A55305:419
The divine will considered in its eternal decrees, and holy execution of them. By…
The divine will considered in its eternal decrees, and holy execution of them. By Edward Polhill of Burwash in Sussex Esquire
London : printed, and are to be sold by Thomas Shelmerdine, at the sign of the Rose-Tree in Little-Britain, 1695
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.
Believe it who can, 'tis a monstrous Opinion, worthy of nothing but exile from Christians: Seeing God's Will hath so distinguished men, it is no more possible that Christ should die alike for all, than that he should dissent from his Father's Will, which to do was his great errand in the World. Christ suffered between two Thieves, a Type of the Elect and Reprobate World; but who dare say that he had as much respect to the one as to the other?
2. I argue from the Covenant of Grace. Christ is the Mediator of the Covenant, and the Covenant is the New-testament in his blood; as then the Covenant is more or less respective of men, so the Mediator's Death is more or less respective of them. There are in the Covenant two sorts of Promises; the one general and conditional, such are those, Whosoever believes shall be saved, Whosoever will, may take of ⟨p. 327⟩the water of life, If any man come to Christ he will not cast him out; the other special and absolute, such are those, I will circumcise thy heart to love me, I will put my fear in their hearts, I will take away the heart of stone and give an heart of flesh, I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, I will put my Laws in their mind and write them in their hearts, and I will be to them a God and they shall be to me a people; there is a vast difference between these Promises: For
1. The general and conditional Promises are as it were the hands of the Covenant, pointing out the true way and path leading to Salvation, but the special and absolute Promises are as it were the Veins of the Covenant, carrying in them the blood and spirit of life and power to enable us to walk in that way. Here God himself engages to work all saving Graces in us: Are our hearts hard? he'll roll away the stone from them; do our hearts resist holy impressions? he'll give us hearts of flesh capable thereof; are our hearts void of God's Law? he will write it there and turn them into the Epistles of Christ, and for the effectual doing hereof, he will put his Spirit into us, and as a real proof of