Tilenus. He speaks of that conviction, which the force of his Arguments, dictated to him by the holy Spirit, made upon their understandings, so that they were not able to answer him in difputation: but he speaks not of any irresistible impression that the internal Divine Grace made upon their wills; for there was no such effect wrought in them as appears in the following verses, but rather the contrary, as you may conclude from St. Stephens words, Ye do always resist the Holy Acts 7.510 Ghost.

Mr. Efficax. By refifting the Holy Ghost there, Stephens meaning is, that they opposed the outward Ministry which was authorized and fent out by the holy Ghoft.

Tilenus. The words are plain in themselves, and so they are literally clear against you: but that this Evasion may not serve your turn, we find the Word and Spirit both together; Yet 'tis faid, they Zech. 7.

12.

hardened their hearts like an Adamant, and resisted both. But Men may, and do resist that Power of Efai. 63. Divine Grace, which doth effectually and eventually 10. convert others; yea, a greater Power, than that which doth it. The Men of Nineveh shall rise up Luk.11.32. in Judgment with this Generation, and shall condemn it, for they repented at the Preaching of Jonah: and behold a greater than Jonah is here. And as much is implied in those words of Christ. Wo unto thee Chorazin, wo unto thee Bethsaida: for if the migh- Mat. 11. 21. ty works which were done in you, had been done

in

Tyre and Sydon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. Those Heathen cities would have been wrought upon by these Gracious dispensations, but you to whom they are so freely and earnestly administred, do resist them. And why should our Savior work so many Miracles to their Senses, to induce them to believe and be convert

ed? Ad quid perditio hec ? Why so much pains loft ?

Mm2

loft? For if that had been the way, that one superlative Miracle, the irresistible operation of internal Grace had superseded the necessity of all others, and made them utterly superfluous.

Mr. Impertinent, what say you to that Text, Luk. 14. Compel them to come in: doth not that imply an irrefiftible Power upon them?

23.

Acts 7.51.

Tilenus. This place of St. Luke speaks of a charge given to a Minifter, whose office it is, to call, invite, and importune; to say nothing that it is part of a Parable. And I remember even now, when you were urged with this Text, ye always refift the Holy Ghost, then you could alledge, that that was spoken concerning the outward ministry of the word, which you confeffed might be resisted: but now you produce a Text your selves, which tho' it doth most evidently belong to the outward ministry, yet because it hath the word compel in it, and will serve your Interest, it must needs fignify irresistible. So that in the Afts, the Holy Ghost must, according to your interpretation, signify the outward Ministry, and that must be the only thing resisted: but in St. Luke, the outward Ministry shall fignify the inward working of the Holy Ghost, and that shall be irrefiftible.

Mr. Efficax. The Apostle faith, It is God which worketh in you, both to will and to do of his good

Phil. 2.13. Pleasure.

Tilenus. The Apostle doth not say, that God doth this immediatly and irresistibly; for if he did, that would evacuate the force of his exhorta. tion, which is both a mean and swasion to the duty of working out our Salvation, &c. for the inforcing whereof, that is rendered as the reason, which is the cord of a Man. He speaks not of the means or manner of God's working; and that he works the ability I grant, but not the very aft it felf of our Duty, which if he did, it would be be his act, not ours, and so not obedience, for he hath no fuperior, much less doth he work it immediatly and irresistibly.

Mr. Efficax. The Prophet acknowledgeth that lsa. 26.12. the Lord worketh all our works in us.

Tilenus. If the Text were to be read in us, there were some small color for your pretenfions; but in the Original, it is for us; and therefore rejecting the Sense which you would put upon the words, fome understand all the benefits which God hath bestowed upon them, answerable to the former part of the verse, Lord thou wilt ordain Peace for us: for thou hast wrought, &c. others understand it of their afflictions and distresses, in oppofition to that former branch of the verte, and agreeable to the verse following, other Lords have had Dominion over

us.

