The Remonstrants reconcile freedom and efficacy easily
Thesis XXXV. It is clear from this that the Remonstrants, on their own principles, can easily reconcile freedom of choice with the efficacy of grace. They assume that the grace moving the will to conversion acts in a resistible manner: the will can give way to grace and accept its working, and can also block grace and hinder its working. They say so themselves on page 17 of the declaration so often cited:
'To this conversion of his, to which grace moves him, a person, from his inborn depravity and his attachment to worldly things, can freely set a barrier and hindrance, and often does. His will may neglect the outward preaching of the Gospel and treat it as of no account when he has the chance to hear it; or handle the word he has heard carelessly, being more taken up with worldly things; or in some other way prevent the Holy Spirit from persuading it of the truth, necessity and usefulness of the Gospel teaching.
Or he may assent to the word and its truth, yet refuse to shape his will by what that word prescribes and to obey it; and, giving the flesh free rein, he quenches the Spirit, resists the Spirit, and wilfully crushes and roots out good desires and thoughts often poured in and offered from heaven. So we say that the human will is not necessitated to will good, but that a person can resist of himself, that is, refuse to will, often actually refuse, and resist the workings of sufficient grace.'
Latin
XXXV. Porro ex his manifestum est Remonstrantes, secundum propria principia, facile conciliare posse arbitrii libertatem cum gratiae efficacia: quandoquidem supponunt gratiam quae voluntatem movet ad conversionem, agere modo resistibili, hoc est, tali ut voluntas gratiae cedere possit, & operationem illius suscipere, & rursus etiam possit gratiae obicem ponere, & operationem illius impedire. Quod his verbis exponunt ipsi declarationis saepius allegatae pagina decima septima. Huic autem suae conversioni, ad quam scilicet a gratia movetur, homo ex insita sibi pravitate, & in res mundanas affectu, obicem ac impedimentum liberum ponere potest, & ponit saepe, sive voluntas praedicationem Evangelii externam negligat, & susque deque habeat, tum quum ejus audiendi copia sit homini: aut auditum verbum perfunctorie tractet magis rebus mundanis intentus: aut alio modo impediat, quominus ipsi doctrinae Evangelicae veritas, necessitas, utilitas a Spiritu Sancto persuadeatur; sive verbo quidem ejusque veritati assentiatur, sed voluntatem secundum verbi istius praescriptum componere, eique obedire non velit: & laxatis carni habenis spiritum extinguat, spiritui resistat, & bona desideria cogitationesque saepius coelitus infusas & oblatas volens elidat & exterminet. Quare dicimus hominis voluntatem ad volendum bonum non necessitari, sed hominem posse ex se resistere, hoc est, non velle, & saepe actu non velle, & resistere gratiae sufficientis operationibus.