Baynes - BS2695 B289 1643

VE it.19. Ephefianr,Ehap !. I I79 whereto itgoeth. Thirdly, In regard:ofthe judgement, whichdothgoe before the adofit, judging freelyof it asathiÌgwhich it¡sable to doe; or not todoe, or ifit comeinto comparifon. with 'other, judgingofit as a thing tobe done before other,and fo movingtoit: Nowthis I taketo be the true root ofliberty, whencea6ìions are faid free,becauffe we our ofa free judgement move about them for todo a thing or fpeak a thing;thus or thus, out of judgement thinkingit free, or determiningone, when itconfidereth a diverfe thing which it might doe allo, this_ maketh the aElionfree ; yea fo free, that it isdone with eleótion : For thongh.the thing I workebeneceffary inregard of Gods will whichhash determi- ned it, yetI worke it freely, while I doe it out offuch a praéticalljudg- ment going before. As a man, though he fpeakethings for the matter of them never fo true, yet while he fpeaketh out of a judgement that the thing is ftlfe, he1peaketh falfely, though the thing fpokenbe otherwife true ; neitherdoth God maintaine a falfe judgement inmatt, becaufe his judgement ofother things free to him, is withthis limitati on inhim for ought he knoweth,andto doe any thing from my wilwith judgement,that it is poffiblefor me in fome fort if I. would to doe other- l wife, is enoughtofree working. To place the freedome of the judge- ment in judging, the meanewe ufe indifferent, fuch as maybe, ufed and not ufed, and yet theend attained, whichI like not, becaufe Chri(tians cannot etleeme and account offaith, repentance, as meanes indifferent whennevertheleffe they beleeveand repent freely. Now though the willwas in creation, and is in Chriftians inclinable to contraries, yet I doenot thinke liberty to ftand in this nativeflexibili- ty, which is inclinable hither or thither, much leffe in liberty ofexerci- fing power to orfro, as being herein byno power predetermined. For firft, the will feemeth to be faid free in regard offomething no. way bound, but the indifferencieofthe inclination in exercife is bound by Gods decree,fo that nothingcan bedone, but what he hath determined. Secondly, inmen difttaued in reafon, the inherent flexibilityofwill is not altered, the exercife is no more phyfically predetermined then before, and yet they worke not with liberty. Thirdly; were liberty in the flexibility, then the more our wils were flexibleto things oppofite, the more perfect were our liberty. Whereas we fee Chriftians, the more theygrow in grace;the moretheir inclinableneffe to finne is dimi- nifhed ; and when they have attained perfection, this flexibleneffe to evill thall be totally removed. The firft opening mutt be more neerely fcanned. Many will have liberty nothing butfucha freedome, wherebyGod hathmadehis crea- ture every way undetermined, fo thatwhen hedoth anything, he hath full power to doe the contrary, or to fufpend. Now though thisfree- dome might be defended againft wharfoever is in any fecond caufe, viz, in this fenfe, that he isfree to exercife his power as well another way as this hemoveth,for any thing that any creature candoe inheaven or earth, nay, for ought he canfee inhimfelfealfo; Buttohold this ab- folute in regard ofGod himfelfe isamolt prodigious conceit. Liberty in

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