one of his epistles, declaring, that when "the executioner sheathed his sword in Polycarp, such a quantity of blood came out as quenched the fire; and the whole multitude wondered that there was such a difference μεταξυ των τε απίστων και των εκλεκτων, between the infdels and the elect."

SECTION III.

JUSTIN. A. D. 150.

JUSTIN, called the Martyr, to distinguish him from others of the same name, was a native of Samaria; he was born A. D. 89, was brought up a philosopher, afterwards became a Christian, and suffered martyrdom in the third year of M. Aurelius Antoninus, and L. Verus, a. d. 163*. Several of his writings continue to this day, in which may be observed:

1. That he ascribes to God an eternal and universal prescience of future events; upon which proceed depredictions in the sacred writings. He asserts that God foreknew who would be good or bad, who would repent and believe, and who not, and who will be saved or damned; all which, as it perfectly agrees with the word of God, so with our sentiments. Justin no where says, that God foreknew that any would be good, repent and believe of themselves, without his grace, by the mere strength of nature; and that he chose any to glory and happiness upon such a foresight of their good works, repentance and faith: much less that he chose them to grace upon a prescience of these things; and, indeed, no man in his senses would say, that God chose man to faith upon a foresight of faith; but lest what this author has said should be thought to militate against us, we will produce the several passages. Addressing himself † to Trypho the Jew, he thus speaks: "None of you, as I think, will dare to say, οτι μη και προγνωστης των γινεσθαι μελλοντων ην και εστινο Θεος, και τα αξια εκαστο προετοιμαζων, that God was not, and is not, foreknowing of what shall be done, or afore prepares not things fitting for every one." And elsewhere, aλeεσтeрoi o añо των εθνών και πιστότεροι προεγινώσκοντο, “ the more true and faithful among the Gentiles, were foreknown;" that is, it was foreknown by God, that many of them would be so. Hence the prophets, under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, foretold, that they would believe in Christ, when "the Jews and Samaritans, who had the word delivered them from God by the prophets, and were always expecting the Messiah, knew him not when he camе; Tλŋν oλɩуwv Twvwv, excepting some few, whom the holy prophetic Spirit, by Isaiah, TроETE σwonσeodai, foretold should be saved; who, personating them, said, Except the Lord had left us a seed, we had been as Sodom and Gomorrah." He has, indeed, this observation §, and it is a very good one, "that when we assert that what is foretold by the prophets shall be done, we do not say, that it shall be done by the necessity of fate, αλλα προγνώστου του Θεου ουτος των μελλοντων υπο παντων ανθρώπων πραχθήσεσθαι, but that tDialog. cum Tryph. p. 234. § Ibid. p. 82.

* Vide Fabricii Bibl. Græc. 1. 5, c. 1, p. 51, 52.

Apolog. pro Christian. 2, p. 88, 89.

66

God foreknows things future, that shall be done by all men." So having cited Isa. xxxiii. 18, he says, "that the people who were foreknown to believe in him (Christ) οτι λαος ο εις αυτον πιστεύειν προεγνωσμένος, should meditate the fear of the Lord, was also foreknown, the very words of the prophecy declare." And in another placet, says he, "I am able to show, that all the things appointed by Moses were types, symbols, and declarations of what should be done to Christ; Kai Twv εις αυτον πιστευειν προεγνωσμένων, and of them that were foreknown to believe in him and likewise of those things that were to be done by Christ." And elsewhere‡, speaking of the punishment of devils and wicked men, which is at present deferred by God for the sake of men, gives this as the reason of it: προγινωσκει γαρ τινας εν με τανοίας σωθήσεσθαι μελλοντας, και τινας μηδεπω ίσως γεννέθεντας ; “ for he foreknew that some would be saved through repentance; and, perhaps, some not yet born;" for at first he made mankind intelligent, and able to choose the truth, and to do well; so that all "men are left without excuse by God."

