IX. Of Free Will
1. God hath endued the Will of Man, with that natural liberty, and power of acting upon choice; that it is aneither forced, nor by any necessity of nature determined to do good or evil.
aMatt. 17:12; James 1:14; Deut. 30:19
2. Man in his state of innocency, had freedom, and power, to will, and to do that awhich was good, and wellpleasing to God; but yet bwas mutable, so that he might fall from it.
aEccles. 7:29 bGen. 3:6
3. Man by his fall into a state of sin hath wholly lost aall ability of Will, to any spiritual good accompanying salvation; so as a natural man, being altogether averse from that good, band dead in Sin, is not able, by his own strength, to cconvert himself; or to prepare himself thereunto.
aRom. 5:6; Rom. 8:7 bEph. 2:1, 5 cTitus 3:3–5; John 6:44
4. When God converts a sinner, and translates him into the state of Grace ahe freeth him from his natural bondage under sin, and b freely to will, and to do that which is spiritually good; yet so as that by reason of his cremaining corruptions he doth not perfectly nor only will that which is good; but doth also will that which is evil.
aCol. 1:13; John 8:36 bPhil. 2:13 cRom. 7:15, 18–19, 21, 23
5. The Will of Man is made aperfectly, and immutably free to good alone, in the state of Glory only.
aEph. 4:13