give to this or that muchless to all he dyed for effectually to believe in him and to be saved not a word to that purpose So that that piece of doctrine viz. That for whom Christ dyed them he procured faith for is none of those Scripture-truths that will scatter the supposed clouds and mists Nor yet follows it that the whole impetration of Redemption is made unprofitable For 1. God hath ingaged himself so to glorifie his Son that some shall be brought in though he no were say All he dyed for nor that I know of any particular persons so as that this or that individuall must or else he should be unjust 2. He shall have much glory from his good bounteous and merciful dispensations to men through the Death of Christ that yet he compels not to believe on Christ Matt. 22.2 3 4 5. with Rom. 11.36 yea in the just and righteous condemnation of those that sin'd against that mercy and refused to submit to him For that condition upon which he supposes we will say Christ is to bestow salvation viz. so they do not refuse or resist the means of grace It s a mistake we know no such imposition put upon him for men may receive the means and yet rebel against the grace it self that comes in them have a form and deny the power of godliness and for that perish Though that all Pagans and infidels are left destitute of all means leading them to seek after God or that any that have no outward means from Christ nor ever resist Gods workings in them shall be condemned as Mr. Owen would perswade us I leave for him to prove Christ says to the Jews that if he had not come and spoken to them they had not had sin and for ought I know If Christ neither come in Word Joh. 15.22 nor in any spiritual way as he preached to the old world by his Spirit if any such he can finde they may not have sin charged on them to condemnation and destruction Yet if Mr. Owen can shew me otherwise I will believe it For making Christ but a half Mediator its frivolous yet we shall speak to it lib. 3. c. 3. where it occurs again That Christ did not dye for any on condition of their believing I believe nor that he dyed only for the Elect of God that they should believe nor finde I any Scripture calling any man while yet in and of the world an Elect person He dyed for All that being Lord of them and presenting his light to them according to the good pleasure of the Father whosoever believes might not perish but have eternal life And here ends this Second Book and my Answers to it The Third Book His third Book contains Arguments grounded for the most part upon his former premises against the universality of the Death of Christ we shall Favente Deo orderly view them CHAP. I. An answer to his two first Arguments contained in his first Chapter of this Book The first Chapter contains two Arguments Argu. 1 As FRom the nature of the Covenant of Grace established ratified and confirmed in and by the Death of Christ His Argument runs thus The effects of the death of Christ cannot be extended beyond the compass of the new Covenant or Christ died only for those that are within the New Covenant But this Covenant was not made universally with all but particularly onely with some Therefore those alone were intended in the benefits of the death of Christ A very vitious Argument whereof the Conclusion contains a quartus terminus for in stead of any effects the tearm propounded in the Major He says the benefits therein as is clear by what follows in him comprehending the choice benefits of the death of Christ applied The Major also is ambiguous and uncertain For either it is universal as No effect of the death of Christ c. or else particular as Some do not c. If the latter its impertinent and concludes not against the death of Christ for All but onely its having some effects in All which is besides the thing in question if the former as I suppose he intends it then I deny it I deny I say that Christ died for none or that none have any effect of his death extended to them but onely such as with whom the New Testament is made He brings no other proof for it which he perhaps therefore lisped in because he saw himself weak in the proof of it but onely from that title given to his blood that it s called The blood of the New Testament So that his Argument to prove that runs thus It s called the blood of the New Testament Therefore shed onely for them that are heirs of the New Testament Which is like this The Spirit is called the Spirit of Comfort and the Comforter Therefore whoever it works upon it comforts them and so when it convinces the world of sin it s their comforter too and when it kindles the fire of Tophet Isai 30.33 it comforts them that are tormented with it A wilde Argument and yet such is his The truth is As its an office of the Spirit to comfort and he is a Comforter to all that obey him so is it an office of the blood of Christ or rather one end of its shedding to ratifie the new Covenant which it also doth to all that believe in it But as that is not all the work or business of the Spirit to comfort so neither was that all the work or end of the blood of Christ to establish the new Covenant but first of all to ransom from the death that was passed upon men and then to confirm a Covenant to the house of Israel and Judah This blood where ever it s tendered the Covenant is tendred with it Hear and your souls shall live and I will make an everlasting Covenant with you the sure mercies of David and he that obeys this is entred into Covenant by it but not All for whom it was shed are in Covenant by its shedding no more then all for whom the water of Purification was made were therefore purified because it was made for them and called the water of Purification Numb 19 9.20 Mr. Owen also mistakes the parties with whom the Covenant is made For he understands them to be a certain number of persons yet lying in the world and that its one clause of the Covenant to give them faith or make them to believe whereas indeed especially as pertaining to the Gentiles the proper object with whom the Covenant is made is the called of God believers in Christ Jesus into those mens hearts God will put his fear not to bring them to him but to keep them from departing from him which argues their being brought to him before these shall have the Law written in their hearts an allusion to the old Testament written in Tables of Stone not before they were brought out of Egypt but after they
the other If David venture his life for All the Israelites alike and after that he coming to have Power and Government one is by that knit to him and loves him again as Jonathan did and he enters into Covenant with him to be his choise friend and another regards him not for this but churlishly requites him as Nabal did and for that he destroyes him shall we say now That David loved Nabal as much as Jonathan because he acted the same highest act of love for them both formerly would not that be a notorious falshood And is not this then a notorious fallacy in Mr. Owen 2. He infers That for whomsoever he hath given his Son to them also he will assuredly freely give all things But I deny that the Apostle sayes any such thing But thus That having given his Son for us all he will surely give us all things with him Vs that is such as believe on him Vs that are in Christ that are called according to purpose c. Jonathan or Abigal making this Inference If David spared not himself but put his life in his hand for us all when we were strangers to him will not he that had so much love to us then give us Vs his federates and dear friends with himself having also given himself to us by Covenant whatever is in his power to the half of his Kingdom Will it follow from such a speech that Therefore whomsoever David loved so well as to venture his life for them against the Philistin to them he will give any good thing that 's desirable of him yea though many of them are his arch-enemies and do rebel against him Who sees not this to be a false Inference and yet such is this of Mr. Owens The believer doth or may expect all good things from Christ that died for them even upon that consideration that he died for them and shall have them therefore whosoever he died for shall have all good things too Thence also that Faith is not in the number of that All things spoken of appears because the parties thus speaking and of whom this is spoken are actuall believers before the making of this Inference That conception is like this He that was at such cost as to make a great Feast for us who are brought in to it already and are at it with thankful acceptance how shall he not give Vs to eat any dainty that is provided therefore it s from this speech inferable That he that was at such cost to make such a feast will make all that he invited to come and eat every dainty of it Whereas he saith His description of those persons there spoken of to be Elect not All but those chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world confirms the restraint of the Death of Christ to them alone 1. He proves not nor I am perswaded can he That any man yet uncalled hath that denomination of Elect in Scripture 2. We may see the vanity of his Argument by this insuing Similitude David venturing his life and conquering the Philistin and obtaining the Kingdom Shall he not stand by his friends familiars and kindred He that did that for them when mean will he suffer any enemy to vex and spoil them being invested with the power of the Kingdom Ergo David hazarded his life onely for his friends familiars and kindred and not for any that were his enemies or that afterward dealt injuriously and rebelliously against him Is this a good inference The Elect of God be they what they will shall be preserved by the Death Resurrection and Intercession of Christ from perdition which is all the Apostle there says he sayes not they are the adequate object of Christs Death Therefore Christ died for no more then they nor desired any good thing to be granted to any other but to them Who that understands Reason would not hiss out such arguments So from these words of the Apostle concerning the Elect Who is he that condemns its Christ that died doth this Inference fairly follow That whosoever he died for shall not be condemned more then from this If David's brother or good Subjects had said Who is he that accuses us It s David the King that ventured his life for our good and now raings to defend us from harm it would follow Ergo None that he ventured his life for against Goliah shall be put to death for any after-carriage toward him It doth but undeniably appear to me from all this that Mr. Owen understands not the drift of the Apostle nor sees the maner of his reasoning but no whit evident That Christ died onely for the Elect as he sayes He next Allegation is Eph. 1 7. We have redemption in him Scrip. 6. That is still we that are brought to him made accepted in him translated into his Kingdom as Col. 1.14 and as himself grants in his Chapter against the Socinians where he denies any of the Elect to be freed from wrath till regenerate we have that is injoy or possess Redemption that is remission of our sins clearing freeing us from all our bonds c. Therefore all that he died for or Therefore he died onely for us Is this right reasoning put it into form and then judg of it it s thus If the believer hath redemption in Christ Then all that he died for But the believer hath c. I deny the Consequence of his Major Proposition and leave him to prove it And it in what sense All have release and in what not we have said before There is redemption in Christ for All to seek after and so remission with him preached or predicable to all that they might look after it but All for whom he died I say have it not that is have not received it and so injoy it not How also they may be comparatively to what their case should have been blessed and how not blessed in that sense spoken of Rom. 4.6 7. we have shewed in Chap. 7. His next is Scrip. 7. 2 Cor. 5.21 He made him to be sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in him that is in believing on him Thence he infers All that He was made sin for are made the righteousness of God in him It s like that He brought them into Canaan that they might keep his Statutes Ergo All that were brought into Canaan kept his Statutes as we noted at the beginning So by his stripes we we believers are healed Ergo All that he died for shall though they never submit to have the playster applied David by hazzarding his life brought us his friends to honor Ergo He ventured his life for no more but them that come to honor As weak is that from Joh. 15 13. Greater love than this hath no man If he acted the greatest Why not all the rest In which there is nothing but Reason exalting it self against the Word of God David put his life in
limbs strength health food and raiment the shining of the Sun the falling of the rain with fruitful Seasons peace liberty and gladness victories over enemies and good successes Day to day uttereth speech and night to night uttereth knowledge and they all are Evidences and Witnesses of his goodness But whence all these to sinful unworthy creatures Rom. 2.14 1.32 whose consciences daily accuse us of evils and tell us death and vengeance is due unto us Surely as the Scriptures say they are the beamings of his bright goodness the issues or out-flowings of the life in Christ which is the light of men which life was and is in him through his sufferings for us Joh. 1.4 5. For verily Adam forfeited for himself and us what ever might evidence goodness towards us even life it self and all other mercies thereof so as had God dealt with us after the demerit of his sin nothing but wrath and misery had been upon us But verily Christ stepping in upholds all things and makes them consist and stand together for our use and service Yea there-through also have we in these latter days that which is yet more precious the Publishing of the Word and Gospel of God ordered unto all Nations the end and tendency of all which too is to lead us to repentance that repenting of our evils against one so good to us he might shew us greater things still even the blessings of a better life prepared and made ready in Christ Jesus for us pardon and peace and spirit and eternal happiness And surely the gift of Christ and his death and sufferings for us must needs it self be an inestimable favour and deserve at our hands unutterable thanks which is the way and inlet yea in a maner the onely procuring cause under the good Will of God of all these mercies How then are men in generall bound unto thankefulness but especially we in this Nation that enjoy the Scriptures and publishing of the Gospel therein which many other Nations have wickedly put away from themselves and their posterities their supream powers yielding up themselves to the power of darkness and neither imbracing the Word of Truth themselves nor permitting it to others Yea what cause of thanks have we to God that hath broken yokes of Tyranny and Oppression from off us that formerly hindered mens receit and free confession of his goodness What salvations hath God wrought for us in the midst of this earth What plots hath he discovered What designs of the enemies of Sion hath he defeated How hath he guided Counsels and strengthened Armies to deliver us from the Power and Oppressions of those who being ingrateful to God themselves for his goodness could not indure that others should acknowledge it aright and be truly thankeful And O that we also after such an addition of favors above what all have in common may not run into that horrid sin of unthankfulness nor reject the tidings of his great goodness and by observing lying vanities forsake our own mercies much less abuse and turn it into wantonness 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ephes 5.3 4. Surely for these things comes the wrath of God upon the children of unperswasibleness Yea not onely destructions and desolations of Persons Families Cities Countries and Nations here but also hereafter eternal vengeance Now of the evil of unthankefulness dear Sirs how greatly guilty are they who though they confess men faulty for it and can aggravate the evil of it above my Rhetorick yet make it a part of their business and Religion with zeal and earnestness to perswade the most of