VE R.19, Ephefians,Chap- i. liberty ac3ua11y to refit it, yea orno ; the anfwer is, it doth not : That which the omnipotency of God is put forth to worke in the creature, that thecreature cannot refft : But God putteth forth hisomnipotency, andby the effeduall workingofit, he may bring us tobeleeve. The tuft part is not denied: The fccond is here plainely let downe, viz. That God doth bringus tobeliefe by the effc tuall working ofno leflèpow- er, then that which railed Chrift from the dead. That which maketh Gods aid andGrace tut under thepower ofman, and not mans will to be underit, that is a Pelagian he e : But to fay that notwithftanding Gods helping Grace, man may re/if?, ù to put Grace in mans power, not to put mans will under the power of Grace. For the firft part ofthe reafon we may fee it ; for Pelagius taken up, Aug.drbsref- becaufe he yeelded nothing to Grace as he ought, granted that he did base. not preferre it before the will, but pur it uncle the power of it. That which maketh man ableto fruftrate Gods counfell touching his con- verfion, is not to be granted : But power to refill all God can work, maketh him have power to fruftrate Gods counfell : In- deed it would be thus in power of the creature to make God per- jured in the things he hath fworn. To the fecond part of this reafon fome may happily anfwer, that this power maketh not man able to re- fift God hecaufe he doth in his counfell decree nothing, but fo that he doth fee this power is ready infallibly toperform it : But this is nothing that God doth fowill and decree that he knoweth the creature will not refilt him ; for this doth infer no more, but that God (hall not miffe of any thing he willeth: it doth not prove he maynot, but it abhorreth from Chriftian Bares to fay there is anypower whichmay poflibly make God a lyer, as well as to fay, God fhall not be found true in that he hath fpoken. That which is wrought in the ;yid, notfrom any naturaltpower of[if firing, butfrom the obedience inwhich it is to Gods almighty power, that thewill bath nopower todecline : But the werkeofconverfion to God is wrought in it,from the obedience inwhich itfiandeth to Gods almightypower. To underftand it, things havea power offuffering, from their natures inclining them to fuffer this or that, as waxe is naturally inclined to melt with heate; ora powerwhich cannot but obey fome agent working on them from without ; thus a peece ofwood may be made into an image. Now in regard of God,all thingsare in fuch a Rateofobedience, that they will come to any thing he will bring them : A (tone by this power may be made into a man, even a Sonne ofvlbraham. Now that which things fuffer from this power, whereby they obey agents work- ing on them from without, that they cannot avoyd : for every thing fo far as it is come in obedience to another, fo far it cannot refill : Now, thatconverfion is wrought in the will, as itftandeth only inobedience to Gods power, is plaine ; for it hath no naturali inclination to fuffer any thing , both for the being and manner of it, abovenature : For there is '77
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