Harmonia Apostolica or Two Dissertations; In the Former of Which the Doctrine of St. James on Justification by Works Is Explained and Defended in the Latter, the Agreement of St. Paul with St. James Is Clearly Shown (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1842 Excerpt: ...to fall from the guidance of grace, and in many particular acts to obey his own lusts." And in explanation of the same thesis, they add: "Through the whole course of our lives, the motions and guidance of the Holy Spirit are ever present with us: still we may be negligent of grace, often indeed actually are so, freely and basely obeying our Thes. 4. own lusts K" Lastly, they condemn as heterodox, (and certainly the doctrine is a most damnable one, ) "that a man cannot perform more good than he does, nor avoid more sin than he avoids." And in explanation, they contend that this opinion is equally false, whether it is understood of a regenerate or an unregenerate man. On these grounds, then, I 1 Which they prove from Gal. 5. 17; Eph. 4. 30. Vid. Act. Syn. Dord. part II. p. 133. Works done without grace, alone rejected from justification. 145 would ask, whether those subsequent good works, which are Chap. so freely performed by a regenerate man, afford him cause--for boasting, or do they not rather redound to the honour and glory of God, the author of them? I have no doubt but that our adversaries would instantly consent to the latter supposition, opposing the other with all their might. They must therefore necessarily allow, that the union of free will with divine grace in good works, does not prevent them from being wholly ascribed to the honour of God, neither do they give the man himself any cause for glorying in them. Neither do we hold any other union of free will in any good work, than our adversaries themselves allow in many good works.--This however by the way: To proceed. 6. Thirdly, that this, in short, is the intention of St. Paul (to reject those works only, which are done without the grace of the Gospel) will readil...