men that they have cause to doubt whether they have any thing in good will from God and so by consequence whether any real ground and cause to be thankeful to him while they hold forth to them that Christ died but for a few and the rest are the objects of his hatred from everlasting and all they have even the Gospel it self they have in hatred and displeasure from him and so onely to this end that they may work out and increase their own misery by them Against which their evil Doctrine I have written this insuing Treatise in which I have indeavoured to remove that froth of wit and humane reason and high thoughts of error which are with so great noise of Orthodoxness equivalent to the Romanists cry of Catholike lifted up against the Apostles Doctrine and to shew that God is good really good to All but especially to those that his goodness makes good and thankefully through faith to live unto him And so also that all have real cause of believing and living thankefully doing good after his example to All but especially to the good and the believing and that the unbelief of his goodness and unthankefulness to him for it is the true cause of multitudes perishing And now Dear Sirs that I might not run into that odious evil of ingratitude toward you from whom as instruments in the good hand of God I acknowledge I have received very much favor and kindness and under whom I enjoy my Place and Liberty of Gospel-preaching and many others with me have received many ingagements of thanks for and to you having finished this Treatise I am imboldened to thrust it out into the world under your Protection and Patronages under God and the Lord Jesus to whom supreamly I have devoted my self and service I hope your Honors will not expect it should exceed its Author in whom you know weakness but I hope you will take it in good part as a Testimony of my thankefulness I expect it will meet with oppositions good store against it as is always the Lot of Truth in an unthankeful world especially from those it argues guilty of mens unthankefulness may it but finde with you that entertainment Truth should have with the Saints so far as you shall see Truth held forth in it I shall rejoyce therein concerning you For whom with your beloved Consorts and all yours My desire is That God would please so to order guide and keep you that walking righteously in the earth and serving your generation with faithfulness in the Work of God you may receive the reward of the righteous in eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord in whom I remain From my House in South-Lyn June 20th 1650. SIR Your Honour and Worships faithfully to serve you in the Gospel JOHN HORN A Brief Revise of some few Passages THere is a passage good Reader in the Epistle to the Reader Pag. 14. viz. where I say That none till brought into Christ can make any profitable use of or rightly understand the Doctrines of Election and Reprobation of which I desire thy candid and favourable construction as spoken of as they are most usually looked upon as secret Decrees and Counsels of God about the future estates of men and not as acts or executions of decrees passing upon men in time for indeed in this latter sense the Scripture and we
Whether the salvation of Abraham and Isaac c. was not in the Covenant made between God and Christ if not then some more are saved then were included in that Covenant If yes then I demand what passage in that Prayer requests that they might believe and be sanctified if none then he asked less in that Prayer then God had ingaged himself to him for To the second I desire him to shew in what passage he prayes for the faith of the Elect in all that Prayer not from the sixth to the twentieth for he tells his Father they had it already and I suppose he will not be able to prove that he prayed to his Father there to give them that which they had before that prayer at least in that degree in which they had it nor in ver 20. for them he supposeth as future believers as he makes them the suppositum of his prayer his prayer is not that they might believe but that believing which he supposeth they should they might be one viz in body priviledg and injoyment of the grace of God in Christ except he will say Faith is prayed for in ver 21. and 23. when he saith that the world might believe but first that 's for the world not for the Elect secondly that he himself denies to be the faith of the Elect and so the fruit of that love here said to appertain to the Elect but only a conviction not for any good of the world but onely for the vindication of his people cha 7. pag. 47. therefore I desire him to shew me in what place of that prayer that Faith he here speaks of as a fruit of Gods electing love is prayed for In pag. 19. He tels us That it seems strange to him that Christ should undergo the pains of hell in their stead who lay in the pains of hell before he underwent those pains and shall continue in them to eternity To which I need not say with many of the Antients that he emptied hell by his death Bishop Vsher in his Answer to the Irish Jesuit upon Limbus Patrum c. and descent into those pains as Bishop Vsher relates nor will I put him to prove that any were as then or yet are undergoing those pains before the judgment of the great Day when they shall be sentenced thither which will be somewhat hard for him to do except he take that in Luke 16. to be a Narration or History of things really done and think that the rich man see Lazarus in Abrahams bosome and could call from hell to heaven to him but I say it will not follow from our saying That Christ gave himself a ransom for All that he must undergo those torments for All which were properly inflicted upon men for their abuse of that liberty which he virtually gave them to injoy by his after-death His enduring the sentence of the death he found them under as in Adam was enough to pay for that dispensation of life liberty grace mercy to them which they in their several times injoyed upon the ingagement of his future dying See more to this in cha 3. li. 3. without induring those torments for them to which they stood by the word adjudged for their not receiving him who was the Author of such liberty and mercy to them in those hints of truth and reproofs and counsels in his Spirits strivings despised by them Hence we may fall into an Answer of a Dilemma there propounded to us and again repeated chap. 3. lib. 3. viz. That God imposed his wrath due unto and Christ underwent the pains of hell for either all the sins of all men or all the sins of some men or some sins of all men If the last then all have some sins to answer for and so no man shall be saved if the second then that is it he affirms if the first then all should be saved or why not This may seem at the first view such a three-headed Monster as that there is no conquering it but through Gods assistance we shall grapple with it About his suffering the pains of hell I shall not question with him it s an ambiguous word and variously used And as no Scripture uses his expressions perhaps in his intention so as the Scripture uses the word hell I have no ground from Scripture to deny the expression therefore to the thing it self I may say that in severall respects all those three branches of the Dilemma are true and yet his consequences will not follow As 1. He underwent the wrath of God for some fins of all men 1 Tim. 2.6 Rom. 5.18 else he could not give himself a ransom for them all nor his righteousness come to All men to justification of life nor any favor of God be extended to them except he interposed between God and that sin that in its desert and by Gods sentence of death stopt the passage of all good flowing upon them unless hindred by mediation But then he says All have some sins to answer for Nego consequentiam that follows not for he that bears some sins of all may yet bear also all of some those two are not inconsistent had he said But some sins of any that had excluded All of any but some of All doth not those that may be but some of one mans sins may be All of another as suppose he bare all sins in genere but the sin against the Holy Ghost he then bare all some mens sins Heb. 10.26 for some men are not guilty of that but are kept from it but yet in respect of their sins that run into that he bare but some of their sins not all as so considered 2. He underwent the wrath of God for all the sins of some that is gave such satisfaction to his justice that no sin they have shall be their condemnation namely of those that believe and walk in the light with him as it is 1 John 1.7 Rom. 8.1 otherwise the phrase as he expresses it the Scripture hath not But then that 's it he faith No sure for he says he bare only All the sins of some men and dyed for none else but those some but so neither the Scriptures nor we say He might bear the punishment of all the sins of some men and yet not them only 3. He underwent the wrath of God for all the sins of All men in some sense considered That is as they were sinners in his first stepping in to undertake for men as sin was upon them through the fall of Adam and bound them to curse and death and so they needed a mediator or else they must presently be cut off and perish and so in a consideration and view of them as previous to his steping in to mediate And his bearing all of them was enough to ransome them all from that first condemning sentence and yet neither follows it so that all must then be eternally saved because there are other
which is a preaching of Christ and offering him to men And then to bless us as if he spake of the believers whereas he saith to bless you in turning every one of you from your iniquities Which place duly weighed shews the vanity of his arguing from such speeches that mention the end of Christs sending For though there he is said to be sent to bless them in turning every one of them there spoken to from their iniquities by which he presses his exhortation to them for Repenting yet it no where appeareth nor can he prove it that all them people were ever so blessed and turned away from their iniquities onely there Christ was held forth to them as authorised of God and ready to do it in their listening to him the perception of which perhaps made him so cleverly to change the words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 into us and us But I leave that to his better consideration But the chief thing considerable in this Chapter is what he propounds about the Oblation and Intercession of Christ Propos to the same purpose as before in his fourth as That they are not in any respect to be separated or divided as if the one should have any respect to any persons or any thing that the other doth not in its kinde equally respect also Reas 1 they being 1. both alike intended for the obtaining the same end proposed Reas 2 the effectual bringing of many sons to glory and 2. what persons soever the one respecteth in the good things it obtaineth the same and none else doth the other respect in applying the good things so obtained Reas 3 and 3. The oblation being the foundation of the Intercession c. Which things are before spoken to in the precedent Chapter and being here again only propounded not proved especially the main proposition with the first and second reasons of it that place Rom. 4.25 which he brings for proof neither shewing what or how many persons were the adaequate object of his Death nor expressing any thing of his Intercession much less saying that it hath the same extent to persons and things as his Death and that other place of Joh. 17.19 being but a begging the question and impertinent as hath been shewed in that it extends but to those that Christ says he sent into the world as also the main proofs of it being reserved to the following Chapters we shall procede to view them only premising this that 1. Should we grant these things they would not prejudice our Cause as hath in part been shewed on chapter fourth He might offer himself to ransom men and to provide for means of grace and patience to be extended to them in attention to which they might meet with his power to Save them Luk. 13.7 8. and Intercede for those things too for them and yet many abusing the grace procured by both as is supposed in the parable of the barren fig-tree they might not be eternally saved So that his after-conclusion in this Chapter would not thence follow viz. That every one for whom he died must actually have applyed to him all the good things purchased by his Death except he can first prove that whoever Christ Intercedes for he Intercedes for all those good things for them which he procured by his Death Which I am confident he cannot prove For to speak in his own Dialect He saith that the Death of Christ purchased the Spirit and the whole confluence of the grace of God I would ask him then if it purchased not Apostleship and the gift of prophecy c. If no then are some good things conferred upon some that were not purchased by his Death contrary to his Assertion pag. 33. line 5. If yea then I demand whether every one for whom he dyed have the gift of Apostleship and prophecy conferred upon them if he say yes then he contradicts the Apostle 1 Cor. 12.28 if no then his Conclusion is proved false If it be replied that he means but of things essentially necessary to every one for eternall life then yet 2. We desire his proof for this That whoever Christ dyed for or that he intercedes for them he intercedes for eternall life or makes such intercession for them as the Apostle tels us he makes for them that come unto God by him which because he promises in effect in the next Chapter I now thither follow him to view his Arguments or Reasons which are as followeth His first Argument is taken from a powerful Vnion that the Scripture makes of both those On Chap. 7. Arg. almost alwayes joyning them together and so manifesting those things to be inseparable which are looked upon as the distinct fruits and effects of them Before I answer to his Arguments I shall repeat again the main proposition undertaken by him which is this that the Oblation and Intercession of Christ have not only the same persons for their Object but that they have also all the same good things for each person and all and only the same Which I oppose but as in the word Intercession he aimes at the prime exercise of it for that he intercedes for the most special favors for persons for whom he dyed I deny not but that he doth it for all those for whom he dyed that I desire to have proved His first Argument for which put into a form runs thus What things the Scripture almost always couples together they have the same adequate objects and their distinct fruits and effects are inseparable and extend to all the same persons joyntly but the Scripture almost always couples Christs Oblation and Intercession together Ergo c. The major proposition here is false as may be seen in many instances as the bringing the Israelites out of Egypt and possessing them of Canaan are very frequently joyned together as often at least as Christs Death and Intercession and yet had not the same adequate object though both means of performing Gods Covenant and promise to Abraham and his seed See for the proof of this Deut. 4.37 38. Exod. 3.8 6.68 Deut. 6.33 26.7 8. Psal 105.43 44. cum multis aliis Again the Scripture frequently mentions Christs preaching to the people and healing their diseases together as Math. 4 27. 9.35 Acts 10.36 38. Luk. 5.15 6.17 and both tended to glorifie his Father and make known his name But I suppose that none will say therefore that both had the same adequate object and that he preached to no more then were healed by him The like I might say for teaching or preaching and baptising both ordained to the same saving end and often mentioned together and yet not both of equal latitude the latter not done to All for and to whom the other was vouchsafed So that that Proposition hath no truth and it and therefore the Argument is invalid Nor doth he prove the Minor that Oblation and Intercession are almost always
