for all and the propitiation for the sins of the whole World it beseems every Christian rather to explain in what sense Christ dyed for all men than flatly to deny it And let me add those words of Bishop Usher Distinguish between the satisfaction of Christ absolutely considered and the application of the same unto every one in particular The former was once done for all the other is still in doing the one brings with it sufficiency abundant to discharge the whole debt the other adds unto it efficacy The Universality of the satisfaction derogates nothing from the special grace neither the speciality of the one abateth the generality of the other The Lord give us a right understanding of his mind and will and bless this work of the Author both to Ministers and their People that the common Salvation may not be narrowed or lessen'd that Coming Souls may not be discouraged and that the Gospel of Salvation which we Preach may be Tydings of Joy to all People and then I shall not repent my part in the Publication thereof June 18. 1694. JOSEPH READ OF Universal Redemption Chap. 1. The General Question Whether Christ Died for All Men and not only for the Elect Aff. THough according to the Order of our Disputations I must directly Affirm or Deny and indeed may safely Affirm as the Question is thus generally put yet that it may be understood in what sense I affirm it it is necessary that those ambiguities be removed which in some of the terms do cloud the sense and that the nature of the Subject be somewhat opened And indeed it is a clear Explication that is most necessary in this Controversie that we may not as is here usual fight in the dark and trouble our selves with unuseful Argumentations on an ill stated question and in dubious terms not knowing each others mind if well our own Who is meant by Christ we are all agreed and who by Men and that therefore we extend not the Question to Angels though that with some be a great dispute whether Christ dyed not in some sort for them By his Dying we mean His whole Humiliation of which his Death is so principal a part that as the Scripture takes most notice of it so must we Amesius thinketh that the Assumption of the Human Nature is no part of this Humiliation his reason is because it was an Act of the Sole Deity And the Godhead cannot suffer But I think we need not be of that Opinion For 1. The Holy Ghost seems to me to contradict it making it part of Christs Humiliation To make himself of no Reputation and take upon him the form of a Servant and be made in the likeness of Men when he was in the form of God and equal with God Phil. 2. 6 7. 2. And though the Godhead cannot suffer the Loss of any Real Good or suffer any Pain yet in a Relative Sense he may be said to suffer while he is disesteemed and dishonoured Mans Obedience addeth nothing to him nor can it properly be said to do Good to God yet is it in Bonum Dei Reputavitè as Aquin. speaks It is Good and due to God from us and when we deny it him we deprive him of his due Gods Glory is dear to him or else Divines would not so use to affirm it his Sole End which saying yet needs Caution And as Relative and Reputative he enjoyeth and delighteth in his Honour and our Praises as good so Relative and Reputative he suffereth when he is Dishonoured And so the Condescention was so great indeed to the astonishment of Angels and Men that it may well be taken for part of Christs Suffering that â—â—od should by assuming so mean a Nature become Man It is the point that so surpasseth Human Reason and seemeth so improbable to it that it puts Faith harder to it and consequently ennobleth it more than any other in the World which occasioned the whole Moral work of Faith containing divers Physical Acts to be all entitled or denominated hence by the name of Belief So that I am readier to think that the Eclipsing of the Glory of the Godhead in so strange a Condescention and Humility not only in his Assumption of the Human Nature but in the Life and Death of Christ was the greatest part of his Sufferings And am so far from thinking that the Godhead did not Suffer that I think its Sufferings were the chiefest for merit though in a Natural Sense it be uncapable of suffering But a greater Ambiguity lieth in the Word All. All is taken sometime limitedly and improperly for the multitude or very many as in Mat. 2. 3. and 3. 5. Mar. 1. 32 33. Acts 5. 12. c. 2. Sometime properly according to the different subjects Sometime it is spoken of All kinds only as of All Ages Sexes Estates Degrees Nations Conditions of Men Sometime of All Persons and then if it be All in proper speech we need not expect that Every one should be added for All Persons and Every Person are equivalent And though our Question be of All in this last proper sense yet principally as contradistinguished from the Elect only And I had rather far so take it here as referring only to those that have heard the Gospel Not that I doubt at all of Christs Dying for every Man so far as we shall anon explain But 1. Because the case is more clearly opened in Scripture 2. And much more concerneth us to know How God dealeth with those to whom Christ is revealed than with those to whom he is not revealed God speaks both little and more darkly of the State of those to whom he speaks not seeing it concerneth us not to know his Counsels about others so much as about our selves Those therefore who in all disputes on this Question do still insist on the Case of Infants and Pagans to whom Christ was never revealed to prove that he Dyed not for All do plainly shew that they seek not the clearing of the point and manifestation of the truth but the Obscuring of it It being the usual trick of men that are at a loss and can carry on their Cause no farther to argue presently à minus noto ad obscurum ab obscuriore that so they may carry the business into a mist which will not endure the light and so may bring their Antagonists to grope the weakest having the most disadvantage in the dark If it had much concerned us to know on what terms the Indians are judged that never heard of Christ the Scripture would have said more of it and not have fitted the description of the Judicial process wholly or almost wholly to the state of those that have heard the Gospel Mat. 25. 2. Thes 1. 6 7 8 c. So that I desire to handle this Question now as it concerneth all those that have heard the Gospel knowing no great use but some hurt that may be in the extending it farther
Law But c. Ergo c. Prob. Min. that the Law knoweth no other satisfaction but fulfilling Argu. 1. Satisfaction strictly as distinct from fulfilling is Redditio aequivalentis But the Law as continuing the same cannot commute or substitute the aequivalens vel tantundem for the Idem or proper Debt 2. It is essential to the Law to constitute the Debitum vel officij vel Poenae But it constitutes not the Debitum alterius speciei vel tantidem else it should confound the ipsum debitum with the aequivalens The Law never imposed it on Christ to satisfie for our sins This was the obligation of his own Sponsion 3. Satisfaction which is the giving of the value for the proper Debt implyeth a relaxation of the Law to its acceptance But the Law cannot relax it self Ergo c. 4. To admit of satisfaction is the Act of the Lawgiver or Rector as he is above Law therefore it is no act of the Law As to make a Law to pardon an Offender to abrogate a Law c. are acts of one above the Law so is the relaxing of the Law in pardoning the Sinner and taking Christs sufferings for ours Can any obligation dissolve or remit it self 5. If the Law did neither threaten Christ in the first enacting of it nor hath power to change it self since by assuming another sense then Christs sufferings were neither a fulfilling nor satisfaction to the Law At verum prius Ergâ— If the name of Christ were put into the threatning after the Law was made then the Law was changed and so is not the same and it could not change it self Indeed if another for you pay a Debt the Bond is satisfied because it was the ipsum debitum But if another will bear the Death that you deserve the Law that threatens you is not satisfied nor fulfilled But the Law-giver is satisfied and the ends of the Law attained But here note that this relaxation and non fulfilling of the Law is not total and absolute nor such as derogateth at all from the honour of the Law or Lawgiver but it is a relaxation upon such terms as preserve both fully the full weight of the threatned Punishment being born or undertaken by the Son of God before God would relax his Law 6. To this and the two former together I add If the Laws Commination be fulfilled or if Christ suffered the same that was threatned or if we satisfied fully in Christ then we are not by that Law obliged to obedience during this Life But the consequent is false Ergo c. The reason of the consequence is this The Law obligeth aut ad obedientiam aut ad poenam disjunctively pro eodem tempore and not ad obedientiam ad poenam Now Christ hath satisfied for our sin not only against the Law of Works by Adam but against all Laws of Nature or Grace since except the non performance of the condition of the new Covenant and this to our Death So that if we have in Christ fully satisfied the threatning for all sin in this Life then we cannot be bound by the Precept after such satisfaction till after this Life be ended To say we are not obliged to the same Ends is no answer For that Law can oblige us to no ends which is fulfilled already and which did never oblige but aut ad obedientiam aut poenam propter obedientiae defectum CHAP. VII Prop. IV. It was not only the Sins of the Elect but of all even Elect and Non-elect which were the pro-causa meritoria of Christs sufferings Or it was not only the Sufferings Due to the Sins of the Elect but of all which Christ did undergo And accordingly hath made satisfaction for all IT is necessary that we speak of the efficient Causes of Christs Death before we handle the Effects And therefore we must consider quorum loco he Dyed before we consider how far they shall partake of the Benefits Here it must be remembred that we have already proved that Christ did not represent our Persons in satisfying but yet he bore our sins that is the penalty due to them and so did in a larger sence suffer nostro loco or nostri loco not as our Delegate or proper â—â—carius but as a voluntary Sponsor and so substitute in suffering Also understand that Christs sufferings had no real proper meritorious Cause But yet Mans sins were the pro-causa meritoria He undertook to bear that suffering which for them was due to us not to him And therefore when I say he bore the sufferings due to us I mean it materialiter only such sufferings for kind and weight he bore but his obligation to bear them was only from his own Sponsion and not the Law The Law by constituting the Dueness of punishment to us was the occasion of his suffering it but not the obliging cause I add that accordingly he hath satisfied for all For this will not be denyed if the first be proved For he satisfied by suffering what the Sinner deserved And in whose stead soever he suffered for them he satisfied Now I shall think it meet to stand the longer on this point because the decision of the main Question Whether Christ dyed for all men dependeth mainly on it For the strictest sence in which he is said to die for men is to die in their stead or to Die for their Sins as the procuring Cause on his own undertaking Yield this once and we shall much easilier agree on the second Part Pro quorum beneficio or what the benefits be which Christ hath procured to all At least no man will think it unmeet to say that Christ died for all men if we can prove that he dyed for the sins and in the stead of all and satisfied Gods Justice for all And if he dyed for them it is certain that he satisfied for them as is said because God doth neither require nor accept the Death of his Righteous Son but as it is necssary to the satisfaction of his justice for Sin Lastly remember that I put the word all as contradistinct from the Elect pleading specially against them that would confine Christs satisfaction only to the Elect Not that I doubt of Christs sufferings for all in the utmost universality but I think it far safer to dispute it as to all that hear the Gospel For God hath plainlier shewed us how he dealeth with these than the rest and it is not fair nor profitable to carry the disputation into the obscurest part to lose it rather than determine it And if any agree with me in this that I prove That Christ satisfied for all that hear the Gospel I will not trouble them with disputing it about the rest but willingly let them enjoy their opinion though contrary to mine as judging it to be to us of far lesser moment My Arguments shall be first from the scope of Scripture Doctrine and 2. From some particular Texts
Christs Dying for one man cannot procure these great benefits to another It cannot have causality as to such an effect God doth not forgive Thomas because Christ Dyed for Peter 2. A non necessitate There was a necessity of Christs Death as is before proved to the procuring of this pardon But there was no necessity for procuring pardon to one man that Christ should Die for another therefore the necessity was that he Dyed for the person himself 3. If Christs Death were not necessary to the conditional pardoning of the Non-elect but that God doth it without Christs Dying for them then it was not necessary for the conditional pardoning of the Elect but God might have done it without Christs Dying for them But the Consequent is â—alse therefore so is the Antecedent The Major is plain in that there is the same reason both as to their Sin and Case and Remission 1. The Sins of the Elect did not differ from â—hose of the Non-elect so as that they more â—eeded a satisfactory Expiation 2 They were both under the same Law â—urse and Wrath of God 3. The Deed of Gift or Promise which reâ—itteth one is the same with that which remitteth the other The Minor is plain for if any â—ould say that without Christs Death God â—ight conditionally have pardoned all Elect and Non-elect but not Actually I Answer 1. Then Christ should Die only to purchase Faith which is false For God doth perform no new act to make the conditional Gift become actual but only the giving of Grace to believe and so perform the condition 2. Then God might have made this new Law and Covenant of Grace Believe and be pardoned and saved or Whosoever will let him take the Water of Life freely without any expiatory Sacrifice or Satisfaction by Christ which 1. So contradicteth it self seeing the thing given is a Dead revived Saviour with his Benefits and therefore it cannot be given which is not 2. And so subverteth Christianity it self that I think I need not spend more words on it Only I add this which is of considerable moment that on the contrary the great necessity and ends of Christs Death are in respect to God as Rector per leges and not as Dominus absolutus or benefactor merè arbitrarius God received no addition of Love or Goodwill nor of Wisdom or Natural Power by Christs Death But he received a Reparation of his honour as Legislator and a Moral Power consisting in Convenientâ— rei efficiendae to pardon sin by making a general act of pardon to all that will accept the Redeemer and his Benefits So that the proper use of Christs Death was to be an Expiatory Sacrifice for Sin offered to God as the offended Rector And therefore the New Law or Covenant of Grace which followeth hereupon giving Christ and Pardon to all that will Receive him must needs be the proper effect of Christs Death Whereas Faith is given rather by God as Dominus Absolutuâ— arbitrarily doing good to his Creature then as Legislator and is said to be purchased by Christs Death but in a more remote sense as shall anon be shewed so that to deny this Conditional Gift Covenant or Promise to be the fruit of Christs satisfaction is to deny a very great part of the fruit of it and tantum non to make Christ to dye in vain The Consequence needs no proof Therefore I pass to the next Arg. II. If God do offer by his Word and Messengers Remission Justification Adoption and Right to Glorification to all Elect and Non-Elect then Christ hath satisfied for all But God doth so offer these to All Ergo c. A Remissione Salute omnibus Oblatis The former Argument was drawn from the Gift and this is drawn from the Offer which though it be inseparable from the former and so implyed in the former Argument yet I shall annex it because of them who deny the Conditional Gift but confess the Offer The Antecedent I think few will question as to All who hear the Gospel and God as Legislator hath done his part in offering it to those that yet â—eâ—er heard it 1. In making the Tenour of the promise or Offer of Universal extent 2. And in Commanding his Officers to go into all the World and Preach the Gospel to every Creature The Consequent is proved thus 1. The Pardon offered is either a Pardon purchased by Christs Satisfaction for them to whom it is offered or else procured some other way But there is no other way of procurement Ergo c. 1. Not without Christs Blood as is proved 2. Not by Christ's Blood as shed for others as is proved Object But it is by his Blood as shed for all that will Believe Ans 1. Believing is not the Condition of Christs Dying for us but of our participation of the benefits thereby purchased not of the Impetration but of part of the Application Christ never said If men or this man will Believe I will dye for them But If thou Believe thou shalt be justified and saved by him that hath died for thee Belief is not presupposed as the Qualification of the subject for whom Christ must dye but is required after and given freely to his chosen for the further Application of his Death 2. His dying for them that will Believe was either for certain determinate persons who should Believe or else without a determination of the persons If the latter only then he died certainly for none If the former then his dying for one man would not procure pardon for another 2. God doth not offer that which he cannot give for his offer is a gift on condition of Acceptance and we must not dare to charge God with illusory or ludicrous actions But God cannot give Pardon and Justification and Right to Salvation to any sinful man for whom Christ never satisfied When I say God cannot I mean not that he cannot for want of Power but because of his Wisdom Goodness and Justice He cannot being Rector of the World do that which is so Inconvenient and such a Monster in Government and so destructive to the ends of his Government All grant that quoad potentiam ordinatam now he cannot that is He will not If God may give these to one man yea to All the Non-Elect to whom they are offered without Christs satisfaction procuring them then he may do so by all but that is not true Ergo c. Object But iâ— men will Believe God Can and Will give them what he offers Answ This Objection supposeth the Believing of that person for whom Christ died not or else it changeth the subject of the question For the Question now is Whether God can give Pardon to a Man for whom Christ hath not satisfyed And it is hereby answered that He can if that man Believe To which I reply that he cannot or will not supposing that such a Man should believe For it is Christs Death that is
to desert And of those that hear the Gospel this is undenyable and I think it is certainly true of all others So that it is perishing in reference to a Gospel Judgment at the Mediators Bar that we mean and specicially in a comparative sence And by cause I mean the Reason of their perishing to be alledged So that if you ask seeing all are equally condemned by the Law of works and mercy hath found out a Remedy what is the reason that this man is condemned at the Redeemers Bar when that is acquit Or that this Man Judas is not delivered and saved as well as that Peter Is it because Christ Dyed only for one or that one only believed and the other refused Christ Here according to the Doctrine which denyeth Universal Satisfaction it must be said that either the only or the principal reason that men perish when others are saved is for want of an expiatory sacrifice or satisfaction for their Sin i. e. because they had no Redeemer when others had or no Christ to Die for them But this is contrary to the Scripture The consequence is evident that it is more principally the want of a Saviour or satisfaction then the want of Faith that is the reason of their perishing if Christ satisfied not for them 1. Because satisfaction is prerequisite to the efficacy or usefulness of Faith Sed non è contra 2. Satisfaction hath the greatest work to do and is the greatest cause And faith hath a far and a lower work and is a lesser cause or indeed no cause at all but a meer condition 3. God could not fitly save Sinners without satisfaction But he could if he had pleased have saved them for that satisfaction without a personal Faith as he doth Infants and as he saved the Church before Christs Incarnation without that Faith which now justifieth viz. Believing that this Jesus is the Christ and without believing in any Articles of our Creed If two Men be mortally sick and one be healed and the other not because one had a costly Cordial and the other had none prepared for him but only a nonimal offer without the thing though this Man refuse that nominal or feigned offer yet the chief cause why he was not healed was the want of the medicament rather then his refusal And for the Minor its plain through the whole New Testament that the cause of Mens perishing is not for want of an expiatory Sacrifice but for want of Faith to receive the Redeemer and his benefits Mat. 23. 37. How oft would I have gathered thee c. ye would not Isa 5. 4. What could have been done more to my Vineyard c. Mat. 24. 4. 5. Tell them which are bidden behold I have prepared my dinner My Oxen and Fatlings are killed and all things are ready Come unto the Marriage But they made light of it c. verse 8. The Wedding is ready but they which were bidden were not worthy i. e. There is no want on Christs Part his Sacrifice and satisfaction is sufficient But they lost the benefits for want of believing Mat. 25. 1. 2. All the Virgins might have been accepted at the Marriage if their own sloath had not shut out the foolish verse 14. All the Servants had Talents mercies purchased by Christs Death but it was not well using them that condemned one Men treade under Foot the Blood of the Covenant wherewith they were sanctified And deny the Lord that bought them Mens destruction is of themselves But in God through Christ is their help All the Scripture shews this that Men perish for their rejecting a Redeemer and not for want of the Price of Redemption For quoad pretium Christ hath taken away the Sins of the World Arg. 9th A Sufficientià pretii pro omnibus If Christ died for all Men quoad sufficientiam pretii then he hath satisfied for all But he died for all Men quoad sufficientiam pretii Ergo c. The Minor is maintained by the generality of our Ancienter Protestant Divines who use ordinarily this distinction to solve the doubt whether Christ died for all viz. he died for all sufficiently and for the Elect only effectually And indeed this one distinction rightly understood and this answer thence fitted is most full and apt for the resolution of the question The Schoolmen go the same way The consequence of the Major proposition is acknowledged by our late most rigid Anti-Arminians who on that reason do deny the Minor For our new Divines have utterly forsaken the old common opinion and in stead of saying that Christ died for all Men sufficienter They will not so much as say that His Death was sufficiens pretium pro omnibus But only that It is sufficient to have been a price for all For all our former Divines and the most of these times so far as I can discern who acknowledg that Christ died for all Men quoad sufficientiam pretii and for the Elect quoad efficaciam they say the same and as much as I and therefore I need not say much more to them For Christ cannot dye for Men sufficienter and yet not die for them at all or not satisfie for them I may well take up with this one argument If Christs Death be a sufficient price for all then it is a Price for all But Christs Death is by their confession a sufficient Price for all Therefore it is a Price for all Here understand that it is first in order of nature a Sacrifice expiatory or a satisfaction before it is meritorious of further benefits or is a Price for them Had it not been to satisfie Justice God would have been so far from taking his Sons Death for meritorious that he would have been utterly displeased in it For he delighteth not in the Death of him that dieth how much less of the innocent and lest of all of his only Son Note here also in what sence we say Christs Death is sufficient and in what sence it is called effectual There is a double effect of Christs Death and so a double efficacy and so a double sufficiency to those effects The first effect is to be a satisfaction to the offended Justice of God and a demonstration of his legal Justice The sufficiency to this effect was in the dignity of the Person and greatness of the suffering supposing Gods voluntary Acceptation of it instead of the Sinners own suffering The efficacy immediately followed the suffering Yea it went long before it upon the undertaking and the acceptation as in Moral Causes it is not unusual The 2d sort of effects are more remote even the actual good of the Sinner Of these some are general and common as the freeing of all Men from that necessity of perishing which lay on them by the Curse of the first Law as it stood without remedy c. And so Christs Death is sufficient for all and effectual too Some fruits of his Death are
special and follow the performance of the condition imposed on us Faith and Repentance such are Pardon Justification Adoption Sanctification Glorification These being the main effects of Christs Death which Scripture most frequently mentioneth and to which the rest are but general preparatives therefore our Divines use to call these peculiarly Redemption and the Effects of Christ Death and they say his Death is effectual when these effects are produced And so I conclude that as to the first effect of satisfaction to God Christs Death is both sufficient and effectual for all Or else he could not be said to die for all quoad sufficienciam pretii For it is impossible that Christ should intend it as a Price and make it a sufficient Price and yet that God should not accept it as such Seeing Christ is God and the will of the Father and the Son is one And the like I say of the General Common benefits And as for the great particular special benefits of Pardon and Sanctification and Glory I say Christs Death is sufficient for all but effectual only for the Elect. And this must needs be the meaning of our forementioned Divines For the sufficiency to Justification and Salvation containeth the efficacy and effect in point of satisfaction But our new more rigid Divines will make me more work And therefore to them I must forme my Argument otherwise or else they will say I beg the question With them therefore I argue thus If Christs Death be sufficient for all then Christ satisfied for all But Christs Death is sufficient for all Ergo c. In these terms they use to acknowledg the Minor proposition themselves And as to the several effects 1. They frequently say that Christs Death is sufficient for the Pardon and Salvation of all Men in the World if they will believe Where the Words if they will believe must needs be referred to the effect Pardon and Salvation and not to sufficient For Mans belief addeth not to the sufficiency of Christs Death Nor will Faith make it sufficient if it were not so before The sufficiency goes before Faith But that which is sufficient to justifie men shall not actually do it till Men believe 2. They say that Christs Death is sufficient ut esset pretium pro omnibus to have been a Price for all But then they say that it is not sufficiens pretium a sufficient price for all because no price for all Now I shall prove that both their concessions do warrant my consequence and 1. That If Christs Death be sufficient for the Pardon of all if they would believe then he hath satisfied for all and it was all Mens Sins that procured his punishment and which he bore on the Cross Or that Christs Death is insufficient to the Pardon of any one for whom he hath not satisfied 1. That which hath not satisfied offended Majesty is not sufficient to the pardon of Mans Sin though he should believe But Christs Death As these Men say Hath not satisfied the offended Majestie Therefore it is not sufficient c. He that denieth the consequence must hold that Sin may be pardoned without Christs satisfaction 2. That which leaveth the great impediment of Mens Remission unremoved and not removeable by Faith is not sufficient to the Pardon of Men though they should believe But Christs Death if it be not suffered for Men oâ— have not satisfied for their Sin doth leave the great impediment of remission unremoved and not removable by Faith Therefore it is not sufficient to the pardon of these Men though they should believe The impediment I mean is in a word all that which did necessitate or require satisfaction That Faith cannot satisfie God instead of Christs Death is undeniable Nor yet can it make that satisfaction or be mine that was never made for me There is neither in the nature of Faith nor in the Office which God hath appointed it any sufficiency to be instead of a Redeemer or satisfaction And therefore it is not merely nor chiefly for want of faith that such would perish but through the insufficiency of Christs Death If they shall still say that it is not to be supposed that the Non-redeemed should believe I Answer Do not they suppose it themselves when they say that the Death of Christ is sufficient for the Pardon and Salvation of all Men if they would believe 3. That which leaveth the strongest Faith supposing it were both without ground and use or profit is not sufficient to remission or Salvation though Men should believe But so doth Christs Death if it be not suffered for Men and have not satisfied for them Ergo c. 1. If all the Faith in Christ that is in all Men in the World were confined to one Man it would not do the least good to his Justification or Salvation if Christ have not satisfied for him as is already proved 2. Nay indeed such a Faith would be but an ungrounded fancy or presumption To expect pardon from a satisfaction that was never made for me is a vain expectation 4. If Christs Death have no more conducibility or virtue for any Mens remission and Salvation then if he had never died at all then it is not sufficient to Pardon those Men if they will believe But if Christ hath not satisfied for Men his Death hath no more conducibility or vertue for the Remission of those Mens Sins or for their Salvation then if he had never died at all Therefore his Death is not sufficient to the Pardon or Salvation of those Men though they should believe The Major is clear The Minor is proved in that satisfaction is the first and great effect of Christs Death and where that is not made there is nothing done by it that can any way Conduce to the Remission of Sin And if that satisfaction be not already made it never will be for there is no more Sacrifice for Sin So that methinks I may confidently conclude that they deny the Sufficiency of Christs Death for the Pardon of all Mens Sins though they should believe who say he did not suffer and satisfie for all And that this is unsound Doctrine I will now prove only by their Judgments who are the owners of it 1. Mr. Owen of Redemption Lib. 4. c. 1. Page 173. saith The maintaining and declaring of this dignity worth preciousness and infinite value of the Blood and Death of Jesus Christ is doubtless especially to be considered And every opinion that doth but seemingly clash against it is exceedingly prejudiced at least deservedly suspected yea presently to be rejected by Christians if upon search it be found so do â—â— really and indeed as that which is injurious and Derogatory to the merit and honour of Jesus Christ The Scripture also to this purpose is exceeding full and frequent in setting forth the Excellency and Dignity of his Death and Sacrifice c. And Page 174. But its true worth consists in the immediate
were Enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son much more being reconciled we shall be saved by his life John 11. 51 52. That Jesus should dye for that Nation and not for that Nation only but that also he should gather together in one the Children of God that were scattered abroad Mat. 1. 21. for he shall save his People from their Sins Joh. 15. 13. Greater Love hath no man than this that a man to lay down his life for his friends 1 John 3. 16. Hereby perceive we the love of God because he laid down his life for us Rom. 8. 34. who is he that condemneth It is Christ that dyed yea rather c. 1 Pet. 3. 18. Christ hath once suffered for Sin the just for the â—njust that he might bring us to God 1 Pet. 1. 18 19. knowing that you are not redeemed with corruptible things as Silver and Gold from your vain conversation received by Tradition from your Fathers but with the precious blood of Jesus Christ 1 Pet. 2. 29. He bore our sins on the Tree that me being dead to sin should live to Righteousness Tit. 2. 14. That he might redeem us from all iniquity and purifie to himself a peculiar People zealous of good works Eph. 5. 25 26. Even as Christ loved the Church and gave himself for it that he might present it to himself a glorious Church not having spot or wrinkle c. Isa 53. 11. By his knowledge shall my righteous Servant justifie many for he shall bear their iniquities John 17. 2. Thou hast given him power over all flesh that he should give Eternal Life to as many as thou hast given him Mat. 7. 23. Depart from me I never knew you c. Heb. 9. 28. Christ was once offered to bear the Sins of many c. Heb. 10. 14. For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified Psal 16 9. Their drink offerings of blood will I not offer nor take up their name into my lips Gen. 3. 15. The Seed of the Woman shall break the Serpents head and his seed bruise her heel Mat. 11. 25. I thank thee O Father Lord of Heaven and Earth because thoâ— hast hid these things from the Wise and Prudent and hast revealed them to Babes Eph. 1. 7. In whom we have Redemption through his blood the forgiveness of sins 2 Cor. 5. 21. For he made him to be sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him These are all the Texts that at present I can remember or find used by those that write against Universal Redemption which have any considerable shew of a proof of all which there is not one that excludeth the Non-Elect nor any in the World from being the Persons for whom Christ dyed as we shall see when we come to review them more particularly Nor is there any ill consequence following the Doctrine of Universal Satisfaction but all that terrifies men from it is seeming ill Consequences for want of right understanding it most men think who go that way that Universal Redemption is inconsistent with absolute Election and with special differencing Grace and with Christs special intention of calling and saving his Chosen whereas indeed it is so far from being inconsistent that it is necessarily concomitant and supposed and they may as well think that Universal Creation is inconsistent with Election and special grace Indeed God hath in admirable wisdom laid Universal Grace as a ground work and built special grace as to the executive part thereupon and to deny the Universal Common grace is to destroy the ground-work of special grace If this were well understood there would few sober Divines be against Universal Redemption and therefore I still say that it is a clear explication that must do more here and is more needful than argumentation Yet because some do so importunately call for Arguments I have given these Thirty and might add many more and shall now proceed to those that are drawn from particular Texts of Scriptures having first laid down one or two more general considerations from the Scripture Language in this particular That Election and Redemption are not of the same extent and not all Elected that are Redeemed but Redemption is Universal and Election special may be strongly evinced by comparing together the language of the Scripture concerning one and the other how differently it speaks 1. We find God charging Men to give all diligence to make sure their Calling and Election 2 Pet. 1. 10. But not one word in all the Scripture to command or perswade Men to make sure that they are redeemed unless we meant it not of the price but the fruits Paul saith to his Converts 2 Cor. 13. 5. Examine your selves whether you be in the Faith know ye not your own selves that Jesus Christ is in you except ye be Reprobates But he never bid any man examine thy self whether thou be redeemed or whether Christ dyed for thee or whether thou be one of those for whom Christ dyed we have marks given in Scripture to know by whether we are the Children of God or no whether sanctified justified pardoned or no but never a mark laid down in Scripture to know by whether we are of those that Christ dyed for no more than there is to know whether we are of those that God Created And would not the perfect holy word of God have given marks of this or bid men make sure of this and try it if it were needful and were not unquestionable because universal 2. We find the Saints as David complaining of God's hiding his face and seeming their Enemy and writing bitter things against them and groaning under that burthen of Sin and crying for Pardon and saying God had forsaken and forgotten them c. But we never find any Man good or bad that believed Gods word to be true to doubt whether Christ dyed for him or whether he were Redeemed or complaining of his danger for want of a Redeemer or Expiatory Sacrifice 3. We find God ordinarily saying of Christ Jesus that he is the Saviour of the World and came not to condemn the World but to save the World and took away the sins of the World and is a propitiation for the fins of the whole World and dyed for all tasted death for every man and was a ransom for all c. But we have no one word in Scripture that saith he predestinated all to Salvation or decreed to save the whole World Nay the very term of Election contradicteth Universality for it is no chusing if it be all and if some be not left 4. We find Wicked Men condemned and their sin aggravated for denying the Lord that bought them 2 Pet. 2. 1. But never for denying the Lord that Elected them 5. We find Christians by the Apostles warned that they destroy not their weak Brethren for whom Christ dyed and saying through thy
all Unbelievers in their own damnation Christ did by his Sufferings only pay as it were that which is a valuable consideration for the non-execution of the Law as to all that will perform the conditions of the Gospel or New Law Obj. Did not Christ bear the Curse of the Law for us that he might Redeem them that were under the Law Answ Yes he bore the Curse of the Law Materially that is that Cursed Death which the Law threatned But he bore it not ex formali Legis obligatione sed tantum ex obligatione sponsionis propriae precepti paterni The Law obliged us to punishment but it never obliged Christ to Punishment only its obliging us to it was the occasion of Christs Obligation because it occasioned him to Oblige himself by his own voluntary sponsion that he might free us But still it was only his own sponsion that obliged him together with that peculiar will of his Father that he should undertake and discharge our debt so that you see the Law is but once executed even on the Damned as to full execution for mans mortality and sufferings here are a small part of the Execution which Christ saw it not meet to take off And so the ipsum Debitum is paid but once Christs Sufferings being not solutio ejusdem sed satisfactio i. e. solutio aequivalentis alias indebiti 2. Nay consider further that the equivalency lay not in the proportion of Punishment pain or loss equal to that which was due to all or to the Elect but in the sufficient aptitude of that Degree or Punishment which Christ bore becoming a publick spectacle of shame for the demonstration of Justice c. from the exceeding Dignity of the person to be a means to Gods obtaining the remote ends of his Law viz. the demonstration of Justice and right governing the Creature and preserving the Authority of the Lawgiver though the nearest ends of that Law were not attained viz. the personal obedience of man and for want of that his personal suffering Many Learned Divines have written largeiy to prove that Christ did not properly suffer the pains of Hell on his Soul I will not meddle much with that question But doubtless it was a very great part of our punishment which Christ was uncapable of undergoing much less may any dare to affirm that his Sufferings Materially were as great as All the Sufferings of All that he died for should have been The Death due to us was Temporal Spiritual and Eternal The Temporal Death is so much the least that many Divines will not be persuaded that it hath now to the Godly any nature of Punishment but is only materially a suffering The Spiritual Death so far as it consisted in the loss of Gods Image and privation of Holiness and Dominion of Sin and Slavery to Satan Christ bore not at all Nor yet as it lay in any Torments or Gripes of Conscience which are the fruits only of personal proper guilt in the remembrance of the Folly or Wilfulness or Negligence or Unkindness or the like Evils manifested in Sinning Christ had no sin of his own to look on to torment him and other mens Sins could not procure to him the gripes of a Guilty Conscience Nor yet was his Soul or Body so deprived of Gods Love as are the wicked nor so hated by God nor at all disunited from God For upon the loss of Union with God and Spiritual Communion with him would have followed the loss of Grace and depravation of the Soul and prevalency of sin nor yet were any of Christs sufferings Eternal Yet did he endure that debasedness and publick shame and that forsaking of God by the denial of Spiritual Comforts and by giving him up to the Will of his Enemies and by an inward sense of Gods displeasure in trouble of Soul which was a full satisfaction to Justice or a Sacrifice sufficient for God to do what he did upon the reception of it But you see that quoad Materiale poenae there was much difference between Christs Sufferings and the Damneds in Hell 3. Consider Christs sufferings being not solutio ipsius Debiti but satisfactio as is before explained therefore it was solutio recusabilis God might have chosen to accept it and there must intercede as it were a new agreement for its acceptance Now God did accept it and Christ suffer it only on these terms that none should for all that have the Pardon of his sins till he accepted Christ as his Lord Redeemer and Repented of his sins and this is the true reason why Christs Satisfaction is no hinderance to the punishment of those that reject him and his favours 4. The Satisfaction of Christ is sufficient and perfect ad suum finem to all its own ends but not ad omnem finem to every use and end and it was not its use and end to acquit ipso facto any sinner but only to acquit all on condition of Repenting and Believing it being also the full intent of God to give that condition to all his Elect as shall be anon opened Some very Wise Godly and Learned men that I have spoke with wish that the Word Satisfaction had been never here used but instead of it the terms of an Expiatory or Propitiatory Sacrifice because the last is the Scripture phrase and the first is not But yet Satisfaction is no such unfit term but that it may well be used though still Scripture phrase I confess is better 5. As Christ hath satisfied the Father so the Father hath satisfied Christ in the larger sense i. e. he hath fulfilled his desire It was not man himself that satisfied but Christ for man nor did Christ satisfie in our person as a delegate pays a Debt in the Debtors name so as in Law-sense Civiliter it is the Debtor himself that pays it For then it should have been Solutio not Satisfactio There being no Vicarius Poenae allowed by the Law it is indeed impossible for such a solution to be made For it should be the Idem and not the Idem quod debetur quia non naturaliter per eundem and consequently not civiliter per eundem Yet a satisfaction may be made by suffering alterius loco and so Christ did But as Christ suffered in his own person viz. Sponsoris and not our selves so the effect that he desired was that he might himself be the first Recipient of the fruits of that satisfaction in that sense as he is capable of receiving them that he might be the Head and the publick Treasury of all the Mercy procured by his Death and being made Lord of all might give them out to whom and when and how he pleased and in special that he might make a general Deed of Gift of himself and Pardon and Salvation to All that would accept it and might send forth the Spirit and Word to bring in men to himself in what measure he please and in particular
