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| The Third Rule of Tichonius.
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Chapter 33.—The Third Rule of
Tichonius.
46. The third rule relates to the
promises and the law, and may be designated in other terms
as relating to the spirit and the letter, which is the name I made
use of when writing a book on this subject. It may be also named,
of grace and the law. This, however, seems to me to be a great
question in itself, rather than a rule to be applied to the
solution of other questions. It was the want of clear views on
this question that originated, or at least greatly aggravated, the
Pelagian heresy. And the efforts of Tichonius to clear up this
point were good, but not complete. For, in discussing the
question about faith and works, he said that works were given us by
God as the reward of faith, but that faith itself was so far our
own that it did not come to us from God; not keeping in mind the
saying of the apostle: “Peace be to the brethren, and love with
faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”1905
But he
had not come into contact with this heresy, which has arisen in our
time, and has given us much labor and trouble in defending against
it the grace of God which is through our Lord Jesus Christ, and
which (according to the saying of the apostle, “There must be
also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made
manifest among you”1906
) has made us much more watchful
and diligent to discover in Scripture what escaped Tichonius, who,
having no enemy to guard against, was less attentive and anxious on
this point, namely, that even faith itself is the gift of Him who
“hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.”1907
Whence
it is said to certain believers: “Unto you it is given, in the
behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer
for His sake.”1908
Who, then, can doubt that each
of these is the gift of God, when he learns from this passage, and
believes, that each of them is given? There are many other
testimonies besides which prove this. But I am not now treating
of this doctrine. I have, however, dealt with it, one place or
another, very frequently.E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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