John Ball

“ To walke with or before God then is to commit our selves wholly to his care and divine protection both in life and all our actions, and assuredly to perswade our selves that he is the present and just beholder of all thoughts, words and actions; to reverence him as ever present and beholding all things; to be ready at his beck and command, studiously, readily, chearefully to receive his Commandements, and at all times reverently to demeane and carry our selves before him: to turne our eyes and fix all our senses upon the Lord, and to attribute what good soever we enjoy, to the Lord alone. ”

“ Easier it is a great deale to know the number of my haires, then the running motions of my heart and affections. Oh, the blind corners, the secret turnings and windings, the close lurking holes that are therein: upon examination I have found a world of falshood in my soul, more then ever I suspected or imagined. My cogitations are vaine, if not wicked and ungodly, mine affections unsound, mine aimes indirect, my course of life palpably grosse in dissimulation before God, and towards men. ”

“ And if Christ died thus for his people, seed, inheritance, sheep, and Church, he died not equally for all and every man: for then in his death he considered none to be made his sheep or brethren before others, nor did he purchase grace that one should be made the child of God rather then another. For though grace be distributed, in different degrees, yet that being so common to them that beleeve and them that beleeve not, that sometimes the greater measure is given to them that reject and cast it off, it cannot be the cause why one man differs from another. ”

“ For since the fall of Adam, the Covenant which the Lord hath entered into with his people, was ever free and gracious. For when all men are sinners by nature, dead in trespasses, and enemies to God, how can a Covenant betwixt God and man be stricken without forgivenesse of former transgressions? If in the state of innocency perfect obedience should have been rewarded with life from justice: now that man is fallen by transgression, perfect obedience cannot merit forgivenesse of sins past, purchase Gods favour being justly displeased for sin, and deserve everlasting life. ”

“ No man denieth, but God made a Covenant with Adam fallen and his posterity, as now with the faithfull and their seed: that all mankind had continued in this Covenant, if they had not discovenanted themselves and their posterity; that no man is deprived of the benefits of Christs death, but through his own sinne and corruption: that God is not the cause efficient or deficient of any mans infidelity, but man himself: That men are seriously invited to repent in the Ministery of the Word, and that the promise of Salvation is faithfull and true, so that he that beleeveth shall never perish. ”

“ The word of reconciliation is of use, both to them that be not restored into grace, that they might be called, and to them that be reconciled, that they might continue and be builded forward.
That passage of the Apostle, 1 Joh. 2. 1, 2. If any man sinne, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And he is the propitiation for our sinne: and not for ours only, but also for the sinnes of the whole world, is like to the former, as all men confesse, and hath the same answer. ”

“ Man a sinner fallen a sleep is the object of the old Covenant: the conscience terrified with sinne the object of the new. The old Covenant shewed the manner of worshipping God, but gave not ability: the new Covenant doth both. ”

“ The imputation of a good thing is done three wayes, by right, grace and injustice: because law, justice and right is opposed to injustice and grace. But here it must be noted, that its one thing to say a man is reputed just, another to say, this or that thing is imputed for righteousnesse: a man is reputed just, but not imputed just; reputation is spoken of the concrete, imputation of the abstract: imputation is the cause, reputation the effect: Imputation by debt or right is, when that which is inherent in the subject, or due to it, is imputed, as wages counted of debt to him that worketh. ”

“ Fourthly, Consider the course of our affections, and we shall see how unsound we are towards God and our Brethren. If a thing touch our selves, our blood will quickly be in our nailes: If a man know this or that a misse by us, it is very grievous, the shame of it much upbraids us: but things that offend God, and which we know he seeth amisse in us, we can let these passe nothing affected. A signe our love to him is not so sound, our feare of him, and desire of praise with him, not so unfained. ”