should do him good is hard to discern 3. If we had a Promise that sin and all should work for the best then we had no evil to fear nor avoid nor pray against nor lament but that is not true 4. Such a Promise would be a dangerous encouragement to sin if every Christian knew by promise before hand that how much soever they sinn'd it should be better for them than if they had not sinned 5. The good of a Christian lyeth in the enjoyment of God by knowledge love joy c. therefore his want of knowledge love c. is not that which is Promised shall work for the best 6. It is possible for a believer by Revolting to decline in Grace and consequently in Happiness else we need not fear declining nor lament it But if sin should all work for the best to them then it were impossible their Happiness could decline for nothing but sin or so much as sin can cause it 7. They that have least improved their Talents and have least Grace shall have least Glory God is enjoyed hereafter in various degrees according to mens various capacities therefore that defect of Grace or that sin here which caused their less degree of Glory did not work for their greater good Yet I confess 1. That God may and oft doth make sin an occasion of good to his People 2. And always brings good out of it to his own Glory But he hath not Promised that every believers sin shall work together for good to him 8. The word working together expresseth a causality and a concausality with God which cannot be ascribed to sin it being at the best but an occasion of good 2. If this Promise were so to be understood it were nothing against what I say And if it do extend to all sufferings as well as those for Christ yet it is not against it For it proves no more but that they are chastisements that shall produce a greater good than the suffering is evil But yet chastisements are punishments and the evil is still evil though it occasion good It is evil in it self or directly it doth us good but by accident Or whatsoever you conclude of chastisements in suffering certainly it is a heavy Punishment when God permitteth his People to sin as he did David Peter c. yet such as Christ hath Died for do suffer this Punishment Again is not Original sin the loss of Gods Image and the pravity of Nature a Punishment for the first sin I mean Gods withdrawing his Grace which is the Antecedent Lastly If all this were nothing as to the Regenerate yet who ever said that God never punisheth any of his Elect while they are Unregenerate Are none of their sins Original or Actual nor any of their sufferings or disunion from Christ and Alienation from God punishments to them It is beyond all dispute I conclude therefore that it is a point of undenyable evidence that God doth actually punish some yea all for whom Christ Died and he doth it justly And therefore it is not injustice to punish men that Christ Died for meerly as if God could not do it lest he punish twice for one sin Object But the great Punishment of everlasting Death would be injustice though lesser be not Answ Degrees here make but a gradual difference If it be therefore injustice to inflict punishment because Christ hath satisfied for the sin then a lesser punishment would be a lesser injustice But God is as uncapable of the least injustice as of the greatest 3. The Third Argument It is no injustice in God to make a Law to those that Christ Died for which threatneth Punishment to them conditionally and commandeth them to fear it and avoid it therefore it is no injustice in God to punish some for whom Christ Died. The Antecedent is doubtless because God doth actually make such Laws as threaten to all both Temporary and Everlasting punishments If it be said that they threaten none but final Unbelievers and Christ Died for none such I answer to omit the begging of the Question in this Objection Gods new Law threatneth Temporal Punishment to those that are not such Unbelievers and Eternal Punishment conditionally to All viz. If they believe not And it threatneth no man but conditionally for the discovery of absolute Non-election and the certainty of the perishing of all the Non-elect is not properly a threatning but a Prediction yet improperly may be called a threatning Even as the discovery of absolute Election and of the certainty of the Salvation of all the Elect is improperly called a Covenant or Promise which is properly a Prediction de eventu only not constitutive of any Right If the whole New Law He that believeth shall be Saved and he that believeth not shall be Damned be made to all Elect as well as others and must be preached or promulgate to every Creature then the comminatory part is made to all Elect as well as others But the Antecedent is true Ergo c. 2. For the Consequence of the Argument I need not say much more than is said already in the first Argument Object But the Elect will all certainly Believe and therefore God cannot justly execute that threatning on them Answ 1. But he may on others for whom Christ satisfied 2. The reason why he cannot on them is not properly because they are satisfied for but because they believe and so are not the proper subjects of the penalty 3. They will certainly believe not meerly or directly because Christ satisfied for them but because God hath chosen them to Faith and Salvation and Christ in Dying for them had a peculiar intent of saving them infallibly and giving them Faith to that end they being given him peculiarly by his Father 4. The Fourth Argument is the same that I have elsewhere handled viz. If it be injurious or unjust to punish the same man for whom Christ Died then it is injurious to some one But it is injurious to no one therefore it is not unjust or injurious at all The Major is evident All injury is an injury to some and so is all injustice injurious to some Object It may be that injustice which is contrary to Vertue or Universal Justice though it be injurious to none Answ That 's not so for that Unrighteousness is injurious to God and perturbeth the order of Nature and is injurious to our selves But this God is not to be conceived as capable of seeing it consisteth in a disconformity to his will And 2. It 's apparent that it is Gods distributive Justice as to men and his commutative Justice as to Christ which is here pleaded by Divines to prove a necessity of the Salvation of all that Christ Died for Let us therefore go to the proof of the Minor Proposition And it is proved thus If Gods punishing the same men that Christ Died for be injustice or injurious then it is either a wrong to God himself or
And as Dr. Ames saith in the place before cited Anti-Bellarm it is to the work of Grace as Creation is to the work of Nature And therefore as none can deny but the Non-Elect have common grace as Conditional Pardon Illumination the Holy Ghost c. else how do they turn grace into wantonness so none can well deny but they have it from the general Fountain of Redemption Let us then consider what is the proper use of satisfaction as such and what it was that made satisfaction necessary And it is evident that it was the justice of God Creator as Rector according to the Law of Works and the misery of Man that haâ— offended God by the breach of that Law and was become liable to the Penalty which he could not bear without his everlasting undoing These made satisfaction necessary God's Justice required that either the Sinner must perisâ— or satisfaction by an Expiatory Sacrifice must bâ— made by which the remote and main ends â—â— the violated Law might be as well attained â— by the Sinners Damnation they would have been so that it was the death which was become due to Mankind which required the death of Christ their Sacrifice as on Man's part and God's Justice which would not remit sin but on a valuable consideration for the demonstration of its self and of God's Holiness which required it on God's part so that you see that on our part which required a Sacrifice was guilt that is obligation to everlasting punishment And it doth not belong to the satisfier as such to see that the guilt be actually done away quoad eventum or that the Damnation be actually escaped but that a sufficient Sacrifice or satisfaction be given on consideration whereof Remission and Salvation may be given on the terms as the Legislators and Redeemers Wisdom shall appoint How Christ doth give out this Pardon we shall shew you anon de quadruplici Remissione so that it is apparent that the want of the act or habit of Faith or the want of the Holy Ghost to effect Faith is not the thing that required satisfaction to God's Justice directly but that Faith is only a remote effect of this satisfaction and such an effect as hath no such Natural Connection with this Cause but that the Cause materially may be and oft is without that effect in many and the effect might have been without that cause from another if God had so pleased To manifest this that it is not want of Faith that required satisfaction as such and that satisfaction may be made for those that shall never believe observe these things 1. That Man's Suffering is not a thing pleasing to God in and for it self but for its end viz. The Demonstration of Justice and Right Governing of the World God professeth that he hath no pleasure in the death of a Sinner Ezek. 18. nor in the death of him that dyeth Ezek. 33. but rather that he repent and live Much less hath he pleasure in the death of the innocent and least of all in the death of his own Son God is not blood-thirsty who abhorreth the blood-thirsty man 2 It is not therefore for Christ's Sufferings as in themselves considered that God doth give men either Faith or any Mercy God doth not sell his mercies for blood as if he would give the World Remission of Sins on condition he might put his Son to so much torment And therefore Faith is not the immediate effect of Christ's death in sensu morali It comes not from his death as death or suffering nor may it without Blasphemy be conceived that ever God made such an agreement with his Son as to give Faith to Men meerly on Condition that Christ would suffer death without first considering somewhat else that required that suffering and something that put a value upon it 3. So that the thing which did require Christs Suffering was as is said before the obligation to punishment called guilt on mans part and vindictive justice on God's part Unbelief as Unbelief did not necessarily require it but the guilt of unbelief or any other sin did require it if ever it be pardonable 4. So that the following effects of Christ's death do all presuppose the satisfaction of Justice and hence Christs death becomes so pleasing to God not as death but as satisfaction and so a means fitted to the attainment of his ends And because this means so pleaseth him he esteemeth Christs satisfaction meritorious of further benefits joyned with his meritorious obedience upon which estimation and his own will called the Covenant with Christ he annexeth further benefits thereto For the end why he satisfied his justice by the Sacrifice of his Son was that he might honourably wisely and justly give out the following benefits which he giveth out hereupon So that Christs death is as to God first satisfactory and then meritorious of further benefits Now Faith very remotely followeth all this as shall be shewn 5. The thing that God could not do without satisfaction was the remitting of sin and freeing the delinquent from punishment it was not directly nor in its self the bestowing of Faith 6. For I would desire any Judicious Man to consider whether if Christ had by his death satisfied God's justice for mans guilt and had not at all done any more by his death for the meriting of Faith might not God have given man Faith at his own pleasure without the least shew of injustice or any other prohibiting inconvenience though Christ de facto did merit more yet we may well in dispute for searching out the truth separate in our thoughts guilt of sin and want of Faith in Christ and we may suppose that Christ had done no more by his death than to satisfie God's justice for man's guilt by bearing that which was due to man Now I would fain know this being once done why God or the Redeemer might not give Faith to whom he will Is there a further necessity of any new death or suffering to merit Faith for us If there be what is that necessity It is no injustice in God to do it There is no Law standing in the way by which he is obliged to the contrary Perhaps some will object that the same may be said of Pardon and Salvation that there needs no new suffering to merit them if once Justice be satisfied and yet Christ dyed for our Justification and Salvation To which I answer All this is true but then observe the difference separate in your thoughts Remission Justification and Salvation on one side from Faith in Christ on the other side as we by supposition may well do in disputation and you will find that God could not give Remission Justification and Salvation from Punishment without Christ's satisfaction but he could have given Faith in Christ if you will suppose it to go alone without the former benefits without satisfaction I say he could not give the former not by reason of any
this means that Christ intended then Christ came upon an uncertain errand into the World and intended not the certain attainment of Gods glory herein which is unreasonable to imagine So admirably was this design of Redemption laid such a wonderous Mystery is it to Angels and Men that it is apparent God intended infallibly the attaining of his blessed ends thereby And so precious was the blood of Jesus Christ that it is impious to imagine that he had no certain end in the sheding of it or that it might have been lost as to the glory of Gods grace and the Salvation of any persons for any thing that he intended to the contrary Arg. III. What Christ intended from all Eternity that he intended in dying which was yet future but Christ did from all Eternity intend the certain justification and glorification of his Chosen and giving them faith to that end therefore he intended it on the Cross and at his undertaking This Argument divolves the whole Controversie to the point of Predestination where it is plain that it lyeth which because our Divines have fully vindicated I will now pass by Arg. IV. God hath made an ab olute Promise that he will infallibly Convert Pardon and save some viz. his Chosen which he hath not made concerning others therefore he intended the certain Conversion Remission and Salvation of those some and not of others in giving Christ and so did Christ in giving his Life Jer. 31. 33. This is my Covenant c. I will put my Law in their minds and write it in their hearts and I will be their God and they shall be my People So I will take the hard heart out of their body and give them an heart of flesh a new heart one heart c. And I will put my fear into their hearts that they shall not depart from me Such Promises are not to all nor Conditional If they are what is the Condition Now what God Promiseth â—he Performeth and intended to Perform Arg. V. If Christ intended not the certain Conversion Justification and Glorification of his Chosen more than of others then those in Heaven are no more beholden to his intention or his death than those in Hell nor the Regenerate than the Unregenerate But the Consequent is intollerable therefore so is the Antecedent At least it will follow that they are no more beholden to him for their Faith than they that never had it Arg. VI. Either God Purposed in giving his Son and Christ in dying the certain Salvation and so Conversion of All of None or of Some only Not of All for then All should be Saved Not of None for then either None should be Saved or else they should be Saved without or against Gods Purpose Not against it as will be acknowledged Not without it for 1. He who Saveth them in Time Purposed it from Eternity for he worketh all things after the counsel of his own Will 2. He whose Providence extendeth to the falling of a Sparrow and the cloathing of the Grass doth sure provide and regard the Salvation of Mankind and saveth not man without his own purpose to save him 3. If it be a Performed Act and not a Purposed Act for God to Convert and Save then it would be either an Irrational Act which had no end or else that purpose must be new in him which was not at Christs dying both which are intollerable If they say that he purposed it Conditionally or quantum in se determining nothing Absolutely of the Event I have answered enough to that before Arg. VII Ad hominem The Adversaries grant in effect the substance of our Conclusion for 1. They grant That God Infallibly decreed to Save all that would believe c. 2. That God knew from Eternity who would Believe and who not and that Christ knew this at his undertaking to dye and at his death 3. They grant that he doth not absolutely purpose the saving of any other 4. They grant That as Christ dyed not from Eternity so we are to look on him as undertaking to dye for us and entring upon the Mediatory work not from Eternity upon his meer decree but presently upon Mans fall when the Promise was made for the Relation and Extrinsic a Denomination might then begin tho' no new Act of Gods Will. Lay all this together that God resolved to save all Believers and knew each of them by name that would believe and who would not and intended to save no other than Believers and that after this Christ undertook and performed the satisfaction by his death and I think the main that we plead for is granted as to the Intent of Christ infallibly to justifie and save some determinate Persons only Nor can they deny this with any modesty in consistency with their concessions But then its true that they yield not that he Intended the giving of Faith infallibly and Absolutely to some only because they say he intended not so to give it to any but only offer them sufficient help to believe and leave it to their own wills whether to make it effectual or to frustrate it And withal they say that it was upon the foresight that some would Believe and others not that he intended the Salvation of some determinate Persons and condemnation of others But having spoke to this already I only now add 1. Yet still this grants that Christ dyed with a special intent of saving those determinate Persons and them only tho' they suppose this Intent to be upon a foresight of their own Faith or Unbelief 2. I demand whether God could not without wrong to any of his Attributes have caused those to Believe whom he foresaw would be Unbelievers and so having decreed to cause them to believe as well as others have foreseen that they would Believe They that dare say God could not have given any such Unbeliever Grace to Believe infallibly do most audaciously abuse Gods power goodness and wisdom 3. And doth not God do more for Peter than for Judas for the Elect than the Reprobate antecedently to their Faith all the Arminians are not bold enough to deny it 4. Arminius himself grants that after the abuse and rejecting of grace God gives up some as Pharaoh Ahab c. to fill up the measure of their sin and penally forsakes them and I think they will grant that some others as bad are not so forsaken nor given up but Converted as Manasseh And if God shew this undeserved Mercy to a Manasseh which he denyeth to a Pharaoh is it not his free grace that makes Manasseh to differ And if God may do so in one why not in others Lastly The Schoolmen and most Papists will acknowledge that Christ dyed for all men as to the sufficiency of his death and for some men only efficiently that is to effect some mens Salvation And doth not this grant that he dyed not for all alike and that he had a special intent of Saving
Universal Redemption OF Mankind BY THE Lord Jesus Christ Stated and Cleared by the late Learned Mr. Richard Baxter Whereunto is added a short Account of Special Redemption by the same Author 2 Cor. 5. 14 15. For the love of Christ constraineth us because we thus judge that if one dyed for all then were all dead and that he dyed for all that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves but unto him which dyed for them and â—ose again Mors Christi in Sacra Scripturâ— proponitur ut Universale remedium omnibus singulis hominibus exordinatione Dei naturà rei ad salutem applicabile Davenant de morte Christi LONDON Printed for John Salusbury at the Rising-Sun in Cornhill 1694. THE Epistle Dedicatory To the Honoured Thomas Foley Paul Foley Phillip Foley and William Jolliff Esquires Worthy Sirs MY particular Relation to your Honoured Father my Worthy Patron and Benefactor as also to Mr. Baxter the Author of these ensuing Disputations whom I cannot but own as a Spiritual Father to me and the best Friend I had in the World gives me occasion to prefix your Names to this Book Not to flatter you though I truly honour you for your Faithfulness Courage and Constancy in asserting the Rights of Religion and Property in opposition to the prophane and mercenary designs of such as appeared against them but that by their Example I may invite you to go on in filling up the measure of your Fathers Vertues and in following the Counsels of such a Minister of Christ whose gifts and graces gave him the preeminence amongst his Suffering Brethren and made him more than a Bishop even of the first Magnitude to the Inferiour Clergy Your Father is dead long since and Mr. Baxter is dead also But the Memory of the Just is blessed whereas the name of the Wicked shall rot The Righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance We cannot easily forget such Persons whose good works and great labours for publick good have left them a Name better than of Sons and Daughters A numerous Posterity is a great Blessing a Holy Seed much greater that the Blessing upon both accounts may be entailed upon you and yours to many Generations is the hearty desire of Yours in the Service of Christ JOSEPH READ READER June 27. 1694. HAving been assured from Mr. Baxter himself both by word and writeing that he had given this his Treatise in Manuscript of Universal Redemption c. to Mr. Joseph Read the now Publisher thereof and having seen some of the Manuscript it self whilst it was printing off and knowing it to be Mr. Baxter's own hand writing I do at Mr. Read's request assure thee that this is the Treatise upon that Subject which hath been so long desired and expected by the World from the Author thereof Mr. R. B. And I cannot doubt but that an Impartial and observant Reading thereof will quickly discover that acumen of judgment which will evince it to be his Thine in the best of Bonds and Services MAT. SYLVESTER To the READER IT is necessary that I give some Account how these Disputations with many others came to my hands and of their Publication Being sent to Cambridge by Mr. Baxter be was pleased at my return from thence to receive me into his Family and to make use of me as his Assistant at my first entrance into the Ministry Anno 1657. in Kidderminster the place of my Birth Some of the first work he put me upon was to transcribe these Papers of Redemption which he designed for the Press The Ministers of Worcestershire and Neighbourhood thereabouts who usually attended on his Thursday Lecture and heard these Disputations at their Monthly Meeting were generally desirous to have them Printed Mr. B. had long since raised their expectation thereof by declaring his intention of it in Print At last though long first viz. July 17. 1691. he gave them to me signifying his willingness to have them Printed If any Person question whether he wrote and fitted these Sheets for the Press I shall readily satisfie him by producing the Original of his own hand writing as well as the Copy thereof wrote by me at least 38 years since If these Disputations of Redemption find acceptance which I see no cause to doubt of I shall be thereby incouraged to Print the rest or such of them as may be thought most useful It was a great word of Bishop Wilkins that Mr. Baxter had cultivated every Subject he handled read this Subject of Redemption and judge whether there be not cause to say so of it if he had lived in the Primitive times he had been one of the Fathers of the Church And again It was enough saith he for one Age to produce such a Person as Mr. Baxter But his works praise him much more than the Tongues or Pens of the greatest Doctors or best of Men can do There is therefore no need of Letters of Recommendation to set forth the excellence of this Work or the Praises of the Author thereof Let it suffice to assure the Reader that this Disputation of Universal Redemption was composed by him in the strength of his day about the 40th year of his Age when the opposition of the Learned of differing Opinions had sharpen'd his Pen and made him critically exact in considering what he intended for the Press That which I earnestly desire is that young Ministers and especially all Candidates for the Ministry would put on humbleness of mind and set themselves at the feet of this Great Man as Learners and then through the Divine Blessing I doubt not but their profiting will appear unto all men And let those of different Judgment from him but remember that Mr. Baxter now dead is as much above their clamorous censures as while living he was their Superiour in his Gifts and Graces Had the one or the other but known Mr. Baxter as well as others of his familiar Friends his Works would be highly valued by them or at least his unspotted Holiness and great Charity would so far have conciliated their minds and engaged their affections as to love and honour his memory and imitate his Life which we impatiently wait for an account of from another band being now ready for the Press May every Minister but have that Book when Printed and lay aside prejudice so far at least as calmly to read it and then I may with confidence expect not only that humble Learners but the greatest Scholars will be as desirous of acquaintance with his Works as ever Usher Gataker Vines and many others of the best of men were admirers of his Personal worth and desirous of his Converse and Company If any shall be so far dissatisfied with the Title and Subject of the Book as to throw it aside I only desire they would seriously think of those words p. 286. When God saith so expresly that Christ dyed for all and tasted death for every man and is the Ransom
in our dispute yet with those that are contentious and will needs insist on the supposed advantage which the state of Indians and other Pagans and their Infants do afford them I shall though unwillingly proceed further rather than prejudice the Truth But the greatest Ambiguity in our Question is in the term For. This proposition here may admit of divers Senses Sometime Christ is said to Die For our Sins Sometimes To Die For us When he is said to Die For our Sins it may be understood 1. Either for our Sins as the pro Meritorious procuring Cause of his Suffering through his own undertaking to bear what they deserved Or if any think it fitter to call them the Occasion than the Meritorious Cause they may And so to Die For our Sins is to Die through the Desert of our Sins 2. Or else he may be said to Die For our Sins Finalitèr as Sin is part of the Evil which he intended through death to free us from And so to Die For Sin is To Die against Sin As when we say This Medicine is good For such a Disease we mean it is good against it When Christ is said to Die For us it may be meant either 1. Subjectivè that he Died Loco nosiro of which more anon 2. Or Finaliter And that two ways 1. Either as we are to be his own in propriety and so 1. To be a means to his own glory 2. Or his Propriety a means to our further good And thus he dyeth For Men by way of purchase as a Man gives a Price For a Slave or Condemned Malefactor for I will not say as we buy a Beast in the Market seeing that is only for our selves and not for the good of the Beast 2. Or else more directly as we are the Finis Cui of those benefits which by his Death he procureth And so Dying For us is either taken generally respecting our selves generally considered as the Objects of his love As one Friend or Lover is said to Die for the sake of another in several Cases as in fighting for him or other way of signifying or testifying Love So generally considered Christ Died nostri gratiâ 2. Or in reference to the special Benefits which by his Death he procured for us Which Benefits might be variously considered either 1. As to be offered or to be enjoyed 2. Either quoad possibilitatem vel quoad futuritionem possessionis 3. Quoad rem ipsam vel quoad Jus ad rem with divers other Considerations which I will pass by lest by needless distinguishing I should rather obscure the point than clear it Only before I can go any farther I must needs lay down a few Distinctions which are of great moment and necessity for the right understanding of this matter 1. And first and above all we must both distinguish between the divers Effects or Ends of Christs Death and rightly consider the Reason and the Order of each of them For to know only in general that Christ dyed for us is so far from being a sufficient knowledge for a Divine that it is not sufficient to denominate a man a Christian seeing it saith no more of Christ than may be said of Stephen Peter Paul or one another For we must if called to it die for one another saith John 1 Epist 3. 16. Yet I confess the right ordering of this whole work in our Conceivings is a matter of great difficulty though of great moment At the present time will permit me only to give you this brief Account of my thoughts herein I Consider 1. What Christ did 2. Why he did it 1. That which he did was 1. In sensu Naturali to Suffer and Die 2. In sensu Legali vel Morali It was 1. In General to be Punished 2. In Special it was A voluntary bearing in the person of a Mediator in the stead of fallen Mankind that punishment in weight which for their Sin the Law of works Obliged them to bear Or to speak in the Scripture phrase which it were well if men had been contented with it is the offering himself a Sacrifice for Sin and so to take them away as a Ransom for Attonement and Propitiation 2. Why Christ did this must be answered from the Efficient and Final Causes In general Gods will is the Principal Efficient and Ultimate Final Cause of this and all things More particularly 1. God was the Author or first Cause in committing this work to his Son and sending him to do it 2. Gods Mercy and Compassion speaking after the manner of Men was the Impulsive Cause 3. Mans misery was the Occasion 4. Mans sin was another occasion as being loco Causae Meritoriae for properly there was no Meritorious Cause 5. The Laws Curse or Obligation was another occasion as being Miseriae Causa removenda 6. Christs Voluntary Sponsion or Consent was the Moral Obliging Cause supplying the place both of a Meritorious and of a Legal Obliging Cause 7. Christ himself was the Voluntary Patient 8. God himself was the Principal moral Efficient so far as it had rationem boni For he cannot be a morally deficient Cause nor an Efficient of Punishment so far as it hath in it rationem veri mali 9. Satan was the Principal Author of it as it was Evil. 10. Wicked men were the Instruments 2. And for the Ends there is two ways of discerning and expressing them The 1. is according to Gods order of Intention The 2. accordding to His Order of Attainment and Execution 1. The former is less fit for our observation both because we are utterly uncertain whether it be fully and wholly revealed seeing God may have End◠which he judgeth not fit to communicate to us and where it is not revealed either 1. By Scripture or 2. By Event it is impossible we should know it 2. And because when we do see Events yet we are so vastly distant from God and exceeding strange to his unconceivable unexpressible Nature that we know not what hath the place of an End and what of a means in the Divine Intention farther than He hath told us Nor know what Gods intention is the term being properly appliable only to Creatures and no term of Human Language in strict propriety appliable to the Nature of God But this much the Scripture Revealeth to us 1. That in the sense as God may be said to have an end Gods proper ultimate end is himself He made all things for himself and can have no lower end than himself But how himself is his end is hard to open If we say his Being as such is his End or that his Essential Glory is his End we do but darken the matter and lose our selves For neither Redemption nor any other work can either cause conserve or add to that Being and Glory If we say His Glory in the Esteem of the Creature is his utmost End we suppose him to have an End Infinitely below himself If you say that
Revelation of his will 2. This Revelation of Gods will de Debito we call his Law This therefore is the second thing which I call Gods will de debito or his Legislative will that is the Law as it is signum voluntatis Divinae that is formally as a Law This I call Gods will de Debito only Metonymically as it is the sign of his will before expressed If the proper will of God were separated from this it would then be no producer of Dueness or Right at all for it would be no Law no signum it would lose its Nature as Abrogated Laws do Also observe that you must here carefully distinguish between Gods Act in making a Law and the Moral Act of that Law or of his will by that Law when it is made I call not Legislation it self God 's will de Debito or his Legislative will His ordaining the sign it self or making the Law which is his instrument is an Act of his will de rerum Eventu vel Naturae For it only maketh that instrument or sign by which Right shall be after produced but doth not directly thereby produce that Right But it is the signification and Moral Act of that Law which floweth from its Nature which doth produce Right and which we here intend The Scribe that writes a Statute and the Sovereign himself in composing the Matter Order and Terms doth but make that Signum or Instrument which being made doth therefore Institute Right because it signifieth the Sovereigns will to institute it So much for the explication of my meaning in this Distinction 2. Next I shall say somewhat to prove the soundness of it which is therefore necessary because some ignorant persons laugh at it as if we feigned two wills in God and one of them contrary to the other Otherwise to men of understanding it is not very needful And therefore I shall say but this briefly It is not two Wills in God as two distinct Essences or Faculties that I assert but only two distinct Acts Distinct I say in regard of their distinct products or Effects and so to mans apprehension though in God we say there is no diversity or distinction Yet as we cannot hansomely conceive of his will to save Peter and his will to damn Judas as one act having such different Effects so it is here Who knows not that Naturality and Morality Physicks and Ethicks Event and Right are different things and consequently we may and must distinguish of Gods willing them accordingly When a Man saith You shall do this preceptively he doth only say It shall be your duty to do it but saith not that eventually you shall do it Nor are his words false if you never do it He that saith prophetically or by prognostication you shall do this means that it shall so come to pass and if it do not his words are false But he doth not say It is or shall be your Duty 12. Accordingly we must distinguish between the antecedent and consequent Acts and Will of Christ as Ruler of Mankind For the understanding of which and avoiding mistakes observe 1. That we speak not now of Eternal Decrees but of the will of Christ in this Relation as he is the Ruler of the World and Church and as he is the conveyer of his mercies according to and by his Covenant and as he judgeth the World according thereunto 2. That by his Antecedent will and acts we mean only that which in his Government is Antecedent to Mans Obedience or Disobedience which is principally Legislation and and making his new Covenant and also the giving of Preachers and other acts which are the first part of his Administration And by his consequent Acts and Will we mean only that second part of Government which findeth Man Obedient or Disobedient and is commonly called Judgment and Execution And when we say that by his Antecedent Acts and Will Christ giveth Pardon Justification and Right to Glory equally to all we mean that as Legislator and Promiser he hath antecedently made an Universal Act of Oblivion or Deed of Gift Conditionally Pardoning c. all and no farther than Conditionally Pardoning any And when we say that he consequently justifieth and saveth none but true Christians and in that Sence dyed for no other according to his consequent will we mean that as Judge of Mankind he will give Justification and Salvation to Believers and to no others nor ever intended to do otherwise Let the Reader know that the foresaid Scheme of the Effects of Christs Death is more accurately and yet more briefly done in my Methodus Theologiae And therefore let him that disliketh the Number or Order of Distributions pass it by But I have not time to reform it here CHAP. III. Explicatory Conclusions Proposition I. CHRIST Died nullius loco so as strictly and properly and fully to represent Mens Persons as if in sensu Legali vel Civili they themselves did suffer and satisfie Prop. II. Christ Died loco nostro so as to bear that Suffering partly for kind and wholly for weight which our sins deserved and we should have born Prop. III. Christ's Dying in our stead is in order of Nature before his procuring us Benefits by his Death as the means necessary thereto Prop. IV. Christ dyed not for any Mans final non-performance of the conditions of the Law of Grace Prop. V. Christ did not bear for any the proper punishment threatned by the New Law as such nor taketh off its Actual proper obligation from any Prop. VI. Christs Obedience was a perfect fulfilling of the preceptive part of that Law whose actual obligation he submitted himself to Prop. VII Christs sufferings were not a fulfilling of the Laws commination as obliging us nor was it fulfilled but relaxed to us by a pardon Prop. VIII Christs sufferings were a satisfaction or Redditio aequivalentis non ejusdem for our not fulfilling the Precept and the Fathers not fulfilling the Threatning upon us or our not bearing the penalty Prop. IX Christs satisfaction was not made to the Law properly but to the Law-giver for the transgression of the Law Prop. X. The Law as binding us was the great Occasion of Christs Death and Loco-causa Obligatoriae But not the Obligatory Cause it self Prop. XI Christs own Sponsion and his Fathers will were the only proper obligations Prop. XII Christ satisfied God most properly as Legislator or Rector per legem operum and not without respect to his Law His satisfaction was for the obtaining the principal ends of the Law Prop. XIII Christ suffered in our stead that we might not suffer but he did not in proper sence obey in our stead that we might not obey but for our sakes and benefit and that we might obey Prop. XIV All mens sins equally were the occasion or Loco causae meritoriae of Christs sufferings except the fore excepted sins Prop. XV. Christ in suffering bore the punishment antecedently due to all Mankind
