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Where ye replie with that it lieth not in mannes will or ronning, but in the mercie of God, I answer, by the same sentence that ye may both will and ronne; which is contrarie to your whole purpose and doctrine: and yet, saith the Apostle, our salvation dependeth of the mercie of God, for it is his free gift. the Gentiles, which for their wickednes, were reject of God, in vaine should they either will or ronne, without God extended his mercie towardes them, as he doeth now presently. Lyke as on the other side, the Jewes, which for their sinnes be now abject, in vaine should they either will or ronne, without it pleased God to extend his mercie over them, as he shall do after that the fulnes of the Gentiles be come in, as witnesseth Paul. For there we must understand, that when it pleased God to offer us his mercie, yet without we both will and ronne, we shall not obtein the reward; notwithstanding, neither for our willing or ronning are we worthie to receave salvation, for it is the free gift of God, which he giveth to us onely for his own mercies saik. God offered salvation to Jerusalem, not for the deserving, but of his mercie; yet obteined they not salvation, because they wold neither will nor ronne. As Christ saith, “How often wold I have gathered thy children, as the hen doeth her chekens, and thow woldest not!” so the Scribes and the Phariseis made the counsell of God towardes them of none effect, for they dispised it: God’s will was to save them, but they wold neither will nor ronne, but kepe still their old passe;†1 so they perished. Wherefor unto our salvation is required chiefly the mercie of God, as the onely sufficient and the efficient cause thereof, whereby we being unworthie and his ennemies, be reconciled and receaved unto the fellowship of the saintes. Secondly, is required that we both will and ronne, not as the cause, but rather as the effect and frute of our reconciliation, declaring our selves to be thankfull for the benefits which we have freely without our merits receaved; otherwise the kingdom shalbe taken from us againe, and geven to such as shall both will and ronne, bringing forth the fruites thereof.
Your ancient father Pelagius, conjured ennemie to the free grace of God, did bragge and boast, as you do, that in man there was a will and a ronning. But the probation of both is one; that is to say, your affirmation must suffice for auctoritie. You boldly write, that of those wordes of the Apostle,“Neither it is of him that willeth, neither yet of him that ronneth, but of God having mercie,; it is plaine that “we bothe will and ronne.” But how is this proved? Your long discourse (in which it semeth that ye have forgotten yourself) proveth no part of your purpose. For the question is not, What either the Jew or the Gentill doeth (I mean) after they have receaved the grace of God; for then we confesse that they have (yet not of themselves) a will and studie to walk in godlines: but the question is, Whether this will and studie, which now by grace they have receaved, was anie cause of their Election; the contrarie whereof we have before proved. We do not imagine the faithfull membres of Christes bodie to be stockes or stones insensible, without will or studie of godlines; but we affirme that it is God that worketh in us the good will and the good thought, for of ourselves we are not sufficient to think one good thought. We further affirme, that except with all humilitie the free grace offered with thankes giving be receaved, that they serve nothing to the salvation of the contemners. But therewith we adde, that it is God onely who taketh away the stonie and stubborne heart, and giveth to us a fleshie heart; in which He by the power of his Holie Spirit writeth his law, maketh us to walk in his wayes, draweth us to his Sonne Christ Jesus, giveth us into his protection: I mean, as faith assureth us in our conscience, and so we acknowledge God alone by Christ Jesus his Sonne to be the beginning, the middes, and the end of our sanctification, godlie life, and salvation. I, for my part, do yet againe praise God that his veritie is of that strength, that somtymes it will compell the verie ennemies to bear testimonie to it. And I pray God to retein you in that mynd, that unfeanedly you may beleve and confess, that what vertues or good motions that ever be in you, be the onely effects or fruites, as ye call them, of your reconciliation, and neither cause of your Election nor yet of your Justification.
That Jerusalem and the Scribes refused grace, and therefor justly were condemned, we consent with you; but that ever it was the eternall counsell and will of God to give them life everlasting, that we constantly deny. Our reasons we have before alledged, and after will have occasion to repeate some againe. And therefor we procede. [Works of John Knox Volume 5 pages 162-3]
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