efficiency of the will. If God give to believe, and not only pow- Pol.1.19. er to believe, to believe, and not only to believe, when we will to believe; then by grace he determineth the will to believe, fuffer, will; and the efficacie of grace is reduced unto God, willing and determining. And if he worke in us both to will and to doe, Phil.2.13. not according to the liberty of our will, but his own good pleafure: Mat.11.27. if to will and doe,inclinably, rightly and well, and not fo as we may refist, then he determineth the will to will and doe by his grace. To what end doe the promises and threatnings tend (may fome man fay) if God doe worke all things by his effectuall power in them that believe? To what end, but that men might be faved? But God doth that which pertaineth to a King and Law-giver towards many, when that which pertaineth to the fecret and unut-. terable dispensation of his grace, he doth not doe: that is, he invites many in the Miniftery of his Word, and externali administration of the Covenant, whom he doth not inwardly inftruct and draw, taking away the blindneffe and hardneffe of the heart. But then the invitation is a giftleffe gift. Not fo neither, but rather he is a moft unthankfull fervant, of a perverfe minde that he cannot obey: For this inability is no caufe of difobedience, proceedeth from no fault of the faculties fubject to the minde and will, from no naturall quality of the matter neceffitating, but the meer wilfulnesle and perverteneffe of the foul. The invitation of God is not fo hard, that man cannot fulfill it, if he would;, nor wicked, that we cannot will to doe it without finne: but lawfull, just, honeft, and fuch as if man would he could not but execute, fo farre as he truly judgeth it ought to be willed and executed. If the efficacies of grace depend upon the li berty of mans will to things opposite, then the promites of God the Father made to his Sonne might all be frultrace; That he fhould fee his feed that the people should come unto him from the North, and the west, and from the Isles he thould poffeffe the Gentiles as has inheritance: that his dow minion should be from Sea to Sear that a willing people should come anto bim, &c. But the Covenant of God with his Sonne can not be made void and of none effect. that Deus fic mover bominem ad bona opera, ut ho macognofcat g velit, Deo venti ultrò mo. rem gerat. Nec. tantum Deus agit cum voluntatibus noftris, voluntares. fed etiam per a53.10. If.. 45.1,12. Pfal. 8.72.8,0, monenti mo. 10 Pf. 100, 1,3 3. Jer.23.5,6.. Determinatio Dei eft externa, æquiveca, If (fome may object) converfion be fo the non vitalis, principalis. Humana verò, worke of God, then man doth not repent interna, untvoca, vitalis, fubordinate and believe, but God. But this followeth Deus ita utitur voluntate, ut ipsa volunta fefe e ective, vitaliter, & ex practi- not: for repentance is the gift of God, but co rationis judicio agat. Deus primò, the a& of man. God is the cause of wilprincipaliter ab aterno a&ium liberum, ling,efficient, but not formall: the cause exut futurum, & liberè ponendum deter. ternall and effective, but not vitally efficient. minat, fed non ad alium fed ad eundem nu The determination of God externall, and mero aclum, ad quem voluntas in tempore determinavit jeje. Caufa actus liberi eft vitall volition differ as caufe and effect: for porentia determinata non fimpliciter po. he worketh in us to will: bat volition doth tentia. Deus fic movet res neceffarias,ut not worke to will: the determination of non fiant contingentes: & fic movet res God as efficient is externall, and respecteth contingentes ut voluntarias, ut non adi- the will in the firft act of its influx, but vinit eis contingentiam & voluntatem. Quando fuperior caufa eft phyfica a tall determination is internall, and relege foluta, & inferior moralis, & legi fpecteth good to be chofen or to be defubdita, efto quod fuperier phyfica influit fired. in inferiorem, tamen fi inferior eft libera, rea effe poteft inferior, & non fuperior. Virg. Eneid. 