we are disposed to do or even to will Good But for the right and full apprehending this first Article 't is to be noted that By the Grace of God is sometimes meant the Act and sometimes the Habit of Grace The Act of Grace is any Operation or Motion of the Divine Spirit upon our Spirits whereby it exciteth us to Good or enables us therein The Habit of Grace is the gracious or good frame of Mind that is begot in us by the many former good purposes and Acts that had been caused in us by the particular Motions or Actings of the Divine Spirit If the Pelagians or Semipelagians had observed this they would not have alledged the purpose of King David to build a Temple to God nor St. Paul's essaying to preach the Gospel in Bithynia They would not have pleaded that God forbad David and forbad that Apostle to execute their Purposes and that therefore tho they were indeed good purposes of necessity they proceeded not from a motion of God's Spirit That God forbad them sheweth indeed those Purposes came not from what we have called the Act of Grace namely a particular Motion of the Divine Spirit But they might and did proceed from the Habit of Grace from the gracious or holy Frame of their Minds that had been wrought in 'em by former Motions and Operations of the Spirit In short I say every good Purpose as well as good Action is from Grace either from that Grace which is a particular Motion of the holy Spirit Or from the Habit of Grace that ariseth from the many former Motions of the Divine Spirit and disposes us to well-doing in the general 'T is very plain I think that this Reflection fully and clearly answers to that Exception raised from David's and Paul's holy Purposes which God forbad For we do not say that all good Intentions and Actions are from the Act of Grace which is a particular Motion of God's Spirit No many good Actions as well as Purposes are from the Habit of Grace even that good Frame of Mind that was generated by some former Actings of God's Spirit I need only to add here that tho the Instances of David and of Paul do not prove that we can design Good much less can do it without Divine Grace Yet they prove with certainty the Doctrine of the Church that good Actions or Designs may proceed from the mere Habit of Grace from a reformed renewed regenerate Heart or Mind without a particular Motion of the Spirit of God For had those good Purposes of David and Paul issued from an immediate and particular Motion of the Divine Spirit called the Act of Grace 't is not imaginable they would have been forbid as we see they were 2 Sam. 7.5 Acts 16.17 I am persuaded also this is our Saviour's meaning in those words Mat. 12.35 A good Man out of the good Treasure of his Heart bringeth forth good things q. d. the renewed reformed Frame of the Heart doth as easily and naturally yield sutable Actions as an ill Man from his vitiated corrupt Heart vomiteth evil Actions Designs and Words 2. What ought to be chiefly observed and insisted on but is commonly overlook'd by the Managers of the Dispute concerning Grace and Free-will I say what is most material in this Dispute is The Grace of God sufficient to Conversion and such a Frame of the Heart as we have just now described is common to all Is so given to all that no Person doth miscarry but by a wilful neglect or dis-use of the Grace given to him Let us briefly but effectually prove this Article it will dissolve most of the Difficulties that are objected by contending Parties through this whole Question For a general Proof of it we may observe that As so many Texts do aver the necessity of God's Grace to enable us to do or to will that which is good Many more express Texts require of ALL Repentance and Well-doing and other Texts declare 't is much against the Will of God that any should perish Therefore these latter Texts plainly suppose an universal Grace of God a general common Grace given to all For it were a most wretched Impertinence or a manifest Mockery to command all Men every where to repent which are the express words of holy Scripture Or to blame and upbraid them for want of Faith or of Righteousness And yet much more to damn them for the lack of these things professing in the mean time that God willeth not that any should perish but that all should be saved I say this were an open Mockery or an Impertinence if there were not a common and general Grace of God in the use of which we can do as is required of us can believe repent and do Righteousness I take this to be a very solid Proof of universal Grace namely that universal Grace is supposed and is implied in the Commands and Reproofs of the Divine Word In the Exhortations used to All at present and in the Judgment that God will pass at last on all impenitent unreformed Persons And finally in the repeated Professions made by God that he willeth not that any should perish but that all should be saved 1 Tim. 2.4 He willeth all Men should be saved 2 Pet. 3.9 Not willing that any should perish but that all should come to Repentance He even confirmeth this with an Oath passed to us Ezek. 33.11 As I live saith the Lord I have no pleasure in the death of the wieked but that the wicked turn from his way and live Nor does there want particular Proof of universal Grace or that sufficient saving Grace is given