case;

love him He hath fulfilled his promise in their "I will put my laws into their mind, and "write them in their hearts:" even these two great commandments, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy "God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and "with all thy mind, and with all thy strength;" and "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." "Lord ❝ have mercy upon us, and write these thy laws in 'our hearts, we beseech thee,' and incline our

hearts to keep them.' This (view/unreservedly ascribes all the glory to God, and effectually excludes boasting and it does not teach man to rely, either solely, or at all, on his own strength; but to be "strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might."The term resistless, and indolently waiting, have been already disclaimed.

P. lx. 1. 13. The very expression, &c.' Certainly we work, when prevailing grace has wrought in us to will; but not before: for how can a man' act freely and voluntarily, before he is willing? But the text "We are labourers together with God," evidently means the labour of ministers for the salvation of others; not that of sinners" working out "their own salvation," as the whole context shews," and as I believe all expositors agree.

3. Eph. vi. 10.

Heb. viii. 10. 2 Mark xii. 30, 31. 4. The very expression of this 10th article, The grace of God ⚫ preventing us that we may have a good will, and working with us,' 'plainly shews that we also work. Though "it is God "that worketh in us," yet, "we are labourers together with "God."

1

"God's husbandry." I think it better rendered God's field,

P. lx. 1. 19. It gives the first spring and rise to "our endeavours, that we may have a good will." In doing this what is there in fallen man, which co-operates with the preventing grace of God? Even the desire and endeavour to be willing, must imply a previous degree of willingness.

P. Ix. lxi. Note. • In speaking, &c,"1 This note expresses the sentiments of the Calvinists, and evangelical clergy on the subject, very clearly: and indeed yields a point, which almost determines the controversy. For we readily allow that men without grace, are able to perform natural good works;** but not what the scripture calls "good works," plea sant and acceptable to God.

P. lx. last line. The words, &c.'3 • Gratia dei

by Chrysostom, Oecumenius, and Theophylact, who hence infer, that the field is God's, the apostles only yeapyo aûs, his labourers, sent forth to labour in it, and enabled by him for "that work.' (Whitby on 1 Cor. iii. 6, 7. 9.) (See on 46, Refutation.) I have planted the gospel among you, Apollos watered 'the seed sown, but God only gave the increase of it.-The 'glory of all must be ascribed to God that giveth the increase.'

men;

In speaking of good works, and a good will, it is indispensably necessary to distinguish whether we mean in the sight of God, or in the sight of men. A man may, by his own ́ natural and unassisted powers, do works good in the sight of and the same human judgment will call the will which produces these works good. But both these works and this will "may be very far from good in the sight of a pure and holy God, "in whose sight the heavens are not clean," Job xv. 15. and "who chargeth his angels with folly," iv. 18. "6 The "best things which we do," says Hooker, "have something in "them to be pardoned."

2 Art. X.

› ‹ The words in the Latin copy of the articles are "dum volu

1

quæ per Christum est nos præveniente ut velimus, et co-operante dum volumus? Here the co-operation is most manifestly confined to the latter clause, and follows velimus. And it is allowed by Calvinists, that when we are made willing, the grace of God and the will of man work together at the same 'moment.'-If the grace of God be withdrawn, we shall certainly cease to will conformably to its previous suggestions, and sin tends to provoke God to withdraw it. Whether it ever be finally withdrawn from true believers, is another question. If good works were so attributed to the sole operation of divine grace, as to exclude our voluntary agency: they would no more be our works, than the statue is the work of the chisels and hammers, which the statuary employed in forming it. Possibly a few individuals may be capable of holding so monstrous an absurdity; but no large body of men, in any age or nation, have deliberately maintained it. The human understanding involuntarily revolts from it. The will, in the first place, and the power of accomplishing afterwards, may be, and in things "good before God" done by fallen man, must be, the effect of divine grace but the works themselves are our willing ser

"mus," while we will; which still more clearly shew that the grace of God and will of man act together at the same moment. And the words seem further to indicate that the grace of God ⚫ will be withdrawn, if we cease to will conformably to its suggestions. Thus, good works are not attributed by our church to the sole operation of divine grace, but to the joint and con ⚫ temporaneous operation of divine grace and human agency.' 1 Lat. Art. X.

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vices. "We are his workmanship, created in Christ "Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ❝ ordained, that we should walk in them." "Striv"ing according to his working, which worketh in "us mightily."2 The words joint and contemporaneous, not being scriptural: there can be nothing wrong, in our attempting to express our meaning in other words, which does not, as we think, so much appear to divide the glory between "the God of all "grace" and his sinful creatures.

P. Ixi. l. 10. It is acknowledged, &c.'' This allows, that the want of a disposition is the want of ability and that man by nature has not the disposition. This two-fold concession is of peculiarly great importance. The system of Calvinists cannot consistently be supported without it: nor can any essential part of that system, (Calvinism,) be consistently denied by those who admit it.

P. lxi. 1. 17. It does not necessarily cause men to perform good works.' That is, as fire necessarily consumes wood, without any consent of the wood to be consumed; or indeed any intention of the fire to consume it. "It is God who worketh in "us, both to will and to do."

P. lxii. 1. 7.

1 Eph. ii. 10.

The Holy Spirit, &c.'4 The word

2 Col. i. 29. See on Chap. vii.

3' It is acknowledged, that man has not the disposition, and consequently not the ability, to do what in the sight of God is good, till he is influenced by the Spirit of God.'

4 The Holy Spirit points out the way to health and truth and life, but it rests with ourselves whether we will follow its ⚫ directions.'

of God' points out the way to health, and truth, and life' but if this be all, which the Holy Spirit does, in what consists the difference between the outward teaching of the scripture, and the inward teaching of the Holy Spirit? And, if it rests with ' ourselves whether we will follow his directions:" how do all holy desires? come from God: and what must be the consequence, if, it be acknowledged, 'that man has not the disposition, and consequently ⚫ not the ability, to do what is good, in the sight of "God?' Being destitute both of the disposition and the ability, he must inevitably refuse compliance with the directions given to him. O Lord, from 'whom all good things do come, grant to thy hum

ble servants, that by thy holy inspiration, they may 'think those things that be good, and by thy mer⚫ciful guiding may perform the same, through our 'Lord Jesus Christ, Amen."1

P. lxii. 1. 9.

Irresistible, &c.' While we give up the words irresistible and resistless; it may be observed, that the idea, conveyed by them, would not be repugnant, either to the principles of the gospel, or to sound philosophy; provided the irresistible, or invincible, power, were exerted merely to produce a disposition to good, a moral ability, in rational creatures, wholly indisposed to good. Such intelligent agents must be able and disposed to resist this influence; but it is impossible, that they should

2 Irresistible power, actually exerted over the minds of men in the work of salvation, is repugnant to the acknowledged

' principles of the gospel.'