Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	faith_n	grace_n	work_v	7,291	5	7.3947	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A46809	The blind guide, or, The doting doctor composed by way of reply to a late tediously trifling pamphlet, entituled, The youngling elder, &c., written by John Goodwin ... : this reply indifferently serving for the future direction of the seducer himself, and also of those his mis-led followers, who with him are turned enemies to the word and grace of God : to the authority of which word, and the efficacie of which grace are in this following treatise, succinctly, yet satisfactorily vindicated from the deplorably weak and erroneous cavills of the said John Goodwin in his late pamphlet / by William Jenkyn ...	Jenkyn, William, 1613-1685.	1648 (1648)	Wing J645; ESTC R32367	109,133	166

than mine for that grace which the Apostle attributes to God Yo. Eld. p. 56. Phil. 2.13 You say It s a greater act of grace to forgive the sins of one who knowes how to d●well and yet d●th evill than to forgive the sins of him that hath no fower to do well the latter is Mr. Jenkin his sinner the sormer mine Ergo quid therefore your opinion leaves a larger place for that grace which the Apostle attributes to God in working to will and to do Phil. 2.13 1. Whether now Sir have we a wandring Jew or a wandring John you are quite gone from the question we were disputing about the grace of conversion and the Apostle was asserting this and now you flye to the grace of remission It s not this latter that the Apostle in this place Phil. 2.13 attributes to God he speaks not of God pardoning the evill which we have done but of giving the will to do that good which of our selves we cannot do And by the way I cannot but observe your perfect conformity with Pelagius one spirit acts you both Sic Oculos sic ille manus sic ora forebat just so and so with eyes Gra●iam Dei quae neque lex est neque natura in hoc tantum valere ut peccata praeterita dimittantur nou ut futura vitentur c. Quis me liberab● à reatu peccatorum meorum quae commisi cum vitare potuissem Contr. Jul. l. 1. f. 85. hands face he acted Pelagius said that the grace of God which was neither Law nor nature onely did serve for the remission of former sins not for the avoyding of future sins c. So Julian the Pelagian expou●ds that place who shall deliver me from this body of death i. e. Who saith he shall deliver me from the guilt of my sins which I have committed when as I could have avoyded them 2. In proposing the object of this grace a sinner you deale unworthily in concealing both what your self hold and what I hold for your sirner is one that wants no ability either in his understanding to know the things of God or in his will to embrace them the grace he wants is onely outward light for the understanding and morall perswasion for the will which is left to its owne choice whether it will embrace what is offered it or no and when it hath received all from God there 's a possibility of non-conversion Yo. Eld p. 65. whereas my sinner is one that is in spirituall things starke blinde that neither knowes nor is able to receive the things of God that in his will is wholly unable to embrace them this inability arising from his p●avity and lusts which have put out his eyes and made him an Enemy to God so that he hates light and reformation and the grace that I stand for is such as renewes the understanding and changes the will not onely by affording light and perswasion but by an infallibly effectuall power And now let any judge whether of these is the more miserable sinner whether of these the more glorious worke of grace you will have grace for the accommodation and facilitation of the work I maintaine it to be simply necessary Your sinner is but in a sleep and may ●ossibly awake of himself mine is dead and cannot live but by the power of grace 2. You say Yo. Eld. p. 57. For God to give a man strength and power to beleeve twice over or after a forfeiture made by sin of the first donation is an act of more grace than to confer them onely once and that without any such provocation Master Jenkins opinion leaves place only for the latter act of grace whereas my opinion makes rome for the former To say nothing of your non-sence in this passage Answ here is abominable falshood Do I deny that God gives a man strength to beleeve twice over I have ever taught that God created man in his owne image in all the faculties of his soule which when man had defaced and lost and thereby infinitely provoked God that God of his infinite goodnesse by the power of his Word and spirit of grace doth renew in man that image giving him not onely ability to repent and beleeve if he will but working in him to will and to do according to his good pleasure giving repentance and being the ●●thor and finisher of our faith 5. I having demanded of you how this your position upon the improvement of nature a man may attaine to such a conviction upon which saving conversion alwayes followes agrees with that of the Apostle 1 Cor. 4.7 Who maketh thee to differ from another And I having said that Master Goodwins answer to this question of the Apostle is my self by my improvement of nature 1. You say That these words from another are not in the Originall There it s onely found thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Who makes thee differ subtill Sir can there be any difference if there be none to differ from 2. You demand how your opinion leads you to make such an answer as I put into your mouth Relate your opinion and you shall finde the answer at hand You who say That conversion alwapes followes a conviction abtained by the improvement of nature D. a. p. 200. You who say A naturall man may do such things as whereunto God hath by way of promise annexed grace and acceptation pag. 26. And hold That after every worke of grace the will remaines in equilibrio and may convert or refuse to be converted pag. 52. 65. resolving actuall conversion not into the efficacy of the grace of God pag. 52. but into the compliance of mans will And yet will not say with your friend Episcopius Ego meipsum discrevi I have made my self to differ upon this your forbearance you may be lookt upon as more courteous but by no wise man as lesse hereticall than Episcopias if in your next you will determine this question whether the same grace being afforded to two sinners of the same degree one may be converted and not the other you will haply be better knowne to your selfe in this point Your sixty seventh and sixty eighth Section followes Yo Eld. p. 58. Sect. 67. wherein you proclaime your sinne in the former you say that these words who made thee to differ exclude not the creature from being the cause of its differing in a way of inferiour efficiency and causalty for if it be say you the creature it selfe and not God who beleeveth then is it the creature it selfe and not God which maketh it selfe to differ Answ The Apostle removes all cause of glorying from man and therefore leaves no share in the efficiency of this worke to man 2. The Apostle denyes most vehemently that man hath any thing which he hath not received therefore a man hath not this concurrence of his will with the grace of God It is very true that a man beleeves when he beleeves

Propositions Doth it not cease upon the change of the subject Jesus Christ is to come in the flesh was once a true proposition and the object of the faith of those that lived before Christ his Incarnation but is it so still and is not veritas ethica or the agreement of the judgement or minde with the proposition changeable likewise upon the same ground To your minor whereas you alledge the changeablenesse of all Bibles in the contents of them what meane you by contents meane you inke papers letters c. such changes either pervert the sence and so farre as the Scriptures are thus chang'd they cease to be the written Word or they pervert it not Waleus T. 1. p. 129. Scriptura substanti● non potest corrumpi and if any such changes be they nothing hinder the written Word from being the foundation of faith Sphalmata Typographica Typographicall faults makeerrours in Orthography none in Divinity Your last demonstration Arg. 3 Yo. Eld. p. 36. If the Scripture be the true foundation of Religion it must be understood either of the Scriptures as in the originall Languages only or only as translated into other Languages or as both but the Scriptures neither in the originall Languages nor as translated nor as both are the foundations Ergo I deny your minor and assert the Scriptures as in the originals Answ and also as translated so farre as agreeing with the originals are the foundation 1. How prove you that the Scriptures in the originalls are not the foundation of religion thus If the Scriptures be the foundation as they are in the originall Bibles then they say you that understand not these Languages as illiterate men cannot build upon this foundation for your unworthy scoffe of the danger of my Religion you representing me as one that understands not the originals you may please to know that I am not ignorant of all originals for either concerning your scoffing or your unmannerly jeering Mr. T. G. said lately that you had it from your Father cheap enough it seemes but to the point This cavill is borrowed of your old Masters whom in this point you follow already answered by Anth. Wotton Pop. Artic. Ar. 3 p. 20. and by Baronius against Turnbul de objecto formali fid p. 44. but I answer Illiterate or unlearned men who cannot understand originals Answ nor yet can read translations doe build neverthelesse their saith