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OF
EFFICACIOUS GRACE
Dr. WHITBY, in the second
chapter of his Discourse of sufficient and effectual,
common and efficacious grace, proposes arguments to overthrow
the doctrine of irresistible or unfrustrable grace, as necessary
in the conversion of a sinner; and begins with some general
considerations, which he thinks sufficient to cause any man to
distrust, if not entirely reject it; as, that the defenders of it
grant, what is inconsistent with it, "That preventing grace
is given irresistibly and universally to men, and is never taken
away by God from any man, unless he first, of his own accord,
rejects it; that there are certain inward workings and effects
wrought by the word and Spirit of God, preceding conversion and
regeneration, in the hearts of persons not yet Justified; which
God ceaseth not to promote and carry on toward conversion, till
he be forsaken of them by their voluntary negligence, and his
grace be repelled by them; that God doth very seriously and in
earnest call all those to faith and repentance and conversion, in
whom, by his word and Spirit, he works a knowledge of the divine
will, a sense of sin, a dread of punishment, some hopes of
pardon; and yet, that all these men, excepting the elect, are not
converted, through a defectiveness in the grace of God to do it,
or for want of means sufficient for their conversion, and because
God never intended by these means salvation to any but the
elect." Who these defenders arc that make these
concessions I am not concerned to know, the inconsistency of them
with the doctrine of efficacious grace, will be readily owned;
how can grace be said to be given universally to men, when
multitudes of men have not so much as the means of it? or be said
to be given irresistibly, when man of his own accord, may reject
it ? And though some certain effects may follow upon hearing the
word as, awakening of the natural conscience, fear of a
future judgment, and trembling of the spirits in some persons
as in Felix, who never were or will be converted; yet these
things are not promoted and carried on by God, nor were ever
designed to be promoted and carried on by him towards conversion,
or in order to do it: had they been wrought or designed for that
purpose, man's forsaking the Lord by voluntary negligence, or
repelling his grace, could never frustrate his designs or cause
him to cease promoting the carrying on his own work until he has
brought it to perfection. Nor is it true, that God calls all
those to faith and repentance, and conversion, who have a
knowledge of the divine will, a sense of sin, a dread of
punishment, and some hopes of pardon: for the devils have all
these but the last, whom he never calls to faith and repentance,
and the latter, as well as the former, some men may have, and yet
be never called by the grace of God; indeed, all those to whom
God by his Spirit and word, gives a spiritual knowledge of his
will, a real thorough sense of the evil nature of sin, as well as
of the punishment that comes by it, and a good hope through
grace, of pardon through the blood of Christ, he not only calls
seriously and in earnest to faith and repentance, but he bestows
these gifts of his grace upon them. But I proceed to the
consideration of the arguments which, it is said, evidently seem
to confute the doctrine of irresistible and unfrustrable grace in
conversion. The first four arguments, with the eighth and
ninth, are founded upon passages of Scripture which have
been considered in the first Part of this work, to which
the reader is referred; the rest shall be attended to, and are as
follow.
I. "If such a
divine unfrustrable operation is necessary to the conversion of a
sinner then the word read or preached can be no
instrument of their conversion, without this divine and
infrustrable impulse, because that only acts by moral
suasion." I answer it is very true that the word read or
preached is not, nor can it be an instrument of conversion,
without the powerful and efficacious grace of God; and it is
abundantly evident, that it is read and preached to multitudes on
whom it has no effect, and to whom it is of no use and service.
