infallible connexion betwixt the one and the other or by Christ's merits True it is the Gospel and effectual calling in the Gospel and faith and all spiritual blessings are bestowed on the Elect in Christ Jesus Ephes 1. 3. 2 Pet. 1. 3. 2. God works in us what is well-pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ Heb. 13. 2. 3. Grace and peace come from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus as the meritorious cause 1 Cor. 1. Gal. 1. Frans Cumel disp 2. ar in primam 2. concl 5. pag. 244. testifies that the best of them is like a sharp briar for he with others holds that grace is given to them who lay no impediment in the way of God's effectual calling and he hath it in his power to lay no impediment because he can eschew all sins against the Law of nature and such sins are the only impediments that hinder the effectual calling of God But 1. he makes no mention of Christ his death and merit which is the only meritorious cause of effectual calling of the chosen A spiritual soul loves the strongly prevailing power of Christ's calling the more strongly that it is a work of saving grace and of the grace of Christ Rom. 3. 14. 2. The man is equally Lord of heaven and hell who hath salvation in his power by this way as men have by the Jesuits way but all men by this way have in their power this prevening grace for if they do what in them is and eschew sins against the law of nature which Cumel saith they may do for such sins are the only impediment of grace they may be saved not by merit as the Jesuits say but by free-grace as Dominicans say but as to the matter Cumel conspires with the Jesuits call it merit or give it another name it 's against the Scriptures to teach that all the Americans Brasilians and Heathen have the prevening grace of God and salvation in their power And 2. That though all men may lay an impediment to the prevening grace of God yet they may fulfil the law of nature and eschew all mortal sin which if they do infallibly the Lord bestows prevening grace upon the Americans for the Scripture saith We are dead in sins and trespasses Eph. 2. that we cannot come to Christ except the Father draw us Joh. 6. 44. that the wisedom of the flesh is neither subject to the Law of God neither indeed can be Rom. 8. 7. and that we by nature cannot understand the things of God 1 Cor. 2. 13 14. Matth. 16. 16 17. nor think a good thought 2 Cor. 3. as of our selves nor speak a good word 1 Cor. 12. nor bring forth good fruit do any good more then a branch can bring forth fruit being cut off the tree John 15. 4 5. or thn men can gather wine-grapes of thorns or figs of thistles Matth. 7. 16 17 18. Luke 6. 43 44. and therefore far less can Heathens earn by their sweating and labouring effectual calling and salvation Sure then salvation and prevening grace of God should be in him that wills and runs and not in God that shews mercy and it is but an oyling of Arminians and Pelagians to tell that salvation is not in him that runs by way of merit yet it is in him and shall infallibly be given to the runner and willer who by free-will may purchase both and all Americans have in them to run and will Dominicans therefore in this darken free-grace as much as Jesuits when they tell us men are saved not by the merit of free-will yet it is in the power of the free-will of Heathens to purchase influences of saving grace to put Heathens and Indians and all men safe at heavens gates what is this but to say The King hath made no covenant that all his Courtiers shall be made Kings yet he hath passed his royal word that if they bring him a flowr in May which they may easily do they shall vere truly receive a Kingdom this is as great an advancing of free will and an abusing of free grace as Pelagians ever dreamed of For Prosper said the same of the Massilienses Vniversis hominibus propitiationem quae est in sanguine Christi esse propositam ut quicunque ad fidem ad Baptismum accedere voluerint salvi esse possunt 16. Pro universo autem dictitant Massilienses humano genere mortuum esse Dom. Nostrum Jesum Christum neminem prorsus à Redemptione sanguinis ipsius exceptum etiamsi omnem hanc vitam alienissimâ ab eo mente pertranseat quia ad homines pertineat divinae misericordiae sacramentum Baptismus nempe ut recte Cornelius Jansenius Tom. 1. de haeres pelag lib. 8. c. 3. c. itaque quantum ad Deum pertinet omnibus paratam vitam aeternam Et Faustus lib. 1. de gra lib. ar cap. 16. Dominum Nostrum Jesum Christum aiunt diceret si vixisset nostris temporibus Calvinistae sed contrarium Jesuitae Dominicani Arminiani Pelagiani Sociniani humanam carnem non pro omnibus sumpsisse nec pro omnibus mortuum esse See Cornelius Jansenius ib. to whose writings Jesuits and Dominicans shall never answer The Massilienses cared not as Corn. Janse tom 1. de haeres pelag l. 8. c. 17. for the word of merit if mans will went before God's grace Epist Prosper Hilar. Vt ideo quis adjuvetur quia voluit non ideo quia adjuvatur velit And Cassianus denied all merit of condignity and said that the labour of our fasting watching c. was not worthy of the grace of conversion and of salvation and yet he held the merit of congruity to be as needful to go before our conversion So Hilarius saith that Cassianus taught that by seeking or praying and searching and knocking we came to the grace of conversion so that the Massilienses and Augustine while he followed their error thought faith not to be the gift of God but that a merit of impetration and of knocking praying went before conversion and that men obtained conversion justification by prayer and faith so that faith is not a gift of God as Augustine thought when he did yet stick in the errors of the Massilienses hence under the name of an occasion or colour they hide merit for as Jansenius saith God hath by the good works and holy dispositions that go before grace aliquam occasionem sive colorem cur non irrationabiliter some occasion or colour by which not without reason and in no blind way by a fatal decree without consulting mans will he gives grace to one rather then to another and this is the Jesuits and Arminians way God shall not be a wise and rational agent but act blindly saith Cassianus and unjustly say our Arminians if he give not saving grace and influences of grace upon the dominion and disposing of mans free-will now add to this that the Massilienses said
mildly p. 1 c. 12. p. 101 Whether by prayer or any other way we may wrestle out from under Gods desertions p. 1. c. 12. p. 109 Influences are given of God to various temptation p. 1 c. 12. p. 110 It s a gracious temper to weep when the Lord is absent or angry p. 1. c. 13. p. 113 Christs absence is sometimes as good as his presence p. 1 c. 13. p. 118 Sâ—metimes we may pray again the degree of God but it s not lawfull to resist his commanding will p. 1. c. 13. p. 120 We may weep over our own dry hearts when we want Influences but we cannot weep against the Lord because he gives not those Influences p 1. c. 13. p. 121 We are to meet all conditions of life with cloasing with Gods holy dispensations p. 2. c. 1. p. 123 The word is the rule of doing the spirit the real efficient cause p. 2. c. 1. p. 127. How the Lord can lay by a command supernatural duties on men impotent and dead in sin p. 2. c. 2. p 129. God in creating man is both a Creator and also a law giver p. 2 c 2. p. 138 We are to be humbled for sin original p. 2. c. 2. p. 140 How to fetch Influences p. 2. c. 3. p. 142 The fetching of Influences is by supernatural actings by the word and spirit idem How the Lord brings himself under a sort of necessity of conferring gracious Influences p. 1. c. 2. p. 147 A considerable difference betwixt the Lords promise of grace and his practise of grace p. 2. c. 3. p. 148 Civil professors are nearer to conversion and to Christ then the openly profane and flagitious p. 2. c. 3. p. 149 It requires of the dead that they live and that we must not cease from running when the Lord ceases from drawing p. 2. c. 3. p. 152 It s a sinful shift to put away duties because of indisposition p. 2. c. 3. p. 154 We are to pray away indisposition as a great affliction p. 2. c. 3. p. 155 Influence of grace are due to the saints by promise p. 156 The Lord hath given Influences by necessity of a promise idem The three persons the Father the Son and Spirit give Influences p. 2. c. 5. p. 159 The fulnesse of Influences on the man Christ ib. fluences p. 2. c. 5. 159 Christ hath the dispensing of prederminating Influences by office and covenant p. 2. c. 5. p. 161 The Influences in the Son are all for our use and good p. 2. c. 5. p. 163 The Influences of the spirit are mainely to be eyed if any have the spirit he cannot want the Influences of God p. 2. c. 6. p. 164 The glorious things which the spirit of God shews p. 2. c. 6. p. 165 The Spirit prevents nature nature prevents not the Spirit p. 2. c. 6. p. 169 We are to pray for Influences p. 2. c. 6. p. 170 Obedience is to be yeilded to the Spirit as to the Father and the Son p 2. c. 7. p. 173 Much renewal will is a note of a spiritual disposition idem There is four expressions in Scripture of wrongs we do to the Spirit 1 Vexing 2. Quenching 3 Tempting 4. Resisting p. 2. c. 7. p. 176 How to improve spiritual feelings p. 2. c. 7. p. 183 Watching is a spiritual condition and near to receive gracious Influences p. 2. c. 7. p. 184 To converse with the Saints is a mark of a spiritual condition p. 2. c. 7. p. 186 Spiritual conference frequently used speaks a spiritual condition p. 2. c. 7. p. 189 The Contents of the third part SOme influences are from God some from Satan Part 3. Ch. 1. Pag. 189 Satan keeps correspondence with the heart p. 191 It s not lawful to dispute with Satan yet with his instrument we may p. 192 Christ sought neither the temptation nor the tempter p. 193 Difference betwixt Satans instruments and these of the Lord p. 194 Christ under a necessitie of giving sanctifying influences ib. Moral and physical influences 195 Moral influences that are only moral are weak ib. Ordinary and extraordinary influences 296 Prophetical influences ib. It is dangerous to resist strong light and the influences thereof p. 197 Private and publick Church-influences ib. Strong influences under the Messiah in the New Testament p. 199 Gospel-influences are strong p. 200 Some influences are for the habit some for the actings of grace some for both p. 201 Influences proper to the head Christ and influences on the members p. 202 Mediatory influences are some way due to the broken in heart and what sort they of right have thereto A four-fold right to influences is considerable p. 203 Strong and mighty influences in Christ p. 204 Gospel-providence how far above the Law-providence of Adam p. 205 Mr Gee treats of prayer Sect. 4. p. 187 188 195. p. 207 Influences of Christ fundamental and not fundamental ib. The comfortable necessity that lies on Christ to confer influences of grace p. 208 Influences not fundamental not simply necessary p. 209 Influences of grace for the habit of saving grace and influences for a gift p. 210 How we may know when we act pray or hear c. from a gift and when we act from a grace p. 210 Some pray from a meer gift when they mistakingly imagine they pray from the saving habit of grace the mistake is habitual in hypocrites only actual hic nunc to sound believers p. 211 Grace sanctifies the gift used in all due and spiritual circumstances but the gift can never sanctifie the grace p. 213 The same word but not the same influences act upon all within the visible Church p. 214 We are not to rest upon the actings from a gift but watchfully to try when we act from a gift and when from a grace ib. Differences from the influences of grace and these of glory p. 221 The habit of grace is a permanent disposition ch 2. p. 222 The habit of grace is given through the merit and grace of Christ p. 223 From the habit of grace we perform suitable actings p. 224 Vital actions flow from supernatural habits p. 225 The difference of the habit of grace from other habits p. 226 We are to follow holy resolutions with prayer 2 godly trembling 3 faith 227 The falshood of â—owes ib. A strong habit of grace produces easie and connatural and strong actings of grace p. 229 Actions supernatural and influences suitable are some way due to the habit of grace cap. 3. p. 232 Sometimes the habit of grace is qualified with heavenly dispositions p. 233 We should pursue the dispositions of grace when they are added to the habit with spiritual actings p. 234 We are to stir up the habit of grace though deadned ib. The Lord by infusing the habit of grace comes under some necessitie to give suitable influences thereunto cap. 4. p. 235 Divers necessities under which the Lord is to confer influences of grace p. 236 Christ advocates
p. 270 How men naturally complain of sin original 271 We do not so much as by strength of nature we may do and we adde to our own lameness and then we unjustly complain of God for our sinful impotencie ib. That spirit as the spirit lays no obligation on us but to move in Scriptural duties 276 No violence but from our selves hinders us to believe ib. God loves using of external means pro tanto ib. How far we may act to fetch the wind and to get influences ib. We are not to judge of our selves by occasional enlargednesse or deadning of the heart for the time cap. 9. p. 280 Enlargedness of heart and influences are near of kin 281 Branches of enlargedness of heart ib. Influences on the Angels and the glorified ones 283 Many straitned and dead ones reproved 284 Prayer begets holy dispositions to pray and heavenly dispositions to pray begets prayer and faith c. cap. 10. p. 287 Holy acts begets holy acts and holy dispositions beget holy dispositions ib. The Lord so frames his precepts and promises as our actings are suitably required to his influences 288 The differences of the 1. spiritual estate 2. of the temper 3. of the condition 289 What Davids present disposition was 291 The doubling of words noteth 1. certainty 2. addition of assurance 3. fieriness of affection ib. It s fit to make an eike to the holinesse of influences which the Lord offers to us 292 We may speak to God and professe in prayer the sincerity of our heart to God and the causes why 294 Its hard to guide well grace and glory so long as sin dwelleth in us ib. The Lords giving of grace layes bands on him to give more grace and to adde new influences to old 296 What a heart the repenting thief and what a heart Hezekiah brought out before the Lord in his dying ib. â— properties of holy dispositions 298 Dispositions spiritual are seeds of holy actings ib. Zeal bringeth forth holy actings 299 Heavenly dispositions are real helps to holy actings ib. Properties of heavenly dispositions to act under indispositions ib. A disposition counterworking a disposition 300 The spirit in an heavenly disposition at length prevaileth ib. 8 Pride and 9 Wordly mindedness hinder influences of grace lovelinesse and heavenly mindedness promote the same p. 362. c 10 Bastard zeal 11 Vncleanness 12 Malice 13 Wordly sorrow hinders the contrary graces promote influences p. 395 c. 14 Wordly and false joy 15 False love p. 398 c 16 Ignorance and hatred of the Gospel p. 400 17 Wrestling against providences obstruct the influences of God p. 402 God by his influences first acts and stirs by order of nature and in the same moment of time we act and stir without any violence p. 404 18 Heavenly and spiritual thoughts and considerations draw along heavenly influences as unclean thoughts do the contrary p. 405 Keep the oyl of the spirit clean if you would have