A30345:465
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.
Now let us come to examine what the Scriptures teach in this particular. The Apostle writeth expressly, that by the grace of1 God Christ tasted of death for all men or distributively for every man. Some refer this to the sufficiency of Christs death: but all men, cannot be referred to man-kind considered in the common mass or lapse: for the words must be understood of the death of Christ as it was suffered in time, and not as it was decreed of God, and of men considered as at that time. But at what time Christ suffered, mankind could not be considered as in the transgression of our first Parents. The Jews were of opinion, that Christ the Messiah was promised a Saviour to them only. How, to impetrate Salvation? No, but to be applied as in Covenant. Now to beat down their pride, the Apostle saith, Christ tasted of death for all, sc. both Jew and Gentile, who stood in relation by virtue of the Covenant, as the Jews did. So that the Apostle speaks of the application of Christs death, which is not absolutely common to all and every man in the world: and by every man is meant, every man who heareth, receiveth, and is partaker of the fruit and benefit of Christs death offered in the word of reconciliation: every man who is under the new Covenant, as it is propounded of God in the Gospel and accepted of them. But every man under the new Covenant, as he is under the Covenant, is partaker of the fruit & benefit of Christs death. That the passage is to be understood of them that apply and possess the fruit of his death, is manifest by divers reasons from the verses precedent and subsequent. ⟨p. 207⟩The world to come, verse 5. may well be that all, or every man for whom Christ tasted death: but that world to come is that happy age, which the Prophets did foretell should begin at the coming of Christ, whose accomplishment or fulfilling we expect as yet.2 They for whom Christ died are in the same Chapter described to be one, that is, of the same nature and spiritual condition with Christ, to be his brethren, such as trust in God, the children of God given unto Jesus Christ, the generation or posterity of Christ, as the Prophet speaketh, whom Christ took by the hand and lifted up from their fall, the seed of Abraham. But these things agree to them only that possess the fruits and benefits of Christ, for whom he died by way of application.