equally and not the punishment due only to some and so dyed Loco omnium aequaliter in regard of his suffering and their sin the cause Prop. XVI The purchasing meritorious Virtue of Christs Death and all the rest of the effects which follow thereupon do presuppose the satisfactory Virtue as the very ground of all and without which Christs Death would have been unacceptable to God as having only Rationem mali or at least would have been but a pattern of Patience as suffered from men Prop. XVII Christ did not purchase further benefits Loco nostro though he suffered Punishment Loco nostro Prop. XVIII God was not well pleased with Man no not the Elect nor did he acquit or justifie them when he proclaimeth himself well-pleased in and with his Son as being a perfect accomplisher of his will and when he did acquit and justifie him Prop. XIX All Mankind immediately upon Christs satisfaction are redeemed and Delivered from that Legal necessity of Perishing which they were under not by remitting Sin or Punishment directly to them but by giving up Gods Ius puniendi into the hands of the Redeemer nor by giving any Right directly to them but per meram resultantiam this happy change is made for them in their Relation upon the said remitting of Gods Right and Advantage of Justice against them and they are given up to the Redeemer as their owner and ruler to be dealt with upon terms of mercy which have a tendency to their recovery Prop. XX. In Law-sence or in respect to the Legislative will of God Christ Dyed for all men This will be explained in the following Propositions Prop. XXI Neither the Law whose curse Christ bore nor God as the Legislator to be satisfied did distinguish between men as Elect and Reprobate or as Believers and Unbelievers de presenti vel de futuro and so impose on Christ or require from him satisfaction for the Sins of one sort more than of another but for Mankind in general Prop. XXII Christ hath made satisfaction to God as Legislator and accordingly his Legal Rigorous Justice is satisfied for the Sins of all mankind as they are condemned and were to be judged directly primarily simply by that Law and hath not satisfied the Legislators Justice for some men only as Elect or for one more than another but equally for all Prop. XXIII Christ hath by his Redemption of all obtained a Novum jus Imperii over all and is Rector derivativè Supremus Prop. XXIV As those those that know not God nor his Creation are yet Gods Subjects as Creator and he their Lord So those that know not Christ nor his Redemption are yet his Redeemed and his Subjects as Redeemed and he their Lord-Reedeemer as to his Right and Law and their Obligation Prop. XXV God the Father and Christ the Mediator now dealeth with no man upon the meer rigorous terms of the first Law Obey perfectly and Live else thou shalt Die But giveth to all much Mercy which according to the tenor of that violated Law they could not receive and calleth them to repentance in order to their receiving further mercy offered them And accordingly he will not judge any at last according to the meer Law of works but as they have obeyed or not obeyed his conditions or terms of Grace Prop. XXVI Though God hath been pleased less clearly to acquaint us on what terms he dealeth with those that hear not of Christ yet it being most clear and certain that he dealeth with them on terms of Grace and not on the terms of the rigorous Law of works this general may evince them to be the Mediators Subjects and Redeemed Prop. XXVII The Law of Nature since the fall is part of the Mediators Law by which in part he governeth For it with all things is deliverto him Prop. XXVIII Man without Scripture may find that he is a Sinner and that Sin deserveth Gods wrath and his destruction and in the Creatures and Providences providing for him preserving maintaining delivering him he may find abundance of Mercy which being given to one that deserveth misery must needs evince that it comes from a most gracious disposer and tends to recovery and to further mercy Prop. XXIX Hence all Nations of the World have known themselves Sinners and all Nations have had a Hope of obtaining mercy in the pardon of their sins and thence it is that all who acknowledge a God have had some kind of Religion and expressed it in Sacrifices or Prayers for pardon and mercy which could never have been without the said Hope Prop. XXX Though it be very difficult and not very necessary to know what is the condition prescribed to them that hear not of Christ or on what terms Christ will judge them yet to me it seems to be the Covenant made with Adam Gen. 3. 15. which they are under requiring their taking God to be their only God and Redeemer and so expecting mercy from him and loving him above all as their end and chief good and repenting of Sin and Sincere Obedience according to the Laws promulgate to them to lead them further Prop. XXXI As the rigorous Law of works is so far taken down to all men that they are no longer under its imposed necessity of perfect obedience to salvation so the Mosaical Ceremonial Law is Abrogated totally and so the Obligation destroyed for all that were under it without difference of Elect or Non-Elect Prop. XXXII God the Father and Christ the Mediator hath freely without any prerequisite condition on mans part enacted a Law of Grace of Universal extent in regard of its tenor by which he giveth as by a Deed of Gift Christ himself with all his following benefits which he bestoweth as Benefactor and Legislator and this to all alike without excluding any upon condition they Believe and Accept the Offer Prop. XXXIII By this Law Testament or Covenant All men are Conditionally Pardoned Justified and Reconciled to God already and no man Absolutely nor doth it make a difference nor take notice of any till mens performance or non-peformance of the condition make a difference Prop. XXXIV This Law or Covenant Christ ordaineth Heraulds to Publish and commandeth them to Preach it to every Creature and commandeth every man in his place to publish it without excepting or excluding any from the Priviledge of receiving it Prop. XXXV As a Sovereign is not bound to cause every particular man infallibly to hear of his Laws so he maketh a convenient publick Declaration of them so Christ as Legislator is not bound to provide that every man hear of his Law whom it doth concern Men that by Nature may be convinced that there is a God and how necessary it is to know him and their Duty concerning him and how little they do know of him are bound to make all possible enquiry after the further Revelation of his will though it were by travelling into other Countries Prop. XXXVI When we say God
be a subject is Antecedent to the being of an Obedient or a Rewarded Subject so Christs Antecedent mercies of Redemption extend to more than his consequent mercies do which suppose the performance of the conditions of his Covenant Prop. XLVIII The foundations of Christs Kingdom being first laid in his undertaking Performances Death Resurrection and Legislation or Covenant-making so there are three distinct states of his subjects 1. The Antecedent state Antecedent to any act of their own is to be subditi obligati obliged subjects 2. The mediate state is to be consenting obedient subjects or rebellious and disobedient 3. The consequent state is to be justified rewarded subjects or Condemned Subjects And it will not follow that Christ never brought men into the first condition because he never brought them into the last Prop. XLIX Accordingly the Kingdom of Christ the Mediator in its largest extent containeth all Mankind as redeemed and made his obliged Subjects though most prove Rebells But in a limited sense it containeth only the faithful obedient and justified part of the universal Kingdom Prop. L. It is this second consenting Part of his subjects only who are his Church and are by Baptism engaged to him So that the Kingdom of Christ as Redeemer is larger than his Church and they are not words of the same signification unless when the word Kingdom is taken in the narrow sense Prop. LI. God hath not divided the World into two Parts and put one Part only under the Government of Christ and Governeth the other immediately himself only as meer Creator But Christ is Administrator General over all Mankind Prop. LII They that say that God giveth all the mercies which the ungodly have according to the first Covenant of Innocency must make that Covenant another thing than indeed it was Prop. LIII They that feign God to continue the Covenant of Innocency as to the Promissory Part and to Covern those that are born in sin and misery by that Law which saith Be Innocent and Live do expose Gods Government falsly to reproach Prop. LIV. They that hold that Heathens and Hypocrites are under no Covenant or Law that hath conditional promises do deny a great Part of Gods Government of Mankind and give them more excuse for their neglect of all means for their Salvation than is true or than God will allow of Prop. LV. They that say that all the mercies bestowed on Heathens or Hypocrites are given them without the purchase of Christ by the meer will of God not respecting any reconciler or Propitiation do Sin against the Scripture reasons of Christs Office and undertaking and do open a Gap for the reasonings of them who plead against the necessity of Christs death for the Elect. Prop. LVI Though Christs Dominion over inanimates and Bruits do not prove that he dyed for them Yet his dying for Mankind in general procured his Dominion over them which is joyned with his Empire over the same Persons which he exerciseth by such Laws as have a tendency to their repentance Pardon and Salvation Prop. LVII All this considered It is de nomine a proper Speech much used in Scripture to say that Christ dyed for all Men and is the Saviour of the World and is the Lamb of God that taketh away the Sins of the World and is a propitiation for the Sins of the whole World and tasted Death for every man and that if one Died for all then were all Dead c. Seeing all the foresaid Benefits of his Death are actually given them Some Expository Thesis about the Effects of the Death of Christ Proposition I. THE First and most Immediate Use and Effect of Christs Death was the satisfaction of Gods Justice for mans Violation of his Law Prop. II. It was not the Law it self that Christ satisfied if we speak properly but the Law-giver Though improperly the Law it self may be said to be satisfied when its Ends are attained that is the Ends of the Legislator in giving the Law The Law knows no proper satisfaction To admit of satisfaction instead of fulfilling and execution is beyond the power of the Law and is the act of the Legislator as he is above the Law Prop. III. Christ did not suffer from the Obligation of the Law but from the Obligation of his own Sponsion on occasion of the Laws obliging us to suffer The Law never obliged Christ to Suffer though it did to obedience Prop. IV. Christs sufferings were not a fulfilling of the Laws Threatning though he bore its Curse Materially but a satisfaction for our not fulfilling the Precept and to prevent Gods fulfilling the Threatning on us Prop. V. Christ paid not therefore the Idem but the Tantundem or aequivalens not the very Debt which we owed and the Law required but the Value Else it were not strictly satisfaction which is Redditio aequivalentis And it being improperly called the Paying of a Debt but properly A suffering for the Guilty the Idem is nothing but Supplicium Delinquentis In Criminals Dum alius solvit simul aliud solvitur The Law knoweth no Vicarius Poenae though the Lawmaker may admit it as he is above Law Else there were no place for Pardon if the proper Debt be Paid and the Law not Relaxed but Fulfilled Prop. VI. The Meriting and Purchasing of further Benefits is consequential to the satisfactoriness of Christs Death It would be so far from meriting as it is his meer hurt were it not first necessary for satisfaction that it would be displeasing to God who is merciful and delighteth not in the Blood of the Just Prop. VII Though Christs Death be first satisfactory and next Meritorious of further good Yet hic Obedience is first Meritorious and afterward Satisfactory For it could not Satisfie but by Meriting Prop. VIII Because Punishment is not a Thing Commanded by the Law but Threatued therefore all Obedience properly is active for suspensive is by act of will and the distinction between Christs Active and Passive Obedience must be carefully understood or else it will tend to confound Obedience and Punishment His Passive Obedience is but his Obeying in Submission to suffering where the Consent or Submission is the direct matter of Obedience and not the suffering it self submitted to Prop. IX Christ did Give his Satisfaction directly and strictly not to Man for whom he suffered but to God whom he satisfied Prop. X. Yet he may be said to Give it to men especially in their Union with him and Justification in that he gives them the fruits of it As a Father is said to give his Son a thousand pound that layeth it out in Lands for him Though properly the Seller hath the Mony and the Son the Lands only Prop. XI It was not the Sins of the Elect only but of all Mankind fallen which lay upon Christ satisfying And to assert the contrary injuriously diminisheth the Honour of his Sufferings and hath other desperate ill consequences Prop. XII Christs
satisfaction was made to God as Legislator and Rector Supremus and not â—as Dominus absolutus or meer Proprietary Prop. XIII Christ did neither Obey nor Suffer in any Mans stead by a strict proper Representation of his Person in point of Law so as that the Law should take it as done or suffered by the party himself But only as a third person as a Mediator he voluntarily bore what else the Sinner should have born To assert the contrary specially as to particular persons considered in actual Sin is to overthrow all Scripture Theology and to introduce all Antinomianism to overthrow all possibility of pardon and assert Justification before we Sinned or were Born and to make our selves to have satisfied God Therefore we must not say that Christ dyed nostro loco so as to personate us or Represent our Persons in Law Sence but only to bear what else we must have born Prop. XIV Christ by his Death and so satisfaction to Justice hath purchased to himself a full Propriety in all the Creatures which were under the Curse and so is become Dominus Absolutus of all on a new Title of Redemption as God was before on the Title of Creation Prop. XV. Christ hath hereby purchased also a Supream Rectorship so far as a Derived Power may be called Supream and God as he is Redeemer is properly Supream grounded on his Absolute propriety even as Gods Rectorship as Creator was grounded on his Absolute Propriety as Creator Every man may rule his own according to its Nature and Capacity Prop. XVI Hereupon by actual Rendition all things are Delivered up to Christ both as Proprietary and Rector Prop. XVII As Proprietary or Dominus Christ over-ruleth the World and disposeth of all Events and Beings Naturally as most conduceth to his Redemption Ends. Prop. XVIII As Plenipotent Rector he now Ruleth all inferior Rational Creatures by his Laws as the Universal Lord-Redeemer Prop. XIX Seeing both the Rational Creature and the visible frame of the Creation are delivered up to Christ the Redeemer it must needs follow that the very Law of Nature whether it be in Natura rerum ut signum or in mente humanâ ut principia Cognita is Christs Law And so that those that are ruled by the meer Law of Nature are ruled by Christ so far as they do well Prop. XX. As God is the Ruler as to Title and some Legislation and Judgment of those very Pagans who know him not but deny a Godhead so Christ is so the Ruler of those very Infidels who know him not but deny the Mediator Prop. XXI In giving up all Propriety and Rule to Christ God has not divested himself of any thing save only a Right or as it were an Obligation to punish the pardoned For as Christ is God himself so the Father still Possesseth and Ruleth by the Redeemer As he hath still the Title of Creator so is he in the Son God-Redeemer Prop. XXII Seeing no Man can fulfill the First Law or Covenant and no Man can be saved by a Covenant not kept and Christ Redeemed not Man into absolute liberty to be from under Law and Rule which were Misery to him and not liberty Therefore it hath pleased the Father and Mediator to make to Man a New Law and Covenant suited to his present State of Misery Prop. XXIII The Tenor of this Law is that whosoever will Repent Thankfully and heartily accept Jesus Christ to be his Saviour Teacher King and Head believing him to be the Redeemer and will Love him and God in him above all and obey him sincerely to the Death shall upon his first acceptance be Justified and Adopted and upon his perseverance be justified at Judgment saved from Hell and Glorified And whosoever rejecteth him shall bear the Guilt and punishment of all his Sins against the Law and for his refusal be far sorelier punished Prop. XXIV By this New Law or Covenant Christ hath brought all Men where it is Promulgate under the Duty of receiving him and Life in him And under a Promise of Life if they do receive him and a Threatning of Death if they reject him Prep XXV The tenour of this New Law in all these Parts is Universal extending to all No Man is excepted out of Precept Promise or Threatning whether the Promulgation be Universal or not Prop. XXVI It can hardly be proved that there is any great Part of the World that have not heard of Christ or had some means to have come neerer to the knowledg of him Prop. XXVII All those that have not heard of Christ have yet much Mercy which they receive from him and is the Fruit of his Death According to the well or ill using whereof it seems probable that God will judg them Prop. XXVIII But it is safest to leave the Case of those that never heard of Christ and their Infants as a thing unrevealed or so darkly revealed that God would not have us know any more of it than that our condition is far better than theirs that so we may be thankful Prop. XXIX It is a course to blind and not to inform Men to lay the main stress in the Doctrine of Redemption upon our uncertain conclusions of Gods dealing with such as never heard of Christ Seeing all proof is per notiora And we must reduce points uncertain to the certain and not the certain to the uncertain in our Trial. Prop. XXX Christ may be Ruler de jure and in Part de facto where yet Satan prevaileth and the Sinner shall perish for Rebellion Prop. XXXI In the New Law Christ hath truly given himself with a Conditional Pardon Justification and Conditional Right to Salvation to all Men in the World without Exception Prop. XXXII This Law giveth Christ to no Man in the World by name now nor more then other antecedently to their believing But to all if they will believe Prop. XXXIII It is therefore a proper and true Speech to say that Christ dyed for all especially all that ever heard his Gospel Seeing that in Law sence he did Dye for them in all the forementioned respects As the nature of the Law is to constitute Debitum Dueness so it constitutes to all Men 1. The Dueness of Obedience that they accept Christ offered them 2. The Dueness of the Benefit if they accept him a conditional due 3. And the Dueness of the punishment if they reject him So that in Law Sense Christ dyed for all Prop. XXXIV If Christ were not their Redeemer and his Satisfaction had been no way for them nor a Mercy to them then the Damned should not perish for rejecting their Redeemer nor for refusing the mercy of Redemption Nor their consciences accuse them for it But undoubtedly for this will be their destruction and for this their consciences will accuse them Prop. XXXV It being not the satisfaction it self that is tendered to Sinners but the Fruit of it It cannot by any Minister nor will not
by Christ be offer'd in those Fruits to Men if it were not first given and accepted for them as well as others in Law Sence by God from the Redeemer The Rector or Creditor must first receive the satisfaction before a discharge can be offered to the offendor or Debtor on consideration of that satisfaction made and accepted Much more before Men can be condemned justly for refusing it If the satisfaction were given and accepted for the Elect only it could not in the Benefits which wholly presuppose it be so offered to the Non-Elect and they judged for refusing the benefit of a satisfaction never made for them Prop. XXXVI Christs dying for Men is Antecedent to their believing in him Their believing presupposeth his dying for them His Death saveth them because they believe but he did not die for them because they believe but they must believe because he dyed for them The Act both as performed and commanded here presupposeth the Object The Command therefore of believing presupposeth that Christdyed for Men. Prop. XXXVII No Mans name or Description so as to difference him from others being in the offer and promise conditional but it being made alike to all it will follow that no Man could have any true ground to believe or accept Christ if he knew not that he is one of those to whom he is universally offered and conditionally given and consequently for whom he satisfied Prop. XXXVIII If the condition on which Christ is given to all and Life in him were something of natural proper impossibility or unreasonable or if it were long of Christ that the condition is not performed by them then it were less proper to say that Christ is given them or that he dyed for them in respect to this conditional gift But seeing the condition is nothing of natural proper impossibility nor unreasonable being but their hearty acceptance of Christ as he is offered them and not the least Repensum requital price or repayment and nothing but their own wicked disposition and obstinacy can cause their non-performance so that they may have Christ and Life if they will therefore it is proper to say that Christ is given them and conditional Pardon and Life in him and that Christ therefore dyed for them Prop. XXXIX It is Gods Law or Covenants which constitute the Right or Dueness of obedience rewards and punishments and it is not Election or the meer Decree of God that doth any of these We have no Right to Christ upon Election till the Covenant or Law give us Right Prop. XL. Elect and Non-Elect therefore have equal Right to Christ till believing difference them That is all have a conditional Right and none an actual and absolute Prop. XLI The Covenant berween the Father and Mediator commonly so called gave Christ a full Power to confer pardon and Life but gave not to Men any Right ot Title to the benefits Prop. XLII Nor did that Covenant or promise which God made to fallen mankind of sending a Saviour to Redeem them give this Right actually to these benefits Prop. XLIII Nor doth that promise or Covenant which God hath made of giving a new and soft Heart to the Elect give any Man an actual Right to Remission Justification or Glory No nor to renewing Grace it being but a prediction what God resolveth to do for the saving of some known only to himself and so a discovery of his purpose and not a conferring of Right Or if it were a Promissum vel Donatio in diem sine conditione as some would make it yet it would not give actual Title till the time come Non daâ—â—r actio ante diem in talibus promissis inter homines It is the nature of such gifts that upon the Donors will the Right should be as it were in passing from the Donour to the receiver till that day Et si cessit dies saltem non venit It is not ours in Title till the Day But indeed here is no prefixed day nor proper Gift Prop. XLIV We Must therefore carefully distinguish between these three forementioned Covenants and that universal Law or conditional Covenant of Grace made to all mankind which is it by which Christ ruleth and will judge us And which is his Instrument of conferring Right and so of pardoning Justifying and Adopting us Prop. XLV Christ hath a threefold Kingdom Of one all the World are Subjects these he over-ruleth and partly ruleth to restraint at least by the Law of Nature Of the other the visible Church all professed Christians are members These he ruleth by his Law of Grace and Spirit but differently Of the third which is the Souls of believers only true believers are members These only Christ ruleth to Salvation but the rest also as Redeemer Prop. XLVI When the Schoolmen and our own Divines say that Christ dyed for all quoad sufficientiam pretii but not quoad efficientiam they cannot without absurdity be interpreted to mean that his Death is sufficient for all if it had been a Price for them and not a sufficient Price for them For that were to contradict themselves And so Christ could not be said to dye for Men quoad sufficientiam pretii For it is neither for them nor a Price so considered Prop. XLVII It seems an injurious feigning of Christ to suffer much in vain to say that he paid a Price sufficient for all the World when yet it shall be no way efficient Unless they think that Christs sufferings are no greater for all Men than if he had suffered but for one or few and that minima guttula sanguinis Christ i sufficit ad redimendum mille mundos which our Divines disclaim as a dangerous Error They therefore that think it a making Christ to suffer in vain to say He dyed for some that perish do themselves make him much more to suffer in vain in saying he paid a Price for some which was sufficient for all but shall be no way efficient for them Prop. XLVIII Christs Death is a sufficient Price and satisfaction to God for the Sins of all Mankind The Efficiency of satisfaction passive is it wherein the sufficiency to further uses doth consist But it effecteth actual Remission Justification Adoption Salvation only for Believers This is the plain truth and the Sense of Divines in saying that Christ dyed for all quoad sufficientiam pretii non quoad Efficientiam Prop. XLIX It hath not so much as a shew of Injustice or wrong to any for God to punish unbelievers for the same Sins that Christ died for if we do but understand 1. The difference between suffering by our selves or our delegate substitute or Vicar and a Mediator suffering for us 2. And between solutio ejusdem satisfactio which is Redditio equivalentis and so 3. Between a refusable suffering or payment as the last is which doth acquit but on what terms the accepter pleaseth and not ipso facto and a not refusable payment such
as the first is God accepted the satisfaction on those terms only that no final Rebel should partake of the saving benefit If it be a wrong it is either against Christ or the Sinner Not to the Sinner for he suffereth but once And the former suffering of Christ was not in personation or representation of his person nor as his substitute nor appointed or procured by him But by a third Person in the Person of a Mediator sent by God and voluntarily undertaking it Nor to Christ is it any wrong For 1. He is willing Volenti non fit injuria 2. It was the agreement it should be so 3. Yea it is he that doth it He as Judge condemns them for ingratitude and Rebelling against himself and consequently leaves all the rest of their Sins upon them Prop. L. Nor is it any more absurd that Christ should satisfie for those that were in Hell when he sufferd then that he should do it for those that were in Heaven at his suffering He paid the Price which he had agreed to pay which became effectual upon the agreement and undertaking before the payment And was then offered to Mankind Of whom some suffered for rejecting it as others were saved upon the accepting it even before his death Prop. LI. Nor was Christs Satisfaction for those that perish Vain Seeing it is the ground of his New Title of Lord-redeemer as to Dominion and Rectorship and so the ground of his New Legislation Judgment Administration and Government of the World and will be the occasion of his just destruction of the Rejectors of him even those Rebels that would not have him to Reign over them and of his glory therein Even as Gods Creation and preservation of Men is not to be called Vain or no mercy because he gives not all Men Hearts to repent and so some perish For as Creation laid the ground of the Creators Dominion Rectorship Legislation and Rule and Judgment if the first Covenant had stood in force as it was at first So did Redemption by satisfaction do in respect of the Redeemer and Covenant of Grace Prop. LII All that Christ by the work of Redemption did purchase a propriety in and Dominion over were not Redeemed by him Bruits and Devils are hereby under his Dominion and Devils shall be judged by him But not as Subjects For he procured as Mediator a Dominion over these but as utensils in his House or as Enemies to be restrained ordered and destroyed Therefore Christs judging Devils will not prove that he redeemed them When yet his judging unbelieving Men will prove that he Redeemed them Devils are judged as Enemies but not as Rebels against their Lord-Redeemer But wicked Men are condemned as Rebels against him for ungrateful rejecting a benefit given them If a Country fall into Rebellion and the King sentenceth all to Fire and Sword and the Prince by satisfaction purchase all to himself both Men and Country And send Heralds to proclaim mercy and pardon to all that will accept him and thankfully accknowledg his favour Some accept and some reject him The same Prince destroyeth these Rebels for rebelling And he destroyeth also all the Bears Lyons Wolves and devouring Beasts that annoyed and kill'd his subjects Now will any say that because he appointeth the Wild Beasts to death and yet satisfied not for them nor Redeemed them that therefore he redeemed not the Rebels neither All sayings and writings have different Sences in the same words sometimes according to the difference of the Materia Subjecta Prop. LIII The Doctrine of Universal Redemption thus delivered runs with the whole Scope of Scripture and hath not the least inconveniences when the denial of it contradicteth a multitude of express Texts and bringeth on more desperate consequences than can easily be conceived Prop. LIV. Though Christ dyed equally for all Men in the foresaid Law-Sence as he satisfied the offended Legislator and as giving himself to all alike in the conditional Covenant Yet he never properly intended or purposed the actual justifying and saving of all nor of any but those that come to be justified and saved He did not therefore dye for all nor for any that perish with a Decree or Resolution to save them much less did he dye for all alike as to this intent Prop. LV. All that conditional Pardon with the means of Grace and common Mercies which the Non-elect do actually receive in time were purposed for them before time and intended to them as Fruits of Christs Death and so far even in regard of his Purpose de eventu applicationis Christ may be said to Die for them besides the foresaid satisfaction For God being Rector per Leges deals with men on Law terms and gives Mercies and Executes Justice only according to his Laws He would not so much as relax the Old Law for the pardon of any Sin but by a new Law which is Lex Remedians But the old Law being broken God can shew no mercy now according to its tenour It must be therefore according to the Law of Grace and from it that all men receive their Mercies and consequently from the Blood of that Covenant which is the ground thereof and by which Apostates are said to have been sanctified Heb. 10. Prop. LVI When we say that Christ did Die for men conditionally as to his Death it self and the satisfaction to Justice immediately thence flowing we cannot intend it or truly say so Nor yet as to the granting of his Universal Conditional pardon For Christ absolutely procured all these But we mean it only in regard of Actual Remission Justification and Salvation The Covenant or Promise is indeed Conditional that is there are conditions required on our part to the fulfilling of it that we may have right to the Benefit But no conditions for the granting of it much less for Christs Actual Dying and Satisfying Prop. LVII Though it be disputable whether God have any Decretive will de eventu properly Conditional yet is it beyond all doubt that he hath a Conditional will de Debito and Conditional Laws and it being to God as Legislator that Christ made Satisfaction and it being by Law that the Dueness of Justification and Salvation is conveyed to believers and the Dueness of Punishment to Unbelievers therefore it is very proper to say that Christ by his Death hath purchased Salvation for all Men Conditionally Prop. LVIII Yea it is undoubted that the very Decretive Will of God de Eventu applicationis is Conditional in this sence that Faith and Repentance are Decreed by God to be Conditions of Justification and Salvation but not conditions of Gods act of Decreeing Twisse saith that in this Sense no man denyeth Gods will to be conditional Vid. Consid of Syn. Dort and Arles c. Page 61. And against Cotton Page 74. Prop. LIX Those that dare say that Christ is an imperfect Redeemer if he do not procure Faith it self for every Man that he Dyeth for
with some For they deny that Christ is given conditionally to any Unbeliever Elect or not Elect but only is decreed for the Elect before time and given to Believers in time The Sence is that there is no conditional promise or deed of Gift but all absolute For if it be made only to Men that do believe their first believing cannot be the condition and if it be made on condtion of First believing it is made to Men that do not yet believe But the main Scope of the Gospel proves the Minor by proving the conditional Gift or promise As the Texts even now cited among others Where note to put it out of doubt 1. That the time of Gods enacting this Law or making this Testament Gift or promise was before we were born and therefore before we believed 2. that in its nature it first speaks to unbelievers as its Subject For who will offer a gift to us to be accepted that it may be ours if we have accepted it already Nay how can it be accepted before it is offered And how can we consent to have Christ and so be united to him except he first give himself to us on condition that we will consent 3. Note that the promise is made in most proper conditional terms If thou confess with thy Mouth and believe in thy heart Rom. 10. That whosoever believeth should not perish c. 4. And also note that faith hath here the Definition of a condition agreeing to it i. e. It is an Arbitrary act on which the free Donour hath suspended the efficacy of his Testament or Deed of Gift It is Arbitrary conditions that we have here to speak of which some call Potestative And not casual or mixt So to suspend the effect of the Instrument that hoc posito efficiet donec ponatur non efficiet that upon the doing or not doing the Effect shall follow or not follow and this by the Positive ordination of the Donor is the very essence of a Condition in Law-sence And such â—s Faith And what Divine except Antinomians doth deny Faith to be the Condition And if it be so then the Promise or Conditional Gift must needs be made to Unbelievers that it may become effectual when they believe For it can be no condition in this proper sence if it be past already And therefore it must needs be made to all Unbelievers seeing Scripture limitteth it not to any but speaketh universally Inded it is a very hard questionhow far the promulgation may be said to be Universal and how far not But that is nothing against the Universality of the Tenor of the Law or Gift And the command to the Promulgators is Go into all the World and Preach the Gospel to every Creature Next let us prove the consequence of the Major Proposition and that thus The thing conditionally given is Pardon purchased by Christs Blood shed for the Sinner to whom it is Given Therefore the gift presupposeth the shedding of his Blood for that Sinner The Antecedent hath two branches to be proved 1. That the Pardon conditionally given to all is a pardon purchased by Christs Blood 2. That it is by Christs blood as shed for him to whom that pardon is given For the first there is no Pardon given any other way but by Christs blood shed therefore this is from his Bloodshed 1. If there be Remission which is not purchased by Christs blood shed then there are two distinct ways of Remission one by his blood and another without But the consequent is false Ergo c. 2. If there be a remission without Christs bloodshed then all remission might have been without it But the consequent is false else Christ Dyed needlesly 3. Heb. 9. 22. Without shedding of Blood there is no Remission 4. Heb. 9. 16. For where a Testament is there must also of necessity be the Death of the Testator But this conditional Gift is Christs Testament So ver 15. For this cause he is the Mediator of the new Testament that by means of Death for the Redemption of the Transgressions that were under the first Testament they which are called might receive the promise of Eternal Inheritants viz. all that are externalâ—y called receive the conditional Promise and Believers the thing promised 5. Luke 24. 46 47. It behoved Christ to â—uffer and Rise from the Dead the third day and â—hat Repentance and Remission of Sins should be reached in his name among all Nations c. â—o that even Remission Preached that is offered â—n condition of repentance and Faith presupposeth Christs Death as the Cause 6. In the Institution of his Supper he calleth â—e Cup the New Testament in his Blood that this signifieth my Blood which procureth the â—ew Testament Now none sure dare say that the â—â—omise of Pardon and Life on condition of Beâ—â—ving is not the New Testament either whole or â—â—t 7. And therefore it is called the Blood of the â—venant even to them that tread it under â—â—â—t Heb. 10. 29. and 13. 20. Zech. 9. 11. 8. Justification is by Christs Blood Rom. 5. 9. Being Justified by his Blood But Justification is the Effect of this Conditional Covenant or Gift when the Condition is performed therefore the effect of this Covenant is from Christs blood and consequently the Covenant it self which is an intermediate cause Though there be other sorts of Justification yet that this is one and the first is undenyable 9. Actual Remission to Believers is from Christs Blood Eph. 1. 7. In whom we have Redemption through his Blood the remission of Sins Col. 1. 14. therefore conditional remission to unbelievers is from his Blood The reason of the consequence is that Christ procureth the Effect of Justification or Remission not immediately by his Blood as shed but by procuring the Covenant or Promise as the immediate Cause and the effect by that Cause and it is the same Gift oâ— Covenant which conditionally Justifieth all and actually Justifieth Believers and that without any other â—â—tervening act of God When the condition is performed whose Nature is to suspend the Effect then the effect resulteth from thaâ— same Promise which before did not effect Indeed Christ giveth his Spirit to causé his Own tâ— perform the condition but still the justifying aâ— is by the conditional Covenant If therefore iâ— be the same promise which effectually justifieâ— the Elect and only conditionally justifieth otheâ— and Christs Blood causeth that promise which eâ— fectually justifieth the Elect then his Bloâ—â— caused that promise which conditionally justifieâ— all John 3. 16. God so loved the World that he gâ— his only begotten Son 1. For men on the Crâ—â— 2. To men by the promise that whosoever believe c. So that this conditional grant of Life comes from the giving of Christ to Death And for the second part of the Antecedent viz. That it is from Christs Blood as shed for him to whom the Promise is made And 1. Ab â—nefficacia
under the meer Law of Works as remediless Men are not then examined meerly whether ever they Sinned nor accused meerly as Sinners But the Question will be of that Sin in Specie which consisteth in refusing to repent or believe or abusing that mercy which should have led them to repentance Mat. 25. It is for not improving their Talents which is not the legal reason as the Law of Works is alone or for not loving and cherishing Christ Jesus in his Members It is for not knowing God nor obeying the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ It is true that all their Sins also against the Law shall cause their condemnation for they were never pardoned But that is consequentially because they abused the Grace that should have recovered them and so the Wrath of God abideth on them that would not yield to his means for removing it I no where read that God will make this Rigorous Law alone the Norma Judicii and pass sentence on any meerly on these terms If thou have never Sinned thou shalt be saved else thou shalt be condemned so that if we have no discovery what way or on what terms in special God will judg them that hear not of Christ yet we have a plain discovery of the Negative that he will not deal with them on the forementioned terms of the sole Covenant of Works And consequently for the affirmative we are sure in general that he deals with them upon terms of Grace i. e. Mercy contrary to their desert More of this may be added anon Arg. 5. Ab aequitate novae Legis Credendi Debitum Constituentis The Faith which God requireth of Men to their Justification hath not a feigned or deceiving object But it should have such an object if Christ have not satisfied for all who are commanded to belieâ— ergo c. Or tâ—â—s if Christ have not satisfied for all who are commanded to believe in him to Justification then the Faith commanded them should have a feigned or deceiving object But the Faith commanded them hath not a feigned or deceiving object ergo c. All the proof requisite is of the consequence of the Major Proposition And here we must first know what the justifying Act of Faith is and then what the object must be and then the consequence will manifest it self Divines are not agreed what the justifying Act of Faith is some think it must be but one Act and therefore it must be placed but in one faculty Of these some place it only in the understanding as Camero and many others Some only in the Will as Amesius and some few with him Some and most place it in both faculties and so in divers Acts and that rightly And inded it hath divers Acts in each faculty For as it is more then one particular Truth or exunciation which is the object of Assent and therefore must have divers Acts of Assent so it is in more then one shape and profitable respect that the Goodness of the object is presented to the Will and therefore it must there have several Acts as consent affiance c. Now let us first enquire after the Acts of the understanding where I will meddle with none but what is ordinarily by Divines asserted to be justifying or prerequisite thereto And 1. I will let that pass which Dr. Twiss makes the first Act viz. To believe Gods word to be true For if it be not known what that word is here is no material object of Faith but the formal object alone 2. I will pass over the duty of repenting which Dr. Twiss saith is next required contrary to the usual Doctrine though it is manifest that repentance it self as a means to remission cannot be required but on supposition of satisfaction for Sin The common answer to the Arminians Quicquid tenemur credere verum est c. Is We are all bound to believe that Christ died for all that will believe in him See what Twiss saith against this Answer in Piscator Vindic. de promiss lib. 2. Part 2. Sect. 20. Page 475. Vol. Parv. 1. Men are not supposed first to be believers and then Christ to dye for them nor hath died at random without determining in quorum Loco in whose stead and left it to their Faith to determine afterwards He hath not said either if thou believe I will die for thee Or if thou believe that Death which I have undergone shall be tui loco in thy stead or for thy Sins Mans Sin being the loco causae meritoriae of Christs sufferings it must be determined whose Sins he should suffer for before he suffer For the meritorious cause is before the effect And therefore Christ died for them before they are believers for else how did he procure them grace to believe Not only Davenant hath well cleared this in his dissert de redempt but Twiss ubi super P. 474. could say Neque enim hujus propositionis veritas Christus est Redemptor Noster est veritas consequens fidem nostram Nec ejus falsitas est falsitas consequens infidelitatem nostram sed antecedens Antecedens inquam natura in genere causae moralis nempe meritoriae non autem in genere causae Physicae Quod eo tantum addo quoniam quod est prius natura in genere causae Physicae impossibile est ut sit posterius tempore eo quo prius est natura At quod est prius natura in genere causae moralis meritoriae presertim ex libera Dei constitutione proficiscens potest esse posterius tempore etiam eo quod est prius naturâ 2. There must therefore be some former consideration of those for whom Christ died Antecedent Moraliter to his Death And that can be nothing but for Sinners as such It is therefore for all Sinners or only for some And the Doctrine of those that contradict me is that it was not indeterminately for all that will believe but determinately to these particular Elect Persons that they may believe for whom Christ satisfied Now then according to this Doctrine all Men where the Gospel is preached are bound to believe that Christ satisfied for the Elect to procure them Faith and consequently justification that by so believing themselves may be justified But if they should so believe this Faith would not justifie them for whom Christ Died not so that here is a justifying Faith Commanded without a justifying object as I shall fullier shew anon 2. And whereas Dr. Twiss saith It is only the penitent that are commanded to believe on Christ for justification I Answer 1. Then the Impenitent shall not be condemned for not believing in Christ for justification which is false for the omission is not so much as a Sin much less damning if faith be not commanded them 2. It is nevertheless their duty because other duties as suppose repentance are first to be performed God may constitute many duties at once though they are not to be performed at once
