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stand in need of his help, lest if we should, our free will would be destroyed; then we ought by no means to pray any longer,' and thereby engage the goodness of God, that we may daily receive, what, being once received, is in our power; for we pray in vain," adds he, "if it is in our will to do what we will. Why should men pray for that from the Lord, which they have in the power of their own free will?” He farther argues* against the power of free will from the grace of God, and the help and assistance which he affords to man; "Where,” says het, "there is grace, there is no reward of works, but the free gift of the donor; that the saying of the apostle may be fulfilled, It is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy; and yet to will and nill is ours, but that which is ours, is not ours, sine Dei miseratione, without the mercy of God." And elsewhere he observes, that "where there is grace and mercy, free will in part ceases for it is only by that that we will, desire, and give an assent to things that are liked; but it is in the power of the Lord, that that which we desire, labour for, and endeavour after, we are able to fulfil, illius ope et auxilio, by his help and assistance." And in another place he says §, "If not one, nor few, nor many, but all, are governed by their own will, ubi erit auxilium Dei, where will be the help of God? Then how do you explain Psalm xxxvii. 23, Jer. 23, John iii. 27, 1 Cor. iv. 7, &c.?" And again||, he asks, “Where are they that say, that man may be governed by his own will? That such a power of free will is given, that the mercy and justice of God are taken away? Let them be ashamed that say so." He allows of and pleads for such a free will, as is consistent with, and depends upon the grace and power of God; "not that," says he, "free will is taken away from man by the grace of God, but the liberty itself, Dominum habere debeat adjutorem, ought to have God for its helper." He owns**, that "it is ours to will and to run; but, that our willing and running may be accomplished, belongs to the mercy of God; and it is so brought about, that in our willing and running, free will may be preserved, and in the consummation of our will and race, Dei cuncta potentiæ relinquantur, all things may be left to the power of God." Yea, he argues that the Pelagians, and not such as himself, destroyed free will; "They boast," says he tt, "up and down, that free will is destroyed by us; when, on the contrary, they ought to observe, that they destroy the liberty of the will, who abuse it, contrary to the grace of the donor. Who destroys free will? He who always gives thanks to God, and whatsoever flows in his rivulet, he refers to the fountain? Or, he who says, 'Depart from me, for I am clean, I have no need of thee?" Thou hast once given me freedom of will, that I may do what I will, why dost thou thrust in thyself again, that I can do nothing unless thou completest thine own gifts in me?"

*Ad Ctesiph. adv. Pelag. p. 84, I; adv. Pelag. 1. 1, p. 88, I, K, 1. 2, p. 96, E, F, G, p. 102. + Ad Demetriad. tom. i. p. 23, M. Adv. Pelag. 1. 1, tom. ii. p. 101, A. Ctesiph. adv. Pelag. p. 84, B.

§ Ib. 1. 1, p. 91, B; vide etiam Ep. ad Com. in Hierem. tom. v. p. 133, D, E, p. 134, F. ** Adv. Pelag. 1. 1, 87, K.

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¶ Com. in Ezech. tom. v. p. 196, K. Ad Ctesiph. adv. Pelag. p. 84, M.

Once more, he observes *, "that it is not in this we differ from brute beasts, that we were made with a free will; but in this, that this free will depends upon the help of God, illiusque per singula ope indiget, and stands in need of his assistance in every action;' which you (Pelagians) do not mean; but this you mean, that he that once hath free will, does not want God for his helper." From hence we may better understand Jerom's meaning, when he is speaking in favour of free will, as he does in many places; though it is easy to observe that het sometimes considers free will, as man was endued with it at his first creation; at other times he speaks of the power of it, with respect to natural and civil actions, to which also he supposes the power of God was necessary §; and very often of the freedom of it, as opposed to force and violence, which it cannot admit of. He also observes T, that it is not always the same, and is to be regarded according to the mode, time, and condition of man's frailty. Now in one or other of these senses are the passages to be taken which Dr. Whitby has cited** from this writer in favour of free will. It must be owned, that Jerom sometimes drops some things incautiously, and without guard, which are not easily reconciled to his avowed principles; but then these passages should not be urged against his declared opinion and sentiments.

CHAPTER IV.

OF EFFICACIOUS GRACE.

DR. WHITBY++ affirms, "that the fathers generally teach, that God doth only persuade, and by his Spirit assist, those that are willing to be good; but leaves them still to neglect and resist his persuasions, not laying them under a necessity to be good; because that would destroy the virtue and reward of being so." In proof of which he produces but two or three testimonies, which will be hereafter considered. And in another place he says, "As for the antiquity of the irresistibleness of grace, he (Dr. Edwards) hath only one, St. Austin, to produce, against a hundred testimonies of the fathers cited by Vossius, to prove, that God laid no necessity upon man's will to act; as he must do, if he acts irresistibly upon it, that being necessary * Ad Ctesiphont. adv. Pelag. p. 85, G, H.

