Saving Grace is peculiar to the saved so it is far from being saving In this respect it is no more saving than damning if so much since the most incomparably that have it are damned Or if we take saving Grace for that which is sufficient for Salvation it is not saving unless there be a Power in mans degenerate Nature to save it self Power enough in the worst for saving acts such as needs nothing but exciting Or if we take it for that which is Effectual to Salvation it has no such Efficacy from it self or from God it is only from the Will of man that it is effectual to Salvation if ever it prove so So that in their way either there is no Grace at all that is saving or none that is saving at a better rate than the Will of man can make it so when it has no saving vertue of it self or from God. There needs no other Arguments against this Doctrine no Artifice to ingage us against it but a true and plain discovery of it If we be saved by Grace this Doctrine tends to lead us out of the way of Salvation II. Let us see what they ascribe to Free-will And that in general is a Power to be willing or unwilling as to any Motion that is made any Object that is offered to it It has a Power of it self and by its own natural Constitution either to choose or refuse either to imbrace or reject whatever Object is propounded however it be propounded The Will they say is never determined ad unum never so set upon one thing good or bad but that by rational inducement i. e. by Motives and Arguments it may be led to the contrary and never so moved by such inducements but that it may reject the motion Never so set upon Sin but that by swasive Proposals it may be moved to leave not only the Acts but the State of Sin nor ever so moved by that or any thing else but that it may repell the motion and quite stifle it We may view it more distinctly in these two branches 1. A Power to choose whatever good is offered They will have it able of it self to imbrace any good Object of what Nature soever not only natural or moral but what is supernatural of the highest Nature and Quality and the imbracing of it saving such as will pass a man into a saving State. It has a Power to repent of sin to believe in Christ to turn to God to love fear and delight in him Not only a capacity but an active Power for these c. Only these things must be propounded to it with some clearness and earnestness as the Gospel propounds them to all under its Ministry And that such a Proposal is required signifies no inability in the Will it self for these great things for the most sufficient Faculty imaginable cannot act upon an object that it discovers not and the Faculty of greatest Power may in some cases need exciting And so it is requisite the will have Light to discover its Object and some Arguments to commend it at least when the Soul is under the disadvantage of rooted prejudices or habitual and inveterate wickedness However all the help they think needfull for the Will is so far from denying its Power and Sufficiency for those great concerns of Salvation that it supposes the Will to have it in and of it self if saving things be but represented to it as necessary and worthy of its choice and embraces 2. A Power to refuse any Object however it be offered with what advantage soever it be propounded by the Spirit of God or the Ministry of man. For the Liberty they make essential to the Will consists they say in an indifferency either to choose or refuse either to act or not to act And it must be left indifferent in all cases so that nothing in Heaven or Earth can determine it but it self God himself they say cannot without fail determine it to the choice of this or the other without destroying it Voluntas hominis ad actus suos motione irresistibili determinari non potest ne ab ipso Deo quidem Syn. Dor. 212. He cannot Vid. Ames rescript p. 129. incline the will irresistably he cannot by any Divine Motion of unwilling make it willing Whatever Power he does or can put forth for this purpose the Will may and can resist it and render it of no effect If the Lord do desire and intend to Convert a Sinner and do what can be done by the Power of his Grace in order thereto yet the Will may hinder him Take it in their own words A man may hinder his own regeneration when God has a mind to have him regenerated and it is his will to regenerate him Coll. Hag. 282. Corvinus the most subtile and cautious of their writers says expresly Positis omnibus ad agendum Vid. Hickm p. 33. requisitis c. when all the Operations of Grace in order to Conversion are past upon the Will yet it is still in the free power of the Will to convert or not to convert it self So that when God has done his utmost to bring a Sinner into a saving State yet it is in the