Baxter - Houston-Packer Collection BT70 .B397 1675

68 Of god's ÿracioui Operations on Man's Soul: éieb. 3.7 PrOV. r. 24. Chron. 24.20. Mat.r3.r9r' Heb. 6.4: Pet. 2. ú. Joh. 6. 37. Ter. 24. 7 &32. 59 P6il. 1:6.. Korn. 9. 18. & II. 35+ Att. 28.27. See the Conclufion thefirft Chapter. Scripture, not to refift or quench the fpirit, nor to receive the grace eC of God invain, nor to fall from God. Yeait is plainly given as the Ica- cc fonof Gods forfakingmen that they firft forfakehim "Th. 5. Many lofe theCe beginnings (C Th. 6. The Elea donot fo behave themfelvesunder thofe preparatory CC workings,but that for their negligence and refìftance, they might juftly cc be forfaken of God : But fuch is Godsfpecial mercy to them, that though "for a time they may repel or fuffocate this exciting and illuminating Cc grace, yet GodBothurge them again and again, and ceafeth not to pro- cc move them, till he fully fubjugate them to his grace, and place them in C' the Efateof regenerate fops. "Th. 7. Allmen refift Gods grace, and God might juftly forfake all, but dothnot ] By all this it is evident that they took not man fo be forfaken of God in the (late of meer original fin, or the corrupt mafs, but as a wilful re- fifer and refrefer ofoffered Grace, andoft after the receiving of much pre- paring grace ; and that.God forfakethnone till they forfake his grace. 2. To the fame fenceour Englifh Divines commonly tell us how, ordina' lily God prepareth,men for converfion before he convert them ; and how far perfons unconverted may go in common grace : He that rcadeth Mr. Hooker of New England, Mr. john Rogers his doctrine of faith, Mr. Boitons inflruttions for comfort Mr. MeadsAlmoll a Chriflian, and abundance fuch,will fee that they wereof the fame mind. 3. Hence it is plain,that thofe perfons that refilled this further work of grace, and forfook God first, had true Rower to have done i5 and could have gone further than they did, without anyother grace than they had : ( Though quoad nece/tatem fequentem velconfequenti.e, it might be inferred even from Gods prefcience, that it couldnot be.) 4. They here defcribe Gods effe&ual grace by moral titles, of cods urging them till theyyield 5 though (asafter they open it) Gods renew- ingaltive influx,maketh newcreatures, and is not a meer moral indeter, mining loafon leavingthe will indifferent. 5. The truth is (as is aforefaid) no mortal man can tell of any dfference on codspart between his commonand [pedal agency on fouls, but only on the partof the work done s Nay it is againft the doétrine of all forts of Divines both Papifts and Proteftants as to the generality, that there is any difference atall. For they all fay that all Gods a&ions ad extra are no- thing but hiseffence ( viz. his effentialknowledge, will andpower) which of is undividedly one, as terminated, e felting, related and denominated vari- oufly : E.g. by one volition he willeth divers produíls, but not by divers volitions exparte poi, either confidered Jiiecifrcally or numerically ; but the fpeciftcation and individuation is only in the effects, and in Gods will as relatively denominated. And if this be all mens doctrine, what an un- happy cafe is the Church fain into, that the very fame men that fay this, should yet intolerably quarrel,Whether this one Divine attingency or ope- ration (hall be called Creation, infufaon, urgency, excitation, perfwa fion, . phyfical, hyperphyfical, moral,or whatelfe, when all are agreed that all are one and the fame exparte Dei. And as to thedelIs, I do myPelf think that a certain Impulfe received onthe foul, is the firft effeli, and the Aft ofman (as faith) ishut a fecond, and that of both Caufes : But we cannot tell well what that Impulfe is ; And therefore mull difpute in the dark about the differences of ir. And this is nothing to therethat own nothingbut Godseffence as the carafe ofour ai, as thefirst effelt : If their opinion hold true that as in Creation there

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