Spirit consists is the giving of a meek, teachable, disinterested
themselves, but the difference is owing to God's distinguishing goodness.
Stebbing strongly asserts, God is not the author of that difference that is between some and others: that some are good, and others bad.
78. The Arminians differ among themselves. Dr. Whitby supposes what God does is only proposing moral motives, but that in attending, adverting, and considering, we exercise our liberty. But Stebbing supposes that the attention and consideration is itself the thing owing to the Spirit of God (p. 217).
79. Stebbing changes the question (pages 223, 224). He was considering who was the chief glory of our conversion, or of our virtue, and there, answering objections, endeavors to prove the affirmative of another question, viz. whether God is the author of that pardon and salvation, of which conversion and virtue are the condition.
80. Stebbing supposes that one thing wherein the assistance of the Spirit consists is the giving of a meek, teachable, disinterested temper of mind, to prepare men for faith in Christ (pages 217, 259), and that herein consists that drawing of the Father, John 6:44, viz. in giving such a temper of mind.
This he calls the preventing grace of God, that goes before conversion. He often speaks of a part that we do, and a part that God does. And he speaks of this as that part which God does. Therefore this, if it be the part which God does, in distinction from the part which we do (for so he speaks of it), is wholly done by God. And consequently, here is virtue wholly from God, and not at all from the exercise of our own free will, which is inconsistent with his own, and all other Arminian principles. Stebbing speaks of these preparatory dispositions as virtue (p. 30-32), yea, as that wherein virtue does in a peculiar manner consist (p. 31). And he there also, viz. (page 259), talks inconsistently with himself. For he supposes that this meek and teachable temper is given by God, by his preventing grace, and also supposes that all that have this, shall surely come to the Father. He says (page 256), "It is certainly true of the meek, disinterested man, that as he will not reject the gospel at first, so he will not be prevailed on by any worldly considerations to forsake it afterwards."
"He who is under no evil bias of mind, by which he may be prejudiced against the truth (which is the notion of a meek and disinterested man), such a one, I say, cannot possibly fail being wrought upon by the preaching of the Word, which carries in it all that evidence of truth which reason requires," etc. and his words (page 259), are John 6:37-39, "All that the Father giveth me, shall come unto me;" for to be given of the Father signifies the same thing with being drawn of the Father, as has been already shown. And to be drawn of the Father, signifies to be prepared or fitted for the reception of the gospel, by the preventing grace of God, as has also likewise been shown, in being endured with a meek and disinterested temper of mind. Those who are given of the Father, will be the same with Christ's sheep. And the sense of the place is the same with the preceding, where our Savior says that his sheep hear his voice and follow him, i.e. become his obedient disciples. This text, therefore, being no more than a declaration of what will be certain, and (morally speaking) the necessary effect of that disposition, upon the account of which men are said to be given of the Father (to wit, that it will lead them to embrace the gospel, when once proposed to