Perkins - BX9318 P47 1626 v1

d C]{eformed [atholi~ I li. that no man cangiue ~lfent to the things ·A liinaledonelyhy theholyqhojhhat theymayther_ , Auguft. ofGod, vnlelfe he be enlightened by the fpifore be able becauft they willthm: and they wiR decorm ofGod.And hence Ireafonthus: thm, becauftG0 Dworkesin them to will "P'· If aman by nature dothmt /Qfow andperceiNe bAnd, Wehauelo!tour free will toloueqodby & gror. thethingsofGod,<ndwhen he!j>c/1 kf!., thtm, the gre•tneffeof••rfin•e.Serm.z.on the wo:ds b't~ia._ cannotbyn4tNregillealfent vnto them;thenhftth of the Apollle: Manwhrnhewa~createtlr«ei- Iof. heno power to will them: uedgre•tjlrengthin huftu-wiO:but by]inninghe '131ttthejirjlu euidcntly""" Erg•. • lGfr it. 'Fulgmtim, God gi~<~thgrace fteely to cFulg.l 1 b ForJirlt,themmde mull approoueand gme the vnwurthy,wherbythewzck!dmanbeingilljlifi. przd. alfent,before the will can choofe orwill: and ttl,uenlightenedwiththe gift ofgood will, and when the mind bath no l?ower to conceiue or ""th a !acuity of doing good : that by mercie s1ue alfent, ·there the Will bath no power to pm~tntJngh•m,hemaybegmto will well,and., will. mercycommi•gaftcr,he"''!:!doe thegoodhe wi/J, Reafon III. Thirdly, the holy Ghofr aBem.crdfaitlo, • {tu whoNy the grace ofGod uoucheth, Eph.2. r. Colojf.z.J3· that all men th•twurecr.ared,henled,fo•ed, Concil. Arau- t~''f~ by natureAre de.a inflm& trtjpajfts:not as the B fic.2.cap.6.TobeleeHeAndtowilugiuenfrom a- ;;b~.:. Papills fay,weake,ficke;a< halfedead. Hence boueby iofufion,andi•JPirationoftheho!yGhofl. I gather,that man wanteth natural! poweuot More tdlimonies and reafons might bee alto \\illfimply, butfreelyimd frankly to will leadged to prooue thisconclufion, but thefe thar which istrudy good. A dead man in his lhall fuflice: now let vs fee what reafons are grauecannot frirre the leafr linger, becaufc he alleadge4 to thecontrary. wants thevery poweroflife,fenfc,&motion: no morecan he that is dead in fwne, will the leafrgood: nay, ifhe could either will ol'doe any good, hecould notbedeadinfinne. And as adead man in the graue, cannot rife but by thepower of God ; no more can bee that is dead infinoerifc, but bythepowerof Gods grace alone, without anypower ofhis owne. Reafon IV. F.ourthly, in the conuerfion and falnation ofa £inner, the Scripture afcri– bethallta God,and nothingtomansfreewill. C Job. 3. 3~ Except amanbe borne ag4ine,hec;~nn~~ feethekjngti.meo[God Eph.z.ro.Wearehuwor"– manjhipcreatedin Chri{f1e[114. togoodworiz!. And c.4.v.24· the neJt: m~tH iscreattd to the imageof God.Nvwto be borne againe,is a worke ofno lelfe imporrancethen our lirfr creation: and theretore wholly to be afcribedto ~odas our creationis.IndeedPAlll,Phi/,z.r z, 1 3.biddeth the Phillippians »ork£o•t thoir foluAtion with · fo.are andtrembling:not meaning to afcribevn- :to them • powerofdoinggood by themfelues: And therefore in the nextver. he addeth, lt u qodthatwork<thbothrhewiB&thedetd:dirett.· Jy e:duding allnatural! free-will in things fpi– rituall:andyet \'1/ithall,he acknowledgeth that mans willhatha wo<ke iQdoingthatwhich is D good, not by nature;but by grace: Becaufe wheGod giues manpower to wilgoodthings, then he can will them; &when ke giueth him apowerto doe good , then hecan doe good, and he doth it• .For though there bee n<ot m mans conuerfion an:ltural co-operationofhis will With Gods fpirir,yet is there a fupernatu· rallco-oporation by grace,inablingmanwhen heis'to,beconcerted; to willhis conuerfion :· according to which Saint P411/ faith, J .Cor, 15-IO.!h••elabauredi~ thefaith. But lefr any manlhould imagine,thatthis was done byany· natural! power, therefore headdeth,yet not f, that is,not by any thinginme,but Godsgr~~<ein me, inabling my will to doe thegood I doe. Reafon V. The iud,"C:ment ofthe ancient Church. (A)A•t,Mfi.Thewil/ofthertgmerRte u I I I. Obieaionsofth• P11pijls. Obiea. 1. Firll they alleadge that man by nature may dothat which is good, and there– fore will thatwhich is good:for none can doe that which bee neither willeth nor thinketh to doe, but lirfr we mufi will and then doe. Now (fay they) men doe good by nature asgiue almes,fpeakethe truth, doiufrice, and pra<'l:ifeotherdutiesofciuil vettue:andthere– fore will that which isgood. I .wfwer, that a natural! man may doe good workes for the fubfranceof the outward worke: but not in regard ofthegoodnesofthemanner:thefe are two diuersthings. Aman without fupernatu– rall grace may giue almes, doe iufrice, fpeake thetruth, &c. whichbe good things confide– red inthemfclues, as God bath commanded the.m;but he cannot doe them well. To rhinke good things, and todoegood things are natu– ral! workes: butto thinke good things in a good manner,and rodo them well, fo as God may·accept the aftion done, are workes of grace. Acd thereforethe good thing done by a natarall man,is finne in refpefl of the doer, becaufe it failes both for his right beginning, which is a pure heart,'good confcience, and faith vnfained;as alfo for his end,which isthe glory of God. Ob, II. God bath commanded all men to beleeue&repent, thereforethey haue natural free-will,byvertue whereof,(being helped by the fpiri~of~od)theycanbeleeue andrepent. An f. The reafonis not good, for by fuch eom· mandements God lhewethnorwhat men arc able to do, butwhatthey lhould do, and what they cannotdo.Again,tHe realo is notwe! fra- . med, it oughtrath,<r to bethus; hecaufc: God glu.,.men c6mandement to repent & beleeue,. therefore they haue power to repent and be· · Jeeue,either by nature,or by gra~e,&: then we !told with'them.For when Godm the Gofpel commandeth men to repent and to beleeue at

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