We grant that God strengthens the hands even of evil doers in regard of a common help: For no man could put forth his hand to any evil, as a sinner, if God did not give him a general assistance, as a creature. In this sense the strength by which men rebel and sin against God, comes from God. But he doth not strengthen their hands, or give them help by any special assistance. In the doing of good, we have a common assistance to the act, as there is a natural motion in it, which God gives his people with the rest of the world: but this will not carry them out to do good completely. To bring forth any gracious act, they must have a special assistance. Hence Christ saith, Without me ye can do nothing; he means it not of that general support which Christ gives to man, by which all live and move, and have their being in him (in that sense no man is able to do any thing without Christ, for in him all things cons st) but when he saith, Without me ye can do nothing, he means, without my special assistance and strength ye cannot perform holy and spiritual duties, acceptable unto God. So the Apostle, We have no sufficiency of our selves, so much as to think a good thought. We have no sufficiency to think any thought without some assistance; but to think a good thought, we have not any sufficiency without a special assistance. Wicked men are not able to do evil, without a common assistance; but they have no special assistance from God to do evil. He doth neither stir up and excite then lusts to the act, nor supply their lusts while they are acting. Wicked men have assistance enough in both from their own hearts, and from Satan. Though man hath no sufficiency in himself to think one good thought, yet he hath a sufficiency in himself to think all evil thoughts; As he is a creature he acts, and as he is a corrupt creature he sins. Man hath full power and free-will to do evil therefore the Lord doth not put forth his hand to help the evil doer.
We grant that God strengthens the hands even of evil doers in regard of a common help: For no man could put forth his hand to any evil, as a sinner, if God did not give him a generall assistance, as a creature. In this sense the strength by which men rebell and sinne against God, comes from God. But he doth not strengthen their hands, or give them help by any speciall assistance. In the doing of good, we have a common assistance to the act, as there is a naturall motion in it, which God gives his people with the rest of the world: but this will not carry them out to doe good compleatly. To bring forth any gracious act, they must have a speciall assistance. Hence Christ saith, Without me ye can do nothing; he means it not of that generall support which Christ gives to man, by which all live and move, and have their being in him (in that sense no man is able to doe any thing without Christ, for in him all things cons st) but when he saith, Without me ye can doe nothing, he means, without my speciall assistance and strength ye cannot perform holy and spirituall duties, acceptable unto God. So the Apostle, We have no sufficiency of our selves, so much as to thinke a good thought. We have no sufficiency to thinke any thought without some assistance; but to thinke a good thought, we have not any sufficiency without a speciall assistance. Wicked men are not able to doe evil, without a common assistance; but they have no speciall assistance from God to do evil. He doth neither stir up and excite then lusts to the act, nor supply their lusts while they are acting. Wicked men have assistance enough in both from their own hearts, and from Satan. Though man hath no sufficiency in himself to thinke one good thought, yet he hath a sufficiency in himself to thinke all evil thoughts; As he is a creature he acts, and as he is a corrupt creature he sins. Man hath full power and free-will to do evil therefore the Lord doth not put forth his hand to help the evil doer.
