1.

"That the twe Trees in the Garden of Eden,

one of Life, and the other of the Knowledge of "Good and Evil, fignify the Free-Will which Man "enjoyeth in refpe&t to fpiritual Things. "

2. "That Man is not Life, but only a Recipient "of Life from GOD. "

3. "That Man during his Abode in this World, is held " in the Midft, between Heaven and Hell, and thus in a fpiritual Equilibrium, wherein Free Will confifteth."

4. "That it appears plainly, from the Permiflion of "Evil, by which the Internal Man in every one is in"fluenced, that Man hath Free-Will in fpiritual Things.

19.

5. That without Free-Will in fpiritual Things, the "Word of GOD wou'd be of no Manner of Use, and "confequently no Church cou'd exift. "

6. "That without Free-Will in fpiritual Things, there "wou'd be nothing about Man, whereby he might "join Him by Reciprocation with the LORD, and "confequently there wou'd be no Imputation, but "mere abfolute Predeftination, which is fhocking and "deteftable. "

7. "That without Free-Will in fpiritual Things GOD "wou'd be chargeable as the Caufe of Evil, and con "fequently there wou'd be no Imputation.

8. That all the fpiritual Things of the Church, "which have Admiflion, and are received in a free "State of the Mind, remain, but that they do not remain,

in cafe they are not freely admitted and received. " 9. "That the Will and the Understanding of Man "enjoy this Freedom of Determination; but that a legal "Reftraint is laid on evil Actions for the Sake of So"ciety, which muft otherwife of Neceffity perifh. "

10. "That on a Suppofition of Man's wanting FreeWill, in fpiritual Things, it wou'd be poffible for all Men throughout the whole World, in the Com.

" país

"pafs of one Day, to be induced to believe on the "LORD; but the Impoffibility of fuch an Effe&

taking Place is grounded on this Circumftance, that "Nothing remaineth or continueth with Man, but "what is received freely, or from a free Principle."

As it wou'd fill many Pages to introduce the Author's Explanation, at large, of Each separate Article, I shall content myfelf with copying the following Part of his Explanation of the Fourth, which is as follows.

"That Man hath Free-Will in fpiritual Things, is "a Propofition which requires Confirmation, firft from "general Confiderations, and next from particular ones. "The GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS tending to confirm "this Propofition are thefe, 1. That the wifeft of Man"kind, Adam and his Wife, fuffered Themselves to "be feduced by the Serpent. 2. That their first born "Son, Cain, flew his Brother Abel; in both which

Cafes JEHOVAH GOD did not interfere to prevent "Evil, but only pronounced a Maledi&ion, or Curse, "after that it was committed. 3. That the Children "of Ifrael worshipped a golden Calf in the Wilderness,

when nevertheless JEHOVAH observed their Idolatry ❝ from Mount Sinai, and took no Measures to pre

vent it. 4. That David numbered the People, for which they were punifhed with a Plague, that proved fatal to fo many thoufands, and that GOD on this "Occafion, fent the Prophet Gad, not before, but "after the Perpetration of the evil Deed, to denounce "Punishment. 5. That Solomon was permitted to com"mence Idolator, and to establish idolatrous Worship. "6. That many Kings after Him were permitted to "prophane the Temple, and the holy Things of the "Church. 7. And that the People of the Jews were "permitted to crucify the LORD; and that Mahomet "was permitted to propagate a Religion, in many

"Respects

"Refpects contradictory to Holy Scripture. 8. That "the Chriftian Church is divided into feveral Sects,

and each of thofe Sects overfpread with Herefes.

11.

9 That there are fo many wicked People in Chrift"endom, who even glory in their Impieties, and fo "many Snares and Stratagems contrived against the "godly, the juft, and upright. 10 That Injustice "fometimes prevaileth over Justice, in judiciary Pro"ceedings, and the common Concerns of Life. "That the Wicked are exalted to Honours, and the higheft Places and Titles. 12. That Wars are permitted, in which fo many thousand Lives are loft, "and fo many Cities, Nations and Families utterly ruined; not to mention many other Confiderations "of a fimilar Kind, which it is impoffible to explain, "or account for, from any other Principles, but from

that Free-Will which every Man pofleffeth. The "Permiffion acknowledg'd, and allow'd to take place, ❝ on all Occafions, throughout the whole World, can"not be deduced from any other Origin.

