Erroneoufly denied by the Socinians. Worfe in this ref thens. one way, that they may fear him for ever, Jer. 32. 39 And certainly none is fit to form again the image of God in man, but he who at first made man after his own image; the one being a work of no lefs power and excellence than the other. LII. And hence, the gangrene of the Socinian divinity difcovers itfelf, according to which, if a man has got fuch a full difcovery of the will of God, as is made in the Gospel, with a promife of eternal life, he will then have that, whence he may receive strength to perform that very will. They fometimes mention internal affiftance, for form fake, but place it only in this, that the promiles of God are infcribed and fealed on the mind and they will have this to be the cafe of none, unless he has firft made a right ufe of that external aid. They are truly ignorant of any fupernatural influence and real efficiency of God. So much have a fond-felf admiration, and their infatuated arrogant boasting of the powers of nature infatuated them. LIII. But fome among the Heathen have really pect than fpoken, far better concerning the divine affiftance, iome Hea- though unacquainted with the excellency of Chrif tian holiness. Plutarch de ftoic. contradict. If God give not virtue to men, but that which they attribute to their own choice; and give them riches and health with out virtue, he certainly gives things to thofe, who shall not ufe them well, but ill. Plutarch adds if the Gods can bestow virtue, but do it not, they are not good and gracious: for, if they cannot render men good, neither can they profit them; fince without virtue nothing can be good or profita ble. To the fame purpose is the twenty-fecond differtation of Maximus Tyrius, entitled, whether any one can be made good by God; in which there are very many things worthy of attention, but too long to be tran fcribed. Thefe things he borrowed from his mafter Plato, in whofe Menon is extant this notable differ-1 tation whether, in the whole of this prefent difcourfe, we bave properly enquired into, and made it appear, that that virtue is neither obtained by nature, nor by teaching, but by divine appointment. See Clemens Alexandrius, ftromat lib. 5. p. 588. fure,fhews fufficiency ...LIV. Nature itfelf and man's confcience teach him Nature, in these two things: 1ft Our inability for virtue. 2dly fome meaThe all-fufficiency of God, whereby he is the fountain our impoand author of all true good. Of the former Epictetus tence and apud Arrianum lib. 2. c. 11. Says: the beginning of God's allphilofophy to thofe, who enter into it by the gate, as they ought, is a fenfe of their own impotence and inability. Of the latter, Maximus Tyrius Differt. 22. We are not to imagine, that any good can befal men, but what comes from God: as there is no good to men, which derives not its original from God. then made LV. From thofe generals, the Heathen themselves Whence have proved these more particular propofitions: 1ft. the HeaThat, to the acquisition and practice of virtue, men out, ftand in need of divine affiftance and grace. Hiérocles, 1. That a Pythagorean philofopher has excellently taught this virtue was in these words: we are not fo much as to preconceive, from God. that virtuous actions are fo in our power, as to be performed without divine aid: we stand in need of the affiftance of God, both for escaping evil, and acquiring good. 2dly, That, from a fenfe of our own impotence, we 2. To be are to afk it of God, Epictet. apud Arrianum, lib. 2. fought c. 18. Noble is the struggle, and divine the enterprise, from him. the fubject a kingdom, liberty, happiness, calm of mind unruffled by paffions. Are all concerned, therefore remember God, call him in for thy affiftant, thy affociate. See alfo Seneca, Epift. 10 and 41, and Marc. Antonin. lib. 2. S 40. 3dly. That we are to thank God for it, 3.Thanks Epictet. apud Arrian. lib. 4. c. 4, Then I finned, now I to begivea do not, THANKS BE TO GOD. for it. affiftance LVI. But they did not imagine, that this divine Made this affistance confifted only in moral fuafion, or in pre- to confift fenting fuch objects, whereby a man may be excited not in to virtuous actions; but in divine fuggeftions, aids and moral fuainfpirations, as the emperor Anton ne fpeaks, lib. 1. fion alone, §. 17: who, in the faine place, declares, that he had but in an effectual a good impulfe.. Which the beft dif pofed fouls could not a good difpofition of mind from the Gods, which he LVII. And they maintained, that the fame divine aid was fo neceflary to virtue, that even the best difpofed fouls could not be without it. Maxim. Tyr. be without Differt. 