to all John 1.16 Of his Fulness we have all received 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Grace upon Grace or abundant Grace or as Grotius here Grace gratis Ephes 4.7 Vnto every one of us is Grace given according to the measure of the Gift of Christ Titus 2.11 The Grace of God that bringeth Salvation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 illuxit omnibus hominibus hath shone out unto all Men. So that the Grace of God that Grace which bringeth Salvation whatsoever we take it to be or whereinsoever we imagine it doth consist it hath appeared hath shone out unto all Men. Some critical Interpreters render this Text rather more to our present purpose thus The Grace of God that bringeth Salvation to all Men hath appeared And this rendring more nearly follows the order of the words in the Original Greek It is true some of these Texts may be taken in a sense different from what we have pretended to it will be found notwithstanding that however taken they do not less favour the Doctrine we are proving For instance admitting that the words of St. Paul The Grace of God that bringeth Salvation unto all hath appeared may be understood of the Gospel which is here called the Grace of God in the opinion of divers The Gospel say they the external or outward Grace of God is here
THE SYSTEM OF Grace and Free-will As 't is held in the Catholick Church and the Church of England proposed and vindicated IN A Visitation Sermon By STEPHEN NYE LONDON Printed for J. Robinson at the Golden Lion in St. Paul's Church-yard and A. Bell at the Cross Keys and Bible in Cornhil 1700. The System of Grace and Free-will as it is held in the Catholick Church and the Church of England 1 Cor. xv 10. Not I but the Grace of God which was with me THE liberty or necessity of Human Actions hath been a warm Controversy a very doubtful and perplex'd Inquiry as well among Divines as Philosophers The Philosophers that said all our Actions are necessitated offer'd for their Opinion chiefly that as the Understanding always and necessarily imbraceth seeming Truth so the Will chooseth and cannot but choose what seemeth good and best In short the Will ever followeth the present Dictate of the Understanding what to the Understanding for the present seemeth Truth or good the Will cannot but approve and practice From these Maxims it follows that all Errors are involuntary and all our Choices necessary But more generally the Philosophers denied this fatality of Truth and Error of Good and Evil and some of them with a particular Zeal They are the words of Alexander Aphrodisiensis in his excellent Book de fato to the Emperors Antonini Si fatum tum non sunt laudationes vituperationes at si istae non sunt non est bonum vel malum morale si ista non sunt profecto nec Dii i. e. If there be Fate then there is neither Praise nor Dispraise but if these are not neither can there be moral Good or Evil and if not these neither truly are there Gods or a Divine Nature Therefore these Philosophers denied that the Understanding always affects or necessarily submits to TRUTH and much more that the Will necessarily imbraces apparent GOOD or what seems BEST It is too well known said they that we are so far from always seeking or necessarily submitting to Truth that we are even afraid ordinarily and very shie of being convinced of some unconvenient Truths And hence it is that 't is seen in daily Experience that Men as readily and easily shut the Eye of the Understanding against unwelcome Truths as they can shut the bodily Eye against Light and thereby exclude it I may add not only particular Men but whole Nations do this Can there be a more bright Truth than that a piece of Bread is not a human Body And yet against this so many Nations have shut the Eye of the Understanding believing that a consecrated Wafer is the real Body of Christ In short Interest or even only Prepossession often disposes Men to reject the very clearest Truths As to the other that the Will always and necessarily imbraces apparent GOOD and what seems BEST the Philosophers opposed it by divers Arguments Where-ever there is Prudence say they and Reason there is also a Power of deliberating and where Deliberation is there can be no Constraint no Necessity of any sort if there were there would be no deliberating And whereas some urge that after deliberating we always and also necessarily choose what seems GOOD or BEST That we always choose it if it were true yet were not to the purpose For I may always choose a thing and yet I may choose it freely and not as constrained or fatally But it is not true that we always choose what is Good or Best for sometimes only to show that we are free and not determined fatally by the Goodness or Excellence of an Object or Choice but by an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an arbitrary or self-movement or out of mere Wantonness and Game we choose or do not what is Good or Best but what hath some unconvenience And if it were necessary to the Will to choose what for the present appears to the Understanding to be Good or Best we could never advise consult or deliberate at all for the Understanding sees at first view a Goodness in some things and in others that they are best in some respects It tarrieth for all that it suspends