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it must be otherwise with them, they must be prepared of God, who draweth men to Christ, but first (as they say) drawes them to mind their soules seriously. A wicked man living within the pale of the Church is bound to beleeve, as to repent and cease from his evill way; for the neglect of one dutySynodal. ubi
Supr. arg. 30.
Arm. priv. disp.
de fide. doth not exempt a man from another: but so long as he goeth on in an evill course, he cannot lay hould on the promises of mercy, nor embrace Christ as his only Saviour. The hungry, thirsty and burdened, not they which wallow in iniquity are invited to come unto Christ, that they might be eased and refreshed. They are called to beleeve in Christ for pardon, not that they are already the children of God, and restored into favour. A thirsty and weary man as such, can no more beleeve that he is the child of God, then a wounded man as wounded can that he is cured; or the man stung with the fiery Serpent, that he was healed, before he looked up to the brasen Serpent. Thirst is opposed to water, and wearinesse to refreshing. A man must believe before he can be in the state of grace, and know he doth beleeve, before he can beleeve that he is the child of God, neither of which can be affirmed of the weary as simply such. Thus then I grant all men are bound to beleeve in Christ: but thence it will not follow, that Christ died for all men equally, to purchase for them actuall reconciliation on Gods part, and with full and compleate will and purpose quantum in se to save them: but only that Christ died for them as an all-sufficient and efficient Saviour, so that in the Covenant of grace salvation might be and is tendered unto them upon condition of true repentance and faith unfained. For they to whom the Gospell is preached, and by whom it is professed, are bound to beleeve what is offered in the Gospell, as it is offered there in, viz. if they hunger and thirst, deny themselves, and be wearie of their sinnes. But it is one thing to deny our workes, and relie upon the free mercy of God in Christ, another to beleeve that Christ died for our redemption in particular. Whosoever is bound to beleeve hath Christ as an all-sufficient and efficient Saviour, in and through whom Salvation might be obtained, and undoubtedly shall be obtained by him, if he renounce his owne works, and flie to the sole mercy of God in Christ, as the object of faith, in order of nature before either the act of faith, or proposall of the commandement to beleeve: He hath also the rule of new life, and is admitted into the Cove-nant