2. Justin asserts, that God not only foreknows that some will be saved, and others damned, but that he has afore prepared salvation for some persons, and punishment for others. Speaking § of the sufferings of Christians for the sake of Christ, he has these words; which, says he, we bear, that we may not "with our voice deny Christ, by whom we are called εις σωτηρίαν την προητοιμασμενην παρα του Πατρός nuov, unto the salvation which is before prepared by our Father." And in another place ||, treating of Christ as the Angel of the great council, according to the Septuagint version of Isa. ix. 6, he thus speaks: “The great things, εβεβούλευτο ο Πατήρ, which the Father hath in his counsel appointed for all men," that are or shall be wellpleasing to him, and likewise those that depart from his will, whether angels or men, he only (Christ) hath most clearly taught, Matt. viii. 11, 12, and vii. 22, 23; and in other words, when he will condemn the unworthy that shall not be saved, he will say to them, "Go ye into outer darkness, which the Father hath prepared for Satan and his angels." He elsewhere T, indeed, well observes, "that it is not the fault of God, οι προγινωσκομενοι και γενησομενοι αδικοι, that those who are foreknown, and shall be unrighteous, whether angels or men, that they are wicked; but it is through their own fault that every one is such as he appears to be." And a little further, he adds, "Wherefore if the word of God intimates beforehand that some angels and men shall be punished, because that προεγινωσκεν αυτούς ωμεταβλητους γενησος μEVOUS TOVηрous, he foreknew that they would be immutably wicked;" it has foretold these things, but not that God has made them such; seeing, if they repent, all, Bovλouevo, that are willing to obtain the mercy of God may. To which we heartily agree. We say that God makes no man wicked, but he makes himself so; that neither the foreknowledge of God, nor his decrees, necessitate men to sin; and that God damns no man, nor has he decreed to damn any but for sin; and Apol. pro Christ. 2, p. 71. ¶ Ibid. p. 370.

* Dialog. cum Tryph. p. 296, 297. § Dialog. cum Tryph. p. 360.

+ Ibid. p. 261.

|| Ibid. p. 301.

that whoever is truly desirous of the grace and mercy of God, may obtain it through Christ.

3. This ancient and valuable Christian writer not only speaks of the people of God under the title and appellation of the elect, as he does at the close of an epistle of his to some persons for whom he prays, that "the Lord of glory, who exists for ever, would give to them all to enjoy honour and rest μera Twv ekλektov, with the elect;" but he also speaks of them as a special people, selected out of every nation, and as a fixed number to be completed. In one place, disputing with Trypho the Jew, he has these words +: "God, out of all nations, took your nation to himself, a nation unprofitable, disobedient, and unfaithful; thereby pointing out τους απο παντός γενους αιρουμενους, those that are chosen out of every nation to obey his will, by Christ, whom also he calls Jacob, and names Israel." And addressing himself to the same Jew, he says, "In all these discourses I have brought all my proofs out of your holy and prophetic writings, hoping that some of you may be found εκ του κατα χαριν την απο του Κυρίου σαβαωθ περιλειειφθεντος εις την αιώνιον σωτηρίαν, of the number which, through the grace that comes from the Lord of Sabaoth, is left or reserved to everlasting salvation." And in another treatise of his he observes §, that "God introduced Christ into heaven after his resurrection from the dead, and detains him there until he has smitten his enemies the devils, και συντελεσθη ο αριθμός των προεγνωσθενών αυτω αγα νων γινομένων και EvapeTwv, and the number of them that are foreknown by him to be good and virtuous is completed; di ovs, for whose sake he has not yet made the determined consummation." Which perfectly agrees with the doctrine of the apostle Peter, and gives light into the sense of his words in 2 Pet. iii. 9, where the same reason is given for the deferring of Christ's coming to judgment.

There is but one passage out of Justin produced by Dr. Whitby || in opposition to the doctrine of absolute election, and that properly belongs to the article of free will, under which it will be considered.

SECTION IV.

MINUTIUS FELIX. A. D. 170.

MINUTIUS FELIX was a famous counsellor at Rome; according to Monsieur Daille ¶, he was contemporary with Fronto the orator, who lived in the times of Antoninus Pius, which emperor died A. D. 161, and, following him, I have placed him in the year as above; though by others he is commonly put at the beginning of the third century. He wrote a dialogue between Cæcilius a heathen, and Octavius a Christian, which is entitled Octavius, and is still in being. In this dialogue Cæcilius the heathen objects to the Christians, thus **, Nam quicquid agimus, ut alii fato, ita vos Deo addicitis; sic sectæ vestræ non sponDialog. cum Tryph. p. 359, 360.

* Epist. ad Zenam et Seren. p. 515.

Ibid. p. 249. § Apol. pro Christ. 2, p. 82. Disc. on the Five Points, p. 96; ed. 2. 95. Apol. part 4, p. 756. ** Min, Felix. Octav, p. 363, ad Calcem Arnobii, p. 11, ed. Oxon. 1662.

