Page:A Treatise of the Covenant of Grace (John Ball).djvu/271

 Rh or upon condition, as the right use of their naturall gifts, or the piety of their progenitours, or the like: And then these conditions our Saviour doth pray for absolutely or upon condition, or not at all: If absolutely, then all men should use their naturall gifts well, because he is alwayes heard in that which he doth aske absolutely: if not at all, then it is not of grace that men use their naturall gifts well, or some grace is given to men without the intercession of Christ. And when the Gospell is vouchsafed to some that abuse their naturall gifts, to others not, did our Saviour pray that some should have the Gospell absolutly, some conditionally? or is the Gospell granted to some for the intercession of Christ, to others without it, although he make intercession equally for all men? And if the Gospell be vouchsafed to some that abuse their naturall gifts, why doth not God give the grace of faith also without that condition, under which only Christ asked faith for them. Moreover, if Christ pray for all men that they may beleeve, he asketh this for the vertue and merit of his passion, or not. If not, then faith should not be given for the merit of Christ: if he aske for the merit of his passion, then he asketh it without any condition; for Christ died absolutely & without condition for all men, as they teach, & what Christ hath merited for all men, that God giveth absolutely to every man. Christ upon the crosse prayed for them that crucified him, Luk. 23.34. But that might be of private duty as man, who subjected himselfe to the Law of God, which requires that we forgive our enemies, and pray for them that persecute us; not of the proper office of a Mediatour, who was to intercede for his people by suffering death and making request. It behoved Christ, as he subjected himselfe to the Law, to fulfill all righteousnesse, and so to pray for his enemies, but that was not out of his proper office as Mediatour, which was to offer up himselfe a Sacrifice or make intercession, as our high Priest. If any shall contend, that this is to be referred to the proper Mediatorie intercession of Christ, it will not prove the matter in hand: for he prayed not for all and every man, but for them that crucified him, and that indefinitely, not universally; for them that were present at his crucifying, and in simplicity of heart (and not of affected ignorance (resisting the evidence of the Spirit speaking by Christ, and by miracles giving testimony to his doctrine) in obedience to the commandement of the Superiours, did crucifie him,