A discourse of the saving grace of God

III. Let us view the Import and dangerous Tendency of this Doctrine; and then you will see sufficient Reason to reject it. Every particular will be an Argument against it; and the particulars are very many.

(1.) They make no Grace needful, but what was acknowledged by those Persons who were condemned by the Ancient Church as Enemies of the Grace of Christ. Pelagius, the Patriarch of the Asserters of Free-will, to the prejudice of Divine Grace, ⟨p. 40⟩acknowledged not only a Natural, but a Doctrinal Grace, viz. the Word of God discovering and propounding that which is good, and persuading Sinners to embrace it; suadet omne quod bonum est, it persuades to all that is good. Here's the swasive Grace of his Modern followers. Nay, he went further, and not only required an external Proposal of the Object, in the Ministry of the Word; but acknowledged an inward Operation of the Spirit, for enlightening the Mind, and exciting the Affections; Nos ineffabili dono gratiae coelestis illuminat, He enlightens us with the unspeakable Gift of his heavenly Grace; futurae gloriae magnitudine & praemiorum policitatione accendit: He inflames us with Promise of Rewards and the greatness of the future Glory, and excites the stupid Will, by the Revelation of Wisdom, to Desires after God. Some of his late followers think it not fit to come short of him in this, but seem to require some act of the Spirit to enlighten the Mind, and to stir up the Affections. But others of them, most applauded and followed; deny all Necessity of any immediate Illumination by the Spirit; and tell us, That every one who has the use of Reason, may, ⟨p. 41⟩without any special inward Light, very easily apprehend whatever in Scripture is necessary to be known or believed. Episcop. And that no immediate Operation of the Spirit¹ upon the Mind or Will, is needful for any one that he may Believe. Id. in Sin. Dor. p. 200. So that no Grace is needful with these men, but only an external Proposal by the Word: for what the Word propounds may, without the Light of the Spirit, be sufficiently understood and offered to the Will: and the Will, they say, has unquestionably power to embrace whatever is so offered by the Understanding. If any thing could hinder the Will from embracing the Good proposed, it must be some Corruption in mans Soul, some strong Prejudices or vicious Habits determining the Will unavoidably to that which is evil: but no such thing can be admitted, as they state the Wills liberty.