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AND THEIR REFUTATION. 243
chief heresies was, that Adam alone had free will, but that
by his sin not alone he, but all his posterity lost it,
so that
free will is only titulus sine re. This error was specially con
demned by the Council of Trent (Sess. vi, c. 5) :
"
Si quis
hominis arbitrium post Adas peccatum amissum et extinctum esse
dixerit, aut rem esse de solo titulo, imo titulum sine re, figmentum
denique a Satana invectum in Ecclesiam, anathema sit."
2. Free will consists of two sorts of liberty, Contradictionis,
by which we can either do any thing or let it alone, and Contra-
rietatis, by which we have the power of doing any thing, and
also doing the opposite, as of doing what is good and doing what
is bad. Man has retained both species of free will, as the Scrip
tures prove. First As to the liberty of Contradiction, to do or
not to do what is right, we have several texts to prove it. For
example, in Ecclesiasticus (xv, 14 16) :
" God
made man from
the beginning, and left him in the hand of his own counsel. He
added his commandments and precepts.
If thou wilt keep the
commandments forever, they shall preserve thee ;"
"It
shall depend on the will of her husband whether she shall do it
or do it not" (Numb, xxx, 14) ;
" He could have transgressed,
and hath not transgressed, and could do evil things and hath not
done them" (Eccles. xxxi, 10) ;
"
Whilst it remained did it not
remain to thee and after it was sold was it not in thy power ?"
(Acts, v, 4) ;
" The
lust thereof shall be under thee, and thou
shalt have dominion over it" (Gen. iv, 7). Many texts, likewise,
prove the liberty of contrariety :
death, blessing and cursing" (Deut. xxx, 19) ;
life and death, good and evil ;
"
I have set before you life and
"
Before man is
that which he shall choose shall be
given unto him" (Eccl. xv, 18). And lest our adversaries should
say that those texts apply to man only in a state of innocence,
we will quote others, which speak of him without doubt after the
fall :
"
But if it seem evil to you to serve the Lord, you have
your choice; choose this day whom you would rather serve,
whether the Gods," &c. (Jos. xxiv, 15) ;
"
If any man will come
after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow
me" (Luke, ix, 23) ;
" For he hath determined, being stedfast in
his heart, having no necessity, but having power of his own
will"
(I. Cor. vii, 37) ;
" And I gave her a time, that she might do
"
If any man
penance, and she will not repent" (Apoc. ii, 21) ;