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MJOHN PRICKARD, Aged 37

1

THE

Arminian Magazine,

For JULY 1782.

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

Fred.

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AVING fhewn that the will of man is free, I will fhew farther, that this is the cause, why although God willeth all men to be saved, yet all men are not faved. You know what choice was given to David: Chufe, faith the Prophet, either three years famine, or three months to be destroyed before thy foes, or three days the fword of the Lord, even the peftilence in the land. Do you think, David had a free choice? Lewis. Doubtlefs: for God did not mock him. Fred. His will therefore was free herein. Lewis. It was. Fred. And if he had chofe famine, or war, he would have VOL. V. Ti had

had this, not the peftilence. Lewis. Certainly. Fred. And do you think that God, in the other things which he offers to the choice of man, is ferious, and does not mock him! Lewis. I do. Fred. Let us appeal to inflances from the beginning. Firft, God fays to Cain (Gen. iv. 7.) If thou dost well, fhalt not thou be accepted, as well as Abel: and if thou dost not well, fin lieth at the door. It is thy own wilful fin which lies in the way of thy acceptance. Indeed had he not been convinced of this he would fearce have faid, My fin is too great to be forgiven. (That is the true rendering of the words.) And how much jufter herein is Cain, than your friends? For he lays the blame upon himfelf: they throw it upon God, who fo decreed it, that it was impoffible for him not to kill his Brother.

Come we next to the Ifraelites, whom God commanded to invade Canaan. If it was not his will, why did he command it, and punish them for not doing it? Indeed, if he does not will what he commands, how fhall we know, his will? Or if he has two wills contrary to each other, will not this fometimes bring us into fuch a ftrait, that whether we do what he commands, or not, we fhall fin? So that it fignifics nothing, whether we do it or no? For if we do what he commands, and he has decreed the contrary, we fin against his fecret will: if we do it not, we fin against his declared will. Yea, whether we do or do it not, we always obey his will. For if we do what he commands, we obey his revealed will: if we do what he for. bids, we do his fecret will. And fince both of thefe are equally holy, it is no matter which we obey!

Come we now to the words of God in Ifaiah; (chap. v. 34,) And now, O inhabitants of Jerufalem, and men of Judah, judge I pray you betwixt me and my vineyard? What could have been done more for my vineyard that I have not done? Wherefore, when I looked that it fhould bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes? What can be answered? What more could be required of Him? The fault clearly lay in their own will.

I had almoft forgot the word of God by Mofes, (Deut. Xxx. 19,) I fet before you life and death; good and evil: thereFore chufe life. If they faid, But their choice was not free, I afk firft, Why then was the offer made? And, fecondly, Did not many embrace it, as Caleb and Jofhua, who did in fact chufe life? The fame choice is given them by Jeremiah (chap. xxi. 8, 9,) I fet before you the way of life, and the way of death. He that abideth in the city, fhall die by the fword, and by the famine, and by the peftilence. But he that goeth out and falleth to the Chaldeans that befiege you, he shall live. Now, I pray, was it not in their power, to chufe one or the other?

I will cite but one inftance more: 0 Jerufalem, Jerufalem, (they are our Lord's words,) thou that killeft the prophets, and Honeft them which are fent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth_her chickens under her wings; and ye would not, Matt. xxiii. 37. Hence thofe tears which Chrift fhed, when he wept over Jerufalem which he certainly would not have done, had he willed that it should perifh. For it would have been ridiculous to have wept because that was done, which he himfelf had willed.

Lewis. But they fay, God wills fome things only conditionally; fome things abfolutely. He wills conditionally, that all men fhould be faved; namely, if they believe the Gofpel. But he wills abfolutely that the Elect fhould be saved, and therefore gives them all things neceffary for falvation. Fred. What, does God will to fave any, without any condition at all? That is, whether they believe or not? For if they are faved without any condition, they are faved with or without Faith. Lewis. Not fo: God gives them Faith, and all things neceffary to falvation. Fred. If thofe things are neceffary to falvation, they are not faved without any condition, but on condition of believing the Gofpel: fince this, you fay, is neceffary, there is a condition in either cafe. And

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