Chapter 9: Of Free Will

God has endowed the will of man with that natural liberty and power of acting upon choice, that it is neither forced, nor by any absolute necessity of nature determined to do good or evil.

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

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

When God converts a sinner, and translates him into the state of grace, he frees him from his natural bondage under sin, and by his grace alone enables him freely to will and to do that which is spiritually good; yet so, as that by reason of his remaining corruption, he does not perfectly, nor only will that which is good, but does also will that which is evil.

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