bring about those ends which are most conducive thereunto; wherein his holiness, wisdom, justice, and faithfulness appear, I say, it will follow from their scheme, and I cannot but tremble to mention it, that he might do the contrary; and what is this but to say, that he might cease to be God. The arguments which they who attempt to support this notion of liberty, insist on, are taken from the ideas which we generally have of a person’s acting freely; as for instance, if a man performs any of the common actions of life, such as walking, sitting, standing, reading, writing, &c. freely, he may do the contrary. But to this I answer, That there is a vast difference between asserting, that many of the actions of life are arbitrary or indifferent, so that we might do the contrary; and saying that indifferency is essential to liberty; for that which is essential to an action must belong to every individual action of the same kind.[9] Thus concerning their notion of liberty, whom we oppose. But on the other hand, that which we acquiesce in, is, that its essential property or nature, consists in a person’s doing a thing without being laid under a natural necessity to do it;[10] or doing it of his own accord, without any force laid on him.[11] Others express it by a person’s doing a thing out of choice, as having the highest reason to determine him so to do.[12] This is that notion of liberty which we cannot but approve of; and we are now to shew, (2.) How far the power of man’s free-will may be extended, with a particular view to the matter under our present consideration. Here let it be observed, _1st_, That the power of man’s will extends itself to things, within its own sphere, and not above it; all actions and powers of acting, are contained within certain limits, agreeable to the nature and capacity of the agent. Creatures below man, cannot put forth rational actions: and man cannot put forth supernatural actions, if he be not made partaker of a divine or spiritual nature, as being endowed with a supernatural principle, such as that which is implanted in regeneration. Consider him as an intelligent creature, and it is agreeable to his nature to put forth free actions, under the conduct and direction of the understanding; but if we consider him as renewed, converted, or effectually called, and acting agreeably thereunto, then he is under the influence of an higher principle, which I call a _divine nature_, according to the phrase which the apostle uses, 2 Pet. i. 4. The former of these supposes no more than the concourse of common providence, which at first gave, and then maintains our reasoning faculties; whereas the latter supposes, that we are under the influence of the Spirit; whereby we are enabled to act in a supernatural way, our natures being renewed and disposed thereunto, in which we are not divested of the liberty of our wills; but they are improved and enabled, to do what before they were averse and disinclined to.