' llcifeciohi; yl, T&iv S(a \fi<rTOii dvxifiov/xivuv, a-ro tou alfMiTos "A?sX tiu oixumv. — Ignat. Epist. ad I'^phcs. [eiip. xii.J
^ YloivTi! oZv o'l iiyioi iv Xsiff'TS* iffu(riffx)i, iX'^rlravTis ii; aurev kcc) aurov ■ivaftimann;, xai Si' aurou ffurfi.'ias iTvy^o^. — Kpist. ad I'llil. [cap. V.]
3 " Nun alia tide (iiieiiuiiiam hoinimnn, sive ante legem sive logis teiipore, justified- turn esse, crcdcudum est, quain hae eadeiu qua Dominus Jesu," etc. — I'rosp. ad Ob. viiL, Gallorum.
* " Omucs ergo illos qui ah AlnMham sursum versus ad prinuim lominem, gencra- tionis online couscribuutur. ctsi nou nnuiiuc, rebus tauien, et reli}.ione Cluistianos fuibse, si quis dicat, non uiihi vidctur erraro." — Euseb. Hist. licclcs., lib. i. caj). 4.
SALVATION THROUGH FAITH IN CIIRIST, 118
For, not to consider the corruption and universal disability of nature to do any tiling that is good (" without Christ we can do nothing," John XV. 5), nor yet the sinfulness of their best works and actions, the " sacrifice of the wicked being an abomination unto the Lord/' Prov. XV. 8 ("Evil trees cannot bring forth good fruit; men do not gather gi-apes of thorns, nor figs of thistles," Matt. vii. 16, 17); — the word of God is plain, that " without faith it is impossible to please God," Heb. xi. 6 ; that " he that believeth not is condemned," Mark xvi. 1 6 ; that no nation or person can be blessed but in the Seed of Abraham, Gen. xii. 3. And the "blessing of Abraham" comes upon the Gentiles only " through Jesus Christ," Gal. iii. 14. He is " the way, tlie truth, and the life," John xiv. 6. " None cometh to the Father but by him." He is the " door," by which those that do not enter are " without," with " dogs and idolaters," Rev. xxii. 15. So that " other foundation" of blessedness " can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ," 1 Cor. iii. 11. In brief, do but compare these two places of St Paul, Rom. viii. SO, where he showeth that none are glorified but those that are called; a.nd chap. x. 14, 15, where he de- clares that all calling is instrumental ly by the preaching of the word and gospel; and it will evidently appear that no salvation can be granted unto them on whom the Lord hath so far poured out his indignation as to deprive them of the knowledge of the sole means thereof, Christ Jesus. And to those that are otherwise minded, I give only this necessary caution, — Let them take heed, lest, whilst they endeavour to invent new ways to heaven for others, by so doing they lose the true way themselves.
S. S. Lib. Arbit.
" 0 fools, and slow of heart to " There is no place in the Old
believe all that the prophets have Testament whence it may appear
spoken : ought not Christ to have that faith in Christ as a Redeemer
suffered these things?" Luke xxiv. was either enjoined or found in
25, 26. any then," Rem. Apol.
" Abraham rejoiced to see my " Abraham's faith had no re- day ; and he saw it, and was glad," ference to Christ," Armin. John viii. 56. " By his know- ledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities," Isa. liii. 11. See the places before cited.
" At that time ye were with- " The Gentiles living under the
out Christ, being aliens from the Old Testament, though it Avas not
commonwealth of Israel, and revealed unto them as unto the
strangers from the covenants of Jews, yet were not excluded from
VOL. X. 8
114
A DISPLAY OF ARMINIANISM.
s. s.
promise, having no hope, and without God in the world," Eph. ii. 12.
" There is none other name under heaven given unto men, whereby we must be saved," but only by Christ, Acts iv. 1 2.
" The blessing of Abraham Cometh on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ," Gal. iii. 14. " He that believeth not is condemned," Mark xvi. 16. " Without faith it is impossible to please God," Heb. xi. 6. " Other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ," 1 Cor. iii. 11.
Lib. Arbit. the covenant of grace, and from salvation," Corv.
" I deny this proposition, That none can be saved that is not in- grafted into Christ by a true faith," Bert.
" To this question, Whether the only way of salvation be the life, passion, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ? I an- swer. No," Venat
CHAPTER XII.
Of free-will, the nature and power thereof.
Our next task is to take a view of the idol himself, of this great deity of free-will, whose original being not well known, he is pre- tended, like the Ephesian image of Diana, to have fallen down from heaven, and to have his endowments from above. But yet, consider- ing what a nothing he was at his first discovery in comparison of that vast giant-like hugeness to which now he is grown, we may say of him as the painter said of his monstrous picture, which he had mended or rather marred according to every one's fancy, " Hunc populus fecit," — it is the issue of the people's brain. Origen^ is sup- posed to have brought him first into the church ; but among those many sincere worshippers of divine grace, this setter forth of new demons found but little entertainment. It was looked upon but like the stump of Dagon, with his head and hands laid down before the ark of God, without whose help he could neither know nor do that which is good in any kind, still accounted but " truncus ficulnus, inutile lignum," — " a fig-tree log, an luiprofitable piece of wood." " Incerti patres scamnum facerentne?" The fathers of the succeeding ages had much debate to what use they should put it, and thougii some exalted it a degree or two above its merits, yet the most con-