But if you would have the meanning of that, or any other place of Scripture to be this, that God doth immediatly and irresistibly produce all other spiritual Works, which are Works as well of Grace as of Duty in us, and that he hath tyed himself by Covenant and Promise so to do, as is affirmed by fome; then it will undeniably follow that God himself being so engaged, ought to believe, repent and pray, and do all other necessary good in us: as Servetus faid, the Fire burns not, the Sun shines not, bread nourishes not; but that God alone doth immediatly all these things in his Creatures, without having given them Such properties, and then, sure it were fitter for the Preacher to direct his admonitions to God alone, that he would perform his undertaken work in Mens hearts, by his Omnipotency, unto which they may never find ability to make resistance. But the truth is, it standeth not with God's Wifsdom, neither doth he ever use to work upon the Will of Man after this manner, and that for these reafons.

Dr.

Dr. Dubius. I pray let us hear them clearly from you.

Tilenus. First then, tho' speaking of his absolute Power, God can compel and neceffitate the Will of Man, and fo we do not make him stronger than God, as is very weakly concluded by some; yet he will not, because he will not violate that order which he hath set in our Creation. He made Man after his own Image, invested him with a reasonable Soul, having the use of Understanding, and the freedom of Will: he endow'd him with a Power to confider and deliberate, to confult and choose, and fo by consequence he gave him Dominion over himself and his own actions; that having made him Lord of the whole World, he might not be a slave to himself, but might first exercise his Sovereignty in the * free poffession of his own mind. To force his Will, were to destroy the nature of his Creature, which Grace is not designed to do, but only to heal and affift it; and therefore God deals with Man as a free Agent, by instructions and commands, by promises and threatnings, by allurements and reproofs, by rewards and punishments. So true is the

faying of Tertullian; nemo invitus fit bonus. With this Ecclef. 15.accords the Son of Syrach, God made Man from the 14. to 17. beginning, and left him in the hand of his counsel. If thou wilt keep the commandments, and perform acceptable Faithfulness. He hath fet fire and water before thee : Stretch forth thy hand unto whether thou wilt. Before Man is Life and Death, and whether him liketh Shall be given him.

Mr. Knowlittle. That Text is Apocryphal, and therefore will not ferve your turn, if you produce it to confirm a point of Faith.

Tilenus. My second reason shall confirm it out of the Authentic Canon, and it shall be this, viz. because God would have our Faith and our Repent* Imprimis animi fui possessione regnaret. Testul.

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ance, and his whole Service wherein we engage our selves, to be a work of our own Choice; as 'tis faid of Mary, that she had chosen the good part: and hereupon our Savior propounds the Query, wilt thou be made whole? And so the Prophet Jeremiah before him, O Jerufalem, wilt thou not be made clean? When shall it once be? God doth not neceffitate nor irresistibly determin his peoples Will; but only direts, conjures and assists them to make the best choice. Behold I set before you this day a blessing and Deut. 11. a curse; and again, See, I have set before thee this 26. day, Life and Good, Death and Evil; And, I call 30. 15. Heaven and Earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you Life and Death, Blessing and Curfing: therefore choose Life. And this is rendred as the reason of Man's rejection; because ye did not choose Prov. 1. 29 the fear of the Lord.

v. 19.

Mr. Narrowgrace. By this reason you make Man to have Freewill. Tilenus. Under favor Sir, 'tis not I, but it was God that made him to have it; and he that denyeth all Freedom of Will to Man, deserves no other Argument than a cudgel or whip to confute him. Sure the smart would quickly make him find liberty enough to run from it. Our woful experience tells us we have too much Freewill to do Evil; and Scripture teacheth us plainly that we have liberty enough in moral things, and for the service of God and things Spiritual. Our Savior Christ faith, if the Son shall make you free, and he John 8.36. doth so by the Ministry of his Gospel, ye shall be free indeed: and Sin shall have no more Dominion over Rom.6.14 you, unless ye yield your selves up to the Power of Comp. 16. it. Joshua was so well assured hereof, that he put it to Jof. 24.15 the Peoples choice, which implies their liberty to serve the Lord or other God's. Yet were not they under so great means as we are, your felf acknowledged even now out of the Philippians, that God work

eth