y fytmll Uttivmltg J Slrwg BOUGHT WITH THE INCOME | FROM THE SAGE ENDOWMENT FUND THE GIFT OF Henrg M. 0ag« k 1891 ^Y^y^^" A., £.C/.£..^. The original of tliis book is in tine Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924029180631 An Attempt to illufirate thofe Articles of tfie Church of England, which the Calvinijls " improperly confider as Calvinijlieal, IN EIGHT SEIMONS PREACHED BEFORE 1 ! I THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD, IN THE YEAR MDCCCIV, AT THE LECTURE FOUNDED BY J. BAMPTON, M, A. CANON OF SALISBURY. BY RICHARD LAURENCE, LL. D. OF UNIVEKSITY COLLEGE, OXFORD, AT THE UNIVERSITY PRESS, FOR THE AUTHOR ; AND SOLD BY MESSRS. HANWELL AND PARKER ; AND BY MESSRS. EIVINGTON, ST. PAUl's CHURCH YARD, AND R. FAULDER, NEW BOND STREET, LONDON. £RRATA. {"age 36, lin. 15. after the vioriX ferhapt a&i from. ' 184, — 7. for homines read haminis. I 191, — ij. after the word -Work add Supplemeii!,p. 14.3 — — 192, — J9, 30. dele inverted commas. ■- 193, — ai. after the word May add 15+3. i 208, — 5. for and read j4Wr. 238, — 19, for audieitduia tead aurlenJuitt. — -— 241, — 3. for EcclefiiE read Ecchfiaruhi, ' 249j — 30. for dahaHt read dahuiit, 25'.— 6. for 1533 read 1535. 274, — 31. dele //. 277, — 14. for Jigelli rea.A_/gil!i. 280, — 6. for pie/ds reaH pefius. . ;(gj| — 37. after the word v'dijjima add domm^ue, 302, — 5. for Serm. I. read Serm. II. 316, — 34- for njoca/nur read vocamus. . 318, — 14. for cogitare read cogitari. 3<;, — 29. for regnie read regni. J— 397, — 27. for haieat read haheant. PREFACE. JL HE mode of illuftration'^ adopted in tiiefe Ledures, although it has not been wholly difregarded, has neverthelefs been but par- tially purlued, by thofe, who have gone be- fore upon the fame fubje with the fenti- ments of the latter, and elw^dated bjf our Baptifmal fervice. Brief recapitulation of the whole. SERMON I. a Timothy ili. 14. But continue thou in the things which thou hajl learned, , and haft been ajfured of, kri,o%ving of -whom thou haft learned them. •* JL HAT no inveftigations are more impor- tant than thofe, which Religion points out, is a truth admitted indeed by all, but felt only by the wife and good. Other enquiries we may ptirfiie or omit, as individual inclination prompts us, while with refped: to our future exiftence we prbfecute them without profit, or negledt them without daiigerj but the cafe of Religion permits no alternative. Here not inclination but duty and intereft are to be cohfulted. This is a fubjed: upon the cultivation of which depends the welfare of our being beyond the grave j which it is the extreme of folly to forget, and of madnefs to defpife. Educated in a Chriftian community, with a reverence for the precepts of the Golpel, ; ^ B we a SERMON!. we imbibe in early years an habitual pfedl- ledion for its doArines. When the faculties of the foul expand, and reafon approaches ma- turity, this prediledion becomes augmented, in proportion as we weigh with more or lefs accuracy the irrefragable arguments, which have been repeatedly urged in its defence fmce the happy sera, of the Reformation. For it is the pride of Engliftimen to reflect, that the principles of Chriftianity have been no where difcuffed with more candour and ability, or with more clearnefs, folidity, and force of conviction, than in their own country. But- every good is attended with a correfpondent evil. The Reformation, which in order to expofe error encouraged freedom of enquiry, unavoidably occalioned an almofl: infinite va- riety of opinions, as the points of view be- came different, under which the fame objedts were contemplated. One fyftem however only could be eftablifhed; and to that, which was at firft adopted, we ftill adhere. Hence it happens, that we find ourfelves not merely Chriflians, but Protellants, and not Proteftants only, but members of a particular Church, the diflinguilhing tenets of which, if we choofe to preferve our connexion with it, we feem bound without diffimulation to profefs, and in our confciences to believe. If SERMON I. ,3 If fuch be the obligation even of the Laity, the Clergy furely ought to be fenfible of one more ftridt, as well as extenfive ; they fliould confider themfelves as appointed not fimply to teach Religion by precept, and adorn it by example, but at all times to fupport the faith of that Church, to which they be- long, without lukewarmnefs and without in- conftancy. The humbleft attempt therefore to elucidate any controverted points of our national Creed cannot perhaps prove totally uninterefting in this place, where its value is du,ly appreciated, and where all, it is prefumed, feel equally influenced by deliberate choice, as by confiftency of charafter, to prote6t it from injury and infult. When the nature of academical inftitu- tions and their clofe connexion with the Church are confidered, no public difcordance of fentiment can here be expedled to prevail ; here can we approve and teach only author- ized opinions; and here a fenfe of honour no lefs than of duty prevents the mofl: for- ward from attempting to fubvert, by con- cealed and infidious ftratagems, what none" can openly attack. But as foon as we go abroad into the world, and converfe witli Chriftians of different perfuafions, with fome, who feel as proud a diftindion in being B 2, without. ^ SERMON I. without, as we do in being within, the pale of our Eftablifhment, the unanimity, which before we witneffed, difappears.: a fcene of ■difcord fucceeds ; and perhaps upon topics where we expelled immediate conceffion, we are furprifed by a pertinacious oppofition ; where we fuppofed liberality to exifl, we fbmetimes find prejudice ; and where preju- dice, fometimes liberality ; where we looked for indifference, weare encountered with zeal ; and where we could conceive nothing but weaknefs, if we do not always difcover wif- dom, we often admire addrefsand applaud in- genuity. It may not therefore appear foreign to the defign of thefe Ledlures, if I dire was not confined to a mere diftant correfpondence for the pur- pofe pf acquiring information, and promoting difcuffion, or to a frequent folicitation of fo-: reign ailiftance -, an a6lual Reform founded ppon them took place ; and fome popular inllrudions were either publiflied with per- miffion. 14 SERMON I. miffion, or fanaioned by royal authority, ■which, with the exception of a few points only, breathed the fpirit of Lutheranifm (*). Of this no one at all converfant with the fub- je(5l can for a moment doubt, who examines with attention the contents, of what were at the time denominated the Bifhops Bookj and the King's Book, the two moft impor- tant publications of the day. And, although in both thefe fyftems of faith (for fuch avowedly they were) fome fuperftitious te-* nets may be difcovered, which were after- wards reje^ed ; yet little, if any thing, is to be found in either of them materially dif- ferent from what was fubfequently efla- bliflied, relative to any point, with which my propofed enquiry is connected. Indeed the Reformation of the fucceeding reigii ought not to be confidered as diftindl from that which had been efFedted in this, but rather as a continuation and completion of it. In proof of which, without adverting to general refemblances, it feems fufficient to remark, that three of our exifling Articles, two, which relate to the Sacraments, and one refpedling Traditions, were in a great meafure copied word for word from a fliort code of do(3:rines, which had been drawn up long before the death pf Henry ("). Nor is SERMON I. 13 is complete originality even here to be met with J the fentiments, and many of the very expreffions, thus borrowed, being themfelves evidently derived from another fource, the Confeffion of Augfbotirgh. When Edward then afcended the throne, the fame attachment not only continued to prevail, but became more predominant, un- fettered by the caprices of the ruling Mon- arch. The offices of our Church were im- mediately reformed- (which before had been but partially attempted) after the temperate lyftem of Luther, and not after the plan of fubverfion, rather than of reformation, which Calvin had recently exhibited at Geneva ('). Nor were any alterations of importance, one point alone excepted, made at their fubfe- quent revifion. At the fame period alfo, the firft book of Homilies was compofed ; which, although equally Lutheran, yet con- taining nothing upon the fubje^t of the Sa- cramental prefence, has remained without the flighteft emendation to the prefent day. The benefit of Melandthon's perfonal fervices was again and again folicited ; but they feem to have been too highly valued at home to be tranfplanted into a foreign country ("). An- other circumfEance likewife, which feems to have been little noticed, no kfs diredly proves. i6 SERMON I. proves the favourite quarter, to which our Reformers looked for information. Cranmer, who had never concealed the bias of his fentiments, now more openly and generally avowed them. He translated a Lutheran Catechifm, which he edited in his own name, dedicated to the King, and recom- mended in the ftrongeft terms, as a treatife admirably adapted to improve the principles as well as morals of the rifing generation ('). The opinions therefore of the Primate were at this time perfectly Lutheran ; and al- though he afterwards changed them in one fingle point, in other relpedts they remained unaltered. And it fhould be recolledled, that he it was, who principally conducted our Reformation from its earlieft commencement under Henry to its termination in the reign of Edward, exerting his influence over the mind of the former, and his credit in the councils of the latter, to efFedt that which it was the prayer of his heart and the. pride of his life to behold advancing towards per- feftion. Almoft the whole merit of our ec- clefiaftical renovation mull be imputed to him, who, ftilling the chaos of theological contention, produced harmony from difcord, and beauty from deformity. To afcertain his peculiar attachments is to afcertain thoie of SERMON I. 17 of the Reformation ; for under his diredion, and with much of his individual aid, were prepared the Offices of our Church and the Articles of her Creed. If his condudl, connexions, and writings are duly considered, little doubt will exift with regard to the tendency of his principles ; nor ought his zeal for Lutheranifm to be deemed queftionable, becaufe he patronized talents, wherever he found them, and refpedled good men of all perfuafions. For his views were enlarged and liberal beyond his times ; his heart and his purfe were open to ability of every defcription : nor, although a ftrenuous advocate of truth, was he ever uncharitably and inflexibly 'fevere towards thofe who per- lifted in error, but exercifed on all occaiions a patience and forbearance, which his very enemies applauded, but which few of his friends were difpofed to imitate. Actuated by a convi6lion, that what he advanced in the caufe of Chriftianity his confcience, as he energetically expreffed himfelf, would be able to defend at the great day in the fight of the everhving God('°), he. was by no means wavering and unfteady in his fenti- ments j -yet at the fame time, experiencing how reludlantly the human mind relinquifli- ed inveterate habits, he felt compaflion in- c ftead 18 SERMON t Head of refentment for the prejudices pf Papifts, relieving them by his bounty when diftrefled, and honouring them with his friendfliip when deferring it. Towards Pro- teftants, as might have been expeded, his munificence was unlimited. Neither was he fcrupuloufly folicitous to difcriminate be- tween thofe, who fupported different teneta on inferior points: to Zuinglians no lefs tha,a Lutherans, uncharitable towards each other, his hand was inceffantly extended, and his houfe afforded a common afylum in calamity. But whatfoever we may conceive his prin- ciples to have been, it* Ihould be remarked, that a writer of eminence feems to withhold from them no fmall fliare of Hrppofed public influence, by reprefenting him as having been incapable of difplaying them with ability. The principal Hiflorian of our Reformation aflerts, that he pofleffed no great quicknefs of apprehenfion, nor any clofenefs of ftyle, which was difFufed and unconnected ; and that, confcious of his deficiencies, he borrowed the affiftance of a more able pen, when any thing was to be drawn up, which requir- ed nervous compofition ( " ) . This cenfure^ which, if juft, would confiderably diminilh the importance of his aid in the compilatiort as well of our Articles, as of qui I^jinilies and SERMON I. 19 and Liturgy, were it lefs allied to my fubjed than it really is, the love of truth and a due regard to the memory of one, who has en- deared his name to every true Proteftant, would not fufFer me to pafs by wholly unno- ticed. If we confult the teftimony of his contem- poraries, with the exception of fuch only as was given by thofe, who wrote from party fpirit, and experienced an intereft in mifre- prefenting him, we fliall find, that he was never reputed to be deficient in quicknefs of apprehenfion ; but, on the other hand, that his parts and acquifitions were defervedly held in the higheft ellimation ('*). Yet even this is unneceffary. Let us but examine with impartiality his celebrated work upon the Sacrament, and all further enquiry will prove iiiperfluous. In this produdlion the great ftores of theological literature, with which his capacious mind was enriched, were ex- hibited in a manner, which places his rea- foning powers in the moft confpicuous light j which proves, that the clearneis of his con- ception, his acutenefs in difcrimination, and his addrefs in argument, were equal to the extent of his information j and that, diftin- guifhed by an unfophifticated regard for truth, he pofldSed the fmgular faculty of per- c 2 fuading ao SERMON I. fuadlng without any apparent attempt to pgf-* fuade, and without art by candour alone of enforcing convidlion. Neither did any defedt in compofition dif- grace his cofitroverfial talent. For if we confult what ought only-- to be confulted on the occafion, thofe works which he profef- fedly compofed for the public eye, we fliall perceive that his expreffion wanted not nerve to ftrengthen it ; and that his periods were by no means unconnefted, nor (when it is confidered that he wrote upon fubjedls and for purpofes requiring fome cxpanfion) un- neceflarily difFufed ('^). That he excelled not in that artificial compreffion of ftyle, which fome efleem the ilandard of perfec- tion, will be readily granted ; becaufe he ex- celled in fomething better, in nature and fim- plicity. But while he cultivated fimplicity, he by no means negleded concinnity. Yet, writing for popular inflrudlion, he was always plain and peripicuous ; his ideas being gene- rally clothed in language, which the moft learned might admire, and which the moft ignorant could comprehend. If his didlion poffeiTed not always Iplendour, it neverthelefi had dhaftity to recommend it. If it feldom difplayed that richnefs of metaphor and glow of colouring, which is moft fuited to the tafte of SERMON I. n of thofe who approve only adorned and lu- minous compofition, it was neverthelefs far from being deftitute of grace ; it was neat without affedlation, of ornament rather fru- , gal than profufe, yet in every inftance pre- serving an unoftentatious decency and dignity peculiar to itfelf ("*). Among the few diftinguifhed writers therefore of his day, he ihould be confidered as holding no con- temptible rank; and he lived in times, the tafte of which was not inferior but far pre- ferable to that of thofe, which fucceeded them. The influx of Latin words, which foon after overwhelmed the Englifla language, had then made but little progrefs; nor had that abfui"d fondnefs become general for puerile refinements, for the conftant recur- rence of ftrained metaphors, and pedantic conceits, which difgraced the produdlions of a later period, ('^). Hence we are not at a lofs to account for the fuperiority .of ftyle difcoverable in our Liturgy, the mafterly performance of Cranmer and his aflbciates, which has always been admired, but feldom fuccelsfuUy imitated, and never equalled ; which is full without verbofity, fervid with- out enthufiafm, refined without the appear- ance of refinement, and folemn without the affedation of folemnity ('"). c 3 The aa SERMON I. The reflexions perhaps, which have be6it made, may fuffice to demonftrate that his literary charafler was not only far from be- ing defpicable, but of a ftamp capable of giving refpedl to his fentiments, and weight to his decifions ; while at the fame time they may poffibly contribute to prove, that, when his Creed varied, (a circumftance fome- times noticed invidioufly,) the change was rather attributable to the vigour, than to the imbecillity of his intelleft. His fate how- ever has been peculiarly hard. Living in evil days, and expofed after his death to the ma- lice of evil tongues, he has fufFered in almoft every part of his reputation. Papifts have impeached the fmcerity, while Protcftants have doubted the fteadinefs of his principles ; and a too general idea feems to prevail that his opinions were for ever flu6luating, or at leaft were fo flexible, as to have rendered him little better than a weak inftj-ument in the hands of thofe, who pofl"eired more ta- lent and more confiflrency. But the faft was far otherwife. He was in truth the chief promoter, and the ableft advocate of the Reformation, planning it with the difcretion of a prudent and the zeal of a good man, and carrying it on towards perfedion with a firmnefs, a wifdom, and a liberality, which obtained Sermon r. ^3 obtained him no lefs credit for the endow- ments of his head, than for the impreffions of his heart. As little reafon then is there to queftion his ability, as his perfonal influence, his perfonal influence, as his attachment to Lntheranifhi.' The latter point feems beyond all contro- verfy. During his million into Germany upon the fubjedi of Hetiry's divorce, when he began to acquire an afcenddncy over the mind of that Monarchy which he never af- terwards loft, he appears to have firft received a, favourable idea of the new dodrines, and to have proved his approbation of them by abandoning his clerical reftrid:ion of celibacy, aind forming a connubial alliance with the near relative of a German Reformer. From t;his sera he became more and more attached to them ; and as light was afforded him, ac- cording to his own obfervation, and in his own language, " through divine grace he "opened his eyes, and did not wilfully re- " pugn againft God, and remain in dark- " nefs (").'' Nor, if in one inftance he at length departed fforii them, was his general predilecflion for them upon fuch account at all Ihaken. Yet ought it never to be for- gotten, that truth alone was the objedl of his moft ardent affedions y and that he con- c 4 ceived a4 SERMON li ceived this moft likely to be promoted by rational inveftigation. " For what harm/' he remarked, " can gold catch in the fire, or « truth in difcuffion ?" ('') j On the whole therefore the principles, upon which our Reformation was conduced, ]' ought not to remain iij doubt: they were! manifeftly Lutheran. With thefe the mind ! of him, to whom we are chiefly indebted for | the falutary meafure, was deeply imprefled, | and in conformity with them was our Litur- i gy drawn up, and the firll book of our Ho- milies, all that were at the time compofed. That our Articles were in general founded upon the fame principles, I fliall in the next place endeavour to prove; after which I Ihall proceed to the feverai points propofed for elucidation. Our firft Reformers indeed, had they been fo difpofed, might have turned their attention to the novel eftablifhment at Geneva, which Calvin had juft fucceeded in forming accord- ing to his wilhes, might have imitated its\ fmgular inftitutions, and inculcated its pecu- liar do6lrines : but this they declined, view- ing it perhaps as a faint luminary, (for as fuch only could it then have been contemplated,) fcarcely in the horizon of its celebrity (''). This they might have done; but they rather chofe SERMON I. a^ chofe to give reputation to their opinions, and liability to their fyftem, by adopting, where reafon permitted, Lutheran fentiments, and expreffing themfelves in Lutheran language. Yet flaviftily attached to no particular tenets, although revering thofe, which were held univerfally facred, and fubmiffive to no man's didlates, they felt a confcious pride in reafon- ing for themfelves; anxious only to prove all things according to that talent, which God had given them, by the teft of truth, and the unerring ftandard of holy Scripture. The moll dillinguifhed of their number was the amiable and enlightened Prelate, to whom I have alluded. Under his guidance, our re- formed Church had emerged from the clouds, which involved it in its earlier progrefs, and was rapidly advancing towards its meridian, when Papal fuperllition fiiddenly extinguifli- ed it in blood. But its extinftion was not dellined to be perpetual. Favoured by Provi- dence, which has often proved liberal in blef- lings to this nation, it foon refumed the luftre of which it had been deprived j and grateful ought we to be, that after a lapfe of cen- turies, in fpite of Bigotry, Scepticifm, and Infidelity, we Hill behold its influence undi- minilhedj and its fplendour unobfcured. =P9*» SERMON II. Jeremiah iii. 15. And I will give you fajlcrs according to mine heart, •which Jb all feed you with knozuledge and underjiand- ing. v/N a former occafion I endeavoured to prove, that the eftabliflied doctrines of our Church, from the commencement of the Reformation to the period, when our Arti- cles firft appeared, were chiefly Lutheran : to point out, that the original, plan was ulti- mately adhered to, and that in the compo- fition of our national Creed a general con- formity with the fame principles was fcru- puloufly preferved, will be the objed; of the prefent Ledlure : after which 1 fhall proceed to the more immediate topics propofed for invelligation. It is much to be regretted, that thofe, who have either profefledly or incidentally written upon our Articles, have not bellowed that particular attention upon the hiftory of their compilation, which the fubjed itfelf feems aS s E R M o ]sr ir. feems^to require; the fcope of every attempt' having rather been to difcover, what con- ftrudion peculiar expreffions would admit, as applicable to the favourite controverfies of a more recent period, than to determine their fenfe by afcertainiug the fources from which they were primarily derived. In difcuffing therefore the queftion before me, I ihall not perhaps appear too minute, when it is recol- ledted, that it has been hitherto but imper- fedlly confidered, writers of fuperior eminence having difregarded what they poffibly deem- ed inferior fpeculations, and exercifed their abilities in the profecution of higher and ac- cording to common eftimation more profita- ble refearches. Efcaping from a captivity not unaptly termed the Babylonian ('), the Reformers of Germany had broken the Papal yoke afferted their religious independence, and framed for themfelves a Creed, in con- tempt of the Pontiff^s dictates, according to the rule of reafon and the laws of God. When the bold philippics, the keen farcafms, and the folid arguments of Luther, had gained him profelytes in almoft every part of the Empire, when princes and peafants, the literate and illiterate, alike perceived the neceffity of reform, and rejoiced a,t the op- portunity SERMON II, 99 piortunity of it, in a public Convention of the States affembled at Augfbourgh the Proteflant party exhibited that admirable con- feffion of their faith, which from, the name of the placCj where, the Diet was convened, has fince received its appropriate appellation. In imitation of this example, the Reformers of our own country) with piety at lead equal, with talents not inferior, and with difcretion perhaps in fbme refpeils greater, not only dif- tributed to a ftarving multitude the food of knowledge and underllanding for the fliort period of their own lives, but treafured up the manna of their dodlrine in the ark of the Church for perpetual confervation. It has often been alked, with whom did the plan of our Articles originate, and to whom ought their ad:ual compofition to be attributed ? After the remarks, which have been already made, I may probably be anti- cipated in the obfervation, that they are to be afcribed to Cranmer, who was not only of- ficially deputed to the tafk on account of his rank and fituation, but eminently qualified for it by his charader and abilities (*). In- deed when interrogated on this very point by his relentlefs perfecutors, not long before his death, he unequivocally avowed himfelf to have been the author of them Qy It has never- 5^ SERMaN ir. heverthelefs been ufually conceived, that he derived much affxftance from Ridley, who, as far as the paucity of his writings enables uS to judge, feems to have no.lefs excelled in perfpicuity than in folidity of argument, in manlinefs of conception, than in energy of expreffion. Latimer likewife has been con- iidered as his coadjutor in the fame under- taking. That each of thefe refpedlable Bi- fliops was confulted on the occafion appears highly probable. Ridley, if an anecdote re- corded of him be accurate, exprefsly ftated* that he both perufed the produdlion before its publication, and noted many things for it } that he thus confented to it, but that he was not the author of it (*). The venerable Latimer, who had refigned his bifhopric in the reign of Henry* declining a reinftate- ment in it, then dwelt under the roof of the Archbifliop, by whom, for his virtues and in- tegrity, he was fmcercly refpe£led, and cor- dially beloved. To a Divine of this defcrip- tion fo peculiarly circumftanced, it is ira- poffible to fuppofe a delign of fuch import- ance not to have been communicated, to one who had acquired the proud title of. the Apoftle of England (f), who had long been the Primate's fellow-labourer in the work of reformation, and who was capable not only of SERMON II, SI or ipiproving it by his wifdom and experience, but of conferring upon it an old man's be- nedidion. But altliough we allow this and even more than this ; although we admit, that Cranmer held in the higheft efteem the mafculine mind of Ridley, and the plain but ftrong fenfe, as well as unfliaken probity of Latimer ; men, who bore able teftimony to the truth while in profperity, and in adver- Cty fealed it with their blood ; yet it appears not that, from any confcioufnefs of peribnal inferiority, he ever beheld them with an ob- fequious eye. He indeed ought alone to be eonfidered as the real and not oftenfible .au- thor of the produftion ; although colle is re- markable for its Simplicity and perlpicuity, is congenial with every man's feelings, and di- refted of all fubtleties within the fcope of' popular comprehenfion. If its objeft is fbme- times miflaken, we cannot be furprifed at the circumflance, when we recoUeft to what it was oppoled ; to fcholaflical fpeculations, which appear to the modern eye the deepeft gloom of night, fo that it necefTarily becomes lefs diflinft by being intermingled with dark- nefs. Equally, however, averfe from die faflidious philofophy and fanciful theories of their opponents, they wifhed rather to prove inflrudlive than amufing, to propagate Scrip- tural truth than metaphyfical refinements, and to exalt the glory of God than the cre- dit of their own abilities. Avoiding all intricate queflions upon the Hibjed, SERMON III. 6i fubjedl, they taught, that Original; Sin is a corruption of our nature in a geheral fenfe, a depravation of the mental faculties and the corporeal appetites ; that the refplendent injage of the Deity, which man received at the creation of the world, although not anni- hilated, is neverthelefs greatly impaired ; and that in confequence the bright charafters of unfpotted fandlity, once deeply engraven on his mind by the hand of the living God, are become obliterated, the injury extending to his intelledt, and affe£ting as well his reafon and his will, as his affeftions and paffions. When therefore they contended, as frequent- ly they did, that our nature is corrupted, they contrafted the poiltion with the fclio- laftical dodlrine of its integrity: and when they urged its total corruption, they oppofed the idea of a deterioration in one part only, and even that confifting of a propenfity void of fin. To conceive that inclination to evil incurs not in itfelf the difapprobation of Hea- ven, appeared to them little better than an apology for crime ; or at leaft a dangerous palliation of that, which the Chriftian's duty compels him not only to reprefs, but ab- hor ('). Yet while they argued, that in confequence of this deptavity we are to be confidered by our 62 SERMON III. our natural birth as the children of wrath, they admitted, that by our new birth in bap- tifm we all are made the children of grace. When, however, on this occafion they prefled the neceffity of complying with a Gofpel inftitution, we mufl not fuppofe them to have underftood that expreffion in its ftrong- eft fenfe, as excluding from every hope of mercy thofe, whom involuntary accident or incapacity has prevented from participating in the Chriftian Covenant. For arguments are not wanting to prove, that, although they were anxious to feleft language, which could not be mifreprefented, as inlinuating with the Anabaptifts the inuti- lity of Infant baptilm, they neverthelefs fub- fcribed not in this refped: to the more con- tracted dodtrine of their adverfaries. Luther exprefled himfelf upon this fubjedl fo clearly and explicitly, that we ought neither to doubt his creed, nor withhold the tribute juftly due to the humanity of his feelings, and the liberality of his fentiments. Although in- fants, he remarked, bring into the world with them the depravity of their origin, yet is it an important confideration, that they have never tranfgrefled the divine commandments; and fmce God is merciful, he will not, we may be aflured, fuffer them to fare the worfe. SERMON III. 6^ "Worfe, becaufe, without their own fault, they have been deprived of his holy baptifm. The known rule, he likewife added, of extending favours and reftraining rigours, may in this cafe be applied greatly to the glory of a Be- ings difpofed by nature to pardon and pity, fo that we muft not conceive Him to be too fevere againft the children of Chriftians, who wills the falvation of all mankind (^). But whatfoever we may conceive the Lu- therans to have maintained refpedling the neceflity of this facred rite, it is certain, that upon the effects of it they widely differed from the Church of Rome. For while their opponents taught that Original Sin was to- tally obliterated in the laver of regeneration, they on the other hand afferted, that the corruption of our nature continues not only from the cradle to the font,, but from the font to the grave, the fame difpofition, which exifts before baptifm, remaining after it ('). Upon the whole, their adverfarles irefted much upon the following philofophical truths; that we ought not to be efteerned virtuous or vicious, worthy of praife or cenfure, mere- ly on account of involuntary paffions ; that all fin is determinable by the a6l of the will ; and that human nature is not evil. This they readily admitted in its proper placej when 64 SERMON III. •when applied to a fuitable objeiJl, and brought before a Suitable tribunal, the doftrine of morals and the judgment of mankind : but they reprobated the attempt of introducing it in order to fuperfede Chriftianity, and to prove from it the purity of man in the efti- mation of God ; of him, " in whofe fight the *' very heavens are not clean, and vs^ho charg- " eth his angels with folly ('°)." If therefore they dwelt much upon the dark fide of the queflion, it was no more than the occ^on demanded ; the bright fide of it had been long held up by the Church of Rome in fo fallacious a point of view, that it feemed al- moft impoffible to err in that refpedl. The application of what has been obferved, to the Article of our Church upon the fame lubje<9:, has been already perhaps anticipated; Original Sin is there defined to be " the " fault and corruption of the nature of every " man, that naturally is engendered of the oiF- " fpring of Adam ("), whereby man is far *' gone from original righteoufnefs, and is " of his own nature inclined to evil, fo that *' the flefh lufheth always contrary to the *' fpirit, and therefore, in every perfon born *' into this world, it deferveth God's wrath *' and damnation." When we recolleft the peculiar theory of the Scholaflics, we imme- diately SERMpN III. .6s diately perceive with what this definition was intended to be contrafted. According to their ftatement. Original Sin is nothing more than a defed: of Original Righteoufnefs, which^ inftead of being a connatural quality, ,Avas itlelf only a fupernatural ornament, uneflen- tial to the foul. In oppofition, therefore, to fuch a conceit, our Church reprefents it to be the fault and corruption of every man's nature, not the lofs of a fuperadded grace, but the vitiation of his innate powers ; a vi- tiation, by which he is very far removed from original, righteoufnefs, and by which, flie fubjoins, again repeating the word before ufed as diftinftly expreffive of her meaning, he is inclined to evil of his own nature ; ip that his paflions continually refifi: the con- trol of his reafon. Yet while Ihe efteems it not, as her adverfaries held, an innocuous propenfity, flie does not declare it to be pu- nlfhable as a crime \ but fleering a middle courfe, with a moderation, for which fhe is always remarkable, afTerts it only to be de- feroing of God's difpleafure. After the pre- ceding definition, to which none but the So- phifls of the fchopls could objedl, fhe pro- ceeds to obferve, in perfect conformity with common fenfe and with the do6lrine of the Lutherans, that this depravatioii of nature re- F mains 66 SERMON III. mains after baptifm, fo that concupifcence, or whatfoever elfe may be meant by the fpov^fioi ffocpKo? of St. Paul, is not, as the Council of Trent had then recently main- tained it ("), and as the Church of Rome had always believed it to be, a finlefs incli- nation ; but one rebelling againft the Law of God J and which, according to the Apo- ftle, who neverthelefs admits that there is no condemnation for them that believe and are baptized, retains in itfelf the nature of Sin. Having thus taken a furvey of the Article, if a brief one, yet one perhaps, aftCif the re- marks which have been previoufly made, fufficiently full for its illuftration, before I conclude, it may be neceffary to ftate, that, although every expreffion in it feems ftu- dioufly chofen to avoid the appearance of running into extremes, interpretations of this kind have notwithftanding been adopted. It has been fiippofed collaterally to hint the ap- probation of an opinion, which in all proba- bility never entered the minds of our Re- formers ; to infmuate the general imputation of Adam's guilt to his pofterity as the bafis of the CalViniflical Predellination. But in truth, how attentively foever the Article be ex- amined, not even the moll diffeant allufion to an imputation of this kind is in any fenfe to be SERMON III. 67 be difcovered ; and it is lingular that in fuch a light neither Papift nor Proteftant had ever yet contemplated it, the former, with whom it originated, maintaining it upon a different principle, and beholding it in a different point of view. One fadl at leaft feems be- yond controverfy, and ane, which many may , think decifive of the queftion. It is certain that Calvin himfelf never diredly taught it ('^) ; but that at a period long after his death, his more corredt followers formally in- troduced it, in order to fupply, what they imagined to be, a ftriking deficiency in their iyftem. The other inflrance alluded to refpedis the fate of infants dying without baptifm, whom ibme have conceived that pur Church ex- cludes from falvation. But that the very re- verfe of this is the fad:* appears highly pro- bable from a paffage in the Article itfelf ; in which it is faid, as I before obferved, not that the corruption of our nature produces adtual condemnation, but that merely it is deferring of it ; a diftin^tion apparently in- tended to be marked with precifion. On fo intcrefling a topic, however, we naturally wifh for more information and greater certainty. If the fentiments then of Cranraer are to be deemed of importance, F 2 they 68 SERMON III. they may be afcertained from a treatife upon the reformation of Ecclefiaftical laws, which was compofed under his fuperintendericy, and probably with much of his individual affift- ance. In this work the fcrupulous fuperfti- tion of thofe is exprefsly condemned as im- pious, who fo completely tie down the grace of God and the holy Spirit to the facra- mental elements, as explicitly to affirm, that .no infant can obtain eternal falvation, who dies before baptifm : an opinion, it is faid, far different from ours ('^). , But more diredl proof than this may be adduced, and proof which may, perhaps, be deemed conclufive. At the commencement of our baptifmal fervice the Minifler prays, that the child to be baptized may be re- ceived into the ark of Chrifl's Church ; to which, as the form originally flood, it was added, " and fp faved from perifhing ;" ex- preffipns too unequivocal to be mifconceived. But when our Liturgy was in the firfl in- flance revifed and correded, which, it fhould be noticed, was immediately before the ap- pearance, of our Articles, this ofFenfive paf- fage was entirely omitted ; an omiffion cer- tainly not made without reafon, nor adopted without defign ('*). Indeed had our Reformers on this occa- fion SERMON III. 69 lion deliberately patronized the tenet, which fome attribute to them, they would have di- redlly incurred, what it is luppofed they wilhed to avoid, the charge of fingularity. No doubt can exift that Luther dlfapproved it. Calvin likewife was far from admitting it in an unqualified fenfe, hefitating to avow the diftindion which his theory required ('*) ; while the Zuinglians unrefervedly oppofed it in the moft manly way, maintaining, upon their favourite principle of Univerfal Re- demption, that all infants without exception, whether baptized, or unbaptized, are faved through God's gracious promife, and in vir- tue of his Covenant, by the expiation which Chrift made upon the crofs for the whole race of mankind ; an expiation only capable of being rendered void in its effeds by wil- ful perverfity and confcious crime (''). To conclude, from a retrofpe6live view of what has been advanced, it appears, that the Reformers of this country, like their prede- ceffors in Germany, folely wifhed to eftablilh the dodrine of a mental degeneracy, which the Church of Rome denied. Againft the fubtleties of the Schools both entertained an equal, and avowed an open, hoftility. Im- prefled with a due fenfe of human frailty, and inftrudled by the unerring page of Revela- p 3 tion. 70 SERMON III. tion, they rejedled with contempt the dreams of Sophifts; and on the other hand incul- cated a creed, which was more popular be- caufe lefs abftrufe, and which, appealing to the affet leaft choofe not to notice, that our Church evidently maintains that .very cooperation of man with the grace of God, which Calvin denied ; and have thus endeavoured to prefs into the fervice of their caufe an Article, which, as far as it bears a collateral affinity to the queflion, completely makes againfl: them. For upon this important topic our Reformers coincided not with the harfti, unqualified fentiments of the Reformer of Geneva, but with thofe of the Lutherans, as contained in the moft ce- I lebrated 114 SERMON V. lebrated performance of the day, the Loci Theologicl of Melandlhon ('«). And here, it fliould be fubjoined, was the Church of Eng- land always uniform, afferting, at every pe- riod of her progrefs towards perfeftion, the confiftency of Free Will with preventing and cooperating Grace, in a language, which cannot eafily be mifconceived, or mifap- plied ("). This was the dodlrine which Ihe taught, when the yoke of the imperious Henry lay heavy on the neck of Reformation ; and this fhe ftill continued to teach, when fhe, trod the pride of Popery in the duft, and when her triumph correfponded with her moll fanguine wiflies. It cannot therefore be too frequently repeat- ed, that the great objpdl of the Articles, which have been coniidered, was by no means what many have conjediured it to be; it was not to exalt Calviniftical fpeculation, but to lower fcholaftical prefumption, by oppofmg the dan- gerous delufion of preparatory works. For while the philofophical Papift boafled of chal- lenging the approbation of Heaven by the ar- rogant difplay of moral virtue, and the fuper- ftitious one, by the fcrupulous difcharge of external obfervances, (merit in either cafe confrdered abftradtedly, and in contempt of the Chriftian facrifice for fin,) by the princi- ple SERMON V. 115 pie contained in thele the more humble Proteftant was inflrvidled to iblicit {o valua- ble a bleiUng, as a gift procured for him by the fufferings and death of his Redeemer, to place in human dignity no groundlefs foun- dation of hope ; but, periuaded that even his befl performances cannot on their own ac- count prove acceptable to Almighty God, be- caufe replete with failings, to renounce every meritorious claini, and receive with gratitude that gracious Redemption, which, undifcover- able by realbn, the facred page of Revelation alone diiclofes. I z SERMON SERMON VI. Romans in. 24, 25. Being jtiftified freely by his grace through the redemption^ that is in Jefus Chrift, iphom God hath fet forth to be ^ propitiation through faith in his blood. Jb EW fubjecfls have afforded more fcope for controverfy, or produced a greater variety of diftinftions without a difference, of definitions fbmetimes inaccurately conceived on one fide, and often totally mifreprefented on the other, than the plain dodrine of faith in the pro- pitiatory blood of a Redeemer. Human in- genuity has, been exhaufted to prove,^ what, at the time it was flated, human intellect cannot comprehend : the appeal has been made to feeling rather than to argument ; to certain internal perfuafions and convinc* ing experiences, as -they have been called, which mock the powers of language to de- fcribe, and elude all rational inveflig^tion. While tl^e judgment has been reflrained, the imagination has received an unlimited indul- gence ; and the love of myflery frequently 1 3 ' fuperfeded n8 SERMON VI. fuperfeded the fober enquiry after truth. But to queftions of this defcription, as the fpuri- ous productions of a more recent period, the topic, which comes next to be difcufled, is in no refpedl aUied. Averting therefore from more modern and of courfe irrelevant difquifitions upon this fubjeA, brought for■^ ward by a clafs of theological difputants, who had in view a new objeft, and convfe- quently gave a new turn to the queftionj I fliall endeavour fimply to confider it, as it was originally contefted between the Luthe- rans and the Church of Rome. But here, to avoid a mifconception of the argument, it feems neceflary previoufly to flate in what fenfe the word Juftification, which comprehends the fole ground of con- tention, was ufed by the oppofing parties. Upon both fides it was fuppofed- entirely to confift in the remiffion of fm ('). The Scholaftics on this head were remark- ably diftind: in their ideas, and exprefs in their language. They reprefented it as an efFed; produced by the infufion of divine grace into a mind properly difpofed ; not as confequent to a well fpent life, but as pre- ceding all remunerable obedience as the in- tervening point between night and day, the gloom of a guilty and the light of a felf ap- proving SERMON VI. 119 proving confcience ; or in other words, and to adopt their own phrafeology, as the exad: boundary where merit of .congruity ends, and merit of condignity begins, the infallible rofult of a previous difpofition on our part, which never fails of alluring from on high that fupernatural quality, which, being itfelf love, renders the fqul beloved (*). While the Lutherans however adhered to the general import of the term, as underftood in the Schools, they waged an inceflant war- fare upon another point ; while they allowed, that juftification confifts in the remiffion of fin, they denied, that this remiffion is to be ac- quired by the merit of the individual. Their opponents maintained, that man isjuflified in the fight of God in confequence of his own preparation, and on ■ account of his perfonal qualities. They on the other hand argued, with an inflexibility, which admitted of no cpmpromire, that, pofleffing not merits of his own to plead, he freely received forgivenefe through the mercy of God folely on account of the merits of Chrift. The efFed:ive prin- ciple, therefore, or meritorious caufe of juftifi- cation, it fliould be obferved, was the great point contefled. But before I particularize the dodrine of the Lutherans upon this fubjed, it will bs I 4 requifite 120 SERMON VI. requifite more at large to explain that of theit adverfaries. To inveftigate it however minutely, to trace it through its circuitous channels, and mark its progrefs, winding in all the fantafti- cal curves of metaphyfical vanity, would prove a tedious as well as unneceflary tafk. The principle of it ftill remains the fame, and conftantly recurs to the eye how much foever varied. When the finner, confcious of his paft tranlgreffions, enquired where he was to feek the expiation of his Crime, and deliverance from the dreadful confequences of it, their general anfwer was in the merit of penitence, a merit capable of annihilating guilt, and ap- peafing the anger of incenfed Omnipotence. He, they argued, who, having difbbeyed the laws of heaven, is delirous of returning into that ftate of acceptance, from which he has fallen, muft not expedl free fofgivenefs ; but previoufly by unffeigned forrow of heart de- ferve the refloration of grace, and with it the obliteration of his offences. To effect this defirable purpofe he is bound ftridlly to furvey and deteft his former conduft, accu- rately to enumerate his tranfgreffions, and deeply feel them, and, imprefled with a due fenfe of their magnitude, impurity, and con- fequences. S E R M O N VI. 121 iequences, to condemn his folly, and deplore his fault, which have made him an outcaft of heaven, and expofed him to eternal mife- ty. So far he can proceed by that operation of the mind, which they denominated Attri- tion, and which being within the fphere of his natural powers they regarded as congru- ous piety meritorious of jtfftification, as a pre- paration of the foul more or kfs neceflary to receive and merit juftifying grace. When he is arrived therefore at this point, attrition ceafes, ahd contrition commences; the habit of fm is expelled, while that of holinefs is fuperinduced in its ftead, and with the infuiion of charity, the plaftic principle of a new obedience, juf- tification becomes complete. But even here it was not conceived, that a total deliverance takes place ; a liberation from guilt and eter- nal punifhment is efFeded ; but not from temporal, which is never remitted, unlefs ei- ther by the infli6lion of fome perfonal fuffer- ing or fatisfacSoty compenfation required of ,him, who is already juftified and approved by heaven. To accomplifli however this re- maining objedl nothing more is wanting, than a continuation to a fufScient intenfity of that compundion of heart, which is now deno- minated Contrition, grace fiapplying the de- fers of nature, and enabling penitential me- rit laa SERMON VI. rit not only to, juftify, but obtain exemption from punllliment of every fpecies (^). Such was the favourite doftrine of the Scholaftics refpefting penitence, and fuch the efficacy, which they attributed to it. But fo great appeared to them the frailty of man and the feverity of God, that no incon- liderable difficulty occurred in the due appli- cation of it to .individuals ; for the means of expiation they imagined ought always to be proportionate to the magnitude of the of- fences. How, they reafoned, are we to be aflured, that our contrition has been either fufficient or fincere, and whether it has been fo in the obliteration not only of one crime, but of all ; whether it has atoned for paft tranfgreffions of every kind, the number of which may perplex, as well as their guilt confound us? Hence, they added, in ordi- nary cafes a conftant fucceffion of doubts muft arife in the mind of the penitent ; to which foever fide he turns, a cloud of uncer- tainty hangs over the darkening , profpedl ; nor is it poffible for his confcience to be at reft, while all is gloom without, and terror within. '? Inftead therefore of penitence in its ftrid:- eft acceptation, as a perfedl virtue, God, they faid, in condefceniion to human infirmity, has fubftituted SERMON VI. 123 fubftituted for general pra^ftice the Sacra- ment of it, which requires only for the at- tainment of full remiffion a moderate com- pundlion of foul, with confeffion to the Prieft, and the difcharge of fuch fatisfa<9:ion, as he may enjoin. And, ftill lower to reduce the terms of acceptance, they even argued, that, it is not abfolutely neceflary for the pe- nitent to experience an entire converfion of heart, but only not to oppofe the impedi- ment of mortal crime, to feel fome difplea- fure at his paft condud:, and to exprefs a re- folution of amending it in future (*). But after all, and in fpite of the boafled authority of the Keys, complete confidence in divine forgivenefs was never inculcated ; for it was neither the intereft nor incli- nation of the Church of Rome to teach the limple dodlrine of Chriftian Faith, but rather to involve it in metaphyfical oblcurity. Un- der the pretext therefore of relieving the throbbing breaft from its apprehenfions, they had recourse to numerous inventions for propping the infecure fabric of penitential hope ; aflerting among other extravagancies, that the Sacraments are in themfelves effica- cious by virtue of their own operation, ex- clufively of all merit in the recipient ; arid that the Sacrament of the altar in particular ads ia4 SERMON VI. adts fo powerfully in this refped as to com- municate grace, not only to thofe, who. par- take of it, but to others, for whom it is re- ceived by fubftitution, provided that, its ope- ration be not impeded by flagrant immo- rality. And fo deeply rooted in the public mind was the perfuafion of its thus effeding the beft of purpofes, and that even without the neceflity of an actual participation of it by him, upon whom the benefit is conferred, that the celebration of the Mafs was univer- fally regarded as the means of appeafing the anger of Heaven and obtaining pardon and peace, of procuring divine aflillance for the living, and for the dead deliverance from the bitter pains of purgatory (*). Nor by the Sacraments alone, but, as I have already fufficlently remarked, by every good external work, as well as internal difpofition, was juftifying grace fuppofed to be merited congruoufly, and fatisfadiion for fin to be made condignly. In monaftical inftitutions likewife were found no mean materials for fimilar purpofes, particularly for the latter ; " in thofe feigned " religions," as our Homilies defcribe them, '* the devotees of which boafted of haviilg " lamps, which ran always over, conceiving «* themfelves capable of fatisfying not only " for SERMON VI. 125 " fol: their own fins, but likewife for all ** other thieir benefador'^, brothers, and fifters ** of religion ..... and therefore keeping in ** divers places (as it were) marts and markets " of merits, being full of their holy relics, " images, Ihrines, and works of overflowing *♦ abundance ready to be fold (")." Yet whe- ther the dubious penitent was inftrudted to derive confolation from the efficacy of the Sacraments, from his own perfonal qualities, or from any of what Cranmer aptly termed **the fantaftical works of man's invention Q," it fliould i^ obferved, that he was not di- redly taugftt to confider thefe, as wholly lii- perfedin^ *the virtue of repentance, but as fuppfyii^ his deficiencies in the performance of it ; '^n incongruous fyfl:em of atonement, fabricated by the avarice of Rome, and the obfequioufnefs of fchblaftical philofophy, to augment the treafures and extend the influ- ence of the Church, to extinguilh the light of Gofpel truth, and, while keeping the world at large in ignorance, to hold the confcience of fhe individ?ial in flavery. Upon the whole then the Scholaflics maintained, that juftification is unattainable without repentance, at leaft without fome degree of attrition on our part ; but in the common apprehenfion of the do(Srine even this 126 SERMON VI. this feems to have been forgotten, and me- rit of congruity ^onfijdered in a general point of view as alone efficacious. Thus good works of every fpecies preceding, grace were faid to deferve it; and by deferving- grace to deferve the juftifying principle. Arid always were they careful to impute the caule of forgivenefs, not to the mercy of God in Chrift, but to the fole change in the indivi- dual, to his tranfrautation from a ftate of un- righteoufnefs to one of righteoufnefs, " tranf- " mutationem a flatu injuftitis ad ftatum *' juftitize," to his pofleffion of a quality, which renders him a worthy objed; of divine approbation (^). For in every inftance per- fonal merit was conceived to be the folid ba- ils, upon which refts the complete remiifion of fm. To this they coiiflantly looked as to that fun of righteoufnefs, which illuminating the heart of man attradts the eye of heaven to the brightnefs of its riiing ; forgetful of; the prophetical annunciation to the Church of Chrift, " the Lord fliall be unto thee an " everlafting light, and thy God, thy glo^ "ry."e) Having thus briefly explained the dcuftrine of the Scholaflics on this fubjed:, I proceed to that, which on the other fide w^s oppofed to it by the Lutherans. Upon SERMON VI. 127 Upon no one point, perhaps, has the opi- nion of Luther been niore mifreprefented than upon this. For, unmindful of that, with which only it ought to have been con- trafted, fome have afcribed to it a folifidiaa tendency, if not of the moft enthufiaftical, at lead of the moft unqualified, defcription. It muft however be confeiTed, that the cur- fory reader of his works is at all times liable to miftake him, in confequence of the in- volved conftrudlion of his