382 RUIN -AND RECOVEI1,Y5 &C. Lives, because of their strong and wilful aversion. to God and godliness, their crime is entirely their own, and their condemna, tion is just. They have natural powers or faculties in them which, if well tried, might overcome their native propensity to. vice; though they never.will do it. If the great God, in a way of sovereign mercy, gives some persons superior aids of.grace. to .overcome this moral impotence, and conquer this aversion to God andgoodness*; if he effectu- ally leads, inclines, or persuades them by his Spirit to repent and believe.in Christ,. this does not at all hinder the others front exercising their natural powers of understanding and will, in believing and repenting. Nor can any thing of their guilt and wilfuliinpenitence be imputed to -the blessed God, who is Lord of his own favours, and givesor withholds where hepleases, and who shall say to him, what dost thou? Why should my eye be evil towardmy neighbour, because the eye of God is good? Or what pretence haveIto charge God with injustice, when he does more for me than he is bound todo, though he dues more for my neighbour than he has done for me ? Let this then be constantly maintained, there is a natural, inward sufficiency of powers and faculties given to every sinner to hearken to the calls and offers of grace and the gospel, though they lie under a moral impotence ; and 'there is an outward suffi ciency ofprovision of pardon in the death of Christ, for every one who repents and accepts the gospel, thoughpardon is not actually procured for all men, nor secured to them. And thus much is sufficient to maintain the sincerity of God in his universal offers òf grace through Jesus Christ, and his present commands to all men to repent and trust in his mercy ; as well as to vindicate his equity in the last great day, when the impenitent and unbelievers shall be condemned. Their death lies at their own door, for since there was both anoutward and inward sufficiency for their recovery, the fault must lie in their own free -will, in their wilful aversion to God and Christ, and his salvation. I think this dis- tinction of natural and moral power and impotence, will recon- cile all the variousexpressions of scripture on this subject, both to one another,' as well as to the reason of things, which can hardly be reconciled any other way. ObjectionII. Suppose the non-elect are not debarred from this salvation, by the wantof natural powers sufficient to receive * Whether the Spirit of Ged effectually persuade the will to repent and believe in Christ, by immediate influence upon the will itself, or by setting the things.of the gospel before the mind in so strong a light, and persuading the soul so to attend to them, as shall effectually influence the will, this shannot be any matter of my present debateor determination; for in both these theevent and consequences are much the same. There is no new natural power or faculty given to the aunt in order to faith and repentance, but a divine influence upon the old naturaÍ powers,givioi them a new and better turn.
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