already if he would use them He that only shews another what he has to doe and offers reason to perswade him to do it not taking any other course to strengthen him for it takes it for granted that he is afore-hand able for it Now this is all that their Moral Grace pretends to it shews the Sinner that it is his Duty to turn to God c. and uses Arguments to move him to it but gives no other strength for it than what this Advice includes which as Perswasion or Advice does indeed give none at all but plainly supposes it in being They say a Sinner under the Influence of this Moral Grace is able to Convert and Regenerate himself to beget himself to a New Life But if he be able his Ability is from Nature and the Power of his natural Faculties was not from Grace seeing this their Grace is not for the giving of Ability where it is not but only for exciting it where it is before 2. As the Power for these great Concerns of Salvation is not from God or his Grace so neither is the Act from him For 1. That which gives or works the Act determins the Will or causes it to determin it self but the Lord by this Grace which is all they own brings it only to the Wills choice and leaves it to do as it list and so plainly leaves the Act to it self so that if the Soul do actually Believe or Repent or turn to God this is of it self their Grace leaves the Will indifferent to act or not to act and so no more works the one than the other and is no more the Cause that it acts than that it acts not It leaves it to the Will either to yield or refuse if it yield it is not from Grace but the Will. Grace leaves it in the Power of the Will to resist if it resist not it is from the Will not from Grace The Lord by his Power works not the Will to turn to God to love to embrace Christ to yield to the Spirit but leaves it indifferent to turn to God or against him to love God or to hate him to embrace Christ or reject him to yield to the Spirit or resist him It must be left indifferent as to either Grace turns not the Scales but leaves the Will at an equal poise that the Will of Man not the Grace of God may have the casting weight if Grace should weigh it down the Liberty of the Will they say would be violated and its Nature desâ—oyed 3. Nay their Grace is so far from working the Will to actual Faith or Holiness that by their account it seems to lead a man into Sin and leave him in it for it is a Sin for a man to be Indifferent whether he Believe or Believe not whether he accept Christ or reject him whether he love or hate him But all that this Grace does to the Will is to bring it to such an Indifferency and so the Grace of God with them does no other no better Office for a Sinner than to bring his Soul into a wicked Posture and in that Posture it does and must leave the Will to it self and there left if the Will be no better to it self than Grace is or can be it shall never come into a better Posture Nay further the Lord is so far from Determining the Will and so from causing the Act by making it willing that it is impossible for him to do it They say as was shewed before that the Will cannot be determined by God himself without destroying it they will have it an Inconsistency and to imply a Contradiction And thus the Lord is so far from being the Worker or real Cause of actual Faith Conversion Sanctification that it is impossible he should be the Cause thereof he is so far from actually working these that he cannot do it Let me but add one Argument more This Grace is given equally to all and effects no more in one than another and therefore can be no more the Cause of actual Conversion in those that turn to God than in those that are never converted works Regeneration no more in those that are sanctified than in the unregenerate i. e. works it not at all is no Cause of it The Lord by vertue of this Grace gives actual Faith and Repentance no more to those that Believe and Repent than to such as persevere in Impenitency and Unbelief gave Faith no more to Paul than to Judas Repentance no more to Peter than to Simon Magus i. e. he gives it not at all This is the clear consequence of their Doctrine The Lord is not the Author and Finisher of our Faith or of our Repentance nor the real Cause of Conversion or Sanctification and other saving Blessings and so not the Author of Salvation It is not by his Grace but of our selves both as to the Power and the Act in direct opposition to the Text and the whole strain of the Gospel And it is as reconcileable with Scripture and the Perfections of God to say he is not the Creator of the World or the Author of any thing as to say he is not the Author or real Cause of those great Concerns of Salvation 4. This leads them to deny Original Sin. They must of necessity make little or nothing of the Corruption of our Nature since they will have their Swasive Grace to be a sufficient Relief against it as if all the Sin in mans Nature could be argued out of him without more adoe and all the Power of Corruption natural and contracted too might be effectually subdued and crucified by rational Advice whereas this Moral Swasion is of it self of no Efficacy at all for this purpose