Next, where Mr. Blake would have proved the Text not to be meant of sound Believers, because they are such Disciples as a whole Nation is capable to be; I answered, that whole Nations are capable of saving faith, and proved it: to which he mentioneth the capacity of stones to be made Children; As if men had no more then stones; And as if God could not make all in a Nation believers, by the same means us he makes some such. He turns to the question, what a Nation is capable of to [what may be expected] •nd argueth as if they were capable of no more than we may eventually expect, and saith [this that is a doctrine so clear that proof needs not; Where there never shall be any futurity, we may well and safely speak of an incapacity] Ans. As if omne possib•le esset futurum: and men should have every thing good or bad which they are capable of. A sad world! when among learned Divines such sayings are: Truths that need no proofs, as if the contradictories of our Principles were become Principles. Its added [Capacity is vain, when it is known, & co•fest that existence shall never follow.] Answ. Hath such an assertion bin usually heard among the worshippers of the Creator & the admirers of his works? If one of ⟨p. 154⟩those that are suspected of Heresy had said such words, what should we make of them! Doth all Passive or Objective power, Natural, Violent or Neutral, come into act? Doubtless no man that hath one thought of these things will say so; if he do, he must say that God can do no more then he doth: nor any creature do more then it doth! But if there be such a power or Capacity of a thing that shall not exist, then it is sad to hear God charged with making all such powers or Capacities in vain. He knows why he doth many things which he tells us not the reason of; but here there is reason enough apparent, to cause us to give God better words.
Next, where Mr. Blake would have proved the Text not to be meant of sound Believers, because they are such Disciples as a whole Nation is capable to be; I answered, that whole Nations are capable of saving faith, and proved it: to which he mentioneth the capacity of stones to be made Children; As if men had no more then stones; And as if God could not make all in a Nation believers, by the same means us he makes some such. He turns to the question, what a Nation is capable of to [what may be expected] •nd argueth as if they were capable of no more than we may eventually expect, and saith [this that is a doctrine so clear that proof needs not; Where there never shal be any futurity, we may well and safely speak of an incapacity] Ans. As if omne possib•le esset futurum: and men should have every thing good or bad which they are capable of. A sad world! when among learned Divines such sayings are: Truths that need no proofs, as if the contradictories of our Principles were become Principles. Its added [Capacity is vain, when it is known, & co•fest that existence shall never follow.] Answ. Hath such an assertion bin usually heard among the worshippers of the Creator & the admirers of his works? If one of ⟨p. 154⟩those that are suspected of Heresie had said such words, what should we make of them! Doth all Passive or Objective power, Natural, Violent or Neutral, come into act? Doubtless no man that hath one thought of these things will say so; if he do, he must say that God can do no more then he doth: nor any creature do more then it doth! But if there be such a power or Capacity of a thing that shall not exist, then it is sad to hear God charged with making all such powers or Capacities in vain. He knows why he doth many things which he tells us not the reason of; but here there is reason enough apparent, to cause us to give God better words.
