An end of doctrinal controversies which have lately troubled the churches

§. 3. Q II. Whether sufficient grace to believe, which giveth the mere power of believing to Infants or Adult, be ever lost?

§. 3. Q II. Whether sufficient grace to believe, which giveth the meer power of believing to Infants or Adult, be ever lost?

Ans. These Questions suppose that there are these several sorts of Graces disputed of by Divines: 1. Common grace: 2. Power to believe and repent: 3. Actual Faith and Repentance given by that called special Vocation: 4. The Habit of love and all grace, called Sanctification: (to pass by Relative grace, as Justification, &c.) 5. Confirmation of these Habits. And we now speak only of the second: And the very Being of that Grace is controverted, Whether God ever give (besides the natural Power) a moral Power to believe, to any that never do believe? And, 1. it is certain by Adam's instance, that he gave him a power to have perfectly obeyed, when he did not: 2. And therefore no man can prove, that now¹ he giveth no man a moral Power to believe, that doth not. 3. But it seemeth most probable that he doth, because his Government and Man's Nature are not, tota specie, changed. 4. And it is certain that still all men have power to do more good than they do. 5. And even the Dominicans grant this Sufficiency of grace. 6. But yet for my part, I am not certain of it.

1. 1Of this more before.

§. 4. But if there be such a power given, which never acteth Faith (which I think most probable) it is either in the Adult or Infants: if in the Adult, no doubt it's lost; for they that will not believe (to the last) retain not still the moral power in their Rebellion.