Page:A Treatise of the Covenant of Grace (John Ball).djvu/256

 244 what God is well pleased with, and doth approve in us, scil. that which he perswadeth with arguments in themselves forcible to move and incite, and what he will performe, if we make good the condition. We adde, that the party invited is passively capable of the invitation, that no man of what state or condition soever is hindred or kept backe from comming to Christ by any cause efficient or deficient out of man himselfe, which doth either constraine or necessitate his not comming: and he that refuseth to come, refuseth not through inability, as unable, though unwilling and desirous to imbrace it, but willingly preferring some base inferiour good before it. But this argueth only the sufficiency of Christs death, that all men should be saved, if they did believe, and the efficiency thereof, that the members of the visible Church should be invited seriously, and those that be effectually called should inherit the promise.

It will be said, to what purpose are they called and invited, if they be as unable to come, as a dead man is to arise and walke. True it is, every man is of himselfe unable by nature to come unto Christ, and God doth enable whom he please: but this inability is not from any impossibility that is without man himselfe, either in respect of the thing commanded, or any externall cause, or bruite necessity and disposition, but from his voluntary perversenesse, which is most blame-worthy. The comparison may be admitted, if rightly interpreted, otherwise it is captious: for sinne is the death of the soule not physicall, but morall: Man by sin looseth not the faculty of understanding, and willing, but of understanding and willing aright, as in duty he is bound, the object being propounded and revealed with fit and convenient light. It is not therefore all one to invite a sinner to forsake the errour of his way, and call upon a dead man to arise out of the grave. The Lord who doth whatsoever he will in heaven above, and in earth beneath, in his deepe and unsearchable counsell never absolutely intended to make every man actually and effectually partakers of the benefit promised, for if he had so purposed it, it should have taken effect: neverthelesse, the invitation is serious, shewing what we ought to doe, and God doth approve and desire on our parts: and the purpose of God to give faith to whom he please, and not to all men, is no cause of any mans unbeliefe, either efficient or deficient. For that man believeth, this he oweth unto God, and