A Call to the Unconverted

And for the point of Free-will which you harp so long upon, Divines are not so much disagreed about it, as you imagine. Augustine as well as Pelagius, Calvin as well as Arminius, the Dominicans as well as the Jesuits, all do generally maintain that man hath Free-will; but the Orthodox say, that Free-will is corrupted and disposed to evil. Epiphanius condemned Origen for saying that man had lost the image of God, and makes it a point of Heresy. And yet one may truly say, that man hath lost Gods image, and another may truly say that he hath not lost it. For there is a twofold image of God on man; the one is Natural, and that is, Our Reason and Free-will, and this is not lost. The other is Qualitative ⟨image 32⟩and Ethical, and this is our Holiness, and this is lost, and by Grace restored; No man of brains denieth that man hath a will that's Naturally free; Its free from violence, and its a self determining Principle. But it is not free from evil Dispositions. It is Habitually averse to God and Holiness, and inclined to earthly fleshly things. It is enslaved by a sinful bias. This no man me thinks that it a Christian should deny; and of the Aged, I see not how an Infidel can deny it. Alas, we easily confess to you, that you have not this Spiritual Moral-Free will, which is but your right Inclination, and your Habitual Willingness it self. If you had a will that were freed from wicked Inclinations, I had no need to write such Books a• this to persuade you to be willing in a case which your own salvation lieth on. To the grief of our souls, we perceive after all ⟨image 33⟩our preaching and persuasions, that the ungodly have not this spiritual free will. But this is nothing, but your willingness it self, & inclination to be willing, and therefore the want of it is so far from excusing you, that the more you want it (that is, the more you are wilful in sin) the worse you are, and the sorer will be your punishment. And our preaching and persuasion, and your Hearing and Considering, are the appointed means it get this Moral power or Freedom, that is, to make you truly willing.

And for the point of Free-will which you harp so long upon, Divines are not so much disagreed about it, as you imagine. Augustine as well as Pelagius, Calvin as well as Arminius, the Dominicans as well as the Iesuits, all do generally maintain that man hath Free-will; but the Orthodox say, that Free-will is corrupted and disposed to evil. Epiphanius condemned Origen for saying that man had lost the image of God, and makes it a point of Heresie. And yet one may truly say, that man hath lost Gods image, and another may truly say that he hath not lost it. For there is a twofold image of God on man; the one is Natural, and that is, Our Reason and Free-will, and this is not lost. The other is Qualitative