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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," 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")
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." 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." 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.
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