A discourse of the saving grace of God

1. In general. Conversion, Regeneration, Sanctification, Perseverance, and what else of this nature is required to our Salvation, is to be attributed to a mans self, more than the Spirit of Grace; they are the Effects and Achievements of Free-will, rather than of Grace.

1. In general. Conversion, Regeneration, Sanctification, Perseverance, and what else of this nature is required to our Salvation, is to be attributed to a mans self, more than the Spirit of Grace; they are the Effects and A•chievements of Free-will, rather than of Grace.

A man Converts and quickens himself, Regenerates and begets himself, Creates himself so far as he is a New Creature, and upholds himself when he is created. This seems strange and uncouth (not to say absurd and horrid); but there is plain Reason for it, such as may convince any who will yield to evident Reason.

Grace, however considered, (either in Election, or Redemption, or the Holy Spirits Operations) does no more for the quickening and Regenerating of those who are converted, than it does for those who are never converted; therefore it is not Grace, but something else, that does the work. If the Lord had done no more for the making of this World, than for making ⟨p. 48⟩of other Worlds that were never made, the Creation of the World could never have been ascribed to him. If Christ had done no more to raise Lazarus from the dead, than he did to raise others who continued dead in their Graves, he could not have been said to raise him to Life. He that does no more towards the effecting of a thing, than when it is not done at all, he cannot be said to do it. Now Grace does no more for the quickening of those that are alive to God, than for those who are still dead and will be so for ever. Therefore it is not Grace that does the work; it must be ascribed to something else, not to the Spirit of Grace, but to a mans self, and his own Free-will.