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of the fear of God, he said, “Ye men of Athens, in all things I perceive that ye are very religious,”
Acts 17:22. The Canons of Dort express themselves as follows on this point: “There remain,
however, in man since the fall, the glimmerings of natural light, whereby he retains some
knowledge of God, of natural things, and of the difference between good and evil, and shows
some regard for virtue and for good outward behavior. But so far is this light of nature from
being sufficient to bring him to a saving knowledge of God and true conversion that he is
incapable of using it aright even in things natural and civil. Nay, further, this light, such as it is,
man in various ways renders wholly polluted, and hinders in unrighteousness, by doing which
he becomes inexcusable before God.” III-IV. 4.
4. THE PERFORMANCE OF OUTWARD GOOD AND CIVIL RIGHTEOUSNESS.
Common grace
enables man to perform what is generally called justitia civilis, that is, that which is right in civil
or natural affairs, in distinction from that which is right in religious matters, natural good works
especially in social relations, works that are outwardly and objectively in harmony with the law
of God, though entirely destitute of any spiritual quality. This is in harmony with our Reformed
Confession. Art. XIV of the Belgic Confession speaks in its title of man’s incapacity to perform
what is truly good, says that man retained only small remains of his excellent gifts, so as to
render him without excuse, and rejects only the Pelagian error that man can of himself perform
spiritual or saving good. The Canons of Dort III-IV, Art. 3, speak in a similar vein: “Therefore all
men are conceived in sin, and are by nature children of wrath, incapable of saving good” etc. It
may be objected that the Heidelberg Catechism speaks in absolute terms when it says in
Question 8 that we are incapable of doing any good unless we are regenerated. But it is quite
evident from the Commentary of Ursinus himself that he would not deny that man can do civil
good, but only that he can perform good works such as are defined in Question 91 of the
Catechism. Reformed theologians generally maintain that the unregenerate can perform
natural good, civil good, and outwardly religious good.[Cf. Calvin, Inst. III. 14,2; Van Mastricht,
Godgeleerdheid, Bk. IV. 4,11,12; Voetius, Catechisatie I, p. 168-172; Ursinus, Comm. on the
Catechism, Lord’s Day II, p. 77; Charnock, On the Attributes II, pp. 303,304; Brakel, Redelijke
Godsdienst I, p. 338.] They call attention to the fact, however, that, while such works of the
unregenerate are good from a material point of view, as works which God commanded, they
cannot be called good from a formal point of view, since they do not spring from the right
motive and do not aim at the right purpose. The Bible repeatedly speaks of works of the
unregenerate as good and right, II Kings 10:29,30; 12:2 (comp. II Chron. 24:17-25); 14:3,14-
16,20,27 (comp. II Chron. 25:2); Luke 6:33; Rom. 2:14,15.
5. MANY NATURAL BLESSINGS.
To common grace man further owes all the natural blessings
which he receives in the present life. Though he has forfeited all the blessings of God, he
receives abundant tokens of the goodness of God from day to day. There are several passages