A30345:598
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.
For the clearing of this objection, we must note, that there is a ⟨p. 285⟩two-fold manner of guilt, either such as grows out of sin inherent, which is the deserving of punishment, as it is in us: or such as grows out of sin imputed, and that not by reason of union natural; as the guilt of Adams sin is imputed unto us (which manner of imputation likewise is the foundation of punishment deserved) but voluntary by way of vadimonie and susception. And so guilt is only a free and willing obnoxiousness unto that punishment which another hath deserved. In an ordinary course of providence it is true, the son shall not bear the punishment of the Fathers sin; because he is altogether personally distinct, he is not appointed so to do, as Christ was, he is not able to bear them so as to take them off from his Father, as Christ did ours, and already hath too many of his own to bear: but this was no natural or unchangeable Law, and if the will of the Son go along with the Father in sinning, it is not strange, not unusual for him to suffer for his Fathers and his own sin together, as for the continuation of the same offence. More particularly for resolution of the question, whether an innocent person may suffer for the guilty, we must note, first that God out of his dominion over all things, may cast pains upon an innocent person, as it is manifest he did upon Christ, who suffered most grievous things, and death it self; And what ground of complaint could any creature have against God, if he should have created it in fire, and made the place of its habitation, the instrument of its pain? Do not we our selves without cruelty, upon many occasions put creatures that have not offended us, unto pain?
For the clearing of this objection, we must note, that there is a ⟨p. 285⟩two-fold manner of guilt, either such as growes out of sin inherent, which is the deserving of punishment, as it is in us: or such as growes out of sin imputed, and that not by reason of union naturall; as the guilt of Adams sin is imputed unto us (which manner of imputation likewise is the foundation of punishment deserved) but voluntary by way of vadimonie and susception. And so guilt is only a free and willing obnoxiousnesse unto that punishment which another hath deserved. In an ordinary course of providence it is true, the sonne shall not beare the punishment of the Fathers sin; because he is altogether personally distinct, he is not appointed so to doe, as Christ was, he is not able to bear them so as to take them off from his Father, as Christ did ours, and already hath too many of his own to beare: but this was no naturall or unchangeable Law, and if the will of the Sonne go along with the Father in sinning, it is not strange, not unusuall for him to suffer for his Fathers and his own sin together, as for the continuation of the same offence. More particularly for resolution of the question, whether an innocent person may suffer for the guilty, we must note, first that God out of his dominion over all things, may cast paines upon an innocent person, as it is manifest he did upon Christ, who suffered most grievous things, and death it selfe; And what ground of complaint could any creature have against God, if he should have created it in fire, and made the place of its habitation, the instrument of its pain? Do not we our selves without cruelty, upon many occasions put creatures that have not offended us, unto pain?