Who having labour'd with Distinctions vain Maintains, when speaking on another Head, Defining, "God's Eternal, Fix'd Decree, If you can turn it any other Ways ;)— Calvin has push'd the Principle, I guess, To what your Friends would own to be Excess; To run directly into Calvin's Mind, Would give "imputing" a more mod'rate Sense, The fam'd Reformer's Notion of "impute"? If it confer such arbitrary Good, The dire Reverse is quickly understood, So understood, that open Eyes may see 227. Life to some eternal is restrain'd. Eternal life is restricted to a certain number. -- 220 230 240 that ALL might live." Cf. 2nd St. Peter, iii. 9: "[The Lord] is long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, 244. That "NONE might perish, but but that all should come to repentance." His Only Son, in Whom the Light That guides The born into the World to Life, resides,— A real Life, that by a real Birth Raises a Life beyond the Life of Earth In all His Children.-But no more to you, Be by a touch of Garment-Hem made whole, He might, as I should apprehend, be sure "Touch of the Saviour's Clothes" to make her sound, That mix'd with Faith restor'd her, as we read. That 'twas by Faith attracted into her. 250 260 249. Better than me. Ungrammatically for "better than I." 255. The poor Woman in the Gospel. See St. Mark, v. 25-34. A CONTRAST BETWEEN TWO EMINENT DIVINES. [I have subjoined this epigram to Byrom's fragment on Theron and Aspasio. In the Introductory Note to that piece I have sufficiently dwelt upon the relations between Law and Hervey.] TWO diff'rent Painters, Artists in their Way, Have drawn Religion in her full Display; To both she sat.—One gaz'd at her all o'er ; That Dress could give;-but Law has hit her Face. ON THE NATURE OF FREE GRACE, AND THE CLAIM TO MERIT FOR THE PER G FORMANCE OF GOOD WORKS. I. RACE, to be sure, is in the last Degree The Gift of God, Divinely pure and free; II. What Claim or Merit, or withal to pay, III. All "boasting" then of Merit, all Pretence IV. But, sure, the Use of any Gracious Pow'rs 5. Withal. Wherewith. 6. Before creating Day. date of their creation. IO iv. 7: "For who maketh thee to differ Before the from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? Now if thou didst 7. The Gracious one. The one gift of Grace. receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou 10. In a deserving Sense. In the sense hadst not received it?" And cf. Romans, of putting forward any desert on the part iii. 27: "Where is boasting then? It is of man. excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: 11. By ST. PAUL. See 1st Corinthians, but by the law of faith." V. In this Respect what need to controvert and is it hard. 20 To say "deserve," or "merit"- VI. Grace is the real saving Gift; but then Good Works are profitable unto Men. God wants them not; but, if our Neighbours do, VII. When human Words ascribe to human Spirit VIII. All comes from God Who gave us first to live 19. It is said. See Romans, iv. 4: "Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt." Cf. 2nd Chronicles, xv. 7: "Your work shall be rewarded." 29. Who gave us first to live. Who be stowed upon us as the first gift of this grace our existence. See 1. 7, ante. 30, 31. "give 30 To GOD ALONE the Glory." See St. John, ix. 24: "Then again called they the man that was blind, and said unto him, give God the Parise: we know that this man is a sinner." 31. And to MAN. To reserve for our human selves the endeavour. A SOLILOQUY ON READING A DISPUTE ABOUT FAITH AND WORKS. I. HAT an excessive Fondness for Debate WHA Does this dividing Faith from Works create! Or else the Gospel will be overthrown;" II. Gospel of Christ, consistently applied, It is itself indeed the very Faith That works by Love and saves a Soul from Wrath. III. The Solifidian takes a Text from Paul, And "Works are good for Nothing, Faith is all; "- And shows how Works must justify, from James. A Third in either soon might find a Place, IV. There is no End of jarring System found 13. The Solifidian. He who regards in St. James. Faith as the only means of Salvation. 17. In either. In either St. Paul or IO 20 18. The Exalted Grace. The Grace extolled above all others. |