ftyle, too frequently confufed by a verbofe circumlocution, which, as he was himfelf fully fenfible, oppreffed the exuberance of his conception, and the ener- gy of his expreffion ('°). When therefore we find, that particular paffages have been fe- ledled from his voluminous produd;ions, (productions often republilhed, but never re- vised,) and wrefted from their true meaning, although we may regret the perverfion, we cannot be furprifed at it. But upon the queftion before us, it feems indeed impoflSble accurately to comprehend the pofition, which he maintained, if we exa- ■ mine it in an infulated point of view, unlefs we connedl it with that, of which in the Church of Rome it properly formed a part, and from which he never intended to fepa- rate it, the dodrine of penitence. In op- pofing 128 SERMON VI. poling the abfurdity of Papal indulgences, the firft impiety againft v/hich his manly mind revolted, a ray of light, before unno- ticed, darted upon him, and opened a com- pletely new fcene, which, while it ftimulated his efforts as a Reformer, animated his hopes as a Chriftian. Hence averting with difdaiii from the fpeculations of Sophifts, and turn- ing to the facred page of Revelation, he there beheld an affiance very different from what the Schools inculcated; and thus, while their vain language was, •' Repent, and truft " to the efficacy of yo,ur contrition, either " with or without extraneous works, accord- " ing to the degree of its intenfity, for the " expiation of your offences," his, more fcrip- tural and more confol ing, became fimply this; " Repent, and truft not for expiation to your " own merits of any kind, but iolely to thofe •* of your Redeemer." In contemplating therefore the tenet of the Lutherans, we ought never to coniider it as de- tached from penitence. Rejecting the dreams of their adverfaries with refpedl to the nature and effe<3is of this important duty, they repre- fented it as confifting of two effential parts, contrition, and faith, the latter as always aflb- ciated with the former. Hence in the apology of their Confeffion they repeatedly declared a difavowal SfiRMON Vr. 149 difavowal of all faith, except fuch as exifts in the contrite heart ("). Far was it from their intention to encourage the prefumptuous or fanatical iinner in a falfe fecurity j their ob- jedl was very ■ different arid more laudable ; they* laboured to fix the eye of him, who both laments and detefts his offences. Upon the only deferving objeft of human confi- dence and divine complacency. Propfcrly then, as they frequently remarked, their doc- trine of juftification was appropriated to troubled confciences, at every period of true repentance, and particularly at the awful hour of death, when the time for habitual proofs of amendment has elapfed, and vvhen the paft appears replete -ivith guilt, and the future with terror ('*). At fuch moments, they taught ndt, w^th the Schools, an affi- ance in human merit, but in the gratuitous mercy of God through Chrift : to contrition, as a preparatory qualification, or previous re- quifite, they added faith, and from faith they deemed every principle of real piety and vir- tue inifeparable. When therefore they urged a juftification by faith alone, they meant not to exclude repentance, and every good difpofition conne«3:ed.with it > but merely' to oppofe that, for which their adverfaries prin- cipally contended, and which, in their con- •o K ception, 130 SERMON ¥L ception, ftruck at the very root of Chriftiani- ty, the obliteration of crime by the merit of the individual^ inftead of the atonement of a Saviour C^).. But although they flated penitence to confift only of the two parts ailudsd*' to, when they flridly defined it as embracing, according to the idea of the Schools^ the means and immediate effecSls of juftification^ yet when they confidered it, as a general rule of Chriftian duty and a total converfion, they added a third part, adual obedience ("*). In this point of view, and in this alone, good works, or the outward fruits of an inward renovation of mind, were faid to follow remiffion of fins, internal neceffarily preceding external refer-; mation. For the individual, they argued, mufl: himfelf be good before the action can be fo denominated, be juftified before it can be deemed jufb, and accepted before it can prove acceptable, diftinguifhing between the prirnary admiffion into God's favour and the fubfequent prefervation of that favour. The terms then of acceptance on the finner's part they held to be Contrition, (or as in modern language it is more ufually termed. Repent- ance,) and Faith connedicd with every devout afFe<3;ion;,the neceffary confpquences as well as proofs of this ftate of acceptance, good works,, or SErMoN VL 131 or external aifts of obedience, and iht rule of retribution in the world to come, the whole of man, including both his inward impreffions and outward demonftrations of holinefs ('*). After having thus endeavoured to remove from the dodlrifie of the Lutherans thofe dark fpots, which in the tye of Ibme, who con- template it through an indiftinft medium, apptair to obfcure its luftre, there will be little occafion of dwelling upon that, which our Own Church maintains in the fame fenfe and on a fimilar principle. Both in their objed: and tendency perfedtly accord ; but the latter is, if poffible, more guarded than the foriner againft the obliquities of Enthufi- afm. Our Church alTerts, " that we are ac- *' counted righteous before God, for the " merit of our Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrift, " by faith, and not for our own works and "^ deferving ;" and then adds, that "juftifica- ** tion by faith alone is a moft wholefome " dodtrine, and very full of comfort, as is «* more largely expreiTed in the Homily upon " that fubjedl." By referring to the Homily alluded to, we find the obvious meaning of the Article to be, that we are efteemed righteous in the fight of God folely for the fike of ■ Chrift, and not rendered perfedly fo in point of fadt, as the P^^ifts held, by i^ ■ Kg our tja S EH M ON* VI. our own virtues, -which we are told ** are " far too weak, infufBcient, and imperfedt, to •' deferve the remiffion of our fms ;" and that we are thus reputed righteous, not on account of the a&. but the objedt of faith, on account of him, in whom done we are to truft, yet in whom we are not entitled to truft, except upon a previous condition, ex- cept " we truly repent, and turn to God un- " feignedly." ('*) For when we are faid, as the fame Homily remarks, to be juftified by faith only, it is not meant " that this our *' own ad; to believe in Chrift . . . . , doth " juftify us, for that were to count *' ourfelves to be juftified by fome adl or vir- *' tue that is within ourfelves, nor " that the faid juftifying faith is alone in *' man without true repentance, hope, chari- " ty, the dread and fear of God at any time . " and feafon j" but the purport of fuch ex- , preffions "is to take away clearly all merit . *' of our works, as being unable to deferve i " our juftification at God's hands, ...... " Chrift himfelf only being the caufe merito- *' rious thereof." ('') To enter into a minuter examination of the dodrine, which our Church inculcates on this point, aftet what has been advanced^ feems unneceflary. It ought not however to be omitted. SERMON VI, 133 omitted, that the very definition, which fhc gives of the word Faith in another Homily compofed at the fame period, is admirably calculated to preclude the worft of errors upon the moft important topic of Chriftian- ity ; it is defined to be a trufl: in God that our offences are obliterated by the blood of Chrift, not when we believe them to be thus obliterated, but " whenfoever we re- " penting truly return to him with our *' whole heart, fi:edfafl:ly determining with ** ourfelves through his grace to obey and *• ferve him in keeping his command- " ments." ('") It is likewife Worthy of ob- fervation, that in our office for the Vifitation of the Sick, the Minifler, after rehearfing to the perfon vifited the Articles of our Belief, is diredled to require of him, not to afcertain what fome in the prefent day would per- haps think preferable, whether he ever pof^ fefTed a confcioufnefs of that favlng princi- ple, which when once obtained is fuppofed never afterwards to be lofl, or whether he feels an internal confidence, that his name is written in the book of life, but " forafmuch " as after this life there is an account to be " given unto the righteous Judge, by whom *' all mull be judged without refped; of per- <* fons, to examine himfelf and his eflate K 3 " both .134 SERMON Vt " both towards God and rnan, fo that accuf- *• ing and condernning himfelf for his own *' faults he may find mercy at our heavenly " Father's hand for Chrift's fake, and not b? " accufed, and cond,emned in that fearful " judgment." Indeed through every part both of our Homilies and Liturgy the neceffity of fomething more is enforced than a bare perfua- fion of faith: but no where with more perfpi- cuity and energy, than in the following paflage'. " "VV^herefore, it is faid, as you have any zeal " for the right an4 pure honouring of God, " as you have any regard to your own fouls, " and to the life that is to come, which, is " both without pain and withoijt end, apply " yourfqlves chiefly abpve all things to read "and hear /God's word, mark diligently *' therein what his will is that you fhall do, " and with all your endeavour apply your- *' felves to follow the fame." ('^) To conclude, from a retrofpeft of the whole it appears, that the great point in difpute was this : Whether he who fmcerely repents of his paft tranfgreffions fliould truft (for af- fiance mufl be fomevvhere placed) in the ef- ficacy of his own merits, or in that of his Redeemer's. But while our Reformers, like the Lutherans, pertinacioufly contended for, an affiance of the latter defcription, they> never SERMON VI. 133 ■never dreamed of imputing to it any myfte- rious operation, or df inveffing it with a higher charadler of certainty, < than what it derives from the ftable foundation, upon which it refts. Without referve or hefita- tion they declared, that he, who contemplates it as an adl of the mind in itfelf capable of juftifying him, difregarding all internal change of difpofition, and external emendation of life, only trifles with God, and deceives him- felf("°). Repentance and amendment they inculcated as no lefs neceflary to a ftate of acceptance, than faith, not indeed as merito- rious, but as requifite conditions, as conditions, without which it is neither to be obtained nor preferved. Never therefore fhould it be forgotten, that when they fpoke of juftifica- tion by faith alone, they folely oppofed the fcholaftical fyftem, fo frequently alluded to, which attributed to our merits the expia- tion of crime, and a readmiffion into the fa- vour of < God ; this, with an inflexibility not greater than the occafion demanded, they conflantly laboured to annihilate, and to re- ftore in its ftead the plain dodlrine of a perfedt propitiation and fatisfadlion for fm by the death of Chrift : a dodrine which had been loft to the world during centuries of intel- ledtual darknefs, and with which had difap- K 4 peared 136 SERMON VI. peared the genuine fplendour of Chriftianity. But, although a long and gloomy ^ight luc- ceeded, the Day Spring from on high at lengt^i returned; when Reformation apppached, the dawn again began to break, and the Day Star arofe in the penitential heart, diffufing around it confolation and joy. SERMON Sfr SERMON VIL I Pkter i. 3. Ele3 according to tie foreltnowledge of God the Father, JL.HE dodlrine of Predeftination, the laft fubje<9: which I propofed to confider, has been fo frequently involved in metaphyfical obfcurity, and difgraced by enthufiaftical con- ceit, that men of moderate , principles have been averfe from admitting it in any fenfe. Yet even in its harlheft conftrudlion we can- not deny, that it has fometimes found advo- cates among writers of worth and talent, although it has been thus generally fupported by thofe, who poffefled more vanity than piety, and zeal than ability. This, above all other controverfics, has contributed to aug- ment the fcorn of Infidels, to diffolve the bonds of Chriftian charity, and obliterate the chara<3:erifl:ical fimplicity of Gofpel redemp- tion. While the wife have been perplexed by the turn, ^vhich its difcuffions have occa- sionally taken, the weak have been alarmed;, and the feelings even of the good, loft in "its 138 SERMON VII. its circuitous mazes, almoft extited to de-. ipair. The unfathomable depths of divine Pre- •fcience and Predetermination, human reafon in vain attempts to found ; finite faculties to fcan infinite ; the limited intelled; of man to comprehend the immenfity of the Godhead. Erafmus, a peculiar favourite with the Re- formers of our ow^n country, when contem- plating this inexplicable iubjecS;, obferved, that in the holy Scriptures th-ere are certain feeret receffes, which God is unwilling for tis too minutely to explore, and which if we endeavour to explore, in proportion as wb penetrate further and further, our minds be- come more and more oppreffed with dark- "nels and ftupefaftion, that thus we might acknowledge the infcrutable majefty of the divine wifdom, and the imbecillity of the hu- man mind ('). Congenial alfo with the feel- ings and fentiments of Erafmus upon this point, were thofe of Luther. To acquire any knowledge, he remarked, of a Deity not revealed in Scripture, to know what his ex- iftence is, his adions, and difpofitions, be- longs not to me ; my duty is only this ; to know what are his precepts, his promifes, and his threat enings. Pernicious and pefti- lent is the thought of' inveftigating caufes^ and ^n4 brings with- it inevitable ruin, efpecially when we afcend too high, and wiih to- phi- lofophize upon Predeftination ('). How differently Calvin felt upon the fame fubjed:, and with what little referve, or rather with what bold, temerity, he laboured to fcrutinize the unrevealed Divinity, is too well known, to require any thing beyond a bare allufion to the circumflance. His fen- timents however, as on a former occafion I noticed, were much lefs regarded, by our Rcr formers, than fome are difpofed to allow ; and upon the particular queftion before us. fo far were they from having attained their full celebrity at the period under coniider- ation, that they were not taught without op-, pofition, even in his own unimportant terri- tqiy of Geneva. For at that precife aera he was publicly accufed of making God the au- thor of fin ; and although, not contented with filencing, he firffc imprifoned, and afterwards banifhed, his accufier, yet he could not expel the opinions of his adverfary (^). Turning then fioip. the devious track which he was purfuing, our Reformers, as generally on other occafions, trod in the wary fteps of the Lutherans, who, while the Church of Rome maintained a predeflination to life of one man in preference to another indi- 14» SERMON Vlf, individually, on account of perfbnal merit, taught on the other hand a gratuitous pre^. deflination of Chriftians collectively, of thofe, whom God has chofen in Chrift out of mai^- kirid ; and by this fingle point of difference were the contending opinions principally contradiftinguilhed. My objeft in the prefent Ledure will be, to point out the Scholaftical and Lutheran fentiments upon this much agitated queftion, referving thofe pf our own Church for a fu- ture confideration. With us the fyftem of Calvin for fo long a period fuperfeded every other, and even flill retains fo many zealous advocates, that to a modern ear the very term Predeftina- tion feems to convey a meaning only con- formable with his particular fyftem. It ilaould however be obferved, that the word was in familiar ufe for centuries before the Reformation, in a fenfe very different from what he imputed to it, not as preceding the divine prefcience, but as refulting from it, much in the fame fenfe as that in which it has fince been fupported by the Arminians. Yet obvious as this appears, writers of re- fpedtability ftrangely perfuade themfelves, that immediately prior to the Reformatio^ the doctrines of the Church of Rome were completely SERMON VII. t4t Completely Calviniftical ; a conclufion, to which certainly none can fubfcribe, who are fufficiently converfant with the favourite pro- du6lions of the time ; who poflefs enough of fortitude to encounter the barbarifms of fcho-. laftical argument, and of patience to invefti- gate its real objeft. So far indeed was this from being the fad;, that Calvin peculiarly prided himlelf in departing from the common de- finition of the term, which had long been adopted byitthe adherents of the Schools, and; retained with a fcrupulous precifion. For while they held, that the expreffion prcedef- tinati is exclu^vely applicable to the eledl, whom God, foreknowing as meritorious ob- je6ts of his mercy, predeftinates to lifej and appropriated that of prajciti to the non- eled:, whofe perfeverance in tranfgreffion is fimply foreknown, he, on the other fide, treating the diftindlion as a frivolous fubter-. fuge, contended, that . God, decreeing the final doon) of the ele6l and non-eledt irre- fpedlively, predeftinates both, not fubfe- quently, but previoufly to all foreknowledge of their individual difpofitions, efpecially de-; votes the latter to deftruAion thrdugh the medium of crime, and creates them by a fatal deftiny to periih ("). Whatfoever there- fore r44' SERMON Vlf. fofe modern Conjefture may have attributed to the Scholaftics, it is certain, that, abhor-^ ring every fpeculatiorl, w^hich tends in the remoteft degree to make God the author of iin, they believed, that only falutaty good 13 predeftinated ; grace to thofe, who deferve it Gongruoufly, and glory to thofe, who. deferve it condignly (^). But to entet 'more particularly into their* leading opinions upon this fubjed:, they maintained, that Almighty God, before the foundations of the world were, laid, flifvey^' irig in his comprehenfive idea, or, as they phrafed it, in his Prefcience of fimple intelli-, gence, the poffibilities of all things, before he determined their adlual exiftence, forefaw that if marikind were created, although ' he willed the falvation of all, and was inclined to afTifl: all indifferently, yet that fome would deferve eternal happinefs,' and others eternal" mifery ; and that therefore he approved and- elefted the former, but difapproved or repro- bated the latter. Thus grounding eled:ion upon foreknowled^ge, they contemplated it, not as an arbitrafy principle, fepatating one individual from another, under the influence of a blind chance, or an irrational caprice j but, on the contrary, as a wife and juft one, which S^ERMON VII. 1%' Virhicli prefuppofes a diverfity of nature be- tween thofe who are accepted, and thofe who are rejedled ("). Perfuaded then that God is the fountain of all good, that from his divine preordina- tion freely flows the flream of grace, which refrefhes and invigorates the foul, they be- lieved, that he has regulated his predeter- mination by the quality of the foil through which his grace paffes, and the effedls which" in^ every cafe it produces, not reftridling his favours, but diftributing them with an im- partial hand over the barren defart and the fruitful field j equally difpofed towards all men, but, beeaufe all are not equally difpofed towards him, diftinguifhing only fuch as prove deferving of his bounty. Al- though no adequate caufe indeed exifts, (ac- cording to the ftridl and accurate meaning of that expreffion,) why God Ihould confer his gifts even upon the beft of men, except in the plenitude of divine munificence, yet they conceived, that a fufScient reafon was to be affigned, why he fliould communicate them rather to this man than to that, why he fhould eledt the good, and reject the bad. Hence it was, that in order to fyftematize upon this principle of eledion, and fllew how confiilent it is, as well with the j-uftice, as 144 SERMON TH as the benevolence of the Deity, the will of God was confidered in a double point of view, as abfolute and conditional, or, in the technical language of the Schools, as ante- cedent and confequent. In the firft in- ftance, by his abfolute or antecedent will, he was faid to defire the falvation of every man; in the latter, by his conditional or confe- quent will, that only of thofe, whom he forefaw abftaining from fin, and obeying his commandments ; the one expreffed his gene- ral inclination, the other his particular refo- lution, upon the view of individual circum- flances and conditions ('). To the enquiry, why fome are unendowed with grace, their anfwer was, becaufe fome are not willing to receive it, and not becaufe God is unwilling to give it : he, they faid, offers his light to all : he is abfent from none, but man abfents himfelf from the prefent Deity, like one who fliuts his eyes againft the noon-day blaze (^). To the foregoing ftatement it fhould be added, that they held an election, or rather an ordination, to grace (which they exprefsly afferted to be defectible) diftind from an eledion to glory ; that, according to them, a . name may be written in the book of life at one period, which at another may be erafed from it ; and that predeftination to eternal happi- SERMON VII. 145 happinefs folely depends upon final perfever- ance in well doing (*). On the whole it is evident, that they con- fidered the dignity of the indivj^ual as the meritorious bafis of predeftinadon j merit of congruity as the bafis of a preordination^ to grace ; and merit of condignity as that of a preordination to glory ('°). Thus, not more faftidious in the choice of their terms, than accurate in the ufe of them, while they de- nied; that the prefcience of human virtue, corredly fpeaking,- could be the primary caufe of the divine will, becaufe nothing in ti^e can properly give birth to that, which has exifted from eternity, they fl:renuoufly maintained it to be a fecondary caufe, the ratio or rule in the mind of the Deity, which regulated his will in the formation of its ul- timate decifions (")* ■ To enter morp rninutely into the detail of fcholaftical difquifition upon this topic, ap- pears unnecefi!ary, at leaft to the illufl;ration of any Oipinions entertained by the Luther- ans, whofe peculiar tenets I proceed in the next place to eonfider. It ftiould previoufly however be obferved, that, although in the eftabliflied Confeffion of their faith all allufion to the fubjeft was avoided, it was neverthelefs introduced into, L another 146 SERMON VII. another work of importance, and of confi.dei'- able public authority, the Loci Theologrci of Melandhon, a produftion, which, at the pe- riod under review, was every where received as the ftandard of Lutheran divinity ("). Both Luther and Melanfthon, after their creed became permanently fettled at the diet of Augfbourg, kept one objedl conftantly in view J" to inculcate only what was plain and praftical, and never to attempt philoso- phizing. They perceived, that before the Reformation the do(3:rine of divine fore- knowledge had been grofsly mifconceived and abufed, although guarded by all the lo- gic of the Schools ; and they felt, that, after it, they had themfelves at firft contributed to increafe the evil, by grounding upon the fame high argument, although for a very dif- ferent purpofe, the pofition of an infallible neceflity; and thenceforward, therefore, they only taught a predeftination, which the, Chriftian religion explains, and the Chriftian life exemplifies. But to what, it may be faid, did the Lu- therans objedl in the theory of their oppo- nents, when they abandoned the tenet of neceflity ? Certainly not to the fobriety and moderation of that part of it, which vindi- cated the juftice, and difplayed the benevo- lence. SERMON VII. 147 lence, of the Almighty; but generally to the principles upon which it proceeded ; to its prefumption, in overleaping the boundary, which Heaven has prefcribed to our limited faculties, and which we cannot pafs without plunging into darknefs and error; and to its impiety, in difregarding, if not defpifjng, the inoft important truths, of Chriftianity. A lyftem of fuch a nature they hefitated not to reject, anxious to condudl themfelves by th? light of Scripture alone, nor prefuming to be wife -above, what God has been pleafed to difcover. Thus while their adverfaries philofophized upon a predeftination of indi- viduals, preferred one before another by divine regard, becaufe worthy of fuch a pre- fere^ce, they taught only that, which has been revealed with certainty, the predefti- nation of a peculiar defcription of perfons, " of a people zealous of good works," of the Chriftian Church contemplated as ari ag- gregate, not on account of its own dignity, but on account of Chrift its fupreme Head, and the Author of eternal falvation, to all wh,o obey him. Maintaining, not a particu- lar' eledion of perfonal favourites, either by an abfolute will, or even a conditional one, depeiident upon the ratio of merit, but a general eledtion of all, who by baptifm in L 3 their 148 -^"s'ERM^6Sf'\^L theii-'^iiir^ncy, or by -fditH arid obcdiencfe "tit ftiaturer Vidifs',' becbme the adopted heirs' ' 5f heaven ; they' cotibeivfed'this to be' the • oriljf elecftioH, tb which' 'd^e'Gofpel alludes,' iah'd confequently th^ ' only ohe^ upon which v^e can fpeak with corifidence, ot reafon without prefumption ("). Y!ii,;rr;i If it be obferved; that the fele6lion of iaii integral body neceflarily irifets 'thdt' of its component parts/ the arifwer'i^ 6bvi6tii';''th'«i latter, although' indeed it be neceffarily 'iti^ ferred by the former, is' neverthel'efs not"^ prior requifite, but ' a pofteribr refiilt of the divine ordination. What they deemed ab- folute op. the part of God, was his everlafting purpbfe to fkve his eledl in Chrift, or real Chriftians, cohfidered as a whole, and con- trafted' with the remainder of the huihan race ; the completion of this purpofe being regulated by peculiar circufnftances, operat- ing as inferior caufes of a particular feg^ega- tion. For, perfuaded of his good will tor wards all men without diftindlion, of his be^ ing indifcriminately difpofed to promote the falvatjon of all, and of his ferioufly, not fidi- tioufly, as Calvin taught, including all in thii univerfal promife of Chriftianity, they ith^ puted to him nothing like a, partial choice, tio limitation of favours, nor irrefpeftive ex- ,, clufion SERMON Vlt. 149 clufion of perfons ; but, affuming the Ghrif- tian charafter as the fole ground of indivi- dual preference, they believed that efery baptized infant, by i being made a member of Chrift, not by beiiig* comprifed in a pre-, vious arbitrary decree, is truly the eleil of God, audi dying in infancy, certain of eter- nal 'happinefs; that he, who in maturer years becomes polluted by wilful crirhe, lofes that ftate of falvation, which before he po£- fefled ; that neverthelefs by true repentance, and converfion to the Father of mercy and God of all confolation, he is again relnftated in it ; and that, by finally perfevering in it, he at length receives the kingdom prepared for every fincere Chriftian before the founda- tion of the world ('*). Can any man, whom prejudice has not blinded, rank thefe fenti-p merits with thofe of Calvin ? While reftoring to the dQ<9trine of predefr tination, perplexed and disfiguFed by the va- nity of the Schools, fcriptural fimplicity, they ftudioufly and anxioufly.preferved; every trace of that i^niverfal benevolence, by which Chriftianity is peculiarly diftinguiflied. Let us, they faid, with both our hands, or rather with all our heart, hold fall the true and pious maxim, that God is not the author of fin ; that he fits not in heaven, writing Stoical L 3 laws 150 SERMON VII. laws in. the volumes of fate ; but, , endowed with a perfect freeddm himfelf, communi- cates a liberty of adion to his creatures ; firmly oppofmg the pofitioh of neceffity as falfe, and pernicious to morals and religion. God, we may be allured, is no cruel and raercilefs tyrant j he does not hate and re- jedl men, but loves them, as a parent loves his children ('^). Univerfal grace, indeed, was at all times a favourite topic with the Lutherans.; nor would they admit of any predeftination, ex- cept that of a beneficent Deity, who was in Ghrift reconciling the world to himfelf; except a predeflination, conformable with that order of things, which he has eftablifti- ed, and with the ufe, or abufe, of the means, which he has ordained. The Almighty, they faid, has ferioufly willed and decreed, from eternity, all men to be faved, and to enjoy everlafting felicity ; let us not therefore in- dulge in evil fuggeftions, and feparate our- felves from his grace, which is as expanded as the fpace between heaven and earth j let us not reftrain the general promife, in which he offers his favour to all without difcrimi- nation, nor confine it to thofe, who, affeift- ing a peculiar garb, with to be alone efteem- ed pious and fandified. If many perifli, the fault SERMON VII. 151 fault is not to be imputed to the divin,? will, but to human obftinacy, which delpifes that will, and cjifregards a falvation deftined for all men ('"). And becaufe many are called, but few are cbofen, let us not, they added, entertain an opinion highly impious, that God tenders his grace to many, but commu- nicates it only to a few ; for fliould we not in the greateft degree deteft a Deity, by whofe arbitrary will we believed purfelves to be precluded from falvation ? ('O^it^fe^' , Upon the important point likewife of the conditional acceptance of the individual, their ideas were not more diftinft, than their lan- guage was explicit. If* God chofe, they ar- gued, certain perfons only,: in order to unite them to himfelf, and reje<3:ed the remainder in all refped:s alike, would not fuch an eledtion without caufes feem tyrannical ? Let us therefore be perfuaded, that fome caufe ex- jfts in us, as fpme difference is to be found be- tween thofe who are, and thofe who are not, accepted ('*). Thus they conceived that, pre- deilir\ating his eleft in Chrift, or the Chrif- tian Church, to eternal falvation, he exclijdes none frorn that number by a partial adoption of, favourites, but calls all equally, and ac- cepts of all, who obey his calling, or in other words, become true Chriftians, by poffeffing t 4 the i5i" SERMON VIT. the qualifications, whicb Chfiftianity re- quires. ■' After what has been obferved, it may feem perhaps almoft unneceffary to fubjoin, that they held the Defedibility of grace, its Inde- feftibility being a, pofition fupported but by thofe, who think, that the Redeemer died fof a feleded few alone. He, they ftated, who falK from grace, cannot but pferifll, completely lof-^ ing remiffion of fin, with the other benefits which Chrift has ^iarchafed foif hirri, and'acf- quiring in their ftead divine wrath and death eternal C). Let us ekecratfe, faid Meliahc^ thon, who, it fhould be rerriarked, in ' h'i's private correfpondence exprefsly termed' Ci\^ vin the Zeno of his day ('^)i let us' exeCfEite the Stoical difputatlons which fome introi duce, who imagine, that the ele<5t always re- tain the Holy Spirit, even when they com- mit atrocious crimes ; a manifefl and highly reprehenfible error ; and let us not confirni in fools fecurity and blindnefs (*'), Upon the whole then it appears, that the Lutherans, affecting not in any way 'to phi- lofophize, but committing themfelves folely to the guidance of Scripture, differed from the Church of Rome in feveral important particulars. For although on fome points they coincided with her, although, they incul- cated SERMON 'V!l. 153 cated with' equal zeal, and upon a better priti- ciple, both the Univerfallty ^nd Defedibility of grace, as well as' a' conditional adrliiffidii'&ta the number of the clt&i, they neverthelefs'#er6 entirely ait variance with her upon the Very foundation of the lyftetki. Thus while their opponents taught, that predeftination confifts ifi ' the prbfpedite difcriminatiqa of indivi- dlials by divine favour, according to the fore^ ■fe en ratio of every man's own merit, works of congruity deferving grace here, and works of eondignity eternal life hereafter, and that iil this way it principally refls upon human Worth, they, on the other fide, difclairning 'every idea of' fuch a difcrimination, placed it ^pon the farrie bafis as they afluttied in the ickfe of juftificationji that of an eiEFedlual re- dein'ptiori by Chrift (**). Inftead therefore «)f-»hi&Mirig' the ekdlion of individuals as men, "Ort account of peribnal dignity, they "main- ;taihed the eledion ' of a .general mafs, as on account of Chrift alone ; ad- xJing, that we arc admitte^ into that num- ber, or discarded from it, in the eye of Hea- Ten, prdportionably as we embrace or rejey un .^. • .'.-;■■''!?: ^'> f; ■ ' ) no I;; !:hivfi;ii! ■;'!;. . f^t :' ' \ ' jv_i> !' 1 ;: ' !; !>"n;» ■;;it ;ii 'niri ,.- : ■ ,'■■ ■ orr ec VIII. Having predejlinated us to the adoption of children hy "^'•■'" '•• JeJusChnJi. r 1 'A HE do<^rine of Predeftination, according to the lyilem adopted by the Lutherans, the outline of which on a .foriper occafion I en- deavoured to trace, was never intended to excite enthufiafm, or encourage prefumption, but rather to adminifter fohd confolation to pious and refledling minds. Thus, they faid, amidft the mutabihties of all things tempo- ral, the fubveriions of ecclefiaflical eflablifh- ments, and the ruins of empires, we may with comfort and confidence affert, that God has predeftinated the perpetual, exift- ence of a Church, againft which the gates of hell Ihall not prevail; of a Church, which, founded upon the rock of his promif^, can never fall, fo that in vain the. rains conje, and the floods defcend, and the tempefts beat againft it ('). While maintainirig therefore the eledion^- of 158 SERMON VIII. of a colleAive mafs on account of Chrift, and not that of each feparate individual on account of his own merits, they at the fame time inculcated the important truth, that Almighty God is no refpedler of perfons, no capricious tyrant ('), but juft and equitable in his proceedings ; that he has fent his Son to be the Saviour of the whole world ; an4 has in confequence predeftinated to the ad- option of children thofe, who duly receive and apply the means of falvation, which he has thus gratuitoufly provided for them,, ex- cluding none from his affections, except fuch as exclude themfelves. Nor fliould it, they thought, be efleemed a point of indifference to be perfuaded of his good will towards us as men, and to be aflured of it as Chriftians, as well as to be convinced of pofleffing a certain title to everlafting happinefs ; " to " an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, " and that fadeth not away, referved for us *' in heaven," of which nothing ^but our own contumacy in crime can deprive us. But the fentiments of the Lutherans on this head I have already fufficiently detailed. 1 proceed, therefore, in the lafl place, to con- fider what our own Church has eflabliflied in her Article upon the fame fubjedt ; a fubjeft, perplexing only by being contem- plated SERMON Vm. 159 plated as Calvin contemplated it, who, with all the confidence of the Schools, and the vanity of his country, endeavoured to explain that, which his better judgment Ihould have told him was inexplicable. So far indeed is the Article in qtieftion from fandioning the creed of the French Reformer, that, like thbfe already reviewed, it feems to have beeri franied in perfect conformity with the lefs abftrufe, and more fcriptural, opinions of the Lutherans. With them it teaches an eledlion of Chriftians out of the human race, conceives abundant confolation derivable from fuch an ele<5lion, when pioufly furveycd, and not perverted by a profligate fatalifm ; and, laftly, rejjrefents its pofition upon the point as confiftent with God's univerfal promises and revealed will, exprefsly declared to us iri the holy Scriptures. But in order accurately to comprehend its fcope, it will be requifite to examine it more minutely. " Predeftination to life" it defines to be " the everlafting purpofe of God, whereby, ". before the foundations of the world were " laid, he hath conflantly decreed, by his ** counfel fecret to us, to deliver from cqrfe " and damnation thofe, whom he hath " chofen in Chrift out of mankind, and to " bring i6o SERMON VIIL " bring them by Chrift to everlaftirig falva- *' tion, as veffels made to honour." The tendency and propriety of the leading terms adopted in this definition, we immediately perceive, when' we recoiled; the lyftem of the Scholaftics, to which it was oppofed. They believed predeftination to be God's everlafting purpofe to confer grace and glory upon individuals, who deferve the firft con- gruoufly, and the latter condignly ; conceiv- ing us competent by our own virtues to ex- tricate ourfelves from crime, and its alarming confequences. Our Church, on the other hand, always keeping the idea of redemption in view, fhates it to be the everl^ftlng pur- pofe of the , Almighty , to deliver from a ftate of malediiflion and deftrudlion, (" a maledidlo *' et exitio' liberare,") from a guilt, which none can themfelves obliterate; and to render eternally happy, through Chrift, or Chrif- tianity, as veflels before diftionourable thus formed to honour, thofe, whom he has eledted not as meritorious individuals feparately, but as a certain clafs' of perlbns, as Chriftians col- le6lively, " whom he has chofen in Chrift " out of mankind." After having explained the nature, and flightly alluded to the objedls, of that .pre- deftination, which alone it inculcates, the Article SERMON Vm. i6i Article proceeds to enlarge upon t\xe latter point, and to fpecify the peculiar charader- iftics of this highly favoured community. " Wherefore," it is added, " they which be " endued with fo excellent a benefit of God, " be called according to his purpofe, by his " Spirit working in due feafon," Spiritu ejus oppartuno tempore operante ; by his Spirit ope- rating, not irrefiftibly at ple9.fure, without regard to time and circumftances, but con- formably with the eftablifhed constitution of human, nature, at a fealbnable period, when the rnind is indifpofed to , refiftance, or,, as in inifancy. Incapable of if (^) ; ' " they through "grace, obey the calling, they are juftified " freely ;" arc juftified without any expia- tion or fatisfadion for fin on their part, Chrift himfelf only being the. meritorious caufe of it ; " tjbey are made the children of "God by adoption ; they walk religioufly in *' good ^vorks; and at length by God's mer- " cy,", not by condign merit, " attain ever- " lafting, felicity.", .Such is the defcription given of thofe, who; are predeftinated to life ; a defcription, which, when conneded with the preceding claufe, manifeftly points out the election of apart, out of the whole, yet not, according to the tenet of thp Romifh .Church, the eledion of men preferred one M before i6i SERMON Vlir. before another on account of their perfonal (qualities, but of Chriftians, diftinguiflied as an aggregate from the remainder of the hu- man race, by a charaderiftical difcrimination, by being called, juftified, and fandified, through Chriftianity. The definition of the dodrine being com^ pleted, the fubfequent paffage, ftill carrying on the contraft with the Church of Rome, touches, in guarded but not ambiguous lan- guage. Upon the application of it. " As the ** godly confideration,'* it remarks, ** of pre- " deftination and our eledlion in Chrift," of the eleftion of us Chriftians, " is full of " fweet, pleafant, and unfpeakable comfort *' to godly perfons, and fuch as feel in them- " felves the working of the Spirit of Chrift," vim Spin f us Chrijii; the influence of that holy Spirit, of which the Gofpel fpeaks, and not of that meritorious principle, ■which the Schools termed Charity, " mortifying the ■ *• works of the flefti, and drawing up the ** mind to high and heavenly things, as well *' becaufe it, greatly eftabliihes and confirms ** our faith of eternal falvation to be enjoyed " through Chrift," fidem nojiram de aterna falute confequenda per Chriftum, our con- ^dence in Chriftian falvation generally, and not theirs particularly, a change of the pro- nou^i SERMON VIII. , 163 noun adopted in the Latin not without de- fign, " as becaufe It fervently kindles our " love towards God, fo for curious and car- " nal perfbns, lacking the Spirit of Chrift, to " have continually before their eyes the fen- *' tence of God's predeftination," to believe, that God has predetermined fomething cer- tain refpefling their final doom, " is a moft ** dangerous downfal, whereby the Devil *' doth thruft them into defperation, or into ^' wretchleflhefs of moft unclean living, no left *' perilous than defperation." In this import- ant claufe we are taught, that none except the truly pious can derive confolation from the dodirine of our eleftion in Ohrift, of ours coUedlively in a religious, and not of t&eirs individually in a perfonal, capacity ; and that the oppofite idea of a predeftination which regards the perfons of men, fixing the fate of each irrevocably, when entertained by thofe, whofe curiofity and crime exceed their piety, tends to drive them into defpair, from a per- , fiiafion of their being expofed to the wrath of heaven, as the non-ele<3:, or from a pre- sumption of their ultimate fecurity, as the eledt, into the moft abandoned profligacy (*). But the conclufion of the Article, as dif- tindlly expreffive of the bafis, upon which the doctrine is founded, and admirably cal- M 2i culated i64 SERMON VIII. culated to prevent every mifapplicatidn of it, is worthy of particular obfervation. *' Fur- " thermore," it is faid, " we muft receive " God's promifes in fuch wife as they are " generally fet forth to us in holy Scripture, " and in our doings that will of God is to " be followed, which we have exprefsly de- " clared to us in the word of God." When we confider the preceding parts of the Arti- cle, the connexion of the whole, and the fentiments of the Lutherans, whofe very ftyle upon the fubjedl feems particularly at- tended to, is it poffible for a moment to imagine, (according to the conception of fome,) that the object of this claufe is to ad- mit an abfolute predeftination in theory, but to profcribe it in pradlice ? So far indeed from adopting fuch a conclufion, we ought : rather to be perfuaded, that the obvious ten- dency of it is very different ; and that, in- ftead of allowing in one fenfe, what it difal- lows in another, it rejedls the fame in both. For, afluming God's univerfal promifes as the ground- work of Predeftination, it requires us < to embrace- them, not as confined to certain favourites previoufly ordained to bills, but as general to the whole human fpecies, to whom our Church elfewhere confiders eter- nal life as offered without difcrimination (^), and SERMON VIII. 165 and not to indulge every evil propenfity of our nature, under the pretence of being over-ruled by a fecret will of Heaven, which we can neither' promote nor refift ; but to . adt in conformity with that will, which is clearly revealed to us in holy Scripture ; a difpofition in the common Parent of all men to effedl the falvation of all, who obftruft not his operations on their part, difcarding " the means of grace, and the hope of glo- "^ ry." That the Lutherans perpetually urged the univerfality of the divine promifes and will, I have already pointed out ; and it fhould be remarked, that our Reformers on this occafion kept an eye even upon the lan- guage, as well as opinions, of Melandlhon (*). Had they been inclined to favour the tenet of Calvin, we may be aflured, that they would not have countenanced an idea, which gave particular offence to that Reformer, which he never alluded to, unlefs to explain it away, and which he prided himfelf upon having refuted, as an error. " Aliquid dif- ** ferui," he remarks in his Inftitute, " eo- " rum errorem refellens, quibus generalitas " promiffionum videtur aequare totum hu- " manum genus." Lib, iii. cap. 24. §. i. What was the utmoft latitude of expreffion upon the fubjedl, which, had they been M 3 his i66 SERMON VIII. his difciples, they would have admitted, we may learn from the Helvetic Confeffion, which fpeaks indeed of God's promifes being univerfal, but, inflead of extending that uni- verfality to all, reftrids it to the faithful, ** Promiffiones Dei funt univerfales fideli- •' bus." C) Having confidered the whole of the Arti- cle, in a point of view, which no lefs exhi- bits the moderation of our Church, than her wifdom and piety, I Ihall fimply refer, in confirmation of what has been advariced, to our baptifmal fervice, which every where proceeds upon the principles fuggefted. There we are dire6lly taught the benignity of our gracious Creator towards us all, without dif- tinftion, his election of us as Chriftians, and his fubfequent rejedlion only of thofe, who, polluted by vice, diveft themfelves of that fa- ' cred charadler. So ftrikingly prominent in- deed are thefe fentiments in the office al- luded to, that in order not to perceive them, or to deny their exiftence, we. muft Ihut our eyes againft the obvious conilrudlion of the Englilh language. It exprefily afferts, that the good will af our heavenly Father is equal towards all, who are brought to his holy baptifm, that he favourably receives thgmj and embraces them with the arms of SERMON VIJL 167 of his mercy, gives unto them the bleffing of eternal life, and rnakes them partakers of his everlafting kingdom ('). But, left even this Ihould be deemed equivocal, or at ]saffi not fufficiently declarative of the'obje^ in view, the baptized are further faid not only to be regenerated with his holy Spirit, and made his own children by adoption, but, ftill more explicitly, to be admitted *' into ** the number of the children of God, and " heirs of everlafting life." Q Was it pof- fible for words more precife, diftin^, and ex- preffive, to be adopted ? And yet there are writers who contend, that all infants are not fuppofed to be thus regenerated, and numbered among the ele6l of God, but only a fortunate few, irrefpedively chofen, regeneration not always taking place in point of fad:, but only in the judgment of charity ; and that the words, upon vvhich. io much ftrefs is laid, are only general expreffions adapted to general forms. But thofe, who advance this argu- ment in oppofition to the plain import of the terms in contemplation, forget, or per- haps do not know, that we find no fuch general expreffions,. no fuch charitable judg- ment in the formulary of baptifm drawn lip and ufed by Calvin ('°) ; and that the office of our own Church is principally borrowed from M 4 that ,i68 SERMON VIII. that of the Lutherans ("), whofe well known fentiments on the fubjedl it is unneceffary to repeat. They Hkewife forget a paflage ap- parently decifive of the queftion, fubjoined in the Rubric, which declares it to be cer- tain, that baptized children, dying before they commit adlual fin, are undoubtedly faved ('*) ; a declaration which would be ufe- lefs and abfurd, if it could be fo interpreted as to mean thofe alone, who are Included in an abfolute, and to us infcrutable, decree of predeftination. Let us not however hence imagine, that our Reformers intended to efta- blilh any opinion inconfiftent with the fal- vation of infants unbaptized. On the con- trary, no lefs here, than . upon an occafion formerly alluded to, the very reverfe appears to have been the fad:. For it Ihould be ob- ferved, that the paffage before us is not ori- ginal, but borrowed from a work of popular inftrudlon, compofed in the reign of Henry, which, after Hating, that by this Sacrament we are made the very fons of God, adds, " Infomuch that infants and children, dying *' in their infancy, fhall undoubtedly be faved " thereby, and elfe not." (") Now, while the omiffion of the latter part of the claufe in our Liturgy evidently points out the im- provement in the creed of our Reformers, the SERMON VIII. 169 the infertion of the fliort fentence prefixed, "it is certain by God's word," feems no lefs Convincingly to prove, that they Ipeak only of that, which the lips of truth. have re- vealed, and placed beyond conjecfture, the covenanted mercy of Almighty God. On the whole, by explaining this Article in conformity with our baptifmal iervice, we inftantly perceive, upon what principles di- vine election is fuppofed to proceed, and what is that general promife and will of God, of which it fpeaks, as exprefsly declared in the word of God ; we perceive, that grace, according to the Lutheran dodlrine, is diredlly taught to be both Univerfal and Defedrible ("*), circumftances, which necefla- rily preclude every idea of an arbitrary felec- tion of individuals. Our benevolent Creator, we are told, poffeffes no private partiaHty for certain preordained objedls of his bounty, but is equally .difpofed to all, embraces all indifcriminately with the arms of his mercy, and receives all, when dedicated to, him by baptifm, into the number of his eledt ; and when, at any fubfequent period of our exift- ence, he withdraws from us the light of his heavenly countenance, the caufe of that de- plorable change is not imputable to him, but to us, who prove defe(Sive on our parts, for- feiting 170 SERMON VIII. felting in maturer years our title to eternal happlnefs, and excluding ourfelves from fal- vation. Thus, when captivated with the pleafures of the world, and fubdued by its temptations, we ceafe " manfully to fight ** under the banner of Chrift," we com- pletely lofe that ftate of fecurity, in which we before were placed ; for it is not fuffi- cient to be once regenerated, and made the children of Heaven by adoption, unlefs we are daily renewed by the holy Spirit, which we can never be, while "we defpife his domi- nion, refift his influence, and pollute the hallowed fan the year 1643 " ^^ Affembly of Divines," as the' Committe alluded to has been ufually ftyled, revifed the firft fifteen^ " vs^ith a defign," as the hiftorian of the Puritans himfelf obferves, " to render their fenfe " more exprefs, and determinate in favour of Calvin- " jfm," Neal's Hiftory of the Puritans^ vol. i. p. 48. ed. 1754. The 9th Article of Original Sin was thus amended by them ; " Original Sin ftandeth not in the " following of Adam, as the Pelagians do vainly talk, " but \togethh- zuith his frjl fin imputed] it is the fault " and corruption of the nature of every man that na- *' turally is propagated from Adam, whereby man is " wholly deprived of (not as before, very far gone from) " original righteoufnefs, and is of his own nature in- " clined {onlj\ to evil . . , , yet the Apoftle doth con- " fpfs, that concupifcence and luft is truly and properly " fin" (inftead oi hath ofitfelfthe nature of Jin.) In the 10th Art. upon Free Will they made only one inter- polation, but that of fome importance. After the vyords^ " without the grace of God by Chrift prevent- " ing us, that we may have a good will," they in- ferted. NOTES ON SERMON I. 185 ■ferted, " and working fa effeBually In us, as 4hat it de- *' termineth our will to that ivhicb is good," And again in the nth Art. upon Juftification, another ex- planation of no lefs importance was introduced. " We " are juftified," it was faid, " that is, we are ac- *' counted righteous before God, and have remiffion of ^' fins not for nor by our own works or defervings, but " freely by his. grace, only for our Lord and Saviour *' Jefus Chrift's fake, his whole-ohedience and fatisfac- *' tion being hy God imputed unto us, and Cbriji with his *' righteoufnefs being apprehended and rejled on hy faith " only." Ibid. Appendix, No. i. Do not thefe emenda- tions prove, that the refpeflive opinions introduced were not, in the judgment of thofe who propofed them, at leaft neceflarily contained in the original Ar- ticles ? An unprejudiced Calvinill might perhaps ad- mit a ftronger conclufion to be warrantable. That the Affembly of Divines proceeded no further in their labours than to the review of the 15th Article, might be owing to a perfuafion of the attempt being ^opelefs, from the incorrigibility of the ancient creed ; or perhaps to a profpeft, which then began rapidly to open upon the Puritanical caufCj not merely of re- forming the Church, but altogether of fubverting it. Page ID, note (^). Ego , perfuafus fum fine literarum peritia prorfus ftare non pofle .finceram theologiam, ficut haftenus, ruentibus et jacentibus Jiteris., miferrime et cecidit et jacuit. Quin video, nunquam fuilTe infignem faftam verbi Dei revelationem, nifi primo, velut percurforibus Baptiftis, viam pararit furgentibus et florentibus Un- guis et Uteris. Lutheri Epiftol. vol. ii. p. 307. Vitae German, Theologorum a Melchiore Adamo, p, 164. Page II, note (^), " How not only men of the new learning (as they "b* 185 NOTES ON SERMON I. ''be called) but alfo the very Papiftical authors " do allow, &c." Letter from Cranmer to Henry VIII. Burnet's Hiftory of the Reformation, vol. i. Addenda, p. 319. " But when a good number of tl\e "bed learned men reputed within this realm, fome " favouring the old, and fome the new learning, as " they term it, &c." Cranmer's Letter to Queen Mary, Fox's Martyrology, vol. ii. p. ^715. ed. 1610. Tage I a, note C) . After the commencement of our Reformation^ Melanfthon was repeatedly preffed perfonally to aflift in completing it, both in Henry's and Edward's reign; An invitation of this kind certainly took place fo early as March 1534; for in a letter of that date he thus ex- preffes himfelf ; " Ego jam alteris Uteris in Angliam vo- " cor." Epift. p. 717. And again in "the Odlober of the following year ; " Ego rurfus Anglicis non folum li- " teris, fed etiam legationibus, et vocor et exerceor." Epift. Libri Londini, p. 732. lib. iv. epift. 179. The caufe however why he came not then, as at firft he intended, (for the Eleftor of Saxony had confented to his journey, and Luther was anxious for it,) he ex- plains in another letter to Canierarius; " Anglicse pro- " feftionis cura prorfus liberatus fum. Poftquam enirii " tragici cafus in Anglia acciderunt, magna confilio- *' rum mutatio fecuta eft. Pofterior Regina (viz. Ann " Boleyn) magis accufata, quam convicSa, adulteriij " ultimo fupplicio affeda eft." Anno 1536. Epift. Libri Lond. lib.iv. ep. 187. In 7538 he was a third time foli- cited. Upon the return of Fred. Myconius, and the other Germans, who had been fent hither by. the Proteftant Princes of Germany, with the hope of obtaining Hen- ry's acceffion to their religious league, that monarch wrote thus to the Elpftor of Saxony ; " Mutuas vero " has aftiones noftras ubi veftra excellentia ex fuis ora- " toribus NOTES ON SERMON 1 187 *^ toribus penitus cognoverit, ipfi pro fua fiv^uUri pru- *-' dentia, et innato quodam cotinatus quofqie optimos " promovendi ftudio, quam maxime probatftn iri non " ambigimus ; et pro his, quae feliclter a/i coe^ta " funt, felicius abfolvendis concludendifque 'expefta- " musj ul Dominum PMlippum MelanShonem,m cujus *' excellenti erudttione et fano judicio a bonis omnibus i^ul- " ta Jpes repojita ejl, doftofque alios et probos vjros, *' prime quoque tempore, ad nos mittat." Seckendorf, Hiftor. Lutlier. lib. iij. §. 