Page images
PDF
EPUB

being the Only One who is truly "holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners."

V. From all these particulars it is sufficiently apparent, that it is not necessary, nay, that it is impious, for any expiatory sacrifice now to be offered by men for the living and the dead. Besides, it is a piece of foolish ignorance, to suppose either that the dead require some oblation; or that they can by it obtain remission of sins, who have not obtained pardon before death.

VI. In addition to these three enormous errors committed in the Mass, with respect to the sacrifice, to the priest, and to those for whom the sacrifice is offered, there is a Fourth, which is one of the greatest turpitude of all, and is committed in conjunction with idolatry; that this very sacrifice is adored by him who offers it, and by those for whom it is offered, and is carried about in solemn pomp.

COROLLARY.

In these words, "The Mass is an expiatory, representative and commemorative sacrifice," there is an opposition in the apposition and a manifest contradiction.

DISPUTATION LXVI.

ON THE FIVE FALSE SACRAMENTS.

I. AS THREE things are necessarily required to constitute the essence of a sacrament; that is, divine institution, an outward and visible sign, and a promise of the invisible grace which belongs to eternal salvation ;-it follows that the thing which is deficient in one of these requisites, or in which one of them is wanting, cannot come under the denomination of a sacrament.

II. Therefore Popish Confirmation is not a sacrament, though the external signing of the cross in the forehead of the Christian, and the unction of the chrism, are employed. For these signs have not been instituted by Christ; neither have they been sanctified [ad significandum] to typify or to seal any thing of saving grace; nor is promised grace annexed to the use or to the reception of these signs.

III. Penitence indeed is an act prescribed, by the Lord, to all who have fallen into sin, and has the promise of remission of sins. But because there does not exist in it, through the Divine command, any external sign, by which grace is intimated and sealed; it cannot, on this account, receive the appellation of "a sacra

ment." For the act of a Priest absolving a penitent, belongs to the announcement of the Gospel; as does likewise the injunction of those works which are inaccurately styled by the Papists satisfactory, that is, fasting, prayers, afflicting the soul, &c.

IV. That is called Extreme Unction by the Papists which is bestowed on none except on those who are in their last moments: But it has then not the least power or virtue; nor was it ever instituted by Christ to signify the promise of spiritual grace. It cannot therefore obtain the appellation of " a sacrament."

V. Neither can the Order or Institution, Confirmation or Inauguration of any person to the official discharge of some ecclesiastical duties, come under the denomination of a sacrament; both because it belongs to the particular and public vocation of some persons in the church, and not to the general vocation of all; and because, though it may have been instituted by Christ, yet, whatever external signs may be employed in it, they do not belong to the sealing of that grace which makes a man [gratum] agreeable [to God] or which is saving, but only to that which is freely given, as the distinction is called.

VI. Though Matrimony between a husband and wife agree by a certain similitude with the spiritual espousals subsisting between Christ and the church; yet it was neither instituted by the Lord for signifying this, nor has it any promise of spiritual grace annexed to it.

DISPUTATION LXVII.

ON THE WORSHIP OF GOD IN GENERAL.

I. THE First Part of our duty to God and Christ was, the true [sensus] meaning concerning God and Christ, or true faith in God and Christ: The Second Part is, the right worship to be rendered to both of them.*

As the following letter to his friend Uytenbogard, contains an allusion to the Second Part of the Body of Divinity which Arminius had projected, and as it was written a few months only prior to his decease, I have translated it as another admirable display of the piety and right feeling of this highly estimable man, who was at that time oppressed by his anxiety for the welfare of the rising Protestant Church, and by the malevolent conduct of his predestinarian adversaries.

"I know it will be gratifying to you to learn, that the Divine Benignity has granted me a degree of health a little more confirmed. We are following hard after the remains of the inward obstruction, and are strenuous in our endeavours to expel this unnatural heat, that native warmth may return, and with it my appetite, which is still very weak, or is almost none at all: But we entertain good hopes that it will revive, as soon as the season will permit me to take exercise. O that this loss in my studies may be compensated by some emolument! though it will not be considered in the light of a loss, if this disease prove serviceable to me, by the grace and aid of God, in correcting

II. This Part receives various appellations. Among the

the honour or,ידאת אלוהים and עכורה,Hebrews it is called

worship, and the fear of God. Among the Greeks it is called Evσeßela, piety; Oоσeßeα, godliness, or a worshipping of God; Θρησκεία, religion ; Λατρεία, service rendered to God; Δάλεια, religious homage; Ospania, divine worship; Tiun, honour; Poßos, fear; Ayaη T8 Oss, the love of God. Among the Romans it is called, Pietas, Cultus or Cultura Dei, Veneratio, Honos, Observantia.

the inward vices of my soul. May our kind and merciful Lord grant this to me, even through your prayers,-that I may hereafter more faithfully labour and bestow still more serious diligence on the edification of my own spirit! For I know not how it comes to pass, that, whatever earnestness we devote to a knowledge of divine things, in order to discharge the public duties of our ministerial function with a degree of conscientiousness, we enter upon the care [privatæ domus] of our own bosoms with too much negligence; yet, in the mean time, the former we ought to do, and not to leave the latter undone. On account of the deeply-hidden recesses of the human heart itself, which are with difficulty to be searched out and investigated by the man himself, I scarcely know what cause to assign for this neglect; unless perhaps the overweening love of ourselves persuades us too readily to consider, that we have discharged the whole of our duty when we have barely performed only a part of it in a due manner. "You are aware, that in my private class I have arrived at the second part of Theology or Religion, which treats on the worship of God and the observance of the Divine commands. God grant that, in meditating and treating upon it, I may exercise myself in such a manner as to create within the minds of the young men a degree of piety, and some desire to be obedient to God! I perceive that not a few difficulties present themselves to me in the mode and order of considering those subjects: I shall scarcely be able at the first attempt to touch the point at which I aim; yet I will make the experiment, under the auspices and guidance of God, [pressim] closely following in the marks of his directing footsteps as they are seen in the Scriptures; that the whole of my progress may at least be free from error, if I do not on every subject attain to the exact matter according to my principal design.