Some persons are, indeed, begotten with the word of truth, and
through the gospel; and are born again of incorruptible
seed by the word of God; but then all this is by and through
it, not as it comes in word only, or as it acts by moral
suasion, or as it is a mere moral instrument, but as it comes in power
and in the Holy Ghost, or with the demonstration of the
Spirit and of power. The Spirit of God is the efficient cause
of regeneration and conversion, the word is only a means which he
makes use of when he pleases; for though he, generally speaking,
works upon men by and under the means, yet not always; the work
of grace upon the soul is not such an effect as doth entirely
depend upon these two causes, so that, without the concurrence of
them both, it will not be produced: wherefore the argument will
not hold, that "he that hath it always in his power to
resist, that is, to hinder the operation of the one upon him,
must also frustrate the other, and consequently hinder the
effect." For though the word, unattended with the Spirit and
power of God, may be resisted, so as to be of no effect, yet
neither the operations of the Spirit, nor the word, as attended
with them, can be resisted, so as either of them should be
ineffectual. And though the work of grace is wrought by an
irresistible and unfrustrable operation, and the word without it
is insufficient to produce it, yet it is not unnecessary; for it
pleases God, by the foolishness of preaching, to save them that
believe; whereby he confounds the wisdom of the world; and,
by making use of weak means, he magnifies his own grace and
power; he puts the treasure of the gospel in earthen
vessels, that the excellency of the power in conversion may
appear to be of God, of his operation, and not of man's moral
suasion.
II. It is said,
"Hence it must also follow, that no motive can be offered
sufficient to induce the person who believes this doctrine, to
enter upon a change of life, or a religious conversation, till he
feel this irresistible impulse come upon him." I reply: that
internal conversion, and an external change of life,
regeneration, and a religious conversation, are different things.
Though no man can be regenerated and converted without the
powerful and efficacious grace of God, yet they may, without that
grace, enter upon an outward change of life, and a religious
conversation with and before men, though no motive can be offered
sufficient to induce any person, whether he believes or does not
believe this doctrine, to regenerate and convert himself; which
does not lie in his own power, but is entirely owing to an
unfrustrable operation of grace; yet many motives may be offered,
sufficient, without an irresistible impulse of grace, to induce
him to an external reformation and amendment of life, and a
religious conversation. Though it must be owned, that a change of
life, and a religious conversation, when genuine, are the fruits
and effects of regeneration and conversion; nor do men truly and
rightly enter upon them, nor are these established upon the best
principles, until they are regenerated and converted by the
Spirit and grace of God.
III. It is further
urged, that "if man be purely passive in the whole work of
his conversion, and it can only be wrought in him by an
irresistible act of God upon him, then can nothing be required as
a preparation, or a prerequisite to conversion." I answer:
for my own part, I must confess, I know of no works preparatory
to conversion. Works are either good or evil; evil works cannot
be thought to be preparatory to it; and good works, which are
strictly and properly so, spring from a principle of grace
implanted in regeneration, and so follow upon it, and are not
preparatory to it. And, indeed, what things preparatory to
conversion can be thought to be in a natural man, that neither
knows or receives the things of the Spirit of God? or in a carnal
heart, which only minds the things of the flesh? or in a dead
man, in order to be made alive ? There is no middle state between
a regenerate and an unregenerate one; what preparatory works were
there in a persecuting, blasphemous injurious Saul? l Tim. i. 13,
or in those mentioned by the apostle? 1 Cor. vi. 911. There are
some things which sometimes precede conversion, and which the
Spirit of God makes use of for that purpose, such as reading,
hearing the word, etc. but then he does not always make use of
these for conversion, nor does it always follow upon them. Gods
exhortations to men to consider and turn unto the Lord, are said
to demonstrate that this consideration is a prerequisite to
conversion: what exhortations are referred to, I know not; the
Scriptures, which speak of men's considering and turning from
their evil ways, regard that consideration which is requisite to
an outward reformation of life, the fruit of regeneration, and
internal conversion, and so not preparatory to it; and, indeed,
there is want of spiritual consideration and attention in every
man, until God opens his heart, by his powerful grace, as he did
Lydia's, to attend to the things which are spoken, or
which regard his spiritual and eternal welfare. The parable of
the seed sown, instanced in, shows, that the hearts of
unregenerate men are unfit and unprepared to receive the word,
and therefore it becomes unfruitful to them; and that it is only
fruitful where it is received in an honest and good heart, made
so by the Spirit and grace of God in regeneration; whence it
follows, that regeneration is rather a preparation for the right
hearing of the word than the hearing of the word is a preparation
for regeneration. Faith, indeed, often comes by
hearing, and hearing by the word of God, when that is
attended with the Spirit and power; and therefore it is no
wonder, that the Devil comes and endeavours to take away the
words out of men's hearts, their minds and memories, by
diverting them to other objects, lest they should believe and
be saved; since he knows not who will believe and be saved,
nor to whom the word will be made effectual, and to whom it will
not; nay, even where it is attended with ad unfrustrable
assistance, he will endeavour to hinder men's believing to
salvation, though he knows his attempts are in vain; which at
once discovers both his folly and his malice.