upon the Scriptures contained in them though mediatly virtually and not with that distinctnesse which one learned doth the unlearned knowing not particularly in what words the minde of God was revealed though you call me a Novice yet let me teach you if at least so plaine a lesson hath not hitherto been learned by you that unto faith there is required Principium quod or the foundation to be beleeved Principium propter quod or the reason why men beleeve the former and media per quae those necessary meanes by which they come to beleeve and these are externall the ministery of the Word and internall the witnesse and effectuall working of the holy Ghost by which the heart is enabled to close with the formall object of faith viz. the revelation of Gods will in writing Now the Ministry of the Word and Spirit are limited to the written Word these teach no other things than God hath revealed therein and perswade not men but God as the Apostle saith Gal. 1.10 so that these lead the most illiterate to the Scriptures and are so administred that they draw the heart even of such to assent to the written Word as that into which their faith is ultimately resolved as the Scriptures abundantly testifie and you can no more conclude from the strangenesse of the originall Languages to those that are illiterate that illiterate persons doe not build their faith upon the written Word contained in them than that one who only understands the English tongue and receives a Letter from his Father in the French tongue for the explaining whereof the Father hath appointed an Interpreter builds not his obedience ultimately upon the writing of his Father though in a strange tongue 2. You endeavour to prove that the Scriptures are not the foundation of Religion as in Translations and Originalls thus If they be this foundation in both those considerations or as well in the one or the other then two things or more specifically differing one from another may notwithstanding be one and the same numeriall thing You should rather have laid your consequence thus Answ then 〈◊〉 subject numerically the same may be the subject of accidents specifically different but you tell me of two suppositions upon which your consequence stands 1. That the foundation of Religion is but one and the same numerically 2. That the Scriptures in severall Languages differ specifically among themselues About the identy of the foundation numerically I shall not contend but how prove you your second supposition viz. That the Scriptures in severall Languages differ specifically you indeavour it thus Two things you say which differ more than numerically differ specifically Now an Hebrew and a Spanish Bible differ more than numerically because they differ more than two Spanish or two Hebrew Bibles differ from one another and yet these differ numerically the one from the other 1. Had the Youngling Elder disputed thus how many exclamations of poore man illiterate soule silly man c. would your tender heart have bestowed upon him but I shall not retaliate for the Reader if intelligent I am confident will spare me a labour Things you say that differ plusquam numero do differ specie Should a fresh-man hear you reason thus Mas faemina differunt plusquam numero ergo differunt specie or a learned man and an ideot differunt plusquam numero ergo differunt specie they would laugh at your argument the very boyes would judge you a professor fitter for an alley than an Academye Do not you grant that these differ specie accidentali onely and will you conclude that therefore they differ specifically 2. You say That though the difference betweene an Hebrew Bible and a Spanish is but in specie accidentali or specificall accidentall yet such a difference as this is sufficient to prove that they differ numerically You give in already and shew your self but a founder'd disputant for what is this to your undertaking which was to prove your second supposition viz. That they do differ specifically and not numerically onely which was nothing to the second supposition page 37. 3. You contend that a Spanish Bible a Latine and an English differ in specie accidentali or with a difference specifical accidentall in regard of the specifically different Languages wherein they were written Ergo quid how by all this prove you your assertion which was that the scriptures in their severall Languages do differ specifically nay how prove you by the specifical accidental d●fference of the Bibles that the Scripture or the

