2. "To the question, when two are equally called and one converted, Who is it that puts the difference? it is said, the answer, grounded on God's own righteous judgment, will be this: that man puts the difference, and not God only, because God judges not his own acts, but the acts of men." I reply, that this is a very improper answer to the question; which is not when two men are before the judge, the one is condemned, and the other acquitted, who puts the difference? But when two men are equally called by the external ministry of the word, the one is converted and the other not, who makes the difference? The methods God takes in conversion, and which he will take in the last judgment, are very different, as the things themselves are; in the former, he proceeds according to his grace, in the latter, according to his justice. Men will be judged according to their works, but none are saved, or called, or converted by them, or according to them; in conversion he makes a difference, in the future judgment he will find one, and act according to it. Men will be considered, in that awful day, not barely as converted or unconverted persons, but as righteous or sinners; none will be condemned because God did not convert them or call them by his grace, but because they have sinned against his law. On the other hand, the saints will be acquitted as righteous persons, through the righteousness of Christ, which gives them a title to heaven, and for which regenerating and converting grace makes them meet.

SECTION XVI.

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast.—EPHES. ii. 8, 9; with 1 Cor. i. 29.

THE arguments in favour of the efficacious grace of God in conversion, from these passages of Scripture, are as follow,

1st. Faith, through which men are saved, and which is so considerable a part of the work of grace that the whole is denominated from it; the work of faith is not of ourselves, it does not spring from nature, nor is it produced in us by our own power, but is entirely the gift of God's grace, which he implants in us, enables us to exercise, supports and increases, and perfects, or fulfils with power. To which is excepted, that

"Faith is not here called the gift of God †, but salvation by grace through faith." I reply, admitting that the apostle does not so immediately refer to faith in particular, but to salvation in general, as the gift of God; yet, since this salvation is wholly of grace, and not of works, is through faith, not as a work, having any casual influence, but as a mean of God's appointing, it cannot stand excluded from being a gift of God; nor is this the only place in which it is so called, see John vi. 65, Phil. i. 29.

2dly. If salvation is wholly of grace, and not of works, then conversion, which is a considerable branch of salvation, is also of grace, and Whitby, p. 297; ed. 2. 289. Remonstr. in Coll. Hag. art. iii. & iv. p. 306; Curcell. p. 465.

not of works; and consequently there is no room for boasting; whereas, if conversion were the work of man's power and free will, and not the work of God's powerful and efficacious grace, he would have whereof to boast. In answer to which,

1. It is said, that the phrase, Ye are saved by grace," cannot mean that they are actually saved, but only that they were called to a state of salvation, enjoyed the means, and were put into the way of salvation by grace. But, why not actually saved? Since salvation was not only in God's purpose appointed for them, and was actually wrought out and obtained for them by Christ, but was also brought home, and really applied to their souls by the Spirit of God; so that they were now saved according to the mercy of God, by the washing of regeneration, and the renewing of the Holy Ghost +. Besides, if all such may be said to be saved by grace, who are externally called, or enjoy the means, the gospel of the grace of God; then unbelievers, as well as believers, such who put away the word of God from them, as well as they that receive it, such to whom it is the savour of death, as well as those to whom it is the savour of life, may be said to be saved by` grace.

2. It is affirmed‡, that "though actual salvation depends upon good works, or sincere obedience, and though faith is the condition of justification, and good works of salvation, yet is all boasting utterly excluded; because the revelation, which contains the matters and motives of faith, and the miracles which engage to it, is the free gift of God; and because the good works we do, proceed not from ourselves, but are the fruits of faith, and performed in the strength of God. It is of his preventing and exciting grace that we will, and of his assisting grace that we are enabled to perform that will: and it is still of grace that any of these things, which deserve nothing from God, find acceptance with him." I am very glad to observe, that all these things, lastmentioned, are owned to arise from the grace of God; which is far from agreeing with the scheme our author contends for throughout this performance of his, and contradicts the notion of salvation depending on good works; which notion is against the express letter of the text before us, as well as thwarts many other passages of Scripture; see Rom. iii. 20, 28; 2 Tim. i. 9; Tit. iii. 5. Moreover, if actual salvation depends on good works, man has something to boast of; boasting is not excluded by the law, or doctrine of works, that is, by the doctrine of salvation by works; if Abraham, or any other man, were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory, Rom. iii. 27, and iv. 2.