heavenly influences to fall on the spirit p. 407 We are to act both morally and physically with the spirit p. 408 Prayers conclude not soveraignity ib Other impediments of influences from the mind will and affections p. 4. c. 4. p. 409 Heritical light ib A corrupt will p. 410 Hating of Christ and his grace obstruct influences p. 411 Diverse actings of the spirit in the Spouse sick of love for Christ hold forth influences the spirit as is cleared by the song of Solomon p. 412 Hating of Christ p. 414 The soul loathing of God ib The spirit gives no influences where there is no knowledg p. 415 Influences of the spirit are connatural to the spiritual man ib Sensuality and influence of the spirit are inconsistent ib Soul desires after God have sweet influences p. 416 Spiritual joy speak strong influences p. 417 Literal crying should not exceed the impulsion of the spirit within ib How hope and audacity hinder or promote influences p. 419 Moral acting cannot avail us whithout real influences of the spirit p. 420 Frequent acts of faith promote influences of the spirit ib Hope promotes influences p. 421 Sinful boldness obstructs influences ib Anger hindereth influences p. 422 How Elisha could not prophesie by reason of anger The influences of Musick therein ib A meek spirit is a fit work-house for influences of grace and high revelations instanced in Mosâ—s the man Christ John the beloved disciple p. 423 Horror and unbelieving fear an impediment of influences p. 425 Influences are considered two waies 1. Physically 2. Morally how men resisted the spirit p. 4. c. 5. p. 426 The Lord seeks not our consent to the first infusion of a new heart p. 427 We are married to Christ before we consent to be married p. 430 The Lord determines free will and doth no violence ib We are unexcusable in not doing our duty though the Lord deny his necessary influence p. 432 God acts in all both by the immediate influence of his power and of his person p. 433 The Lord most particularly leads his own p. 435 Two sort of causes one in fieri for the producing of and giving being to a thing another in facto esse for the preserving of the same in being God is both waies the cause of gracious actings ib. The right missing is to misse influences not of gifts and of common grace only but of special grace p. 436 A reprobate can no more miss the special guidance of the sanctifying spirit then a horse can miss the wings of an eagle that are not due to him ib Of the giving of the heart of God p. 437 We are more our own by law and less our own by Gospel ib Christ cares more for his own body then the members care for themselves p. 438 Christ care is rather now more when he is glorified then lesse ib. We vainly think that the habit of grace is given to be our justification and that as a dispensation from sin ib Inability to do without grace is pretented both by the lawless bankrupt and by the humble convert but for divers ends ib The unrenewed man would have come down to his way p. 343 There is a sad threatning against not using of outward means though no promise be made to the using of only outward means p. 344 The opposition made by hypocrites is only in the outward gate p. 345 Reprobates resist not the formal acts of regeneration p. 346 Mr. Baxters order of repentance p. 347 Doubts and reasons against Mr. Baxters new remedying law of grace made to all mankind p. 349 Vniversal redemption extols nature and free will and makes a moral season which heals not nature all the graces that the Gospel owns p. 352 The law teacheth but healeth not p. 357 Our formality in praying ib How nature beginneth and the spirit acteth on and with our literal acting p. 3. c. 14. p. 358 Some truth we must first physically hear and consider before we believe p. 359 Though it be true if the
Lord had given me efficacious grace I should have been converted yet it followes not therefore I am not the culpable cause of my own non-conversion or that the Lord is to be blamed therefore p. 360 Our sinful will not the Lords refusal of power is the culpable cause of non-conversion ib School-men make conversion the purchase of free will p. 362 Sin original must be pardoned to pagans in Christ of whom they never heard p. 364 Domiuicans no less gross then Jesuits in the matter of grace free will ib There may be much seeking and using of means and no influences p. 4. c. 1. p. 369 Vsing of means would be in humility ib Influences not entertained breed loathing of the Gospel p. 370 We may mar influences ib The Lords order in conferring of influences p. 372 A confluence of influences at one time and at one work ib Resisting of the word hinders influences and so doth resisting of ordinances p. 373 Resisting of the operation of the spirit obstructs influences ib Praying and praising promote the influences of the spirit p. 374 Despising of the Prophets and persecuting of them obstruct influences ib Hardning of the heart not profitting by means obstruct influences p. 375. Remaining in nature bitternesse wrath malice rancor obstruct influences ib Influences of the spirit are contempered according to the habit of grace p. 4. c. 2. p. 276 Wordly sorrow obstructs influences p. 377 The spirits motions are swift ib Plenty of means sweet dispositions and yet scarcity of influences p. 4. c. 3. p. 379 These are often together prayer and actual influences and duties following thereupon the former according to the Lords will of precept the latter according to his will of pleasure see Psal 119. p. 381 The nearness betwixt the love of the word or the hiding of it in the heart and spiritual influences p. 382 Impediments and helps of influences ib Of the word hidden in the heart p. 383 Many evils of the heart reckoned out to the number of it which obstruct influences and the contrary promote them p. 384 As the light of faith and softness admit influences so rockiness obstruct the same p. 385 2 Vnbelief obstructs influences p. 386 Influences of grace do no violence to the rational power of â—illing and willing ib 3 Deadness 4 Security 5 Athisme p. 387 388 6 Vnconstancy of the heart 7 Deceitfulnesse and falsness of the heart p. 396 Obstruct influences p. 390. 391 TO THE GODLY READER THis Subject of Divine Influences Christian Reader is most obvious to dayly practise but a path untrodden I conceive to the travels of the pens of the godly and experienced Divines who have written practical Divinity That is called the pillar of predetermination which is indeed new and wilde Divinity to some But it 's no other way new then the new trust which the Lord hath put upon the Mediator Christ whose it is to lose none to bring many Children to Glory to cast none away who comes to him for grant an efficacious and strong but sweet and none compelling yet a mighty drawing and love-forcing violence and dominion to Christ Jesus over the proudest piece of the six days works of creation to wit over mans free-will so as insuperably and without a miss he must drive his flock to their eternal green pastours and overdrive none And modest spirits and such as are in love with truth need not contend for me I shall desire none to be farther in love with the Lords strong flection bowing and turning of mans will whithersoever God will then we may save the holy and strong dominion of the soveraign Lord that he may have a more powerful mastery over the entrance of the free and contingent acts of the will of men and Angels then the creatures themselves have And reason would say that soveraigne and independent former of all of whom through whom for whom are all things Rom. 11. should be above the clay Hence these introductory considerations by way of preface 1. There cannot be a knocking without but there must be hearing within Cant. 5. 1. for the Lords knocking internal whether at first or renewed conversion hath something peculiar as hearing and learning of the Father John 5. 45. hath something of which a natural man is not capable and so hath instructing with a strong hand Isa 8. 11. If Christ had spoken to the graves and corps neer to Lazarus corps Come forth as he speaks indefinitly to all in the Gospel Come to me believe in Christ and rebuke such as will not come John 5. 40. yet all should not be raised out of the grave as Lazarus 2. It 's the same letter and sound of gracious word that comes to all the hearers Acts 16. and to Lydia but the same heart opening of the spirit goes not along as many externally hear the noise of the report of Gospel-tidings to whom the arm of the Lord is not revealed Acts 16. 13 14. it 's better experiencedly to feel then literally to search how the word is the chariot the Spirit the driver of the chariot 2. Such as receive the ingraffed word or the word and Spirit shall not much dispute how or by what clift quâ rimâ the Lord came in here he is now the word is the instrument the blind mans word John 9. 25. one thing I know that whereas I was blind now I see is enough though some cannot write a chronicle or tell the history or aim how place manner of their conversion 3. Some are troubled how Soveraignty of quickning influences in the gratious Lord who quickens hic nunc in every duty and withdraws his soveraign concurrence as he best pleaseth can consist with our debt of duty It 's safest to look to duty and the commanding will to rise up and be doing and not to dazle the wit with disputing the soveraignty of God nor to enquire into his latent decreeing will 4. A gracious heart is so taken up with care to pay the rent of commanded duties as he hath no leasure to argue why and if the Lord had decreed to give me quickning influences I should not thus decline The thesis of an heart of unbelief is a more edifying them to dispute against and to weep over then to quarrel with and agitate the question concerning the Lords withdrawing of his congruous applying of the word to the heart or his praescience and permissive decrees duty is mine Soveraignty is his 5. Faith supposeth this truth though saving influences be wanting and holy Soveraignty withdraw them for reasons far above the reach of Angels and mens capacities yet it is my sin that I lay under unresisted deadness It may be asserted that it is a sinful inclination in us to make the high decree of God our Bible and to be unwilling to be ruled by the revealed will of God So Evah was lesse willing to believe the revealed threatning in the day thou eatest thou shalt die and most bent to
Jer. 31. 31. Ezech. 36. 26. Heb. 8. 8 9 10. for though the Lord of free grace give wicked free-will may refuse to receive the new heart 11. The faithfulness and power of God interposed in the promise of perseverance 1 Joh. 4. 4. Joh. 10. 27 28. 1 Pet. 1. 5. Jude v. 24. Eph. 5. 25 26 27. Isa 54. 10. Isa 59. 20 21. Jer. 32. 39 40. must be broken if free-will may resile from God and disanul and resist all the actings of God in bringing many sons to glory 12. There can be no place to infinite wisedome free grace pardoning mercy to the merits of Christ in dying to bring us to God 1 Pet. 3. 18. in delivering and redeeming us from a present evil world Gal. 1. 4. from all iniquity Tit. 2. 14. from our vain conversation 1 Pet. 1. 18. that we should live unto righteousness 1 Pet. 2. 24. as wisedome grace mercy are effectually experienced in sinners if it be in free-wills independent power to admit or reject the saving actings of God in these let any teach and shew a midst betwixt the Lords granting of effectual grace to any one rather then to another from his absolute dominion will and differencing grace and predeterminating grace 4. Since the Adversaries grant that the concurrence of God to the entitative act of sinning is causative they are obliged to roll away the stone and to clear to us how the Lord is not as well by their way the joynt and collateral cause of sin hallowed be his Name as he is the praedeterminating cause as is pretended by our way for Francis Silevias Lo. Meratins Schoolmen not to be despised with reason say If he be the cause of theft who concurs and consents and helps a man to climb in at a window to steal no less then he who praedetermines the man to steal by either command or counsel or then by reall efficiency then must the holy Lord be judged the cause of Adam's first act of sinning as it is an act both the one way and the other 5. Neither does the concurrence or non-concurrence either way hurt the natural way of free-wills working though the Author make out-crys O here be three necessities what if there be four or ten the Author well knows the learned of both ways teach there be divers necessities that hurt not freew ill 6. Neither is it to be forgotten that the Lords saving concurrence to bring the Elect to glory is of an higher and more excellent nature then the influence of God to Adam For that influence to Adam was 1. connatural and not the fruit of Christs merit as are saving influences in Christ 2. That influence to Adam was not given to Adam as praedestinated to obtain the Law-reward of life I judge Adam was not praedestinate to any such Law-life but to obtain life and pardon in the satisfactory death of Christ Nor 3. was that influence given to Adam in order to perseverance for perseverance was commanded indeed to Adam but it was neither promised of God to him nor was it ever in the purpose or decree of God to bestow it on him therefore Gods influence to Adam's obedience must be a far lower and weaker causality then the saving influences of Christ It was said by me that God withdrew his influence from Aâ—am who in the same moment was willing to want it not that Adam formally refused it but that materially interpretatively and in his actual consenting to sin he refused it The Adversary crys out but soft words and strong and hard Arguments were best It is questioned saith he whether Adam 's will to eat was before the Lords denial of his influence or posterior and later then the denial or at once it is of no moment whether they were at once in time they dare not say before because then Adam had sinned before he sinned if his will to eat be posterior to the want of God's influence there is manifestly an antecedent necessity therefore Dr. Tuiss saith they were coexistent in the same moment of nature and so the necessity yet stands Ans Armini in his collation with Junius could have made this Argument stronger But 1. The Lord by order of nature withdraws his influence and in the same moment of time which is of great moment Adam sins and refuses the influence And it follows not that Adam sins before he sins nor follows it that Adam sins by any necessity destructive to the liberty of the will yea it is a necessity helping and aiding freedome because the Lord withdraws no influence from Adam against his will but in the same moment of time that the Lord withdraws his influence from Adam to the act Adam withdraws his consent to the act virtually subscribes to the wanting of the influence of God The Adversary is most angry at the distinction as dark and not intelligible and says it cannot be taught the people why The want of the influence of God by order of nature is before the virtual and interpretative merit of wanting that influence if the virtual merit be an evil merit malum meritum or a sin so it must be posterior and later then the want of Gods influence and not before it but it is like a fiction that there be two demerits in Adams sin one culpable another unculpable Ans 1. It is still said by me that the want of divine influence by order of nature is before Adam's sin 2. It is not theologically spoken that the merit of sin reatris penae is sin or evil it 's a fiction that the merit of sin is either culpable or unculpable it 's rather good and an obligation to wrath and a consequent of sin and is not sin No merit of reward is either formally obedience but posterior to obedience nor is a merit or demerit of punishment is formally sin but posterior to sin Christ is liable to punishment for our sins and as an ingaged surety debet puniri ought to be punished for our sins that were laid on him Isa 53. 6. 2 Cor. 5. 21. Gal. 3. 13. but there was formally and inherently no sin in Christ nor any evill or any thing culpable in Christ 3. Adam's virtual consenting to want the influence of God was his very first sin formally he who refuses to stand and wilfully falls he virtually refuses a staff or a pillar to lean upon he who formally wanders he virtually hates his guide and leader he who formally loves darkness and practically walks therein he virtually hates light and desires virtually that the light should not have shined on him and so he who willingly falls and willingly shuâ—s his eyes virtually deserved the staff should have been taken from him and that the Sun should not have shined on him he who willingly wanders out of the way doth virtually deserve to be depraved of his guide and who so wanders are said to despise the word of the Lord their guide and rule So