c. The Scripture considered immediately is onely a fit rule to men learned nor can it be of any use to the illiterate So Canus in Locis l. 2. c. 13. Discourse concerning the rule of faith sect 7. Scriptures cannot bee a rule of faith accomodate to the capacities of unlearned men who cannot read them Discourse uhi supr sec 6. These Translations are not infallible as the rule must be for neither were the Scriptures written in this Language neither were the Translators assisted by the same spirit infallibly as if it were imposble they should erre c. Protest Writers confuting them both Chamierius Panstr t. 1. l. 7. c. 7. Rivet Cath. or Trac 1. q. 1. Gerrand Exeg pag. 16. Whitak de Script Baronius Apol. pr. object formali fidei tr 4. p. 155. Maresitheol elench T. 1. p. 24. Sol. Glass T. 1. de pur Text. Chamierius Paustr T. 1. l. 12. c. 10. Baron Apol. Tr. 1. c. 2. Dr. White way to the Ch. p. 17. Dr. Whites way to the Church p. 13 I shall conclude with observing that in this Mr. Goodwin is worse than either Papists Enthusiasts or such other Sectaries that oppose the written Word because though they deny it to be the formall object of faith or that upon which we are to ground and build our faith in beleeving the matters of the Scriptures yet they have held forth some other foundation in stead of the written Word but never were we beholding to Master Goodwin for such a favour This Bishop of Bangor vainly threatned when he entred upon the handling of this question about the Scriptures Yo. Eld. p. 26. that he would make his friend William as hereticall as himselfe before they parted at this turning My Lord we are now parting at this turning but all that your young friend hath received at your Lordships hands is confirmation in the same truth which he entertained before you and he first met and which so much opposeth your Errours and he hopes that he shall ever forsake you and these your workes CHAP. IIII. Shewing the weaknesse and erroneousnesse of Master Goodwins pretended Answers to what I bring against his Errours about the power of man to good supernaturall IN my former Booke called Busie Bishop I charged you with Arminianism in the handling this Doctrine of grace and free will Yo. El p. 43 44. Sect. 56. you deny not the charge but acknowledge it true though not penitentially but impudently But what say you in your owne defence 1. You slight the charge Yo. Eld. p. 43. as fit to be regarded onely by women and child●en and not by m●n of worth parts c. But is it so small a matter to be accounted Answ nay to be a profest Arminian C●nc Carth●g sub Aurel. Apud Bin. To. 1. p. 864. Conc. Mileu 868 869. Nefarius ab omnibus anathematizandus error haeresis nimium periculoso error pernitiosissimus Aug. ad Hilar. ep 94. pestifeta impietas execrabile dogmald fidei venena Aug. Contr. Julian would it never have moved men of worth parts c. Were they men of no worth or parts c. that censured the Tenets in Pelagius which afterward revived in Arminius have none but women and children held these forth as accursed abominable most pernitious heresies execrable pestilent impieties the poyson and bane of faith The many holy and learned men who have been moved against the errours of Arminius were so far from being children for their deep resentment of this heresie that they shew you a childe for sleighting the charge of it Neither women nor children sit in Parliament and yet the House of Commons in their Remonstrance to the King June 11. 1628. professe themselves no lesse perplexed with the growth of Arminianism than of Popery that being a cunning way to bring in Popery and the professors of Arminianism they looke upon as the common disturbers of Protestant Churches and Incendiaries of those States wherein they have gotten head being Protestants in shew Vid. Prin. neces Introd p. 92. but Jesuites in opinion and practice It s cleare what Master Goodwins esteeme was of that Parliament for being so moved against Arminians and I doubt not but this present Parliament which hath been so earnest in suppressing Arminians is yet lower in the opinion of this censor 2. In this section you plead that truth is not the worse because bareticks hold it I my self you say hold some things that Devills Pharisees Arminians beleeve Yo. Eld. p. 4● It s confest but this comes not up to your case Answ If you hold any truth which the Arminians hold I blame you not L●de nup Conc. c. 3. libe●wn in hom●ne esse arbitrium utrique dicimus hinc non estis Celestiani liberum autem quenquam esse ad faciendum bonum hoc vos dicitis hinc estis celesti●ni It s for the embracing the errours which they maintaine that I charge you It s a speech of Augustine to the Sectaries That there is free will in man we say on both sides hence therefore it is not that you are called Celestians but that any one hath free will to good you say and hence you are called Celestians you tell me that the devill holds Jesus Christ to be the holy one of God but this confession makes him not a devill its common with the Church of Christ but your tenets are properly Pelagian Arminian condemned by the Churches of Christ whom you leave therefore