power of the Will to defeat and hinder him In plain terms when God has done what he can the Will may do what it list They will have the Will to be so free as that it can be under no necessity of any sort not only such as is natural or compulsive or absolute which is granted but such as is only respective and that in reference to God himself So that â—f it be needfull in respect of the Decree and Purpose of God or in respect of his Will and Desire or in respect of his Word and Ingagement or in respect of his Design and Intention that the Will should move this way and not the other yet it may incline and determin it self the other way and so may act counter to God in â—hese his Concerns defeat him in them â—ll and carry it against him The Purâ—ose the Promise the Providence the Grace of God the Undertaking of Christ â—he Operations of the Spirit may be fruâ—rated unavoidably by mans Will. So great a Power they give it The Lord shall not have his Will nor make good his Word nor make his Grace prevalent nor accomplish his greatest Designs if mans Will comply not and it is never under any necessity to comply but may always resist when the Lord has done what he can to bring it to a complyance This is the true Visage of their Doctrine if you will see it plain and naked There needs no ill Language to render it ugly But as to our present Purpose The first Branch of this Power ascribed to the Will makes the Grace which we stand in most need of to be needless For if the Will can embrace any Object in order to Salvation upon a common proposal there needs no
open Sepulchre to the Vomit of a Dog to the corrupted matter of a putrified Ulcer Such is the temper of a Soul by sin I 'll go no further It may be the hearing of these is offensive how much more to see smell or touch them Yet a sinful man is more ugly in the Eye more offensive to the Nostrils more loathsom to the Lord than any of these can be to the quickest or most delicate of our Senses Alas wretched Man how justly maist thou or I speak what Mephibosheth uses in complement to David 2 Sam. 9. 8. What is thy servant that thou shouldst look on such a dead Dog as I am Can any Soul expect that such a Monster as this should be the Object of any ones Love much less of Gods How hopeless may mans Salvation seem if we look on him in this state What! is the eternal Love of God the precious Blood of Christ for such a Wretch as this Is there any thing in him in us to merit to move Love Who would not rather think every son of Adam should with indignation be kickt out of the presence of so holy a God Sure if there be any hopes it must be from Grace free Love and such as could no where be entertained but in the breast of infinite Goodness 3. The Enmity of sinners against God this makes it evident beyond all exception The Impotency and Deformity of man in the state of sin shews there is nothing lovely in him but if there were not yet if he had any love for God this love without any other consideration might be some inducement to move the Lord to love him and so his love might seem less free as having some motive from without But the case is otherwise As there is nothing Lovely in him so neither is there any Love to God nay there is a high degree of Hatred and Enmity The Wisdom of the Flesh the very best thing in man is Enmity to God Rom. 8. 7. And this Enmity is manifested in contradicting the Will of God and running cross to his Commands for if this be our love to God as the Apostle says that we keep his Commands 1 Joh. 5. 3. then this is Hatred of God that we will not keep them And this Disobedience of a Sinner proceeds from his Hatred of the God that commands and not only of that which is commanded yea rather from that than this For what Sinner is there who does not believe that what the Law commnds is Just in it self and good for us So that the Enmity reaches God himself Who is the Lord says the sinner in his heart that I should obey him Further Sinners revolt from God and conspire with his greatest Enemy joyn in confederacy with Satan They as those in Isa 28. 15. have made a Covenant with Hell and with Death are they at agreement They give up their members as Weapons of Vnrighteousness to fight against God Rom. 6. 19. It is the condition of all by nature Every Sinner before the Lord conquer him by his Grace is at open enmity with God and does in effect bid defiance to the Almighty The acts of his life are acts of Hostility against God. Nor is it a defensive war only that would be more excuseable but the design is not to secure himself only but to put down God and divest him of his Soveraignty This is the voice of their Hearts and Lives We will not have this God to rule over us Sin where it reigns does as much as is in its power to depose the Soveraign Lord of the World. It denies in effect that he is God For that which denies his essential Perfections and Attributes does deny him to be God. He that gives up himself to sin denies in a manner all his divine Excellencies his Goodness Wisdom Power Justice Mercy Immensity Psal 50. 