NUM B. XVIII. JOANNES CHRYSOSTO MUS. A. D. 390. John of Antioch, ufually called Chryfoftom, or Golden Mouth, from his uncommon eloquence, was bishop of Conftantinople: He died in exile at Comana, A. D. 407. h Several volumes of his writings ftill remain. That he held the doctrine of eternal predeftination will appear from the fense he gives of feveral places of fcripture relating to this point. That famous paffage in Acts xiii. 48. As many as were ordained unto eternal life believed; which fome, of late, would have understood of the difpofition of mens minds unto eternal life, Chryfoftom interprets of God's appointment, or determination of men unto it; "As many as were ordained to eternal life, τελεσιν, αφωρισμένοι τω Θεω, that is, fays he, who were feparated, or appointed by God," unto it. And where the Apostle Paul fays, that he was feparated unto the gospel of God, he has this note upon it *; "To me here, he feems not only to intimatе, τn аоxλпpwow, a choice by lot (fuch, i " Dallaei Apolog. p. 808. i Chryfoft. in A&t. Serm. 30. Tom. 4. p. 780. k Ib. in Rom. Serm. 1. Tom. 3. p 6. F4 I I fuppofe, he means, as was Matthias's) αλλ' ότι παλαι και ανωθεν προς τετο ην τεταγμε 7870 VG, but that he was of old, and from above, ordained to this; as Jeremy fays, That God faid concerning him, before thou cameft out of the womb, I fanctified thee, and ordained thee a prophet unto the nations ;" and upon that well known text in Epb. i. 4. according as he hath chofen us in him, he has thefe words'; "What is the meaning of this, be bath chofen us in him? Through faith in him, Chrift, he fays, has rightly order'd this, πριν η γενέθαι ημας, μάλλον δε πριν η τον 200μov nalabλnDevau, before we were born, or rather before the world was founded." And on these words ", Come ye bleffed of my Father, &c. he makes this obfervation; "What honour! what bleffedness do these words contain! for he does not say, receive, but inherit, as your property, as your Father's, as yours, as due to you from above, wewn γαρ υμας γενέθαι, ταυία υμιν ητοίματα και προ Euleeπ150, for before you were born, thefe things were prepared and made ready for you, fays he; for I knew you would be fuch." On the account of the last clause, this paffage, with fome others, is cited by Voffius", and, after him, by Dr. Whitby, to fhew 1 Ib. in Eph. Serm. 1. Tom. 3. p. 766. Difcourfe, &c. p. 99, 101. Ed. 2. 97, 100. that Chryfoftom, with other Fathers, held ? Chryfoft. in Gen. Serm. 51. Tom. 1. p. 401. and t and proclaimed him that was good, and him that was not." And a little after ", "Thou knoweft, fays he, from the end; but he knows clearly before the end." And upon those words, The people, whom he foreknew, he thus paraphrafes, "Tulesiv ov ήδει σαφώς επιτήδειον οντα και την πιςιν δεξόμενον, that is, whom he clearly knew would be fit, and receive the faith." All which may be very well understood in confiftence with the doctrine of abfolute decrees; for, as Voffius* himself obferves, "The fathers who lived before Austin, held, indeed, a decree according to foreknowledge; but then the foreknowledge is of acts performed by the ftrength of grace;" that is to fay, That God knew that Jacob, and others, would be good, and do that which is good, through the grace he determined to give them, and so appointed them to everlasting happiness; and he alfo knew, that Efau, and others, would be evil, and do that which is evil, being left, as he determined to leave them, to their own wickedness, and fo for it appointed them to everlasting pu nishment. r Ib. p. 141. f Ib. Serm. 18. p. 157. NUMB NUMB. XIX. HIERONYMUS. Hieronymus or Jerome, of Stridon in Dalmatia, was a prefbyter of the church, he was born, according to Monfieur Daille, A. D. 340. and died, A. D. 420. He lived much of his time in Paleftine, at Jerusalem, and especially at Bethlehem: He was a man of great learning, and wrote much, though there are many things afcribed to him which are none of his; and in his Commentaries it is fometimes difficult to know when he speaks his own or the fenfe of others. He's allowed, on all hands, to be an eager opposer of the Pelagian princi ples. And with refpect to the doctrines of election and predeftination he held, 1. That election was not of whole nations but of particular perfons; "for, fays he, the veffels of mercy are not only the people of the Gentiles, but likewife thofe among the Jews who would believe, and are made one people of believers; hence it appears, that non gentes eligi fed hominum voluntates, not nations are chofen but the wills of a Apolog. par. 4. p. 821. Hieron. Ep. ad Hedib. Qu. 10. Tom. 3. p. 49. B. men." |