the warrant of holy Scripture,) it follows, that the grace of God is not irrefiftible: that it is not certainly victorious: that it does no proceed efficacioufly and certainly to the attainment of its end: that in fhort it may be," and is, refifted. But as a confutation of these erroneous pofitions is of great importance to the cause of truth, the more efpecially by reafon, not only of their own prepofterous character, but of the mischievous confequences to which they lead, I propofe to give fome confideration to the fubject, independent of the general queftion with which it is connected; and endeavour to fhow, by exprefs teftimonies and direct arguments from Scripture, the extent of the influence to be afcribed to the di vine grace. 66 I. apprehend it then to be plainly fet forth in Scripture, that the operation of the Holy Spirit on the minds of men is not irresistible: but that, whilst he "prevents us with his moft gracious favour and furthers us with his "continual help," and whilft from him we derive all our "fufficiency "" to do what is pleafing to God; inftead of "overruling us in "our words and actions," a doctrine which * Communion Service. 2 Cor. iii. 5. we fee perverfely afcribed to the Scriptures and to the Church of England, he leaves us at the fame time the will, either to act in obedi-. enve to his heavenly motions, or not. "Al"beit God is the principal cause and chief "worker of this juftification in us, without "whofe grace no man can do no good thing, "but following his free-will in the state of "a finner, increaseth his own injustice, and multiplieth his fin; yet fo it pleaseth the high wisdom of God, that man prevented by his grace (which being offered, man 66 may, if he will, refufe or receive) fhall be "alfo a worker by his free confent, and obe-. "dience to the fame, in the attaining of his "own juftification"." "It is furely of the grace of God only, that first we be infpired " and moved to any good thing; but to refift "temptations, and to perfift in goodness and. 66 86 go forward, it is both of the grace of God, "and of our free will and endeavour"." Such is the doctrine, which Cranmer and our Reformers deduced from "the oracles of God." Such was the doctrine, believed in the ancient Jewish Church, when the wife Son of Sirach commented on the words of Mofes, "God Neceffary Doctrine and Erudition for any Chriftian Man. Article of Juftification. Ibid. Article of Free-will "himself made man from the beginning, and left him in the hand of his counfel; if thou "wilt, to keep the commandments, and to "perform acceptable faithfulness. He hath "fet fire and water before thee; ftretch forth "thy hand unto whether thou wilt. Before "man is life and death; and whether him "liketh fhall be given him." And fuch was the doctrine of the primitive Church of Chrift, whofe opinion, with the reafon of it, is briefly expreffed by Irenæus, where he fays, "always preferved the liberty of the will in 66 man, that they might be juftly condemned "for their difobedience, who did not obey "him, and that they who believed and obeyed "him might be honoured with incorrupti"bility b." "God Shall we be told, that by this doctrine, which afcribes "the acceptance or refufal of "the divine grace to the pleasure of man, we take from God his omnipotence?" God forbid, we anfwer, that fuch a blafphemous a Ecclus. xv. 14-17. -id quod erat femper liberum et fuæ poteftatis in homine femper fervaffe Deum et fuam exhortationem : ut jufte damnentur qui non obediunt ei, quoniam non obedi-> erunt; et qui obedierunt et crediderunt ei, honorentur incorruptibilitate. Iren. lib. iv. cap. 29. Hawker's Zion's Pilgrim. 66 imagination should ever have had place in our minds, or fhould derive any colour from our opinions! It was finely remarked by one, who was well acquainted with the fallacies of those restrictive doctrines, in the profeffion of which he had been educated, but from which he gloried in being delivered, that "though fpeaking of his abfolute power, God can "compel and neceffitate the will of man, and "fo we do not make him ftronger than God, 66 as is very weakly concluded by fome; yet "he will not, because he will not violate that "order, which he hath fet in our creation. “He made man after his own image, invested "him with a reasonable foul, having the ufe "of understanding, and the freedom of will: "he endowed him with a power to confider "and deliberate, to confult and choofe; and "fo by confequence he gave him dominion "over himself and his own actions; that hav "ing made him lord of the whole world, he 66 might not be a flave to himself, but might "first exercise his fovereignty in the free pof"feffion of his own mind. To force his will, "were to destroy the nature of his creature, "which grace is not defigned to do, but only "to heal and affift it; and therefore God deals "with man, as a free agent, by inftructions "and commands, by promifes and threaten ings, by allurements and reproofs, by re"wards and punishments. So true is the faying of Tertullian, Nemo invitus fit bo What though we are inftructed by the infallible word of truth, that "no man can "come unto Chrift, except the Father draw "him" and that if we would be fons of God, we must be "led by the Spirit ? Are we alfo told, that we must be chained, and dragged, and irrefiftibly forced to the altar, like brute beafts, which have no understanding? Is this the" reasonable fervice," wherewith the Apostle" befeeches us, by the mercies of "God, to prefent our bodies a living facrifice, "holy, acceptable unto God?" Are these the "freewill offerings," with which the Pfalmift teaches us the Lord will "be pleafedh?" Nay, does not the very language of fuch declarations itfelf contradict the notion of irresistible force? And does not our bleffed Lord refolve his own expreffion into the fame, as the "being taught "of God," the "having heard and having "learned of the Father i?" "Many men un"derftand thefe words," fays Bishop Hooper, in a wrong fenfe, as though God required in 4 Examination of Tilenus, p. 278. * John vi. 44. Rom. xii. 1. f Rom. viii. 14, Pf. cxix. 108. |