First, Deut. x. 1 6, The Lord commandeth the Israelites to " cir- cumcise the foreskin of their hearts, and to be no more stiff-necked;" so that the circumcising of their hearts was a part of their obedience, — it was their duty so to do, in obedience to God's command. And yet, in the 30th chapter, verse 6, he affirmeth that " he will cir- cumcise their hearts, that they might love the LoED their God with all their hearts." So that, it seems, the same thing, in diverse respects, may be God's act in us and our duty towards him. And how the Lord will here escape that Arminian censure, that if his words be true in the latter place, his command in the former is vain and foolish, " ipse viderit," — let him plead his cause, and avenge himself on those that rise up against him.
Secondly, Ezek. xviii. 31 , " Make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel?" The making of a new heart and a new spirit is here required under a promise of a reward of life, and a great threatening of eternal death ; so that so to do must needs be a part of their duty and obedience. And yet, chap, xxxvi. 26, 27, he affirmeth that he will do this very thing that here he requireth of them : " A new heart will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you : and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh; and I will cause you to walk in my statutes," etc. In how many places, also, are we com- manded to "fear the Lord !" which, when we do, I hope none will deny it to be a performance of our duty ; and yet, Jer. xxxii. 40, God pro- miseth that " he will put his fear in our hearts, that we shall not de- part from him."
Thirdly, Those two against which they lay particular exceptions,
' " Atqui dices, sic servatores nostri essent omnes," — eodem sensu quo Christus, — " saltern ex parte qui prseconio, miraculis, et exemplo salutis viam, confirmant ; esto, quid turn?" — Rem. Apol., cap. viii. [p. 94.]
106 A DISPLAY OF AHMINIANISM.
faith and repentance, are also expressly attributed to the free dona- tion of God: He " granteth unto the Gentiles repentance unto life," Acts xi. 18; and of faith directly, " It is not of ourselves, it is the gift of God," Eph. ii. 8. To which assertion of the Holy Spirit I shall rather fasten my belief than to the Aiininians, affirming that it is no gift of God because it is of ourselves; and yet this hindereth not but that it may be styled, " Our most holy faith," Jude 20. Let them that will, deny that any thing can properly be ours which God be- stoweth on us; the prophet accounted them not inconsistent when he averred that " the Lokd worketh all our works in us," Isa. xxvi. 12. They are our works, though of his working. The apostle laboured ; though it was not he, but " the grace of God that was with him," 1 Cor. XV. 10. He " worketh in us xai rh ^sXsiv xai ro hipyuv of his good pleasure," Phil. ii. 13 ; and yet the performance of our duty may consist in those acts of our wills and those good deeds whereof he is the author. So that, according to St Austin's counsel,^ we will still pray that he would bestow what he commandeth us to have.
Fourthly, 1 Cor. iv. 7, "Who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive?" Every thing that makes us differ from others is received from God ; wherefore, the foun- dation of all difference in spiritual things between the sons of Adam being faith and repentance, they must also of necessity be received from above. In brief, God's "circumcising our hearts," Col. ii. 11, his " quickening us when we are dead," Eph. ii. 1, 2, begetting us anew, John i. 13, making us in all things such as he would have us to be, is contained in that promise of the new covenant, Jer. xxxii. 40, " I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good ; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me;" and is no way repugnant to the holy Scripture, declarmg our duty to be all this that the Lord would have us. And now, let all men judge whether, against so many and clear testimonies of the Holy Ghost, the Ar- minian reasons, borrowed from the old philosophers, be of any value. The sum of them all you may find in Cicero, his third book De Natura Deorum. ^" Every one," saitli he, " obtaineth virtue for himself; never any wise man thanked God for that: for our virtue avc are praised ; in virtue we glory, which might not be were it a gift of God." And truly this, in softer terms, is the sum of the Remon- strants' arguments in this particular.