ここ grieve, quia non funt predeftinati ad vitam, because they are not predeftinated unto life: for the prescience of God has, of old decreed, that they are not to be faved". And in another place, "The law being abbreviated, the remnant of the Jews are faved; but the reft cannot be faved, quia per definitionem Dei fpernuntur, because, by the appointment of God they are rejected, by which he hath decreed to fave mankind. Again, he fays, The Apostle Paul, "by his own example, teacheth, That part of Ifrael is faved, whom God foreknew was to be faved, or yet can be faved; and that part of Ifrael, propter jugem diffidentiam perditioni deputatam, for their continual unbelief, is deputed to deftruction.". NUM B. XVII. AMBROSIUS MEDIOLANENSIS. A. D. 380. u Ambrofe, bishop of Milain, flourished under the emperors Gratian and Theodofius, and died A. D. 397. Austin, who was converted under him, and was acquainted with him perfonally, as well as with his writings, thought him to be of the fame judgment with himself about Ib. p. 302. t Ib. p. 308. u Dallavi Apolog. p. 799. pre predeftination, and cites feveral paffages from him for that purpose, fuch as thefe *; Whom God efteems worthy of honour he calls, & quem vult religiofum facit, and whom he pleafes he makes religious. And again; If he would, fi voluiffet ex indevotis devotos feciffet, of perfons not devoted to him, he could make them devoted: From whence he concludes, that he could be no ftranger to the doctrine of predeftination, preached by the Apoftles, and which he defended. Moreover, there are many expreffions in his writings which fhew his fenfe of this doctrine: on those words of Sarah, the Lord hath reftrained me from bearing, he has this note '; by which, fays he, you may know, in praedeftinatione fuiffe femper ecclefiam Dei, That in predeftination the church of God always has been; and that the fruitfulness of faith is prepared, when ever the Lord fhall command it to break forth, but by the will of the Lord it is referved for a certain time." He owns, indeed, that "rewards are propofed not to the elect only, but to all, becaufe Chrift is all and in all:" But he affirms, That though "all men can hear, yet all cannot perceive with their ears, nifi w De bono perfever. 1. 2. c. 19. * Ambrof. in Luc. 9. p. 125. y De Abraham, 1. 2. c. 10. p. 265. 2 In Luc. 2. p. 28. a Enarrat. in Pfal. 48. p. 824. F 2 electi S electi Dei, only the elect of God: therefore the Saviour fays, He that hath ears to bear all men have not thofe ears." To electing grace, and not to mens works, he refers falvation;," the remnant, he obferves, are faved, not by their own works, but by the election of grace." He fometimes, indeed, reprefents election as a fecret with God, and unknown to men: "As no one, he fays, of whatsoever age, ought to defpair, if he is defirous of being converted to the Lord, fo none fhould be fecure on the account of faith alone; but fhould rather fear, through what is added, many are called, but few are chofen. That we are called by faith, we know; but whether we are elected to eternal life we know not; so much therefore ought every one to be the more humble, as much as he is ignorant, whether he is elected." However, this proves that he held the doctrine of an election of particular perfons; and at other times he argues from it, to the great comfort of the faints, with respect to their fafety and fecurity. "We must not defpair, fays he, that the members can cleave to their own head, efpecially fince, ab initio fimus praedeftinati, we are predeftinated from the beginning, unto the adoption of the children of God, by b In Pfal. 43. P. 799. Vid. p. 787. d Epift. 1. 5. epift. 37. p. 283. 2 Jefus Jefus Chrift, in himself; which predeftination he hath proved, afferting, that which from the beginning is before declared, Therefore fhall a man leave father and mother, and ball cleave unto his wife, and they both fhall be one flesh, to be the mystery of Chrift and the church." There is a paffage cited from this father, by Voffius, and from him, by Dr. Whitby, as afferting predeftination upon the prefcience of mens merits; where, explaining the text in Matt. xx, 23. To fit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, he has this note; "He does not fay, it is not mine to give, but it is not mine to give to you; not afferting that he wanted power, but the creature's merit. Take it otherwise. It is not mine to give you; that is, it is not mine, who came to teach humility; it is not mine, who came not to be minifter'd unto, but to minifter; it is not mine, who keeps righteousness, not grace. Moreover, referring to the father, he adds, to whom it is prepared, that he might fhew, that the father alfo does not ufe to pay regard to petitions, but to merits, for God is no accepter of perfons; hence the Apostle faid, whom he hath foreknown and predeftinated; for he did not predeftinate before be fore Hift. Pelag. 1. 6. Thef. 8. p. 543. f Difcourfe, &c. p. 101. Ed. 2. 100. Ambrof. de fide, 1. 5. c. 2. p. 190. F 3 knew, تو تا knew, fed quorum merita praefcivit, eorum praemia praedeftinavit, but whofe merits he bath foreknown, their rewards he hath predeftinated." But nothing is more evident than that Ambrofe is fpeaking of predeftination to glory, which glory he calls by the name of rewards; and we grant, that this follows upon prefcience of merits, i. e. good works done from a principle of grace; but then the prefcience of these arifes from God's predeftination to grace, to enable men to perform them, and not predeftination to grace, from a prefcience of merits; for then grace must be given according to merits; a doctrine never known by the ancients before the times of Pelagius. In fhort, Ambrofe's fenfe is this, and to which we agree, That thofe whofe merits or good works, God foreknew, because he had preordained that they should walk in them, and as arifing from that grace he determined to give them; thefe he predeftinated unto glory, or prepared rewards of grace for them, which he will certainly beftow on them. NUM B. |