66. add. i. The fame wifli alfo on the part of Henry thofe Ambafladors noticed, ir the report of their proceedings here. " Mira," fays Seckendorf, " in ilia (viz. relatione) narratur Regis *' humanitas, ut legates, prsefentibus aula proceribus, *^ horiorifice admiferit, amplexu fuo dignatus fit, be- *' nigne audiverit, placidiflime refponderit,/^/)^ etiam *' MelanB bonis prafentiam dejiderari a fe tejlatus Jit." Ibid. Melanfthon indeed was fo much valued by that Monarch, that Gardiner (who certainly more de- ferved the appellation of Henricianus, than Cranmer, to whom it has been infidioufly applied) thought it proper to profefs the greateft regard for him. " Howr " highly," faid the latter to the former, in their con- troverfy upon the Eucharift, " you have efteemed Me- " lanfthon in times paft, it is hot unknown." Anfwer to Gardiner, p. 138.- During the fhort reign of Edward, felicitations of a fimilar nature appear to have been frequent. Latimer, in a fermon preached before the King, March 23, 1549, tbus alludes to a report of the time: " I heard fay maf- " ter Melanfthon, that great dark, fliould come hither. " I would wifh him, and fuch as he is, to have two hun- " dred pound a year. The King fliould never want it " in his coffers at the year's end." Latimer's Sermons, p. 47. In the fubfequent year his prefence here was a • fecond i8S .^OTES ON SERMON I. fecond tlme^equefted. " Ego," he remarks in a letter to J. Cameiarius, " rurfus in Angliam vocor." Epift. JLiOndin. p,9i5. lib. iv. epift. 780. anno 15^0. May 17. And laftl^ again immediately before the death of that much la|6ented Prince ; " Regiis Uteris vocor in An- " gliam, quae fcripts funt menfe Maio. Poftea fecuta "eft, mors nobiliiBmi adolefcentis, qui etiam exem- " plum eft humanee imbecillitatis." J. Camerario, ibid. p, 930. lib. iv. epift. 813. anno 1553. The latter cir- camftance Strype notices in his Ecclefiaftical Me- morials; "Had not," he fays, " the King died fo " foon, the moderate, learned, and vi^ife Melanfthon " would have come into England, and been placed in " the Univerfity of Cambridge. For in the month ot " May a letter in Latin was fent to him from the " King, fignifying, that the King had eledted him to " fupply that place, which Martin Bucer, deceafed, " had in that Univerfity. And June 6 following, a " warrant was iffued to the Treafurer of the Aug- " mentations, to deliver to the Archbifhop of Canter- " bury 50 pounds, to be fent over the feas by him, for " the expences of the fame learned man coming to the " King's prefence." Vol. ii. p. 401. If the reader compares the date, of Melanfthon's firft invitation to England, with that of the publications in the following note, he will find, that it preceded every doftrinal reformation in this country, Nor perhaps is it too much to fuppofe, that the formularies of faith, which were promulged in the reign of Henry, origin- ated in the advice of Melanfilhon, as contained in a letter to that Prince, dated March 3, 1535, and that they were formed, in part at leaft, upon his decifions of certain points committed to writing. " Nee vero dubi- " to," remarks the. Lutheran Reformer, " quin et ipfae " religionum controverfiae mitigarentur, fi regia ma- "jeftaS NOTES ON SERMON t. 189 "jeftas tua,-cum auforitatetn fuam conferret ad reges " caeteros ad moderationem fleftendos, tiim vero cum- *' doHis hominibus de genere doBrina delibertret. Nam et *' illud minime obfcurum eft, in Ecclefiamabufus qiiof- " dam non diflirhulandos irrepfifle; nequetamenoperam " dare regesj ut extet aliqua Jimplex et certa doSrin^s *' forma. . ; . .D. Antonius" (Dr, Barnes, afterwards a Martyr, but at that time Henry's Ambaffador in Gef- many) " fumma fide et diligentia de certis Articulis no- " bifcum difputavitj de quibus meum juScium ipji per- "fcriptam dedi." Epiftolae Londin. p. 1 1. In the very next year certain Articles of Religion, were drawn up and edited in the King's name, which were evidently of a Lutheran tendency. Indeed the definition of fo interefting a topic as that of Juftificatidn was evidently tranflated from the Loci Theologici of Me- lanShon. " The word Jiiftification,'' it was faid, " fignifieth remiffion of our fins, and our acceptation " or reconciliation into the grace and favour of God." Melanfthon's words are ; " Juftifica'tio fighificat re- " miffionem peccatorum, et reconciliationem, feu ac- " ceptationem peffonae ad vitam aeternam." Loci Theolog. de Gratia et Juftific. Page 14, note (') . The firft public attempt at a reformation of opi- nion was made in the year 1535, when a fhort code of doctrine was publiflied, under the title of, " Articles " devifed by the King's Highnefs Majefty, to fl:ablifli " Chriftian quietnefs and unity among us, and to '' avoid contentious opinions, which Articles be alfo " approved by the cbnfent and determination of the " whole clergy of this realm," In the fiabfequent year appeared a larger work of religious inftruAion,' commonly called " The Biftiops' " Book," becaufe it was principally compofed by the Bifhops, I90 NOTES ON SERMON I. Bifliops, although ,npt without the afliftance of otlier able Divines. This, which was denominated " Tlic *' Inftitution of a Chriftian Man," contained an expofi- tion of the Creed, the Ten Commandments, the Lord's Prayer, the Sacraments^.j^ie Ave Maria, Juftification,, and Purgatory. The two laft, with the doftrine upon Baptifm, Penitence, and the Eucharift, were taken word for word from the preceding Articles. By fome unaccountable miftake Collier ftates, that " this book was drawn up in a convocation three " years before;" Ecclef. Hiftory, vol. ii. p. 139. when the Articles above-mentioned, parts of which were introduced in it, were not in exiftence. While Collier blunders about its date, Strype mifconceives the work altogether, imagining it to have been nothing more than the Articles themfelves. In the firft vol. of his Ecclefiaftical Memorials, p. 381, he fays, " The Infti- ^' tution is reprinted in the Addenda to the firft vol. of " the Hiftory of the Reformation." By referring to the page of Burnet, which he quotes, the Articles only are to be found. In fa£t, had Burnet ever feen the produfitiqn, (which is very doubtful,) it would have been too voluminous for infertion. Afterwards, in 1543, a fimilar performance came out with the royal fanftipn, under the title of " A " neceflary Doarine and Erudition for any Chriftian " Man ;" and therefore ufually termed the King's Book. It was confined to the fapie fubjefts as the foregoing, with the addltipn of fome explanations upon the points of Faith, Free Will, and Good Worksj and although not a mere revifion of the " Inftitution," it neverthelefs contained little more than the fenti- ments of that work (the doftrine of Tranfubft^ntia- tion alone excepted) differently, and perhaps fomfi- thing more fophiftically, expreffed. Before ■ NOTES ON SERMON I. 191 Before its g^blication it was approved by the Conr vocation then fitting, in which it was examined in parts, as appears evident from the minutes of that afr fembly, in Wilkins's Concilia Magnse Eritanniae, vol. iii. p. 868. Yet Burnet twice remarks, that it was never introduced there. See his Hiftory of the Re^ formation, vol. i. p. 386* and his Supplement, p. 159. This is the more remarkablt, as he feems to have per- ufed a copy of the authentic record of the tranfadlion. Supplement, p. 161. But we cannot be.furprifed at any want of accuracy in this hiftorian, when we read the following confeffion ; " I did^.in my fecond vo- ^' lume, publlfli a commiffion to Cromwell, thinking it *' was that, which conftituted him the King's vicege- '.' rent, which I,in reading the beginning of it, took to be f fp ; but this was one of the effeds of the hajle, in ivbich I " wrote that wori." This hafte however is not only yifible in the work itfelf, but in the Supplement to it. For unfortunately in the very inftance under confidera- tion, he obferves, " In the Convocation of the year " ^543)^6 have only thisjhort word; that on the S9th " of April the Archbilhop treated of the Sacraments, " and on the next day on the Article of Free Will, f This is all that I could gather from the copy of the " minutes, of the Convocation." p. j6i. If the reader turns tothe minutes alluded to, which are preferved in Wilkins, as above qupted, he will find, that fomething more than Burnet's fliort word was recorded ; he will perceivej that on ;the aoth of April the Expofition of the Lord's Prayer in Engliih was confidered ; on the aift, that of the five firft precepts of the Decalogue j on the 34th and 25thj that of the remaining five, with another of the Sacraments, and not on the zgth, a? Burnet ftates ;' on the 37th, that of the word Faith, of the I a Articles of Faith, of Juflification, Works, an^ Prayer. 19a NOTES ON SERMON I. • Prayer for the dead ; and on the 30th, that of the Ar- ticle of Free Will. Upoii which latter day the mi<- nute runs thus ; " Quo die leftos et publice expofitos " in vulgari Articulos liberi Arbitrii tradidit Reveren- " difEmus Prolocutori eo animo, ut ipfe eundem trac- " tatum coram Praelatis inferioris Domus perlegeret. " Quern leftum reftituenint fuperiori Domui cum hac " approbatione, quod pro' catbolicis et religiofis eos " acceptarunt, necnon gratias ingentes patribus ege- " runt, quod tantos labores, fudores, et vigilias reli- " gionis et reipublicse caufa, et unitatis gratia, fubie- *' runt." Now the different expofitlons thus confi- dered, comprife the feveral parts of' the " Neceflary " Erudition," published in that year. If thefe productions be minutely examined, not only the ideas, but fometimes the very language, of the Lu- therans will appear to have been clofely copied in both, upon the fubjedt at leaft before me. The reader may find the Articles in Burnet's Hift. Reform, vol. i. Addenda, p. 305 ; fome account of " The Neceflary Erudition" in the fame work, vol. i. p. 386. and of " The Infti- " tution" in Collier's Ecclef. Hift. vol. ii. p. 139. I have fixed the date of the " Neceflary Erudition" in 1543, as Collier has correflily done, and not three years before, according to Burnet. The latter ob- ferves, " It was finifhed and fet forth in this year, " (viz. 1540.) with a preface written by thofe of the " Clergy, who had been employed in it (a preface " however, which never exifted except in his own ima- " gination.) To this the^King added another preface '^ fome years after." Vol. i. p. 293. But this is not all. To corroborate his ftatement, Burnet mifquotes an A6t of Parliament, which pafied in the year when the work a6lually appeared, but before it was com- pleted for publication. In this ftatute, (he remarks) all NOTES ON SERMON I. 193 all the Books of the Old and New Teftarnent of Tin- dal's tranfl^tion are forbidden to be kept or ufed in the King's dominions, " with all other books contrary " to the doStrine Jet forth in the year 1540.'" And again, " Every perfon. might read and teach in their houfes " the, book fet out in the year 1540." vol. i. p. 333. Npw tbe words of the Aft are thefe : in the firft in- ftance, " contrary to that doftrine, which, //wc^ the year " of our Lord ,1540, is, or any time hereafter during " the King's Majefty's life, Sec. . . . .Jhall be fet forth " by his Highnefs ;" and in the fecond infiaiice, [not the book fet out in the year 1540, but) '^ all fuch doElrhie, ^' as, fincp the faid year of our Lor(i^l540, is or ftiall :''be fet- forth by the King's Majefty, &c." expref- iions certainly conveying, a meaning very different from that of. Burnet. The truth was, that the coin, miffioners appointed to draw up the work in queftion (as mentioned in the fubfequent note) did certainly meet in 1540 ; but that the work itfelf was not pub- lifhed until after the prorogation of the Parliament, on the 13th of May. During the laft week in April we find it in the hands of the Convocation ; and on the following 39th of May. it was printed. I have been the more particular on this occafion in i..pointing out the inaccuracies of Burnet, becaufe he feems in general to have been too implicitly trufted, mifleading perhaps fubfequent writei's by hisloofe ftyle, and loofer ftatements, more than any other hiftorian. Page 14, note (^). In the year 1540,. a motion was made by Crom- well, in the upper Houfe, for the appointment of a committee " of Bifliops and Divines, to draw up an ".expofition of-thofe things, that were neceflkry for " the inftitution of a Chriftian man." Burnet, vol. i. p. 274, and Journal of the Houfe of Lords, in which o Croni - 194 'NOTES ON SERMON I. Cromwell's Speech is given. The committee was ac- cordingly appointed, and drew up, not the work en- titled, " The Inflitution of a Chriflian Man," which had been publifhed three years before, but that which was termed, " A Neceffary Doftrine and Erudition for " any Chriftian Man."- Cromwell's motion for the ap- pointment of the committee was made April 13, 1^4° > upon the 13th of June following, he was arretted and fent to the Tower, and upon the 28th of July be- headed. Sevea days before his execution, a bill pafled both Houfes of Parliament, which empowered this committee, or any other which the King might ap- point, " to declare (he principal Articles of the Ghrij- " tian belief, with the ceremonies, and way of God's " fervice to be obferved." It appears by Fox's Mar- tyrology, vol. ii. p. 1693. ed. 1610, that at this precif© period thefe Commiffioners attempted to eftablifli fuch Do6lrines, as might tend to the revival of Popifli error and fuperftition ; that even Bifliop Heath and Bifhop Skip (who were in the commifiion, and friendly to the Proteftant caufe) earneftly entreated Cranmer not to oppofe the defign, for fear of incurring the King's difpleafure ; but that he refifted their entreaties, dif- daining, as Fox terms it, to deal colourably on the oc- cafion, notwithflanding the dread of Henry's anger, and the alarming effefils of it vifible in the fudden fall and espefted fate of Cromwell ; " and that in the " end, by difcharging his confcience, and declaring " the truth unto the King, God fo wrought with the " King, that his Highnefs joined with him againft the\ " reft, fo that, the book of Articles palling on his " fide, he won thegoal from them all, contrary to all " their expeclations, when many wagers would havei " been laid in London, that he fhould have been laid '' up with Cromwell, at that time in the Tower for "his NOTES ON SERMON I. 195 " his ftifF Handing to his tackle. After that day," adds the hiftorian, " there could neither Counfellor, ^' Bifliop, or Papiftj win him out of the King's fa- " vour." The Articles in queftion, or what are given as fuch, may be feen in Strype's Ecclefiaftical Memorials, vol. j. Appendix, p. 306. They were probably in- tended, as the fame writer obferves, (vol. i. p. 356.) to contain " the public judgment and profeffed doctrine *' of the Church of England," as they conftantly com- mence with the phrafes, "Docemus, credimus," From them, parts of our a^th, pdth, and 34th Articles were borrowed. In our a5th Art. (as worded in 155a.) the Sacraments are thus defined; " Sacramenta a Chrifto " inftitiita non tantum funt notas profeffionis Chriftia- " norum, fed certa qusedam potius teftimonia, et effi- " cacia figna gratiaa atque bonse in nos voluntatis Dei, " per quae invifibiliter ipfe in nobis operatur, noftram- " que fidem in fe non folum excitat, verum etiam con- " firmat" This was manifeflly taken from the pro- duiftion of the year 1540, above alluded to. " Dote- " mus," it is there faid, " quod Sacramenta, quae per " verbum Dei inftituta funt, non tantum 'funt notse " profeffionis inter Cbrifiianos, fed magis certa quae- " dam teftimonia et efficacia figna gratiae, et bonae vo- " luntatis Dei erga nos, per quae DeiiS invifibiliter " operatur in nobis, et'fuani graliam in nos invifiblli- " ter diffundit, fiquidem ea rite fufceperimus. Quod- " que per ea excitatur et confirmatur fides in his, qui " eis utuntur." Strype's Ecclef. Mem. vol. i. Appen- dix, p. 306. But even this pafl!age is derived from the following in the Augfbourg Confeffion ; " De Sacra- " mentorum ufu doeent, quod Sacramenta inftituta " funt, non niodo ut fint notae profeffionis inter ho- " mines, fed magis ut €nt figna, et teftimonia voluntas f^ tis Dpi erga nos." Jlftt. 13. Auguft. ConfeflT. o a 25th 196 NOTES ON SERMON I. 26th Article of our Church. " Quanivis in Ecclefia vifibili bonis mali fint femper " admixti, atque interdum minifterio verbi et Sacra- " mentorum adminiftrationi praefint, tamen non fuo, " fed Chrifti nomine agant, ejufque mandato et au- " thoritate miniftrent, illorum minifterio uti licet, cum " in verbo Dei audiendo, turn in Sacramentis percipi- " endis, neque per illorum malitiam effeftus inftituto- " rum Chrifti tollitur, aut gratia donorum Dei minui-» " tur, quoad eos, qui fide et rite fibi oblata percipiunt, " quae propter inftitutionem Chrifti, et proraiffionem " efficacia funt, licet per malos adminiftrentur." Articles of 1540. " Et quamvis in Ecclefia fecundum pofteriorem ac- " ceptionem mali funt bonis admixti, atque etiam mi- " nifteriis verbi et Sacramentorum nonnunquam prae- " fint, tamen, cum miniftrent non fuo, fed Chrifti no- " mine mandato et authoritatq, licet eorum minifterio " uti, tarn in verbo audiendo quam recipiendis Sacra- " mentis, juxta illud, Qui vos audit, me audit. Nee " per eorum malitiam imminuitur effe£lus, aut gratia " donoruirt Chrifti rite accipientibus. Sunt enim effi- " cacia propter promiffionem et ordinationem Chrifti, " etiamfi per malos exhibeantur." Augfbourgh Confeffion. " Cum in hac vita multi hypocritae et mali admixti " fint, licet uti Sacramentis, quas per malos admini- " ftrantur, juxta vocem Chrifti, Matt, xxiii. 3. Sedent " Scriba et Vharijtei in cathedra Mojis, Sec. Et Sacra- " menta et verbum propter ordinationem et mandatum " Chrifti funt efficacia, etiamfi per malos exhibeantur." Art. 8. 34th Article of our Church. " Traditiones atque ceremonias eafdem non omni- " no neceflle eft efle ubique, aut prorfus confimiles. " Nam iMOTES ON SERMON I. 197 " Nam et variae femper fuemnt, et mutari poffunt pro " regionum, temporum, et morum diverfitate, modo " nihil contra verbum Dei inftituatur." Articles of 1540. ^' Traditiones vero et ritus atque ceremonias, quas " vel ad decorem, vel ordinem, vel difciplinam Ec- f' clefiae ab hominibus funt inftitutas, non omnino ne- " cefle eft, ut eaedem fint ubique aut prorfus fimiles. " Hse enim et variae fuere, et variari poffunt pro re- " gionum atque morum diverfitate ac commodo, fie " tamen, ut fint confentientes verbo Dei." Aug(bourgh Confeffion. " Nee neceffe eft ubique fimiles effe traditiones hu- " manas, feu ritus, aut ceremonias ab hominibus infti- " tutas." Art. 7, In contemplating the doftrinal Reformation of Hen., ry's reign, we fhould not perhaps attribute fo much importance to the counfels of Cromwell, as we ufually do ; for, by, a diligent perufal of thefe Articles, we perceive how ably Cranmer could contend without him. Nor ought we to regard it as detached from that which followed ; becaufe , we fee that the fame perfon was principally concerned in both,, and in the latter inftance not forgetful of what he had eflefted in the former. < Pagei^, note (J). The origin of our Common Prayer is by no means dubious. An abridgement of the Service of the Rom- ifli Church, with fuch alterations and amendments, as were judged requifite to purify it from error and iu- perftition, became the Liturgy of the Lutherans. Our own was modelled in the fame way, being little more than a compilation of the ancient forpis, lelefted with prudence, correded with judgment, and arranged with o 3 limpli- T98 NOTES ON SERMON I. fimplicity. In moft parts of it our Reformers kept in view a work of a fitnilar defcription, then recently- drawn up by Melanfthon and Bucer, for the ufe of the Archbifliopric of Cologne. This I fliall have oc- cafion to notice hereafter. Calvin, on the otlier hand, (who equally approved of public forms, and never, like his followers in after- times, dreamed of praying by the Spirit,) chofe rather to become an author than compiler, preferring the tafk of compofing a new Liturgy, to that of reforming an old one. A performance of this kind he originally prepared in French, and feems to have firft ufed, when he taught at Strafbourg. This he afterwards tranflated into Latin, with emendations, and publifhed at Gene- va, as the form of that Church, in the year 1545. See his Opufcula, p. 39. Another tranflation of the fame ■work was printed at London, in 1551, by Valeran- dus PoUanus, his fucceflbr at Strafbourg, then a re- fugee in England. Now it is certain, that our own Liturgy, as it firft appeared in 1548, bore not the moft diftant refemblance to this novel production. In 1553 however, when the fame was revifed and republifhed, the introductory Sentences, Exhortation, Confeflion, and Abfolution, then added at the beginning of our Daily Prayer, were in fome degree taken from it, yet not from Calvin's own tranflation, but from that of Pollanus, which was printed in England at the very period v.'hen the Book of Common Prayer was under revifion. This is evident from the circumftance, that the tranflation of Pollanuis alone contains an Abfolu- tion, Calvin's not having the flighteft trace of one. If it be conjectured, that our Reformers took the hint alluded to from the former tranflation, becaufe they were ignorant of th-e latter, it {hews how little the pro- NOTES ON SERMON I. 199 produdlion of Calvin was at that time known ; if be- caufe they preferred the former, it (hews how little it was regarded. After all, the idea only of fuch forms, or at moft an occafional allufion or two, feems to have been bor- rowed. In proof of which I {hall fubjoin the Latin of Pollanus. '' Die Dominico mane, hora o6lava, cum " jam aJeft populus, Paftore accedente, Choraules in- " cipit clara voce, Leve le Cueur, ac populus accinit " cum modeftia et gravitate fumma, ut ne quid vo- " luptati aurlum, fed ferviant omnia reverentise Dei et "" eedificationi tarn canentlum quam audientium, fi qui " fortaile adfint non canentes. Cum abfolverint pri- *' mand tabulam" (viz. Decalogi), " turn Pallor, menfae " aftans, verfus ad populum fie incipit ; ' Adjutorium noftrum in nomine Domini, qui fecit ' coelum et terram. Amen.' " Deinde clara et diftiniSta voce populum admonet " de confeffione peccatorum, hifque verbis prseit ; ' Fratres, cogitet unufquifque fe coram Deo fifti, ut ' peccata et delitta fua omnia fimplici animo confitea- * tur, et agnofcat, atque apud vofmetipfos me prseeun- * tem fequimini his verbis;' Confeffio Peccatorum. '' ' Domine Deus, Pater seteme et omnipotens, ag- * nofcimus et fatemur ingenne apud fanftiffimam ma- ' jeftatem tuam, peccatorxes effe nos miferos, adeoque a ' prima origine, qua concepti et nati fumus, tam ad ' omne malum efle pr6nos,.quam ab omni bono alie- ' nos ; quo vitio tuas leges fan£tiffimas affidue tranf- * grediniur, eoque nobis exitium juftiffimo tuo judicio 'conquirimus. Attamen Domine Deus, pcenitet fie ' offendiffe bonitatem tuam, proindeque nos et facta ' noftra omnia iiimium fcelerata damnamus, orantes, * ut tu pro tua dementia huic. noftrae calamitati fuc- 04 * curras. 20O NOTES ON SERMON I. ' curras. Miferere igitur noftri omnium, O Deus et ' Pater clementiflime ac mifericors, per nomen Filii tui ' Jefu Chrifti, Domini noftri, te obteftamur; ac deletis ' vitiis, ablutifque fordibus cunftis, largire atque ad- « auge indies Spiritus tui SanSi vim et dona in nobis, ' quo vere et ferio noftram miferiam intelligentes, nof- ' tramque injuftitiam agnofcentes, veram poenitentiam ' agamus ; qua mortui peccato deinceps abundemus ' fru£i;ibus juftitis ac innocentias, quibus tibi placeamus ' per Jefum Chriftum Filium tuum, unicum Redemp- ' torem ac Mediatorem noftrum. Amen.' Abfolutio. « " Hie Paftor ex Scriptura facra fententiam aliquam " remiffionis peccatorum populo recitat, in nomine Pa- " tris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sanfti." Another circumftance likewife "ftrongly corroborates the obfervation which has been made. In the amended Liturgy of Edward VI. befides the additions men- tioned, the Ten Commandments, with the Refponfes fubjoined to th6m at the beginning of our Commu- nion, were firft introduced. That the propriety of fuch an introdu(3:ion was fuggefted by the work of Pollanus, appears almofl: certain from the circumftance of the Decalogue being there ordered to be read at the beginning of the Sunday Service, with the fol- lowing Prayer after it ; " Domine Deus, Pater miferi- " cors, qui hoc Decalogo per fervum tuum Mofen nos " legis tuae juftitiam docuifti, dignare cordibus nojlris " earn ita iuo Spiritu infcribere, ut &c." words almoft precifely correfponding with our concluding refponfe, " Write all thefe thy laws in our hearts, we befeech " thee." That it could not be fuggefted by Calvin's publication, is beyond conjefture, becaufe neither the reading of the Decalogue, nor the fubfequent Prayer, is there to be found. A fticrt account of the Straf- bourg NOTES ON SERMON I. 201 "bourg Liturgy, in many refpefts diflFerent from that of Geneva, may be feen in Strype's Ecclef. Mem. vol. i. p. 243. Page 15, note ('). See note 4. Page 16, note (®). The Catechifiij alkided to Cranmer firfl: pubhfhed in the year 1547. In his anfwer to Gardiner it is thus noticed ; " Winchefter. " Julius Jonas hath tranflated a Catechifm out of " Dutch into Latin, taught in the city of Noremberg *f in Germany, where Ofiander is chief Preacher. .... " which Catechifm was tranflated into Enghfh, in " this author's name, about two years paft." Anfwer to Gardiner, p. 14. " Canterbury. " And as for the Catechifm of Germany, by me " tranflated into Enghfli. , . . ." Ibid, p. 199. To the niece of Ofiander, it fliould be obferved, Cranmer was married. Juftus Jonas was the friend and fellow-labourer of Luther and Melandlhon, whofe fon refided long at Lambeth, and feems to have been the principal medium of correfpondence between the Archbilhop and the Lutherans. In the College library of C. C. C. Oxford, there is a copy of Luther's works, the two firfl volumes of which appear to have belonged to the Primate. In the title-page of both is written " Thomas Cantuarien." apparently in his own hand-writing, and at the bottom, the following in- fcription, probably in that of Jonas ; " Reverendiflimo " in Chrifto patri, ac Domino Domino Thomae Cran- " mero Archiepifcopo Cantuarienfi, fideli primati An- " gliae, domino fuo clementiflimo exhibuit Juftus Jo- " nas Junior, 1548." Indeed, as Strype obferves, to Germany 302 .NOTES ON SERMON I. Germany " he had a particular kindnefs he had " many exhibitioners there; and held atleaft a month- " ly correfpondence to and from learned Germans." Memorials of Cranmer, p. 387. That the doftrine upon the Eucharift contained in this Catechifm is completely Lutlieran, has never been denied. " This," faid Cranmer, " I confefs of mylelf, that not long be " fore I wrote the faid Catechifm, I was in that error " of the real prefence, as I was in many years paft in " divers other errors, as of tranfubftantiatioa, &c." Anfwer to Gardiner, p. 403. Fage 17, note ("). " But as for any untrue report made by me herein, " willingly againft my confcience, (as you untruly re- " port of me), by that time I have joined with you " throughout your book, you fliall right well perceive, " I truft, that I have faid nothing wittingly, but what " my confcience fhall be able to defend at the great " day, in the fight of the everliving God." Anfwer to Gardiner, p. 50. In the year 1550, he publifhed his principal work, entitled, " A Defence of the True and Catholic Doc- " trine of the Sacrament, &.c." This was almoft im- mediately attacked by the Bifliop of Winchefler ; and fupported in an able refutation of his opponent's argu- ments by Cranm6r. Gardiner (as might have been expefted) failed not to point out the inconfiftency be- tween the Catechifm and the new produ£tion, which evidently militated againft Confubftantiation, as well as Tranfubftantiation, accufing its author of having been firft a Papift upon this point, afterwards a Lu- theran, and at laft a Zuinglian. The fame accufation .was likewife brought againft him by another adver- fary, of the name of Smith. To this charge the Archbilhop pleaded guilty, feeling no difgraqe in a chati-ee ;notes on sermon i. 203 change of opinion, for the better, and explaining the progrefs of improvement in his mind with no lefs fim- plicity than fincenty. " After," he obferved, " it had " pleafed God to fhew unto me by his word a more " perfea knowledge of his Son Jefus Chrift, from *' time to time, as I grew in knowledge of him, by " little arid little I put away my former ignorance. " And as God of his jnercy gave me light, fo through " his grace I opened my eyes to receive it, and did not " wilfully repugn unto God, and remain in darknefs. " And I truft in God's mercy and pardon for my for- " mer errors, becaufe I erred but of frailnefs and ig- " norance." Anfwer to Gardiner, p. 403. And again, " It is lawful and commendable for a man to learn " from time to time, and to go from his ignorance, *' that he may receive and embrace the truth. As for " me, I am not, I grant, of that nature, that the Pa- " pifts for moft part be, who ftudy to devife all fhame- " ful (liifts, rather than they will forfake any error, " wherewith they were infected in youth." Ibid. p. 62. Thofe who have accurately inveftigated his chanafler, and duly appreciate its value, muft read with pleafure the following awful appeal to heaven, againft the f^lfe imputation of a time-ferving flexibility in his religious fentiments. " I will not here anfvi^er for myfelf, but " leave the judgment to God, who feeth the bottom " of all men's hearts, and at whofe only judgment I *' fliall ftand or fall, faving, that this I will fay before " him, (who is every where prefent, and knoweth all " things that be done,) that as for feeking to pleafe " men in this matter, I think my confcience clear, " that I never fought herein, but only the pleafure " and glory of God." Ibid. p. 403. It may not perhaps be altogether irrelevant to the fubjeft of this note, as befpeajcing his confidence in the 304 NOTES ON SE-RMON I. the gOodnefs of bis caufe, if I add here the admirable ftriftures which he pafles upon the argument of his opponents. " Wherefore," he remarks, " inafmuch " as I purpofe, God willing, in this defence of my " former book, not only to anfwer you, but by the " way alfo to touch D. Smith; two things I would " wifli in you both. The one is, truth with fimpli- *' city ; the other is, that either of you both had ib *^ much learning as you think you have, or elfe, that *' you thought of yourfelves no more than you have " indeed. But to anfwer both your books in fev/ " words. The one fheweth nothing elfe, but what *• railing, without reafon or learning, the other what *' frowardnefs armed with wit and eloquence, be able " to do againft the truth." Ibid. p. 39. " Thus have *' I anfwered to all that you have brought againft my " fourth book, not obfcurely, (as you like a cuttel *• have done, hiding yourfel fin your dark colours,) but " plainly, to the capacity of all men, as much as I " can. And this have I done with fome pain of *' writing, but little or no ftudy of the matter ; it be- '"' ing a very eafy thing, for defence of the truth, to " anfwer by God's word and ancient authors to an ig- " norant lawyer, well exercifed in neither, but mak- " ing fuch divinity as he can dream in his deep, or " devife of his own brain, or hath fucked out of Pa- " piftical laws and decrees ; and for lack of argument " furnifhing up his book with pretty toys, with glo- " rious boafting, and fcornful tauntings." p. 349. " But to avoid and dally away thefe words, " that be fo clear and plain, there muft need be laid " on load of words, the wit muft be ftretched out to " the utmoft, all fetches muft be brought in that can " be devifed, all colours of rhetoric muft be fought •' out, all the air muft be caft over with clouds, all the " water NOTES ON SERMON I. 205 " water darkened with the cuttel's ink, and, if it could " be, (at the leaft as much as may be^) all men's eyes " alfo muft be put out, that they fliould not fee. But I " could wifh, that you flood not fo much in your own " conceit, trufted not fo much in your inventions and " devices of wit, in eloquence, and craftinefs of fpeechj " and multitude of words, looking that no man (hould " dare encounter you, but that all men fhould think " you fpeak well, becaufe you fpeak much, and that " you fliould be had in great reputation among the " multitude of them that be ignorant, and cannot dif- " cern perfectly thofe, that follow the right way of " truth, from others, that would lead them into error " and blindnefs." p. 313. Page 18, note ("). " He had a good judgment, but no great quicknefs " of apprehenfion, nor clofenefs of ftyle, which was " diffufed and unconnedled; therefore when any thing *' was to be penned that required more nerves, he ^' made ufe of Ridley." Burnet's Hiftory of the Re- formation, vol. ii. p. 336. The fame cenfure is co- pied into the Biographica Britannica, and retained in the laft edition. The above infinuation of Burnet refpefting the inca- pacity of Cranmer, although in faft nothing more than broad aflertion, unfupported by the adduftion of the flighteft proof, feems to have given rife to an idea, that he only was the nominal, and Ridley the real, au- thor of thofe compofitions, to which his name was af- fixed. "This however was placed before none, except the Catechifm above alluded to, and his treatife upon the Sacrament. Of the .Catechifm the Archbi- fliop exprefsly declares himfelf to have been the tranf- lator. Befides, it does not appear, that upon the point of the real prefence, his fuppofed affiftant was ever 2o5 NOTES ON SERMON I. ever a Lutheran. That Ridley was not the author of the latter and more important work, his own tefti- niony remains on record ; " Now, quoth he then ; " and how can ye make but a figure or a fign of the " Sacrament, as that book doth, which is fet forth in " my Lord of Canterbury's name ? I wifs, ye can tell " who made it. Did not ye make it ? And here was " much murmuring of the reft, as if they would have " given me the glory of the writing of that book, which " yet was faid of fome of them to" contain the moft hei- " nous herefy that ever was." He then, without he- fitation, anfwered, " That book was made by a great " and learned man, and one that was able to do the " like again. And that as for himfelf^ he aflured " them, and bad them not to be deceived in him, that " he was never able to do or write any fuch thing ; " and that the writer paffed him no lefs than the " learned mafter, his young fcholar." Ridley's Confe- rence in the Tower, written by himfelf, and publiftied in Fox's Martyrology, p. 1298. That this book muft have been Cranmer's trealife on the Sacrament, can- not be doubted, when it is recolle£ted, that no other was fet forth in the Archblfhop's name, (the defence of it againft Gardiner I confider as a part of the fame work,) except the Lutheran Catechifra of 1547, which, from its fentiments upon the fubjedt of the Lord's Supper, could not have been the production alluded to. The marginal conjedure, therefore, of Fox, that it was the Catechifm, is evidently erroneous. Nor ought we on this occafion to fufpeft any inac- curacy in the detail of Ridley's conference, becaufe it was written by himfelf. When Fox reports, through the medium of his adverfaries, he wifties not always (p. 1702.) too implicitly to be trufted. But in truth no ftronger evidence upon this point feems NOTES ON SERMON I. 307 feems requifite, than what the remainis of Ridley, pre- ferN'ed by the Marty rologift, themfelves afford ; the ftyle of which is manifeftly different from that exhi- bited in the writings afcribed to Cranmer. In my own idea, much inferior to itt It is fingular however, that while the Papifts affefted to believe, that Ridley was the author of the Archbi- Ihop's work upon the Sacrament, they accufed the Arch- biftiop of having written P. Martyr's treatife upon the feme fubjeft. " Item, that the faid Thomas Cranmer " did compile, and caufe to be fet abroad, di- " vers books. Whereunto, when the names of. the " books were recited unto him, he denyed not fuch "books, which he was the true author pf. As touch- " ing the treatife of P. Martyr upon the Sacrament, " he denyed that he ever faw it, before it was abroad, " yet did approve and well like it." Fox, p. 1704. Perhaps their objedl was fimilar in both inftances ; they might have hoped in the firft, to obtain more po- litive and allegeable proof, than they feemed at the time to poffefs, againfl; Ridley, whofe love of truth would have induced him, if at all concerned in it, not to difavow it; and in the fecond, to procure an additional charge againft Cranmer. Page 19, note ("). " Itaque fuit crematus Angliae primas, maximas vir '' eruditionis et authoritatis." Sleidani Commentarii, ■anno 1556. — " Quibus perceptis, ant'iquiffimos tam " GrsBCOs quam Latinos patres evolvit : concilia om- " nia, et antiquitatem, ad ipfa Apoftolorum tempora, " iiiveftigavit. Theologiam totam, detrafta ilia, quani " Sophiftae obduxerunt, vitiata cute, ad vivum refeca- " vit ; quam tamen non doftrina magis quam moribus " atque vita expreffit." Archbifhop Parker's Antiquit- Britani^lcse, p. 331. — " QuEeque vir humaniffimus a '* Graiiis ao8 NOTES ON SERMON I. " Grat'iis et Mujis fiSius promifit, ea omnia cumula- .".tiflime prffiftitit." Melchior. Adam. Vitse Theologo- rum Exterorum, p. 18. Other teftimonies m5gh<; be adduced from P. Martyr's preface to his traft on the Sacrament, and Ofiander, &c. Tremellius, as Gilpin remarks, terms him, " homo (pjXs'^svojj nee minus fit- " xoAoyoj." Life of Cranmer, p. 331. Vdge 20, note (")* Pi'obably one fliort fpecimen of the manner, in which, when he pleafed, he was capable of expreffing himfelf, may be fufficient to difprove the Cenfure of Burnet. After noticing with fome feverity that the Romifh Antichrift and his Minifters, in their doftrine of deliverance from Purgatofy, " take upon them to " do for us, that thing which Chrift either woulfl " not, or could not do," he thus exclaims ; " O hay- " nous blafphemy, and moft deteftable injury againft " Chrift! O wicked abomination in the temple of God 1 " O pride intolerable of Antichrift, and moft manifeft " token of the Son of Perdition, extolling himfelf " above God, and with Lucifer exalting his feat and " power above the throne of God !" Preface to his Defence of the True and Catholic Do6lrine of the Sa- crament. Ought he, who was mafter of language like this, to be flighted as incoherent, fpiritlefs, and inelegant ? But to form a thorough conception of his ftyle, it is neceffary to confult his writings themfelves, in which, to ufe his own expreflions, he flattered him- felf, that he had made " more clearly appear the " light from the darknefs, the truth from falfe fophift- " ical fubtleties, and the certain word of God from " men's dreams and phantaftical inventions." Ibid, p. 14. He is not indeed always nervous, but he is always clear and flowing, eloquent and irjiprefliye. Tage NOTES ON SERMON L eop Page ai, note ('*). To give an adequate idea of his diftion feems dif-> iicult. It has a certain unobtrufive elegance about it> which mocks defcription j Illam Gomponit furtim^ fitifequiturque decor. TibuUuS Eleg. iv. 2. 8. Fage 31, note ('s). T^e difference of ftyle in Henry's and Edward's tline, from that which began to prevail in Elizabeth's, appears ftriking, when we compare the workis of the fame perfon at the different seras. In the reign of Henry, an author of the name of Taverner, who was " Ckrk of the Signets" to that Monarch, wrote a pa- raphrafe upon the Epiflles and Gofpels of the year, which was very gravely and decently compofed. The fame perfon is faid by Antony Wood to have deli-r vered a Angular Sermon (being a lioenfed preacher, al- tholigh a layman) at St. Mary's, Oxford, in the reign of Elizabeth, which thus commenced ; " Arriving at ^' the mount of St. Mary's, in the ftony ftage where ^' now I ftand, Ihave brought fome bifcuits, baked in " the oven of charity, carefully conferyed for , the " chickens of the Church, the fparrows of the Spirit, " and the fweet fwallows of falvation." Hiftory and 'Antiq. of the Univ. of Oxford, vol. ii. p. 15a. In- deed, at an intervening period, we perceive fome oc- cafional traces of fo perverted a tafte in the letters of thofe, who were imprifoned by Mary for their attach- ment to the Reformation ; but thefe principally oceuf , in the compofitions of illiterate men. Carelefs, a Co- ventry weaver, thus expreffes himfelf in a letter to a fellow-prifpner, whofe name was Green. " Oh bleC- " fed Green ! Thou meek and loving lamb of the " Lord ! How happy art thou to be appointed to di^ p "f^ 3,10 NOTES ON SERMON I. "for his fake! A full dainty difli art thou for the " Lord's own tooth. Frefh and green fhalt thou be in " the houfe of the Lord, and thy fruits fliall never " wither nor decay." Fox's Martyrol. p. 1746. And again, in a letter to Philpot ; " Oh my good mafter *' Philpot, which art a principal pot indeed, filled with " mod precious liquor, as it appeareth by the plen- " teous pouring forth of the fame ! Oh pot moft hap- " py, of the high Potter ordained to honour, which " doft contain fuch heavenly treafures in the earthen " veflelJ Oh pot thrice happy !" Id. 1745. What a complete contraft does the language of this unlettered man form with the following extraft from an epiftle of Lady Jane Gray to her filler, at the famd period ; " Be penitent for your fins, and yet defpair " not : be ftrong in faith, and yet prefume not." Ibid. p. 1393. Page 31, noU ('*). How highly the compofition of our Liturgy ranked in the eftimation of fo good a judge as Swift, appears from the following paflage in his letter to the Lord Treafurer, containing a propofal for correfting, im- proving, and afcertaining the Englifli tongue. " Then," he remarks, " as to the greateft part of < our Liturgy, ** compiled long before the tranflation of the Bible " now in ufe, and little altered fince, there feem to b^ '* in it as great ftrains of true fublime eloquence, as ^' are any where to be found in our language ; which " every man of good tafte will obferve in the Com- " munion Service, that of Burial, and other parts." Indeed fo admirable was the fl:yle of thofe who Compofed it, that even in the parts which are direct tranflations from the ancient Latin forms, they pre- ferved all the grace and fpirit of original compofition. In proof of this aflertion may be alleged the following pafTage NOTES ON SERMON I. an paflage in our Communion Service, which is alraoft literally taken from the Preface to the Canon of the Mafs ; "It is very meet, right, and our bounden *' duty, that we (hotild, at all times, and in all places, " give thanks unto thee, O Lord, holy Father, Al- " mighty, Everlafting God! Therefore, with angels " and archangels, and with all the company of hea- " ven, we laud and magnify thy glorious name, ever- " more praifing thee, and faying. Holy, holy, holy *•' Lord God of Hofts, heaven and earth are full of thy " glory. Glory be to thee, O Lord mod higlv" Compared with this, in how difadvantageous a point of view, how flat and heavy, appears the fubfe- quent tranflation of the fame preface, by a Roman Catholic Bifhop of the prefent day. " It is truly meet " and juft, right and wholefome, that we always, ahd "in all places, fliould give thanks to thee, O holy " Lord, Almighty Father, Everlafling God, through " Chrift our Lord. Through whom the angels give " praife to thee, the dominations adore, the powers " tremble, the heavens, and the virtues of the- hea- " vens, and the blefled feraphims, with common ju- " bilee join in glorifying thy Majefl;y. With whom *' we befeech thee, that thou wouldft order our voices " alfo to be admitted, faying with a mofl; humble " confeflion. Holy, holy, holy Lord God of Sabaoth. " The heavens and the earth are full of thy glory ; *' hofanna in the higjieil ; blefled is he that cometh " in the name of the Lord." See p. 89 of a fmall traft, entitled, " The Garden of the Soul ; or a Ma- " nual of Spiritual Exerclfes, &c." by the: Ven. and R. R. Dr. Richard. Challoner, Bifliop of Debra, and yjcar Apoftolic. Lond. 1799. . The colle6b for the 7th Sunday after Trinity com- mences in. thele words ;. " Deus virtutum, cujus efl; ?' . p 3 " totum, ma NOTES ON SERMON I. *' totum, qtiod eft ojptimum, Infere peSoribiis noftri* " amorem tui nominis, &c." With what fpirit is it thus rendered ; " Lord of all power and might, who " art the author and giver of all good things, graft in " our hearts the loA^e of thy name, &c." But the fuperiority in the language of our Liturgy will appear perhaps more ftriking, if we contraft a fliort prayer in it, firft tranflated from the Latin Bre- viary for the Primer of Henry VIIL (in which, indeed, the whole of our prefent Litany is to be found) with another, derived from the fame fource, and publifhed at the fame period, " Deus, cui proprium eft mifereri " femper et parcere, fufcipe deprecationes noftra«, ut, ^' quos deliftorura catena conftringit, miferatio tusa " pietatis abfolvat per Chriftum Dominum rtoftrum." " O God, whofe nature and property is ever to have " mercy and to forgive, receive our humble petitions j " and, though we be tied and bound with the chain " of our fins, yet let the pitifulnefs of thy great '.* mercy loofe us, for the honour of Jefus Chrift, our " Mediator and Advocate." " God, to whom it is appropriated to be merciful " ever and to fpare, take our prayer, and let thy mer- " ciful pity affoil them, that be bound with the chain '■' of fins, by Chrift our Lord. So be it." The Pri- mmer in Englifli and Latin, after the ufe of Sarum, &c. anno 1543, publiflied by F. Petit. Page %^, note (''). Anfwer tp Gardiner, p. 403. Fage 24, note ("). Id. p. 59. Page 2,4, note (''•). That our own Liturgy was by no means formed upon the model of Calvin's^ I have already pointed Out in tiote 7. It will be fhewn in the fubfequent Sermon, NOTES ON SERMON I. 213 Sermon, (fee pages 45, 46, 47, and notes 17, i8.) that, when our Church was founded, neither his name nor dodtrines had acquired that importance in the Pro- teftant world, which both afterwards attained. T 3 NOTES NOTES ON SERMON II. Page 28, ?iote,{^). One of Luther's early publications was entitled, " De Captivitate Babylonica." Page 29, note C). According to Strype, Cranmer received an order to prepare a book of Articles in the year 1551, which, when compiled, was communicated to the Bifhops in the fame year. In May 155a, the Articles thus drawn up were laid before the Privy Council. In the fol- lowing September they were revifed, arranged in a different order, received titles which had not been be- fore affixed to them, and confiderably augmented. Thus improved, they were finally returned to the Privy Council in November ; and in the early part of the year 1553, were ratified and publifhed. Strype's Memorials of Cranmer, p. 37a. Page 29, note (') • " As for the Catpchifm, the book of Articles, with the " other book againft Winchefter, Sec. he grianted the " fame to be his doing." Fox's Martyrology, p. 1704, Page 30, nofe {*) . '^Ridley. I put forth no Catechifm. " Cole. Did you never confent to the fetting out ;of *' thofe things, which you allowed ? r 4 " Riclley. ai5 NOTES ON SERMON IT. " Ridley. I grant that I faw the book, but I deny ** that I wrote it. I perufed it after it was made, and " I noted many things for it. So I confented to the " book. / was not tie author of it. Thefe Articles '.' were fet out, I both wilKngi and confenting to " them." Ridley's Examination in Fox's Martyr, p. 13 17. In this and in other paffages of Fox, where the Catechifm and the Articles are mentioned, the latter are evidently comprehended under the appella- tion of the former. The faft is, that a Catechifm drawn up at this period, " a pio quodam et erudito *'• viro," (as it is exprefled in the preface,.) was pub- lifhed, and commended by royal authority to the ufe of fchools, having the Articles ufijally fubjoined to it. The title-page was, " Catechifmus brevis, Chriftianaa " difciplinae fummam continens, omnibus ludimagi- '' ftris authoritate regia , commendatus. Huic Gate-- *' chifmo adjun(Sti funt Articuli, de quibus in ultima " Synodb Londinenfi, anno Dom. 155?,- ad tollendam " opinibnum diffenfionem, &c. inter epifcopos et alios *' eruditos viros convenerat, regia fimiliter authoritate " promulgati." The title therefore of the Catechifm never imported, that it was fet forth by Convocation, which that of the Articles feemed to do. We cannot be at a lofs.to fix a proper meaning upon the exprefj iioh> " \h,6 Catechifm," in the following quotation, and from thence may eftimate the fenfe in which it is ufed by Fox on other occafions, " And for that, faid " he," (viz. Wefton the Prolocutor) " there is a book " late fet forth, called the Catechijh, which he fhewed " forth,- bearing the name of this honourable Synod, " and yet put forth without your confents, as I have " learned, being a book very peftif^rous and full of " hereiies ; and likewife a book of Common Prayer, " very abominable, as it pleafed him to term it ; f " thought NOTES ON SERMON II. 317 ** thougbt therefore bed firft to begin with the Articles^. " of the Catecbifm, cpnceming the Sacrament of the ** Altar, &c." Account of the Difpntation in the Con- Tocation, p. 1382. I have already remarked, that the Articles were ge- nerally, although not always, annexed to the Cate- chi&i, whence probably arofe the confufion in the phrafeology of the Martyrologift. It is Angular how- ever, that, while both were frequently printed toge- ther, and both fandiioned by royal authority, one, in a fin^ point at leaft, fliould direftly contradift the other. In the Catecbifm a millenium is thus plainly afferted ; «' Adhlic non eft occifus Antichriflxis, quo fit *' ut nos defideremus et precemur, ut id tandem ali- " quando contingat et impleatur, ittque folks Chriftits *' regnet cum fuis fimSis, fecundum divinas promiffioneSf " utque vivai et dommetur in mundo." In petit. Do- min. Orat. " Adveniat regnum tuum." In the Arti- eles it is as plainly rejefted ; " Qui millenanorum fa- *' hvlam revocare conaniur, facris Uteris adverfantur" Art. 41. But leaving thofe who are difpofed to explain our Articles by this Catecbifm, (which, by the way, feems to have been compofed after them, and, when once thrown afide, was never again brought forward,) to re- concile this difference, I muft add, that the dubious ex- pceffion of Fox alluded to, has led an author of refpec- tability into an error fo grofs, as to carry with it its own refutation. Strype, in his Ecclefiaftical Memo-^ rials, (vol. ii. p. 32.) abfurdly fuppofes, that Cran-- imer's Lutheran Cateehifm, publiflied in 1547, (not diftinguifliing between the two Catechifms,) was again printed towards the end of Edward's reign, and was approved of by a Convocation I - Oa this occafioD, to (liew what little dependence is to 3i3 NOTES ON SERMON 11. to be placed upon the authority of the moft artlefs hif- torian of the period under our confideration, without conftant reference to original documents, I fhall fub- join another miftake of the fame writer, ftill more ftrange, who appears never to err with deiign, and who certainly is never feduced from the plain path df fimple narrative, by the temptation of a well turned period. Speaking of Alexander Alefs, he obferves, *' And as Melanfthon made ufe of him in compofing " his thoughts into a handfome ftyle," (of which however no proof is adduced,) " fo did another great " light of the fame nation ; I mean Bucer. In King " Edward's days he had wrote a book in the German, *' that is, in his own country language, about Ordina- *' tion to the Miniftry in this kingdom of England, " intituled, ' Ordinatio Ecclefise, feu Minifterii Eccle- ' fiaftici, in florentiffimo Angliae regno ;' this our Alefs " turned into Latin, and publiflied for the confolation " of the Churches every -where in thefe fad times, as " it ran in the title." Memorials of Cranmer,p. 403. Now it is certain, that Bucer never wrote any work in German, nor Alefs in Latin, upon fuch a fubjeft. Had Strype looked beyond the title of the treatife he re- ferred to, and even that he palpably mifconceived, he could not ha\'e fallen into fo unaccountable an error. Among the Scripta Anglicana of Bucer, occurs the following J " Ordinatio EcclefiBe, feu Minifterii Eccle- " fiaftici, in florentiffimo regno Angliae, confcripta " fermone patrio, et in Latinam linguara bona .fide " converfa, et ad confolationeni Ecclefiarum Chrifti " ubicunque locorum ac gentium, his triftiffimis iem-i *' poribus, edita ab Alex. Aleffio." p. 370. This, is no other than a tranflation of.ourown Common Prayer Book, as originally compiled, into Latin 3 a tranflation which Bucer, who was unacquainted with Englifli, ufed NOTES ON SERMON II. 219 ufed in the obfervatlons, which he made upon it, pre- vioufly to its revifion by a Committee of Bilhops and Divines in the latter part of Edward's reign. Upon the general queftion of Ridley's aid in the com- pofition of our Articles, it is curious to mark the pro- grefs of conje&ural aflertion, Stiype conceives " that " the Archbifliop was the penner, or at leaft the great " director, of them, with the a(fijlance,as is very probable, " of Bi/bop Ridley." Memor. of Cranmer, p. 273. Burnet makes a limilar remark. When this gets into the hands of Neal, we find " that it was refolved in Coun- " cil to reform the Doftrine of the Church, and that " Archbifliop Cranmer and B'l/hop Ridley were ap- *' pointed to this work." Hiftory of the Puritans, vol. i; P-49- Page so. Note {^). Hugoni. Latimero quem paflim vocabant Apojlolum Anglorum. Saunders de Schifmate AngK- cano, p. 1 1 5. Pageu^^ot^^)- Before I quote the Epiftles of Melanfthon, upon the fubjeft more immediately referred to, it may benecefla- ry previoufly to ftate, that his correfpondence with Cran- mer had been of long ftanding. So early as in the year 1535, it appears, that he fubmitted to the judgment of the Archbifliop a work, which he was then about to publifli, with a dedication to Henry. KEis letter on this occafion was thus exprefled : " Cum autem non " dubitarem, quin ad cajteras virtutes"^ humanitatem " fummam adjunxilTes, duxi tibi commendandum efle " hunc bonum viruni Alexandrum Aleflium Scotum. 'f Is proficifcitur in Britanniam ut exhibpat Reverentise ** tuse quoddam meum fcriptum, in quo R. P,.T. ani- **. madvertet me conatum efle, ut diligenter et utiliter *f.explicarera, et, quantum poflem, mitigarem plerafque " eontro- 230 NOTES ON SERMON II. " controverjias. Sed judicium de toto TcrJpto libentcr *' et R. P. et fimilibus viris do£tis et piis permitto, " a quorum judicio nunquam in Ecclefia Chrifti di(Ien

