Page:A Treatise of the Covenant of Grace (John Ball).djvu/146

 134

for them: but yet it is not his will effectually to bring every man to repentance, whom he doth command to repent. The Commandment of God shews what is our duty, but not what God will worke in every man: the commandment lieth upon them that be obstinate and rebellious, but they have not grace to will their conversion or amendment. Neverthelesse, we must not thinke, either that God doth dissemble, or that he is the authour of mans impenitency: for mans corruption, pravity and wilfulnesse is the cause of his going on in evill; and his impotency, is not a meere infirmity, which he doth bewaile, but a stubbornesse, which he doth foster and cherish by all means.

The condition of this Covenant (in the sence afore-said) is faith in the promised Messiah, which is implied in the promise, I will be thy God, and commanded in the precept built upon it, Thou shalt have me to be thy God. For God is not the God of Israel, but in and through the Mediatour, neither can Israel take God to be their God, but by faith in the Messiah. In the Prophets we meet with no exhortations more common then these, Trust in the Lord, commit thy selfe unto the Lord, rowle thy burden upon him, leane upon the Lord: but what the Prophets exhort-unto, that is commanded in this expressure of the Covenant: and trust in the Lord man a sinner cannot, unlesse it be in and through a Mediatour. Israel is commanded to seek the Lord, and walk before him in all well-pleasing. But ''without faith it is impossible to please God. For he that commeth to God, must believe that God is, and that he is the rewarder of them that diligently seeke him''. We cannot seeke God, nor pray unto him without faith, for to seek God is to trust in him. But all men will confesse the Israelites were by Covenant bound to seeke God, and pray unto him. As Gideon, Barak, Sampson, Jepthah, David and Samuel, through faith subdued Kingdomes, wrought righteousnesse, obtained promises, &c. So the faithfull and true Israelite by faith walked with God, and became heire of the righteousnesse, which is by faith. As God is one who shall justifie the circumcision by faith, and the