Of God's Gracious Operations on Man's Soul: and thatman can no more do any thing but what hedoth, than he can be God, or overcome God, or live andad without God. And as we malt thus agree that natural Libertyconftfleth in a felf-de= termining power peculiar to Rational free agents ; fo we are all agreed exçept the Pelagian, that mans nature is vitiated by Original fin, and therefore that the will which is naturally free frótì force and necefrati- on ( except froth God, who tiever neceffitateth it to evil,) is yet in fervi- tude toour ownconcupifcence, and is not free either from the enticements of fence, or the erroneous condmt of a blinded mind, or from its own Vicious habits, ( averfenefs to God and holy things, andprónènefs to things fenfual, and feenting good : ) And therefore that this Holy, or Moral Libertyof the will, muft have the MedicinalGrace of Chrift to heal it of which next. ) i£peak not of Grace as IV. And as to theArticleof Effectual Grace, it is agreed ón ( ánd-can= itsGodsfavout, burly, 'not with iobrie[ be gainfayed without fubverting the main doEtrine of effeft : de gratia data, Y g y nonde gratia dante. the Scriptures that whereas befides the Preparatory or Promeriting Grace of Chrifls own performance, there is yet a three-fold Grace necet- fary for the applicationor conveyance of the Benefits purchafed by Chrift, in the meafure hereafter Mentióned, all this is common. I. The firit fort of Grace lyeth in the ena Ling of a néns LawofGrace, called alto in Teveral refpr ls, Y'he new Teflamerit, thenew Covenärtt, and the Promife. And as to this it is agreed, r. That God made this Law, Covenant or promife in the frfl Edition with Adam and Eve after the fall, Gen. ;. i 5. (the feed of the woman (ball break the serpents head,) and did by flflual Remifön, of their fin, and not-púnifbing them as thé firft Law threatned, yet more plainly manifeff to them the pardoning Graceof this Covenant; And that he made this new Lisro or Covenant to all mankind in andby them : And that he again renewed the fame Co- venantof Grace with all mankindis /yeah after the deluge. Thofe few inconfiderate perfons that deny this, are not fo valúable as to be an ex- ception to our Concord. It is an intolerable conceit of any to think that the renoueor fence of the conditional Covenant of Grace (for I talk of no other) extendeth not univerfally to all men, but that any men are yet left under no other Law or conditional- promife or Covenant, than that of Innocency. For if that were true, r. Then God fhould be fup- pofed to make men a promife of Life, on a condition ofprefent natural impoffrbility ; And to fay to finners [ tfyon be not£inners, you !hall live.] a. And to oblige men to the fame Impoffibilities as the means of their falvation, faying (till to finners [ I require you finners that you be no fin- ners that youmay be faved. ] 3. Which is indeed to fay that the cafe of all that are under the hrft Lawof Innocency onlyis defperate,and they have no more hopeor remedy than the Devils. 4. And thenChrift had miftaken the matter himfelf, when he commanded his Minifters to Preach this Gofpel or Covenant to all the world, andevery (humane) Creature, and tell them that If they believe they fhall be Caved, and to offer them Baptifm if they rodent. 5. And either Preachers muft preach an un- truth to many, or elfe not knowwhatman to preachto. 6. But the aEtu- al force and obligation of the Covenant, puts all out of doubt, that the 'world is under a Lawof Grace: For what man, that by fading hath not his underfianding utterly diftorted, to look only on one fide, can fay that cone but the Elch are bound to Believe in Chrift, or to Repent of fm,or to turn to God and thisas ameans of their falvation r What than dare fay, that any Heathens in the World, are under no obligation, to ufe any means at all, for the pardon of their fins, or the recovery and laving of their
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