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Eflcacy

of

Effe6ivall

Grace

con (ment

with

Mora11

Exhortations

CV/.

Thirdly,

how

comes

the

farne

A&

orOperation

in

refpe&

of

its manner

of

281

proceeding from

its

Agent,

to

be

Phyfcall,

and

in refpe&

of

its

sub fiance

to

be

Mora11;

Or

is

any

a&

Morali

in

refpe&

of

its fubffance,

or

is

its

Morality

an

Adjune1

of

it,

in

refpe&

of

the regard it bath

"to Come

Rule,

&

farther

End: It

is

an

eafy

thing for any

to

heape up

finch

crude

Af

ertions

, &

in

the

meane time

not to know

what

they

fay,

nor whereof

they

do

a,

ffrme

;But

the rea-

fon,

why

the

A&s

of God intimated

are Morall,

is

becatife

they

perfwade

the

Will

only, or

work perfwadingly; not ravifhingly

,"

or neceffztatingly

:

that

is

in

plain termes

,

There

is

no

operation

of

the

Grace

or

spirit

of

God,

in

the

working

of

any

good

in

the Heart or Wills

of

-men,

but

only

what

confifteth

in periwafton of

them thereunto. For

any reall

efficiency, as

to the commu-

nication

of

ftrength, inworking

in us

to

will

and

to

do,

tis

wholly exéluded;

God only perfwades, men have

the

power

in

themfelves,

and

of

themfelves

they do it

,

let the

Scripture

fay

what

it,

will

to

the

contrary;

.

For thofe

termes

of

Ravifhingly,

or

Necej

ttatingly, which

are

oppofed

to

this Morallper

-

fwafon, whereunto the operations

ofGod,

for

the

produ

&ion

of

'any

good in

us,

are tied up and

confined, wee

have been now

fo

inured to them,

that

they

do

not at

all

ftartle

us;

When

M.

Goodwin

fhall

manifet,.

That

God cannot

by

the

greatneffe

of

his

power, work

in

us to

will,

without

ravifhing

our

wills,

if

we gueffe

aright

at the intendment

of

that

expreflìon, he

will

advance

to

a

confiderable

fucceflè

in

this conteft,

not

only againfl us,

but

God

himfelfe.

But

an obje

&ion

prefents

its felfe

to

our Author,

which he

feesa

Neceflity 4.34;

to attempt the

removal}

of,

leaf}

an Apprehenfion

of

its

truth,

fhould

prove

-

prejtdiciall to

the receiving

of

his

di

&ates; And

this

it

is,

That

if

it

be

fo,

that

God worketh

on

the

will

of

man

by

theway

of

perfwafion only, he doth no more

then

the

Minifiers of

the

Gofpell

do,

who

perfwade men

by

the

Wordto

that

which

isgoad;

To

this

he tells you,

That

it

indeedfolloroes,that

God

&

Minifiera

work

on

the Will

of

man, in

the

fame

way,

with

the fame

kind

of

e

f

fcieney, but yet

in

ref

eól

of

degrees,

God

may

perfwade

more

e

ffee1ually

than

a

Miriifier.

That

all really

efficient,

internall working

grace

ofGod,was

deniedbyM..

4.iß

Goodwin, was

beforedifcovered; here

only

tis

more plainely afierted.

All

the

workings

of

God on the Wills

of

men

unto

good, are

tnderely

by

perfwafion

Perfwafion we

know

gives no

firength,

addes no power,

to

him

that

is

per=

(waded

to

any

thing; it

only provokes him , and irritates him,

to

put forth;

exert,

and exercife

the

power which

is

in

hitfelfe,

unto the

things

whereunto

he

is

perfwaded, upon the motives

&

grounds

of

perfwafion

propofed

to him;

and

the

whole

effe&

produced

on

that

account

,

is

in

solidum,

to

be afcribed

to the

really

efficient

caufe

of

it,

howfoever

incited, or

furred up;

whereas

then,

men by

Nature

are

dead, blind, unbelieving enemies

to God', he per

-

fwades

them only

to

exert the power

that

is

in

them

,

&

thereby to

live,

fee,

believe,

añd be

reconciled

to

him:

And

this

is

to

exalt the free grace

of

God

by

Jefus

Chrifl;

We

know

full

well

who

have

gone before

you

in

thefe

paths,

but

(hall

heartily pray,

that

none

of

the

Saints

of

God

may

follow after you,

into

this

contempt

of

the

work

of

his

Grace.

But

Secondly;

If

nothing

but

Perfwafion

be allowed

to

God

in

the work of

melts

Conver-

4:36

flan,

& in

the

carrying on

of

their obedience to the

end

,Wherein

doth

the

Perfwajon

of

God confft,

in

diflin&ion

from

the

Pérfreafion

ufed

in,

&

from

the

Word

by Miniflers,

which it

is

pretended

that

it.may

excell

(though

tis

not

affirmed

that

it

loth)

many degrees;

Let

it

be confidered

(I

fay)

in

what

A

&s

of

the

will,

or

power

of

God,

his

perfwation

fo

diftin

&as above mentio-

ned, doth

confifl

é

Let usknow

what Arguments he

ufeth,b*

what

Meanest

he

applies

them,

how

he conveyes them to the Wills

of

men,

that

are

not

"coin

-

cident, with

thofe

of

the

Miniflry;

I

firppofe

at

laft

'twill be

found,that

there

O

o

is