“ Integrity is a guard, that doth continually keep watch and ward; and doth not only leade men to a good way, and tell them what is their duty, and fit to be performed; but maketh the way passible for them, and them prosperous in it. An intire heart, is a channell or Barke in which the graces of the Spirit are contained, and faith doth swimme above all stormes and tempests: but a mind void of all integrity, is full of slifters and chincks, that if the most holy liquour of piety be offered, it is powred in and out together and at once. ”

“ God promiseth freely to recompence the good of obedience, which is already due, and might be exacted without promise of reward; man promiseth to pay that debt of duty, which he oweth unto the Lord, in respect of the manifold relations, wherein he stands obliged unto him. The forme of the Covenant stands in a Promise and restipulation, To will and to nill the same things is the sure bond of all amity and friendship. ”

“ 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. ”

“ It is a sophisticall forme of reasoning to say, Faith is commanded in the Gospell, therefore if we be justified by faith, we are justified by the works of grace. The arguments are like, and both faultie. For justification by faith in Christ is opposed to justification by the works of the Law: because he only is justified before God by the Law, whose acts being examined by the Law, are found just and righteous according to that which the Law requireth: but he is justified by faith, who being in himself ungodly, believeth in Christ for salvation. ”

“ For God doth nothing in time, but what he decreed to doe before all time. To exclude boasting it sufficeth not to say, that God gives grace, whereby we might believe, if we will, specially if we use our naturall gifts well: for that makes ability to believe only to be of God, and that in part procured by our selves, but faith and repentance to be from the free use of our owne will, whereby we are distinguished from others which believe not, to whom God wished as well, and who received as much grace from God, perhaps more. ”

“ Yet sure, God is not wanting to any man in that which either in justice or promise he is bound to give: and did men deny themselves, nourish the motions of Gods Spirit, and earnestly desire to believe, without question they should find the Lord gracious. If men believe it is of grace, not only that whereby they are inabled to believe, but whereby they are discerned from other men: if they believe not, it is of themselves, of their own pravity; and they be not further from believing, then from desire to believe. ”

“ Can I be so impudent as to intreat God to love me with a prime and conjugall love, and give me leave to love sinne which he abhorreth, to love other things above or equall with his Highnesse? Can I looke to be married unto Christ in mercy, truth and compassion, if my heart doe not affect him above all, and other things in and through him alone? The Lord is a great King, his service must be without spot or blemish. ”

“ But the more Satan opposeth truth and simplicity, the more should we be in love with it: for Satan would not loade it with disgraces if it were not excellent. Satan labours to foist in the leaven of hypocrisie in our daily course, that by little and little he might pick the good seed of righteousnesse out of our hearts, but our care must be to disappoint him. Here our resistance is to hold us to our owne, and pray to God to rebuke him.
And here to prevent mistaking we must distinguish the degrees of soundnesse and simplicity, and the nature of it. ”

“ He must be man, that he might have compassion on them that come unto God through him: and pure and undefiled, that his Sacrifice being pure and without spot, might be acceptable and pleasing to provoked justice. He must be God that he might beare the weight of Gods wrath without sinking under it, be the King and Head of the Church, defend his people against the enemies of their Salvation, send forth his Spirit into the hearts of his redeemed, and receive from them such divine worship as was due to so great and gracious a Saviour. ”

“ So the pardon of sinne is given of grace, and not for workes, though pardon be granted only to the penitent, and faith on our part, a lively, unfained and working faith be required to receive the promise.
The parties covenanting are two, and so are the parts of the Covenant, the one in respect of God, the other in respect of man. A Covenant there is betwixt God and man, but no mutuall obligation of debt: for such mutuall obligation is founded in some equality; but there is no equality between the Creator and the creature, much lesse betwixt the Lord most high, and man a sinner. ”

“ God doth not expressely require Faith, but Obedience and Love. And the answer is, That only by consequent Faith is required, and not expressely in this Covenant, because there was not the least probable cause or suspition why man should doubt of Gods love, for sinne had not as yet entred into the world: but in the Covenant of Grace it was contrary, for that is made with a conference terrified with sinne, which could be raised up by none other meanes, but by the free Promise of mercy, and Faith imbracing the Word of Promise, freely and faithfully tendered, and to be received by faith only. ”

