But the Great doubt is of the Minor with some. For they deny that Christ is given conditionally to any Unbeliever Elect or not Elect; but only is decreed for the Elect before time, and given to Believers in time. The Sense is; that there is no conditional promise or deed of Gift, but all absolute. For if it be made only to Men that do believe, their first believing cannot ⟨p. 97⟩be the condition; and if it be made on condition of First believing, it is made to Men that do not yet believe. But the main Scope of the Gospel proves the Minor, by proving the conditional Gift, or promise: As the Texts even now cited, among others. Where note (to put it out of doubt) 1. That the time of Gods enacting this Law, or making this Testament, Gift or promise, was before we were born and therefore before we believed. 2. that in its nature, it first speaks to unbelievers as its Subject. For who will offer a gift to us to be accepted that it may be ours, if we have accepted it already? Nay how can it be accepted before it is offered? And how can we consent to have Christ and so be united to him, except he first give himself to us on condition that we will consent? 3. Note, that the promise is made in most proper conditional terms [If thou confess with thy Mouth and believe in thy heart, Rom. 10.] That whosoever believeth should not perish, &c. 4. And also note that faith hath here the Definition of a condition agreeing to it, i. e. It is an Arbitrary act on which the free Donor hath suspended the efficacy of his Testament or Deed of Gift. (It is Arbitrary conditions that we have here to speak of, which some call Potestative: And not casual, or mixed.) So to suspend the effect of the Instrument, that hoc posito efficiet, & donec ponatur non efficiet, that upon the doing or not doing, the Effect shall follow or not follow, and this by the Positive ordination of the Donor is the very essence of a Condition in Law-sense. And such •s Faith. And what Divine, except Antinomians, doth deny Faith to be the Condition? And ⟨p. 98⟩if it be so, then the Promise or Conditional Gift, must needs be made to Unbelievers (that it may become effectual when they believe:) For it can be no condition in this proper sense, if it be past already. And therefore it must needs be made to all Unbelievers seeing Scripture limitteth it not to any, but speaketh; universally.
But the Great doubt is of the Minor with some. For they deny that Christ is given conditionally to any Unbeliever Elect or not Elect; but only is decreed for the Elect before time, and given to Believers in time. The Sence is; that there is no conditional promise or deed of Gift, but all absolute. For if it be made only to Men that do believe, their first believing cannot ⟨p. 97⟩be the condition; and if it be made on condtion of First believing, it is made to Men that do not yet believe. But the main Scope of the Gospel proves the Minor, by proving the conditional Gift, or promise: As the Texts even now cited, among others. Where note (to put it out of doubt) 1. That the time of Gods enacting this Law, or making this Testament, Gift or promise, was before we were born and therefore before we believed. 2. that in its nature, it first speaks to unbelievers as its Subject. For who will offer a gift to us to be accepted that it may be ours, if we have accepted it already? Nay how can it be accepted before it is offered? And how can we consent to have Christ and so be united to him, except he first give himself to us on condition that we will consent? 3. Note, that the promise is made in most proper conditional terms [If thou confess with thy Mouth and believe in thy heart, Rom. 10.] That whosoever believeth should not perish, &c. 4. And also note that faith hath here the Definition of a condition agreeing to it, i. e. It is an Arbitrary act on which the free Donour hath suspended the efficacy of his Testament or Deed of Gift. (It is Arbitrary conditions that we have here to speak of, which some call Potestative: And not casual, or mixt.) So to suspend the effect of the Instrument, that hoc posito efficiet, & donec ponatur non efficiet, that upon the doing or not doing, the Effect shall follow or not follow, and this by the Positive ordination of the Donor is the very essence of a Condition in Law-sence. And such •s Faith. And what Divine, except Antinomians, doth deny Faith to be the Condition? And ⟨p. 98⟩if it be so, then the Promise or Conditional Gift, must needs be made to Unbelievers (that it may become effectual when they believe:) For it can be no condition in this proper sence, if it be past already. And therefore it must needs be made to all Unbelievers seeing Scripture limitteth it not to any, but speaketh; universally.
