Page images
PDF
EPUB

;

he speaks of two forts of perfons, fignified by two pieces of money; the one belongs to God, and the other to the world which have each their own characters upon them, and every one shall go, as TOV IfICH TOTov, to his own place;" which Barnabas, the companion of the Apofile Paul calls, in his epiftle, weμEY TOTOV, the appointed place for as wicked men, fuch as Judas, go to their own place; which is no other than hell fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: fo good men go to their own place, appointed by God for them; which is the kingdom prepared for them from the foundation of the world; and which Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna, and difciple of the Apostle John, calls, TOV OPGOμενον αὐτοῖς τόπον, the place that is due unto them, not by works, but of grace. And here it may be proper to infert a paffage out of an epiftle which the church of Smyrna, of which Polycarp was bishop, and to whom Ignatius wrote one of his epiftles, declaring, That when "the executioner fheathed his fword in Polycarp, fuch a quantity of blood came out as quenched the fire; and the whole multitude wonder'd that there was fuch a difference, μεταξύ των τε απι των και των εκλεκτων, between the infdels and the elect."

d

Par. 2. §. 1. p. 248. Eccl. Hift. 1. 3. c. 36. p. 108.

Epift. ad Phil. apud Eufeb.
Apud Ib. 1.4.c.15.p.134.
NUMB

[ocr errors]

NUMB. III.

JUSTIN, A. D. 150.

Uftin, called the Martyr, to distinguish him from others of the fame name, was a native of Samaria; he was born A. D. 89. was brought up a philofopher, afterwards became a Chriftian, and fuffered 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 obferved:

с

1. That he afcribes to God, an eternal and univerfal prescience of future events; upon which proceed the predictions in the facred writings. He afferts, That God foreknew who would be good or bad, who would repent and believe, and who not, and who will be faved or damned ; all which, as it perfectly agrees with the word of God, fo with our fentiments. Juftin na where fays, That God foreknew that any would be good, repent and believe of themfelves without his grace, by the

mere

ftrength of nature, and that he chofe any to glory and happiness upon fuch a forefight of their good works, repentance and faith; much lefs that he chofe them to

Vid. Fabricii Bibl. Graec, 1. 5. c. 1. p. 51, 52.

[blocks in formation]

grace upon a prefcience of these things; and, indeed, no man in his fenfes would fay, That God chofe man to faith upon a forefight of faith; but left what this author has faid fhould be thought to militate against us, we will produce the feveral paffages. Addreffing himself to Trypho the Jew, he thus fpeaks; "None of you, as I think, will dare to say, or un is weer Wens των γινεσθαι μελλονίων ην και εςιν ο θεός, και τα afia exa5w Togelμalov, that God was not, and is not foreknowing of what shall be done, or afore prepares not things fitting for every

one.

d

[ocr errors]

And elfew here', αληθεςέρει οι από των Dvor j izolea @egegirwonovlo, the more true and faithful among the Gentiles, were foreknown, i. e. it was foreknown by God, that many of them would be fo. Hence the prophets, under the infpiration of the Holy Ghoft, foretold, That they would believe in Chrift, when" the Jews and Samaritans, who had the word delivered. them from God, by the prophets, and were always expecting the Meffiah, knew him not when he came, Any odiJWv TIVOV, excepting fome few whom the holy prophetic fpirit, by Ifaiah, we ceste ownoe Jou, foretold jhould be faved; who perfonating them, faid, Except the Lord had left us a -jeed, we had been as Sodom and Gomorrah."

с

[ocr errors]

Dialog. cum Tryph. p. 234.

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

He

He has, indeed, this obfervation, and it is a very good one, "That when we affert that what is foretold by the prophets, thall be done; we do not fay, That it shall be done by the neceffity of fate, anλa wegges το θεσ ονλος των μελλονίων υπο πανίων ανθρωπ των πραχθησε ναι, but that God foreknows things future, that fhall be done by all men." So having cited Ifa. xxxiii. 18. she fays, "That the people who were foreknown to believe in him (Chrift) o aos o saulov @15Lew we geyvwoμeros, fhould meditate the fear of the Lord, was alfo foreknown, the very words of the prophecy declare." And in another place, fays he, "I am able to shew, that all the things appointed by Mofes, were types, fymbols, and declarations of what fhould be done to Chrift, i tov s aulov πιςεύειν προεγνωσμένων, and of them that were foreknown to believe in him; and likewife of those things that were to be done by Chrift." And elfewhere, fpeaking of the punishment of devils and wicked men, which is, at prefent, deferred by God for the fake of men, gives this as the reafon of it ; προγινώσκει γαρ τινας εκ μετανοιας σωθησε θαι μελλονίας, και τινας μηδέπω ίσως γεννηθέντας, for be foreknew that Jome would be faved through repentance, and perhaps, fome not yet

[merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small]
[ocr errors]

born: for at firft he made mankind intelligent and able to chufe the truth, and to do well; fo that all men are left without excufe by God."

2. Juftin afferts, That God not only foreknows that fome will be faved, and others damned, but that he has afore prepared falvation for fome perfons, and punishment for others. Speaking of the fufferings of Chriftians, for the fake of Chrift, he has these words: "Which, fays he, we bear, that we may not with our voice deny S Chrift, by whom we are called, es owine car την περητοιμασμένην παρά το παρος ημών, unto the falvation which is before prepared by our father. And in another place, treating of Chrift as the angel of the great counfel, according to the Septuagint version of Ifa. ix. 6. he thus fpeaks; "The great things, 6λulo o waing, which the Father bath in his counsel appointed for all men, that are or fhall be well pleafing to him, and likewise those that depart from his will, whether angels or men, he only (Chrift) 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 faved, he will fay to them, ye into outer darkness, which the Father bath prepared for Satan and his angels." He elsewhere", indeed, well obferves, "That ! Ib. p. 301.

Go

Dialog. cum Tryph. p. 360, m Ib. p. 370.

[ocr errors]

it

« PreviousContinue »