things Civilly and Morally Good, being left alone *to their Contingent Educations and Complexions. But for Matter of Grace and Salvation, I confefs, to the Glory of God, that in us, being Dead in Sins and Trefpaffes, dwelleth no Good; That we cannot fo much as think, much lefs do, any Good, unless the holy Ghost giveth us the Power both te Will and to do it.

Adam before his Fall † was equally poifed between Perfeverance and Defection; but he Falling by the Freedom of his Choice, loft thofe Perfections which made him Free: fo that if his Pofterity do any thing truly Good, it is from God, not from Themselves; whatsoever Bad they do, it is from Themfelves not from God.

Here it may be Noted, that we may do many things Contingently in refpect of God, which yet we do not Freely but Neceffarily in refpe&t of our Selves; as our Sins are Contingent in refpect of him, because he never imposed any Neceffity of Sinning upon us; yet they are Neceffary in refpect of our Selves, feeing we being left to our Selves cannot but Sin. So many things which are Contingent in refpect of our Nature, may be in fome fort Necessary in respect of our Perfons; as thofe things which our Complexions, or Customs and Habits neceffitate us to: But this is an Impertinency.

They fay moreovers that our Opinion contradiceth both Scripture and Philofophy.

1. For Scripture, it is faid, that in him we Act. 14. Live, Move, and have our Being; by which Words we are taught, that all our Motions, of what kind foever, either Natural or Moral, Vital

★ I do not reject the Opinion of Reftringent Grace, if it be well expounded.

+ The oppofite Tenet alloweth not Adam Free-will in his Innocency, as I could easily prove, and is partly affirmed already by the third Argument,

Cce

or

or Rational, are not only Guided, but alfo Caufed by God himself.

2. Both in Logic and Metaphyfics there are divers Rules confonant to this Scripture, as, Caufa caufa eft etiam caufa canfaii: caufa fecunda non agit nifi mota à prima, &c. Therefore Man doth no kind of thing but God is the first Caufe of it, and confequently what foever we do, we do Neceffarily in refpect of him.

This is one of the Arguments which proveth more than our Adverfaries would have them, and by thefe Rules have I formerly in the fecond Argument proved, that they make God the Author of Sin; for if caufa caufa be caufa caufati, as doubtlefs it is, while they make God the Caufe of all thofe Actions, which either are Sins, or the Caufes of Sins, Queftionless they make God, according to their own Argumentation, the Caufe of Sins. But they have a limitation for this Rule, and fay, that it holdeth in caufis effentialiter fubordinatis, as they fay, that God is the Caufe of all thofe things which are Effentially and Diftrictly done by our Wills; but Sins proceding from the depravation of our Wills, are Effects of a Cause, not directly fubordinate to God. The Limitation is found, but not applicable to their Inftance; yea, the Limitation it felf quite fpoileth them: For 1. While Adam's Will was yet found, they teach, that God Decreed that Adam fhould eat the forbidden Fruit; now at that time they cannot fay, but that Adam was a Caufe effentially Subordinate to God. 2. They teach, that God is a Caufe not only of our Actions, but alfo of our Volitions, as I may fay; then these being the Caufes of our Sins, are directly Subordinate to him.

3. Let us confider not only the Subordination between God and our Wills, but alfo between our AEtions and their Moralites, and we shall perceive,

that

that according to the abuse of thefe Rules, they make God the Caufe of our Sins. For that Rule, Caufa caufa eft caufa caufati, is infallibly true expounded thus, The cause of any Effect, is the caufe of all fuch Events as neceffarily follow that Effect.

Now then, if as they fay, God be a Neceffary Caufe of all our particular Actions, feeing our Actions in reference to fuch and fuch Objects muft needs be Sinful, it is manifeft what followeth. For Example: Tho' to take Mony in General be no Sin, yet to take this or that Mony, being none of our own, is a Sin. Now then, if God be a Cause of this Action in reference to this Object, as he is if he be the Caufe of this particular Action, it is impoffible their Doctrin fhould excufe God from Sin. Eating, in reference to the forbidden Fruit, was a Sin; but according to them, God was a principal Caufe of Eating the forbidden fruit. Ergo.

