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the Father, and would come to the rest of the nations as the Holy Spirit; that he was the supreme power, that is, the Being who is over all things, the Father.-This man led about with him a woman of Tyre, a city of Phoenicia, a prostitute whom he had purchased, called Helena, saying that she was the first conception of his mind, the mother of all things, by whom, in the beginning, he had conceived in his mind to make angels and archangels.-(Translated from the Latin Note, p. 515.)

"He (Saturninus) first asserted, that there are two sorts of men formed by the angels, the one good, the other bad.

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They (the Valentinians) say, that some men are good by nature, and some bad.

"Tertullian also says, that Saturninus maintained that man was created by the angels."-p. 515.

But we would ask his lordship, where can any thing "RESEMBLING" the unintelligible jargon of some of these quotations be found in the writings of Calvinists? Do Calvinists assert any man to be GOOD BY NATURE? Have they not incurred his lordship's censure for maintaining, in the language of the Homilies, that 66 OF OUR OWN NATURE WE ARE WITHOUT ANY SPARK OF GOODNESS IN US?" Do Calvinists maintain, THAT MAN WAS CREATED BY THE ANGELS?" What is there among Calvinists RESEMBLING" TRUST IN SIMON MAGUS AND HIS HELENA, or an expectation of being SAVED ACCORDING TO THE GRACE OF SIMON MAGUS or any other man? Does his lordship intend to charge the Calvinists with the commission and vindication of the abominable crimes here imputed to these early heretics? If not, why are these things introduced in this chapter of pretended RESEMBLANCES? If such an

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accusation be really designed by him, why has he ́not accompanied it with something like proof? What is accusation without proof, but mere slander? How incompatible is the character of a false accuser with that of a Christian Bishop! Through what a different medium will the humblest of these, now despised, teachers be hereafter viewed, who at the final audit shall be acknowledged as having been the instrument of "turning" even one "sinner from the error of his way!" My sincere wish on behalf of his lordship is, that he may so" do the work of an evangelist" as to have numerous seals to his ministry, who shall be his " crown of rejoicing" in that day which shall " declare every man's work of what sort it is,"

CHURCH OF ENGLAND.

We are accounted righteous before God, only for the merit of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ by faith; and not for our own works

or deservings. Wherefore, that we are justified by faith only is a most wholesome doctrine and very full of comfort, as more largely is expressed in the homily of justification. Art. 11.

It is of the free grace and mercy of God, by the mediation of the blood of his Son Jesus Christ, without merit or deserving on our part, that our sins are for

CALVIN.

Let us first explain the meaning of these expressions, To BE JUSTIFIED IN the sight of God, to be

JUSTIFIED BY FAITH OR BY
WORKS. He is said to be
JUSTIFIED IN THE SIGHT OF

GOD,who in the divinejudge-
ment is reputed righteous and
accepted on account of his
righteousness: for as iniquity
is abominable to God, so no
sinner can find favour in his
sight, as a sinner, or so long
as he is considered as such.
Wherever sin is, therefore,
it is accompanied with the
wrath and vengeance of God.

CHURCH OF ENGLAND.

given us, that we are reconciled and brought again into his favour, and are made heirs of his heavenly kingdom. Hom. on fasting, p. 165.

Whose mediation (i. e. the

mediation of Christ) was so acceptable to God the Father, through his absolute and perfect obedience, that he took his act for a full satisfaction of all our disobedience and rebellion: whose righteousness he took to weigh against our sins; whose redemption he would have stand against our damnation.-3 Rogation Hom. p. 297.

sins;

CALVIN.

He is justified, who is considered, not as a sinner, but as a righteous person, and on that account stands in safety before the tribunal of God, where all sinners are confounded and ruined. As, if an innocent man be brought under an accusation before the tribunal of a just judge, when judgement is passed according to his innocence, he is said to be justified or acquitted before the judge; so he is justified before God, who, not being numbered among sinners, has God for a witness and assertor of his righteousness. Thus he must be said, therefore, to be JUSTIFIED BY

WORKS, whose life discovers such purity and holiness as to deserve the character of righteousness before the throne of God; or who by the integrity of his works can answer and satisfy the divine judgement. On the other hand, he will be JUSTIFIED BY FAITH, who being excluded from the righteousness of works, apprehends by faith the righteousness of Christ, invested in which, he appears, in the sight of God, not as a sinner, but as a righteous man. Thus we simply explain justification to be an acceptance, by which God receives us into his favour, and esteemns us as righteous persons. And we say, that it consists in the remission of sins and the imputation of the righteousness of Christ.-Institut. 1. 3. c. 11. s. 2.

CHURCH OF ENGLAND.

God sent his only son, our Saviour Jesus Christ, into this world, to fulfil the law for us; and by shedding of his most precious blood, to make a sacrifice and satisfaction, or (as it may be called) amends to his Father for our sins. Homily of salvation, P. I. p. 12.

With his endless mercy, he joined his most upright and equal justice. His great mercy he showed unto us, in delivering us from our former captivity, without requiring of any ransom to be paid, or amends to be made upon our parts; which thing, by us, had been impossible to be done. And whereas it lay not in us that to do, he provided a ransom for us, that was the most precious body and blood of his own most dear and best

beloved son Jesus Christ;

who, besides this ransom, fulfilled the law for us per

fectly. And so the justice of God and his mercy did

CALVIN.

But with respect to the present subject, when Paul says, "the scripture foresaw that God would justify the heathen through faith*,' what can we understand but that God imputes righteousness through faith? Again, when he says that God “justifieth the ungodly which believeth in Jesust," what can be the meaning but that he delivers him by the blessing of faith, from the condemnation deserved by his ungodliness? He speaks still more plainly in the conclusion, when he thus exclaims, "who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea, rather that is risen again,

who also maketh intercession for us." for us." For it is just as if he had said, who shall accuse them whom God absolves? Who shall condemn those for whom Christ intercedes? Justification therefore is no other than an ac quittal from guilt of him who

embrace together, and fulfil the mystery of our re† Rom. iii. 26. iv. 5.

* Gal. iii. 8.

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CHURCH OF ENGLAND.

demption.-Christ is the end of the law unto righteousness, to every one that believeth.-Ibid. p. 13.

The apostle toucheth three, things specially, which must go together in our justification. Upon God's part, his great mercy and grace. Upon Christ's part, justice; that is, the satisfaction of God's justice, or the price of our redemption, by the offering of his body, and the shedding of his blood; together with fulfilling of the law perfectly and thoroughly. And upon our part, true and lively faith in the merits of Jesus Christ, which yet is not ours, but by God's working in us.Ibid.

It pleased our heavenly Father, of his infinite mercy, without any our desert or deserving, to prepare for us the most precious jewels of Christ's body and blood, whereby our ransom might be fully paid, the law fulfilled, and his justice fully satisfied. So that Christ is

CALVIN.

was accused, as though his innocence had been proved. Since, therefore, God justifies us through the mediation of Christ, he acquits us, not by an admission of our personal innocence, but by an imputation of righteousness: so that we who are unrighteous in ourselves, are considered as righteous in Christ. This is the doctrine preached by Paul in the xiiith chapter of the Acts: "through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins and by him, all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses *." You see that after remission of sins, this justification is mentioned as if by way of explanation: you see clearly that it means an acquittal; that it is separated from the works of the law; that it is a mere favour of Christ; that it is apprehended by faith: you see, finally, the interposition of a satisfaction, where he says, that we are justified

*Acts xiii. 38.

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