tualis porro requiritur influentia, qua nempe in iis operetur tum velle works is not at all of themselves, | sint præstandis omnino id a spiritu but wholly from the Spirit of Christi est, nullatenus autem e seipChrist.' And that they may be sis.' Et quo eis præstandis pares enabled thereunto, besides the fiant, præter habitus gratiæ iam graces they have already received, infusos, ejusdem Spiritus sancti acthere is required an actual influence of the same Holy Spirit to work in them to will and to do of tum etiam efficere pro suo ipsius his good pleasure;' yet are they beneplacito: sed neque tamen üs not hereupon to grow negligent, as proinde socordia sese licet permitif they were not bound to perform tere; ac si nisi specialiter eos exciany duty unless upon a special tante Spiritu ad nulla pietatis officia motion of the Spirit; but they præstanda tenerentur; verum seought to be diligent in stirring dulam debent navare operam susciup the grace of God that is in tandæ illi quæ in iis est divinæ grathem.' tiæ.s IV. Qui gradum obedientia summum quidem in hac vita possibilem IV. They who in their obedience attain to the greatest height which is possible in this life, are so assequuntur, tantum abest ut superfar from being able to supererogate and to do more than God requires, as that they fall short of much which in duty they are bound to do." V. We can not, by our best works, merit pardon of sin, or eternal life at the hand of God, by reason of the great disproportion that is between them and the glory to come, and the infinite distance that is between us and God, whom by them we can neither profit nor satisfy erogare quicquam possint ac plus præstare quam quod Deus requisiverit, ut multum sane subsidant infra illud, quod ex officio præstare obligantur." V. Peccatorum veniam, aut vitam æternam de Deo mereri non valemus, ne optimis quidem operibus nostris; cum propter summam illam inter ea et futuram gloriam disparitatem; tum etiam propter infinitam distantiam quæ inter nos ac Deum intercedit; cui nos per illa nec pro 'John xv. 4-6; Ezek. xxxvi. 26, 27. Phil. ii. 13; iv. 13; 2 Cor. iii. 5. 4 10, 11; Isa. lxiv. 7 ; 2 Tim. i. 6; Acts Phil. . 12; Heb. vi. 11, 12; 2 Pet. i. 3, 5, [Amer. ed. omits as.] Luke xvii. 10; Neh. xiii. 22; Job ix. 2,3; for the debt of our former sins;' desse quicquam possumus, neque pro but when we have done all we can, antecedentium peccatorum nostrowe have done but our duty, and rum debito satisfacere;' verum cum are unprofitable servants; and be- quantum possumus fecerimus, non cause, as they are good, they proceed from his Spirit;' and as they nisi quod debemus præstiterimus, ac servi inutiles futuri sumus;' tum are wrought by us, they are defiled denique quoniam a spiritu Dei in and mixed with so much weakness quantum bona sunt proficiscuntur," and imperfection that they can not ita vero sunt coinquinata, tantumendure the severity of God's judg que imperfectionis ac infirmitas admistum habent, prout a nobis efficiuntur, ut strictum Dei judicium non sint ferendo.* ment.' VI. Nihilominus tamen acceptis in gratiam per Christum fidelium personis, eorum etiam opera bona per eundem accepta sunt; non quod VI. Yet notwithstanding, the persons of believers being accepted through Christ, their good works also are accepted in him,' not as though they were in this life wholly in hac vita sint omnis culpæ prorsus unblamable and unreprovable in immunia, quæque in conspectu Dei God's sight; but that he, looking nullam reprehensionem mereantur ; upon them in his Son, is pleased to accept and reward that which is sincere, although accompanied with many weaknesses and imperfections.' VII. Works done by unregenerate men, although for the matter of them they may be things which God commands, and of good use both to themselves and others; 1 Rom. iii. 20; iv. 2, 4, 6; Eph. ii. 8, 9; Titus iii. 5-7; Rom. viii. 18; Psa. xvi. 2; Job xxii. 2, 3; xxxv. 7, 8. Luke xvii. 10. 'Gal. v. 22, 23. verum quod illa respiciens in filio suo Deus, quod sincerum est, utcun-* que multis infirmitatibus ac imperfectionibus involutum, acceptare dignetur ac remunerari." * Isa. Ixiv. 6; Gal. v. 17; Rom. vii. 15, 18; 2 Kings x. 30, 31; 1 Kings xxi. 27, 29; Psa. cxliii. 2; cxxx. 3. Phil. i. 15, 16, 18. dem depurato,' nec secundum verbum eo quo par est præstentur modo,* sed neque ad finem debitum, Dei nempe gloriam, destinentur ;3 sunt proinde peccata, nec Deo grata esse possunt, nec reddere quenquam valent ido yet because they proceed not from a heart purified by faith,' nor are done in a right manner, according to the Word, nor to a right end, the glory of God;' they are therefore sinful, and can not please God, or make a man meet to receive neum ad gratiam a Deo recipiengrace from God. And yet their dum." Ejusmodi tamen operum neglect of them is more sinful and neglectu, gravius quidem illi pecdispleasing unto God." cant Deumque offendunt vehementius." CHAPTER XVII. CAP. XVII. De perseverantia Sanctorum. Of the Perseverance of the Saints. I. They whom God hath accepted in his Beloved, effectually called and sanctified by his Spirit, can