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A Source Book for Ancient Church History - Mirrors

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520 A <strong>Source</strong> <strong>Book</strong> <strong>for</strong> <strong>Ancient</strong> <strong>Church</strong> <strong>History</strong>[474]so that it is asked <strong>for</strong> by us, contradicts Isaiah the prophet andthe Apostle [Is. 65:1; Rom. 10:20].Canon 4. Whoever contends that our will, to be set free fromsin, may anticipate God's action, and shall not confess that it isbrought about by the infusion of the Holy Spirit and his operationin us, that we wish to be set free, resists that same Holy Spiritspeaking through Solomon: “The will is prepared by the Lord”[Proverbs 8:35, cf. LXX; not so in Vulgate or Heb.], and theApostle [Phil. 2:13].Canon 5. Whoever says the increase, as also the beginningof faith and the desire of believing, by which we believe inHim who justifies the impious, and we come to the birth of holybaptism, is not by the free gift of grace, that is, by the inspirationof the Holy Spirit turning our will from unbelief to belief, fromimpiety to piety, but belongs naturally to us, is declared anadversary of the apostolic preaching [Phil. 1:6; Ephes. 2:8]. Forthey say that faith by which we believe in God is natural, andthey declare that all those who are strangers to the <strong>Church</strong> ofChrist in some way are believing.Canon 6. Whoever says that to us who, without the grace ofGod, believe, will, desire, attempt, struggle <strong>for</strong>, watch, strive<strong>for</strong>, demand, ask, knock, mercy is divinely bestowed, and doesnot rather confess that it is brought about by the infusion andinspiration of the Holy Spirit in us that believe, will, and do allthese other things as we ought, and annexes the help of grace tohuman humility and obedience, and does not admit that it is thegift of that same grace that we are obedient and humble, opposesthe Apostle [I Cor. 4:7].Canon 7. Whoever asserts that by the <strong>for</strong>ce of nature we canrightly think or choose anything good, which pertains to eternallife, or be saved, that is, assent to the evangelical preaching,without the illumination of the Holy Spirit, who gives to all graceto assent to and believe the truth, is deceived by an hereticalspirit, not understanding the voice of the Lord [John 15:5], and

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