The Minor I prove thus; They fay he was the Neceffitating Caufe of this particular Action: Eating was a natural Action, the Individuation of this Eating by an unlawful Object was a moral Obliquity: But God was the Cause of this Individual. Ergo.

The like may be faid of all our finful Actions. When I have drunk fufficiently, both for the neceffity and comfort of nature, to drink a cup more, is Sin. But our Oppofites teach, that I cannot take up this fuperfluous Cup without God's Special Determination: Ergo.

This Doctrin is enough to make ones Hair ftand an end, making God, whatfoever they fay, the Cause not only of our Actions, but alfo of our Obliquities: for what are the Obliquities of our Ations, but the placing of them upon wrong Objects? If therefore they make God the principal Caule of all our Particular Actions, most of which are particularized by bad Objects, what do thefe Men make Ccca

of

of God? But Recrimination is no answer,

Hitherto I have fhewed, tho' perhaps without Method, yet I hope not without profit, how our Oppofites are wounded with their own Weapons. Now I will take their Weapons out of their hands, and teach them the right use of them, fhewing how God is the Caufe of all things, only not the Cause of Sin: a Caufe of all good things, yet so as that many good things are Contingent alfo.

We have fhewed in the third Argument how God hath ordained, that all forts of Inferior or Second Caufes fhould work according to their proper kinds; that voluntary Agents fhould work Voluntarily, &c. God then is the first Caufe that all things do work, and that they do work in certain kinds; If fo, then God is the Caufe that many things are done Contingently, one of the chiefeft forts of fecond Caufes by this appointment working Voluntarily, and therefore Contingently, which Connexion we have formerly juftifyed. This being well understood, will inftruct us not only that it may be fo, but also that it must be fo. That God being the Neceffary Caufe of all good things, yet all fuch things are not Neceffary Effects of him. For Example, it is impoffi ble that Man fhould do any thing without Goda therefore God is a Caufe Neceffary to the Being of all things Effected by him; yet because many things done by the Free choice of Man, might as well have been omitted, God no ways conftraining him to them, thefe are not Neceffary Effects of God. The Reason of this is, becaufe God hath Decreed that Man fhould work Voluntarily, having liberty to do as well one thing as another, yet fo that God giveth him the Strength to do whatfoever he Choofeth to do, and Ability to Choose what he Will without limitation of his Choice; for this were elfe, to take it away, and to make Man an involuntary Agent. For example, God hath given Thee ftrength of Bo

dy;

dy; he hath given Thee alfo Ability to choose in what Exercise thou wilt employ it; thou chooseft to Ring, or Dance; God then the Author of thy ftrength is the chief Caufe of thefe Exercises, yet fo, as they are Contingent in refpect of him, because thou mightest have omitted them hadft thou pleased. By this we may plainly fee, how God is the principal Caufe of all things of which he is capable to be a Cause, and yet many things are Contingent in refpe& of him. This being cleared, we may with more facility conceive, how and in what fenfe God is the Caufe of all we do, and yet we only the Cause of Sin.

God fuftains us when we are about our Sins; even then, in him we live, and move, and have our being, as well as when we are better bufied. God giveth that ftrength by which we commit any Sin, yet because he doth not neceffitate or incline unto it, but we of our felves abuse it to Wickednefs, God hath ftill the part of a Creator, we only are Sinful. An example will make this clear, fuppofe a King delivereth to his Subjects Men, Weapons, Mony, and Warlike Provifion, that he may fight for his Honor against his Enemies; his Subject proves a Traitor, and ufeth all his Sovereign's ftrength against himself. His Sovereign here is a Caufe that he hath the Command, and doth the Office of a Captain, but he is no Caufe of his Treachery, the Offence is only the Captain's, and the wrong is only the Sovereign's. This is juft the cafe between God and Us; God hath given us many excellent Faculties both of Body and Soul, which he intended we fhould ufe to his Glory, in Obedience to his Commandments, and refift his and our Enemy the Devil; we moft Traiterously fiding with Satan, have abused his gifts to his Dishonor; God did the part of a Creator, we of Rebels. A Man lives Intemperatly, God gave him not ftrength to this purpose, he Neceffitated not the Man to this