neither totally nor finally fall away possunt illi statu gratiæ aut fifrom the state of grace; but shall naliter excidere aut totaliter; vecertainly persevere therein to the rum in eo ad finem usque certo end, and be eternally saved." perseverabunt, ac salutem æternam consequentur. II. This perseverance of the II. Hæc autem sanctorum persesaints depends, not upon their own verantia, non pendet a libero ipsofree-will, but upon the immutability rum arbitrio, verum a decreti elecof the decree of election, flowing tionis immutabilitate (quod ex amore from the free and unchangeable Dei Patris fluxit, gratuito illo ac love of God the Father;' upon the immutabili), a meriti Jesu Christi efficacy of the merit and interces- ac intercessionis efficacia, a Spirision of Jesus Christ; the abiding tus et seminis Dei in iis perman 8 1 Gen. iv. 3-5 with Heb. xi. 4, 6. 1 Cor. xiii. 3; Isa. i. 12. 3 Matt. vi. 2, 5, 16. Hag. ii. 14; Titus i. 15; Amos v. 21, 22; Hos. i. 4; Rom. ix. 16; Titus iii. 5. Phil. i. 6; 2 Pet. i. 10; John x. 28, 29; 1 John iii. 9; 1 Pet. i. 5, 9; [Am. ed. Job 2 Tim. ii. 18, 19; Jer. xxxi. 3. Rom. viii. 33, to the end; John xvii. 11, of the Spirit and of the seed of sione;' a natura denique fœderis God within them;' and the nature gratiæ;' e quibus omnibus etiam of the covenant of grace: from emergit certitudo cjusdem et infalliall which ariseth also the certain- bilitas. ty and infallibility thereof.' 4 III. Nihilo tamen minus fieri po 5 III. Nevertheless they may, through the temptations of Satan test ut iidem illi, qua Satanæ munand of the world, the prevalency dique tentatione, qua manentis adof corruption remaining in them, huc in iis corruptionis prævalentia, and the neglect of the means of et neglectu mediorum conservationis their preservation, fall into griev- suæ, in peccata gravia incidant,* in ous sins; and for a time continue eisque ad tempus commorentur ; therein: whereby they incur God's unde iram Dei sibi ipsis contradispleasure, and grieve his Holy hunt, ejusque Spiritum Sanctum Spirit; come to be deprived of contristant,' gratias suas et consolasome measure of their graces and tiones quadantenus et quoad gradus comforts; have their hearts hard- nonnullos amittunt, corda sibi haened,' and their consciences wound- bent indurata, et vulneratas conscied; hurt and scandalize others," entias; " aliis nocumento sunt et ofand bring temporal judgments fendiculo," sibimet ipsis denique acupon themselves, 12 cersunt judicia Dei temporalia." CHAPTER XVIII. CAP. XVIII. De certitudine gratiæ et salutis. I. Quamvis fieri potest ut hypocritæ aliique homines non regeniti spe vana falsisque (pro corruptæ naturæ more) opinionibus præsumptis, se de Of the Assurance of Grace and Salvation. I. Although hypocrites and other unregenerate men may vainly deceive themselves with false hopes and carnal presumptions of being in the favor of God and estate of cipiant, favorem Dei, statumque sasalvation," which hope of theirs | lutis sibi falso arrogantes; " quæ il 1 John xiv. 16, 17; 1 John ii. 27; iii. 9. 2 Jer. xxxii. 40; [Am. ed. Heb. viii. 10-12]. 3 John x. 28; 2 Thess. iii. 3; 1 John ii. 19; [Am. ed. 1 Thess. v. 23, 24]. * Matt. xxvi. 70, 72, 74. Psa. li. 8, 10, 12; Rev. ii. 4; Cant. v. 2, 3, 4, 6. 9 Isa. xxxvi. 17; Mark vi. 52; xvi. 14; [Am. ed. Psa. xcv. 8]. 10 Psa. xxxii. 3, 4; li. 8. 'Psa. li. title and verse 14; [Am. ed. 2 Sam. " 2 Sam. xii. 14. xii. 9, 13]. Isa. lxiv. 5, 7, 9; 2 Sam. xi. 27. 'Eph. iv. 30. 12 Psa. lxxxix. 31, 32; 1 Cor. xi. 32. 13 Job viii. 13, 14; Micah iii. 11; Deut. xxix. 19; John viii. 41. shall perish' yet such as truly lorum spes peribit: qui tamen in believe in the Lord Jesus, and love Dominum Jesum vere credunt, eum que sincere diligunt, studentes coram ipso in omni bona conscientia ambulare; evadere possunt in hac vita him in sincerity, endeavoring to walk in all good conscience before him, may in this life be certainly assured that they are in a state of certi se in statu gratia esse constigrace,' and may rejoice in the hope tutos; quin etiam lætari possunt of the glory of God, which hope spe gloriæ Dei, quæ quidem spes shall never make them ashamed.' nunquam eos pudefaciet. II. Hæc certitudo non est per II. This certainty is not a bare conjectural and probable persua-suasio mere conjecturalis et probasion, grounded upon a fallible bilis, innixa spe fallaci; verum hope; but an infallible assurance infallibilis quædam fidei certitudo, of faith, founded upon the divine fundamentum habens divinam protruth of the promises of salvation," missionum salutis veritatem;' grathe inward evidence of those tiarum, quibus promissiones illæ figraces unto which these promises unt internam evidentiam; testiare made, the testimony of the monium denique spiritus adoptionis Spirit of adoption witnessing with una cum spiritibus nostris testifiour spirits that we are the children cantis nos esse filios Dei;' qui quiof God: which Spirit is the earnest dem spiritus arrhabo est hæreditatis of our inheritance, whereby we are nostræ, quo in diem redemtionis sisealed to the day of redemption." gillamur." |