Two Treatises, Treatise 1 · Section 20
SECT. 20.
NOw for concluſion of this point; Foure abſurdities, iſſuing out of the Doctrine of common grace.if Faith, Repentance, and generally the Fruit of Chriſts death an… paſſion be onelyonly. Conditionall; if we will believe, if we will Repent, if wee will apply the Fruit of Chriſts death unto our ſelves, then will theſe g…oſſe abſurdities (among many others) follow.
For then firſt, 1Our benefit by Chriſt ſhou'd be no more certaine then that which we had and loſt in Adam.the Beneſit we have by Chriſt, ſhall be as uncertaine as that wee had in and by Adam, which wee loſt when it was left to his owne keeping. Happineſſe was ſet before him, and propounded to him with Condition (which was renewed to the Jewes in the giving of the morall Law) doe this and live. Yea God gave him (and us in him) power to have kept that Condition, If hee had would; but he gave him not the power and grace that he ſhould infallibly in very deed keepe the ſame; Ad… (as we in him) had powe… to ſtand and not fall; ye… power was never granted to him or any (by vertue of the firſt Covenant) to riſe againe, Bernard.if hee or they did fall. But God now gives more grace, and workes in us the Conditions of his new Covenant, which conſiſts chiefly (not in Commandements, but in his moſt gracious and free promiſes▪
Secondly, 2 God ſhould be no more effectuall in good t…n Satan in evill.if Gods gra… and the efficacy of it reach no further then to moral… ſwaſion, (outwardly and inwardly) what doth God more towards the Converſion then the devil to wards ſubverſion of aſinner?
Thirdly, 3 Mans goodneſſe ſhould be more aſcribed to him ſelfe then to God.in the Converſion of a ſinner, more ſhoul… be aſcribed to nature the… to grace; to mans will then to God; becauſe God (by common grace) onelyonly moves, but man obeyes; Now no man is good in that barely, he is moved to his duety and admoniſhed, but in that hee obeyes the admonition, motive, or perſwaſion. And thus ſhould man be good and doe good; (be Converted, have Faith, …nd continue in weldoing) eſpecially becauſe hee ſo wills, not becauſe God made him good, or gave …im Faith and Repentance, &c. but onelyonly becauſe God …dmoniſhed him that hee hould be good, and called …pon him by precepts, ex…ortations, and promiſes, to believe and to be holy.
Laſtly, hence alſo it would follow, that the difference betweene the go… and the bad, 4The difference between the good and bad ſhould be made by man himſelfe and by nature.betweene the Children of God and … this World, as ſuppoſe betweene Peter and Iud… ſhould be wholy made fr… nature, not from gract… becauſe to uſe grace arig… (that is, to yeeld conſent and to will our owne Co… verſion) is from mans … will, and that is from mture; and ſo grace ſhou… conferre, and afford … more to Peter, who converts then to Iudas, who remain… unconverted; which is co… trary to that of the Apoſt… ſaying, and asking: W… diſtinguiſheth thee, or mak… thee differ from another And, what hast thou that th… didſt not receive? 1 Cor. 47.Now … thou didſt receive it, why do… thou glory as if thou hadſt n… received i…?
This Text cutts the broat of free will, And the co…erted ſhould have juſt cauſe to glory even in Gods ſightand o …erthrowes the errour of …niverſall or cōmon grace. …or ſo might Peter boaſt …nd glory, and that juſtly with God; for if God by …is common grace give on…y a poſſibility to will our owne Converſion or not, and mans will afford the …ct, or to be willing to con…ert, then grace grants no …ore to Peter then to Iudas; …nd therefore Peter diffe …enceth him ſelfe from Iudas, … as all true Converts from others) by ſomething of his owne, and proper to himſelfe; for they differ not …eally by any grace of God, which they afore hand have …eceived, wherewith they might freely worke and to operate with Gods grace, or not. For both receive the ſame grace in common, and a power to will their own Converſion, So as that they may alſo nill it; This grace being thus farre common, puts no difference betweene them. What doth it then? Peter wills what Iudas wills not: Hee will make uſe of that common helpe afforded of God, and that out of his owne Liberty of will and power of nature, Iudas (having the ſame Liberty and power) will not; Dr. Ward in Conciore de gratia diſcriminante.So that the difference betweene them is in the laſt place brought to that free Co-operation and working, which each of them hath from his naturall power and inbred Liberty of will; So that it will invincibly follow that Peter may glory in Gods ſight after this manner, as even a Popiſh Writer (handling this argument againſt the Ieſuites) brings him in thus ſpeaking: Lord I give thee thankes that thou haſt in mercy conferred unto mee ſupernaturall helpe; namely, to be able to will mine owne Converſion; Bannez. in 2. q. 10. art. 1. document 30.but yet thou haſt afforded the like and equall helpe unto Iudas, my fellow Diſciple; Howbeit J have added to that thou haſt given mee, that which by the ſupernatural power thou didſt not give me; namely, the will (actually) to convert; and where as I received no more then he, yet I have done & wrought more thē he, in aſmuch as I now be come juſtified, and hee remaines in his ſinnes; Therefore I owe no more to thee and to thy grace then this Judas who is not Converted.
Now, Sic Auguſti…. d… praedestinat. Sanctor. c. 5.ſaith this Authour, and ſo ſay I, Chriſtian E… abhor to heare this boaſting; For it were pride is the higheſt ſo to thinke, and extreame blaſphemy ſo to ſpeake. Hence wee conclude, that Peter, and ſo all true Converts, doe receive from God, not only a power to convert if they will, but the very good will it ſelfe, whereby they conſent and accept of grace offered; yea they receive not onelyonly common grace, but that grace which eminently doth difference them from others, and that grace is from Gods predeſtination.