EflcacyofEffe6ivall Grace con (ment with Mora11 Exhortations CV/. Thirdly, how comes the farneA& orOperation in refpe&of its manner of 281 proceeding from its Agent, tobe Phyfcall, and in refpe& of its sub fiance to beMora11; Or is any a&Morali in refpe&ofits fubffance, or is its Morality an Adjune1 ofit, in refpe& of the regard it bath"to Come Rule, & farther End: It is an eafy thing for any toheape up finch crudeAf ertions , & in the meane time not to knowwhat theyfay, nor whereofthey 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 nooperation of the Graceor spirit ofGod, in the workingofany 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 offtrength, inworking in us to will and todo, tis wholly exéluded; God only perfwades, men have the power in themfelves, and ofthemfelves they do it , let the Scripture fay what it, will to the contrary; . For thofe termes ofRavifhingly, or Necej ttatingly, which are oppofed to this Morallper- fwafon, whereunto the operationsofGod, for the produ&ion of 'any good in us, are tied up andconfined, wee have been now fo inured to them, that they donot at all ftartleus; When M. Goodwin fhall manifet,. That God cannot by the greatneffe ofhis power, work in us towill, without ravifhing our wills, if we gueffe arightat the intendment ofthat expreflìon, he will advance to a confiderable fucceflè in this conteft, notonly againfl us, but God himfelfe. But an obje&ion prefents its felfe toour Author, which he feesa Neceflity 4.34; to attempt the removal} of, leaf} an Apprehenfion of its truth, fhould prove - prejtdiciall to the receivingofhis di&ates; Andthis it is, That ifit be fo, that God workethon thewill of man by theway ofperfwafion only, he doth no more then theMinifiers of the Gofpell do, whoperfwade menby the Wordto that which isgoad; To this he tells you, That it indeedfolloroes,that God &Minifiera work on the Willof man, in thefame way, with the famekindofef fcieney, but yet in refeól ofdegrees, Godmayperfwade more effee1ually thanaMiriifier. That all really efficient, internall working graceofGod,was deniedbyM.. 4.iß Goodwin, was beforedifcovered; hereonly tismore plainely afierted. All the workingsofGod on the Willsofmen 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 ofperfwafionpropofed to him; and the whole effe&producedon that account , is in solidum, to be afcribed to thereally efficient caufe of it, howfoever incited, or furred up; whereas then, men byNature aredead, blind, unbelieving enemies to God', he per- fwades them only to exert the power that is inthem , & thereby to live, fee, believe, añd be reconciled tohim: And this isto exalt the free graceof God by Jefus Chrifl; Weknow full well who have gone beforeyou in thefe paths, but (hall heartily pray, that noneof the Saints of God may follow after you, into thiscontempt ofthework of his Grace. But Secondly; Ifnothingbut Perfwafion be allowed toGod in the work ofmelts Conver- 4:36 flan, & in the carrying on of their obedience to the end ,Wherein doth the Perfwajon ofGod 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) inwhat A&s of the will, or power ofGod, his perfwation fodiftin&as above mentio- ned, doth confifl é Let usknowwhat Arguments he ufeth,b*what Meanest he applies them, howhe conveyes them to the Wills of men, that are not "coin- cident, withthofe oftheMiniflry; I firppofe at laft 'twill be found,that there O o is
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