its Action and Choice it adviseth whether there be not something still better it may be the Consideration and Election is laid by for days or weeks or even for years which sheweth that the Goodness or even the Excellence of things doth not necessarily and inevitably dispose us to Choice or Action It seems impertinent to renew here the Exception that let the Consideration or Election be delayed never so long we shall at last necessarily choose what shall seem Good and Best for I demand why now more than before what seem'd Good and Best did not before necessarily determine me therefore neither can it now merely because 't is Good or Best Again the most perfect Being of all GOD who judgeth what is Good and Best unerringly doth not always choose the Best He could have made the World and every Creature in it more perfect than they are he could have made the World bigger Mankind more numerous and morally better He could have made us all impeccable as the Saints in Heaven are He could have provided that there should neither be Sin nor Misery in the World That he hath not chose these best things best as well to himself as to the Creature was from the Freedom of his Will And if thus the Will of the most perfect Mind is free to choose is not obliged necessarily by the Light in his Understanding much less are our less perfect Minds because having less Light in our Understanding our Understanding can but feebly influence our Will so far will it be from necessarily determining it As Philosophy has been always studied together with Divinity 't is obvious to observe that many Divines and very potent Parties of Christians have followed in the Question now before us the sense of the particular Philosophers or Sects of Philosophy whom they admired For some have contended for it that we have a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an absolute and arbitrary Freedom of Will to choose Evil or Good and to refuse While others have said on the contrary that all Men are under some such natural or if you will moral Impotence that we cannot choose or will Good without the Grace of God exciting us and assisting us by irresistible Acts. The first of these is Pelagianism the other hath had several Names but since the Reformation it hath been called Calvinism now more commonly Jansenism What I take to be the Doctrine of the Catholick Church and of the Church of England and is a middle between the Extremes of Jansenism and Pelagianism but is not very commonly observed or not so dexterously proposed I shall represent and vindicate by and by At present I observe only in general that the Catholick Church disapproves the Conclusions of the Philosophers as well of the one as the
other side The Church doth not think the ordinary the civil Choices or Actions are in any degree necessitated but that there is a liberty of Action and Choice A liberty that is grounded on the Prudence and Reasonableness of our Natures and the consequent Power of deliberating And yet neither doth she believe that the Human Reason Understanding or Will is sincere and sound the Depravation by original Sin is such that we cannot choose Spiritual Good or affect Divine Truths by the natural strength of our corrupted Wills and Understandings but by the Power and Assistance of Grace only The Dispute concerning Grace and the Powers of the Human Will began shortly after the year 400. and was first managed by St. Jerom and St. Austin on the one side and on the other by Pelagius Caelestius and Julianus In the same Age tho much later in the Century it was argued on the one hand by Joannes Cassianus Vincentius Lirinensis and Faustus of Rhiez on the other by Prosper and Fulgentius besides others of less note In the next and the following Ages there were on the Pelagian side softned by J. Cassianus into Semi-pelagianism Hilary and Leontius Archbishops of Arles Rabanus Hincmarus J. Scotus and divers Councils On the contrary side were Remigius Lupus Ratramnus Godeschalcus besides not a few Councils Of the Divines of the Schools St. Thomas of the Orders of the Church the Dominicans were great Asserters of Grace allowing scarce any thing if any thing to Free-will and our natural Powers But the Franciscans and it may be the greater number of the School-Divines tho they believed the Grace of God is necessary yet they could not agree to it that nothing is to be done or can be done by the Human Will and Endeavour Shortly after the Reformation this Question was disputed afresh by the Jesuits Socinians and Remonstrants against the Dominicans Calvinists and Jansenists I am not aware that there is any enquiry that more deserves a careful and heedful Discussion than this concerning Grace and Free-will If either we our selves do not rightly understand it or our People do not apprehend what is our meaning 't is impossible they should make sense of what they hear in this place They can neither understand the Publick Prayers especially the Collects nor our Sermons and Exhortations to them For sometimes they are told they must forsake Sin and must follow after Righteousness or 't is not possible they should be saved 'T is well but they are told also they themselves can do nothing of all this it must be Grace if perhaps God will grant it to them whereby only they can leave