8. fatis egere volen tem. In man not converted two things are to be confidered; native contumacy, and the not curing of that native contumacy. The native contumacy,is of themselves,as darknes from the earth:the not curing of this cótumacy is of God,as a cause phyficall, because he can cure it,but doth not; but not as a Morall caufe,because he is not bound to heale or cure it.The eff:& of God not curing this native contumacy, is only a negative non-converfion phyficall or not culpable,as a morall effect. The absence of the funne is the caufe why the darkneffe of the night is not removed, but the darkeneffe it felfe is not from the funne. Fault is a morall defect, and cannot arife but from a morall caufe and deficient. Culpable non-converfion is a confequent of Gods not curing our native contumacy, but no effect thereof, as of a morall caufe: becaufe God is not bound to remove it either by Law, debt, juftice, promife, or Covenant, and betwixt the refiftance of the Spirit, and Gods not-converfion, the free willing of the corrupt will, and voluntary love of native contumacy doth intercede. Not only ability to believe, but beliefe it felfe is merited by the death of Chrift, and for Chrift vouchfafed to them, who are called according to his purpose. In this vocation of a finner God doth fo administer both his Rom.11.25, Word and Spirit, as he knoweth it becommeth both his justice Rom.9.24,25, and mercy in Chrift, alwayes referving to himfelfe full and free 26. & 10.17, power to call whom he pleafe, according to the good pleasure of 18,19,20. his will, But this diftribution of vocation into externall and in- 29,30,32,33 ternall, is not a diftribution of the kinde into its specialls, but fhewes rather what doth concurre to that worke of vocation, 1 Cor.3 5,6. Rom.1.5. whereunto obedience is willing and freely yeelded. I This vocation is inftituted and adminiftred according to the eternall decree and purpofe of God: for knowne unto God are all A&.15.18. his workes from eternity : and God doth nothing in time, which he decreed not to doe from all eternity. Whofoever therefore is Ephef.3.5,6,9, called in time, he was predeftinated from eternity, that he fhould II. be called, and in what ftate, place, time, manner, meanes fo- Jam, t.18. ever a man is called, he was predeftinated to be called in that a Tim.1.9. ftate, at that time, by thofe meanes, and neither fooner, nor later, nor otherwife: for the execution cannot vary from the decree, but the note of changeableneffe must be afcribed unto God. The company of them that are called effectually is the Church, which is vifible and invifible, as this vocation is inward and out- Rom.10.10. ward; vifible, which doth profeffe with the mouth, and invifible, which doth believe with the heart: as man is diftinguished 1 Cor.4.16. into inward and outward. And as vocation inward and outward are not two callings, but one and the fame: fo the Church visible and invisible are not two Churches, but the fame Church differently confidered. Chrift hath not two Kingdomes, but one Kingdome, one body, one Church, whereof every one that is favingly called is a living member. The work of grace and heavenly calling is that which giveth being to the Church, and make it a different fociety from all o ther companies of men whatfoever. By effectuall calling and the anfwer of the foule unto God calling, men are admitted into the Kingdome of Chrift or Church of God; every one that is thus called is of the Church; and every one of the Church is thus called. He that is not thus called is not of the Church, and he that is not of the Church is not thus called. He cannot be out of the Church, who is in Covenant with God: nor can he be a member of the Church, who is not in Covenant. The sheepe of Chrift by predestination and eternall purpose are gathered Y y There is but one Lord, one Temple, one Miniftery. potian. de vite Cler. Bilson. Perpet.govern, cap.11. Hieron.ad Ne. Job.1.16. Mat.20 3.5. Pro.1.34. Heb. 3.7,8, Eph.2.11,12, 13. Jer. 38.38,39. gathered into this fold, fome fooner, others later, fome after one manner, fome after another, of all nations, kinreds and ongues, Jewes and Gentiles, bond and free, male and female, neere and farre off; fuch as haue lyen longer and funke deeper into finne and fuch as have beene preferved from the pollutions of the world. } The end of this vocation as it is the worke of God calling, is, that they who are given unto Chrift of the Father, fhould freely and willingly