particularly this Church of England of which the learned Davenant saith No man can embrace Arminianism in the Doctrin● of predestination and grace Prin. Comp. Tr. p. 166. but he must first desert the Articles agreed upon by the Church of England And in this you close with the Jesuite building upon that foundation which he laid and watering that plant which he planted in England and Holland as a soveraigne drugg to purge the Protestants from their heresie 3. You say That this practice of mine to defame books by saying that those who are erroneous hold them is an old device of Papists whereby they endeavour to render such truths of God as made not for their interests hatefull you instance in one Prateolus Yo. Eld p. 44. A triviall passage that needs not a reply Papists slander truths Answ I discover'd errours where 's the harmony They load truths with imputation of errour I compare errour with errour Morton Cath. Apo●par 1. c. 24 Spr. de haeres p. 1. l. 2 3. Riv. Cath. Orth. Tr. 1. When you shall have cleered your self and opinion from the imputation of Arminianism as Morton Springlius Rivet have vindicated the Protestants against Prateolus and his compeers you may say I used a popish stratagem but till then you must be under the accusation of heresie for ought I can do to relieve you I having told the Reader that your charging the Subscribers of the Testimony with Manicheism is as old as

cannot stand together this indeed I say that a morall influence is of it selfe insufficient but not with an efficatious influence inconsistent That a meere morall influence is operative onely metaphoric●s per modum objecti and gives no power to the faculty upon which it workes but serves onely to excite and draw into act the innate power and that the soule of man destitute of power to supernaturals cannot be wrought upon in such an objective way of morall perswasion 3. You say That if by physicall influence Master Jenkin understandeth any ether kinde of work●ng upon the will by God than by the mediation of the Word or than that which is proper to be wrought by such an instrument as this c. I deny any other physicall influence upon the will It passeth my understanding to conceive how the will should be wrought or acted into a consent in any kinde otherwise than by argument motive and perswasion unlesse by force violence and compulsion c. Answ Your answers here are inconsistent 1. with themselves and 2. with truth First you deny any worke of God upon the will save by the mediation of the Word and yet instantly you say Yo. Eld. p. 62. You allow an outward excitation of the soule or opening of the heart by the spirit a gracious and immediate supporting of the will in the act of consenting c. I would faine know how these two can stand together 2. You deny That God workes any thing upon the will which is not proper for the Word to worke or that any thing can be wrought upon the will except by perswasion or by argument c. If you had attended the state of the question you would have spared much of this twatling the question is by what influence of grace the naturall mans will is set right in actu primo hath a principle of new life infused into it and not by what it is made actually to beleeve in actu secundo the former is done by the immediate and almighly power of the grace of God Homines tentum sunt habitualis conversionis or●●sio amecedens condit o●quod praedicato evangedi● resipiscent●● fidei deus spir●●u regenerante virtutem fidei resipiscentiae ●nimis electorum indat ut habiles sin● ad par●dun Evangelium actualis verò conversionis sum causa instrumentalis Gom. p. 154. the other by the same power working in the word You must not assert that the causa objectiva or moralis doth create the faculty but suppose it For your further information herein I refer you to that excellent Tractate of Gornarus de gratia conversionis particularly to pag. 154. To. 1. at whose feet you may fit to reape the blessing of his head as you speak but fit not as an instructor any more but as a novice not as a teacher but as teachable 4. You tell me in this section frequently that you understand not well it passeth your understanding c. to conceive how the will should be acted into consent c. how men be begotten by the Word c. The miste ies of faith are not to be measured by the strength of your understanding will you beleeve nothing but what you can conceive why do you not turne a professed Socinian 5. You tell me in this Section that God opens the heart immediately supporteth the will in the act of consenting suffers nothing to intervene to prevent consent You would faine seem to say something but hoc aliquid nihilest what meane you by supporting of the will Doth not God as immediately support the will when it consents to evill as in the act of consenting to good and