B. Where do you find this Controversy much meddled with, unless by the School-men, who assert sufficient uneffectual Grace to believe? But this belongeth to the next Article (of Grace) though here you anticipate it. But if this must be it, I shall briefly dispatch it. 1. Adam's ⟨p. 125⟩instance hath already made you confess, that such a thing there hath been, as Grace ad posse & non ad agere, called sufficient but uneffectual Grace? And your confession of all the foresaid powers that men have by common Grace (to do more good and forbear more evil than they do) yieldeth that yet such a sort of sufficient Grace ad aliquid there is.
2. The course of Gods Administrations, maketh it seem most probable, that some and many have such a mere sufficient Grace to believe and repent: For if Adam had such a Grace enabling him to have fulfilled the whole Law of Innocency, it seemeth proportionable that the Rector of the World give some such a Grace to fulfil the mediate Law of believing and repenting, who use it not.
3. It's common with Dr. Twice to cite Augustine with approbation as saying, Posse credore est omnium, credere vero fidelium, and to make this the great difference of effectual Grace from that which is more common, that it giveth not only the Posse veil & credere, but the Act.
4. But yet because we can know no more of Gods secret workings than he discovereth, I take it to be dark and dubious: But that this is certain, that whoever wanteth the power or liberty of Will (moral) to repent and believe, they are penally denied it, for not using that power and liberty which they had, to inferior preparatory Acts. And you can carry this Controversy of Free-will no further.
And is it not then a horrid shame, to hear honest people so seduced into Love-killing factious sidings by their Teachers, as that Boys and Women speak of wiser and better persons with disaffection and reproach, saying, O he is a Free-willer, or he holdeth Free-will, when they know not what they talk of: but are made believe that it is some monstrous impious Opinion, making a man almost an Heretic? When even you that lead them are unable to show me any proved (at least considerable) difference at all.
B. Where do you find this Controversie much meddled with, unless by the School-men, who assert sufficient uneffectual Grace to believe? But this belongeth to the next Article (of Grace) though here you anticipate it. But if this must be it, I shall briefly dispatch it. 1. Adam's ⟨p. 125⟩instance hath already made you confess, that such a thing there hath been, as Grace ad posse & non ad agere, called sufficient but uneffectual Grace? And your confession of all the foresaid powers that men have by common Grace (to do more good and forbear more evil than they do) yieldeth that yet such a sort of sufficient Grace ad aliquid there is.
2. The course of Gods Administrations, maketh it seem most probable, that some and many have such a meer sufficient Grace to believe and repent: For if Adam had such a Grace enabling him to have fulfilled the whole Law of Innocency, it seemeth proportionable that the Rector of the World give some such a Grace to fullfil the mediate Law of believing and repenting, who use it not.
3. It's common with Dr. Twisse to cite Augustine with approbation as saying, Posse credore est omnium, credere vero fidelium, and to make this the great difference of effectual Grace from that which is more common, that it giveth not only the Posse velle & credere, but the Act.
4. But yet because we can know no more of Gods secret workings than he discovereth, I take it to be dark and dubious: But that this is certain, that whoever wanteth the power or liberty of Will (moral) to repent and believe, they are penally denied it, for not using that power and liberty which they had, to inferior preparatory Acts. And you can carry this Controversie of Free-will no further.
And is it not then a horrid shame, to hear honest people so seduced into Love-killing factious sidings by their Teachers, as that Boys and Women speak of wiser and better persons with disaffection and reproach, saying, O he is a Free-willer, or he holdeth Free-will, when they know not what they talk of: but are made believe that it is some monstrous impious Opinion, making a man almost an Heretick? VVhen even you that lead them are unable to shew me any proved (at least considerable) difference at all.
