, that the Lion, could he speak, would tell us, he could tear and kill himself as well as he can his prey; only he will not: the necessitarian says, he cannot, because he has no motive. In like manner, when a Hen gathereth her chickens under her wings; she would say, she ches to do fo, for their good; the necessitarian would say, that in- fiinet compells her to gather them; or causes her choice ; and that only just till the brood can take care of itself. There is also to be remarked a consi-

derable degree of regularity in the choice made by men:

Introduction to Part 11. Sect. v. + Book 111. Chap. x v. Sect. 1x.

Q 4

248 BOOK iv. ART. x. SECT, XLIX.

men: else indeed what could be depended upon? what order, government, union, could be main- tamed ? this regularity is much less perceived by the Agent than by the Spectator : therefore, when we speak of the part of each 1ndividual, we speak, with him, the language of Freedom: when we speak of men collectively, and of disposing or govern- ing them, we speak, with the Spectator, the lan-

uage of Necessity. But, if a man would be per- fectiy free from difficulty, he must learn to pass from one conception and language to the other, with case and readiness. This will be confirmed if we consider, as accurately as possible, what it is that we really do know of @ wolition. I should think, nothing more than this :—several objects of choice offer themselves; each displays its peculiar advar „ we chuse one; or one is chosen; for our ideas are so faint, that we judge chiefly from the effect. There must be choice; and the ill must be influenced; the volition may be seen in either light. When we describe it, or its effect, in words, we do it by comparison; we compare it to weighing, commanding, impelling, or something which happens in common life.-On the whole, disputes on the subject of liberty and necessity, however numerous they may have been, may be pronounced vain and idle: as much so as if you was placed within a spherical surface, and I without it, and we were to enter into abstruse mathemati- cal arguments on the question, whether the surface between us was concave Or convex 7 in my situation it is convex, in yours it is concave.

We may therefore close the present objection with observing, that, though the scriptural doctrine of Grace did favour the scheme of necessity, it need occasion no aversion to the Scriptures in any man of a philosophical mind, on that account; but

BOOK IV. ART. x. SECT. L. 249

but that the truth is, the Doctrine of Grace is only a small part of what is contained in the Scriptures; the language of the whole, taken to- gether, is always the language of Nature, and therefore varies with occasions and views of things.

The Philosopher should remember, that Hea- thens have referred even virtues to Divine Agency; as we shewed in the second Section of this Article.

1. Having then finished our Proof, direct and indirect, we come to that matter, which was re- served: the referring of evil to the Agency of the Supreme Being. Evil may be ascribed to God as the matter of his Decrees, or as infused into the mind. Decrees belong to the seventeenth Article; all influence on the mind, to the present.

The first thing to be mentioned is, God’s giving men over to a reprobate Mind: we have several passages, in which something occurs to this pur- pose.— Rom. 1. 24. 26. 28. may be reckoned the principal; but others may be seen : Matt. vii. 6. — 1 Cor. xiv. 38. — 2 Tim. iii. 13.— Rev. xxii. 11.,—It may be permitted to add Ecclesiasticus Wold… -

Whatever fault there may be in these texts, it is not to be charged upon Chri/tianity : because the Author of Nature gives men over to a reprobate mind, and all we want to prove is, that Christi- anity comes from the Author of Nature. The more a man indulges any appetite, the stronger it grows ; artificial or unnatural cravings perpetually gather strength, till recovery from vice becomes desperate. „

In this case, a man is commonly called an aban- cloned sinner. To defend this Rule of God’s Govern- ment, is the business of natural religion. But we may obserye, by the way, that, as Man gives up

| attending,

— . . ——˙

250 BOOK IV. ART. x. SECT. L.

ttending, when he has loft all probability of suc- cess, it cannot seem unnatural to him, that God should do the fame, In man indeed this some- times happens because the quantity of his attention is limited; but that is not always the case, At least, we may conceive, that a sort of punishment will probably be effectual on man, which falls in with his received notions and practices. And there

can be no impropriety in punishing drunkenness

by thirst, or gluttony by 1immoderate © cravings : nay, it must tend to increase mens caution about the beginnings of all illicit indulgencies, and there- fore to keep the mind in a state of Purity.—Then, I do not imagine, that any man is ever totally ir- recaverable from vice; only that it is morally im- possible, not to be expected, that some should recover. Nor is the scripture to be fo understood as if God ever gave men over in any other sense but as it may be said, that God gave a drunken man over to sottishness, or a prodigal to protusion. Men get into bad habits in the common way, and then these habits, considered as a part of God’s Government, are properly referred to God, as in fome sense their cause. So the Gentiles got into habits of vice, natural and unnatural; when that became a past event, it might, when set in a pro- per point of view, be referred to the Supreme Being“.

