From Reformation to Reformation

Finally, it remains to respond in a few words to the seventh  Question mentioned in § 1, How does the Apostle, in citing this prophecy, reach the goal that he intends? tying verse  14 with what precedes by the logical conjunction διό/ wherefore .  In context, Paul addresses believing Ephesians, who were sometimes darkness, but now were made Light in the Lord , verse  8.  He had instruct these, in verse  11, καὶ μὴ συγκοινωνεῖτε τοῖς ἔργοις τοῖς ἀκάρποις τοῦ σκότους, μᾶλλον δ

But now, when the text applies this promise to those awaking from sleep and rising from the dead , from this it is not gathered that supernatural Grace is only going to follow upon the right use of natural gifts and strength; as if by virtue of these the natural man could be awakened from spiritual torpor and arise from the death of sin.  The contrary is taught by the whole Scripture; our National Synod of Dort, closely following the Scripture in this matter, is to be revered

We proceed to the sixth Question moved in § 1, What is the meaning of the promise subjoined to the admonition,  and Christ shall dawn upon thee ?   And whether supernatural grace is only going to follow upon the right use of natural gifts?   With respect to the first member of the Question, we do not entertain here one and another variant reading, less suitable, or even inept, which already of old CHRYSOSTOM rejected and JEROME exploded, and concerning which Interpreters eve

Thus briefly we consider this forth difficulty to have been loosed.  But from the response to the same just now given a fifth  Question spontaneously arises, which I enumerated in § 1 as worthy of careful consideration, namely, In what manner the spiritually dead are able to be made mindful to awake and arise?   I respond , 1.  the divine commandments and admonitions are not the measure of our strength, but they show us our appropriate duty, even if we have lost the strength

The fourth  ζήτημα/ question  that I proposed in § 1 is, Whether the speech here is directed to the regenerate and believing alone; or to the unregenerate, who, in a natural state after the fall, yet lie insensible in their errors and sins in the sleep of spiritual death?   An answer to this question is almost able to be returned from those things that have already been set forth in § 11 for the illustration of the oracle of Isaiah , Isaiah 60:1-3.  That the twofold or repeat

I advised in § 1 that it is able to be asked in the third place , Whether  in our text by the words  ὁ καθεύδων, thou that sleepest , and νεκρῶν, the dead , two different sorts of men are set forth to us ?  NICHOLAS DE LYRA does not appear to think so, giving this paraphrase of the text:  “ Awake thou that sleepest , in the languor brought on by sin.  And arise from the dead , in separating thyself from unbelievers, who are called dead men, Matthew 8, Send ye the dead to bury

c.  Finally, with respect to the promise occurring in Isaiah 59:20, וּבָ֤א לְצִיּוֹן֙ גּוֹאֵ֔ל וּלְשָׁבֵ֥י פֶ֖שַׁע בְּיַֽעֲקֹ֑ב נְאֻ֖ם יְהוָֽה׃, and the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith Jehovah , to which the Apostle appeals in Romans 11:26, καὶ οὕτω πᾶς Ἰσραὴλ σωθήσεται, καθὼς γέγραπται· Ἥξει ἐκ Σιὼν ὁ ῥυόμενος, καὶ ἀποστρέψει ἀσεβείας ἀπὸ Ἰακώβ, and so all Israel shall be saved:  as it is written, There shall come out

So that I might respond to the proposed difficulties in order: a.  With respect to the first , I observe that Isaiah in that sublimer, but especially well-known, prophetic style thus depicts that blessed state of the Church, to be gathered under the New Testament, in this chapter  60, so that from the very beginnings of that Economy the fulfillment of this Prophecy in great part was looked for; a fuller exhibition of which we expect day-by-day, but the perfect fulfillment of

Moreover, I did not will to set before the eyes of the Reader this consensus of the most excellent Interpreters of divers ages and professions, so that by the prejudice of authority I might compel him, as it were, to embrace the opinion that pleases me more than the other:  but so that I might show that the reading in Paul occurring in the place that we are treating did not appear to so many most weighty Men so different from the manner received by the Writers of the New Test

And since, with the precautions applied that I advised in § 8 are to be observed time and again in the citation of the Old Testament made by the Writers of the New Testament, all things are plain and clear, if we establish that the words of Paul in Ephesians 5:14 were borrowed from the beginning of chapter of Isaiah 60; it is not at all strange that Interpreters, many and eminent, turned to this opinion, which affirms that the words of the Apostle in our text were fetched eit

