;,o The PromtifeoftheSpirit, Of walking Sacr.Xi. this time pitchonely upon the manner how God works this glorious mercie in us. And from thence obterve, bbferv. That God in Converting and changing our hearts worksafter an omgipotent,effica. ciotu, andirre/igible manner. When God fpcaks to the foul to believe, to repent; to refoim, it cannot, it will not but repent, he makes of unwilling willing ; Even ' as at the firiCreationGod Paid, Let Mere belight,a <athere waslight : There was no power in the Creature to rejeft Gods Otnntpotency : o it is, when God teeth a man wallowing in his bloud, or dead in hisfin:if he fay, .Arifiand taark, Come forthourof thegrave offmne, as he did to Lazarus, pretcntly the foul obeÿetb. This point both Doétrinally, and -Praft tally, is verynee. tfary. The Orhodox handlingof it, makes much for the excellent praife of grace, and the utter over- throw of thofe dangerous and proud errors that advance Fiee-will, givingit either all,orpart,in the work of converitoo.Contrarie to the whole fcopeacheScripture, The Doárine which continually debafeth men, difcoveringhis imporencie and.unwortbines, buc explained. givingall to thepower of God. Letus ti tt explain chi D.&rin,ánd then prove it. r. Firft therefore,wediflingai/h between a man in hie frrFh CanvwJion, andafter- wards thepregreffeof it. In the firft moment and in(tant of Coovertion, whichis Min in the the taking awaythe heart of (tone, and givingan heartof flefh; there we fay, man g. it work of is meetly a fubjtft **five, and receiving the work of God, he loth -not an waves tátrerGon is. Y 1 P is Y Y pa(tivc and co- operate, he bathno (trengthor powerto joys with God ; but as 44in faith dorh not coo- well, Theft things are wrought M nobis, fine nobit in us, yet without m, God perate. works this fpiricuaII life, this tender heart n us, without our helpor Rrength ; E- venas when Chrrft railed up anydead menthe put natural life into them, this was done in them , yet without their help ; Life was put into Lotartee , and Lazarus had no helping hand to eff.ft this t I Yhall prove this in the grounds of the Doftrine, I oncly now explain it. This then is the truth of God, and plainlygrounded onScripture, that manin the fir(( Militant of Convection, bath no Free will , no power working with God, but is a meet palTrvc fubj:ft, receiving 'themightywork of God upon his foul: but if you confider man in the progrelfe of Sanctification, thus having received this heavenly fupernatural lif., he is not a meet patient, but beingafed and movedby God,he altoaltsand movcth:Thcn in- deed.weneed grace to quicken and inliven thofe principles of grace, asbefore was proved ; but yet we doe not need a new life to be infufed intous. 3. Secondly, eAlthorigh this is thegood truthof Goi,yet hereby wedoe nottake away the nature of aman, and makehim a heal?, as the Adverfarim calumniate. Oh fay they, this is to clan man into a Rockor (tone, to deprivehimof reaton and liber- Hereby mans tie ofwill. No, we deny the confequence ; for althoughwe fay , That he is thus will is not ca- paflive for the initial workingofGrace ; y et' we fay he lath his understanding, his ken away. reafon Rill,he hsth a will Rill ; onely,to dilcern, or will what is good, that he can- not : So thenwe deny not but a man lathundcrftanding, bath a natural libertieof his will,he cannot be a man if he have not thole : but yet in raped of that which is holy; lo his mind is blind,his will is ooftinate, and rebellious againi it. So that in man here are theft three things; To be able to underhand, tobe able freely to will; this is of meet nature. To haveacorrupt underftanding, and a corrupt will,, is of defiled ustare. TOunderhand and will what isgood, is of fanet fied nature: So then, what is the trueRate of the question, notwhether there bean underftan- ding, and the natural facultyof Free-will ina man, or not. None denyeth that, every manhath Free-will innatural andcivili allions; oncly thequeftion is about the objeft of theft, whether hehath power to underhand or will things that are meetly fpirituall and fupernatural; and this the Scripture doth expretly deny. 3. Thirdly, When we lay, God doth work grace thus powerfully and ierefifibly, the meaning alto is not , as if the heartof a man in converfion did not refill and rejei thework of the Spirit, in forre meafure, and in fotne degrees; for there is no que(lionbut the heart of a mandothnaturally refuteand oppotethe Spirit of God. Stephen told the Jews, They had alwwyet re f ffed:be Spiritof god, Ads 7.
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