IV. It is said,
that "the opinion (of God, working upon men and converting
them in a way of moral suasion) tendeth much more to the glory of
God, than doth the contrary opinion:" and it is urged,
1. That the wisdom
of God is most glorified by that opinion which supposeth he acts
with man in all his precepts, exhortations, invitations, promises
and threats, suitably to those faculties he has given." I
reply, according to our opinion God does not act unsuitably to
the rational powers and faculties he has given, when he clothes
his word with omnipotence, makes it the power of God unto
salvation and attends it with an unfrustrable operation upon
the understanding, will and affections; since no coactive force
or violence is offered to them, the understanding is wonderfully
enlightened, the will is sweetly drawn, and the affections
delightfully engaged and moved, without any injury, yea with an
advantage, to these natural faculties; and therefore can be no
imputation upon the divine wisdom; nor does our opinion suppose,
that God "uses and appoints means for the recovery of
mankind, which he knows cannot in the least degree be serviceable
to that end;" but on the contrary, that whatever means he
uses and appoints, he makes them powerful and effectual to the
ends and purposes for which he appoints and uses them, and does
not leave them to the uncertain, precarious, and impotent will of
man, so that our opinion is so far from impeaching and
depreciating the wisdom of God, that it magnifies and exalts it;
nor, according to our hypothesis, as is suggested, might he as
well send ministers to preach to stones, and persuade them to be
converted into men, because his omnipotency can produce such a
change in them. There is no doubt, but that God could convert
stones into men, and make them his children; but he has no where
signified that he would do this upon men's preaching to them;
whereas he has not only signified it as his will, that the gospel
should be preached to every creature, but that it shall be
the power of God, in the conversion of many souls, both
among Jews and Gentiles; wherefore there is not the same reason
for sending his ministers, and for their preaching to the one as
to the other, though equal power is necessary for the conversion
of the one as of the other. Not that unregenerate men are
altogether like stocks and stones; for though they cannot
contribute anything to their regeneration or new birth, yet they
are capable subjects of having the grace of God implanted in
them, which stocks and stones are not; but nevertheless, if God
did not make bare his holy arm, and exert his mighty power in the
conversion of sinners, ministers would preach with as much
success to stones as to men; and consequently the wisdom of God,
according to our scheme, is greatly displayed, in accompanying
the word preached with a divine energy, and an unfrustrable
operation; so that all his gracious designs towards his people
are effectually answered, and not leaving, it to the bare force
of moral suasion.
2. It is observed,
that "whereas according to our doctrine (of moral suasion)
the truth and faithfulness of God, and the sincerity of his
dealings with men is unquestionable; according to the other
doctrine (of efficacious grace) God seems to promise pardon and
salvation to all men sincerely, and yet in truth, intends it only
to some few persons whom he designs to convert by an irresistible
power." To which may be replied, that whenever God promises,
he not only seems to promise sincerely, but he really does
promise sincerely, and is as good as his word; he will never
suffer his truth and faithfulness to fail. But then, according to
the doctrine of efficacious and irresistible grace in conversion,
God neither seems to promise, nor has he promised pardon and
salvation to all men: his promise in Christ runs thus, To him
give all the prophets witness, that through his name, whosoever
believeth in him, shall receive remission of sins; and to all
these is it given by Christ, who is exalted to be a Prince and
a Saviour, for to give repentance, and forgiveness of sins, not
to all men, but to Israel; how then does this doctrine detract
from the sincerity, truth, and faithfulness of God ? And, on the
other hand, according to the contrary doctrine of moral suasion,
these things do not appear so unquestionable as is pretended; for
if God has promised to any of the sons of men, to put his law
in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts, to give
them new hearts and new spirits, to take away the stony
heart out of their flesh, and give them hearts of flesh, and
to put his spirit within them, to cause them to walk in his
statutes and keep his judgments, and do them, and yet leaves
all this to be brought about by the mere force of moral suasion,
and power of man's free will, and does not exert that powerful
and unfrustrable grace without which he knows none of these
things can be done; where is his sincerity, truth, and
faithfulness in his promises ?