though he prevents externall tentations yet leaves he not the will it self in ●quilibria to consent or not to consent Is it enough to deliver from externall tentation unlesse also from our owne internall corruption What meane you by opening the bea rt is it not so done by the Word that it passeth as you say your understanding how the will should any other way be wrought into a consent meane you not as your Pelagius who in a fit of zeale spake for the working of grace just as you do Aug. de gra Chr cap. 7. Adj●vat no Deus per doctrinam revelarionem suam dam cordis nostri oculos aperit du●n nobis ne praesentibus occupemur futura demonstrat dum diaboli pandit infidiat c. Nunquam isti inimici gratiae ad eandem gratiam vehememius oppugnan lem occultiores mol untur insidias quàm ubi legem laudant adjuvat nos Deus per doctrinam revelatim●m c. God assisteth us by doctrine and revelation when he opens the eyes of our mindes when he shewes us things to come lest we should be intangled in things present when he disc●vers the snares of Satan Concerning which and the like passages Augustine saith That the enemies of grace the Pelagians did never more subtilly oppose grace than when they most p●aised the Word in which respect In Con. mileu Can. 4. was that anathem● denounced * Conc. Mil. c. 4. Quisquis di erit gratiam dei propter hoc tantum nos adjuvare ad non peccandion quia per ipsam revelaiu● aperitur intelligentia man lato●um ut sciamut c. non autem per illam nobis praestari ut quod saciendum cognoverimu agere valeamus anathema sit Quisquis dixerit c. whosoever shall say That the grace of God serves to help ut against sinne onely because by that we know and understand the commandment and not also because by that grace power is bestawed upon us to do what we know let him be accursed Yo. Eld. p. 63 Lastly you say in this Section That you do not well understand what I meane by my physicall insiuence of grace upon the will Answ Where have you lived all your time have you grown grey in promo●ing Arminianism and yet never heard of the physicall influence go to Ames Triglandius Rivet c. and you shall be informed what it is I acknowledge it with these and sundry other reformed Divines to be that gracious and reall working of the Spirit of God by which a principle of divine life is put into the soule of the naturall man that was dead in sins and trespasses by which he is quickned and raised from the death of sinne and of naturall is made spirituall and savingly to understand and will spirituall things You acknowledge Sect. 69. that I propounded foure quaeries Yo. Eld. p. 63 Sect. 72. but now in this your 72 Section you having thus ridiculously as is seene gone over my two former quaerees muddily jumble together my two last though not without this designe of a more convenient hiding your opinion from the Reader My third quaere was this Whether grace be an adjutory uncertaine and resistible or whether grace be an invincible infallible determinating adjutory to the will 1. In this

mans sinne pardonable but man by his impenitency makes it not to be pardoned Page 230. Did not the very lifting up of the Serpent shew that it was Gods will they should looke on it and looking be cured So God causing Christ to be lifted up by preaching of the Go pell before thee shewe● that HEE WOULD THOU SHOULDEST BELIEVE and believing have everlasting life Page 231. God never failed any that continued to wait on him at length he satisfied their longing Page 289. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be hard to the carnall carelesse man yet as Salmon saith of knowledge Prov. 146. faith is easie to him that will believe not that it is simply in mans power but that GODS SPIRIT SO OPENETH HIS UNDERSTANDING c. Page 290. If we repaire to the Author who giveth faith and to the spring whence it floweth if we rightly use the right meanes of attaining it and waite at the doore of wisdome till hee open unto us UNDOUBTEDLY WE SHALL FINDE FAITH and not misse of it The Div. Auth. of the Scriptures Pag 26. Naturall men may do such things as whereunto God hath by way of promise annexed grace and acceptation Page 169. To suppose that they to whom God maketh rich and sweet applications of himselfe are wholly destitute of all power to do what he requires of them in this case to save them from destruction and to confer the great things promised upon them as viz. to believe and repent is to represent the glorious God in his greatest expressions of mercy and grace and love unto the world rather as laughing the world to scorne in that great misery wherein it is plunged then as a God any wayes truly desirous or intending to relieve it Page 183. They which are without I meane without the Gospell written or preached upon such termes as it is preached among us daily have also sufficient