that Power, but by the continued help and cooperation of the Divine energy; according to that of Bernard, we have no endeavours to Good, unless they are stirred up in us, and they are fruitless, if not farther affifted. 18. 3. Be we never fo willing, the Habits of Faith or Love, are no more in our Power, than it is in the Power of a blind Man to give himself fight, though he be most willing to fee, and fay, Lord that I may reccive my fight; or, no more than it is in him that hath prefent within himself to will, but to do that which the Law commandeth, he findeth not, except the Rom. 7. Spirit help him. So that after we are willing, and Rom. 8. ready to receive, the mighty Power of God work-2. eth and giveth that which we defire: for our Prayers imply three things; first, that we want fomething, and feel our want: fecondly, that we cannot help our felves to fupply our want, and therefore go to another thirdly, that he alone, to whom we go as fuppliants, we confefs to be able and ready to help us, and therefore we go to him. This is that which St. Paul teacheth, exhorting them that received and obeyed the Gospel, to Work out their Phil 2.13. Salvation; having received the Power to Work: but because they might fear their own Weakness and Infirmity, even in ufing that Power in this Working out their Salvation, he doth Comfort and Encourage them, that they fhall not Work alone, for a ftronger than they fhall join with them, even God, who it is that ever worketh in them both to will and to do. Where we have full proof for the Power and Prefence of the helpful Grace of God, but for difcriminating Grace, not a tittle. 4. The manifeft weakness of many in Temptations and Perfecutions, teftifieth, that they who in those are more than Conquerors over Satan, the Flesh and the World, are defended and fought for by the mighty Power of God, when they cry unto him: whence Coll. for whence the Prayer of our Church; O Lord we beseech thee to keep thy Church and Houshold continually in thy true Religion, that they which do lean only upon the hope of thy Heavenly Sund. aft. Grace, may evermore be defended be defended by thy mighty Power, Epiph through Jefus Christ our Lord. the 5. Against whom then do these accufations lye? To fay, that the will of Man refifteth the Power of God, as if it were stronger than it: That Man doth more to the Work of his Faith, than the Grace of God: That God doth no more in us for Good, than Satan doth for Evil, viz. incline, perfuade, folicite, &c. I am no way guilty of thefe Crimes. If God's Power be refifted or fruftrated, it yieldeth not out of Weakness, but out of Will, God not pleafing to put forth his Power, where he feeleth himfelf refifted or neglected. The beft that we do in the bringing forth any Good, is to yield, and to permit God to Work upon us, to follow him leading or drawing of us, to accept of that he giveth us, to fence that which he Soweth or Planteth in us, not to marre that which he maketh, not to harden the Heart when his voice is to be heard: in fum, to be paffively obedient, more than actively. For this is that only which the Power of Grace will not extend it felf unto, to neceffitate, and to hold us up to an undeclinable obedience: the reafon is, because that Power of God which buildeth up fupernatural things, doth not deftroy Natural: but the poffibility in the Will to decline to Evil, and the liberty to difobey, is not Evil, but Natural, being found in Adam before his Fall; and as it was not impeached then by the fupernatural Grace which Adam had, no more is it now in us, by the Grace of God that Worketh in us. To this I have the fuffrage of a Great Man of our own Church, the learned Doctor * Ward. * Con. ad Cler. in Phil. 2. 13. Pag. 6, 7. Of Of the Amplitude or Univerfality of Grace. From this Title there are to be excluded three things, as Heterodox; and three other things to be referred to it, as Orthodox. 1. Exclude from hence the Opinion of Origen, and of those whom St. Augustine calls Mifericordes, Who thought all Men and Angels at the last fhould be received to Mercy, against whom he disputes in his twenty firft + Book de Civitate Dei. 2. Exclude from hence the Opinion of Samuel Huber, against whom Hunnius and other Lutherans difpute, who taught an univerfal Election, &c. and that all Men by the Death of Chrift, were brought into the State of Grace and Salvation : which propofition was worthily rejected by our * Divines at Dort. 3. Exclude from hence the Opinion of Andradius, and other Papifts, and whofoever elfe that hold the Gentiles, and Heathens without the Church, to have fufficient Grace to Salvation by the light of Nature, or to have that, whereupon well ufed, the Grace of the Gospel fhall be revealed unto them with thefe I will have no fellowship. But Grace I comprehend only under the Universality these three things. 1. That as Chrift our Lord took the Nature of Mankind, and not the Nature of Angels, fo by his Death he paid the price of redemption for the Sins of the whole World; this agrees with the third Thefis of the fuffrage of our Divines concerning the fecond Article proposed at Dort, and with our Catechism; I believe in God the Father who Cap. 17. & deinceps. * In. Suffrag. de ado. Art. Thef. ult. Heterodox. bath hath made me and all the World; and in God the Sons 2. That the promise of the Gofpel is univerfal 3. That with the Promife and Word of the Gofpel there goeth ordinarily fuch Grace of the holy Spirit as is fufficient, to all under the Gospel, to work in them to believe and obey it; and that all do not obey, proceedeth not from the want of Grace on God's part, but from Men's being want, Cor.6.1.ing to the Grace of God, to whom it is in vain, Heb 4.1.2. as is evident from numerous paffages of the new Teftament. 25. -12, 15. Now, whereas it is as clearly faid in the holy John. 10. Scripture, that Chrift laid down his Life for his fheeps for the children of God and that he loved his Church, John. 11. and gave himself for it, as it is faid, he dyed for all Men; thefe two muft be fo conftrued that they Eph. 5.25 may both ftand together: viz. that out of God's 42. Goodness, Mercy and Love to Mankind, he fent his he he were fent unto them, Out of this Foreknow. ledge his efpecial Love accepting even these, though few in number in comparifon, did fend his Son with intention to fave, though it were but thefe, in whom he would fo far Glorify his Bounty, that for their fakes he would have his Son to give his Life, though he should gain no more than them; who had they been much fewer, or none at all, furely the wife God either would not have fent his Son to die in Vain, or he would have mended the measure and courfe of his Graces and Government, by which more might have come into the Kingdom of Heaven. This may be illuftrated by what St. Chry foftome faith on those words of St. Paul, who loved Gal. 2. 20. me, and gave himself for me; "He declareth this also to ઠંડ ἐσ be be meet, that every one of us fhould no lefs give thanks " to Chrift, than if he had come into the World only for his fake; for neither would Chrift have refused to exhibit, “even for one, so great a difpenfation; he fo loveth every particular Man, even with the fame measure "of affection wherewith he loveth the whole World. Therefore indeed that facrifice was offered for our "whole Nature, and it was fufficient to fave all; buc "to them only it will be profitable who have believed. Nevertheless he was not diverted from this kind of "difpenfation, because all would not come; but in like "manner as in the Gospel, the feast was made ready "for all, but because they which were invited would not "come, he did not presently take away what was pro"vided, but called others thereto. And with that of "St. Augustine, As to the greatness and vertue of the Price, and as far as concerneth the fole cause of Mankind, Chrift's blood is the Redemption of the whole World; but fuch as pass away this prefent Life "without Faith in Chrift, and the Sacrament of the "new Birth, are aliens to that Redemption. Therefore "altho' by that one Nature of all, which for the fake * Ad Artic falfo fibi impofitos Pag. 816. Octav. M of |