3. It is also said,
that ''whereas the justice of God shines evidently from the
doctrine which asserts that God cloth only punish men for willful
sins, which it was in their power to avoid; it never can be
glorified by that doctrine which supposes, that he punisheth men
with the extremest and most lasting torments, for not accepting
those offers of grace tendered by the gospel, which it was not
possible for them to comply with or embrace, without that farther
grace which he purposed absolutely to deny them.'' I reply, for
my own part, I do not think that any man will be punished for not
accepting offered grace, he could not comply with or embrace, for
want of further grace, because I do not believe that grace was
ever offered to them; but then they will be punished for their
willful contempt and neglect of the gospel preached unto them;
and for their manifold transgressions of the righteous law of
God, made known unto them; and surely this doctrine can never be
derogatory to the glory of God's justice.
4. It is asked,
"Is it not for God's glory, that the praise of what good we
do should be ascribed to his grace, and the shame of our evil
doings should rest upon ourselves ? But what reason can there be
for this, unless we suppose it possible for the wicked to have
been converted, or have ceased to do evil ?" And let me ask,
in my turn, which doctrine, that of free will or of free grace,
does most ascribe the praise of either what good is in us, or is
done by us, to the glory of God's grace ? Not the former, surely,
but the latter, and if so, the glory of God's grace is more
magnified by the one than by the other. And as this doctrine
ascribes the praise of all the good that is done by men to the
efficacious grace of God, which makes for his glory; so it leaves
the shame of evil doings to rest upon the authors of them, who
are not partakers of the grace of God; even though it is not in
their power to convert themselves, or cease to do evil; since
this is owing to the vitiosity and corruption of their nature, of
which they have reason to be ashamed; from whence all their evil
doings spring, which being voluntarily committed, are their
faults, though conversionwork transcends all the power of man
to perform. Our author thinks, that if this be the case, their
evil actions may be their misfortunes; but how they should be
their faults, it is not easy to conceive; whereas let conversion
be by moral suasion, or by omnipotent power, it makes no
alteration in the nature of evil actions, they are voluntary
transgressions of God's law, and as such, faults in men, as well
as misfortunes to them, whether men are turned from them to God
by the force of moral suasion, and the power of man's free will,
or by the mighty power of God's grace.
I now proceed to
mention some arguments in favour of efficacious and irresistible
grace in conversion, and consider the exceptions to them. And,
I. If the grace by
which we are converted, does not work with that efficacy, that it
cannot but obtain the effect, but the cooperation of freewill
is required, then grace is not the beginning of every good thing,
but the free will of man, yea, the efficacy of grace is made to
depend upon the will of man; and so the good work of faith and
conversion, from whence all other good things spring, must be
ascribed rather to the will of man, than to the grace of God;
whereas every good and every perfect gift comes from above, from
the grace of God, as the spring and source of it, and not from
below, as it must, if it comes from the will of man; for to say,
as is said, that when equal grace is conferred on two persons,
and the one believes, and the other does not, that the reason is,
because the one receives it by the right use of freewill,
excited by the grace of God, and the other rejects it by the
wicked abuse of freewill, and fresh obstinacy against the grace
of God; what is this but to make the free will of man the chief
cause of believing when nothing is more certain than that faith
is the sole gift of God, and the operation of his power.
II. If God, in the
conversion of man, does not make use of that efficacious
operation which determines man, but it is in his power to embrace
or refuse the grace of God, or to do any thing towards his
conversion, which another neglecting to do, is not converted,
then he makes himself to differ, and has matter and
occasion of boasting. The exceptions to this argument have been
considered in the second part of this performance, whither
the reader is referred.