but in order 3. Repentance is a change of the Mind from Sin to God and duty To repent or to turn from unbelief is the same thing with Faith 4. If this repentance which he saith goes before Faith be sincere and saving then sure it is not in an unbeliever and unjustified Man if not how comes it to give them a peculiar Right and occasion their peculiar duty of resting on Christ 5. I shall shew anon that even repentance can be no duty tending to pardon if Christ hath not satisfied for them 3. Others with great confidence say that this is it that all are to believe that there is no other name under Heaven whereby Men must be saved but only by the name of Christ made known in the Gospel and Men perish for not believing the necessity of a Redeemer and that Jesus is the Redeemer Or more fully 1. Men are to repent and believe the Gospel to be the word of God to contain his Will and that Jesus Christ therein revealed is the Wisdom and power of God to Salvation 2. That there is an inseparable connexion between Faith and Salvation by Gods appointment Gospel faith carrying a Sinner quite out of himself and from off his own Righteousness 3. That there be a particular conviction by the Spirit of the necessity of a Redeemer to their Souls in particular whereby they become weary heavy laden and burdened 4. A serious full recumbency and rolling of the Soul upon Christ in the promise of the Gospel as an al-sufficient Saviour able to deliver and save to the utmost them that come to God by him ready able and willing through the pretiousness of his Blood and sufficiency of his Ransome to save every Soul that shall freely give up themselves to him for that end amongst whom he is resolved to be so Mr. Owen Page 304. 305. Sure it is many Acts that are expressed in all these words But 1. As I have said every Man that hears the Gospel is obliged to all these though to be performed in order and not all at once 2. A Judas may believe the necessity of a Redeemer 3. And that Jesus is the Redeemer 4. That there is no other is an exclusion which is necessary to the Faith which justifieth but will not justify it self 5. As to that of repentance I have answered before 6. The Devils believe that Christ is the Wisdom and Power of God to Salvation No Man can believe that Christ hath Power to save him that first believeth not that he hath satisfied for him 7. The Devils may believe truly that there is an inseparable connexion between Faith and Salvation But this is too general a Speech It must be known in what respect and to what use Faith is so connexed to Salvation And what Faith it is No Faith is by God annexed to Salvation but that which supposeth Christ to have satisfied for the believer 8. Judas was convinced of the necessity of a Redeemer and was weary and heavy laden If it be special godly sorrow and hatred of Sin that is meant then such are justified already and therefore were before obliged to believe to justification 9. The recumbency mentioned is an Act of the Will of which we shall speak anon 10. The promise is made to none that Christ died not for For it is a promise of the benefits of his Death 11. Christ is a sufficient Saviour able and willing to save only those that he died for Supposing that he satisfied not for any Man he is not sufficient or willing to save that Man though he should believe How can it be said that by the sufficiency of his Ransome he is able to save them for whom it is no Ransome Indeed the sufficiency of Christs satisfaction is one principal object of that part of Faith which consisteth in Assent But I shall shew anon that if any Man be bound to believe Christs satisfaction sufficient to justifie him for whom it was never paid he is bound to believe an untruth 2. But the main answer given by Dr. Twiss and others is that the object of justifying Faith is not true but good It is Christ whom they are bound to rest upon for Justification and Salvation The truth is here are several Acts of the will requisite The first is consent Christ is offered to all where the Gospel is published and it is their duty to consent to the Offer Now if they should consent it would be an Act meerly frivolous supposing Christ had not satisfied for them For it is certain that he consents not to be the Head and Saviour of any such And Mans consent without Christs would do no good They are commanded therefore according to this Doctrine to do that which if it were done would do no good 2. The next Act is that Affiance which some make the only justifying Act. Now according to this Doctrine this would be to many a vain Act To rest upon Christ to save Men by his Blood which was never shed for them is to rest on an insufficient Ground which would deceive them But according to this Doctrine Men are bound to rest on Christ to save them by his Blood which was never shed for them Therefore according to this Doctrine Men are bound to rest on an insufficient Ground which would deceive them Let none say God knows they will not rest on Christ For we are speaking now but of the Duty God will never make it any Mans duty to rest for Salvation on that Blood that was never shed for him or that satisfaction which was never made for him But because this reacheth but to those that have heard the Gospel the next argument shall reach further Arg. 6th Ab aequitate legis cum sufficientia mediorum in suo genere If Christ hath not satisfied for all then God hath appointed Men to use those means for their recovery and Salvation which would do nothing to recover and save them if they were used But God hath not appointed Men to use such vain and delusory means Ergo c. Here I suppose that God hath appointed to all the World some means which they are to use for their recovery I avoid the Remonstrants extream I say not that all have sufficient means or Grace to believe or to Salvation And I avoid that fouler extream which saith that Heathens are under the meer Law of works as it stands without remedy and have no Means appointed them or helps afforded them towards their recovery I shall after prove that they have much mercy from Christs Blood But now I am to prove that God hath not so left them remediless but that he hath appointed to all Men some means of their recovery And 1. It is apparent they have much of the Light and Law of Nature They have the Book of the Creatures wherein they may read much of God 2. They have teaching providences Mercies and Judgments By these they may know that there is a
God and that he is the governor of the World true Just Merciful c. That we owe him perfect obedience that Sin deserves his wrath By experience they may easily know that they are Sinners and so liable to misery By Gods Judgments Sickness Death c. they may know that God will punish That the Soul is immortal and punishments and rewards are specially in the Life to come most Pagans do acknowledg Gods abundant Mercies to them may acquaint them that he deals not with them in rigorous severity and on terms of meer justice but in mercy And his not executing his Judgments on them according to desert but shewing so much mercy to them is some kind of pardoning them Hence they may see that some way God hath for shewing mercy to the undeserving and for pardoning Sinners without any wrong to the Honour of his Justice and Holiness or to the ends of his Government And hence they may see that they are not certainly help less and remediless nor their condition desperate Though they discover not the meritorious cause they may discern Gods mercy the principal Efficient moving cause Natural self-love bindeth Men in misery to seek out after remedy and to discover what it is and how they may attain it All this the Heathens have manifested to us undeniably in that all ages and Countries of them have confessed Gods being and Soveraignty the Duty of our obeying him and that they were Sinners and deserved his Wrath in this Life and that to come especially for greater Sins and that their condition was not hopeless but Gods mercy had a way to help them and therefore they plyed him with their Prayers and Sacrifices Arg. 1. If those that never heard of Christ are bound to take their case for desperate then they are bound to believe an untruth for Christ may be discovered to them and they saved But c. Ergo c. 2. If they are bound to judge their case remediless then they are bound to contradict the experience of Gods merciful dealing with them which are an actual remedy to part of their misery and may give them hope of more from the same cause if they will seek it But c. Ergo c 3. If they are bound to judge their case remediless or not to judge that there is some remedy then they should not be bound to use any means Praying Repenting sending abroad to enquire after the Remedy in more knowing Countries c. for the attaining Remedy But the consequent is false Ergo c. If a Star appearing brought the wise men so far to seek Christ and if men will travail all over the World for Riches by way of Merchandize How diligently should men that find themselves miserable enquire far and near for a remedy And if it were not their duty to use means for recovery then it is not their Sin that they do not use them But he that dare tell them so let him for I dare not but the contrary I dare tell them 4. If all such men are not bound to judge their case remediable and cureable but hopeless then God should lose all that common honour and service that he hath from them and the World would be as Hell full of nothing but hatred of God and blaspheming him and sinning to the utmost without any self-restraint For he that hath no hope will use no means nor forbear any evil but hate God as his Enemy 5. The Ninevites discerned a remedy and some hope and Repentance and Humiliation was Gods means by which they were actually recovered I am sure from under some of Gods wrath which else would have broke out on them whether from eternal wrath I know not but it s most probable For they believed God Jonah 3. 5. and Repented Mat. 12. 41. Luke 11. 32. Yet there is no intimation that Jonah Preached Christ to them or that they ever heard of him Men therefore that hear not of Christ are bound to use means for remedy And indeed the satisfaction of Christ is of greater necessity to mans Salvation than our knowledge of Christ or Faith in him God can save them that never knew Christ if he will witness the case of Infants and else there were but few saved before Christs coming but morally we may say he cannot save them without Christs satisfaction for their Sin 6. Acts 17. 27. It is the duty of all Pagans To seek the Lord if happly they might feel after him and find him And doubtless this is to seek the recovery of his favour and not to seek it in despair as the Devils 7. Acts 14. 17. Gods giving rain and fruitful seasons and filling mens hearts with food and gladness and doing them good is his witness among them And sure it witnesseth his mercy to them and consequently their duty 8. Rom. 2. 4. The Holy Ghost expresly telleth us that men should know that the forbearance long-suffering and goodness of God leadeth to Repentance that is is a help thereto and manifesteth it to be their duty to Repent And doubtless this Repentance is not a hellish despairing Repentance for Judgments are fitter to move to that than Mercy but a Repentance which is to be used as a means to recovery 9. It is the description of wicked men that they seek not after God Rom. 3. 11. Psal 14. 2 God looks to see if there be any that seeks him 10. Many Texts in the Prophets shew it to be all mens duty to seek the Lord in order to their finding mercy and to deny it is to turn out the remnants of obedience or all seeds of Religion from the World And that God calls them all to Repentance and to that end that they may not Die but escape his wrath and be recovered And that he hath sworn That he hath no pleasure in the Death of him that Dieth but rather that he Repent and Live So that I think it is clear that God appointed even to those that hear not the Gospel certain means toward their Recovery Much more evident is it of all those where the Gospel is preached I say not that he commandeth all the former or any directly to believe in Christ but it must be understood that all men are many degrees distant from Christ before he draweth them effectually to himself Now the Pagans are more degrees from him than professed Christians mostly It is not Christs way to bring men to himself per saltum but by those Degrees of Recovery which are the particular cure of their degrees of distance One wicked man knows of Christ and doth half entertain him but sticks at some pleasing Sin Another knows not that he is miserable by sin nor ever considered how to be recovered nor ever prayed God to shew him a way to escape his wrath nor ever heard of Christ This latter must receive much of Christs mercy before he be brought so near to Christ as the former Christ loved one wicked man
as not being far from the Kingdom of God and some with Agrippa are almost perswaded to be Christians Those that be not come so far must ordinarily by degrees be brought to this before they can go further If you be in a higher room and call your Servants to you you intend they shall come up the stairs step by step and if one be two stories distant from you and another but one the former must go up all the first stairs before he come as near you as the latter is The Gentiles that believed not are further off and more strangers to God than the common Jews were Now God hath not given them that hear not of Christ sufficient means or help to Believe nor hath he given any believer sufficient Grace for Salvation till he saveth him But he prescribeth some means to all men in the World which they are to use to bring them nearer Christ and Faith and to remove impediments As to consider of what the Book of Nature and daily providences teach them of God To study him in his mercies and Judgments To study their own hearts till they find their Sin and misery To use all their interest and utmost endeavours to enquire what remedy God hath revealed to the World To continue in Prayer fasting and Alms deeds as Cornelius did and to break off their Sins by repentance These are their duties And for not doing these in the improvement of their Talents they shall be condemned by Christ the Redeemer at the Bar of grace as opposed to that of Justice according to the sole Law of works And though that belong not to this controversie I doubt not but they have sufficient help which is not effectual to the doing of more in these means then they do and so they will be left unexcusable at Judgment Even as the Ignorant and ungodly where the Gospel is preached have sufficient power which is not effectual through their own wilfulness to hear the word to come into better company and to use more means to get Faith then they do though they have not power or grace sufficient to believe And the duty of hearing c. Goes in order before that of believing All this being thus evinced That God hath prescribed to all Men means of recovery I come to the Argument And for the Minor I think I need not stand to prove it That God hath not appointed Men delusory means which if used according to his appointmennt would not do any thing towards the attainment of the end so apparently is such a conceit injurious to the Wisdom goodness and faithfulness of God And for the Major it seems to me as plain That no means can do any thing to the recovery or Salvation of that Man for whom Christ made not satisfaction by his Death Supposing this means were used never so rightly For 1. The use of all means is but to apply or convey the benefits of Christs Satisfaction Therefore where Christ hath made no satisfaction for a Man there it is impossible that any means should give him to participate of the benefits of his satisfaction At least of Pardon and Salvation 2. Else you make a Saviour of the means or make them more necessary then Christs Satisfaction For if by means that Man may be saved that Christ dyed not for then he is saved without Christs Death And if God might do so by all the Non Elect why not by all the rest If any say It is certain that they will not use the means rightly and therefore will not be saved I answer 1. This shall be anon further considered 2. That is nothing to the matter The question is Why these Men are not saved Whether it be not for want of a right use of the means But according to the Doctrin opposed it is not For no means could save them if they were never so well used 1. No Prayer can be heard if satisfaction be not first made for the Sins of the Petitioner 2. Repentance can be no means but only a Concomitant of desperation if satisfaction for Sin go not before it 3. Faith is but resting for Salvation on one that never redeemed the Person and so cannot save him if satisfaction for that Person go not before it 4. Hope would be wholly ungrounded and deceitful like the hopes of the wicked if there were no satisfaction 5. Love to Christ as our Redeemer and gratitude for satisfaction would be a mistaken Act as being for a mercy never received 6. Nay should the Non-redeemed live as holily as any Saint on Earth yea as innocently as an Angel it would not save him because of the guilt which he hath already contracted So that by this Doctrin all the means which God hath appointed most Men for their pardon and Salvation would be delusory and vain if never so well performed Which is not true nor tollerable Arg. 7th A veritate promissionis fidei conditionalitate If Christ satisfied not for all those to whom God promiseth pardon and Life on condition of believing then God maketh promises which he would not nor could he fulfill though the condition were performed But the consequent is false Therefore so is the Antecedent There is nothing here requires any proof but the consequence of the Major proposition And that is proved thus God would not nor could give pardon and Life to any Man for whom Christ hath not satisfied Therefore the consequence is good 1. Else God should give pardon and Life without a Redeemer Which he will not 2. And he should do that which in the Judgment of most Divines he cannot do Not through impotence but because of the inconvenience and unfitness of the thing For though he can alter the nature of the Creatures and so make that to be fit which now is unfit yet stante rerum naturâ he cannot make those things fit which ex natura rei are unfit Nor can God do that which is unfit And if it had not been unfit for the supream Rector of the World to pardon Mans Sin without satisfaction God would not so dearly have satisfied his own justice Yea all say that quoad potentiam ordinatam God would not forgive Sin without satisfaction whatsoever he might have done quoad potentiam absolutam Now how gross is it for any Man to imagine that God should make so solemn a promise in form of a Law of Grace that he will pardon and save Men if they will believe when if they could and should believe he neither would nor could pardon or save them for want of satisfaction to his Justice Yea that he should require his Ministers so importunately and unweariedly to intreat Men in his name to believe and be reconciled to him and to tell them from him Man by Man If thou wilt believe thou shalt be saved When yet if he did believe he should not be saved Object But if he should believe then he is one that Christ satisfied for and
effects products and Issues of it with what in its own nature it is fit and able to do Is it not therefore strange that this Author should Page 175. 176 say 1. That this fulness and sufficiency of the merit of the Death of Christ is a foundation for the general publishing of the Gospel to all Nations with the right that it hath to be preached to every creature because the way of Salvation which it declares is wide enough for all to walk in There is enough in the remedy it brings to light to heal all their diseases to deliver them from all their evils If there were 1000 Worlds the Gospel of Christ might on this ground be Preached to them all there being enough in Christ for the Salvation of them all if so be they will derive vertue from him by touching him by Faith the only way to draw refreshment from this Fountain of Salvation 2. That the Teachers of the Gospel in their particular Congregations c. may from hence justifiably call upon every Man to believe with assurance of Salvation to every Man in particular upon his doing knowing and being fully perswaded of this that there is enough in the death of Christ to save every one that shall so do To all which I briefly reply 1. I have disproved this in what is said before and shewed that Christs death cannot be affirmed sufficient for any Mans Salvation for whom it never satisfied though he should believe 2. How can he say there is sufficient merit where there is no merit at all The Death of Christ hath no merit as to the Pardon of Devils or any for whom it was never suffered 3. How can he call any thing a way of Salvation wide enough which presupposeth not Christs satisfaction for the person Can Men walk to Heaven by Faith without a Redeemer Or is there such a true Faith 4. How can he truely say there is enough in the remedy Which is as to them no Remedy Is there enough in that remedy to heal the Devils if they believed 5. How can there be enough in it or how can it be any remedy to heal all diseases and deliver from all evils before it have made satisfaction Must it not do that before it can heal any other disease 6. How can he say There is enough in Christ for the Salvation of them all if so be they will derive virtue from him by touching him by Faith Must not the application be first to God by satisfying him before it can be made to Man by believing Is not the Salvation of Men the Fruit of Christs dying for them And can there be the effect without the cause Hath Christ virtue to be derived for the saving of any that he died not for Will believing make Christ to die for them that he hath not died for already 7. In plain truth your ground of preaching Christ to all is your foreknowledge that only the Elect will believe and not the sufficiency of Christs Death knowing that there is nothing in Christs Death to save any man that he did not Die and Satisfie for though he should believe never so strongly 2. But let us come to the first effect of Christs Death and see whether it were sufficient to that viz. to be a satisfaction for the Sins of all And here they do maintain that it is only materially or aptitudinally sufficient as the money which my rich neighbour hath in his purse is sufficient to pay my debt which he resolveth never to pay Or as the Ransome paid for one man was enough to have redeemed another also if it had been paid for him And what the better is he for whom it was never paid And what difference as to their ransome between most men and Devils For the form of a satisfaction or Price for all they affirm that Christs Death hath it not sufficiently or at all These men must once more therefore new moddel their Doctrine or reform their expressions and give over saying that Christs death is sufficient for the pardon of all if they would believe for that is notoriously false according to them seeing the effecting of satisfaction is that wherein the sufficiency of it lyes as to remission But they must hereafter say only that Christs Death was sufficient to have procured pardon for all men if he would have suffered it for all And I will give them this encouragement so far to innovate viz. Though they speak not only against Scripture and the Primitive Fathers and the Church of Christ in all Ages and the generallity of our most severe Protestant Divines yet because 1. It is against Arminius an adversary 2. And tendeth to extreams 3. And so is agreeable to Nature they shall perhaps with applause at least with far less wounding of their Reputation raise up these novelties than a Sober Moderate Judicious Divine shall beat them down again or revive any one Truth which extreams have clouded laid by and trodden under foot But I will not stay here to shew the absurdity of mens so confident asserting Christs death to be aptitudinally sufficient for so many for whom it was never suffered seeing I shall deal on this purposely in the next Argument But how useless this sufficiency is and no foundation at all for our general offer of Christ and mercy to all if they will believe may be seen in what is said before And how useless and insufficient it is to encourage any man to believe we shall yet further have occasion to shew anon In the mean time I think the unsoundness of their Doctrine who deny Universal Satisfaction is manifest hence in that it fully overthrows the sufficiency of Christs Death for the pardon of all mens sins if they should believe which yet the generality of our Divines do maintain Arg. 10th Ab absurdo injurià coutrariae Doctrinae in Christum If Christ have paid a Price of satisfaction sufficient for the sins of all the World and yet paid it not for all the World then he suffered much in vain But he suffered not any thing in vain Ergo c. The Minor none will deny that is a Christian The consequence of the Major is proved ad hominem by the concessions of them of the contrary Opinion For 1. No Reformed Divine doth deny but that as one part of the value of Christs sufferings was from the Dignity of the person so the other and a necessary part was from the greatness of his sufferings 2. And all conclude that there was more suffering necessary for the expiation of the sins of all the World than for one particular sin or then for one mans sins and so more necessary to expiate the sins of all men then of the few only that are chosen And consequently if Christ suffered no more than was sufficient for the Redemption of the Elect then it was not sufficient for the Redemption of all And if it were sufficient for the Redemption of
all which yet quoad substantiâ poenae as he calls it had none of that which the Law required and was necessary for the Sponsor to undergo And thus I think with that added which is said before it is evident that none have ground to rest on Christs Blood to justifie them or on Christ to justifie them by his Blood till they know that his Blood was shed for them seeing it is sufficient for no more But no Man before justifying Faith knows that Christs Blood was shed for him any more then for others that shall never be justified by it therefore no Man hath ground thus to believe And for the intellectual Act of Faith if it be that which Maccovius saith it is ibid. disput 3. § 17. Fides in Christum quae requiritur a nobis ad nostri justificationem est ut credamus pro redemptionem sanguinem nos justificari salvari then most Men are bound to believe an untruth if they are bound to believe to justification If it be said that it 〈…〉 believe that Christs Death is sufficient to pardon him if he believe I answer that no Man can truly believe that neither but he that first knows that he died for him which none can do but he that knows that he died for all I marvail how such Divines as Twiss and Maccovius who hold the main Antimonian Principles who say that Faith justifieth only as we are ascertained or receive the knowledg of justification already past at Christs death can tell how to Salve this How can they choose but say that either God doth not command all where the Gospel comes to believe to justification or else that he commands most Men to believe a falshood Or else that all Men are justified by Christs death Let me add here for I will not make another Argument of it being built on the same grounds with the former that if Christ died not for all then not only all Men at their first invitation but even all true believers whenever they loose the fight of their evidences that is of their own Faith and other Graces have no ground left them to renew an Act of justifying Faith nor to cast their Souls with any confidence on Christ For as long as he knows not himself to be Elect and a true believer he cannot tell whether Christ died for him and consequently he knows not whether he may rest on him as a sufficient Redeemer as not knowing whether he satisfied for him or not If any say he must believe that he may know I answer 1. It must be a revealed truth before it is believed 2. Believing will not make it true if it were not true before We are not to believe that Christ may die for us but to believe that he did die for us Hear Maccovius his confession of that also Ibid disp 9. § 16. At toto caelo errat Haereticus Socinus Neque enim fidem requiri ad hoc dicimus ut pro nobis satisfiat sed ut pro fidem satisfactio ista Christi quae perac to est ante fidem nobis innotescat so that when God commandeth Men to believe he commandeth them to take knowledg of Christs satisfaction for them before made And surely men cannot know that which is not true unless it be to know it to be false And thus it seems plain to me that many if not most true believers will be left without any sufficient ground to believe through a great part of their lives For I think assurance is not so common a thing as some imagine nor so constant with them that have it Though Maccovius saith as one Error draws on another Ibid. disp 9. § 11. Respondeo salvo aliorum judicio negando sensum illum qui in nobis oritur ex agnitione nostrae Iustificationis aliquando tolli penitus in homine Our Divines that teach poor Souls to use their Faith of Adherence when they want evidence do go another way to work and suppose an Universal promise and before that an Universal satisfaction Or else Adherence without evidence hath no sufficient object or ground and then farewel the Christians most constant stay Arg. 15. Ab ordine credendi perverso If Christ satisfied not for all then the knowledg or assurance that we have justifying Faith must go before justifying Faith But that is impossible as being a contradiction Ergo c. The reason of the consequence is plain in what was said on the last argument For no Man can believe to justification but by believing that Christ is a sufficient Redeemer and hath made sufficient satisfaction for his Sins and by accepting him as offered to apply the fruits of that satisfaction to us and by resting on him for those fruits Now all this hath no ground till a Man knows that Christ hath already died and satisfied for him And that cannot be known if Christ died not for all till Men first know themselves to be Elect and believers and that cannot be known till after we do believe For if the thing to be believed is that Christ died for believers and for me if I believe I must know that I believe before I can know that he died for me and yet I must know that he hath died and satisfied for me before I can believe to Justification See what contradictions are here and how Men are put upon impossibilities I know the necessity of believing that Christ hath satisfied for me is denied but I have proved it before Arg. 16. A peccatorum aggravatione If it be the great aggravation of all Mens Sins committed against that mercy which tendeth to their Recovery that they are against the Lord that died for them then Christ did die for all such Men But the Antecedent is true Ergo c. Only the Antecedent requires proof That wicked Men do partake of Mercy tending towards their recovery as to the nature of the mercy and in Gods legal Ordination I think I need not prove among Christians And that they Sin against such mercy is a thing that needs as little proof The main proof of the Antecedent that these mens Sins are aggravated in that they are against Christ that died for them will be from several Texts of Scripture which do thus aggravate such Mens Sin which because I intend to handle particularly I will refer you thereto and now pass them by Further 1. It is confessed that these Mens Sin is aggravated in that they are against the Blood of Christ as offered to them in its Fruits and as against Christ himself offered to them as Crucified and as Redeemer and as against the offers of pardon Adoption and Salvation which are all Fruits of Christs satisfaction But all these imply satisfaction for them to whom they are offered as is proved already Ergo c. Many of our Divines as Perkins Reform Cathol of Justif and others say that in this we differ from the Papists that they make Christs satisfaction
Heaven when he said unto them ye have Crucified the Lord of glory So that at the same time 3000 Men were pricked in their Hearts and said Act. 2. 37. Men and Brethren what shall we do to be saved Again if Christ for our Sins shed his Heart Blood and if our Sins made him sweat water and Blood O then why should not we our selves shed bitter tears and why should not our Hearts bleed for them He that finds himself so dull and hardened that the Passion of Christ doth not humble him is in a lamentable ease for there is no Faith in the Death of Christ effectual in him as yet These words shew that Perkins speaks not this only to believers 2. The meditation of the passion of Christ is a most notable means to breed repentance and reformation of Life in time to come For when we begin to think that Christ Crucified by suffering the first and 2d Death hath procured to us remission of all our Sins past and freed us from Hell Death and damnation then if there be but a spark of Grace in us we begin to be of another mind and to reason thus with our selves what hath the Lord been thus merciful to me that am of my self but a firebrand of Hell as to free me from deserved destruction and to receive me to favour in Christ Yea no doubt he hath His name be blessed therefore I will not therefore Sin any more as I have done but rather endeavour hereafter to keep my self from every evil way 3. The right knowledg of our selves ariseth from the knowledg of Christ Crucified in whom and by whom we come to know five special things of our selves The first how grievous our Sins are and therefore how miserable we are in regard of them If we consider our offences in themselves and as they are in us we may soon be deceived c. But if Sin be considered in the Death and passion of Christ whereof it was the cause and the vileness thereof measured by the unspeakable torments endured by the Son of God and if the greatness of the offence of Man be esteemed by the endless satisfaction made to the justice of God the least Sin that is will appear to be a Sin indeed and that most grievous and ugly Therefore Christ Crucified must be used by us as a mirror or Looking-Glass in which we may fully take a view of our wretchedness c. And before and for our Neighbors those specially that are of Christs Church they are to be known of us on this manner When we are to do any duty to them we must not barely respect their Persons but Christ Crucified in them and them in Christ And Page 631. The 5th point is that we owe to Christ an endless debt for he was Crucified only as our surety and pledg and in that Spectacle of his passion we must consider our selves as the chief debtors and that the very discharge of our debt that is the Sins which are inherent in us were the proper cause of all the endless pains and torments that Christ endured that he might set us most miserable Bankrupts at liberty from Hell Death and damnation For this his unspeakable goodness if we do but once think of it seriously we must needs confess that we owe our selves our Souls and Bodies and all that we have as a debt due unto him And so soon as any Man begins to know Christ Crucified he knows his own debt and thinks of the payment of it And that you may be sure that Perkins speaks not only of the Elect see Page 631. Col. 2. The common Protestant likewise cometh short herein for 3 Causes 1. Whereas in word they acknowledg him to be their Saviour this he blameth not in them that hath redeemed them from their evil Conversation yet indeed they make him a patron of their Sins The Thief makes him the receiver The Murderer makes him his refuge The Adulterer be it spoken with reverence to his Majesty makes him the Bawd c. Thus Christ that came to abolish Sin is made a maintainer thereof and the common Packhorle of the World to bear every Mans burden 2. Men are content to take knowledg of the merit of Christs passion for the remission of their Sins but in the mean season the virtue of Christs Death for the mortifying of Sin is little regarded c. 3. Men usually content themselves generally and confusedly to know Christ to be their Redeemer it seems then that it is true never once seeking in every particular Estate and condition of Life and in every particular blessing of God to feel the benefit of his passion What is the cause that almost all the World live in security never almost touched for their horrible Sins Surely the reason is because they did never yet seriously consider that Christ in the Garden lay grouling upon the Earth sweating Water and Blood for their offences Can a Man speak plainer for Christs dying for all Again all such as by fraud and oppression or any kind of hard dealing suck the Blood of poor Men never yet knew that their Sins drew out the Heart Blood of Christ And proud Men and Women that are puffed up by reason of their attire which is the badg of their shame and never cease hunting after strange fashions consider not that Christ was not Crucified in gay attire but naked that he might bear the whole shame and curse of the Law for us These and such like whatsoever they say in word are flat Enemies of the Cross of Christ and tread his precious Blood under their Feet Now then considering this so weighty and special a point of Religion is so much neglected O Man or Woman high or low young or old if thou have been wanting this way begin for very shame to learn and learning to know Christ Crucified That thou mayest attain to this behold him often c. 1. Look on him as a glass or spectacle in which thou shalt see Gods Glory greater in thy Redemption then in thy Creation c. 2. Thou must behold him as the full price of thy Redemption and perfect Reconciliation with God And pray earnestly to God that he would Seal up the same in thy conscience by his Spirit 3. Thou must behold Christ as an example to whom thou must conform thy self by Regeneration c. Read the History of Christs passion Observe all the parts and circumstances thereof and apply them to thy self for thy full Conversion When thou readest that Christ went to the Garden as his custom was where the Jews might soon attack him consider that he went to the death of the Cross for thy Sins willingly and not of constraint and that therefore thou for thy part shouldest do him all service freely Psal 110. 3. When thou hearest that in his agony his Soul was heavy unto death know it was for thy Sins and thou shouldest much more conceive heaviness of Heart for
Father delivered into his Hand Joh. 5. 22. The Father judgeth no Man but hath given all judgment to the Son c. Phil. 2. 7. 8. 9. Rom. 14. 9. 2. That this Right is founded on Redemption is proved by all that is said in the forementioned Arguments and Texts and I think few Christians will deny it Rom. 14. 9. For this end he both died rose and revived that he might be Lord of the dead and of the living If it were the end of his death and resurrection to obtain this Dominion then surely this Dominion is grounded in that Death and Resurrection and belongs to him as a Redeemer Phil. 2. 6 7 8 9 10 11. he became obedient to Death even the Death of the Cross Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him c. 3. And that it is not Christs dying only for the Elect that is the ground of his Dominion and Empire over all I prove thus 1. The Dominion of Christ and his Jus Imperii over the Non-Elect is of the same kind with his Dominion and Jus Imperii over the Elect and therefore hath the same cause It is not such as his Dominion over Devils or Brutes as we shall further shew anon I say not that Christ exerciseth his Imperial power in the same way over all but the relation of Rex or Imperator which Christ hath rightfully over all is the same to all And the relation of Subjects to Christ which all stand in to him quod debitum veljus is the same relation all Men as well as the Elect to whom his Laws are promulgate are bound to acknowledg him their King and Lord in the same sence as the Elect are And are bound to give up themselves to him as his subjects in the same sense as the Elect are and with a subjection of the same kind For the New Law which constituteth the duty is general and distinguisheth not as to this between Elect and Non-Elect 2. It is manifest that Christs Blood cannot be purchasing of Dominion or Empire immediately but only meante virtute satisfactoria as it is a placament or propitiatory Sacrifice to the offended Majesty For were not Christs Blood first necessary to this expiatory use it would be so far from being purchasing or meritorious of any further benefit that it would not be acceptable to God at all For he is not bloodthirsty he takes not pleasure in the Blood of the innocent Nay he is averse from it So that Christs Death must needs be first satisfactory to Justice in order of nature before it purchase Dominion or Empire Now if he may have this right to a peculiar Dominion and Empire over most of the World without satisfying for them then either his right over most is immediate without flowing from satisfaction which is evidently false or else it is founded in his satisfaction for others viz. the Elect And if so then why might not he as well have right of Dominion and Empire over the Elect without satisfying for them as over all others without satisfying for them And if so then he might do all that which now he doth as Lord and Rector without satisfaction Antecedent And if so then he might make his New Law which now he hath made wherein he Repeals the bondage of Ceremonies and provideth a remedy against the curse and whereby he gives pardon and glory to all if they will receive him But this may not be granted 3. It is also proved hence that Christs rule over all Men is founded in his satisfaction of Redeeming of those same Men because when he is offered to them and they commanded to receive him it is in the Relation of Lord Redeemer All are commanded to take him for their Lord Jesus Christ no Man is commanded to take him as Lord and King only and not as Redeemer and Saviour Nay our Divines commonly make the act of justifying Faith to confist only in receiving Christ as Redeemer or satisfieror Saviour as saving us by his Blood from guilt excluding the reception of him as King and Lord from being the justifying Act of Faith wherein yet I am forced as zealouly to contradict them as in almost any one point only they confess it is of absolute necessity that Christ at the same time be received as Lord when he is received as Redeemer Now all Men are bound that hear the Gospel to believe to justification that 's generally granted And if so then all Men are bound to receive Christ as their Lord-Redeemer and not as Lord to them and Redeemer to others And if so then doubtless Christ is their Lord-Redeemer Now Redemption hath two parts the first is the paying of the Price that is satisfaction by dying for us The 2d is applying or conferring the benefits of that satisfaction by actual delivering or Redeeming from the guilt and power of Sin The first is that chief part of Redemption from whence the whole is chiefly denominated Now the first part is past and done whether Men believe or not and is not offered to be done on any condition nor to be done for our Sins Christ doth not say I will pay the price of thy Redemption if thou wilâ— take me for thy Redeemer it is paid already but it is the 2d part of Redemption that is offered on condition The first is general and absolure The second is generally given on condition and special as to the actual Collation by Christ and fruition by Man So that when Christ saith to a Man take me for thy Redeemer it is as much as to say take me for one that hath made satisfaction for thy Sins and if thou wilt receive me I will pardon and save thee thereby now if Christ did not Redeem Men by satisfying and yet require them to take him as their Redeemer then he requires them to take him to be that which he is not and to have done that which he hath not For Christ cannot be a Redeemer to any Man that he hath not paid the paid the price of Redemption for Which if it be not done Faith will not cause it to be done So that it being certain that the Lordship and Empire of Christ which he hath right to over all and which all are commanded to acknowledg and submit to is inseparably conjoyned with his Redemption he being offered to no Man as Lord to whom he is not also offerd as Redeemer it is evident that his Jus novum Dominii imperiii his new right of propriety and Rule over all Men doth presuppose his Redeeming all as to the price and satisfaction Obj. But if that be so then he Redeemed or died for Bruits Devils and good Angels For he hath a Right of Dominion and Rule over these Ans This Objection though otherwise scarce worthy to be taken notice of hath been so entertained yielded to and confidently managed by some that it is become necessary to make a discovery of its vanity 1. Christ hath not a
