Xu, BOASTING, or rejoicing, in himself, and not in another? (Gal. vi. 4.) The glorying therefore, or the rò xauxna, which the apostle elsewhere doth reject and exclude, is only that of the merit of our works, or their sufficiency to procure the justification of a sinner, (Rom. iii. 27. iv. 2,) or that which doth exclude the help and the assistance of the grace of God in Christ. 1 Cor. i. 29, 31.

To proceed then to the second part of this objection, that "by our doctrine the glory of our conversion will not be wholly due to God, because man co-operates with him;" this will be suffici-, ently accounted for by observing that the principle by which man co-operates with him in this work is derived from him, and all the motives which excite this principle to act, arise purely from God's preventing and exciting grace. Now where both the principle of acting, and the sole motives to act, are from God alone, there the whole glory of the action must be due to him alone. Thus though wealth is the fruit of industry, and it is the diligent hand that maketh rich;' yet because God gives the power to get wealth, and it is his blessing on our enterprizes which maketh rich, the. glory of it is due to God alone; and we must say with David, "riches and honour come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee; all this store cometh of thy hand, and it is all thine own.' After all our industry to find out wisdom, and to search for her as for hid treasure, we must give the Aliwise God the glory of all the wisdom we attain to, as knowing that "the Lord giveth wisdom, out of his mouth cometh understanding." Thus St. Paul › saith, I labour more abundantly than they all; and yet ascribes all to the grace of God that was in him?' and though Paul did plant, and Apollos water, yet because God gave the increase; neither, saith he, is Paul or Apollos to be deemed any thing, but all must be ascribed to God that giveth the increase.' So when the apostle saith, "it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy," most of the Fathers descant thus upon those words, "it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth only, but of God that sheweth mercy, and crowns the work by his assistance;' for otherwise," say they, "it cannot be our duty either to will or run, provided we can neither

h 1 Chronicles xxix, 12, 14, 16.

k

ob

by willing, nor by running, do any thing to incline God to shew mercy: And why then doth God blame us for not willing, (Matt. xxiii. 37. John v. 40,) and require us so to run that we may tain?" (1 Cor. ix. 24. Heb. xii. 1.) And whereas agamst this it is objected, that "according to this interpretation it might be, said, it is not of God that sheweth mercy only, but of man who wills and runs," Origen, St. Chrysostom, and Theophylact answer, that "this follows not, because man's willing and running would not avail without the divine aid to enable him to run, and his grace and mercy to accept his running; and therefore, according to the custom of the scripture, the effect is to be ascribed to the chief agent only, as when it is said, 'except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it." Psalm cxxvii. 1.

Secondly. Our Lord and his apostles often commend the good actions of men, and Christ will at last say to the righteous inan, 'well done, thou good and faithful servant.' Therefore he that turns from his evil ways, and doth that which is right in the sight of God, is commendable, and doth that which is praise-worthy: for God doth not judge of things, or persons, otherwise than they are. If then this be the consequence charged upon our opinion, that "it makes some praise belong to the convert and the believer," God himself owns the truth of it, by requiring us to do what-is honourable and praise-worthy, (Philip. iv. 8,) to suffer for conscience towards God, τέτο γὰρ χάρις, ‘FOR THIS IS THANKWORTHY,' (1 Peter ii. 19, 20,) and saying, that our faith will be found to our praise, honour and glory at the revelation of Christ Jesus. (1 Peter i. 7.) The contrary doctrine is liable to this just exception, that it doth consequentially assert, that no thanks are due for any kindness received, if he to whom it is done be not merely passive, and if he that receiveth a kindness be but so much as active in receiving or accepting it, the glory of it redounds to him rather than to the benefactor; so that we must not expect from Christ the praise and glory of feeding his hungry members, unless we put the meat into their mouths; or of 'cloathing them when naked,' unless we put the clothes upon them; or of receiving them into our houses, though we do invite and open the door for them, unless we force them in: that he who gives a prisoner money sufficient to pay off his debt, is not to have the glory of his release, if he require the prisoner to tell out, and

deliver the money to the creditor; and that the prince who pardons his condemned subject, upon condition that he will plead his pardon, is not to have the sole glory of that pardoning mercy. "And the true consequence from this is," saith Dr. Claget, "that the glory of God's grace wholly depends upon the sullenness and obstinacy of men, and that the only way to advance it, is by á stout opposition and spiteful resistance of it." Part 2. p. 208.

IX. OBJECTION TWENTY-FIFTH. Lastly, it is objected, "that the opinion which makes the grace of God resistible, leaves it uncertain whether any one will be converted by it, or not."