And so remains, as to which Prophetic text properly deserves to be said to be cited by the Apostle, that third one that the DUTCH INTERPRETERS in their Notis  commend, namely, Isaiah 60:1, to which verses  2 and 3 deserve to be added:ק֥וּמִי א֖וֹרִי כִּ֣י בָ֣א אוֹרֵ֑ךְ וּכְב֥וֹד יְהוָ֖ה עָלַ֥יִךְ זָרָֽח׃  כִּֽי־הִנֵּ֤ה הַחֹ֙שֶׁךְ֙ יְכַסֶּה־אֶ֔רֶץ וַעֲרָפֶ֖ל לְאֻמִּ֑ים וְעָלַ֙יִךְ֙ יִזְרַ֣ח יְהוָ֔ה וּכְבוֹד֖וֹ עָלַ֥יִךְ יֵרָאֶֽה׃  וְהָלְכ֥וּ גוֹיִ֖ם לְאוֹרֵ֑ךְ וּמְלָכִ֖ים לְנֹ

The other passage collated by the DUTCH TRANSLATORS is that in Isaiah 9:2, which verse immediately coheres with Isaiah 9:1, for the gloom shall not be thick to him to whom it was a vexation:  in the former time He made the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali vile:  but in the latter time He honored it, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Nations.  The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon the inhabitants of the land of the shadow o

But today they continue in the Goodness and Felicity previously Confirmed , without any further danger or fear of losing their Goodness or Felicity.  We hold this against the Remonstrants , to whom, on account of their hypothesis concerning free Choice, it appears, that the Good Angels are not able to be said formally to obey God, unless they are also able not to obey, as I review this their opinion in § 9.  That the Goodness and Felicity of the Good Angels is already Immutab

Fortifying the way in this manner, by degrees we are led to our intended destination.  The DUTCH TRANSLATORS in their Notis  on our text send us to three passages of the Prophet Isaiah , with which the Pauline text may be able to be compared.  Among these is the pericope that occurs in Isaiah 26:19,יִֽחְי֣וּ מֵתֶ֔יךָ נְבֵלָתִ֖י יְקוּמ֑וּן הָקִ֙יצוּ וְרַנְּנ֜וּ שֹׁכְנֵ֣י עָפָ֗ר כִּ֣י טַ֤ל אוֹרֹת֙ טַלֶּ֔ךָ וָאָ֖רֶץ רְפָאִ֥ים תַּפִּֽיל׃, Thy dead shall live, together with my dea

Previously we taught that we send the διὸ λέγει, wherefore he saith , to Moses and the Prophets, to the Codex of the Old Testament.  And we did not see that by a formula of this sort the Apostle was wont to appeal merely to the argument of the Prophetic doctrine in general, but to some certain pericope of the Ancient Scripture and its words.  Hence it is all the more displeasing to me, what ZANCHIUS signifies as pleasing him most of all in his Commentario on this passage , na

These were created Good , not only Physically, but Ethically as rational creatures, or as furnished with Wisdom and Holiness worthy even of God . But yet, in the next place, the habitual gifts were Mutably granted to them ; so that those habits of Wisdom and Holiness granted to them by Creation were not regarded in themselves as Immutable.  It is not proven that they were Immutably Good  by their very Creation:  our AUTHOR makes the contrary opinion especially probable:  α. 

And so I proceed to the second Question  set forth in § 1, Whence were the words borrowed that occur in this verse?  Ἔχομεν βεβαιότερον τὸν προφητικὸν λόγον, ᾧ καλῶς ποιεῖτε προσέχοντες, ὡς λύχνῳ φαίνοντι ἐν αὐχμηρῷ τόπῳ, ἕως οὗ ἡμέρα διαυγάσῃ, καὶ φωσφόρος ἀνατείλῃ ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ὑμῶν, We have a more sure prophetic words; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts , says Pe

[We could use your help: If you are being blessed by the translation work, please consider supporting the work and speeding it on its way.   Click here to watch a brief video on the project. ] Angels, α.  are ludicrously divided by Sex , since they are mere Spirits, among whom neither marriage nor generation obtains, according to Matthew 22:30.  Nevertheless, there were not those wanting, who established one of the Cherubs on the ark as male and the other as female, with Mola

Moved unto this end .  The very ones that acknowledge not that Angels with respect to Essence are in a certain Where, deny the same with respect to Essence also to be moved from Place to Place.  Thus WITTICH, Theologia pacifica , § 187:  Just as place is not properly applicable to Angels, so an Angel is neither moved, nor able to be said to be moved, in any other way than to the extent he ceases to operate there, and begins to operate here .  BURMAN, Synopsi Theologiæ , book

But you may say that the text alleged in the first place from Psalm 97:7 hinders.  Since that, καὶ προσκυνησάτωσαν αὐτῷ πάντες ἄγγελοι Θεοῦ, and let all the angels of God worship Him , could appear to be a divine mandate of such a sort that no creature would be capable of commanding the good Angels with such authority, in which manner the Most Illustrious WESSELIUS reasons, Dissertationibus Academicis , XVIII, § I, “Suddenly by an Apostrophe [1] the speech is turned toward E