Death of Christ and that Men should have so great mercies for whom he never died of which before 2. That Christs Office should be so divided as that he should be their King and Head for whom he never died It is their use to argue on the Contrary that Christ died not for Men whom he doth not sanctifie and save because the parts of his work are not divided Though this be no better arguing then to say God created no Angel or Man putting them under a Covenant and in a way of Life but only those that attain to Life hereby Yet it is an undeniable consequence on the other side that Christ died for Men because they receive such Priviledges and benefits and because he is become their Head or King even as it follows that God Created Adam to Life by that Covenant if he had attained Life thereby And it is not inconsiderable how they lay themselves open to the Lashes of one another by their error in this point When those that are for Discipline have pleaded the Jus Divinum of their work as from Christ as the King or Head of the Church visible the Erastians tell them that Christ is not King where he is not Priest he is not the King of any but the Elect or Saints because he died for none but the Elect See what Ludovicus Molinaeus who would unite the Erastians and Independents against the Presbyterians saith Paraenes Page 68. Etenim primum dubitari potest an Christus qua Caput Rex Electorum seu Corporis mystici qualis hic in foro interno describitur rectè statuatur in alio foro eoque externo potestatem legislationis jurisdictionis committere personis circares causas quarum judicium cognitio non sub est judicio Cognitioni illius qui sumus est judex in foro externo This Book is newly Printed many Years since this Disputation was written though I here insert this passage Ad hominem I am sure this Argument is not contemptible There is no Evasion but by saying that Christ is not the King or Head of the unregenerate part of the Church visible as he is mediator but purely as God But that 's as destructive to their cause as if they denied him to be their King at all For they will never evince that he taketh Men into the Gospel Covenant and becomes their King and makes them Saints Adopted Christians Believers c. and all this meerly as he is God and not as he is Mediator Arg. 18th A Beneficiis in omnes Collatis quâ satisfactionis sunt effecta If Christ give to all Men those mercies which are the effects of his dying for them then Christ died or satisfied for all Men But Christ doth give to all Men those mercies which are the effects of his dying for them Ergo c. The Minor only requires proof and here I have these three things to prove 1. That Christ giveth mercies to all 2. That these mercies are the effects of his Death and satisfaction 3. That they are the effects of his Death for those Men to whom they are given For I look to meet with three sorts of opposers 1. Such as say wicked Men have no mercy viz. The Non-Elect for all is given them in judgment and wrath and shall but aggravate their condemnation 2. Such as say They have mercies but it is from Gods common providence and not from Christs Blood 3. Such as say their mercies are from Christs Blood but only as shed for the Elect and not for them 1. For the first It is so openly blasphemous against God and his providence for Men to say that God is merciful to none but the Elect that one would think no Christian should ever own such an Assertion 1. If none but the Elect have any mercy from God then none else are obliged by mercy to repentance But the mercies of God lead others to repentance Rom. 2. Even those that by hardheartedness and impenitency do heap up wrath against the day of wrath and Revelation of the righteous judgment of God 2. Else none but the Elect should be obliged to love and thankfulness for mercy which is false and wicked 3. Else none but the Elect should be guilty of sinning against mercy or should need to confess any such Sin or need pardon of such or can be accused condemned or punished for any such which are all false 4. Their own words do confute themselves for whereas they say that Reprobates have no true mercy because all do but encrease their condemnation and misery It is evident that if they were not real mercies no Mans condemnation or punishment could be aggravated by the abuse or rejecting of mercy Jo◠4. 2. God had mercy on more Ninevites then were Elect Jon. 3. 10. and 4. 11. Christ himself saith God is kind to the unthankful and the Evil Luk. 6. 35. and commandeth us to imitate him in loving our Enemies and being merciful as he is merciful Psal 106. 7. Psal 145. 9. His tender mercies are over all his Works Act. 14. 17. Mat. 5. 45. 48. Mat. 25. throughout sure those that deny the Non-Elect to partake of any mercy on Earth think it no mercy to be out of Hell to have Christ and pardon and glory given them on condition of acceptance they would hardly yield then that God is merciful to the very damned in Hell and yet our own Divines and Papists say it is past doubt See Ursin Catech Page 68. Edit Parai posthum Robert Baronius disput de peccat Mortali Veniali Pag. 75. Aquin. 1. q. 32. a. 4. c. 1. 1. q. 21 a. 4. 1. Scot. in 4. dist 46. Pag. mihi 250. c. Bradwardin de causa Dei lib. 1. Cap. 34. So Cajetan Lorinus Paes Feuerdentius Salmeron Genebrard c. I say as Jac. Laurentius in Jac. 2. 12. And our most judicious Brittish Divines in the Synod of Dor◠do well conclude that Gods mercies must not be denied or accounted less because wicked Men yet perish through their abuse of them 2. And that these mercies are the effects of Christs Blood and satisfaction is proved thus 1. Of some of them it is expresly affirmed Heb. 10. 29. hath counted the Blood of the Covenant wherewith he was sanctified an Unholy thing 2. God cannot according to the tenor of the Covenant of Works voluntate saltem ordinatâ give Men so much mercy as they all receive For that Covenant curseth them and sentenceth them to Death and leaveth no proper mercy at least none that hath a conducibility to repentance and recovery Dare any Man think that all the mercies temporal and the offers of Christ and Grace and the Word and other means and the common gifts of the Spirit and the conditional pardon of the Non-Elect and the patience and long-suffering of God inviting and beseeching them to be reconciled to him promising them Life and Glory if they will believe that all
when man is already condemned the Law of Grace say that he shall undergo a far sorer punishment and it shall be easier for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of Judgment than him except he will do these impossibilities this is still harder It is not all the believing in the World supposing it were performed that would make Christs Death which is past to be suffered for those that it was not suffered for This makes Christ to come into the World to condemn the World and that to a far sorer punishment than the Law of Works did oblige them to without procuring them any possibility of escaping For there 's no possibility of that mans escape for whom no price of Redemption is paid Nay it lays an absolute necessity ab extra and unavoidable on men of perishing under this double damnation For he that before I am born makes a Law that I shall dye except I have part in a payment that was made 1000 years ago and that only for others and not at all for me he doth necessitate my Death by that Law For it is impossible that I should ever have part in it if it were not paid for me Now I know our Divines speak of Gods necessitating mans Damnation by Foreknowledge and Decree which they call only Necessitas Antecedentis non Causae But who ever affirmed that Christ in giving the New Law He that believeth shall be saved and he that believeth not shall be damned did necessitate and that Causally and that Antecedenter ad Culpam the far greater damnation of miserable wretches that were condemned already And that the Gospel is not so much harder than the Law I prove Mat. 11. 27 28 30. My Yoak is easie and my Burden is light Heb. 8. 6. Jesus is the Mediator of a better Covenant stablished on better promises Heb. 7. 22. And the Author of a better Testament Rom. 5. 14 15 20. Where sin abounded Grace much more abounded John 3. 16. God so loved the World that he gave c. Eph. 3. 19 20. Heb. 11. 40. His service is a reasonable service His Commandments are not grievous His tender mercy is over all his Works He is kind to the unthankful and unjust His mercies lead men to Repentance He delighteth not in the death of him that dyeth but rather that he Repent and Live He calleth all men every where to repent and seek after God All the day long doth he stretch out his hand to a froward and gain-saying generation He dealeth not with us after our sins He inviteth the Non Elect to the Wedding Feast and telleth them that all things are ready and some of them he compelleth to come in as he did him that had not on the Wedding Garment he chargeth his Messengers to beseech men in his stead to be reconciled unto God He would gather under his Wings even as a Hen gathereth her Chickens those that Will not be gathered All these with a multitude the like are the Scripture expressions of Gods gentle and merciful dealing with men under the Law of Grace And so much of the execution as we see is answerable He offers mercy to all in the Church and confers much Mercy on every man in the World He dealeth with no man according to the strict rigour of the unremedied Curse of the Law of Works Abuse of the Talents of undeserved Mercy is the thing that men must be condemned and perish for No one sinner on Earth is excepted or excluded by him out of his Offer and Promise of Mercy so be it they will themselves consent whoever Will may have the Living Waters freely without Money and without Price and if their sins be as red as Scarlet he offers to make them as white as Snow and to cast them all behind his back and bury them in the depths of the Sea He calls to them return why will ye dye How long ye simple ones will ye love simplicity and ye scorners delight in scorning and fools hate knowledge Turn you at my reproof behold I will pour out my spirit unto you I will make known my words unto you Prov. 1. 22 23. He hath received Gifts for men even for the Rebellious that the Lord may dwell among them God hath sent his Son Jesus to you saith the Apostle Act. 3. last to bless you in turning every one of you from his iniquities And when men will not hear he saith O that my People had hearkened unto me and Israel had walked in my mays Psal 81. 13. O that there were such an heart in them that they would fear me and keep all my commandments always that it might be well with them and their Children for ever Deut. 5. 29. Can any man then believe that the tenour of the new Law or Covenant is so much harder than ever was the Law of Works as is before expressed As for them that say the New Covenant is no Law and Wicked men or the Non-Elect are not under it they manifest so great ignorance and go against so full light of express Scripture that I think them not worthy a confutation Only I would have the Lutheran Divines remember that near to the Apostles times it was not only an unquestioned truth but also was part of the Christian Creed Christum predicasse Novam legem novam promissionem Regni Caelorum Tertullian de Prescription cap. Arg. 20. A Legis Mosaicae Abrogatione If all men that were any way under it are freed by the blood of Christ from the Bondage of the Mosaical Law of Ceremonies then Christ died for All such and consequently not only for the Elect But the Antecedent is certain Ergo c. Some Divines say that All the World were thus far subject to the Jewish Law that they could not be saved without knowing it and submitting to it in obedience because God had then no other Church nor stablished way of Worship If this be true then all the World hath a deliverance in the Abrogation of that Law Others say that it obliged only the Jews and Proselites and that others at the remotest distance should not have been obliged by that Law if they had known it If that be so then it was only the Jews and Proselytes such as had opportunity to incorporate with them or joyn to them that had this deliverence However it is evident it was to all the Jews and so to more than the Elect and then almost all the Arguments against Universal Satisfaction are hereby overthrown for they are built on this that Christ died only for the Elect. Here I must prove 1. That Moses Ceremonial Law is abrogate 2. That it was done by the shedding of Christ's Blood for those that were under it 3. That it is abrogated to All. 1. And for the first it is so generally acknowledged and the Scripture so express in it specially Act. 15. and all the Epistle to the Galatians that I may spare that labour only some doubt whether
but those for whom he purchased it But if you can believe it will be a sign to you ab effectu that Christ died for you Sinner Alas Then all that are not redeemed and I if I be one of them are far worse then hopeless and remediless For they have neither any price paid for them nor any one hath redeemed them nor are they able nor can be able to believe and yet their torment must be multiplied for ever because they did not believe and take him for their redeemer that never paid one farthing of their debt But what is it that you would have me believe Min. That Christ hath died for all that will believe Sinner Will that justifie When the Devils believe that Min. That Christs Death is sufficient to pardon all if they would believe Sinner Then I should believe an untruth for â—is all should believe it is not sufficient to pardon them because it was not suffered for them Besides the Devils do believe the sufficiency of Christs Death as far as it is true Min. But they believe not that it is sufficient for themselves Sinner Nor can I except I knew that it was suffered for me Min. But you must rest on Christ as a sufficient Redeemer and then by reflecting on that Act you may know as by a certain sign that he redeemed you Sinner Then I must believe a Proposition of uncertain truth that I may know it to be true and rest on an uncertain ground of trust that I may have a Sign of its certainty And so my first faith must be groundless and uncertain But as it is not in my power of my self to believe so I have long been endeavouring to believe and trying my Faith and though I find I have some Faith and so had many that perish yet I cannot find whether it be sincere and saving And I know many yea most that seem godly that never are sure all their life time that their Faith is that which is justifying and proper to the Elect and more then the unrooted Faith of temperaries How shall I then or any that are uncertain of the truth of their Faith know that Christ died for them Min. You must labour for assurance of the Truth of your Faith that you may know that Christ died for you Sinner I no where find the Scripture using that motive to perswade Men to believe or to get assurance But what must I do in the mean time and all such as I that never come to assurance Min. Adhere to Christ as thy Redeemer sufficient and willing to save Sinner But I have no knowledg whether he be either my Redeemer or sufficient or willing And must I still continue that groundless Act and that meerly to get a Sign when yet it will be no sign till I attain assurance of the truth of my Faith And must I never love Christ as my Redeemer nor be thankful to him nor praise him for it till I have assurance Respondeat qui potest Arg. 22. A differenti statu hâ—minum non-electorum Daemonum If Christ died only for the Elect. then all the rest have no more remedy provided for their misery then the Devils nor are in any more capacity or possibility of Salvation But the Consequent is false therefore so is the Antecedent Only the Minor requires proof for the consequence of the Major is evident For he that hath no expiatory Sacrifice or satisfaction made for his Sin is left utterly remediless To say he is not remediless because Christ is offered him is but to deride him while they say withal that he is offered only an interest in the satisfaction that was never made for him that so by not believing as by a sign he might manifest that it was not made for him and so that Christ did not purchase him Faith And can the Devils be left worse then remediless Now that Christ hath not left the Non-Elect as remediless as the Devils appears 1. Christ speaketh of his coming into the World and executing his office as having such ends to all Men as they had not to the Devils as he was the 2d Adam and took on him our nature and not the nature of Angels so he never saith that he came into the World to save Devils but he saith that he came into the World not to judg the World but to save the World of whom he expresseth unbelievers to be part Joh. 12. 47. 48. And God sent his Son into the World not to judg the World but that the World by him might be saved Even that World which in the next verse is distinguished into believers and unbelievers Joh. 3. 16 17 18. It is never said that God sent his Jesus to bless the Devils in turning every one of them from their iniquities But it is said so of every one of the Jews Elect or not to whom the Apostle spake Act 3 last unbelievers perish not for want of an expiatory Sacrifice but for rejecting it not for want of a Jesus but for want of Faith But it cannot be said so of the Devils God sendeth Men in his stead to beseech unbelievers to be reconciled to God upon supposition of the payment of the price of Reconciliation by Christ to the Father But he doth not so to the Devils All say Christs Death is sufficient to pardon all Men if they will believe Ames cont Belâ—ar saith we never doubted of it Sadeel cont human satisfact saith let him be blotted out from among the number of Christians that denieth it But I know none that dare say â—o of the Devils To unbelievers is given Christ himself and all his benefits by Gods Act and Deed on condition they will receive him But who can shew such a deed of gift to the Devils Giving Christ though but on condition of acceptance to any one implieth and presupposeth giving him on the Cross for them God entreateth wicked Men daily to accept of Christ that they may live but he never did so by the Devils The Spirit of Christ convinceth and soliciteth some of the Non-elect to believe and striveth with them till they grieve and quench it But so he doth not by the Devils All Men in the Church Elect and Non-Elect are called on to take heed lest a promise being left them of entering into rest any of them should prove to come short of it through unbelief Heb. 4. 1. The wicked are condemned and everlastingly punished for refusing a Redeemer and not coming in to the â—east when all things were ready and for neglecting so great Salvation and treading under Foot the Blood of the Covenant and because they would not have Christ to Raign over them But it is far otherwise with the Devils the wicked will be left unexcusable at the Redeemers Bar when they are judged according to the New Law for refusing Christ that bought them But the Devils would have excuse enough if they were judged on those Terms So that I may
Salvation but God offers no other Pardon or Salvation but what is purchased by Christ's Blood He that tells us there neither is nor can be any other Remission or Salvation but what Christ purchaseth will not offer any other to men and urge them to accept it yea Pardon and Life as purchased by Christ are in Gods deed of gift together with Christ himself conditionally bestowed on all even if they will have them a Condition which among men is seldom thought worthy the name of a Condition it being supposed in nature that every man is willing of his own good and so of all excellent advantages thereto Is all this so with those in Hell Christ is neither given nor Pardon and Life offered to them they are not commanded to repent and believe to this end that they may be justified and saved But those on Earth are and therefore their Pardon and Salvation is possible for God will not command them to seek or to accept of an impossibility and then Condemn them for not seeking and not accepting it If the Damned could repent or believe it would not save them but it would save them on Earth Nor is their belief it self such an impossibility as is the Damneds believing Moreover Christ saith now how oft would I have gathered you But he would not gather the Damned God would have all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth but he saith not that he would have the Damned to be saved This Life is called the day of their Visitation the day of grace the acceptable time the day of Salvation and they are called on to hear the voice of God to day while it is called to day and not to harden their hearts least he swear in his wrath that they shall not enter into his rest that is least their case become desperate and their Salvation impossible therefore it was not so before They are warned to take heed least sinning wilfully after the knowledge of the truth there remain no more Sacrifice for Sin c. Implying that before there is a Sacrifice for their sin it is said that it is impossible to renew them by repentance who tread under foot the blood of the Covenant and do despight to the Spirit of Grace implying that before it was not impossible and also that they might have had if they had not a share in that blood and that Spirit They have a promise left them of entring into his rest Heb. 4 1. and a Salvation proclaimed to them and if they perish it will be for neglecting so great Salvation Heb. 3. 2. They are invited to come in because all things are ready they are commanded to seek the Lord while he may be found and call upon him while he is near None of this is so with the Damned God is not near them nor may be found of them nor have they any day of Grace Visitation or Salvation where the word is preached it is that they might be saved 1 Thes 2. 16. Paul sought the profit of many and to please all men that they might be saved 1 Cor. 10. 33. Even when men are delivered to Satan for the destruction of the flesh it is that the Spirit might be saved 1 Cor. 5. 5. yea God sent his Son into the World that the World thro him might be saved that World which consisteth of Believers and Unbelievers Joh. 3. 16. 17. when Jesus was proving his Mediatorship to the Jews he saith These things I say that ye might be saved Joh. 5. 34. so that Mens Salvation is possible while they are on Earth till they have sinned against the Holy Ghost or totally Apostatiz'd by abrenunciation of Christ else what business have Preachers with them Why do we intreat them to be reconciled to God Do we not tell them daily and truly that yet there is time yet there is hope and advise them to take time while they have it and let not slip the Day of Grace and Salvation 2 Cor. 6. 1 2. We beseech them that they receive not the Grace of God in vain for behold now is the accepted time behold now is the day of Salvation And Christ saith weeping over Jerusalem If thou hadst known at least in this thy day the things that belong to thy Peace but now they are hid from thine eyes c. Because thou knewest not the time of thy Visitation Luk. 19. 41 42 43 44. An hundred places more might be produced to prove that men on Earth are not left as desperate deplorate or remediles as those in Hell which yet they must be if they had no Redeemer or no Sacrifice for their sin Arg. 26. A processu Judiciali causa condemnationis If Christ himself shall therefore condemn men in Judgment because they received him not as their Lord-Redeemer or because they abused the fruits of his Death suffered for them then he died for All men But Christ will condemn men in Judgment because they received him not as their Lord-Redeemer or because they abused the said fruits of his Death Therefore he died for All-men That he will condemn all the Unbelievers that heard his Gospel because they did not believe in him nor receive him for their Redeemer and Saviour and Lord to Reign over them nor rest on him for Salvation is confessed by all and past dispute Luke 21. 27. Joh. 1. 10 11 12 3. 18. 1 Joh. 5. 11. 2 Thes 1. 8. 2. 10 11 12 Mar. 16. 16. Job 5. 22. Mat. 25. per totum That all men shall be judged according to their well or ill usage of the Talents of Mercy bestowed on them and repenting or not repenting in the day of Grace is plain in Mat. 25. in the Parable of the ten Virgins and of the Talents I have proved before that these Talents are Grace i. e. Miserecordiae contra meritum effectus and procured by Christs satisfaction and not given without Christs satisfaction The consequence therefore of the Major proposition is evident For shall any man dare without better proof to affirm that Christ will sit as Lord-Redeemer in Judgment and condemn most of the World to everlasting flames for refusing a Redeemer that was not their Redeemer and for not believing in him to save them by his death who never died for them and for not resting for Salvation on him that never made the least satisfaction for them and therefore was not a sufficient stay to rest on and for not believing where if they had believed Faith would do no good And where it is objected as before they should have believed that it might have been a sign to them that Christ died for them I answer besides what I answered before 1. It being first granted that Christ did not dye for them then if they had believed it would have been no sign that he died for them for it cannot be a sign of that which was not And Christs dying or not dying for them
Law is a proper penalty of the second because the New Law doth restore to all Men their lost right to Life on an easy condition and therefore as the Privation of Life is first given or promised in the first Law was the penalty of that Law so the Privation of the same Life as redeemed and restored by the Mediator is the penalty of the new Law So that it is a recovered happiness that they this way lose and so are twice dead as Jude speaks 5. The very Non-Liberation of the new Law in denial of Remission and Salvation is a great and proper penalty As the Non-continuation of Adams happiness in paradise was a penalty of that Law and the not-giving of a greater if that Law did promise a greater If a Prince make an Act of pardon and oblivion for a company of imprisoned condemned Malefactors in these terms that if they will repent and thankfully accept his favour they shall all be pardoned and also dignified to be Princes and his Favourites If they will not none of them shall be pardoned but all shall die by a more cruel Death Here this Law of Grace hath as its peculiar penalty 1. Their Non-liberation and so their first deserved Death not as first deserved but as confirmed and peremptorily adjudged to them for their ingratitude and so 2. The loss of Life as it was conditionally restored and was in Law as it were a new Life 3. And the loss of the promised offered dignities 4. And the sorer kind of death so is it in the case in Hand For the confirmation of the Minor I need not to say much more seeing for ought I know it is generally granted I never met yet with any that durst say that all the Non-Elect do undergo none of the fore described penalties of the new Law but only the meer penalties of the first Law Doubtless God is offended specially at their unbelief and will destroy them as Christs Enemies because they would not that he should Reign over them Luke 21. 27. and Christ will come in flaming fire rendring vengeance to them for not knowing God and not obeying the Gospel of our Lord Jesus 2. Thes 1. 7. 8. 9. and he will damn them all that obeyed not the Truth of the Gospel but had pleasure in unrighteousness 1 Thes 2. 10. 11. 12. And this is the condemnation that Light is come into the World and Men love darkness rather then light because their deeds were evil And because when Christ came to his own his own received him not Joh. 1. 10. 21 11. For it shall come to pass that every Soul that heareth not the voice of this Prophet shall be destroyed Acts 3. 23. And they that believe not Jesus is the Christ shall dye in their sins And except men repent they shall all perish Luk. 13. 3 5. yea whoever believeth not shall be damned Mar. 16. 16. For he is the Author of Eternal Salvation to them only that obey him Heb. 5. 9. So that as men suffer for sin against the new so also from the obligation of that Law binding them over to Judgment and therefore they are judged by that Law Mat. 25. yea I doubt not but all the World shall be judged by the Redeemer for misimploying his Talents of Grace those that perish and not only for not perfect fulfilling the Law of Works none is condemned meerly for that And if it be so then the same Law of Christ must needs constitute the penalty to be executed Nor did I ever meet with any that durst say that it was no punishment to Unbelievers to be denied Pardon and Justification and Salvation from their deserved damnation which were all offered to them in the Gospel and which Believers do receive much less should any say that the additional torments of such and the loss of the greater promised glory are no punishments Yea even in this life the non-elect receive of the punishments proper to the new Law viz. non remission and non reconciliation and the forsaking of God when he casts them off and gives them up to themselves because they would none of him Psal 81. 11 12. and leaves them desolate because when Christ would have gathered them to him in tender mercy they would not Mat. 23. 37 38. and gives them over to believe lyes because they received not the love of the Truth that they might be saved 2 Thes 2. 10 11. and takes his holy Spirit from them because they grieved and quenched it And all this will be out of doubt if we consider the definition of Punishment which is a natural evil inflicted because of a Moral or the hurt of our persons inflicted for sin Now there is no doubt but all these forementioned are evils to us or hurtful to mens persons and no doubt but they are inflicted for sin and then as to the species They are inflicted for sins against the Law of Christ by force of the obligation of the commination of that Law and the sentence past by Christ as Redeemer and Author of that Law Yea what if I said that strictly and directly men suffer not at all the penalty of the Law of Works For all are delivered from that penalty on condition they Repent and Believe and so the obligation of that Law is suspended to all though not strictly abrogated and transferred and as it were sequestred into the hands of Christ to be disposed of by him inflicting or not inflicting it as men deal with him according to his terms of Grace so that now the penalty is immediately and strictly the penalty of the Law of Christ as it doth both non-liberare and peremptorily bind men over to it and it is properly the loss of a Life recovered by Christs blood which is the punishment though remotely it be also from the obligation of the first Law which being but suspended by Christ and conditionally dissolved remaineth in force upon the non-performance of the condition as soon as the time of performance is expired So that it is undeniable that the damned suffer the privation of the fruits of Christs death and satisfaction yea and of his satisfaction for them in perticular For as it is certain that there is no remission without blood and no Justification or Salvation without Christs satisfaction so it is as much beyond doubt with all sober men that Christs satisfaction for one man will not procure Pardon and Salvation for another So that the Minor is fully clear And for the Major proposition it is as clear For there can be no effects without a cause As no man can receive the effects of Christs Death but those for whom he died so no man can lose or be deprived of those effects but those for whom he died for the cause is presupposed A Negation is no Punishment It is not a punishment to a Stone that it is not a Man that it is mute liveless c. nor to a Beast not to be saved nor
to an Angel not to be Redeemed nor to the Devils not to be partakers of Christ and of Pardon and Salvation by him Now its true the Pardon of the Damned and their Salvation was not actually effected but the meritorious cause was full and perfect in Christs satisfaction and moral causes go long before the effects sometimes and may do all their part and yet the effect not follow through the defect of some other and the effects were conditionally given or produced by the New Covenant and thereby become not only possible and probable but certain if the condition were performed So that here is a proper privation and not a bare Negation Nor is it the meer matter of such effects that men are deprived of but formally as they were effects conditionally granted and were to have been effects actually of the death of Christ They should have been such effects if they had done their part to procure them by performing the condition as Christ did in the Cause for he required not them to effect it as concauses but only suspended the effects of his own full sufficient but Moral cause on their condition which all Lawyers and all that know what a Moral Cause is or what a proper condition is know to be most usual Now if you suppose that Christ died not and satisfied not for these men then the loss of Pardon Adoption Membership of Christ final Absolution Salvation besides all the greater Glory and all the Spirits Graces and Workings in this life cannot possibly be punishments to them for they cannot be Privations For there was never any cause to procure them and therefore they were never possible much less due and Mans Faith was not required by God to be the meritorious cause or to satisfie Gods Justice nor yet to procure Christ or any other to satisfie it nor yet to make that satisfaction to be now for us which was made for others and not for us to none of these ends was Faith required but only to be the condition of our enjoying Christ and the fruits of his satisfaction on performance whereof the Moral Cause which was long before in full being should produce its effect or else not as to us so that satisfaction as the Cause is necessarily supposed to Faith as the condition seeing the office of the condition is that on it the effect of the cause be suspended till that condition be performed And therefore there can be no condition where there is not first the Moral Cause I mean there can neither be condition constituted by Law Testament Deed of Gift or Covenant nor yet condition performed for it cannot have the form of a condition Or if that be disputable as to any other case I am sure it is not in the case in hand No man will say that the non-remission non-salvation of the Devils by the Blood of Christ is a Punishment to them Object That is because it was never offered or conditionally given them by Covenant as it was to the Unbelievers Answ Nor could it have been given so to Unbelievers if Christ had not died for them Could God give them Christ as a Satisfier and Redeemer who never had satisfied for them or redeemed Or could he make over to them effects which had no Cause viz. the effects of his dying for them when he did not dye for them Would the New Covenant serve to pardon men without Christs Sacrifice and Satisfaction Nay is it not beyond all doubt that this which I call the New Covenant or Testament He that believeth shall be saved c. is the Redeemers Law and Testament and presupposeth his Death and Satisfaction in esse Morali at least It is the New Testament in his Blood he first buyeth men to be his own by satisfaction and then dealeth with them as his own by Promise and Legislation Only the Promise of God to give Christ for a Redeemer to the World and his Prophesies of him therein are in order of nature before the Moral being of Christs death but so is not the Law of Grace I know nothing that hath any great shew of Reason that can be said against this Argument which so clearly evinceth the truth of Universal Redemption and for vain objections I will not trouble my self and the Reader with them Arg. 30. A Comparatione doctrinae universalem satisfactionem affirmantis cum doctrinâ— eandem negante If they who assert Universal Redemption quoad satisfactionem pretium have all these forementioned Arguments from Scripture for their cause and a multitude of express Texts and no one ill consequence following their doctrine nor one sound Reason nor one text of Scripture against them And if the deniers of Universal Satisfaction have all the contrary disadvantages then they that affirm Universal Satisfaction are in the right and they that deny it do err But the antecedent is true Ergo. c. Here I will 1. Look over these Arguments again and from thence shew you the face of the consequents of the denial of Universal Satisfaction 2. I will lay you down together the express Texts that are for Universal Satisfaction 3. And also the Texts that are brought against it 4. And then the particular search of those texts on both sides and the answer to all the Arguments that are usually brought against Universal Satisfaction I intend shall follow afterward in their own places more fully The Doctrine which denyeth Universal Satisfaction hath all these inconveniences and absurd consequents following therefore it is not of God nor true 1. It either denieth the Universal Promise or Conditional Gift of Pardon and Life to all men if they will believe and then it overturneth the substance of Christs Law and Gospel promise or else it maketh God to give conditionally to all men a Pardon and Salvation which Christ never purchased and without his dying for men 2. It maketh God either not to offer the effects of Christs satisfaction Pardon and Life to all but only to the Elect or else to offer that which is not and which he cannot give 3. It denieth the direct object of Faith and of Gods offer that is Christum qui satisfecit a Christ that hath satisfied 4. It either denieth the Non-Elects deliverance from that flat necessity of perishing which came on man for sinning against the first Law by its remediless unsuspended obligation and so neither Christ Gospel or Mercy had ever any nature of a remedy to them nor any more done toward their deliverance then towards the deliverance of the Devils Or else it maketh this deliverance and remedy to be without satisfaction by Christ for them 5. It either denieth that God commandeth all to believe but only the Elect Or else maketh God to assign them a deceiving Object for their Faith commanding them to believe in that which never was and to trust that which would deceive them if they did trust it 6. It maketh God either to have appointed and commanded the