onely to present his oblation for the bestowing the good things thereby purchased be all the matter of his intercession or all the matter there aimed at is doubtful as also whether he so appear for all he dyed for as is there expressed For I suppose he so appeared as Mr. Owen mentions in his first enterance thither so soon as he entred offered he appeared and his continuance in his Fathers sight is contained in his sitting down or being at the Fathers right hand but the Interceding is spoken of as a thing beyond that Rom. 8.33 34. He is at the right hand of God and also maketh intercession for us that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and also puts the business of his intercession a little further every single expression of some act of Christ in heaven may not hold forth all his business there as every single expression of his returning acts holds not forth all he shall do at his return as in Heb. 9.29 He shall appear without sin to salvation doth not argue that his very appearing without any other act shall estate the Saints into the full possession of salvation sure he shall raise them and do other acts also Surely his Intercession hath in it also a presentation of his will to the Father concerning such or such particulars as indeed are founded upon his offering or he hath liberty and priviledge thereby to will or ask for the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 John 17.24 may signifie a willing by desire as it is otherwhere used as 1 Cor. 7.7 Mark 12.38 and sure it shall be granted to him whatever he so wils of God But suppose that that 's also included in that phrase of the Apostle and that Mr. Owen means as much in saying he postulates those things which by his oblation were procured yet then that he doth appear to will or ask all those good things to be dispensed to All for whom he dyed which his Death for any procured as his phrase with the whole tenor of his arguing intimates that he means or that Intercession and Advocation spoke of in Heb. 7.25 1 John 2.2 which are there said to be for such as are actually believers is for any but believers at least for all he dyed for that I deny That Advocation or Intercession being a presentation of his will for the believers consolation so as that he is Comforter therein 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he doth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 intreat for comfort and procure 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a comforter to be sent unto them Now to argue thus He presents his sacrifice yea and his will for some good things which he hath procured or obtained right to demand for all he dyed for Ergo he doth as a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 make good the case of all he dyed for that 's the thing I say denyed and for which the argument is invalid though that indeed is the thing as is before said and as his expressions in the next argument do declare he chiefly aimes at the whole consideration otherwise making nothing against us or to his chief intended purpose 4. Argu. 4 His fourth argument is from the identity of the end that if the Death of Christ procured and obtained that every good thing should be bestowed which is actually conferred by the intervening of his Intercession then they have both of them the same end and aim his Minor should be that the Death of Christ procured and obtained that every good thing should be bestowed which is actually conferred by his Intercession c. which he neither proveth nor did he doth it conclude the Concludendum that is the same Object in all the things his Death procured So that his after inference viz That the promises upon which his Intercession is founded were an ingagement to bestow and actually collate upon them for whom he suffered all those good things which his Death and oblation did merit and purchase if by them for whom he suffered he mean All them which he must or else he saith nothing neither springs from his premises nor is true in it self For 1. There is no such ingagement on Gods part in Scripture as that All whom Christ should suffer for should have all things collated on them which by his suffering he obtained that in Psal 2.8 mentioned by Mr. Owen doth but say what should be collated on himself not what should be collated upon All the Nations there mentioned that he should be the Anoynted the Christ and King and all given him for a possession not that All he dyed for should be Christ and Lord. Nor do those places of Isa 49. 53. forementioned in chap. 3. say any such thing as that All he dyed or suffered for should have collated upon them all the good things procured by him they ingage that a people should be glorified but not all for whom he suffered 2. The speech in strict sense is evidently false in matters of act for then All of them should be Apostles and Prophets except we shall say that those graces were not procured by his Death and sufferings 3. The way of God in rewarding his Son is in giving him All things into his hands glorifying him and thereby drawing souls to him to stay upon him and then granting him all his desires in them of all the fulness of his glory as he sees good to measure out amongst them Not that he would make them all glorious that he dyed for but only all of them that in the day of grace are brought into him to believe on him So that neither will this Argument serve him up to his intention 5. His fifth proof is from Christs putting them together in Joh. 17. Argu. 5 which only proves that Christ doth as well intercede as he did offer up himself not that he intercedes for all them for whom he dyed much less for those speciall things accompanying salvation there prayed for which was the thing to be proved We have shewed the Impertinency of that in John 17. before in answer to his fourth Chapter his other proofes also of 1 Cor 15.17 Heb. 9.12 are impertinent too neither of them speaking a word of Intercession much less for whom or how many 6. His last Argument is Argu. 6 That the seperating and dividing the Death and Intercession of Christ in regard of the objects cuts off all that consolation which any soul might hope to attain by an Assurance that Christ dyed for him But that 's false for this doctrine of Christs dying for All men though joyned with this that he makes Intercession but for All that come to God by him gives both ground and incouragement for every man upon hearsay of it to look to God and go to him by Christ as one that hath testified such great love to him as to open such a way of accesse for him through the blood of his Son and also assures him of strong consolation upon his going to him
and that 's the Apostles phrase Heb. 6.18 we might have strong consolation that have fled for refuge to lay hold on the hope set before us So that here 's never a whit the less censolation for them that do believe then in their way and there is more ground and incouragement for any man to believe then in their way this doctrine shewing more evidently testimonies of Gods love to any man then the other doth That can assure none of Christs Intercession but upon believing this doctrine assures such as believe of it too So that that Affirmation that the Doctrine of the General Ransom cuts in pieces all the nerves and sinews of that strong consolation that God is so abundantly willing we should receive is a very gross mistake as I hope by this is evident and may afterward more appear Mean while I would have Mr. Owen minde that his doctrine leaves men at an uncertain whether there be any mediator for them or no till they can finde fruits of Election in them which how any should do till he first know love in God towards him the mediation of Christ for him so as that by the knowledg thereof he be brought to trust in God by him I would faine have any man to prove Yea that doctrine layes open men horribly to desperate courses while the very proper result of it is that All men are under one of these two decrees either Elect or Reprobate either he hath a mediator or not so that any man may say Either Christ dyed for me or not If he did I am sure enough what ever sin I commit Christ will follow me into every Court I shall be safe enough in the issue yea I am already safe enough by his Death and Intercession though I know it not therefore why should I take care for any thing If God will have me know it he will reveal it to me bring me to the means or the means to me and I cannot perish the proper fountain of that Ergo agite juvenes mentioned by Mr. Owen in his preface If not I shall perish let me do what I can and I had as good save the labor of afflicting my self in hearing and praying c. as to tire my self out about needless businesses to get that which if I be excluded the Death of Christ can never be obtained and which shall be thrust upon me and I cannot miss what course soever I take if I be not See sir if these do not inevitably flow from your principles As for our doctrine it lies not open to these loose consequences for if I know and believe that Christ dyed for me I know and believe also that he is ready and able to save me and looking to him and going to God by him he will assuredly save being found in him and yeelding up to his spirit this doctrine tels me that not any sin acted through infirmity and temptation shall appear against me to condemne me His Death Resurrection and Intercession shall have their fruit in me to eternal life but if I neglect so great salvation or deny him that bought me turn away from him that speaks from heaven and hath the blood of sprinkling to sprinkle upon me c. then how shall I escape then how shall not his love rise up into jealousie and the greater condemnation fall upon me and are not these agreeable to the Apostles reasonings in his Doctrine Rom. 8.1.13.33 34. Heb. 2.1 2 3 10.25 26 29. 12.24 25. 2 Pet. 2.1 But I have done with that Chapter also CHAP. V. A reply to his Answers of Objections made against his former doctrine in Answer to his eight chapter IN his next Chapter he assays to remove Objections as a man removeth dung till it be all gone I shall follow him in that too and see if he remove not pearls in stead of dung and cast not dung upon that that is pretious truth I fear he plucks up Wheat in stead of Tares He tels us some have undertaken to Answer an Argument like this proposed in these words Object The Ransome and Mediation of Christ is no larger then his offices of Priest Prophet and King But these offices pertain to his Church and chosen Therefore his Ransom pertaines to them only I confess they that propounded the Objection so as I believe the Answerer had it so delivered to him in writing propounded it foollishly the conclusion containing a quartus terminus and having more in it then follows from the premises Indeed I have heard it thus propounded The Offices of Christ are of equal extent But his Kingly and prophetical Offices pertain but to his Church Ergo his Priestly pertains to them onely The Minor of which I deny and would invert it thus His Offices are of equal extent in regard of their Object But his Kingly and Prophetical Offices extend to All Therefore also his Priestly The Minor I prove thus He is King of all the earth Psal 47.7 which speaks of God ascended who is the same that first descended as the Apostle speaks upon a like Scripture So he is King upon the holy hill of Sion and all Nations given him and the utmost parts of the earth Psal 2.7 8. King of Kings and Lord of Lords and therefore sure of all under them Kings and Lords too And so he is a Prophet for them that hear him and them that refuse to hear him too Acts 3.22 23. and indeed if he was not a Prophet sent of God to any but the Elect then none but they should be in danger for not hearing him for God useth not to punish men for not attending to Ordinances that were not for them or not hearing a Prophet that prophecieth nothing to them so that there he is clearly held forth to be a Prophet to more then his Church and chosen Yea as it pertains to his Prophetical Office to reveal the Truth of God so as the Wisdom of God he cries in the streets to the sons of men and to those that are without Pro. 1.20 and is the light that lightneth every man that cometh into the world Joh. 1.9 and therefore so far also his mediation must extend for its the life in him is the light of men even that life that he hath for men ver 4 5 6. But let us see what he saith to the Answerer of the Objection First He in stead of removing dung casts dung upon him as if he was guilty of making a distinction or division between the death of Christ and the ransom as if he might die for All and not be the ransom of All. Whereas indeed the Answer intimated that to be the Objectors conception It s clear that he is every where in his Book contrary to it making the death of Christ as for All to be the ransom And whereas he thinks there is no man in his right wit will propose it I know not what wit they are in but I believe men
26.26 1 Pet. 2.21 22. But that that was his end that Mr. Owen propounds towards the conclusion of his 1. Chap viz. That All and every one of them for whom Christ dyed should have All those things conferred upon him that he procured for any or that they All should certainly be brought to God and to eternal glory I deny and leave for him to prove which there he doth not But let us see if he disprove none of the ends laid down by me He tels us Chap. 2. that it was not meerly his own Good he aimed at in his death That it was not meerly his own is without doubt but that it was also his own glory to be manifested is as evident and therefore also he prays the Father for that Iohn 17.4 5. but he says further While he was in the way he merited nothing for himself Whereas the holy ones of God have deemed him worthy to receive honor and glory power and riches Rev. 5.9 wisdom and strength for that his suffering c. and I think God judged him so too for as a reward of his sufferings he hath given it him and that Christ had no eye at that in regard of his humanity as he insinuates is not to be believed seeing the Apostle expresses he had Rom. 14 9. Heb. 12.2 he procured the exaltation of his humane nature and the manifestation of his glory as the word of God more brightly by his sufferings and that God predestinated it to that glory otherwise then by sufferings I no where finde nor I think he neither It s true that was not the onely thing nor perhaps the main thing in his eye He aimed more at the glorifying of his Father and that the world through him might be saved but that That was not in his eye nor procured meritoriously by him and so no end aimed at by him in making satisfaction for sin seem strange positions and yet these are Mr. Owens Conceptions and Conclusions quite cross to that of Rom. 14.9 before mentioned Sure if he procured any thing meritoriously of the Father he procured his own exaltation in the humane nature especially that glory of it to be the habitation and storehouse of that fulness that he hath for us which to me is more plain then that it may be denied in that Psal 68.18 He led captivity captive and received gifts in the man and in Rev. 5. its 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he prevailed to open the Book and unloose the seals which was his honor as well as our commodity ver 4 5. whence that after-confession 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thou art worthy to take the Book and open the seals c. ver 7 8. He errs again when he saith The Dominion he hath over All is not founded on his Death for the Scripture saith expresly to this end he died 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that he might have Dominion and for this cause God highly exalted him because he humbled himself and bare the sins of many Isai 53.12 Phil. 2.10 11. But Mr. Owen seems here to leap over hedge and ditch to his own purposes not considering how full the Scriptures are against him And indeed how can we expect a concurrence of Scripture to disprove a Scripture Assertion But let us see how he confirms his opinion He indeavors it from Heb. 1.3 He was appointed heir of all things But what then In what nature was he so appointed Sure he needed no appointment or constitution for his Divine Nature seeing Dominion over all was essential to that If in the Humane Nature united to the Divine then through what way was he appointed to become heir was it not the same in which he was begotten to be his Son and is it not said of him upon his Resurrection in that regard Thou art my Son this day have I begotten