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poft; and marketh not the words that "follow, Every man, that heareth and learn"eth of my Father, cometh to me. God "draweth with his word and the Holy Ghoft; "but man's duty is to hear and learn, that is "to fay, receive the grace offered, confent to "the promise, and not repugn the God that "calleth. God doth promife the Holy Ghoft "unto them that afk him, and not to them And fuch was the "that contemn him " interpretation of the wife Melancthon, whom his lefs gentle brother in the reformation accufed of "prevaricating with Chryfoftom"," because he afferted the neceffity of a willing mind. "It is objected" (faid that pious and learned Reformer)" by the timid foul, I can"not believe, unless God kindle my faith. I "anfwer, it is true that men are drawn by "God; but they are drawn by the word of "the Gospel, to which God wills thee to af "fent, and at the fame time to ask affiftance, "as it is written, How much more fhall he

give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him. "Do not then refift the Gofpel; do not en

* Bp. Hooper. Preface to Declaration of the Ten Commandments.

Multoque fatius eft quam tergiverfari cum Chryfoftomo. Culv. Inft. lib. iii. cap. xxiv. fect. 13.

"courage miftruft; do not think, as Enthu"fiafts dream, that thou must wait for a vio"lent motion, whereby God may drag thee on, although thou refift, and rush backward "into wickednefs: but affent to the divine "voice, and at the fame time pray for affift

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ance, as the fuppliant in Mark, Lord, I be"lieve, help thou my unbelief.. When thou "doeft this, it is certain, that thou art drawn "and affifted by God; according to his oath, "As I live, faith the Lord, I will not the "death of a finner, but that he be converted "and live. To this effect are thofe fayings, "God draws, but he draws the willing mind; "and again, Only be thou willing, and God "haftens to meet thee, as Bafil fays in his dif"courfe on the prodigal fon, to whom, as he "returns, his Father goes forth to meet him, " and flies into his embrace. Thefe things we

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fay," he adds, "to comfort thofe who are in "the Church, and understand that they are "called by the voice of the Gospel, and are willing to be converted. But if any without repentance agitate curious queftions, with "fuch it were vain to difpute "."

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Sed objicit trepida mens, Non poffum credere, nifi Deo fidem accendente. Refpondeo, Verum eft homines a Deo trahi; fed trahuntur per vocem Evangelii, cui vult te Deus affentiri, et fimul petere auxilium, ficut fcriptum eft, Quanto magis dabit Spiritum fanctum petentibus.

Have we the power then to refift the Spirit, when he would lead and draw us unto God? And is that true, which our Reformers have affirmed, that "although the goodness of God "offereth his fpecial grace to all men, yet

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they only enjoy it, which by their free-will "do accept and embrace the fame, and that "others by free-will abufe the grace and bé"nefits of God?" The Scriptures teach us that we may. We may "hate" and "rebel "against the light ":" we may "do defpite "unto the Spirit of grace:" we may "neglect

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Non igitur repugnes Evangelio; non indulgeas diffidentiæ; non cogites, ut fomniant Enthufiaftæ, expectan dum effe violentum motum, quo te rapiat Deus etiam repugnantem, et iterum ruentem in fcelera: fed affentiaris voci divinæ, et fimul petito auxilium, ficut ille apud Marcum, Credo, Domine, fed opem fer imbecillitati meæ. Hoc cum fit certum eft te a Deo trahi et adjuvari, ficut jurat, Vivo ego, dicit Dominus, nolo mortem peccatoris, fed ut convertatur et vivat. In hanc fententiam et hæc dicta funt, Deus trahit, fed volentem trahit. Item, Tantum velis, et Deus præoccurrit, ut Bafilius dicit in concione de filio prodigo, cui redeunti Pater obviam procedit, et involat in amplexum. Hæc dicimus ad confolandos eos, qui funt in Ecclefia, et fe intelligunt vocari voce Evangelii, et volunt converti. Si qui autem fine pænitentia movent curiofas quæftiones, cum talibus fruftra disputatur. Epift. ad Rom. cap. ix. Op. vol. iv. p. 160.

Neceffary Doctrine and Erudition, &c. Article of Free-will.

n John iii. 20. Job. xxiv. 14.

Heb, x. 29.

"to flir up the gift of God that is in us,” and fo "quench" his gracious influence in our hearts: we may "refift him," till he will no longer "ftrive with us:" we may "rebel "against him," and " grieve" him, and "vex" him," rejecting" the proffered means of falvation, and "thrusting from us the word of life," till he will be "turned" from us: we may provoke him by obftinate impenitence and difobedience, until he will remove his light from before us: we may "refufe to turn at his "counfel, and may defpife his reproof," until he will close his ear to our entreaties, and will refufe to be found of us: if we forfake him, "he will forfake us":" and "if we do not like "to retain him in our knowledge, he will give "us over to a reprobate mind, to do thofe "things which are not convenient:" "God "doth by his goodnefs approach to all," faith St. Bafil, "but we let ourfelves at distance by

fin:" and, as another Father of the Church remarks, " they who are actuated by the Holy

1 Tim. iv. 14. 2 Tim. i. 6. 1 Theff. v. 19.

Acts vii. 51. Gen. vi. 3.

* If. lxiii. 10. Eph. iv. 30. Matt. xxi. 42, 43. Acts xiii. 46.

• Rev. ii. 5.

"2 Chron. xv. 2.

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Prov. i. 23-30. * Rom. i. 28.

* Τη ἑαυτου αγαθότητι πασιν ὁ Κύριος εγγίζει, μακρύνομεν δε ἑαυτους ήμεις δια της ἁμαρτίας. Βαβ. in Pf. xxxiii. Op. tom. i. p. 155. ed. Paris. 1721.

Spirit, are not held under any neceffity, but "have a liberty to turn themfelves, and do " what they will in this life "."

With respect indeed to thofe gifts, which were miraculously conferred by the Holy Spirit on fome of the primitive converts for "the "work of the ministry, and the edifying of "the Church," they feem to have been the effect of an irresistible and overruling power, and to have required no cooperation in the will of the recipient. And with a view to fuch gifts as thefe St. Paul appears to demand, "Who maketh thee to differ from another?" But with respect to his ordinary grace, though that grace and ability is from Chrift, it is our indifpenfable office to actuate that ability, and to cooperate with that grace, which is fent to "ftrengthen "," but not to force us, in the dif charge of our duty.

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"It is an error," fays Calvin, "to make

man cooperate with God, fo that he may

2. Ουτε γαρ ὁ τελειος εις το άγαθον, η βαθύς εις την ἁμαρτίαν, και ποιων ἑαυτὸν σκευος του διαβόλου, ὑφ' οὗ το ὅλον κατεκρίθη εις το κακον, αναγκη τινι δεδεται αλλ' εχει την ελευθερίαν του γενεσθαι σκεύος εκλογης και ζωης· ὁμοιως παλιν οἱ μεμυθεσμένοι εις την θεότητα, καιτοι πεπληρωμένοι και δεδεμένοι πνευματι ἁγίῳ, ουκ αναγκη τινι κεκράτηνται, αλλ' εχουσι το αυτεξούσιον του τρα Ζηναι αυτούς, και ποιειν ὁ θελουσιν εις τον αιώνα τουτον. Macari Hom. xv. p. 96. ed. Paris. 1621.

* 1 Cor. iv. 7.

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b Phil. iv. 19.