* non omnia ex voto fuccedant. Vale, &c." Calvini Epiftolae, p. 100. edit. Gen. 1575. If this epiftle be compared with thole quoted in the preceding note, it will be evident, that Cranmer had then juft begun to a£t upon the precife plan, fuggefted to him by Melanfthon three years before. But this was almoft immediately followed by an- other letter from Calvin, from which it appears, tha* the projefl: was finally abandoned. '* Quando hoc tempore minime fperandum fuit, t peccare non poflint. Dam- " nantur et Novitiani, qui nolebant abfolvere lapfos " poft baptifmum redeuntes ad posnitentiam." Art. 11. The a5th, 26th, and 34th, have already beerj alluded to in note 6 of the preceding Lefture. ., The laft whicli I fliall particularize is the 31ft Artiple. " Oblatio Chrifti femelfafta perfefta eil redemptio, ;" propitiatio, et fatisfadtio, pro omnibus peccatis to- " tius mundi, tam originalibus, quam aftualibus. ..." , Augfbourgh Confeflion. " Paflio Chrifti fuit oblatio et fatisfaftio, non folum " pro culpa origin is, fed etiam pro omnibus reliquis " peccatis." De Mifla. Befides thefe, however. It fliould be added, that the i39th, proving the Refurreftion to be not yet paft, the 41ft, againft the fupporters of a Millenium, and the 43d, againft the doftrine of Origen refpedling the final falvation of all men, (which were omitted in 156a,) were all clearly fuggefted by the 17th of the Augfbourgh Confeflion. Page /\.Q, note ('^). Archbifliop Parker was the editor of the early Hif- -torians of England, and fome valuable Saxon manii- Xcripts. His Antiqritates Britanqicaa is well known. -See his life in the.Biographica Britannica. a 4 Fage 23^ JJOtES ON SERMON II. Page 41j note ('*) . Strype, in his Annals of the Reformation under Eli- zabethj (p. a88.) gives the particulars of this MS. preferved amoivg Parker's other papers in Rennet College Library, Cambridge. While the alterations, emendations, Ssc. of Edward's Articles appear to be infcrted in the Archbifhop's own hand-writing, the fignatiires exhibit the autographs of the refpedive members of the Convocation. A complete and criti- cal account of the fame document is likewife given in Rennet's Eflay on the XXXIX Articles, chapters 4, 5, and 6. The original records of the proceedings In Convoca- tion at this interefting period, perifhed in the memora- ble fire of London. The follbwing fhort fummary, however, has been preferved. " Et ulterius propofuit, quod Art'iculi in Synod»' ^'Londinenji, ter/ipore nuper regis Edvardi fexti edili, " traditi Jint quibufdam aliis viris in ccetu diBiB domus -*' inforiorisf ad hoc etiam ele&is, ut eos diligenter perfpi- " cianf, examinent, et conjiderent, ut prout its vi/iim fue- " rzV, cotrigant et reforment^ ac in proxima feffione eti- " am exhibeant. Et tunc Reverendiffinius hujufmodi " negotia per dictum Prolocutorem et Clerum incepta " approbavit ; ac in eifdem erga prox. feffionem, juxta " eorum determinationem procedere voluit et manda- " vit. " De hifce Articulis facrofanftam Chrifti religiSnem " concernentibus, 30, 33, 35, 37 diebus menfis Janua- " riij tam in Ecclefia D. Pauli Londin. domo capitu- " lari, prasmiffis femper precibus, traftatum fuit, donee " 39 die ejufdera menfis, tandem fuper quibufdam Ar- " ticulis Orthodoxas fidei inter Epifcopos, quorum no- " mina eis fubfcribuntur, unanimiter convenit." Con- cilia Magnse Rritannise, vol. iv. p. 33 a and 333. Tage NOTES ON SERMON II. 233 Pagers, note ('O- The Articles, either partly, of wholly, copied fropi the Wirteanberg Confeffion, are the ad, 5th, 6tb, XOth, nth, 1 2th, and 20th ; which, indeed, contain the principal additions and elucidations upon doclrinal points, (that of the Eucharift alone excepted,} adopted at that period. 2d Article. " Ab setemo a Patre genitus, verus et aeternus Deus, " ac Patri confiibftantialis." Wirtemberg Confeffion. '' Credimus et confitemiir Filium Dei, Dominum ^' noftrum Jefum Chriftum, ab aeterno a Patre fuo ge- " nitum, verum et aeternum Deum, Patri fuo confab- " ftantialera." Art. de Filio Dei. 5th Article. " De Spiritu Sanfito. " Spirltus Sandlus, a Patre et Filio procedens, ejuf- " dem eft cum Patre et Filio eflentise, majeftatis, et ^f gloria, verus ac aeternus Deus." . ■'' Wirtemberg Confeffion. « De Spiritu Sanfto. " Credimus et confitemur Spiritum SanAum ab ae- " terno procedere a Deo Patre et Filio, et efle ejufdem " cum Patre et Filio effentiae, majeftatis, et glorise, ve- " rum ac aeternum Deum." / 6th Article. " Sacrae Scripturae nomine eos Canonicos H- •* bros veteris et novi Teflaraenti intelligimus, de quo- " rum auftoritate in Eccleiia nunquatn dubiftatum eft." Wirtemberg Confeffion. " De Sacra Scriptura. " Sacram Scripturam vocamus eos Canonicos libros " veteris et novi Teftamenti, de quorum authoritate in '* Ecclefia nunquam dubitatum eft," 10th «34 NOTES ON SERMON' 11. I oth Article. "■ Ea eft homiinis poft lapfum Adae conditio, ut lefe, f' naturalibus fuis viribus et bonis operibus, ad fidem " et invocationem Dei convertere ac praeparare non " poffit." Wirtemberg Confeffion. , , " De Peccato. " Quod autera nonnuUi affirmant homini poft lap- ^' fum tantam animi integritatem relidam, ut poffit " fefe, naturalibus fuis viribus et bonis operibus, adr fi- " dem et invocatibnem Dei convertere ac praeparare, " baud obfcure pugnat cum Apoftolica; doftrina, et 'f cum vero Ecclefiae Cathqlicae confenfu." , nth Article. " Tantum propter meritum Domini ac Servatoris " noftri Jefu Chrifti, per fidem, non propter opera et " merita noftra, jufti coram Deo reputamur." "Wirtemberg Confeffion. " De Juftificatione. ; *' Homo enim fit Deo acceptus, et reputatur coram "eo juftus, propter folum Filium DeiyDominum nof'- *^ trum Jefum Chriftuni, per fidem." • Id. " De Evangelio Chrifti. . " Nee veteris nee novi Teftamenti, hominibus con- " tingat asterna falus propter meritum operum Legis, "fed tantum propter meritum Domini noftri Jefu " Chrifti, per fidem." lath Article. " Bona opera, quae funt fruftus fidei, et juftificatos " fequuntur, quanquam peccata noftra expiare, et di-. '' vini judicii I'eyeritatem ferre non poffimt, Deo tamen " grata funt.et accepta in Chrifto., " Wirtemberg Confeffion. " De bonis Operibus. " Non eft autem fentiendtim, quod iis bonis operi- « bus. NOTES ON SERMON IT. 235 *' bus, quae per nos facimus, in judicio Dei, ubi agitur " de expiatione peccatorum, et placatione divinae irae, " ac merito aeternse falutis, confidendum fit. Omnia *' enim bona opera, quae nos facimus, funt imperfefta, " nee poffunt feveritatem divini judicii ferre." -' ijoth Article. " Habet Ecclefia ritus five ceremonias ftatuendi jus:, '' et in fidei controverfiis au£loritatem " Wirtemberg ConfefiSon. " pe Ecclefia. " Credimus et confitemur quod .... haec Ecclefia " habeat jus -judicandi de omnibus doftrinis, juxta il- " lud. Probate Spiritus, num ex Deo Jint j et, Cateri di- ^''judicent." " Quod haec Ecclefia habeat jus interpretandae Scrip- "turae." The laft paffage quoted from the 20th Article^ iS the celebrated claufe, which was formerly the fubjeft of rtiuch controverfy. It was certainly not in the Ar- ticles of 155a. The queftion is, was it infertedj or not, by authority, in therevifion under Elizabeth ? That it was, does not its fimilarity to the claufe of the Wir- temberg Confeflion, with which I have contrafted it, furnifti additional proof, when it is confidered, that the principal of the other augmentations then adopted by the Convocation were manifeftly derived from that Con- feffion ? Page 43, note ('«), " Res in eo turn ftatu erant, ut nobis peculiar! s con- " feflSo confcribenda, et Tridentino Conventui exhiben- " da eflTet, qua tamen tantum abeft, ut ab Auguflana *' confeffione recefferimus, ut earn potius compendio *' quodam compleftietrepeterevoluerimus." Prcef. Du- els Wirtemb. The Wirtemberg Gonfefllion was com pofed in. S35 NOTES ON SERMON II, in 1551, and in the following year exhibitect by the Wirtemberg Ambafladors in the Council of Trent. Page 46, note (''). . So little known was the fame of Calvin in England about this period, that one of his works was tranflated> and publiflied in 1549^, under the following title j " Of *' the Life and Converfation of a Chriftian Man; a " right godly treatife> written in the Latin tongue, by " Mafter John Calvin, a man of right excellent learning ^ *' and of no lefs converfation." Ames's Topographical An- tiquities, p. 620. ed. W. H. jDoes not this encomium prove, that hfs name, in confequence, if not of its ob- fqurity, at leaft of its little celebrity, flood in need of fome commendation ? How differently is Luther^s an- nounced in the following work, of rather an earlier period (viz. about the year 1547)! " The Difclo&ng of *' the Canon of the Popifh Mafs. With a Sermon an- . " nexed, of the famous Clerk (f worthy memory y Dr. " Martin Luther." See Strype's Ecclef. Mem. vol. ii. p. 28. Jndeed in this very year it was, that Calvin firft freed himfelf from the fufpicion of being a Lutheran in the doftrine of the Eucharift, by fubfcribing to an agreement with the Zuinglians ; " Caeterum," obferve* Baza in his life of Calvin, " hoc Ecelefiis Germaaicis *' infliftum vulnus contrario beneficio Dominus apdd " Helvetios compenfavit ; Farello fimul ac Calvino Ti- " guruni profeflis.: ut, cum vifus e£et quibufdam Calvi- *' nus CohfuhfianttationinotmihUfavere, de communi in " ea re omnium Helveticarum Ecclefiarum confenfa *' omnibus liqueret." Anno 1549. The concord, wbich-j in confequence of this vifit to Zurich, took place be- tween the Paftors of Geneva and the Zuinglians, was attacked by J. Weftphal, a Lutheran, in 1553. Md? flicim's NOTES ON SERMON tl. 337 feeim's Ecclefiaftical Hiftory, vol. iv. p. 71. Calvin, however, did not ani'wer his opponent, until the years 1556 and 1557. When the word Calvinift firft be- came genersJ, in the fenfe alluded to, I have not been able precifely to afcertain* Fox, I have remarked, does not'ufe it. Evidently however in 1585, if not be- forej it was thus applied by Saunders to Cranmer, who, in the Book of Martyrs, is termed a Zuinglian, and not a Calvinift. De Schifmate Anglicano, p. 116. Page 47, note ("). At the clofe of the year 1551, commenced his firft public controverfy upon the doftrine of Predeftination. '^ The oppofition," obferves Moflieim, " which was *' made to Calvin, did not end here. He had contefts " of another kind to fuftain againft thofe, who could '* not relifh his theological fyftem, and more efpecially *' his melancholy and difcouraging doftrine in relation " to eternal and abfolute decrees. Thefe adverfaries " felt, by a difagreeable experience, the warmth and " violence of his haughty temper, and that impatience ** of contradiftion, that arofe from an over-zealous " concern for his honour, or rather for his unrivalled ** fupremacy. He would not fufFer them to remain at " Geneva ; nay, in the heat of the controverfy, being *' carried away by the impetuofity of his paffions, he " accufed them of crimes, from which they have been *' fully abfolved by the impartial judgment of unpre- " judiced pofterity. Among thefe vifliims of Calvin's " unlimited power andexpeffive zeal, we may reckon " Sebaftian Caftellio, mafter of the public fchool at " Geneva, who, though not exempt from failings, was " neverthelefs a man of probity, and was alfo reraark- ^* able for the extent of his learning, and the elegance " of his tafte A like fate happened to Jerome " fiolfec « . . . . His imprudence, however, was great, "and 338 NOTES ON SERMON II. " and was the principal caufe of the misfortunes that " befel him. It led him, in the, year 155 1, to lift up " his voice in the full congregation, after the conclufion " of divine worfhip, and to declaim, in the moft inde- " cent manner, againft the doctrine of abfolute de- " crees ; for which he was caft into prifon, and foon *' after fent into banifliment." Moflieim, vol. iv. p. 124 and laj. : : To prevent the fufpicion of quoting a partial autho-. rity, I ftiall give an account of the firft public diflen- fion upon the point under confideration, as recorded by Calvin himfelf and his aflbciates. A circular letter on the occafion was written by the minifters of Geneva, to the different Helvetian Churches. In this the tranfaftion is thus alluded to : " Eft hie Hieronymus " quidam, qui, abjefta Monachi cuculla, unus ex cir- " cumforaneis medicis faftus eft, qui fallendo et fruf- " trando tantum fibi impudentiae acquirunt^ ut ad " quidvis audiendum prompt! lint ac parati. Is jam an- " te o6to menfes in publico Ecclefiae noftrse ccetu doc- " trinam de gratuita Dei eleftione, quam ex verbo Dei " acceptam vobifcum docemus, labefaSare conatus eft* " Ac tunc quidem, qua fieri potuit moderatione, fedata " fuit hominis protervia. Poftea non deftitit locis om- *' nibus obftrepere, ut fimplicibus hoc fidei caput excu- " teret, tandem virus fuum, nuper aperto gutture evo- " muit. Nam cum pro more noftro unus e fratribus "ilium Johannis locum exponeret, ubi pronunciat " Chriftus ex Deo non efle, qui verba Dei non au- " diunt, dixiffetque, quotquot Spiritu Dei renati, non " funt pervicaciter ufque in finem Deo refiftere ; quia "peculiare fit obedientise donum, quo Deus fuos elee- ■" tos dignatur ; furrexit nebulo ille, ac dixit, falfam " et impiam opinioiiem, cujus auElor fuit Laurentius Val- " la, nojiro fecuh eaartam effe, quod Dei voluntas rerum " omnium NOTES ON SERMON IT. 239 *' ommiim Jit cauja. Hoc autem modo peccata et malorum '^ omnium culpam in Deum tranfcribi, et illh affingi ty- " rannicam libidinem, qualem foet^e veteres in fuo Jove *' commenti funt. Pojiea ad alterum caput defcendit, nort " idea falutem confequi homines, quia eleili funt, fed ideo " eligi, quia credunt ; nee reprpbari quenquam nudo' Dei *' placito, fed eos tantum, qui fe communi eleBvane pri' " vant. In hac quaflione agitanda, mullis et atrocibus " convitiis in nos inveStus ejl. Prsefedtus urbis, re au- " dita, eum duxit in carcerem, prsefertim quia tumulr " tuofe plebein hortatus fuerat, ne fe decipi a nobis " fineret.". Inter Calvini Epiftolas, p. 104. ed. 1575* Beza, in his life of Calvin, anno 155 t, gives the exa^ dates of thefe tranfaitions : " Palam aufus eft in ipfo " congregationis coetu decimo fexto OEiobris Ade- " rat in ipfo audientiuni costu AfTeflbrum Praetoris " unus, quorum in urbejus prehenfionis eft. Is ilium, " diniiifo ccetu, tanquam feditiofum in cuftodiam tra-- •" dit. Quid plura ? Caufa, multis difputationibus agi- *' lata, fenatus Helveticarum etiam EcclefiarUni feH". ■*' tentiam percontatus, ilium, tum ut feditiofum, turn " ut mere Pelagianum, vicejimo fecundo Decembris pub- " lice damnatum urbe expulit." Calvin, in confequence of this difpute, almoft im- mediately drew up his firft trafl: upon Predeftinatioff, under the title of. " De -interna Dei Praedeftinatione," which v/as publifhed in January 1553. In the preface of this vsfork, he thus fpeaks of Bolfec's tenets : " Jf- " ferit Jidem ab eleBione non pendere, quia pdtius eleSio- " nem effe in fide fitam :. nullos in aecitate manere oh jn- " genitam natures corruptionem, quia rite omnes illiani- " nentur a Deo ; nos Deo facer e injuriam, quia deferi *' tradimus quos Spiriius fiti illuminatione non dignatur ■; " trahi generaliter et ex a;quo omnes homines, nee difcri- " men nifi a contumacia- incipere : quum Deus fe ex lapi- ' "■ deis 240 NOTES ON SERMON II. ** dels cordibus. cornea fa&urum promitt'tt, nihil aliud in- "telligi, quam ut gratia- Dei Jimus capaces, idque pro- " mifcue ad totum genus humanum extendi, quam Jingu- *' lare Ecclejia privilegium ejje Scriftura- diludde affir- " met." Opufculaj p. 949. ed. 1576. With refpeft to the opinions imputed to Bolfec, they feem to have differed but little, if at all, from thofe of the Lutherans. Indeed, he direfiUy appealed to the au-. thority of Melanfthon ; a circumftance, to which Cal- vin himfelf alludes in the following letter to that Re- former : " Referam, quid nobis, in hac Ecclefia, fum- " mo piorum hominum cruciatu accident. Ac jam ** annus integer elapfus eft, ex quo inter has pugnas " ja<3:amur. Quidam nebalones, quum nobis de gra* *' tuita Dei eleftione, et mifera humani arbitrii fervi- *' tute, liteni moverent, et publice tumultuarentur, wf- ** hit ad nos gravandos habuerunt magis plau/ibile. nomi- " nis tui pnetextu. Quum experti effent, quam nobis *' promptum effet, quascunque ingerebant, commenta " refellere, hoc fcilicet artificio nos obruere tentabant, *' nifi vellemus palam abs te difcedere. Et ea quidem " fervata fuit a nobis moderatio, ut minime extorfe- ** rint, quod aftuti captabant. Profeffi, ergo fumm e^ " et collegas omnes mei eundem, quo tendis, in doc- " trina fcopum nobis effe propofitum- Nee verbum in *' tota difceptatione excedit, vel in te minus honorific " cum, quam par erat, vel quod tibi fidem detraheret. " Nee tamen fieri poteft, quin me interea vehementer " urat tacita ifla cogitatio ; improbis pofl mortem not *' iram vexandas Ecclefiae occafionem, quoties libuerit, " relinqui, dum fugnantes eorum fententias in certamen " co'mmittent, quos velut uno ore unum id^mque loqui de^ " cuerat." Dated December 1553. Epift. Calv. p. 108. The confequences of this attack upon Calvin^g the- ory of Predeftination are thus recorded, by Beza« " Anno NOTES ON SERMON IL 241 ** Atmo vero deinceps fecuto, (1553) magis appamit *' quantam fiammam accendijfet impurus ille, lieet com- " muni tot Eocleiise judicio damnatus. Etenim turn " ipfa quisjiionis nondum fatis a pler'tfque veteribus expli- " caiis, nee eodem femper exitu agttafiX, di£imUas curiofa " prsefertim ingenia ad hoe ipfum difquirendum accen- " debat, turn fa6liofi prasclaram fibi oblatain occafio- " nem ad oiimia, Calvlno eje£to, fubvertenda puta- *' bant. Itaque did non potejt, quae non mztr.he tanfunty *' verum et'iam ultro citraque., veluHji clqjjS'CiUti ipfe '^atan " cecvmffet, cordenthnes fint confecutee. Etfi enim pul- *' chre inter prsecipuarum Ecclefiariuji paflore$ cpnve- *' niebat, non deerant taalen, qui in vicints Bernenfis " ditionds Ecclefiis Calvino litem Jntenderent, quafi " Deum faceret peccati autorem, parum certe memo- ^' res • hoc ipfum peftilentiffimuin dogma fuiffe a /GaJ- " vino jam pridem ex profeflb adverfus libertinos refu- " tatum. ..,,.. Neque heec fuit paucorum sMnorwn con- ^' tnverjia." Vita Calvini, ann. 1553. Beza likewife remarks, that ,S. Caftellio, whom he ironically terms, " bonus ille et limplex homo/' at that time began plainly to ddfeiid Pelagianifm, and Melan6i;hon, to point out the Reformers of Geneva as the introducers of a Stoicai fate; " Geneveftfe? Stoi- " cum fatum invehentes notare ;" circumftances, he adds, which poignantly affefted .Calvin ; " Pungebant " ifta graviffime, ficuti par erat, jlUus animum, et ea " quiidem acerbius, qitod ea fuit mterdurn per id t^mpus " erroris ^mcia,-Mt publico. eim?n auM&ritati ali<^bi ob- "Jiruihivi os veritati videretttr." It may be here ,i)e- ceffary to remark, that Beza: was incorre£l, when he fiated, tbat.Melanfthon firft began in the year 155a obliquely to cenfure the Stoiaifin of Calvin, becaufe tbefe expreffions in the Loci Theolpgici, " Studiofi '•'ffatis perfpicue intelligent neiquaquajn Stoicas opi- R " niones 24» NOTES ON SERMON II. *' niones in Ecclefiam invehendas effe," to which he feems to allude, certainly occur in an edition of the year 1545. An earlier edition (of the corrected work) I have not been able to meet with. Another inaccu- racy in his account it is likewife proper to notice. He fpeaks of a complete concord among the minifters of the principal Helvetian Churches upon the point in difpute; *^ Etfi," are his words, " pulchre inter praecipuarum *' Ecclefiarum paftores conveniebat." Now it appears by a letter of Turretin, addreffed to Archbifhop Wakrf in the year 1727, and inferted in the Ada Eruditorum, Supp. t. vii. fe6i:. 3. that this fuppofed agreement was by no means general. Turretin remarks, (and he confulted on the occafion the original documents pre- ferved'at Geneva,) that with the anfwer of BuUinger from Zurich Calvin was by no means fatisfied ; " Cal- " vin ne fut pas content de cette lettre ; il s'en plaig- " nit a BuUinger, qui tacha de fe juftifier; mais en fe *' tenant toujours a des termes fort generaux, et a des '? excufes fort vagues. Licet vero, dit-il, in caufa " Hieronymiana non per omnia votis iuis refpondenm, " ideo tamen non odi." Bibliotheque Germanique, (in which Turretin's letter is likewife publiflied,) vol. xiii. p. aoS. The anfwers of the minifters of Bern and Bafle were equally moderate with thofe of BuUinger, and probably equally unfatisfaftory to Calvin ; at leaft we may conceive, that the following aflertion of Uni-' verfal Grace, as exprefled in the anfwer from Bafil, could not be very pleafing to him : " Verbum illud " mittitur per mundum univerfum. Vult enim Deus " omnes homines falvos fieri, et ad agnitionera verita- " tis venire. Communis eft Deus omnium. Communis " eft Chrijlus Servator omnium." Ibid. So far indeed was Calvin's fyftem at that period from obtaining univerfal approbation in Switzerland, that in the NOTES ON SERMON 11. 243 the year 1555, a combinatlonj or what Beza calls a fac- tion, of foHie neighbouring rainifters was formed againft him : '* Aliud denique Calvinum hujus anni (1555) fo- " lidum gaudium gaudere ptohihuit, paucorum videlicet " vicinorum paftorum f^dlio, qui fponte alioqui curren- " tes, Bolfeco prseterea inftigante, ut fibi nomen ali- " quod ex tanti viri reprehenfione quaeritent, homine? '' alioqui multis jam notis afperfi, non aliter in eum " debacchabantur, quam fi Deum idcirco faceret ma- " lorum auftorem, quod ab seterna Dei providentia et " ordinatione nihil excluderet." But let us hear a lefe prejudiced Calvinift upon the fame tranfatStion : " Les *' annees fuivantes il y eut diverfes conteftations dans le " canton de Berne, fur les matieres de la Predeftina- " tion. Plujieurs miniftres" (Beza calls them a few) " s'y declarerent contre le fentiment de Calvin, et " I'accuferent de faire Dieu auteur du peche. Cela ; " plaligea Meffieurs de Geneve de deputer a Berne ; et " Calvin fut un des depiutez. Mais Meffieurs de Berne " ne voulurent prendre aucun parti fur ces difputes. *' lis dirent fimplement qu'ils exhorteroient leurs mi- ** niftres a parler avec retenue de ces matieres ; et ils " exhorterent auffi les Genevois a parler peu et avec " beaucoup de circonfpeclion de matieres relevees, " comme la Predeftination, dont la connoiflance n'eft "point neceffaire au falut, et qui ne font propres qu'a " engendrer des doutes : Que ce n'eft point aux " homnies a penetrer dans les fecrets de Dieu : Que " plus on y veut creufer, plus on les trouve itnpenetra- " bles : Qu'ils ne vouloient approuver ni condamner " les ecrits et la doftrine de. Calvin, mais qu'ils vou- " loient, empecher, que Ton ne difputit dans leur pais " fur ces matieres," Bibliotheque Germanique, vol. xiii. p. 116. Turretin adds, that edi£ts were promulgedin the canton of Berne, conformable vyith this declaration. R 3 Caftellip, 344 NOTES ON SERMON II. Caftellio, vi^hoj at the time under confiderfetion, re- fided in Bafle> was fanked by Beza amoftg Calvin's opffc*ientS upon this fubjefl:, fo early as in 1553. It was fiot, howevfer, until the year 1554> ^^^^ Galvin publiely dttaekfed hirtii in a (llort treatife replfetei with inveftive, as the fappofed author of two offenfive trafts againft the Predefliriation of th6 Genevan fchbdl, whibh Caftellio hi mfelf declared (Opufeda, p. 343.) that he had never feen. This diftinguiflied fcholar and amiable iiisin, whom Beza frieeringly cliaraSterixes as *' quadam ra,ifBivi<^fo and refided at Bafil, In the capacity of Greek Profeffor, at the time alluded tct. The nlodefty of his defence againft the calumnies of his opponent was remarkable. He had been tei-nifed, " Blafphemuiii, ealumhiatorem, " malignum, caneni latrahtem, jplenum ignorantise et " beftialitatisi plenum impudentisEj impoftotem, facra- '' rum literarum impurum corruptorem, im^udentem. " impurum caneni, impium, obfeoenum, torti perverfi- " que ihgfchii, vagum balatrohem." , Aftfer recounting thefe opprobrious epithetsj he adds, " Nihil tam tec- " turn eft, quod non lit detegendum. Non fethpe'r fm- " debit Inter lairones Chri/ius ; 'refurge't aliqiiando ctuci- " fixa Veritas. Sed ,tu vides etiam atque etiahij ut •* poflis tot convitiorunij quse in eum, pro quo mor- " tuus eft ChriftilSj congeffifli-, reddere rationem Deo. " Etianifi ego tam ifta omnia forem, quam tton fufflj. '^ tamen dedecet homineni tam doSum^ tot hotnitnam- "■ doao- NOTES ON SERMON IF. 345 " dcxSlprem, tam excellens ingenium demergere in tarn " fordida foedaque convitia." C^pufoula, p. 344, 345, Upon the >yhole, it is evident, that in the year •155 2> when our Articles! were csompiled, the Galvinifti- pal controverfyj as it has Unce been generally termed, was only comnjencing ; and that thrai Calvin pub- lifhed his firft work profeffedly upon the fubjefit, of syhich Bje^a remgj-ks, " hoc un,um iiiis diffidiis eonfecuto " Satana, ut caput hoiC Chriftianse rejigionis antea ohfcw- " riffimum dilucidum perfpicuumque cunftis non con- " tentiofis evaferit." Vit?, Calv. It is likewife evident, -tiiat at the fame period the do6lrine alluded to was not univerfally approved even in Switzerland j and that, acpording to the teftimony of Beza himfelf, fuch was then the efficacy of error, or, in other words, the attachment to a contrary fyliem, that the mouth of truth, or the preaching of abfolute Predeftination, was, at that time, fomewhere (probably he meant in the capton of Berne) obftrufted by public authority; and that the confideration of this deeply affefted Calvin, particularly when he perceived Gaflellio and Melanc- thon both adverfe to his opinions. Page 47, note ("*). Decretum quidem horribile fateor ; inficiari tamen nemo poterit, quin prsefciverit Deus quem exitum effet habiturus homo, antequam ipfum conderet, et ideo praefciverit, quia decreto fuo fie ordinarat. Inftitut. lib. iii. cap. 23. feft. 7. , Page 4.^, note f°). If Calvin^s fyftera ihad been adopted by our Reform- ers, never furely would they have inferted among our Articles that of Chrift's defcent into hell, which feems to have been direftly levelled ag^nft one of his pecu- liar opinions, and one which he thought of Sufficient importance to make a difference of fentiment upon it K 3 a prin-i ^4« NOTES ON SERMON II. a principal ground for the expulfion of his friend Caf- tellio from Geneva. Caftell. Opufcula, p. 353. As this Article flood in the reign of Edward, It was im- poffible to miftake its application, for it then contained the following claufe, afterwards omitted : " Nam cor- " pus ufque ad refurreftionem in fepultura jacuit : fpi- " ritus. ab illo emiffus, cum fpiritibus, qui in carcere " five in inferno detinebantur, fuit, illifque praedicavit " quemadmodum teftatur Petri locus." This circum- ftance, however, is only incidentally alluded to : much ftronger proof is not wanting. But modern Calvinifts, in oppofition to the moft convincing teftimonies, are fond of fuppofihg, that our Liturgy, as well as Articles, was formed upon a Cal- viniftical model. From an anfwer however of Beza to an adverfary of Calvin, it appears, that he at leaft would have efteemed this fuppofition no compliment. It had been incorreftly afferted, that Bucer was the author of our Baptifmal Service. The reply is thus worded : " Quod ad illam Anglicanam Reformatio- *' nem attinet, quum dicis earn ex Buceri confilio ac " voluntate fuiffe inftitutam, magnam optirm viro inju' " riam fads, qui cum in illo regno verfaretur, propa- " gati illic Evangelii initio, dlci non poteft, quot et " quam gravibus gemitibus inter caetera deploravit " difciplinre et puritatis rituum in conftituendis illis " Eoclefiis majorem rationem non haberi. Imo etiam " non pigebit, ut de tuo mendacio melius appareat, " qusedam afcribere ex ipfius Uteris ad hominem ami- "ciffimum Cantabrigiae fcriptis I3 Jan. 1550. in qui- " bus hsec etiam fcribit : ' Quod me mones de puri- 'tate ritmxm, fc'tto hie neminem extraneum de his rehus ' rogari. Tamen ex nobis ubi poffumus, officio noftro ' non defumus fcriptis et coram ac in primis, ut plebi-r ^ bus Chrifti de veris pafloribus confulatur, deinde etiam 'de NOTES ON SERMON 11. 247 *cle puritate puriffima et doftrinse et rituum/ Et " alio loco ; ' Sunt qui, humaniffima fkpientia et eva- * nefcentlbus cogitationibus, velint fermento Antichri- ' fti conglutinare Deum et Belial.' Hsec ille, Balduine, " paulo ante mortem fcripfit, nedum ut ilia forma An- " glicana acquieverit, cujus ilium authorem falfo et impu- " denterfdcis." Bezas Traftationes Theologicae, vol. ii. The real faft indeed, with refpeft to the little influ- ence either of Bucer's or Martyr's fentiments in the revifion of our Liturgy, feems to have been put be- yond all controverfy by G. Ridley^ in his Life of Bi- fhop Ridley ; and that by a reference to indifputable teftimonies. He obferves, p. 333, 334 ; " A review " of it was therefore determined ; and many things " were thought proper to be altered. Bucer and Mar- " tyr were defired to give their opinions alfo, as ap- " pears by a letter from Martyr to Bucer, Jan. 10, "1551 ; in which we fee, that thefe foreigners, in ge- " neral agreed in cenfuring the fame things. But " they had no further hand in the alterations, than in " delivering their cenfures feparately to the A.rchbi- " fliop ; for in the fa^e letter Martyr fays, that s^bat " the points were, that it had heen agreed Jhould- he al- " tered, he kneiu not, nor durjl prefume to ajk. And as " for Bucer, he died the latter end of the month, and " could be no further concern^d,rin it* A^nid as the '.' reviewers were not moved by them, bpt by fome " members of the Cbnvocation,yb many ^fffations were " agreed f before thefe Profeffors were confulted, as ap- ," pears from tie fame letter." With regard to Peter Martyr, fo far was he from attempting to diftate upon any point in this ^kingdom, that we find him thus modeflly and fubmiffively ad- dreffing himfelf to Cranmer,, in the preface of "his tra6l n 4 upon 348 NOTES ON SERMON II. upon the Eucharift, publiflied in London, anno 1550. After a high eulogy upon the ArchbiOiop, he adds ; " Quamobrem non opus fuit, ut meum hunc libellum " eb confilio tibi exhiberem, ut ex eo aliquid novi " cognofceres, (cmot ego potius majorem doSrime partem " ex fitii lcth(yrihis haufenm,) fed tantum, ob id ad tuam " celfitudinem hoc meum fcriptum deftinavi, quo tua " cenfura (cum jure et merito fis Primas totius An- " glise) d6 illo flatueresj notarefque in eo quicquid a <^ -reBa et ovthatdosio fenfu v'ifum fwer'tt dijjeniire ; utque *.' au6loritate,tua (quEe, veluti eft, ita fummo loco ha- " beri debet) ea protegeres, tuereris, atque defenderes, " qu^ jiudicaveris dminis Uteris confona, et cum regies ma- '^j'ofiaiis edi£ih pnlchre contienire." And yet in fo high a repute have fome fuppofed the credit of this divine to have been with Qiir Reformers, that they have con- ftrued the bare eircumttance of his being favoured with an afylum in this country, into an approbation of the doifitrine of Predeftination, which they conceived him tt) have publicly maintained. As well might they have conflrued the extenfion of the fame favour to his friend Bern. Ochin (who came over with him) into an ap- probation of the doiSbrine of Polygamy ; for as Ochin bad not yet written upon the latter, fo had not Martyr upon the former fubjeft ; his only publication of atiy kind at that period having been an expofition of the Apoftks' Creed in Italian, compofed when he flrfl: ab- jured the errors of Pepery. Vitae Theolog. Exter. p. ^6. But it is lifcewife certain, that both immediately before aiid after his arrival here, the fentiments of Cranmer were completely at variance with his, upon one of the raoft important topics of the day ; viz, the Sacramental pi^efence. Fage ^i^note (*'). " Mms horride& fuerunt initio Stoica difp^atianes " apud NOTES ON SERMON II. 349 *• apud nq/iros defato, et Mfciplirue nocuerunt." Melan£t. Epift. lib. iii. epift. 44. At the commencement of the Reformation, both Melanfithon and Luther held the harfh doftrine of a Philofophical Neceflity. To this the former alludes in his letter to Cranmer, from which the above paffage is taken. See it quoted at length, note 6. After the Diet of Augfbourgh in the year 1530, the obnoxious tenet was no more heard of. Indeed, fo early as in 1537, tliefe Reformers appear to have abandoned it ; at leaft, when in that year a form of doctrine was drawn up for the Churches of Saxony, Free Will in a£ts of mo- rality was thus inculcated : " Voluntas humana eft ** ita libera, ut facere aliquo modo poffit juftitiam car- " nis feu juftitiam civilem, ubi lege et vi cogitur, ut *' non furari, non eccidere, non mcechari Propterea " doceant, in noftra manu aliquo modo efle carnem " fraenare, et civilem juftitiam praeftare ; et hortentur '' diiigenter ad re£le vivendum, quia Deus banc quoque '^ jujiitiam exigit, et graviter puniet illos, qui adeo " negligenter vivunt. Nam ficut aliis donis Dei bene '' uti debemuSj ita etiarn viribus, quos Deus naturae " tribuit, bene uti debemus." Cap, de Libero Arbi- trio. " Non enim deleftatur Deus ifta vitie ferocitaie " qimrundaiJOy qui cum audiermt non jitijiificari nos viribus " et operiius, fomniant ftt velle expeSlare, a Deo donee " trahantur, inter ea mvunt impnerilJime ; hi maximas pcc- *' nas labant Deo. Sunt igitur iialde ohjurgandi a do- '^ centihus in Eaclejia." Cap. de Lege. Articuli fufpec- tionis Ecclefiarum Saxonise, Edition of 1530. This work, which is generally termed, " Libellus Vifitatio- " nis Saxon." was compofed by Melan£bhon in Ger- man the year alluded to, and afterwards republiftied by Luther, with a preface, in which he thus expreffes himfelf : " Non edimus haec ut praecepta rigorofa, nee " Ponti- 2^0 NOTES ON SERMON II. " Pontificia decreta denuo cudimus, fed hiftorica et " a6ta referimus, et confejjionem et fymholum Jidei nof- " trtB." See Seckendorf, lib. ii. fee. 13. §. 36. When this publication firft appeared, Erafmus (whofe previous controverfy with Luther upon the fubjeft of Free Will probably tended much to produce an ameliora- , tion of the Lutheran fyftem) made the following re- flexions ; " Indies mitefcit febris Lutherana, adeo ut " ipfe Lutherus de fingulis propemodum fcribit pali- " nodias, ac cseteris habeatur ob hoc ipfum haereticus " ac delirus." Anno 1528. Epiftolae, lib. xx. ep. 6'},. And again, lib. xx. epift. 67. That Melanfthon not only abandoned, but .repre- hended the doftrine in the year 1^29, we cannot doubt, becaufe his own exprefs teftimony in proof of it remains on record. In a letter to Chriftopher Stath- mio, not long before his death, he notices the fubje6l^ in thefe words : " Apud Homerum fortiffimus bellator " optat concordiam his verbis; tuj Ifij sWs Sicuj', lkr£ a,v- " ^pamwj difoxoi-ro. Quanto magis me fenem et infir- " mum optare pacem confentaneum eft ? ^nie (innos " triginta, non ftudio contentionis, fed propter glotiam " Dei, et propter difciplinam, reprehendi Stoica para- " doxa de neceffitate, quia et contra Deum contunieliofa " futit, et nocent moribus. Nunc mihi bellum inferunt " Stoicorum phalanges, fed In qua fententia poflint ac- " quiefcere mantes anxise, rurfus moderate expofui in " refponfione quam Bavaricse inquifitioni oppofui. . . ." March 20, 1559. Epift. Lib. Lond. p. 407. By con- fulting the tradt, to which he himfelf alludes, we find him ufing this ftrong and unequivocal language ; " Palam et'iani rejicio et detejior Stoicos et< Manichaos fu- " rores, qui affirmant omnia neceflario fieri bonas et " malas adiones, de quibus omitto hie longiores dif- " putationes. Tantum oro juniores, ut fugiant bas " mon~ KOTES ON SERMON II. 251 ** monjlnfas opiniones, quae funt contumeliofae Contra " Deum, et perniciofae moribus." Opera, vol. i. p. 370. From his Loci Theologici, in which he had at firft introduced it, he expunged this obnoxious tenet in the year 1533, inferting in its place the oppofite one of Contingency. For it is certain, that then appeared a new and enlarged edition of the work, thus amended, (Buddaei Ifagoge, p. 346,) and that flill further addi- tions to it were made in the year 1545. Luther in- deed never formally revoked any of his writings ; but on this laft corrected production of his friend he bellowed the higheft commendations. Preface to the ift volume of his Works, anno 1546. He never- thelefsTcrupled not publicly to aflert, that at the be- ginning of the Reformation he had not completely fet- tled his Creed ; " Edidi item mese fidei confeffionem, " in qua quid et quomodo credam, et quibus in Arti- " culis tandem acquiefcere cogitem, palam teftatus " fum." Opera Witteb. vol. vli. p. 139. He feems in- deed to have generally avoided the fubjefl:, from the period of his controverfy with Erafmus, to the publica- tion of his Commentary upon Genefis, his laft work of importance : but in this, after a long argument to prove that, as we have no knowledge of the unrevealed Deity, we have nothing to do with thofe things which are above our comprehenfion; (" de Deo quatenus non *' eft revelatus nulla fit fides, nulla fcientia, et cognitio <* nulla. Atque ibi tenendum, quod dicitur, quae fu- ** pra nos, nihil ad nos ;") and that we are not to reafon upon Predeftination out of Chriftianity, he thus apologizes for his former opinions ; " Hfec ftudiofe et ** accurate iic monere et tradere volui, quia poft meam ** mortem multi meos libros proferent in medium, et " ind§ omnis generis errores, et delirja fua confirma- *' bunt. 35a NOTES, ON SERMON II. " bunt. Scripfi autem inter reliqua ejfe omnia ahfokita " et neceffaria, fed fimul addidi, quoi aj^icifindus Jit " Deus revelatus, ficut in Pfalmo canimus, Jefus Chrif- *' tus eft Dominns Zebaoth, nee eft alius Deus. Et " alias fsepiffime. Sed iftos locos omnes tranfibunt, et *' eos tantum arripient de Deo alfcondito. Vos ergo, *' qui nunc me audiftis, memineritis me hoc docuiffe, ** Non ejjfe inquirendum de Pr^dejiinatione Dei alfcon- " diti, fed in illis acquiefcendum, quce revelantur per vo- " cationem et per minifterium •verbi. .... Haec eadem *' autem alibi quoque in meis libris proteftatus fum, *' et nunc etiam viva voce trado : Ideo fum excufatus," Opera, vol. vi. p. 355. This fubjea will be again alluded to in note 14, Serm. IV. and in note 15, Serm. VII. NOTES NOTES ON SERMON III. Page S3, note ('). JtlOW much this important dodtrine was ftippfefled or fophifticated by the School divines, I have endea- voured to point out in various parts of thefe Lectures. Many maintdned, that Chrift died only for original fin, or, as it was then fuppofed to be, imputed guilt ; and of this opinion Aquinas was accufed : " Quare re- " pudiandus eft error Thomae, qui fcripfit corpus Do- '" mini femel oblatum in cruce pro delito originalt, ju~ " giier offerri fro quotidianis deli&is in altare; ut ha- " beat in hoc Ectlefia; munus ad placandum fibi De- *' um." Apolog. Confeff. Auguft. apud Cceleflinum, p. 73. To a fimilar tenet of the day Luther likewife alludes in the following paflages : " Aliqui docuerunt " eum tantummodo pro originali peccato mortuum effe, " casterum de aftualibus nofmetipfos fatisfacere opor- " tere. Aliqui verO affirmarunt lapfis poft baptifmum *' jam nihil prodefle Chriftum." OperaWitteb. vol. i. p. 141. " Praeterea plerique ipforum jam rurfus horribili " et Satanica audacia et impudentia incipiunt docere, " Chryium tantum fatisfeeiffe pi-o peccato originali, et " prjeteritis peccatis, pro aftualibus et fequentibus o- ** portefe nos fatisfacere. Hoe nihil diffimulanter et " palam eft fkcere ex Chriftianis Turcas et Ethnicos." Ppera, vol. vii. p. 239. " Gur jam aperte concionen- " tur. 254 NOTES ON SERMON III. " tur pro peccatis poft baptifmum commiffis Chriftum " non fatisfecifle,y^^ tantum pro culpa originaU." Con- dones ad 16 Joan. In Seckendorf. Hlftor. Lutheran, vol. ii. lib. 3. fe6t. 17. §. 78. It was in oppofition to this prevalent conceit of the time, highly ofFenfive to the Reformers, that the fub- fequent expreffions were inferted in the Augfbourgh Confeffion, and tranfcribed from thence into our ad Article : " Efletque hoftia, non tantum pro culpa ori- " ginis, verum etiam pro omnibus a£tualibus hominum " peccatis ;" and that others of a fimilar import were ufed in another part of it, from which the firft claufe in our 31 ft Article was derived. See note la of Ser- mon II. It fhould be likewife obferved, that the fame allufion to this' obnoxious dofitrine frequently occurs both in the Bifhops' Book, and King's Book, pub- lifhed in the reign of Henry. Page SS, note Q). " Ipfi audivimus excellentes theologos defiderare. " modum in Scholaftica do£trina, quae multo plus ha- " bet rixarum philofophicarum, quam pietatis. Et ta- *' men in his veteres fere propriores funt Scripturae, " quam recentiores. Ita magis magifque degeneravit " iftorum theologia. Nee alia caufa fuit multis bonis " viris, qui Initio amare Lutherum coeperunt, quam *' quod videbant eum explicare animos hominum ex " illis labyrinthis confufiffimarum et infinitarum difpu- " tationum, quae funt apud Scholafticos theologos, et " canonlftas, et res utiles ad pietatem docere." Apo- logia Confeflionis, p. 63. apud Coeleftinum. The Apo- logy or Defence of the Augftourgh ConfefBon was compofed by the fame author as the Confeffion. itfelf, and at the fame period ; and has always obtained an equal authority, being enumerated with it among the fymbolicalproduftions of the Lutherans. Page NOTES ON SERMON III. 355 Page ^6, note (^). A Angular argument upon the corporeal propagation of what the SchoQlmen termed Fomes, or Concupif- centia, occurs in the following paflage of Scotus : " Diceretur, quod de infedlo generatur infeftum, Ex- *' emplum. De femine patris leprofi generatur corpus " filii leprofum. Ergo leo comedens cadaver hpminis mor- *' tut contraheret fecundum hoc fomttem. Probatio confe- " quentise. lUud enim cadaver infefium eft fomite ; " et patet de infefto generatur infedtum." The folu- tion of this difficulty is thus given ; " Virtus ilia in- ^'fe£ia de infeiio. femine generat camera infeftam, et '* tunc non valet inftantia de leone, quia virtus ejus " a£tiva converfiva in membrum leonis non ejl infeda." Scotus, lib. ii. diftinft. 33. "Extenuant peccatum originis Scholaftici dofto- " res, non fatis intelligentes definitionem peccati ori- " ginalisj quam acceperunt a patribus. De fomite " difputant, quod fit qualitas corporis, et, ut fuo mo- " re fint inepti, quasrunt, utrum qualitas ilia contam *' gione pomi, an ex afflatuferpentis contraBa Jit ; utrum " augeatur medicamentis." Apolog. Confefl". apud Coeleft. de Peccato Originali, p. 2. In the fame chap- ter MelanShon thus alludes to other opinions upon this fubjeft : " Quidam enim difputant peccatum ori- " ginis non ejje aliquod in natura hominis vitium feu cor- " ruptionem, fed tantum fervitutem, feu conditionem mor- " talitatis, quam propagati ex Adam fuftineant, fne " aliquo propria vitio propter alienam culparn. Prasterea ** addunt neminem damnari morte seterna propter pec- " catum originis. Sicut ex ancilla fervi nafcantur, et " banc conditionem fine naturae vitiis, fed propter ca- *' lamitatem matris, fuftinent." Page ^8, note {*). Scholaftici difputant quod juftitia originalis non fue- rit 356 NOTES ON SERMON HI. rit connaturalis, fed, ceu vrnatus quidam, additm homini tanquam donum. Ut fi quis formofse puellae coronam imponat. Corona certe non eft pairs naturae virginis ; fed quiddaw, feparatum a natura, ^od ab extra accidii, et jine vmlatmne ruttures potefl iterum adimi. Quare difpu- tant de homine et dsemonibusj quod etfi originalem juftitiam amiferrnt, tamen natuxaliapuraiFKinferint, ficut initio condita fant. Sed hsec fententia, quia peccatum originis extenuate ceu veuiertumjfugienda eft. Quin faoo ftatuamus juftitiam n'on fuiffe quoddam donum, quod ab extra accederet, feparatwrn a natura hotniniis ; fed fuiffe vere naturalem, ita Ut natura Adas effet diligere Deum^ credere Deo, agnofcere Deum, &c. Lutberi Opera, vol. vi. p. 3'8, Et notawdum, <|uod i'fta carentia jufti- tise, quae eft in propagato, eft- peooatum origiiaale. Ni- colaus de Orbelli's, OoiiipeTidium Doftoris Subtil, difta complecbens, lib. ii. diftinft. 30 and 31. Fage 59, ntfte {',) Upon tbe point of imputation LoBnlaard thus ex- preflTes himfelf ; ■" Ckigsrit forte, utrum originale pec- •' catum ex voluntate fit ? Re^ondeo, prorfus et origi- " nale -peccatum ex voluntate efle, quia b@c ex voluntate *' frhni hommis feminatnm ■e0, ut in illo effet, «t in om- •' nes tranfiret." Libri Sentent. lib. ii. diiftinfit. 30. The fame do6trine was fupported by all the Scholaftics, in their various Comments upon this paffage. " Omnes *' doftores et fanfti eatholici tenent et decent tam " verbo quam fcripto, quod padeatum originale in par- '^ vulis non eft voluntarium voluntate, vel aftu volun- "^taitis perfonalis i-pftos parvuli, fed folum a voluntate " primi hominis." Durand. a San6t. Porcian. in lib. ii. dif. 30. jquasft. a. " Quantum etiam ad feoundam par- " tern, fcilicet, quod quilibet eft debitor hujus juftitias, f' probatur, quia juftitia originalis data eft Adse, non in " quantum erat fingularis perfona, fed in qmmtmn erant- " in KOTES ON SERMON III. 257 " in eo omnia individua natura humanie mrtualiter ; et " Jic accepit jtijlitiam pTofe, et pro totafua pqfteritfite. . . , " Ad fecundum ficut diftuta eft, peccatum originale ** eft carentia juftitiEB originalis cum debitd habendi " earn ; cum ergo quseritur, per ejuam viam peccatum " intrat, dico, qitod dehttum oritur ex datione juftitim " Adee pro fe et pojierh. .... Ad quartiim dico, quod " filius non portabit iniquitatem patris, loquendo de " peccato, quo pater peccat, ut Jingularis perfona. A- " dam autem . peccavit, ut principium tofius generis' hu- " mani, cum accepijjet jtiflitia^pro fe et fua pojleritate." Nieolaus de Orbellis, lib. ii. diftindt. 30 et 31. See alfo the fame more at large in Aquinas, Summa Tlieo- logiae, Prima Secund. quaeft. 81. art. i. With refpedt. to the punifhment due to imputed guilt, it was fuppofed to confift merely in a deprivation of the l^eatific vifion. See Scotus, lib. ii. Sentent. dif- tinft. 33\ Original, fin therefore, upon this fyftem, was held to be nothing more than fuch- a participation in the guilt of Adam, as to bereave us, not of the natural gifts of the firft creation, but only of its fuperadded graces ; as to incapacitate us from acquiring everlaft- ing happinefs, yet not expofe us to everlafting mi- fery. But the peculiarity, of the dofilrine cannot be better explained than in the words of Luther : " Dif- " fentiunt tamen a Pelagianis, quod ^ne Chrifto non " poffe bene vivi meritorie concediint : et ita Chriftus " non eft mortuus propter peccatum, fed propter non me- " ritum^,, Non fuiflet necefle eum mori, ut infemi ** poenas folveret, fed tantum,ut mereri coelum contin>- geret. Nam Jtnge ,parvulam adolefcere fine peccato, .'f (?,. And again ; " Alii (viz. alii Anabaptiftae) qui peccatum ori- " ginis fatentur efle, fententiam de iflis infantibus aiunt " arcano Dei judicio committi oportere. Ita diabolus *' hoc unice contendit ; ut ex animo deleamus Dei *' promiffiones, quibus nititur fiducia noflra, atque in " tenebris contra palpemus, fatagendo de arcanis Dei " judiciis. Nos vero infantes efle in peccatis concep- " tos et natos affirmamus, neque falvos fieri pofle fine " Chrifto, cui illos in baptifmo adducimus. Senten- " tiam hie habemus plenatn gratia et fecuritatis atque ' " certi- NOTES ON SERMON III. 365 *' certkudinis, ' Sinite parvulos ad me venire,' quam eri- " pi nobis nunquam patiemur. Ea non occultum quod- *' dam, Dei juSdum, non coeca quadam opmia eji^fedgra- *' tuita Dei promiffio ; qua in ccelefte regnum liberi no£- *' tri tranfcribuntur, quum Chrifto fiftuntur, quia fine *' Chrifto nulla falus. Atque idcirco Turcarum et Ju- " dasorum liberi falutis partieipes non fiunt, quia ^' Chrifto non fiftuntur." Ibid. p. ja. But Luther in his Commentary on Hofea touched the point even more direftly, referring the development of God's un- revealed mercies to a future ftate. After reafoning in a mode fimilar to the preceding, he added ; " De Ethni- " corum pueris aliud judicium eft, qui funt extra Ec- *' clefiam ; quanquam fortajfe de his qxioque mitius ali- ' ' quidjiatuetur, quam de adultis., Sed heec futura vita *' aperiet, Cavendum autem Jludiofe eji, ne quid pronun- " dermis, qtcod verba non ejl revelatum, Jicut certa verhi " revelatio ejl de haptixatis, ut ante Chrijli adventum de " circumcifis, quod funt recepti a Deo in gratiam." Ope- ra^ yol. iv. p. 315. That he likewife deemed the fame caution neceflary in the cafe of adults as well as in- fants, will be pointed out in Serm. V. note i. Page 6^, note ('). " Ideo fie refpondemus ; in baptifmo tolli peccatum, " quod ad reatum feu imputationem attinet, fed ma- " nere morbum ipfum, qui eft. malum pugnans cum lege " Dei dignum morte seterna, «i^ remitter etur, ut dicitur, * beati quorum te6ta funt peccata.' Nee de nomine " peccati litigamus, rerum diflienfio eft. Adverfarii " contendunt hunc morbum, qui- reliquus eft in rena- " tis, non efle malum, pugnans cum lege Dei. Hunc " errorem taxari neceffe eft." Loci Theologici, p. 123. Here, as in other paflages of a fimilar defcription. It fliould be obferved, that an evident diftindtion is made between the guEt of original depravity, and the depravity a66 NOTES ON SERMON III. depravity itfelf ; the former is faid to be remitted, the latter to remain, although becoming daily more and more diminiflied by the operation of God's Holy Spirit : " Mirus eft intelleftus baptifmi," remarked Melanfthon in a public difpi;itation with the Papifts, *' fi fanftificari infantes fine Sanfto Spiritu exiftimant. " Nam cum remittitur hoc peccatum, fimul datur Spi- " ritus Sanftus, qui repugnare huic peccato tunc inci' " pit, et pojlea In adultis repugnat. Nam cum in bap- " tifmo datur Spiritus Sanctus, is in adultis, qui nan " excidunt, certe ejl efficax." Opera, vol. iv. p. 654. The fame point alfo is thus adverted to in the Apo- logy of the Augfbourgh Confeffion : " Hie flagellant " adverfarii etiam Lutherura, quod fcripferit peccatum " originis manere poft baptifmum. Addunt hunc Ar- " ticulum jure damnatum effe a Leone X. Sed Csefar. " majeft. in hoc loco manifeftam calumniam deprehen- " det. Sciunt enim adverfarii in quam fententiam " Lutherus hoc diftum velit, quod peccatum originis " reliquum fit poft, baptifmum. Semper ita fcripfit " quod baptifmus tollat reatura pecoati originalis, eti- " amfi materiale, ut ifti vocant, peccati maneat, vide- " licet concupifcentia. Addidit etiam de materiali,. *^* quod Spiritus San6lus per baptifmum incipit mbrtifi- " care concupifcentiam, et novos motus creat in homi- " ne." p. 3. apud Cceleft. Tage 64, note (") . " In Scholis trahftulerunt hue ex philofophia prorfus " alienas fententias : quod propter pafliones nee boni " nee mali fimus, nee laudamur nee vituperamur. T- " tem, nihil efle peccatum nifi voluntarium. Hae " fententias apud philofophos de dvili judicio diftae " funt, non de judicio Dei, Nihilo prudentius aflfuunt " et alias fententias naturam non efle malam. Id in " loco diElum non refrehendimus. Sed non refte detor- " quetu^" NOTES ON SERMON III. 267 " quetur ad extenuandum peccatum originis. Et ta- " men hae fententise leguntur apud Scholafticos, qui *' intempeftive commifcent philofophicam feu civilem " do£trinam de moribus cum Evangelic. Neque hsec " in Scliolis tantum difputantur, fed ex Scholis, ut fit, " efferebantur ad populum, Et hse perfuafiones regna- " bantj et alebant fiduciam humanarum »virium, et op- " primebant cognitionem gratia Chrijli. Itaque Luthe- " rus volens magnitudinem peccati originalis et huma- *' na tnfirmitatis declarare, docuit, reliquias illas pec- *'' cati originalis non ejje fua natura in homine a-Sni^opa., *'' fed indigere gratia Chrijli, ne imputentur, item Spiritu " SanSo, ut mortificentur.^' Applog. Confeff. p. 3. When the Lutherans laboured fo repeatedly and earneftly to prove, againft their opponents, the corrup- tion introduced by the tranfgreflSon of Adam, it was far from their intention to reprefent- fallen man as dead to every fenfe of moral obligation, and of that eternal duty, which is due from the creature to the Creator. For the law of nature, written by the finger of God, not in perifhable chara£lers upon tables of ftone, but indelibly upon the human heart, in their idea ftill remained, lefs brilliant indeed, but not whol- ly effaced. " Eft ergo vera definitio legis naturae, le- " gem naturae effe notitiam legis divinae, naturae homi- *' nis infitam. Ideo enim dicitur homo ad imaginem " Dei conditus. efle,,quia in eo lucebat imago, hoc eft, notitia Dei et fimilitudo quaedam mentis divinae ; id eft, difcrimen honeftorum et turpium, et cum his notitiis congruebant vires hominis. Voluntas erat *' converfa ad Eieum ante lapfum, ardebant et in mente " verae notitiae, et in^ voluntate amor erga Deum, et " affentiebantur corda, fine ulla dubitatione, veris no- " titiis. Ac flatuebant nos conditos efle ad agnofcen- " dum et celebrandum Deum, et ad obediendum huic " Domi- (C 368 NOTES ON SERMON III. *' Domino, qui nos condidit, alit, imprefllt imaginem *' fui, qui jufta poftulat et approbat, e contra vero tc ■ <( *' damnat et punit injufta. Quanquam auteirt in hac ' naturae corruptione, deformata imagine Dei,r\on ita fulgent notitiae, manent tamen, fed cor repugnat, et incurrunt dubitationes propter quaedam, quas pug- nare videnfur cuni illis notitiis." Loci Theologici, P- 173- But it may be faid, why then, if fuch were tlieir fentiments, did they argacj that we are incapabfe.by our innate ftrength of converting with a true faJillh and fear to God ? No better anfwer can be given, than in the words of their own Apology : " Cum de pecciato *' originis loquuntur, (viz. Scholaftici,) graviora vitia *' humanas naturae non commemorant, fcilicet igno- *' rationem Dei, contemptum Dei, vacare metu et " fiducia Dei, odifle judiciunl Dei, fugere Deum judi- " cantem, irafci Deo, defperare gratiam, habere fidu- " ciam rerum praefentium, &c. Hos morbos, qui ma- " xime adverfantur legi Dei, non anima!dvertunt Scho- *' laftici. Imo tribuunt interim humanae naturae inte- " gras vires ad diligendum Deuni fuper omnia, ad fa- " cienda praecepta Dei, quoad fubftantiam atftuiim. "Nee vident fe pugnantia,dicere. Nam propriis viri- " bus polTe diligere Deum fuper omnia., facere prae- *' cepta Dei, qutd altud ejl quarfi habere jujiitiam ori- " ^nis P Quod li has tantas vires habet humana na- *' tura, ut per fefe poflit diligere Deum fiiper omnia, ut " confidenter- affirmant Scholaftici', qttid efi peccattim "originis? Quorfum autem opus erit gratia Chri/Ii, fi '* nos poffumus fieri jufti propria j'uJUtia P Quorfum " opus erit Spiritu Sanfto, fi vires humanae per fe/a •* poffunt Deum fuper omnia diligere, et prascepta Dei " facere ? Leviores morbos in natura hominis agnof- " cunt, graviores morbos non agnofcunt^ de quibus tk- " men, " lEcclefiaj fed folenni potius figno ideo recipi in Ec- " clefiamj quia promiffionis beneficio jam ante ad " Chrifti corpus pertinebant. Proinde fi in omittendo " figno nee focordia eft, nee contemptus, nee negli- " gentia, tuti ab omni periciih fumus," Inftit. lib. iv. cap. 15. §. 