thee then he was begotten in the Humane Nature to possession of the Divine Glory Besides may it not as well follow that therefore he purchased no glory for his Elect for they were appointed preordained to it too before the foundation of the world So that this is proofless to that particular His next is Heb. 2.7 8. God hath put all things under his feet But doth he not speak of that as a consequent to his abasement Thou madest him little lower then the Angels thou crownedst him with glory and honor c And expresly in ver 9. We see Jesus for the suffering of Death crowned with glory and honor I marvel what could make him quote this place of all the rest it being rather full against him He asks if Christ died for all those things that are subject to him Sed quid hoc ad Rhombum It s enough that he died that he might have such dominion over them which he hath partly by dying for them as in men and partly by conquest over them as in the devils and partly by gift as a reward of his service performed by him to his Father as in all things Phil. 2.10 11. Again He asks if he have not dominion over the Angels Yes and what then But he died not for them True but what then Did he not die that through death his Humane nature might be taken up into glory transcending theirs But he sayes All things are rather given him out of the Immediate love of the Father What he means here by Immediate I well know not if that without consideration of his death and sufferings the forecited Scriptures say enough against him If he mean onely that that was the bottom-fountain of his giving all to him Then doth he not see how by that manner of reasoning he also overthrows the effect of Christs death that he pleads for in procuring grace and glory for his chosen for by the same reason he purchased not that neither nor eyed it they flowing from the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the good pleasure and love of God as is declared at large Ephes 1.4 5 6 7. and 2.4 5. c. Certainly in all this Argument he hath horribly mistaken But yet at length he sayes Suppose this be true What proof follows from thence of the general Ransom seeing this Dominion is a power of condemning as well as saving and it s not reasonable to assert that Christ died to Redeem them that he might have power to condemn them nay if he died to Redeem them then he aimed not at any such power to condemn them To this I onely say 1. We ground not our Assertion of the generality of the Ransom upon this bottom meerly but upon plainer testimonies also onely we assert this end 2. We say at the power of saving or condemning them he aimed though not at their condemnation And that Rom. 14.9 proves He had not power over them to save them nor were there any just ground for their looking to him for salvation as the case stood he not dying to ransom them from the power of that condemnation that was already
sentence to that death as in this case A malefactor of an evil disposition is condemned to dye for some evil fact the day determined and way prescribed another steps in and intreats for his life to see if clemency may win him or however that he may be more excuseless if he persist after this mercy shewed in his wickedness to a new condemnation and whereas the sentence is to be executed he tenders sastisfaction perhaps to dy for him upon this the others life is given him but that the other being ill disposed must needs be now made a favourite or all the Kings anger wholly turned from him it follows not he may testifie yet such displeasure against him as ill-conditioned as to let him live at a distance from him not put all his anger or displeasure with him apart so as to bring him into his favor fellowship till this his accepting another for him and giving him conveniences for life though at a distance with other means for winning him to a better disposition work upon him and make him better So when Joab had mediated for Absalom and the King had reversed his sentence of Banishment yet he was not well pleased with him Suppose Joab had done it by exchange become a banished man that Absolom might be called home it would not follow that therefore David must receive him into his Court and make him a favorite not being changed in his disposition Indeed he could not justly banish him and the other too accepting that change for him but he might justly yet shew displeasure toward him and only receive him into favor as he submits to him So is the case here Reconciliation and Justification with admission into favor suppose more then only satisfaction by way of commutation of punishment It presupposes also the parties submission to and compliance with him that he is Reconciled to Reconciliation is when two parties agree not when one accepts the punishment of a third for a seconds fault he still retaining his evil disposition And when men are Reconciled that is brought to Gods tearms and into Gods favor then he justifies them so as to pronounce them and accept them as righteous Therefore let this be minded that I lay down as a positive truth That though Christ suffered by way of commutation of penalty and therein sustained acts of displeasure from God against the sin of man yet he did not suffer by way of commutation of affection that is God was better pleased with his Son in all his suffering when his humane nature was under all its punishment then with any man unconverted while unconverted though Christ hath dyed for him and he be exempted from that punishment He was wel-pleased in his Son in that he bare all our sufferings and he is angry with those for whom he suffered while not submitted to him And indeed if Mr. Owen thinks that Christ suffering for mens sins takes off all wrath and anger from those for whom he suffers then I would have him tell me whether Christ suffered not for all the sins of the Elect I know he says Yes Then I demand whether any anger of God comes or lies upon any of them at any time If he say No then he speaks contrary to many Scriptures and to his own contests with the Socinians in chap. 8. 9. If Yes then he overthrows his own inferences here and shews that he goes too far when from the minor granted he infers Then they reconciled justified and imputed righteous c. And in this also is answered that objection from Joh. 3.36 The wrath of God abides on him That is God never comes to be at one with and welpleased with him nor he ever comes to see life As if Joab changing sentence of banishment with Absalom and Absalom when called home refusing by all loving Arguments to submit himself to David Davids displeasedness with him abides and some testimonies of it as keeping him at a distance abide on him he never admits him to see his face yea for persisting in Rebellion after this favor shewed him He takes away his life from him In which also his second inference with the several branches of it are answered as also they are before lib. 1. chap. 2. for whereas he infers that 2. Then Christ made satisfaction for the sin of all and every man It s granted as to that or those sins that brought that sentence of death upon men which occasioned and as it were in the order revealed required Christs coming to satisfie for them that lire might be afforded to men and goodness extended to their persons See chap. 3. lib. 1. But his Assumption here viz. That he hath not satisfied for all the sin of All contains a quartus terminus as I appeal to learned judgment Joab might by commutation have satisfied to the penalty upon Absalom imposed for all his evil past and yet it follows not from thence that in that commutation supposed he satisfied for whatever should follow his return from banishment and so his after-rebellion His three following reasons then brought to prove that Christ satisfied not for all the sins of every man fall as so many prevarications with his Assumption As for Christs satisfying justice for them that were in hell before we have answered it in chap. 2. lib. 1. we might a little alter his simile and illustrate it thus A company of malefactors being condemned to dy one promises such a sum of money for their lives and freedoms from that sentence obtains it the sentence is reversed they are provided for and preserved and greater favor is profered to them upon tearms of compliance with him against whom they had sinned many of them rebell a second time and are taken and condemned anew and executed others of them are won and become obedient subjects and all this before the promised payment is performed I ask now seeing he that bought their lives had his bargain for that he compacted for shall it be thought injustice for him who upon that promise spared their lives to demand his Covenants because they being then spared afterward rebelled and were anew condemned and executed the case is like here If God gave such and such favors to men upon Christs promise of payment shall not he pay for it upon whose score he gave them what ere in the after estate become of them His Dilemma is the same verbatim which we had in Chap. 3. Lib. 1. Where we gave it its answer His seventh Argument is For whom Christ dyed Argu. 7 for them he is a Mediator I conceive that 's true for I think his dying for them was an high act of Mediation or coming between God and them But says he He is not Mediator for All because then he must be Priest too for them which he brings no proof for Joab mediated for Absalom yet was no Priest for him neither proves he that he is not Priest for All not that he applies not
should not serve sin But quorsum haec how doth this prove that all that Christ dyed for are and shall be sanctified by his blood Why he tels us That the fifth verse says That a participation in the death of Christ shall be accompanyed with a conformity to him in his Resurrection But what mean you Sir by a participation in it an having part in it or being a part of the object of it If so which word in ver 5. says so That says He that 's planted into the likeness of it not he that Christ died for Surely if Mr. Owen had dealt fairly he should have kept the same tearms in both branches of his Assertion as the Apostle doth thus Conformity to Christ in his death shall be followed with a conformity to him in his Resurrection Sure if planting into the likeness of him signify conformity to him in the latter branch as it doth it signifies so in the former too it being the very same maner of expression But Mr. Owen hath a little too much art of making quidlibet de quolibet But what follows The words of the later verse yield a reason of the former Assertion Because our old man is crucified with him that the body of sin might be destroyed c. What gathers he from that why this That our sinful corruption and depravation of Nature are by his Death and crucifying meritoriously slain and disabled from such a rule and dominion over us as that we should be servants to them But suppose this was the Apostles sense That Christ merited that such as are planted into the likeness of his Death by Baptism or conformed to him in his Death should have their sins subdued in them will it therefore follow That he says all that he died for shall be so conformed to him or shall have their sins subdued in them Let Reason judg of that Consequence But which word in the Text signifies a Meritorius slaying I suppose he means the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 If so I deny it That signifies there a real crucifying in us according to that in Gal 5.24 They that are Christs have crucified the flesh c. That is have nailed it upon the Cross that is the Grace and Spirit of God which is cross to it and lusts against it they have given it up to be mortified by the Spirit that so the body of Sin might be destroyed It is not destroyed yet nor doth the Apostle say so as well he might if he had spoken of a meritorious slaying for what concerns the matter of Merit that is already accomplished though the thing merited be not But when was this crucifying I answer when the soul was brought to give up it self to Christ and not before Rom. 6.4 5. when it was Baptized into his Death not in the outward onely but chiefly in the inward spiritual Baptism 1 Pet. 3.21 and so begun to be planted into the likeness of it But perhaps he will say The word is Crucified with Christ and therefore must be referred to what was done in his crucifying I answer no It signifies but a companionship in being crucified as he was or after his similitude not a thing done when he was crucified as Col. 2.12 we are said to be buried with him but when was that He says not in his being buried but in Baptism which is a thing not inwardly accomplished no nor begun before believing And so You that were dead in sins and trespasses hath he quickned with him the quickning men up to hope in God and bringing them from their dead condition in which before believing they lay without hope is said to be with Christ Yea when we suffer for Christ and dye for his Name we are said to suffer and dye with him 2 Tim. 2.11 12. Rom. 8.17 which are not to be referred to the time of his suffering and dying as if we then suffered and died meritoriously with him So that first express saying is pressed too injuriously to speak for Mr. Owen besides its proper intention Again He brings 2 Cor. 1.20 All the Promises of God are in Christ Yea and in him Amen Which says nothing that God hath promised that All that Christ died for should be sanctified and cleansed from all their sins but that in him all the promises are surely to be met with The Covenant we have spoken to before That 's made or rather promised to be made with the House of Israel and the House of Judah of which houshold men are not accounted till brought to Christ to believe as is plain Ephe. 2.12 17 18 19. After Christ hath preached peace to us and given us access to the Father then we are of the houshold of God and fellow Citizens with the Saints The promise of circumcising the heart which he mentions as most famous in the New Covenant follows after obeying the voice of God in listning to his Son Deut. 30.1 2 3 4 5 6. so the Apostle intimates 2 Cor. 3.16 When the heart turns to the Lord the vail shall be taken away which I conceive answers to Circumcising the heart As impertinent to his purpose is that in Heb. 9.23 of purging the heavenly things except he prove that All that Christ died for are heavenly men even before believing and before their calling to God with a heavenly call And that in Col. 1.14 of the believer brought to Christ receiving and having the Redemption in him with which agrees the 1 Cor. 1.30 which says not all that he died for are made wise redeemed righteous c. by him but they that are in him by faith as see Rom. 16 7. have him in the vertue of his blood and by his Spirit for wisdom righteousness sanctification and redemption As impertinent is his allegation of Heb. 2.14 To destroy him that had the power of death that is the devil that he might free those that by reason of death or through the fear of death rather were all their life time subject to bondage No more is his Probandum proved by that then that all that Christ spake to are saved can be proved by that in Joh. 5.34 These things speak I to you you that had neither heard the voice of God nor seen his face And who will not come unto me that ye might have life ver 38.40 that ye might be saved Or from this That he brought us into Egypt that he might bring us into Canaan that all that came out of the one entred into the other Nor is there any more consequence from the other places mentioned in Ephes 5.25 26. and Tit. 2.14 He gave himself for his Church that he might sanctifie it provided in his death for the perfecting those that should believe in him Ergo All he died for shall be sanctified and saved So that the contrary to his Conclusion is true that he hath in no one place proved what was by him undertaken But to take off this that we say Many