here is no fiction but evident truth Adam in the very act of sinning deserved because he sinned that God should have withdrawn his influence but it was a virtual deserving and formally a sin Ob. If for this reason Adam interpretatively put away divine influence so that the fault is imputed to him not to God it would seem by that same reason Adam should interpretatively will and desire the predeterminating influence of God to a godly act of obedience and so a godly and pious work should be ascribed to man and not to God Ans 1. The virtual demerit is not the adequate cause why the sin is ascribed to Adam but the actual crooking and deviating of the mind will and affections from God as the true neerest cause especially since Adam is under a Law not to sin nor to refuse virtually the Lords influence and because the Lord is under no Law to give influences his free withdrawing can never make the sin to be imputed to God for God doth nothing contra debitum in withdrawing his influence but Adam against a law virtually rejects the influence and formally sins So there is no reason why the good work should not be ascribed to God for power to act to wit the image of God and actual acting are his free gift but a power of sin and actual sin are wholly from us only not from God at all I speak of the power formal to sins which is a crookedness of power such as is a power to blindness Ob. Whereas they say that Adam materially and interpretatively in the effect wants the praedeterminating influence of God I ask whether they understand the effect and material and interpretative consent or the formal and direct actual consent if the former be said it is a ridiculous clavering for they say that Adam desired interpretatively and materially to want the influence of God quatenus in se as he desired to want the influence of God if the latter be said the necessity of sinning stands for if God deny his influence to one of the opposites and giveth it to the other it is a necessitâ— the strength of our argument is that that is not to be imputed to Adam as sin which was both necessary and inevitable Ans 1. The argument is weake for one and the same voluntary act of consenting to eat in Adam is referred to 1. Directly to the Law thou shalt not eat Gen. 2. 17. and it is formaly a sinful act contrary to the commandment 2. Adam in this sinful act of consenting to eat did also interpretatively and virtually and indirectly not in an other formal and distinct act will and desire to want the influence of God now no precept or law is laid upon Adam or upon any man to have or to want the influence of God whether it be predeterminative or collateral only in acts of obedience which cannot be performed without that influence in sinful acts we are to want the influence of God requisite to the entitative act 2. No necessity is or can be inferred from Gods determining either in his decree or in his actual bowing and praedetermining of the will to one of the opposites but such whereby the holy praedetermination of God insinuates it self sweetly and connaturally in the bosome of the elective power without any straining or forcing of the light of the mind and its indifferency or compelling the will to be carried to any other of the opposites then the will it self doth connaturally embrace 3. The way of Adversaries destroys all eternal decrees in God under pretence of eschewing a necessity for by this from eternity the will of God was loose lubrick potential disjunctive and fixed neither upon the breaking or not breaking the legs of Christ that was left to the free-will and decree of the Souldiers So God from eternity neither decreed nor determined the selling of Joseph or the not selling of him nor the crucifying of Christ or the not crucifying of him nor the believing of Jews and Gentiles or the free not believing for had he put a necessity of a decree on one of the opposites on believing rather then on none-believing he should say the Adversaries have fixed all free action under a fatal and Adamantine Law of eternal and inexorable necessity and so destroyed free-will but so God should determine and order nothing in free and contingent events but commit all to free-will and to contingently working causes 2. All Gods wise decrees of free and contingent events in every page almost of the Scripture must be utterly destroyed 3. He could foretel nothing by free agents prophesies and predictions must perish for God could not say from eternity I shall afflict my people Judah by the Babylonians I shall impoverish Job and spoil him by the Sabeans I will deliver to death my Son to the death of the Crosâ— by Herod Pilate and the Jews for that necessity should destroy all contingency of second causes for God cannot saith Strangius deny his influence to one of the opposites and give it to the other but he must destroy freedom then must he decree to give his influences to both opposites and so should nothing be determined from eternity which comes to pass in time ah providence or fortune rather 4. God should will and decree one of the opposites in time de novo and every day and he should will and do in time many things which he decreed not to do from eternity because say they his will and decree was from eternity fixed upon no contingent acts 5. No wise man governs so his family no General his Army no Prince his Subjects if he be wise and knowing as the holy Lord is alknowing he taketh no counsel in Arena but he forecasteth and decreeth things within the compass of power to do before he doth things for to will all of hand and of new without eternal fore-fixing of the will casts all the contingent acts of men and Angels upon loose uncertainties 2. Make the only wise God rash and dubious 3. Puts him to learn by experience new things to day and to will and decree them fixedly in time concerning which yesterday and before the world was he was not fixed in his will to do determinatly any thing for fear of fatal necessity For 4. God had either fixed a decree concerning all things as written in a book before they were as it is Psal 139. 16. and of certain persons loved to salvation and healed Rom. 9. 11. 12. and written in the book of life Ex. 32. 32. Psal 69. 28. Rev. 3. 5. Rev. 13. 8. Rev. 17. 8. Rev. 20. 15. Luke 10. 20. and by head and name predestinate to glory or then the will and decree of God was tottering dubious and indifferent toward things and persons if the former be said the Lord wrote and ordained fixedly all single contingent things and actions to their ends and he must have foreordained persons to glory and to free acts of faith
in the act of obedience Therefore God must be the cause of disobedience by this and render the non-obeyer guiltless and excusable Ans Though my dimness could not lose this Argument the validity and power of the grace of God should be no less and the guiltiness of man as much as it is But 1. He who withdraws such an influence and impression of grace from the reasonable creature constrained compelled and unwilling to want such an influence he is the cause of the disobedience and rendreth the non-obeyer guiltless and excusable The Proposition in that sense is true But now the assumption is most false For if the man should seek and desire the influence of God in that very act and the Lord deny it and withdraw it violently from the Will as if the Child a drowning should cry to the Father being obliged to help that he would reach help and the Father shall refuse then is the Father the cause of the Child's drowning and so should the holy Lord be the cause of our disobedience and render us guiltless and excusable if he were obliged not to withdraw But he who withdraws his influence from the creature who in the same act of wanting is most willing to want it and gives in the same act of disobedience his virtual consent to the same withdrawing he is the cause of the disobedience of the act and renders the non-obeyer guiltless and excusable The Proposition in this sense is false and the Assumption true God so withdraws his influence that in the same act the man is unexcusably willing to want it He is deservedly cold who joyfully and willingly yields to the pulling away of his coat Here that is true an injury is not done to a man who receives it as a favour Volenti non fit injuria as is clear in the Lord 's active hardning of Pharaoh's heart Exod. 7. 3. and Pharaoh's hardning of his own heart Exod. 8. 15. both in a material act 2. He who withdraws his influence in the same moment of time though first by order of nature from the creature who 2. is willing to want that influence and 3. is a withdrawer of his influence by no obligation at all to give it he is the cause of disobedience The Proposition so taken is false Only it follows that the withdrawing of the influence is the physical cause of non-obedience not the moral cause of disobedience For 1. The withdrawer of the influence is under no obligation by any binding law to bestow it 2. The man that wants the influence is willing to want it 3. The man is obliged who so wants the influence by an expresly binding law of God to perform the act commanded and to abstain from the contrary act forbidden and these three are the grounds why the Lord is not chargeable with the act of disobedience and man is guilty and chargeable therewith Hence man is the culpable cause of disobedience and he never wants the influence of God but his own sin interpretatively is the cause The withdrawing of Dew and Rain is the cause of barrennesse or non-fertility the Lord 's withdrawing is the physical cause of non-obedience but the will of man is the only formal vital subjective moral and as it were the material cause of sin yea the only formal and efficient cause of sin Obj. He that casts away his coat is deservedly cold for he doth it against deliberate reason except he be mad or in an extreme distemper of body But no man refuseth divine influences with deliberate reason and the law of nature 2. The law of nature lays bands upon men not to cast away their cloaths but to have or to want the influences of God falleth under no command of God laid upon man 3. No man by your way hath the influences of grace in his own power to receive or reject them as he that casteth away his garments in a cold day hath undeniably such a power Ans Every comparison in some thing halteth he who casts away his coat is deservedly cold true and with deliberate reason and foolishly so doth and that is false that no man with deliberate reason refuseth divine influences For willing or deliberate yielding to the sin either of omission or of commission which is conjoyned with the Lord 's withdrawing of his influences is both our formal sinning against the obligation of a command and a yielding virtual which is enough to make up guiltiness to the want of divine influences 2. True it is to have or to want the influence of God falleth under no command of God laid upon man as a man is by the law of nature forbidden to cast away his coat in a cold season but in virtual yielding to have influences of God conjoyned with doing evil and in virtual yielding to want influences conjoyned with other sins of omission or commission we sin and so are under a command as he who refuseth a Staff or a stronger man to lean upon in going thorow a water is guilty of drowning himself 3. Thus far we are deliberately to desire influences that we are to pray for them Draw me Cant. 1. 4. Lord teach me Psal 119. 33. Open mine eyes that I may behold the wonders of thy Law ver 18. Incline mine heart to thy testimonies and not to covetousness v. 36. As we are obliged to have a new heart and to have the image of God which we willingly lost in Adam and to be renewed in the spirit of our mind and to make to our selves a new heart and are commanded so to doe Ezech. 18 31. Ephes 4. 23. and yet the Lord 's omnipotent creating of a new heart in us cannot fall under a Commandement formally obliging us to create in our selves a new heart and so are we cammanded consequently to have the breathings and influences of grace 1. In the same act in the which we are commanded to obey 2. In that we are to pray for and to desire the breathings of God 3. In that there is a promise to him that hath it shall be given Matth. 25. 29. Matth. 13. 12. but how far the promise extends is after to be discussed 3. As touching influences natural they seem to be common to free and voluntary Agents and also to natural causes so the Lord commandeth the Sun to rise and it riseth Psal 104. 19. and he commandeth the Sun and it riseth not Job 9. 7. it rains because the Lord lifteth up his voice unto the clouds that abundance of rain may come he sendeth out lightnings Jerem. 14. 22. Psal 107. 33 34. God hunteth the prey for the Lyon and gives food to the Raven Job 38. 35. 36. v. 41. In all these the natural cause acts and yet hath not in its power the influences of God and when God withdraws his influences so as natural causes act not they find no positive violence offered to restrain them or by-way of any positive impediment to hinder them
