Of Free-will. 99 B.,1 expeûed to hear your own mouth condemn you. juef . there any of there diftindions which are unneceffary to the declfion of theprefent Controverfie ? If there be, name it and lay that by. 2. Is a general and an ambiguous term better underftood by the bare ambiguous name, than byopeningtheparticulars contained in it, and the ambigui- ties? ThanCatechifms, and Commentaries, even on our baptifmal Co. venant, the Creed, Lords Prayer andDecalogue, are hurtful. Do you underhand your felt what you mean by your [Power ] and [Can] and [Cannot Repent ] without confideringof the ambiguity ? 3. Will itfatisfie you, ifwe ufe"yourwords [Can] or [Cannot ] what feat fo- ever we take them in ? Is that all that you contend for ? Muft the Church be fired about a word, which neither Side much hickat ; could they have their fenfe ofit ? 4. But thetruth is, Youopen your own fhames that mull trouble the earsofhoneft plain Chriftians, with words which cannot be underftood without all this ado; and will choofe fuch terms as have fo many meanings, toconfound, or bewilder men, and that with- out explication ; and even in ftrid difputes, and not only in Oratory 5 when as there are plainer enough at hand, which fpeak the matter as we are agreed. A. a' Ton tell us a great deal of habits of the Will, which are more than " t Power (in order to AJion). But Ifad that forge men of our Party C'hold, that there is no fisch thing in the Soul as an habit or difpofition which isnot meerly aPower oran Aû : They know no more. B. The truth is, toomany on the other fide, who knownot how much they dettroy their own work by over - doing, and life to fear but one extream, do harp fo much upon this ftring, that no wickedman is able to repent, or hathpower to believe, or can forfake his fin, that they have ignorantlygiven you theadvantage which yóu lay hold on, r. To call Grace 'HI by the name ofa meer power, and. 2. Then to difgrace their Opinion, who fay that God damneth men for doing that which M Mark what Pet. a. S. yo¡epb faith,7Hef. n iver[ they areutterlyunable todo. pag. sae, de cbarit. Dare A. ° °What is the advantage whièhyou thinkwe é take by this ? facilitatem agendi fpeaae B. * The greateft that youhave againft your Adverfaries. s. By the adtemtan acq i cal, C Erayou make Grace to be no determiner of theWill at all, habitual or felam agendi votenrla,, actual: For Grace, you fay, giveth men but a power to believe and zrtbaant. So that pro repent And fo whether a man will u e that power or not and Per habits by chic are p f p e nothing but acquired, will aitually repent and believe or pot, is never the more afcertained which yet at other times for Grace, if it give men but a power. For you leaveit hill to Free- Nerve a : oiim. r. will to ufe that power or not ufe it. (I fpeak but of fome of you.) a. 13. undettaketh to 2. And .hereby you contrive Grace into this conception, that it is but Y riamarer ti e eu,n fomecommon thing like nature, and as a man that hathpower to fit, or though Habitue be pores+ ftand, or go, may ufe that power as he will himfelf; fo all men where tra in a large fenfe as is is takenpro amni princi- the Gofpel cometh have apower toobey it, whichtheymay ufeas they pro alOco e3pap Doe And ' will : But to the Will it fell Grace givethbut this power ::And if that he ta.l eth the labilantia acres (as it's called) to were true that a habit of the Will were but a power to will, fairfail Pela- be more reducible ad giro. potentiam, and the mortars to the habit. " ßac he A. It's-well you charge mnot allwith that opinion 5 "Put Lconfer Zara leavedi the difference °G notyetfatisfted that it isfalfe, andthat the Willhath any thing but power. gal in the dark. And " ,ndlrb. 3. qu.7. he is anda& : Butpowerfacilitateth theatt. larger of it and faith B. Youmay fay it facilitateth, becaufe ;it maketh it poffible, which is that a habit is f Dijpofr- eafier than that which is impoffible? Is that facility ? But mark. tin,A.tnad pee view j did r. If that Opinion be true, then s . Gods inward workings arenot tirai it foppofeth a Pow- fuitable tohis outward means : For his means are Perfwafions, and Exhor- er not fuffcient to de- tations, and Mercies, and Corretlions, which are notonly to make men and facile nitro P`ompt 0 2 able,
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=