Riches of mercy to men in misery, or, Certain excellent treatises concerning the dignity…

It is objected that the Covenant that is made by God, seemeth to be made with the elect only, and therefore ¹the condition belongeth only to them, how can Christ belong to all, seeing the exhortation and commandment must not exceed the Covenant, for the benefit is propounded to the Elect, and the condition to be required of none but of such as are within the covenant.

It is objected that the Covenant that is made by God, seemeth to be made with the elect onely, and therefore ¹the condition belongeth onely to them, how can Christ belong to all, seeing the exhortation and commandement must not exceed the Covenant, for the benefit is propounded to the Elect, and the condition to be required of none but of such as are within the covenant.

1. 1Object. 6.

To this I answer, that there is a Covenant of grace, and ¹that is double, either a general covenant propounded without exception, Let whosoever will come and believe in Christ he shall be saved, here is none excluded, and that none are excluded out of this general covenant this reason will show. Baptism the seal of the Covenant is to be administered to all within the Church, to Infants though afterwards they do not actually and visibly believe. Now God would not appoint that the seal of the Covenant should be given to those to whom it doth not generally belong. But secondly, there is another Covenant of grace which belongeth, peculiarly to the elect, for in this God doth not only promise to give salvation, if men believe, but he promiseth to give them ability to believe, as may be seen, Jer. 31. 33. ²