only there is a negative withdrawing of influences upon the Lord's part which they want with a sort of natural yielding to the want thereof and yet they have and keep still their natural power to act actu primo as the first cause shall set them on work And the very like may be said of moral Agents God withdraws his influence they sin but find no positive violence comming from the Lord 's withdrawing to restrain them or impose upon them and they connaturally and with a virtual willingness yield to such withdrawings and keep an inferiour dominion over their own actings Hence 1. Moral Agents are to set to work to doe duties not to wait upon God's acts of influences but they are to act as if the influences of God were in their power for the influence from Heaven to the duty belongs to God he does not lay formal commands upon us to have or to want his influences and the duty is ours but we love more to look to God and judge anxiously his providence of withdrawing of influences then upon our own duty It s strange I judge his holy withdrawings and not my own sinful omissions 2. No man is to complain of the Lord 's withdrawing of influences You are joyful and well content to want them Men put out their own eyes and yet complain God hath made them blind Of this more hereafter But this Argument may be retorted and unpossible it is to defend the Dominion and Soveraignty of God by these Principles so if it be not in the dominion and soveraignty of God to procure or hinder the acts of final obedience or disobedience he cannot be Master of salvation and of the certain number of the saved but the free-will of man must be absolute ever here and the salvation of any must be physically impossible to the soveraign Lord. But by the Adversaries way it s not in the dominion and soveraignty of God to procure or to hinder the acts of final obedience or disobedience of any but it must be absolutely in the power of created free-will all things needful to be done both upon the part of the Lord's Decree and of the Lord's Influences being done to nill or will obey or disobey And 2. its in the power of created free-will to doe or obey and to refuse or disobey And 3. to have the strongest influences of God in its dominion and created power or to want them 4. Created freewill first stirs and concurs by order of nature before the soveraign Lord joyn his influence all these be the Principles of Pelagians Jesuits Arminians so shall created free-will have the dominion above and before the soveraign Lord of all the acts of obedience of all the chosen of God as to their number who shall be saved who not how many how few CHAP. VI. Q. Whether or no are we to believe pray praise read confer only then when the Spirit actually moves us to believe pray praise c. and not otherwise 1. Duties are to be done under spiritual withdrawings 2. The precept and the influence differ 3. We are and may pray at fixed hours THe Question is the same of elicite acts of love fear hope faith and of imperate acts of praying hearing praising only the difference is hardly can we set a time to believing the object sometime wakens us Psal 56. 3. What time I am afraid I le trust in thee otherwise that binds ever which is Psal 62. 8. Trust in him at all times The Lord hath more fixed a time for praying continually and for praising the Lord always 1 Thes 5. Psal 146. 1. 2. The question is alike in all actions and in spiritual and supernatural actions as whether the Husbandman may Plow and Sow at fit seasons or only when the Lord the cause of causes joyns his influence for these and the like are no less impossible without the connatural influences of God then the acts of praying believing without the supernatural influences of grace Now we would think it ridiculous should the Husbandman never plow but only when he is disposed to plow suppose he sleep longer in the morning then he should 3. The actual Influence cannot be a Rule for we cannot know or feel the actual influence of God Creator or of Grace but only when we are aworking 4. The question of the obligation is one thing and the question of ability to pray is another for Magus yet in the Gall of bitterness is under the obligation of a Commandement Acts 8. 22. Repent therefore of this thy wickedness and pray God if perhaps the thoughts of thine heart may be forgiven thee And in a state of nature he is most unable and so far more indisposed to pray and repent And the believing Thessalonians are under a command to pray continually 1 Thes 5. 17. to praise to rejoyce ver 16. 18. what ever their indisposition be Now though the man fal'n in Adam be unable to keep and do the Law and natural men living in the visible Church be unable indisposed to believe in Christ and to pray yet except we say that such are under neither Law nor Gospel we cannot say that men because of their wretched estate are not obliged to pray believe love Christ walk with God Libertines say its unlawful and a taking of the Name of God in vain to aym at praying when the Spirit withdraws Suppose we could not reconcile our inability and our indisposition to pray nor the acting of strong grace and of weak will yet when God hath undeniably commanded duties and promised in the new Covenant grace and gives the new heart and the habit of grace no man hath warrant upon the account of the Lord 's denying influence to abstain from duties for upon the same account one might cast himself in the Fire and another in the Water why it may be the Lord shall deny his influence to the fire and water to burn or consume us and so the water shall not overwhelme me nor the fire consume me though I wickedly cast my self in fire and water Now what Familists and Libertines may object on the contrary should be heard Obj. 1. We are never to take the Name of God in vain but to pray without the acting of the Spirit is to take the Name of God in vain Ans The Antecedent is true we are never to take the Name of God in vain nor obliged to any sin but the Consequence is naught therefore we are not to pray nor obliged to pray except the Spirit either by disposition facilitate us or actually move us For the disposition or actual moâ—ion of the Spirit is neither our Rule nor a part of our rule For 1. The command to pray is the common obligiâ—g Rule to both Elect and Reprobate and obligeth all equally but neither the spiritual disposition nor the saving acting of the Spirit so equal to all is our Rule 2. The command is exposed to every one to
make use of it as he pleaseth but the saving acting of the Spirit is not in every mans power 3. The command is a Rule and Object of our Faith and gives me not strength to obey but the heavenly disposition and saving acting are not the object but the efficient cause which addeth strength to obey the command craves the debt its true its impossible to pray in faith without the acting of the Spirit it follows only that it s so impossible that we are also guilty and unexcusable in our virtual desiring that it may be so We are wounded but we love to shed our own bloud As also in the Regenerate there is never an utter withdrawing the habit of grace keeps the heart warm and loves to be blown upon and stirred even under actual ceasing of breathings Obj. 2. When there is an utter ceasing of the spirit it would appear that the spirit forbids us to lift at his work until the Spirit the only Master of work be there himself Ans One of the three is ever a work either the Father is waiting till the Son pray John 14. or the Son is commanding the breathings of the Spirit It is some casual work that the sinner is the passive object of the Spirit there is never an utter ceasing of the Spirit There are some habitual stirrings of the Seed of God under the ceasing of actual influence as the ripe Apple enclines to fall off the Tree when there is no shaking of it the Ship is a mending in the Shore when she sails not and if it were no more but one of the three is a working about a Child of God it s not to be despised For who knows the thoughts of Christ and his pleading in Heaven for such as suffer the evil of affliction for Christ And if a believer wrestle under deadnesse Christ much more is a work to help a more spiritual sufferer to wit one that is as it were a patient under sin and flesh and the withdrawing of God Obj. 3. There is no Commandment in the New Testament for the doing of half a Duty to wit to pray and not to pray in Faith and Fervour therefore we cannot be commanded to pray when the Spirit withdraws his influence without which the Duty of necessity must be lame and broken Ans It follows not for there is less of the Gospel in the command as a command for in either Law-command or in Gospel-precept the Lord commands whole and unbroken obedience and in it God seeks somewhat which he lost in Adam which we are obliged to doe and he is under no Law to give us grace to obey And as is said we are willing to want his help where the command should put us to a humble missing and mourning for our wants and a distrusting of our own strength and a weeping over our broken condition and a high prizing of our surety and his strength 2. It s a part of command that we go about the bulk or body of the duty and gather together the dry bones and wait humbly until he command the Wind and Spirit to blow on them and we sin in omitting of half a command Obj. 4. His yoak is easie and his Commandments are not grievous but if it be not in our power to pray when he withdraws his Commandments shall be unpossible and his yoak heavy Ans His command is easie by the grace of God and love of Christ the Wheels move sweetly when Grace and Love oyls the Soul and yet it no more hinders that we cannot pray when he withdraws then the burning of the Fire and the rising of the Sun which are works of Nature most easie and sweet are possible when the Lord forbids the Fire to burn and the Sun to rise his Gospel commands actu primo of themselves are sweet but under withdrawings hard and legal Obj. 5. Praying and seeking of God at set and fixed hours were not lawful For if we cannot pray but when the Spirit moves us we cannot say we shall pray at any hour for we cannot tie the Spirit 's joyning to our hours and again if we are to pray at any hour we please we use the habit of grace and supplication when and as we will as a Musitian may sing when he will or not sing Ans 1. We have not any question now about religious set hours such as the morning and evening Sacrifice or the three hours of prayer used by David Morning Evening and at Noon Psal 55. 17. and Daniel chap. 6. 10 11. Acts 3. 1. Acts 10. 3 9 10. and the godly Jews for by no divine Precept are we tied to such hours Papists abuse the Scripture to Canonick hours But in Christian prudence we may fix a time to reading praying conferring on the Word and to other sacred duties yet do we not tie the Spirit 's joyning to our hour the man Christ set a night apart for praying and so did Jacob for wrestling by tears with the great Angel Genes 32. 24. Hos 12. 3 4. without limitting the Spirit in his influences to any time nor yet will it follow that we use the habit or spirit of grace and supplication when we will for sanctified will is to set the time and to actuate it self by the habit of grace And the same Argument shall conclude that the Husbandman who sets a time for plowing and sowing must limit the Lord to joyn his influences For except the Lord build the house they labour in vain who build it though they set days to the hired Masons Except the Lord keep the City the Watch-man watcheth but in vain though times be set to the hired Watchers It s in vain to rise up early Psal 127. 1 2. and it s as impossible to plow build watch rise early without the common influence of God the first cause as it is to pray in Faith without the special breathing of the Spirit of grace Yet Libertines and Antinomians will not say that they sin in setting a time for building plowing watching these seem considerable about hours of praying 1. Though we fix an hour it becomes Faith to await the Angels moving of the water and when the Lord adds his influences to step in and joyn our strength cheerfully and with humble praises to him who draws 2. When there is a bentness of heart such a day or such a fixed hour to pray build not too much upon the appointment and promises of our own heart to say to morrow I le do wonders by prayer remove mountains 1. It s good here as in a purpose of going to a City to continue there a year and buy and sell and get gain to say in a trembling subordination to God as James counselleth chap. 4. 13 15. If the Lord will we shall live so to say if the holy soveraignty of grace breath fairly and strongly I le do well in praying yet not I but his grace and if the wind of
that or the woman whom thou gave to be with me she 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 she gave me of the tree There is an Emphasis in the Woman The or that Woman 2. An Emphasis in the Lord's liberality Thou gave her by way of goodness and liberality but I wish the Lord never had been good nor liberal in that kind 3. To be with me as an helper who now is a tempter 4. She as the chief cause gave me of the fruit and I did eat I repent says he in sense that thou was that graciously Good as to give me a tempter but I am not grieved for my own sin in eating So the common excuse woe to the Providence that God sent such an unhappy counseller to me oh what had I to do there So does Job repent in some respect in his weakness not that he came in the world an heir of wrath and a sinner but ah the fatal and wrathful Decree of God that ever I was born to such misery Job 3. 3. Let the day perish wherein I was born Jerem. 20. 14. But the Lord willeth the Crucifiers of Christ to mourn that they 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with wicked hands crucified and slew Christ and yet Peter counsels them Acts 2. 23. to submit humbly to the determinate Counsel and Fore-knowledge of God Our deceitful hearts are readier to repent for the holy Events and Facts of divine Providence then for our own sins as if the holy Lord did erre in his permissive providence and we doe not amisse in transgressing of an holy Law But such as are most active to doe the will of God and esteem it their meat and drink to obey his will as Jesus Christ Jo◠4. 34. and go about doing good Acts 10. 38 39. are most passively savoury and graciously submissive to suffer the will of God as he was Matth. 26. Nevertheless not my will but thy will be done Isa 53. 7. He was oppressed and he was afflicted yet he opened not his mouth he as a Lamb to the slaughter and as a Sheep before her shearers is dumb so he opened not his mouth 1 Pet. 2. 23. Who when he was reviled reviled not again when he suffered he threatned not but committed himself to him that judgeth rightously And Jeremiah who mourned so for sin as he desired his head were waters and his eyes a fountain of tears that he might both be humbled for the judgements and the sins of the people Jer. 9. 1 2. hath said much in the book of the Lamentations for justifying God Lam. 1. 18. Lam. 3. 38 40 41 42. Lam. 4. 10 11 12 13. Lam. 5. 19 20. and was willing himself to be carried captive So was Daniel who mourns and confesseth and fasteth three full weeks Dan. 4. Dan. 10. 2 3. and ascribeth righteousness to God The more submission there is in Job there is the more spiritual frame of a gracious spirit in him Job 1. 21 22. 2 Sam. 16. 10. and they who fret most at suffering as Cain Gen. 4. 13. and Jehoram 2 Kings 6. 23. Shall I wait any longer upon the Lord are most froward and unwilling to doe or act the will of God And on the contrary such are most impatient and blasphemous in suffering as damned reprobates who are less active in doing God's will and denying it 2. The Lord requires unto holy Soveraignty a submission to that permissive providence of his he suspends his gracious influences and what can we doe but sin Say a milstone were tied with Chains in the Air if the Chain break the stone must fall Remove the Sun and it must be dark night The Lord knowingly and of purpose withdraws his influences and Angles or Men in their strength cannot stand Convene and summon the wittiest thoughts of Men and Angels who acknowledge a providence and answer to this suppose a master of a house excellent in goodness and of a deep reach of wisdome to let fall out of his hand two precious stones of incomparable worth Jewels of the price of the half of the Earth and he only can keep them safe yet he suffers them knowingly and purposely to fall and be broken The Lord who hangeth the Earth upon nothing and it s not moved might and could have kept Men and Angels in their integrity but of purpose he suffers them to fall and be broken upon a mighty rock 2. A husbandman hath a huge broad and vast plat of ground most fertile for wheat olive trees the most delicious and excellent vines in great abundance it s a wide land of honey of Milk of many gardens of incomparably fragrant herbs with meadows and grass for millions of flocks he sees a great River shall overflow all this land this husbandman only can fence off the river with a strong bank yet he knowingly suffers the Flood to overflow and drown all that nothing can more grow in it then the bottome of the Sea 3. A Governour of Ten rich and populous Cities knows of a train of fire which by degrees shall at length consume in one flame men women sucking children gold silver houses gardens he can quench the train if he please yet he suffers a strong wind to blow upon it withdraws not water from it which is a sort of fomenting thereof until all be consumed What can here be said to him who gives not account of any of his matters this is the free dispensation of the only wise God to standing and to falling Angels and Men and who can judge God or find him out in this It may seem needless curiosity to determine which of the two Providences and which of the two Wills in the holy Lord must be first or choicest Whether that by which Adam should have stood happy in perfect obedience without fall or sin given to the Covenant of works or that Providence and Will by which the Lord designed to bring in the wonder of mercy and grace Emanuel God manifest in the flesh the delight of Men and Angels it seems to say that the Lord's will is more set upon Adam's final dutie which never had being and which the Lord immutably from Eternity decreed should never be then his holy Will is fixed upon that wonder of the World of Heaven and Earth the riches of the glory of his grace and other attributed in that precious and incomparable mystery God manifested in the flesh It s true God wills us rather to obey and not to wound our selves by sin then put him to pardon our disobedience or to seek a Mediator or remedy for sin But the Lord by his commanding will in his Law chargeth us under the pain of condemnation to obey but the Lord by no commanding will in his Law chargeth himself to provide and seek a Satisfier and Mediator he provides a Redeemer by his will of purpose and holy decree nor willed he ever fallen Adam to solicite his author commanding or decreeing will to provide a