3. It is observed §, "that the Scripture plainly grants that there is kaúɣnμa, or matter of glorying, in things done by the assistance of the grace of God, as in 1 Cor. ix. 15; 2 Cor. xi. 10, and i. 12; Gal. vi. 4." I reply, that the words κaúxnμa, and κavɣáoμaι, are used by the apostle Paul, and do not signify an ascribing anything to one's self, as proud boasters do; but a satisfaction, pleasure, and exultation of mind, as in the places referred to. The two first of which, 1 Cor. ix. 15, 2 Whitby. p. 210, 297; ed. 2. 204, 290. + Tit. iii. 5.

§ Ibid. p. 299; ed. 2. 292.

Whitby, p. 298; ed. 2. 290. Vide Beza, in Gal. vi. 14.

Cor. xi. 10, respect his preaching of the gospel, and not barely that, but the preaching of it without charge; which upon reflection, for many reasons, gave him an inward pleasure and satisfaction, and at the same time he declared, that though he preached the gospel, he had nothing to glory of. The next passage cited from 2 Cor. i. 12, regards the agreeable life and conversation of the apostle, and other ministers in the world; which he attributes, not to fleshly wisdom, then there would be room for glorying; but to the grace of God, which was matter of rejoicing, though not of vain boasting. The last of these scriptures, Gal. vi. 4, regards also the external conversion of the saints; which, when agreeable to the gospel of Christ, yields a pleasing reflection within a man's self; so that he has no need to look out to others, to borrow any glory from them, by comparing himself with them as the proud Pharisee did, when he said, God, I thank thee that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.

3dly. God has so contrived the business of our salvation, that no flesh should glory in his sight. Now if salvation, in any part of it, is to be ascribed to man, if conversion is not entirely God's work, but man co-operates with him in the production of grace, then the whole glory of that work is not due to God. But,

*

1. This is thought to be "sufficiently accounted for by observing, that the principle, by which man co-operates with him in this work, is derived from him; and all the motives which excite this principle to act, arise purely from God's preventing and exciting grace." I confess, this is owning a great deal, but not enough for this principle is not barely derived from God, but implanted by him; in which man is purely passive, and does not nor can he co-operate with him in the production of it. Moreover, though the motives which excite this principle to act are from the Lord, yet they must be attended with the powerful grace of God, or they will never excite the principle to act. Besides, though man is an agent, and acts for God, and his glory, under the influence of grace, in consequence of a principle of it wrought in him, yet he is no agent in the forming of that principle; were he, though an under one, part of the glory of it would belong to him; wherefore if God is chief agent, yet, if not a sole one in this work, the whole glory of it is not due to him.

2. It is observed †, that "our Lord, and his apostles, often commend the good actions of men; and Christ will at last say to the righteous man, Well done, thou good and faithful servant." But then it should be observed, that these praises and commendations do not regard the work of grace and conversion, but the fruits of it in the lives and conversations of the saints; which though God, of his great grace and goodness, is pleased to praise, commend, and signify his acceptance of, yet, these persons are taught by the same grace to own, that when they have done all they can, they are but unprofitable servants; and that it is by the grace of God they are what they are, and do what they do. And when Christ at the last day shall speak of their good * Whitby, p. 300; ed. 2. 292. Ibid. p. 301; ed. 2. 294.

Luke xvii. 10; 1 Cor. xv. 10.

works, and say to them *, I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat, I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink, &c. they will reply, as having forgotten them, putting no trust in them, or ascribing the glory of them to themselves, When saw we thee an hungered, and fed thee; or thirsty, and gave thee drink? &c.

CHAPTER V.

OF THE CORRUPTION OF HUMAN NATURE, AND THE IMPOTENCE OF THE WILL OF MAN TO THAT WHICH IS SPIRITUALLY GOOD.

