wisdom; in fuch manner and ways as are most confonant to his wonderful and unsearchable dispensation t. G CHAP. IX. Of Free-will. OD hath endued the will of man with that natural liberty, that it is neither forced, nor by any absolute neceffity of nature determined, to good or evil a. II. Man, in his state of innocency, had freedom and power to will and to do that which is good and well-pleasing to Godb; but yet mutably, so that he might fall from it c. are the fons of God. Rom. xv. 18. For I will not dare to speak of any of those things, which Christ hath not wrought by me, to make the Gentiles obedient, by word and deed. v. 19. Through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God; fo that from Jerufalem, and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the go*spel of Chrift. John xvii. 17. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. III. Man, I. a Matt. xvii. 12. But I fay unto you, that Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed: likewise shall also the Son of man fuffer of them. James i. 14. But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Deut. xxx. 19. I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have fet before you life and death, bleffing and curfing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy feed may live. Pfal. cx. 1. The Lord faid unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, II. b Eccl. vii. 29. Lo, this only until I make thine enemies thy foot-have I found, that God hath made stool. 1 Cor. xv. 25. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. v. 26. The last enemy that shall be destroyed, is death. Mal. iv. 2. But unto you that fear my name, shall the Sun of righteoufness arife with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth and grow up as calves of the stall. v. 3. And ye fhall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the foles of your feet, in the day that I shall do this, faith the Lord of hosts. Col. ii. 15. And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them fit, man upright; but they have fought out many inventions. Gen. i. 26 And God faid, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fifla of the fea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. c Gen. ii. 16. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree in the garden thou mayest freely eat. v. 17. But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt furely die. Gen. iii. 6. And when : III. Man, by his fall into a state of fin, hath wholly loft all ability of will to any spiritual good accompanying falvationd: so as a natural man, being altogether averse from that good e, and dead in sinf, is not able, by his own strength, to convert himself, or to prepare himself thereuntog. IV. When God converts a finner, and translates him into the state of grace, he freeth him from his natural bondage under when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be defired to make one wife, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her, and he did eat. III. d Rom. v. 6. For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. Romans viii. 7. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not fubject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. John xv. 5. I am the vine, ye are the branches: he that abideth in me, and I in him, the fame bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. • Rom. iii. 10. As it is written, There is none righteous, no not one: v. 12. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable, there is none that doth good, no not one. us f Eph. ii. 1. And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trefpasses and fins. v. 5. Even when we were dead in fins, hath quickened together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved.) Col. ii. 13. And you being dead in your fins, and the uncircumcifion of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, hay ing forgiven you all trespasses. g John vi. 44. No man can come to me, except the Father who hath fent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. v. 65. And he said, Therefore faid I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father. Eph. ii. 2. Wherein in time past, ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience. v. 3. Among whom also we all had our conversation in times paft, in the lufts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh, and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. v. 4. But God who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, v. 5. even when we wore dead in fins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by graced ye are faved.) 1 Cor. ii. 14. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually difcerned. Tit. iii. 3. For we ourselves also were fometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lufts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. v 4. But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, v.5. not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved. us by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost. IV. Col Y under sin b, and by his grace alone enables him freely to will and to do that which is spiritually goodi; yet so as that, by reason of his remaining corruption, he doth not perfectly nor only will that which is good, but doth also will that which is evil k. V. The will of man is made perfectly and immutably free to good alone, in the state of glory only/. A CHAP. X. Of Effectual Calling. LL those whom God hath predeftinated unto life, and those only, he is pleased, in his appointed and accepted time, effectually to call a, by his word and spirit b, IV. b Col. i. 13. Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath tranflated us into the kingdom of his dear Son. John viii. 34. Jefus anfwered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, whosoever committeth fin, is the servant of fin. v. 36. