A30345:507
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.
It is objected, That God willeth that all they should be saved, for whom we are to pray. But we must pray for all men. But the Apostles argument is otherwise, that we must pray for all men, because God willeth that all should be saved, that is, Gods will it is, that the Gentiles should be called, and added unto the Church, the Gospel should be preached amongst all Nations: therefore now pray ye for all men, specially for Kings, because by the good affection of Kings to Gods Church, the Church of God is like to prosper far better then by the conversion of mean persons. But it no way followeth, that God willeth their salvation, because we pray for their salvation. The child prayeth for the Fathers health and recovery, when God willeth he shall die. If God should leave us to our own desires, peradventure we should desire, not only that all that now live, but that all that ever lived might have been converted and saved: yea, that the Angels that fell might have been kept from sin, or having sinned might have been brought to repentance and saved. To desire that every one that now liveth might be saved, with submission to the will of God, is no incongruity. But we cannot infer thereupon, that it is the will of God to save every man now living in the world, or to grant them means sufficient to come to the knowledge of the truth. Neither will it follow, that we must pray for every man in the world, in every age, known and unknown unto us, such as we never heard of by relation, because we must pray for All men: for then all must comprehend even those that sin sins unto death amongst the rest, unless we believe that there are no such sinners in the world: and he had need be of a strong faith, and have some extraordinary revelation that believeth that.
It is objected, That God willeth that all they should be saved, for whom we are to pray. But we must pray for all men. But the Apostles argument is otherwise, that we must pray for all men, because God willeth that all should be saved, that is, Gods will it is, that the Gentiles should be called, and added unto the Church, the Gospell should be preached amongst all Nations: therefore now pray ye for all men, specially for Kings, because by the good affection of Kings to Gods Church, the Church of God is like to prosper farre better then by the conversion of meane persons. But it no way followeth, that God willeth their salvation, because we pray for their salvation. The child prayeth for the Fathers health and recovery, when God willeth he shall die. If God should leave us to our owne desires, peradventure we should desire, not only that all that now live, but that all that ever lived might have been converted and saved: yea, that the Angels that fell might have been kept from sin, or having sinned might have been brought to repentance and saved. To desire that every one that now liveth might be saved, with submission to the will of God, is no incongruity. But we cannot inferre thereupon, that it is the will of God to save every man now living in the world, or to grant them meanes sufficient to come to the knowledge of the truth. Neither will it follow, that we must pray for every man in the world, in every age, knowne and unknowne unto us, such as we never heard of by relation, because we must pray for All men: for then all must comprehend even those that sinne sins unto death amongst the rest, unlesse we beleeve that there are no such sinners in the world: and he had need be of a strong faith, and have some extraordinary revelation that beleeveth that.