22 Ofgod'r gracious Operations onMan's Soul : 8. God worketh not alike on all : fometime ( as on Paul) he fo fuddenly changeth the mind and will, as that at once he both produced the AUof mans confent, and alfo taketh away even the moral ( though not thenatural ) power tothe contrary in the antecedent inftant. So that no man ever denyetb confcnt who is fd moved. And fometimes he pro_, cureth Aftuál Content by fuch an operation, as inthe antecedent inftant ?night have been refited and overcome, there being a MoralPower to the contrary. So that there is Aaually-Converting Grace .which was fupera- ble in theantecedent inftant, as toMoral power 6 and there is fuch a con- vertingGrace as no man ever doth overcome. 9. Gods grace when it prevaileth , Both not take away, but deter: mine theNatural power in it felt, but by fo doingformaliter & relative it maketh it no power ad hoc to the contrary, in that inftant. Of which more anon. O. Such grace of God as eòmeth from his Ahfalrite willor Decree of the due Event, is never overcome. For Gods decree is not fruftrate. O. II, Gods gracious, operations are never overcome by any contrary Act but what he himfelf is theAgentGaup of, as anAft : For in Him we Live andMove andBe. Yet man is the only Caufe of theznordinatiort of that aíì, by whichit is fet in oppofition to Gods other all : For God doth not militate against himfelf. 0.12. The cafe lyeth thus : God antecedently to his Laws; framed Nature, that is, theBeing andNatural Order of all theWorld; and fohe became theHead orRoot ofNature ; the firftCarole, who by his wife de -, cree, was to concurr to the end with that Naturálframe, and tocontinue to things their proper forms and motions : And man is one of his crea- tures, having a Nature of his own, towhich God as the God ofNature Both Antecedently concurr. By this natural concurfe of God, the forni- cator, the murderer, the thief, fc. are naturally able to do thofe ads : But being free agents that can do otherwife, God maketh them a Law to reftrain and regulate them. And when they breakthis Law, they re, fill that gracious concurfe, whichfuitable to theorganical caufe, God con-. joyneth with the means: But they do this by .their Natural power and aFtivity ; not ufed as God requireth them, but turned against his own Law. So that if God would withdraw his fuftentation, and deftroymeat Nature, they could not refift his grace. But that he will not da, being his antecedentwork: and fo God is refitted by his own-given-power and ali, difordered and turned against his grace. *. 13. The will ofGod which is thus refitted, is only I. His Preceptive or Legal will, de debito. 2. And his will ofpurpofe, to give manfomuch help and no more by which he can and ought to believe and Repent , is faid to be refitted or fruftrate fofar,when bymans fault it doth himnot that That God cloth go- good which it might have done. vern tnforiera per tapes- t). let, Gods Grace and Spirit are laid to be refilled when the ward óra,and wk by ans, not for scant or ofdiemme,but, and other Means are * refitted whichcall him to his.duty. For thefe them- from the abundance of felves axe gifts andads of grace. his Goodnefs, fo as to communicate to bis crea 15+ But it is not the bare word or Means alone, but the Spirit tures the dignity ofeau- working in and by thofe means which is fo, reffled : For though nomortal fality, See 4 qui ro4 q. ro3. a,8. 6. 4. can clearly know juft how thespirit concurreth and operateth by the Alexand. r. p. q.26. m.5. word and Means; yet we may know, that God doth limit his own. opt- a, 2. d. 3. dr m. 9, Albert. ration to the aptitude ofthemeans ordinarily ; and that heworkethwith n. p. q.67.m. y.a. I. Ri- chard. r. d.39. a. 2. q. 3. and by themS not according to his Omnipotency in it felf confidered, but är d. qq. a.2.q.2. according to the means or organs. And as in Nature he operateth, nor Rom: 2. d.riel r. q.2. a.6. quantum ote but agreeably to the order and aptitude of Nat/eral ¢ribs Gabriel d. i, q. 2. p p Caufet ;:
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