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. i Phil. ii. 13. For it is God who worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Rom. vi. 18. Being then made free from fin, ye became the fervants of righteousness. v. 22. But now being made free from fin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. Gal. v. 17. For the flesh lusteth against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh, and these are contrary the one to the other; fo that ye cannot do the things that ye would. Rom. vii. 15. For that which I do, I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. v. 18. For I know, that in me (that is, in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me, but how to perform that which is good, I find not. v. 19. For the good that I would, I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. v. 21. I find then a law, that when I would do good, evil is present with me. v. 23. But I fee another law in my members warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of fin, which is in my members. V. 1 Eph. iv. 13. Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Chrift. Heb. xii. 23. To the general affembly and church of the first born, which are written in heaven, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect. 1 John iii. 2. Beloved, now are we the fons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know, that when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall fee him as he is. Jude 24. Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the prefence of his glory with exceeding joy. I. a Rom. viii. 30. Moreover, whom he did predeftinate, them he alfe 1 ritb, out of that state of fin and death in which they are by nature, to grace and salvation by Jesus Christ c; enlightening their minds, spiritually and savingly to understand the things of God d; taking away their heart of stone, and giving unto them them an heart of fleshe; renewing their wills, and by his almighty power determining them to that which is goodf; and effectually drawing them to Jesus Christg; yet so as they come most freely, being made willing by his graceh. also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. Rom. 11.7. What then? Ifrael hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded. Eph. 1. 10. That in the dispensation of the fulness of times, he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth, even in him. v. II. In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predeftinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will. 2 Theff. ii. 13. But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you brethren, beloved of the Lord; because God hath from the beginning chosen you to falvation, through fanctification of the Spirit, and belief of the truth: v. 14. Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jefus Chrift. 2 Cor. iii. 3. For as much as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ, ministred by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of ftone, but in fleshly tables of the heart. v. 6. Who also made us able ministers of the new testament, not of the letter, but of the fpirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. Rom. viii. 3. For the law of the Spirit of life, in Christ Jesus, hath made me free from the law of fin and death. Eph. ii. 1. And you hath he quickened, who were dead in tref passes and fins. v. 2. Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience. v. 3. Αmong whom also we all had our conversation in times past, in the lufts of our flesh, fulfilling the defires of the flesh, and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. v. 4. But God who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, v. 5. even when we were dead in fins, hath quickened us together with Chrift, (by grace ye are saved.) 2 Tim. i, 9. Who hath faved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus, before the world began, v. 10. But is now made manifeit by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light, thro' the gospel. d Acts xxvi. 18. To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of fins, and inheritance among them who are fanctified by faith that is in me. 1 Cor. ii, 10. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea the deep things of God. v. 12. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are E 3 freely : II. This effectual call is of God's free and special grace alone, not from any thing at all foreseen in mani, who is al freely given to us of God. Eph. i. 17. That the God of our Lord Jefus Chrift, the Father of glory, may give unto you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, in the knowledge of him: v. 18. The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the faints. ‹ Ezek. xxxvi. 26. A new heart alfo will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you, and I will take away the ftony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. f Ezek. xi. 19. And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new fpirit within you; and I will take the ftony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh, Phil. ii. 13. For it is God who worketh in you, both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Deut. xxx. 6. And the Lord thy God will circumcife thine heart, and the heart of thy feed, to love the Lord thy God, with all thine heart, and with all thy foul, that thou mayest live. Ezek. xxxvi. 27. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgmerits, and do them, g Eph. i. 19. And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, John vi. 44. No man can come to pe, except the Father, who hath toge fent me, draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. v. 45. It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me. b Cant. i. 4. Draw me, we will run after thee. Pfal. cx. 3. Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, er, in the beauties of holiness, from the womb of the morning; thou hast the dew of thy youth. John vi. 37. All that the Father giveth me, shall come to me; and him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out. Rom. vi. 16. Know ye not, that to whom ye yield your selves servants to obey, his fervants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of fin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? v. 17, But God be thanked that ye were the fervants of fin; but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. v. 18. Being then made free from fin, ye became the servants of righteousness. II. i 2 Tim. i. 9. Who hath faved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace which was given us in Chrift Jefus, before the world began. Tit. iii. 4. But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, v. 5. not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy |