QUESTION XIV. an Puppets, through the several services and stages of human life, and carried on to their own happiness in heaven, with such a force or power, and necessity, as takes away the very nature of virtue or piety, or any moral goodness, and does not leave so much as any act of obedience in their own free choice. This seems, says he, to disappoint the blessed podof the glory of his righteous government, and of the honour due to his rectoral justice, in the distribution of rewards and punishments. This insuperable and over -swaying grace, says he, seems also to run counter to many of those scriptures which represent this moral government of God, as carried on by rational means, arguments, and motives, drawn from the excellency of religion, and from the fear and hope of rewards and punishments, by which the' holy scriptures are perpetually addressing the con- sciences of men : For if this be indeed the case, saith A, men have no more real freedom than so many wooden images, actuat- ed, impelled, and moved onward to the several ends which the Maker of them designed. Now it can be no pleasure nor glory to the all-wise, all-righteous, and almighty Being, whogoverns all things, to reward such creatures of mechanism with happiness in another world : nor will the honour of his wise and righte- ous judgment be manifested by such a conduct. On the other hand C, who persists in the truth of thisfifth proposition, and of God's moral government, still pretends thatthe wills of men, though swayed by irresistible grace, are yet truly free in every good work, because they still in them- selves, a spontaneity or willingness to repent orobey, when God works thus powerfully upon them ; though they confess they have not the freedom or liberty of chusingand refusing, because the grace is, and must be irresistible or insuperable, and effica- cious. Thus it is plain C is desirous to maintain all the six fore- going propositions, and thinks his scheme isconsistent with them ; and perhaps it might be so deemed, as lie thus defends and ex- plains himself. But A is by no means satisfied with this sort of solution of the difficulty, this sort of freedom which admits not the will of man to cause or refuse compliance with the operations of grace : For it is plain, saith he, in this case the persons whoare so irresistibly moved, to repentance and good works, may have a sort of supposed consciousness of their freedom all the way, be- cause they feel themselves made willing; but it is a mere mista- ken supposition, for they are no longer free creatures, because this very willingness is powerfully imposed upon them, and they cannotwithstand it." Therefore A is resolved to avoid all these inconveniences, and on this accounthe supposes, that both in the first conversion of the soul, and in all future good actions, A a 2
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