death of Christ to make them all affect him It reaches but to a way-making and foundation laying unto that And indeed it s to be minded that Reconciliation is neither there spoken of as the act of Christ toward God as had it signified an ingagement putting upon him it should rather have been but as the act of God in Christ God was in Christ reconciling nor as of a thing accomplished and done as had it been of a meritorious reconciling it might have been with respect to the act of Merit so spoken of the act of Meriting being a thing already done but onely as of a thing then * It s but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in fieri in the doing and as the following vers ver 20. argues not as yet done while that exhortation to be reconciled is but yet a pressing It s as if he should have said God hath been doing that in Christ for the world that tends to and makes for its reconciling or being reconciled to him he hath taken that out of the mid-way that stood against the shewing himself gracious to them and receiving them into favor nothing is wanting on his part to their being at one with him nay he hath done that in Christ that may induce them thereto as in Matth. 22.4 His Oxen and Fatlings are killed and he hath prepared a dinner and all is ready for receiving them upon which ground also as there the servants were sent out to the guests with that good tidings and thereupon to invite them to come to the wedding so here the Apostles were sent out former hints of his goodness in the Wisdom of God afforded Joh. 1 4 5. 1 Cor. 1.21 being not in the wisdom of the World understood or discerned plainly to declare this that God had done in Christ for them and to intreat them to be at one with him which as it intimates as I said before that they were not yet in their hearts reconciled to him for why then needed any further beseeching of them thereto So doth it no more prove that they must be all so reconciled and that Christ had obliged God thereto Mat. 22.4 then that phrase All things are ready come ye to the Wedding argues that Christ had obliged God to make all those bidden guests to feast with him and the following Caveat in Chap. 6.1 warning them not to receive the Grace of God in vain both argues that there is such a receiving it and that there is danger that some such as this grace is affirmed to concern may so receive it and so by consequence not be reconciled in their hearts at all to him So that this place duly weighed rather overthrows Mr. Owens Assertion then contributes any the least mite to its confirmation He produces also Rom. 11.15 The casting off of the Jews is the reconciling of the world which neither speaks a title of Christs death nor can be understood to make any thing for a meritorious reconciling Reconciliation there signifying only the occasional way and means of reconciling As Salvation Acts 28.28 is the means of saving He quotes also Rom. 5.10 If being enemies we were reconciled to God by the Death of his Son c. and Col. 1.21 Now are ye reconciled in the body of his flesh through death But neither will they serve him up to his purpose For neither of them either speak in that latitude as All for whom Christ died nor of a meritorious reconciling onely but of Reconciliation at least inchoativè accomplished in mens persons In Rom. 5. The Apostle having said Verse 1. That the believer being justified by faith in Christ is at peace with God which is all one with Ver. 2 3 4 5. is reconciled and is lead to rejoyce in the hope of the glory of God even in afflictions shews how Faith nourishes and acts the soul in that hope from what principle and by what considerations viz. By minding the great love of God in giving his Son to the Death for it when in a miserable condition Ver. 6 7 8. and the great love of Christ in so dying for it and the state to which God hath there-through already brought it viz. Ver. 9 10. A justified and reconciled estate VVhence it leads the soul thus hopefully to judge and reason Hath God shed his Sons blood for me that I might have good ground of believing in him and overcoming me to believe therein hath he justified me there-through Compare ver 1.9 with Chap. 3.25 how shall he not much more now save me me or us that are thus justified from wrath to come And again Hath God made me of an enemy his friend by such a way at such cost as the death of his Son how much more wil he now that I am no more his enemy but his friend reconciled to him save preserve me in and bring me safely out of all afflictions and trials unto glory by his life seeing he shall not need to die again to do that for me Yea not only so says he but it leads too to Glory in God himself through Jesus Christ through or by whom it hath now now that it believes and is justified received the atonement 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by a Metonymy the Grace of God that effected this reconciliation and brought it in to be the reconciled of God as he had before ver 10. affirmed He says not we were reconciled in the time of Christs dying that would have been rather 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But the reconciliation which we now have received in receiving him to wit and in which we are reconciled we have it by his Death That phrase By his Death that men so stumble at I have explained before lib. 1. cap. 1. This then says nothing of Christ meriting of or obliging God to reconcile that is turn the affections of all to himself for whom he died nor says that in Col. 1.21 22. any thing more for it but that the believing Colossians were of enemies to God become now his friends reconciled to him onely the Apostle there tell us what was the bond or medium of their agreement viz. The body of Christs flesh through or by means of death that is he having in that his body suffered for our sins and offered up himself to God God there takes up his delightful dwelling and is propitious towards us now we also by Faith closing with and feeding on that his body as it hath or he therein died for us God and we are at one But what is this to his meriting of God that he actually reconcile all for whom he died His last proof is Ephes 2.15 16 where the Apostle having said that the Ephesians sometimes strangers to God and his Church were now made neer by the blood of Christ which we may either understand of that cleansing of the state of the Gentiles in general and opening a free access into his Kingdom to
of those things to the Jews In every Nation he that fears God c. All that call upon the name of the Lord Whosoever believes Jew or Gentile And had that been all the reason of the Apostles using generall expressions and had it been his intention in them to include none but the people of God those expressions had been large enough and apter for that business affording no occasion of misconception or contention therefore we conclude that seeing they had and used other words to include all that are the subject of Gods promises in Christ which included but them and all of them of all Nations they had some further reason in using these larger expressions of All Every one the Whole world c. in the business of the Death of Christ and the Gospel preaching especially seeing they use not those largest words in affirming the injoyment of Eternall life and salvation to men which yet are injoyed as far as Mr. Owen would extend their signification Beside what made the use of those large expressions to the Gentile Churches for rooting out of the Jews that foresaid opinion and yet to the Gentile Churches he most frequently uses it or what did that make to perswade the Eunuch or Gentile to take hold of the Covenant when he uses them to those that had taken hold of it already besides would not those other expressions of Whoever calls upon the name of the Lord Jew or Gentile or Whosoever believes Jew or Gentile c. have sufficed to those purposes that Mr. Owen pretendeth So that this gives not light into the sense of those words All and Whole World used by the Apostles in this business of Redemption Nor proves he them to hold forth a generall distribution only into men of All sorts which the other phrases more cleerly do and not a collective Universality That in John 11.52 we have answered before and it fals into the number of those places that speaking of the injoyment of the speciall priviledges of the Saints such as Union together in priviledges must needs include use not a Generall or Universall expression but a Generall qualified expression This was one end of Christs Death That all the Children of God in all Nations that is all believers should be made one in priviledge but it answers not those expressions that say he dyed for All and Every one It shews what was one intention of his dying not the extent of the Object of his Death in every intention 5. He tells us The Generall words All Consid 5. and the World c. must be considered and weighed with the context Accipimus legem We desire so to do and not to triumph meerly in the bare expression as he saith though we have more reason to triumph in them then they in inferences and those lame ones from no expressions that can seem to inforce them Nor can he make it good That our taking the letter of the Scripture in the declaration of the principles of our faith will uphold the Anthropomorphytes there being in the Scriptures contradictory expressions to their conceptions and no one Scripture that says the things attributed to God have the form of the same things in men but we challenge Mr. Owen or any of them All to shew us one expression in Scripture contradictory to our Assertion any that says Christ did not dy for All or for any one particular man or people Nor will it uphold the Papists conceit of Transubstantiation they finding no letter of Scripture that contains that conception either Name or Thing no Scripture that says he called the bread his body much less that says that bread was turned into his body So that that charge is fond and vain He passes in this to view the severall acceptations of the word World in Scripture pretending only to view the significations of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which indeed is only pertinent but he forgat that the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is translated World too as well as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and is different from the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 else sure he would not have produced Luk. 2.1 to shew that the World called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies the Roman Empire unless he was not willing to see that because his party usually though impertinently alledge it to straiten the signification of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in this controversy To let go other acceptions of it he tells us It sometimes signifies The Good Gods people either in designation or possession for which he alledges Psal 22.27 against which I except 1. That the word World is not in the originall its 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and so the Greek renders it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 All the ends of the earth 2. Nor is it probable that all there spoken of shall be or are godly men for in the Distribution afterwards there is mentioned amongst them them that go down to the dust which may signifie to destruction And it s said many of those that profess Gods name in the latter dayes even of the Gentiles shall be foolish Virgins even at that time and of them Sathan shall deceive multitudes and gather them to battell against the holy city So that more shall turn unto the Lord then prove through-believers The other places of Joh. 3.16 6.33 51. we deny to be taken in that sense except we should read Joh. 3.16 thus God so loved the Elect or the good or better part of the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth should not perish which to me seems non-sense the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whoever believeth having the force of a distributive or partitive to the word World otherwise it had been proper to have said that they or it believing should not perish or that it should believe and not perish In Ioh. 6.33 51. 2 Cor. 5.19 we say he begs the question and brings no ground that confirms his saying we shall refer the further consideration of them to due place That in Rom. 4.12 is very impertinent for it makes the words of the Apostle to sound thus that the promise was made to Abraham and to all the people of God for that 's the force of the word his seed there that they should be heirs of all the people of God which is a piece of non-sense We say that the word World there signifies Mundum Continentem not only the inhabitants but all the things of the World as in 1 Cor. 3.21 22. All things are yours the world c. chiefly the world to come The world as heaven and earth and all things shall be made new That in Rom. 11.12 15. is impertinent too and untruly alledged in that sense The Words Riches and Reconciliation signify but the way or means to inrich and reconcile for that the fall of the Jews was not the formall riches and reconciliation of the world Upon Ro. 11.15 is as
to pass that I fear he will be put to it again to prove this also by his doctrine seeing many are willing to run to Ordinances and do any thing to have ease and comfort and yet afterward forget that they were purged from their old sins and having escaped the pollutions of the world and walked in the means appointed for a while afterward imbrace the present world and fall off again which their doctrine intimates they must do and will if not elected or else never meet with any thing of God to purpose though they should continue attending the means to the last gasp I fear he will not say Christ had any Free grace for these and yet all weary heavy laden sinners one and other Christ calls to him yea and the fools and scorners too the wicked unrighteous and who not to listen to his Doctrine for salvation So that these are but fair flourishes that being looked into wind up onely in this Though ye be never so much troubled and weary and never so diligent now in the use of means yet forasmuch as your Election is unknown to us we cannot say that there is any thing purchased by Christ for you or that the blood of Christ is sufficient to purge you because we yet know not whether it was shed for you whatever inward worth it hath in it yet it being shed onely for the Elect he may not be able to save you by it nor unless ye be elected will all your use of means profit you if you should continue in them And so all depends yet even its future use of means too upon that hidden purpose and till that be known whether there be any cause for it to rely on Christ and love him and God in him he knoweth not so that all these answers avail him nothing therefore he doth well to leave his answering and fall to querying viz. What that is that according to our perswasion men are bound to believe when they first know that Christ died for them I answer They are to believe that Christ is their lawful Lord and able to save them and that they ought to live to him also that God is good and loving to them which is not a thing known before-hand as he says but in and through the knowing Christ to have died for them as the Cause though it be before the Effect yet in ordins cognoscendi it may be through and in order of nature after the knowledg of the effect which also the Spirit will there through be now glorifying and presenting to the soul they attending the doctrine of Christ and following him therein till it raise them up to full assurance as it did the Apostles Yea upon the knowing of the death of Christ for them it s to believe that God delights not in their death but is ready in and through Christ to save them and will do it they as they herein see good ground and as also they are by the Gospel that declares it obliged to do waiting on him and trusting in him Now whereas he says That they cannot there being no fruits of his Death but what are common to All which may be Damnation as well as Salvation That 's very untrue 1. Damnation is not the fruit of his Death but of mens abusing the mercies they have by his Death and their refusing to listen to him and look to him for salvation 2. The fruits of his Death in them and to them that come to him are washing purging sanctifying giving in remission peace joy spirit and life everlasting So that that is either an ignorant mistake or a wilful slander and yet as its true that some men may so abuse the Doctrine of Christs Death for them or so disserve him that his Death for them may be an aggravation of their punishment and misery so in that sense As the fruit of Gods Presence with the