The Whole Body of Religion, Chapter 20
CHAP. XX. Concerning the Free-will of a man regenerate, and his power unto that which is good.
DOCTRINE I. That thoſe which are juſtified in Chriſt, are in him alſo regenerated, and from him receive power unto all that which is good.
WE believe that as many as are ingrafted into Chriſt, as they are in him juſtified, ſo alſo they are in him regenerated, and become new creatures, by the participation of his divine nature: and therefore, that they are made free, and receive from Chriſt himſelf, as members from the head, and vine branches from the vine, both power to eſchew evil, and to follow that which is good: For the Lord himſelf ſaith it,aIoh. 8.…6. If the Son ſhall make you free, ye ſhall be free indeed. And then are we made free, when we are ingrafs;ted into Chriſt, and regenerated by his Spirit: For the Apoſtle ſaith it,a2 Cor. 3.17. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is libertie.
DOCT. II. That Chriſt liveth and worketh in thoſe which are regenerate.
FOr we believe thatbGal. 2.10. Chriſt liveth in us, as many as are regenerated by his Spirit; and that he liveth not idle, butcPila. 13. worketh in us both to will and to do of his good pleaſure; and by hisdRom. 8.36. Spirit alſo helpeth our infirmities.
DOCT. III. That the man regenerate even in actions pertaining to the naturall and humane life, carries himſelf more worthily then the unregenerate, and therefore is more free.
SO the regenerate man, beſides that he retaineth his will, alwayes free from coaction (as even the unregenerate man himſelf doth) he doth in all actions pertaining to the naturall and humane life, wherein the man unregenerate hath any power, carry himſelf farre better, and more worthily then the unregenerate doth: foraſmuch as even in theſe actions he is moved by the holy Spirit illuminating his underſtanding, guiding his will and cogitations, and drawing forth actions out of a good fountain, that is, a good heart, and directing them to a good end, that is, to the glorie of God. The holy Apoſtle teacheth us thus much where he ſaith,a1 Cor. 10.31. Whether ye eat or drink, or whatſoever ye do, do all to the glorie of God. And therefore even in this kind of actions he is more free then the unregenerate; becauſe he is not by his own luſts and concupiſcences carried away unto theſe actions, as the unregenerate is: but being moved by the holy Spirit, whatſoever he thinketh, willeth, worketh, he doth all more circumſpectly, more prudently, and more religiouſly, being alwayes wholly intent upon this, that all may be done to the glorie of God, his own ſalvation, and the good of his neighbour. For he alwayes keepeth in minde that of the Apoſtle,bRom. 14.7. None of us liveth himſelf, and no man dieth to himſelf. c….For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's. And therefore he commendeth all his actions to the divine providence, and ſaith with St. Iames, or at leaſt thinketh thus with himſelf,aIam. 4.15.… If the Lord will, I will do this or that, I will go to ſuch a place or ſuch a place; but alwayes, If the Lord will.
DOCT. IV. That for the attaining unto morall virtues alſo, the regenerate man is more free, and hath more power then the unregenerate.
MOreover, although we confeſſe that a man unregenerate by Gods eſpeciall aid and aſſiſtance may attain unto morall vertues: Yet we believe that this eſpeciall aid and aſſiſtance is farre more excellent in the regenerate, and that for the preſence of the holy Spirit, whereby he is illuminated, guided and governed. So that the b Fathers have juſtly demonſtrated againſt the vain boaſting of the Gentiles, that even thoſe virtues which they call Morall, are in Chriſtians farre different from thoſe which have been or can be in InfidellsaTertull. Apolog. cap. 45. Auguſt. contra Iul. Pel. lib. 4. cap. 3. At de Civit. Dei lib. 19. cap. 25. Orig contr. Celſ. and unbelievers: becauſe in them they are no more but the mere ſhadowes of virtues, but in true Chriſtians virtues in deed truely ſo called.
DOCT. V. That for the underſtanding, chooſing and performing the things of God, and which pertain unto his Kingdome, the regenerate man onelyonly is truly illuminated, guided, and governed by the holy Ghoſt.
BUt we believe that for the underſtanding, chooſing and performing of ſuch things as belong to the true Kingdome of God, the regenerate onelyonly are ſo guided and governed by the Holy Ghoſt, that they onelyonly underſtand them, will them, and perform them. For the Apoſtle ſaith it,a1 Cor. 2.14. The naturall man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, neither can he know them. But concerning the regenerate man he addeth, c But he that is Spirituall, judgeth, or diſcerneth, all things, and another place,b15. It is God which worketh in us both to will, and to do, of his good pleaſure.dPhil. 2.13.