the living Bread which came down from Heaven If any Man eat of this Bread he shall live for ever And the Bread that I will give is my Flesh which I will give for the Life of the World So verse 33. 34 35. Joh. 1. 29. Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the Sin of the World 1 Cor. 15. 21 22. For as by Man came Death by Man came also the Resurrection of the Dead For as in Adam all die even so in Christ shall all be made alive Rom. 14. 15. Destroy not him with thy meat for whom Christ died 1 Cor. 8. 11. And through thy knowledg shall thy weak Brother perish for whom Christ died Heb. 9. 15. 16. And for this cause he is the Mediator of the new Testament that by means of Death for the Redemption of the transgressions under the first Testament they which are called might receive the promise of Eternal inheritance For where a Testament is there must also of necessity be the Death of the Testator Col. 1. 20. And having made peace through the Blood of his Cross by him to reconcile all things unto himself by him whether they be things in Earth or things in Heaven Col. 2. 14. Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us which was contrary to us and took it out of the way nailing it to his Cross Act. 3. last unto you first God having raised up his Son Jesus sent him to bless you in turning away every one of you from his iniquities Hos 7. 13. Though I have redeemed them yet they have spoken lies against me Destruction to them c. Isa 53. 6. He laid on him the iniquity of us all Rom. 14. 9. For to this end Christ both died rose and revived that he might be Lord both of the Dead and of the living Isa 45. 21 22. There is no God else beside me a just God and a Saviour there is none beside me look unto me and be ye saved all the ends of the Earth Joh. 1. 7. The same came for a Witness to bear Witness of the Light that all Men through him might believe See 1 Cor. 10. 1. 2. to the 13th John 3. 17. And as Moses lifted up the Serpent in the Wilderness even so must the Son of Man be lifted up that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have Eternal Life Rev. 22. 17. Whosoever will let him take the water of Life freely Col. 2. 28 whom we Preach warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus John 5. 22 23 26 27 28. For the Father judgeth no man but hath committed all judgment to the Son that all men should honour the Son even as they honour the Father c. For as the Father hath Life in himself so hath he given to the Son to have Life in himself and hath given him Authority to execute judgment also because he is the Son of Man Marvel not at this for the hour is coming in which all that are in the Graves shall hear his voice and shall come forth they that have done good to the Resurrection of Life and they that have done evil to the Resurrection of Damnation Acts 3. 22 23. A Prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your Brethren like unto me him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you and it shall come to pass that every Soul that will not hear that Prophet shall be destroyed from among the People Luke 20. 13 14 15 16 17 18. Then said the Lord of the Vineyard what shall I do I will send my beloved Son it may be they will reverence him when they see him c. The Stone which the Builders rejected is become the head of the Corner whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken but on whomsoever it shall fall it will grind him to Powder 1 Cor. 6. 20. And ye are not your own ye are bought with a Price therefore glorifie God in your Body and in your Spirit which are Gods Deut. 32. 4 5 6. They have corrupted themselves their spot is not the spot of his Children they are a perverse and crooked Generation do you thus requite the Lord O foolish People and unwise is not he thy Father that hath bought thee hath he not made thee and established thee ver 15. Then he forsook God that made him and lightly esteemed the Rock of his Salvation see Psal 78. throughout ver 35 36. They remembred that God was their Rock and the high God their Redeemer nevertheless they flattered him with their mouth and lyed unto him with their tongues for their heart was not right with him neither were they stedfast in his Covenant but he being full of compassion forgave their iniquity c. Isa 63. 8 9 10 He said surely they are my People Children that will not lye so he was their Saviour in all their afflictions he was affâ—icted and the Angel of his presence saved them in his love and in his pity he redeemed them and he bare them and carried them all the days of old but they rebelled and vexed his Holy Spirit wherefore he was turned to be their Enemy and fought against them see Rom. 10. 6. to the 14th Acts 13. 23. 26. 32. Of this Mans Seed God according to his promise hath raised unto Israel a Saviour Jesus Men and Brethren Children of the stock of Abraham and who ever among you feareth God to you is the word of this Salvation sent and we declare unto you glad tidings c. see ver 38 39 40 46. before cited And compare this with Luke 1. 67 68 69 c. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel for he hath visited and redeemed his People and hath raised up an horn of Salvation for us in the Honse of his Servant David c. Mat. 25. throughout Mat. 28. 19 20. All Power is given to me in Heaven and Earth go ye therefore and Preach c. Acts 10. 36. 43. And this contains power to forgive Sins Mat. 9. 6. So that you see what the Scripture saith to this point 3. And then there is neither one Text of Scripture nor one solid Reason against it nor any ill consequence at all that followeth on it 1. There is not one Text of Scripture that saith Christ died not for all or Christ dyed only for his Chosen or any thing equivalent The Texts commonly alledged are John 17. 9. I pray for them I pray not for the World 19. and for their sakes I sanctifie my self Joh. 10 11 The good Shepherd giveth his Life for his Sheep Rom. 8. 32. He that spared not his Son but gave him up for us all how shall he not with him also freely give us all things 1 Cor. 5. 18. God was in Christ reconciling the World unto himself not imputing to them their Trespasses Rom. 5. 8 9 10. For if when we
knowledge shall he perish c. But he nevea saith destroy not him or by thy knowledge shall he perish whom God hath Elected but contrarily Christ saith if it were possible they would deceive the very Elect. 6. We find them that fall away described to be such as were sanctified by the blood of the Covenant but never to be such as were Elected to Salvation And their Sin is aggravated as being a treading under foot the Son of God and putting him to open shame but not as treading under foot Gods Election And their misery is in this that there is no more Sacrifice for Sin but a fearful looking for of Judgment and Fire c. But not that there is no more Election 7. Men are warned to see that they refuse not Christ that speaketh and threatned that they shall not escape if they neglect so great Salvation and they shall speed worse at Judgment than Sodom and Gomorrhah But none are so threatned for sinning against Election nor are they warned to take heed of rejecting it nor is it said how shall we escape if we neglect so great a mercy as Election Also men that unworthily receive the Sacrament are said to eat and drink damnation to themselves and to be guilty of the Body and Blood of the Lord But no Man that is not Elect is said either to be the cause of his own Non Election or to be guilty of abusing or rejecting his Election 8. Also I find men warned on pain of Damnation to receive Christ as their Redeemer Be they never so wicked it is our office to perswade them to this and therefore to preach the Gospel to every Creature But we are not to command men to take God for their Elector I may not go to all the ignorant prophane men men in the Countrey and charge them to take God for their Elector 9. We must command all men to love Christ as their Redeemer and be thankful to him and in thankfulness to obey him and we may say to them You are not your own you are bought with a price therefore glorifie God with your Bodies and Spirits for they are his But we cannot perswade all men to love God as their Elector or to be thankful to him for Election or to obey God because he hath chosen them 10. We find Scripture telling us how hardly flesh and blood will digest the Doctrine of predestination and how they will quarrel at Gods chosing one and not another and how God stops their mouths with an answer drawn from his absolute Lordship and Propriety over them as the Potter over the clay he may make them vessels of honour or dishonour and do with his own as he list But we never find any murmurrings of Flesh and Blood that Christ should die for one man and not for another Nor do we find God ever acknowledging any such thing much less giving them a reason from his Absolute Dominion 11. Besides we find God useth to give the reason why men be not saved by Christ from their own wilfulness and rebellious rejecting him This is the cause given why his blood is not applyed to them But when it comes matter of Election or Non-Election the Answer is Oh Man Who art thou that disputest against God So that all these things laid together and considered it seems to me clear that Redemption is a Universal Cause as Creation is and not a thing proper to the Elect only as Gods Election is and that on this Universal Ground of Redemption Christ is entitled the Redeemer of the World and hath founded his jus Dominii imperii his right of Propriety and Government over all even those That will not that he should Reign over them as God was called the Creator of the World because he Created them and on that ground did found his first Title of Dominion and Empire over all the World And that Redemption hath no more an infallible connexion to the Salvation of all the Redeemed as subsequent than Creation hath with the Salvation of all the Created But both Creation and Redemption as they are the means between Election and its End have an infallible connexion with the consequent of the Salvation of the Elect. 2. It is a rule of great use and approved generally by Divines that when texts seem contradictory one to another or several interpretations and opinions are contradictory indeed that we must ever reduce uncertainties to certainties and not contrarily certainties to uncertainties and we must interpret obscure texts by reducing them to the plain ones and not the plain ones by reducing them to the obscure This rule Dr. Sanderson presseth well And Augustine said excellently Shall we deny that which is plain because we cannot comprehend that which is hid and secret Shall we say that is not so which we see to be so because we cannot find why it is so Aug. l. de bono persever c. 14 O that this rule were better observed When God telleth us as plain as can be spoken that Christ died for and tasted death for every man men will deny it and to that end subvert the plain sense of the words meerly because they cannot see how this can stand with Christs damning men and with his special Love to his chosen It is not hard to see the fair and harmonious consistency But what if you cannot see how two plain Truths of the Gospel should agree Will you therefore deny one of them when both are plain Is not that in high pride to prefer your own understandings before the wisdom of the Spirit of God who indicted the Scriptures Should not a humble man rather say doubtless both are true though I cannot reconcile them So others will deny these plain truths because they think that All that Christ died for are certainly Justified and Saved For whomsoever he died and satisfied Justice for them he procured Faith to Believe in him God cannot justly punish those whom Christ hath satisfied for c. But doth the Scripture speak all these or any of these opinions of theirs as plainly as it saith that Christ died for all and every man Doth it say as plainly any where that he died not for all Doth it any where except any one man and say Christ died not for him Doth it say any where that he died only for his Sheep or his Elect and exclude the Non-Elect There is no such word in all the Bible Should not then the certain truths and the plain texts be the Standard to the uncertain points and obscure texts Also Divines generally make it a rule for the Interpretation of Scripture that we must not leave the most obvious plain sense of the words without necessity and clear compelling evidence Now then let them be viewed by any unprejudiced man and let him tell us what is the plain and obvious sense of these foresaid words And for my part I see no necessity of going from that plain sense Some here
will tell me then we must say Christ is a Door a Way a Vine and the Bread is his Body c. But this is nothing to what I am speaking of For I did never say that we must take the literal sense in opposition to the figurative but only the plain obvious sense in opposition to a wyer-drawn extorted sense Some figurative speeches are so usual or plain and well known that he that should interpret them literally would be derided by any Plowman And every ignorant man useth figurative speeches in his common talk and use makes the true sence as plain and obvious as if they were not figurative You can scarce hear three sentences from any Countryman but will convince you of this If any man of common reason had heard Christ say I am the way to the Father would he have thought his plain obvious sense to be I am an Earthly or other Material way to be trodden on by the Feet of them to come to God What will not the lust of contradicting persuade men to Now I would know of any man would you believe that Christ died for all men if the Scripture plainly speak it If you would do but tell me what words can you devise or would you wish more plain for it than are there used Is it not enough that Christ is called the Saviour of the World You 'l say but is it of the whole World Yes it saith He is the propitiation for the sins of the whole World Will you say but it is not for All men in the World yes it saith he died for All men as well as for all the World But will you say it saith not for every man Yes that it doth he tasted death for every man But you may say It means all the Elect if it said so of any Non-Elect I would believe Yes it speaks of those that denied the Lord that bought them and bring upon themselves swift destruction And yet all this seems nothing to men prejudiced 3. Furthermore it deserves consideration whether men can considerately go against the plain light of so many express Texts of Scripture without some reluctancy and regret of Judgment And then whether using a mans Judgment to such a course to bear down the evidence of of many express texts of Scripture be not a matter of a dangerous nature both symptomatically and effectually Doth it not signifie a defect in our belief of the truth of Scripture Or at least of our reverend esteem of it when we dare use it as a Leaden rule and Nose of Wax as the Papists presumptuously call it He that can think it will endure such bending is in danger of thinking it may endure breaking Hath it not too plain a tendency to infidelity and disobedience It is the truth of this word that must preserve us from both And he that thinks so meanly of the Scripture as that it will patiently endure such violence and stretching is in great danger of being drawn to question whether it be Gods Word or no and of venturing over its bounds in practicals in case of temptation For what have we to persuade us that Christ is the eternal God but plain Scripture And is it plainer in this than in its affirming that Christ died for All All tender conscionable Christians should be as fearful to adventure against the plain meaning of Scripture in the matter of Faith as to adventure against its plain precepts and prohibitions in matter of practice And therefore I conclude that when God saith so expresly that Christ died for All and tasted death for every man and is the Ranfom for all and the propitiation for the sins of the whole World It beseems every Christian rather to explain in what sense Christ died for All men then flatly to deny it The first text of Scripture ordinarily used and which I shall insist on is Job 3. 16. God so loved the World that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life Here it is plainly expressed that the giving of Christ proceeded from Gods Love to the World as the principal efficient and that it was to this end that whosoever of this World believe in him should be saved One would think all were plain here yet men have found or made almost as many knots as words If a King had his whole Army prove false to him and turn to the Enemy and when they are in his power the Enemy Imprisoneth them and maketh them Slaves in this misery the King saith of them I so love my Army that I give so much money or my own Son in Ransom that whosoever will thankfully accept my kindness and return to his Allegiance shall not remain in slavery but be delivered fully into my favour and their dignities would not ordinary men easily understand this speech Would so many doubts be raised whether he mean the whole Army or part What is meant by Love by Whosoever c. yet here we have such a dust raised in as plain a case or as plain words as such Divine mysteries could well be expressed by 1. It is doubted what is meant by the World 2. And then what is meant by Loved 3. And what is meant by Whosoever The 4. What is meant by Believeth in him we need not here stand on And for the first some say by the VVorld is meant the Elect part of the VVorld some say as Dr. Twiss and others it is meant of Mankind as distinct from Angels excluding none and not of the Elect only and withal that it speaks only of the sufficiency of Christ's Satisfaction which if it were not sufficient for All there were no place for the General Promise Whoever believeth shall be Saved There is more truth and soundness in this exposition than will stand with some other contradictory passages in the same Authors For my part I stand to this exposition of Dr. Twiss as you may find him industriously explaining this text Vindic. Grat. lib. 1. part 2. § 7. pag. mihi 203. I will repeat part of his words Ad locum illum Joh. 3. 16. quod attinet negamus ex his evinci posse Mundum eo in loco significare Electos in mundo degentes Ad cujus loci majorem elucidationem observandum est cum decrevisset Fidem Rescipiscentiam electis suis non modo concedere sed easdem modo naturae ipsorum rationali convenientissimo nempe per Suasionem exhortationem in ipsis operari consequenter Evangelium sub generali invitationis formâ proponendum esset in hunc modum Quisquis crediderit salvus erit qui non damnabitur hinc evincitur mittendi Mediatoris duplicem Deo habendam fuisse rationem alteram Pretii alteram Efficaciae Nam Pretium oportuit sufficiens esse redimendis omnibus alias enim tam generali promissioni quisquis crediderit salvus erit locus nullus fuisset rursus oportuit
cap. 10. Videtur declarare non est eis reliqua hostia pro peccato postquam unicam Christi hostiam semel abjecerunt conculcarunt Impossible igitur est eos resipiscere servari So Calvin also Porro haec ratio est cur iterum dicat Christum crucifigi quia nos hâc conditione illi commorimur ut meditemur perpetuam vitae novitatem Qui◠ergo in mortem recidunt opus habent secundo sacrificio ut capite decimo habebimus Crucifigentes sibi hoc est quantum in se est Yea Beza himself who seeing what might be said for Universal Redemption from this Text endeavours to put in a bar yet concludeth thus Et fortasse sic potest ista sententia explicari acsi declaretur istos non posse rursum renovari quoniam rursus oporteret Christum crucifigi illis ludibriis exponi quod fieri amplius non potest illo semel pro mortuis credituris crucifixo nec in gratiam istorum apostatarum rursum crucifigendo quam sententiam si amplectamur uti sane probablis commoda mihi videtur c. I will add no more though many more might be added Now according to this exposition it is evident that it is implied that Christ died for these men or else there seems no force in the Argument to prove their sin unpardonable and themselves unrecoverable For the Holy Ghost here plainly intimateth that this unrecoverableness is the fruit of their Apostacy and that they were not unrecoverable before they were Apostates and yet the reason of their uncureableness lies in this that it is necessary to their pardon and cure that Christ should die again which cannot be Now it implieth that he died for them as they were in their state before Apostacy or else on this reason it might be said as well that their recovery and pardon was as impossible then and so their Apostacy should not be the reason but Christs not dying for them at all should be it Which is plainly contrary to the Text. But if any will needs deny this most probable interpretation and expound it efficienter that they do as much as they can to kill Christ again by their malice and contempt and making him to be but as a malefactor do approve of the Jews crucifying him as Grotius and many more expound it still it intimates that their sin did put him to Death once before or else what force is there in the Argument For it seems to run thus they that as much as in them lieth put Christ to Death twice or a second time are remediless But so do these Apostates Ergo c. Now if their sin as the pro-causa meritoria had no hand in his Death at first how can they be therefore remediless for endeavouring it a second time For it was but once by them And if the same sin was pardonable in those that not only in desire but in act did put him to Death viz. the Jews then it appears that it was a pardonable sin And that the same sin nay the Conatus or meer desire of it which was pardonable then should become unpardonable since as it is a fancy and hath no Scripture proof so it is apparently false seeing it supposeth that the Law of Christ is not now the same as then which is false A second Argument for Universal satisfaction this Text affordeth us Christ satisfied for all those who are inlightened and have tasted of the Heavenly Gift and are made partakers of the Holy Ghost c. But some Non-Elect are such Therefore Christ satisfied for some Non Elect and consequently for all This Argument is urged before therefore I shall say little to it Some answer to the Minor that it is to be denied because this Text doth nihil ponere sed tantum supponere Answer But it doth not suppose that which never was nor will be nor is possible Most Interpreters almost all that are against Universal satisfaction do expound this Text of those gifts which may and oft are really lost The number is so many that I will cite none 2. It is further said by some that these benefits presuppose not Christs dying for them Answer This is answered already They that can prove that God can will and doth give all these without satisfaction to his Justice first made are but a step from Socinianism and may next say he can and will give pardon without satisfaction And then they are within a step of infidelity and next in danger of saying that Christ Died in vain surely the Holy Ghost is given by Christ Crucified and I think only to them for whom he was Crucified The Devils are not therefore uncurable for ought any Scripture reveals because they would put Christ to Death through malice if it were in their power nor had they ever these fruits of his Death But according to their sense against whom I argue the Devils might hence be said to be unpardonable as well as Apostates Which is no Scripture Doctrine The 7th Text which I shall urge is Heb. 10. 26 27 28 29. For if we sin wilfully after we have received the knowledg of the Truth there remaineth no more Sacrifice for sins but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation which shall devour the Adversaries He that despised Moses Law died without mercy under two or three Witnesses Of how much sorer punishment suppose ye shall he be thought worthy who hath trodden nunder Foot the Son of God and hath counted the Blood of the Covenant wherewith he was Sanctified an unholy thing and hath done despight to the Spirit of Grace Hence I raise two Arguments 1. Those who receive the mercies here mentioned are of the number of them for whom Christ diéd But such are some Non-elect Ergo c. The Blood of the Covenant is shed before it is sprinkled or Sanctifieth shed Physically or morally and it cannot sanctifie Men before it is shed for them For Sanctification being some degree of application presupposeth it shed for them I mean If by Sanctification be meant either separation relative from the World to the Church and to Christ secundum quid Or else Sanctification real by giving Men a temporary Faith and other Graces proportionable and their escaping the pollutions of the World by that Faith But some think that by Sanctification is meant that cleansing which immediately followed the Sacrifice the word being used from the Jewish Sanctifyings and so by Sanctification should be meant that conditional justification or cleansing which all Men have immediately from Christ crucified before any further Personal application And if this be so then the Case is plain and past question The 2d Argument is from those words there remaineth no more Sacrifice for sins but c. Here the Apostle proveth the uncurableness and desperateness of their Case in that there remaineth no more Sacrifice And this is proper to them when they are Apostates Now if there were never
Condition of the Continuance of Justification and tells them what will be their misery if they perform it not though yet he may as to the event nevertheless Decree to cause them effectually and infallibly to perform it Seeing I have spoken so much here of Forgiveness I shall refer you to it when I come to speak of other Texts of the like sense I might here add lest any upon any other Interpretation of this Text should think it of no weight that other Scriptures do expresly assert some kind of Remission to the Wicked upon their half Repentance as to Ahab the Ninivites those Heb. 10. that were Sanctified by the Blood of the Covenant i. e. purified and those Numb 14. 20. I have pardoned them according to thy word saith God of the whole People of Israel Yea forbearance of Punishment with hope and means for Everlasting Escape is a sort of Remission Those that say this Remission needed not the Sacrifice of Christ's Blood to procure it do say that which they will never be able to prove The Tenth Text that I shall insist on is â— Tim. 4. 9 10 11. This is a Faithful Saying and worthy of all acceptation For therefore we both laâ—â—â— and suffer reproach because we trust in the living God who is the Saviour of all Men specially of those that believe These things command and teach Davenant putteth in the frontispiece of his Dissertations these words of Prosper on this Text quae sententia si tranquillo consideretur intuitu â—â—um controversiam dirimit De vocat Gent. li. 2. â— 31. Here it s left past dispute that by all Men â—â— meant more than believers for it is such an all Men as is contradistinct from believers even as the whole from a principal part There is no room therefore left in this Text for any cavil or exception but this one viz. whether by Saviour be not meant God the Father as the common preserver of his Creature or of Mens natural lives Rather then Jesus Christ as Redeemer This is commonly affirmed and upon this ground because it is only said we trust in the living God who is the Saviour and therefore say they this proves not that Christ is a Saviour of all by his Death Answ 1. Whether it be the Father or Son that is here spoken of is no whit material seeing God the Father Redeemeth and saveth by his Son as the Son doth by himself If it be spoken of saving the Soul and not only the Body then it 's no matter which person it is spoken of For God saveth none but by the Death of his Son Now that it is spoken de Deâ— Redemptore and not only of God as preserver oâ— Mens Bodies I prove 1. The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 say then the generallity oâ— Criticks signifieth moren then Servator yeâ— than salvator and therefore Laurentius and Grotius turn it sospitator and Grotius saith that servator salvator may be spoken of one that preserveth those that are safe and never were miserable but so it is not here 2. The same word is applied to God in the same manner of Speech twice before in this same Epistle and in both places is he called a Saviour in respect to Eternal Salvation and not to Temporal only 1 Tim. 1. 1. Paul an Apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour and Lord Jesus Christ our Hope 1 Tim. 2. 3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour Who will have all Men to be saved and to come to the knowledg of the Truth For there is â—â—e God and one Mediator between God and Man â—â—e Man Jesus Christ who gave himself a Ransom for all to be testified in due time He that denieth that the Apostle doth in both these places â—â—ll God a Saviour in respect to Spiritual and Everlasting Salvation is either very blind or perverse And is it not fit for us to understand the same phrase used in the next Chapter save â—â—e as in the same Sense If one Scripture must interpret another sure it is On 1 Tim. 1. 1. â—â—scator himself can expound the same Phrase â—â—us observa nomen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 servatoris etiam Patri â—â—ribui Is enim servat nos per Filium Quippe â—â—m salutis nostrae causd misit per quem nos sibi â—conciliavit per quem etiam Spiritum Sanctum â—â— nos mittit And will not an impartial Man â—â—en expound the same Phrase here in the â—â—me manner Specially there being no reaâ—â— to be brought from the Text to the contraâ—â— Even so doth Calvin expound 1 Tim. 1. 1. â—â—d 2. 3. and generally all interpreters that I have observed Yea let every place in the New â—estament be examined where God the Father â—â— called a Saviour and it will be found to have â—â—ference to Everlasting Salvation and not to â—â—poral only T it 2. 10. That they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things For the â—â—ce of God that bringeth Salvation hath appeared â—â—all Men Tit. 3. 4. But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward Man appeared not by works of Righteousness which we have done but according to his mercy he saved us by the washing of Regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour Luke 1. 47. My Soul doth magnifie the Lord and my Spirit hath rejoyced in God my Saviour So Tit. 1. 3. and Jud. 25. both in the same Sense And I remember no more in the New Testament And I think no considerate Man will in this case refer us to the Phrase oâ— the Old Testament for exposition of the New who knows and hath well weighed how seldom and darkly Eternal Salvation in Heaven iâ— mentioned in the Old Testament 3. It seems manifest to me from the contexâ— that Paul meant it not only of a Temporal Salvation For Paul makes this office of God to be the reason of Christians constancy in labour and in suffering reproach for godliness sake For the Apostle oft shews us that it was the hope of Glory and not of temporal deliverance that caused him to labour and suffer and therefore he trusted here on God as a Saviour Even lasting and not so much as a Temporal Saveour For he professeth that he knew that where ever he went bonds and afflictions did abiâ— him Yet did he not regard this nor accouâ—â— his Life dear that he might finish his courâ—… with joy And on this ground he perswade Christians to be stedfast unmovable alwaâ—… abounding in the work of the Lord forasmuâ—… as they know that their labour was not in vaâ—… in the Lord When as if in this Life only 〈…〉 had hope in Christ we were of all Men mâ—… miserable 2. And indeed God is not a Saviour of all Mens Bodies in danger by any obligation at all that I know of No though they be wronged and
natural suffering nor ever was to be punished meerly on the old score that is meerly for violating and incuring the penalty of the first Law by God as Rector according to that Law God might have refused to accept Christs Sufferings as a Satisfaction for Sinners much more to have freely provided it out of his own Treasure as it were when God therefore did freely himself provide a Satisfaction and freely Accept it He did both only on these terms that as Legislator of the strict Law of Works as standing without remedy he would punish no Man but yet he would not actually and absolutely discharge them for they are still his Subjects and now by a double right and bond viz both of Creation and Redemption and therefore must still be governed by him and therefore must still be Governed by Laws and therefore must still be under Precepts Prohibitions Promises and Threatnings which are the Parts of the Law For the Nature of Man is such as that it must be governed not meerly by Commanding but also per Praemia Poenas Experience tells us that of the best Men on Earth as propounded to them therefore God in mercy would make a New Law commanding all men to repent and that hear the Gospel to Believe and giving to the Redeemed the actual pardon of all their Sins on these Conditions making Christ the Fountain of our Life and Head of all that shall be Saved and Ordaining that Christ and with him Pardon and Adoption and the Spirit for further Sanctification and Salvation shall be given to all that will take Christ and that those that refuse him shall be unpardoned for all his Sacrifice and Satisfaction and shall moreover incur a far sorer punishment These are the terms on which God took Christ's Sufferings as satisfactory to his Justice which terms are well pleasing to the Son himself nor did he ever desire to ransom them on other terms or to bring them into any other Condition than under this his own Government and Laws nor to convey Pardon and Glory the Fruits of his Death to any that refused him still supposing his Everlasting secret Decree of procuring his chosen infallibly to perform the Conditions and partake of the benefits which belongs to another part of Theology Also it must be well observed as the very Principal Point for avoiding the common Errours in this business that the satisfaction is made to God as Legislator and so Rector per Leges and so hath its main direct respect to his Legislative Will His Will de Eventu is naturally Antecedent to it and the Cause of it as Event But his Law was the cause or occasion of it as due or morally necessary and also there are no Acts of his Decretive Will de Eventu caused by it but there are Acts of his Laws and so as to our manner of conceiving of his Will de Debito caused by it and so it was not for Christ's Death that God decreed to give Faith to any and consequently to give actual Pardon and Glory But God Decreed to give these for Christ's death when he so gives them And it is because of Christs death that they are due though not immediately from his death but mediante donatione Testamenti vel faderis Christ's death is the Cause of Faith but not of the Decree to give it Again it must be understood that it is not God as Legislator of the New Law that is satisfied for Sin by Christ's death that were to dye to satisfie himself the Mediator for the Non execution of his own remedying Law But it is God as Legislator of the Law of Works constituting Everlasting Death the due Penalty of every Sin Or if any had rather say that it is not formally the Law of Works which is now in force conjunct with the Law of Grace but it is become part of the Law of Grace the matter comes all to one sense though we change the words There is one Law that saith He that Sinneth shall dye call it what you will this Law as to the end Christ hath satisfied i. e. he hath properly satisfied the Law-giver There is another Law or as they call it the peremptory part of the New Law which saith He that believeth shall be Saved and he that believeth not shall be Damned Christ hath not satisfied the Justice of this Law by his Sufferings The sense of the Commination is He that in the time of this Life believeth not shall be Damned This Law is ever executed on all that are guilty and by it obliged to Everlasting Death that is on those that in their life time here do not Repent and Believe For the violation of the precept of this Law as it requires Belief or other Duty at the present time Christ did dye but not for the non-performance of the Condition which Death is threatned to Lastly It is therefore certain that Christ dyed not for the Sin of Final Impenitency in a prevalent degree and unbelief or Final Rebellion against himself or his Father And therefore when I said before that he satisfyed God as Legislator of the Law of works for sin as sin it is to be understood of the Law of Works as contradistinct from the Law of Grace and so all the sins peremptorily Condemned by the Law of Grace are excepted from the satisfaction Not only nor at all because they are the sins of such Persons but because they are such excepted sins who ever the person be Now therefore to the Argument and first to the Major I deny it and never saw any fair colour of proof of it and therefore having full plain Scripture to the contrary do confidently believe that all those are not Saved that Christ satisfied for and to the Proof brought I answer 1. It is untrue that Christ satisfied for every sin of every Man for whom he satisfied and it will never be proved He hath excepted all those Sins which are comprized in the final non-performance of the Condition of Salvation Object None that he satisfied for are ever guilty of that and that 's the Reason why he may not be said to dye for such Sins Answ That 's denyed and to be better proved before it can be received by Sober Men. I have already proved that he dyed and satisfied for those that are final Unbelievers or Apostates and so perish And I now prove that the Reason why Christ satisfied not for such sins as final Impenitency Infidelity or Rebellion is not accidental from the state of the Redeemed viz. because none of them are guilty of such but it is directly from the Nature of the sin without respect to this person more than that If Christ have expresly excepted the final non-performance of the Gospel Conditions from among the number of those sins which he hath satisfied for and that even in the New Law which he hath enacted for all Elect or Non-Elect then it is not only accidentally or because it
in an infallible prevalency to his chosen And that none might perish merely on the old score or be judged meerly by the Old Law but all stand or fall according to their improvement or abuse of recovering Mercy And all this God hath hereupon granted to his Son And so he hath satisfaction for his satisfaction though many that he hath satisfied for do perish 6. Besides consider though men be punished for the same sins that Christ suffered for yet as to God the same do become new sins and so men suffer for them as it were as for new sins For 1. The old Obligation was so far made void or disabled that of it self it could never more bind them to punishment by reason of the addition of a remedying grant 2. God did quantum in se as Legislator of the old Law forgive them all the debt except the sins of non-performance of the Gospel conditions which God still excepted and Christ never suffered for for God hath delivered the obligation out of his own hand as standing in that first Relation of Rector secundum Legem Naturae sâ—lum and given it up into the hand of the Redeemer to give Remission to whom he please He hath also made a free Deed of Gift of an Universal Pardon to all that will accept it So that though men be not actually pardoned yet God may conveniently be said to have pardoned them in that he did his part as Rector secundum Leges As he saith to Israel I have healed thee and thou art not healed When a true Believer is actually Pardoned God doth put forth no new act to Pardon him but doth it by the general Grant or Act of Oblivion whereby he Pardoned All men conditionally as well as them The Law saith a man hath done a thing or given a benefit when he hath done his part though the effect follow not and the Work be yet undone For Moral Causes may do all their part and â—et the effect not follow for want of the performance of conditions in the receiver or because con-causes do not their part And therefore if the effect follow not the Law enquires Who it is long of Whose fault was it if of the Patient or Receiver then the Donor or Agent is said to have done the thing though yet it be not done For as to him moraliter vel Civiliter it is done There being no default on his part If any say that God followeth not the Rules of Humane Laws I answer God is the Fountain of all right Laws and Reason and Justice and I speak not of any unjust or mistaking Laws This is an ill pretence for men to judge their Maker by when they will not allow him that reasonable apology nor make that construction of his ways according to common undeniable equity as they will do of the ways of men Right Reason and the Laws made thereby are a beam of Gods perfect Wisdom and Justice If any say that God doth not Totum quod ad se attinet all his part in making a Deed of Gift of Christ and Pardon and Glory to all that will accept it unless he also give Faith which is the acceptance it self I shall now only say this much till we come to the point by it self that God doth Totum quod ad se attinet ut Legislatorem vel Rectorem juxta Leges all that belongs to him as Rector according to Laws though not all that belongs to him as absolute Lord and Disposer of events and all Creatures And it is in that Respect sub 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rectoris that Christ made satisfaction to him and not in the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Relation of an Eternal-Elector or Absolute Proprietary and Disposer of all So that you see now that quoad Deum all men are pardoned all their sins except those excepted in the conditions of the Grant though quoad delinquentis Receptionem they are still unpardoned They may have Christ and Pardon if they will And when they are deprived of the Gift meerly because they will not have it no Reason can say God did not give it or Christ did not procure it or that God is unjust in that they are without it So that it is not now meerly the obligation of the first Law as unremedied that binds them over to punishment nor as it is in the Hands of God as Creator or Rector secundum Legem operum but it is the Obligation of the new Law primarily He that believeth not shall not be forgiven nor be saved and consequently of the Old Law as the obligation is in the Redeemers hands to be charged only on the Rejecters of Grace It is not primarily for sin as sin according to this Law Whosoever sinneth shall dye but it is primarily for Rejecting the Remedy and then that sin by necessary consequence remains unpardoned so that it is not directly because they were guilty of Death by the first Law but propter rejectam Remissionem for despising the Remission of that guilt So that quoad Deum it may be called the return of Sin or Guilt Remitted and so to be more properly ex novd obligatione from the New Obligation of the Law of Christ binding all their sins again upon them though as to them and their reception it is both from the New Obligation and the old And therefore Jude calleth such twice dead and pluckt up by the Roots If an hundred Traytors be condemned and the Prince Ransom them all at a Price agreeing in the payment of it that they shall now be all his own and none of them be delivered for all that who will not thankfully own him and acknowledge his favour Here it is just that all the Refusers of Pardon yet perish And their Death is directly for the refusing of the Remedy and secondarily from their old crime because they would not have it remedied So that though Materialiter they lose but one Life yet it may be said that the Life they now lose Civiliter is not the same that before they lost but it is vitam de novo donatam a Life newly given them for they were dead in Law and the King gave them a new Life Moraliter etsi non Naturaliter And it is the rejecting of the Gift by which they lose their former Natural Life and their New-given Mortal Life And will any man be so ill advised in this case as to say that it is injustice in the King or Prince to punish the same persons that were before Ransomed Yea if it were not by Money but by suffering publick shame that the Prince had Ransomed them Having thus Explained the Case and Answered the Argument I will looking at Edification and not the usual form of Disputing go beyond the task of a meer Respondent and give you two or three Arguments to prove that it is no injustice in God to punish those for whom Christ hath satisfied or for whose sins he was a sacrifice
