A30345:178
A treatise of the covenant of grace wherein the gradual breakings out of Gospel…A treatise of the covenant of grace wherein the graduall breakings out of Gospel…
A treatise of the covenant of grace wherein the gradual breakings out of Gospel grace from Adam to Christ are clearly discovered, the differences betwixt the Old and New Testament are laid open, divers errors of Arminians and others are confuted, the nature of uprightness, and the way of Christ in bringing the soul into communion with himself ... are solidly handled / by that faithful servant of Jesus Christ, and minister of the Gospel, John Ball ; published by Simeon Ash.A treatise of the covenant of grace wherein the graduall breakings out of Gospel grace from Adam to Christ are clearly discovered, the differences betwixt the Old and New Testament are laid open, divers errours of Arminians and others are confuted, the nature of uprightnesse, and the way of Christ in bringing the soul into communion with himself ... are solidly handled / by that faithfull servant of Jesus Christ, and minister of the Gospel, John Ball ; published by Simeon Ash.
London: printed by G. Miller for Edward Brewster, 1645
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Secondly, By the doctrine of faith we are bound to acknowledge and confess that Christ Jesus by his eternal Priest-hood, is not only the sole meritorious cause of all grace or righteousness inherent, requisite to final absolution: but these presupposed in the party to be absolved, he is likewise the sole immediate cause of final absolution or justification. Without observation in some measure to all the Commandments of God, we cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven: but we enter not for the obedience we have performed. To what use then doth our inherent righteousness or observance of Gods commandments serve us? If it hath been sincere and ••fained, though imperfect, yet the faith that brought it forth will make a sincere and faithful plea for mercy in the day of trial, in which he that hath been an hearer only, and no doer of the Law, or hath done in part, what God would have done, but not sincerely, nor faithfully, shall not be heard. Our imperfect ⟨p. 70⟩obedience then is not the immediate cause of our absolution, but the obedience and righteousness of Christ. By the immediate and next cause we understand such a cause as is necessarily accompanied by the effect, and without whose participation the effect never doth, nor can be-fall any: such a cause as whosoever is partaker of, is by participation of it, forth-with absolved; such a cause as who so can probably hope to be partaker of, he may upon the same degrees of probability hope for final absolution; such a cause, as who so doubts or fears, least he shall never be partaker of in this life, must upon the same terms doubt or despair of his absolution or salvation. But if works be accounted for the exact righteousness of the Law unto us, not the obedience of Christ received by faith, but the works of holiness in us, are the absolute cause of remission of sins and acceptance unto life. And what else do the words sound, as they be interpreted, but, that as exact obedience to the Law, should have been the matter or cause of Justification from justice, so sincere obedience by the estimation of grace, is the matter of Justification by grace. They will say, I know, faith and works are only the condition without which remission cannot be obtained: but faith is not a bare condition, without which the thing cannot be, (for that is no cause at all) but an instrumental cause:
Secondly, By the doctrine of faith we are bound to acknowledge and confesse that Christ Jesus by his eternall Priest-hood, is not only the sole meritorious cause of all grace or righteousnesse inherent, requisite to finall absolution: but these presupposed in the party to be absolved, he is likewise the sole immediate cause of finall absolution or justification. Without observation in some measure to all the Commandments of God, we cannot enter into the kingdome of heaven: but we enter not for the obedience we have performed. To what use then doth our inherent righteousnesse or observance of Gods commandements serve us? If it hath been sincere and fained, though imperfect, yet the faith that brought it forth will make a sincere and faithfull plea for mercy in the day of tryall, in which he that hath been an hearer only, and no doer of the Law, or hath done in part, what God would have done, but not sincerely, nor faithfully, shall not be heard. Our imperfect