THE learned writer †, whose performance I am now considering, affirms, "that the doctrine which teacheth that man, by the fall, hath contracted such a disability to what is good, that without the special grace of God he can do nothing that is truly good, and is fallen under such a servitude to sin, as renders it necessary for him to be still doing evil, has no foundation in the holy Scriptures." And, whereas "it is very reasonable to expect both plain and frequent testimonies of the holy Scriptures, saying, that man is, by the fall of Adam, become utterly unable to do anything that is good, or anything that God requires of him in an acceptable manner; yea, that by reason of the fall alone, his faculties are so horribly perverted, that he can do only what is evil, and cannot but do evil; the whole Scripture hath not one saying of this nature." The falsehood of which will appear in the following sections; where I shall endeavour to make it evident, that such is the corruption of human nature, derived from Adam, and such man's disability, contracted by it, that without the special grace of God he can do nothing spiritually good, and only that which is evil; and that from those very passages of Scripture, this author singles out, and objects to as proofs of it.

כחובין מן גבר דאסתאב

SECTION I.

Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? Not one.-JOB xiv. 4. ABEN EZRA observes, that the sense of these words is the same with Psal. li. 5, and the meaning of them is, who can bring one that is pure, an, from a man defiled with sins? as the Targum paraphrases them; none but God can do this; of which there never was but one instance, the man Christ Jesus, who not descending from Adam by ordinary generation, was not polluted with sin. Now Job makes mention of the corruption of nature, as the source of all the sorrows and frailty of man in general, ver. 1, 2, and as matter of humiliation to himself, and as a reason why he could not bear the strict judgment of God, but must humbly plead for his grace and mercy, ver. 3. But, against this sense of the words,

* Matt. xxv. 35, 37.

Whitby, p. 323, 325; ed. 2. 315, 317.

1. It is objected *, that they are obscure, and interpreters disagree about the meaning of them; and therefore can be no solid proof of the point in question. But, perhaps, the obscurity is not so much in the words as in the interpreters, who give either false or improper senses of them. Some understand them of the impurity of matter, out of which the body of man was formed at first; whereas, neither that matter, nor the body of man formed out of it, was impure. Others, of the vileness of man, when compared with God, as in chap. iv. 17-19, and xv. 14, 16, and xxv. 4, 5. When neither here, in the places cited, is any mention of a comparative uncleanness of men with God, but of the angels, the heavens, the moon and stars; from whence a real impurity in man is argued, who therefore must be abominable in the sight of God. Others think Job refers to the impurity of men's actions; and that his meaning is, that nothing is to be expected from a polluted man, but what savours of the corruption of his nature. This is a truth, but not the truth of the text; yet not subversive of it, it rather confirms it.

2. It is urged †, that Job here speaks not of a moral but physical uncleanness; such as diseases, filthy ulcers, &c. arising from the infirmity and corruptibility of nature; and that his meaning is, it was enough that he was attended with common infirmities, without being pressed with greater and extraordinary ones. But, are all men attended with diseases? Yea, are all so, who are born of distempered parents? Are all born with filthy ulcers? Was Job brought into the world with his boils upon him? If it should be said, though this is not the case of all men, yet there is the common infirmity of nature, the spring of all these disorders, in all men. It is true, indeed, that man, in his fallen state, is subject to these things? but from whence does this infirmity of nature arise, but from the corruption and vitiosity of it?

3. It is said, that the meaning of this scripture is, " "that from parents, obnoxious to sin, will spring forth children; that when they come to discern between good and evil, will be obnoxious to sin also.” I answer, that parents and their children are not only obnoxious to sin, but are really sinners; and be it so, that they are only obnoxious to sin, from whence does this obnoxiousness arise? It must be either from example, or from depravity; not from the former, since men are obnoxious to, and capable of committing sins they never saw committed; wherefore, this must spring from the corruption of nature.

Curcellæus, p. 140. + Episcop. Instit. Theol. 1. 5, c. 2, p. 406, 407; Limborch, p. 192. Whitby, p. 326; ed. 2. 317.