in faith.

But if Abraham did this without a right faith, that work, of whatever kind it might be, would not profit him. Again, if he had faith, so that when God should command ' him to offer his son to be sacrificed, he should with himself, I do not do it, and yet I believe 'that God delivers me, even though I despise his 'commands; faith without works would be dead,

say

and would remain, as it were, a barren and dry root, without fruit."* What Calvinist does not heartily concur in this condemnation?

10. CHRYSOSTOM: "Not every one that 'saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the

kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the 'will of my Father which is in heaven." In 'this passage Christ seems to me to reprove the 'Jews, who placed every thing in their dogmas, without any regard to their lives. Therefore St. Paul accuses them, saying, “Behold thou 'art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God, and knowest his 'will;" but there shall be no advantage to you from thence, unless there be a correspondence in your life and works. But he did not stop here, but said, much more; "For many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name?". For he says, not

*Refut. p. 429.

only he who has faith, but leads a careless life, is 'excluded from heaven, but although with his faith a person shall have performed many 'miracles, and have done nothing good, he also ' is equally excluded from those sacred gates." Excellent remarks. Again, the same Father, CHRYSOSTOM, answers erroneous cavillers, (whom the Bishop of Lincoln it appears, deems like the Calvinists,) in the following manner: "They bring other objections, asking, And why did "God make him such? God did not make him 'such; far from it; for then he would not have 'punished him. For if we do not blame our 'servants for those things of which we are our'selves the cause, much less would the God of 'the universe. But the objector says, Whence

came he such? From himself, and from his own negligence. What, from himself? Ask thyself: for if the bad be not bad from them'selves, do not punish your servant, or reprove your wife for her offences, or beat your son, ' or accuse your friend, or hate your enemy who injures you. For all these deserve pity, not punishment, if they do not offend from them selves." There is much more to the same purpose in this quotation, -and all truly Calvinistic.

11. Of the same evangelical and Calvinistic

* Refut. p. 481.

+ Ib. p. 482.

tendency is the following quotation from AUGUS TINE, against the error of those who separated faith and works. "When the apostle says, 'that he concludes that man is justified by faith 'without the works of the law, he does not mean that the works of righteousness may be disregarded, after faith is perceived and pro'fessed; but that every one may know that he may be justified by faith, although the works of the law shall not have preceded. For they ' follow the person justified, and do not precede * him who is to be justified.-Because, therefore, 'this opinion had then arisen, the other aposto'lical Epistles of Peter, John, James, and Jude, principally direct their zeal against it, to prove with great earnestness, that faith without 'works is of no avail; as even Paul himself 'has not defined it faith of any sort, by which 'men believe in God, but that wholesome and 'plainly evangelical faith whose works proceed 'from love: and faith, he says, which worketh by love." In this manner AUGUSTINE reproved the false teachers of his day;—a manner precisely similar to that which is adopted, when occasion demands it, by the modern Calvinists.

15. CHRYSOSTOM refutes the error of

* Refut. p. 439.

those who hold that men are good by force, in opposition to choice. "Since he has made us

any

masters of the choice of bad and good actions, and wishes us to be voluntarily good; therefore if we be not willing, he does not force, he does not compel; for to be good by force is not to be good at all."'* Nothing can be more decidedly Calvinistic. Through what medium then, it is natural to ask, could his Lordship look at the doctrine of modern Calvinism, when he imagined that this quotation had bearing against them? With equal astonishment they will find their learned Refuter adducing from the same fathers, the following passage containing a censure on some professing Christians who had imbibed the Heathen absurdities about fate. "God says, If ye be willing, ye shall eat the good of the land; but Fate says, although we be willing, unless it shall be 'permitted us, this will is of no use.

God says,

If ye will not obey my words, a sword shall devour you; Fate says, although we be not willing, if it shall be granted us, we are certainly saved. Does not Fate say this? What then can be clearer than this opposition? What 'can be more evident than this war, which the 'diabolical teachers of wickedness have thus 'shamelessly declared against the divine oracles?

*Refut. p. 456.

" But, as I have said, that demons and men like

demons (I mean the Greeks) should believe 'these things, is no wonder: but that you, who were thus enjoying the divine and saving instruction, should despise these things, and adopt those absurdities, which destroy the soul, this is of all things the most grievous." What reader can his Lordship expect to apply this language in opposition to modern Calvinists, except one here and there profoundly ignorant of their principles? Does even the Bishop really wish for his readers to regard them as "the diabolical teachers of wickedness," resembling those who are here opposed, by CHRYSOSTOM? Where is knowledge, where is candour, where is common equity? I believe we have not a member nor a catechumen in our societies, who would not cordially approve of CHRYSOSTOM'S reasoning.

13. An unsuspecting reader of the "Refutation" would be induced to regard the following quotation, also, from the writings of the same Father as adverse to our principles, from the mere circumstance that it is inserted there for that purpose; while at the same time it is perfectly consonant with our professed opinions. It relates to the certainty of divine promises to those who are willing. "But some one may

* Refut. p. 458.