and theSut-operations of Man's Will, *. 2. 3. But if the fence of the cjueftion be only comparative; As;. 1. Whether omnipotency be More eminent in the giving of faith than wifdom and Love (or Goodnefs) r 2. Or whether ows'potency be more eminent in giving faith, than other works of cod? they are both needlefs queftions. And to the firft I fay, No : To the fecond, Chafe other works. of God mutt be named, and compared,by the prefutnptuous that have no fafer work to do. ().3. 4. If thequeftionbe, whether the giving of faith be fs great2 work that no Power below Oranpotency could fífftce'ta do it ? I anfoer, ie is a prefumptuous paltry queftionof rafhmen. But yet if it mutt be an fwered, it muft be negatively : Becaufe as Omnipotence is more illuftri- ous in themakingof the world, than in canting a man tobelieve ; foChri -. ítians agree that"the world it felf (as I laid ) is not an adequate effedof Omnipotency : Whichmaketh fo many Of the fubtileft Schoolmen con- clude that God could not be proved to be Omnipotent by the Whole Crea- tion as fuch, were it not further to be gathered from the notices of his perfection. Which were falle if byOmnipotence theymeant onlya Power that can do all that u done : But they mean .art Infinite Power; which they fay mutt be fo teen in an Infinite eleit. But the world is not In- finite. q. As to the fecond queftion, it is either de nomine or de re. If the former; let every man fpeak as he lift for me, rather than I will contend with him, whether Creation of faith be a fit name. As to the matter, s. It is agreed on,that faith is not a fubflance; 2. Nor an Ac- cident con-created with afubftance; 3. Nor a compofition of fubftances into one, done by fecondaryCreation, Generationor Art. 4. But that it is the right ordered Act ofa fubflance, whole natural power which per- formeth it, was pre-exiftent, thoughwithout that aft and the moral diCpo- fition. Therefore it being aModus entis or modus midi that we talk of, the common name is Alteration and fufcitation, alíuating and ordering: But if men lober fometime call it a NewCreation (as indeed the whole frame of holinefs together is called the New Creatrire in the Scriptures ) and fometimes the Divine nature, fometimes Regeneration, fometimes a Divine Artifice, Alteration, Converftons Sanitification, &c. it is the fame thing that is meant byall their leveral names. . S. As to thethird Q;seftion, whether it be a Miracle *? a. As a Miracle fignifieth a wonder, a thing is wonderful either for the Rarity or for the Great appearance of Gods power in it. In the firft refpe&, faith is not fo Rare as to be a miracle: In the fecond, the sun and Heavens are a greater wonderthan faith. 2. But as a Miracle fignifieth that which is done by fecond caufes; but nnknown to us, and out of Gods ordinary way of working; fo it is no miracle. 3. And as force men call that a Miracle whichexceedeth the power of the fecond caufes, fo all things wouldbe Miracles that God loth : For they areeffeíts of haspower as exceeding the power of fecond caufes. q.. a Miracleis that which is done by (Tod without any fecond caufes, I foCome think that thepropagationof fouls is a miracle: But offouls and faith it is much unknown to us, how far God ufeth fecond caufes ; But that Generation as toone, and Preachingand all other means to the other, are fume fort of fecond caufes, * is Cure. 5. And laftly,:ifby a Miracle be meantthat effef`t, which Godproduceth both above thelpower of fecond caufes, andby a more glorious exertion of his ownpower than in his Courte of Nature and Government he ufeth by and * yuftificat,oueni non elf; proprie Mirandun, Yid: Malder.ili. p. g98. Et Briancon. in 4. q. t. Cor: 2. fol. 144. confef ling it above the power of a Creature to juftifie us, but not properly a Miracle t Many .good people would never be fo Much againft the acknowledge- ment of fccdnd Caufes, if they underliood the matter : Eut they igno- rantly think it deroga- teth from God the firft cauce. M Wehave no reafdn to think that God nfetb no fecond cane in working faith. It is much te Al- o be noted which Pee. d Baco faith in 4. .1. E. Pira faiir. Peau faciendi áliquem troika's; mediante cauta fecunda, quam fi fa- ceret eundem effeiium (e fo- to in prima fa-; Ctionent pluses termini divino anions gano to fecunda. For as he laid before, AO audoctvrq; Pe- ns Tacit aliquem efefun mediante califafecunda, ipfe non folan Tacit ilium of -. fawn, fed etiam faces taufam fecundan e95 can-' fan iglus efetti. Mark thiswell.
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