THE

Arminian Magazine,

For SEPTEMBER 1782.

Of FREE-WILL: tranflated from SEBASTIAN CASTELLIO'S Dialogues, between Lewis and Frederic.

Fred.

L

ET us now confider, how God worketh in men to will that which is good. This we may the more eafily understand, by confidering how the devil works in man to will that which is evil. Take a covetous man, who defires to make his fon just like himself. By commending riches as the chief Good, and inveighing against poverty as the chief evil, he endeavours to work in his fon a defire of riches. And because he speaks out of the abundance of his heart, there is an inward force in his words, the fpirit of covetousnefs, which has far more power over his fon, than the bare words have. On the other hand, God fhews us what is good, VOL. V. Iii

by

by a man fent of him. And because he fpeaks out of the abundance of his heart, there is an inward force in his words, the Spirit of holinefs, which has far more power over our minds, than any bare words whatever. This force was in that fermon of St. Peter (Acts xiv.) whereby five thousand fouls were converted. Whereas had a man without that Spirit fpoken the fame words, they would have had no more effe& than the words of a stage-player.

us.

Lewis. I have nothing to say against this. But I have one difficulty remaining. How fhall I anfwer thofe who fay, You afcribe too much to the will of man, fo that he seems to be faved by his own merit, at least in part, and thereby to diminish the benefit and glory of Chrift. Fred. They feem to me, to do the very thing themselves, of which they accuse Lewis. How fo? Fred. I will tell you. If your father had begotten you fuch, that you must always have remained an infant, unable either to will or to do any thing freely, would his merit or his glory have been greater than it is, in begetting you fuch, that you are able to walk to and fro, to will, and to act at your pleasure? Lewis. Nay, I am much more obliged to him for begetting me fuch as I am. Fred. And is not God much more to be praifed, for creating man a Free-Agent, than if he had created him like a beaft? And will it not be

more glory to Chrift, to fave man as a free-agent, than if he had treated him as a piece of paffive clay, which is moulded into a veffel, without any choice of its own?

As to Pride, we know men may be proud of them; but we must not therefore deny the gifts of God. And if we credit Experience, the men who deny Free-will are prouder than thofe that affert it. And no wonder; for thinking themselves elect, and therefore incapable of falling, they cannot fear, but reign as kings. To reprefs this infolence, the Apofle fpeaks thus: Be not high minded, but fear; if God fpared not the natural branches, take heed left he pare not How glaring are the inftances of their pride? They

thee.

condemn

1

condemn all others with fuch difdain, as manifefly to fhew in fact, the Free-will which they deny in words! Yet if you exhort them to good works, you would act as impertinently, as if you exhorted the King's fon, to take pains that he might become the King's fon. They are elected already. They cannot fall: they are faved by faith. The good works of Christ are theirs. They have no Free-will. They do not pretend to be faved by their works. I know no man upon earth upon whom there is lefs room for exhortations to piety. Befides, they do not fcruple bare-faced calumnies. I could mention many. But the most impudent of all is, That “we are feeking to be faved by our own works." Nothing can be more falfe. We neither think fo, nor fpeak fo. We fay and teflify this, That we are faved by the mere gratuitous mercy of God, without any merit of our own, fo that we cannot in anywife fave ourselves; but we can eafily deflroy ourselves. Even as Adam was placed in Paradise for no merit of his own; but was caft out of it by his own demerit. But we likewise say with St. Paul, If ye live after the flesh, ye fhall die; but if ye mortify the deeds of the body, ye fhall live. But here they exclaim, that we feek to be faved by our own righteousness. Nay, let them exclaim against the Scripture, which abounds. with fuch declarations as thefe, Not every one that faith unto me, Lord, Lord, fhall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doth the will of my Father which is in heaven, Matt. vii. 21. Whosoever doth the will of my Father which is in heaven, the fame is my brother, and fifler, and mother, chap. xii. 50. Now I pray, what do these words mean? Do they afcribe to man the merit of his falvation? Nothing lefs: It is not of him that willeth, or of him that runneth, but of God that fheweih mercy. And yet we must both will and run; or we cannot expect to find mercy.

The Ifraelites who came out of Egypt, would not invade Canaan and fo they did not obtain it. Their children did

Who would imagine, that this was wrote above two hundred years ago ?

invade it (as God commanded,) and obtained it. That their fathers did not obtain it, was their own fault; because they would not fight. That their fous did obtain it, was the free gift of God: yet they fought and if they had not fought, they would not have obtained it. But God gave them the frength wherewith they fought: therefore His was all the glory of the victory. So Joshua; the Lord your God is he that fought for you. If Naaman, the Syrian, had not washed feven times in Jordan, he would not have been healed. Was he therefore healed by his own merit? Who will affirm this? If the Ifraelites had not defigned to gather the manna, they would have ftarved in the midst of plenty. But tho' they did gather it, it was no merit of theirs that preferved their lives. Unless the hufbandman fows, he will not reap. Is it therefore by his merit or ftrength that the corn grows? Are not all good things the gift of God? What room is there then for man to be proud, if he has received from God, not only all good things, but his very being?

I myself was formerly of the fame mind with our Friends. I faw, they refuted feveral manifeft errors. And feeing this, I was eafily induced to believe them, in the things I did not understand. And I then fell into the fame pride with them, which I do not fcruple to acknowledge. But fince God was pleafed to teach me thofe truths, which you have heard yef terday and to day; this was fo far from making me prouder than before, that it convinced me of my pride. Convinced therefore as I am by my own experience of the tendency of one and the other doctrine, I am now rooted and grounded in this truth, which I will avow to all the world. All who are saved, are saved by the free mercy of God, without any merit of their own: all who perish, perifh for no other reason, than because they would not obey the commands of God. I acknowledge this, as the firft and the laft caufe of the deftruction of man.

[Concluded.]

SERMON

1.

SERMON XI.

On ROMANS v. 15.

Not as the tranfgreffion, fo is the free gift.

HOW exceeding common, and how bitter is the out

cry against our first Parent, for the mischief which he not only brought upon himself, but entailed upon his lateft pofterity? It was by his wilful rebellion against God, That fin entered into the world. By one man's difobedience, as the Apostle obferves, the many & lol, as many as were then in the loins of their forefathers, were made, or conftituted finners: not only deprived of the favour of God, but also of his image; of all virtue, righteoufnefs and true holiness, and funk partly into the image of the devil, in pride, malice, and all other diabolical tempers, partly into the image of the brute, being fallen under the dominion of brutal paflions and grovelling appetites. Hence alfo Death entered into the world, with all his forerunners and attendants, pain, sickness, and a whole train of uneafy, as well as unholy paffions and tempers.

2. "For all this we may thank Adam," has echoed down from generation to generation. The self-fame charge has been repeated in every age, and in every nation, where the Oracles of God are known, in which alone this grand and important event, has been difcovered to the children of Has not your heart, and probably your lips too, joined in the general charge? How few are there of those who believe the fcriptural relation of the Fall of man, that have

men.

not