Some persons seem to have a notion, in some way of theory, that God’s Grace abandons some wicked men; and that, without Grace, they

cannot

4 This is called by Turretin, making a Sin the Punishment of a Sin. |

© Psalm Ixxxi. 12, 13. But my poogis would not hear my voice, and Israel would not obey me; so I gave them up unto their own hearts* lusts, and let them follow their own imagi- nations,

BOOK IV. ART. x. SECT. L. 251

cannot possibly recover. But this I should call un- warrantable speculation : it is as if there were some act of God previous to the worst degree of wicked- ness, which we could distinctly ascertain, and which put it out of man’s power to avoid that wicked- ness; but there is no such thing: till men confine themselves to referring paff events to the divine agency, they will ever get wrong. Suppole the fact, that a man was become thoroughly wicked, and then there would be no impropriety in de- scribing his fate as one in want of the Grace of God; but, in that case, piety would attend as much to the recovery as to the fall. Again, suppose the fact, that a man has made a strong effert to roule himself from his spiritual stupidity ; let him be said to have been awakened by the grace of God; it is right, pious, and not untrue: but to think a man out of * the possibility of reformation, because his actual profligacy may be ascribed, indistinctly, to his being deserted by the divine Grace, is to pervert and mistake the language of scripture, and to forget the manner, in which it was originally in- troduced and applied.

Not but we might refer unfavourable events, though arising from faults or vices, to God, in cer- tain respects, when it would excite good /eitiments : for there is no evil, of any kind, which is ozt of the reach of God’s Government; none which he does not behold as within the system of things, which he has appointed; none therefore which may not be referred to him, when viewed in that light. But what is evil in some respects, can generally be seen to be good in other respects. If a robber is about to kill me, and a friend of mine, in my defence,

kills

f Set. xy111, from Racovian Catechism..—Also end of Sect. xx. n |

— — *

252 BOOK IV. ART. x. SECT. L.

kills him, I may thank God for the even? : but not as an aa of homicide, only as a deliverance.

If a Tyrant acts as a scou?pe ® in the hand of God, his

tyranny may, on some occasions, be mentioned as owing to God ; not as tyranny, but as punishment. In almost any evil, a reference may be made to God, when the purpose is to make it felt, that the most profligate cannot throw off God’s Govern- ment : that, lawless as they may feel, though they may do themselves and others harm within certain bounds, yet that they» are limited in doing mis- chief; and that God 1s able to turn even their wickedness to the forwarding of his grand in- scrutable designs in the government > the uni- verse.

In short, the good arising out of evil is gene- rally the thing referred to God, when our imper- fect language seems to refer to him the evil at large.

Something has been already“ said of the phrase- ology of the Fews. We may add, that they seem to have referred more events to the agency of Spirits than we do now. As most men have a general belief of the existence of intelligent beings

between Man and the Supreme Being (nothing

can be more narrow-minded and unphilosopht- cal than to deny their existence) and yet as we know nothing particular of their agency, it is no wonder, that men have run into very different de- grees of ascribing events to it. At the revival of learning, about the time of the Reformation, many more references were made to Satan than are at present, If our form of indicting criminals were

Now s « His scourge the Tyrant.“ Pore. h Se. 111, and x X, Also end of IntroduR. to Part 11. i The following paragraph 2 in a newspaper in 1791: it may tend to illustrate our present remark.— The dama 1 1 | erable

BOOK Iv. ART. x. SECT. I. 253

now new, we should not find it said, that each com- mitted his crime at the in/igation of the Devil. I only mean to suggest, that this matter, of referrin events to spirits, is, in a great measure, arbitrary; and therefore the Jews might refer many events so, and our Saviour might comply with the custom. I should think this enough to account for several things in scripture, and particularly for the expres- fion a Spirit* of lumber ; or stupidity.

God is sometimes said to ind men, as to their understanding, and to harden them, as to their Heart. But this, surely, does not imply any act of the Deity, which should be allowed by man before the blindness or hardness 1s acknowledged as a past event. Even Calvin“ observes, © Nec tamen sequitur reprobos, propterea quod indurantur a Deo, « it non indurari.” So far from it, that it is often an indifferent matter, which mode of expres- fion is made use of, God’s hardening a man, or his hardening himself : only one fact would be described, though both expressions were used : namely, a

man’s

siderable as it is, which has been done to the church at Rainham, in Kent, sinks to nothing when compared with what happened at the church of St. Julian’s, in Shrewsbury, about the year 1500, when, as their own Doomsday Book stateth, “the divelle dyd put his clawe upponne the clapper of the great bell, and from his clawe there yssued a flame of fiyre, which dydde melte yverie bell in the church, threwe the spyer upponne the grounde, and meltydde moche of the brasse worke candyl styks,—because an holie and righteous Monke hadde in a sermonne spoken taun- tinlie offe his power and auctoritte upponne earthe!“ “ Thus did our pious and philosophic ancestors salve an electric cloud.