and appears to be so in that it effects no such thing in far the greatest part of those who partake of it as much as any but leaves them altogether as corrupt as it found them I cannot discern that they will acknowledge any corruption at all to be in the Will tho Scripture and Experience shew that it is most of all there The Will seems to be now as sound by their Doctrine as it was in Innocency nor stands it in need of more help by Grace than Adam before the Fall for then he had and needed Swasive Grace In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt dye Here is the Duty propounded and the Proposal inforced with a powerful Motive by God himself that is the sum of Swasive Grace which the Lord seeing needfull for our first Parents did thus administer it as far from Corruption as it was then And if the Will need no more now it is as free from Corruption as it was then Thus for the Affections there must be no more Corruption in them than in the Will these being but the Acts and Motions of it Or if they will consider them as in the Sensitive Appetite yet common Illumination is enough to heal it there for
Preaching we confess for the most part to be such men that their Vertues do deserve no less Epist contr Walach p. 44. For those who have the Gospel God is ready to give further Grace to them if they would be worthy Hearers as they may be if they would use their Free-will well in hearing But there are some worthy hearers of the Gospel and some unworthy says Corvinus and sufficient Grace is not given to all promiscuously who hear sed iis qui digni sunâ— evangelii auditores but to those In Twiss 387. who are worthy hearers Which is in effect as tho' he spoke out and said It is given according to Merit which is all point blank against the Apostle 2 Tim. 1. 9. Tit. 3. 4. This they extend to the Fountain of all the eternal Purpose of God. All the Grace which is comprized in the Election of Grace will be ordered according to Merit Election of particular Persons depends upon their Faith or Works foreseen The Lord foresees who will believe and because they will believe upon the account of this good act he does elect them so they are elected according to Merit But does he not purpose from Eternity to give Faith in time No by no means for if he had decreed this they would be under some Necessity to believe and such Necessity is not consistent with the Liberty of mans Will. Therefore it must be left to their Free-will whether they shall believe or no and when God foresees that they shall make so good use of their Free-will as to believe then upon that account he elects them In plain English he chooses those whom he foresees will merit the Election of Grace by the good use of Free-will Nay all the Grace in the great and precious Promises and in the whole Covenant of Grace will be according to Merit For they will have the accomplishment of all suspended upon some Condition such a condition as is to be performed meerly by the power of Free-will assisted by no Grace at all but that gentle excitement which they call Swasion which enables not the Will to perform the Condition but plainly speaks it able before hand Such a condition performed is indeed a Cause a moving and engaging Cause and no less Merit than that which the ancient Church condemned in Pelagius For it is a good Act performed by our own strength upon the account of which the Grace of the Covenant is vouchsafed which a Jesuit will not deny to be the Merit that is under the Curse and Execration of Synods and Fathers twelve hundred years agoe Their other Principles overthrow the Grace of God and lay it prostrate but this quite destroyes it and makes it no Grace if the Apostles arguing be good Reason Rom. 11. 6. 3. This Doctrine which owns no more Grace and ascribes so much to Free-will makes God not to be the workeâ— or real Cause of the spiritual and saving blessings of Conversion and Regeneration nor the Author and Giver of Faith Repentance Holiness These are rather to be ascribed to Man than unto God. This will appear 1. In general Conversion Regeneration Sanctification Perseverance and what else of this nature is required to our Salvation is to be attributed to a mans self more than the Spirit of Grace they are the Effects and Aâ—chievements of Free-will rather than of Grace A man Converts and quickens himself Regenerates and begets himself Creates himself so far as he is a New Creature and upholds himself when he is created This seems strange and uncouth not to say absurd and horrid but there is plain Reason for it such as may convince any who will yield to evident Reason Grace however considered either in Election or Redemption or the Holy Spirits Operations does no more for the quickening and Regenerating of those who are converted than it does for those who are never converted therefore it is not Grace but something else that does the work If the Lord had done no more for the making of this World than for making of other Worlds that were never made the Creation of the World could never have been ascribed to him If Christ had done no more to raise Lazarus from the dead than he did to raise others who