The triall of truth Containing a plaine and short discovery of the chiefest pointes of the doctrine of the great Antichrist, and of his adherentes the false teachers and heretikes of these last times.

CHAP. 5.

That our free will worketh not togither with Gods spirite in our c•…•…∣version, vnlesse it be to hinder and crosse the same.

WE are al of vs originally shapen in wicked∣nes and conceaved in sinne by nature the children of wrath & inheritors of eternall destruction: in so much that vnlesse we be borne againe of water and of the spirit, we cannot see the kingdome of God. And this our first estate and condition, wherein we are all naturally borne, being tearmed the flesh and the old man, is so wholy euil, & voide of al good, that it is not so much in some part to be amen∣ded, as to be cleane cast of, mortified, and killed: and our second estate, being called a second birth and a new creature, signifieth not some altering of the corrupt qualities of the soule, but after a sort a ful changing & renewing of the same. In which worke of our de∣liuerance we are so farre of by our free wil to haue any inclination or readines thereto, that we hate the light whereby we should be directed, and wil not come to our deliuerer, except we be drawen; the flesh, that is, our corrupt nature no way furthering but hinde∣ring this vvorke. For it lusteth against the spirit; and the law of the members, euē after it is in part subdued in the regenerate, stil shi∣ueth against the law of the minde: the very wisdome of the flesh being enmity with God, and condemning his heauenly doctrine of extreame folly. Moreouer we are also by nature so wilfully wedded to our corrupt wil (for liberty without grace is not liberty but cō•…•…macie) that we wil none of the knowledge of the Lords waies: but as the deafe adder we stop our eares at the voice of the char∣mer, charme he neuer so wisely. And so great is the obstinacy of the wicked, that they will do wickedly & wil not vnderstand, vn∣til the spirit of God of vnwilling maketh willing, of obstinate obedient, & of rebellious pliable and tractable. The Philosophers make reason a queene, & teach that if we would follow her, we should not erre:

and in truth the Lord made her a queene at the first, but by yeel∣ding vnto the suggestion of the subtile serpent, & by casting of the Lords commandement, of a queene shee became a captiue, & of a free woman shee was made a slaue. The meanes to be reco∣uered out of the which misery, is not to haue an high conceite of our reason and wisdome, and to place them in the throne to rule & to gouerne, but to place that word which is inspired of God in the seate of gouernment, and to giue vp all rule and authority thereto: and to make our reason and vnderstanding with all the faculties and powers of our mindes, handmaides and seruantes to this honorable Lady, who so wil make vs againe kings & priestes vnto God, and place vs as Lords ouer al our corrupt affections, & tread Satan himselfe vnder our feet. For he that made man at the first, is only able to new make him againe, being now marred by his owne madnes. I knowe (saith the wise man) that God made man righteous, but they haue sought many inventions: yea God made man according to his owne image in all holines, wisedome, and righte∣ousnes, and lighted such a lampe of diuine reason and vnderstan∣ding in his minde, that he was not only enabled thereby to rule himselfe and his owne affections, but also to order in great vvise∣dome the whole host & army of all the creatures. But he being not contented with this so great measure of light, would further become as God knowing good and euill: and therefore thinking that his light did burne too dimme, he vvould needs deliuer it to the Deuil himselfe to be topped, vvho topped it cleane out, lea∣uing nothing but the smoaking snuffe thereof, and so made him, vvho was before a childe of light, a limbe & member of the king∣dome of darknes. And novv the case of al the children of Adam is such, & so ful of blindnes and ignorance of God, that if any of them thinketh that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing as hee ought to know: and if any of them seeme to be wise, they must become fooles that they may be wise: that is, they must acknowledge & bevvaile their owne folly and blindnes, and seeke againe to the father of light, that he would by his spirit of illumination lighten the eies of their spiritual vnderstanding; they must haue continual accesse to that glorious word, vvhich is a lanterne to their feete, and a lighte to their pathes, and kindle their candle againe thereat: to the lavv and to

the testimony they must continually resort, if they speake not ac∣cording to this word, it is for that there is no light in them. Their hart is altogither out of frame vntil it be fashioned againe, and as it vvere new wrought by the spirit of God: their siluer is nothing but gros••e dros••e, vntil it be purged by this fire: their coine is no better then cleane counterfeit, vntill it receaue this stampe: they are grovvne out of the Lords marke, he cannot acknowledge thē for his ovvne, vntill they be marked againe by the spirit of the li∣ving God, who is therefore called his seale, wherewith his saintes are signed against the day of redemption, for that it doth imprint in them the image of God. And certainely in this article of our creede the spirit of God, the third person in the glorious Trinity, is called ho∣ly, not so much for that holines doth infinitely rest in himselfe, as it doth also in the Father & the sōne, but rather for that he is the a•…•…or of all holines in the children of God, & the meanes wher∣by they are borne againe, the Father & the sōne working the same by the holy spirit. For the vvhole sanctification of our minde, wil, and affections and of our whole body & soule, is wrought entire∣ly (& altogither by the operation of this holy spirit: vvho before regeneration vvorketh in vs alone, and of vnvvilling maketh wil∣ling, subduing our affections to the obedience of his wil, vvho be∣fore stood out as traitors and rebels: and after regeneration wor∣keth togither with vs, giving strength to our wil, that it may ther∣by vvorke also. So that if the question be of free-vvill in the rege∣nerate, we graunt that their vvil is free, for that it is made free by the spirit of liberty but in the vnregenerate vve truely teach, that their vvil is a bondslaue to sinne & Satan, withstanding the vvorke of Gods spirit, vntil their conversion be vvrought thereby. For it is this Lorde that doth prevent vs, of vnvvilling making vs wil∣ling; and then assisteth vs vvhen vve are vvilling, least vve vvil in vaine. Novv contrary to this most evident truth, the church of Rome curseth al those, who affirme free-vvil to be altogither lost, or that it doth not concurre vvith God•• grace in our conversion.

Notes

• I beleeue in t••e holy Ghost. Psa. 51. 5. Eph 2. 3. Ioh. 3 5.
• Gen. 6 5. Ron. 7. 18.
• Col. 3. 5. Eph 4 22.
• Ioh 3. 20. & 6. 44.
• Gal 5. 17. Rom. 7 23.
• Rom. 8 7. 1. Cor 1. 23 Liberta••sine gratia non est libertas, seac••tu∣m••cia. Aug. ••p. 89. Iob 21 14. P••al. 8 4. Aug. ad •…•…∣nifac. li. 1. ca. 19.
• Eccl. 7. 31.
• Sap 13. 1. 1. Cor. 8. 2.
• 1 Cor 3. 18
• Ps. 119. 105 Isa. 6. 20.
• Eph 4. ••0. Apoc. 7. 3
• 1. Cor. 12. 11.
• Gr••tia ope∣ra•…•…, coope∣ra•…•…. 2 Cor. 3 17 Ioh 8. 34. R••m 6. 16. 〈…〉〈…〉 & 5.