Gill: It puts grace into man’s power, not man’s will under the power of grace.

THE ABSURDITIES OF FREE-WILL

Dr. John Gill

Free-will brings with it so many absurdities that it cannot be received.

1. It makes man the cause of his own salvation.

2. It puts grace into man’s power, not man’s will under the power of grace.

3. It robs God of the honour of making one to differ from another, and ascribes it to man.

4. It allows man a liberty of boasting to God, saying, “God, I thank Thee that Thou gavest me power to will (yet Thou gavest that to Judas as well as me), but I thank myself for the act of willingness, since I receive from Thee no more than Judas did.”

5. It exempts the creature from the power of God, as if man, spider-like, could spin a thread out of his own bowels whereon to climb to Heaven.

6. It maketh man the cause why God willeth this or that; so God must attend on the will of man, and not be infallible in His decrees, nor working all things according to the counsel of His own will (Eph 1:11, Ps 115:3).

7. Then the apostle James lied in saying “every good gift” is from God (Jas1:17); and Paul also was mistaken in Romans 9:11. He should have said, “It is of man that willeth and runneth,” and not, “Of God that showeth

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