I 20 Of ACatural Corruption andImpotency, 3. No Àenginian holdeth that man is firmer than God, and over - comethhis Powerby a. greater Power: Out of Bedlam none have fuch thoughts that are awake. 4. None of them think that any Aft of Gods Power is Overcome, or is unfuccefsful, which isexercifed with hisabfolute Will or Decree of prevailing, or of the effe&. 5. But they think that in fome cafes, yea ordinarily Gods Will is freely to exert nomoreof hispower towards the caufingofa commanded aft, - than what (há11 give man apower toobey, with force afüfling mo- rives, and leave the fuccefs or effe& tohis free Will. That God doth fo fometimes, is proved by the cafe of Adam. Now whetheryou will call this overcoming or not, and whether you will fay, Adam over- came Gods Grace, orGods Grace overcamenot Adam's Will, is but a Logomachy. The thing in queftion, is nothing but finning againft that degree of Grace, which enabledman to havedone better. But all this belongeth to the controverfieof Grace, and not of manspower : unlefs you thinkfin apowerful honourable a&. C. CC At lea.ft in this they,over -value manspower, in that they hold, That C C mans Will bathpower todetermine the influxof God, andfo man(hall CC rate his Maker : when Gods influx or premotion (hall bet leave it tb'the CC Will of man, what¡hall be thefnccefs. B. This toucheth phyfical predetermination; andneedeth no other anfwerthan isoft given. t, Youwrong them : They hold not all (pro- perly) that mans Will determinethGods Will, eitheras to the effes ce of theDivine Will, or as to theA&, connoting the meer Obje& : But only that it candetermine of a commonefett; which Godsandmans Free-Will would produceif both concur. 2. They do not think that mans Will hath any the leaft operation caufally onGods Will in it felf; butonly that variations are madeby varietyof recipientdifpofitions, where the influxof the Agent is univerfal and equal : And fo that mans receptive indifpofition maybea caufe that GodsInflux work not the fame effe& on himwhichit woulddoon a difpofedCubje&. 3. And they fay not this ofGods abfolute Will andPower, but of his power operating reftrain- edlyby hisown free Will ; when he will exert nomore, than what (hall be fuccefsful only on a free concurring and difpofedSubje&, andnot on a refitting undifpofed one. It pleafeth God that the Sun (ball operate but withacommonOpera- tion, variable in the effe&s, by the various dilpoftion of Recipients. TheFlowers fpring and are fweet, and Weeds (rink, Trees grow, and Stones grow not ; humanity is ailed by it in men, andnot in Fruits. God could have made the Influxof this Sunto have been caufa fj;ecialis, and to have turned a Weed into a Rofe, or a Stone into a Tree, if he had pleafed : but he dothnot. Nowwill you fay that we are erroneous, and overmagnifie the recipient, if wefay that its difpofition is the cauCe ofmuch of this diverfity ? and that the [tone is ftronger than the Sun and overcomethit ? No : the Sun did all that was properly intended : Itsbeams camedown on theStone, as well as on the AnimalsandPlants. It warmed it, though itdid not quickenit. So God doth his work on the Willof Sinners : His Influx is terminatedon their Will, and had he fent it with a refolution to convert him, it (hould have done it. But feeing hefent it limitedly, only toenable a man to Will, and to concur fo far as (hall prevail, if hedo what his own Will is able todo by felf- excitation, its no overcoming God, if themanfin. Once more, I fay, that men that fear God fhould be very cautelouswhat they fay in all Con-
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=