may prove a lofs to him, but he does not fay, that grace it felf may be loft. And out of the fame Homily I have cited a paffage in proof of the doctrine contended for. In the twenty fourth Homily referred to, I do not meet with any thing that looks like the doctrine of the faints final and total apoftafy. In the twenty fixth he fays, that many who think they have attained to perfection wander from the grace they have, by which he means gifts; for he fuppofes, that a man may have this grace, and yet his heart not purified, or be a Chriftian; for as for Chriftians, he fays, though Satan wars againft them without, they are inwardly fafe by the power of God, and care not for Satan. In the twenty Seventh Homily he indeed cites Heb. vi. 4, 5, 6. and makes this remark upon it, "Behold, they that are enlighten'd, and have tasted, fall;" which no body denies. And in the fame page he has these words, "He that has these things, meaning gifts, falls, but he that has charity, or love, awTWT 51, cannot fall” NUMB. NUMB. XV. HILARIUS. PICTAVIENSIS. A. D. 360. Hllary of Poitiers fays many things which favour the doctrine of the faints perfeverance. He often speaks of faith as invincible and immoveable, This is the myftery of divine revelation, fays he ", not only to fay, but also to believe, that Chrift is the Son of God This faith is the foundation of the church, through this faith the gates of hell against it are weak." Again", "When he (Chrift) afked Martha, praying for Lazarus, whether the believed, that thofe that believed in him fhould never die, the fpake out the faith of her own, confcience, faying, Yea, Lord, I believe, &c. Confeffio haec aeternitas eft et fides ifta non moritur, This confeffion is eternity, and this faith dies not. In another place he fays, "We don't depend on uncertain and idle hopes, as mariners, who fometimes failing rather by wishes than in confidence, the wandring and unstable either drive or leave; but we have, infuperabilis fidei Spiritus dono unigeniti Dei permanens, the infupera W De trinitate, 1. 6. p. 74. * Ib. 1. 12. p. 182. ble ble fpirit of faith, through the gift of the only begotten of God abiding, and leading us by an unalterable course to the quiet haven." Much the fame he fays of hope, as he does of faith; "By him (Chrift) he observes', we are brought into the hope of eternity, and in this hope we are not confounded; becaufe this fame hope, nobis fortitudinis turris eft facta, is made unto us a tower of strength -Through this hope we fuftain the force of the devil and his fnares, being hedged about, tutiffima fidei munitione, with the moft fafe munition of faith, against him and his fpiritual wickedneffes. Hence he reprefents the cafe of believers to be fuck, that there need be no hesitation about enjoying eternal happiness. "The kingdom of heaven, fays he, which the prophets declared, John preached, our Lord profeffed was in himself, he wills fhould be hoped for, fine aliqua incertae voluntatis ambiguitate, without any doubtfulness of an uncertain will, otherwife there's no juftification by faith, if faith it felf fhould be doubtful;" for, as he obferves, a little after, "In the fayings of God is truth, and all the efficiency of created things is in the word; wherefore neither what he has promised is doubtful, nor what he speaks is ineffectual." He fur Ennar. in Pf. 60. p. 399, 400. z Comment. in Matt. can..5 p. 261, 262. ther ther intimates, that fuch as are built upon the foundation Chrift can never be moved or perish. Commenting on Matt. vii. 24 he fays, "By the which the Lord makes himself the ftrong foundation of an high building, and that he who from him grows up unto a fublime work, cannot be moved, either by rains or floods, or wind; by rains he means the allurements of flattering pleafures, and which fenfibly flide into the open chinks, whereby faith is first made wet, after that a run of torrents, i. e. of motion of grievous lufts rush in, and then the whole force of the winds blowing about rages, namely, the whole breath of devilish power is brought in; but the man built upon the foundation of the rock, infiftet nec moveri loco fuo poterit, will ftand, nor can be be moved out of his own place." Again, he fays, "An house rear'd up by mens works does not abide; nor does that stand which is inftituted by the doctrines of the world; nor will it be kept by the empty labour of our care; it is to be built up otherways, it is other ways to be kept: It is not to be begun upon the earth, nor upon the fluid fliding fand, but its foundation is to be laid upon the prophets and apoftles; it is to be increa fed with living stones; it is to be held toge a Ib. Can. 6. P. 266. Enarr. in Pf. 126. p. 550. ther ther by the corner ftone; it is to be built up, by the increase of mutual connexion, into a perfect man, and into the measure of the body of Chrift; and also to be adorned with the form and beauty of fpiritual grace; this house fo built by God, that is, by his doctrines, non concidet, fhall not fall." On thefe words, the Lord keepeth them that love him, he has this note, "He will fave by keeping them, that is, by referving them to be partakers of the everlafting kingdom; but they are thofe who will fear, pray and love." Once more he obferves, that "this is the conftitution of invariable truth, in the beginning of the words of God is truth, that the new man regenerated in Chrift, vivat deinceps aeternus, may henceforth live eternal, according to the image of the eternal God, that is, of the heavenly Adam." NUM B. XVI. BASILIUS CAESARIENSIS. A. D. 370. Bil gives plain intimations, that such who are redeemed by Christ, and are truly gracious fouls, fhall never perish. He, fays he, that has chofen the narrow d In Pf. 118. Res, p. 519, 520. In Pf. 144. p. 638. eHomil. in Pf. 48. p. 282. D d and 888 |
