Page:A Treatise of the Covenant of Grace (John Ball).djvu/245

 Rh beleeveth shall never perish. These things be not questioned, nor whether some effects or benefits of Christs death be common to all men, but whether he died equally for all men, to purchase actuall reconciliation for them on Gods part, and set all Infants in the actuall state of salvation, but to procure faith and beliefe for no man, so that he had obtained the full, immediate end of his death, though no man had ever beleeved on him, or been saved by him. But that which is assumed in this argument is apparently false, as it is applyed. The Covenant of grace is revealed to some, no man being shut forth by name, but if he repent and beleeve he shall be saved: but many thousands never heard of, never had probable meanes to come to the knowledge of the Covenant. The commandement to preach the Gospell to every creature, was given to the Apostles in the dayes of grace, upon the publication of which Covenant, they which formerly served dumbe idols, were bound to repent and beleeve: but that commandement was peculiar to the Apostles, not given till after the resurrection of Christ, after such commandement the Apostles were injoyned to tarry for a time in Jerusalem, nor could they possibly disperse themselves in a moment into every part of the world, nor the world take notice of any such commandement given unto them, or of the doctrine revealed by them. Before that time the Lord suffered the Gentiles for a long time to walk in the vanity of their minds, without the light of his truth: and since that time divers nations have been cast off, left to themselves, as aliens from the Covenant, and deprived of all meanes to come to the knowledge of God in Christ. And if there were any force in this reason, The meanes of grace be unlimited, and command given to preach to every creature, therefore Christ died for all men: This must be of greater weight, The meanes of grace be not vouchsafed unto all and every man: therefore Christ died not for all and every man. For if meanes necessary to Salvation be not propounded, if they be not, nor ever were called to the faith by the ordinary and only effectuall meanes ordained of God to bring men thereunto, we speake of our selves, and not according to Scripture, if we affirme, God gave Christ to die for their redemption.

Amongst many effects of Christs death reckoned up in this argument, this is the most generall, and all the rest depend upon it: and if the meanes be not vouchsafed to all, none of the rest can be