Ad Damasum, tom. iii. p. 43, H; Comment. in Zeph. tom. vi. p. 121, E; ib. in Eccl. tom. vii. p. 37, E. Ibid. in Isa. tom. v. p. 4, H; ibid. in Ezech. ibid. p. 231.

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§ Ad Ctesiphont, adv. Pelag. p. 85, A.

Ad Demetriad. tom. i. p. 24, B; adv. Jovinian. tom. ii. 1. 2, p. 25, C; ad Damasum, tom. iii. p. 41, K; ad Hedibiam, ib. p. 46, C, 49, H; Comment. in Eccl. tom. vii. p. 34, D; ibid. in Philemon, tom. ix. p. 116, B. Adv. Pelag. 1. 3, p. 101.

** Discourse, &c. p. 384. Postscript, p. 562; ed. 2. 374, 539. tt Discourse, &c. p. 266; ed. 2. 259, 260.

Postscript, p. 565; ed. 2. 542.

which cannot be otherwise." All which pains might have been spared, for none say, that God lays any necessity of coaction or force upon the wills of men; but that by the power of his grace he moves upon them, and influences them to that which is good, according to their nature. Besides, Vossius, after he had made the citations referred to, and which regard the article of free will already considered, observes, that these writers were far from Pelagianism; and that, according to them, the will remained free, and all things are ascribed to grace; which he undertakes more fully to explain; and among the rest, says, "Every good work, as such, is positively from the Holy Spirit, because whatsoever hath a being, as good and supernatural, that it has from grace. From the free will indeed it is only privatively, as it does not resist grace, when it could resist; that it can resist, it has of itself; that it can will to resist, it has from grace." And elsewhere he says, "I would not have it so taken, as if nothing could be produced from them (the fathers) which may seem to intimate, that grace is bestowed from an absolute will to convert ;" and then mentions a passage from Basil, cited by Petrus Diaconus, and others; 66 Thou canst do all things, and there is none can contradict thee; for when thou wilt thou savest, and none resists thy will," And adds, "Also memorable is that of Ambrose, God calls whom he pleases, and whom he will he makes religious." In the following Sections I shall make it appear, that it was the sentiment of the ancient writers, that regeneration, conversion, sanctification, faith, &c. are wrought in the soul through the energy of the Spirit of God, and the powerful and insuperable efficacy of divine grace, and are not the fruits and effects of mere moral suasion.

SECTION I.

CLEMENS ROMANUS. A. D. 69.

CLEMENT was an admirer of the grace of God in vocation and sanctification, for he not only speaks of grace in general, as God's gift, when he says, "Let us be joined to them, to whom n xapis añо TOν Oeov dedorai, grace is given from God;" but observes, that faith, and other particular graces, are also the gifts of God; and in a very pathetic manner takes notice of the goodness of God in the free donation of them, saying, "How blessed and wonderful are the gifts of God, O beloved! Life with immortality, splendour with righteousness, truth with freedom, πιστις εν πεποιθησει, εγκρατεια εν αγιασμω, faith with confidence, continence with holiness." Of which last he elsewhere says, "He that is chaste in the flesh, let him not be proud or insolent ; knowing that ετερος εστιν ο επιχορηγών αυτώ εγκρατείαν, it is another who furnishes him with the gift of continence." And a little after, in the same page, having mentioned the blessings which God has prepared for us before we were born, draws this inference; *Hist. Pelag. 1. 7, par. ii. p. 717, 718. Ib. 1. 6, thes. 10, p. 553, 554. Ib. p. 78.

Ep. ad Corinth. 1, p. 68.

"Therefore since we have all these things from him, we ought κara Taντa, in all things to give thanks to him, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. In the conclusion of his epistle* he prays, "that God would give to every soul that calls upon his great and holy name, faith, fear, peace, patience, long-suffering, continence, chastity, and sobriety, that they may rightly please his name."

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SECTION II.

BARNABAS. A. D. 70.