Israelites that led them out of Egypt into the Wilderness was to them that believed as they all had reason to have done protection and guidance into Canaan and possessing them thereof but to others that causlesly rebelled through their own folly destruction So is Christ and the Gospel of Christ a Savour of life to life in them that receive but of death to death in them that reject him So that as he answered impertinently and inconcludently for himself before so he answers untruly and irrationally here for us But I leave that also From this he comes to tell us That there are two things that both perswasions pretend to the exaltation of Gods free Grace and the Merit of Christ To the first of these he plays the Rhetorician more then either Logician or Divine He asks what that free grace is And I answer This That God hath given his Son to die for All and through him tenders salvation freely in the Gospel to All Whoever will let him come he is ready to receive him rejecting or reprobating none from it to destruction but for their rejecting his Truth and goodness made known to them His Queries Whether it stand in Election effectual Vocation Justification Sanctification Redemption in the blood of Christ If by Redemption in Christs blood he means the actuall setting their spirits at liberty from sin and corruption and from the power of Satans delusions to worship and live to God effected by the sprinkling of his blood upon them Heb. 9.13 14 as is there intended Rev. 5.9 miss the cushion Though Free Grace standeth in all these things which we maintain as well as they yet the extent of it we say not standeth in them but in giving his Elect one in whom his Election and purposes all are to the death for All and setting him up as a medium to whom coming any of them may and in coming shall finde Justification Sanctification Redemption and what ever follows which the Gospel holds forth freely to All as ready in him for them and to be dispensed by him to them upon believing which so held forth is the medium also of his effectual calling Whereas he asks If it be not universally a figment of our own brains or a new name for the old Idol Freewill I answer That it is not the first the authority of Gods Word acquits us which we dare not for all the Sophisms he hath brought against it renounce to cleave to that onely Elect which he and the Elders traditions have created and to which they bow the knew of their faith more then to Gods Word And if no device of our own then no new name For that Idol of Freewill which we no more adore if so much as they who substracting the declaration of Gods good Will to men as pertaining to them the medium appointed by him for his power to work in to uninthral men and impower them to believe do yet call upon men to believe and get Christ as if they had power of themselves to get him and to believe on him thundring damnation
herein then the body of Truth it self then the word of God made flesh and manifested in the flesh met with in the dayes of his flesh Came not He from the bosome of the Father to open his name unto men and to shew to them the way of their salvation was not he truly Jesus the salvation of God and Saviour of the world one that came to teach men the knowledg of God and lead them unto life But O what course usage did He finde Did not the world abominate him as if he had been a Devil incarnate filled with Satan the great deceiver of mankinde leading them to Destruction how often did they cry out against him and offer to lay violent hands upon him as if he was unworthy to live amongst them What evil laws enacted they against him casting out of their Synagogues meetings and fellowships those that would own him Did they not call a councel about him and condemnâ— him therein and crave yea almost force it upon the Secular power to deliver him up to be crucified by them till they got their wills in that matter on him how did they after his condemnation all-to revile mock and taunt him yea dispitefully intreat and kill him And as if they would leave no stone unremoved for effecting their designes upon him they seal him up in his Sepulcher and set a guard to keep him therein And who I pray were the persons that thus used him Were they not the generality of the people but principally the Priests and Rulers the zealous and devout the seeming godly party that were so strict for tithing mint and rue for keeping Sabbaths keeping out errors and blasphemies as that a man that judged by the outside would have sworn they were the holiest people and best beloved of God that the world contained The wise the prudent the powerful the Scribes Pharises and Rulers of the people But I pray was Christ less the Son of God or the great Truth of truths because he found so bad entertainment by these prudent zealots because they condemned him and put him to Death was he therefore really guilty of that deceit and blasphemy with which they charged him was it not indeed as himself told them because he spake the truth to them and they could not endure to hear it from him Because he testified of them that their deeds were evil and their doctrine vitious which they set so high a price upon many good deeds have I done saith He for which of them do ye stone me And truly friend so have men dealt with this truth in hand It s cryed out upon as a Doctrine of Satan as error and blasphemy as the most pernicious Doctrine that can be taught almost they sit upon it in councel and condemn it they have reviled it railed on it mocked taunted it yea have they not crucified it and almost killed it and all this too hath been acted by the Learned Prudent Rabbies Scribes and Rulers but what evil hath it done Why disturb the Churches peace so they said Christ and the Gospel did their Synagogues Deprives believers of their comfort nay t is but them that believe it not as Christ did them that believed not in him not any right believers as we shall shew they can prove it guilty of no evil and therefore let not their charges of it move thee Veritas magna est praevalebit let them bury it and set a guard upon it banish it their cities countries kingdomes strike hands with Satan himself and combine with the gates and powers of hell to under it out it will and shall and shall be received As Moses lift up the Serpent in the wilderness so shall the son of man be lifted up that whosoever believeth in him may not perish but have eternal life For truth is truth though hated and reproached its cause is just their accusations groundless their opposite positions Antichristian but it self divine no nicety or fancy but of great concernment it being a truth that glorifies God and brings good news or tidings to men which with thy patience I shall a little demonstrate with the differences of their Anti-position of Christs dying only for an elect number in these following particulars 1. It s a doctrine that gives glory to God and magnifies his mercy or goodness and justice toward the sons of men in his dealings with them whereas the opinion it opposeth detracts from his glory in those particulars First I say it commends and magnifies the goodness of God in the exercise of his mercy while it speaks of him as love it self one that is good and therefore doth good good to All a lover and Saviour of mankinde and of the world in general one that delights not in the death of the wicked nor would that any should perish and run themselves into destruction but rather come to repentance and live to which end it shewes that he hath provided a means for banished mankinde to be brought back by to him again from that estate of misery unto which they were banished yea that to that end he enlightens manifests his truth calls to look to him lades with benefits waytes with patience upon sinners chastens them in mercy to keep their souls from the pit and to inlighten them with the light of the living and all this not bounded up to a few the far fewer part of men but in some degree or other inlarged generally to all And is not this a commendation of him as good and loving is it not the nature of love to diffuse it self abroad to extend it self to all as well as to burn intensively to any And 2. Doth not that that speakes of God as so mercifull illustrate also his justice the more brightly when it shewes his wrath and vengeance to come upon men for abusing love undervaluing goodness and for not accepting his grace can any thing be thought more just then to punish him that transgresses a command of an Authority in it self not onely lawful but also good and Fatherly that not only by its soveraignty might exact but also by its clemency and goodness did deserve obedience to its injunctions from all under it such as this doctrine declares Gods dealings with men by way of justice to be not only in respect of Adam our first parent and all in him but also in respect of us in our particulars and yet we ascribe his Soveraignty to him in all things too while we say all these his dispensations are not necessitated to him but free and voluntary so as that his giving Christ the streams of goodness that come to us through Christ were all of his good will not of our works yea his extending these or those means longer or shorter time with less or greater power are all free dispensations according to his will the Law he gives to men and the rewards he propounds all according to his own will only we say he acts forth this his
foreknowledge and owning to be made like his Son whom in order of nature he had fore-ordained as their pattern to dye rise and be glorified in all which he ordained his foreknown ones even them that believe in him should be conformed to him and unto which he called them and in that conformity in sufferings justifies and maintains them and as he hath done so yet he doth bring them to glory with him Yea in his calling men we deny not his liberty of pulling in more powerfully preserving from general Apostacies actuall chusing and ordaining in his Son glorified to their hearts whom he pleases and as he pleases but that either any company of men as in themselves as of the world uncaled are ever called or signified by the word Elect much lese that any were chosen to be the object of Christs death and the others left out Election being ever coupled with or respecting mens calling to Christ and right to his priviledges not Christs dying I can no where finde in Scripture Besides that which is more secret and mysterious in his decree or dealings we neither confound with what he hath done in the death of Christ for us and declares in the Gospel to us as the object of our faith or motive to believe and that in which he so calls puls in and saveth according to his good pleasure Nor dare we make them to run cross to the Scriptures that more plainly declare his good will and love to men acknowledging rather our want of capacity to comprehend those more abstruse things then daring to call in question the extent of the truth of his other expressions that are more fitted to our understanding and speak to the more intelligible principles of Christian Religion Nor finde we warrant for making our narrow conceptions of those more abstruse things of God which are ever delivered in Scripture without any opposition to or limitation of the things we treat of to be the measure of and to give limits to them they that so do both contradicting the Scripture expressions in the things we speak to and swarving also from them and their method in propounding and speaking of those things of Election and Reprobation by which they measure them 2. For the Heathens that have not had the Gospel opened to them they put us needlesly upon that to stumble men about the truth of our doctrine for we could content our selves with the Scripture expressions of all and every one and the whole world unlimitedly without running into any nice speculations but when men propound that to us I know not upon what ground we should say Christ died not for them except the Scripture did in some place exclude them from being of that all for which he dyed if any man can finde an exception as to them I shall listen to it but for my part I have not yet met with it And to make exceptions without warrant in the word of God about the matters of the Gospels doctrine I judg very dangerous I know there are many cavils of reason which have some specious colour for it but they all amount to no more then those admirations of its ignorance and enmity in other cases 2 Cor. 10.4 How can this thing be they are but high imaginations and thoughts exalting themselves against obedience to the faith of Jesus Math. 16.24 which are to be captivated to faith not faith to them Reason being a part of that self of ours which he that will be Christs Disciple must deny in what it would stop us from receiving the doctrines he propounds to us So that this is but a trick of Satan to stir up men to cast such stumbling considerations in their own and others way that they might not believe and have the benefit of the truth declared to them to whom its best to say Get thee behinde me Satan to leave disputing and inquiring into things more secret and say either produce me some Scripture that saith he dyed not for them or else be silent It s good in such cases to take what Christ said to Peter curiously inquisitive after John for a satisfactory answer How God deals with them further then the Scripture says what is that to thee they shall be found excuseless when Christ shall Judg them and therefore follow thou Christ in the receit of his word and let not any seeming absurdities to thy reason prevaile to impede thee And so we might say to Mr. Owens Cui bono quaeso about them that perish what good doth the death of Christ to them which reasonings are but of the spawn of the Serpents wisdom pretending to teach our reason the knowledg of good and evil from the beginning Such a question might have been as well made by many Israelites in the wilderness might not reason thus have led them to argue either God absolutely willed to possess us all of Canaan or only some few of us if the first how come so many of us to perish short of it if the latter then I pray Cui bono to what end or what good was in the deliverance of the rest from Egypt seeing they had as good have dyed there as have been consumed in the Wilderness Nay if our corrupt and blinde reason shall be umpire then what Satan and unbelief suggests is righter then what God himself saith for did not the Israelites perish in the Wilderness many of them as their reason and unbelief suggested and did they attain to Canaan though that was the promise set before them but as we said before Let God be true and every man in his best wisdom but a blinde fool and liar We durst not believe our carnal reasonings against Gods word nor exclude inlarge or limit his word by our own hearts dictates but as we see God in other places instruct us to it Not but that we can give reasonable answers to their reasons against Christs dying for the Heathen they being all faln in Adam and the sentence being executable upon them and all men in him in the day that he sinned so that what life and mercies of life with goodness leading to seek after God and to repent they do injoy may well and necessarily be conceived to spring from Christs interposing himself as mediator and ransome But yet if any can shew that Christ died but for all in these latter times or that the Gospel is preached to and shew it by Scripture proofs we will be willing so to interpret those general expressions till when we cannot admit of that interpretation O Object but we must not believe Scriptures as they lye in their litteral expressions for that is dangerous and will introduce transubstantiation and to believe Christ to be a door a vine c. there are in the Scriptures many figurative expressions To which I answer Answ that this is another stumbling block cast in our way much what like to what the Papists used to object against the Scriptures
