(4.) " Of Grace and Free-wU,^BxA in like manner as, by the fall, man does not cease to be man, endowed with intellect and will, neither hath sin, which hath pervaded the whole human race, taken away the na- ture of the human species, but it hath depraved and spiritually stained it ; so tiiat even this divine grace of regeneration does not act upon men like stocks and trees, nor take away the properties of his will, or vio- lently compel it whfle unwilling; but it spiritually quickens, heals, corrects, and sweetly, and at the same time powerfully, inclines it ; so that whereas before it was wholly governed by the rebellion and resistance of the^^let^ now prompt and sincere obedience of the Spirit may begin to reign ; in which the renewal of our spiritual will, and our liberty, truly consist; in which manner (or for which reason), unless the admi-
rable Author of all good should woric in us, there ooold be no hope to man of rising from the fall by thatyVee wOl by which, when standing, he fell into ndn."
(6.) *' On Perseverance, — God, who is rich in mercy, frmn his immutable purpose of election, doea not wholly take away his Holy Spirit fSrom his own, even in lamentable falls; nor does he so permit them to glide down (profoM) that they should fidl fkxmi the grace of adoption and the state of justification ; or commit the ' sin unto death,' or against the Holy Spir- it ; that, being deserted by him, they should cast them- selves headlong into eternal destruction. So that not by their own merits or strength, but by the gratuitous mercy of God, they obtain it, that they neither lotaMg faU ttom &ith and grace, natfinaSy oontimss in their fidk and perish."
The Confusions of the Beformed Church agree more or less closely with the statements of Dort, whether they preceded or followed it in date. See the Con- fess) GaUica, art. 12; Confessio Belgica, art 16 ; Form, Convensus ffeivet, arts. 4 and 19; Conf Hehet. ii, 10. (See Winer, Comp. DarsteUmff, iz, 1 ; Hagenbach, Bis- tory of Doctrines, § 249.) The Weshmntter Omfladm is the standard of the Church of Scotland, and of the various Presbyterian Churches in Europe and Ameri- ca. Its 8d article states God^s Eternal Decree as fol- lows!
** Of Go$s Eternal Decree.^QoA from all eternity did, tiy the most wise and holy counsel of his own wiH, fr«ely and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass ; yet so as thereby neither is God the author of sin, nor is violence offered to the will of the creatures, nor is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather established. Although God knows whatsoever may or can come to pass upon all sup- posed conditions, yet hath he not decreed anything be- cause he foresaw its frtture, or as that which would come to pass upon such conditions. By the decree of God, for the manifestation of his glory, some men and angels are predestinated unto everlasting lifi, and oth- ers foreordained to everlasting death. These angels I and men, thus predestinated and foreordained, are par- j ticularly and unchangeably designed, and their num- ber is so certain and definite that it cannot be either ^increased or diminished. Those of mankind tiiat ars I predestinated unto life, God, before the foundation of the world was laid, according to his eternal and immu- table purpose, and the secret counsel and good pleas- ure of his will, hath choste, in Christ, unto everlasting glory, out of his mere tree grace and love, without any foresight d faith, or good works, or perseverance in either of them, or any other thing in the creature, as conditions, or causes moving him thereunto ; and all to the praise of his glorious grace. As God hath ap- pointed the elect unto glory, so hath he, by the eternal and most free purpose of his will, foreordained all the means thereunto. Wherefore they who are elected, being fdlen in Adam, are redeemed by Christ, are ef- fectiutlly called unto fiuth in Christ, by his Spirit working in due season ; are justified, adopted, sancti- fied, and kept by his power through &ith unto salva- tion. Neither are any other redeemed by Christ, ef- fectually called, justified, adopted, sanctified, and saved, but the elect only. The rest of mankind God was pleased, according to the unsearchable counsel of his own will, whereby he eztendeth or withholdeth mercy, as he pleaseth, for the glory of his sovereign power over his creatures, to pass by, and to ordain them to dishonor and wrath for their sin, to the praise of his glorious justice."
The 17th article of the Qktreh of England is as fol- lows:
^* Of Predestination and jEZscetbn.— Predestination to lifo is the everlasting purpose of God, whereby (before the foundations of the world were laid) he hath con- stantiy decreed, by his counsel, secret to us, to deliver from curse and diunnaticm those whom he hath chosen
CALVINISM
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CALVINISM
ia Chriflt out of mankindi and to bring them by Chrigt to everlasting salyation, as yeseels made to honor. Wherefore they which be endued wiUi so excellent a benefit of God be called according to God's porpose, by his SfBiit working in doe season : they, through grace, obey the calling: they be justified freely : they be made sons of God by adoption : they be made like the Image of his only-begotten Son Jesus Christ : they inlk religktnsly in good works; and at length, by God's grace, they attain to everlasting felictty. As the godly condderation of predestination and our elec- tion in Christ is Aill of sweet, pleasant, and unspeak*- Ue comfort to godly persons, and such as fsel in them- selves the working «^ the Spirit of Christ, mortifying the works of the fleeh and their earthly members, and diswittg up their mind to hi^ and heavenly things, as weU because it doth greatly establish and confirm their fidtk of eternal salvation to be enjoyed through Christ, as because it doth fervently kindle their love toward God ; so, for curious and cunal persons, lack- faig the Spirit of Christ, to have continually before their eyes the sentence of God*s predestination is a most dangei;oas downfall, whereby the devil doth thrust them either into desperation, or into wretched- ness of most unclean living, no less perilous than des- peration. Furthermore, we must receive God's prom- ises in such wise as they be generally set forth to us in holy Scripture. And in our doings, that will of God is to be followed which we have expressly de- clared unto us in the Word of God."