& Rom. xi. 8. from If. xxix. 10.—I suppose ππ⁷ means a Person here. The Holy Spirit has several names in a similar Form, See Parkhurst, |

| Hoęos signifies blind, also an hard substance; hence wwgow may be translated to blind or to harden ; See margin of Rom. xi. 8, and Hesychius.— But in John xii. 40. we have rervPAwrer for oOJanms; z n for rg.

m Opuscula, 12mo. p. 314.

— —— wc […] —

254 BOOK IV. ART, x. SECT, L.

man’s doing some act of wickedness, which may be ascribed, after it is committed, to human agency or divine, as you wish to excite an abhorrence of the fault, or gratitude to God for bringing inci- dental good out of that fault. Pharark was per- verse and tyrannical, in not suffering the Israelites to depart out of his dominions : if you speak of this as a fault, Pharaoh hardened 4s own heart ; if as a part of divine government, to which the Jews ought to be gratefully attentive, you say God har- dened his heart; that is, by granting him respite; both forms are used in scripture“; but neither im- plies, that Pharaoh’s obstinacy did not arise as that of obstinate men commonly does*. There are about four paslages, it which it is said, God will barden ; but 0 new fact is implied: nor is any fact to be conceived, but © he h […] they shall follow.” —In like manner, the aumber- ing of the people is, in one place“, ascribed to God, in his anger; and in another to Satan : the first belongs to the subject of God’s Government, as the context shews, (though the marginal readin is, Satan“); the last, to the subject of David’s blameable difruf. The difference has no relation to the head, but only to the heart : that is, the different modes of expression do not give different information, n Exod. viii. 32 —ix. 7, 12, 34, 35» The forms seem to be used almost zudifferently ; compare ix. 16. with 17,-Yet we have no authority tor saying, * God hardened y heart - that would promote Sin. It seems to me, that the phrase had grown fo familiar, that it got to be tossed about, and used in any tenses. St. Paul uses it, but to eus; and maintaining the sovereignty of God, against the impertinent claims of Jews, to election, &c.— We modern Christians have no business to ule it. ;

9 Quos Deus vult perdere prits dementat. Did God harden the heart of Pharaoh more than he hardened the hearts of Ves-

pasian and Titus? f

? Exod xiv 4, 17.

q 2 Sam. XXIV. 1.—1 Chron. xxi. 1.

BOOK IV. ART. x. SECT. LI. 255

information, but only excite different feelings. If God is spoken of as suggesting a punishable act, it is as pumsimem, which, as a part of good govera- ment, demands our devout admiration; it Satan suggests a punishable act, it is as un, which should

excite our abhorrence.

Li. Having finished what was reserved, we come to our Application : consisting of the same parts as in the preceding Articles,

We are first to see how near an Article of natural religion will approach to that before us; supposing us to take care, that we say nothing unauthorized. —One who was not a Christian might profess as follows, after what was, professed under the preced- ing Article; | |

© The condition of man, as described under the preceding Article, is such, as would make it ex- tremely difficult for men even of the more virtuous sort, to enter into the plan or association there pro- posed, for amending and improving our moral principles; it is a thing, indeed, to be deemed visionary, and beyond rational expectation. If it should be accomplished in any instance, he who finds himself in so happy a state, would have reason to think it a great hing, and to rhank Providence for having conducted him into so desirable a situa- tion. His virtues might be expected to flourish there, and his disposition to improve continually. He must, however, be careful to see even these improvements of conduct and principle, in a right light. He must not grow proud of them, but {till look up to Heaven with a grateful heart, and continually ascribe, with warm feelings rather than with precise ideas, all his improvements, both of disposition and conduct, to the gracious influence of him, who, being the

fountain

r Art. 1x. Sect. XL1.

256 BOOK iv. ART, x. SECT. LII. LI II. fountain of light, illuminates the human * mind

with the rays of his divine wisdom ; and, being a

God of purity, gives to man, when well disposed,

a a taste and relish for whatsoever things are pure.”

LII. Turn we now from the Heathen to the Christian, —In what sense can he give a solemn assent to the tenth article of our Church? m the following; .

© The condition of Man, as described under the preceding article, is such, that even men of dis- tinguished characters for probity and virtue, cannot be expected to convert themselves to so pure and perfect a Religion as Christianity.— This is not said, in order to prevent their attempting it; no, it is only the suggestion of experience and probability. Let them exert themselves as much as possible: let them strain every nerve to escape from the slavery of fin :—But, if they succeed, the scrip- ture shews, in many places, that they ought to thank God, and give him the glory of their con- version.—In the community of Christians, their conduct may become more acceptable to God ; but even here, when they do anything which 1s good, it appears from scripture, that they are to thank God, not only for the action, as far as it was really good, but allo for the dispo/ition which led to it.