33. Here he foraething more than hefi- tates at the declaration of his full meaning ; he ap- pears ftudioufly to conceal it. In other parts, how- ever, of thefe chapters, he incidentally hints the dif- tinftion, which he conftantly bore in mind, but which he was''fcrupulous of direfitly urging. In the follow- ing paffages he collaterally introduces it : " At quo- " modo, inquiunt, regenerantur infantes, nee boni nee " mali cognitione praediti ? Nos autem refpondemus, " opus Dei, fi captui noftro non fubjaceat, non tamen " effe nullum. Porro infantes qui fervandi funt, (ut 'f certe ex ea setate omnino aliqui fervantur) ante a T 3 '•' Pomi- (( et 278. NOTES ON SERMON III. " Domino regenerari minime obfcurum eft." Cap. xvi, feiSh. 17. " Et fane ideo a prima infantia fanctifiicatu* " fuit Chriftus,ut ex setate qualilet fine difcrimine elec- " tosfuos in feipfo fanftificaret." Ibid. feft. 18. " Quos " eleSiione fua dignafus ^ Dominus, fie accepto regene- " rationis fignoj fi prsefenti vita ante demigrent, quam- " adoleverint, eos virtute fui Spiritus nobis incompre- henfa renovat, quo modo expedire folus ipfe provi- " det Quare nihil plus in psedobaptifmo prtefentis " efficacies requirendum eft, quam ut foedus cum illis Domino percuflum obfirmet. lieUqua ejus Sacram^nti " fanSiificatio, quo tempore Deus ipfe providerit, poftea *f confequetur." Ibid. fe<9:. ai. Hence appears the important difference between the fentiments of Luther on this point, and thofe of Cal- vin. The former contended for the certain falvation of all infants, born of Chriftian parents ; the latter of thpfe only, who are difcriminated by an infcrutable decree of divine eleftion ; a difcrimination, which feems to have been painfully contemplated, and reluc- tantly avowed. Page 6g, note (''). The liberality of the fentiments entertained by the Reformers in general, refpefting the falvation of in- fants dying before baptifm, originated not with the Lutherans. Zuingle was, the firft who- afferted it ; and it fliould be added, that his affertion was made without reftriftions of any kind : " Ifta in hunc ufum " argUTisentati fumus, ut oftenderemus toto errart ccelo,, etiamfi fint. non modo magna, fed vetera quoque no- " mina, qui damnationi ceternce Jhlent adjudicare Cbrif- " tianorum infantes, cum non fint baptifmo tin6H.. .... " Hoc enim ' qui non crediderit, condenmabitur,' nul- '^ latenus eft ahfolute intelligendum, fed de his, qui, au- «' dito Evangelio, credere noluerunt, Unde infantes,.et- " qui (C NOTES OT^ SERMON III. 37>, '* qui non audienifit E'Vangelittm., hdc lege non tenentur." De Peccato Originali Dfeclaratio ZaifigMi. Opera, vol.' ii. p. ii8. It Is iiiipoffible to miftake hiBobJefl; even here ; but in the follow^ing' quotations he explain? himfelf more fully: " Atque hie non immerito quge- *' ritur, An vero Chrijius germs ■univcrfum reflifuerit, an ^^ fideltum Ecclejlam tantuni ? QuamVis ergo ad banc' *' quseftionem paucis refpondere potuiffemuSj Chrijlum ** frorfus fanando tantum frofuijfe, quantum nocuif Adam " feccando ; porro Adam infeck wnvOetfam confperfio- *' nem peccato originali, ergO Chriftus univerfam re- " Jlituit ; noluimus tamen fententiam iftam prbfer- '* re, cum quod nonnuUa videntur obftare, turn quod' " non videam, an aliqui earn tenuerunt; fed hoc mo- " do dixi, Cbr'tflianorum liber os damnare non fojfe pecca- " turn originale, hac ex caufa, quod, etfi peccatum fe- " cundum legem quideiii damnaret, tamen propter re- *' medium per Cbrijlwnv exhibitum damnare non poteji, " hos praBfertirtii' qui in eo Tejiamento funt, quod cum " Abrahamo pepigit. Nam de his alia quoque firma et " clara teftimonia habemus ; de aliis, quifunt extra Ec- *' clejiam nati, non habfemus' aliud quam prafem tefti- " monium, quod ego fciam, et fimilia hoc quinto '^ Rom, capite, quo probari poffit eos, qui extra Eccle- " fiam n^^fc;untu^5 mundos efle ab originali contamina- " tlone, Qupd fi quis de his quoque dicet probabilius " effi, ut Gentium Ijbfiriper Chriftum ferventur, quam ut " damnentur, jam certe minus evacuabit Chriftum, qnaxn " hi, qui intra Ecclefiam natos damnant, fi citra lava- " crum baptifmi morlantur; et plus au£loritatis ac " fundamen!ti habebit in Soripturis, quam hi, qui hoc " hfcgant. Nam is nihil aliud aflferefet, quam Genti- *', Mum qiioque liberos, dum teneri Jtint, propter vitium ori-r " ginale non damnari, id autem beneficio Chrijii ; adultis " autem nihil gratise reliquuni efle eo, xjuod non fide- T 4 " rent !8a NOTES ON SERMON III. rent Chrifto. Si vero operibus oftervderent legetn iii cordibus fuis effe fcriptam, neque falleret hypocri- fis, jam fatis auditum eft eos inter circtimcifos coin- putandos effe, ubi enim opera fiunt Deo digna, ijlhic dudum fuit in Deum religio. Probant hoc Jethro, cujus pietas fie coelefti fapientia imbuerat, ut etiam ' Mofi, qui coram cum Deo loquebatur, in oondendis ' legibus effe auxilio ; et Cornelius Centurio, cujus ' Deus eleemofynas orationefque refpexit, antequam ' Evans^lium ei effet expofitum. Diceret igitur ali- ' quis per Chriftum naturam ejfe refiitutam, jam ea ' fequerentur, quae diximus; fi vero Ecclejiam tantum, ' jam fequeretur, no?i tarn patere falutem per Chrijium, ' quam late grajjatur morbus ex Adam." Ibid. p. I3I. ' Ifte locus, ' quod Jine Jide impqffibile Jit Deo placere,'' ' fynecdochicos intelligi debet, de his modo, qui ver- • bum audiunt ac refiliunt, aut qui audiunt ac reci- ' piunt. Qui vero per aetatem non audiunt, his uni- ' verlalibus non continentur. Apud illos nulla eft ' prsevaricatio, cum nulla fit apud eos lex. Si vero ex ' Chriftianis prognati funt, jam virtute teftamenti filii ' Dei funt : fin ex Gentibus, jam nihil decernimus. ' Quanquam autem, ut ingenue fatear, mthi mag'ts ar- ' ridet eafententia, qua virtute mortis Chrijii omnium i7i- ' nocentium falutem acceptam fert. Sic enim paria funt, ' ubi abundavit deliftum, ibi exundavit gratia. Si ' quaeres, quomodo poffunt hjec fieri ? Hoc modo. ' Quicqmd ujpiam mortaltum nafcitur falvum eft per ' Chrijium." Epift. Urbano Regio, vol. i. p. 383. The tenet of Zuingle, with the argument upon which it was founded, feems to have been received by. all his follov^ers. We find ^ullinger^ not long after his death, (viz. in 1535.) fpeaklng thus unrefervedly upon tbe fubjeft, in a dialogue, which at the time was pub- lilhed againlt the errors of the Anabaptifts : " Joiada. " Annon NOTES ON SERMON III. 381 ^' Annon jamdudum audis pueros, etiamfi feteri fidem " non poffunt, inter fideles tamen efle accenfos ? Aut " Deus adultorum tantum Deus eft? Et non puerorum? " An pro adultis duntaxat paflus eft Chriftus, non etiam " pro pueris ? Simon. Paffics eft pro expiatione ommumpec- " catorum totius mundi. Joiada. Puerine habent peccata? *' Simon. Originale peccatum habent. Quandoquidera *' ergo Paulus per Chriftum inftanratum dicit quidquid *' per Adam erat collapfum, nee adulti tantum, verum " etiam pueri in Adamo perditi funt, confequitur et " pueros per Chriftum inflauratos ejfe. Si rejlituii funt *' pueri per Chriftum, Dei funt." Adverfus omnia Cala- baptiftarum prava dogmata, p. 57, " Simon. Ex hoc f* confequens effet, infantes, qui fine baptifmo dece.dunt, ^' damnatos haudquaquam effe. Joiada. Plane confequi- *f tur." Ibid. p. 59. Upon the whole, Zuingle believed, that all infants, without exception, dying before the commiffion of aftual crime, are heirs of the kingdom of Heaven ; Luther, all born of thofe who are themfelves within the Chriftian Covenant, leaving the fate of Heathen children to the revelation of God's mercies in a future life ; but Calvin, only fuch as the Almighty has been pleafed to diftinguifti by a myfterious decree of per- fonal elediion. Page 70, note {"), See note 10. Our own Reformers were fo far from embracing every favourable opportunity of expatiating upon human depravity, that even where others had in- troduced it, and where, if ever, it ftiould be difplayed in its ftrongeft colours, viz. in our addreffes to the throne of grace, they defignedly avoided all allufion to it. I have pointed out in Sermon I. note 7. the fpurce, from which the confeffion in our daily Prayer^ at leaft the idea of it, was taken. The words in the original <( 28« NOTES ON SERMON HI. original are thefe : " Domine Deus, ffiterne et omni- " potensj agnofcimus et fatemur ingenue apud' fanftif- " fimam majeftatem tuam, peccatores effe nos nliferos, " adeaque a prima origine, qua concepti et hatifumus, iarti ^' ad omne malum ejfe pronof, quam ah omni bono alienos, " quo vitio tuas leges fhnftiflimas afBdue tranfgredi- " mur, eoque nobis exitium juftiffimo tuo judicio con- quirimus," Totally filent upon the point of innatd corruption, our Reformers, in their imitation of this paffage, touched only upon that of aiStual tranfgfeflion. " Almighty and moft merciful Father, we have erred " andjlrayed ironi thy ■wa-ySfWheloR (beep : we have " followed too much the devices and defires of our *' own hearts: we have offended againft thy holy laws : " we have left^ undone thofe things which we ought to " have done ; and we have done thofe things which " we ought 7iot to have: done : and there is no health *< in us." 3ut in the confeffion of our Communion Servicey this:deviation is ftill more ftriking, becaufe the refem- blance in other refpefts is clofer. I have remarked, that where our Offices vary from the ancient forms, they are in general modeled after a Liturgy compiled by Melandhon and Bucer, for the archbifliopvic of Cologne, and often literally tranflated from it. The- original, in the cafe before us, commences thus : " Omnipotens, seterne Deus, Pater Domini noflri Je- " fu Ghrifti, creator rerum omnium, judex cunftorum " homihum, agnofcimus et deploramus nos in peccatis' " conceptos et natos, ideoque ad qu^vis 'malapronos, et ah-' " horrent-ts a veris bonis, iandik tua prseCepta' fine fide et " modo tranfgreffbs effe, contemptu tui et vefbi tui> " diffidentia opis tuas, fiducia noftri et mundij pravis " fl:udiis et operibu-s, (juibus majeftatem tuam graviflS, " me ofF&ndimus, et proximos noftros Isedimus. Ita-- *^ que KOTES OK SERMON IH. 285 " que in moi'tem seternam njagis et imagis nos ipfi fe- " pelitraus et perdimus. Id vero nobis ex animo dolet, " &c." In our own confeflion, evidentl!^ grounded' upon this, the fervor of which is in no degree abated by its moderation and propriety, we perceive that the fiibjedt of inherent depravity is wholly omitted : " Al- " mighty God, Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift, " maker of all things, judge of all men, we acknow- " ledge and bewail our manifold fins and wickednefs, '' which we from time to time moft grievouily have' " committed by thought, word, and deed, againft thy " divine Majefty, provoking moft juftly thy wrath and " indignation againft us. We do earneftly repent, *' and are heartily forry for thefe our mifdoings, &c." A fimilar omifljon likewife again occurs in the fame Service. Immediately after the fliort addrefs, " It is " very meet, right, and our bounden duty, &c:" which was the exadl form of the Romifti Church, the follow- ing paflage is inferted in the Liturgy of Cologne 5 " Per Jefum Chriftum Dominum noftrum. Per quern f nos ex nihilo ad imaginem tuam condidifti, et reli- " quas creaturas omnes noftris utilitatlbus addixifti, " cumque per feccatum jidce a te defidentes inimioi tut, " et ideo morti et damnattoni eeternce obnoxiifaSi ejjemus, " tu, ex infinita tua mifericordia et ineffabili caritate, " eundem Filium tuum, Verbum seternum, in hunc " mundum mififti, &c." Of this not the flighteft trace is to be found in our own Liturgy. When our Reformers, inftead of eagerly embracing, thus purpofely avoided, the opportunities afforded them of conftantly dwelling upon the original corruption of human nature, to what motive can their conduft be attributed, except to that of wifhing to obviate on this, as on every other occafion, even the fufpicion of patronifing an extreme ? Page a84 NOTES ON SERMON HI. FagCji, note ('»). See note i. " Quod fi has tantas vires habet hu- " mana natfira, ut per fefe poffit diligere Deum fuper *' omnia, ut confidenter affirmant Scholafticij quid erAt " peccatum originis ? Quorfum autem opus er'tt gratia- '* Chrijii, Ji nos pojjumus fieri juji't propria jujlitia P" "Apologia ConfeiT. art. de Peccato Originali. " Hse " perfuafiones regnabant et alebant fiduciam humana- " rum virium, et opprimebant cognitionem gratia Chrif- " ti." Ibid. NOTES ON SERMON IV, Page ';s,7ioie ('). XiIC adverfarii opponunt exemplum Cornelii ..... Cornelius, inquiunt, tefte Luca, vir bonus, juftus, ti- mens DeuTii, faciens eleemofynas Miultas populo, et deprtcaxis Devim femiper, ergo merebatur de congruo re- miffionem peceatorum. i . . . . Errant igitpr fophiftse, cum dicunt, pro ftatuendo opere congrui Cornelium operi- bus naturallbus rationis «t moralibus confecutum efle gratiam, et remiffionem Spiritus San£li. Nam juftum ct timentem Dei, &c. eflg, affe£tus funt non hominis Gentilis aut naturalis, fed fpiritualis, quijam jidem ha- het. Nifi enim crederet Deum, timeret Deum, non fperaret fe oratione aliquid ab eo impetraturum, Lu- theri Opera, vol. v. -p. 330. Page 77, note (*), The idea of the Scbolaftics upon the ineffioacy of our natural powers td merit a fupernatural reward, vfithout divine afliftance, may be feen in their various comments upon the 34th and the 39th diftinftions of the fecond book of the " Libri Sententiarum." Lom- bard however himfelf feems to have been fufficiently explicit upon the fubjeft : " Nunc diligentec invefti- " gari oportet, quam gratiarri vel potentiam habuerit " homo ante cafum ', et utrum per eam potuerit ftare, " vel non. Sciendum eft ergo, quod homini in crea- " tione 286 NOTES ON SERMON IV. " tionp (ficut de angelis diximus) datum eft per gra- " tiam auxilium, et collata eft potentia, per quam po- " terat Jiare, id eft, non declinare ah eo, quod acceperat ; " fed non poterat froficere in tantum, ut per gratiam " creationis fine alia mereri Jalutem valeret, Poterat '' quidem per illud auxilium gratia creationis refijlere " malo, Jed non ferficere honum, Poterat quidem per " illud bene vivere quodammodo, quia poterat viv ere fine " peccato, fed non poterat fine alio gratiae adjutorio, " fpiritualiter vivere, quo vitam tnereretur teternam" Lib. Sentent. lib. ii. diftinft. 24. " Poft haec confide- '/ randum eft, utrum homo ante peccatuim eguerit gra- " tia operante et cooperante. Ad quod breyitef . dici- " mus, quod non cooperante tantum, fed etiam: • omnes con- " cedunt." NOTES ON SERMON IV. 287 " tedunt" Durandus A. Sand. Pore. In Senteiit. lib. ii. diftinft. a8. qusefti 3. " Hoc fuppofito, dicendum " eft, quod ad merendum folum de congruo non efi *' neceflarium ponere in nobis gratiam vel caritatem *' habitualem, quod patet, quia, fecundum omnes, pec- " cator carens gratia fcenitendo meretur de congruo gta- '* tiamjujiificantein.'" Id. lib. i. dift. 16. queeft. 3. In what fenfe the Scholaftical grace, or charity, was deemed requifite to render merit complete, or cotlvert that, which before was " meritum de congruo," into *' meritum de coHdigno," the writings of Luther a- bundantly fhew : *♦ Principium fidei illorum capitale " eft -hujufmodi, Hominem pojfe ex naturalibus vtribus, ^' faeimdo quod infe eji, implere omnia maridatd Dei. " Ex quo capite, quse membra pendeant, vide. Pri- *' mum, quod gratia Dei hominibus non eft neceflaria " ex parte facientis, neque ex parte factendorum, (quod " etiam rotundis verbis impudenter habent eorum li- ^ bri,) fed ex parte exaSorts Dei, ut qui mandata fua *■' impleri non eft contentus, nifi in gratia impleantur. " Ex quo ulterius fequitur ccelum efle claufum, et in- " feifnum pailatum homini fumnia iniquitate Dei, nem- " pe non propter peecata 'hominis, neque propter non *'* impleta mandata Dei, fed propter tyrannicam et ar- " bitrariam exa^ionem Dei ^' Breviter, quicquid Chriftus eft, et in Chrifto nobis '* donatum eft, fuperfluum et non neceflarium eft, fi " nos et naturalia noftra fpedtes, fed neceflarium fo- " lum, fi Dei exa&ionem fpeftes " Chrijium plane non necejjarium facitis, et ex parte "noftra. Ideo aperte negatis ipfum efle Jefum, id 'f eft, Sahiatorem hominum. Afleritis autem, potius " Saiisfa^orem exaSionis iniqui Dei. Nee liberavit nos " a peccatis, quse nulla funt, fi liberum arbitrium velit " facere, quod eft in fe, fed ab exa6tione ultra peecata "et 288 NOTES ON SERMON IV. " et mandata in homines faeviente. Ecce corpus fa* " crse theologiffi Parrhifienfis, et Papiftarum ex latere " uno. " Ex alio latere, aliud principium fidei, Hominem " P^Jf^i _yflc/V;i^/o quod ejl in fe, infallihiliter et necejfario " tnereri gratiam de congruo. " Nonne fie docetis Almae facultates ? Docetis ergo " per hoc poffe nos fatisfacere ex nobis etiam iniqjise " D^ tyrannidij ut mifero et fupe^fluo Chrifto non re- " liquus fit faltem blafphemiffimus ille honor, quo non *' Salvator hominum, feu Jefus, fed Satisfaftor divini " tyranni et exaftoris diceretur. Jam enim nos ipji gra- " tiam poffumus abjque Mediatore impetrare. Ac fi " jam bis fuperfluus eft Chriftus, nee necejjarius etiam " ex parte Dei exadoris. " Vereor autem ne leftor pius non credat haec hor-^ " rendis horribiliora doceri in Academiis. Quapropter " te oroj Chriftiane frater, vera me credas loqui ; tejles " invoco eorum libros extantes, et confcientias turn ipfo- " rummet, tum omnium, qui legerunt eorum libros." Opera Lutheri, vol. ii. p. 365. " Quando homo facit aliquod bonum opus, illud " Deus acceptat, et pro illo opere infundit ei carita- ' " tern. Hanc infufam caritatem dicunt eflfe qualitatem " harentem in corde, eamque vocant formalem jiifiitiam. " . . . . Eum, qui hanc habet, diicvcntformaliter efle juf- " tum, Deinde etiam effeRive, quia jam bona opera " facit, quibus debetur vita aeterna. Haec eft fophifta- " rum opinio, et eorum, qui optimi funt. " Alii non funt tam boni, ut Scotus et Occam, qui " dixerunt, non opus efle pro acquirenda gratia Dei ca- ^' ritate ilia divinitus donata ; fed hominem pofle ex " naturalibus viribus elicere caritatem Dei fuper om- ''.nia " Accufant Deuip efle faevum tyrannum et crudelem '' exacr KOTES ON SERMON IV. 389 '^ exaftorem, qui non eft contentus, quod fervo et im- " pleo legem fuani, fed ultra legem, quam bene im- " plere poflumj etiam exigat, ut circumjiantia et ornatu, ^'feu vejiitu quodam, impleam. .... " Sed hie diftinftionem faciunt, ne videaritur contra— *• ria afferere, et dicunt \egtm . dupliciter impleri. Pri- " vnxxm fecundum fuhjiantiam faQl, deinde fecundum in- " tentionem fir^dpientis.. Secundum fubftantiam fafti, " id eftj quoad rem ipfam, poffiimus Jimpliciter implere " omnia, quae lex prsecipit ; fed non fecundum inten* " tionem prsecipientis, quae eft, quod Deus non eft. " contentus te fecifle et implefle omnia, quae in lege "■ mandata funt, quanquam non habeat, quod amplius " exigat, fed ultra hoc exigit, ut in caritate legem fa- " cias, non naturali, qtiatn habeo, fed fuferndturali et " divina, quam ipfe dat. Quid hoc aliud eft, quam '' ex Deo facere tyrannum et carnificem, qui hoc exi- " git a nobis, quod prseftare non polTumus, Et parum " abfiiit, quin manifefte dicerent, non fieri no^ra culpa, " quod damnemur, fed Dei,, quod ifta circumftantia " exigit legem fuam a nobis impleri." Id. vol. v. P-3o8. " Hie dico primum tales magiftros gratise Dei nihil *' tribuere praeter ornatum quendam operibus noftris, " non ut fanet £Egros, fed ut prnet fortes. Opera poffii- " mus facere, fed non colorata. Et ka gratia eft res vi- " liffima, non neceflkrium propter nos, fed propter vo- " luntaiem et intentionem praedpientis, ut dicunt." Idem, vol. i. p. 198.* '' Secundum intentionem prsecipientis requiri non " folum opus, fed habitum in corde, qui vocatuT gra- " tia. Perinde ac fi dicam, eum, qui manibus ac pe- " dibus valet, refte pofle obire fuum munus, fed id " impediri eo, quod non iimul ifidutus nigra ant can- Y dida toga." Id. vol, iii. p. 45a. u -pa, 39© NOTES ON SERMON IV. Page 79, note (*). Although merit de congruo was ufually 'defined to be only me.xit\xtn fecundum quid-, and not raGvituxa Jim^ pliciter, (fee the Comments of the Schools upon dift. 27. lib. ii. Sentent.) reniunerable only by the libera- lity of the donor^ yet was it always maintained to be infallibly and neceffixrily rewarded in conformity with the divine attributes. It was confidered as a merit, which God is not compelled in ftriA juftice, but from the nature of his immutable Deity, to refpeft : " Ad " hunc modum docent homines mereri remiflionem " peccatorum, faciendo quod eft in fe Htec opi- " nio, quia naturaliler blanditur hominibus, peperit et " auxltmultos cultusin Ecclfefia, vota monaftica, abufus " Miflae ; et fubinde alii alios cultus atqne obfervatio- " nes hac opinione excogitaverunt. Et ut fiduciam " talium operum alerent atque augerent, affirmaverunt " Deum necejjario gratiam dare fie operanti, neceffi- " tate non coaiiionis, fed immutabilitatis," Apology ConfefT. p. 5. " Cum igitur," obferved Luther, " cla- " ra teftimonia extent, quod' homo malus et a Deo " averfus fit, quis tam eft amens ut dicere aufit, natu- " ralid in homine manjijje iniegra P Hoc enim idem eft " ac fi dicas, hominis naturam adhuc integram et bo- " nam effe, quani tot exemplis difcimus et experimur " extreme effe vitiatam. " Ex hac prava fententia multa periculofa difta na- •" ta i'utit, quffidam etiam manifefte falfa' et impia ; •* ut cum dicunt, Quando homo facit quod in fe eft, ** turn Deus infallibiliter dat gratiam. Hoc quafi clafr '* fico excitarunt homines ad orationes, jejunia, afHic- " tiones aorporum, ad peregrinationes, et alia fimilia.' " Sic enim pferfuafum fuit mundo, fi homines facerent " quantum poflent natura, mereri gratiam, fi non da' " condigno, tamen de congruo. Meritum congrui au-' " tem t< NOTES ON SERMON IV. 291 ** tem eo retulerunt, quod opus non effet cOntra le- gem Dei, kd/ecundum legem Dei. Nam malo non " debetur meritum, fed pcsna^ Condigni meritum tri- " buerunt non operi, fed qualitati operis, fi fieret ex gra- " tia." Lutheri Opera, vol. vi. p. 109. • " Damnanda eft igitur perniciofa et impia opinio " Papiftarum, qui tribuunt operi operate meritum gra- " tia, et remijjionem peccatorum. Dicunt enim opus bo- num ante gratiam valere ad impetrandam gratiam de congruo. Impetrata jam gratia, fequens opus me- " reri vitam seternam de condigno. Exempli gratia, *' homo exiftens in peccato mortali, fine gratia, fi bona " naturali intentione facial opus bonum, id eft, legat " vel audiat Mifllim, det eleemofynam, &c. is meretur " gratiam de congruo. Impetrata hoc modo gratia " de congruo, jam facit opus condignum, et merito- " rium vitae seternae. In primo quidem Deus non eft " debitor, fed quia eft bonus et jujius, decet eum, ut ap- " probet tale opi;isi etiam in peccato mortali faflium, et " reddat pro tali officio gratiam. Pq/l gratiam autem "jam faiJtus eft Deus^ debitor, et jure cogitur dare vi- " tam aeternam. Quia jam non folum eft opus liberi " arbitrii faftum fecundum fubftantiam, fed etiam fac- " tum in gratia gratificante, id eft, in dileftione. Hsc '" eft.theologia regni Antichriftiani." Id. vol. v. p. 306. Page 80, note ij). " Hinc intuli omnia, quae ad veritatem banc fequun- " tur, licet tibi indigniflimn vifa (quod miror ;) nem- " pe, quod tres fedtas Scholafticorum doftoram nobir " liores negaris, qui liberum arbitrium ante gratiam " nullum aftum meritorium, tamen aftum, qui nortjif " peccatump et qui gratiam de congruo mereatur, tri- " buunt." Epift. Luther, ad Eccium. Opera, vol. i* P- 3.54- " Ifta conclufio pendet ex eo fundamento, qi^od om- u a. " nis , ^93 . NOTES ON SERMON IV. " nis aftus humanus aut eft bonus, aut malus, nee da- " tur aifus neuter, feu, ut illi dicunt, moraliter bonus. " Ideo primum mlhi font amolienda duo, quae his ap- *' poni lolent. ** Primum eft auiforitas Scholes omnium fere iheologa-* " rum per orbem^ qui contra fentiunt." Id. vol. i. p. 399« See Serm. III. note 5. It (hould be obferved, that this neutral a£l of our unaided powers, although ftridlly denominated neither good nor bad, was neverthelefs fuppofed to be good in all its natural circumftances, (being deficient only in a certain fupernatural quality,) to be acceptable to heaven, and meritorious in every point of view, except in that oi deferving eternal life. Page 81, note (*). Tale etiani eft Scoti diftum, quod homo ex purls naturalibus poflit diligere Deum fuper omnia. Funda- mentum enim hujus eft, quod naturalia funt Integra. Sic autem colligit. Homo puellam diligit, quae eft creatura ; fie autem perdite diligit, ut fe et vitam fuam pro ea in difcrimine ponat. Sic mercator diligit opes, t!tquiden> tam impenfe, ut mille mortis periculafubeat, dummodo lucrari aliquid poflet. Si igitur tantura ereaturarum amor eft, quae longe infra Deum funt po- fitae, quanto magis amabit homo Deum, qui fummum bonum eft ? Ergo ex puris naturalibus diligi poteft Deus. Bella confequentia, et digna Franclfcano Monacho ! Lutheri Opera, vol. vi. p- 109. Page 83, note ('). In hac contradlftione perpetua vivit totus papains. ,it omnes Scholts fophijiarum. Nolunt agnofcere fe nihil nifi peccatores efle; fed contendunt, Rationem habere fuum lumen integrum, et fi quid vitii fit in natura, irife- norctti tantum portionem corruptam efle, earn trahi li-^ bidin© NOTES ON SERMON IV. ^93 bidlne et concupifcentia, fed fuperiorem jrorthnem ha- bere inextinguibilem et furam lucem." Lutheri Opera, vol. iii, p. 46a. No tenet of the Schools proved more dffenfive to the Lutherans, who were anxious to ereft their fyftem of faith, not upon a Philofophica],,but Scriptural foun- dation, than that of the integrity of human nature after the tranfgreffion of Adam. " Quod igitur Scho- " laftici dicunt naturalia efle Integra, magna ea blaf- *' phemia eft, quanquam ilia adhuc major eft, quod " etiam de dsemonibus idem judicant. Si enim natu- " raliai eflent integra, quid opus effet Chrifto ? Deinde *' fi homo naturaliter habet bonam voluntatem, ft habet " inielleSlum verum^ cui fe voluntas, ut ipfi loquuntur, " naturaliter poteft conformare ; quid tandem illud, " quod in Paradifo per peecatum amiflum, per foluni " Filium Dei reftitui neceffe fuit ? Et tamen fenten- " tiam banc qulde'm, ut videntur, magiftri theologi " noftra aatate defendunt, quod naturalia funt integra, " id eft, quod voluntas Jit bona, et fi aliquando per ma- " litiam vult aut cogitat aliud, quam quod rectum et " bonum eft, tribuunt id malitt^ hominum, non fimpli- " citer voluntati, Jicut in fe ejl." Lutheri Opera, vol. iii. p. 453. " Ipfi naturae tribuunt, quod ^atise Dei eft, qUod "ferendum non fit. Deinde fecuros faciunt homines, " ne peecatum expurgent. Minuunt etiam myfterii " Chrifti notitiam per hoc, et laudem et amorem Dei, " dum non confiderant effufiffimae gratiae bopitatem " fuper peccatpres expenfam, fed innocentem naturam "faciunt." Id. vol. ii. p. 238. With fuch ideas therefore of man's integrity, the Scholaftics, as MelanShon juftly obferved, conceived the influence of God's Holy Spirit to be fuperfluous ; not^ calculated to purify that, which was before im-' V 3 purci 394 NOTES ON SERMON IV. pure, but fimply exerted to difplay the divine compla- cency in human virtue : " Cenfent philofophi abfolu- " tam virtutem in homine ajfuetudme parari. Contra " divinae literae decent humana omnia poUuta efl'e pec- " cato, nee purgari, nifi Spiritu, quam Chrijlus emeruit " generi bumano Scholse theologorum pbilofo- " phos fecutse, virtutem parari pofle viribus humanis " docent : Spiritum accedere, y^tfeje m nobis jam nojlro " marte purgatis obleSet, non ut fuo numine transformet " ac purget . animos Theologicas vero virtutes, " nequid divino Spiritu relinquant, fingunt alias divi- " nitus in nos efFundi, alias a nobis parari. Deinde " plane ociofas in nobis Jlertere eas, quas divinitus tnjp'i- " ratafunty v'lgere vero, quas nos paravimus" Melanp- thonis Opera, vol. ii. p. 51. " Scilicet obnoxiam feciftis rationem Evangelio, de- " lire Thoma, et tu, fomniator Scote, cum docuiftis " citra divini Spiritus auxilium pojjejingula lethal'm pec- " cata vitari. Agnofcis, Thoma, placitum tuum ? Sic " enim ais ; ' Antequam ratio, in qua eft mortale pecca- ' turn, reparetur per gratiam juftificantem potejl Jingula ' peccata mortalia vitare.' Hoccine eft in Chrifti obfe- *' quium vincire intelle£tum humanum ? Diverfa enim " docuit ille, ut apud Johannem fcriptum eft, cum ait, ' Sine me nihil potejiis facere.' Quae eft igitur infania " docere, quod citra Chrijli fpiritum vitari peccatum " poffit? Tu vero, Occame, delicias quondam noftrae, " quid fentiebas, quum difpUtares, * Gratia opus ejfe " ad jtiftificationem, neque rationem, neque Seripturam, " neque experientiam tejlari ? AignGfcis, opinor, dogma " tuum." Ibid. p. 58. Page 83, note (*). Quifque Monachus banc habet iniaginationem : " Ego per obfervantiam fanSas regulae poffum mereri " gratiam de congruo ; operibus autem, quse poft ac- " ceptam NOTES ON SERMON IV. 295 •" ceptam gratiam facio, tantum meritum accumulare '' poflum, ut non tantum mihi fufBciat pro confequen- ^' da vita reterna, fed etiam hoc aliis communicare '* et vendere poffim." Sic docuerunt et vixerunt om- nes Monachi, Lutheri Opera, vol. v, p, 307. Page 84, note (') . That the Lutherans reprefented the doctrine of con- gruous merit as ftriking at the very root of Chrifti- anity, appears evident from almofl: every page of their writings ; and fufficiently, perhaps, from the extrafts already made. It may neverthelefs be not improper to add one or two more direSly to the point. " Si- " militer Evangelion praedlcat Chriftum Salvatorem " nojlrum ; id audiunt et recipiunt. At dogmatis fuis " juxta inventis evacuant, et annihilant omnia propria *' Chrifti opera et beneficia, dum docent, homines ex *' viribus et operibus naturae gratiam poDTe mereri. *' Hoc dogmate fane Chriflum rejiciunt cum omn'bus ope- " ribus fuis ; id quod de eis Petrus praedixit in pofte- *^ riore Epiftola, capite fecundo, ubi ait, ' Surgent in ' vobis faifi doftores, qui Deum negabunt, qui ipfos ■ redemit.' Nam fi natura J'uo marte poteft gratiam " mereri, quod modo omnes Academiae, Collegia, et " Coenobia, uno ore cum Papa fentiunt, et docent, " Cbrtftus profedo frujlra et natus et mortuus ejl. Ad " quid enim fanguinem fuum profudiffet, ad prome- " rendum nobis gratiam, fi ipfam viribus natures poffe- " mus confequi ?" Poftillae Majores Lutheri, p. 153. " Finge, inquam, ^VLoAfactendo, quod in te eji, acqui- " ras gratiam, fis juftus, habeas Spiritum. Unde ? Rx " meriio eongrui ? Ergo non opus babes Chrifto,fed. tibi " ociofus et gratis mortuus eJi. , • . . " Hoc ftante, neceflario fequitur Chriftum gratis " effe mortuum. Quid enim homo opus habet Chrif- " to, qui amet eum, et tradat feipfum pro eo, cum Jim. u 4 " Chrifto agS NOTES ON SERMON IV. " Chrifto per meritum congruipoflit confequi gratiam. ♦' Et deinde bene operari, et vitam seternam de con- " digno mererij aut certe faciendo legem, juftificari ? " Tollatur ig'ttur Chrijlus cum omnibus leneficiis fuis, quta " omnino ociofus eji. At cur Chriftus nalcitur, crucifi- " gitur, moritur ? Cur fit Pontifex meus diligens, et " tradens injeftimabilem hoftiam, feipfam, pro me? " Cur ifta omnia facit ? Simpliciter frujira, fi ratio jufti- " ficationis, quam fophiftse tradunt, vera eft ; quia in " lege aut in me juftitiam invenio extra gratiam et " Chrijium." Opera Lutheri, vol. v, p. 323. The fame fentiment likew^ife not only occurs in the Apology of the Auglbourgh Confeffion, but is thus repeated in the Articles of Smalcald, drawn up by Lu- ther, and figned by the German Reformers in the year 1537- " Talia et fimilia portenta orta funt ex infcitia *' et ignorantia peccati, et Chrifti Servatoris noftri ; " funtque vere et mere Ethnica dogmata, quae tolerari " non poffumus. Si enim ifta approbahtur, Chrijlus "frujira mprtuus eJi, cum nullum peccatum et dam- " num fit in homine, pro quo mori eum oportuerit ; " aut folummodo pro corpore mortuus diceretur, non " pro anima, quandoquidem anima prorfus Jana^ et fo- '* lum corpus morti obnoxium perhibetur." Liber Concordiee, p. 318. ed. 1606. Page %6, note {^°). 1 This propofition, generally expreffed in the fame terms, and always conveying the fame meaning, perpe- tually occurs in the controverfies of Luther. Even be- fore his celebrated difputation with Eccius, be at- tempted to bring it forward to public notice. In the year 15 16, v^hile his name was yet unknown in the world at large, he introduced it into a logical queftion upon the powers and will of man ; " Homo, quando •' facit quod in fe eft, peccat," was a corollary in his fecond NOTES ON SERMON IV. 297 fecond conclufion xipbn the fubjefi. Quseftio de viri- bus et voluntate hominis fine gratia. Opera, vol. i. P-51- Tage 87, note ("). See note 5. " Sed et ipfum Dom. Doftorem crftdo " id ipfum aflerere, quod gratia et peccatum apud Scho- " lafi'icos immediate opponuntur ." Lutheri Opera, vol. i. p. 387. Fage 88, note ("). " At ego prorfus nullum haheo medium inter peccatum " et gratiam. Sicut nee Chriftus, quando dicit, ' Qui ' non eft mecum, contra me eft.' Et iterum, * Aut fa- ' cite arborem bonam, aut facite arborem malam.' Ibid. Upon this point the Lutherans argued, not only that our nature is finful, heeaufe impure, (" peccatum figni- ** ?ica.t .... vitiof am naturam" Opera Lutheri, vol, i. p. 449. Mel. Difput.) l)ut that eonfequently our ac- tions alfo are finful, becaufe equally impure and im- perfeft. And here they ufually realbned from the de- fers in our beft virtues : " Si jujlus in gratia non po- " teft facere bonum, quin Jimul peicct, quanto magis' " hijujlus non facit bonum P At per hoc conclndo, aut " bonum aut malum eflTe a<£tum hominis quemcunque,' " nee dari aSum medium et neutrum." Opera Lutheri,' vol. 1. p. 300. " Ut iterum ad Articulum Haffiticum ** ConftantisB damnatum redeam ; quantus error eft ac- " turn neutrum et non malum inveniri dicere, quando " aftus juftorum non eft juftificabilis coram Deo ? " QuibuS refte illud Jerem. xlix. dici poteft ; ' Ecce, ' quibus judicium non erat, ut biberent, bibentes bi- ' bent. Et tu innocens eris. Non eris innocens.' Et " I Pet. iv. 4. ' Si juftus vix falvabitur, peecator et' * impius ubi parebant V " Et vide monjlra, qviJe fequuntur. Impio extra gra- ^' tiam^^ \\i fuo opere bono^ tribuunt nee veniale peccd- " turn, 298 NOTES ON SERMON IV. " turn, ied folummodo non merit orium, cum hie jufio '/ in opere bono tribuatur adeo peccatum, ut, Ji judtcio " Dei ftjlatur, non poffit juftificari, (hoc eft mortale et- *^ damnabile) . Quanta ergo magis impii opera bona " ftint damnabilia et mortalia, nequaquam neutralia feu " media." Oper. Luth. vol. i. p. 303. It fhould be recoUefiled, that the precife objeft of this controverfy was not to afcertain what man is en- titled to, or what he is capable of efFe£ting with the aids of Chriftianity, but what his claims and abilities are without them. In this exa£t point of view the Schools had always confidered iti Hence, when the Lutherans argued, that our nature and aftions are alike finful, they contemplated both, as eftimated out qf Cbriftianity, according to the juft judgment of a figh-. teous God, " who is of purer eyes than to behold ini- « quity." "Cur" (Chriflus) « ifta omnia facit ? Sim- *' pliciter fruftra, fi ratio juftificationis, quam fophiftaa. " tradunt, vera eft ; quia in lege aut in me juftitiam " invenio extra gratiam et Chrijlum." Opera Lutheri, vol. v. p. 3aa. " Ilium fyllogifmum Apoftoli dignutn " eft perpendere, ' Si per legem juftitia, 8tc.' cum fi- " ducia pronunciat, aut Chriftum efle mortuum, (quod " eft fumma blafphemia in Deum,) aut per legem " nihil nifi peccatum haberi. Nam illi proml a facris " Uteris arcendi funt, qui diftin£lionibus e fuo cerebro " di&proraiis, juftitiam aliam moralem, aliam Jidei, et ne- " fcio quas alias ad theologiam afferunt. " Habeat fane civilis res fuam juftitiam, philofephi " fuam, et quicunque fuam. Nos oportet hie juftitiam " ad intelleftum Scripturae accipere, quam Apoftolus " plane negat efle, nifi per.Jidem Jefu Chrijii. . « . . Ne " ergo in theologia juftitiam vocaveris, quod extra Jidem " Chrijii fuerit." Id. vol. v. p. 233. « Difputabant quidem" (viz. Scholaftici) " de peccato " origi-. NOTES ON SERMON IV. 299 " orjginis, fed dicebant in baptifmo fublatum efle ; et " extra baptifmum in naiura lumen ejfe reliquum, quod li *' quis fequatur, dari infallibiliter gratiam." Id. vol.iii. p. 465. " Quod fi is non juftificabitur in judicio Dei, " qui fervus Dei eft, nee omnes viventes, inter quos " necefle eft fanftiffimos aliquot efle, fi Ecclefiam *' fandtam fanfiorum communionem in terris vivere " credimus, qui tamen legem non implent; qualis putas " furor eft eorum, qui citra gratiam et extra Ecclejiam " infaniunt legem pofle impleri ex naturalibus viribus, ^' quoad totam fubftantiam faffi, licet non ad inten- *' tionem prsecipientis." Id. vol. i.,p. 303. But while they pointed out the infufficiency of ;fallen man to perform, without Chriftianity, a fervice meritorioufly acceptable to Almighty God, they with- held not from him a freedom of will, (or rather a natural jcompetency,) in the external difcharge of every moral .obligation : " Neque vero adimimus humanse voluntati " libertatem. Habet humana voluntas libertatem in ■" operlbus et rebus deligendis, qTias ratio per fe compre- " hendit. Poteft aliquo modo effi.cerejuftitiam civilem.,feu ■ " jujlitiam operum, Poteft loqui de Deo, exhibere Deo ** certum cultum externo opere, obedire magiftratibus, ** parentibus, in opere externo eligendo. Poteji conti- f nere marms a cade, ah adulteria, afurto. Cum reliqua " fit in natura hominis ratio et judicium de rebus fen- ^' fui fubjectis, reliquus eft etiam deleftus earum rerum, " et libertas, et facultas efficiendae juftitiae civilis. Id *' enim vocat Scripturajuftitiam carnis,quam natura car- " nalis, hoc eft, ratio, per fe efficit fine Spiritu San6to."^ Apolog. Confefl". p. 58. When therefore they denied the liberty of the will, they meant to deny, that it pof- .fefles the power of obtaining, independently of Chrifti- ,anity, the remiffion of fins, and eternal life. .*'. Hsec /' tot ac tam multiplicia niala, ex peccato per Satanam *' enata,. 300 NOTES ON SERMON IV. " enata, ifti non vident, qui liberum arbitrium deferi- " dunt. Etfi enlm ratio Imperare Jibi potejl, ne confett- " hat omnibus cupiditatibus, quod attinet ad externum " opus, ftspe enim cohibet, fi^pe moderatur viiiofos impe- " ius, id enim nifi aliquo modo in nobis effet pofitura, " quas legum politiearum, quae difciplinse effet utilitas, " quam tamen tantopere divinitus commendari vide- *' mus, (at docet experientia earn fasne Jolam efficere, ne " omnes pdriter in cades, adulteria, et alia vitia prolaba- " mur;) tamen inde eflSici non poteft, quod fit arbi- " trium liberum, hoc eft, quod homo Jine Spiritu SanSo *'■ fe guberhare reSfe facere, ac Deo commendare pqffit ; id " quod caput ejl, de quo liberi arbitrii defenfores pugnanti " Nam ipfa concupifcentia peccatum eft, nee eft otiofa, " fed perpetuo contra legem Dei folicitat animos. *' Vere igitur nihil boni eft, fi non per Spiritum Sano- " tum prius corda fide purificata, et per remifllionem *' pecoatorum nobifcum nata iniquitas fublata fuerit. "" Atqui hac nojira ratio ejl, quod liberum arbitrium diet- " mus nullum ejfe, ac defendimus nihil effe boni, nee *' pofle ab homine aliquid boni fieri, nifi Spiritus Sanc- " tus eum regeneret. Sicut Ecclefia egregie profeS;o •' canit de Spiritu ; ' Sing tuo Numine nihil eft in ho- ' mine, nihil eft innoxium.' Etfi enim externam difbi- " plinam, quse in arbitrio hominis aliquo modo pofita *' eft, Deus exigit et probat, tamen hac non liberanwr 'a . " morte, non commendamur a DeOf ut remittal peccata, et " esternam vitdm donet, Contingunt haec tantum fide- *' ex merito Filii Dei, qui pro peccatis nofiris Jua morte " fatisfecit." Luttferi Opera, vol. iv. p. ^^^. PageSg, note (^'). Vidi multos non Epicureos, qui, cum eflent in ali- quo mcerore propter fuos lapfus, difputabamt, quomodo fperelii me recipi, cum non fentiam in me transfundi novam lucem et novas virtutes ? Pr-aeterea fi nihil agit liberum NOTES ON SERMON IV. 301 liberum arbitrium, interea, donee fenfero fieri illam re- generationem, de qua dicitis, indulgebo diffidentiae, et aliis vitiofis afFeftibus. Hisc Mankhaa tmaginatio hor- rible mendacium eft ; et ab hoc errore mantes abducen- dae funtj et docendae, agere aliquid liberum arbitrium. Loci Theologicij de libera Arbitrio, p. 93, 93. Page 90, note ('*). The paffage referred to is in a Preface to the firft volume of his works, dated in the year 1545. In that very year likewife appeared the laft amended edition of the Loci Communes Theologici. The following are the words of Luther : " Multum diuque reftiti il- *' lis, qui meos libros, feu verius confufiones mearum " lucubrationum, voluerant editas ; tumque nolui an- " tiquorum labores meis novitatibus obrui, et ledtorem " a legendis illis impediri, tumque nunc Dei gratia *' extent methodici libri quamplurimi, inter quos Loci ** Communes Pbilippi excellunt, quibus thealogus et epi~ " fcQpus pulchre et abunde Jirmari potejl, ut Jit potens iri \' fermone doSrina pietatis,. prasfertim cum ipfa facra *' biblia nunc in omni prope lingua haberi poffint, " Mei autem libri, ut ferebat, imo cogebat, rerum ge- " rendarum nullus ordo, ita etiam ipfi flut quoddam " rude et indigeftum chaos, quod nunc nee mihi ipfi " fit facile digerere. " His rationibus adduSus, cupiebam omues libros *' meos perpetua oblivione fepultos, ut melioribus effet " loeus." In the fame preface alfo he thus bears pub- lic teftimony to the general utility of Melanfthon's labours : '' Eodem anno jam M. Philippus Melanfthon *' a Principe Frederico vocatus hue fuerat ad docendas *' literas Grsecas, haud dubie ut haberem focium labo- ** ris in theologia. Nam quid operatus fit Dominus *' pa- hoc arganum^ non in Uteris tantum^ fed in theolo~ 303 NOTES ON SERMON IV. " gia, fat'is tejlantur ejus opera, etiamfi irafcatur Satan^ " et omnes fquamae ejus." The early opinions of Luther and Melan6thon upon the do6trine of Necefiity have been already adverted to in Serm. I. note 31. Harfti, however, as occafion- ally appear to have been the eixpreffions of the former upon this head, his followers pertinacioufly contend, that even the harflieft cannot, with propriety, be con- ftrued into a fenfe favourable to the Calviniftical fyf- tem. See Pet. Haberkornii Solida et Neceffaria Vin- dicatio Lib. Art. Luther. Thofe of the latter, in the firfl; editions of his Lo'ci Theologici, although occur- ring but in one or two inftances, were neverthelefs ftill more ofTenfive, and lefs capable of a mitigated inter- pretation. So far indeed did they carry the do£trine of divine Predetermination, as to degrade man to a level with the brutes : " Poftremo libertatem hominJ " adimit divina Prjedeftinatio. Eveniunt enim omnia "juxta dvuinam pradejlinationem, cum externa opera, " turn internte cagitatnnes in omnibus ereaturis." Ed, 1535- Without entering into the general queftion, which: would lead me too far from the objeS; at prefent in Contemplation, it may be proper to obferve, that even at the period alluded to Luther denied not either the refiftibility of grace, or, in a certain fenfe, the coope- ration of the human mind. The firfl; feems evident from the following and other fimilar paffages, in his early compofitions : " Spirituals fabbatifmus, quern; " Deus in hoc prsecepto putavit, eft, ut non folum la- " bores et opificia omittamus, fed multo magis, ut per- " mittamus duntaxat Deum in nobis operari, nihil pro- *' prie in omnibus noftris viribus operantes. Id ver6 "jam non niiti evenit otioj. fed hie vis facienda eft " naturae.. NOTES ON SERMON IV. 303. ^* naturae,, et permittendum ut ei vis fiat." Opera, vol. V. p. 593. " Ut ita prorfus fpirkualem fabbatifmum ce- ** lebremus, vacantes a noftris operibus, et permittentes " Deum in nobis operari." Ibid. p. 593. " Sed ut " fabbatura fanftifices, mortuus fis ac fepultus,y?«fl/^ " que Deum in te operari." Vol. iii. p. 172. Here, while the mind is fuppofed to be paflive during the a£t of forming a difpofition to holinefs, a kind of aftivity is maintained in fubmitting itfelf to fuch an operation. The fecond point perhaps is no lefs cleMprom the very work, which fome confider as purpofely written to prove the contrary. In the tra£t " De fervo Arbi- " trio," compofed by way of anfwer to an attack of Erafmus, under the ^k: of " Diatribe, five de libero *' Arbitrio," after noticing his opponent's argument upon the cooperation of the human mind with divine grace, expreffed in various fimilitudes, Luther adds, " Bed' dentur adhuc eadem opera et Deo et homini, " quid efficiunt iftae fimilitudines ? Nihil, nifi quod *' creatura operanti Deo cooperatur. At nunquid nos •' de cooperatione nunc difputamus, ac non potius de " propria vi et operatione liberi arbttrti P , . . . Sed non " opexatur in nobis Jine nobis, ut quos ad hoc creavit " et fervavit, ut in nobis operaretur, et nos ei cooperare- " mur, five hoc fiat extra regnum fuum generali omni- " potentia, five intra regnum fuum Jlngulari viriute Spi- " ritus fui." Opera, vol. ii. p. 474. In what fenfe Erafmus underftood this paflage, his reply, publiftied under the title of Hyperafpiftas Diatribes, puts beyond a doubt: "Ego," he remarks, "nihil tribui libero " arbitrio, nifi quod fe praebet gratias pulfanti, quod "cooperatur gratia operanti, et quod ah utraque fe poteji " avertere; femper excipio fingularem Dei voluntatem, " qui poteft ex caufis incognitis vi rapere, quocunque " velit. Haec eadem fatetur Auguftinus, et tamen po- " nit 304 NOTES ON SERMON IV. " nit liberum arbitrium, et illi tribuit aftionem. Idem "fatetur Laitberus." Opera Erafmij vol. x. p. 1480. ed. Lug. Bat. 1705. But, more accurately to comprehend the fentiments of Luther, we muft previoufly underftand the fpecific point in difpute. This may be eafily collefted from the following Scholaftical quotation : " Ordine natu- " rae talis difpofitio prsecedit gratiam; quod autem du- " ratione fimul fint talis difpofitio et gratia, patet fie, ** ficut eitiin operibus natures, in quibus Deus principa- " liter operatur dando formam, licet agens naturdle co- " operetur d'tfponendo materiam, fie eft in operibus gra- " tia, in quibus Deus principaliter operatur dando gra~ *' ttam, licet liberum arhiiriwMkBOO^txetav difponendo " fubje£iu7n vel materiam ; fed in praediSis operibus na- '' tursB videmusj quod difpofita materia per agens na- *' turale ultima difpofitione flatim a Deo introdueitur '' forma, (ut patet in generatione hominis,) ergo in " juftificatione peccatoris, quod eft opus gratiae, in quo " liberum arbitrium cooperatur Deo, (dicente Auguf- " tino, ' qui creavit te fine te non te, &c.') pofi'ta ulti- " ma difpofitione per aftum liberi arbitrii ftatim a Deo " infanditur gratia, quae eft forma juftiffcationis.". Du- randus de S. Porciano. In Lib. Sentent, lib. iv. diftinft.- 17. quseft. I. Here the preparation of the fubjeft- matter for the reception of the form is diftinilly af- figned to free will alone, which is thus faid to contri- bute by its own exertions a neceffary requifite. This fole efficiency of free wilLLuther exprefsly oppofed,. fre- quently recalling the attention of his adverfary to the Only objeft of debate ; an efiSciency, which (as be con- ceived) renders divine cooperation fuperfluous ; merely granted, " ut fuperbia liberi z.rh\trn, per Jefefaiis robujli, " gratia, velut fuperfluo ornamento, diebus Bacchana- " libus geftiat et ludat." Vol. ii. p. 475. de fervo Arbi- trio. NOTES ON SERMON IV. 305 trio. " Si enim liberum arbitrium de folo non poteft " velle bonum, {loquhnur enim de libera arlitrio, feclufa " gratia, et utriufque propriam quesrimus vim) quis non " videt folius gratiee effe bonam illam voluntatem, " meritum et prasmium ?" Ibid. p. 453. " Quid vera " dicit, quod homo adjutus Dei auxilio poffit operibus " moralibus fefe praparare P Difputamufne de divino " auxilio, vel de libera arbilrio P Quid enim non fit " poffibile divino auxilio P" Ibid. p. 469. With the rejection therefore of all felf-energy in free will thus to prepare itfelf to grace, the contro- verfy properly terminated. But a fubfequent queftion arofe of a ftill more intricate defcription. Is the dif- pofition to good produced wholly by grace, or con- jointly with the operation of the human mind ? This implicated enquiry, foreign to, the fubjeft, was firft in- .troduced into it (not by the Lutherans themfelves, but their mod formidable opponent, the wily Eccius,) in the 'celebrated difputation of the year 151 9. In an epiftle written at the time, Melan£thon thus alludes to the circumftance : " Itaque die 37 menfis Junii, " congrediuntur Johannes Eccius et Caroloftadius, De " libero arbitrio propofitum eft, ' An fit aliquod nobis * au'Saipsrov bonum opus,' hoc eft, ut ipfi dicunt, ' An ' de congruo mereamur gratiam, cum facimus quod in ' nobis eft.' Utor enim ipforum verbis. Hoc cum " agi deberet, vide quorfum contentione fapti fint, et " in quos fcopulos impegerint. Agi debebat quid "per fefe citra gratiam poffit voluntas noftra. Ipfi' " quseftionem alio rapiunt, et quatuor credo continuos " dies in eo difceptant, ' An voluntas tantum recipiat ' bonum opus, ipfumque bonum fola efficiat gratia.' " In has fymplegadas coegerunt caufam, non ita mul- '* turn neqeflarias, et plane alienas ab inflituto Carolo- X "fladiir 5o6 NOTES ON SERMON IV. "Jiadii." Melan£l:. Epift. in Oper. Lutheri, vol. i. !