the truth of what it defendeth rest not in the bare belief of it as if that was enough for thee but follow on to inquire and seek after God that hath such good will toward thee and walk out in what he discovers of himself to thee that so he may be pleased to discover himself more to thee and draw thee by his Spirit into union with and conformity to his Son that thou mayest have the utmost healing that the death of Christ brings to the believer even salvation with eternal glory The right use of truth is in being lead from the world and thy own self to God by it and so attaining the end propounded to thee in it If thou not liking what is writ wi lt reply upon me I desire thee to do it soberly and as a seeker of truth rather then of victory bate pride and passion which will but darken thine understanding and nothing advantage thee in thy answering and take heed lest for fear of losing thine honour or for desire to get any thou robbest God of the honour of his truth and shuttest thine eyes against those flashes of his light that he darts into thee Better lose thine honour then ingage against Gods truth for it If thou likest the truth pleaded for but findest defect or wriness in any of my expressions in asserting it I shall be willing to be helpt to see better by thy spectacles if thou pleasest to lend them me In a word I say to thee with the Poet Si quid novisti rectius istis Candidus imperti Si non his utere mecum And so committing thee with my self and this ensuing Treatise to Gods protection I remain Thy friend and servant in the Gospel of Christ Jesus John Horn. ΘΥΡΑ ΑÎΕΩΓΜΕÎΗ OR A VINDICATION OF THE RECORD of GOD Concerning The extent of the Death of Christ in Answer to Mr. Iohn Owen of Cogshall in Essex The Preface WHereas God who is love it self beholding mankinde faln and through the subtlety of the Serpent plunged into death and misery was pleased out of pitty towards him to finde out a way for his recovery even to send forth his own proper Son his Word and Wisdom to take upon him the nature of man so faln with the infirmities weaknesses death and misery attending it yea the whole punishment that the sin of man had in that fall contracted to it that so he dying for man man might be delivered out of that death and life and immortality might be again brought to light yea whereas the Son of God having accordingly given himself a ransom for all it hath pleased the Father out of the same love he bare to man in sending him further to provide for his good in exalting this his Son that suffered and making him Lord and Christ a Prince and Saviour one that should have and answerably hath power and authority over all things and Salvation in him authority and fitness to save and deliver out of evil and to bring to life and glory whoever of the persons of men listen and look to him for Salvation whoever obey his Word submit to his Spirit and give up themselves to be ordered by him and to that end hath in these last dayes given forth a commission to certain Elected and chosen persons appointed for that purpose by him to be his Witnesses and Embassadors to the whole world in general to proclaim publish and declare this that God hath done in and by Christ Jesus for them and to let them know his good will toward them that he would not that any of them should perish but all come to Repentance and to the knowledg or acknowledgment of his truth that they might be saved to which end he hath also given and constituted his Son to be a witness and a Leader to conduct them to Salvation and upon these grounds hath willed them to exhort command intreat and urge all and every man as they have opportunity to it to accept this grace believe the Gospel repent and turn to God from their dead works and from their follies and to Jesus as the only one constituted by him to be his Salvation even to the ends of the earth So it is that since these holy men of God to whom the tenor of the Gospel and doctrine of truth was first committed have faln asleep the vigilant and wicked enemy of mankinde hath not only through his subtlety prevailed with multitudes of those men to whom this proclamation hath been made to reject persecute and put away this Embassage both from themselves and peoples under them and posterities succeeding them and with many others to be slothful and not to take care to propagate this Doctrine of their Lord and Master but also by occasion of this wickedness and slothfulness of men many that pretend themselves to be understanding men and servants of God unto their brethren have come with a counter-doctrine pretending to have better insight into the minde of God then the letter of the Apostolical preaching doth hold forth even as at first Satan pretended to the woman to have a more sublime knowledg of the minde of God and to teach her better understanding of it then in the simple belief of Gods words to them they had attained telling men that God sent not his Son for all of them but only for here and there one they nor any man else not knowing who they be and that Christ gave himself only for them and for no others and this they pretend to have from a more Seraphical understanding of a more secret will of God by which means they both contradict the tenor of the holy Commission delivered out to his Saints and left by them upon record for us by the instinct of his spirit and take away those certain and more excellent grounds motives and inducements to believe repent seek after and love God which that Commission affordeth making the Gospel to give such an uncertain sound that none can by it be induced to prepare himself to battel as is more largely shewed in the Epistle to the Reader In which doing they greatly deny at least disserve the Lord that bought them in that in stead of making him lovely to all and an object meet for all to commit themselves to and forsake all for the worshipping and confessing of they render it doubtful what one hath cause so to do and not rather to hate him as a fore yea eternal hater of them that had such desire to their misery as therefore to create them yea therefore to do all that he doth about them that they might at last for ever be more heavily tormented by him So that they do herein as a company of slaves or persidious Traitors should do to a King who having made open proclamation of satisfaction received by the hand of some Prince for the mischief done him by a company of rebells and of his good will toward them all that he would have them to lay
bring into Canaan all that he brought out of Aegypt and then prove it by shewing that he so intended to all that believed and followed him Or else 2. Those places show not that those things so mentioned were the absolute intentions of God and Christ taken upon themselves to be effected by them without suspending them upon condition in us and if the Minor take not the word intended in that sense it suits not with the Major but contains a quartus terminus and the major not so taken is untrue If it be said the words are I came to save that that 's lost he gave himself that he might purge Vs and suffered for the unjust to bring us to God c. and where things are so spoken of as the ends and aimes of God in acting there though we have not the expressions He intended this and that yet we are to understand that God absolutely intended to accomplish and bring about those things and so that all those that are the object of those acts which were acted to such an end obtained or shall obtain that end Then I deny it and will prove it that in such speeches where two acts are mentioned as end and means and God the agent in the act directed to such an end it is not safe to say that alwayes that act propounded as the end in his acting was absolutely intended to be and answerably is brought about by him in all those upon whom or for whom he acted that act that 's mentioned as the means as to instance Act. 17 26 27. He made of one bloud all the kinde of men to inhabit all the face of the earth and hath determined the times appointed and the bounds of their habitation that they might seek the Lord c. Here is end and means propounded the making all of one bloud bounding their times habitations the means directed to this end that they might seek the Lord. Will any man hence say that God absolutely intended that he would cause all that he made and whose times and habitations he bounded to seek him and who ever seek him not and so call those in Rom. 3.11 were not made by him So John 1.6 7. John was sent to bear witness to the light that all through him might believe Doth it follow that because that was the end propounded therefore God absolutely purposed to make all believe to whom he bare witness and so its true that he bare witness to none else is not that contrary to Mat. 11.16 17 18. and 21.32 So John 5.34 Christ tels the cavilling Jews that he spake those things to them that they might be saved will it follow that it was his absolute intent that they should all be saved hear him or not or to make all hear him and be saved even those that would not come to him that they might live vers 40. Christ came to save that which was lost Doth it follow that he absolutely determined to bring all them to eternal life to whom he came even those also to whom he came and they received him not John 1.11 So Psal 105.33 34. He brought his chosen into Canaan that they might observe his Statutes and keep his Laws Therefore he intended to make them all do so and all that he brought into that land did so contrary to Psal 106.34 35 36. And to say no more God came down to bring Israel out of Aegypt to bring them into Canaan Exod. 3.7 and he brought them out thence that he might bring them into and give them that land Deut. 6.23 Ergo he absolutely purposed it concerning all that came out of Egypt and no more were brought out thence then were brought into Canaan Such his Argument Like to which he hath another taken from the effects of Christs Death Lib. 2. cap. 3. pag. 66. the Minor of which Affrmes that his Death sanctifies and and purges all them for whom he dyed redeems them from Law Curse Death c. none of all which he proves none of all those Scriptures alledged for proof This argument he hath again in lib. 3. cap. 4 where we shall speak further to it having such a clause in it as All for whomsoever he dyed or any thing sounding that way they being but applicative speeches not universal assertions It s such an argument as this The Lord brought us out of Egypt and brought us into this place viz. Canaan Deut. 26.8 9. And the Lord made you to go up out of Egypt and hath brought you into this Land Judg. 2.1 Therefore all that God brought out of Egypt he brought into Canaan Besides he hath for the bottom of this Argument this proposition in p. 4 line 71. and again in page 66. that the things before recounted are the immediate fruits and products of Christs Death namely Reconciliation Justification Sanctification Adoption Glorification which is as true as that the dispossessing the Canaanites and the giving their Land to the Israelites was the immediate fruit and product of their bringing out of Egypt over the red Sea as may be seen by what we sayed to them p. 10. No one of those things as accomplished in men is the immediate fruit and product of his Death Not Reconciliation though that be by the Death of Christ yet not immediately there is requisite to it beside Christs death the word of Reconciliation to declare it and that heard and submitted to as is plain 2 Cor. 5.19 20. We beseech you be ye reconciled to God yea and all these things come between the death of Christ and Reconciliation and are mediums of it Justification is not the immediate fruit and product of his death but mediante fide We are justified by faith Rom. 5.1 thence we have believed that we might be Justified Gal. 2.16 and that presupposes the word and spirit opening the death of Christ and shedding abroad the love of God and sprinkling the bloud of Christ upon the soul as in Tit. 3.5 6 7. He shed on us the Spirit abundantly that being justified by his Grace we might be made heires c so 1 Cor. 6.11 ye are Justified by the Name of the Lord and by the Spirit of our God Sanctification is not the immediate fruit and product of Christs Death but mediante fide too Sanctified by faith that is in Christ Jesus Acts. 26.18 and so there intervenes the being called out of the world and Church't Ephes 5.26 27. Adoption is not the immediate fruit and product of Christs death but hath Faith and Justification intervening John 1.12 To them that received him he gave this priviledge to be the sonnes of God to them that believed on his Name Gal. 3.26 27. Ye are all the Sons of God by faith in Jesus Christ Tit. 3.7 That being Justified by his grace ye might be made heirs c. And I am sure glory and immortality follows all these except we will have the inheritance go before the heirship and right to it
neither is that true that after follows in him That if he should intercede for All All should undoubtedly be saved meaning eternally for he may intercede for some for other things not for eternal salvation as in Luke 13.7 8. Lord let it alone this year till I dig about it dung it and if it bring forth fruit well if not then afterward thou maist cut it down sure he was the prime Vine-dresser and that 's likely to be his intercession for the barren Nation of the Jews or if it was of subordinate Officers yet sure their intercessions prevail not for patience and continuance of the means of Grace as that Parable compared with what went before v. 1.5 intimate they do where he intercedes not and carries not up their prayers for that particular so that how he should be there excluded I know not and so he may pray as Luke 23.34 Father forgive them they know not what they do and yet they not be saved for that 's not Father justifie them and bring them to life eternal there is forgiveness mentioned in the Scripture short of what is attended with that as Lord lay not this sin to their charge Acts 7.61 and such as are mentioned in Numb 14.19 Psal 73.37 38. Amos 7.2.3 5 6. Math. 13.27 34 35. So that neither of these is proved Either that he intercedes for All he dyed for or that if he do they are all saved eternally It s true indeed as he after saith He is able to save to the utmost all that come to God by him because he ever liveth to to make intercession for them but neither proves that he makes intercession for all that he dyed for nor that whosoever he makes Intercession for he makes it for them for ever and they shal be saved to the utmost The Fig-tree notwithstanding that intercession made for patience and means of grace yet not coming to God by him might be cut down It says not all that he goeth to God for any thing for shall be saved to the utmost but he is able to save to the utmost all that come to God by him because he ever lives to make intercession for them He is able to save them to the utmost by vertue of that powerful office but if men come not to God by him or withdraw from him he says not that he lives for ever to execute his office for them and to save them to the utmost Indeed from this his office and intercession founded on his oblation believers men that come to God by him have notable confidence as is expressed Rom. 8.33 34 another place quoted by him even as Caleb and Joshuah whose spirits were right with God had notable confidence from the great things God had done for them and his presence amongst them to possess the Land of Canaan and subdue their enemies Numb 14.9 and yet it was not therefore a truth that all that God had done those mighty things for and was walking amongst either had that confidence or their success which being considered keeps alive the General Ransom from that break neck with which Mr. Owen threatneth it for though its true that those for whom he dyed hearing and believing his love to them have no cause but to trust in him and seek and hope for great things from him as all the Israelites that came over the red Sea and see Gods mighty works for for them had no cause but to have believed in God as well as the rest Numb 14.11 yet as there all that shared in those great things did not so believe as some nor had the like issue but many through their unbelief sell short of Canaan so here many not believing the goodness of God to them for which in part many may thank their Ministers that leave them to seek whether they have a mediator appointed of God for them or not do not believe in Christ and so for not believing and by not believing perish for the Apostle saith not that All that Christ dyed and rose for he intercedes for nor that all that he intercedes for shall be saved and have no condemnation no