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• The Divine Feudal Law Represented
• §1.
• §2.
• §3
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• §5
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• §8
• §9
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• §14.
• §15
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• §24.
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• §39.
• §40
• §41
• §42
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• §69
• §70
• §71
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• §74
• §75
• §76
• §77
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• §79
• §80
• §81
• §82
• §83
• §84
• §85
• §86
• §87
• §88
• §89
• §90
• §91
• §92
• §93
• §94

§88

Of Irresistible Grace.After this in Chap. 7 (p. 112.). Jurieu disputes many things concerning Free-will, and effectual and irresistible Grace, the most of which do not touch our Church; some things concern a few of our Men, and either particularly him against whom he disputes, or those whose undue and unconsider’d Expressions ought not to be imputed to the whole Church. For which Jurieu might have spar’d that Note, The Augustan Brethren are here contrary to one another,69 if he would have remembred how great Dissentions there have been among the Reform’d, and still are about this Matter. But that the Divine Grace does not act in an irresistible manner in the Conversion of Men, many Expressions of Scripture do prove, and many Examples of those who have not only repuls’d the first Degrees of Grace, but of those who also after it had long taken Possession of them, have cast it away again, and fallen into the most heinous Sins; and because a Moral and Federal Way of dealing with Men, cannot consist with such an irresistible Force, since God does not Will to save Men by the Force of his Omnipotence, but in a certain Order, the Powers of Grace being so attemper’d, as not to turn Man into a sort of Engine. Altho’ this also is a Fruit of Conversion and Regeneration, that the Faithful are more and more confirm’d in Goodness, and the evil Power of resisting is by little and little weakned, by which at length they bravely overcome the Temptations of the World, the Flesh and the Devil, and willingly follow the Conduct of Divine Grace, 1 Pet. 5:10. But Jurieu seems willing (p. 124.) to acknowledge the Resistibility of Grace, as I may speak, while he says, That not only the external Graces are rejected but also the Internal, and the Motions excited by the Holy Spirit, and so the Grace is rendred ineffectual. But soon after, in effectual Grace he distinguishes the Effects for the producing of which it is destin’d and given of God, from the Effects to which it allures and exhorts only. For Instance, there is a Grace he says which is call’d the first, which does really excite good Motions, and creates a Desire of a new Life, and that solicites; exhorts, invites to a full and perfect Conversion, but it invites only by Suasion, so does not perfect this. He pronounces therefore; That the Grace of God is never refuted, with respect to those Effects for which ’tis design’d, and given of God, but is often resisted with respect to those Motions to which it only sollicits and exhorts. But it is not enough to invent some little distinction, but the Foundation of it ought to be demonstrated from the Holy Scriptures. Further, it does not consist with the Sincerity with which God deals with Men, that he should exhort and invite only to any thing without having a Mind truly to give the thing, to knock at the Door, and yet not be willing to come in. Lastly, Jurieu makes every Grace irresistible with respect to those Effects for which it is destin’d and given of God. In which thing he takes away all Morality from the Conversion of Man. And so according to Jurieu’s Hypothesis it is falsly said, That Man is the cause that the Grace of God is uneffectual, which yet was given of God for no other end, then for a vain Exhortation, or Impulse, when there is no Power in Man of his own for his Conversion. We on the other side say, God is always willing to add more Grace to them who refuse not the first Degree of Grace; and so he is always ready to give a sufficient Measure of Grace, provided Man does not reject the first Degree, nor the Encreases of it by his own Wickedness. We say too that Man cannot be accounted guilty of a new Fault, if he does not admit the Grace of God, but rejects it, by which God did not intend to work a full Conversion in him. From these things therefore I think it will manifestly appear to any one who can free his Mind from Prejudices, that our Men do not want what to oppose to the Principles of the Reform’d, which is more then those Principles, agreeing with the constant Tenour of Holy Scripture, and the Conception or Idea which we thence learn to form of Almighty God. Nor do I doubt but if that Matter were calmly and solidly debated, without Cavils and Impertinent Digressions, it might be brought so far, as that there should be no place to proceed further, and so it might come to pass that by disputing the thing, an end of these Controversies might be found.

[69.]Jurieu, De Pace, p. 126.