21. He would not go on in sin if he did not say in his heart that he is not the Chief Good because sin deprives him of this Good cuts him off from the Injoyment of it or else he believes not that it will deprive him of the chief Good and so denies his Truth who has affirmed and declared it and not believing him herein makes him a Liar He durst not sin but that he thinks God is not present to see him and if so he denies his Immensity Or if he see him he thinks he cannot punish him and so denies his Power Or if he be able yet he thinks he will not punish him and so denies his Justice He would not turn aside to other ways than he prescribes but that he thinks he either cannot direct him in the best way and so denies his Wisdom or that he will not direct him to the best and so denies his Mercy And thus much we might shew of the other Divine Perfections how it tends to deface them all Lo here the horrid Enmity of Sin and Sinners against God. They deny he is God call him constructively and in effect a finite a weak a foolish a false an unjust and unmercifull thing 'T is true Sinners cannot do what they say and wish in their hearts They have not Power to undeifie God or to deprive him of his Divine Perfections but this does not lessen nor excuse their Enmity against him For it is true in evil as well as in good Where there is a willing mind it is accounted as if it were done O the horrid nature of Sin Be astonished O Heavens and be ye horribly afraid at this Prodigious Enmity which is in the Hearts of Sinners against God. Why is thy wrath restrained O Lord Why does not thy Indignation break forth and destroy all Sinners from off the face of the Earth Nay why was not Heaven and Earth annihilated at the first appearance of such horrid Treason of such desperate Enmity But we have not yet discovered the height of this Enmity What is the reason that a Sinner should thus set himself against God It may be he despairs of Salvation while the Almighty rules and therefore the desire of his own Happiness may be the cause of this opposition and so it will not be pure Enmity but some Principle of self-love that may make him so desperate It is no such matter it is not Salvation that he cares for He sets himself against God not out of any respect to secure his own well-being For whom would he advance into the place of God 'T is the great enemy of his Salvation Satan 2 Cor. 4. 4. 'T is he who by the consent of Sinners is the God of this world 't is he they would have to rule in and over them Eph. 2. 2. They are Children of obedience to him but of disobedience to God and will be so tho' they perish for it Here then is the height of the Sinners Enmity against God. They had rather perish Eternally under the Soveraignty of Satan than be happy in subjection to the Scepter of
freely the more Conditional the less Free and Gracious Answ The Offers of Salvation the Promises of saving Mercies notwithstanding any Conditionalness in them any Terms annexed are free and gracious upon a manifold account for in many cases Conditions or Terms do not hinder a Grant or Promise from being free 1. If the Condition be so only in respect of outward Form and Manner of Proposal not properly and really For then it seems to be a Condition but is not strictly So here Gospel Promises are Conditional 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quoad externam formam modum proponendi not propriè quoad rigorem as to manner of proposal they seem Conditional but examin them by the Laws of Conditions and they will be found rather Absolute If the denomination must be taken à majori or à potiori if the Number or Weight will carry it bring them to the Test examin why they should be counted Conditional or Absolute and it will be found that in more respects and for more weighty Considerations they ought to pass for Absolute rather than Conditional in the Pelagian sense so no reason to question their Freeness 2. If the Condition be our Duty If such as when we perform it we do nothing but what we owe and the Promiser owes nothing to us for doing it then if he promise any thing he promises freely It is promissio indebita pro opere debito that is gratuita That which is not ex debito is gratuito These are opposed Rom. 4. 4. That which is no way due if promised is freely promised Now all that is required is our Duty we owe it and for all that we can doe God owes us nothing Debitum non redit in Deum Praemium non est divini juris naturalis his Nature engages him not to reward his Creatures That which he does this way is of free Will. Deus ad praemium nemini est obligatus Rom. 11. 