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Archive for December, 2008

Marlorate:

1) Which turn the grace of our God unto wantonness] Now he declares manifestly, what manner of mischief that is, that they should beware & take heed of: namely this: that these false Apostle & deceivers, abused the grace of God unto all wantonness & licentiousness, thinking, that because their sins were forgiven, they might do what they list [wished]. They sinned therefore without all shame, and willingly fell back again into the slavery and bondage of sin, from whence Christ had redeemed them by the shedding of his blood. C [Calvin.] The grace of God verily appeared to a far other end, then to get[?] men to leave to sin, as Paul plainly witnesses, saying: “The grace of God hath appeared healthful to all men, teaching us, that denying ungodliness, and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, and righteously, and godly in this present evil wild,” [P. to Tit. 2. vers. 11]. Let us know therefore, that there is nothing more hurtful & pernicious than these kind of men, which of the grace of Christ, do take an occasion to live wantonly and licentiously. And because we teach, that we are saved by the free mercy of God, the Papists lay this to our charge as a great fault. But what does it prevail with words to confute their shamelessness, sith [since] everywhere & in all places we call earnestly upon repentance, the fear of God, & newness of life. They themselves do not only corrupt & mar the whole world by their evil examples & wicked life, but also take quite out of the world by their pestilent and wicked doctrine, true holiness and the pure worshiping of God. M [Martin. Luther.] Indeed they call themselves Christians, and brag much of the gospel, but they live such a kind of life, as they do whatever pleases them, sinning most wickedly and abominably in drunkenness, in lechery, and all abomination. Their Bishops and Prelates do vaunt and say, we have taken upon us, not a worldly, but a spiritual state and condition of life: under which name & false pretense, they have gotten great treasures, pleasures, and dignities: [Calvin] although we may rather think them to be like the Libertines of our time, of whom Jude speaks, as it shall more clearly appear in the discourse hereof. It follows.

And God which is the only Lord.] Certain old translation have, “Christ which is the only God & Lord.” In the epistle of S. Peter mention is made only of Christ, and there he is called Lord. For thus he writes, “even denying the Lord which has bough them,” [2. Peter. Vers. 1.]. A [Augustine. Marlorate.] If any man think it better to read it differently or by itself, then the sense will be, “Chiefly they deny God,” L. [Pelicane.] whom once they have professed, which is the only Lord of al things, both in heaven and earth. It follows.

And deny our Lord Jesus Christ.] C. [Calvin.] He understands Christ to be denied, when such as have been redeemed by his blood, have given themselves again to be bondslaves to Satan, making as much as in them lies, the incomparable and inestimable benefit & price of our redemption, to be frustrate & of none effect. Therefore let us remember that Christ died and rose again for us, to the end that he might make us a peculiar people to himself, & that he might be Lord of our life, and death. A. [Aug. Mar.] Again, Christ is denied, when we derogate from him, that which is his own: After which manner the Monks, and such like deny Christ. M [Mar. Lut.] For when they preach that the way to eternal happiness & felicity, is to fast, to gad & wander on pilgrimage, to build Churches, and Monasteries: to vow chastity, obedience, poverty, and such like: they plainly deceive the simple and ignorant by their works, but of Christ they make no mention at all: which is as much, as if they should say, it is very needful and necessary for thee to deserve heaven by thy own works, Christ profited thee nothing, his works cannot help thee: and so they deny the Lord, who has bought us with his blood.

Augustine Marlorate, A Catholic and ecclesiastical exposition uppon the epistle of S. Iude. The Apostle: Collected and Gathered out of the workes of the best writers by Augustine Marlorat, that most notable and excellent Divine, (At London by Gerard Dewes, and Henry Marshe, 1584), fols 9-11. [Some spelling modernized.]

3
Dec

A.A. Hodge on the Removal of Legal Obstacles

   Posted by: CalvinandCalvinism    in The Removal of Legal Obstacles

[comments below]

AA Hodge (sample):

1) 4th. Nor as to its actual application. Arminians agree with Calvinists that of adults only those who believe are saved, while Calvinists agree with Arminians that all dying in infancy are redeemed an saved. 5th. Nor is there any debate as to the universal reference of some of the benefits purchased by Christ. Calvinists believe that the entire dispensation of forbearance under which the human family rest since the fall, including for the unjust as well as the just temporal mercies and means of grace, is part of the purchase of Christ’s blood. They admit also that Christ did in such a sense die for all men, that he thereby removed all legal obstacles from the salvation of any and every man, and that his satisfaction may be applied to one man as well as to another if God so wills it.  AA Hodge, Outlines of Theology (London: Thomas Nelson and Sons, 1879), 416.