“ But if workes be accounted for the exact righteousnesse of the Law unto us, not the obedience of Christ received by faith, but the works of holinesse in us, are the absolute cause of remission of sins and acceptance unto life. And what else doe the words sound, as they be interpreted, but, that as exact obedience to the Law, should have been the matter or cause of Justification from justice, so sincere obedience by the estimation of grace, is the matter of Justification by grace. ”

“ The Lord who doth whatsoever he will in heaven above, and in earth beneath, in his deepe and unsearchable counsell never absolutely intended to make every man actually and effectually partakers of the benefit promised, for if he had so purposed it, it should have taken effect: neverthelesse, the invitation is serious, shewing what we ought to doe, and God doth approve and desire on our parts: and the purpose of God to give faith to whom he please, and not to all men, is no cause of any mans unbeliefe, either efficient or deficient. ”

“ And seeing every one may impose a Law to the act depending upon his own free will and pleasure, he that prayeth for another, and he that admitteth the paiment of one thing for another, may covenant, that remission shall follow presently, or after a certaine time, purely or upon condition. And this was the will and pleasure of Christ making satisfaction, and of God admitting satisfaction, and this the Covenant, that God should pardon sin, not presently in the very time of Christs passion, but when man is turned unto God by true faith in Christ, humbly intreating pardon. ”

“ He must be one with us in the fellowship of our nature, passions, infirmities and temptations, that so he might the more readily suffer for us, who in so many things suffered with us: and one with God the Father in his divine nature, that so by the vertue of his sufferings and resurrection he might be able both to satisfie justice, to justifie our persons, to sanctifie our nature, to purifie and perfume our services, to raise our dead bodies, and to present us to his Father a glorious Church without spot or wrinkle. ”

“ Jerusalem was laid wast and desolate, the Temple burnt with fire, the Princes led captive and made tributary, the aged were despised, the young men made slaves and bond men, maidens defloured, and children dashed against the walles. They were slaine with the sword, burnt up with famine, languished through oppression, misery and sorrow, had in contempt and derision daily, but there was none to pittie or comfort them. ”

“ For the love of sin is abandoned, the heart is framed to self-deniall, which it hath not by nature, but by grace: and sinne will have no pleasure to lodge in that heart where it is thus pursued. But true goodnesse is lovely in all men, because it proceeds from God, conformeth a man after the image of God, and inableth to the obedience of his commandment: and whose heart is right with God, he cannot but rejoyce to see his name glorified by whomsoever. ”

“ Religion for substance was ever one and unchangeable, and such as were truly religious walked in the same way, and waited for the same heavenly Inheritance and everlasting crowne of glory. The Church before Christ may be considered as an heire, or as an Infant, according to the substance of the Covenant, or according to the manner of administration. In the first respect the Church is under the Covenant or Promise, and her people are called a free and willing people, an heire of heavenly and spirituall blessings. ”

“ Not want of Faith, who now have that faith which Abraham, and many of them had: No want of efficacie in Christ, he was the Lambe slaine from the beginning of the world, he was yesterday, to day, and for ever; his death was effectuall to cause them to find pardon, and the Spirit of Sanctification. Not any priviledge of Christ: for not simply to ascend into Heaven was Christs priviledge, but to ascend soule and body, as heire of all things, and the Authour of Salvation to all that obey him. ”

“ And withall when we take our selves tardy, in an holy indignation to take revenge of our selves, judging and condemning our selves before God. The very thinking of the after reckonings we must come unto, when we have done our work, will make us take heed how we doe it. The remembrance of the losse and punishment they shall sustaine, whose works are not perfect before the Lord, will stirre up respect to every Commandment. ”