III. If such
determining grace, or such a powerful operation of it, is not
requisite to men's conversion, and is not put forth in it, then
God does not bestow any more singular special grace on them who
are converted, than he does on them who are not converted; and so
no more grace was given to Peter than to Judas, to Paul than to
Pilate; whence it follows, that he that believes has no more
reason to give thanks to God, than he that does not believe. In
the reply to this, it is owned, that God, in the ordinary
vocation of men, does not give to one more grace than to another,
or any special singular grace which he denies to another; but
gives equal and sufficient grace to all to obey the call,
provided by more grace is meant the species of grace, but not the
same degree. But if the same degree of grace is not given to one
as to another, how does it appear that God gives equal grace to
all, and what is sufficient for them to obey the divine call ? or
that the greater degree of grace is not attended with such an
efficacious operation and irresistible power pleaded for by us ?
Moreover, it is said to be no absurdity, that he who does not
believe has equal reason to give thanks to God as he who does
believe, if we respect the first offer of grace. But surely,
according to this writer's own scheme it can never be thought
that he, who, though he has the same kind of grace bestowed upon
him, yet not the same degree of grace, and so does not operate in
the same way, nor produce the same effect in him as it does in
others, can ever have the same reason to give thanks to God, as
such have who have a greater degree of it, and in whom it is
productive of true faith and real conversion.
IV. Such is the
method of Divine Providence, that second causes should so depend
upon God, in their beings and operations, that they cannot
determine themselves to any act; but it is requisite that they be
foreordained from eternity, and in time be predetermined by
God, not only to the act itself, but to the mode of it. The
answer to this is, that if this was admitted, a fatal and an
inevitable necessity of all things and events, negative and
positive, and of actions, good and bad, would be
introduced, and God must be the only cause of all the sins and
iniquities committed in the whole world. To which may be replied,
that the dependence of second causes upon God, in their beings
and operations, and the preordination and predetermination of them
to their acts, do indeed introduce a necessity of the event, that
is, that such and such things shall be done, and in the manner
appointed by God; but do not introduce a coactive necessity or
force on the will of man; neither God's purposes in eternity, nor
his predeterminations in time, infringe the liberty of man's
will, nor make God the author or cause of any one sin, as appears
from the instances of the selling of Joseph by his brethren, and
the crucifixion of Christ by the Jews.
V.
The opinion which makes the grace of God resistible, leaves it
uncertain whether any one will be converted by it or not; for, if
God did not work with an irresistible operation of grace upon the
hearts of men in conversion, it was possible that not one soul
would have been converted. To this it is answered, "that it
leaves it as uncertain, whether any one will be converted or
not." I reply; since this irresistible grace finds all men
unconverted, and considering the irresistibility of it, and the
state and condition of man, that he is dead in sin, in enmity
against God, his heart hard, and his will obstinate and perverse,
it is not so uncertain whether any one will be left by it
unconverted, as that whether any one will be converted by it. It
is moreover said, that "a man may, notwithstanding this
opinion, be infallibly certain, otherwise, that many will be
found true converts at the last, because he knows that many have
already died in the fear of God, and in the faith of Christ, and
because the holy Scriptures do assure us, that some shall
arise to everlasting life, and receive the end of their
faith in the salvation of their souls." This is very
true, and yet, according to this opinion, it was possible that
not one of these might have been converted, because they
might have resisted the grace of God, and made it of none
effect. Besides, such who will be found true converts at last,
who die in the fear of God, and in the faith of Christ, who shall
arise again to everlasting life, and receive the end of their
faith, the salvation of their souls, are such who are regenerated
and converted by the efficacious and irresistible grace of God,
and are kept by the power of God, through faith unto salvation.
It is further observed, that "to say that it is barely
possible, in the nature of the thing, that none may be converted,
hath no inconvenience in it, because it tends not to hinder any
man's endeavours after his conversion." I reply; supposing
it does not, yet it has these inconveniences in it, that if it is
possible that none may be converted, then it is possible that
God's choice of persons to eternal life may be made void, and all
his counsels and purposes concerning his elect frustrated. It is
possible, that the purchase and redemption by Christ may become
of no effect, and he not see the travail of his soul, and be
satisfied, though it is promised to him; and it is possible,
that the Spirit and grace of God may have none of the glory which
arises from the conversion of a sinner, as well as that the
salvation of every man must be very precarious and uncertain.