meanes if not large and plentifull for beleeving Page 186. They who are destroyed and perish by the hand of God for unbelief had meanes and those sufficient whereby to have beleeved Page 182. Concerning those have onely the Heavens the Sun Moon and Stars and the goodnesse of God in the government of the world to preach the Gospell unto them these also have reason sufficient if not in abundance to thinke the same though and judge the same judgement with the other who have the Letter of the Gospell in the point in hand In all the passages que●ed out of the whole Armour of God there is no sentence that implyeth that naturall men may do such things as whereunto God hath by way of promise annexed grace and acceptation Men are there incited to do what lieth in them for attaining grace but it is not said that any promise of grace is annexed to that which they do while they temaine in their naturall estate Neither is it said in any of those passages That none of those to whom God maketh rich and sweet applications of himselfe are wholly destitute of all power to believe and repent for those sweet applications in the outward dispensation of the Word are made to all present though there may be many reprobates there who have not power to believe and repent Nor yet is it there said That they who are without the Gospell have sufficient meanes for beleeving nor That they who perish for unbeliefe had meanes sufficient to have beleeved if meanes be taken for that power and ability which is in a naturall man 1 Object If mens coming short of that which they might have done be the reason of their condemnation it undeniably followes Yo. Eld. p. 70. that they have power to do that whereby their condemnation might be prevented Answ It doth not follow because they might more improve their naturall parts than they do and yet not prevent condemnation thereby they are supernaturall gifts whereby condemnation is prevented 2 Object In saying unbeliefe is in a mans power Ibid. doth he not imply that a man hath power over it and may dissolve subdue and destroy it if he will Answ No he implyeth no such thing he onely intendeth that it ariseth from a mans selfe and is ordered by a mans own free will as other corrupt acts are The evils which are in the Devill are in his power yet can he not dissolve subdue and destroy them As for the instances of originall corruption blindnesse by birth frailty of life mortality corruptiblenesse of flesh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for none of these are acts under the will of man to be ordered thereby as unbeliefe is 3 Object Questionlesse a Teacher would not incourage men Ibid. pag. 71. or perswade men to incourage themselves to do that which he judgeth impossible for them to do Answ 1. That which is here taken to be unpossible is brought upon man by his owne default 2. It is such an impossibility as God by the worke of his Spirit can and ordinarily doth make possible In this respect Christ saith of that which is impossible with men that it is not so with God Mark 10.27 3. The Teacher doth incourage men to go as far as they can and to do as much as in their power lyeth to obtaine such or such a blessing which is not to perswade to that which is impossible 4. Object If God excludeth none from bleeving then hath he not inflicted any such punishment upon men for their sinne in Adam by which they are disabled from believing Answ That which is spoken of Gods excluding none is meant of the manner of dispensing the Gospell and offering grace which is wi●● such generall tearmes as therein no man hath cause to thinke himselfe excluded The Author of the 〈…〉 God thus explaineth his owne minde pag. 603. This Do●trine is to be understood of Gods outward dispensation and manife●ation of his mercy by the ministry of the Word wherein no difference is made betwixt persons nor excertion of any So as it calleth not into question the secret counsell and ●ernall decree of God SIR YOu Master Sou●●● Vindication with many other Ministers of the Province of London gave 〈◊〉 against this tenent of Master John Goodwin viz. touching 〈…〉 asserte ● That by impr●vement of nature a man may attaine to such 〈◊〉 is upon which saving conversion alwayes follows This I judge to be an errour 1 Cor. 2.14 For the Apostle saith The naturall man reiciveth not the things of the Spirit of God for they are 〈…〉 him Neither can be kn●w them because they are spiritual●y 〈◊〉 Rom. 8.5 7 8. And he saith also They that are after the flesh as all naturall men are sav●ur or minde the things of the fas● And againe The carnall minde is enmity against God for it is not subject to the Law of God nor indeed can be So that they that are in the flesh cannot please God Wherefore man by no naturall power can improve the gifts of nature so as without speciall grace to