DOCT. VI. That the regenerate man is not onelyonly moved by the holy Ghoſt to work, but is himſelf alſo an Agent.
OUt of the writings of the Apoſtles, and by other teſtimonies of the holy Scripture, we are taught, and confeſſe that the regenerate are ſo moved by the holy Ghoſt, that yet themſelves alſo are Agents; and that in them God ſo worketh both to will and to do, that yet they themſelves are thoſe which both will and do. For they are not ſtocks, or beaſts, but men endued with a minde whereby they underſtand; and a will whereby they will; and whereby they command other faculties and power both of ſoul and body, to put in execution thoſe things which are good.
DOCT. VII. That the power of Free-will in the regenerate is ſtill infirme and weak; in ſuch ſort, that we continually ſtand in need of Gods freſh ſupply and aſsiſtance, and cannot do all that we would.
BUt, becauſe our regeneration is but onelyonly inchoate or begun, and not as yet perfect, ſo that whereas we before were fleſh altogether, but now conſiſt partly of Spirit, and partly of fleſh, which ſtill fight within us one againſt the other, in ſuch manner that the good which we would that we cannot do, but do ſerve with our mind the Law of God, and with the fleſh the Law of ſin: Therefore we believe, what alſo we find by experience, that there is ſtill much ſlaverie in the regenerate; much blindneſſe in the minde and underſtanding, much pravitie in the heart and affections, and many weakneſſes and infirmities in all the powers of ſoul and body: So that we dayly ſtand in need of a new ſupply of Gods grace, whereby our mindes may be more and more illuminated, our wills corrected and reformed, and our powers to that which is good increaſed and perfected. And therefore as long as we are here in the fleſh, our Free-will is never truely and perfectly free, that is, having by it's ſelf ſufficient power to eſchew that which is evill, and do that which is good: eſpecially when as the events alſo of all things are not in our power, but in the hand of God; and it is further neceſſarie that all thoſe things come to paſſe or be done, not what we have thought upon, but whatſoeveraAct. 4.2…. his hand and his counſell have determined before to be done.
DOCT. VIII. That God doth ſo rule and govern the mindes and wills of the godly, that even in the conflict of temptations and the fleſh he ſuffereth them not altogether to fall away from him.
YEt ſtill this we hold, that as many as are truely ingrafted into Chriſt, they have their mindes and wills endued already with the holy Spirit, and that for Chriſt his ſake they are by God ſo ruled, governed, and ſuſtained, that although he ſuffers them to be weakened ſundry wayes, and by divers tentations, yet he never ſuffers thembIer. 32.40. Luk. 22.32. Rom. 8.35. totally and finally to fall away ſinking under their tentations, and ſo at length periſh everlaſtingly.
DOCT. IX. Errours Condemned.
WE therefore condemne all thoſe, whoſoever either deny or extenuate Regeneration, holding that a man regenerate is as impotent, and unable to that which is good; and as mere a ſlave to ſin, as he was before his Regeneration, contrarie to divers and thoſe alſo moſt cleare teſtimonies of Scripture, concerning the freedome of the regenerate from the ſlaverie of ſin, and their freedome alſo to that which is good, to ſay nothing of the injurie which is done unto the holy Spirit, which both dwelleth and alſo worketh in us. And again we condemne thoſe which will have a regenerate man ſo to be freed from all the ſlaverie of ſinne, but he cannot ſinne any more at all: We condemne them I ſay, becauſe they hold that which is contradictorie unto the word of God throughout the whole Scripture, and contrarie alſo to dayly experience: For, although we are not ſuffered to ſin unto death, yet it is moſt certain that we commit many ſins which of their own nature are worthy of death. Neither do we like their opinion, which in the regenerate man do ſo farre forth extenuate the power of the Spirit, and again do amplifie the reliques of the fleſh: that they ſay, the operation of the Spirit is oftentimes by the ſtrength of the old man quite extinguiſhed; and further teach that even the regenerate man himſelf may altogether fall away from the grace of God, and ſo periſh everlaſtingly: Whereas God by his Prophet contradicts them, ſaying,aIer. 32.40. I will put my feare in their hearts, that they ſhall not depart from mee: and the Apoſtle affirmeth thatb2 Tim. 2.19. the foundation of God ſtandeth ſure, &c. And again,cPhilip. 1.6. He which hath begun a good work in you will perform (or finiſh) it untill the day of Ieſus Chriſt.