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chofen for an inheritance for himself; a nation truly, because we are gather'd out of many nations; a people verily, because we are called in the room of a people caft away, and because many are called, and few are chofen; he calls not him that is called, but him that is chofen, bleffed; bleffed therefore is he whom he hath chofen. What is the cause of this bleffedness? The expected inheritance of everlasting good things; or, perhaps, because, according to the Apostle, after the fulness of the Gentiles fall be come in, then all Ifrael fhall be faved: first he calls the fulness of the Gentiles bleffed, afterwards Ifrael, who fhall be faved laft; but not every one fhall be faved, only the remnant which shall be according to the eletion of grace." And in another place, he fays, "The bleffing of the elect, in the time of retribution, he (Chrift) foretold by the parable of the fhepherd; Come, says he, ye bleed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world."

De Baptifmo, 1. 1. c. 2. p. 644

NUM B

NUM B. XIV...

CYRILLUS HIEROSOLYMITANUS.
A. D. 370.

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Cyrill, bishop of Jerufalem, died 4. D. 386. There is but little to be collected out of his writings concerning predeftination and election. He fignifies, that there are some who are elect, diftinct from others, when he fays*, That the elect may not be mixed together with enemies, he (Chrift) will fend bis angels with a great trumpet, and they shall gather his elect from the four winds: He did not defpife one Lot, Should he despise many righteous? Come ye blessed of my Father, will he fay to them, who hall then be carried in the chariots of clouds, and shall be gathered by the angels." And in another place, he says,

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The Holy Spirit is the greateft power, it is fomething divine and unfearchable; for it lives and is rational, fanctifying, through S Chrift, των υπό θεο γεγραμμένων απαντων, all those who are written by God;" i, e. in the book of life, or are chofen by God; which agrees with our doctrine, That all

"Dallaei Apolog. p. 795.

Cyril. Catech. 15. §. 10. p. 216, 217. y Ib. Catech. 16. p. 224.

those

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those who are chofen by the Father, and are redeemed by the son, are fanctified by the Spirit.

NU M B. XV.

GREGORIUS NAZIANZENUS.

A. D. 370.

Regory, bishop of Nazianzum, in Cappadocia, commonly called the Divine, was son of a bishop, of the fame name and place, a cotemporary with Bafil, an intimate acquaintance of his, and preceptor to Ferom. He died A. D. 389. Several of his writings ftill remain. Auftin cites a paffage from him in favour of the doctrine of predeftination, as held and maintained by him; his words are thefe: "To thefe two (meaning Cyprian and Ambrofe) who ought to be esteemed fufficient, we may add a third, the holy Gregory; who teftifies, That to believe in God, and to confefs that we believe, is the gift of God; faying, we pray you, confefs the Trinity of one Deity; but if ye mean otherwife, fay, That he is of one nature, and God will be deprecated, that a voice may be given you by the Ho

a Hieron. Catal. viror. Ecclefiaft. §. 127.
b Aug. de bono perfever. 1. 2. c. 19.

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ly Ghost; i. e. God will be intreated to permit that a voice may be given you, by which ye may be able to confefs what ye believe; for I am fure he will give it. He that hath given the first, will also give the fecond; he that gives to believe, will also give to confefs." Upon which, and some

other teftimonies of the above-mentioned writers, Auftin makes this remark: "Would any one fay, That they fo acknowledged the grace of God, as that they dared to deny his prescience; which not only the learned, but even the unlearned own? Befides, if they knew that God fo gives thefe things, that they could not be ignorant, that he foreknew that he would give them, and could not but know to whom he would give them, procul dubio noverant praedeftinationem, without doubt they were acquainted with predeftination; which being preached by the Apostles, we laboriously and diligently defend, against the new hereticks." Gregory writes, indeed, very fparingly of this doctrine, and gives very few hints of it. The most confiderable paffage I have met with in him, is the following: "Three perfons gathered together in the name of the Lord, are more efteemed of by God than multitudes that deny his Deity: Would you prefer all the Canaanites to one Abraham?

Greg. Nazianzen. Orat. 32. P. 515. Tom. I.

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or the Sodomites to one Lot? or the Midianites to Mofes, even to these fojourners and ftrangers? What shall the three hundred men that lapped with Gideon, be inferior to the thousands that turned away? or Abraham's fervants, though lefs in number than the many kings and myriads of foldiers, whom they, though few, purfued and put to flight? How doft thou understand that paffage, If the number of the children of Ifrael was as the fand of the fea, a remnant Shall be faved? as alfo that, I bave referved for my felf feven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal? It is not fo, it is not, εκ εν τοις πλειοσιν ενδοκήσεν ο ΘεG, God does not take pleafure in the multitude; thou numbereft myriads, but God, Tus owoμeves, those that are to be faved; thou the unmeafurable duft, but I, τα σκεύη της εκλογής, the vessels of election." From whence may be collected, as Gregory's judgment, that there were fome perfons who were chosen of God, and whom he refolved to fave; that the number of them was with him, though that number was very fmall. In another place, he speaks of a twofold book of life and of death; "Perhaps you have heard, fays he, τινα βίβλον ζωντων βίβλον ow Coμevov, of a certain book of the living, and of a book of them that are not to be faved

d lb. Orat. 9. p. 158.

where

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