do Of god gracious Operations on Man s Socrl: by which Godas RECTOR will on his part ordinarily caufe Moral Good and hinder Moral Evil ; and by which as our Lover and Endhe will draw mans foul to himfelf in Love. (). 20. God as Re 1or ( though hevary his Laws in fome things to fe- veral ages and places, and promulgate the fame Gofpel, with inequality, on feveral accounts, yet ) according to the reïpeCtive Laws that they are under, dealeth with all men in a certain equality, which is calledNice : that is, Í-lis Laws antecedently to mans acts make not difference ; and as .judge he maketh none, but what mans different actions require accord- ing to the faid Lams and Jaflice. But yet as owner and as Benefit- /tor he is free ( not againfi, but) above his Laws, to make many ine- qualities, which are no in tellice ; they being not acts of formal Govern- went : and fo he may do with his own as he1i. And thus thoughGod give all their due according to his Law of Grace, yet he giveth to his Eled, fuch proportions ofGrace, as he gave themno antecedent Right to by his Law: (or at leaft to many of them, paffing by the controverfie now, whether he do fo to them all.) t. God could cure and fan tifie all men, if it were his Abfolute will ; but he doth not, andwill not ; being no way obliged : And he will be no lofer nor fufferer by the creatures fin. ?. 22. Gods abfolute will is as fully accomplifhed by mans free ells, as if theywere all neceffttated and Natural: And mansaciions areasfree, as ifGod hadmade noAbfolute Decree of their futurity ( as in Good he hath done, if we may fo afcribe futurity to his Decrees.) (3. 23. It feemeth that all fin beginneth in the wills omifsion of what it was able to have done. Even when Adams appetite was to theforbidden fruit, and foam think that this was the firft part ofthe fin, it feemeth that it was rather in the wills not refiraining that appetite whenit could have done it : And then pofttive fins do follow thereupon. 24. There is more Brudílmefs in fin, and confequently more privo.. rive and lefs pofitive faultinefs of the Rearm and will, than many do confider ( which Paul partly meaneth, Rom. 7.) For it,is certain, r, That a paffion, e.g. anger or fear, may be forced on a man fuddenly as on a Brute, without Realen. (As if you comebehind one and affright him, or ltrike him fuddenly : no Reafon railed that paffion, and confequently no Rational Will. ) 2. It is certain that this pafsion without Rearon cancaufe defpotically a corporal motion; as the fearful will ftart, and run and the angry finite without any reafon or rational will, but as a Beaft cloth. 3. It is certain that it is the office of thewill to Rule this paffion, and thefe motions. 4. And that it muff have due information from the underftanding, that fo to do is good, andbell. If this information of the underftanding did never mils ofdeterrai= Ding thewill, then man would never fin, but whenthe underttanding failed of its neceffary office, before thewill : which would refolve allfin into the will ofGod as muchas ifhedireätly moved the will to it byneceílitating, un- refftible predetermination. For the Intelleft as fuch hath no Liberty, but is necetfitated by objects, further than it is under the Empire of thewill. And the objea's andlntellea are madeby God. 6. Therefore it followeth that there is a certain meafure of intellecluat true apprehenfon,according to whichthe will can excite and determine it felf ( without any thing which it hathnot) and yet canforbear. And that this not-willing what andwhen it fhould, is the beginning of all fin. 0.25.
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