Chapter IX - Of Free Will

I. God has endued the will of man with that natural liberty, that is neither forced, nor, by any absolute necessity of nature, determined good, or evil.(Matt 17:12, James 1:14, Deut 30:19)

II. Man, in his state of innocency, had freedom, and power to will and to do that which was good and well pleasing to God;(Ecc 7:29, Gen 1:26) but yet, mutably, so that he might fall from it.(Gen 2:16-17, 3:6)

III. Man, by his fall into a state of sin, has wholly lost all ability of will to any spiritual good accompanying salvation:(Rom 5:6, 8:7, John 15:5) so as, a natural man, being altogether averse from that good,(Rom 3:10, 12) and dead in sin,(Eph 2:1, 5, Col 2:13) is not able, by his own strength, to convert himself, or to prepare himself thereunto.(John 6:44, 65, Eph 2:2-5, 1 Cor 2:14, Titus 3:3-5)

IV. When God converts a sinner, and translates him into the state of grace, He frees him from his natural bondage under sin;(Col 1:13, John 8:34, 36) and, by His grace alone, enables him freely to will and to do that which is spiritually good;(Phil 2:13, Rom 6:18, 22) yet so, as that by reason of his remaining corruption, he does not perfectly, or only, will that which is good, but does also will that which is evil.(Gal 5:17, Rom 7:15, 18, 21, 23)

V. The will of man is made perfectly and immutably free to do good alone in the state of glory only.(Eph 4:13, Heb 12:23, 1 John 3:2, Jude 24)

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