O f Skffieient andEfethitaTGrace. 173 ved power ofus worms. But the Cafe is weighty which youand others periloufly overlook. C. " Let me hearyour explicationof it. B. God doth not work likeneceffary agents to the utmoft that he is able. His Wifdome hath diverfifted Creatures; andhis Wifdome hath appointed (even in theworks ofGrace) a flablifhedorder of fecond cau- fes and means which he will ufefor the effeá. And his Wifdome and Free will hath fixed a certain degree or proportionofhis concourfe, fui- table, I. Tothe natureofman ; 2. And to the nature and ufe of all thofe means; 3. And to the died as it is tobe ordinarily accomplithed : Even as in nature, he concurreth with all caufes agreeably to their fta- blifhed nature and ufe. Now though Omnipotency cannot be over- come, yet the fame creature that hatha certain Elated proportion of na- tural altivity, and Gods fuitable concourfe ( e. g. to a healthful body which hath ftrong appetites), andalto a congruous proportion of Gra- cious means, and concurfeand helpsofGrace, by whichhe can rule the forefaid appetite,, may yet by negle l ofthat help, and by wilful indul- gingof that appetite, make theappetite ttronger than his ordinary de- greeof help, and fo overcome the Grace of God, though he overcome not GodsOmnipotenceor Decrees. Butthere is yet another thing of great moment commonlyoverlooked. C. "What is that? B. The great importanceofthat common laying Recipitur ad modus recipientis 5 on which, had I time, I would write a Book of Inftances. CaufaReceptiva is not well undertlood. Ariftotlemaketh Privatio to be one ofhis threePrinciples inPhyficks. ByPrivation muff be meant, not Abfentia forme, fed Difpoftìomaterie : And whether you will call it a thirdPrinciple, or only the due qualification of the firft (Matter) to Blake it immediately Receptiveof theform, the matterbeingde nomine â palmero is final]. But it ismolt certain, that the wonderful diverfity of alterations, or effeftsof motion in the world, is verymuch to be afcri- bed to the diverfityof Receptive Difpouitions. And accordingly as in Phyficks thethree Allive Natures (Intelletlive, Senftive, andVegetative, (which its like is Ignis) are tobe definedpervirtutes fuss Altivas; fo the Faffive Elements (Earth, Water, and Air) are tobe definedby their leve- tal contexturesor conftitutions, which make up Difpoftionem Recepti- vam Influxus Aelivorum, unicteique propriam 5 which is their very form. In Phyfical cafes, God doth firfi as Creatormake all things in wonder- ful variety of natures, quantities, figures, and contextures. And le- condly,he caufeth an Univerfal Caufe to influence them generally ; filch as is the Sun for one (what other weknow not well); whole triple In- flux Motion, Light, andHeat, affelteth all thingsaccording to their feve- ral Natures and Receptivities. Thefpecial Altive principle in every living thing, is bothcherifhed, and fufcitated by this univerfalfolar influx. But the diverfity ofeffellsis not from the Sun, butfrom the diverfity ofReci- pients. TheSun by its influxis the caffethat all things live, andmove But that onething hath a life andmotion Intelleliive, and another senf- tive,and another Vegetative,that by the Suns influx anAcorn brings forth' an Oak, and every Seed its ownkind of Plant ; that a Horfe e.lteth as a Horfe, a Dog as a Dog, a Sheepas aSheep, &c. that the Role hath one fmell, colour, fhape; the Carnation another;. the Tulip another, &c. that the Dunghillftinketh, that the Clay ishardened, the Wax foftened, &c. theinnumerable different effelts in the inferior creatures, are all caufed by theSun, as to theirgeneral nature (the received Influx of a Motive;
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