Page:A Treatise of the Covenant of Grace (John Ball).djvu/246

 234 common to every one. It is a received principle amongst them, that as God loved the world, and Christ gave himselfe a ransome for all men, or is the propitiation for the sins of the whole world, so God willed that the Gospell concerning Christ should be published to all men in the world. ''Corvin. in Mol. cap''. 31. sect. 33. If then the Gospell be not published, or God willed not that the Gospell should be published to all and every man in the world, Christ died not for all and every man. Adam and Noah having received the Covenant, were bound to teach their children, and so successively in all ages: Psal. 78. which had it been observed, none had failed to have the same published unto him. If this be applied to the present purpose, they must teach only, that Christ died for all and every man, if they that be in Covenant, shall carefully observe the charge and commandement of God. And by the same reason they may conclude, that God gave his Sonne to die, and that with plenary purpose, that no man should ever sinne by ignorance, infirmity, impenitency, unbeliefe, or any particular transgression: that God purposed to give to every man the plentifull and effectuall meanes of grace, and that every man should actually apply the death of Christ. For if every man successively had obeyed the commandement given to Adam, and fulfilled that charge, the doctrine of salvation had been published to every man, every man had been borne and lived in Covenant, every man had actually applyed the death of Christ unto himselfe, every man had enjoyed all the Ordinances of God: yea, there had been no impenitent person, I might adde, properly no sinner but Adam and Eve. Then they could not say, Christ came to save the world, under which infidels must be comprehended, or that he prayed for his persecutours and unbeleevers, nor that he came to save his people from their sinnes: for if this charge had been obeyed, there had been no Infidell, nor persecutour, nor sinner amongst his people, but only our first Parents. And by the same evasion, they may hold that Christ died for all and every man, when he died for no man living, or that ever lived, but Adam only. But this is nothing to prove, that since many Nations have neglected their charge, and being fallen from God have received from him a Bill of divorce, a commandement hath been given notwithstanding unto his servants in all ages, to publish the doctrine of salvation unto every creature amongst all Nations.