>• 337- When Luther indeed touched upon this point, he certainly feemed to fupport the propofition, that the a6fc of volition was folely derived from grace. At the fame time however, it fliould be particularly obferved, that he held the power of admitting or rejefting this operative principle to be vefted in the mind of man, as well as that of cooperating with it in the produfliion of every Chriftian virtue. On the firft head the paf- fages already quoted leave us no room to doubt his meaning. Upon the fecond, the following feem equal- ly explicit. " Sabbatifmus autem, ut, operibus nof- " tris ceflantibus, Deus folus operetur, perficitur duo- " bus modis. Primo fer nojlram propriam exerciiatio~ " nem, fecundo per alienam externamque exercitatio- " nem, vel agitationem. Nojlram igitur exercitatio- " nem fie oportet efle inftitutam et inftruftam,, ut pri- " mo videntes quo fit noftra caro intenta, noftrique " fenfus, voluntas, et cogitationes nos irritent, eis re- " Jtjiamus ac minime obfequemur." Opera, vol. v. p. 592. " Duplex eft juftitia Chriftianorum, ficut et duplex " peccatum eft hominum. Prima eft aliena et ab ex- " tra infufa Secunda juftitia eft nojira et propria, " non quod nos folv operemur eam, fed quod cooperemur " llli primae et alienae. Haec nunc eft ilia converfatlo " bona in operibus bonis ; primo, in mortificaiione carnis " et crucifixione concupifcentiarum erga J'eipjum, ficut " Galat. v. ' Qui autem furit Chrifti carnem fuam ' crucifixerunt cum vitiis et concupifcentiis.' Secundo, " et in caritate erga proximum- Tertio, et in bumilitate " ac timore erga Deum. De quibus plenus eft Apofto- " lus et omnis Scriptura. Breviter autem omnia ad *' Titum ii. comprehendit, dicens, ' Sobrie, i^quoad fe- ' iitfum NOTES ON SERlViON IV. 307 * tpfum in carnis crueifixhne,) it jvfie^ [(}ii6ad ptes^imitm,) ' et pie, {quoad Dmnt,) •nivOmus in, hoc feeulo." Opera, vol. i. p. 69. But as the fubtle and perplexing turn, which this bontrovterfy firft aflumed in the public difputation with Eccius, ceafed with the Hyperafpiftss of ErafieMS irr the year 1527, aild was riot revived among the Luther- ans until after the sera when our Articles were Com- poftd, it appears not neceflary to ttaCe it mor& |ni- nutely. It feetns only of importance to ftate what was confidered to be the Lutheran opinion upon the point, between the two periods alluded to ; upon the fingle point, whether the cooperation of free will with grace affifted in forming the difpofltion itfelf to good, or only in producing its effects. In no eftablifhedi code of doftrines was the queftion dire£tly alluded to, but, when occafionally hinted at, apparently viewed in a light different from that, in which Luther had pre- vlou'fly placed it. The firft flight reference to it oc- curred in the Articles compofed for the Vifitation of the Saxon Churches, in which it was faid, " Non " enim deleiStatiir Deus ifla vitafe feritate quorUndarli, ** qui cum audierint non juftificari nos viribus et operi- " btis, fomniant fe velle expeSiari, a Deo donee trahantuTf " interea vivunt impuriffime ; hi maximas poenas da- " bant Deo." Art. de Lege. In the Augfbourgh Con- fefBon the fame hint is lefs obfcurely, if not diftin6tly, given ; which, after ftating that the human will rfe- tains a certain liberty in moral aftions, adds, " Sed f' non habet vim Jine Spiritu Sandio efSciendae juflitiae " Dei, feu juftitisE fpirituali?j i Cor. ii. 14. * Chiia ' animalis homo non percipit ea, quae funt Spiritus ' JDei ;' fed haec fit in cordibus, citm per verbuik Spiritus' " San£lus condpitur '," Art. iS'. implying, th^t wi/A the Holy Spirit it is competent jointly to efeSt what, X 2, without 3o8 NOTES ON SERMON IV. •without fuch an aid, would prove impoffible. And again, in a paragraph quoted from St. Auftin ; " Effe " fatemur liberum arbitrium omnibus hominlbus, ha- " bens quidem judicium rationis, non per quod.fit ido- " neum in iis, quae ad Deum pertinent, Jine Deo cut " incboare cut certe peragere;" contending, that free will cannot either begin, or {if it can begin) at leaji not complete, a good work. But while we admit, that the fuppofed idea in thefe paffages is not fully explained, we may furely argue, that the tendency of them is too obvious to efcape obfervation. Although, however, in a formulary of faith, Melanfilhon (the author of both the preceding produ6lions) might have thought it neceflary to avoid a complete declaration of his mean- ing, yet he afterwards became explicit upon the point, in a work exprefsly comppfed for public infl;ru£tion, the correfted edition of his Loci Theologici ; a work, generally efteemed at the period under our confidera- tion, as of the greateft authority among the Lutherans, and one, as I have obferved, of which Luther himfelf fpoke in terms of high commendation. In the chap- ter De Libero Arbitrio, the doflrine of Synergifm in converfion (as fuch a cooperation has ufually been denominated) is thus openly avowed : " De aftio- " nibus fpiritualibus quaeritur. p. 89. Sciendum eft " autem, Spiritum Sanctum eiEcacem efle per vocem " Evangelii auditam feu cogitatam, ut Galat. iii, dici- " tur, ' Ut promiffionem Spiritus accipiamus per fi- ' dem ;' ac fape diftum eft, cogitantes de Deo opor- " tere ordiri a verbo Dei, non quEerere Deum line fuo " verbo. . Cumque ordimur a verbo, hie concurrunt tres " caufa bona aSionis, verbum Dei, Spiritus SanSus, et " humana voluntas, affenttens nee repugnans verbo Dei. " Poffet enim excutere, ut excutit Saul fua fponte. " Sed cum mens audiens ac fuftentans non repugnat, *' non NOTES ON SERMON IV. 309 " non Indulget diffidentlae, fed, adjuvante etiam Spiritu " Sanfto, conatur ajjentiri, in hoc certamine voluntas " non ejl atiofa. " Veteres dixerunt^ praecedente gratia, comitante vo- " luntate, bona opera fieri. Sic et Bafilius inquit, //-oVov " S-eA^o-ov, xal 0£oy ■ujpoa.Tta.vTa, ' tantum velis, et Deus ' praeoccurrit.' Deus antevertit nos, vocat, movet, ad- "juvat, fed nos viderimus, ne repugnemus. Conftat " enim peccatum oriri a nobis non a voluntate Dei. " Chryfoftomus inquit, Jg ^Xnoov, rov ^sXafjisvov sKxa. " Sicut et in illo ipfo loco Joan, dicitur, ' Omnis qui ' audit a Patre et dlfcit, veniet ad me.' Difcere jubet; " id eft, audire verbum, non repugnare, fed ajfentirt " verba Dei, non indulgere diffidentieB." p. 91, 93. Such was the explication of this point, which he gave in his laft corrected edition of 1545. Fearing, how- ever, that he might ftill be mifunderftood, he after- wards inferted the paflage quoted in the pTeceiteag note, and the following : " Si tantum expefitanda effet " ilia infafio qualitatum, fine ulla noftra aBione, ficut " Enthujiajlee et Manitbai jiwcerunt, nihil opus eflet " minifterio Evangelico, nulla etiam lufta in animis '^ eflet. Sed inftituit Deus minifterium, ut vox acci- " piatur, ut promiffionem mens cogitet et ampleSa- '^ tur, et dum repugnamus difEdentiEe, Spiritus Sandlus "Jimul in nobis fit efficax. " Sic igitur illis, qui cejfationem fuam excufant, qui " putant nihil agere liberum arlitrium, refpondeo ; imo " mandatum I^ei seternum et immotum eft, ut voci *' Evangelii obtempereSj ut Filiura Dei audias, ut ag- " nofcas Mediatorem. Quam tetra funt haec peccata, *' nolle afpicere donatum generi humanp Mediatorem Fi- "lium Dei ? Non fojfum, inquies. Imo aliquo modo '^ potes ; et cum te voce Evangelii fuftentas, adjuvari' " te a Deo petito, et fcito velle Deum hoc ipfo modo X 3 " nos 310 NOTES ON SERMON IV. *' nos convertere, cum promiflione excitati luSfamur " nohifcum, invocamus, et refugnamus dtffidentia mflra^ " et aliis vitiofts affeSiibus. Ideo veteres aliqui fie dixe- " runt, liberum arbkrium in homine facultatem ejfe appli- " candi fe ad gratiam, id eft, audit promiffionem, et af- " fentiri conakir, et abjicit peccata contra conjcientiavh " Talia non fiuiit in diabolis, Difcrimen igitur inter " diabolos et genus humanum confideretur. Fiunt ** auteiti haec illuftriora confiderata pronjiffione. Cum " promiflio fit univerfaUsj nee fint in Deo contraries vo- " hintates, necefle efl:, in nobis eJfe aliquant dijcriminis '*' caufamy cur Sdul abjiciatur, David recipiatur, id eft, " necefle eft, aliquam eJfe aifionem diffimilem ifi his duo- " bus." p. 93, 94. Thefe quotations require no com- ment. And that they are folely confined to the ac- tion of the hjiiman will, while converting froih evil, and not while perfevering in good, is manifeft not only rfrom their general conftru£i:ion, but from that which immediately follows : " Prseterea, Ji de tofa vita " piorum hquamur, etfi eft ingens imbecillitas, tamen " aliqua eft libertas voluntatis, cum quidem jam a Spi- " ritu San6lo adjuvetur, &c." That the doftrine of Contingency was fully aflerted in all the later editions of this work, will be ftiewn in Serm. VII. note 15. Extrafts of a fimilar defcription might be eafily ad- duced from the other writings of Melanfthon ; but the above perhaps may be fufficiently convineing. I Ihall however add another from an Expofition of the Nicene Creed, fent by Melanfthon to Cranmer in the year I55°> which is exprefled in temis too unequivocal to ]?e miftaken : " Adverfus Manichaeos haec fundamenta " tenenda funt omnes homines fojje converti ad *^ Deum, nee voluntatemfe habere pure pajjive,fed aliqua " Tmdo aSive, at affentiri pojje Deo trahenti." Opera, vol. i. p. 415. To NOTES ON SERMON IV. 311 To be perfuaded that the fentiments of the Loci Theologici were thofe of the Lutheran Church at the time, it will be only neceflary to read the following declaration of Melandlhon himfelf upon this very fub- jefitj in anfwer to the calumnies of Flaccius, who had accufed him of having corrupted the doftrine of Lu- ther : " Quod vero clamitat Flaccius Illyricus, et doc- *' trinam mutari, et reftitui cserenionias quafdam aboll- " tas, primum de doSrina refpondebo. Palam refutat " banc calumniam vox omnium docentium in Eccle- " fiis noftris, et in SchoHs. Ac ne longa aut obfcurd. " fit refponfio, de univerfa do6trina fentio, quod fcripfi " in eo libro, qui in multorum manibus eft, titulo Lo- " corum Theologiesrum, in quo non volui novum doftri- '' nse genus conftituere, fed jideliter collegt doiirinam " cammunem harum ■ Ecclejiarum, ^ute amflexa funt con- " foffionem esobibitam Imperatori anno 153O5 quam feri- " tentiam judico effe perpetuam Ecclefise Catholicae " doftrinam, ac volo dextre, et fine fophiftica, et fine " calumniis, intelligi id fcriptum. '' Et quantum mihi confcius fum, non Audio diflTen- " tiendi ab aliis, ijon amore novitatis, non fiXovsiMoci " aut ulla alia prava cupiditate impulfus fum, ut illam 'f epitomen coUigereni. Sed tempora occafionem prae-. " buerunt. Cum in prima infpeSione Ecclejiaruni" (viz. anno 1527.) " comperiflenius admodum dijjmos clamo- " res effe ineruditorum de multis rebus, fummam doc- " trinsEi quam Lutherus in diverfis et interpretationum " et concionum voluminibus tradidit, tanquam in unum " corpus redadtam edidi, et qusefivi genus verborum, ^' quo ad proprietatem, quse ad perfpicuitatem et con- " cordiam utilis eft, difcentes affuefierent, acfemfer om- " nia fcripta judicio Ecclijite nojlrce et ipjius Lulberi per- " miji ; de multis quajlionihus etiam dijerte fcij'citatus fum " Lutherum, quid fentiret, ac multi pagellarum t/larum X 4 " exempla 3ia NOTES ON SERMON IV. " exempla adhuc hahent." Epift. Lond. p. 134. Indeed fo generally was this faft admitted at the exa£t sera, in which our Articles were compofed, that when Oli- arlder attempted to propagate a novel opinion upon Juftification, all his colleagues oppofed it upon the principle, that neceffarily it could not be confident with the doctrine of Luther, becaufe contrary to that of Melanfthon. " Andreas Ofiander, quern in Pruf- " fiam iviffe diximus, novum hoc tempore dogma pro- " ponit, .... fuaeque fententiae Lutherum etiam fulfl& " dicit. Reliqui vero theologi collegse fortiter oppug- " nant, deque Luthero falfum effe dicunt, qui non ita " multis menfibus ante mortem de libro Philippi Me- " lanfthonisj quo facras Scripturse Loci traftantur " Communes, praeclarum et amplum reliquiffet in pri- '' mi tomi prasfatione teftimonium. Quicm ergo Phi- " lifpum mvadat, Lutherum quoque fih'i facere adfuerfa-^ " rium, quod idem ambo fentiant." Sleidani Comment, ann. 1551. On the whole, therefore, it feems certain, that the Lutherans at every period maintained the refiftibility of grace, , and a. cooperation of tlie mind with it, after a previous converfion of heart, in the produc- tion of genuine holinefs ; and that, when their Creed began to be fettled, they admitted likewile a coopera- tion during the adl of converfion itfelf ; for fuch a te- net was avowedly embraced in a work, purpofely drawn up to comprife an unfophifticated explication of their faith, by the author of their public Confeffion, and as fuch univerfally received and ftudied. It ftiould be added, that, when our Articles were com- pofed, the Loci Theologici fiill remained in the high- eft credit ; and that, although the Lutherans at a much later tera chofe to rejeft its authority, upon the; very topic under confideration, and revert' to th^ idea of a pure NOTES ON SERMON IV. 313 ^ure paflivity in converfion ;! to the ideaj that the hu- man will, although not inaftive, contributed nothing towards the formation of the aft itfelf ; yet their very re- jedion of itfatisfa&orlly proved the nature of that doc- trine, which they conceived it to inculcate. Let it not however be fuppofed, that becaufe they denied, in a very important point of view, the agency of the human will, they on that account were difpofed to patronife the Calviniftical fyftem of Predeftination. On the con- trary, they beheld it with abhorrence; nor did they fcruple to exprefs tlieir difapprobation of it in lan- guage, which a modern Arminian would fcarcely ad- optj or a modern Calvinift endure. Page 91, note ('^). Deinde, ut palam fiat quam longe aberraverint a ve- ritate coeci ifti et coecorum duces, et quam ifta fua im- pia et blafphema do£trina non fohim obfcuraverint, fed Jimpliciter fujlulennt Evangelium et Cbrijium obrtterint. Si enim ego exiftens in peccato mortali poffum facere aliquod opufculum, quod non folum fecundum fubftan- tjam fit gratum Deo, fed etiam poflSt mereri gratiam de congruo, et ubi habuero gratiam, poflTum facere opera fecundum gratiam, id eft, deledlionem, et acqui- rere de jure aeternam vitam, quid jam opus ejl mihi gra- tia Dei, remijjione feccatorum, promiffione morte et viSio- ria Chrifti P Chrijlus jam flane mihi oliofus ejl ; habeo enim liberum arbitrium, et vires faciendi bonuni opus, per quod gratiam mereor de congruOj et poftea seter- nam vitam de condigno^ .... Quare cum Paulo in toto negamus meritum congrui et condign!, et certa fiducia . pronunciamus, ifl:as fpeculationes efle mera ludibria Sa- tanse, nunquamfaBa aut exemplis ojienfa, Nemini enim unquam dedit Deus gratiam et vitam Jeternam pro merito congrui et condigni. Sunt ergo illae difputa- tationes Scholafticorum de merito congrui et condigni tantum 3T4 NOTES ON SERMON IV. iantum inania Jigmenta et fpeculabilia hominum oti^forum fomnia de rebus nihili. Sitper qua tamen univerfus pa- pains fundatus eji, et adhuc hodie his nititur. Opera Lutherj, vol. v. p. 307. Ea enim inaniffima fomnia homines fecuri, qui nullis unquam tentationibusj et veris pavoribus peccati et mortis exercitati funt, ^ fuo capite finxerunt. Ideo non intelligunt quid loquuntur, aut de quibus affirment. Deinde nullum exemplum operis ante gratiam et poll gratiam poteft dari. Sunt igitur nugaciffima falults, quibus Papiftie feipfos et alios deludunt. Ibid. " Ut maxime fim peccator, nihil ta- *■' men periculi eft ; facile huic malo remedium inve- " niam, fi fecero hoc aut iftud opus in Dei gloriam, fi " tot Miflas celeb ravero, aut audiero, fi a carnibus ali- " quot diebus abftinuero, fi penfum precularum mea- " rum abfolvero, &c. Haec opera mea Deus refpiciet, " et propter ea peccata remittet." Sed longe fecus fe res habet, O mifer Etenim, fi nos viribus humanis peccata expiare, et mortem abo- lerCj poffemusj nihil fuijfet necejjfe Chriftum fieri homi- nem, baptizari,, et mori propter peccata noftra. Id. vol. vii. P- 375- NOTES NOTES ON SERMON V. Page ^'],note ('). AA' HEN the Lutherans withheld from the Heathen world the fecurity derivable from a participation of the Chrifiian Covenant, they never meant to withhold from it (as I have previoufly remarked in the cafe of infants) -a, claim to the uncovenanted mercies of God. They excluded it from the certainty, but not the probability, of falvation. Aurifaber in his " CoUo- " quia, oder Lifchreden, D. Mart. Lutheri," flates, that Luther, exprefled himfelf upon the point in the follow- ing unequivocal language, thus tranflated from the Oerman : " Cicero, a wife and good man, fuffered and " performed much. I hope, faid Luther, God will be " merciful unto him, and to fuch as he was. Howfo- *' ever it is not our -duty to fpeak certainly touching " that point, (Wiewol uns nicht geburet dafs geivifs " zu fagen, noch zu definirsn und fchliejjen,) but to re- " main by the word revealed unto us, namely, ' who- * foever believeth and is baptized, ,the fame fhall be ' faved.' Yet, neverthelefs, God is able to difpenfe^ " and ta hold a differenoe among the nations and the " Heathens ; but our duty is not to know nor to fearch " after time and meafure. For there will be a new " heaven and a new earth, much larger and more " broad than now they be : God can give to every " one 3i6 NOTES ON SERMON V. " one according to bis pleafure." CoUoquia Menfalia of Luther, tranflated by Capt. H. Bell, ed. 165a. p. 509. Luther therefore feems both to have hoped and believed, that God would be merciful to the Heathen world ; but, as nothing had been clearly revealed upon the fubjedl, he thought it not his duty to fpeak pofitively upon it. Page 97, note (*) . The fentiments of Zuingle upon this interefting to- pic may be coUefted from the extrafts already given in note 17. Serm. IIL His works indeed abound in paf- fages tendihg to prove, that the virtuous heathen, who fulfils the law of God written in bis heart, is equally to be enumerated among the ele£l, as the vir- tuous Chriftian : " Nihil enim vetat, qilo minus inter " gentes quoque Deus fibi deligat, qui fefe raverean- " tur, qui obfervent, et poft fata illi jungantur. Li- '.' bera eft enim eleftio ejus. Ego certe malim, fi op) " tio, detur, Socratis . aut Seneca fortem. eligere, qui, ut *.' numen unum agnoverunt, ita mentis puritate fatege- " runt illud demereri, quam aut Ponttficis Romani, qui " tamen fe Deum vel ipfe indicaret, fi licitator adfit, 'f aut cujufi^uam regis, imperatoris ac principis, qui hunc '■': jiculnum Deum tuetur. Illi enim, ut religionem ad " verbum, et quod ad Sacramenta pertinet, non ag-no- " verint, attamen quod ad rem ipfam aio religiojiores ac " fanHiores futjfef quam omnes unquam Dominica/lri et " Franctfcani." Opera Zuinglij, vol. ii. p, 371. " Ifta " in hunc ufum argumentati fumus, ut oftenderemus " toto errare ccelo, etiamfi fint non moda magna, fed " Vetera quoque nomina, qui damnationi aeternse folenl *' adjudicare nunc Chriftianorum infantes, cum non " fint baptifmo tinfti, nunc vero eos omnes, quos- " Gentiles vocamur. Quid enim .fciipus, quid jidei " qui/que in corde fuo Dei manujcriptum teneat P Sen(&e " viri NOTES ON SERMON V. 317 " viri fanSi/Jimi fidem, quam epiftola ad Lucilium 34. *' prodiit, quis non admiretur ? Cum ait, ' Sic certe " vivendum eft, tanquam aliquis in peftus . intimum * profpicere poflit, et poteft. Quid enim prodeft ab * homine aliquid effe fecretum ? Nihil Deo claufum ' eft. Intereft animis noftris, et cpgitationibus mediis ' intervenit. Sic intervenit dico non tanquam ali- ' quando difcedat.' Hsec Seneca. Quis quEefo banc ^' fidem in cor hominis hujus fcripfit? Neque quif- *' quam putet ifta m evacuattonem Chr'ijii tendere, ut *' quidam nos infimulant ; amplificant enim illius glo- " riam. Per Chrijium enim accedere ofortet, quicunque " ad Deum veniunt, de qua re paulo poft, Unde foce- " rum Mojis ne fufpicamur quidem alia via, quam quse " dicit, ' Ego fum via, Veritas, et vita,' ad Deum fer- " venijfe, qua et Mofes et omnes veniunt. Hoc enim * qui non crediderit, condemnabitur,' nullatenus eft *' abfojute intelligendum, fed de his, qui, audita Evan- " gelio, credere noluerunt Non ergo imputetur ig- " noratio his, ad quos nemo venit, ut myfterium " Chrifti prsedicet; Domino fiant et cadunt." Ibid. p. 118. " Credimus ergo, animos fidelium protiuus, ut " ex corporibus evaferint, fubvolare coelo, numini con- "jungi, aeternoque gaudere. Hie tibi I'perandum eft, " O piiffime Rex, fi modo inftar Davidis, Ezechissj et " Jofiae rerum fummam a Deo tibi creditam modera- " tus fueris, vifurum efle primum numen ipfum in fua " fubftantia, in fua fpecie, cumque univerfis dotibus " opibufque illius, fruiturumque his omnibus non par- " ce, fed ad fatietatem, non ad faftidium, quod ferme " comitatur faturitatem, fed ad jucundam impletionem. " . . . . Deinde fperandum eft tibi vifurum efte fan<3:o- "rum, prudentium, fidelium, conftantium, fortium, *« virtuoforum omnium, quicunque a condito mundo " fiierunt, fodalitatem, coetum, et contubernium. Hie , " duos 3i8 NOTES ON StRMON V. " duos Adam, redemptum ac redemptorem ; hic Abelaitl, " Enochium, Noam, Abrahamum, Ifaacum, Judam, " Mofen, Jofuam, Gideonem, Samuelem, Heliam, He-^ •' lifeum, Ifaiam, ac deiparam Virginem, de qua ille " praecinuit, Davidem, Ezekiam, Jofiara, Baptiftam, *' Petrum, Paulum : hic Herculem, Thejhim, Socratentf " Ariflidem, Antigonunij Numam, Camillum, Catanei, *' Scipiones; hic anteceffores tuos, et quotquot inJidTe " hinc migrarunt, majores tuos videbis; Et fumma.- " tim non fuit vir bonus, non erlt mens failfta, non fi- ** delis anima, ab ipfo mundi exordio ufque ad ejus con- *' fummationem, quem non fis ifthic cum Deo vifurus'. *' Quo fpeftaculo quid laetius, quid amcenius, quid^- *' nique honorificentius vel cogitare poterit?" Ibid', P- 559- The principles, upon which he grounded his pofii tion, were thefe j that as Chrift died for all men, and as God is no refpefter of perfons, all are eleifted, whe- ther Chriftians or Heathens, who poflefs faith or ge- nuine piety; that is, who truly love and fear God; *' lignum «nira eleftionis eft Deum am'are et timere'. ** In adultis ergo fie requiritur fides." Opera, vol. i. p. 383. Accordingly therefore, he thus laid down the rule of election, although not the caufe of it, which he in every inftance attributed to the free and uncon- ditional will of the Almighty : " Non eft perjbnarum re- "fpeSus apud Deum) per Anthypophoram Gentibus *' occurrit, quae fe excufabant, nee damnatos exiflima- *' bant. Et in hoc judicio, inquit Paiilus, nemo excipi- " tur : quicunque bonum ex fide operatus eft, recipiet " prsemium ; qui malum ex incredulitate, is recipiet " poenara. Nihil agit Deus odio autfavore, nihil ex affec- " tibus; nam hujujmodi in Deum non caduttt." In Rom. cap. 2. Opera, vol. iii. p. 411. The doctrine of Zuingle upon this head, as P. Si- moa NOTES ON SERMON V. 319 mon remarks, in his obfervations upon the Commenta- ries of Conrad Pellican, was embraced by all his im- mediate followers : " En un mot, Pellican avec toute " I'ecole Zuinglienne d'alors a etabli des graces gene- " rales de la honte de Dieu a I'egard de toutes les na- " tions." Bibliotheque Critique, vol. iii. p. 398, It is evident then, that when the Zuinglians repre- fented congruous works as finful, becaufe not pro- ceeding from faith, they confidered^not Heathen piety , as of that defcription, but, like our own, as acceptable to God through the merits of Chrift. In this fenfe Bullinger feems to have particularly alluded to the fubjefl : " Deinde interrogatur, 'An opera qu^ fa-. * ciunt Gentiles, ac fpeciem habent probitatis vel vir- * tutis, peccata Jint, an bona opera.' Certum eft Deum " et inter Gentiles hahuijfejuos eUSlos. Si qui tales fiae- *' runt, non caruerunt Spiritu SanSo et fide. Idcirco " opera 'vpior\i.mfa3a ex fide honafuencnt, non peccata." Sermonum Decades quinque, p. 174. In condemning congruous works, they folely condemised that merit of human virtue, which the Papifts inculcated, as in itfelf entitled to divine acceptance, without the mercy of God, and the atonement of Chrift : " Ergo fi qui ex " Gentibus funt falvati, non per opera naturae aut me- rita propria funt falvati, fed per mifericordiam Dei in " Chrifto Domino noftro. Neque vero lex naturee infitat " eft hominibus a Deo,, ut falvet homines fine gratia et " Chri/lo, fed magis ut doceat quid bonum fit, quid " malum, ut evincat nos efle peccatores, et inexcufa- " biles coram Domino." Ibid. p. 38. Of the fame opinion with Zuingle, or at leaft with Luther, upon the point of Heathen falvation, was Erafmus ; who was patronifed by Cranmer, and beloved by Latimer, (Came- rarii Vita Melanft. p. 340.) and of whofe labours, even- to the laf^ our Reformera were not umnindful ; fee thfe Injunctions el, and the power of the Holy Gho'ft, (whdni " he potri-ftth plentifully upOn all thetn, that believe « the Gofpel,) and by that comfortable word of the « Gdfpel he gently enticeth ahd draweth us unto him, z 4 " that 344 NOTES ON SERMON V. " that we fliould gladly o/" owr oivn free will ohey h'lmP p. 165. It is evident, from an accurate examination of the authorized Proteflant Creeds, that although in fome cafes the individuals, who compofed them, held opinions on many points, more or lefs approaching to- wards an extreme, neverthelefs in them, as general rules of faith, a mitigated form of expreflion was al- ways adopted. If Cranmer therefore, who compiled our Articles, had entertained fentiments upon free will even of the harfteft defcription, it would not have followed, that he introduced the fame, without modi- fications, into the Articles themfelves : but when we find by the preceding quotations, that his private opi- nions were of the moft moderate kind, furely it is im- poflible for a moment to doubt the moderation of that public Creed, which he eftabliflied. The reformed doctrine of the Church of England, in the time of Henry, was contained in the " Necef- " fary Erudition." This doftrine, it is well known, was further reformed in the reign of his fucceflbr. It feems therefore to follow, that where other tenets on particular points were fubfequently brought forward, repugnant to thofe, which are there to be found, as upon tranfubftantiation, &c. that book ceafes to prove illuftrative-of her meaning ; yet that where, as in the prefent inftance, not different, but the fame ideas, and either the fame, or fynonymous expreffions were after-f wards ufed, it ought to be admitted as evidence of it. In the Latin edition of this work, publiftied the fame year, (viz. 1543-) entitled, " Pia et Catholica Chriftiani Ho- "■ minis Inftitutio," occur the following paffages : " In^ " terim tamen meminiffe oportet banc potentiam infir- "miorem efle quam Ut ad ea, qua Deo placita et aceepta "Junt, "NOTES ON SERMON V. 345 *' funt, vel cogitanda vel facienda fefe incitare poffit nifi " Dei auxilio ad id fublevetur. . . . Cseterum, ut ex mul- " tis fcripturae locis probari poteft libertas arbitrii^ ita " baud pauciores funt, qui demonftrant, fie requiri " gratiam Dei, ut nifi ea liberum arbitrium et pr/sve- " niat, et comitetur, et deducet, nihil boni aut fan6ti " operis a nobis copfici, aut animo faltem, ac volun- " tate conftitui poffit Ubi autem nobis Chrijii " gratia affalkr'it, jam ad falutem ipji noftram cooper a^ *' mur." Art. de Libera Arbitrio. How exactly with thefe accords that part of our Article, which was al- tered from St. Aufl:in, and which comprifed the whole of it, as firfl: compofed : " Abfque gratia Dei, *' quae per Chrijium eft, nos praveniente, ut velimus, et " cooperante, dum volumus, ad opera pietatis facienda. *' ^uis Deo grata funt et accepta, nihil valemus," NOTES NOTES ON SERMON VI. Page ii8j 7iote ('). Justification Js thus defiaed by Aqubas : " Pri- '' mo quseritur, an juftificatio Impii fit remiflio pecca- " torum ? Et videtur, quod non Sed contra eft, " quod dicitur in Gloffa Rom. viii. fuper illud, ' duos * vocavit, hos et juftificavit,' Glo. remiflione peccato- " rum ; ergo rem^o peccatorum eft jujitficatio." Quse- fliones Difput. quseft. 28. art. i. In the Loci Theologici Melandlhon expreffes him- felf to the fame efFeft : " Juftificatio fignificat remiffio- " nem peccatorum, et reconcUiationem feu acceptationem ad " vitam esternam." De Gratia et Juftificatione. Our own Church, in the reign of Henry, almdft li- terally adopted the definition of Melan6ilion : " Jufti- " fication fignifies remiffion of our fins, and our accepta- " tion or reconciliation into the grace and. favour of God." Articles of 1536, art. Juftification. The fame idea likewife occurs in our Homilies, in which it is faid, " Every man of neceflity is con- " ftrained to feek for another juftification, to be re- ** ceiyed at God's hands, that is to fay, the remijffion, " pardon, and forgivenefs of his fins and trefpafles, in *' fuch things as he has offended." Homily of the fal- vation of mankind, ed. 1547. 343 NOTES ON SERMON VI. Page 119, note (^). Ad oppofitum. Impoffibile eft aliquem efle carum Deo fine car'itate, ficut impoffibile eft aliquem efle al- lum fine albedine ; fed caritas eft qualitas abfoluta, quia, eft virtus theologica ; ergo, Sec. Ad iftam quaeftionem eft -una opinioj quod ad hoc, quod anima fit Deo grata, cara, et accepta, necejfario requiriiur aliqua talis forma creata et abfoluta,, ita quod de potentia Dei abfoluta fine tali forma non poteft efle Deo cara ; et ipfa forma. neceflario eft Deo cara, et fiiniliter anima ilia forma mformata; ita quod, ftante ilia forma, non poteft de potentia Dei abfoluta nop efli; D60 cara. Occam, lib» i, dift. 17. quseft. i. Tage \%%, note ('). . " Et praeditUs .patet folutio quaeftionis, videlicet, *' quod ad deletionern feccati mortalis fofl baptifmum com- *-' m'lffi, requiritur paenitentia, quia ad deletionern pec- ^' cati requiritur punitio voluntaria, ut dictum eft. " Poenitentia autem eft hujufmodi, ut patet ex pras- '•' diftis,: ergo, &c." Nic. de Orbellis, lib. iv. dift. 14. quEcft. I. Scotus accurately defines the difference between at- trition and contrition, and afcribes the true merit of }uftification to the former. " De tertio dico, quod ali- " quem aftum humanum requiri ad deletionern pec- '^ cati poteft dupliciter intelligi, vel ut difpojitionem pne- " warn, vel ut concoviitantem. Primo modo fuflScit ac- " tus tnformis ; imma femper eft informis, quia difpo- " fitio prjevia ad peccati deletionern eft femper fine " gratia et caritate ; a cujus folius inhaerentia et incli- " natione ad aftum dicitur adlus formatus. Nam in '.' tllo irifianti, in quo deletur peccatum, caritas inefi, et " per confequens, fi aituS requiritur, ut concomitans " requiritur, ut formatus. " Ad hujus intelleftum foiendum, quod peccator in " pecca-r NOTES ON SERMON VI. 349 " peccatis ekiftens, eo modo quo datum eft in prsece- " dente quseftione, art. i. peccatum manere poft ac- *' turn, poteft ex naturalilus cum communi irijluentia , " confiderare peccatum commiflum, ut offenfivum Dea) " et ut contra legem divinam, et fub niultis talibus " rationibus ; et pot«ft voluntas ipfum, fub aliqua il- " larum rationum, vel fub multis, illud peccatum Cc " confideratum deteftari, et ille motus poteft conti- " nuari et intendl ante infujicnem gratiis. Poteft etiam " ifta deteftatio efle totaliter circumftantionata circura- " flantiis moralibus debitis ; non eft enim verifiniile, " quod neceffe fit propter peccatvim iftud remanens " aflium quemcunque circa peccatum commiflum efTe " defedlivum in aliqua circumftantia morali. Ifte au- " tem motus dicitur attritio, et eft difpofitio, five meri- " turn de congruo, ad deletionem peecati mortalis, quts " fequitur in ultimo injianti alicujus temporis, in quo " tempore ifia attritio duravit Idem mOtus, qui " prius fuit attrition in illo injianti Jit contritio, quia in '' illo inftanti fit concomitans gratia, et ita a£ius forma- " tus, quia habens fecuni caritatcm, qua ejl forma ac- " tus, ut hie loquimur. Ibi tamen oportet diftinguere " figna naturas inter a£tum, ut eft talis ineffe naturae et " moris, et inter caritatem et inter a6tum, ut eft for- " matus, quia in primo figno naturse eft ibi aSus talis, " in fecundo caritas, in tertio attus formatus a caritate, f jam inclinante et inYi^r&ate, et Jic attritio Jit contritio, " fine omni mutatione reali ipfius actus. Contra ergo ," non per contritionem deletur culpa, quia non eft: " contritio nifi in tertio figno naturae, et in fecundo " deletur ; neque etiam per contritionem illam, ut per " meritum, quia fequitur illam deletionem. Poteft " ergo dici, quod Deus difponit per attritionem in ali- " quo tempore, tanquam per aliquod meritum de congruo., " in aliquo inftanti dare gratiam, et pro ilia attritione, " ut 550 NOTES ON SERMON VI. •' ut pro merito, jujl'ificat, Jicut eji meritum jujitficationiit " Et licet non continuaretur idem aftus circa pecca- *' turn in genere naturae et moris, qui prius, adhuc in " illo injianti infunderetur gratia, quia jam preecejftt me' " ritum de congruo." Scotus, lib. iv. dift. 14. quaeft. 2,. The change of eternal into temporal punifliment is noticed in the Apology of the Augfbourgh Confeffion : " Sic enim" (viz. adverfarii) " docent, in remiffione " peccati Deum remittere culpam ; et tamen, quia " convenit jitftitiee divints punire ■peccatum, mutare poe- <' nam aeternam in pcenam temporalem. Addunt am- " plius partem illius temporalis posnae remitti poteftate *' clavium, reliquum autem redimi per fatisfaftiones." iDe Poenitentia. See Aquinas, Summa Prim. Secund. quseft. 86. art. 4. But it was believed, that although temporal punifli- ment ufually remains to be exafted, after eternal is expiated, yet the aft of contrition may prove fuffi- ciently intenfe to atone likewife for that. " Refpon- " deo dicendum quod intentio contritionis poteft at- " tendi dupliciter. Uno modo ex parte caritatis in ac- " tu, quod contritio inde fequens merebitur non folum " amotionem, fed etiam ahfolutionem, ab omni poena. " Alio modo ex parte dolaris fenjibilis, qhem voluntas " in contritione excitat j et quia illi etiam poena qua^- " dam eft, tantum poteft intendi, quod fufficiet ad de- " letionem culpse et poenae." Aquin. Sum. The. tert. qujeft. 5. art. a. " Item notandum, quod a£lus con- *' tritionis poteft effe ita interifus, quod poenitens me- " reatvir remiffionem totius pcense peccato debitae ; ita ^' quod, fi poft completum motum illius contritionis " decederet, nullani pcenam in purgatorio fuftineret." Nic. de Orbellis, lib. iv. dift. 14. quaeft. a. Fage 133, note {*). Independently of the divine precept, which was conceived NOTES ON SERMON YI. 351 conceived to enjoin the Sacrament of penance, the Schools held that Sacrament to be neceflary on ano- ther account ; on accpunt of the difficulty in afcertain- ing the fufficieney of contrition. " Ad primum ergo " dioendum, quod aliquis non poteft effe certus, quod " contritlo fua dtfitj'ieiiens ad deletionem pcenae et cyl- " pae ; et ideo tenctur c^'^teri et fatisfacgre ; maxime " cum contritio vera non fuejit, njfi propofitum confi- *' tendi habuiifet annexum, qupd debet ad effeftum re- «' duci etiam propter prseQeptum, quod eft de confefljo- '' ne datum." Aqwn. Sum. The. tert, quseft. 5. art. is. It fhould be obferved> f;hat when the Sacrament of Penitence was faid to conflft in thefq three parts, con- trition, confeflion, and fatisfa£lion, in the word contri- tion, attrition was always included ; the former being frequently put for penitential forrowjn general, whe- ther proceeding from the operation of the human mind alene, or in conjun&ion with grace. The Scotifts however ufiially exprefled themfelves correftly upon the point. The great mercy of God in accepting a more eafy expiation of crime, efFefted through the Sacrament, in lieu of one, which requires the perfeft virtue itfelf, is thus defcribed by Nicolaus de OrbelUs, upon the prin- ciples, and in the language, of Scotus : " In eodem *f enim inftanti temporis eft deletio ci*lp«, et infufio " gratiae* vel caritatis. Sieut adultus' poteft habere " primam gratiam delentem origlnale peccatum du- " pliei via, fcilicet, vel ex bono motu difponente de *' congruQ ad iftara gratiam, vel ex fufceptione bap- *' tifmi ; fie in propofitq. Et hoc eft majoris miferi- *' cordiae duplic£m viam fpilicet inftituere, per quam *■' juji'^cetur peccator, quam ipfum ad unam viam arc- " tare, tum etiam quia in fufceptione gratis per facra- •f mentum non requiritur attritio, quae fit memoria de 352 NOTES ON SERMON Vt. " congruo, ficut in prima fufceptlone, fed Jufficiti quod *' fufcipiens facramentum non ponat ohicem peccat't mor- *' talis in voluntate tunc a£iualiter exijlentis, et quod " habeat aliqualem attritionem, feu d'lj'plicentiam de fec- " catis commiffis, cum propojito cavendi defuturo, et quod " velit fufcipere Sacramentum Poenitenti£e, ficut dif- " penfatur in Ecclefia. Talis enim in ultimo inftanti " prolationis verborum recipit effeftum Sacramenti, " fcilicet, gratiam poenitentialem ; et ilia attritio fit " contritio, non quidem ex nierito, quia difpofitio ilia *' non ev&t fufficiens per rood um meriti, fed ex pafto " Dei affiftentis fuo Sacramento ad effefitum illum^ " ad quern inftitutum eft." Lib. iv. dift. 14. quaeft. a. Page 1 34, note (') . The Lutherans frequently maintained, that, as Chriftians, we ought not to doubt of God's will to- wards us, but, repenting and believing, to be per- fuaded, that we are certainly reftored to his favour. This pofition, however, was not in any way connefted with that of a fecret and perfonal Predeftination, but was folely levelled againft a very lucrative and highly ofFenfive doctrine of the Church of Rome, the uncer- tainty refpefting a due obliteration of crime, by pe- nitential merit, in the mind of the individual. *' Mul- " tis indicavi," faid Luther, " Cbrifiianum hominemr- " oportere certiffime flatuere fe effe in gratia Dei, et ** habere clamohem Spiritus San6li in corde fuo. Hoc " idea feci, ut omnino difcamus repudiare peflilentifjimam " opinionem totius regins Papa, hominem incertuih de- " here effe de gratia Dei erga fe. Hac opinione ftan- " te, Chr^fius plane nihil prodefi. Num, quia de gratia " Dei erga fe dubitat, ilium neceffe eft etiam dubitare " de promijjionibus divinis, et per confequens de valtmtate "Dei, de Chri/li beneficiis, quod pro nobis pajjus, mortuus " efi, refurrexit, &C. Nulla autem major blafphemia "in KOTES ON SERMON VI. 353 *' in Deum feft, quam negare ejus promilTa, 'ni%are " Deum ipfum, Chriftum, &c. Ideo extrema fuit ndn " foluni dementia, fed etiam iinpietas, quod Monachi " tanto ftudio allexefunt juventutem utriufque fexus " in Monafteria, ad feligiones, et oi'dines fanftoSj ut " vockve'ru'ntj tanqiiam ad certifjimum Jiatuin falutts : " et tamen poftea alleftos juflerunt duhitare de gratia " Dei. . . . . Hoc Papa riefcit ; ideo impie nugatur cum •* fuis furiis, rieminem fcire, he juftos quidem et fapien- " tes, utrum digni funt amore, &c. Imo fi jujli et "fapientes funi, certo fciunt fe diligi a Deo, vel jufti et '' Ikpientes hon funt. .... Papa igitur hoc impio dog- " m'atfe, quo juflit hoini'nes dubitare de favore Dei erga *' fe, Jujlulit Deum et omnes promijjiones de EccUjta, oh- " ruit henefa&a Chrifli, et toticm Evangelium abblevit." .Vol. V. p. 379, 380. Nor, while arguing again ft tlie Papiftical doftrine of penitential doubt, did he, on the other hand, conferid for a dertaihty, which the pre- fumptu'bus finnei- could abufe, biit for one of a more rational defcription, founded upon the ftability of God's nature and pi'onlifes, and folfely applicable to thofe ■vfrho fdrfake their fins. " Cur nunc de; voluntate Dei " erga te dulites, jjpftquam per Filiurh Dei Deo recon- " ciiiatus es ? Sed inquies, ' Peccator fum ; offendi ' Deum ; nee pairui vbluntati ejus ita, ut par erat.' " Sit hsec quoque. Non enim negabimus peccatum. " "til igitiir niutatus es, ex bono faclus es malus, ex " filio faftus es inobedlehs. Sed nunc ideo ftatues '• Deum quoque mutatumj aiit aliiim fafliim ? Gluin " difcede a iig,alo. Petcafti. Pe'ccare define: pete ve- " niam : fpera per Chriftum Deum fie tibi recbricilia- " tum, ut reconciliatio fit £etei-na, non uiiius aut dte- " rius diei, vel ^rihi, fed perpetiia j et cbmperies pro- " phetam Hon m:erititiim, qui eum vbckt (cHahum) A a . " placa- 354 NOTES ON SERMON VI. " placabilem, mitem, benignum, clementem." Id. vdl^ iv. p, 358. See alfo note 11. The fuppofed efficacy of the Sacraments, particularly of the Mafs, ex opere operato, was taught by all the Scholaftics, and feverely reprobated by the Luther- ans. The Apology of the Augflbourgh Confeffion thus notices it : " Hie damnamus totum populum " Scholafticorum doftorum, qui docewt, quod Sacra- " menta nan ponenti olicem conferant gratlam ex opere " operato Jtne bono motu utentis. Hsec fimpliciter Ju- " daica opinio eft fentire, quod per ceremoniam juftifice- " Tn\ir,Jine bono motu cordis, hoc e&.,jineji(le," Art. de Ufu et Numero Sacramentorum^ " Repudiandi fuBt " et reliqui communes errores, quod Mifla conferat " gratiam ex opere operato facienti. Item quod appli- " cata^ro aliis, etiam injujlis, non ponentibus obicemme- " reatur eis remiffionem peccatorum, culpse, et poe- " nsc. Haec omnia falfa et impia funt, nuper ab in- " doftis Monachis confifta^ et obruunt gloriam pajfio- " nis Chrifti, et jujittiq.m jidei." Art. de Miffa. " Ne- '^ mo enim fanus illam Pharifaicam et Ethnicam per- " fuafionem de opere operato probare poteft. Et tamen " haec perfuafio hasret in populo ; haec auxit in infini- " turn Miflarum numerum. Conducuntur enim Miflje " adiram Dei placandam, et hoc opere remiffionem culf enumpr^te them. " Reftat tertius aftus de fatisfaQip- " rtibws. Hie yero habent confufiffimas difputationes. '■' Fingunt aeternas poenas inutari In poenas purgatorii. *f Et harum partem remitti poteftate clavium, parteRj " docent redimendam efle fatisfafitionibus. Addiint " ampUus, quod pporteat fatisfaftiones efle opera iij- " perrogationis, et ha?c conftituunt in ftultiflimis ob- " feryationibus, vplut iw peregrinationihus Rcfetnis, aut '^Jimiltbus qhfervatignibus, qu^ non habent mandaia Dei, ^' Deinde, licut purgatorium fatisfaftipnihus redimunt ; " ita excogitata,eft ars rediffi'^ndi JaiisfaSiioneSj quae fuit " quiejluojiffima. ■" Vendupt enim mdulgentias, quas in- '' terpretantur efle rentiffiones fatisfa&hnum. Et hie " quffiftus non folum ex mvis, fed mulio amplior ejl exi ',' m,Qrti4.h. Neque folum indulgentiis, fed etiam y^cr^r "-jicm. Mijfa redimunt fatisfa£liones mortuonm j- deni-. "que infinita res eft de fatisfadlionibus. Inter bsec " fcandal^j non enim pofllimus enumerare omnia, et " dp£trinas dgemoniorum, j.acet o\r,uta, d.Q^nna de jvjli- " tia Jidei in Chriftum, et. d,e beneficio Chrifti," Apolog, Cpnfefl*. Auguft. art. d,? Pcenitentia. It ni^y be necefl"ary perhaps tq a,d(dy that no tenet o£ the tfteSchokflical theolbgjr W^'as ittoT'e abuYM iri pra<3iCe, than th'at of 'fatisfadtion. Nbr felddm was' its fuppofed effeiSl tdtaHy mifconceiv'ed',' '^heti', hbWevei', cbrre " they be things tending to idolatry and fuperftition." Sparrow's Colleftiop, p, a, Fp-ge 12,6, note (*). Without the virtue of repentance, Aquinas exprefsly ftates, that mortal fin is not remiflible. -' Refpondeo '' dicendum, quod impoffibile eft pecqatum aftuale " mortale fine poenitentia remitti, loquendo de pcEni- " tentia, quae eft' virtus." Summa tert. p. quseft. 86. art. a. And it fliould be recoUpfted, that in the Sa- crament of penitence, fome portion at leaft of this vir- tue was fuppofed always to exift, although the inge- . nuity of Scholaftical, and the avarice of Papiftical, phi- lofpphy had djminiflied that portion to nothing more, than the mere non-refiftance of grace. The term jujiificaiion wa.s thus minutely defined: " Dicendum quod jujiificatio paffive accepta importat " motum ad jujlitiam, fiput et calefaQio motum ad calq- " rem. NOTES ON SERMON VI. 359 ** rem Alio modo potpft fieri hujufnaodi juftitia in '^ honiine fecundum rationem motus, qui eft de contra- " rio in contrarium, et feeundum hoc jujiificatio impor- '*tat tranfmutationem quandam de Jialu mjujiitia ad Jla' " turn juji'itiis pr^diBts. Et hoc modo loquimur da " jujiificathne impn, fecundupi illud Apoftoli ad Rom. " iv. ' Et qui non operatur, credent! autem in e,um, 'qui jaftificat impium,' &c. Et quia motus denomina- " tur magis a termino ad quern, quam a terming a quo, ■"ideo hujufmodi tranfmutatio, qua aliquis tranfmuta- ■" tur a ftatu injuftitiae per r^miflionern peccati^ fortitur " nomen a termino ad quern, et vocaXwr Jujiificatio impii." Jbid. quseft. 113. art. i. Page 12,6, note /*). Ifaiah Ix. 19. ' Po.ge T'Sy., note .("). " Lurtier thus acknowledges his own literary defers, an his confidential letters to his friends : " Mitto hie " fermonem de Scholis, plane Lnitheranum, et Lutheri " verbojitate nihil authorem fuum negans, fed plenifli- " mereferehs. Sic fum." Philip. Melanfthoni. Epiftolse Luth. ed. Budd. p. iM. " Meus vero" (viz. Sermo) " prseterquam quod artibus dicendi imperitus et incul- " tus, nihil nifi J'ylvam et chaos verlorum evomuit ; turn " etiam eo fato agitur, -ut turbukntus et impetuofus ve- '^ lutluBdtor cum monjiris infinitis Jemper congredi co- " gatur. .... Solor tamen meipfum, quod ekiftimemj, " imo fciam, Patrem iJlum familias cceleftem, pro "magnitudine fuse domus, etiam opus habere uno et "altero fervo, duro contra- duros, et afpero coiitra af- " peros, veliiti ' malo cuneo in malos nodos. Et to- " nanti Deo opus eft non tantum pluvia irrlgante, fed *'' etiam tonltrS concutientCj et fulgure auras purgante, "■ quo felicius et copiofius terra fruftificet." J. Brentio. Ibid. p. ip3. " Mihi, ut videtis, Latinas lingua mo- A a4 " dicu? ee Zecy_ NOTES ON SERMON VI, " dicus.eft ufus, qui in bflrbarle Scbolq/iicqrum doSiorum '" a(aiem confumpji." Balthaf. Alterio.. Ibid. p. ?87. Page 129, note ("). In the Apology, of their Confeffion, the Lujheraijja; were particularly folicitous to prevent the poflGbJlity of difconnefting fa^th from repentance i ^' Quare ip^ *' telligunt omnes boni viri utiliter et pie reprehenfani " efle doftrinam fophiftarum et canoniftarum de pcehir *' tentia. Nam hsec dogmata aperte falfa funt, et n9n " folum aliena a fcripturis facrjs, fed etiam abeccle- " fiaifticis patribusi. i. Quod per oper^ extr^ gratiam '' fa6la mereamur.ex padto djvino gratiam. 3. Qupd- per attritionem mereamur gratiam 9. Quod fuf- " ceptio facramenti pcenitentiae^ ex opere operate, y2«« " bono mofu ut^ntis, hoc eft, Jtnejide in Chriflum, confer " quatur gratiam. .... Nos igltiir ut explicaremus pia? '' confcientias ex his labyrinthis fophiftaruni, conftituir " vc\Tis duas partes paenitetUit^, videlicet^ contritionem, et "Jidem. Si quis volet addere tertiam, videlicet, dignos " frucius pcenitentta: , hoc. eft, mutationem totius vit(S_ ac " ntorum in melius non rcfragahimur." De Pcenltentia, p. 40. " Sed quia adyerfarii. nominat|m hoc damnant, " quqd diximus, homines fide confequi remiflionem " peccatorum, addemus paucas quafdam probationes, " ex quibus, intelligi poteft, remiflionem pepcatoruni " contingere non, ex opere operato propter confritionem, " fed Jide ilia fpeciali, qua unufquifque credit ftbiremitti ", fefcata. Nam hie Articulus prfficipuus eft, de qviQ . " digladiapiur cum, a4verfariis, etcujus cognltionem " ducimus maxime neceffariam efle Chrijlianis omnibus.. ^ " . . . . ^ Adverf^rii, cum de fide loquuntur, et dicunt " earn praecedere poemtentiam, int^lligunt fidem npn " hanc, quaa juftificat, fed quae in genere^'credit Deiim ''efle, posnas propofitas efle iuipiis, he, Nos praeter "_illani fid^i,^ requirimusj w^ credgt Jibi quifyue remitti, . " peccata. N.OTES: ON SEBMfON VI. 361 " peccata. I?e h^c fide fpeciali litigamuSj et opponimus *' ecfrn, opinionii quae jubet confidere, non in, pxomiffione " Ckrifti^fed in Qpei^e operato fontritior^isj canfej/ianis, ,e,t- , *^ fatisfaSionuT^" Ibid> p- 4.3. We here perceive what tl^g Lutherans iiueant by the tei|ms, '^ fpecial, faith;," whjc^ have be§n injater times fo djjffer^ntly appropri- ated by tbSsQ!alvinift'S : we* fegj ti|a^;tbeir only obje^; was to te3.ch, the, drooping penit^nt^ b,y, ajpecuflj op- pqfed to, a- ^CT^raA faith iij. Chriftianity, the n^ceffity of. grounding lii§viii4ivi(l.^a],:hppe; of pardon upon, th^ frsmife.of Cbr'tft, and not upon the in^^erent ejffitiacy of his oix^n contrition^ confeffion, and fatisfd^iaxts., Nor, wjben we read th^a. fo]lovw:ing explicit, paflage in the works of Luther, wjll it bgpoffible for, ws;, to fuppofe, that h,e evsr conteiided for an, aflurance in divine forgivenefg upon the contrafted principle, of perfonali eleftion, ^' Pides agquifita f^u fophiftar-um, infufa, de Chrifto di- " cit, f Credo Filjum Dei.paflisim et refufcitatum,' at- ^' que bia deflnit. Sed vera fides, dicit, ' Credp quidem ^ Eiljum Dei ,pa,flum, et refufcitatum, fed hoc tobam pro. ' me, pro peccatis meis, de quo, certus fum. Eft enim pro ' totkcs mun4i peccatis. martuus. Ac certiffimum eji, me ' ejfe partem .aliqj^^.. mufidi, ergo certiffimumi eft pro * mgis quoque peccatis mortuum effe." Opera,, vol. i. p. J 38.fi. Tha,t they inculcated a faith, which is onlyta be foundiin penitence, their Apology fufficiently proves : " Itejji fides ilia, de,qua loquimur, ex'iftit in pcehitentia. " . . . , Quare.nonpoteft exiflerein .his, quiifecundum, '' carnem vivunt>i qui deleifaniur cupiditatibus fuis, et. ^'' ohtemperent ;eis .. .... Quare .fides ilia, quse accipit re- " njifiionem peccatorum in .cotrde) per.terrefaSio etfugiente " peffaaivm^ non .manet jn hisj^ qui obtemperant cupidi- " tatibus, nficexiftiit- cum mortali peccato." De Di- leQ;iiQue, &c., p. 13. '^ .Hsea- fides, de . qua ^loquimur, '' exijlit 36-2 NOTES ON SERMON VI. " exifiit in poeriitentia." Refponfio ad Argum. &c. p. 39. " Fides non manet in his, qui abjiciunt poeniten- ** tiam ; ficut fupra diximus, fidem ex'iftere in ^oeniten~ " tia." De Ufu et NumeroSacram. p. 60. Indeed, Melan£lh'on had before ftrongly impreffed the fame idea in the Articles wliich he drfew up for the Vifitation of the Saxon Churches: " Paftores de- " bent exemplum Chrifti fequi, qui, quoniam poeni- " tentiam et remiffionem peccatorum docet, debent *''eadem et ipfi trader^ Exsclefiis.- Nunc viilgare eft vo- " ciferare dejide, et tamen iritelligi, quid Jit jides non po- " ieji, niji fradicaia poeniletttia. Plane vinum novum " in utres veteres infunduut, qui Jidem Jine pwniteniia, "fine dodrina timoris Dei, Jine doStrina legis priedicant, " et ad carnalem quandam J'ecuritatem ajjiiefaciunt vul- " gus. Et fecuritaS eft deterior, quam plerique errores " antea fub papatu fuerunt. ■ Hoc genus concionato- " rum defcriblt Hier. et vituperat eos, qui dicunt, ' Pax, pax, et non ejl pax." Art. Paftorum Officium, ed, 1530. " Hi, qui docent in Ecclefiis, tradant doc- " 'trinam legis, alioqui, ubi doArina fidei fine lege tra- "ditur, infinitajcandala oriuntur, vulgtu Jit Jecurum, et " fomniant fe habere juftitiam fidei, quia nefclunt fi- " dem in his tantum effe poffe, qui habent contrita per " legem corda." Art. de Lege. Such was the faith which they maintained, when they fpbke of that prin- ciple as the medium of Chriftian confolation. It is neverthelefs neCeflary to add, that they fometimes ufed the word in a more extended fenfe, as embracing the whole of Chriftianity. " Saerilegium itaque eft " ordines religioforum JanBos appellare. Una religio " fanSa et fanftificans eft, Chrijiiani/'mus, Jeu Jides." Opera Lutheri, vol. i. p. 376^. " Duae funt partes _/?- " dei, ftve religioms Chrijlianee ; poenitentia nempe, five " pontritio ob peccata, deinde fiducia de remiflione *' pecca- NOTES ON SERMQN VI. 363 *' peccatoruTO. ,Tertia eft vltse Chriftianse, five.bono- *' rum operum exercitium." Art. Vifit. Saxpn* apud Seckendorf. lib. ii. feft. 13. §. 36. Page 129, nole ("). How much foever any ftrong expreflions of Luther upon the fubjeft of faith, which he folely oppofed to the Scholaftical doftriiie of merit, may have been mif- underftood, as verging towards fanaticifra, it is cer- tain, that he himfelf never intended to give them that bias. " "Ex hoc tamen non fequitur, quod debeas pec- '^. catum extenuare aut contemnere, quia Deus illud " non imputat. Non imputat quidem ; fed quibus, et " propter quid f Non duris et J'ecuris, fed pcenitenfiam *' agcntihuS, et Jide apprehendentihus Chrijium propitiaio- " rem, .propter quern ut remittuntur eis omnia peccata, "ita-et reliquiae peccati eis non imputantur," Opera, vol. V. p. 4a I. " Chriftiana libertate hodie abutuntur '* plurimi, dicentes, ' Gratia, gratia; ergo non eft opus •bona facere aut mala pati." Ibid. p. 14. " Nehjo ■*' praefumat per Jomnium id atque cogit(itionem de fide, " quam ipfe Jibi jinxit, fe in illud" (regnum coelorum) " ingreflurum. Fide opus eft viva, quseque probata et " exercitata" {bonis oferibus) "fit egregie. Sed proh. *' Deus ! ut pugnantia cum hoc loco et fcripferunt et " praedicarunt nojlri impojlpres, non doSiores, aflerentes, " qui minuti/Jimum duntaxat gradum, et vel fcintillulam " aliquam fide't moriturus habuerit, hunc falutem afle- " cuturum." Vol. v. p. 448. " Poenitentia omnium " teftimonio et vero, eft dolor de peccato, cum adjunSlb " propofito melioris vita." Difput. contra Antinomos. Id. vol. i, p. 401. " Cavenda igitur do6trina Papijlarum " de poenitentia, ficut ipfe infernus et diabolus. JMuho " ma^is cavQndi funt, qui nulUim prorfgs poenttentiam in " Ecclejia relinquunt." Ibid. p. 404. " Foedus eft er- " ror, quod quifpiara de peccatis fe putet f^itisfa&u- " rum ; 364 NOTES ON SERMON VI. " rum ; quae ex ineftimabili dementia Deus et femper *' et gratis remittit atqiie condonat, niBil' a'mlns invi- " cevi requirens, quam ut tn-po0erum bene vivavtus'' Id. vol. i, p. 59. When fpeaking of divine, as oppofed to human, excommunication for crime, he adds ; " Sed " non perpetuo ab eis aberit judicium Dei. Homines " fallunt; Deum fallere non poflunt. Is in noviffimo' *' die colliget per angelbs omnia fcandala, et conjiciet *' in ffiternum ignem. Ab hac Dei excommunicatione " occulta qui volet liberari, caveat peccata, et paemfen-^' " t'tam agat, hoo eH, emendet vitam, deinde frecetur et '■' credat veniam per Ch'riflum. Haec unica via eft illam *' occultam Dei excommunicationem effugiendi." Id, vol. V. p. 381. Upon the peculiar applicatiotr of the doftrine, that we are juftified by faith alone, to the conffcience of the penitent finner, alarmed by the recollection' of his paft tranfgreflions, MelaniSthon delivers himfelf in thtemoft, eifcplicit terms : " Efr fane ■mccpa.So^ov dicere, quod- f6la "'fide jufti fumus, multum enim fcandalorum videtur pa~ '^'rere legis abrogatio ; fed'hasc doCtrina pertinet non ad " mtam exteHore?n, k^ ad cerlamen confctent'ia; ludlantis "cum judicio Dei Juftificatib, autem apud Pau- " lum intelligitur relative de acceptatione: Non fumus "jufti, neque opei-ibuSy neque novitate noflra, pojt regeni- " ralionein, feA. fold mifericordta, fi tamen accipiamus " earn fide. Fides autem ipfa eft notitia vera Dei, legis " obedientia, inchoaiio vitiB ieternes; Joan. xvii. ' Haec ' eft vita seterna, ut agnofcant te folum. Deum verum, " et quem mififti, Jefum Chrjftiim." Opera Lutheri, vol. i. p. 484. Difputationes Melandthbnis. What the Lutherans meant by the word Regeneration, when they confined it Isot ftri£tly to its proper fe'nfe, Bap- tijmal renovation, we learn from their Apology : " Nds "'dicimus quod j^Q?«zfe«/MOT, hoc &% emverfionem^ kn *' rege~ i>JOTES ON SERMON VL 36^ " r£ge.neratmiem) boni fruftus, bona opera, In omni " vita fequi debeant." De Poenitentia, p. 4S. Page 130, note {"). Penitence is thus defined in the Augfbourgh Con- feffion : " Conftat autem, poenitentia (hoc eft, converjio '* imfn^ ed. 1540.) ■J>roj)rie his duabus partibus : altera *' eft caniriiio, feu terrores incuffi confcientiae agnito " peccato : (in quibus et iram Dei agnofcimus, et do- " lemus nos peccafle, et peccata detejiamur et fugimus, " ficut Joel concionatur, ' Scindite corda veftra, et non * veftimenta veftra, et convertimini ad Domiuum Deum ' veftram,' &c. ed. 1540.) altera e&Jides, quae conci- " pitur ex Evangelio feu abfolutione, et credit propter " Chriftum (certo, ed. 1540.) remitti peccata, confok- *' tur confcientiam, et ex terroribus Jiberat ; (de qua " fide Paulus loquitur, cum ait, ' Juftificati fide, pa- * cem habenjus,' ed. 1540). ]Deinds fequi debent bona " Qpera, quae funt fruftus poenitentise. (Deinde fequi *^debent boni fru^lus pcenitentiae, hoc eft, obedientii " erga j ^eum, juxta illud, ' Debitores fumus non car- * ni, ut fecundum carnem vivamus. Si enim fecun- ' dum carnem vivetis, moriemini; fed fi Spiritu aftiones ' corporis roortificabitis, vivetis,' ed. 1540.)" Art. 11. But when the Lutherans defcribed penitence as con- fifting only of contrition and faith, it fliould be ob- ferved, that they contemplated it according to its proper fignific^tion, (" Conftat autem poenitentia proprie,") folely as the converfion of a finner, as the && of his returning from vice to virtue, and " from the power " of Satan unto God ;" aad that with contrition and faith they exprefsly maintained the neceflary coexift-. ence of every genuine principle of holinefs. " Nee " aliud volunt noftri, cum dicunt, 'fola fide juftifica- * mur,' quam quod jam dixi, gratis fide propter Chrif- *' turn confftquimur remiffionem peccatorum, non prop- " ter 365 NOTES ON SEHMON VI. " ter noftram dignitatem. Nee excliidit pkrticula /o- *' la, contritionem aut cceteras virtutes, ne adjint, fed ne- " gat eas effe caufas reconciliationis, et tfansfert cau- "Jam in folum Chrijlum." Loci Theolog; de Vocab. Gratise, p. 240. ed. 1595. " Quid autem planius et " fimplicius dici poteft hac voce ? Etiamfi exifiere in " nobis poenitentiam oportetj tamen ftatuendum efle " quod non propter noftras virtutes, fed propter Fi- " lium E)ei Mediatorem, recipiamur, et placeamus Deo. " Quid hsEC vox habet abfnrdi ? Pojiulat, ut adjint vir- " tuies, et tamen caufam reconciliationis transfert in " Chrijlum, tribuit Chrifto debitum honorem, et mon'- " ftrat piis firmam confolationem." Ibid; de Vocab'. Gratia;, p. 343. See alfo p. 284, 434, and 281. " De " magna re difputamus, de honore Chrijliy et unde pe,- " tant bon^s mentes certam et firmam confolationem'. " Utrum fiducia coUocandfi fit in Chrijlum, an in opera " nojlra. Quod fi in opera noftra collocanda fit, de- " trahitur Chrifti honos Mediatoris et Propitiatbfis.'