the origin and fountain of wickedness, and misusing himself, not from any extraneous necessity, but from free-will and judgement. The fault is in him who chooses, not in God. For God has not made nature or the substance of the soul bad; for he who is good can make nothing but what is good. Every thing is good which is according to nature. Every rational soul hast naturally a good free-will, formed for the choice of what is good. But when a man acts wrongly, nature is not to be blamed; for what is wrong, takes place not according to nature, but contrary to nature, it being the work of choice, and not of nature. For when a person who had the power of choosing what is good, did not choose it, but voluntarily turned away from what is best, pursuing what was worst; what room for escape could be left to him who is become the cause of his own internal disease, having neglected the innate law, as it were his Saviour and Physician?"-p. 250.

ATHANASIUS—A. D. 326.

Benedictine Edition.

"FOR the knowledge, and accurate comprehension of the way of truth, we have need of nothing but ourselves. Not, as God is above all things, so is the way which leads to these things

remote,

remote, or extraneous to ourselves, but it is in ourselves, and it is possible to find its beginning of ourselves."-Vol. 1. p. 29.

Speaking of Christ being born of the Virgin Mary, he says," Having thus taken a body from: our race, because all men were subject to the corruption of death, giving it to death for all men, he offered it to the Father; doing this mercifully; that all men, as it were dying in him, the law respecting the corruption of man, might be abolished."-Vol. 1. p. 54.

"It was necessary that what was due from all should be paid; for death was a debt due from all, as I have before mentioned. For this cause principally he came; and on this account, after proof by deeds concerning his divinity, he offered a sacrifice for all, delivering up his temple to death instead of all, that he might make all released and free from the old transgression.”— Vol. 1. p. 64.

"He took a body for the salvation of all men, and instructed the world concerning the Father, and abolished death, and gave incorruption to all men by the promise of the resurrection.”— Vol. 1. p. 75..

By his death salvation came to all, and every creature was ransomed. He is the life of

all, even he, who like a sheep

gave up his own body

body to death, as a ransom for the salvation of all."-Vol. 1. p. 79.-There are many more passages in the same treatise to the same effect.

"He suffers no where else, nor is he crucified at any other place, but at Calvary, which the teachers of the Hebrews say was the burial place of Adam.. For it was necessary that the

......

Lord, being willing to renew the first Adam, should suffer in that place, that, expiating his sin, he might take away sin from all the race."Vol. 3. p. 90.

CYRIL OF JERUSALEM-A. D. 348.

Benedictine Edition.

"ALL things work together for good to them that love God (h). For God is abundant in doing good; but he expects the sincere free-will of every one. Therefore the Apostle added, saying, 'to them who are called according to his purpose.' The existence of a sincere purpose makes called for if you have your body here, and not your mind, it profiteth nothing."-p. 2.

you

:

"God requires nothing else of us but a good will. Do not say, how are my sins blotted out? I say to you, by willing, by believing. What can he more concise than this? But if your lips declare

(h) Rom. . 8. v. 28.

clare a willingness, and your heart does not, he who judges, knows the heart. From this day therefore cease from every evil work. Let not your tongue utter irreverent words; let not your eyes sin; let not your thoughts wander about vain things."-p. 6.

"It belongs to me to speak, to you to give attention, to God to make perfect. Let us strengthen our minds, let us brace up our soul, let us prepare our heart. The race is for life; the hope is for everlasting things. God (who knows our hearts, and discerns who is sincere and who is a hypocrite) is able to preserve the sincere, and to make the hypocrite faithful. For God is able to make even the unbeliever a believer, if he will but give his heart.”—p. 13.

Have, O man, a sincere soul, on account of him who searcheth the heart and the reins (i). For as those who are about to enlist soldiers, examine the ages and persons of those whom they enlist, so the Lord also in choosing souls for his service, examines the will, and if any one has à concealed hypocrisy, he immediately rejects him as unfit for true service. But if he finds a person worthy, he readily gives him grace. He does not give that which is holy to the dogs (k). But

(i) Ps. 7. v. 9.

(k) Matt. c. 7. v. 6.

But where he sees a good conscience, there he gives the wonderful seal of salvation, at which the devils tremble, and which the angels acknowledge; so that the former being driven away, fly from it, but the latter embrace it as their own. Those therefore who receive this spiritual and saving seal, have need also of their own free choice; for as a writing-pen, or a weapon, has need of one to act with it, so grace also has need of those who believe. You receive not a corruptible, but a spiritual armour. You are afterwards planted into an intellectual Paradise. You receive a new name which you had not before. Before this you were a Catechumen; now you shall be called one of the faithful (1). You are then transplanted into intellectual olives, being engrafted from a wild olive into a fruitful one, from sin unto righteousness, from filthiness unto purity. You are made partaker of the holy vine; and if you remain in the vine, you will grow like a fruitful branch; but if you do not remain, you will be consumed with fire. Let us then bring forth frait worthily. For, God forbid that it should happen to us as it did to the barren fig-tree, that Christ when he comes should even now curse us for our barrenness. But may every one of us

(1) That is, after baptism.

say,