John Duncan spoke in the Free Church General Assembly, on 21 May 1844 and said. “As long as I am told that I must come to God, and that I can come, I am left to suppose that some good thing, or some power of good remains in me; I arrogate to myself that which belongs to Jehovah; the creature is exalted, and God is robbed of His glory. If, on the other hand, I am told that I cannot come to God, but not also told that I must come, I am left to rest contented at a distance from God; I am not responsible for my rebellion, and God Jehovah is not my God. But if we preach that sinners cannot come, and yet must come, then is the honour of God vindicated, and the sinner is shut up. Man must be so shut up that he must come to Christ, and yet know that he cannot. He must be told to come to Christ, or he will look to another, when there is no other to whom he may come. He must be told that he cannot come, or he will look to himself. This is the gospel vice, to shut up men to faith. Some grasp at one limb of the vice and some at the other, leaving the sinner open. But when a man is shut up so that he must and cannot, he is shut up to faith. God is declared to be Jehovah, and the sinner is made willing to be saved by Him, in His own way, as sovereign in His grace.”

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