Christ, does he acknowledge it, or confess that he had ever sought after it? Nay, he revolts from it, and is confounded; so much so, that he does not only say he does not understand it, but heaves against it as impossible" How (says he) can these things be?"

And no wonder: for who ever heard, that man must be born again unto salvation "of water and of the Spirit?" Who ever thought, that the Son of God must be exalted," that whosoever should believe in him, should not perish, but have everlasting life? Did the greatest and most acute philosophers ever make mention of this? Did the princes of this world ever possess this knowledge? Did the Free-will of any man ever attain unto this, by endeavours? Does not Paul confess it to be" wisdom hidden in a mystery,' foretold indeed by the prophets, but revealed by the Gospel? So that, it was secret and hidden from the world.

In a word: Ask experience: and the whole world, human reason itself, and, in consequence, Free-will itself is compelled to confess, that it never knew Christ, nor heard of him, before the Gospel came into the world. And if it did not know him, much less could it seek after him, search for him, or endeavour to come unto him. But Christ is "the way" of truth, life, and salvation. It must confess, therefore, whether it will or no, that, of its own powers, it neither knew nor could seek after those things which pertain unto the way of truth and salvation. And yet, contrary to this our own very confession and experience, like madmen we dispute in empty words, that there is in úst that power remaining, which can both know and apply itself unto those things which pertain unto sal

vation! This is nothing more or less than saying, that Christ the Son of God was exalted for us, when no one could ever have known it or thought of it; but that, nevertheless, this very ignorance is not an ignorance, but a knowledge of Christ; that is, of those things which pertain unto salvation. livs

Do you not yet then see and palpably feel out, that the assertors of Free-will are plainly mad, while they call that knowledge, which they themselves confess to be ignorance? Is this not to "put darkness for light?" Isaiah v.-But so it is, though God so powerfully stop the mouth of Free-will by its own confession and experience, yet even then, it cannot keep silence and give God the glory.

Sect. CLIX.-AND now farther, as Christ is said to be "the way, the truth, and the life," and that, by positive assertion, so that whatever is not Christ is not the way but error, is not the truth but a lie, is not the life but death, it of necessity follows, that Free-will, as it is neither Christ nor in Christ, must be bound in error, in a lie, and in death. Where now will be found that medium and neuter-that the power of Free-will, which is not in Christ, that is, in the way, the truth, and the life, is yet not, of necessity, either error, or a lie, or death?

For if all things which are said concerning Christ and grace were not said by positive assertion, that they might be opposed to their contraries; that is, that out of Christ there is nothing but Satan, out of grace nothing but wrath, out of the light nothing but darkness, out of the life nothing but death-what, I ask you, would be the use of all the writings of the apostles,

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nay, of the whole scripture? The whole would be written in vain ; because, they would not fix the point, that Christ is necessary (which, nevertheless, is their especial design) and for this reason,-because a medium would be found out, which of itself, would be neither evil nor good, neither of Christ nor of Satan, neither true nor false, neither alive nor dead, and perhaps, neither any thing nor nothing; and that would be called, that which is most excellent and most exalted' in the whole race of men!

Take it therefore which way you will.-If you grant that the scriptures speak in positive assertion, you can say nothing for Free-will, but that which is contrary to Christ: that is, you will say, that error, death, Satan, and all evils, reign in him. If you do not grant that they speak in positive assertion, you weaken the scriptures, make them to establish nothing, not even to prove that Christ is necessary. And thus, while you establish Free-will, you make Christ void, and bring the whole scripture to destruction. And though you may pretend, verbally, that you confess Christ; yet, in reality and in heart, you deny him. For if the power of Free-will be not a thing erroneous altogether, and damnable, but sees and wills those things which are good and meritorious, and which pertain unto salvation, it is whole, it wants not the physician Christ, nor does Christ redeem that part of man.For what need is there for light and life, where there is light and life already?

Moreover, if that power be not redeemed, the best part in man is not redeemed, but is of itself good and whole. And then also, God is unjust if he damn any man; because, he damns that which is the most

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excellent in man, and whole; that is, he damns him when innocent. For there is no man who has not Free-will. And although the evil man abuse this, yet this power itself, (according to what you teach) is not so destroyed, but that it can, and does endeavour towards good. And if it be such, it is without doubt good, holy, and just: wherefore, it ought not to be damned, but to be distinctly separated from the man who is to be damned. But this cannot be done, and even if it could be done, man would then be without Free-will, nay, he would not be man at all, he would neither have merit nor demerit, he could neither be damned nor saved, but would be completely a brute, and no longer immortal. It follows therefore, that God is unjust who damns that good, just, and holy power, which, though it be in an evil man, does not need Christ as the evil man does.

Sect. CLX.-BUT let us proceed with John." He that believeth on him, (saith he) is not condemned; but hé that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed on the name of the only begotten Son of God."

Tell me !-Is Free-will included in the number of those that believe, or not? If it be, then again, it has no need of grace; because, of itself, it believes on Christ-whom, of itself it never knew nor thought of! If it be not, then it is judged already: and what is this but saying, that it is damned in the sight of God? But God damns none but the ungodly: therefore, it is ungodly. And what godliness can that which is ungodly endeavour after? For I do not think that the

power of Free-will can be excepted; seeing that, he speaks of the whole man as being condemned.

Moreover, unbelief is not one of the grosser affections, but is that chief affection seated and ruling on the throne of the will and reason; just the same as its contrary, faith. For to be unbelieving, is to deny God, and to make him a liar; 1 John v., "If we believe not. we make God a liar." How then can that power, which is contrary to God, and which makes him a liar, endeavour after that which is good? And if that power be not unbelieving and ungodly, John ought not to say of the whole man that he is condemned already, but to speak thus,-Man, according to his 'grosser affections,' is condemned already; but according to that which is best and most excellent,' he is not condemned; because, that endeavours after faith, or rather, is already believing.

Hence, where the scripture so often saith, "All men are liars," we must, upon the authority of Freewill, on the contrary say-the scripture rather, lies; because, man is not a liar as to his best part, that is, his reason and will, but as to his flesh only, that is, his blood and his grosser part: so that that whole, according to which he is called man, that is, his reason and his will, is sound and holy. Again, there is that of the Baptist," He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life; he that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him." We must understand "upon him " thus:-that is, the wrath of God abideth upon the 'grosser affections of the man: but upon that power of Free-will, that is, upon his will and his reason, abide grace and everlasting life.