A55754:454
Sun-beams of gospel-light shining clearly from several texts of Scripture, opened and applied. 1.…Sun-beams of gospel-light shining clearly from severall texts of Scripture, opened and applyed. 1.…
Sun-beams of gospel-light shining clearly from several texts of Scripture, opened and applied. 1. A heavenly [sic] treatise of the divine love of Christ. 2. The Christians freedom. 3. The deformed form of a formal profession. 4. Christs fullness, and mans emptiness. By John Preston, doctor in divinity, chaplain in ordinary to King James, Mr. of Emmanuel College in Cambridge, and sometimes preacher at Lincolns Inn.Sun-beams of gospel-light shining clearly from severall texts of Scripture, opened and applyed. 1. A heavemly [sic] treatise of the devine love of Christ. 2. The Christians freedome. 3. The deformed forme of a formall profession. 4. Christs fulnesse, and mans emptinesse. By John Preston, doctor in divinity, chaplaine in ordinary to King James, Mr. of Emmanuel Colledge in Cambridge, and sometimes preacher at Lincolnes Inne.
London: printed for John Stafford, 1644
Christ's Fullness, and Man's Emptiness, &c.Christ's Fulnesse, and Man's Emptinesse, &c.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
And if it be objected (as it is by the Arminians) that though Grace do all, yet to accept or reject it, to will or nil it, is natural to man as a free Agent.
And if it be objected (as it is by the Arminians) that though Grace doe al, yet to accept or reject it, to wil or nil it, is natural to man as a free Agent.
I answer; that to will, is natural, but to will well, is supernatural, and must rise from a higher well-head than nature is. For as an hatchet will cut when handled but with a common hand, but not make a chair, or stool, or any Artificial thing except it have Influentiam Artificis quatenus Artifex, the influence of an Artificer as he is an Artificer; So though to will be natural, yet, to will well, to do a supernatural work in a supernatural and holy manner, it cannot except it have the influence of a supernatural Agent to direct and guide it.
I answer; that to wil, is natural, but to wil wel, is supernatural, and must rise from a higher wel-head than nature is. For as an hatchet wil cut when handled but with a common hand, but not make a chaire, or stoole, or any Artificial thing except it have Influentiam Artificis quatenus Artifex, the influence of an Artificer as he is an Artificer; So though to wil be natural, yet, to wil wel, to doe a supernatural worke in a supernatural and holy manner, it cannot except it have the influence of a supernatural Agent to direct and guide it.
If a man might accept Grace or refuse it, as he would. God were not God, because he might be crossed by his creature, and his own will should not absolutely bear rule, especially in that great matter of believing, and not believing, and in putting difference betwixt man and man in the matter of Salvation and Damnation: For according to Arminius, though God did heartily desire the conversion of such a man, and offered him all the means of Grace that could be, yet it is still in the free choice of his will to convert, or not to convert; Their only answer here is, that seeing God hath made a Decree, that man shall be a free Agent, though he do most earnestly desire the conversion of such and such men, yet because he cannot disannul his Decree, he doth, and must leave it to the liberty