continued dead in their Graves he could not have been said to raise him to Life He that does no more towards the effecting of a thing than when it is not done at all he cannot be said to do it Now Grace does no more for the quickening of those that are alive to God than for those who are still dead and will be so for ever Therefore it is not Grace that does the work it must be ascribed to something else not to the Spirit of Grace but to a mans self and his own Free-will This is evident in the Nature visible in the very Complexion of their Moral Grace This which is all the Grace they own consists in Swasive Proposals Now he that only perswades or propounds the doing of a thing does not thereby do it at all but would have you to do it your selves and supposes you can if you will. So that this is the plain Import of their Doctrine that men can convert and quicken themselves and do it if it be done However any be said to be born of God yet they may beget themselves However they be said to be the Lords Workmanship created of Christ Jesus unto good works ver 10. yet they are their own Workmanship and make themselves new Creatures However the Apostle saith ver 1. You hath he quickned yet indeed they raise themselves to life And since they do it themselves to themselves they may in all reason ascribe it and accordingly glory in it The Crown is not to be cast at the seet of him who sits on the Throne Grace is to have neither Throne nor Crown that is to have the Crown which does the work Free-will does it and this must wear it 2. More particularly it is manifest that they make not God to be the real cause of those saving works or the giver of those Spiritual Blessings because by their Doctrine neither the Power nor the Act can be ascribed to him For they say he does nothing to this purpose but by vertue of Moral Grace And it is evident that this or He by this gives neither the Power nor he Act c. 1. Swasive Grace or the Lord by swaâ—ive Proposals gives no man power to beâ—ieve or turn to God it rather supposes that he has it already before or without this Grace The vertue of it of all the Grace they own is only that of Advice or Suasion and no man reasonably perswades or advises another to be able but only to be willing to use what already he has He that holds forth a Light to a Man lying on the ground and moves him with Arguments to rise and walk does not thereby give him Legs and Strength but supposes he has these
Will than to be willing And it is needless and senseless to Pray to God to make them willing i. e. to make Grace effectual when they can do it well enough of themselves August de Nat. â—â— Grat. c. 18. Quid est stultius quam or are ut facias quod in potestate habes What more foolish than to Pray God thou mayest do that which thou hast in thine own Power And elsewhere Ne fallamus homines c. Let us not deceive Men for we cannot deceive God We Pray not â—o God at all but only feign that we Pray â—f we think that our selves not He doth what we Pray for And as they need not so they must not Pray that God would make Grace effectual or make it work effectually in them for God cannot do it and they must no seek that of him which he cannot doâ— To make Grace effectual is of unwilling to make them willing to determine thâ— Will to what he Proposes but this theâ— say he cannot do without invading it freedom All that he can do is to Propose and leave the Will to do as it likes if he should bow it effectually one way oâ— other that would be a breach upon thâ— liberty which is essential to it so that â— beg this of him would be to seek an iâ—possibility So that unless they will â— absurd they must not Pray that God woulâ— effectually bow or incline their Wills â— believe in Christ to turn to God to lovâ— him to fear him to walk in his way to hate Sin or mortifie it yea or â— avoid it They must not Pray that Goâ— would effectually subdue their Wills â— his Will in any thing For to be so suâ—jected though to God and by a Diviâ— Motion is not consistent with that Freâ—dom which the Nature of the Will râ—quires If their Petitions be of such Import aâ— the best Petitions of Christians are the Prayers contradict their Principles their Prayers are a Plea for the Truth which â—hey dispute against Whatever they argue with Men yet they must be for us when they have to do with God if they will have any thing to do with God â—n Prayer or Pray any thing like Chriâ—tians As for preventing or sufficient Grace â—hey need not Pray for that for they â—ave it already or they will have it thô â—hey Pray not for it for all have it even â—hose who never Pray while they live But if they should Pray for it their â—etitions must bear such a sence as will â—e very harsh to any Christian or ratioâ—al Ear. Sufficient Grace is that which â—nables a Man to turn to God if he will. So this must be it they Pray for Lord give me such Grace that I may Love â—hee if I will that I may Fear thee if I â—ist that I may Obey thee if I please This Grace leaves and must leave the Will indifferent to choose or refuse to act or â—ot to act at its Pleasure For so far the â—ord may by his Grace proceed with the Will