Church of 'R.,ome. 559 of confent berweene vs and the Romane A Church touching Free-will: neither may weo proceedefunher withthem. JI. 'the dijfewt or dijforence. The pointofdifference ltandethin the canfe ofthe freedome of mans will in fpirituall mat– ters, whichconcerne the ki•gdome ofGod. The Papilts fay,mans wil cancurreth and wor• keth with G;xls graces in the firfi.conuerfion when God by his fpirit firlt. infufeth grace: And this is the true difference betweene vs and the Church of Rome in this point of Free-will. III.Ourreafons. Now for the confirmatiog ofthe doClrine we hold, namely, thata man willeth not his owne conuerfionofhimfelfe by narure,either in whole orin part, but by grace wholly and alone: thefe rea!ons may be vfed. The firlt is taktn from the nature and meafure of mans corruption, which may be dithnguifhed into two parts. The fir£l,is the want oftbat origi· of a Gnner, by itftlfe, and by itowne n•turall power: and is only helped by the holy Gho~· We fay,that mans will worketh with grace tn thefirltconuerfion: yetnotofit felfe, but by grace. Or thu£:_They fay,will hath a natural! co-operation:we deny it,and fay it hathco-o1 peration onelybygrace, beeing in itfelfe not actiue butpafsiue,willing wel onlyas itismo– ued by grace, whereby it mult firfl be aCled and mooued beforeit can act or wil. And that we may che better coneeiue the difference , I will vfe this comparifon: The Church of Rome fet• forth the eltare ofafinner by the conditidn ofa prifoner,and fodoe we: marke then the difference: It fuppofeth the faid pri. foner to lie bound hand and foot with chaines and fetters,and withall,to be ficke and weake, yet not wholly dead,but liuing in part: it fup– pofeth alfo, that being in this cafe, he £lirreth not himfelfe for any helpe, and yethath abili, C ty and powerto£lirre. Hereupon, ifthe kee– percome and rake away his bolts and fetters, and hold him by the hand, and helpe him vp, B nail righccoufndfe,which was in man bycrea– tion:rhe fecond, isa pronene!fe and inclinati– on to that which iseuill , and to nothing that is truely good. This appeareth,qe,, 8.11. The frame ofmans heart(faith the Lord)i<euiRf•m hi< childhood: rhat is, the difpofition ofthe vn– cler£landing,will, afteetions, with all that the heart ofipan dcuiferh~frameth,or imagineth, iswbollyeuill. AndPanlf,ith,Rom.8 7• The wifedomeofrheJleft1 i<enmityagainfl qod:which words are very {jgnificant:for the word ~~~fl" tranflated wifedome, fignifieth that the beft thonghrs,the bertdefires,affct1:ions, & indea– uoursthat be in any naturall man, euen thofe he can and ,will of himfelfe !land and walke, andgoe out ofprifon: euenfo (fay they) is a finner bound hand and foote with the chaine ofhis fiones: and yet he is not dead but ficke, like to the wounded man in theway betweene Jericho and Ierufalem. And therefore doth he noi: will and aftclt that which is good: but ifthe holy Gholt come and doe but vntie his bands, and reach himhis hand ofgrace, then can he £lan,d of hi!Jlfelfe, and will his owne ~·luation,or.~ny, thing elfe thatjs good, Wee 111 hkc manner grant, that aprifoner fitly re– ·rembleth anarurall man, butyet fuch aptifo– nermu£lhebc, asisnotouely[lcke&weake, D btit eucn ltarke dead : which cannot £lirre though the keeper vnty hisboles and chaines; nor heare though hee found a trumpet in his care; and if the fJid keeper wqgld haue him to mooue and fi.i):re, hee mult gi•e him not onely his hand eo helpe him , .bi>~ euen foule and life alfo: and fuch aoncis eu 0ry man by nature : not onely chained and fetter.ed in )lis finnes,but £larke dead therein_:,as one that !y. eth ro~ten in the graue, not hauing any ability orpowerromooue or ltirre: and therefore he ~annoi fo mu'h as dcfire to ~o~ ~ny thingthat IS truely!!ondofhimfelfe. But God mu{t lirlt Co_~eand put an·ew.foule imo him , eucn the. fpmt ofgrace toquicken and reuiuehim: and then bceingthus i:euiued, the.~ill beginneth I to wdl good things at the very fame time, thatcGme mofl: neere ta·true hotinefi"c, are not onely contrary to Goq, but euen enmitie it felfe. And kence I gather, that the very heartitfelfe,thatis,thewill, and minde from whence thefe defires and thoughts doe come, are alfo <nrnitie vnto God. For fuch as the a/lien is, fucb is the facultie whence it pro– ceedeth: fuch as the fruite is,fuch is the tree; fuch as the branches are, fuch are rhe roots, By both thefe places it is euident, that in man there is nor oneJy a want,abfc:nce,ordepriua– tiooof original! righteoufuc!fe, but a prone– ne!fe alfoby nature vnto that which is euill: which pronene!fe includes in it an inclination nottofomefew,butto all and euery finne,the very finne againlt the holy 6holt not.e:i:ccp~ ted. Hence therefore, I reafon thus: If euery m•n bynamre.dothbothwantoriginAN iuflice, andbe alfopronevuto all eNill, then WtJnttth he nAtura/lfree ..wiO to 'lvilt th11t which;, trueiygood. . 1Jut eNery t»ttn bj natnrewantNYigina!J inflict andUAlfo prone 1JfltO a/J I HiD. 1 . Ergo, E•ery 111an naturally wantsfet-wi/1, to . willrh•r whkh wg..d. · •. Reafoo': I I. I .Cor.2.14. Thenatur<llman pcrceiuethnot thNhingsoj-theJPirit ofGod; for t.heyKrefoolipmejfo 1JnttJ.him, neithercttnhe k!zow thi;beca'lft they ar.JPiritNa/Jy difcerned. Inrhefe words Saint Ptti41 fets downe thefe points. I. that a natural man doth not fo·n1uch as thinke (>fthethings reuealed in.the Gofpell. n. that a man I;>earing , and ili mindconceiui~g them1 cannot gme confent vnto them, and by natu– rall iudgement approoue ofthem; but con• ttariwife thinke!h them to bee foolifhnc!fe; Bbb 2 lll.that
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=