answer to God and Christ calling, and fo become the confederates of God by Chrift the Mediatour of the New Teftament, and being faithfull and confederate, they fhould love, feare, honour, worship and obey God in Jefus Chrift. In refpect of the outward invitation, it is their office and duty to anfwer to the call: In refpect of the inward and powerfull worke of the holy Ghoft, they are certainly inabled and drawne to come unto Chrift, and give up themselves unto him. Another end remote, is the Salvation of the elect, and the glory of God, in which refpect calling to grace is a meanes ordained of God,and according to the ordinance of God neceffary to the communication of Salvation: and the anfwer of the called, is a condiA&.13.47,48. tion requifite and neceffary for the obtaining of that end,accor ding to the ordinance and appointment of God. The glory of Rev.4,8,9,10. God, moft wife, good, mercifull, juft and powerfull doth fo & 5,8.9,100 brightly fhine forth in the communication both of grace and glory, that it doth worthily draw the mindes of men and Angels into admiration, and loose their tongues into the praise and magnifying of God. Erfi refped fingulorum qui pereunt, opta bile effet ut be mo non peccas fet, refpectu tamen univer falis boni, cujus potius babenda fuit ratio, non debuit Deus potentiam fuam exerere ad im. pediendum ne Reccaretur. Oppofite unto this vocation, is, 1. That God doth fuffer fome to walke after the vanity of their owne hearts, and blindneffe of their mindes,and doth not invite them to come unto him, or exhort them to repent. Thus God regarded not the Gentiles in the dayes of their ignorance, but gave them up to the lufts of their owne hearts. And at this day, many nations are shut up in ignorance, and have not heard fo much as the found of the Gofpell for many generations. It is true, the Lord calleth them in a fort by his long-fuffering and patience, and by the workes of providence, in that he filleth their hearts with food and glad. neffe, but by the promife of mercy he is not pleased to speake unto them. . 2. Some 2. Some that be outwardly called, they contemne the counfell Luke 7.30. of God, put away from them the Word of grace, refift the Spirit Act.13.46. of God fpeaking unto them in the mouth of his Prophet, whence Pfal.81.12,13. Act.7.51. followeth blindneffe of minde,hardneffe of heart,efficacioufnefs of Ifai. 63.10. errour that men should beleeve lies, a reprobate fenfe, and delive- and 6.9,10. ring into the power of Satan. Jer. 4. 20. Thou hast feduced this people; feil. by falfe prophets promifing them peace, which God promifed not; and giving them up to the efficacy of errour, as punishment of former tranfgreffion. a 3. God doth call fome by the Gofpell, and beftow upon them divers fpirituall good things, though not fuch as accompany Salvation. And thus fome doe heare, and receive, and rejoyce in the Word, and bring forth fome fruit, but not to ripeneffe or perfection. Job. 12.37,38, 39.40. Ezek.30.25. Per ftatuta ma. la intelligi poffunt leges Erbnicorum,vel ex Dei, que ipfis in perni ciem ceffit. CHAP. V. How Chriftians answer to the call of Chrift, and fo N the matter of Salvation it pleafed God to deale with man by way of ftipulation and promife, and fo likewife in his calling to the participation of the Covenant. For though this Vocation be every way free, gracious and abfolute, as the Spirit worketh where he lifteth, yet in the Gofpel, which is the inftrument of Vocation, it pleafeth God to propound both the conditi> on, which he requireth, and the promife which he hath made. The promife,as an argument to move us the rather to give our felves unto Chrift, and to doe what is required. The prefcription of what he requireth,as that condition, without which we cannot obtaine, and by which most certainly we fhall obtaine what good is promifed. Effectuall Vocation on Gods part is the powerfull invitation and affured drawing of the weary and thirsty foule unto Chrift, that in him it might finde refreshing and comfort. The anfwer on our part, is a free and willing comming unto Mat.128,29. Chrift, that in him we might be fatisfied; the embracing of Je- Joh, 6.44, and fus Chrift, and lodging him in our bofome. And therefore that 6.35,37, Yy a which |