concerned in Adam's first fin, as ruined by it, and moft bitterly laments the wretched confequences of it. He affirms ", that the fouls of men finned in Adam; that all men fell by that fin which was from the beginning; that we are all of the fame earth and mals, and have all tafted of the fame treeof wickednefs. And of himself he fays', "I am fallen from paradife, I am turned again to the earth from whence I was taken, having for delicious fare this one thing, to know my own evils, avi ons mixegs nens, and for a little pleasure am condemned to forrow without ceafing, and obliged to war against him who got into my friendship to my hurt, and through tasting drew me into fin; thefe are the punishments of fin to me; hence I am born to labour, to live, and die; this is the mother of want, want of covetoufnefs, covetoufnefs of wars." In another place he fays, "I fell wholly and am condemned, εκ της το περίπλας Tegnans, through the difobedience of him that was first made, and the theft of the adverfary." Elfewhere he cries out ", pe ne η έμής αθένειας, εμη γαρ η το προπατορία. Ο my weakness! for that of my first parent is P Greg. Nazianz. Orat. 51. p. 742. Tom. I.. եւ 9 Ib. Orat. 42. p. 684. s Ib. Orat. 9. p. 158. b. Orat. 14. p. 221. Ib. Orat. 5. P. 135. mine; he forgot the commandment which was given him, and was overcome by the bitter taste." And then he proceeds to enumerate the multitude of evils which fpring from this root of bitternefs: "Beautiful, fays he", was the fruit for fight, and good for food, o que Javelwoas, which killed me." Hence he calls the eating of it, y 015 whoμern, the deftroying tafte, which brought bitter punishment upon him; and the tree, qulov avdogovor, the man murdering plant; and laments the heavenly image being destroyed by the fin of the first man. One fo fenfible of the fad effects of the fall of Adam could not fail of obferving the weakness of man to all that is good, and the neceffity of the fpirit and grace of God, and of divine help to the performance of that which is truly fo. "We are all poor, fays he, endees, and tand in need of divine grace." And in another place he observes, that "fuch is the groffness of the material body, and imprisoned mind, that μn Bondspevov, unless it is helped, it cannot otherwife have any understanding of God." And elsewhere he fays", "It is by the Spirit of God only that God is Ib. Orat. 43. p. 700. * Ib. Carmen. 13. p. 86. Tom. 2. z Ib. Carmen. 4. p. 68. Ib. Orat. 1. p. 17. heard, heard, explained and understood." That "no man is fpiritual without the Spirit" "This, fays he, is my fentiment, o daληπτον μεν το αγαθόν τη ανθρώπινη φυσει, that what is good is hard to be received by human nature. He affirms, that "God both gives a capacity to receive, and frength to perform that which is good. That he has two parts therein, the first and the last, and that 8 de gesso diza Beol 21 ceper, without ૪) : G Chrift a man can't take one step that way; and therefore men fhould be careful not to afcribe too much to themselves, or truft in their own ftrength, though never so wise." For as he obferves elfewhere upon those words, it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy. There are fome who are fo lifted up with their good works, as to afcribe all to themfelves, and nothing to the Creator and Author of wisdom, and fupplier of good things. These words teach them, on 70 βολέθαι καλώς δείξαι της παρα Θες βοήθειας, that to will rightly requires help from God; or rather, the choosing it felf of things needful is fomething divine, and is a gift of God's good will to man for falvation, and ought to be both in us and of God, therefore he faith, it is not of him that willeth; that is, d Ib. Orat. 25. P. 441. e Ib. Orat. 1. p. f Ib. Carmen. 58. p. 136, 137. Tom. 2. 8 lb Orat. 31. p. 504. Tom. 1. S. 2 6. Το not not only of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth only, but of God that sheweth mercy fo because To Beλ ng Ois, to will is from God, he rightly ascribes all unto him; for if thou runneft and strives never fo much, thou ftandeft in need of him who gives the crown, according to Pfal. 127. 1." In which paffage may be obferved, that he afferts not only that divine affistance is requifite to a man's willing that which is good, but that the will it felf is of God. Gregory does indeed afferth free will in man, as he was at first created by God, and continued in a ftate of innocence; but at the fame time gives plain intimations, that man's free will is now through tranfgreffion in a state of fervitude.Liberty and riches, fays he', were, or lay in the fole keeping of the commandments; and on the contrary, the tranfgreffion of it is real poverty, doλe, and flavery. h Ib. Orat. 1. p. 8, 9. et Orat. 16. p. 256. et Orat. 38. p. 618. et Orat. 42. p. 680. i Ib. Orat. 16. p. 256. NUMB, NUM B. XXII. GREGORIUS NYSSENUS. A. D. 380. Gregory of Nya frequently speaks of the corruption and weakness of human nature; he afferts, that man is born in fin that the image of God is loft in man'; that that which is good, year neger, bath no place in him; and that human nature being in wickednefs through fin, awonen@clαe ins. κυρίας το αγαθε κλήσεως, is exempted from the proper appellation of good", or does not deferve the name of good; yea, fo faulty is it, that it cannot understand exactly what is naturally good, and what through deceit is supposed to be fo°. He owns, that man's free will was originally good, and the gift of God, but that it is now the inftrument of fin; yea, the laft of evils. Moreover he fays", that man has changed την πονηράν της αμαρ γιας δέλειαν αντί της αυλέξεσια ελευθερίας, and bas inftead of the freedom of the will, the * Gregor. Nyff. in Pfalm. c. 16. p. 370. Vol. 1. 1 Ib. Contr. Eunom. 1. 11. p. 282. Vol. 2. m Ib. Orat. Funebr. Pulcher. p. 955: n Ib. Contr. Eunom. 1. 10. p. 264. • De Beatitud. orat. 5. p. 801. P Ib. in Ecclef. Homil. 2. p. 388. Vol. 1. 9 Ib. Homil. 8. p. 459. Ib. de Orat. Dominic. Orat. 5. P. 754. |