A survey of the spiritual antichrist opening the secrets of familism and antinomianism in…A survey of the spirituall antichrist opening the secrets of familisme and antinomianisme in…

Luther meaneth of imperated acts of the will flowing from the corruption of a natural man desiring to be above a Law, and without God, that he may sin without being awed of Justice or of a God, but there is a natural inclination going before acts of will and reason, by which a natural man desires the being of God, in so far as he desires his own being, that he may subsist in God, if we suppose reason to be in no shadow, we cannot think it naturally and simply would desire that the body on which it depends were just nothing, or that the rays of the Sun, would wish the Sun to be turned into pure nothing, or the streams, that the fountain were nothing.

Luther meaneth of imperated acts of the will flowing from the corruption of a naturall man desiring to be above a Law, and without God, that he may sin without being awed of Justice or of a God, but there is a naturall inclination going before acts of will and reason, by which a naturall man desires the being of God, in so farre as he desires his own being, that he may subsist in God, if we suppose reason to bee in no shadow, we cannot think it naturally and simply would desire that the body on which it depends were just nothing, or that the rayes of the Sunne, would wish the Sun to be turned into pure nothing, or the streames, that the fountaine were nothing.

^bLuther, The will of every man would desire there were not a law, if it were possible, and that it self were altogether free; grace is necessary to friend the law, and the will, and the Gospel. ^cFree-will since the fall by a subjective power can be carried ⟨p. 156⟩to good, by an active power ever to ill; nor could the wills active, but only its subjective power, stand even before the fall, or promove into good. ^fLuther, Free-will is merely passive in every act that is called willing, because the will is nothing except it be pulled, drawn, moved, which drawing having influence on the members, and strength either of soul or body is the wills activity, and no other, as the drawing of the Saw, cutting the wood is to the Saw merely passive from the Sawer, nor does it confer any thing to the drawing, by way of co-operation, but only being drawn, it works on the tree, being more drawn then drawing, which Sawing is called the work of the Saw with the Sawer, when yet it merely suffers.