^ Apologia Confeff. de dile£t. et implet. Legis, p, 14, Their objedt in introducing the term faith into the definition of penitence, inftead of arifing, as fome have conceived, from a propenfity to make religion a fort of ecftatical reverie, and to gratify the imagination at the expence of the judgment, was fimply to imprefs the neceffity of truftingin divine forgivenefs upon a Chriftian principle ; a principle, which the Church of Rome feemed totally to have difcarded. " Quod aliter " Monachi fcripferunt, eo fit, quia non difcernebant " Legem et Evangelium, et de juftificatione loquuntur " phihfophico more ; prorfus ut Plato vel Ariftoteles co- " gitat, Achillem eife fortem virum, quia habet banc " virtutem, et afflatum quendam divinum, ita hi di- " cunt, Paulum juftum effe propter fuas- virtutes, et af- " JIalum divinum, nihil addunt de Mediaiore, de promif^ " Jionibus le NOTES ON SERMON VI. ' 367 fiombus feu Evangelio, et de fide'j feu Jiducia Mediator tis ', imo jubent dulitare de recovciliatione, hoc eft, " delere Evangelium et promiffimemy et fepelire Chr'iftum. " Quoties igitur venit in mentem hujos controverfiee " refer oculos ad hunc fcopum. Cum reipfa et vere *' hoc dicatur, neceflariam effe poenitentiam, et tamen " nos propter Filium Dei habere remiffionem, placere, " et exaudiri, tribuam Filio . Dei fuum honorem, et " hac fide feu fiducia promlflse mifericordiae Deum in- " vocabo." Loci Tbeolog. de arguni. Adverfarioruin, p. 383. , But while they argued for the neceflity of trufting in God's free mercy . through Chrift, and not in our own merits, for the remiffion of fin, it was very far from their intention to reprefent that faith or truft, as an aflt or quality of the mind, juilifying us, by its own nature, in the fight of God. The fole point at ifTue was to determine the meritorious caufe of juflification in the eye of Heaven ; and this they were anxious to attribute neither to faith, nor to. any other virtue. " Concedo in Jiducia inejfe dileBionem, et banc virtutem et " pier af que alias adejje oportere ; fed cum dicimus, * Fi- ' duciafumus jufli,' non. intelligatur nos propter virtuds " ijivus dignitatem, fed per mifericordiam recipi propter ". Mediatorem, qiiam tamen oportet fide apprehendi/' Loci Theolog. de argum. Adverf. p. 284.. " Fide fu- " mus jufti, id efl:, per mifericordiam propter Chriftum " fumus jufti ; non quia fides fit virtus, ques mereatur " remijjionem fua dignitate. Quod vero additur, ^ fides ' efl opus,' concedendum eft. Eft enim opus, ut di- " ledio, patientia, caftitas." Ibid. p. a86. It feems therefore certain, , that the juftifying efficacy, which their adverfaries attributed to works, they transferred not ^to faith, but to the objeft of it ; an aft of the mind only requifite, that the individual maj- himfelf ; " apply 368 KOTES ok SERMON Vt. apply his juftificatidn to his own eonfcience, -wheft truly penitent, inftead of having it applied for hiin, (partictilarly ih the fa:crifices of the Mafs,) by a fup'^r- ftitious Prieft, in a fuperftitious Sacl-atoent. " Inde fa'c- " turn eft, quod docent ex opera dperatOj ut loqUutttur, " nrereri" (viz. Miflam) " gratiam, et tollere petc'a'ta " vivortirti fet mortuoram. Haec opinio, iquartt6|)ere " diftet a Sdfipturis, ac glofiam paffionis Chrifti Isedat, " Sereniffima Regia Majeftas Veftm faciliime judicabit< " Si 6mxa hoc veruiii eft, quod Miflk pro aliis applicdri " poteft, quod peccata tollit, et prodeft tam vivis l^ukin " mortui's, 'feqtiitur, j'ttjlifichthnem ex opere Miffarum " contingere, non lex fide ; verum hod orhnino Scrip- " turae repugriat, qua; tradit, nos gratis propter Chrif- " turn per fidem juftificari, ac peccata nobis coiidonari,; " ef in gratiam nos recipi, atqu'e ita non (iligno opere, " fed propria fide, propter Chriftum Jtngulos juftbs fife- ^' ri ; at illi decent alienum opuS pro remittendis p'ec^ '' catis alt en, ^^ Letter of the Gerhian Ambaffadors ta Henry VIII. Burn«t, Vol. i. p. 3^5. Records. Vage I3dj note ('■*). The diviiion of penitence into its refpefiliVfe parts is thvts noticed in the Apology of the Augfbourgh Con- feffion : '' Conftituimus duas partes poehitentise, vi- *' delieet, eontritionem et fidem < Si qiiis volet addere " fertiam, videlicet^ dignos fructus poenitfcntise, hbc " eftj miiiatiottem totim v'lies et morum in milius, %on re- ^' fragaSimiir." De Poeiiit. p. 40. Indeed, it is there fomfetimes contemplated as neceflarily com|)rehendirig its fruits ; " Agite paenitentiam, certe loquitur de lota " pbertitentia, de tota novitate vitse, et frutlibus" De PcEtiit. p. 48. " Verum eft enim quod in do6trina " pcenitentiae requiruntur opera; qiiia certe nova vita r6- " qaititUT." Refponfio ad^rg. Adverfstr. p. 23. In the Leci Thedlbgici it i« defined mGch. after the fame manner f ee NOTES ON SERMON VI. 369 Kianner : " Vpfio pGenite{iti and that facrifice, which our High Pried and " Saviour Jefus Chrift, the Son of God, once offered " upon the Crofs, to obtain thereby God's grace, and " remiffioTi as well of original fin' in baptifm, as of all " adtual fin committed by us after our Baptifm, if we " truly repent, and turn unfeignedly to him again." Is it pofBble to doubt, that the terms of acceptance arc here underftood in a conditional point of view, when Chrifl is exprefsly aflferted to have obtained the remif- fion of aftual fin after baptifm only " if," or upon the condition that, " we truly repent, and turn unfeignedly " to him again ?" Indeed, that our Reformers folely in- tended to exclude repentance and the converfion of the heart from the contemplation of Omnifciehce, as meri- torious caufes, and not as neceflary qualifications, the whole tenor of the Homily evinces. All that they rrieant by the phrafe, " we are juflified by faith in Chrift only," (as they themfelves explained it,) " is this ; we put our "faith in Chrift, that we be juflified by him only, " that we be juflified by God's free mercy and the " merits of our Saviour Chrift only, and by no virtue or " good works of our own, that is in us, or that we can " be able to have, or to do, for to deferve the fame; '' Chrtfl himfelf only being the,caufe meritorious thereof. " i. . . . Neverthelefs becaufe faith doth direftly fend uS *' to Chrift for remiflion of our fins, and that by faith B b 4 *' given 376 NOTES ON SERMON VI. " given us of God we embrace the promife of God's " mercy and of the remiflion of our fins, (which thlrtg " none other of our virtues or wovks froperly doth,) thene- " fore the Scripture ufeth to fay, that faith without " works doth juftify/' In this Homily then, by way of contradiftlnftion to the Church of Rome, vuhich taught, that the " juftifi- " ficatio impii" of the Schools, or, as it was more ufu- ally termed, the juftification of him, who lapfes- after ibaptifm, depends up6n human merit, as upon an effi- cient principle, our own Church maintains, that thils it is wholly and folely imputable to the merit of the Re- deemer, and that it is received (for how, confiftently with common fenfe, can it be otherwife received ?) by faith, but not received unconditionally, requiring a to- tal converfion of the finner, one accompanied by true repentance, and followed by aftual amendment; not that ideal converfion of a more modern date, which pro- ceeds, we krtow not whence, and tends, wc care not whither. Page 1^5, note C). Homily upon faith. The whole definition of thi» point, given in the Homily, is thus worded. " Another f' faith there is in Scripture, which is not (as the fore- *' faid faith) idle, unfruitful, and dead, but worketh by « charity, (as St. Paul declareth. Gal. v.) which as thft " other vain faith is called a dead faith, fo may this be ',' called a quick or lively faith. And this is not only "the common belief of the Articles of our faith, but " it is alfo a/ure trujl and confidence of the mercy of «' God through our Lord Jefus Chrift, and a Jieadfaft -" hope of all good things to be received at God's hands> " and that although we, through infirmity or tempta- " tion of our giioftly enemy, do fall from him by fin, yet" {conditionally) " if we return again to him by "true ec NOTES ON SERMON VI. 377 " true repentance, that he will forgive and forget our *' offences for his Son's fake, our Saviour Jefus Chrift, *' and will make us inheritors with him of his ever- " lafting kingdom ; and that in the mean time, until " that kingdom come, he will be our proteftor and " defender in all perils and dangers, whatfoever do *' chance ; and that though fometimes he doth fend us " ifharp adverfity, yet that evermore he will be a loving " father unto us, correfting us for our fin, but not "withdrawing bis vasxcy finally from us," (which otherwife he will do, as having made no ^decree to the contrary,) ". if we truft in him, and commit our- " felves wholly to him, hang only upon him, and call " upon him, ready to -obeji and J'erve him. This is the *' true lively and unfeigned Chriftian faith." And again, in a fubfequent part of the. fame Homily : " For " the very fure and lively Chriftian faith is, not only " to believe all things of God, which are contained in " holy Scripture, but ajfo to have an earneft trufl: and " confidence in God, that he doth regard us, and that " he is careful over us, as the, father is over the child, *' whom he doth love, and that he will be merciful *' unto us for his only Son's fake, and that we have " our Saviour Chrift ourperpetual Advocate and Prince, *' in whofe only merits, oblation, and fuffering, we do " truft,. that our offences be continually wafhed and *' pui;ged, whenfoever we {repenting truly) do return to " him with our whole heart, ftedfaftly determining with *' ourfelves through his grace to obey and Jerve him in *' keeping his comandments, and never to turn back again " to fin. Such is the true faith, which the Scripture "doth fo much commend." Page 134, note (^') . Homily of good works. This paffage is immedi- -atdy fucceeded by the following, *' Firft you muft " have 378 NOTES ON SERMON VI. " have an ajjiired faith in God, and give yourfelves " wholly unto him, love him in profperity and adver- " fity, and dread to offend him evermore. Then for " his fake love all men, friends and foes, becaufe they " be his creation and image, aud redeemed by Chrijl, as "ye are." Then after a ftiort paraphrafe upon the De- calogue, the homily thus concludes, " And travailing " continually, during this life, thus in keeping the " commandments of God, (wherein ftandeth the pure, " principal, and right honour of God, and whicH, " wrought in faith, God hath ordained to be the right " trade and path-way unto heaven,) you fliall not fail, " as Chrift hath promifed, to come to that bleifed and " everlafting life, where you {hall live in glory and joy " with God for ever." Our Liturgy likewife abounds with declarations re- fpeSing the neceffity of repentance, no lefs than of faith, in order to obtain the forgivenefs of our fins. Thefe particularly occur in the exhortation, confeffioHj and abfolution of our daily Prayer, and alfo in the ex- hortation and abfolution of our Communion-fervice. In the colleft indeed for Afh Wednefday perfeft remif- fion and forgivenefs is afcribed to repentance alone. " Almighty and everlafting God, who hateft nothing " that thou haft made, and doft forgive the fins of all " them that be penitent, create and make in us new and " contrite hearts, that we worthily lamenting our fins, " and acknowledging our wretchednefs, may obtain of " thee, the God of all mercy, perfeB remiffton and for - " givenefs." And fo ftudious wei-e our Reformers of inculcating this doftrine on every proper occafion, that, where they found it not in the forms of the Romifti Cliurch, they introduced it, as in the abfolution of the Communion-fervice; " Mifereatur veftri omnipotens " DeuSj et dimittat vobis omnia peccata veftra,'liberet " vos NOTES ON SERMON VI. 379 " vos ab omni malo, confervet et confiraiet in bono, " et ad vitam perducat aeternam." Breviar. Pr^f. Mif- fae. " Almighty God, our- heavenly Father, who of Mi " great mercy hath promlfed forgvvenej's of fins to all '* therrii that with hearty' repentance and true faith turn " unto him, have mercy upon you, pardon and deliver " you from all your firis, confirm and ftrengthen you " in all goodnefs, and bring you to everlafting life." Page 1S5, note C°). " When men hear in the Scriptures fo high com- " mendationS of faith, that it maketh us to pleafe " God, to live with God, and to be the children of " God, if then they fanfy, that they be fet at liberty *' from doing all good works, and may live as they '* lift, they trifle with God, and deceive themfelves." Homily of faith. " If thefe frbits do not follow," the fame Homily towards the end repeats, " we '* do but mock God, deceive ourfelves, and alfo other " men." And in another Homily the means of pro- viding againftthe fear of death, to obtain and preferve a hope full of immortality, are thus defcribed : *' Let " us repent our fins, amend our lives, truji in his mercy " and fatisfadion, arid death can neither take him " from us, nor xis from him." Homily againft the fear of death. Nor did our Reformers, who had fuffi- ciently ftated the meritorious caufe of falvation in the Homilies, on other occafions fcruple to confider Chriftian piety as entitled to rewards. " That they, " plenteouily bringing forth the fruits of good works, " may of thee be plenteoufly rewarded." CoUeft. 35th Sunday after Trinity. And likewife in our Ar- ticles themfelves : " To the end that man,' accord-' " ing as either righteoufly or wickedly he hath pafled " this life, may according to his works receive rewards *' or punifhments." Art. 39. ed. 1553. ' . ■ ■ With 38o NOTES ON SERMON VI. With the doftrine of the Church of England in Ed- •ward's reign, perfectly accorded that, which had been eftabliflied in the preceding. This will appear by re- ferring to the Articles of Religion, publiftjed by the Kifig and Clergy in the year 1536, which ferved as a bails for the fubfequent Reformation. There juftificar tion is thus explained : " As touching the order and " caufe of our juftification, we will, that all biftiops " and preachers fliall inftrufil and teach our people, " committed by us unto their fpiritual charge, that " this word juftification fignifieth remiflion of our fins, " and our acceptation or reconciliation into the grace- " and favour of God, that is to fayi our perfe£l renor " vation in Chrift. Item, that^^ww^w attain this jufti- " fication by contrition and faith, joined with charity, " after fuch fort and manner as we before mentioned " and declared, not as though our contrition or faith, " or any works proceeding thereof, can worthily ti^erit " or deferfie to attain the faid juftification; for the o^Iy " mercy and grace of the Father, promifed freely unto " us for his Son's fake Jefus Chrift, and the merits of *' his blood and paffion, be the only fuffidejit and iv<)r- " thy caufes thereof ; and yet that notwithftanding to " the attaining of the faid juftification, God requireth. " to be in us not only inward contrition, perfeS fait^ 'f arid charity, certain hope and confidence, with all other "fpiritual graces and motions, which, as we faid bet *' fore, mujl neceffarily concur in remiflion of our fins, " that is to fay, our juftification ; but alfo he requir- " eth and commandeth us, that, after we be juftified, " we muft alfo have good^ works of charity-, and obe- •' dience towards God, in the obferving and fulfilling " outwardly of his laws and commandments ; for, al- " though acceptation to everlafting life be conjoined " with juftification, yet our good worlsLS be neceffarily. " re^ire4 NOTES ON SERMON VI. 331 « required to the attainment of everlafling life j and we f* being juftifiecl,.be necejfanl^ hound, and it is our 77*- " teffary duty, to do good works." Art. Juftif, Thefe ArticleSj it Ihould be obferved, were of fuch authority at the period of their publication, that they were or- dered to be plainly and diftinftly read, upon holydayS, in every Cathedral and Parochial Church throughout the kingdom. See Burnet, Hiftor. Reform, vol. i. p. 3621. Addenda, The fentiments bf Cranmer, Latimer, and 'Hooper, upon the fame fubjeft, feem ftrongly to confirm the tendency of the explanation, which has been given. Cranmer argued, that charity is no lefs neceffary to juttification, than faith, and that everlafting life through Chrifl: is the reward of obedience. " Al- *' though all that be juftified muft ofmecejjitji have cha- ^* ntj, as well a.s faith, yet neither faith nor charity be *' the woTthinefs or merits of our jra^iification." But- ftet, Hiftor. Reform, vol. i. p. a88. '•' Wherefore, " good children, labour with all diligefrce and ftudy, '^ that when Chrift fliall come again to judge the world, *' be may find you holy and obedient. For then he •uAil *' reward yowwith everlajihigiije" Catecjj.p. 131, La- timer repeatedly imprefled the neceiiity of repentance and amendment to obtain pardon here, and eternal hap- pinefe hereafter : " May we rife from fin ? Yes, that " we may ; for God hath provided a remedy for us. " What is that ? Forfooth penance. We muft have the *' ftaff of penance, and rife up wathal." Sermons, p. 227. " Almighty God fet out his will by Mofes and *' his Prophets, and this will is contained in certain " laws, which laws God commandeth that we (hould "keep ever before our eyes, and look upon them as " in a glafs, and fo learn to order our lives according " unto the fame. And in cafe that a msi.r\f/aeere; ait " fe perle6turuni ; indicayitmihi. locum, quodidtfe.im.'- *' fenfi dele&atum, quum deterres homines ab. immodicii " perfcrutatione adylorum divitits illius majefiatis," Anno 152,5. Epiftolae Melanfth. Mori et Vi vis Audlar.Epift. p. 104, Page i^g, note (^^). De Deo incognito, hoc eft, non reyelato et pate- fafto per verbum, fcire aliquid, quid fit, quid faciat^ quid velit, ad me non pertinet. Hoc autem ad me per- tinet, ut fciam, quid praeceporit, quid promiferit, quid • c e commi- ^e 386 NOTES ON SERMON VIL commmatus lit. Hjec cum meditaris fludiofe, invenis Deum. Imo ipfe te coUigit in fuum gremium, ex quo fi excidas, hoc eft, fi aliquid ultra ilia, qua verba reve- latafunt, prafumis fcir^, ruis in abyflbs inferni. Re£te igitur ille Heremita monuit. " Sr videris," inquit, " juvenem Monachum afcendere ad coelum, et "jam quafi ponere alteriim pedem in p^lum, retrahe " eum ftatim; fi enim ambos ibi pofuerit pedes, non in " coelo, fed in inferrip fe efle videbit." Haec vox aliud nihil monet, quarh ut moderemur curiofitatem, et fnane- amus intra oertos Umite$ praefixos a Deo. Non eninj in nubibus, fed in terra, voluit nos ingredi. Opera Lu- theri, vol. vi. p. 204. Pertticio/a etpejlilens cogitatio eft de quare.f ae certum afFert interitum, prsefertim cum afcen- dimus altiu^ et de pri$deJiinatione volumus philofaphari. Ibid. p. 204. Page 139, naie ('). See Serm. II. note 18. To the oppofition whiofe Calvin encountered^ upon this fubje(£l, he himfelf thus ■alluded, at even a later period. "Multos doftrinse meas *' efle adverfarios neque ignoro, neque miror ; quia no" " vum non eft Chrifto, fub cujus aufpiciis milito, mul- " tos blateiEones obftrepere : hoc tantum tjomine doleo, «^ quod per latus meum coafigitur fecra ilia aetetnaque *' Dei Veritas, quam reverenter a toto mundo fufpici adc- *' rariqiae decebat Nulli tamen improborum viru* *' lenti morfus unquam efficient, v^t ejus me doftrinae " poeniteat, quam a Deo au6lcnre profedam effe certo mi' " hi amfiat. Nee tarn male iw toi, quibus me .Deu& " exercuit, certaminibus profeci, ut ad futiles veftros cre- " pitus adhuc expavefcam." Opufpula, p. loii. Whether indeed he always Jiiaiatained the doflsriiie of predeftination according to the fenfe, in which bis Inflitute explains it, may perhaps be doubted ; at fcaft, if he fo held it in 1535, he certainly adopted a very lingular NOTES ON SERMON VII. 387 fingular mode to propagate it. For in the p)«lace to a French tranflation of the New Teflament (one of his earlieft publications) he then expreffed himfelf upon the point in a ftylej which cannot, without a forced con- ftruftion, be completely reconciled to his fyftem, and which he carefully avoided in his fubfequent produc.*- tions. " Mediator ille D. N. Jefus Chriflus erat onus " verus, jeternus, Dei Filius, quern miflurus erat Pater " in mundum, ut omnes ex horrenda difperfione et vafti- '^ tate colligeret Tandiem igitur, ubi adfuit ple- '^ num illud tempus ac dies a Domino prseordinata, '' adftltit coram Meflias iUe tot retro faeculis exoptatif- " flmus J atque idem ilia omnia cumulate prasftitit, quae *^ erat ad omnium red'emptionem neceflaria. Neque vero " intra unum Ifr^el^m tantum illud beueficiom ftetit, " cum potiuS dd umverfUm humanum genus ufque porri- " gendum eflet ; quia per unum Chriftum univerfum '' bumanum genus reconciliandum erat Deo, uti hie " novi foederis tabjilis continetur, et ampliffime demon- " ftratur Ad iftani haereditatem vocamur omnes "Jine perfonarum acceptione, hiafcilli, fceminse, fumtoij *' iniimij fervi, magiftri, difcipuli, doclores, idiotae, Ju- " daei, Graeci, Galli, Romani, Nemo hinc eiichtditury qui " modo Chriftum, qualis offertur a Patre in falutem ^' omnium, admittat, et admiffum compleflatur." Epi- flojae, p. 395, 6, 7. ed. 1575. If k be faid, that thefe e^preffions, unambiguous as they appear, may notwithftanding be interpreted as only referring to God's univerfal ^ffer of falyaition, it ' may be ©bferved in reply, that they are not fo ex- plained in the preface jtfelf, and that, occurring in one of his firft works, they certainly conveyed no fuch li- mited idea to the reader of that day, unprovided with the mafter-key of the Calviniftical theory. Nor can thofe, wlio contend for an. interpretation of this kind, c c 3 deny. 388 NOTES ON SERMON VII. deny, that at leaft they feem to countenance an opinion, which Calvin afterwards oppofed. But, in whatfoeverfenfe.he wifhed them to be under- flood, it muft be admitted, that he fometimes adapted the ftyle of others, who had a very different objeft in view, to his own pecuHar opinions. And hence, from the want of a due difcrimination, the fentiments of his contemporaries, oppofite in their natural tendency, are often improperly' forced into the vortex of Calvinifm. Syftematizing was his darling propenfity, and the ambiiion of being diftinguifhed as a leader in reform his predominant paffion ; in the arrangements of the former he never felt a doubt, or found a difficulty; and in the purfuits of the latter he difplayed an equal degree of perfeverance and ardour. Thus in the doftrine • of the Eucharift, it is well known, that he laboured to acquire celebrity, and conciliate fol- lowers, by maintaining a kind of middle facramental prefence between the corporeal of the Lutherans, and the mere fpiritiaal of the Zuinglians, exprefflrig' him- felf in language, which, partly derived from one, and partly from the other, verged towards neither extreme, but which, by his lingular talent at perfpicuous com- bination, he applied (and not without fuccefs) to his own particular purpofe. Nor was he lefs folicitous to prefs into his lervice a foreign phrafeology upon the fubjefl: more immediately before me; a fubjeft, on his theory of which he not a little prided himfelf, and feemed contented to flake his reputation. He per- ceived that the Lutherans, ftrongly reprobating every difcuffion upon the decrees of a Deity unrevealed to us;, founded predeftination folely on a fcriptural bafis, eon- tending for a divine will, which is ferioufly, not ficli- tioully, difppfed to fave all men, and predetermined to fave allj who become and continue fincere Chriflians. Zuingle NOTES ON SERMON VII. 389 Zuingle indeed had reafoned from a difFerent principle; and, although perfuaded, that God's mercies in Chrift were liberally bertowed on all without diftinftion, on infants who commit not actual crime, and on the Hea- then as well as the Chriftian world, he neverthelefs was a Neceffitarian in the ftridteft fenfe of the expr^flion, re- ferring eventsof every kind to an uncontrplable and ab- folute predetermination. Zuingle however died in 1531, before the youth of Calvin permitted him to affume the charadter of a Reformer ; who found Bullingerthen at the head of the Zuinglian Church, not only applaud- ing, but adopting the moderation of the Lutherans; ^nd plainly (to ufe the phrafe of Tarretin) MelanSfhon- izing ("Pour Bullinger, on n'avoit pas tort de dirCjqu'il ■" Melanchlbonifoit.'^ Bibliotheque Germanique, vol.xiii. p. 100.) But the doftrine alluded to, it may be imagined, was of a fpecies too limited and unphilofophical for one of his enterprizirig turn of mind, who never met with an obftacle which he attempted not inftantly to furmount. Difregarding therefore the fober reftri6lions of the times, he gave loofe to the mod unbounded fpeculation ; yet, anxious by all means to win over all to his opinion, he fludioufly laboured to preferve, on fome popular points, a verbal conformity with the Lutherans. With them in words he taught the uni- verfality of God's good will; but it was an uni- verfality, which he extended only to the offer of fal- vation, conceiving the reprobate to be precluded fi'om the reception of that offer by the fecret, de- cree of an immutable Deity. The ftriking feature of their fyftem was an ele3ion in Chrijl, by which they meant an eleftion as Chriftians. This alfo in words he inculcated : his idea however of an eleftion ip Chrift was totally difFerent from theirs ; for he held it to be the previous elefliion of certain favourites by an irre- fpc6live will of God, whom, and, whom alone, Chrift C c 3 was 390 NOTES ON SERMON VII. was fubfequently appointed to fave. But his ingenuity was fuch in adapting the terms borrowed from another fOurce to his own theory, that fome erroneoufly conceive them to have been thus originally ufed by the Luther- ans themfelves. Hence therefore much confufion has arifen in the attempt of f)roperly difcriminating between the various fentiments of Proteftants upon' this queftion, at the period under confideration ; all have been re- garded as formed upon the model, which Calvin ex- hibited, at leaft by writers vAtb have contemplated hinl as the greateft Reformer of his age, but who have for- gotten, that, although they chofe to efteem him the greateft, they could not reprefent him as the firft in point of time, and that his title to preeminence in the common eftimation of his contemporaries was then far froiti being acknowledged. Thus has the doiSlrine maintained by the founder^ of our own Church been fuppofed to be of this defcrip- tion. But to prove, that, when they fpoke in the lan- guage of the Lutherans, the)'' meant to convey the fenfe of Oalvin, it feems requifite to (hew, that they approved of his peculiar fyftem of predeftination in other refpefts; the contrary of which was, in truth, the cafe. Nor, according to his own account, was his in- fluence in this kingdom even at a later date confidera- ble; for in a letter, which he addrefled to the Englifli exiles at Frankfort in the reign of Mary, he admitted, that our countrymen attached but little credit to his name, or weight to his opinion. Difcord exifted among them upon the fubje6t of our Liturgy. After giving them fome very fcnfible and feafonable advice upon the occafion, he added ; ''Sed ego frujira ad eos fermo- " nem converto, qui forte non tan turn mihi tribuunt, " ut confilium a tali au^ore profe&um adniittere dignen- " tur."\Epift, p. 158. Fage NOTES ON SERMON VlL ^i Page 141, note (*). The term pnefciti, in the Schdkriidal acceptation of it, was fynonimous with reprohaii, and aS filch oppofed to that of pradejtinati, " Pnefcieniia eft futurorum " praecognitio, tam bonorunij quam malorum j appro- " prlaiiir tartien reprobaiioni. Unde reprobati appro- *' priate dicuntttr pnsfciti ; quia reprobatio ultra prse- *' fcientiam non addit talem rationem dignitatis, ficUt " preedejlinatio ; fie et nomen animalis appropriatur ir- " rationalibus animalibtis, licet fit commune tam ra~ " tionalibus, quam ir rationalibus." Nic. de Orb. lib. i. dift. 41. " Reprobatio oppOnitar approbaiiom." Aquitt. •lib. i. dift. 40. queeft. 4. art. i. Calvin's fentiments upon Reprobation are too plain- ly exprefled to be miftaken, and too broadly marked to be confufed with thofe of the Schools. " Corruit " ergo frivolum illud effu^Um, quod de pratfcientia *' Schola/lici habent. Neque enini pravideri' ruinani *' impiorum a Domino Paulus' tradit, fed ejus confilio et " voluntate ordinari, quemadmodum et Solomo docet, "non modd pr^cognitum fuiffe impiorum interitum, " fed impios ipfos fuijfe dejlinato creatos, ut perirent." In Rom. cap. ix. ver. 19. " Hie abftinebo a diflen- " fione, ad quam fere fcriptores edclejiajlici recr.rrunt, " non impedire Iki pr/sfcientiam, quo minus homo *' peccator reputetur, quandoquidem illius mala, non " fua, Deus prsevideat. Non enim hie fubfifleret ca- " villatio. ..... Ecce, quum rerum omnium difpofitio ^' in manu Dei fit, quum penes ipfum refideat falutis "■ ac mortis arbitrium, confilio nutuque fuo ita ordinat, " ut inter homines ita nafcantur,^a3 utero certte morti " devoti, qui fuo exitio ipfius nomen glorificeht. Si " quis caufetur nullam eis inferri neceffitatem ex D^i " providentia, fed potius ea conditions ab ipfo efTe " creatos, quoniam futuram eorum fravitatefn pravide- c c 4 " riti 393 ^fOTES ON SERMON VII. " rit ; neque nihil diclt, neque totum. Solent quidem " interdum hac folutione uti veteres, fed quafi dubl- " tanter. Scholajlki vera in ea quiefcunt, ac fi nihil " contra opponi pojjet. . . . . Sed quum non alia ratione, " quas, futura funt, praeyideat, nifi quia, ita ut fierent, " decrevit, frijftra de pr.ajcientia lis movetur, ubi con- " flat ordijiafione potius, et nutu omnia evenire," Infti- tutio, lib. iii. cap. 23. feft, 6. Indeed he freely confefles, that his doftrine, as well of eleftion as of reprobation, runs counter not only to the common opinion, but to that of celebrated writers,, in all ages ; " Vulgo exiftimant Deum, prout cujufque " merita fore prasvidet, ita inter homines difcernere ; " quos ergo fua gratia fore non indignos prsecognofcit, " eos in filiprum locum cooptare ; quorum ingenia ad- " maVittam et hnpietatem propenfura difpicit, eos mortis " damnationi devovere. Sic, interpojito prcef dentin ve- " lo, eleftionem non modo obfcurant, fed originem *' aliunde habere fingunt. Neque hoec vulgo recepta ** opinio yb/zMf vulgi &&', habuit &mm fieculis omnibus. " magnos. qu^horcs. Quod ingenue fateor, ne quis cau- '• fae noftrae magnopere obfuturum confidat, fi eorum " nomina contra oppanantur. Certior eft enim,;ihic; " Dei Veritas, quam ut concutiatur, clarior, quam ut. " obruatur, hominum au6toritate," Inftit. lib. iii. cap.; %2. left. I. It fhould, however, be remarked, that. the great names, to which he alludes, are not thofq, of the Scholaftics alone, but likewife of the Fathers, for he not only attempts to refutp, the fubtilty, of, Aquinas, (" Thomse argutiam, .... . Thorn se argutio-, '^ lam," fe6t. 9,) but admits the following to be the received fentiments of Ambrofe, Origen, and Jerome, ipaking a diftinction in favour of Auftin : " At Am- " brofius, Qrigenes, Hieronymus cenfuerunt, Deum f fua_ gratia inter homines difpenff^re, prqut ea qiienqm NOTES ON SERMON VII.' 393 *' bene ufurum praviderit. Adde et AuguftlnuTn in ea " fuiffe aliquando fententia; fed, cum melius in 'Scrip-' " turas cognitione profeciflet, non retravhich he reverfed. " In his perfevera, ttmqttmn murus " abeneus, nihil aliud inculcari tibl finens, quam quo *' modo feipfe oftendit &tva?a>Me&aX.parverbumCbrifli."' Vol. r. pj 197. " Ac initia quideih voliait Deus oiErouf- -" rere huio cuxiofitati; fie enim fuam voliuntatem et <" confilium propofuit ; ' Ego tibi frtsfeieTaiam &t fra- -' d^inattimem egregie manifeftabo,^ fed non iAa via rd- * tionts ei fapimtiie camaiisy ficut tu imagiqaris ; fio fa- ,* ciara ; ex Deo non revelatO' fiam revelatus, et tamen '* idtm Deus manebo.' Tu habes Evangelium, -" es baptizatxis, habes abfolutionem,. es Chrijiianus, et ^' tamen dubitas ?..... Deus dicit tibi, ' En habes fili- < um meum, hunc audias «t acceptes. Id fi ^cis, jam -' certus es de fide et falute tua,' ..... Omittendse funt '* dilputationes, et dicendum, ' Ego fum- Ck^iamts.' " ..... Dedit tibi firmiiSma argumenta eertitudinis et " veritatis fua. Dedit Fiiium in camera et mortem, *' inftituit facramenta, ut fcias eum non velle fellacefA -'* efle, fed veracem ., . . . Atque ita de prsedeftination^ D d a " tua 494 NOTES ON SERMON VII. , '^ tna. ceriiis ens, remotis omnibus curiojis et pericttlojis qua- . " Jlionihus de Dei arcanis conjiliis." Vol.vi. p. 355' ' , .To J,he operation or effe6t of the predeftinating prin- s-clple in the mind of God, which produces the eleftion, not of individuals from a perfonal partiality, but of a : church at. large, upon motives the moft merciful, and ■ by.rales the moft juft, the writings of Melanclhon fre- quently allude. '? De effeftu ele9:ionis teneamus hanb .." confolationem, Deum, volentem non perire tatum gc- " nushumanum, femper propter Filium per mifericordi- -" am vocare, trabere et colligere Ecclejiam, et reciperc -*' ajjferttientes, atque ita velle km'per aliquam ejfe Eccle^- i"'am, quant adjuvat et falvat." Loci Theologici de ■Praedeft. *' E contra vero ingens et immenfa bonitas ^" Dei eft, quod, quanquam multi funt prophahi, tamen " fe patefecit^ certis teftimoniis, ^t revelavit arcanum de- >" erettmi fuum de remiffione peccatorum, et colligit "" fibi ex tam corrupta maffa humani generis EccleJiaM " aternam" Difput. Oper. Lutheri,' vol. ii. p. 505. :*' Magna auteiji confolatio primum haec eft, quod certo ".fcimus, ex verbo Dei, Deum immenfa mifericordia •" propter Filium femper colligere Ecclejiam in genere hu- ~" mano, etquidein voce Evangelii- Sed dices, haet :" confolatio eo prodeft, quod fcio aliis fervari Ecclefiam, ," fortaflis autem mihiid nihil .prodeft, et quomodo fciam '' qui funt ele£ti ?, Refpondeo. Tibi quoque hsec gene- s' ralis confolatio prodeft, quia Credere debes, tibi quo- /' que fervari Ecclefiam, et mandatum Dei seternum et " immotum eft, ut tu. quoque audiasjilium, agaspoeni'- ".' tentidm, et. credas te recipi a Deo propter mediatorenl. :" Talis cum es, difcedens ex has vita, certum eft, te in ," numero ele&oritm effe, >ficut fcriptum eft;, 'Cluos juftifi- /'•cat, eofdem et glorifiGat.' ; Opera. Melanfth. vol. iv. p. 161. And ^that, a principal, part at leaft of.Me- . ' ;. ' lan£thonX NCTES ON SERMON Vir. "^bs landhon's doftrine of predeftihation (precifely ' the fame as Luther's) was pretty correctly underftood at an early period, appears from an account, which Bucef gave of it, (not a too favourable judjge,) in the year ■1536, who reprefented this as its leading feature'. " Repellenda eft qiiaeftio, ' Suniufne prsedeftinati ?" *' Nam ut diftum, qui de hoc dubitat, nee vocatufii " fe, nee juftificatum, efle credere poterit, hoc eft, ne- '' quit effe Chriflianus. Praefumendum igitur, lit nos " omnes a Deo eSe' prafcitos, fr^sfinitos, feparatos a reli- " qu'ts, et feIe£tos in hoc, ut iil Eeternum fervemurj *' hocqae pnpojitum Dei mutari non pofle ; et inde " omnis noftra cogitatio curaque in hoc intendenda, ut " prsedeftinaitioni huic Dei, et vooationi refpondeamusy " ut ad vitam seternam nos pro viribus, quas unquam " Dominus fupped-itavit, cooperemur. . . . Certe quos vo- " cat Deus, Ji fequantur modo vocantem, praedeftinavit; " eos, atque preejcivit; juftificabit quoque et glorifi- *' cabit." Enar. Epift. ad Rom. p. 359. ed. 1536. Vage 149, note ('*). The Lutherans maintained, that all children were regenerated in Baptifm, (not through the virtue of the Sacrament, but by the promife of God,) and received into the number of the eleft. " Vere in Ecclefia recipit " infantes, et Isetemur in coetu vocatorum eleHos effe." Melanfth., Opera, vol. i. p. 330. " Spiritus SanSus " per Baptifmum eis datur, qui eflScit in eis novos mo- " tus, novas inolinationes ad Deum, pro ipforum mo- " do, nee id temere affirmatur Cum ergo certum " fit, hos infantes efle partem ECclefise, et placere Deo, " certum hoc' eft, Deum in eis efficacem eJJ'e." Loci The- olog. de Baptifmo. " Ita et nos Ch.riftiani per Bapi *' tifmurh fumus regenerati, et Jilii Dei effefti," Opera Lutheri, vpl. vii. p. 103. " Quicquid hie faftum eftj ** id omne propter nos faftum eft, qui in ilium credi- p d 3 " mus, 40<^ NOTES ON SERMON VII. " mus, et in nomen ejus baftizati, et ad Jalutem defti- " natif atque ek&ifumus.'" Ibid. p. 35^. " Sum faftui " falvus, liim JUam Dei, et htsres Dei, quja fum bapti* " zatus." Vol. vi. p. 553. " Baptifmus inifantium de- " fenfus et ornatus eft multorum fcriptis apud nos. .... " Sentimus eos in Baptifino fieri jilios Dei, accipere " Spiritum Sanftum, et manere in gratia Dei, tamdiu " quoad non effundunt eum feccatis adiualibus, ea aetate> " quae jam dicitur rationis compos." Meianft. Opera, vol. iv, p. 664. " Volo pios firmos et infirmos acce- " dere ad Bs^tifmum infantium in fuis Ecclefiis, .... " quia in eo coetu funt adhuc aliqui eleiii et fanSiyUt " pueri; et aliqui adulti reSe fentientes, fed infirmi, " qui tamen funt membra Cbrifii." Melanft. Epjft. in Opufc. Calyini. But while they aflerted the faftj they denied, that any efficacy is attributable to the Sacrament itfelf. " SophiftsiB quoque nugantur, cum difputant, Quomodo *' Baptifmus juftificet. Nam Thomas et Bonaventura " fentiunt, quandam viriutem efflciendi a Deo aqua in- " diiam, cum haptizatur infans, ut ita aqua Baptifini "■Jka wir/a/^^ creat juftificationem. Contra nos dici- *' mus, Aquam. ejfe aquam." Opera Lutheri, vol. vi. p. 5a. '• Papiftse fomniant etiam parvulls infundi gra- " tiam virtute Sacramenti. Hoc eft falfiffimum, quia " virtute promijjionis falvantur, et accipiunt Spiritum " San£lum, quia dixit Chriftus, ' Sinite' parvuloss ad * me venire. Talium enim eft regnum coelorum." lb. p. 646, Page 150, note C). " Alii fingunt Deum fedjsre in coelo, et fcribere fa- *' tales leges, qaaji in tabulis Parcarum, fecundum quas f velit diftribuere virtuteset vitia, ficut Stojci de fato " Cuo fentiebant, et cogitant fatali motu impellit Pari^ " dem, et fimiles. Sed nos, ahjeHis bis deliramentis " bumana NOTES ON SERMON VII. 407 *' humane mligirik,- referamus oculos et mejitem ad *' teftimonia de Deo prQp,o.fi,t£t.. Sciamus Deum eflfe " ageoteni verq liberum, et tantum velJe bona, nee '* velle peccata Removeamus igitur a Paufo Sto~ '-' icas di/pulatiotief, quae fidem et invpcatipnem ever- " tuntv QuortiQdo, enim poteft Saul credere aut invo-. " care, cum di^ihitat promiffipnem ad fe pertinere, auL *' cum obrepit ilia tabula Parcarum ?" Loci Theolog. de Praedeft. " Deus npn eft crudelis et immitis tyran- ** nus, non edit, non abjicit homiijes, fed amat ; ficut " nos folemus amare ex nobis natos, non propter lu- *' crum aut n^erita, fed quia odiffe ex nobis natos non ** poffumus." Lutheri Opera, vol. Jv. p. 333. I have remarked, (Serm. II. note ai.) that the doc- trine of neceflity, maintained in the firft edition of the Loci Theologici, was expunged from it by Melanfthon in the year 1535, and that of contingency fubftituted for it ; but the amended wrork of that year, vi^hen the remark was made, I had not feen. I have fince, hpw- ever, met with it in a volume of hia writings printed at Bad in 1541, It avows the tenet of contingency in the moft unequivocal terms : " Exercuit Ecclefiam " aliquoties et magnas tragoedias excitavit utraque dif- ',' putatio de caufa peccati, et de contingentia. Et de " utraque re multa cplligunt homines acuti inextrica- " hilta et abfurda. Quae quoniam habent aliquid peri-, " cult, monendi funt juvenes, ut, omiflis illis infinitis " difputationibus, potius quaerant Jimplicem ao p'tam ^'■Jententiam utilem religioni et morihtSi in qua refiftant, ** nee finant fe ^ ea illis difputationum praeftigiis abr, '^ duci. Eft autem haec pla et vera fententia utraque " manu ag verivs toto pe&ore tenenda, quod Deus non *' fit caufa peccati, et quod Deus nori velit peccatum. " Sed caufae peccati funt voluntas diaboli, et voluntas ** hpminls Conftltuta autem hsec fententia, quod D d 4 " Deus 4o8 NOTES ON SERMON Vll. " Deus non ^t csiufsi pe&Cati., plane fequiiur contingen- " t'tam c'oncedenda^ effe.-, V . . Eft autem liber tas volun- " tatis caufa contingentias noftrarum aftiotium. . .; . .' " Necinvebenda funt in Ecclejiam delirafnenta de Stoicd " faiOjSnt ■mip) d,v'a.yv.?i^, quia funt inextricabilia, et in-' " terdum noceni pietati et moribus. .... Ab his opinio-' " nibus decet pios abhorrere auribus atque animis." Opera Melanft. Bafil. 1541. p. 463. In the 18th note alfo of the fame Sermon, I haveTe- prefented Beza as incorrefl: in ftating, that Melandthon began in the year 1533 to cenfure the advocates of Storci'fm, aiid thus indirectly to point at the Reformers' of Geneva. From tlie above however it appears, that he reprobated the idea of introducing fuch a do6irine into. th6 Church,' before Calvin was diftinguifhed ei- ther as an Author,' oi- a Reformer. ' It fliould be added, that, in his later 'works of almoft every defcription, contingency is repeatedly alluded to, and ftrenuoufly defended. ■ ' ■ . Page 151, note {^^). The fentirnents of Luther upon univerfal grace are clearly expreffed in his epiftolary correfpondence, as well as in his more public prodiiftions. From the for- mer, even' of an early date, Seckendorf gives a quotation exaiSly to the point : " Clarius difcimus," the hifto- rian obferves, " ex epiftola egregia 20.- Jul. ad infignem ^' quendam virum ifi Saxonia inferiori, qui iifdem de" f' praedeftihatione cp^itationibus angebatur, hoc anno " (1528) Germanice fcripta, quse habetur tom. iv. alt.' " f. 428. et feq. ' In hac prsefupponendo frafciviffe et * decrevifle Deum omnia, et fie etiam falutem aut f damnationem hominum, fciendum tamen effe dicif, '"Deum ab aeterno Jerio voluijjh et decrevijf'e, ut omnes "^ hornines falvi effept, et asiterno gaudio potirentur.' •^ Allegat diQum Ezech. xviii. 33. ' Si igitur vultj ut" * pecca- NOTES ON SERMDN VII. 405 ■'■peccatores fub quocunque eoeli climate degant, con- * vertantur a viis et vivant, non eft indulgendum fug- ■'geftis a diabolo; cogitationibus, vX feparemus nos ab * ilia gfatia Deij quae t^ fecundum altitudinim coeli a * terra, ab oriu ad pccidentem, Pf. ciii. 11, it. Itaque ' omnes poeniterites et auxilium 6jus rogantes obum- ' brat : dives enim eft in omnes, qui invocant ilium. * Rom. X. la.' AUegat eleftiotiem Dei Ephef. i; *' 9. traditam ; ' ab ilia," dicit, " nbn a lege et ratioci- ' naiione incipiendum effe.' Provocat ad angelum gau- f' dium omni populo annuntiantem, Luc, ii. 10. ♦ Nori ' t^rejlringenda" ait, " generalis promij[Jio,<\\ia. gratiam ' bonis, malisj parvis, magnis, frigidis, calidis, aridis, ' et viridibus ofFert ; non eft arSanda ad illos, qui, ta- * laribus ftolis induti, pii et failfti efle volunt.' De- " nique, ne ilia univerfalitas in abufum vertatur, ioV. *' 931; concludit cum diftinftione loquendum efle, et " clare, ' Si Evangelium," ait, " et verbum Dei acci- ' pis, illi inhseres, ejiis promiffionem tibi applicas, et itl * hac fide ad firtem ujque perfevcras, falvaberis ; fin mi- ' mis, in ffitemum damnaberis." Seckendorf, vol. i. Jib. ii. fed. 43. §. 5. In his Commentaries, and other writings, the fame idea pften occurs s " Quod autem Chriftum non om- *' nes accipiunt, ipforum culpa fit, quod non credunt, " et imdtilgent diffidentise fuse. Interim manet fenten- " fia Dei et promijjio univerfalis, quod Deus omnes ho^' f mines vult falvos eflTe. .... Ecce coUigendi Jludium, " ut omnes colligat. Sed huic voluntati Dei oljijlunt " increduli, cum verbo parere et lA. accipere.nohnt, " Itaque tantum reliquiae Ifrael colliguntur, et falvan- " titr." Vpl, iv. p. 441. " Tantum per hunc falvato- *' rem hoec liberatio omnibus conftituenda eft. Salva- ^' tor hie non Jejufmodi eft, qui propter quo/dam, et "Tpto^ter^ quo/dam non, venerit. ■ Paravit Deus, in- : ■ " quit, 4ia NOTES ON SEKMON VII. " quit, hoc falutare non ante quorundam, fed ante &- " ciem omnium populoruna Simeonis non obfoura *' verba funt, quod Deus falutare paraverit ante fe- " ciem omnium populorura, in quo falutem et vitam " omnes confequuntur. Dp hac igitur veiuntate evi*- ** dehtiffime colligitur juxta Paulum, i Tim. ii, * Quod * Deus velit omnes homines falvos fieri,' non cprporali *• tantum faliite, varum asterna, contra pecqatvvm et ** mortem. Nam hue iUud falutare deftinatupi ejl, quod " Deus omnibus populis pSravit, Quis igitur bunc *' Deum metuat, quis ad ejus judicium expavefcat, " cum fuam voluntatem de noftra falute cupidiffimam " declaret, ac qui omnia, ad falutetn neceffaria fuppedi' " tet ? Quod vero plerique pereunt, et falutare id rion " confequuntur, non haec culpa voluntatis divinai eft, " verum pervicacta humane, quae voluntatem Dei af- " pernantur, falutare Dei non curat, quod a Deo defti- " natum eft, ut omnes falvet. Si omnibus mendicis *' fublevatio egeftatis fuse proponeretur, et tamen certi *' effcat, qui hoc beneficio uti nollent ; non culpa eo- " rum eflfet, qui donant, fed qui accipere noUent." Pof- tilla Domeflica, p. 67. " Nam quid huic refponderet, *' cui nos hoc teftimonium ferre oportet, quod nobis " fuum Filium dederit, univerfam gratiam in Betptifmi " et Evangelio nobis exhibuerit V Ibid. p. ai8. " Deus mundum fie dilexerit, ut Filium fuum Uiuige- " nitum traderet. De hoc res certa eft, quod mundus " non fignificat Mariam, Fetrum, Paulvm. Verum " mundus fignificat totum genus mortalium fimul. Ita- " que fi credis te homtnem effe, aut fi hoc nondum fen- " tis, fi te cum aliis confer, ut te hominem effe intel- *' ligas, cur te fub vocabulo venire non poteris, euni " Chrjftus Claris verbis dicat, Deum Filiuro fuum non " folum JanBas Maria, aut Petm, aut Pauls; verum '' mundo tradidifife, ut omnes eum aoci|^ai^t, .qui tan^ " turn NOTES ON SERMON VII. 411 ^''tiim _fiUi bominum funt? , . . . Univerfo mundo hoo *' donum defimatttm ejl." Ibid, p, 144. The univerMity of the Gofpel promife, in its moft enlarged fenfe, was likewife inculcated by Melanc- thon, who dillin6lly afTumed it as a principal balis of Scriptural predeftination. It perpetually recurs, of- ten in the lame words, and aWays to the fame efFeft, i« almoft all his praduflions. " Duo autem funt con- ^* fideranda in promiffione Evangelii, videlicet, quod " et gratis promittit juftitiam, et quod promiffio eji " unwerfaiis. Nam haec duo exercent humanos ani- " mos. Difputamus alias de dignitate, nos ideo non ** effe ele£los, quia fimus indigni. Alias difputamus ^ de particularitate ; etiamii digni effemus, tamen De- " \xa\ fuos' qiiofdam elegiffe^ quibus fuerit eequior. Ideo- " que negamus nobis fperandam efle falutetia, quia- " fortafle non iimus in eo nutnero. Utraque Imagina- " tio repudianda eft, et magnopere prodeft adverfus eas " diligenter munire pias mentes. Ideo neque dignila- ^^ fern noftram refpicere debemus, neque ex univerfali, " promiffione particularem efficere. , Sed finguli nos in- " illam urmierjalem includamus. Cum igitur de elec*- " tione angimur, aut difputamus, non ordimur a mf~ " trit fupputationibus, vd a lege^ fed a promiffione Evan- " geJii, Si quis extra Evangelium caufam quserit elec- " tionis, is non poteft non errare. Idep non finamus " nos ab Evangelic, avelli, ac caeteras fupputationes " procul rejiciamus." Loci Theolog. de Prsedeft, Ed. X535, " Ut praedicatio pcjenitentise univerfalis eft, et ** omnes arguit, ut Rom. iii. clare dieitur } ita et pro- *' miffio gratia eJluniverfalU, ut multa didta teftantur. '? Quare non defle£bimus oculos atque animos " a promiffione univgrfali, fed in banc nos includamus^ ". et fciamus vere in ea voluntatem Dei expreJJ'am eflfe:' " . , . , Removeamus igitur a Paulo Stoicas difput^tip- 413 NOTES ON SERMON VII. *' nes, quae' fidem et invocationem everturit. . . • ■ Ad- " verfus has imaginationes difcamus voluritatem Dei " ex Evangelio, agnofcamus prbniiflionem eOh univer- " falem, ut fides et itivocktio accendi. poffit." Ibid.' Ed. 1545. " Prodeft piis tenere, quod promiffio iit unv- " 'oerfalis, nee debemus devoluntate Dei aliter judi- '■' care, quam juxtd verbum revelaium." Opera, yoL iv. p. 499. " Eft autem u^raque concio univerfalis, prae- " dicatio poenitentias et promifiio. Utriqueigitur om- " nes aflentianiur, agamus pcfinitehtiam, credimus om- " nes in Filium, nee difputemus de alia arcana volun-' *' tate, nee Jingdmus in Deo contradiSiorias voluntates.'' Vol. ii. p. 347. " Similitude de luto et figuh non hoc- " vult, nihil agere impios, fed eatenus convenit, quod " ex una majfa generis humani Deus nVios Juojudicio fal- " vat, alios damnat. Caufae in fimilitudine non oni- " nino accommodari poflunt. Tenenda eft enim fenJ " tentia, quod Deus not fit catifa pecati. Retinendunv " et hoc eft, quod promiffio fit univerfalis." Vol, iii.' p. 1017. " Scepe autem dixi, neceflariam efte confide- " rationem particiilas univerfalis, ut unufquifque fe in " promiflSonem univerfalem includat, nee fingat in Deo " ■nrpotrwTtoXYiiila.v, aut contradi£torias voluntatis. " Vol. iv. p. 168. How differently Melanfthon interpreted the celebrated pafTage, " Non eft acceptio perfonaruni " a,pud Deum," from Calvin, will appear by the fol- lowing quotation : " Contra banc -menfuram facere in- ♦f sequalitas eft, quae eft injujia et tjrannis. Ideo cum " dicitur, apud Deum non eft. acceptio Jjerfonaruni, " tribuJtur ei laus juflitia: et aqualitatis, cujus haec '* menfura eft. Univerfaliter irafcitur Deus peccatpin' *• homine, et univerfaliter accipit omnes ad Mediate-' " rem confugientes. Hanc menfuram fuo fapientiffi-' 'f mo et juftiffimo oonfilio fanxit, et vult immotameffe.' " Ac fingere, quod non fervet hapc aequalitatem, eft tri-' " buere ."NOTES ON SERMON VII. .413 *' buere ei -ispoa-unroXri^iav, Ideo et Paulus inquk, * Beus vult onmes falvos fieri ;' id eft, usqmlis eft om- - " nibus juxta menfuram, quam inftituit. Et quod ad " ipjius lioluntatiem cftiiriet, vult omnes hpmjne§ falyes "_/ac«rei.fed multi fua culpa oblatum beneficium non ■ " acciplunt." Vol. iv. p. 71. See vol. i. p. 33. vd. iii. J>, 434, p. 777, p. 10I4. vol. iv. p. 86, p. 160, p. 163, p. 173. The fame, argument likewife is clearly and forcibly urged in an Expofition of the Nicerte Creed, (vol. i.p. 430.) vvhich Melandhon feut to Crannier in the year 1550. Calvin's fentiments upon the point are clearly ex- plained in his Inftitute: '"Jam et tertia abJurdiHte " Dei prsedeftinationem infamant ejus adverfarii. Quum ■" enim non alio referamus, quain ad divinse voluntatis " arbitrium, quod univerfali exitio eximantur, quos in " regni fui hceredes Deus afliimit, ex eo coUigunt, " apud ipfUm ergo efle acceptionem. perfonarum. .... -" Alio fenfu negat Scriptiira Deum efle perfonarum ac- " ceptorem, quam quo ipfi judican.t, fiquidem perforue *' vocabulo.wore hominem fignificat, fed quas in hominum " oeulis cbrtfpicua, vel fayorem, gratiam, dignitatem, " coppiliare, vel odium, contemptum, dedecus con- *' flare folent," Lib. xxiii. feft. 10. " Qxiaxe falfo et " peffime Deum intsqualis jujlitus infimulant nonnulli, " quod non eundem erga omnes tenor em in fua prjedefti- " natione fervat." Ibid; fed. 11. '• , Page 151, moie ■(''). The idea of grace being offered to all, but commu- nicated only to a few, (the principal binge of the Cal- viniftical predeftination,) was ftrongly reprobated by Lu- ther, " Curiofis in pofteriore fententia, ' Multi funtvo- ' cat't, pauci ele£ii,' tnagna materia abfurditatis et impia- ." rum cogitatlonum eft. ' Qups Deus eligit, nec'ejfario Vfalvanturj e pontra vero, quos non digit, quicquid ' etiam 4-14 KOTES ON SERMON VII. ' etiam fecerint, qualecunque pietatis ftudium prseftent, * tamen exltium declinare non poterint, lieque falutetn * confequentur. Proinde ergo me mcejj^tdfi non opp6- • * nam. Si ita deftinatum eft, ut falver, falvaborj fin ' minus, irritum erit, quicquid conatus fuero/ Omnes *' facile judicare poflTunt, quanta perverfitaR et diflblutJo *' ex cogitationibus hifce iTHfiis emfergat .... . Quo- " mode nojlra pernicie deleBari poflet, cum nihil, om- *' nium rerum prsetermittit, ut hominibus vitam et fa- "lutem inftauret ? Atque hie demum verus aditus ad " Deum eft, ficut Chriftus etiam de hoe concionatur, " Joan. iii. ' Sic Deus dilexit mundum, ut Filium fuum * unigenitum traderet, ut omnis credens in eum non * pereat, fed habeat vitam seternam.' Verum, fi nunc " has cogitationes cum fuperioribus de praedeftinatibn'e " conferantur, id certo deprehendetur, j>riores ex dia- ** bolo efle, quae hominibus cum exitiali feandah funt, ut " vel nunc defperent, vel omnem verts pietatis fenfum ah- -"jiciant. Nam de Dei bona voluntate erga fe nulla fi- " ducia efle ppteft. " Alii funt^ qui haec verba fie interpretantur : Multi t " funt vocati ; id eft, Deus multis fuam gratiam offert ; *' pauci vero funt eleAi ; id eft, cum faucis fuam gra- " tiam communicat, nam pauci falvantur. Valde impia " hasc fententia eft. Nam quis non Deumfumme oderit, ** fi de Deo non aliter fentiat, quam ejus voluntatis ■*' culpa Jieri, ut non falvemur." Poftilla Domeftiea> p. 57. For the remainder of this paflage fee note 23. Page 151, note ("). " Quia a lege et coUatione meritorum difceditur, dif- *' putat mens Deum efle perfonarum acceptorem ; ex " toto genere humano quofdnm excerpere^ quos fibi ad- '• jungat, cater OS far^s rejicere. Talis ele£tio fim cattjts " videtur tyrannica. Huic tentationi opponatur uni- "^ verfalis promiflio, quae teftatur Deum offerre ommhus " falu- NOTES ON SERMON Vlt. 415 " falutem, nee dubiatn eftj mandatum eflfe Dei, at huic " promiffioni omnes credant^ item ut omnes audiant " Filium Dei. duos igitur eligit ? Eligit eos, qui fe " fiiftentant proiniffione, quae propter Filium propofita " eft. Quanquam igitor non propter homtnum merits " ftligit, tamen difcrimen eft inter eos, qui recipiunt«r, « et caiteros." Melanah. Opera, vol. iii. p. 683. "Eft ** igitur in voluntate Dei caufa ele(9iionis miferieordid et (^ meritum Cbri/H, fed concurrere oportet appreBenfieneni ♦* mfiram. Cum enim promiftio gratise fit univerfalis, ut " manifeftum eft, et neceffe fit nos obedire promiiffioni, *'• a&quod difcfimen inter ele6tos et reje6ios a voluniati '' n^M fumendiim eft^ videlicet, repugnantes promiffioni '*^ rejici;, e contra vero mtpleSentes proimjfionem recipi." lb. p. 777. " Elegit Deus, qui vocare nos ad Filii agni- ** tionem decrevit, et volt generi bumano fuam volunta- ** tem et fua beneficia ii»notefcer«. Approbat igitur et " eligit obtemperantes vocaiioni." Loci Theolog. de Pr»- dcft. Nor did Melanfthon withhold from the human Inindj affifted by divine grace, the ability of turning to Ood, and embracing his promifed mercy. " Certiffi- f ' mum eft ex Evangelio difplicere Deo omnes, in qui- " bus non eft paenitcntia feu cowoerjio Non re- *' moretur te haec imaginatio, quod non pojjis efficere ♦* comcerfionem^. Imo potes, Deo jwvante, et ipfe vere *' wltjmiare., et juvat petentes." Vol. iii. p. 530. From the fentinaents of Melan<9;hon upon divine equi- ty, it feems not eafy to diflingaifti thefe of Bullinger. «' iSalv^t autem gratuito, quos felvat, per Chrifti videli- " cet meritum ; perdit item jufte et propter peccata et " impietatemj quos damnat, Velle enim Dei non eft *-* iyrarmica quadam et heriiis ItQentia, de qua poeta, * Sic ' volof Jic, jubeo^ fit j^avztiane voluntas |' fed Dei volun- " tas 4i6 ISrOTES ON SERMON Vir. " tas' jkijiiffima et ^qui//imaejl. "BnWmgeiTi Comment i in Roman, pi 6i » Page i^i,nofe C^)' ' TheLutherans,always anxious to reprefs prefuitiptuous Ipeculation and perfonal conceit, unambiguouflytaughtj that we may fall from grace both totally axiA finally. " Non funt frigide et ofcitanter fufpicienda hsec verba, ' A gratia excidiftis;' funt enim vilde emphatica. Qui *' excidit a gratia, am'ittit Jimpliciter expiationem, remifi " Jionem peccatorut/i,juftitiam, libertatem, vitam,.