judge it fit for their humiliation and the promoting of the work of their salvation and especially for the glory of holy Soveraignty they are to believe that the Lord shall absolutely confer upon them fundamental and amply necessary influences of grace but not that he shall bestow on them absolutely non-fundamental influences Assert 4. It s not lawful to engage to run the ways of the Lords commandments leaning to the habit of grace and the stock within the Believer Peter relied on this I am ready 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nothing habitual grace and faith to go with thee to prison and to death Luke 22. 33. and John 13. 37. Peter is angry because Christ lesseneth his stock and habit of grace and strength of faith Lord why can I not follow thee now 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This habit of grace is not Christ neither the Spirit and therefore the enlarging of the heart upon the supposal whereof David engageth to run the way of the Lords commandments is not the only habitual enlarging of the heart but he supposeth also that the Lord must add his actual breathings and influences of grace else he cannot run nor move at all in the way of God John 15. 5. 1. Cor. 12. 2. 2 Cor. 3. 3. Assert 5. Far less can we engage to run the way of the Lord upon our own strength For 1. The Apostle James rebukes such as say they shall go to such a City and buy and sell and say not if God will James 4. 10 11. far less can we engage to spiritual duties on our own strength 2. This is carnal presumption for men to lay wagers on their own strength and to say with Peter and the Disciples they 'l do wonders 3. Men believe not the wickedness of their own hearts nor see they to the bottome of soveraignty the depth of sin original 4. It s contrary to godly watchfulness and an hardning of the heart as Prov. 28. 14. Blessed is the man who fears always but he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischiefe 5. It s atheism to suppose that influences of saving grace are as due and connatural to men now fallen in sin as influences natural are some way due to the falling of rain the rising and going down of the Sun the growing of trees the ebbing and flowing of the sea and that we have dominion of free-will over the saving breathings of the holy Ghost Whereas 6. The Gospel bids us pray and by faith rely on the Lord for influences of grace and give the glory and praise of the breathings of the Spirit to God 7. It s against that humble self-denial and godly trembling and humble despairing of our own strength that should be in us in our undertakings of obedience So an huge deal of pride 2. want of mortification to self must be lurking in our undertakings Assert 6. It s not lawful to blame the Lord for our sinful omissions for that is to father our sin upon the holy Lord nor is that Isa 63. 17. O Lord why hast thou made us to erre from thy ways and hardened our hearts from thy fear a complaining against God It s 1. a tacit complaining of themselves that they are grosse matter and the dunghil on which the Sun with his beams stirs up a stinking smell which is not the Suns fault 2. As Gods active hardning of us is a punishment of sin the Church may lawfully complain of it to God and deprecate that and all the like sad evils of punishment yet it shall never follow that God is the author or the cause of the sins of our being passively hardned of God or of active hardening of our selves 3. It s a prayer for softning and grace not to erre return for thy servants sake v. 16. thou O Lord art our Father our Redeemer thy Name is from everlasting 2. None of the Saints yielding to temptations do blame the Lords withdrawing but blame themselves and clear the Lord. Psalm 51. Against thee thee only have I sinned thou hast taught me wisedom in the inward parts here is a clearing of the Lord. Isa 64. 6. We are all as an unclean thing v. 4. since the beginning of the world men have not perceived a God beside thee 5 8. So Lam. 3. 34. Assert 7. A Believer may undertake in the strength of God Psalm 119. 33. Cant. 14. Draw me we will run Grace and the Spirit in his sweet breathings being undertakers one may undertake for a journey when Christ engages for such a chariot the midst whereof is paved with love O be humble and lay not great wagers upon self ye know not sin original as a sin but ye know it as a meer punishment What we are sinners by nature and we can do no otherwise Pharaoh and Judas knew it so CHAP. VIII Q. 4. Is there no running except God enlarge the heart what then can we do ASsert 1. Without some enlargement of heart there is no running the negative is true none come to Christ except such as the father draws John 6. 44. John 15. 5. and the affirmative is true all that are drawn and have heard and learned of the Father do run and come apace Cant. 1. 4. John 6. 44. There is a spiritual riches in heavenly and spiritual suppositions O for more of Christ to ern his praises with a shout which might waken Angels and Men all men in this side and in the other side of the Sun and that all creatures might hear and put to their seal and cry Amen to the Psalm Assert 2. The use we are to make of our sinful weakness is not to sit still he loves death who says I cannot heal my self art and skill must only do it therefore I le seek to no Physitian if the Lord will not do it let me die The husbandman were mad who would say my plowing sowing early rising and late labouring can never make the corn to grow except God give the increase therefore I le fold my hands and take the other sleep and if another say God only creates the wind therefore I le never set my foot in a ship so is it here what can the dead and the sick sinner do if the Physitian Christ will neither quicken nor cure his influences of life are above my reach therefore I le never make out to Christ nor ask for the Gospel if Christ will not heal us we must pine away in our sins how then shall we live this is to tempt Christ and to bring him under a new miraculous way to heal and save the sinner in his dream without hearing the Gospel which is that God should bring bread and cloathing to the sleeping mans bed-side The contrary is Phil. 2. 13. work because he works Cant. 1. Draw and we will run the Spouse saith not Lord draw that we may sleep 2. Our impotency leads us to turn sinful wickedness in mournful confession and godly complaining as the Saints
own thoughts God will convince them that they do not give over their sins 2. Thou dost not so much as try whether thou canst doe or not when a Master bids a Servant carry a sack of corn to the Mill I cannot says he but cannot you try says his master cannot you go about it no he will not try why then he is wilfull if his master should see him sweating and striving to carry it it were something then he will say he stuck at a cannot but when he will not be at the pains to try he sticks at a will not pag. 10. God offers the good motions of power I will help thee and I will enable thee and thou wilt not be helped Jer. 6. 17. Hearken to the sound of the trumpet but they said they will not hearken O saist thou I do hear the word and I cannot hear it better I do pray dayly and I cannot pray better thus thou retortest upon God as the unprofitable servant Lo here thou hast what is thine lo here is the best faith thy spirit helps me to here is the best obedience that thy power enabled me to doe c. lo there thou hast that is thine thou helpest me with no more 3. God gives thee a talent a new power hath God given thee eyes thou hast more power to glorifie him then he that hath none give account for thy wit Lord I have contrived businesses and bargains with it I have jested quirped been merry with it but why wouldst thou not be witty for God and for the good of thy soul 4. The more power thou hast to repent the more thy will is against it the more your righteousness should encrease it goes the more away like the dew the more the Sun riseth the more it vanisheth away like many the more preaching the farther off 5. Thy cannot is a voluntary cannot I cannot give to the poor saist thou yea thou hadst once Lands and Means and comings in but thou hast spent all at the Ale-house 6. Thou art contented with thy cannot thou canst not be holy and thou art contented not to be thou canst not crucifie thy lust and thou art contented with this cannot nay thou wouldst not be able my people love to have it so Jer. 5. 31 c. A man can doe more good then then he does though not in a gracious manner yea and there be degrees more or lesse in both matter and manner yea and this cannot is the natural cannot of a broken will Lot preached to Sodome and they repent not Jonas preached to Nineveh and they repent though not soundly Christ a greater then Jonah preacheth to the Pharisees and they repent neither soundly nor any other way Sure more might be done in using of means though not without some common grace but so long as wicked will hath a nearest influence in all sinful omissions and transgressions there is no place left to this O God give me no power nor habits nor influences but would ye have done all required to be done with power habits and influences by your poor wicked wills Nay there is a wicked will not which is a pull-back and a sinful obstruction to gracious actings But to say nothing of this more may not believers so far command influences of grace as that they have in their power far off or near hand in potentiâ proximâ vel remotâ sufficient grace to believe and be saved See Cornelius Jansenius tom 3. de grat Chr. Salv. lib. 3. c. who citeth Vasquez 1 part disp 97. Suarez lib. 4. de praedest c. 3. num 19 20. But it is required that the party non ponat obicem lay not a block in the way of the Lord calling him and if he doe not God shall undoubtedly convert him say these men For if God should deny sufficient help of grace especially to Infants upon an intention to damn them saith Theo. Smizing tom 2. tract 3. disp 6. de provid num 179. such a denyal should be against the Covenant that the Father hath made with the Son that he hath accepted the death of the Son for the reconciliation of all mankind and their redemption none excepted And therefore he should 1. Doe a wrong to Christ And 2. to all mankind and sin against the justice of his fidelity if he should deny sufficient help of grace upon an intention of damning them for original sin 3. Such a sufficient grace is due to us not of our selves but in Christ yea but by this Christ hath merited sufficient grace to all and why not pardon of original sin to all and life eternal to all should it not be a wrong to all and a wrong to Jesus Christ and a wrong to free will if such a meritorious purchase of grace be made to all why are they called by nature the heirs of wrath for by this all the Pagans and Heathens by grace are also the reconciled heirs of glory the ransomed of the Lord. 2. Why doe not the Apostles first reveal the drawing and heart-breaking motive of obedience Christ hath dyed for you all and reconciled you to God from the womb 3. What news are these you all are in that blessed Covenant passed betwixt the Father and the Son and Christ hath given a dear ransome of blood to purchase grace to carry you either to Heaven or Hell but he hath purchased for you no glory except by the sweating of free will you make it your actual purchase 4. The Scripture tells us no where that Jesus Christ dyed to break the Decrees of Election and Reprobation and that Christ hath obtained that no man should be damned for Original sin as many as die in Adam Rom. 5. as many are justified and live in Christ both the life of grace and of glory 5. This is the far more wide and broad covenant of grace that the Gospel if men use the light of nature well who are and ever hath been in all ages since the creation the greatest part of mankind shall be sent to them and all shall be put in such a capacity to be saved by Christ and justified in him as Adam was in to be justified and saved by the works of the Law 6. Why doth sin original brook the name of sin of iniquity transgression and a sin for which all die as Psal 51. 5. Rom. 5. Rom. 7. Rom. 8. Heb. 12. c. which indeed it s no sin but pardoned taken away in all mankind and which brings damnation to no man for in justice none can be condemned to death temporal more then to death eternal for that which is no sin at all and such is sin original say they 7. It is without all authority of Scripture that the natural actings of Pagans are so washed in the blood of Christ that they never heard of that they are in their actings meriting the Gospel either of congruity or decency or of common justice or of free promise or by some
