A discourse of the saving grace of God

(2.) As the Power for these great Concerns of Salvation is not from God or his Grace, so neither is the Act from him. For, 1. That which gives or works the Act, determines the Will, or causes it to determine it self; but the Lord by this Grace (which is all they own) brings it only to the Wills choice, and leaves it to do as it list, and so plainly leaves the Act to it self; so that if the Soul do actually Believe, or Repent, or turn to God, this is of it self: their Grace leaves the Will indifferent to act or not to act, and so no more works the one than the other, and is no more the Cause that it acts, than that it acts not. It leaves it to the Will, either to yield or refuse; if it yield, it is not from Grace, but the Will. Grace leaves it in the Power of the Will to resist; if it resist not, it is from the Will, not from Grace. The Lord by his Power works not the Will to turn to God, to love, to embrace Christ, to yield to the Spirit; but leaves it indifferent to ⟨p. 52⟩turn to God or against him, to love God or to hate him, to embrace Christ or reject him, to yield to the Spirit or resist him. It must be left indifferent as to either, Grace turns not the Scales, but leaves the Will at an equal poise, that the Will of Man, not the Grace of God, may have the casting weight; if Grace should weigh it down, the Liberty of the Will, they say, would be violated, and its Nature des•oyed.

(2.) As the Power for these great Concerns of Salvation is not from God or his Grace, so neither is the Act from him. For, 1. That which gives or works the Act, determins the Will, or causes it to determin it self; but the Lord by this Grace (which is all they own) brings it only to the Wills choice, and leaves it to do as it list, and so plainly leaves the Act to it self; so that if the Soul do actually Believe, or Repent, or turn to God, this is of it self: their Grace leaves the Will indifferent to act or not to act, and so no more works the one than the other, and is no more the Cause that it acts, than that it acts not. It leaves it to the Will, either to yield or refuse; if it yield, it is not from Grace, but the Will. Grace leaves it in the Power of the Will to resist; if it resist not, it is from the Will, not from Grace. The Lord by his Power works not the Will to turn to God, to love, to embrace Christ, to yield to the Spirit; but leaves it indifferent to ⟨p. 52⟩