22. p. 228, fays; but they, who have acquired the very best natural difpofitions of foul, halting between the bigbeft virtue, and the lowest vice, ftand in need of the divine aid, to give the proper biafs and direction to the better fide. For their natural weakness makes them eafily take the worst path. This, by means of pleasures and lufts, flatters even well-difpofed fouls, and burries them into the Same paths of vice. Which ought to make Pelagious blush. The holi LVIII. It is therefore really a fhame that heathen writers have entertained more humble fentiments of the infirmity and inability of our nature for good, and clearer conceptions of the divine affifting grace, and have faid finer things about imploring it by prayer, than thofe profeffors of the excellency of the chriftian religion, who ought to have put a due value on the holiness of true virtue. Thus they, who are Pagans, will, in the day of judgment, rife up againft thofe falfe chriftians, the ungrateful enemies of the grace of God, no lefs to their condemnation, than the queen of the South, to that of the unbelieving Jews. LIX. Moreover, feeing the fpirit of God, the nefs of the author of holiness, is highly generous and noble, and elect, far therefore by David Pf. 51. 12, called free (ingenuous) exceeding fpirit: hence that holiness, with which he adorns the tues of o- elect is alfo fuch; as highly furpaffes all the painted thers, virtue of the Gentiles, in whatever manner it difplays itself, and all the fcrupulous diligence of the Scribes and Pharifees. Which if it does not exceed these it is not acknowledged to be genuine holiness by Chrift our Lord, Mat. 5. 20. LX. When the children of God, recollect their Pf. 45.136 glorious and heavenly pedigree, they endavour to explained. excel others, both in a beautiful difpofition of foul and manner of life Pf. 45. 13, the king's daughter, that is, the daughter of the heavenly father, who is alfo the bride of the king's fon, every believing foul is all glorious, adorned with a holiness, not only glorrious to herself, but alfo to the father and the bridegroom, and is the beginning of a heavenly glory : and that chiefly, within, not only when the appears abroad, and prefents herself to the view of men; but alfo when the fits in the inner bed-chamber, in the fecret exercises of religion, in which the in private pleafes the father and the bride-groom: who having a regard to the inward man, fhe above all endeavours to keep that pure and chafte. Her cloathing is of gold in comparison of which, whatever excellency natural men were ever poffeffed of, is but a fhining vanity: nay it was wrought; gold curiously beautified with various refemblances, which represents the perfections of God himfelf, and of different colours, on account of the different, yet harmoniously correfponding graces of the Holy Spirit: or, of needlework of the Phrygian embroyderers, or rather the work of the cunning workman, mentioned, Canticl. 7. 1. Nor is the fpoufe only beautiful within, but also without, bolding forth the word of life, Phil. 2. 16, the practices charity, glorifies Chrift, edifies her neighbour and in this manner he is brought unto the king, worthy to be prefented to him. This is the only way, by which we are to endeavour to obtain familiarity with him, and the sweetest intercourse of the chafteft love, both on earth and in heaven. LXI. That which we have in Pfal. 110. 3, is not And Pf. very different from this encomium: "Thy people, O! 1IG. 3. 14 VOL. II "Jefus And 2 "Jefus Chrift, which were given thee by the father, "purchafed and redeemed by thee, who acknowledge thee for their Lord, and are bound to thee by a "military oath, is extremely willing, being devoted "to thy fervice with the greatest readiness of soul, "alacrity, inclination and voluntary obedience. Nor are they willing only, but willingness itfelf, in the "abstract; nay, willingneffes, in the plural number, the higheft and moft excellent willingness: "all which add an emphafs. And fuch it is "in the day of thy [valour] power, in which thy "generous fpirit laying hold on them, animates "them to fome grand and bold enterprize. Then they go forth in the beauties of holiness, by which "they are a terror to the devil, a delight to God and 66 angels, and a mutual edification to one another." LXII. Thefe brave foldiers of Chrift are not withCor. 5. 9. out their ambition, which Paul describes, 2 Cor. 5. 9. Διὸ καὶ φιλοτεμεθα ἐυάρεσον αυτῷ εἶναι, therefore we [make it our ambition] labour to be accepted of him. God never beholds himself without the higheft complacency; above all he is delighted with his own perfections, and with holinefs, which is the glory of them. When he fees any delineation of this in his creatures, there he in a manner ftands ftill, and delights his eyes with fo pleasing an object, and declares, by words and actions, that nothing can be more acceptable to him. And this is the holy ambition of believers, so to behave in the whole courfe of their life, and to have their mind fo difpofed, as in both to please God. Of old, Satan infpired a wicked ambition into our first parents, to labour after the image of God in a falfe way, by attempting what was forbidden them. But the heavenly Spirit is the author of a more generous ambition, which ftirs the man up, to imitate God in the habits of his foul, and the actions of his life, that he may, upon earth, prefent fomething before God, in which he may take pleasure, as in a lively image of |