Ofthe eonGflencgofeffeéìuall Grace, &Go' pell Exhortations. C. X/Y. be more reafon why a6Js meerely natural! (aslbr example, Eating, Drinking, 321 Breathing, sleeping,)fhouldbe rewarded, in as much as thefeflowina wayofne- cety,yetfrom an inwardprinciple and connaturall to the Agent, thanfuck ons whereuntothe agent is con(train'd, necejftated, & determined, by aprinciple ofpowerfrom without, andw ich is not intrinfecal1to it. And this is the ftrengtl óftheArgument which will quickly appeare tobe very weakeneffe. For Firft theefficacy of thefe Expref$ons (whereunto it isnecepated, and from which they cannot poffrhly decline) as to their influence into thisArgument; arifeth clearely from their Ambiguity; we deny any to beneceffìtated to Per- fevere, or that our Do&crine affirmesany fuch thing, taking that expreffion to hold out a power upon their wills, in their operations, inconfiftent with the utmoft liberty whereof in Spirituali things having received a Spiritual! principle) men are capable; Theyare not fo neceffitated to Perfevere as that all the A&s oftheir Obedience, whereby they do Perfeveré fhould not befree, but neceffary, indeed they are not at all, nor in any fence neceflìtated toperfevere: There is no Neceffity attends their Perfeverance, but only in refpe& ofthe event, with reference to the Vnchangeable purpofe and infalli- blePromifeofGod; the like maybe faid ofthat other expreflìon (poffzbility ofdeclining,)God leaves inthem a pojfibility of declining, as to their wayand manner of walking with him, though he leaves not to thema poJbility ofde- clining or falling totally from him, as to the ifl°ue and event ofthe whole mat- ter, whichdoth not in the leaft neceffitate them to,or in anyoftheir opera- tions. Secondly,the propofition muffbe caft intoan other mould, before it will ' 4, g be ofany determinate lgnification in oppofition to the Do&: it oppofeth, & tuned to an other mood before it will give a certaine found to any battell a- gainft it & this is\,that noAlt ofthe Creature that is wrought inorder to the obtainingofany end promifed tobe certainely attained thereby,is rewardable ofGod; (though for Perfeverance it is not any a& of the Creature, but only a modusofits Obedience) and thus it lookes towards the concernementof this Dot-trine; yet before this propofition paffe, toomit fundry other things that would gladly rife to the deftru&ion of it,I delire one query may be affai- led concerning theobedience of Jefus Chrift, Whether it were not neceffary that theendofhis Obedience fhould follow? and Whether it were not im- poffiblehe fhould decline fromhis Obedience ? And if it were, whether it were impoffible that God fhould givea Reward thereunto? But thirdly, the intendment ofthis Propofìtion, as farre asit concernes us, (and that indeed iswith a refpe&to our Do&rineoftheEfficacyofGrace,and not thisofPerfeverance) is this, That which iswrought in us, by the Effelluall Grace ofGod is not capable ofReward from God; APropofition which though capable offome pleaand colour, taking Reward in a pure Legali fences fuppofìng the Perfons feeking afterit, to do it by a fervice, and dutyes pro- portioned unto it, yet is foopenly and direlycontradi&ory to the tenour & defigne ofGod in the Covenant ofGrace byJefus Chrift, with the wholedif- penfationofthe Spirit givento abide withBelievers,for all the ends andpur- pofes as to their Obedience, asI (hall content my (elfe to deny it expelling M. Goodwin'sproofes of it When rivers runne backward, heavy thingsof.. cend &c. Fourthly, for the Jlourifh added to thefe Affertions, by comparing thea&s ofthe Saints Obedience upon a fuppofitionofthe GraceofGodworking them in them, with their Naturall a&ions of eating, drinking, fleeping as to their tendency to exalt the Glory ofGod in rewarding, it proceedes eitherfrom T t groffe 4. 9.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=