"I am also solicitous about you; and I beseech God to furnish and strengthen you with the Spirit of wisdom and fortitude, that if you happen to proceed further, you may likewise in those places perceive some fruit from your prudent instruction. You will never be able to escape the calumnies of the malignant: But this you will be enabled to do, and by the help of God this effect will follow,-that they will torment themselves while they indulge in calumnies against you. For they will know from your discourses, that we are deficient neither in reasons nor in the method of drawing away the people from them; if indeed all of us who labour in the same vineyard, and are intent upon this matter, were to march together with equal step and in the same track. Who knows for what end it is the will of God that you should also be in those places;-of that God who is the Fountain and Author of all wisdom, and the most provident Governor of all things? When the Jews were led away as captives to Babylon on account of their sins, they say that they wished to manifest a care for Babylon, but their wish was vain. Beside the chastisement of his own people, did not the Lord also intend, by this, to render the Babylonians inexcusable? Wonderful is our God in all his works: To whom, Reverend Sir, from my soul I commend you, and myself to your prayers. Farewell, and act courageously, because the Lord is with you!-March 15th, 1609."

The concluding reflections require no comment, but will be properly applied by those who have read the Life of Arminius prefixed to the First Volume.

III. It may be generally defined to be an honourable observance which must be yielded to God and Christ, from a true faith, a good conscience, and from charity unfeigned, according to the will of God which has been manifested and made known to us, to the glory of both of them, to the salvation of the worshipper, and the edification of others.

IV. We express the Genus by the word "honourable observance," because it contains the express intention of our mind and of our will to God and to His Will; which intention partly inspires life into this portion of our duty towards God.

V. The Object is the same as that of the whole of religion, and of the First Part of it, which is Faith: And this object is God and Christ, in which the same formal reasons come under consideration, as those which we explained when treating generally on religion.

VI. In the Efficient or the worshipper, whom we declare to be a Christian man, we require,―true faith in God and Christ,—a good conscience, as having been sanctified and purified through faith by the blood and Spirit of Christ,-and a sincere charity: For, without these, no worship which is rendered to God can be grateful and acceptable to Him.

VII. The Matter is, those particular acts in which the worship of God consists: But the very will and command of God [informat] gives form to it. For it is not the will of God to be worshipped at the option of a creature, but according to the pleasure and prescript of his own will.

VIII. The principal End is, the glory of God and Christ: The less principal is the salvation of the worshipper, and the edification of others, both that they may be won over to Christ; and that having been brought to Christ, they may the more increase and grow in devotedness.

IX. The Form is the honourable observance itself, which is framed, from the suitable agreement of all these things to the dignity, excellence and merits of the object that is to be worshipped,-from such a disposition of the worshipper according to such prescript, and from the intention of this end: If one of these be wanting, the observance is vitiated, and is therefore displeasing to God.

X. Yet the worship which is prescribed by God must not on this account be omitted, though the man to whom it is prescribed cannot yet perform it, from such a mind, [§ IV & VI,] to this end.

* The reading, in all the editions, is utilitatis,—an evident misprint for voluntatis.

DISPUTATION LXVIII.

ON THE PRECEPTS OF DIVINE WORSHIP IN GENERAL.

I. TO THOSE who are about to treat on the Worship of God, the most commodious way and method seems to be this,-to follow the order of the commands of God in which this worship is prescribed, and to consider all and each of them. For they instruct and inform the worshipper, and they prescribe the matter, form and end of the worship.

II. In the precepts which prescribe the worship of God, three things come generally under consideration: (1.) Their Foundation, on which rest the right and authority of Him who commands, and the equity of his command. (2.) The Command itself. (3.) The Sanction, through promises and threatenings. The First of these may be called "the Preface to the Command; the Third, "the Appendix to it; " and the Second is the very essence of the precept.

III. The foundation or preface, containing the authority of Him who commands, and, through this, the equity of the precept, is the common foundation of all religion, and on this account also it is the foundation of faith: For instance, "I am the Lord thy God," &c. "I, the God omnipotent or all-sufficient, will be thy very great reward." "I am thy God, and the God of thy seed." From these expressions, not only may this conclusion be drawn, "Therefore thou shalt love the Lord thy God:" "Therefore walk before me, and be thou perfect;" but likewise the following, "Therefore believe thou in me." But we must not treat on this subject on this occasion as it has been discussed in the preceding pages.

IV. I say that the other two are, the Precept, and the Sanction or Appendix of the Precept. For we must suppose, that there are two parts of a precept, the First of which requires the performance or the omission of an act, and the Second demands punishment. But we must consider, that the latter part, which is called "the Appendix," serves for this purpose,-that, in the former, God enjoys the thing which He desired, dispensing blessings if He obtain his desire, and inflicting punishments if He does not obtain it.

V. With regard to the precepts, before we come to each of them, we must first look generally at that which comes under consideration in every precept.

VI. In the first place, the object of every precept is two-fold,

« PreviousContinue »