answered according to Scripture and sound reason disp Scholas de providentia Exercit. apolo pro gratai divian Christs dying and drawing Infinite almost influences of God We look not spiritually on influences What influences are Influences of God are suitable to Gods end Influences of God for nilling and willing most rare and excellent How Christ and the promised Spirit must be the causes of gracious influences We are to believe that he who purchased by his merit the habit of grace shall give suitable influences and to fear also our propension to fall The promise of influences in Christ Necessity of influences Reasons of renewed influences The first Adam might want influences the second cannot Satans actions always destitute of influences How God withdraws infâ—uences in particular acts hic nunc and yet hath promised to bestow influences on the regenerate by promise The Lord acts on us by his influences but we act not on him How we cannot pray away desertion and the trying withdrawings yet are we to pray submissively for the removal of desertion and are to pray against withdrawings The Lord 's withdrawing makes not the holy one the author of sin nor destroys liberty The cause why God is not chargeable with the act of disobedience and man is chargeable How we interpretatively yield to the want of influences of grace and sin formally in the same act Our interpretative wanting of influences and our formal sinning in the same act further clear'd The soveraignty of God is destroy'd by Pelagians to the end they may exa't mans Free-will Of our acts and spiritual duties under the spiritual withdrawings of God Something of the state of the question Our inability to do duties when the Spirit withdraws looseth us not from a moral obligation to perform the duties Aug. Epist 89. Jubet Deus continentiam dat continentia Jubet per Legem dat per Gratiam jubet per Literam dat per Spiritum Differences betwixt the command and the influences of the spirit clear that it is not formally sin to pray under withdrawings of influences of grace Vnder the ceasing of actual breathing we are to stir the remainders of the Seed of God We are to doe our part in duties under withdrawings Grace sweetens duties What Soveraignty is and how it differs from omnipotency Soveraignty is to be adored in the hardest conditions We storm more at permissive providences then at our own permitted sins 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 They are most graciously active to doe the will of God who are most graciously passive to suffer his will and on the contrary The unsearchableness of the Lord's dispensation into the eternal standing and falling of Angels and Men. It s vain to determine that the providence of never sinning is choicer then the providence of the inbringing of Christ God-man to die for sinners As Mr. Baxter The rightousness of God through faith is incomparably above our inherent righteousness Isa 42. 1 2. Isa 53. 11. Matth. 3. 17. Matth. 17. 5. John 3. 16. John 15. 13. Tit. 3. 45. Isa 62. 2 3. Eph. 3. 10. 1 Pet. 1. 12. It s a more â—minently declarative glory which is brought forth in the second Adam nor possibly could have been in the full and final obedience of the first Adam Not to sin by no Scripture is choicer then to seek pardon in Christ's bloud By justification we are not only negatively freed from guilt wrath but also positively righteous Inherent righteousness in glory is not the compleat and adequate end of Gospel justification or of the Lord's Gospel-dispensation in commanding us to believe and be holy How spiritual service to doe all because of the holy will of the Lord. We are not to struggle with permissive providence it s not our Rule but to be low because of the deep results of that providence our own permitted sins The soul-humbling thoughts that should flow from holy Soveraignty The number of things possible and impossible that are to fall out or exist is under holy Soveraignty The connection of things of which the extremes never shall come to pass as also the existence and co-existence of things must be under the holy Soveraignty of God Soveraignty shines in means and end things of rare providence and justice in administration of means of salvation to some not to others Soveraignty is eminent in holding of possible evils and in determining the measure of sufferings The due timeing of things is from Soveraignty Q. Whether and in what sense God can create things in better or worse case 1 Sam. 2. 7. Psal 75. 6. The shift of complaining of want of influences is refuted Who ever flatteringly complain of the want of influences of grace hate these influences Nature cannot complain of the want of gracious influences We are not to seek Influences of life separated from the word Calvin Com. 119. v. 28. absque verbo nobis fuget dei potentia Omnipotency joyned with the Word saves Influences of God as Creator only cannot save us How we may lawfully complain of withdrawing of Influences of grace and how we may lawfully desire Influences The faultiness in not praying is not because the holy Spirit moves us not to pray but because we stir not up our selvs to pray This I will not pray untill the Lord first breath on me by his Spirit is a wide mistake The precept chargeth us to obey as rational creatures not as disposed or indisposed What a delusion there is in not praying till the Lord breath on us There is no contradiction betwixt our physical indisposition to pray or to other duties and our moral obligation to perform these duties Both a spiritual disposition may be on and a conscience of obedience to pray at one time We are to act duties before we feel the actings of the Spirit Preparation before prayer To wait upon the breathings of the Spirit how it is lawful how not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 There is a wicked weaknesse and a sinfull Cannot as contradistinguished from sinful actings which the holy Ghost reproves and then must the indisposition to receive influences to pray be no excuse to shift the duty The Lord 's withdrawing of influences is conjoyned with our guiltiness and cannot found an honest excuse for not praying The Lord 's not giving a new heart is not our sin and yet our not having a new heart is our guiltiness The Lord's influences are connatural to all our actings and how Our actings have no dominion over the Lord's Soveraignty but contrarily The sin of the creature is not from the Lords withdrawing of his physical influences but from our withdrawing from his moral command Magnus D. Twissus contra Arnold Corvinum c. 13. sect 1â— p. 437. n. 2. col 1. Quare licet hominum malitiae tribuatur in solidum quod non credant tamen etiam defectui gratiae nihilominus tribuendum est quod non curetur mentis caecitas cordis insidelitas Nam si
affirmatio sit causa affirmationis etiam negatio erit causa negationis Sic Servator ipse Qui ex Deo est Vocem audit Dei vos autem propterea non auditis quia ex Deo non estis Joan. 8. 37. The objection of many if God would give me influences of grace as he did to David Moses c. I would be as holy as any discussed The non-sense of this had I more grace I should be more gracious If the â—bâ—ecto of this had I more grace I would 〈◊〉 gracious were a humble â—â—vert the objection should be more savoury yet not sounder O if I had more grace I would labour and run more is a contradictory speech in the sluggard One spece desires not to be turned into another nor does a natural man desire to be a convert Luke 14. 16 17 18 19. Natural men wish physical influences of God but they hate moral holiness Natural men love independency and hate to be under the Lord 's governing influences He that uses not a less power or gift of two degrees for God would not use a power of ten degrees for God as is cleared in instances of 1. Wisedom 2. Power of Magistracy 3. Of old age 4. Riches 5. Habit of grace c. Riches cannot add mercifulâ—ess to men The Objection opened If I had had the grace of David I would not have acted the wickedness which David acted The Objection had I more grace I would be more gracious may be retorted Faith and Grace doe not depend upon extraordinary means and teachers sent from hell and we are much deceived thinking Had we more grace we should be more gracious If free will be weak in the improving a natural power it will be so in the improving of supernatural grace Mr. Fenner's Wilful impenitency pag. 80. There is an extolling of nature in this had I more grace I would be more holy for I and self is separated from Christ The carnal Objection If God gave stronger influences I should be more holy is a sinful complaining against Soveraignty 2. Against infinite wisedom what a depth is here 3. The Objection is against the freedom of grace The Objection chargeth the holy Lord with envy The objection chargeth the holy Lord with unrighteousness It chargeth God with male-government It strives with holy providence in the point of original sin How we wish to be from under sin original and how not God ties us to his own way of removing of sin not to our empty wishing that it were removed What sort of influences we are to seek from God The using of means is an approved way of God How reformation of life goes not before remission as Mr. Baxter saith Some violently bâ—ought in to know Christ some more mildly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 John not under the same dispensation with Peter Jonah strong in his passions Eliah's temper The Old Testament dispensations and the New are compared together and their differences 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Various kinds of desertions Various kinds of desertions on the Lord 's redeemed Whether by prayer or any other way we may wrestle out from under God's desertions To deprecate the anger of God how laudable how not Influences are given of God to various temptations It is a gracious temper to weep when the Lord is absent or angry A soveraignty in the Lord 's hearing or not hearing Strive not with soveraignty Divers kinds of striving with soveraignty Deadness and desertion may be on one way and much of God in other actings 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 impegit offendit pede Christs absence is sometimes as good as his presence We are not to strive with the Law Sometime we may pray against the decree of God but it s never lawful to resist his commanding will It s good to answer every impression of his word 1 Pet. 1. 23. The new-birth We may weep over our own dry hearts when we want influences but we cannot weep against the Lord because he gives not these influences We are to meet all conditions of life with closing with his holy dispensation Luke 21. 12 17. Now we cannot prevent God The Lord strongly bows free will We are to pray for our own prayers There is no warrant for us not to act because God is Lord of our actings How we are to doe though God only work in us to doe The Word is the rule of doing the Spirit the real efficient cause How the Lord can lay by a command supernatural duties on men impotent and dead in sin We may use the loco-motive faculty in hearing and God convert men beyond their intention Gospel-commands stand well with divine justice Pelagius to heighten this said if our inability to obey be a punishment it s not a sin and if a sin it s no punishment for punishment cures sin Augustin de natura gratia cap. 29. Quid amplius dicam inquit Pelagius non ipse Augustinus ut pessime Jesuitae nisi quia potest credi quod ignes ignibus extinquuntur si credi potest quod peccata peccatis curentur Now we may believe said the Pelagians that fire may be extinguished by fire if sin be cured by sin and if God command both obedience and our impotency to obey be both a sin and a punishment so Julianus a disciple grosser then the master August lib. 5. contra Julian c. 4. So Pelagians taught that the godly before Moses Law were saved by the law of nature Epist ad Demetrium Hac lege naturae verba Pelagii sunt usi sunt omnes quos inter Adamum atque Mosem sancte vixisse atque placuisse Deo Scriptura commemorat August l. 2. imperfect operis cont Julianum Quid timetis magnum populum Christi Judicium magnum non timetis aperte dicite justificari natura justificari lege possumus gratis mortuus est Christus lib. 2. cont Juli c. 8. Epistol 95. Serm. 36. de verbis Domini Non solum ad facienda verumetiam ad perficienda mandata divina per liberum arbitrium humana sufficit natura Tu nos fecisti homines justos autem ipsi nos fecimus Aug. l. de Gestis Pelag. c. 14. Lib. 4. ad Bonefac c. 11. l. 2. imperf operis l. de spiritu litera c. 1. Pelagius l. 2. de lib. arb apud August l. de grat Christi c. 4. Nos sic tria ista distinguimus certum velut in ordinem digesta partimur priâ—o loco posse Cornel Jansen tom 1. de haeresi Pelag. l. 4. c. 13. p. 87. esse sine peccato statuimus secundo velle tertio esse primum illud id est posse ad Deum proprie pertinet qui illud creaturae suae contulit Duo vero reliqua hoc est velle esse ad hominem referenda sunt quia de arbitrii fonte descendunt Q What power of believing we want In what sense the Lord may charge men to believe who now in Adam have losed power of believing
comfortable necessity which lies on Christ to confer influences of grace Influences not fundamental not simply necessary Influences of grace for the habit of saving grace and influences for a gift How we may know when we act pray or hear c. from a gift and when we act from a grace Some pray from a meer gift when they mistakingly imagine they pray from the saving habit of grace the mistake is habitual in hypocrites only actual hic nunc in sound Believers Grace sanctifies the gift used in all due and spiritual circumstances but the gift can never fanctifie grace The same word but not the same influences act upon all within the visible Church We are not to rest upon the actings from a gift but watchfully to try when we act from a gift and when we act from a grace Calvin praelect in Jerem. 15. 18. distinguendum inter ipsam doctrinam quae pura fuit inter ipsos homines prophetas nunc autem dum in seipsum descendit propheta fatetur se agitari multis cogitationibus quae carnis infirmitatem redoleant nec careant omni vitio Differences betwixt the influences of grace and these of glory The habit of grace is a permanent disposition The habit of grace is given through the merit and grace of Christ From the habit of grace we perform suitable actings Vital actions flow from supernatural habits The differences of the habit of grace from other habits We are to follow holy resolutions with prayer 2. Godly trembling and 3. Faith The falshood of vowes A strong habit of grace produces easy and connatural and strong acts of grace Actions supernatural and influences suitable are some way due to the habit of grace Sometimes the habit of grace is qualified with heavenly dispositions We should pursue the dispositions of grace when they are added to the habit with spiritual actings We are to stir up the habit of grace thoughâ— deadned The Lord by insusing the habit of grace comes under some necessity to give suitable influences thereunto Divers necessities under which the Lord is to confer influences of grace Christ advocates for the elect yet not converted to bring them in to himself John 17. 