I I6 Ofnatitràl Corruption and Impotency, Quefi. I. Do you not believe that God hath made it the duty oft all the Unregenerate, to defire, and beg, and feek his fpecial regenerating Grace ? and ufe means toget it ? and avoid impediments? C. `t Tes : it is their duty 5 otherwife theomiffion ofit were not their " Sin. B. Qua/. 2. HathGod commanded them to do all this invain ? C. 06I told you, that it is not in vain, if heconvert but fome few of " e them. B. My queftíonwas not, whether the commandbe in vain, butwhe- ther theduty commandedbe in vain. And how doth one mans good ufe of commonGrace, prepare another man for converfion, and not himfelf. It isfor himfelf that Godcommandeth and earneftlyexhorteth men tobe reconciled unto God. And is this in vain'to themfelves if they do it? If they repent when commandedit is not in vain ? If they ufe common Grace in Peeking God, how prove you that it Ihall be in vain ? If you fay to your Servants, [Come and afk me for your Food and Raiment when you want them ], they would think that Command did not fet them upona vain afking. If an able Phyfician that could cure a Dífeale at his pleafurefhhould fay, [Take this Medicine for the cure of your Difeafe] or [ this preparative ] it would be fuppofed not in vain. In this Command God is both ReElor and Benefa1 or : As Retior, the right government of mankind is his end 5 which is not done by fetting them on vain duty As Benefat1or, the good ofhis Creature is his end (as wemay call it,under hisGlory therein). And vainduty is an evil,and nota benefit to any. If the King Pent to you to come and afk himfor He that readeth the preferment, you would takeit to lignifiehalf a promife. Now Gods D of the greater Promites are not ftriûl Obligations, any further than the notification part ofthe Papi(ts,of fu- y g y pernaturality, ?and info- of his Will, and giving the fubje l a right, is anObligation 5 where ConofCharity orGrace, Gods Perfefion is inftead of anObligation. And is fuch a Command will have little reafonto fay thattheybring them [ Atk, Seek, Accept, ] no notificationof his Will that our labour Mall too much into the pow- not be loft? I do not call it a Promife : But is it not a fignification that er theoDaminicass. Doth God the ReElor and Benefa&or of the World, will not let the performer not Alvareé fet Grace lofe his labour. far enough out of mans C.-" He to eth nothis labour if heget by it but temporal mercies, and an power, when he faith f f y p k.. g. difp. 69. P. 3.6: " abatement of his pains inHell. e. a. Impetuale eft quod B. Do you thus paraphrafe Gods Command, [Seek for Grace, and Gratis bdlit ala fit can- naruratis aücnifabftanis thou fhalt have Health or Riches : orleek for Converfion and Salvation, steals vel ire°nil: `Ergo and thou(halt have an eafier Damnation. ] This is Rill a duty that's vain edam of impobile quad cnaritas, vel eyes aítna, as to the commandedEnd. fit ei connaturalis, aut ex C. " I confefs it were not in vain if they could do it ar he commandeth : fella vtribue taros pro- cedens. Prob. antecedens, for God commandeth them to do it in faith, and fpiritualfineerity, which 2gia contra ratieran they cannotdo. Gratis eft quad debits <t naturs; ex eo cairn gratis d&citm, quia gratis datar & non ex debits -.. And is not a mans Being and Naturegiven him gratis dr non ex debito ? Indeed had he defined Grace tobe good dater contra mvritum, the contrachaion in the terms would have allowed this game it words to be true : Butwords it is, andto no purpofe, or elfe I cannot exude itfrom blafphemy, to fay that God is not able to make an Angel or any Creature in whom the habits of Grace or Love (hall be connatural ? Protefanta hold on the contrary, that fome degree of habitual Love was connatural toAdam and the Angels, though not as effential to their Natures, and fo unlofable.:. And that Love is now called fupernatural , becaufe medicinal fupernatural Grace muG rettore it tò corrupted Nature. Rada the Scotill, Cont.]. (peaks better of fupernaturality : For my parr, that which I fear in theft high Grains of fupernaturality , in thefe Papi(ts Dottrine, and Sir Henry Vane's is, left it Mould produce Infidelity and Saduceifm ;- And he that to day holdeth that the Love to God is fo exceeding far fupernatural to perfett Nature it felf, may to morrow hold that mans Species is changed by Grace ; And the next day that it is more credible that mans Nature was never made to love God , or to be glorified, than to believe that God will either make him of another Species , or give him another Nature , betides the peddling of the Nature created: Yea that God cannot make a Creature that shall naturally love hisMaker. N. Do
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