LIII. Mutual concessions may be mentioned, but so much of what has been said has been calcu- lated to settle controversy, that they need not be d welt upon.

On our part, some good might perhaps be done by altering the form of our Article, so that the doctrine contained in it, should not seem to make our endeavours useless, till we knew, that we had

sufficient

BOOK IV. ART. x. SECT. LIIT. 255

sufficient assistance. The Article would pretend less to Theory, if the conversion and other effefts were mentioned first, with some words of scripture about our refusing evil and chu good, and somethin promoting diligence, and if then we were directed to look up to the divine assistance as a cause; as a cause of something seen and experienced. And it might suit some men better, without omitting any essential doctrine, if the reference to our first Parent was made faint * and indefinite. | As to the part of our Adversaries, it really seems as if every Christian might be expected to assent to our Article, when modified in the manner, which has been described”; because no Heathen would re- tuse to assent to any parts but those, which belon to Christianity af large, or to Christians as Chrite tiaas.— The referring should indeed be some way shewn to require no precise ideas. — But, if our Christian brethren, with whom we with to coalesce, were to scruple assenting, they might, in religious worship, allow us to use devout forms in speaking of God as of him “ from whom all holy deres, all good counsels, and all just works do proceed :” and might agree to some extensive forms of doctrine, in which it should be declared, that, as the doctrine of Grace ought not to prevent men’s ching and en- deavouring, according to the best of their abilities; so neither ought the doctrine of sfee-cvill to prevent men from being humble, and giving God the Glory on every occasion. |

LIV. Improvements

t «Whenever we do, or design, anything good, we should give God the Glory; especially because of our hereditary de-

pravity.’.— Would this express every thing essential in our tenth Article?

Dr. Powell shews, that disputants have differed less than they appeared to do, on our present subjet, — Diicourles, p. 299. |

VOL. 111. R

256 BOOK IV. ART. x. SECT. Liv.

LIV. Improvements will chiefly consist in seeing, whether these things* are so : Whether in natural religion, or metaphysics, circumstances confirm what we have said of Liberty and Necessity: Whether texts of scripture can be classed, as we have imagined, into language of the Agent, and language of the Spec- tator: Whether, and how frequently, heathen au- thors ascribe virtue to the Deity.

For a conclusion, | would adopt the conclusion of Dr. Jortin’s first Dissertation“: as from that he seems to have had the same feelings with myself, or some of the same, though he does not appear to have analyzed his feelings so as to establish regular principles, upon which his notions could be supported.

• Acts xvii, 11.

y „ Thus do the doArine of divine Grace and the doctrine of free-will, or human Liberty, unite and conspire, in a friendly manner, to our everlasting good. The first is adapted to excite in us gratitude, faith, and humility ; the second, to awaken our caution, and quicken our diligence.”

Notes

• Pyth. 1. 79. or geen y: see also some of his Commen- tators. The ancient idea of Virtue was extensive ; {ce Hume’s Essays, Vol. 2. p. 282.
• Dissertation 2d. p. 51.— Wall, p. 169.
• Aug. de Gratia Christi, cap. 47. or Set. ca. p. 168. > Auy. de Natura et Gratia, Cap. $9, or Sect, bs. p. 105. : Vol. 7. Edit. Ben. —Lib. 5. cap 1 Caye says, natione Gallus, _ 4 British Family.
• Vol. 1. p. 350.— Lives of Popes.
• Voltaire, ib, ? Dupin, ib. 14 Ladvocat.
• See R. Hey on Liberty, p. 22.
• Pet. Lombard, Lib. 1. dist. 40, (beginning) where Pet. Lomb. uses, “ præparavit (Rom. ix. 23.) sanctos ad justitiam percipiendam ;” and * preparavit iniquos,” & c. See Rhem. Test. on Acts x. 2, mentioned afterwards, Art, x 111, Sect, v.
• Burnet on the Reformation, P. 2. B. 1. (Vol. 2. p. 93, 94.) | See Book 1. Chap. x11. Sect. 111.
• Bp. Gibson; see his Ah Pastoral Letter, p. 261. Also end of Sect. xix.
• Principles and Practices farther considered, p. 29.
• Hey on Atonement, p. 45. Note. Introd. to our 2d Part, Set. vil. |
• Sect. xix. Y On Man, Vol, 1, p. 500. Q_3
• Leland’s View, vol. 1. p. 24, 4th edit, referred to in Sect. II, N |