Sin or can follow Righteousness But what sense do we suppose can they make of these two Sayings and what Troubles must these Doctrines raise in the Mind when we consider them with any heed I must forgo every Sin I must always do the thing that is right and good and yet I cannot do it but only by God's Grace given to me nor is that Grace in my Power to procure it 'T is the free Gift of God to whomsoever he giveth it and alas how many have it not or rather how very few have it And what follows from this Why that all our Exhortations and Reproofs are to no purpose unless we could also at the same time give to the Persons reproved and exhorted Grace to comply It seems also to follow that it became not the Wisdom of God to give any Laws or Rule of holy Living to Persons who are utterly uncapable of obeying without that Grace which is bestowed but on some and but sometimes It should seem we can as little defend the Sincerity of God in professing that He willeth not that any should perish and that he willeth that all may be saved For the condition of Salvation being Obedience and that Condition not practicable but by Grace it must needs be understood that God willeth those Persons should perish to whom he doth not give his Grace There is no saying in the case let 'em pray for God's Grace For all that assert the necessity of Grace to every good Action and Disposition are obliged to maintain and do maintain that the Affectus Orandi the hearty Disposition to pray for Grace or other spiritual Good can arise only from Grace aforehand given to the Person so praying Or will you send them for Grace to the holy Sacrament But our Books seem all to agree in it that I know not how many Graces are pre-required that one may so receive the Sacrament of the Altar as not to be damned thereby It might have been said however an honest Intention and reverent Performance are sufficient Preparation and Qualification for that Sacrament or other Gospel-Ordinance The Subject we are upon will not admit of further prefacing As I said therefore I shall now propound a Middle between the two Extremes of Pelagianism and Jansenism The Doctrine I take it of the Catholick Church a System concerning Grace and the Human Will which is clear of all the Difficulties whether Theological or Philosophical hitherto mentioned It may be coucht in these few Articles and Texts and Arguments that support them 1. Whatsoever Good we will or do is neither done nor willed without God's Grace his Grace moving us thereto and assisting us therein This Article is directly against the Pelagians that hold the absolute Freedom and arbitrary Power of Man's Will And it seemeth very plainly expressed or clearly implied in these following Texts Out of the Old Testament Psal 119.35 36. Incline my Heart O Lord to thy Testimonies Make me to go in the way of thy Commandments Jer. 31.33 saith GOD there I will put my Law into their inward Parts I will write it on their Hearts Ezek. 36.26 A new Heart will I give them a new Spirit will I put into them Lam. 5.21 Turn thou us unto thee O Lord and we shall be turned Out of the New Testament John 6.44 No Man can come unto me saith our Saviour there except the Father who sent me draw him Acts 16.14 The Lord opened the Heart of Lydia that she attended to the things which were spoken by Paul 2 Tim. 2 25. If peradventure God will give to them Repentance 2 Cor. 3.5 We are not sufficient as of our selves to think any thing our sufficiency is of God Phil. 3.13 It is God that worketh in you both to will and to do of his own good Pleasure Heb. 13.21 The Lord make you perfect in every good Work working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight 1 Cor. 15.10 being the words of our present Text Not I but the Grace of God which was with me These Texts as I said either express or imply these two things That we are under a Disability however it hath happened to do or so much as to will that which is good by our own Strength or Endeavour of any sort And that 't is by the Grace of God given to us that
meant not the inward Grace of which our present Question is I say admitting that the Gospel is here meant yet this Text supposes an universal inward Grace of God For even in the opinion of those who understand this Text of the Gospel the mere outward Gospel doth not bring Salvation to any but the Gospel as accompanied by the internal Grace that maketh it effectual So that if it be true what the Apostle saith That the Gospel that bringeth Salvation to all hath appeared it must be true that an universal internal Grace goes along with it And this indeed was the Opinion of the antient Doctors who all believed that the internal Grace of God doth always accompany the holy Word Ordinances or Gospel to make it effectual to all such as resist not the offer'd Grace the Grace that follows the Word and other Divine Institutions The Arguments we have alledged may serve I think to caution us against a common Mistake in our way of speaking For when we see or hear of some very ill Action or course of Life by any Person or Persons we say ordinarily thereupon yes for want of Grace Implying that such Sinner had not Grace But the particular and especially the general Proof that we have given of the universality of Grace ought as I said to caution