ons, it must be owned, do feem to intimate,. that perfons may be purged and yet perish; be made whole and yet loft; be quickened and yet die again. But then they must be imputed to this author's great zeal for the good of fouls, and care of them, and concern for them, and to his earnestness in cautioning of them against fin, and advifing them to that which is good. NUM B. XVIII. GREGORIUS NYSSENUS. A. D. 380. Gregory of Nyla gives plain intimations of the fecurity of the faints, and the perpetuity of grace where it is once implanted. Having taken notice of Balaam's being fent for to curfe Ifrael, which he was not able to do, he makes this remark on it ; "Hence we understand, that no inchantment is effectual against those who live virtuously; but fuch being fatiated through divine affiftance, πασης υπερισχύειν επιβολής, prevail over every fnare." And in another place he obferves, that "the earth first apoftatized through fin, but now, through a Gregor. Nyffen. de vita Mofis, Vol. 1. p. 250. b Įb. in Pfalm, c. 9. p. 316. 103 ως the knowledge of God has a firm ftanding; we are all God's earth, who were firft un stable in that which is good, and therefore became a curfe; but afterwards being delivered from the curfe we again obtain a ftanding in that which is good." And a little after he makes this obfervation on Pfalm xcvii. 1. beautifully he calls the fouls of them that thew, το έδραιον τε και αμεταθείον, · firmness and immoveableness in temptations, Ifles; whom the falt waters of wickedness furround on every fide, and yet dash not against them with fo much strength, ws και σαλόν τινα τω παγίω της αρετης εμποιήσαι, as to cause any fluctuation in the firmness of virtue." Pfalm lii. 8. he explains of fuch an one that is rooted in the houfe of God as a fruitful olive tree, και το εδραιον τε και αμετακίνητον το κατά την πιςιν σερέωμα 13 εν EXUTW Befαwas, and has the firm and immoveable ground of faith established in himfelf." He more than once represents the grace of faith as permanent and lafting. The good of the fons of men which Solomon defired to fee, he fays", " appears to him to be no other than the work of faith, whofe energy is common to all; being equally fet before them that will, and is, wavlodvajμ και διαρκώς τη ζωή παραμένεσα, all powerful, Ib. c. 13. P. 339. a Ib. in Ecclef. Homil. 2. p. 395 and e " and abides in life continually." And elfewhere fpeaking of the faints fpiritual armour, among other things he oblerves, that "the fhield, which is a piece of armour that covers, is, n. appagne 515, faith that cannot be broken." He fays the fame of all other graces; explaining the beams of the house in Cant. i. 17. "Thefe, fays he, fhould be the virtues, which do not admit the floods of temptations within themselves, Seppal TE Boal is avavdolos, being firm, Jolid, and not giving way, and preferve in temptations from being foftened unto wickedness.' And in another place, fays he, "He defcribes the houfe of virtue, whofe matter for covering is cedar and cypress, which are not fufceptible of rottennefs and corruption; by which he expreffes, το μόνιμον τε και αμε ταβλητού της προς το αγαθόν χέσεως, the per manency and immutability of the habit to that which is good." Now all this he afcribes not to the faints themselves, but to God; he observes", that "David fays, es epov εργον το εν ευσέβεια κραύνειν τον ανθρωπον, it is the work of God to confirm a man in piety; for thou art my frength and my refuge, fays the prophet; and the Lord is the ftrength of his people; and, the Lord will give ftrength unto his people." NUM B. XIX. HILARIUS DIACONUS. A. D. 380. Hilary the Deacon puts perfeverance upon 一只 the foot of election, and intimates, that the reason why any perfevere, is, because they are elected; and that if any who have Reserved thought to have been believers do not perfevere, it's a plain cafe that they never were "Thofe, fays he, whom God foreknew, would be devoted to him, them he chofe to enjoy the promised rewards; that thofe who feem to believe, and do not continue in the faith begun, may be denied to be God's elect; quia quos Deus elegit apud fe permanent, for whom God has chofen, they continue with him." And a little after, "Whom God foreknew to be fit for himfelf, thefe continue believers, quia aliter fieri non poteft, for it can't be otherwife, but that whom God foreknows, them he alfo justifies, and fo hereby glorify them, that they may be like the Son of God. As to the reft, whom God has not foreknown, he takes no care of them in this grace, because he has not foreknown them; but if they believe, or are chofen for a time, because Comment. in Rom. p. 294. Vid. p. 304. they they feem good, left righteousness should be thought to be defpifed, they do not continue that they may be glorified, as Judas Iscariot, or the feventy two, who being chofen, afterwards were offended, and departed from the Saviour." Again *, "Whom God is faid to call, they perfevere in faith; hi funt quos elegit ante mundum in Chrifto, thefe are they whom he has chofen in Chrift before the world began, that they may be unblameable before God in love." And in another place he obferves', that fome perfons may feem to be in the number of good men, when, according to God's prefcience, they are in the number of evil men; " Hence God faid to Mofes, if any one fins before me I'll blot him out of my book. So that according to the righteoufnefs of the judge, he then feems to be blotted out, when he fins; but according to prefcience, nunquam in libro vitae fuiffe, he never was in the book of life. Hence the Apostle John fays of fuch, they went out from us, but they were not of us, &c. John ii. 19." He reprefents a believer's love to Chrift as infuparable, and the love of God in Chrift to him as infeparable: Of the former he fays", "No torments overcome the love of a firm Chriftian." And of the latter", "There is nothing that can fe k In Ephef. p. 492. mlb. p. 295 1 In Rom. p. 299. n Įb. p. 296. parate |