6 9 10. The Spirits office puts him under a necessity of giving influences Vses from the Lords necessity of giving gracious influences First to frame doubts about predestination tâ— life and to miss eternall love before we miss inherent saving grace is Satans method Whether the habit of grace may cease in the regenerate from all its operations The habit of grace is not eternal The habit of grace ceaseth not How many acts we may bring out of the habit of grace There is a consenting to the temptation which is a wishing that our lust and Gods Law might both stand and a virtual wishing that the Law of God had never had being Eight evidences that in the regenerate the saving habit of grace never ceaseth from omitting some influences What dispositions spiritual are and how they differ from the habits of grace Get heavenly dispositions and influences follow connaturally Dispositions are not ever alike but various and changeable Evidences that dispositions goe and come Spiritual dispositions are different from the affections There are heaven'y dispositions in the as well as in the affections Bad spiritual dispositions creep on on the children of God There is some acting and life under much deadness in the â—egenerate Many sweet spiritual actings may be under indispositions No agreement betwixt these two champions the flesh and the Spirit It 's fit to go about duties under indispositions Less of sweet real influences and more of moral influences from the word makes obedience the more perfect We can tell the actings of the spirit when they are on and after they are over and gone Differences betwixt spiritual heart-burnings of the love of Christ and literal heat 1. Difference Feeling may be stronger after actings of the spirit are gone 〈◊〉 Difference Spiritual â—arning of heart leaves some impression◠〈◊〉 which literal heat 〈…〉 〈…〉 4. Difference There is sweet leading no violence spiritual in heart-burnings for Christ it s not so in the literaâ— heart 5. Difference The heavenly beat goes along with the Scriptures open and applied not so the literal heat Hence considerable differences betwixt motions of the Spirit and loose Ensiasms Literal heat is all upon the letter and forms not so as the spiritual heat David was Ps 119. and a believer may be under some straitning A true and a false missing What straitning is and whence it is Divers sorts of straitnings Rules to be free of straitning and to get enlargement of spirit Every heaviness is not weakness of faith How far we may undertake obedience upon supposal of grace How dispositions necessarily fetch influences We have not assurance to be delivered from sin hic nunc How we are to rely on God for influences What enlarging of heart David speaks of Psal 119. 32. We cannot engage in our strength or habitual grace to run in the ways of the Lord. Isa 63. 17. O Lord why hast thou made us to erre c. opened What use we are to make of our inability to run except God enlarge the heart How men naturally complain of sin original We do not so much as by strength of nature we may do and we add to our own lameness and unjustly complain of God for our sinful impotency The Spirit as the Spirit lays no obligation on us but to move in Scriptural duties No violence but from our selves hinders us to believe God loves using of external meanes pro tanto How farre we may act to fetch the wind and to get influences Branches of enlargedness of heart Mr. Leigh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 active eructare evomere tanquam ebrium Metaph. depromere producere Influences on Angels and the glorified ones Many straitned and dead ones reproved Prayer begets heavenly dispositions to pray and heavenâ—y dispositions to pray beget prayer and faith c. Holy acts beget holy acts and holy dispositions beget holy dispositions The Lord so frames his precepts and promises as our actings are suitably required to his influences The differences of the 1 Spiritual state 2 Of the temper 3 Of the condition What Davids present disposition was The doubling of words or sentences noteth certainty 2. Addition of assurance 3. Freeness of affection It 's fit to make an eike to the holiness of influences which the Lord offerâ— to us We may speak to God and profess in prayer the sincerity of our heart to God and the causes why It 's hard to guide well grace and glory so long as sin dwells in us The Lords giving of grace laies bands on him to give more grace and to add new influences to old What a heart the repenting thief and what an heart Hezekiah brought out before the Lord in his dying 2. Property of holy dispositions Dispositions spiritual are seeds of holy actings Zeal
that the Lord is to be blamed for my non-conversion Our sinfull will not not the Lord's refusal of a power is the culpable cause of our non-conversion The sinful cannot School-men make conversion to Christ the purchase of free will the absurdity thereof Sin original must be pardoned to Pagans in Christs blood of which they never heard say Dominicans Dominicans gross as Jesuits in the matter of grace and free will Cumel dico quinto Deus quantum in se paratus est aâ— dandum omnibus gratiam suam ad vocandum omnes adultos juxta illud Deus vult omnes salfâ—eri ac proinde dicitur communiter quod in potestate cujusvis hominis est salvari quia potest habere per divinum auxilium non quidem ex merito aut dispositione sua aut quia ex innatis viribus aut naturae conatibus ex lege obligetur Deus ad danda auxilia gratiae primam vocationem seu gratiam proveniâ—â—tem sed ex liberali magnisica largitione dei providentis Mat. 11. venite ad me omnes Ib. Qua-propter si homo peccator ita se gereret vitamtra duceret ut nullum novum impedimentum gratiae adhiberet aut obicem nullumque obstaculum tunc auxilium gratiae verè reciperet â—on quidem ex debito sed ex dei largitione qua ipse est ad omnium ostium pulsat unde non ponenti obicem cernimus Deum dare gratiam Conc. trid sess 6. 11. 13. Deus neminem deserit nisi prius deseratur ab ipso sed per hoc nihil tribuitur homini sed tantum quod possit illam gratiam impedire per peccatum vel quod possit vitare peccatum contra legem naturae quo possit illum impedire Prosper epist ad Aug. de Massiliensibus vide Jansenium cap. 18. ib. lib. 12. just c. 13. ad capessenda tam magnifica tamque praecelsa paritatis integritatis praemia quantuslibet jejuniorum vigiliarum lectionis solitudinis ac remotionis labor fuerit impensus condignus esse non poterit qui hoc industriae suae merito vel laboris obtineat Hilarius Epist dicunt hominem ad hanc gratiam qua in Christo renascimur pervenire posse per naturalem scilicet facultatem petendo quaerndo pulsando ut ideo accipiat ideo inveniat ideo introeat quia bono naturae bene usus ad istaÌ„ salvanteÌ„ gratiam initialis gratiae ope meruerit per venire Corn. Jans de haeres pela l. 8. c. 18. Item posse hominem exterrita supplici voluntate velle sanari supplex enim illa voluntas nihil est aliud quam voluntas ex fide supplicans deo pro sanitate et siquid fides non justificatorum petendo mereatur impetrationis quam meriti potius rationem habet unde cum in errore Massiliensium haereret Augustinus frequenter meriti rationem quam in fide oratione collocabat per impetrationem exponit putans inquit Augustinus lib. de praed 5. 5. c 3. fidem non esse donum dei sed à nobis esse in nobis per illam nos impetrare dei dona item ut per illam daretur quod posceremus utiliter Jansen in Aug. tom 1. lib. 8. c. 18. Vnde possit ratio reddi electorum rejectorum sive cur unus prae alio assumatur deo viz. sic habente occasionem sive colorem cur non irrationabiliter ut Cassilianus Coll. 13. loquitur sive caeco quasi modo irrefragabili aliqua constitutione inconsulta hominis voluntate gratiam salvantem uni prae aliis largiretur Hilarius in Epist ad August Prosp Epist ad August Qui autem credituri sunt quive in ea fide quae deinceps per dei gratiam sit juvanda mansuri sunt praestitisse ante mundi constitutionem There may be much seeking and using of mâ—ans and no influences Using of means would be in humility Influences not entertained breed loathâ—ng of the Gospel We may maâ—â—e influences of grace The order of the Lord in conferring of influences A confluence of heavenly influences at one time and in one work Resisting of the Word hinders not influences Refusing of Ordinances hâ—nders not influences Despising and persecuting of the Prophets obstruct influences Resisting of the operations of the Spirit is â—o obstruct influenences Praying and praising promove the Spirits influences Hardning of the heart obstructs influences Not profiting by means obstructs influences Remaining in nature obstructs influences Actings of bitterness wrath malice â—ancor sadden the spirit Influences of the spirit are contempered according to the habit of grace Sorrow worldly obstruct influences 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 We cannot expeditely change our spirit from carnal dispositions to spiritual but the Spirit can go and come with great celerity How the soul is under plenty of means and possibly sweet dispositions and yet under scarcity of influences These are together often praying and actual influences and dâ—ties and influences the former according to the Lord's will of precept the latter according to his will of pleasure are interwoven all along Psal 119. Of the sweet nearness betwixt love of the word and the word hid in the heart Psalm 119. v. 11. and spiritual influences Of the word hidden in the heart Felt deliverance wants not influences As the light of faith and softness easily admits an influence of grace so hardnessâ—s and rockineâ—s hardly receive any such impression 2. Vnbelief obstructs influences Influences of grace do no violence to the rational power of nilling and willing 3. Deadness hinders influences 4. Security obstructs influences 5. Atheism obstructs influences 6. The hearts unconstancy doth much obstruct the influences of God 7. Heart-deceitfulness obstructs influences 8. Pride obstructs influences humility capacitates to receive them 9 Worldly mindedness obstructs influences and heavenly mindedness promoves it 10. Fiery bastard zeal hinder influences 11. An unclean heart cannot receive influences of the Spirit 12. Malice and bitterness obstructs the influences of God 13. Worldy sorrow obstructs influences 14. False joy obstructs influences 15. Self-love obstructs influences 16. Ignorance of the Gospel and hatred of Christ obstruct the influences of the Spirit 17. Wrestling against providence obstruct the influences of God God by his influences first acts and we in the same moment of time follow him and act under him and no violence is here 18. Heavenly thoughts and spiritual consideration draw along heavenly influences as earthly and unclean thoughts extinguish influences All actings of grace go thorow the channel of a sanctified judgement which wants not influences of grace Our drawing on of sinful dispositions Keep the oyl of the Spirit clean if you would have heavenly influences to fall on the Spirit We are to act both morally and physically with the Spirit Pâ—ayers conclude not Soveraignty Heretical light hinders the spirits breathings A corrupt will hinders the spirits breathings Hating of grace and of Christ hinders influences Divers actings of the spirit in the spouse sick of love for Christ in Solomon's song of songs speak and hold forth influences of the spirit Hating of Christ Soul-loathing of God obstructs influences The Spirit gives influences where there is no knowledge Influences of the spirit are connatural to the spiritual man Where there is soul-desiring of God there be many influences Sensuality and influences of the spirit cannot be together Spiritual joy speaks strong influences Literal crying should not exceed the impulsion of the spirit within Godly sorrow may help influences How hope and audacity promove or hinder influences One affection counter-works another and hinders faith Moral acting cannot avail us without real influences of the spirit Frequent acts of faith promove influences of the spirit Hope promoves influences Sinful boldness obstructs influences Anger hindereth influences How Elisha could not prophesie by reason of anger A meek spirit is a fit work-house of influences instanced in the man Christ in Meses John Vnbelieving fear an impediment of influences The Lord seekâ— not our consent to the first infusion of a new heart We are maried to Christ before we câ—â—sent to the mariage The Lord determines free-will and does no violence to it We are inexcusable in not doing our duty though the Lord deny his necessary influence God acts in all both by the immediate influence of his power and of his peâ—son The Lord particularly leads his own Two sorts of causes one in fieri for the producing of and giving being to a thing another in facto esse for the preserving of the same thing in being God is both wayes the cause of gracious actings The right missing of influences is to miss influences special The giving of the heart to God We are more our own by law and lesse our own by the Gospel Christ cares more for his own body then the members care for themselves Christs care is now rather more when he is glorified then less
not from the spirit and often the meer office and the letter not the spirit prays and preacheth out of the man it 's far from that praying Rom. 8. 26. And learn to discern the literal fair influences in praying in the flesh and the sweet calm fiery also and spiritual paining influences of love-sicknesse Cant. 5. 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 c. 10. Conversing with spiritual men born of the spirit of the same Father John 5. John 3. 1 John 3. 14. Psal 119. 63. with Elias leaning on Christ's bosome in whom is fulnesse of the spirit declares a spiritual man None of the Disciples saw more spiritual and glorious visions then John in the book of the Revelation he would have desired to lean on and dwell in Christ's heart as in his bosome Brethren love one another the common nature and spirit of their Father dwels in them Fowls of the same feathers and colours haunt together Drunkards malignants swearers love to be together beware of wearying to haunt with the spirit and spiritual men and to loath a spiritual Ministery and to look upon spiritual doctrine as upon fancies If it be so with you you shall back to the flesh-pots of Egypt again it s a living near to the fountain to haunt much with the Saints and as the streams are one in the well so do the streams run in the same channel and love to stick together Natures of the same kind lambs with lambs love to live together Psal 119. 13. I am a companion of all them that fear thee and of them that keep thy Precepts A part of the Air keeps its being best in the whole Element whereas a part of the Air is corrupted in the bowels of the Earth where it is out of its own Element a part of water is best preserved in being in the element of water put it in a pit or hole of the earth it 's alone and it becomes rotten and unsavoury The Saints keep their spiritual being with the excellent ones in whom is all their delight Psal 16. 2. as being in their own element and no wonder if it be their woe to dwell long in Mesech and in Kedars tents with such as hate peace Psal 120. 5 6. Psal 57. 4 10. nor is this to flatter such as separate from Christ and his Ordinances nor to say Stand by thy self come not near me for I am holier then thou Isa 65. 5. and yet they themselves remain among the graves and lodge in the monuments Be rather frequenting Hospitals of sick ones making it your work to gain many it 's like to Christ Luke 16. 6 7 10. Matth. 9. 10 11 12 13. Luke 15. God ordinarily showers influences and promiseth influences to the flocking together of the godly and the pouring of his spirit on them Jer 50. 4 5 6. Zech. 8. 21 22 23. Mal. 3. 16. and two speaking of Christ Jesus himself comes in as third man Luke 24. 15 16 17 c. and as if they were the fit soyl he rains down influences of warmness and burning of heart on them while he opens the Scriptures to them v. 32. see Acts 2. 1 2 3 c. Joh. 20. 19. It 's a spiritual condition to talk of spiritual purposes when the well is full it must run over when there is a treasure and abundance in the heart the spirit comes to the tongue in Zachariah and Simeon Luke 2. 25 27. and grace seeths and boyls up to the tongue when the conceptions of the King Christ are the good matter indited by the heart Psal 45. 1. so to be filled with the spirit Ephes 5. 