Of Freewill. z óá A. " To confefs the truth you havefaidmuch toprove that we have ill "managed this controverfie about Powerand Impotency, to repent and " believe : And formy part Imean hereafter to xti mcfl the common and Scripturephrafe, and fayas to the efficient, that men have or have not "the Spirit, and asto theeffeli, that Power, Difpolition, orInel:nation, Ali or Habit, are things to us obfervable inthe Soul, and thatcar'not and " will not, muff not be confounded. And ifit bemoral or logical Power " that Ifpeak of, Imill mention it properly as it isin the effeli or event, " calledPoffible or Impoffible, rather than asit connoteth thefaculty called "Potent or Impotent thereto, left I deceivemen: And Iwill let themper- ceive an impoffibilityof confequence,from an impotencyoffufficiency " For I (nota that when its true, that logically in ordine dicendi it cannot "be, (that in, be true,) that [God forefeeth or decreeth that Peter will " not fin,] and yet that [ he will fin, ; yet it is not true that [Peter " had not power tofin]. But Iproceed. The third Criminatión. A. " They make man focorrupted, and that by Adam's fin without his " ownconfent, as that there is no good in him ; But he is deadin fin : And a`fo allmenfhouldbe utterly andequally wicked. B. *The anfwer to the former might ferve to this : But liill I fee that Names muff be our quarrel. Is the queftion of the Thing, or of the Name, whetherit be to be called Good? . As tothe thing, they deny not that therearefirfi noticesand common principles of morality in all mens underliandings. 2. Nor that the Intellell: is inclined to truth as truth. 3. Nor that theWill is inclined to good asgood. 4,-Nor that natural Confcience doth fomewhat for God and Duty, and againfi Sin in bad men. g. Nor that a Heathenmay have as much good as experi- ence proveth tome of them to have had, as Antoniiie, Alexander Seve- rus, Cato, Cicero, Seneca, Ep eletua, Plutdreh, Socrates, Plato, &c. 6. Nor that common Grace when the Guipe! cometh mayprepare them for fpe- cial Grace, and makethem almofi fan&ified Believers. In a word, al- mòft all agree, that r. Nature, as now upheld by Mercy, may have all thegood aforefaid. 2. That common Gracewith the ,Gofpel may go further. 3. And that it prepareth for fpecial faxingGrace. If you deny this, you accuse them contrary to the fulleft evidence that you could expe&, whilft ourBritish Divinesat Dort tell you fo largelyhow farttniverfal or common Gracegoeth in this preparingwork "; and when there are fuch a multitude of Treatifes, written by the firiliefi English Antiarminians on twoSubjelis, a. Ofpreparation toConverfion. 2.How far an Hypocrite (or unregenerate Perron) may go in Chriflianity, (thèTitle of oneofPerkins 's Books. ) 2. But if it be de nomine, whether this may be called good, it is a quefiion unfit to trouble the Church with. All are agreed that is ma- terially fomething commanded byGod, partly conformable to the Law ofNature orScripture, and that it tendeth towards the well-fare ofhint that hath it, and of others; and is better than its contrary. But if we muíl:'fet up a metaphyfcal Theater to dispute de ratione Boni, by that time (on as good reafon) we have profecuted our disputes deratione entis,uni. us & veri alfo,wemay fall out withall that agreenot,inSuarez his Meta- phyfrcks, or at leafs in Aquináa or Buridanes's Ethicks I pray you begin your felt; and tell mewhat is bonum, goodttefs, in yourquestion ? :s Melant: toc.Com. de lib. arb. c.7. pesta- tum Origin ta s vi+iat ma ram , pan prorfai infers earn, nec defer nec matas earn in aliam fpeiiem. Et; fp. fanlfaanon abolit, feel adolet nat,rarn, non de- /fruit, fed Janat. tt Ainbrof deVoc.Gest. L r. c. g. Nec :quia ¡pi'. rira Dei agitar, ideo putes f libero arb. earers : quia nec tnieperdidit, quando diabolo voluntete fe dedit, a quo judicium volontatis depravationel!, nonabla- tion: Non van: homo no- lentate, fed voluntatie fa- tirite privaeos, ell : cent a diabolo fpoliaretnr: tant igitur borro ad pietateoñ reditnon allain so creator, fubftantie, fedeadem eme. Paras labefattatá repita. tir:
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