fpiritual we own, that this disability is deftructive to his foul and fpirit; if by being deftructive, is meant being injurious to the well-being of it, to its fpiritual and eternal welfare, unlefs the grace of God takes place; but if by it is meant, that it is deftructive to the natural powers and faculties of the foul and spirit, this must be denied: for tho' the moral liberty of the will is loft by fin, yet the natural liberty of it remains. Now, the moral liberty of the will is not effential to it, and therefore may be taken away, without the deftruction of it. I doubt not, but it will be allowed, that the liberty to chufe what is fpiritually good, and refufe what is fpiritually evil, is the fame liberty which is pleaded for in man's fuppofed ftate of trial and probation; and yet this learned writer freely owns, That that is not effential to man, as man; and confequently may be taken away, without the destruction of the foul or fpirit, or will of man: he owns, that it is no perfection of human nature, yea, that it is an imperfection; and that it will, with our other imperfections, be done away. So that the doctrine of man's difability to that which is fpiritually good, is not deftructive of any of the natural faculties of the foul or fpirit, nor of the will, nor the moral liberty of it.

a Whitby, p. 307, 308. Ed. 2. 299, 3co.

III. It

.

III. It is further urged, That the doctrine of man's disability, by the fall of Adam, to do what is fpiritually good, is "inconfiftent with the new covenant of grace, eftablish'd in the blood of Jefus, and tender'd to all to whom the gofpel is vouchfafed." Some men, indeed, plead for offers of Christ, and tenders of the gospel; but the offer or tender of the new covenant, is what I never met with in other writers. If this covenant is tender'd, upon the conditions of faith and repentance, to all to whom the gospel is vouchfafed, how can it be faid to be establish'd in the blood of Jesus? It must be very precarious and uncertain, until the conditions of it are fulfill'd by those to whom it is tender'd. The doctrine of man's disability to do what is fpiritually good, may feem inconfiftent with the covenant of grace, to fuch who have no other notions of it, than that it is a conditional one; that faith, repentance, and obedience, are the conditions of it, and that these are in the power of man to perform; but not to those who believe, and think they have good reason to believe, that the covenant of grace is made with Chrift, as the head and reprefentative of the elect, and with them in him, and with them only; and that, with

b Whitby, p. 316. Ed. 2. 308.
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refpect to them, it is entirely abfolute and unconditional, to whom grace is promised in it, to enable them to believe, repent, and obey. The covenant of grace fuppofes the difability of man to do that which is fpiritually good, and therefore provides for it; for God promifes in this covenant, to put his law in the inward parts, and write it in the hearts of his people, yea, to put his fpirit within them, and cause them to walk in his ftatutes; and fays, they shall keep his judgments, and do them.

IV. It is argued, That if the will of man is determin'd to one, viz. to that which is good, by the grace of God; or to that which is evil, through the disability contracted by the fall;" this must take away the freedom of mens actions: fince, then, there is no place for election and deliberation, it being certain, that the liberty of man must be deliberative, if it doth chuse, there being no election without deliberation." To which I reply, Suppofing choice neceffary to free actions, a determination of the will to fome one thing, is not contrary to choice; for the human will of Chrift, and the wills of Angels and glorified Saints, are determin'd only to that which is good;

Jer. xxxi. 33. Ezek. xxxvi. 27.

d Whitby, p. 310, 312, 355. Ed. 2. 302, 304, 346.

and

and yet they both chufe and do that good freely. And again, all that is done freely, is not done with deliberation and confultation; a man that falls into water, and is in danger of being drown'd, fpying fomething which he can lay hold on to fave himself, does not ftay to confult and deliberate what he had best to do; but immediately, without any, deliberation or confultation, lays hold upon it; and yet this he does freely. Befides, neither the disability of man, nor the efficacious influences of grace, at all hinder the freedom of human actions. A wicked man, who is under the ftrongest biafs, power and dominion of his lufts, acts freely in his fulfilling of them; as does,alfo a good man, in doing what is fpiritually good; and never more fo, than when he is under the most powerful influences of divine grace.

V. It is obferved, That the freedom of man's will, pleaded for, is abfolutely requifite, to fender our actions worthy of praise or difpraife; and that a determination to one, leaves no room for either of these. I reply; As to good men, they are not follicitous about the praife of their actions, being very willing to give the praife and glory of them to the grace of God, by

Whitby, p. 308, 310. Ed. 2. 300, 302.
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which they are what they are, and do what they do; tho' I fee not, why these should not be praife-worthy; and the more, for being done in a dependence on the grace of God, and under the influences and by the affiftance of it. The good actions of Angels and glorified Saints are praife-worthy; they are commended for doing the commandments of the Lord, for their conftant and perfect obedience to his will: hence our Lord taught his disciples to pray, that the will of God might be done on earth, as it is done in heaven; and yet the wills of these celestial inhabitants are only determin'd to what is divine, fpiritual and heavenly. And as to the actions of wicked men, notwithstanding their disability to do that which is fpiritually good, they are worthy of difpraise; for if bad fruit may be difpraised which comes from a corrupt tree, that brings it forth by a phyfical neceffity, a neceffity of nature, much more must the actions of wicked men be worthy of difpraife, who voluntarily chuse their own ways, and delight themfelves in their abominations. The actions of apoftate angels deferve difpraise, and they have been rebuked for them by the Lord himself; and yet their wills are determin'd only to that which is evil.