but no farther without intrenching â—n its Liberty So that it is this which they â—ray for Lord give me such Grace as will leave me Indifferent either to Lovâ— or Hate thee either to Turn or not tâ— Turn unto thee to Obey or Rebell againâ— thee either to Believe in Christ or to bâ— an Unbeliever This must be the Impoâ— of their Prayers for Grace if they bâ— consistent with their Principles But â— they will Pray with the sense of Christians or sober Men they must renouncâ— their Doctrine of Free-will Further They must not Pray for other more than themselves Not for Enâ—mies that God would effectually Turâ— their Hearts that they may not Oppresâ— Persecute Obstruct the Gospel Oppoâ— Christs Interest They must not Pray fâ— Children Friends Strangers that Goâ— would effectually Turn them to himselâ— that he would Create in them new Heartâ— or Inspire their Wills with gracious Priâ—ciples that he would conquer their râ—bellious Wills or not leave them in a câ—pacity to resist him or reject the Spirâ— of Grace They must not Pray for themselves or others that God will give theâ— any Grace but what will leave it at thâ— choice and arbitrement of their owâ— Wills when there is no good Qualitâ— in them as well to resist as not to râ— â—st Grace before Conversion as well to â—xpel as to retain it after Conversion Prayer is such an acknowledgment of God so essential to all Religion that withâ—ut it there can be no Religion either Christian or Natural therefore so far as his Doctrine makes it unnecessary or unâ—easonable to Pray so far it tends to exâ—irpate all Religion 12. It is inconsistent with that Thankâ—ulness and Gratitude which should make â—p the Life of a Christian with those Praises whereby God is glorified in a â—pecial manner and which must be the â—mployment of Eternity It is the most â—ngrateful Doctrine that ever any under â—he Name of Christians entertained For â—ereby he that is in the state of Grace â—as no more Cause on that account to â—e thankful to God than he that is in â—he state of Sin and Damnation For he â—s not obliged to be thankful for more â—han he has received and the best Saint â—s such has received no more from God â—wes no more to his Grace than he that â—ontinues the worst of Sinners That â—e is in a happier Condition is from â—imself and the good use of his Free-will Grace was common afforded him and others indifferently it was his owâ— Free-will that made the difference so fâ— as there is any Nay a Saint in Glorâ— will by their Doctrine have no moâ— reason to be Praising God or Admirinâ— Christ than one in Hell But of thâ— hereafter The recovery of Man out of the staâ— of Sin and Misery into which he is falâ—en either by Adam's Transgression or hâ— own Wickedness is more to be ascribed tâ— himself than unto God and so he owâ— more thanks to himself for it than to Goâ— He does more to Convert to Quicken â— Sanctifie to Establish to Save himself thâ— God does by his Grace and so he has moâ— reason to thank himself for all The Loâ— does very little in comparison of whâ— Man does in these great Concerns aâ— that little which God does would coâ— to nothing at all if Man himself did nâ— give it efficacy and make something â— it So that there is left very little grouâ— or occasion of giving Praise and Glory â— God where if for any thing the higâ—est Praise and Glory is eternally due â— him and where above all he designeâ— the greatest Praise and Glory to himselâ— There seems much more occasion to ascribâ— the Praise and Glory of Mans Salvation both on Earth and in Heaven unto Man himself Not unto thee O Lord must they say not unto thee but unto our selves be the Praise or at least more unto our selves than unto thee View this Doctrine well and compare
any did never alone can never of it self Save any Man And so they will have not only some but all Men to Perish for any Grace that God gives them Whatever Ostentation it makes of magnifying Divine Mercy yet what Doctrine can be more unmerciful than that which leaves all Men to be Damned unless their Free-will do something more for them than the Grace of God. 3. They say we Impeach the Sincerity of God when he by his Word calls such as Perish to Repentance that they may be Saved and yet has Decreed noâ— to give them Repentance but to Damn them So that it is certain while those Invitations and Offers are made in the Word that they shall not Repent and be Saved This they say makes the Word and the Ministry of it Delusive and no better than Simulation making show of that to Sinners which is never intended and which it is impossible they should have The ground of this Charge is a certainty that such shall never Repent and be Saved But their own Principles make this no less certain For they say God foresees from Eternity that such will never Repent and so shall never be Saved And what he foresees his Foreknowledge being Certain and Infallible will as certainly come to pass and is as impossible not to be as that which he Decrees Nay they say that the Lord upon his Foreknowledge that such would not Repent did Decree from Eternity to Damn them and never Decreed to give them Repentance nor any Grace