Chapter 9. Of Free-will

Chapter 9. Of Free-will

I. God hath endued the will of man with that natural liberty, that ²¹²is neither forced nor by any absolute necessity of nature determined to good or evil.²¹³

II. Man, in his state of innocency, had freedom and power to will and to do that which is good and well-pleasing to God, but yet mutably, so that he might fall from it.²¹⁴

III. Man, by his fall into a state of sin, hath wholly lost all ability of will to any spiritual good accompanying salvation;²¹⁵ so as a natural man, being altogether averse from that good,²¹⁶ and dead in sin,²¹⁷ is not able, by his own strength, to convert himself, or to prepare himself thereunto.²¹⁸

IV. When God converts a sinner, and translates him into the state of grace, he freeth him from his natural bondage under sin,²¹⁹ and by his grace alone enables him freely to will and to do that which is spiritually good;²²⁰ yet so

as that, by reason of his remaining corruption, he doth not perfectly, nor only, will that which is good, but doth also will that which is evil.²²¹

V. The will of man is made perfectly and immutably free to good alone, in the state of glory only.²²²