The Catechism of the Council of Trent teaches also that '"the commandments of God are not difficult of observance." "As God is ever ready by his divine as- sistance to sustain our weakness, especially since the death of Christ the Lord, by which the prince of this workl was cast out, there is no reason why we should be disheartened by the difficulty of the undertaking. To him who loves nothing is difficult."
2. The Calvinistic Theory. — The Westminster Confes- sion of Faith has the following chapter on sanctification :
"They who are effectually called and regenerated, hav- ing a new lieavt and a new spirit created in llieni, are fur- ther sanctified, really and personally, through the virtue of Christ's death and resturection, by his word and spirit dwelling in them ; the domiuion of the whole body of gin is destroyed, and the several lusts thereof are more and more weakened and mortified; and they are more and more quickened and strengthened, in all saving graces, to the practice of true holiness, without which uo man shall see the Lord.
"This sanctificjitiou is thronghont the whole man, yet imperfect in this life; there abide still some remnants of corruption iu every pai t, whence ariseth a continual aud irreconcilable war, the flesh lusting against the Spirit, aud the Spirit against the flesh.
"In this war, although the remaining corruption for a lime may much prevail, yet, through the continual sup- ply of streugth from the sanctifying spirit of Christ, the regenerate part doth overcome ; aud so the saints grow in grace, perfecting holiness in the fear of the Lord."
In respect to the possibility of keeping the law, the following declarations of the Confession and the Larger Catechism of the Presbyterian Church are sufficiently explicit :
"No man is able, either by himself or by any grace re- ceived iu this life, perfectly to keep the comma'udments of God, but doth daily break them iu thought, word, aud deed." — Catechism.
"This corruption of nature, during this life, doth re- main in those that are regenerated ; and although it be thronsih Christ pardoned aud mortified, yet both itself and all the motions tliereof are truly and properly sin." — Confession, ch. vi.
Thus the Calvinistic standards answer the two ques- tions by saj-ing, in reply to the first, that as long as a man lives on the earth " there abide still some rem- nants of corruption in every part" of liis nature; and, in reply to the second, that cverj' man, notwithstand- ing all the grace received, "doth daily break" the law of God "in thought, word, and deed;" and that this residue of corruption, "and all the motions thereof, are truly and properly sin." Consequently there is no such thing as entire sanctification in this life, but the holiest of God's children must of necessity remain corru]it, at least in part, and go on in the constant commission of actual sin as long as they live. Indeed, it is not en- tirely clear how "the saints," as the Confession asserts, "grow in grace, perfecting holiness in the fear of the Lord," seeing that the highest attainments possible in this life still leave them with corruption within, and an outward life marred Ijy tlie constant commission of sin, "in thought, word, and deed."
3. Arminian Theories. — (1.) Arminius himself seems to have taken no very decided position on the sid)ject, his chief fields of battle lying in other directions. Nev- ertheless, among " certain articles to be diligently exam- ined and weighed, because some cor.troversy has arisen
concerning them, even among those who profess the Reformed religion," he makes a statement to the effect that "regeneration is not perfected in a moment, but by certain steps and intervals," and that the regenerate man "still has within him the flesh lusting against the Spirit;" nor does he speak of any complete deliverance in this life. On the other jjoint, he affirms that "he who asserts that it is possible fur the regenerate, through the grace of Christ, perfectly to fulfil the law in the present life, is neither a Pelagian, nor inflicts any injury on the grace of God, nor establishes justification "tbrougii works." He cites Augustine himself as declaring the abstract possibility of a man's living in this world with- out sin, and as saying, " Let Pelagins confess that it is possible for man to be without sin in no other waj' than by the rjrace of Christ, and we will be at peace with him." Arminius can hardly be said to have held any well-defined theory on the subject.
(2.) Wesley's Theoi-y.—Wedey's views on the subject of entire sanctification were long in the process of for- mation, and it is no difficult task to find early state- ments which contradict others made at a later period. As enunciated in the latter part of his life, his views may be defined thus. He taught in regard to the work wrought in us — -
1. That man by nature is depraved, so that, aside from grace, he is unfitted for all good, aud prone to all evil.
2. That, through the grace of God, this moral depravity may be removed in this life, and man live freed from it.
3. That regeneration begins the process of cleausiug, but, except in some exempt cases possibly, does not com- plete it, a degree of depravity still remaiuiug iu the re- generate.