Ancient Christian Witness

In the local Orthodox Christian council of of the Synod of Jerusalem (around the year 1672). It talks about Prevenient grace. Howover, it expresses a type of particuliar Prevenient grace. Instead, of a universal one. Well....I don't know. In once sense it seems to be universal, but in another sense it seems particuliar.

http://catholicity.elcore.net/ConfessionOfDositheus.html

Chapter 6

DECREE III.
"We believe the most good God to have from eternity predestinated unto glory those whom He hath chosen, and to have consigned unto condemnation those whom He hath rejected; but not so that He would justify the one, and consign and condemn the other without cause. For that were contrary to the nature of God, who is the common Father of all, and no respecter of persons, and would have all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth; {1 Timothy 2:4} but since He foreknew the one would make a right use of their free-will, and the other a wrong, He predestinated the one, or condemned the other. And we understand the use of free-will thus, that the Divine and illuminating grace, and which we call preventing grace, being, as a light to those in darkness, by the Divine goodness imparted to all, to those that are willing to obey this — for it is of use only to the willing, not to the unwilling — and co-operate with it, in what it requireth as necessary to salvation, there is consequently granted particular grace; which, co-operating with us, and enabling us, and making us perseverant in the love of God, that is to say, in performing those good things that God would have us to do, and which His preventing grace admonisheth us that we should do, justifieth us, and maketh us predestinated. But those who will not obey, and co-operate with grace; and, therefore, will not observe those things that God would have us perform, and that abuse in the service of Satan the free-will, which they have received of God to perform voluntarily what is good, are consigned to eternal condemnation."


This is only a local council.....meaning not a Ecumenical council, but it heps show how the Eastern Orthodox of the 17nth century understood Grace and free will when under the theological attack of the Dutch Reformed.




JNORM888