&cc: quam " Chriftus fua morte et refurreftione nobis emeruiti " Et viciffim acquirit in locum illorum^ iram et judicium " Dei, peccatum, mortem, fervitutem diaboli, ac damna^ " tionem ester nam." Luth. Oper. vol. v. p. 405.' "Quid " Jgitur, inquies, de his exemplis ftatuemus?" (viz. the reprobation of Ham after a previous and long pofleflioil of divine favour: "nifi credidtffet et orajjet, nifi timuijftt ", X)(?MOT, neutiquam eflet fervatusin area, tamenpojlea re- " prohatur") "nihil aliud quam quod propofita nobis " funt ad inftillandum nobis timorem Dei, ne putemus f' po& femel acceptam gratiam, nos non pofle iterum a, " gratia excidere." Vol. vi. p. 98. *' Caeterum fi fe£tarii f quidam orirentur, quorum nonnulli jam forfan adfunt^ f et tempore feditionis rufticanae mihi ipfi in confpeftiini <', veniebantjfentientes omnes eos,quiyfi»z^ISpiritum aut '/ remiffionem peccatorum accepiffent, et credentes fafti " effent, etfi deinde peccarent, manere tamen in fidej et f ' peccatum ipfis nihil ohejfe ; hinc voces ipforum ; ' Fac \ quidquid lubet, modo credas, nihil tihi nocet, fides omnia .' peccata delet, &c:' addunt prsetereaj 'Si'qiais poft fi- ' dem et Spiritum aeceptum peccet, eum nunquam Spi-^ ' ritum et fidem vere habuijfe :' et tarn i«/a«o«;h6mines " vidi, et audivi multos, et vereor, ne adhuc in non-' " nuUis deemon ifte latitans habitet : fi igitur, inqauamj "tales NOTES ON" SERMON VII. 417 " tales infofterum ptiam orirenturj fciendum et docen- *' dum eft, quod, fi faniShi, qui originale peccatun? ad- " hue habere fe fentiunt, et quotidie de eo poenitent, *' et cum eo lufilantur, infuper ruant in manifefta pec ** cataj ut David in adulterium, homicidium, et blaf- '' phemiam, eos excutere Jidem et Spiritum fan&um." Smalcald, Art. de falfa pcenitentia, anno 1537. Seckendorf remarks, that Luther, Bugenhagius, and Melanfthon jointly exprefled their difapprobation of a certain produ6tion, becaufe the author of it had contem- plated predeftination in a dangerous point of view, and had maintained, that the elefit lofe not the Holy Spirit, when they fall into manifeft crimes. " Afleverant *' autem,' he adds, "■ fe femper unanimiter in omnibus " Ecclefiis contrarium docuifle j nempe, fi qu^s fanflus ^' et fidelis fciens ct ex propofito contra praecepta Dei f ' peccet, non amplius effe fanftum, fed veram jidem et " Spiritum fanSlum dbjecijfe." Vol. ii. lib. iii. p. 135. Upon fttch a principle then Luther conceived, that many begin vs^ell, but fail in the midft of their Chriftian labours ; '^ Multi praclare incipiunt, fed in medio feffi '' finem deferunt ;" vol. v. p. 67. and that it is imppffi- ble ■ to determine who virill remain faithful : " Non *' poteft quidem certo demonftrarl, quis futurus pofthac " fit, aut manfurus inter eos, quos Chrifto dedit Pater." Seckendorf, vol. ii. p. 85. In the SajconConfeflion likewife the fame fubje6); is -direftly noticed. " Manifsftum eft aliquos renatos -*^ contriftare et excutere Spiritum Saiittum, et rurfus ah- "jici a Deo, ac'fieri reos ir<« Dei, ^ti^ternarum paenarum. "..... Cum igiur homines nop .retinent ^dem . . . laut " violant ullum prseceptum Dei contra iconfcientiam, " e^iindunt SpiTitum fan£lum,.et rurfus fia.ut rei ir^s Dei " et poena sterna; et nifi fiat cpnverfio, tales morientes ■^' ahjiciunfur in aternas pcenas." De Difcriixiine Peccati. E e Thus 4i8 NbTES dN SERMON Vll. Thus too, for the exprefs piirpbfe of proving, that a fall from grace may be final, as well as total, Me- lanfthon frequently referred to the example of Saul. " Exeiiipla cogitemtis Saulis et Davidis, qui et bfenefi- " cia, quse recenfui, tenuerunt ante lapfumj et poft " lapfum exuii tantis bonis, poehas fenferunt, quas reci- " tavi. Et Saul frorfus periit, oppr'ejfus eeternis poenis ; " David vero rurfus ad Detim converfus eft." Loci Theolo^. p. 43 1. But in bther paflages he is^ if poffible, llill more explicit : " Qui agtmtur Spiritu Sancloj hi funt " filii Dei; led rUetites contra confcientiain, effuhdunt " et pertvu-bant Spiritum Sanftum ; definunt igitur ejje " Jiin Dei." Ibid. p. 280. " Affirmo etiam labentes in " talia fcelera excutere Spiritum Sanftum, et rurfus fi- *' eri reos aeternre pcBnse, quorum aliqui redeuntes ad " pcfinitentiam, ut Aaron, David, rurfus ad Deum con* •' vertuntilr, etrecipiuntur ingratiam; multinon redeurt'- " tcs rmmt in icfernas painas." Op. vol. i, p. 375- Page 35a, note ("°). When Melanfthon heard, that Calvin had ImprI* foned Bolfec at Geneva^ for a difference of opinion upon the point of predeftiuation, he communicated th« circumfltince to his friends^ with the following re* fledtionS vipon it : " Lelius mihi fcribit tanta efle Ge^ " nevse certamina de Stoica neceffitate, ut career! inclu- " fus fit quidam a Zenone diffentiens. O rem mife- " ram ! Doftrina falutaris obfcuratur peregrinis difpu- " tationibus." Epiftolse Lond. p. 396. "Ac videy^-^ " cult furhns, certamina Allobrogica de Stoica neceffi,'- " iate tanta funt, ut career! inclufus fit quidam, qui a " Zenone diffentit Et mitiores funt Tigurini," Anno 1553. Ibid. p. 923. I have remarked^ (p. 240.) that Bolfec reprefented the doftrine of the Lutheran Reformer as adverfe to that of Calvin. Hence the latter> who was not igno- rant NOTES ON SERMON VII. 419 rant of the fafl:, how much foever he chofe to diffem- ble it, wrote to Melanfthon upon the fubje6t, and fo- licited in the moft preffing, but certainly not in the moft conciliating, ftianner, a rriodification of his fenti- inents. In this letter the following paflages, in addi- tion to that already given, p. 340. are worthy of ob- fervation. At the commencement of it, Calvin ftates a report, which had reached him, refpefting Melanc- thon's anger at the reception of a preceding monitory epiftle. " Relatum mihi fuerat, fie te, mea quadam " libera admonitione, quae tamen longe aliter afEcere " te debueratj Juiffe offenjum, ut epiftolam coram ali- 5^ quot teftibus confcinderBs. Etfi aiitem parum credi- ■" bilis erat nuncius, ex quo tamen longo temporis fuc- " ceffii variis Jignis confirmatus eji, aliquid tandem fuf- " picari coaftus fum." After ftating the, appeal of Bolfec in the. extradt already given, he adds 3 " Me " non leviter pungit quae in noftra dicendi ratione ni- " mis palam confpicitur refugnantia. .... Cum res" (he means according to his own theory) " adeo plana " fit, te ex animi fenfu ptorjus diverficm tradere, nemo " erit fani judicii, cui perfuadeas. Curam fimul et do- " lorem mihi auget, quod te video hac in re prope- ^' modum effe tut dijjimilem. Audio enim, cum tibi " oblata eflet formula noftroe cum Tigurina Ecclefia " confenfionis, protinus, arrepto calamo, fententiam " unam, quae Dei eleftos a reprobis farce, et Jhhrie dif- " cernit, abs te fuijfe confojfam. Quod certe ab ingenii " tui manfuetudine, ut alia taceam, valde abhorret, " Itaque ut meum libellum" (viz. de seterna Dei prse- deftinatione) " legere vel faltem guftare fuftineas,>noii '' rogo, quia id fruflra mihi fadurus video." Epift» Calvini, p. 108, 109. This epiftle, (evidently, written under a very fenfible mortification,) which is dated December 1553, remained unanfwered; for in Sep- K e 3 tember 420 JilOTES 6^ SERMOlSf Vlt. tember lj;54, we find Calvin making a fecpnd Ineffec- tual expfcriment upon the feme fubjedt : " Quanquam *' tnti's uMmis Uteris abs te nbtt fuijje refponfum doleb^ *' et valde miror, faftidio tamen vel contemptu id effc " faSum, quum nihil minus in natttram morefque " tuos cadat, fufpicari nequeo* Itaque imncium bune *' nadluS, qui fuam mihi in' Uteris tibi reddendis ope- " ram obtulit, tentandum rurfus fuiaw, num forte quid " pojfein elicere, ..... Maiitfejtdm certe dijjidmm iii " fcriptis noftris extari, peflimi eXempli effe videst *•" Nee vero banc toUendse difcrepanttee legem' prasfcri- ^ bo, ut tu mihi affentlaris 3 fed ne pudeat Jios facriS *' Dei oraculis fubfcribere. QuEerendse vero eoneilia- " tionis qaseciinque tibi placuerit ratib^ eato libentet *' ampleftor," Ibid, pi 133, 134. To this I'aft lettef Melandlh'on immediately fent a very fhort reply, no- ticing fome other topics, which it contained/ but flill preferving an inflexible filence upon the principal queftion thus repeatedly prefled upon him. Ibid, p. 1484 How imprafticable the adoption was of any inter- mediate terms between their difcordant fentiments, Xvithout a manifeft facrifice of principle, the preceding fcxtra£ls from Melanfthon's writings fufficiently prove; But, befidea the oppofite tendency of their refpeftive Opinions in a general point of view, on fome important particulars an approximation feemed impoffible. Cal- vin obferved, " Verum mihi acutius ac pficdentius vid6- " tiir perfpexifle Valla, .... qui fvipervacaneSm efle ** contentionem oftenditj quoniam et vita et mbrs divi- *' nse magis voluntatis, quam preBfdenticB, funt aftio*, ** nes." Inffit. lib; iii. cap. 33. fed. 6. And again^ ''' iSTon dubitabo igitur cum Auguftino fimpliciter fa- ** teri, tJolwittiteM Dei efle rerum necejjitatem, atque id *• necijjario futurura efle, quod ille velnerit" Ibid. fea. NOTES ON SERMON VII. 45^1 feft. 8. On the other hand Melanfthon aflerted, " Errat Valla, cum detrahtt libfirtatem voluntat| propter " prisdeflinationem. . , , . Falfa eft et permclofa morihm {' et religioni Stoicorum opinio, quae affirmapt omnia *' necejfario -evenire, Cont'mgentia couftanter defendetjs- ^' da eft^ njfi enim contingentia pon9.tur, fequitur, ut " Deus dicatur efle auBor peccati." Difputat. Luth. Oper. vol. i. p. 478. The former argued, that Adam's fail was decreed by an abfolute will qf God. " Nee ^' abfurdupi videri debet, quod dico, Deum non modo *' primi honiinis cafum, et in eo pofterorum ruinam *' prBBvidiffe, fed ariiirio quaque fuo difpenfaffe," Inftit. ibid. fe£t. 8. The latter, that it was contingent, and not preordained : " Heva et Adam fua Ubertatf averted *' runt fe a EJeo, ita hse (adliones) funt veriffiip,e contin- " gentes, pt nequaquam neceffarus. Adam viojans maq- " datum Dei, acferjit fihi mqrtem, quia VFiffi™um eft ^' Deum non voluijfey nee appvobajfe id peccatum," Vol. i. p. 408. a fpecies of cpmment, which the Infti- tute calls frigid : '* Tam frigidum commentumfi reci-r <* pitur, 8fc." Ibid. Calvin inflexibly maintained \vhat was fuppofed to be a Gontradi6lion in the divine will, which invites, according to him, all to fal'vation, but admits only the eled, " ObjiciuJi.t nonnulli, Deuni " fibl fore cmtrarium, fi univerfalite^- omnes ad fe invi- *' tet, paucQS vero eleftos ^dmittat. Sic proraiffionun» *' univerfitas drfcretioneni fpecialis. gratisEj fecundum '' eos, tollit.". Ibid, lib. iii. cap. 22. fe6t. 10. " Ali- ff quid differui, eorum errorem refellens, quibus gener " jajitas .jBJtwiflionuni videtiir aequare .tfi^ium bumanu% ".^e«wi.".,Ij3id. cap. 24. fed. i.. But Melg,n(ah|onj afferting a real, and not a fiftitious, univerfality , in .God'spromifes, vindicated the confiftency of" the De- ity : " Cum di^iim eft neceflkrio judicandum .'efle de *' voluntate Dei ex verba ah ipfo traditq, et non ex ima- 8 6 3 *' ginationibus 4n NOTES ON SERMON VII. " ginatiombus hutnanh, tenenda eft etiam haec regula^ " Non effe ponendas contradiStorias voluntates in Deo, " quia Deus verax eft. Cum igrtur promiflio fit unT- " verjalis, .... includamus nps in promiffionem univer- "falem, ' Venite ad me omnes, &c.' et eum ad nos " pertinere ftatuamus." Opera, vol. iv. p. 162. See alfo the conclufion of notes 16 and az. The Lutheran Reformer, indeed, feems to have en- tertained a complete abhorrence of Stoicifm J "Non "/urn Stoicus," he obferved, 'f et aliquanto fortius di- " mico cum Zenonis familia de fato, quam noftri bel- *' latores ad Danubium et ad Albim praeliati funt." Epift, Lond. p. 370. " Removeamus igitur a Deo *' S'toicam torvUatem, et vere nos ab eo diligi ftatua- " mus, cum condita rogy-^ in natura hominuiri teftetur " in ipfo etiam effe verum et flagrantem amorem." Ibid. p. 557. And, when about to be attacked by two of his moft inveterate enemies (Flaccius and Gallus) on this very account, he thus mentions the threatened controverfy : " Audio mihi quofdam bellum illaturos " de CTEf) avscyyiYi; rwif.'^^, quod fi moverint, judico me " Deo et Ecclefias debere hoc officium, ut d^liramenia " contumeliofa contra Deum refutemJ' Anno 1555. Ibid, p. 458. See p. 3,66, ep. 84; p. 371, ep. 96; p. 405, ep. 444 ; and p. 463, ep. 593, 594, 59^5, and 596. Page 15 a, note (^'■). At Stakis illae difputationes execrandis funt, quas af- ferunt aliqui, difputantes, omnia peccata taria effe; ei&8ios femper retinere Spiritum SaniStum, etiam cuni lapfus atroces admittunt. Loci Theolog. p. ia6. Intue- amur verbum Dei nobis traditum, ut voluntatem Del monftret, et expavefcamus agnofcentes judicium Dei propofitum in verbo, et in exemplis, jiec confirmemus in jlultis JecurifaUm ei ccecitatem. Ibid. p. 135. NOTES ON SERMON VII. 4^3 Page 153, note ("). At the period of the Reformation the Scholaflics aflerted, in direft terms, that individuals were predef- tinated folely on account of their perfonal merits : " Recentiores Scholajiki tantum humano judicio, dixe- *° runt saufam ele£tionis efle merita, feu hona opera lihe- " r' " •ward privileges of the Church. .... That children " by Baptifm are folemnly received, into the bofom of " the vijible Church, &c." Dire6tory, p. 2%.. ed. 1546. With Calvin's principle, therefore, that, although all children are outwardly incorporated into Chrifl's Church, fome only are inwardly regenerated by the Spirit, the following declaration in our Baptifmal fervice is utterly, inconiili^ent : <' Seeing now, dearly " belove4, that this child; is regenerated, and grafted "into the body of Chrift's Church.;" words, which unequivocally convey the idea qf a p^jicipation as. well, in the; internal, as in thp external, privileges of tbe, Cofpeil Covenant. If^en regeneration is. fuppofed to take place, according tp his creed, we learn from the Articles of Concord'between the Churches of Zu- riqh ajid Geneva, drawn up in, the year 1549:}. which obferve j NOTES ON SERMON VIII. 439 obferve; ** Qui in primei infantia baptizati fuht, eos " in fuentia, vel ineunte adolefcentia, interdum etiaiA " in feneSute, regenerat Deus." Art. 30. Opufc. p. 103S. Thefe were tl^e Articles of Gdneord, which gav& fo much ofFence to Melanfthon, (fee Serm. VII. note ao.) and one of which he indignantly erafed from the copy fhewn to him. Nor is it difficult, per- haps, to point out the ofFenfive paflage. That it was the following feems almpft certain, UcQaufe no other relates: to the fubjeft of predeftination : " Prseterea fe- ** dulo docemus, Deum non promifcue vim fuam exe- " rere in omnibus, qui Sacramenta recipiunt, fed tan- " turn in eleilis. Nam quemadmodum non alios in fi- " dem illuminat, quam quos pnsordinavif ^d vitam, ita *' arcana Spiritus fui virtute efficit, ut percipiant eleSli, *' quse ofFerunt Sacramenta," Art. 16. The full extent, then, of Calvin's charity on this occafion, it is not difficult to eftimate. What that of Beza's fubfequently was, who imbibed all the fpirit, but not all the prudence, of his mafter, appears from 3, public conference, which he held with the Luther- ans in the year 1585. " Idem," he then remarkedi " in Baptifmo fit, quem multa millia infantum acci- *' piunt, qui tamen nunquam regenerantur, fed in ester-* «' num p^rmrit." A£ta CoUoquii Montifbell. p. 3934^ ed. 1 613, Fage 168, note (").' In the year 1543, Melaiifithon and Bucer drew up a; feformed Liturgy, and with it an expofition of feve'ra;! controverted points of faith, for the ufe of the Arch- bifhopric of Cologne. From this work the occafional fervices of our own Church, where they vaty from, the ancient forms, feem principally to have been derived. It was not, however, itfelf original, but in a great de- gree borrowed from a Liturgy previoufly eftablifhed. at F f 4 Norim-> 440 NOTES ON SERMON VIII. Norimberg. This appears from the epiftles of Me^. lan£lhon. " Scripfi vobis antea, Epifcopum fecutu- " rum e^eformam Norimbergenfem, Eratque ante meum " adventum inftitutus liber, ad exemplum Nor'imber- " genfe. Retinuit pleraque Bucerus ; quofdam Arti- " culos auxit, ut eft copiofus. Mihi, cum omnia rele- " giflem, attribuit Articulos ra-gpl rpiuJv iitarocirsiov, de " creatione, de peccato originis, de juftitia fidei et *' operum, de Ecclefia, de poenitentia. In his con- " fumpfi tempus haSenus, et legi de casremoniis Bap- " tifmi, et coen.'E Domini, quas ipfe compofuit. Arbi- " tror paene finitum effe opus." Ep. p. 546. " Poft- " quam veni Bonnam, inteliexi Epifcopum dedifle man- " datum, ut forma doftrinse et rituum proponenda " Ecclefiis conlcribatur, et quidem ad exemplum No- " rimiergcnjis forma;." M. Luthero, Ibid. p. 91. It fhould be obferved, that the author of the Reforma- tion at Norimberg was not Ofiander, but Winceflaus Lincus^ who fettled there in the year 1525. Gerdef, Introdu6tio, vol. i. p. 243. AH our Offices bear evident marks of having been partly taken from this work; liberally imitating, but not fervilely copying it. In our Baptifmal fervice the refemblance between the two produftions is parti- cularly ftriking ; nor in the Cologne forjn is the doc- trine of univerfal regeneration and eleftion in Baptifm lefs prominent, than in our own. The fenfe of the following paflages cannot eafily be miftaken. " Bap- "■ tifmus eft Sacramentum regenerationis, quo Chrifto '' Domino inferimur, incorporamur, fepelimur in fnor- " tern ejus, induimur eo, et efficimur per eum Jilii et *' haredes Dei." Noftra Hermanni, &c. fimplex ac pia Deliberatio, &c. p. .69. ed. 1545. " Sed Deus Pater, " pro inefFahili fua mifericordia erga genus humanum, " Filium fuum mifit, ut mundum lervaret, qvare etiam "et NOTES ON SERMON VIII. 441 " et hos infantes fervatos vult. Hie peccata totius mun- *' di tulit, et tarn parvulos, quam nos adultos, a pecca- " tis, mbrte, diabolo, et aeterna damnatione liberavit, " et falvos fecit, qui voluit fibi offerri parvulos, ut iis " benedifliionein impartiretur. Quare pro immenfa " Chriftiana pietate veftra hunc puerum aflumite, et ad " Chriftum adducite, et oft'erte piis veftris precibusj " quo peccatorum f'uorum ab illo confequatur remif- " fionem, transferatur in regnum gratise, ereptus e ty- *' rannide Satanse, et conftituatur hieres aeterna Jalutis. f Ei vohis certiffimum Jit, Dominum nojlrum Jefum Chrif- " turn hoc opus charitat'is vejlrie erga hunc infantem cle- " mentijfime refpeBurum" p. 71- " Wherefore we being " thus perfuaded of the good will of our heavenly Father f towards this infant, declared by hisSonJefus Chrijl, and " nothing doubting, hit that he favourably alloweth this " charitable work of ours, 8cc." " His verbis et huic " fafto Domini noftri Jefu Chrifti fuper illos fdem ha- " bete, nee duhitate eum et vejlros infantes fie in Jacro ^' baptifmate fufcepticrum, et complexurum effe ulnis mife- " ricordi^s fua, et hhnediBionem, vites eeterna, et fempi- " ternam regni Dei communionem iis collaturum." p. 7a. " Doubt ye not therefore, but earnejily believe, that he " ijuill liiewije favourably recevue this prefent infant ; " that he ivill embrace him with the arms of his mere}' ; " that he will give unto him the blejjing of eternal life ; " and make him partaker of his everlajling kingdom." " Itaque ex baptifmate certo fiatuimus, nos Deo accep- " tos et foedere gratise fempiterno ei conjunftfts efle." p, 73. " Debent paftores fubinde accuratius et foli- " dius explicare et excutere ralum habere Deum hap- " tifma infahtium nofirorum, infantes per baptifmum " adoptare in f Hos, et conftituere haredes gratiis fus et f vita sterna." p, 75. " Quod cum fecerint, ne du- *f litent infantem fuuni vers baptizatum, petcatis ablu- " turn. 44« NOTES ON SERMON VIII. •' turn, in Chrijlo renatum, et filiunt hesredemque Dei " faaum effe." p. 77. " Ex his ergo Chrifti verbis " certi fumus infantes, qukunque Chrifto juxta verbum " ejus offeruntur, pertinere ad regnum Dei, 'ejfe Jilios *' Dei, membra Chrifti." Ibid. " Hunc igitur infantii- " lum filium et hcertdem Dei, fratrem et coharedem *' Chrifti, memhmm Chrifti, et vejlrum in Chrifto, &p," p, 78. That thefe paflages exprefs fomething more than the language of hope, will not, perhaps, be coptro'- verted. It fliould however be recolledted, that when the Lutherans fpoke thus certainly of the regeneration and eleiSlion of every infant in Baptifm, they attributed nothing to the Sacramental efficacy, but all to the di- vine promife. Plence our Church ftrongly urges that promife, as the fure and only ground of our confi- dence. " Dearly beloved, ye have brought this child " to be baptized ; ye have prayed, that our Lord Je- *' fus Chrift would vouchfafe to receive him, to re- *' leafe him of his fins, to fanftify him with the Holy " Ghoft, to give him" (a title to) " the kingdom of " Heaven and everlafliing life. Ye have heard alfo, '/ that our Lord Jefus Chrift hath promifed in his Gof- " pel to grant all thefe things, that ye have prayed " for ; which promife he for his part wtll moji Jurely " lieep and perform." In the Reformatio Legum Eccle- Jiaflicarum likewife this point is direftly noticed : " Plures item," it is there obferved, " ab aliis cumu- " lantur errores in Baptifmo, quem aliqui fie attoniti " fpe£tant, ut ah ipfo illo externa credetnt elemento Spim " ritum SanElum emergere, vimque ejus nomen et vlrtu- ^' tem, ex qua recreamur, et gratiam et reliqua ex eo *' pMficifcentia dona in iffis Eaptifmi fonticulis enatari, *' In fumma totam regeneration em noftram illi facro " puteo deberi volunt, qui in fenfus noflros incurrunt; " Verum I^IOTES ON SERMON VIII. 443 " Verum falus animarum, inftauratio Spiritus, et be- " neficium adoptionis, quo nos Dexxs projlliis agnofcit>' *5 a mifericQrdia divina per Cliriftum ad nos dimanan- " te, turn etiam ex fromiffione facris in Scripturis ap-- " parente, proveniunt." Cap. de Baptifmo. Page i68, note ("). It is certain by God's word, thai children, which are baptized, dying before they commit aBual fin, are. undoubtedly: feved. Kubrick after the Office of public Baptifm. Fage 168, note ("). The work referred to is " The Inftitution of a Chrif- " tian Man," publifiied in 1537. " Item, that the " fromife of grace and evetlajlmg life (which promife is " adjoined unto this Sacrament of Baptifm) pertaineth " not only unto fuch, as have the ufe of reafon, but " aJfo to infants, innocents, and young children, and that " they ought therefore, and muft needs be baptized, " and that by the Sacrament of Baptifm they do alfo ** obtain remifion a/" their fins, the grace and. favour of " God, and be. made thereby the very fans (f God. Li- ^' fomuch. as irfants and children, dying in thevn irfaney, ^'Jhall undoubtedly be famed, thereby, and elfe not." p. 35. The fame publication likewife contemplates faith and obedience in maturer years, not as the confe- quenpes, but as the caufes of election . " There is, "and hath been ever from the beginning of the " wqrM, and fo fhall endure and continue, a certain "■ numberi, fociety, communion, or company, of the ele^ ?' and faithful people of God, of which number our Sa*. " viour Jefus Chrifli is. the only head and governor, and ''^ the members of the lame be all thefe holy faints, « which be now in Heaven, and alfo all the faithful " people of God, which be alive, or that ever hereto^ <* fore have lised, or Ihall live in thi& world, from t-ho- " begin- 444 NOTES ON SERMON VIII, " beginning unto the end of the fame, and be or- '*. dained, ybr tbetr true faith and obedience unto the wilt « of God, to be faved, and to enjoy everlafting life in " Heaven." p. 13. Page 169, note ('■*). When our Church maintains the aftual regenera- tion of all infants dedicated to Chrift in Baptifm, it is evident, that at the fame time fhe inculcates the uni- verfality of grace. That flie equally holds its defe6ti-. bility, not only follows as a confequence of the pre- ceding pofition, but is itfelf diftinftly and explicitly alluded to : " Grant, that this child, novf to be bap- " tized therein, may receive the fulnefs of thy grace, ^ and ever remain in the number of thy faithful and <-' elea children." Office of Baptifm. " That as he is " made partaker of the death of thy Son, he may alfo " be partaker of his refurrefliion ; fo that_^«ffl/^" (not for a period only) " with the refidue of thy holy Church, ^^he may be an inheritor" (or heir) "of thine everlaft- *•' ing kingdom." The fame, «' Defend, O Lord, this *.' thy child with thy heavenly grace, that he may co«- '/ tinue thine for ever." Order of Confirmation. Page 171, note ('•*). Although Heaven is the gift of Chriftianity, and by becoming Chriftians we become entitled to it, yet are i,ts rewards folely conferred on perfevering virtue : " Grant, that whofoever is here dedicated to. thee by " our office and miniftry, may alfo be endued with-, " heavenly virtues, and ev^rlaflingly reiparded," Office of Baptifm. Page 171, note ('*). The impofiibility of reconciling the do6trine con- tained in our Liturgy and Homilies with the Calvin- Iftical predellination, has been fo frequently and ably deroojiftrated, that a repetition of that argument feeros unne- NOTES ON SERMON VIII. 44^ Vinneceflary. There is, neverthelefs, a paragraph in our Burial fervice, of much importance to the control verfy, which I have never feen fully elucidated. It is the following ; " Suffer us not, at our lall hour, iot " any pains of death, to fall from thee." The Calvinifts endeavour to get rid of the difficulty, which thefe ex- preffions oppofe to their fyftem, by afl'erting, that they only relate to a fall from a. fi£iitious faith. Butth^ contrary appears to be the fafil, if we trace them tcJ their real fource. The paffage, in which they are found, was taken from a German Hymn of Luther, compofed as a kind of poetical paraphrafe upon an- other very ancient one in the Offices of the Romifli <3hurch. The words of Luther in the latter part of this Hymn are, " Heiligei- Herre Gott, heiliger ftar- " ker Gott, heiliger harmbertziger Heyland, du ewi- " ger Gott, lafs uns nicht entfallen von des rechten " glaubens troft." Geiftliches Handbuchlein, p. 135. " O Holy Lord God, O holy mighty God, O holy " merciful Saviour, thou God eternal, fuffer us not to "fall from the confolation of true faith." To afcertain, therefore, the precife meaning of the terms in our own Liturgy, nothing more feems requifite, than to com^ pare them with the original. Indeed, to confider i fall from God as meaning, a fall from an ideal faith in God, is a fpecies of forced interpretation, in itfelf not «afi]y admiffible. But the language, as well as fentiments, of our Re- formers on this occafion, may be further illuftrated by the publications of the preceding reign. In the Bi- fliops' Book it is faid ; " Keep us from the intice- *' ments of the devil, that we confent not to any of " his temptations or perfuafions. Keep us, that he by " no fuggeftion bring us from the right faith, neither " canfe us to fall into defperation, now, nor in the point 445 NOTES ON SERMON VIII. « of death." p. 91. And in the King's Book, thus ftiU more diredly to the point, " Whether there be any " fpecial, particular knowledge, which man by faith " hath certainly of himfelfi whereby he may teftify to *^ himfelf, that he is of the predejlinbtes^ which fllaii '' to the end perfevere in their callings we have not *' fpoken ; nor can in Scripture nor doflx)rs find, that *' any fuch faith can be taught or preached. Truth it ** is, that in the Sacraments inftituted by Chrift we " may donftantly believe the Avorks Of God in theni *' t6 our prefent comfort, and appfication of his gracfe " and favour, with afliirande alfo, that he wifl not fail <' us, if we fall not fr^m him." Art. of Faith. " Al- *' beit in this aflembly of men called by the word of f' God^ and received by faith and baptifra, be many " evil men, many finners, many that turii by true p6- <' nance to grace, and yet fometimes fall again, fomCj *' after they turn by true penance, ftill perfevere, and " increafe in goodnefs ; many, that fall, and never riffi f' again, &c." 9th art^ of the Creed. Perhaps like- wife a reference to the Creed of Cranmer, refpeitin^ the poOibility of perifhing in the dreadful hour of af- ilidion and death, may not be deemed unimportantj " In this petition (deliver us from evil) we muft learn " both wifdom and patience : wifdom to beware of " fin, when it provoketh us, and in no wife to follow " the fame ; and patience, to fufTer willingly the erofsj " and fuch affliftions as God fliall fend unto us, and " to pray God with fervent defire, that he fuffer us not " to perijh in the fame ; but mercifully defend us, until " fuch time aslt fhall pleafe him clearly to deliver usj ^' which fhall be, when we fhall die. .... At that hour " we be in the mojl danger of all evils and temptations. " Wherefore it is moft neceffary for us, even frOm our " tender age, to pray to our Lord, that al that lafi hour "he NOTES ON SERMON VIII. 447 *' be •will be good and gracious to us, delivering us from " all manner of evil." Catechifm, p. 310. Page 171, note (''). The individual opinions of Cranmer upon the fub- jedl of predeftination, probably becaufe little known, have been feldom adduced. That he thought very differently from Calvin refpe£ting univerfal redemp- tion, the extracts, which I have given from his writ- ings in p. 331. will perhaps be admitted as complete evidence, even by thofe, who may not efteem them fidly fatisfafhory upon the collateral queftion, for the illuftration of which they are there quoted. Neither is it difficult to fhew, not only that he further differed from the Reformer of Geneva on the point of final perfeverance, but that he held the fame doiSlrine of regeneration and an election in Cbrift through £ap-> tifm, which is fo confpicuous in the Offices pf our Church. In his Catechifm his fentiments are thua delivered : " And we Chriftian men, although by " Baptifm we be made the children of God, and receive, " the Holji Ghqft, ice," p. 193. " Here we mean a, ''fecond birth, which is fpiritual, whereby our inward *' man and mind is renewed of the Holy Ghofl, fa " that our hearts and minds receive new defires, which *' they had not of their Jtrjl birth or nativity. And " the fecond birth is by the water of Baptifm, whicb " Paul calleth the laver of regeneration, becaufe our *' fins be forgiven us in Baptifm, and the Holy Ghofi is " poured into us, as into God's beloved children, fo that " by the power and working of the Holy Ghofl we- *' are born again fpiritually, and made new creatures. " And fo by Baptifm we enter into the kingdom of " God, and fliall be faved for ever, if we continue to our ^'lives' end in the faith of Chrifl." p. 314. When fpeaking of adults, he obferves, " All- thefe benefita « vye 448- NOTES ON SERMON VIII. "we receive by faith, in the which whofoever continu-i " eth unto the -end- of his life fliall be faved ; the which " God grant to us all." p. I2i. " Take this for a fure " conclufion, and doubt nothing thereof, that the Holy. " Ghoft, as he hath begun thefe things in us, fo:he" " will finifh the fame, if we obey him, and continue in "faith unto the end of our lives. For he that continuetb " unto the end fliall be faved." p. 143. Such were his ideas, when our Liturgy was firft compiled ; and that they were not afterwards changed, when he became a Zuinglian on the point of the Sacramental prefence, we may conclude from the laft of his produdlions, his an- fwer to Gardiner, in which he fays ; " For this caufe " Chrift Ordained Baptifm in water, that, as fufely as " we feel and touch the water, fo affuredly ought we " to believe, when we are baptized, that Chrift is *' verily prefent with us, and tliat by him we be newly *' born again fpiritually, and waflied from our fins, and ''.grafted in the ftockof Chrift's own body, and be ap- " pareled, clothed, and harneffed with him in fuch "wife, that as the devil hath no power againft Chrift, " fo hath he none againft us, fo long as we remain " grafted in that flock, and be clothed with that apparel, " and be harneffed with that armour." p. 38. "The Holy " Ghoft doth not only come to us in Baptifm, and Chrift " doth there clothe us, but they do the fame to us con- " tinually,yb /ow^ fl^'We dwell in Chrift" p. 71. Upon the fame points, the univerfality and defeftibi- lity of grace, points utterly incompatible with the Cal- ■viniftical theory, Latimer fe^ms to have fpoken no lefs decidedly, than Cranmer. On the firft head he adopt- - ed the following unambiguous mode., of expreffion. " The promifes of Chrift our Saviour are general; they " pertain to all mankind.' He made a general procla- " mation, fayingj 'Whofoever believeth in me hath ' ever- NOTES ON SERMON Vll'lt 449 ♦everlafting life,!' LikewSfe St. iPaul faith ; 'The * grace and mercies of God exceed far our fins.' " Therefore let us ever think and believe, that the *' grace of* God, his mercy and goodnefs/ exc^edetK " our fins. Alfo confider, what thrift faith with his "own mouth ; 'Come to me, all ye, that labour, anil * are laden, and I will eafe you.' Mark here he faith, * Gome all ye 'g' wherefore then fhould any man "de- " fpair; to (hut out himfelf froth thefe promife'of " Chrift, which be ge7ieral, and pertain to the ivbole " worldf" Sermons, p. 183. ed. 1584. "Now feeing, "that the Gofpel is linvverjal, it appeareth, that he " would have all mankind faved, and that the fault is " not in him, if we be damped. For it is written " thus; ' God would hdiveiall men to be faved.' His " falvation is fufficient to fave all mankind; but we are " fo wicked of ourfelyes, that v/erefufe the fanie, and " we will not take it, when it is offered unto us ; and " therefore he faith ; ' Few are chofen.' :p. 327. Is it poflGble for any man at all coniverfant with the writings of Luther and Melanfthon on one fide, and with thofe of Calvin on the other, to hefitate in determining, from which the preceding lariguage was derived ? Nor was he deficient in precifion upon the fecond head. On this he remarked, " I do not put you in comfort t'hat " if you have once the " S^iriti ye cannot lofe it. There " be new fpirits flarted.up now of late, that fay, aftt^- " we have received the Spirit, lue cannot Jin. I will *' make but one argfiiilent. St. Paul had larought the " Galati^ns to the profeffion of 'the faith, and left " thein in that ftate.' They had received the Spirit " once, and Xheyftnned again: . — . If this be true, we " may lofi the Spirit, that we have once poffeffed. It « is a/o«J thing, I will not tarry in it." p. 84. " Who- *' foever purpofely finneth, contra confcientiara, againft eg " his ^^9 NOTES ON SERM,ON yill. " his confcience, he baih loji the IJoly phofl:, tlp,erg9if. f' fion of fins,'and/«a//y Chrijijiivifelf." p. 17.0. '-^ ^s *' ^t^ere be many of us, which, when ,wp fall wJllingly " into fin againft confcience, we XqS-^ th^ favwr of God, " our falvation, and finally the Holy G,boJi." p. ^;^6. " Th^t man or wonian, that copinji|;teth fuph an ^^, " lofeth thp Holy Ghoft, and the rejijifiSpn of fins, ^nd " fp |Decoineth the child of the Pevil, b^ing b,efore the " child of pod Now he that is led fo \yith fin, he " is in the Jlate of damnation, and finneth damnably." P. ?a,7. " We may one time be in the book, and " another time come oiU again, as it appeareth by Da- " via, which was written in the book of life. But " vyjien he finned, he at that fame time was oy,t of the " book of the favour of pod, until b,e had reppntedj " and was fprry for his faults. So "We may be in the " book at one time, and afterward, when we fppget " God, and his word, and do wickedly, we comg ()ut, " of the book, that is out of Chx'tfl, who is the bp^lf ." P-3I2- Page 173, r/ofe ('^). An eminent Calvinifl;ical controverfi3,lifl: of the pre- fent day makes the fpllow^ing conpeffion refpe£ting th^. opinion of Hooper upon predeftination. " Your next *' quotation is frorn Biftiop Hopper, a^id in this finglq " point, it is clearly on your fi^q of the queftipn." Goliath flain, p. 10. , The quotations from the writings of Hopper fe^ve been generally taken from the preface tphi^ l^^c\sx^^v?v^ of the Ten Commandments, vvhich fe.qms to hayqbe^eii, compofed, like the 17th Article of our phur^h, ijpt tft encotirage, but reprefs, all vain fpeculatiop, upon wha.t he terms "the difpijitation pf God's prpvi4ep,c,e," wliipU h^ penfures as " a curiojity, an^ no religion, a.prefuviptiofl^ " and^ no faith, a let of virtue a^4 a further ajice, of.vice^'S •p-89* n6tes on sermon VIII. 45^ p. 89. In this preface the fubfequent paflages, which de- fitje the caufes of eleftion and reprobation, (the leading points of the controverfy,) are verbally tranflated from JVfelancShon. " The caufe of reprobation or damnation " isjtn iri many which will nbthkdr, neither receive the *' ptbniife of the Gofpel This fentence Is truJ, '' hovtrfodv'er man may judge of pl-edeftinatioii* Gad is "not thfe caajf¥ of fin, nor woMd have nian to fin." *^Th6u art not the Godythat willeth finl' Pfalril v. 4.' " And It is faid; ' Thy perdition, O Ifrael, is of thy- * felf, arid thy futcour only of me.' Hbf.xiii. 9. Cau- " fam reprobationis certurh eft' banc efle, videlicet pec- ** Caturi^i in hoihinibus, qui' prorfus non audiunt, nee " accipliunt, Evangelium In his certurn eft, cati- " fam efle reprobationis peccatum ipforum, et huffianam " voluntateni. Nam veriffima eft fententia, Deiim non " efle caufarn peccati, necvelle peccatum. Nota eft enim " vo'x Pfalmi': ' Non Deus volens iniquitatem tu es.' " Et Hbf. xiii. dicitur ; ' Perditib tua eft Ifrael. Tan- * tuni in me auxilium tuum\ eft.' Loci Theolog. de' " prsed. p. 473. The caufe of our eleftion is the mer- " cy of God in Chrift. Howbeit he that will be par-' " taker of this election, muft receive the promife in' '* Chrift by faith, for therefore we be eleOied, becaufe " afterward we are made the members of Chrift. " Therefore as in the juftification and remiflion of fin, " there is a caiifs, though no dignity at all in the re- " ceiver of his ju'ftification, and fo we judge him by^ " the Scripture to be juftified and have remiflion of his' *' fin, becaufe herefceived the grace prom ifed Irx Chrift;" " fo we judge of election, by the event or fuccefs, "that happeheth in the life of man, thofe only to" ''^ be elefted, that by faith apprehend the mercy pro- " mifed in Chrift." " Re6le dicitur, caufam elefliionis' " efle mifeficordiaBi in voluntate Dei, .... Sed'tamie'n G g 3 "in 45=5 NOTES ON SERMON Yllt. " in accipiente concurrere oportet apprehenfionem pro^ " miffionis, feu agnitionem Chrifti. Nam ideo ele6ti " fumus, quia efficimur membra Chrifti. Ergo in juf- " tificatione diximus aliquam effe in accipiente, cauj'am, " non dignitatem, fed quia promiffionem apprehendit,- "..... itade eleftioneapofteriorejudicamus, videlicet " baud dubie eleftos effe eos, qui mifericordiam, propter ' " Chriftum promiffam fide apprebendunt." lb. p. 473* 'f John faith, ' No man cbmeth to me, except my Father ' draw him.* Many men underftand thefe words in a " wrong fenfe, as though God required in a reafona- *' ble man no more than in a dead poft,- and marketh- " not the words that follow j ' Every man that bear-^ ' eth and learneth of my Father cometh to me.' God '' draweth with his word and the Holy Ghoft, but *' man's duty is to hear and learn, that is to, fay, receive " the grace offered, confent to the promife, and not re- " pugn the Gad,that;CaIIeth." " Sic cum Joan. vi. die- ^' turn effet, 'Nemo venit ad me, nifi Pater tfaxerit ' eum,' fequitur ftatiirij ' Omnis, qui audit a Patre, et- '. difcit, venit ad me.' Ordi^ur Deus, et trahit verbo <.' fuo, et Spiritu Sanfto, fed audire nos oportet, et difce-^ '5 .re, id eft, apprehendere promiffionem, et ajfentiri, non " repugn^ri." lb. Nor was the principal objeft, which Hooper propofed to himfelf in this adoption of Me- i?incthon's ideas, at all obfeur© ; for In the fentence immediately preceding the. firft quotation he obferves^ that it is not the Chriftian's part " to fay God hath " vv'ritten fatal laws, as the Stoic, and with necefjitji of " dejliny violently fulleth one man hy the hair into heat ■ " vfiw^ and tbrujleth the other headlong into hell:" and then adds, therefore " afcertain thyfelf by the Scrip-^ " ture what be the caufes of reprobation and what of " eleftion. The caufe of reprobation, &c/' as before. But in a. prior, part of the feme preface he more fuUy^ explains NOTES ON SERMON Vllf. 4^^ explains the fcope oif his whole reafoning. '' As the " fins of Adam," he remarks, " without privilege or " exception extended unto all and every of Adam's " pofterity, fo did the promife of grace generally apper* " tain as well to every and Jtngularoi Adam's pofterity, " as to Adam. .... St. Paul doth by collation of Adam " and Chrift, fin and grace, thus interpret God's pro- " mife, and maketh not Chri/l inferior to Adam, nor " grace to Jim If all then fliall be faved, what is to be " faidof thofe that Peter fpeaketh of,, that ftiall perifh " for their falfe doftrine ? And likewife Chrift faith j ' that the gate is ftrait that leadeth to life, and fevy * enter.' Thus the Scripture anfwereth, that the pro- *' mife of grace appertaineth to every fort of men ii» " the world, and eomprehendeth them all, howbeit " ivithin certain limits and hounds, the which if men *' negleSt or pafs over, they exclude themf elves from the " promife in Chrift ; as Cain was no more excluded,;. " till he excluded himfelf, than Abel, Saul than David, "Judas than Peter, Efau than Jacob. By the Serip- *' ture it feemeth, that the fentence of God was given ' " to fave the one, and damn the other, before the one *^ loved God, or the other bated God. Howbeit thefe *? threatenings . of God againft Efau, if he had not of " his own wilful malice excluded himfelf from the pro- '' mife of grace, Ihould no more have hindered his, *' falvation, than God's tlireatenings .again/1 Ninipeb, *' which, notwithftanding that God faid fhould be. de- *' ftroyed within 40 days, flood a great time after, and- *' did penance." Hence it appears, that he fuppofed the. will of God to be conditional, which indeed he elfe- wbere avowed in direft terms. " That God repent- *' eth of the evil he purpofed to do unto the Ninevites, ^ *' we learn, that all the threatenings of God be condi- " tionally^) that is to fay, to- fall upon us> if we repehi " not 454 NGT'ES on sermon VIIL " not of our'-evil deeds." Sermons On Joni's, Serm.'^j " Such as be' fanftified by Ghrift, muft live an hbneff *■' arid holy life, or elfe his fanftification availfeth not j' " as God forfook the children of Ifrael, fo will he do " us ; they were eleft'ed to be his people upon (his cort- " difion ; ' Si' audiendo atidieris- voceril' iW^fii^ et' 'cModiefis pa6tura meum, eris n4ih!i' peciuliiiih de^ * cunffis popnliS'.' tie that favoured Adt thfe Ifrael- " ites, but took cmel vengeance updh them-, becaiife " they walkfed' not in their vocation, vi'ill db^- ahd' " doth daily the fame unto us'. Therefbrd brie of* thefe' " two we muft needs ddj that fay we be jiiflifidd* arid' " fan(9;iiied in Chrift^ either from- thd bottom of dui' " hearts amend, or elfe* be eternally Idjl, with all' tyuM " ghojllj hiotulcdge." A Declaration of Clltift and' his' Office, cap. lo. It is recorded both by Fox arid Strype, that violent' difputfes upon the fubjedt of predeftination tobk place between the Proteftant prifonersj (particularly thofe iri' the' King's Bench,) during the perleciition of M&iy> The particulars of thefe difputesj it is^ geiierally fup- pofed, are now loft. The contrary, however, appears to be- the cafe ; for in the fiodleiati liibrary there is a friiair Quarto Manufcript> (No. 1:972. MSS. Cat.) which contains a corifiderable portion, at leaft, of the con'troverfy on both fides. As the circumftanee is An- gular and curiotis, and' as the precife opinions of the moderate party feenri never to have been made public, I' ftiall fubjpin a few extrafts from' their ov^n ftate- ffients. At one period' there was a difpofition to- fign genetal tertns of coHcord ; upon which occafion Trew^ the leader' of the Anti-Predeftinariaris, dfew'up Arti-i cles of Unity^ the 4th and 6th of which vs^e find thus exprelfed : " 4. AKb'we" confefs, arid believe, and :" faithfully acknowledge; that all falvation-; juftiflca- NOTES ON SEBMON VIII, 455 " tidn, redemption, and remiffion of fins, cometh unto *■' us wholly and fplely through the mere mercy and *' favour of God in Jefus Chrift, purchafed unto us *' tl^rough his mofl: precious death and bloodfliedding, (' and in no part through any of our own merit, ," works, or defervings, how many or how good foevet f' they be ; and that his body was offered to the death " once on the crofs for all the fins of Adam, and Jbr '*' all and Jingular of his poJlerUys fins, how great and *' many Ibever they be; and that all, that truly re- :" pent, unfeignedly believe with a lively faith, and " perfevere therein to the end 6f this mortal life, " fhall be fayed, and that there is no decree of God to the " contrary, 6. Alfo we do heartily acknowledge, '' confefs, and believe, and are moft afTuredly certained " by God's mofl holy word, that our Lord Jefus " Chrift's pure religion, and fecret will, revealed in his " word, fufficient for man's falvatipn, was in this realm " declared and known in good King Edward the Vlth's " days, which word of God was then truly preached " and fufficiently taught, and his Sacraments duly mi-, *' niflered, and of fome followed ; therefore we acknow- " ledge them in England, Chrifl's true Church vifl- " ble." MSS. p. 124. Thefe Articles, which are given in a fliort trail, written by Trew, refpefting " the 'S^caufe of contention in the King's Bench, as con- f cerning the Se(9;s of Religion, the 30th of January, "Ann. Dam. i555-" although intended for mutual fubfcription, were neverthelefs not fubfcribed by the Predeflinarians, who are, on that account, accufed of a brea,ch of promife. In the relation of particulars, the writer bitterly inveighs againfl the principles and con- du6l of the other fide, who, he remarks, fo intei;preted thofe. texts of Scripture, which warn all who are, no lefs than all who are. not, in, the favour^ God, as if they 4S6 NOTES ON SERMON VIII. they were only " written to put the eleft in fear to do " evil, that their lives might glorify their Father, " which is in heaven, and not to put them in fear of " damnation. By this, in effeft," he addsj' " they af- " firmed thofe Scriptures to be written in vain, or to *' put men in fear, where no fear is; affirming in effeS, ^' that the words of the Holy Ghoft do no more good, *' than a man of clouts^ with a how in his hand, doth in *' a corn field, which will keep away the vermin crows *' awhile ; but when they know it, what it is, they " will fall down befide it, and devour the corn without *' fear." p. 117. He then fliortly ffates his own lead- ing fentiments, and thofe of his friends, which had given fo much offence to the Predeftinarian party, and produced fuch unhappy divifions. " For we, that '' do hold and affirm the truth, that Chr'ijl died for all " men, we do by the holy Scripture fatisfy every man, *' that doth repent, and unfeignedly believe with a *' lively faith, (that he) is in the ftate of falvation^ and *' one of God's elefl; children, and fhall certainly be *' faved, if he do not with malice of heart utterly for- <' fake God ; . . . . and as long as he feeleth repent- *' ance and hope, and that he hath a will defirous to *' do God's will, he is under the promife of life, made " by God the Father, in and through his Son Jefus f' Chrift, who h&ih fulfilled that, which was lacking on ^' his part. So that he, that through God's gift and ^' affifiance do continue to the end, he ftall be faved, *' though all men in earth, and devils in hell, fay and " do what they can to the contrary. This certainty of ^' our eledlion is fure and agreeable to the word, but *f that, which they hold, is not. Wherefore we durft " not^ for our lives and fouls, forfake this undoubted *' truth, and grant thait, which they by the word cail- " not approve to be true. For thejc aforejatd caufes, "and NOTES ON SERMON Vm. 457 f and none other, they did evil us, rail on us, arid call f' us heretics. Call duft in our faces, and give fentence -" of, damnation on us^ and excommunicated us, and " would neither eat nor drink with us, nor yet bid us " God fpeed, and did ^eep away fuch money, as was *' given them in common to diftribute among us, that */ did lie for the truth, and caufed us to be locked Up, " that we Ihould fpeak to nobody by their minds, left ^* we fliould warn them of their falfe and erroneous *' opinion, .... and . for no other caufe, but that our ** confcience, grounded on God's word, would not ?' fufferus to be of that fed." p. 119, We fee by thefe Articles of Unity the utmoft lati^ tude of expreffion, which the Anti-Predeftinarians deemed admiffible. By the following we perceive, with what very heavy "enormities" (as they termed it) they thought the oppofite doftrine to be juftly chargeable. " ift Enormity. That this foul and abo- ." minable error of the Manichees fe£t, or imagined ^' predeffination, is moft odious againji God, for in that " it affirmeth, God ordained and created reprobates, " and hardened their hearts only to do evil, it approv- f^ eth contrary to the truth, that there is a nature or " motion to evil in God ; for it is written, as the work- " man is, fuch is the work. 3. Alfo in that it affirm- " eth, that God ordained fome to be faved, the reCdue "to be damned, before any of them had done good " or evil, it maketh God partial. 3. Alfo it maketh " God the author of all the fin and abomination, that ^' is done or committed on the earth, and clean dif- f' chargeth the devil and man thereof j in that it a£- *' firmeth, that he ordained and created thofe that f commit it for that only purpofe, the which they can- " not avoid. ... 6. Alfo in that it a,fl5rmeth, that Chrift *' died not for all men, it defapeth the dignity, efficacy, H h f* and 458 JNOTES ON SERMON VlK. " and virtue of his paflion. 7. Alfo it maketh Chrifl " inferior to Adam, in that it affirraeth, that he died " not for as many as Adam damned. 8. Alfo it mak^ '^ eth grace inferior to Jin, in that it affirmeth, that the " grace in Chrift was not of power to fave all them, " that fin damned. ..... 12. Alfo it caufeth many to " live at free chance carelefs, in that it teacheth theni, " that they were eledted or reprobated before the *■' foundations of the world were laid ; and if they be " fo, that they cannot fall; and if they be not, thai; " thsir weeping tt/ill not help, ... 15. Alfo it deftroyeth " the certainty of our eleftion, and is enough to drive " all fuch aS believe it to defpair-, for lack of know- '^ ledge, whether Chrift died for them, or not '•17. Alfo it doth put away and make fruftrate the " greateft part and principalleft point of the fear of <' God, in that in effefl; it aiErmeth, that none of thofe, '* that are predejiinate and eleB, can ever more finally *' ferifh, do what fin and wickednefs they can '' 19. Alfo it maketh God a mocker, in that it affirm- *' eth, that he offereth faith to fuch, who, he knoweth, " cannot receive it" p. 119. Such were the fentiments of thofe, who at that pe- riod rejected the do£trine of abfolute predeftination. And even among its advocates, that one at leaft of the mioft refpedtable of them was not difpofed to go the whole length of the Calviniftical fyftem, the fub- fequent quotation from Bradford feems to prove : '^ God's forefight is not the caufe of fin, or excufable f neceffity to him that finneth. The damned there- " fore have not, nor fhall have, any excufe, becaufe " God, forefcemg their condemnation, through theit " owwjfe,. did not draw them, as he doth his ele<9:, " unto Chrift,; but as the elea have caufe to thank " God for ever for his great mercies in Chrift, fo the " othec NOTES ON SERMON VIII. 459 ■*' other have caufe to lament their own uitckednefsjjtn, " and contumacy of Cbriji," (aftual, not original, fin,) '' which is the caufe of their reprobation, and luhereiH we " fhould look upon reprobati'oiii as the only goodnefs " of God in Chrift is the caufe of our ele6lioh and fal- " vatlbn, wherein we ftiould look upon God's eleftion." Bradford's Meditations upon the Lord's Prayer, &c. p. 3/0. See alfo '^ Letters of Martyrs," p. 409, How completely Lutheran appears the do6lrine of Trew, and how moderately Calviniftical (if Calvinifti^ cal it can be called) that of Bradford ! That the for- mer, although branded by its adverfaries with the title of Pelagianifm, prevailed much at this period, we may conclude from a paflage in the Confeffion of J. Cle- ment in the year 1556, who remarks, " I do perceive, " that there is a wonderful fort of the Pelagians' fe6t, " fwarming every where." Strype's Ecclef. Mem, vol, Ui. p. 319. Append, Page 178, note ("). Dr. Prieftley, and other profefled.Socinians, have not confined themfelves to mere infinuations on this head, but have exprefsly denominated thofe Articles, the il- luftration of which has been the obje<£t of thefe Lep- tures, abfurd, and the majority of the Clergy, who fubfcribe them, difhoneji. " Inftead of merely fub- '^ fcribing their names to thefe Articles, as the Clergy " now do, I wifli the experiment was made of making ** them declare upon their honour, that they believe " them, as they are required to do, in the obvious, li« " teral, and grammatical fenfe of the words, and that " they make this declaration, as the fettled principle *' and conviftion of their heart, as they hope for mer- '^ cy from the God of truth. This new mode would '' at leaft make many of your Clergy think a little " more upon the fubjeft, than they appear to have " done 46o' NOTES ON SERMON VIII. " done at prefent ; and your teachers, though believ- " ing what I have flearly Jhewn to he exceedingly ab.^ '^ furd, and manifejlly unjcriptural, would at lead be " honejl." Prieftley's Lettejsto the Inhabitants of Bir- mingham, p. 123. "The paflage at the conclufion of the Sermon is taken from the modeft reply of Sebaftian CaftelUo to the un- merited cenfures of Calyin. See Serm. II. note i^, jj. 244- THE ENO, * y»*«. ? ^ \, **> »'%, ,-^^ ^sfT •^ f: -^-v I