BARNABAS speaks of the work of grace as a new creation, or as a formation of man again, which requires Almighty power; his words in one place are these †, "Wherefore having renewed us by the remission of our sins, εποιησεν ημας αλλον τυπων, ως παιδιον, ‘he hath made us of another form, as a little child,' to have a soul as though he had made us again; for the Scripture says concerning us, as he said to the Son, Let us make man after our image, and after our likeness." Again, says he, "I will show thee how in the last days he hath made devтeрav Tλaσw, a second formation for us; the Lord δευτεραν πλασιν, saith, Behold, I will make the last as the first: behold, therefore, nμeis avanenλaσμea, we are made again; as he again says in another prophet, Behold, saith the Lord, I will take out their stony hearts, and I will put in them fleshly ones." And in another place‡, speaking of the sanctification of the sabbath-day, he expresses himself thus; "When we receive the righteous promise, of sin being no more, γεγονότων δε καινων παντων υπο Κυρίω, ' being made all new by the Lord,' then shall we be able to sanctify it, being first sanctified ourselves." And a little after says he§," Receiving the remission of sins, and hoping in the name of the Lord, εγενόμεθα καινοι, παλιν εξ αρχης añтoμevoι, we become new, being created again as at the beginning." Repentance, spiritual wisdom and knowledge, are, according to him, pure gifts of the grace of God; for, says hell, he "dwells in us, who were under the servitude of death, opening to us the door of the temple, which is the mouth; Metavoiav didovs nuv, and giving repentance to us; introduces us into the incorruptible temple." He observes, that "Christ chose his apostles to preach the gospel, ovTas υπερ πασαν αμαρτίαν αναμωτερους, being more sinful than all sin itself;' that he might show he came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." And in another place he says**, "See how well Moses gave the law, but whence is it that they know and understand these things? We therefore justly understanding the commandments, speak as the Lord hath willed; wherefore he hath circumcised our ears and hearts, wa ovvioμev Tavтa, that we may understand these things." Wherefore he blesses the Lord for what knowledge and understanding in divine things he is pleased to give, saying ††, "Blessed be our

* Ep. ad Corinth. 1, p. 130.

Ibid. s. 11, p. 244.

| Ibid. p. 247.

** Ibid. 8, p. 233.

† Barnab. Ep. par. 1, s. 5, p. 221, 222.

§ Ibid. s. 12, p. 246.

¶ Ibid. s. 4, p. 218.

+ Ibid. 5, p. 221.

Lord, ο σοφιαν και νουν θέμενος εν ημιν των κρυφίων αυτου, who hath put in us wisdom and understanding of his hidden things." To which may be added that prayer of his*, "God, that governs all the world, own vir copiar, give you wisdom,' understanding, prudence, and knowledge of his commandments, with patience."

δωη υμιν σοφίαν,

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SECTION III.

JUSTIN. A. D. 150.

JUSTIN MARTYR asserts the necessity of the grace of God to the right understanding of the Scriptures; ει ουν τις μη μεταμεγάλης Xаρiтos τηs парa Oeov λaßoi, "unless,' says het, any therefore χαριτος παρα Θεου λαβοι, should undertake with the great grace which is from God,' to understand the things which are said and done by the prophets, it will be of no advantage to him to seem to read the words or facts, unless he can render a reason for them." And in another place, speaking to Trypho the Jew, and those that were with him, he says, "Do you think, O men, that we could ever have been able to have understood these things in the Scriptures, ει μη θεληματι του θελησαντος αυτα ελαβομεν χαριν του νοησαι, unless by the will of him that wills these things, we had received grace to understand them." Addressing himself to the same men, he says§, "Cease to deceive yourselves, and them that hear you, and learn of us, των σωφισθέντων απο της του XpioTov Xapiros, who are made wise by the grace of Christ." And having mentioned the text in Matt. xi. 27, he adds, "Therefore he hath revealed all things to us, which from the Scripture, dia τns χαριτος αυτου νενοηκαμεν, " through his grace, we have an understanding of, knowing him to be the first-born of God, and before all creatures." "Yea," says he, "to us is given to hear, and to understand, and to be saved by this Christ, and to know all the things of the Father." Nay, Eusebius says**, that he openly declares in his Dialogue with Trypho, “how η θεια χαρις αυτον επι τον της πίστεως παρωρμηδε λόγον, the grace of God impelled him to the doctrine of faith;" that is, powerfully wrought upon him to embrace and make a profession of it; which expresses the efficacy of divine grace in its irresistible and unfrustrable operations upon his heart, which Justin had an experience of.

Dr. Whitby++ cites a passage from this writer, in which he says, "that God sent his Son into the world, ws Telσdwv, ov Bialoμevos, as persuading, but not compelling man to be good." But no such words are to be found in the place he refers to. Justin there says ‡‡, that "to be from the beginning is not ours; but us, who choose by the rational powers which he gives, to follow those things which are grateful to him, πείθει τε και εις πιστιν άγει ημας, he persuades and

Barnab. Ep. par. 2, s. 3, P. 253.

§ Ib. p. 250.

** Eccles. Hist. 1. 4, c. 18, p.

tDialog. cum Tryph. p. 319. + Ib. p. 346. || Ib. p. 326. ¶ Ib. p. 350. 140. ++ Discourse, &c. p. 266; ed. 2. 260. Apolog. 2, pro Christian. p. 58.

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