18 19. saith Paul speaking to your selves in Psalms and Hymns and spiritual songs Giving thanks always for all things to God is the spirit's work in his abundant influences There is a spirit in men seen in language the sea-man talks of winds the husband-man of oxen and plowing the souldier of battels and wounds and the shepherd of flocks and the spiritual man of Christ redemption imputed righteousness and as the pilgrims heart and the pilgrims tongue the pilgrims thoughts are all upon his way and his home so is the spiritual man much upon Eternity Heaven Christ for the three noble Conferrers the transfigured man Christ glorified Moses and Elias speak of the celebrious heavenly subject the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and out-going of Christ when he was to leave the world The man hath been full of God who could not refrain from speaking of the Lord's testimonies before Kings and Princes have no great list to hear but of State matters of conquering new Kingdoms Psal 119. 46. the rotten unsavoury worldly and carnal speeches of many bewray how little of the spirit is within them It was Christ who had the fulness of the anointing of the spirit within him Psal 48. 8. I delight to doe thy will O my God thy law is within my heart In Sea and Land and House and Field by the way side journeying at every table when he should have eaten he made good that word ver 9. I have preached righteousness in the great Congregation lo I have not refrained my lips thou knowest O Lord. 10. I have not hid thy righteousnesse within my heart I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation I have not concealed thy loving kindness from the great Congregation Influences of grace are required for this as pag. 45. PART III. Influences of Grace CHAP. I. Of divers sorts of Influences HAving formerly spoken of Influences of grace in general we are now to descend to more specials Hence these particulars 1. Some influences are from Satan some from God 2. The way of Satans influences 3. It s lawful to dispute with Hereticks instruments of Satan but not lawful to dispute with Satan 4. Christ sought neither the Tempter nor the temptation 5. Some influences are natural some supernatural 6. Some moral some Physical 7. Some Prophetical some not 8. Some publick on the Church some personal 9. Some influences are given for the habit of grace or gifts some for the act some for both 10. Some proper to the head Christ some for the members 11. Some influences are fundamental some not 12. Some influences are given for saving graces actings some for the actings of a gift 13. Differences between acting of grace and acting of gifts 14. Some influences are viatorum of such as are in the way to their countrey some are comprehensorum of perfected ones some of grace some of glory For the fuller opening of the Doctrine of Influences some influences are from Satan some from God Influences from God are both moral when he commands good and forbids evil and real and physical in that all move in him as the first cause and mover in operations of nature 2. of grace 3. of glory But Satan being no Master or Lord of providence hath no real stirring in second causes his actings upon angel or mens soules are not physical but
only moral or tempting actings or hellish inspirations inductive to sin and it 's no small mercy that the Prince and God of a lost world who by permission acteth really on the air earth and waters yet hath no power of immediate real or physical acting upon minde will affection and conscience he having only a borrowed key and at the second hand power to suit the heart by fancy senses and outward objects 1 Kings 22. 22. John 13. Acts 5. 3. Some one way or other the court-gate of Achabs heart of Judas of Ananias and Sapphira lie open to Satans scout-watches It were safer to watch and fear then to dispute how that subtle Spirit can blow up the lock and get in for he knows not what is in a mans spirit The spirit of a man is under God the onely keeper of this castle and knows rooms doors and what is within 1 Cor. 2. 11. But devils lying about the out-works the senses the fancie and the imagination which is a material house and hath doors windows and entries passible to devils he can here blow the bellows and kindle iron works There be two wayes to know the secrets that are done in a cabinet-camber 1. Satan can send in posts with letters and write his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his wiles to the heart This is one way of putting it in the heart of Judas to betray Christ by sending his mind and will through the fancie to the heart and the fancy being set on work by the will and understanding can carry the missive letter else how could the Lord rebuke the sin of actual imaginations as he doth Jer. 9. 4. Jer. 13. 10. Jer. 18. 11 12. Nah. 2. 11. 2. The heart can write back an answer of the missive letters and print it on the fancy We know there is fire in the house by the smoke that comes out at the chimney A man may speak out at a window to another Satan conveyed by the serpents tongue and by Evahs eyes the living thoughts of a Godhead growing on the tree and can send in a word of a message to the heart All these will I give thee if thou wilt fall down and worship me And thou shalt have thirty pieces of silver if thou wilt deliver up the Lord to us and from the sons of disobedience he gets a return he knew what Achab should answer to the 400 Prophets and heard that Thou shalt goe and also prevail And reason would say since all Satans prevailings have these two 1. A commission sought and obtained to tempt Job c. 1. and as particular as if written as is clear v. 12. Or a sentence of the great Judge to punish sin 1 Kings 22. 20 21 22 23. 2 Sam. 24. 1. It may appear that the lictor and executioner though he know not the heart and the thoughts of the Judge directly yet he knows his own written commission and what sentence he is to execute and what mischief he shall doe 1 Kings 22. 22. as the executioner knows whether the sentence bear heading or hanging 2. Ananias is blamed for Satans lye that he put in his heart Why hath Satan filled thy heart it's like there were a good many seeming arguments moved by Satan to promote the work in Ananias to lye to the holy Ghost Then though Satans knocking and active tempting be not our sin for our Saviour was tempted by Satan yet without sin yet he hath so access to to the heart as our yielding and being passively tempted with any degree of inclination to the tempation is our sin 3. Neither may we dispute or racket arguments with Satan Object We may dispute with Hereticks and convince them though they be Satans instruments Tit. 1. 9. Tit. 3. 10. and the blind man John 9. hold up a dispute in defence of Christ against the Pharisees therefore we may dispute with Satan himself Answ Men to whose ears the Gospel comes are to be gained by the power of the truth 2 Tim. 2. 24 25. We are commanded to confess Christ before men not before devils This end is not attainable in the fallen Angels therefore Christ rebukes Satans confessing of him Luke 4. 34 35. Obj. Christ holds up dispute with Satan Matth. 4. Answ We are to follow what is ordinary in Christs disputing that is to reject Satans temptations not brutishly and irrationally that is not victory over Satan by the light of faith but by evidence of Scripture and must refuse to yield to the temptation and refuse in faith 2. There is something extraordinary in this which we cannot follow for the second Adam here as Mediator carries the person of all the tempted ones as the first Adam did represent all his and gives a proof that he is Michael stronger then the Dragon and that all the tempted seed are by faith to rely on the strength of the tempted Saviour 3. Nor did Christ hold up or entertain the dispute with Satan he only gave one simple answer to every temptation It is written Nor had the dispute 1. It s rise from Christ Christ is rather a patient for our instruction then an agent as touching the rise of the temptation for Matthew saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the tempter came unto him then Christ fetched neither the tempter nor the temptation or dispute 2. Satan brought him to the holy city Matth. 4. 5. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Satan set him on a pinacle of the Temple v. 8. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Devil took him unto an exceeding high mountain and shewed him all the kingdomes of the world Then did not the man Christ goe as from himself to the pinacle of the Temple nor to the exceeding high mountain to fetch and bring on himself the temptation or the dispute See Luke 4. 5 6 7 8. Yea Divines think he submitted that his holy body should be so far acted upon by Satan So Mark 1. 12. the Spirit drives him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 casteth him violently to the desart Evah entertains a dialogue with Satan 1. Speaks by way of complaining of God 2. And doubtingly of the Lords word of threatning Gen. 3. Saul the 1 Sam. 28. seeketh after Satan and makes a journey to him Some influences of God are 1. upon the act yet so as they are willingly received by us 2. Though they be terminated upon the material act under trangression yet is there neither moral warrant nor perswasion to the sinfulness from the Lord but the contrary But when the influence is to gracious acts there are many strong allurements from precept promise threatning to move us to close with the gracious act and virtually with the real influence 3. Satans influences are to shameful acts to walking naked 2. To bloody delusions to kill the children to Molech 3. To unwarrantable delusions to lay aside Scripture and walk in the dark attending on unwritten dreams 2 Divis Some influences of God are ordinis
repentance before justification Doubts and reasons against Mr. Baxter 's new remedying Law of grace made to all mankind Vniversal Redemption extols nature and free will and makes a moral swasion which heals not nature all the grace that the Gospel owns 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 August lib. 1. ad Bonif. c. 15. Julian Sic nos dicimus liberum arbitrium in omnibus esse naturaliter nec Adae peccato peâ—ire poâ—uisse quod scripturarum omnium authoritate firmatur Lib 2. imperf oper fol. 133. Liberum arbitrium inquiunt Pelagâ—ani post peccaâ—a tam plenum est quam fuit ante peccata Pelagius lib. 1. de lib. a b. apud August c. 18. Habemus possibilitatem utrisuque partis à Deo insitam velut quandam ut ita dicam radicem fractiferam atque soecundam quae ex voluntate hominis diversa gigâ—at pariâ—t quae possit ad propâ—ium culto is arbitri un vâ—l nitere flore virtutum vel sentibus horrere vitiorum Lib. 1. impeâ—f oper fol. 381. Hanc voluntatem concupiscentium ante peccatum in Paradiso fuisse res illa declarat non potuit esse fructus peccati In Epist ad Demetr Pelagius Est enim in animis nostris quaedam ut ita dixerim sanctitas quae velut in arce animi praesidens exercet mali bonique judicium ut honestis rectisque artibus faver ita sinistra opera condemnat August de gratia Christi c 10. Pelag us operatur in nobis velle quod bonum est vâ—lâ—e quod sanctum est dum nos c. futurae gloriae magnitudine praemiorum pollicita ione succendit dum revelatione sapientiae in defiderium Dei stupentem su scitat voluntatem dum nobis suadet omne quod bonum est August Epist ad patres Milesitaâ—os tribuit Pelagianis quod ad omnia vitae perficienda mandata sola tantumodo libertate contenderemus August 9. 9. Veteris N. Test q. 3. Deus bonus qui fecit existere quod non exstiterat justus quia quaecunque fecit ut proficerent propriae libertatis arbitrio dimissa sunt quia tamen non tam perfecta sunt ut labi non possent seminaria his legis inesse decrevit naturaliter addens auxilia manifesia legis ut authoritas ejus perfecta esset hominibus Ja. Arm. disp priv 8. th 4. Sim. Episcop Remons in conf sua c 1. sect 14. Remon in Apol. c. 1. fo 33. Potest homo absque gratia Spiritus sancti sensus Scripturae quantum sufficit ad salutem intelligere nec opus est superinfusa potentia in intellectu sufficit sola literalis Evangelii oblatio Corvinus Arminii sectator con Til. c. 12. pa. 48. Diximus nos credere per renovationem spiritus praevia renovatione mentis affectuum voluntatem quoque mutari renovari ex mala bonam fieri Corv. con Moli c. 32. S. 23. 13. Primo itaque volumus per gratiam mentem illuminantem cor hoc est affectus reformantem effici bonos actus five fidei five conversionis per actus autem habitus acquiri per quos rursus cum fidei adjutorio actus eliciuntur Corvinus contra Tilenum c. 6. pag. 234. 235. Tria praecipue manserunt in homine post lapsum quae ipsum capacem novi foederis capacem faciunt 1. Reliquiae imaginis Dei quas Dens ex gratia in homine reliquit 2. Mansisse libertatem ad bonum malum prout intellectus monstraverit 3. Mansisse in illo affectum naturalem ad illud omne de siderandum quod sibi bouum esse intelligit Remon in scriptis Synod art 4. pag. 164. Cum homines irregeniti dicuntur caeci in tenebris positi nihil aliud denotat quam rerum divinarum voluntatis salvificae ignaros nescios ac proinde et am à Dei timore aliencs at ex eo nihil aliud concludi potest quam eos indigere clara veritatis propositione ut scientiam consequantur Remon in scrip Syn. art 3. 4. pag. 6. Ad voluntatem quod attinet de ea ita pronunciamus in statu irregenerationis non habere ad volendum â—llum bonum salutare Hoc confiâ—mant argumento Pelagio digno neque enim voluntas id velle potest quod in illo statu intellectus scire non potest unde fit ut affectus quoque dessituti speciali Spiritus sancti gratia renovatione bonum ullum quod vere salvificum appetere non possunt quare libertatem volendi indifferenter tam bonum salutare quam malum in statu lapsus voluntati ad esse negamus quia potius liberum arbitrium ad bona hujusmodi non modo vulneratum sauciatum infirmatum inclinatum attenuatum est sed raptivum perdiâ—um amissum ejusque vires non modo debilitatae cassae nisi restaurentut à gratia sed planae nullae hoc illi sed nihil sani Remon Synod art 3. 4. pag. 7. quare cum ante lapsum intellectus primorum parentem nosset quod bonum esset salutare quod malum in lapsu boni salutaris salvifici cognitione destituta mens nequaquam illud ut volendum voluntati monstrare potuit nec voluntas illud velle libertatem itaque potentiam volendi tam bonum salutare quam malum non habuit eam tamen libertatem quae homini essentialis est retinuit Nihil sani hic nulla est intrinseca laesio in voluntate per lapsum nulla ablatio potentiae bonum ab intellectu monstratum amplectendi Sic Jesuita Suarez tom de grat c. 8. prolog 4. n. 14. Per peccatum originale nulla ignorantia pravae dispositionis in nos transfunditur sed sola ignorantia negationis privationis quatenus nascimur sine fide sine ullo habitu vel per se vel per accidens infuso sine ulla specie vel principio cognoscendi praeter nudam potentiam intelligendi eam autem ignorantiam vel nescientiam haberet homo creatus in puris naturalibus Jesuita Martinez de Ripalda de ente supernaturali lib. 1. di p. 4. sect 3. 11. 21. Bonitas possibilitas objecti supernaturalis voluntati proposita sufficit excitare in voluntate desiderium ex se absolutum efficax quid desideraret hic Pelagius Nihil prorsus videat lector quaeso in 2. Thom. tract de graâ— q. 1. seq Gab. Vasq in 12. tom h. disp 91. c. 2. seq Phil. Gamach 12. q. 109. c. 4. Alphons Curiel 12. q. 189. art 2. dub ult The Law teacheth but healeth not Our formality in praying and in going about other means How nature begins and the spirit acteth on and with our literal acting Some truth we must first physically hear and consider before we believe Though it be true If God had given me efficacious grace I should have been converted yet doth it not follow therefore I am not the culpable cause of my non-conversion or