or Aid that would effectually bring them to Repentance no nor any but what he certainly foresaw would be ineffectual So that here also they must either Justifie our Doctrine as to this Charge or Condemn their own 4. They say our Doctrine makes God Vnjust and Cruel in Exacting that from Men which they are not able to do and Condemning them for not doing that which he gives them not strength to do v. g. for requiring Sinners to Believe and Turn to God and Condemning them for not complying with him herein when he knows they cannot do it of themselves and when he gives them no Grace to impower them for it They make large Harangues on this Subject tending to render their Opposites odious and seâ— them off with such Similitudes and Illustrations as make Impression on weak Minds which are more apt to be taken with Words than to weigh and consider things Whereas after all the plain truth is there is no Doctrine that I know of more chargeable with this than their own For it is very evident in Scripture and in the Nature of the thing that their swasive Grace does not give Sinners sufficient Power to Believe and Turn to God it cannot subdue the Corruption of the Heart opposing this It pretends not to give any new spiritual Principle of Life or Strength for these effects it leaves the Will in its natural Impotency and Corruption to do as it list And therefore since by their Doctrine he gives Sinners no more Power but this and yet requires them to Believe and Turn to Christ and Condemns them for not doing it he Condemns them for want of that which he gives not sufficient Power to do Can any one imagine who will not offer plain Violence to a multitude of Expressions in Scripture that meer Moral Swasion which does not so much as move the Will out of its indifferent Posture can Quicken those that are dead in Sins and Trespasses can take away the Heart of Stone and give Hearts of Flesh or write his Laws in them or make those Hearts that are desperately wicked to become holy and heavenly Can form new Creatures of the old Man and make old things pass away and all things become new Can give Strength and Life to those who can do nothing are without Strength and Life He that cannot believe this in opposition to an hundred of such Passages in the Word of God must believe that their Doctrine concerning Free-will and Moral Grace makes God to Condemn more than any for not doing that which he gives them not Power to do 5. They say We destroy the Liberty of the Will by bringing it under a necessity of inclining one way and not leaving it indifferent to incline the other or to suspend its Acts e. g. When God intends to Convert a Sinner and puts forth the Power of his Grace for this purpose it is necessary that the Will incline no other way than his Grace moves it But if this destroy the Liberty of the Will their own Doctrine overthrows it For they Teach that God from Eternity before any Act of his Will foresaw which way every Mans Will in such and such Circumstances would incline He foreknows certainly and infallibly that in those Circumstances it will incline this way and not the other Now if he know that certainly it must be Certain and of Necessity For to know that as certain which is not certain is not to know but to mistake to apprehend a thing otherwise than it is And if the Will might or could incline otherwise than he foresaw his Foreknowledge would not be Infallible For that excludes not only actual Error but a possibility of it If then it be true from Eternity that the Will must incline this one way it is not indifferent to incline that way or another and so its indifferency its freedom from a necessity to incline but this one way is gone by their own Principles They must either grant that the Liberty of Mans Will is consistent with a Necessity of inclining one way and not another or yield that their own Doctrine destroys its liberty Whether they will be so ingenuous or no it is very certain that some Necessity may very well consist with Liberty in the freest Agents God is Necessarily good and yet Freely So are the Saints and Angels in Heaven they cannot but be Holy and act holily yet they are so and do so freely The Devils and Damned in Hell are necessarily Wicked they cannot be other and yet they are so and act Wickedness freely Wicked men on Earth that are habitually and judicially hardened in Wickedness they are necessarily evil and cannot but sin and yet they sin freely So that this Conceit though it be a fundamental Doctrine with them and the main weight of their Cause lyes on it that Liberty is inconsistent with Necessity is against the sense reason and experience of Heaven and Earth and Hell. Obj. If Salvation be of Grace it must be a free Gift offered and given freely But we see in Scripture and the Promises of saving Mercy make it plain that it is offered and so given upon Terms and Conditions required of those that will be Saved The Promises are many of of them expresly Conditional and so will the Covenant of Grace be of which the Promises are but several Articles Now that which is not Given or Promised but upon Terms and Conditions seems not to be given or offered