cient to cause any man to diftrust, if not entirely reject it; as, that the defenders of it grant, what is inconfiftent with it, "That preventing grace is given irresistibly and univerfally to men, and is never taken away by God from any man, unless he firft, of his own accord, rejects it; that there are certain inward workings and effects wrought by the word and fpirit of God, preceding converfion and regeneration, in the hearts of perfons not yet juftify'd; which God ceafeth not to promote and carry on towards converfion, till he be forfaken of them, by their voluntary negligence, and his grace be repell'd by them; that God doth very feriously and in earnest call all those to faith and repentance, and converfion, in whom, by his word and fpirit, he works a knowledge of the divine will, a fense of fin, a dread of punishment, fome hopes of pardon, and yet that all these men, excepting the elect, are not converted, thro' a defectiveness in the grace of God to do it, or for want of means fufficient for their converfion, and because God never intended by these means falvation to any but the elect." Who thefe defenders are, that make these conceffions, I am not concerned to know, the inconfiftency of them with the doctrine of efficacious grace, will be readily own'd;

N° 3. 10, 11, 13, 14. 17.

"

how can grace be faid to be given univerfally to men, when multitudes of them have not fo much as the means of it? or be faid to be given irrefiftibly, when man, of his own accord, may reject it? And tho' fome certain effects may follow upon hearing the word, as, awakening of the natural conscience, fear of a future judgment, and trembling of the fpirits in fome perfons, as in Felix, who never were or will be converted; yet these things are not promoted and carried on by God, nor were ever defign'd to be promoted and carried on by him towards. converfion, or in order to it: had they been wrought or defign'd for that purpose, man's forfaking the Lord, by voluntary negligence, or repelling his grace, could never fruftrate his defigns, or cause him to cease promoting the carrying on his own work until he has brought it to perfection. Nor is it true, that God calls all thofe to faith and repentance, and converfion, who have a knowledge of the divine will, a fense of fin, a dread of punishment, and fome hopes of pardon for the devils have all these but the laft, whom he never calls to faith and repentance, and the latter, as well as the former, fome men may have, and yet be never called by the grace of God; indeed, all those to whom God, by his spirit and word, gives a fpiritual knowledge of his will, a real thorough fenfe of the evil na

ture

ture of fin, as well as of the punishment that comes by it, and a good hope, through grace, of pardon thro' the blood of Christ, he not only calls feriously and in earnest to faith and repentance, but he bestows these gifts of his grace upon them. But I proceed to the confideration of the arguments which, 'tis faid, evidently feem to confute the doctrine of irresistible and unfruftrable grace in converfion. The first four arguments, with the eighth and ninth, are founded upon paffages of fcriptures, which have been confider'd in the first part of this work, to which the reader is referr'd; the reft fhall be attended to, and are as follow.

I. w« If fuch a divine unfruftrable operation is neceffary to the converfion of a finner, then the word read or preached can be no inftrument of their converfion, without this divine and infruftrable impulfe, because that only acts by moral fuafion." I answer, 'tis very true, that the word read or preached is not, nor can it be an inftrument of converfion, without the powerful and efficacious grace of God; and it is abundantly evident, that it is read and preached to multitudes on whom it has no effect, and to whom it is of no use and service. Some perfons are, indeed, begotten with the

W

w Whitby, p. 255. Ed. 2. 249.

word

word of truth, and thro' the gospel, and are born again of incorruptible feed by the word of God; but then all this is by and thro' it, not as it comes in word only, or as it acts by moral fuafion, or as it is a mere moral inftrument, but as it comes in power and in the Holy Ghost, or with the demonftration of the Spirit and of power. The Spirit of God is the efficient caufe of regeneration and converfion, the Word is only a means which he makes ufe of when he pleases; for tho' he, generally fpeaking, works upon men by and under the means, yet not always; the work of grace upon the foul is not fuch an effect as doth entirely depend upon these two caufes, fo that, without the concurrence of them both, it will not be produc'd: wherefore the argument will not hold, That he that hath it always in his power to refift, that is, to hinder the operation of the one upon him, must also fruftrate the other, and confequently hinder the effect." For tho' the word unattended, with the spirit and power of God, may be refifted, fo as to be of no effect, yet neither the operations of the Spirit, nor the Word, as attended with them, can be refifted, fo as either of them fhould be ineffectual. And tho' the work of grace is wrought by an irresistible and unfruftrable operation, and

X Jam. i. 18. 1 Cor. iv. 15. 1 Pet. i, 23,

i Theff. i. 5. Cor. ii. 4.

the

the Word without it is infufficient to produce it, yet it is not unneceffary, for it pleases God, by the foolishness of preaching, to fave them that believe; whereby he confounds the wisdom of the world, and, by making ufe of weak means, he magnifies his own grace and power, he puts the treasure of the gofpel in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power in converfion may appear to be of God, of his operation, and not of man's moral fuafion.

a

II. It is faid, "Hence it must also follow, that no motive can be offer'd fufficient to induce the perfon who believes this doctrine, to enter upon a change of life, or a religi ous converfation, till he feel this irresistible impulfe come upon him." I reply, that internal converfion, and an external change of life, regeneration, and a religious converfation, are different things. Tho' no man can be regenerated and converted without the powerful and efficacious grace of God, yet they may, without that grace, enter upon an outward change of life, and a religious converfation with and before men, tho' no motive can be offer'd fufficient to induce any perfon, whether he believes or does not believe this doctrine, to regenerate and convert himself; which does not lie in his own power, but