A member of the congregation of Soham was confronted by Fuller for his excessive drinking and the gentlemen replied that he was unable to control himself therefore he should not be held accountable for his actions. This excuse did not sit well with Fuller and he consulted Eve concerning the matter. Arthur Kirby notes, “Mr. Eve said that the man was able to keep himself from open sins, though he had no power to do things spiritually good. As far as outward acts were concerned, man had power both to obey the will of God and to disobey it.” The congregation at Soham rightly disciplined the gentleman by excluding him from membership; however, the theological debate that followed would cause great division in the church. The church concluded that men had no power “to keep themselves from evil, but prayed for keeping grace. The restraint of evil must be ascribed entirely to God, and never to man.” This position opened Fuller’s mind to the error of high-Calvinism. If God held man accountable for his sin, then man must possess some type of power to respond to Jesus
A member of the congregation of Soham was confronted by Fuller for his excessive drinking and the gentlemen replied that he was unable to control himself therefore he should not be held accountable for his actions. This excuse did not sit well with Fuller and he consulted Eve concerning the matter. Arthur Kirby notes, “Mr. Eve said that the man was able to keep himself from open sins, though he had no power to do things spiritually good. As far as outward acts were concerned, man had power both to obey the will of God and to disobey it.” The congregation at Soham rightly disciplined the gentleman by excluding him from membership; however, the theological debate that followed would cause great division in the church. The church concluded that men had no power “to keep themselves from evil, but prayed for keeping grace. The restraint of evil must be ascribed entirely to God, and never to man.” This position opened Fuller’s mind to the error of high-Calvinism. If God held man accountable for his sin, then man must possess some type of power to respond to Jesus