18 Of atural Corruption and Impotency, C. "But whenyou havePaid all, yet they have no Promife. R. I. You know, I fuppofe, how hard it is to underfland certainly many Texts of Scripture, whether they be Promifes to fuch or not! Matth. 7.8. Everyone that asketh receiveth, and he that feekethfindeth, &c. Lam. 3.25. The Lord is good to the Soul that feeketh him. Amos 5.4. Seek me , and ye (hall live. Luke II. 13. God will give the holy Spirit to them that ask him, &c. I only fay that there is difficulty in thefe and fuch other Texts. 2. But you confer that God hath formerly made Promifes ofChurch -Priviledges, and of temporal things to un- fan&ified men : Therefore ifhedid make a Promife of further helps of 00 Grace, tothem that well ufe former helps, it were no more incongru- ous. And 3. Truly I underftandnot what it is that moveth fome men to be fo much againft filch a conception, that God should' make any Promife of furtherMercy, to the obedient ufe of former Mercy, when it is fo agreeable to his Reetorfhip and Bounty, and to the common in- terefe of Mankind. 4. But yet I aflhrt no fuch Promife : All that I plead foris, that youwill Hate the difference aright asit is, andnot mil - report it, as if it were greater. C. " How is it thatyouwould have itfiated ? B.I. You are all agreed, that by Nature man can do natural allions 5 and bycommon Grace, he cando the allions of common Grace; and by fpecial Grace, he cando theacts of fpecial Grace. Are you not all agreed of thismuch? C. "Ter, thiscannot bedenied. B. 2. Andyou are agreed that the ails of common Grace are fuch as conflit in a commanded feeking of; orpreparing for fpecialGrace. C. "'Tes, that alfo is agreed on. B. 3. And youareagreed, that the bet$(late of common Grace is in the nature Of the thing, certainly and always, a flare of preparation or greater moral aptitude for fpecial Grace, whether it certainly follow or not. C. " Ter, that is not denied neither. B. The difference then is but this. One Party faith, That [ "God " hath fignifiedcertainly his Will, to give fpecial Grace to them that fo feek it by common Grace, as to comeup to the higheft degree of " preparation : And that this fignification of his Will is a Promife]. The otherParty faith, [That Godby commanding fuch to feek his " fpecial Grace, and befeechingand exhorting them thereto, andgiving " them abundant means and helps, doth lignifie his Will, that they {hall not labour invain if theydo it : andgiveth them fo much encourage- "ment and hope, as thatnonebath caufe ofremifsnefs by difpair, but "all are unexcufable that fhall negle& fuch means and hopes. But " that this is not a proper Promife, becaufe it giveth them not a "right. C. " Ton have trulyffated the diffé.rence : And I. confef that if I were " comfortingan afflitledConfeience ready todifpair, Ifhonld tell fuch, that -" a Command tofeekMercy, implyeth a certainty that he that fofeeketh it "(hall findit; And if we could but fay to men, as thepeople to t he blind " man, Behold he calleth thee, It wouldbe near to a promife that he will heal them. B. But forget not that all this is but your anticipationof the Contro- verfles about Grace, or GodsPromifes, and is no part of the Contro- verliie about mans power or corruption. C.
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