And 1. I argue thus If it be no injustice in God to oblige men to punishment for all Christs satisfaction then it is no injustice actually to punish men for all Christs satisfaction But the former is true therefore so is the latter First I will prove the consequence of the Major Proposition thus from the essential offices of the Law 1. The Law is Juris constitutiva vel saltem declarativa It constituteth Right or at least declareth right I put in the latter declareth not as my own sense but to prevent the quarrel of any that may think this or any Right was constituted from Eternity before there was any Law or at least before that which we say obligeth sinners to punishment Though indeed the Law doth constitute before it declare And so the Law is Regula jussitiâ— vel saltem regula justa And if so then to execute such a Law can be no injustice 2. The Law is Norma judicii that 's past question I speak of a Law in force and as to the subjects to whom it is in force And if so then it can be no injustice to execute it But I think few sober men will deny the Major and therefore I leave that And one would think none should doubt of the Minor Whether it be any injustice in God by his Law to oblige to punishment those that Christ Died for But because the Antinomians deny it let us prove it If God do de facto oblige to punishment those for whom Christ Died then it is no injustice so to do But God doth so actually Ergo c. I hope if we prove that God doth it none dare say it is unjust If he be not Just he is not God And that God doth it I prove thus 1. Those that God Hateth and are Children of Wrath and without Hope and without God in the World and Strangers to the Covenant of Promises and Aliens to the Common-Wealth of Israel c. are certainly obliged to punishment But such many have been and still are for whom Christ Died Ergo c. God hateth all the workers of Iniquity and they are all by Nature Children of Wrath c. But many that Christ Died for are before Regeneration workers of Iniquity Ergo c. 2. All that are under the Curse of the Law are obliged to punishment But many that Christ Died for were under the Curse of the Law since his Death undertaken when his satisfaction was in force yea since his actual suffering Ergo. c. Many Scriptures shew both that we were under the Curse of the Law when Christ actually suffered and that all the Elect are under it still as well as others till their conversion I am loth to trouble the Reader in heaping up Testimonies 3. All that are condemned already and the Wrath of God abideth on them are doubtless obliged to punishment But such are many for whom Christ Died even all the Elect as well as others while they are unbelievers John 3. 18. 4. All that are guilty are obliged to punishment Proved Reatus est obligatio ad poenam they are all one thing But some that Christ Died for are Guilty Ergo c. Even all before pardon and that is all before Conversion are guilty 5. All those whose sins Christ doth pardon were first guilty or obliged to punishment But some that Christ Died for have their sins pardoned Ergo c. The Major is proved beyond all doubt from the formal Nature of Pardon which is the Remitting of Guilt or the Dissolving of an Obligation to punishment therefore where is no such obligation there can be no Dissolution of it For that which is not cannot be dissolved And so there is no capacity for pardon no more than a living man can be raised from the Dead or a Man cured of a Disease which he never had The like may be said of Justification also Our Divines have fully proved against the Antinomians that we are unpardoned and unjustified till we believe We are Justified by Faith and therefore were unjustified before Faith 6. If none be obliged to punishment for whom Christ Died then none such may pray for Pardon nor confess that they need any Pardon from Christ For Pardon being the dissolving of an obligation to punishment there can be no pardon where there is no obligation and therefore no need of it nor of prayer for it But the consequent is very wicked We must daily pray Forgive us our Debts and Trespasses Ergo c. The Second Argument is this If God do actually punish those for whom Christ Died then he may justly punish them But God doth actually punish such Ergo c. The Major is unquestionable The Minor is fully proved thus 1. The express words of Scripture shew it Lev. 26. 41 43. Lam. 3 39. and 4. 6 22. Amos 1. 3 6 9 11 13. and 2. 1 4 6. 2 Cor. 2. 6. 1 Pet. 2. 14. Jer. 44. 13. Ezra 9. 13. Hos 4. 9 15. Jer. 9 25. Read the places 2. The execution of that sentence Gen. 3. 16 17 18 19. is certainly punishment I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy Conception in sorrow thou shalt bring forth Children c. Cursed is the ground for thy sake in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy Life c. Dust thou art and to Dust shalt thou return But this sentence is executed on those that Christ Died for Ergo c. 3. Those whom God chastiseth he punisheth But he chastiseth those whom Christ Died for Ergo c. The Major is undeniable to all that know what chastisement and punishment is Punishment is the Genus being a Natural Evil or the privation of a Natural Good inflicted for a Moral Evil the privation of a Moral Good Rigorous vindictive Punishment tending most to the ruine of the Sinner is one species of it Chastisement is another species which by the hurt of a sinner tendeth to his good And though this be called Paternal yet 1. Chastisement is not the proper act of Parents Masters may Chastise Servants and Princes their Subjects 2. It is Metaphorically called Paternal in one respect as God exerciseth it when yet in other respects it is the act of God as Rector per Legâ—s for so all Gods Chastisements are according to his Laws Object All shall work together for good to them that Love God to the Called c. therefore nothing is Punishment Answ 1. The best Interpreters according to the plain truth expound that Text of Affliction only and most of such Affliction as is suffered for Christs cause or at least not for hainous sinning against God And it is unlikely it should be otherwise 1. Because the defect of Love to God seems excepted in limiting it to them that love God But one that Christ Died for may be defective in love to God therefore that is not promised to work for good 2. Every Man dieth in some sin and how that
obliged to them till they believed I speak of Obligation in such an imperfect sense as it may be applied to God Much less did he ever oblige himself to save all that Christ died for 2. And that Christs actual suffering gives no man right appears from what was said on the former Proposition It was not man himself that sinned who was the sufferer or satisfier either in sensu Naturali or Civili And therefore he cannot have the benefit till it be made over to him by some further conveyance 3. And therefore it is no wrong to the sinner to suffer because he suffereth but once and suffereth no more than he deserved So much against the first argument as most forcibly managed The second Argument against Universal Satisfaction answered Arg. II. Christ hath purchased Faith infallibly to be given to all that he died or satisfied for But Christ hath not purchased Faith infallibly to be given to all men but only to the Elect Therefore Christ died not for all men but only for the Elect. The Major is thus proved Christ hath purchased all things necessary to the Salvation of all he died for But Faith infallibly to be given is necessary to their Salvation Ergo c. The Major is thus proved Christ is a perfect Saviour to all those to whom he is a Saviour or Redeemer Therefore he hath purchased for them all things necessary to their Salvation The Minor of the main Argument is proved by experience Ans The Major is not true nor can be proved from Scripture but the contrary may abundantly be proved The argument by which they would prove the Major is sick of the same disease viz. Its Major is false and the Minor if not well explained is false too To the Major I say First Christ hath done all that belonged to him as a Redeemer by dying or as a Satisfier or all that for which properly an expiatory Sacrifice was required for all those for whom he died But I shall anon shew that the thing in question is not such Secondly Christ did not purchase all things necessary to Salvation for all that he died for I wait the proof of the affirmative In the mean time I mind the arguers that themselves confess 1. He did not purchase Predestination 2. Nor that Love which caused God to send Christ 3. Nor Creation and our Natural Being 4. Nor his own Death and Merits He purchased not these for any man For the Minor if it mean Personal Faith which it saith is necessary to Salvation It is not true of Infants If it mean the same Faith which now is necessary to our Justification to believe that Jesus is the Christ that he Died Rose Ascended c. this was not necessary to the Salvation of all before Christs Incarnation As to the Argument by which they would prove the Major I answer to it I. To the Major by distinguishing Christ is called a perfect Saviour in several respects 1. As to his plenary Power and Authority so we confess he is a perfect Saviour 2. As to the sufficiency of his Satisfaction or expiatory Sacrifice or of whatsoever he was to do as satisfier of Justice and so I confess he is a perfect Saviour And do not all the opposers confess that Christs Death was sufficient for All men and all till a few of late do confess that Christ died for all men quoad sufficientiam pretii And if it be sufficient for all men even for those that perish then he is quoad satisfactionis vel pretii sufficientiam a perfect Saviour to all men For they perish not through any Imperfection or Insufficiency in Christs Satisfaction or Sacrifice 3. Or else it is in regard of the Application of his benefits and conveyance of the fruits of his Death that he is said to be a perfect Saviour to all that he died for And so 1. Distinguish still of the term Saviour as it signifieth a satisfier of Justice or Redemptor per sacrificium expiatorium Christ is perfect quoad opus as to his Work and not only in himself and ability and the material sufficiency of his Sacrifice but this is not to the present point 2. A a Saviour signifieth an actual Deliverer by personal application and collation of his benefits so again Christ is to be considered in a double Relation 1. As Dominus Absolutus ex novo Jure Redemptionis 2. Ut Rector per leges ex eodem novo Jure As he is become the Absolute Owner or Proprietary of all Or as he is become the Rector and so the Legislator for under one of these two respects he maketh over all his benefits II. And accordingly you must distinguish of those benefits which Christ is to convey as Rector per Leges and those which he is to convey as Dominus Absolutus and as above or besides his Laws arbitrarily without pre-engagement And so I answer that Christ doth all that belongs to him as Legislator and Rectoâ— according to the Tenour of the New Law and Covenant perfectly to all as well as to the Elect But he doth not all that he may do and mans necessity requires that he should do as absolute Proprietary or Owner either to all or equally to the Elect yet is he not therefore an imperfect Saviour For that belongs not to the making of him a perfect Saviour though it belong to the perfection of the Sinners Salvation And therefore the consequence of this Enthymeme is denied on these grounds That these things may be yet more clear I shall briefly open a little further the Nature of these distinctions and the difference between these several effects of Christs Death and so shew you that he is a perfect Saviour though he give not Faith to all that he died for having shewed you in what sense Christ may be said to have purchased for us the Habit or Act of Faith For I find that a good explication lets in more light into the understanding and prepares it more for the entertainment of Truth than doth the most subtle Argumentation And 1. You must understand that the first main distribution of the Works of Christ in our Redemption comprizing the whole is into the work which he did for the satisfying of Gods Justice in offering himself a Sacrifice for sin 2. And those which were to be done hereupon for the sake of this and that I. By God the Father 1. To Christ accepting his sacrifice acquitâ—ing him making him Owner and Ruler 2. To us Delivering us 1. From our Legal necessity of Perishing 2. To Christ as our Lord and Ruler to be dealt with on terms that have a tendency to our recovery II. By Christ the Redeemer who being thus made both Owner and Rector of us all doth according to these two respects give out all the following Fruits of his death to Mankind So that Christ's first work of satisfaction which is terminated as it were on God is a perfect entire work of it self
impotency or imperfection in God but by reason of the perfection of his Wisdom Justice and Holiness For them that deny this as Twisse and some others do to the great hardning of Socinians and Infidels at present I refer them to the Writings of Divines that have proved it As Voetius in Thesibus Camero Passim specially excellent well by Mos Amyraldus in Thesib Salmâ—riens Vol. 1. de satisfactione and Essenius Joh. Junius and most against the Socinians on that point say somewhat to it and something I have elsewhere said my self and therefore will not now so far digress But on the other side that God might have given Faith separated from these benefits without satisfaction is evident 1. In that there is no injustice or other prohibiting inconvenience in it 2. God doth give the Devils a belief that God is and that he is a Rewarder of them that seek him diligently and that Christ is the Son of God and the Saviour of the World and that he was Incarnate dyed for Sin Rose and Ascended and sitteth at the right hand of God and shall come again to judge the World some to life and some to death and that all the Scripture is Gods word and all true and that whosoever of Mankind believeth shall be saved for the Devil believeth the connection between Faith and Salvation all this Faith God giveth to those that look to the nature of things more than to bare words and can see through the vail of metaphorical expressions will not make any question of this especially if they have so far studied the Civil Law and Politicks as is requisite for the right understanding of the nature and extent of these two relations Indeed Christ is called a Father but that signifieth but 1. His special propriety in us as Fathers have in their Children which is a branch of propriety in general 2. And his Authority over us as a Father hath over his Children which is part of his Rectorship And withal it signifieth that special love of Christ to those to whom he is thus related So he is called a Husband which expressed the same special Propriety and Rectorship with the singular love accompanying them He is called a Prophet but that term expresseth but the manner of his applying himself to men in the exercise of his Dominion and Rule for he that teacheth them doth not teach them as a private man but with Authority and as their rightful King whether they acknowledge him or no even as a King doth offer mercy to Rebels and perswade them earnestly to accept it shewing them the danger of standing out against him Or as he teacheth his Subjects their duty you may call this Man a Teacher but the meaning only is this he is a Teaching King and so his Teaching is part of his Ruling or subordinate to it It signifieth but the manner of his applying himself to them so Christ's Prophetical Office in its self belongeth to his Rectorship Not that all Teaching is Ruling but in all his Teaching he doth it as their Ruler in right at least if not in exercise For that Teaching by which he converteth Sinners is not properly an act of moral ruling those Sinners but yet it is the Act of a King perswading Rebels to come in that they may be Ruled and as their King doth he perswade them And then the diversity of the degrees of Gospel Light and Motions some having more some less some none is from Christ as absolute owner of all that may do with his own as his list It were easie to manifest how all his other Office-Titles and Relations are reducible to these two at least as he is signified in relation to the Creature For in his intercession he stands in a double relation The one is to God with whom he intercedeth and so he intercedeth as the Son of his Love who having satisfied his Justice hath all delivered up to him and therefore is Owner and Ruler of all The other Relation is to the Creature for whom he intercedeth and that is as their Owner and Ruler and for his own chosen as their Owner and Ruler in a stricter sense than the rest even as they are his Jewels and specially beloved More is said of this in another place peruse the Table of the effects of Christ's death Now let us see how it is that Christ hath purchased Faith and how he giveth it having satisfied God's Justice by dying for all Mankind God giveth up all men to him as their Owner and Ruler by Redemption-Title and giveth up also into his hands the former obligation as is said hereupon Christ hath full power 1. To alter the Law or to make new Laws for them and by these Laws to confer Salvation and other Benefits by ordaining on what terms they shall be obtained and so giving right to them 2. To give further mercies over and above what he giveth right to by that Law being absolute Lord he may do with his own as he list still supposing that his Fathers Will is his Will Now Christ having received this Plenipotency as Rector per Leges he makes a free Universal Conveyance or Grant of Pardon Justification Reconciliation Adoption Sanctification in the common Scripture sense and Glorification to all Men on Condition they Repent and Believe But he hath no where made any Conveyance of the first effectual Grace or of Faith to any Man He hath indeed prophesied or foretold us that he will infallibly give it to his Chosen but he hath not named or described them by any antecedent distinguishing Character so that no man can beforehand say this belongs to me nor hath he by this Prediction made over to them any right to the thing but only foretold that he will give them right hereafter Only he hath prescribed certain means to all men either for the immediate obtaining of Grace to believe or at least for the obtaining of Grace conducing thereto which may bring them into a nearer capacity who before were further off than the rest of the World And he hath given them sufficient encouragement to use those means without despairing of success even so much as that no man that hath the use of Reason can be named by the tongue of Man that did his best in the use of means to get Faith or to get nearer to Christ and yet lost his labour Yet hath not Christ thought meet to engage or oblige himself to any Unbeliever to give him Faith but when he doth it he will do it as Dominus Absolutus and as not obliged and indeed doth it only to those whom he had an absolute purpose to save and were given him to be infallibly brought home to God So that Christ gives not Faith the first Faith as Rector per Leges but as Dominus Absolutus Those Mercies if special that are thus given are said by some Divines to flow from Predestination alone as did the gift of a Saviour to fallen Mankind
but no doubt it is mediante Sanguine Christi and in a remote sense are fruits of Christ's death By what hath been said it may appear that Faith is not the proper effect of satisfaction as satisfaction nor is it any neer or inseparable effect of satisfaction as it is meritorious God did not give Christ Faith for his bloodshed in exchange the thing that God was to give the Son for his satisfaction was Dominion and Rule of the Redeemed Creature and power therein to use what means he saw fit for the bringing in of Souls to himself even to send forth so much of his word and Spirit as he pleased both the Father and Son resolving from Eternity to prevail infallibly with all the Elect. But never did Christ desire at his Fathers hands that all whom he satisfied for should be infallibly and irrisistibly brought to believe nor did God ever grant or promise any such thing Jesus Christ as a Ransom dyed for all and as Rector per Leges or Legislator he hath conveyed the Fruits of his death to all that is those Fruits which it appertained to him as Legislator to convey which is right to what his New Law or Covenant doth promise But those Mercies which he gives as Dominus Absolutus arbitrarily besides or above his engagement he neither gives nor ever intended to give to all that he dyed for no nor to all his Elect doth he give all those fruits of his death nor for ought I know to any in the same degree for these are but remotely the Fruits of Christ's death and not constant nor inseparable Fruits Peruse the foresaid Table of the Fruits of Christs death and it will shew you which the mercies be that Christ gives by Law and which arbitrarily as besides his engagement Is it not manifest then that it is a desperate charge against the Lord Christ to say that he is an imperfect Saviour if he do not perfectly save all that he Died for or convey to them all the fruits of his Death The Preaching of the Gospel expresly is a fruit of Christs Death Some have this in great power clearness and constancy some but weakly darkly or seldom and some not at all Shall they that have been at one or two dark Sermons of Christ in all their Lives say That either Christ Died not for them or else was an imperfect Saviour Some are endowed with the gift of Prophecy Tongues Miracles as fruits of Christs Death shall all that receive not these say that Christ is an imperfect Saviour because he gave them none of these fruits of his Death Some are made Kings and Rulers and some Apostles Evangelists Pastors Teachers c. and all are fruits of Christs Death Yet all are not Apostles Pastors Teachers c Some have Learning and some none Some have good Parents and good Education and some bad Some of the Elect have Health of Body and Helps Opportunities and Advantages to to serve God which others want Some are permitted to live long in sin as Manasses And others converted in the morning of their Days Some are preserved in a more even and comfortable walking with God And some are permitted to fall into most hainous scandalous sins to the great dishonour of God and their Profession and to walk sadly for it all their Days Nay some to suffer Death by the hands of publick justice Shall all these say Christ is an imperfect Saviour to them Some are kept in vigor and growth in grace and some remain Infants and some lose their first degree of Love and grow more luke-warm and Die in a very low ebb of Grace Comfort and Assurance Some enjoy much fellowship with the Father and Son in the Spirit And others are almost wholly strangers to it Some are made instruments of doing God abundance of service and the Church much good and bringing home or building up many Souls and that to the end of their Lives Others are kept without parts and gifts next to useless if not burdensome Some Distracted and after a Godly Life fall into stark madness and so spend their days as being uncapable of making use of their Affliction or of any Mercy And some are cut off in Infancy or in the Womb before they did ever believe or love God or do him any service And is Christ an imperfect Saviour to all these Nay and he hath revealed to us that according to this diversity here in degrees of Grace Holiness and Obedience so will be the diversity in the degrees of glory One shall be Ruler of ten Cities and another but of two For he will reward every Man according to his works How vast a difference then is there like to be between the Glory of an Infant that being born of a weak believer Died from the Womb and the Glory of Peter John Paul or those to whom it shall be given to sit on Christs Right Hand and Left Hand in his Kingdom And yet all these are Elect. Where is it then that the force of the Argument lyeth that would prove that all must needs have Faith for whom Christ Died If he be an imperfect Saviour except he save all alike or give to all that he Died for all the fruits of his Death then such a charge might as truly be grounded on his dealings with the Elect themselves as with others Object But he saveth all the Elect though not all alike He bringeth them all safe to Heaven at last but so he doth not others Answ That 's true But then 1. It 's yielded that it belongs not to the perfection of Christs Office or Work to give all the fruits of his Death quoad speciem to all that he Died for 2. It belongs as truly to his office of saving to save men from sin and to give them a full degree of Grace and Glory as to give men Faith And yet it belongs not to his office necessarily to give these to all that he Died for No doubt a greater measure of Glory is a greater good than that small measure which some enjoy Specially if the joy of some saved Infants were no greater than Nazianzene Orat. 40. and other antients did think the pain of some condemned Infants would be 3. Some of these parts of Salvation which the Elect themselves do come short of are penally denied them and so are given by Christ as Legislator being propounded on a condition and they not performing the condition to the performance whereof Grace was necessary to assist them If then Christ may give good things by a conditional grant as Legislator to his Elect and yet not give them that Grace which may cause them infallibly to perform the condition and so deny them the benefit conditionally given for want of that performance what reason can be given why he may not do so by the Non-Elect in respect of Salvation and Faith and Repentance the Conditions thereof So that all the weight of their Argument lyeth on this
supposition that Christ bore not Punishment for any mans sins but those whom he intended infallibly to bring to Heaven which they have never yet proved nor ever will do there being no Word of God that promiseth to save all that Christ died for Lay all this together and you will see the truth of these Conclusions 1. That it was not the absence of Faith in Christ the Remedy but the Old Laws Obligation of us to Punishment or the guilt of sin which required Christ's satisfaction to God's Justice 2. That Christ by this satisfaction did not immediately merit Faith it self but only those intermediate causes from whence the Faith of his Elect is produced that is He purchased all men from the Legal necessity of perishing that they were in into his own Power as their Owner and Ruler that so he might make over Reconciliation Remission and Salvation to all if they will believe and might send forth sufficient means and help of Grace to draw all men towards him resolving to draw his Elect Infallibly to him 3. That it is therefore an improper and unfit phrase to say that Christ Died to purchase us Faith though rightly explained it hath truth in it But rather that Faith is an effect or fruit of Christ's Death viz. where Faith is given For the former phrase would intimate as if Faith were the thing that God was to give in requital of Christ for his Bloodshed and that directly and so Faith should be given by God as Legislator of the Old Law For the stipulation supposed to be between the Father and Son was made by the Father on his part not as Redeemer or Legislator of the New Law but as the offended Rector according to the Law of Creation now treating with the Mediator about mans Recovery Though these things spoken after our manner do but signifie Gods Decrees yet they shew us in what Relation God stood towards Man and towards the Redeemer when he required and accepted of Satisfaction Whereas the thing given to Christ was Power of Dominion and Rectorship and so the Redeemed delivered to him not all to one final end nor with a like intent And so Faith is procured by Christ only in this remote sense in that he procured full power to use the fittest means to draw men to him in the season and degrees he please with a full resolution in his own mind to make all this effectual upon his chosen that he might attain the full end of his Blood-shed So that Faith is the effect of that degree of Grace which from his Plenipotency he gives lest his chosen should miss of the intended Salvation and therefore is improperly said to be purchased by Christs Blood though yet it be a remote effect of his Blood to those that have it and none could have had it without the Intervention of his Blood because there would have been no saving use of Faith without that Blood otherwise they might if we look to Faith but as such an act considered without its object given 4. And therefore the Scripture no where useth any such phrase as to say that Christ Died to purchase us Faith But ordinarily that he died to purge or put away sin c. And in controverted cases it is safest to speak in Scripture Language Suppose a man pay 1000 l. to Ransom certain Prisoners that owed that sum and upon the Ransom it is agreed that they shall now be delivered up to him as his Ransomed ones to dispose of at his pleasure yet both parties agree that only those shall be actually delivered into freedom who thankfully accept the favour and the Ransomer as their Lord The Redeemer knows that these are men of such stubborn hearts that they will refuse his offer yet he resolves to send them under his hand a conditional discharge that all shall come forth that will accept him and his offer and to tell them that all the rest shall by him be still detained and as his Prisoners suffer greater misery Yet out of a special love to some of them he resolves to send a friend who is so effectual an Orator as will certainly prevail with them to lay by their obstinacy and yield to his motion Doth it seem a proper phrase in this case to say that this man paid 1000 l. to purchase for these men a yielding Heart or to purchase their consent to accept him and his kindness Rather he did it to purchase their Freedom from Prison which he gives to all as far as belongs to him as Ransomer But he sends this Orator with a resolution to prevail in another superadded relation viz. as one that beareth a special love to those particular men above the rest or as one at least that is resolved to attain infallibly that fruit of his Ransom even the actual deliverance of those men Nor can it therefore be concluded that he paid not the debt of any of the rest because he will not as importunately solicite them to accept of his offer 5. We must therefore distinguish of meer Ransoming or Redemption by Sacrifice and the same Sacrifice or Redemption as it is conjoyned with Election and is subordinate to it Effectual Grace to work Faith infallibly proceeds from Redemption as it is accompanied with Election or with a special absolute resolution of saving those particular persons but it comes not from mere Redemption by Sacrifice as divided from Election and therefore is common to all the Elect but not common to all the Redeemed For God hath means of two different sorts for the accomplishing his Decree of Election as to execution First general means and secondly special means and the general is the Foundation on which he means to build the special Let us again remember Amesius's words that Redemption is to the whole work of Grace viz. both common and special what Creation is to the work of Nature Nay better we may say what Creation was to Gods Governing Administrations under the first Law that is Redemption to Gods Governing Administrations under the Second or New Law For in Creation God did two things 1. He gave man his Being that he might be a Subject fit for Government 2. He gave him his Right Being Real and Relative making him after his Image in his favour and in a state of happiness and in this state he made a Law with him even with all mankind in Adam and Eve promising him further everlasting life on condition of obedience Now here Gods Creation of man in his favour and in rectitude was a common work and so was his giving him that Law But so was not the fulfilling of its Promise which implieth the Intervention of mans performance of the condition Suppose now that man had been multiplied by propagation before the fall of any and then one half of mankind had kept this Law of Works and the other had broke it Had it been fit for any man to say that God did not Create any of those
that did his best in the use of these means and lost his labour So that if all men have not Faith it is their own fault not only as Originally Sinners but as rejecting sufficient Grace to have brought them nearer Christ than they were for which it is that they justly perish as is more fully opened in the Dispute of sufficient Grace I think now I may fafely conclude that there is no proof yet brought that Christ will give Faith to all that he dyed for but the contrary I have proved Argument 3. Against Universal Satisfaction Christ dyed not for those who were in Hell at the time of his Death therefore he dyed not for all Answ I cannot discern any strong appearance of proof that can be brought for the Antecedent however it take with very many as I confess in the time of my ignorance it did with me 1. Jesus Christ satisfied God's Justice 1. Morally at his first undertaking interposing or engagement according to our apprehension presently upon mans fall 2. By that Natural Suffering which he had before undertaken and this was in the fulness of time It is usual for moral effects to go before the natural part of the Cause but the Cause is in esse morali in moral being Many a man upon his word to pay so much money such a day or upon earnest given hath the thing bought delivered to him tho' he pay not the price till long after So may a man redeem Slaves by such an undertaking So did Christ undertake to bear the punishment due to the Sins of all and this undertaking satisfied God not without his suffering but by its respect to his future suffering giving it a moral Being before hand so that when Christs satisfaction was in its first moral being no man of this World was in Heaven or in Hell 2. It was necessary for Christ having undertaken to suffer the punishment due to their sins before they were Condemned to perform his undertaking after they are Condemned If you give earnest for the buying of Beasts or Slaves and take them into your possession and promise such a day to make payment though they dye the while you must pay the price 3. Christ had as much of his ends obtained in those that perished by Rejecting Grace before his death as he hath for those that perish for the same cause since 4. The Wicked that perished before Christ's death had the same benefits by it as those that perish after his death allowing the difference that the clear discovery of the mystery of Salvation now doth cause they had mercy offered them and Remission and Salvation given them on Condition of repenting and believing and sufficient grace to have brought them nearer God than they were which if they had obeyed they had a high probability of having more added 5. All this presupposeth Christ then a sufficient Object for their Faith that is Christ who had satisfied for them as to his Undertaking and must and would do it afterwards in performance was then the Object propounded for them to believe in and therefore their Unbelief was Consequential and not Antecedent to Christ's moral satisfaction and suffering for them even as the Faith of the Godly also was 6. It is as good arguing to say some were in Heaven when Christ dyed therefore he dyed not for them as to say some were in Hell therefore he dyed not for them For it may as wisely be said those in Heaven were past all need of satisfaction as that those in Hell were past all hope and remedy The time was when they had hope from that satisfaction set before them and when it was a sufficient remedy for them and wanted nothing but their own consent to make it fully effectual As the time was when those now in Heaven had need of it and did accept it offered them Abraham saw Christ's day and rejoyced and Moses counted the reproaches of Christ greater Riches than the Treasures of Egypt But the impenitent then refused Christ and his Government and therefore were justly denied his further Mercies 7. Only this much may be concluded by this arguing that Christ at the time of his dying did not intend the Saving of those that were then in Hell and so it is as true that Christ at his death did not intend for the future to give Regeneration the first Reconciliation Pardon Adoption Union with him or Glory to those in Heaven for they had received them all long before as the Damned had lost them all before by their Rejection But it follows not hence that therefore Christ bore not the punishment of all mens sins according to his first undertaking I know great dissimilitudes are pretended between the Cases of the Saved and the Damned when Christ dyed as to this Argument but they are but pretended and none is shewed and I think it needless to strive against meer words But a fore-mentioned Disputer undertaketh to shew that the Answer drawn from the state of them that were Saved when Christ dyed will not hold and why 1. He saith Those that were saved were saved on this ground that Christ should certainly suffer for them in due time which suffering was as effectual in the purpose and promise as in the execution and accomplishment c. Answ 1. And those that were Damned had Pardon and Salvation given them freely if they would have accepted them on God's terms and this was on the same consideration of Christ's future dying for them 2. And consequently they who were then Damned for unbelief were Damned for rejecting a Christ that had undertaken to dye for them and the mercy purchased by his undertaken death 2. This Author produceth such a Simile as I mentioned even now of one that undertaketh the ransom of Prisoners and sendeth to them thereupon to come forth for he that detaineth them taketh his word Now if some come forth and the rest refuse and be dead in Prison and others hear not of that and that according to his appointment and were dead long since when the Ransomer comes to pay the Debt or Ransom doth he intend it for them that dyed obstinately in Prison or only for those that came forth doubtless only for these last Answ 1. To answer as confidently doubtless it is the Debt and Ransom undertaken for all and paid according to the undertaking 2. Bring home the Similitude nearer the case from payment of money to suffering of the punishment which they should have suffered or some other ad fines Rectoris equivalent and doubtless then he suffered Loco omnium instead even of those that are dead in Prison or else he is not a man of his word if his action answer not his undertaking But he did not at his actual suffering intend it for the further good of the dead not in bonum ulterius omnium supposing what good they had before received by it and might have received a full deliverance if they would And to make them
attainment of it in vain for his attaining Life after by Christ is nothing against his losing it in the first way Most certainly those that see not the glory of Christs new Administration in the Government of the World in general in Title and so legislation judgment and execution as it differs from the Administration of the former Government they do rob God of a very great part of the glory of the work of Redemption and if they overlook so glorious an effect of this work which should be part of the matter of their weekly solemn Praises on the Lords days in the Church Assemblies for which the day was translated from the seventh which was for the commemoration of the Creation as the cause of our being and ground of the former Government no wonder if they speak and write again Universal Redemption The whole World is now governed by Christ and so by God as he is God Redeemer And it is no small flaw or errour in their Theology that deny the Foundation of the whole Government and then cry out that we make Christ to dye in vain if he bring not all infallibly to Heaven that he dyed for 5. And also he hath in subordination hereto attained this by his death that he hath power to abrogate or alter the Law that was against us And that men before their believing are now his Prisoners and not the Fathers as Rector according to the first Law unremedied and so they are Prisoners of hope and not of despair 6. He giveth them under his hand a Conditional Remission and grant of Salvation If they will have him and Life with him they may For this is the Record which men perish for not believing that God hath given us Eternal Life and this Life is in his Son He that hath the Son hath Life and he that hath not the Son for all that gift hath not Life 1 John 5. 10 11 12. This end Christ attained and therefore dyed not in vain 7. He putteth men in a way towards recovery appointing them some means to be used thereto and giving them sufficient grace or help to that use of those means which he first requireth of them 8. These men do actually partake of a multitude of mercies in this Life besides the forementioned They enjoy a comfortable healthful Life with the supply of their wants being provided for with necessaries and usually with delightful abundance having the service and use of all the Creatures They are kept from all cause of desparation and the self-tormentings of Conscience which are its inseperable concommitants and which those that feel do often call the torments of Hell within them They are not only kept out of Hell it self but as is said have a possibility of everlasting escaping it and if they will not reject it they shall certainly enjoy Eternal Life All the mercies in one word which ever they receive are from the Blood of Christ and therefore as to them he Died not in vain Their Lives indeed might have been continued according to the tenour of the first violated Law but it would only have been as a fit subject of misery It would not have been such a Life of Hope Delights and Abundant Mercies 9. They shall all have their Bodies raised up at the Resurrection Day and that by the power of Christ as the Redeemer 10. They shall all be judged by Christ as their Lord-Redeemer and so acknowledge him before all the World 11. They shall be judged according to the Talents of Mercy which they abused and the Grace which they rejected after the tenour of the Redeemers Law and not according to the unremedied Law of works And so shall be left without all just excuse even at the bar of Grace To their greater shame and the Redeemers greater glory than if they had been judged according to the meer Law of works by God-Creator as the Legislator of that Law 12. Lastly They shall in their just everlasting Damnation bring double Glory to Gods Justice as Belilevers in their Salvation shall bring a double Glory to his Mercy As in our Salvation God will not be honoured only as Creator and Rector according to the first Law but also as Redeemer and Rector according to the New Law So in the Damnation of Unbelievers it is not only the Justice of God as Creator and Rector according to the first Law but it is specially the supereminent Justice of Christ and God as Redeemer and Rector according to the new Law which will be everlastingly glorified on the rejectors of Grace They will then fully acknowledge that Christ died for them and Redeemed them and that in mercy and that for the undervaluing and rejecting of that mercy they do justly suffer So that here will be a more glorious advantage for the demonstration of Gods Justice than ever could have been according to the tenour of the first Law and without Christs satisfaction for the Sinners And I think if Christ attain his own and his Fathers Glory he Dieth not in vain and loseth not the fruits of his Blood-shed He knows how to manage the business so as that he shall be no loser let men prove as ungrateful and obstinate as they please All these ends Christ actually obtains for they are ends fully intended by himself But then the very Salvation of all men is finis prescriptus propositus propounded to man to be intended and Christs satisfaction is made a sufficient means thereto in suo genere and so this may be called the end of Gods Legislative will though he attain it not as is said before Argument the Fifth against Universal Satisfaction 5. All those for whom Christ Died or satisfied have the Gospel Preached to them But all men have not the Gospel Preached to them Therefore Christ Died not for all men The Major is proved thus 1. Christs Dying for men would be in vain if it should never be revealed to them that they might believe But Christ doth not Die for any in vain Ergo c. 2. For whomsoever Christ Died for them did he procure Remission Salvation and all means necessary thereto But the Preaching of the Gospel is a means necessary thereto Ergo c. Proved in that the Preaching of the Gospel is a necessary means to believing and Faith is a necessary means of Remission and Salvation The Minor of the main Argument is proved by experience Answ 1. Let it be observed that this Argument makes nothing against the Redemption of all men that hear the Gospel Elect and Non-Elect but only of those Pagans or others that never hear it And if they grant that Christ satisfied for all that hear the Gospel few will contend much with them about others as judging it partly so far beyond us and partly so little to concern us as not to be worth much contention Yet for my part I think the Argument weak and the Conclusion untrue 2. Davenant in his Dissertation of Universal
