Baxter - Houston-Packer Collection BT70 .B397 1675

9 II Of Free-frill. XVI. TheSoul bathatonce more As than one, and upon more Ob- je&s. As atonce it underftandeth and willeth, foat once it operateth on and towards the end, and on and in the means. Butone of them ( fpe- cially adpleat) is ufually deep, andnot obferved fenfiblyby theAgent ; And the other is uppermoft, and ufing the fenfeand fantafie more and the Spirits, is eafily perceived. And .fo a man in his travel, hath a deep unobfervedbut molt confiant and ruling Knowledge and Volition of his end or home ; though yet he feem to bimfelf feldom to think of it but onlyof things obvious in his way. XVII. By all this itseafie toperceive how hard it is tohave the formal knowledge of the quiddity ofa Habit : when we have prefuppofed all this before-faid, a. That the Soul is effentiallyofan a&ive nature, and as naturally contrary or averfe toceffation ornon-a&ion as a Roue is to a&ion : 2. And that it hath infeparably in its nature, an inclination to truthand Goodnef asfuch, and to its own felicity : 3. And that it hath multitudes of exciting Obje&s, and extraordinarily awakening Preach- ers, and Providences, fpecially dangers and fufferings, naturally apt to excite the Soulinto a& : 4. And that it bath the ufe of the fenfe, and fenfitive paillions, which things fenfible are apt toexcite, by which it may be it felf excited : 5. Arid that it bath acertain degree of neceftìty of knowing by fimple perception things received by the fenfe and fan- tafie; men may know much of Good and Evil, Duty, Sin, Danger, whether they will ornot: 6. And that the Will hath a natural inclina- tion to follow the Intellects apprehenfions about Good or Evil, in its Volitions and Nolitions ( though not always necefiarily:) 7. And that theSoul excited to one A&is the more apt to another of the fame fort : 8. Andthat a cur.* aliionumwith the fore-faid inclinations, is likeacourteof corporal motions, which Itrongly tendeth to continua- tion ; (fo that they that are accuftomed to doevil, hardly do well : ) 9. And that thepotenti fecunde, the fenfitive powers, and the Spirits by cuftom attain the fame propenfity to that way ofaction in them- felves, and fo become to theactive Intelle& and Will, what the Chanel ( worn bycourfe) is to the Torrent or River, which with the natural gravity caufeth the continuance of its courre that fame way : Or as a Horfe, trained by cuttom who bath got his own peculiar habit is to the Rider : ro. And that the Soul bath its profound, or not notedAction which is confiant, andmaketh fo littleufe of thefpirits, fenfe, imagina- tion or paffion, as that it is unobferved, while it is predominant, (fuch as is the aforefaid intention of the end in the ufe of means : Anddoubt- lefs theSoul is never unactive an inftant, no not in fleep ; but hath this kindofdeep infenfible action. It is knowing it felf, loving it fell; in- tending its own Felicity, deeply, fecretly, infenfibly, without ;Ong the memo- ry and imagination, to theAct; and this deep infenfible Act is fuch, as that aman maydoubt whetherit be not the very thing whichwe call a habit:) I fay now, all thefe ten things being prefuppofed (which yet are none of them commonly taken to be the habit of Grace,) How hard is it to us to know, what a habit is indeedbeyond all thefe, and what it is that it addeth to thefe? We aresure that it is a Difpofition, Propenfatyand Aptitudeto holy Action in specie; But what that Difpofi- tion and Propenfity is, befides all this fore- named, it is not eafie to underhand. And yet undoubtedly it is the Operation of the Holy Ghoft. XVIII. How hard then muff it be to know howmuchPower, or what . indof Power (and in whatfenfe focalled) it is that this fuperadded habit

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