The Works of Augustus Montague Toplady, Vol. 5 at:
http://books.google.com/books?pg=PA11&dq=augustus%20toplady%20calvinism%20church%20of%20england&ei=CHbgTILcHIWglAeBiq2YAw&ct=result&id=ybYOAAAAIAAJ&output=text
Total Depravity and Inability:
We must " Beware and take heed, that we do in no wife think in our hearts, imagine, or believe, that we are able to repent aright, or to turn effectually unto the Lord, by our own might and strength. For this must be verified in all men, Without me ye can do nothing. Again, Of ourselves we are not able as much as to think a good thought. And, in another place, It is God that worketh in us both the will and the deed. For this cause, though Hieremie had said before, Turn unto me, faith the Lord; yet afterwards he faith, Turn thou me, and I shall be turned, for thou art the Lord my God. And therefore that ancient writer, and holy father, Ambrose, doth plainly affirm, that the turning of the heart unto God, is of God; as the Lord himself doth testify by his prophet, faying, And I will give thee an heart to know me, that I am the Lord: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God, for they (hall return unto me with their whole heart." First homily on repentance, p. 330, 331. So far is the Church of England from making the grace of God strike to the free-will of his creatures!
" By grace are ye saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves; for it is the gift of God, and not of works, lest any man should glory. And, to be short, the summary of all Paul's disputation is this: That if justice" [i.e. justification] "come of works, then it cometh not of grace; and, if it come of grace, then it cometh not of works. And to this end tend all the prophets, as St. Peter faith in the xth of the Acts. Of Christ all the prophets (faith St. Peter) do witness, that through his name, all they, that do believe in him, (hall receive the remission of fins. St. Hilary speaketh these words plainly, in the ixth Canon upOn Matthew, Faith only justifieth.' And St. Basil, a Greek author, writeth thus: "This is a perfect and whole rejoicing in God, when a man advanceth not himself for his own righteousness, but acknowledgeth himself to lack true justice....
Page 140, justification not by works, deeds, or evangelical obedience of faith and repentance.
" Man cannot make himself righteous by his own works, neither in part, nor in the whole. For that were the greatest arrogance and presumption of man, that Antichrist could set up against God, to affirm that a man might, by his own works, take away and purge his own sins, and so justify himself. But justification is the office of God only, and is not a thing which we render unto him, .but which we receive of him; not which we give to him, but which we take of him, by his free mercy, and by the only merits of his most dearly beloved Son, our only Redeemer, Saviour, and Justifier." Ibid. p. 15, 16.
" It is of the free grace and mercy of God, by the mediation of the blood of his Son Jesus Christ, without merit or deserving on our part, that our sins are forgiven us, that we are reconciled and brought again into his favour, and are made heirs of his heavenly kingdom." First homily on fasting, p. 165.
" To fast, with this persuasion of mind, that our fasting and cur good works, can make us perfect and just men - and, finally, bring us to heaven : this is^ a devilish persuasion." Ibid. p. 168.
"It" [namely, the parable of the pharisee and publican] is spoken to them that trusted in themselves, that they were righteous, and despised others. Now, because the pharisee directeth his works to an evil end, seeking by them justification, which indeed is the proper work of God, without our merits; his fasting twice in the week, and all his other works, though they were never so many, and seemed to the world never so good and holy, yet, in very deed, before God, they are altogether evil and abominable." Ibid. p. 169.
He must have piercing eyes indeed, who can discover anything in our homilies, from whence to infer the conditionally of justification. What Arminians call conditions, our Church calls gifts of God; and those graces, which are the gifts of his own free favour, can never be the conditions of obtaining it. "Two things," fays the Church, "are chiefly to be respected, in every good and godly man's prayer; his own necessity, and the glory of almighty God. Necessity belongeth either outwardly to the body, or inwardly to the soul; which part of man" [i. e. the soul], " because it is much more precious and excellent than the other, therefore we ought, first of all, to crave such things as properly belong to the salvation thereof: as the gift of repentance; the gift of faith ; the gift of charity and good works ; remission and forgiveness of fins, &c. and such other like fruits of the spirit." Third Homily on Prayer, p. 198.
Page 142, Justification by faith alone belongs to the Church of England.
Some Arminians, of more subtlety and refinement than the rest of their sect, acknowledge, indeed, that we are not justified by moral works and performances of our own, but by the To credere, or the act of believing : which faith itself, say they, is imputed to the believer, in lieu of that perfect righteousness which the law demands. This opinion is as totally unscriptural, and anti-scriptural, as the doctrine of justification by works. It is equally absurd in itself, and derogatory to the merits of Christ. I shall, however, in this place, content myself with proving, proving that this imaginary imputation of faith to righteousness, is not the doctrine of the Church of England. ," The true understanding of this doctrine, we be justified freely by faith without works, ,or that we be justified by faith in Christ only; is not, that this our own act, to believe in Christ, or this our faith in Christ, which is within us, doth justify us and deserve our justification unto us, (for that were to count ourselves to be justified by some act or virtue that is within ourselves).—So that, as St. John the Baptist, although he were never so virtuous and godly a man, yet, in this matter of forgiving fin, he did put the people from him, and appointed them unto Christ, saying thus unto them : Behold, yonder is the Lamb of God which taketh away the fins of the world; even-so, as great and as godly a virtue as faith is, yet it putteth us from itself, and remitteth or appointeth us unto Christ, for to have only by him remission of our sins, or justification. So that our faith in Christ, (as it were; faith unto us thus : It is not I that take away your sins, but it is Christ only, and to him only I fend you for that purpose ; forsaking therein all your good virtues, words, thoughts and works, and only putting your trust in Christ." Homily of salvation, part II. p.16.
A.M Toplady (Vol.5, 118-132), C of E, Calvinism, Arminianism, Justification, Total Depravity. All the stuff you will not hear, read, see or be exposed to at other Anglican centres of review and advertisement.
The Works of Augustus Montague Toplady, Vol. 5 at:
http://books.google.com/books?pg=PA11&dq=augustus%20toplady%20calvinism%20church%20of%20england&ei=CHbgTILcHIWglAeBiq2YAw&ct=result&id=ybYOAAAAIAAJ&output=text
For pages 1-42 and comments, see:
http://reformationanglicanism.blogspot.com/2010/11/augustus-toplady-c-of-e-calvinism.html
For pages 43-82 and comments, see:
http://reformationanglicanism.blogspot.com/2010/11/more-from-augustus-toplady-c-of-e.html
For pages 83-96 and comments, see:
http://reformationanglicanism.blogspot.com/2010/11/augustus-toplady-vol5-pg82-97-c-of-e.html
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