taneos cupere sed electos. Igitur iniquam judicem fingitis, qui sortem in hominibus puniat, non voluntatem: that is, "Whatsoever we do, as others ascribe it to fate, so you to God; and so men desire your sect not of their own accord, but as elect; wherefore you suppose an unjust judge, who punishes in men lot or fortune, and not the will." To this Octavius replies*, Nec de fato quisquam aut solatium captet aut excuset eventum. Sit fortis (sortis, Ed. Öxon. 1662) fortunæ, mens tamen libera est et ideo actus hominis, non dignitas judicatur. Quid enim aliud est fatum, quam quod de unoquoque Deus fatus est? Qui cum possit præscire materiam, pro meritis et qualitatibus singulorum etiam fata determinat, ita in nobis non genitura plectitur, sed ingenii natura punitur; that is, "No man may either take any comfort from fate, or excuse an event; for let it be of lot or fortune, yet the mind is free, and therefore the act and not the worth of the man is judged of. For what else is fate, but what God says of every one of us? Who, since he can foreknow matter, even determines the fates according to the merits and qualities of every one; so that not our nativity (that is, as depending on the position of the stars) but our natural disposition is punished." From whence I observe,

1. That there was a doctrine held by the Christians in those times, which seemed to have some affinity with, and to bear some likeness to, the stoical fate, or Cæcilius could not have thus objected with any face; nor does this objection appear to be altogether groundless, as many of his certainly were, since Octavius, in his reply, does not deny the doctrine of fate rightly understood, though he would not have men shelter themselves under it, and excuse their actions on the account of it; nay, he does not reject the use of that word, but explains it in a Christian sense, saying, "What is fate, but what God says, or determines, concerning every one of us?" Now no doctrine, but that of predestination, as held by such who are called Calvinists, can be thought to bear any likeness to the doctrine of fate, or be liable to the like objections; wherefore it is reasonable to conclude, that the same doctrine was generally taught and received by the Christians then as it is by them that hold it now, since the same charge is brought against it.

2. That the saints in those times went under the name of the elect; and that it was a current opinion among them, that men were converted to the Christian religion, and were brought into fellowship and society with the Christians, not by the power of their own free will, but in consequence of electing grace; and therefore Cæcilius upbraids them as coveting the Christian sect, and joining themselves to it, non spontaneos, "not of their own accord," sed electos, "but being the elect."

3. What farther confirms this, that the doctrine of predestination was then received among the Christians, is, that Cæcilius goes on to charge the Christian hypothesis with making God unjust; since he must punish men not for what they voluntarily do, but for what they cannot help, for that which is allotted and determined for them to do; which contains the whole strength of what is now objected to the doc* Min. Felix. Octav. p. 397. Ed. Elmenhorst. p. 39; ed. Oxon.

trine of absolute reprobation, and what it was of old charged with, even in the apostles' times, What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God *?

4. The latter part of Octavius's reply is indeed produced by the Arminians, as militating against the absolute decrees of God; but without any just reason, since there is nothing in it that is inconsistent with them. We readily own that God can and does foreknow whatever is or shall be; and that according to the qualities of men, he determines their fates, the issues of things, their salvation or damnation, for we say, that "God decreed to damn no man but for sin; and that he appointed none to salvation but through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth;" or in other words, that God foreknowing the faith and repentance of his elect, because he had determined to give them to them, he appoints them to salvation, through them as means: and foreknowing the sin, final impenitence, and unbelief of the rest, he appoints them to damnation; though these things are to be considered not as causes of predestination, quoad actum volentis, with respect. to the will of God; but quoad res volitas, with respect to the things willed. Dr. Twisse, who well understood this controversy, and was an able defender of the absolute decrees of God, agrees with every thing that Octavius here says: "As to that of Minutius Felix," says het, "we deny that God doth sortem in hominibus punire, non voluntatem. We do not say, genitura plectitur; we say, that in every one who is punished by God, ingenii natura punitur; we confess, that fatum illud est, quod de unoquoque Deus fatus est; and that promeritis et singulorum qualitatibus etiam fata determinat."

SECTION V.

IREN ÆUS. A. D. 180.

IRENEUS was a disciple of Polycarp, and an auditor of Papias, who were both disciples of the apostle John; he was first a presbyter under Pothinus, bishop of Lyons, in France, and when he died, who suffered martyrdom about A. D. 178, he succeeded him as bishop of that place, and became a martyr about SA. D. 198. He wrote five books against the heresies of the Valentinians and Gnostics, which remain to this day; from whence may be gathered his sense concerning the decrees of God. And,

1. It is evident, that he believed that all things are predetermined by God, and are overruled by him for the good of his church and people; ; yea, that even the fall of man is used to their advantage; for he says, that God has shown the greatness of his mind in the apostacy of man, for man is taught by it;" as the prophet says, "Thy backslidings shall reform thee." Prefiniente Deo omnia ad hominis perfectionem. "God predetermining all things for the perfection of man, and for the bringing about and manifestation of his dispositions, that

*Rom. ix. 14.

+ Riches of God's Grace, against Hord. part 1, p. 54. Vide Fabricii Bibl. Græc. 1. 5, c. 1, p. 66. § Vide Dallai. Apol. par. 4, p. 759. Irenæus adv. Hæres. 1. 4, c. 72, p. 419