"The PARTICULAR CONSIDERATIONS tending to "fhew, that Man hath the fame Free-Will in fpiritual "Things, as in natural, are innumerable. Let every "One, if He pleafeth, confult Himfelf, and try, whe "ther He cannot think of the LORD, of the Holy "Ghoft, and of the Divine Things which are called "the Spiritualities of the Church, seventy Times in a "Day, or three hundred Times in a Week, without "perceiving at fuch Times any Compulfion. Let a

Man alfo examine, in whatever State he be, whe"ther He hath the Power to think at all, without

Free-will, either in his common Discourse, or in his "Prayers to GOD, or whilft He is preaching to Others, "or hearing Others preach to Him; in all fuch Cafe doth not every Thing depend on Free-Will? "

"That Man hath Free-Will in natural Things is 66 never denied, but yet this natural Free-Will is mere"ly a Confequence of his Free-will in spiritual Things; "for the LORD entereth by Influx into every Man "with his Divine Goodness and Truth, by a fuperior "or interior Way, and thereby infpireth Man with "Life diftinct from that of Beafts, and in Order to "Man's Reception of fuch Influx, and his acting in "Conformity thereto, the LORD further beftoweth

on Him the Faculty to exert Power and Will, and 66 never taketh away this Faculty from any Person; hence it follows, that the LORD hath a continual "Defire that Man fhou'd receive what is true, and prec

tice what is good, and thereby become fpiritual, as by "Birth He was defign'd; but to become fpiritual, without Free-Will in fpiritual Things, is as impoffible, as to force a Ship's Cable through the Eye of a fine Needle, or to "touch with the Hand one of the Stars in the Firmament

From hence then it is very plain, that Man is Man by Virtue of his Free-will in fpiritual Things; and "fuppofing Him therefore to be deprived of the fame, "He wou'd be comparatively like a Carriage deprived

of its Wheels, or like a Windmill deprived of its "Vanes, or like a Ship deprived of its Sails; nay, "he wou'd be like a Man in the Agonies of Death, 66 giving up the Ghost; for the Life of the human Spirit

confifteth in the Free-Will it enjoyeth in fpiritual Things.. "Many rational, wife Men figh, and are much affected

becaufe this Freedom of the Will is at this Day denied by many Minifters of the Church, and they call fuch Denial. "an Accumulation of Madness, Delirium fupra Delirium.

Dear candid Reader, maturely weigh the above. Extracts, and then fay, if Man is not endowed with Free-Will in fpiritual Things, as well as in natural : and whether, without this heavenly Jewel (fo freely.

and

and graciously given Him in order to make his Choice for Eternity,) He wou'd not, as before obferved, be a Stock, or a Stone, or like the Pillar cf Salt into which Lot's Wife was turned.

But Some, probably will fay, if all Men are en. dowed with Free-will, and if it be alfo true, that the present and eternal Happiness of Each Individual depends upon the right or wrong Ufe thereof what can be the Reason, why fo many, both from the Pulpit and the Prefs, fo violently oppofe that important Doctrine, in these our Days - In anfwer to which I beg leave to submit the following Extracts from a late wife Author, to their most serious Confideration.

"Man (fays He) is led to believe that he hath 66 no Freedom chiefly from this Confideration, that He "knoweth he hath no Power of Himfelf to do what "is good, and to think what is true; but let Him not believe that Ever any one hath or had any "Freedom of thinking what is true, and of doing what " is good, of Himfelf, not even the Man who, by Rea"fon of the Integrity in which He was principled, "was called a Likeness and Image of GOD; but the

Freedom of thinking Truth which is of Faith, and "of doing Good which is of Charity, all flows in

continually from the LORD, the LORD being the ❝alone Fountain of all Goodnefs and Truth - And "inafmuch as no one can be reformed except in Freedom, therefore Freedom is never taken away from Man, it being an eternal Law, that every One be in Freedom as to Interiors, that is, as to Affections and "Thoughts, to the End that the Affection of Good "and of Truth may be infinuated therein. "

"If it was poflible for Man to be reformed by Compulfion, there wou'd not be a fingle Man in the "Universe but what wou'd be faved, for Nothing wou'd

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