Page:A Treatise of the Covenant of Grace (John Ball).djvu/255

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Christs death pertaineth to the event, act or application, which they confesse is not common to all men, and is manifest in this, that God entred not into Covenant with every Nation at all times, neither under the Law, nor in times of the Gospell, scil. with the Nations he passed by, and which as the Scripture saith were without God. God expressely declared himselfe in the time wherein the distinction of Jew and Gentile tooke place, that he would accept of strangers, as well as any, if they should love and feare his name, Isa. 56. 7. But the Covenant at that time was not made with all Nations, as it was with the Jews, not made known unto all the Gentiles, they did not enjoy means sufficient to come to the knowledge of the truth; That the promises of mercy did at all times belong to them that fulfilled the condition, is needlesse to be proved: but that the Covenant was made with every man, or that meanes sufficient or grace to receive the promises was granted to every man, at all times, in all ages if they would, is that which no Scripture testifieth. And that passage of the Prophet, which promiseth the acceptance of the stranger, if he repent and turne unto the Lord, is manifestly spoken of the times of the new Testament, when the partition wall was broken downe, as the verses following doe convince. In the daies of grace the Covenant was more generall, then in former times it had been: but God hath not erected his Tabernacle, nor walked amongst all Nations, in every age of these last times, as experience teacheth. How then is the Covenant generall, respecting every man? Peradventure they mean no more but this, that every man that will be saved, must be saved by it, and whosoever doth believe, be he bond or free, Jew or Gentile, male or female, rich or poore, he shall be saved, though the Covenant was never made with most Nations of the world, nor accepted by them, nor they had means to come to the knowledge of it, much lesse grace to performe the conditions: and then to grant the Covenant is generall will availe them nothing. There is no force in this argument, the Covenant of grace is made with some, none being excluded, if they repent and believe, therefore Christ died for every man, rather we may strongly argue, Christ died not for every man, because God is not the God of all by Covenant. But the invitation is generall, scil. in the daies of grace and to them that heare it, and the promise universall to every believer: we adde, the invitation is serious,