2) The design of Christ in dying was to effect what he actually does effect lo the result. lst  Incidentally to remove the legal impediments out of the way of all men, and render the salvation of every hearer of the gospel objectively possible, so that each one has a right to appropriate it at will, to impetrate temporal blessings for all, an f the means of grace for all to whom they are providentially supplied. AA Hodge, Outlines of Theology (London: Thomas Nelson and Sons, 1879), 417.

3)
19. What was the doctrine of the “Marrow Men” in Scotland?

The “Marrow of Modern Divinity” was published in England, 1646, and republished in Scotland by James Hog of Carnock, 1726. The ” Marrow Men ” were Hog, Thomas Boston, and Ralph and Ebenezer Erskine, and their followers in the Secession Church. They were perfectly orthodox with respect to the reference of the atonement to the elect Their peculiarity was that they emphasized the general reference of the atonement to all men They said Christ did not die for all, but he dead for all, i.e, available. “God made a deed of gift and grant of Christ unto all men.” They distinguished between “giving love,” which was universal and his “electing love,” which was special (“Marrow of Mod. Divinity “). Dr. John Brown said before the Synod of the United Secession Church, 1845, ” In the sense of the Universalist, that Christ died so as to secure salvation, I hold that he died only for the elect. In the sense of the Arminian, that Christ died so as to purchase easier terms of salvation, and common grace to enable men to comply with those terms, I hold that he died for no man. In the sense of the great body of Calvinists, that Christ died to remove legal obstacles in the way of human salvation by making perfect satisfaction for sin, I hold that he died for all men” (Hist. of Atonement controversy in Secess. Church, by Rev. And Robertson). AA Hodge, Outlines of Theology (London: Thomas Nelson and Sons, 1879), 417-418.

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2
Dec

Charles Hodge on Ephesians 3:9-10

   Posted by: CalvinandCalvinism    in God who Ordains

[Introductory note: Years ago  I read Gordon Clark claim that Ephesians 3:9-10 argues for supralapsarianism. He cited Charles Hodge on this verse with a dismissive gloss. I went and read Hodge on this and actually found his comments more plausible than Clark had led me to believe. Clark had not given due respect to the doxological aspect to Paul’s reference to God “who created all things;” c.f., Romans 10:6.]

Charles Hodge:

V. 9. It was Paul’s first duty to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ among the Gentiles, for he was especially the “apostle of the Gentiles.” But his, duty was not confined to them. He was commissioned both to preach to the Gentiles, and to make all see, &c. This is the common interpretation of the passage. Others, however, insist that the all is here limited by the context to the Gentiles. But the force of and, which marks the accession of a new idea, is thus in a great measure lost. And the following verse favours the widest latitude that can be given to the words in question.

The word photozein properly means, to shine, as any luminous body does, and then to illuminate, to impart light to, as a candle does to those on whom it shines, and as God does to the minds of men, and as the Gospel does, which is as a light shining in a dark place, and hence the apostle, 2 Cor. 4, 4, speaks of the photismos tou euaggeliou. Utitur apta similitudine, says Calvin, quum dicit, photian pantas, quasi plena luce effulgeat Dei gratia in suo apostolatu. The Church is compared to a candlestick, and ministers to stars. Their office is to dispense light. The light imparted by the Gospel was knowledge, and hence to illuminate is, in fact, to teach; which is the idea the word is intended here to express.

The thing taught was, he oikonomia tou musteriou tou apokekrummenou, the economy of the mystery which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God. The common text in this clause reads konomia, fellowship, but all the corrected editions of the New Testament, on the authority of the ancient MSS., read oikonomia, plan, or, economy. The mystery or secret, is not the simple purpose to call the Gentiles into the church, but the mystery of redemption. This mystery, apo ton aionon, from ages, from the beginning of time, had been hid in God. Compare Rom. 16, 25, “The mystery which was kept secret since the world began.” 1 Cor. 2, 7, “The wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world.” Col. 1, 26, “The mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations.” In all these places the mystery spoken of is God’s purpose of redemption, formed in the counsels of eternity, impenetrably hidden from the view of men until revealed in his own time. It was this plan of redemption thus formed, thus long concealed, but now made known through the Gospel, that Paul was sent to bear as a guiding and saving light to all men.

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