ARMINIANISM. 1 all the grace of God bellowed upon us, for our converfion to bebut a moral perluafion by his word, not an infufion of a newvital principle by the powerful working of the holy fpirit. And indeed granting this, I fhait moll willingly comply with them, hr affigning to freewill one ofthe endowments before recited, a power of refining theope- ration of Grace : but inlead of theother, mail needs afcribe to our whole corrupted nature; and every one that is partaker ofit, an univerfal difability of obeying it, or coupling in that work which God by his grace doth intend. if the graceofour conver- Yon benothing but a moral perfuafion, we have no more powerof obeying it, in that elate wherein weare dead in fin, than a man in his grave bath in himfelf to liveanew, andcome out at thenext call. God's promifes, and the faints prayers in the holy fcrip- tare, ferns to defign fach a kindofgrace, as should give us a real, internal ability of doingthat which is fpiritually good ; but it feems there is no fuch matter : for ifaman fhquld perfuade me to leap over the Thames, or file inthe Air, behe never fo eloquent his foie perfuafion makesme nomore able to do it, than I was before ever I kw him. If God's gracebe nothing but a Tweet perfuafion, though never fo powerful, it is a thing extrinfecal, confifing in the propofalofa defired objeft, butgives us no new lrength at all, to do any thing wehad not beforea power to do. Butlet ushear them pleading themfelves, toeach ofthere particulars concerning grace and nature. And, Frff, for the Nature ofgrace : Godbath appointed tolavebelievers bygrace, that is, afòfi andf,e etperfuafon, convenient andagreeing to theirfreewill, andapt byany Almighty aílion, faith (a) Arminius. It feems fomething frange, thatthe carnal mind being enmity againf God, and thewill inthralled to fin, and full of wretched oppoftion to all his ways; yet God dhould have noother means to work them over unto him, but fore perfuafion that is fweet, agreeable, and congruous unto them, in that eIfate wherein they are : and a fmall exaltation it isof the dignityandpower ofgrace, when the chief reafonwhy it is effeftuál, as Alvarez obferves, may be reduced to a well-digefed fupper, or an m;di- fburbed fleep, whereby forcemen maybe broughtinto better temper thanordinary, to comply with this congruousgrace. Butlet us for the prefent acceptof this, .and grant that God dash call fume by filch a congruous perfuafion, at filcha time, and place, as he knows they will affentunto it. I ask whether God thus callcth all men, on only force? If all, why arenot allconverted ? For the very granting ofit tobe congruous, makes it effeflual. If only fume, why they and not others? Is it out ofa fpecial intentionto have them obedient? But let them take heed, for thiswill go near to ela- blilh the decree ofelefbion, and out ofwhat other intention it fhould be, they Mall ne- ver be able to determine. Wherefore (b) Coroneres denies that any firth congruity is re- quired to the grace whereby we are converted, but only that it be a moral.perfuafion which wemay obeyif we will, and fo make it effeffual. Yea and Arminius himfel after he had defended it as the ashe wasable, puts it off fromhimfelf, and ía'11 fathers it upon St. Aútin. So that as theyjointly affirm, (c) they canfefr nograce for the begetting offaith to be neeefary, but only that which is moral which (d) one ofthem interpreteth, to be adeclarationofthe Gofpelunto us. Right like their old Mailer (e) Pelagius, God, faith he, wnrketh in us to will that which isgood, and to will thatwhich is holy, mhilf{ he fors ús úp with promife ofrewards, and thegreatnefooffutureglory, who before weregiven over es earthly defires, likebrute beafls loving nothingbut things prefent, furring up our flupidwills to a defre of Goal, by a revelationofwifdom, and perfuadi g us to all thatis good. Both of them affirm the grace ofGod, tobenothing but amoral perfuafion , :working by the way of power- ful convincing arguments ; but yet herein Felagius feems to afcribe a greater efficacy to it, than the Arminian, granting that it works uponus, when, after the mannerofbrute beats, we are fetmerely on earthly things : but thefe, asthey confef , that (f) for the prodetionoffaith, it isneeeffary thatfuch arguments beprepofed on the part ofGod, to which no- thing canprobably be appofed, why they fhoaldnot feem credible : fo there is, fay they, required (a) Deus ftatuit falvareneedentes per grátiam, id eft, lenrm a fuavem libereque ipfrum arbitrio onveniestemfeu congruam fuafonem, non per omnipotentem aitionem fea mutiosem, Armin. Antip- fol. zn. (I) Ad Moon. His ita expofrtis ex mente Augultini, Sc. Armin. Antip. de deal. (a) Fatemur aliam nobis ad alum fides eliciendum necelfariam gratiam non agnofci, gum moralem, Rem. ad. Synod. ad art. q. (d) Annuntiatiodolrins Evangelics, Popp. Aug',Jl. pmt. fa. 1 m. (,) Operator in nobis velle good bosom eft, velle quod fanftum eft, dam nos tcrrenis cupiénatibus delitos mutorum moreanimalium, tantummódo peefentia diligentes, future glorie mapieudine, & Pramiorum pollicitatione fuccendit : dam revelation fapientis in defderium Dei lisp pentem fufcitat volungtem, dun) nobis (bastes canoe quad bonum eft, Pe lag. apudAug. de arid. e p. so. If) Ut totem alfenfus hic eliciatnr in nobis, duo in primis neceffaria font. s. Arguments alna es paste Den, quibus nitl verifimiliter appeal poteft, cur credibilia non lint. s. Pia r ts animique grabiras, Rem detlar. rap. t7.fed. s. or.
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