Review.
6. Habits encline more towards their proper actions, but children of Chri∣stians are not more inclined to actions of faith then infidels.* 1.1
An Argument from comparison is subject to many exceptions; caeteris paribus being to be proved before it can hold,* 1.2 if the objector had considerd that among chil¦dren born of the same Christian parents, under the same education, one gives a bet∣ter specimen, not only in acts of piety, and religion, but knowledge; he would not have concluded to the denyal of the habit of faith in one, more then of the faculty of understanding in the other. We must necessarily hold, 1. The habit of faith must be, before it can work. 2▪ That the Spirit of God infuses this habit. 3. That he is not bound to work it in the children of Christian parents, nor barred from working it in any of the children of infidels. 4. Whersoever this habit is, it in∣clines to holy actions when there is opportunity, and the season for bringing them forth. 5. This inclination is not equally alike in all in whom the habits them∣selves are. Sampson and David are sufficient instances; David for exceeding in acts of piety and relegion. 6. Instruction of the understanding in matter of faith in some sort, must go before any act of faith can be discovered. Lastly, that no judgement of science can be passed till the acts themselves be seen and ex∣amined, for a posteriore onely the discovery of habits is made. These premis∣ed, the answer is, 1. That unlesse it could be certainly presumed what chil∣dren have the habit, what have not, for the working of the Spirit is not known to us, he is not bound nor barred, there can be no conclusion made. 2. That in those children where there is lesse promptnesse to acts of faith then in others, we cannot argue ad negationem habitus, because they work not equally. Lastly, by this cross interrogatory, are those children of infidels, with which the ob∣jector makes his comparison, being called and instructed, inclined to acts of faith or not? If the former, it presupposes they have the habit, and so the work∣ing in them, and those born of believing parents may be one. If the later, the Argument is deny'd, for the children of Christians are more inclin'd.