35. Eternal Life had not been due to Adam if he had performed perfect Obedience it was only the Promise intitled him to it If not due to him much less to us he might vouchsafe no more Reward to us than to the inferiour Creatures And since nothing is due from God what he bestowes or promises he does it freely When we have done all we are but unprofitable Servants we have but done our Duty we can Chalenge no Reward There is none due therefore when he Promises any he does it freely The Condition being but our Duty makes nothing due no more than Reward is due to him that pays his Debts 3. If the Condition be Inconsiderable compared with what is promised Suppose one should Promise his Tenant a Thousand Pound per annum if he will pay him a Pepper Corn would any say this Promise is not free because of such a Condition Whatever the Lord requires of us is no more than this compared with what he Promises to us Believing and active Obeying is not so much as Suffering yet if the Lord should have made Sufferings the Conditions of Promises they would have been free in this respect Because the greatest Sufferings such as Paul's and those in the Primitive times would be small and inconsiderable compared with the Glory Promised Rom. 8. 18. 2 Cor. 4. 17. Now if the hardest Conditions be so inconsiderable what are the smallest even nothing compared with what is Promised Grace Glory God himself c. 4. If the Condition be not so much for the Advantage of the Promiser as to make us capable of the thing Promised That which is not so much for the Advantage of the Promiser as for his to whom the Promise is made must needs be from free bounty the Promiser herein more respecting the good of another than his own What can be more of Grace Or if the Favour promised be not feisable without that which is propounded as a Condition of the Proposal If it be necessary to make Capable of that which is Promised then it is rather a Direction how the Favour may be attained than a strict Condition It does no way Prejudice the freedom of the Promise but rather renders it more Free and Gracious But such are many of those things which the Lord prescribes as Conditions they are more for our Advantage than his he expects he gets little or nothing by our Performance of them Psal 16. 2. Job 22. 2. Job 35. 7 8. What Advantage has the Lord by our Mourning Sense of our lost Condition Apprehensions of the burden of Sin Hungerings and Thirstings after Righteousness Why then does he annex these to the Promises but because without them we are not capable of those Mercies which he is willing to bestow Christ comes to seek and Save what was lost Mat. 18. 11. Luk. 19. 10. Why is this Condition added those that are lost sensible of their lost Condition but because Sinners are not capable of this Favour till then they will not be found of Christ 'till they feel themselves lost Why Hunger and Thirst before be Satisfied Matth. 5. Because the Soul is till then closed shut up not capable of Satisfaction Psal 81. 10. How can it be filled except first opened so himself Mat. 11. 28. Why Labour because not till then capable of rest When the Lord offers a Favour and withall shews how it may be attained he deals more Freely more Graciously than if he should barely Propound it and leave us to our own selves to find out the Way and Means how it might be effected Conditions of this Nature are so far from making Promises less free as they are rendered hereby more Gracious There is as much of Free Grace in prescribing these as in Promising to them because without these the Promise might be of no effect the Favour not feisable the Sinner not capable of it 5. If the Condition be easie no Cost Charge Trouble or Hazard attend it He that Offers upon such easie Terms Offers freely If one should Promise to Entertain his Friend if he will but come to him or Visit him if he will but let him in or Advance him if he be willing or give him a Jewel that will enrich him for ever if he will but receive it or supply him with all his Heart can desire if he will but ask it Would any Man have the Face to say such Offers were not Free and Gracious are they not as Free as Heart can desire If a Man might chuse his own Terms could he Imagine Invent any more Easie Such are the Promises of the Gospel The Lord will Entertain Sinners if they will but Come Isa 55. 1. Ease Mat. 11. Satisfie Joh. 6. 35. Or as if it were too much for Sinners to Come to him he will Come to them if they but Open to him Rev. 3. 20. Give himself the Pearl of great Price if but Receive him Marry if but Consent to him Joh. 1. 12. Mat. 22. 2 3. Give Eternal