us against that vulgar Error in Speech When others sin let us say according to the Truth not he wanted Grace but he used not or he neglected the Grace common to all Even as we say of Prodigals or Ill-husbands not that they have not Reason or cannot consider but as the truth is they use not their Reason and use not the power of Consideration common to all Men. 3. It hath appeared I suppose that the Grace of God is necessary to all and hath shone out unto all but we must now add further that This Grace doth not operate in an unresistible manner but in a way sutable to our Reasonable Natures that is to say in the way of moral Suasion Let us again in few words prove the former and explain the other even Moral Suasion I said the Grace of God doth not operate in us in an irresistible manner it will gently and sweetly move not constrain and force in a physical way The Divine Grace moves us so agreeably and in a way so soft and natural that We cannot distinguish its Motions upon our Minds from our own Thoughts and the proper Movements of our own Spirits We may resist reject and refuse the Grace by which we should be either converted or bettered as we may and often do the different Thoughts and various Counsels of our own Minds That we can refuse the Grace and Spirit of God striving with us for our good is clear in a great many Texts I shall need to instance but in some that are particularly remarkable Ezek. 12.2 They have Ears to hear and hear not they have Eyes to see and see not because they are a rebellious House Acts 7.51 Ye stiff-necked and uncircumcised in Heart ye do always resist the Holy Ghost It even appears that all Grace both external and internal is used to some who notwithstanding so reject it as not to be bettered in the least by it Isa 5.8 What could I have done more saith the Lord to my Vineyard the House of Israel that I have not done Wherefore then when I expected it should bring forth Grapes hath it brought forth wild Grapes As to the other that the Grace and Spirit of God do work in the way of moral Suasion The meaning hereof is we are excited to Good by the Spirit 's representing to our Minds such Arguments and in such seasonable Opportunities as are sufficient to persuade and to dispose us to choose this good way and to refuse the contrary evil The Divine Spirit first suggests good Thoughts and then proper Arguments and Motives it brightens also those Arguments to give to them the greater force What we hear what we read the Mercies of God and his Judgments the Spirit represents all these in the fittest time and best manner in a more effectual manner than Human Wit and Endeavour can If we should say also the Spirit sometimes elevates our Minds clears 'em and as it were enlightens 'em by an extraordinary Act we should thereby speak not disagreeably to not a few Expressions of holy Scripture Briefly moral Suasion is no other thing but reasonable Persuasion I say reasonable Persuasion by the Word taught by holy Readings by Heavenly Suggestions by Favours by Chastisements and by that Long-sufferance and Patience of the Lord that subdues and wins ingenuous Minds All these and all such like represented to our Minds after a Divine manner by the Spirit of God which always accompanies them are what is called moral Suasion or reasonable Persuasion or God's Spirit or Grace acting by moral Suasion It was thus that the Lord opened the Heart of Lydia to hearken to Paul The Discourse and Reasonings of Paul were as I said brightned upon her Mind and her Mind it self was cleared and elevated by the Divine Spirit There is no Hearer but often experiences this Power of the Spirit on his Mind and it may be divers times during one reading or hearing Let us see to it that we resist not the Holy Ghost as the Apostle hath said that we quench not the Spirit but comply with and be led by those his blessed Motions Which brings me to another Article very necessary to a right Apprehension of this much litigated Enquiry concerning Grace and the Powers of the Human Will 4. 'T is necessary towards well-doing and towards Conversion to Good that we receive and embrace the Motions and Strivings of Grace and of the Divine Spirit with our Spirits 'T is necessary that our Wills do accept offered Grace that we will and endeavour to be good For our Wills excited and quickened by Grace can will Good and endeavour it in a word can comply with the Intention of the Divine Spirit moving us to Good There is an opening of the Heart on our part as well as on the part of God saith that Text Rev. 3.20 I stand at the door and knock saith our Saviour there to the Churches if any Man will open unto me I will come in Some other Texts speak more plainly Jer. 4.4 Circumcise your selves to the Lord take away the fore-skin of your Hearts Ezek. 18.31 Cast away from you your Transgressions make you a new Heart and a new Spirit When these Texts bid us to open the door of the Heart to put away the fore-skin of the Heart nay to make us a new Heart and a new Spirit they evidently suppose our Free-will and Power of cooperating with Grace That is to say as our Will is made free and is enabled to co-operate by that Grace that is given and is continued to All. I said and is continued to All. For our present Life having been given to us in order to