A careful and strict enquiry into the modern prevailing notions of that freedom of…

Indeed such Endeavours may have a negatively good Influence. Those Things which have no positive Virtue, have no positive moral Influence; yet they may be an Occasion of Persons avoiding some positive Evils. As if a Man were in the Water with a Neighbour that he had ill-will to, who could not swim, holding him by his Hand; which Neighbour was much in Debt to Him; and should be tempted to let him sink and drown; but should refuse to comply with the Temptation; not from Love to his Neighbour, but from the Love of Money, and because by his drowning He should lose his Debt; that which he does in preserving his Neighbour from drowning, is nothing good in the Sight of God: Yet hereby he avoids the greater Guilt that would have been contracted, if he had designedly let his Neighbour sink and perish. But when Arminians in their Disputes with Calvinists insist so much on sincere Desires and Endeavours, as what must excuse Men, must be accepted of God &c. 'tis manifest they have Respect to some positive moral Weight or Influence of those Desires and Endeavours. Accepting, justifying, or excusing on the Account of sincere honest Endeavours (as they are called) and Men's doing what they can, &c. has Relation to some moral Value, something that is accepted as Good, and as such, countervailing some Defect.

Indeed such Endeavours may have a negatively good Influence. Those Things which have no positive Vertue, have no positive moral Influence; yet they may be an Occasion of Persons avo•ding some positive Evils. As if a Man were in the Water with a Neighbour that he had ill-will to, who could not swim, holding him by his Hand; which Neighbour was much in Debt to Him; and should be tempted to let him sink and drown; but should refuse to comply with the Temptation; not from Love to his Neighbour, but from the Love of Money, and because by his drowning He should lose his Debt; that which he does in preserving his Neighbour from drowning, is nothing good in the Sight of God: Yet hereby he avoids the greater Guilt that would have been contracted, if he had designedly let his Neighbour sink and perish. But when Arminians in their Disputes with Calvinists insist so much on sincere Desires and Endeavours, as what must excuse Men, must be accepted of God &c. 'tis manifest they have Respect to some positive moral Weight or Influence of those Desires and Endeavours. Accepting, justifying, or excusing on the Account of sincere honest Endeavours (as they are called) and Men's doing what they can, &c. has Relation to some moral Value, something that is accepted as Good, and as such, countervailing some Defect.