food, prefigured the reft of the eighth day, in which, without labour and care, in deliciis epulabuntur electi, the elect shall feast with delight, and fhall be fatisfied in their own land poffeffing double, being inriched with an happy perpetuity, and a perpetual happiness of body and foul." There is a paffage referred to in the true Cyprian, by Dr. Whitby, to prove that it is in the power of man to believe or not: but fince this belongs to the article of free-will, the confideration of it must be deferred till we come to it.

NUM B. X.

NOVATIANUS, A. D. 250.

Novatian ", a presbyter of Rome, was cotemporary with Cyprian. He is not fo well spoken of by fome, partly because of his difagreement with Cornelius, bishop of Rome, about the fucceffion in that See, and partly because he held that fuch who ароftatized, though they repented, were not to be received again into the communion of the church; but, in other points, he was judged to be orthodox, and his book, De Trinitate, is highly efteemed of; in which

m Discourse on the five points, p. 96. Ed. 2. 95.

Vid. Hieron. Catalog. fcript. Eccl. §. 80.

ftands

ftands a full and memorable teftimony to the doctrine of predeftination of a certain number of men to glory, before the foundation of the world; for, proving the Deity and Eternity of Chrift from Jobn xvii. 5. Glorify thou me with the glory, which I had with thee, before the world was, he fhews, that this is not to be understood of predestination, or of Chrift's having this glory only in the purpose and decree of God: For, fays he if he is faid to be

glorious in predeftination, and predeftination was before the foundation of the world, the order must be kept, and before him there will be, multus numerus hominum in gloriam deftinatus, a large number of men appointed to glory; for by this appointment Chrift will be thought to be leffer than the reft to whom he was pointed out laft. For if this glory was in predeftination, Chrift received this predeftination to glory last of all; for Adam will be perceived to be predeftinated before, and so Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, and the reft; for fince, with God, perfonarum & rerum omnium ordo digeftus fit, the order of all perfons and things is digefted, many will be faid to be predeftinated before this predestination of Chrift to glory, and by this means he will appear to be leffer than other men, who is better and greater,

Novatian. de Trinitate, c. 24. P. 755

and

and more ancient, than the angels themfelves." His meaning is, that if the paffage of fcripture cited, is only to be underfood of the predeftination of Chrift to glory, and not of his having a real glory; then fince there is a large number of men who also are predeftinated to glory before the foundation of the world; whose predestination, as Adam's, and others after him, cernetur, to ufe his own word, will be perceived before the predeftination of Chrift; not that the act of their predeftination it felf was before his, but the manifeftation of it in time; it would caft fome reflection upon him, and make him look as though he was inferior to other men, as a man.

NUMB. XI.

ATHANASIUS, A. D. 350.

Athanafius was made bishop of Alexan

dria A. D. 336. and died A. D. 371. P who, as he bore an excellent teftimony to the Deity of Chrift against the Arrians, fo he has left ample proof of his attachment to the doctrines of eternal predeftination and election, and of a preparation of grace and glory in Chrift before the foundation of the

P Dallaei Apolog. par. 4. P. 777.

world;

S

world; as will clearly appear from the following paffages: "The grace of the Saviour to ufward, hath appeared of late, as faith the Apostle, when he came to us; περέλοιματα δε αυτή ή πριν γενεθαι ημας, μαλλον δε και πες της καταβολής το κόσμο, but was prepared before, even before we were, yea, before the foundation of the world: the caufe of this is, in fome refpect, kind and aftonishing; for it was not proper that God fhould, uste weel nuwv Boλevedo, afterward confult concerning us, that it might not appear as if he knew not the things that belong to us: Wherefore, the God of the univerfe creating us by his own Word, and knowing our affairs better than we our felves; and foreknowing, indeed, that we fhould be made good, but afterwards be2 come tranfgreffors of the commandment, and for that tranfgreffion be caft out of radife; he being a lover of mankind, and good, προετοιμαζει εν τω ιδίω λόγω, διο ૪ છે εκλισεν ημας περί της σωτης ιωδες ημων οικονο Mas, before prepared in bis own word, by whom be alfo created us for the oeconomy of our falvation, that though we fall, being deceived by the ferpent, we might not utterly remain dead, αλλ' εχονίες εν τω λόγω την προηοιμασμένην ημιν λυίρωσιν και ωρ but, having redemption and falvation before

Athanaf. contr. Arian. Orat. 3. P. 445, 446. Vol. I.

pa

pre

"

prepared for us in the word, rifing again, we might continue immortal." And then citing those famous and well known places of fcripture, 2 Tim. i. 9, 10. Eph. i. 3, 4, 5. he proceeds thus: “ πως εν εξελέξατο πριν γένεσθαι ημάς, ει μη, ως αυτος ειρηκεν, εν αυτώ ημεν προλελυπώμενοι, πως δε όλως πριν ανθρω 485 dvou nμas wegwelor, &c. how therefore fhould be chufe us before we were, unless, as he has faid, we were before delineated in him? bow verily, before men were created, fhould be predeftinate us, unless the Son of Himfelf had been founded before the world was, having undertook the oeconomy of falvation for us? or how, as the Apoftle fays, fhould we obtain an inheritance, being predeftinated, unless the Lord himself was founded before the world was? that he might have a purpose, to receive through the flesh for us, the whole lot of condemnation that was against us, and fo we, at length, might be made alive in him; was de δε και προ χρόνων αιώνιων ελαμβανομεν, μηπω γεγο νόλες, αλλ' εν χρόνω γεγονότες, ει μη εν τω χείσω ην αποκειμένη η εις ημας φθάνεσα χαρις, οι · how fhould we, not yet made, but made in time, receive before the world began, except the grace that is come unto us had been laid up in Chrift? Wherefore, in the judgment, when every one fhall receive according to his deeds, he fays, Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the

or

founda