ANSWER FIRST. To this I answer, that it leaves it as uncertain whether any one will be unconverted, or not; and surely, that opinion which affords this encouragement to all, that God, notwithstanding their fall, will afford means sufficient to convert them, if they do not neglect and refuse to use them, is much to be preferred before that which tells them he hath from eternity passed an act of preterition on them, and by that excluded them out of the number of the elect, that is, of them who only shall be saved.

ANSWER SECOND. A man may, notwithstanding this opinion, be infallibly certain, otherwise, that many will be found true converts at the last, because he knows that many have already died in the fear of God, and in the faith of Christ, and because the holy scriptures do assure us that some shall arise to everlasting life, and receive the end of their faith in the salvation of their souls.'

6

ANSWER THIRD. To say that "it is barely possible in the nature of the thing that none may be converted," hath no inconvenience in it, because it tends not to hinder any man's endeavours after his conversion, any more than the like possibility,--that no man may thrive by his industry, or grow rich by his trading, or have a safe voyage at sea, or a plentiful crop by sowing, or health by taking physick,-hinders men from doing any of these actions. It is no imputation upon divine wisdom, that God himself complains he had given his law to the Jews in vain; nor did St. Paul conceive it any defect in the grace of God, that it might be received in vain by the churches of Corinth, (2 Cor. vi. 1,) of Galatia, (chapter iii. 4,) and of Thessalonica, (1 Thess. iii. 5,) and, by parity of reason, by all other churches. It is possible, that no one subject may obey the laws of his superior, because they have free

will, and may do evil under the strongest obligations to do well; but should the world be left therefore without human laws, or be governed by irresistible force, or not at all? Nay, rather that freedom which includes a bare possibility that all may disobey, proves the wisdom and justice of governing mankind by laws attended with moral inducements to obedience. Whereas if we suppose men to be under a necessity either of doing what is required, or of doing the contrary, it is very hard to understand how governing them by moral means should be wise in the former case, or just in the latter.

Discourse IV.

OF THE FREEDOM OF THE WILL OF MAN.

The State of the Question.

CHAP. I.

FOR the due stating of this question concerning the liberty or freedom of the will of man, let it be noted,

1. That the state of man in this world, is a state of trial bation; as will be evident,

or pro

First. From all those places in which God is said to exercise his dispensations towards his people, to prove them whether they would walk in his ways,' or not; as in those words, ' I will rain bread from heaven, to prove them whether they will walk in my ways, or not.' (Exodus xvi. 4.) That is, whether the constant provisions I make for them, will induce them to continue stedfast in my service. When they were terrified at the dreadful sights, and the voice they heard at the giving of the law, Moses speaks to them thus, fear not, for God is come to prove you,' (chapter xx. 20,) (that is, to try whether you will be true to the promise made chapter xix. S, viz. all that the Lord hath spoken we will do') and that his fear may be before your faces that you

sin not.' And so in many other places, which will hereafter be considered.

Secondly. From all those places in which God is said to try men. Thus St. Paul speaks of the trial of men's works by fire,' (1 Cor. iii. 13,) of the trial of the Macedonians by afflictions.. (2 Cor. viii. 7.)-St. James saith, that the trial of our faith, by temptations, worketh patience.' (Chap. i. 3.)—St. Peter, that 'the trial of our faith (by manifold temptations, if we continue stedfast in it,) will be found to our praise, honour, and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ;' (1 Peter i. 7,) and speaketh of a 'fiery trial' which was come to try them. (Chapter iv. 12.) Our Blessed Lord saith to the church of Smyrna, behold the devil" will cast some of you into prison that he may try you,' (Rev. ii. 10,) and prophesies of an hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world to try them that dwell upon the earth;' to omit many places of like nature in the Old Testament, viz. Psalm lxvi. 12. Jer. ix. 7. Dan. xi. 35. xii. 10. Zach. xiii. 9.

Thirdly. From all the promises and threats recorded in the scripture, to engage all men to repent and turn to God; for no such thing is or can reasonably be offered to them who are already in a fixed state either of happiness or misery; and it is contrary even to the nature of those motives to be offered to them, who neither can be induced by the hopes of promises, or fears of sufferings, to change their present state.

Fourthly. From all the exhortations of the holy scripture to men, to watch and pray that they enter not into temptation,' and' to pray they may not be led into temptation; from the supposition that men in the time of temptation may fall away,' (Luke viii. 13.) and that satan may so tempt good christians, that the labour of the apostles may be in vain among them.' (1 Thess. iii. 5.) For what is temptation but a trial of our faith, sincerity, and constancy? What is it to enter, or be led into it, but to be in danger of falling by it? And must not therefore all who are in a state of temptation, be also in a state of trial or probation? And,

Fifthly. This will be evident from the temptations of satan, who 'goes about continually seeking whom he may devour. For to what end should he tempt, that is, endeavour to destroy them, if he knows he never can succeed in his temptations to destroy the elect? And as for others, quos ad perditionem Deus præscripsit, and who are