Redemption Thes 4. Cap. 6. per tot page 65. ad p. 87 hath said so much to this pointt hat I may well refer the Reader thither for satisfaction without adding any more 3. Yet I shall first briefly Answer the Argument and then more fully open the truth about this point in certain conclusions And 1. We must distinguish of several terms in the Arguments and some other necessary to be here considered 1. Christ is said to Die for men 1. Dying in their stead and for their sin as lying on him in the undertaken suffering 2. Or else final it er in eorum bonum Which is 1. Common 2. Or Special And both 1. Either given as Legislator quoad jus by a conditional grant 2. Or given as Dominus absolutus and the disposer of all things quoad eventus Prop. When I say Christ Died for all men I mean not that he finally intended as Dominus absolutus eventually to save all by his Death But that he Died in the stead of all suffering the punishment which by the Law of works was due to all mankind And how far he died in bonum ominum for the good of all is shewed before and shall be shewed more anon Secondly We must distinguish betwixt the the Gospel as it signifieth the Covenant of Grace with its grounds and fruits fully expressed and as it signifieth only some particular Gospel truths which go before the full revelation of the said Covenant Grounds and Effects as the Break of Day goeth before the Sun Rising and the Revealing of some of the fruits of Christ's Death by which streams men should be drawn to enquire after the Fountain in the later sense all have the Gospel In the former all have it not Thirdly We must distinguish of Preaching which is either taken in general for any way of Revelation or specially for a Revelation by Writing or Speaking The former All have the later not when I say All men I still mean All that have the use of their senses and reason and not Infants Mad Men Ideots or Senseless of whom more anon By this much you may see in what sense we acknowledge or deny the Truth both of Major and Minor proposition of the Argument And hence also you may see how far I deny the Major of the next subservient Argument if withal you distinguish 3. Between Frustra being in vain absolutely as to all ends and uses yea Gods chiefest ends or in vain to the particular end of the Sinners own Salvation 4. And as to the cause hereof you must distinguish between being in vain through any defect of Christ's Satisfaction or on his part and being in vain as to their Salvation meerly through their own fault According to the last members of these two distinctions we confess Christ's Death is in vain to all that perish but not according to either of the former 5. We distinguish between Christs procuring Remission and Salvation to be made over to all by him as Legislator in the tenour of his Conditional Grant And being eventually conferred on all by God as the disposer of events 6. We must distinguish between the extent of the new Law or Grant of it as to its own Tenour or Sense and the extent of it as to the Promulgation 7. Also between promulgation initial imperfect and full and perfect 8. And between means sufficient to the first Duties that Christ by Gospel Truths calls men to and all means absolutely necessary or sufficient to Faith and Salvation And so I answer to the second Prosyllogisme that Christ did not procure that all he died for should eventually receive Remission and Salvation or sufficient means thereto nor yet that the Covenant of Grace which conferreth Right to these should be as to the Infallible event fully promulgate or revealed to all But he hath procured not only that all mens sins be made pardonable in a nearer sense than they were before his satisfaction but also that as to the tenour of his Law or Covenant Remission and Salvation be conferred on all so be it they will not reject it and also that some part of his Gospel Truth and the effects of Christs Death be revealed in some measure to all and so some part of his New Law promulgate to all and all have sufficient means to help to perform the Duties which he thus calls them first to perform 9 We must distinguish between Believing that God is and that he is reconciled to man so far as that he will reward them that diligently seek him and believing that Jesus Christ was Incarnate and satisfied by his Death 10. And between Necessary to Salvation Necessitate Precepti and Necessitate Medii and so I answer to the last confirmation that Faith in the first sense is necessary to the Salvation of all that have the use of reason both necessitate precepti medii but faith in the last sense is neither necessary to Ideots Mad-men Infants nor yet to those that never heard the Gospel necessitate precepti And whether or no it be necessary necessitate medii etsi non prescripti we shall say more to anon So much directly to the Argument Next I shall for the fuller opening of my Judgment on this point lay down what I conceive to be the truth in these following Propositions Proposition I. As Christ hath born the sins of all and done all for them which pertaineth to the Ransomer by an expiatory Sacrifice and hath obtained thereby a new Title of Lordship and Soveraignty over all and all are delivered to him accordingly so doth he faithfully perform the office of a Soveraign Redeemer to all governing them as his Ransomed ones by such Laws and Ways of undeserved Mercy as have a natural tendency and conducibility to their Salvation Though still as Absolute Lord he giveth out the Mercies which belong to him to bestow in that Relation with great diversity to all the World but yet a great measure even of these doth he give to all men Prop. II. Christ dealeth not with any Heathens on the meer terms of the Law of works as it was given to Adam or stood without the connexion of any Remedy These are not the full terms on which God deals with them If you perfectly obey without any sin you shall live If you ever sin you shall dye This will be proved in that which follows and might easily be proved more largely were it not so plain as to prohibit such vain endeavours Prop. III. Christ is not properly said to be in mutual Covenant with all that he died for and I think he is not so in Covenant with any Unbeliever as to a true mutual Covenanting nor to any that never heard the Gospel as to the Legal promissory Covenant The Covenant of Christ is taken in several senses Among others for the two here mentioned 1. For his New Law Testament Gospel Promise or Conditional Gift of Pardon and Life call it what you will By this he
that if they neglect them they are left without excuse Prop. XV. It belongeth to Christ in drawing men towards Salvation by his Rectorship to reveal-oft times some of the forementioned Gospel Truths by way of preparation and to draw men nearer him before he reveal the full substance of his Covenant or fully promulgate his Law As the Sun sendeth forth some light before it appeareth it self at its rising which light yet comes from the same Sun So doth the Gospel oft-times Prop. XVI Those that have the forementioned truths revealed to them with hearing the Gospel are bound in all reason for the safety of their Souls to use all possible diligence to make a fuller discovery which is not likely that any Indians or others have done Had they been as diligent in improving the truth received till they had been civilized and then in sending to all others for information where there was a probability of receiving information even as men are diligent in trading tedious Voyages for Merchandize and Worldly Gain it 's like there is no Nation under Heaven but might have had the Gospel ere now Prop. XVII If men will wilfully reject and abuse that measure of light and help which they do injoy which was sufficient to that end whereto it was given to have brought them nearer Christ than they were And if they will not use the means for getting of the Gospel which they have sufficient help to use then it is apparently just with Christ even as Rector according to the Law of Grace to condemn such men after he hath Died for them And if his Death prove in vain as to their Salvation the fault is only in themselves and themselves shall they blame for ever And this is the case of these men Prop. XVIII Nay in this case the very Law of Grace commanding Faith in Christ Crucified doth oblige these men remotely to the Duty and to punishment for neglect of the Duty For though a Law not promulgate cannot oblige yet the Question is Who it was long of Or Who was the faulty cause that it was not Published If the Law-giver then it cannot oblige But if it were the subject then it doth actually though remotely oblige For no man is to receive benefit saith the Civil Law by his own fault Who knows not that among us if a Man will lie in an Ale-House and never come to hear the word God will judge him guilty of being Ignorant of all the Truths which he might have there learnt And of neglecting all the Duties which he might have been informed of And if a man know some few preparatory Truths here as that he is a sinner and miserable and ought to seek out for remedy and should come to hear the word and forsake his known sin and keep good company c. and yet he despise or disobey these shall we say this Man was never bound to believe I say he is bound remotely that is first to do some other Duties which tend towards the obtaining of the Gospel and then to believe For the obligation to both Duties lyeth on him at once but not an obligation to perform both Duties at once Object But if they should improve their degree of Light and sufficient Grace they have no certainty ty because no promise that the Gospel shall be given them Answ That 's no excuse as long as they have so full encouragement as is before expressed Should a man in danger of Death do nothing for his own safety without a certainty of success Should not the least hope of probability much more so high a probability be enough to excite men to seek the saving of their own lives Suppose a King having past an Act of Oblivion upon a ransom to that end for a whole Nation of Traytors as Ireland should send his Herald to proclaim it to all But to some of them he sendeth before hand some inferior messenger telling them in the Kings Name that he is placable and their case remediable and he requires them to use certain means as Submission Petition Laying down Arms c. and try what the King will do If these men reject unthankfully this favour and abuse the messenger and persist in Rebellion is it not just with the King to forbid the Herald that he proclaim not to them the act of oblivion And is it not long of themselves if they never hear it nor have any benefit by it so is it in the present case By the abuse of sufficient Grace to have come nearer Christ do the Pagans forfeit all other fruits of his blood So that Christ may truly be said to have done his part even as Legislator and to have promulgated his new Law among them in that he did his part and so it's promulgate moraliter vel Reputativè though it was not actualiter perfectè through their own fault It is not long of Christ but of themselves that it was not done fully in that they ungratefully rejected his Precursors or Harbingers that came before the Gospel Seeing they would not make use of the Twilight or Day-break Christ justly denieth them the Sun-Rising Prop. XIX It seems most probable that it was not only Adams first sin that is imputable to his Posterity but that we are all still guilty of all our Parents sin to this Day and that therefore God may justly deprive a whole Nation of the light of the Gospel for their Progenitors sins and that not only according to the Law of Works but even according to the Law of Grace I will not stand now on the proof of this any further than to tell you 1. That the same solid Arguments which prove the imputableness of Adams sin seem to me to prove this and by denying this we overthrow the grounds of the Doctrine of the said Imputation 2. And that the Second Commandment with all those Examples of Gods destroying the Children with the Parents and for their sin do seem fully to prove it together with the practice of Godly men to humble themselves for their Fathers Sins Yet understand me thus that though according to the Law of Works we are guilty of all our Parents Sins yet the Law of Grace Promiseth that no man shall be destroyed for them who disowneth them by true Repentance and taking a contrary course in obedience when he comes to Age. This is the sense of Ezek. 33. and 18. And so the guilt is cut off and the Child by the Covenant of Grace taken in with its Parents and so is looked on as in his immediate Parents and the sin of former Parents forgiven him though yet that guilt will return if when he comes to Age he ungratefully reject the mercy by renouncing the Covenant of Grace I do but propound this to Divines to consider For certainly if we prove all guilty of all our Parents Sins it is sad that the Church hath no better understood it and that we have none almost that ever bewailed
acknowledged or pray'd for Remission of such a Guilt nor any Ministers that ever acquainted them with it yet Ursine and some few I find make it doubtful yet here is no ground for their objection who say that then for the Sin of Cain or Cham God may destroy all their present Posterity To which I Answer 1. According to the Law of Works he may 2. According to the Law of Grace if there have been no Godly intermediate Progenitors which is false or improbable 3. Or if the Children prove wicked and rebellious themselves God may bring on that Generation the Evlis deserved by the foregoing Yet is there a great difference in degree between guilt from Progenitors and guilt from our own Personal voluntary Actions and therefore God never imputeth the former where men are personally obedient and penitent but lays it as an addition to their personal guilt on the Impenitent and Disobedient Prop. XX. I cannot find in Scripture where it is clearly revealed to us on what terms God will Judge those that heard not of Christ In general we find that he will judge them according to their usage of the Talents of Mercy received and not according to the rigour of the Law of works as it stands alone but particularly how God will proceed with them or whether any Heathen be ever saved I cannot find that he hath revealed For indeed it doth not concern us to know it I dare not say that any of them Socrates Seneca Plato c. are saved Nor dare I say that I am certain they are not They that are certain let them be thankful for their knowledge and not be angry with me for confessing my Ignorance And I hope they will distinguish between Ignorance and Error and therefore not charge me with Error in this It seems to me that these men being not under any conditional Promise of Life for Faith is the condition therefore they cannot lay claim to Salvation by the Tenour of the Covenant Though some think that the Promise of Pardon and Life to them that Repent may give them an interest But yet God is not engaged to the contrary but dealeth Arbitrarily with them and therefore we cannot know his dealings particularly and fully herein Prop. XXI Those Scriptures that speak of the necessity of Christ to mans Salvation for satisfying Justice do plainly extend it to all men in the World but those that speak of the necessity of believing seem to limit it to them that hear the Gospel or might have heard it but for their own fault It is true of all men that there is no other name given under Heaven by which they can be saved but the Name of Jesus There is no Remission but by his Blood nor Acceptance with God but for the sake of his Satisfaction and Merits But it may be observed from the Context that when it is said He that believeth not shall be Damned it is plainly fore-implyed that they are such as are called to believe It hath the Nature of a threatning and therefore presupposeth the sin of Unbelief and that it be not meer Negative Unbelief but Privative and that supposeth the duty of believing and that supposeth the command constituting the Duty and that supposeth Natural Power in Man though not Moral and the Natural possibility of obeying Peruse each particular Text of this Nature and you will find this true Prop. XXII Personal Believing was never commanded to Infants or Ideots nor required as necessary to their Salvation Prop. XXIII The same Faith which is now among us of absolute necessity to our Justification and Salvation was not so to those before Christ therefore it is not per se of absolute necessity to Justification by Christ Therefore if God so please those that hear not the Gospel may be Justified without that Faith which to us is necessary If we believe not that Jesus is the Christ we shall Die in our sins But this was not necessary to the Jews before Christs coming Nay it appears by divers passages in the Gospel that Christs own Twelve Apostles after they had long heard his Teaching and seen his Miracles did not believe that Christ should be put to Death and be made a Sacrifice for Sin much less his Resurrection c. And how unlikely is it then that all the true believers of the World long before should believe this However some Prophets might discern much of it Do but well peruse every example of believing in Heb. 11. and see what Faith it was that then saved them Yet to think that the same would save us now were a desperate mistake Prop. XXIV God can if he please pardon and save men for the sake of Christs satisfaction without letting them once know that Christ satisfied for them else he cannot save an Infant or an Ideot Some Divines as Twisse c. are so bold as to say that God could have pardoned Sin without Christs satisfaction I dare not say so But methinks the same men should never make mans knowledge or belief of Christs satisfaction to be absolutely necessary to Salvation if the satisfaction it self be not Dare any say My own Faith was more necessary than Christs Death I could have been saved without Christ but not without Faith God could have forgiven men absolutely if he would or else have made some other condition when once his Justice was satisfied And therefore we cannot conclude that this is the condition to any further than Scripture saith so Prop. XXV Yet is Repentance Belief in God Love to him and sincere Obedience of Natural necessity For God cannot be enjoyed in Glory but by these Graces nor as a Just Rector can he save them that love him not and that Rebel against him Prop. XXVI Those who think it possible for a Socrates Seneca c. to be saved or one that never heard the Gospel do not hereby equal Heathenism with Christianity nor make our Religion needless For they 1. Make their Salvation less certain and ours most certain 2. And their Salvation most difficult as for a man to hit a narrow way in the dark and ours incomparably more easie as for a man to hit the right way by day-light 3. And that therefore they are very few of them that are Saved but Multitudes with us 4. That their Glory shall be lesser as his that improved the two Talents and ours greater as his that improved the ten Besides many more differences Prop. XXVII If all the Heathen be Damned though their loss will be materially equal with ours yet formally as a privation for they were never in our capacity of Glory and their poena sensus will not be near equal to ours either materially or formally For their Consciences will never torment them for the refusal of Christ revealed and Heaven offered to them or any other sins which they were not capable of committing Nay if it were true that some teach that they had no Gospel Mercy or Grace given
or offered to them nor any satisfaction ever made for them by Christ then should they escape all the sorer punishment of the new Law and never suffer at all for Abuse of that mercy or rejecting a Redeemer or any fruit of his satisfaction which he made for them And this would be an easie Hell in comparison of theirs that refuse Christ offered them Prop. XXVIII We must in all our Controversies try the Minus nota pro notiora minus certa per certiora non contra We must reduce uncertainties to certainties and dark points to clear ones and not certainties to uncertainties Seeing therefore it hath pleased God to leave his final dealing with Pagans that hear not the Gospel Ideots and Infants so uncertain and dark the Controversy of Universal Redemption is not to be tryed hereby nor all the plain Scripture for it to be reduced to the uncertainties herein So much to this Argument Let the Reader note that since the writing of this I am clearer than I was then in the assurance of this Truth that the Covenant or Law of Grace as it is the Rule of Duty and Retribution was made with all Mankind in the first Edition in Adam and Noah and is not repealed to any that have not the second Edition in the Gospel but the rest of the World are still under it When I had gone thus far Dalleus's Defence of Universal Redemption and Grace came out with Blondels Preface where are so great a number of Witnesses cited of all Ages that I not only stopt my work but cast away a multitude of Testimonies which I had collected even of English Anti-Arminians such as Davenant Ward Hall Carlton Rob. Abbots Bishop of Salisbury Dr. Preston Whately Will. Fenner Ezek. Culverwel and many such DISPUTATION OF Special Redemption Whether Christ Died with a Special Intention of bringing Infallibly Immutably and Insuperably certain Chosen Persons to Saving Faith Justification and Salvation THE Question is so cautelously and clearly expressed that I need not say much for the explication of it but shall directly determine it Affirmatively only in brief take notice of these things as the Reasons of the Terms First We mean here the Intention of Christ as God for so he knew all things and Willed all the Good which he knew But whether as Man he that knew not the day nor hour of his own coming to Judgment did know the number and names of his own Elect that ever were and should be and consequently whether he had a special Intention concerning the Salvation of each of them in particular this I shall purposely leave undetermined Secondly It is therefore implied by us that the Father and Holy Ghost had the same Intention which we affirm Christ to have had Thirdly By the word Intention we mean that Act of Christ's Will which is resembled by Intention in mere man and so is Analogically called Intention And we confine it not to the Will alone but take it as comprehending that Counsel of the Understanding or that simple Knowledge which the act of the Will supposeth Nor do we take it in the strict sense as it is terminated only on the End and so Intentio Finis is distinct from Election of the means but more largely as it may comprehend either of these for that which we commonly call a Purpose or Resolution Fourthly We call it a Special Intention because it is about a Special Object and is not General or Common to all Fifthly We call it an Intention of Bringing men to Faith c. because it is Christ's own Work to give these things which he Intendeth and so we difference it both from his Intention to Permit if such there be in case of Sin and from that imagined Intention of a Partial Causation of a Concurse determinable by the Will of Man But tho' it be an intention of Effecting that we mention yet the Manner of this effecting or bringing men to Believe we here meddle not with Sixthly It is an Infallible effecting of this that we mention thereby differencing it from a mere Velleity or a conditional willing so as that the very act of willing should depend upon some uncertain condition as distinct from this we may call it Absolute And in the word Infallible which respecteth the act of the Divine Understanding we imply also Immutable which respecteth Gods Will and Invincible as to his operation and had we one word that comprehended these it would contain our full sense It is the same thing which our Divines mean by the word Irresistible or Insuperable Seventhly It is Certain Persons or Individuals that are the objects of this Purpose which we mention as against the Arminian Conceit that it is only Believers in General or All men Conditionally if they will Believe that Christ Decreed to Justifie and Save without determining infallibly of any certain Individuals till he foresaw that themselves would make the difference by Believing Eighthly We call them Chosen Persons not a Posteriore upon the foresight of their Faith but a priore before and without any moving cause or condition in themselves It is the same act which we here call Chusing as considered in Eternity determining of the future difference of Persons and which we before call Special Intention there considering it as respecting the time of Christ's Death Ninthly The Intended effect is 1. Saving Faith such as is not common to the Unjustified This we express against the Pelagian Conceit that giveth Justification and Salvation on condition of Faith but not Faith it self or at least not Certainly and Infallibly to any we say both that God Decreeth us to Faith as well as to Salvation by Faith and that Christ dying did purpose Infallibly to bring his chosen to Believe and this as a fruit of his Death 2. When we speak of Justification as the second Intended effect we take it in Connexion with the foregoing Faith and subsequent Salvation meaning that all the Elect that are at Age and Believe and they only have that Justification which follows their personal Faith We own not their opinion that think that many persons that were never Elected to Salvation were yet Elected to Faith and Justification and do fall from these at last and perish Tho' yet we reverence many that have maintained or owned this opinion as precious Servants of God and think not so hardly of their opinion as of their's who maintain the Apostacy of the Elect if now there be any such Austin himself seems fully to go that way who yet maintaineth the perseverance of all the Elect And so doth Musculus and some others among the Reformed Divines called Calvinists But for the Justification of Infants which hath no such connexion to a personal Faith of their own whether it may cease when they come to the use of Reason for want of personal faith to continue it which was the Judgment of Davenant Dr. Ward Amyraldus and many of our own this
some which he had not as to others We easily grant that he hath effected satisfaction for all but he that intended only the Saving of Believers could not intend to save those Persons actually by his death who he knew would not believe but perish in unbelief From these Reasons we proceed to some from particular Texts of Scripture First John 17. 2. As thou hast given him power over all flesh that he should give Eternal Life to as many as thou hast given him Here Christs Authority as Redeemer is said to be over all flesh and so all are his purchased ones but the purpose of giving actually Eternal Life is expresly restrained to those that are specially given him by the Father Object By Giving is not meant absolute Electing from Eternity but giving them by Vocation to Christ as true Disciples Answ Suppose that be so 1. That Giving them to be true Disciples can import no less than God's making them Disciples that is Believers And so it is not Man that gives himself to Christ primarily or makes himself a Believer And God makes not all Disciples which he could do if he pleased 2. And if God give men to Christ by effectual Vocation in time then no doubt he decreed so to do from Eternity Secondly Eph. 1. 22 23. And hath put all things under his feet and gave him to be the head over all things to the Church Here the intent of God in giving Christ is expressed to be that he might be the head over all but not the Head of All but of the Church only And it is he that makes his Church and not the Church itself principally Thirdly John 10. 15. I lay down my Life for the sheep which implyeth that it is laid down with a special intent for them more than for others Object The Sheep are Believers undeterminate as to Individuals Answ 1. Men are Believers before Christ's Pardoning of them but not before Christ's laying down his Life for them nor so considered else the Act of Faith should be before and without its Object 2. It 's confessed that God knew who the Persons were that would believe therefore his purpose was of determinate Individuals Fourthly Tit. 2. 14. Who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purifie to himself a peculiar People zealous of good works 1. If he did not intend to purifie every man and make them zealous of good works eventually then he intended this much more to his chosen than to others But c. Ergo c. 2. If he intended the separating of some as a peculiar people from others then he dyed not with equal Intentions to all But c Ergo c. Fifthly John 11. 51 52. He Prophecied that Jesus should dye for that Nation and not for that Nation only but that also he should gather together in one the Children of God that were scattered abroad Here is expressed a peculiar intention of gathering God's Children which was not of others Object God's Children are Believers Answ 1. It seems rather that they are called Children because they are decreed to be actually Children and will be such and not as Grotius of them and of the Sheep Joh. 10. 16. as if it were from some disposition of mind antecedent to Faith 2. However still it is Determinate Individuals else it were indeed none at all Sixthly Acts 13. 48 And as many as were ordained to Eternal Life believed The wriglings and shiftings of those that would pervert this Text and their new devised strained expositions of the word Ordained I shall not now stand to detect and confute Seventhly The instances of the Conversion of Manasseh Paul the Thief on the Cross and other particular Sinners do plainly tell us that Faith and Conversion proceedeth from God's differencing grace Acts 26. 16. 22. 14. Paul was called because first chosen So Rom. 8. 30. Whom he predestinated them he called c. But in the Conclusion I must say that even in this point of notable difference between the Remonstrants and the Contra-remonstrants the difference is not so great as some imagine or pretend It is confessed by the understanding sort on both sides that Christ at his death had a special intention to bring certain individual persons to a state of Justification and Salvation But then they say that this was only upon the foresight of their believing yea some of them say that God purposed to give the grace of Faith to some individuals only but they say that it was upon the foresight of their non-resistance or of their voluntary disposedness to receive it or of their right use of former preparing grace so that the same decree as to these gifts is confessed on both sides and it cannot be denyed but that the foresight which they presuppose is from Eternity and therefore Mans fall or Christs Mediatorship and that there is no priority or posteriority of Time between the foreknowledge and the Decree but only in Nature And then it is commonly confessed that though Knowledge and Will in Man are two things yet in God they are but one and are only distinguished denominatione extrinsecâ by Man for the accommodation of his narrow imperfect apprehension Therefore though I confess that a difference still remaineth yet let it not be thought to be greater than it is Yea more not only many yea most of the Schoolmen confess an Absolute Election to Faith and so to Salvation and so hold in this the same that we do but also many of the Jesuites and Moderate Lutherans and Arminians hold the same though not an Absolute Reprobation which was also Augustine's Prosper's and Fulgentius's Opinion And I have elsewhere yet more contracted this Controversie FINIS BOOKS Printed for John Salisbury at the Rising-Sun in Cornhil THe End of Doctrinal Controversies which have lately troubled the Churches by reconciling explication without much Disputing The Certainty of the Worlds of Spirits fully Evinced by unquestionable Histories of Apparitions and Witchcrafts Operations Voices c. proving the Immortality of Souls the malice and misery of the Devils and Damned and the blessedness of the Justified both by Mr. Richard Baxter The Protestant Religion truly stated and justified by the Late Reverend Divine Mr. Richard Baxter Whereunto is added by way of an Epistle some account of the Learned Author never before published by Mr. Matthew Sylvester and Mr. Daniel Williams The Christians Converse with God or the insufficiency and uncertainty of Human Friendship and the improvement of Solitude in Converse with God with some of the Authors Breathings after him by Mr. Richard Baxter Recommended to the Readers serious thoughts when at the House of Mourning and Retirement by Mr. Matthew Sylvester A Plea for Scripture Ordination or Ten Arguments from Scripture and Antiquity proving Ordination by Presbyters without Bishops to be valid by J. Owen Minister of the Gospel To which is prefix'd an Epistle by the Reverend Mr. Daniel Williams The Harmony of the Divine Attributes in the contrivance and accomplishment of Mans Redemption by the Lord Jesus Christ or Discourses wherein is shewed how the Wisdom Mercy Justice Holiness Power and Truth of God are glorified in that great and blessed work by William Bates D. D. The Christian Laver or a Discourse opening the Nature of Participation with and Demonstrating the Necessity of Purification by Christ by T. Cruso The Duty and Blessing of a Tender Conscience plainly stated and earnestly recommended to all that regard acceptance with God and the prosperity of their Souls by the same Author Four Sermons on various Occasions by the same Author Some Passages of the Life and Death of the Right Honourable John Earl of Rochâ—ster written by his own direction on his Death-Bed by Gilbert Lord Bishop of Sarum Practical Reflections on the late Earthquakes in Jamaica England Sicily Malta c. Anno 1692. with a particular Historical Account of those and divers other Earthquakes by John Sâ—ower Earthquakes explained and practically improved occasioned by the Earthquake on September the 8th 1692. in London many other parts in England and Beyond-sea by Thomas Doolittle M. A. A Practical Discourse of Silence and Submission shewing that good Men should possess their Souls in patience under the severest Providences and particularly in the loss of Dear Relations Preached at St. Thoma's Hospital Southwark by William Hughes Hospitaler there The Changeableness of this World with respect to Nations Families and particular Persons with a practical Application thereof to the various Conditions of this Mortal Life in a Funeral Discourse occasioned by the Death of Mr. Edmond Hill who dyed April 16. 1692. by Timothy Rogers M. A. The Mourners Memorial in two Sermons on the death of the truly Pious Mrs. Susanna Soame late Wife of Bartholomew Soame of Thurlow Esquire who Deceased February the 14th 1691 2. With some account of her Life and Death by Timothy Wright and Robert Fleming Ministers of the Gospel Mr. William Oughtred's Key of the Mathematicks newly Translated from the best Edition with Notes rendring it easie and intelligible to less skillful Readers in which also some Problems left unanswered by the Author are Resolved absolutely necessary for all Gaugers Surveyors Gunners Military Officers Mariners c. Recommended by Mr. E. Halley Fellow of the Royal Society Barbarian Cruelty being a true History of the Distressed Condition of the Christian Captives under the Tyranny of Mully Ishmael Emperor of Morocco c. by Francis Brooks ERRATA PAge 43. l. 3. r. violated p. 45. l. 4. r. as p. 129. l. 8. r. foreknown or p. 139. l. 15. r. to do so p. 157. l. 17. del not p. 160. l. 5. r. lovingly p. 171. l. 18. r. per. p. 198. l. 7. del the paid p. 203. l. 29. r. summus p. 224. l. 33. r. conversion convesiron p. 234. l. 20. r. objecto objectio p. 254. l. 6. r. I am l. 21. del but. and l. 22. r. But the punishment c. p. 303. l. 29. r. sense are p. 331. l. 24. r. 〈◊〉 p. 338. l. 28. r. effectum p. 470. l. 2. r. and of the. p. 479. l. 23. r. per. Quod percipitur ita est Obedientiae materia proxima est Agere vel Non agere non Pati sid Pati potest esse materia remota
proper Empire or Rectorship over Bruits For they are not capable of being Subjects of a Kingdom 2. His Dominion over them is but as they are subservient to his ends for Man and as they are Mans Servants and Utensils 3. Christ hath not that I can find in Scripture any novum jus Dominii any new propriety as Redeemer in Devils or in good Angels But having an ancient propriety in them as being their Creator he useth them accordingly for his Redemption ends 4. Nor do I find that he hath purchased any new proper absolute jus imperii or Rectorship over them but only a power of using them for his Church and for service about Man he shall send them on 5. And therefore I say the Empire of Christ over Angels is not of the same kind with that which he hath over Men and which we use in the Argument to prove that he died for Men. if both should be called by the same title of a novum jus imperii yet the difference of the Subjects sufficeth to shew the different Sence of the same attribute as severally applied I find not that Christ any where proclaims himself the King of Devils or Angels nor requires them to take him for their King nor hath made any new Laws to govern them by as he hath done for Men nor hath restored any forfeited mercy to them nor offers them pardon of any Sin upon condition of repentance nor will judg them on such terms So that if it should be proved that the good Angels are part of his Kingdom as Redeemer yet it would be but as their confirmer and not as a Redeemer of them For he is never offered to them as a Redeemer nor did they need any for ought I know He took not on him the nature of Angels but of the Seed of Abraham He is Head over all things to his Church Eph. 1. 22. That is He is superior to Angels and all things and hath the disposal of them for his Churches use but he is only Head of his Church de facto as to proper Kingly Rule and of the rest of the World de jure who shall suffer as Rebels for not acknowledging his Title and because they would not that he should reign over them Luke 39. 27. But so shall not Bruits or Devils So that the Argument will hold good â— jure novo Dominii Imperii from Christs new propriety in and Rectorship over Men to his Redeeming them by his Blood But so it will not from that kind of Dominion which Christ hath over Bruits or that kind of Rule that he hath over Angels or Devils to his Redemption of them And yet for Bruits as they suffered for the sake of Man and as they shall be restored from their suffering for the use and sake of Man so the same Blood which purchased Mans Restoration did remotely and collaterally purchase theirs Let us illustrate all by a similitude as near resembling the present case as we can imagine Suppose when King James Raigned in England that Ireland had all fallen into Rebellion and so open bloody and malicious that the King were resolved not a Man of them should be pardoned or escape Hereupon in the height of their malice they intice all Scotland into Rebellion also But because they are but deluded into it by the Irish and not maliciously bent against him as they or because being his Countrimâ—â— he hath a special respect to them it is concluded betwixt him and his only Son that his Son shall pay their ransome or by some publickly shameful suffering shall make that satisfaction to the Law and that Reparation to the King which may suffice to deter all others from Rebellion and openly in his suffering shall publish This I 〈◊〉 willingly for the offence of my Rebellions 〈◊〉 to procure them mercy Hereupon by agreement the Prince is to undertake it as his further business to use means for the bringing them all back to their allegiance To which end the whole Kingdom of Scotland is given up to him as King upon his satisfaction and Ramsome and he is to make a General pardon or Act of Oblivion to all so be it they do by such a day come in and lay down Arms and return to their Allegiance and acknowledg the Kings Grace and the Princes singular favour in Ransoming them and will take him for their King upon this Ransome And for those that will not accept this offer the Prince is to subdue them by force and destroy them that they shall have no benefit of the Ransome And for all the Irish which he finds among them seducing them he is to destroy them or use them to what servitude in the mean time he please Also he is to make use of any of the Kings Servants or Subjects of England to send on his Message to summon them to come in Now I demand 1. Hath not the Prince here Ransomed all the Scots over whom he hath his Jus Dominii Imperii That is absolutely all 2. Doth it follow that therefore he hath Ransomed the Irish because he hath power to judg and destroy them or use them in servitude 3. Or doth it follow that he hath Ransomed the Trees Beasts and Lands of the Country because he hath a propriety in them as the Goods or Utensils of them whom he Ransomed 4. Or did he Ransome any of the Kings Servants or English because he hath power to send them on his message or command them on his Service into Scotland If one argue thus with a Scot the Prince hath a new Title of Dominion and Empire over all you Scotsmen as ransomer therefore he ransomed you all this is no unsound arguing And would you confute it bâ— saying that then he ransomed the English and Irish too yea the Lands and Trees and Beasts By the Scots I mean mankind By the Irish the Devils by the Kings Servants or English the Angels And by the Lands Trees c. I mean all the creatures on Earth as Servants of Man A Man would think that those Men that do so vehemently contend that Christ is the Head of the visible Church and the King of this visible Kingdom which comprehendeth good and bad should easily yield to this Argument If Christ be the Head or King of all the visible Church and consequently of more than the Elect then did he die for the visible Church and so for more than the Elect But the Antecedent is maintained stifly by themselves Ergo c. When they have voluminously pleaded for the Honours and Priviledges of the Church visible viz. That even the unregenerate part of it are Disciples Christians 〈◊〉 Believers Adopted in Covenant c. And that Christ is their Master King and Head will they say that yet for all this Christ did not die for them Why hereby they incur these intollerable inconveniences 1. That such excellent gifts and Gospel Priviledges should flow from any other fountain than the