more then Caleb said All that God brought out of Egypt and that he at that present was with should enter into Canaan but as he so the Apostle believingly feeding upon the goodness of God joyes in it and is raised up to exceeding confidence by it and shews that they who are in Christ and walk after the spirit as they did have no condemnation but are kept from it by the Death Resurrection and Intercession of Christ believed on by them but he affirmes not that of all that he dyed rose and intercedes for Whereas a little after he saith That God only promised to Christ that he should be Captain of all Salvation to all that believe and effectually bring many sons to glory he saith not truely for he promised him also Psa 2.8 9. That he should rule the Nations with an Iron rod and break them in pieces as a potters vessel as he tels us he hath also received Rev. 2.26 27. And therefore that Christ looked only and alone as Mr. Owen also saith for the accomplishment of those things that he there mentioned is false also He looked for and doth and shall see the other made good to him too But so much to his deviations in this Chapter The fifth only shewing that the Holy Ghost hath his concurrence and had his operation in the birth death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and no Argument being thence drawn to his purpose I shall pass it over and proceed to the following Chapters CHAP. IIII. A further view of what he affirmes of the equal latitude and extent of the Oblation and Intercession of Christ in his sixth Chapter and seventh HIs sixth Chapter goes over the same things again spoken of in the fourth only here they are considered as means conducing to an end namely the Incarnation Oblation and Intercession of Christ the last of which Intercession he says contains every act of his exaltation even his Resurrection for which he brings no proof at all nor any reason wherewith to back it only quotes Rom. 4.25 which saith no such thing but that he rose again for our justification no nor appears it as he saith that by his Resurrection all his following dispensation and perpetual intercession is there intended It s but his conception without proof it may rather he conceived that in saying For our justification he means that he might do all those acts conducing to our justification and so include his Intercession there then that in the word Resurrection those acts are intended Nor saith Acts 3.26 any such thing and her falsifies it doubly in his quotation of it For first he renders it thus that God raised up his Son Jesus to bless us Whereas the Text is having raised him up he hath sent him to bless I conceive he means it of his sending him in the Gospel
joyned together in the Scriptures He hath scarce any pertinent proofs that they are so ioyned at all not above one or two at most He alledges first Isa 53.11 By his knowledg shall my righteous servant justifie many for he shall bear their iniquities Which proves that many whose sins he bare shall by his knowledg be justified and that those many that by his knowledg he shall justifie had their sins born by him and he having born their sins could and should by his knowledge justifie them but that neither saith he should justifie all whose sins he bare nor should make Intercession to that purpose nor makes any mention of his Intercession And whereas he sayes they are so put together in the next verse that surely none ought to separate them Let us consider how they are put together The words are He hath born the sins of many and shall make intercession for the transgressors Which proves that both Oblation and Intercession are the Works of Christ which we deny not nor is that the thing to be proved but that his Intercession is for all the same persons for whom he died and that too for all the good things that his Death procured that place sayes not There are different words used to express the objects He shall bear the sins of multitudes or manies there is his oblation but now he adds not and he shall make Intercession for all them no nor saith he for them but using another word He shall intercede for Transgressors how many or who they be or whether he intercede for all good things procured by his Death for any or not that saith nothing It mentions Oblation and Intercession both its true but that 's but once yet and the Argument concludes not from it as is before shewed He quotes also Rom. 4.25 which mentions not his Intercession but his Resurrection for our Justification so that that 's impertinent as to the Minor Rom. 8.33 34. Mentions both its true but that is spoken to in chap. 4. and the vanity of his collection from there shewed His inferences That He died onely for the Elect and that none shall be condemned for whom Christ died and that there is proved there an equal extent of his Oblation and Intercession are not the Apostles but his own as we before noted on Chap. 4. The first of them being contrary also to 1 Tim. 2.5 6. and 2 Pet. 2.1 The second of them contrary to those suppositions of the Apostle in 1 Cor. 8.11 Rom. 14.15 Heb. 2.3 and that affirmation in 2 Pet. 2.1 For the third It s there asserted that the Elect and Believers in Christ have his Death Resurrection and Intercession all for them and that they are in a safe condition thereby but saith not that all he died for had them all as hath been noted For his giving all things with Christ we shall finde it elsewhere where we also shall answer it Now these two places of Isai 53.12 and Rom. 8.33 34. being the onely two places wherein Oblation and Intercession are coupled together and they scarce the tithe of the places where his Death is mentioned his Minor is also false and so the whole Argument ineffectual And the second is like it viz. 2. Arg. 2 Because they are Acts of the same Office of Priesthood The Argument from thence runs thus The Acts that pertain essentially to the same Office must be performed upon or for all the same persons and the one for All things for which the other But Oblation and Intercession are acts of the same Office Ergo c. The Major of this too is denied and proved false thus To Preach and to Baptize were both acts of the Office of the Baptist and of the Ministers of the Gospel sent by Christ into the world Matt. 28.19 and yet it follows not that whoever they preached to them also they baptized nor can it be proved that the Priests used to pray for whomsoever they offered up a Sacrifice for That of 1 Joh. 2 1 2. we have before scanned That he is appointed to intercede for All that come to God by him and so an high Priest for that purpose over Gods House he proves well out of the Epistle to the Hebrews but that all that Christ died for do go to God by Christ or that he is appointed to make intercession for all that he died for that he proves not nor doth any Text in that Epistle or elsewhere speak it His conclusion then That if he perform either of the acts of his Priesthood for any he must of necessity also perform the other for them flowes neither from the strength of his premises in his Argument nor from any of his proofs but is the issue fo his own misguided reason His absurd that else we make him but an half Priest or unfaithful is an absurdity it self For was not John Baptist a full Minister of the Gospel and so the twelve Apostles or shall they be taxed with unfaithfulness in their Office if they baptized not all that they preached to because Baptizing and Preaching were both injoyned them in their Commission and pertained to them as Christs Ministers but no more to that 3. Arg. 3 His third Argument is taken from the Nature of his Intercession which he saith is only a presentation of himself sprinkled with the blood of the Covenant before the throne of grace in our behalf an appearing in the presence of God for us Heb. 9.24 and so is nothing else but an Oblation continued in postulating those things which by it were procured Thence he argues How can he be said to offer for them for whom he doth not intercede when his Intercession is nothing else but a presenting his Oblation in behalf of them for whom he suffered and for the bestowing the the good things thereby purchased To which I answer that first This seemeth to swallow up his Intercession into his Oblation and so to confound those things that he before distinguished having no Scripture to back it that his Intercession is but a continuance of his Oblation nay rather the Scripture goes against it for it speaks of his offering as a thing done and perfected not continually doing Heb. 10.13 This man after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever sat down at the right hand of God he first offered that before he sate down And were it not so the difference between him and the Priests of the Law should not be so cleer The Apostle opposes his offering and sitting down to their standing daily to minister and offering oftentimes the same sacrifice Now if his intercession be a presenting or a continuation of his oblation then he should stand to minister and offer daily too for his intercession is a work in doing and continually to be done He ever lives to be make Intercession Heb. 7.25 Again though its true He appears or is manifested in the presence of God for us yet whether that appearing there
passed upon them therefore that he might be able to save them and he and God in him be a fit object for them to look to for it to that end he died for them John 3.17 though t is true that by the same he is able also to judge and condemn them for neglecting and rejecting him and his salvation which he could not reasonably be thought to have had if there had been no salvation in him or way to salvation opened to them by him and so his power to condemn yea his actual condemning of them had not been with so much subserviency to the highest end of all Gods glory manifested Gods glory had been less gloriously manifested in condemning men for their sin in another meerly the sin of the publike man then for their personal abuses neglects refusals and wilful rebellions against grace afforded personally to them which they had no way to obtain but through his sufferings to ransom them from destruction in their former sentence of condemnation 2. Another end rejected by him is this That Gods Justice being satisfied he might save sinners In which in effect He either denies that Christ died to make satisfaction to Gods Justice contrary to his after discourse against the Socinians and his Chapter about Satisfaction or that that satisfaction was any means of the salvation of sinners Lib. 3. c. 7.8 9. or at best a needless means for God might otherwise have saved them None of which he proveth Now whereas he adds that the Arminians say that after the satisfaction made by Christ Deo integrum fuit it was freely in Gods dispose whether to save any or no I shall pass it as wholly impertinent either to what I have laid down as the ends of Christs death Chap. 1. or to the Position here rejected by him viz. That Christ died that Gods Justice being satisfied he might save sinners For this adds also he might or might not save any one sinner Which that Position said not But he further lays down this Position That it was not to procure any thing to God but to obtain all good things to us But how agrees this with those Scriptures that say He bought us by his blood to God Rev. 5.9 Act. 20.28 and God purchased a Church by it to himself Will M. Owen exclude these acts from being in Gods intention in giving Christ to die or doth he think Vs the Church to be nothing Besides what need I pray of obtaining any good to us if God was equally at liberty to dispense those good things to us without his dying as through it notwithstanding his sentence of condemnation forepassed and that the supream end aimed at was to be accomplished for we speak not of satisfying Justice or opening a way for Gods goodness to flow forth without consideration either of the sentence requiring satisfaction or the end of God in glorifying his Justice for how then should we make it a subordinate end thereto in which his first argument is answered We say if that sentence being passed He could otherwise have saved man and given him all good things then is the Death of Christ evacuated no need of him to have obtained any thing of God God from eternity loving them and being free to give them all good things and his justice as well dispensing with sin unsatisfied for as requiring satisfaction but this he declines the asserting of His second Argument being only against that clause That God might save none notwithstanding that satisfaction I pass over as nothing against our Assertions In his third He says that then Christ should be said rather to redeem a liberty to God then to us from evil to enlarge God c. To that I say He hath in a manner confessed himself that he dyed supreamly to make way for the breaking out of Gods glory for what else is it to manifest his glory as if otherwise it would have lain more hid and could not have so appeared had not Christ dyed and then doth not this absurdity lie as much upon himself as us We say but Posito Decreto God having decreed to have no fellowship with sinners nor to dispense favor to their persons but through satisfaction for their sins he could not act forth the manifestations of his glorious grace but through satisfaction and he says the same otherwise he will make it but a needless means to the supream end the manifestation of his glory And yet from neither his saying nor ours is it meet to say that Christ dyed to redeem a liberty to God rather then to redeem us for he was in no real bondage in himself nor ever a whit the less glorious in himself had he bound up himself for ever from doing us good but ours would have been the bondage and misery that thereby should have been debarred from experimenting his goodness upon us to eternity his love to us led him to think it as a strait as it did to Ephraim Hos 11.8 but that was because his love made ours his What he saith about the merit of Christ we shall have occasion to speak to more fully afterward in answer to Chap. 10. lib. 3. and Chap. 1. lib. 4. His next argument also being against the assigning that as All the end of the death of Christ so as that being accomplished none might be saved intrenches not upon us as is manifest by what I laid down in the beginning of this Chapter That Christ is given for a Covenant as is afterward affirmed by him I believe and that also as a Covenant is propounded in respect of future benefit conditionally to men upon submission and obedience is as true See this latter in Isa 55.3 4 5. Hear and your souls shall live and I will make an everlasting Covenant with you here is the promise of making that Covenant even the sure mercies of David which is Christ dead and risen c. but it s upon this condition hear and then your souls shall live and I will make it with you thence men that take hold on Christ by faith take hold on the Covenant Isa 56.6 the former is propounded Isa 49.6 I will give thee for a Covenant to the people c. that is as I understand one through whom believed on the people shall be in Covenant with me they accepting him as I accept him we shall be agreed and made at one but of this subject we shall have occasion to speak more afterward His after-denying that Christs death effected a liberty to God of doing that which otherwise his justice by vertue of his sentence of punishing the sinner would have hindred him from doing is as much as if he should say That Christ dyed in vain and without any need for he might have manifested his justice and his mercy as much in his dealings with the sons of men if Christ had never dyed in stead of them which if it be not to make the Death of Christ an unnecessary supervacaneous
thing I know not what is CHAP. II. On the latter part of his third Chapter lib. 2. in which he urges the phrases For many and for the sheep and pretends to answer what T. Moore hath observed about them HE proceeds in the next place to application and to demonstrate this Assertion That Jesus Christ according to the Councel and will of his Father did offer himself on the cross to the procurement of eternal salvation with all the branches and means of it and makes continual Intercession with this intent and purpose that all the good things so procured by his death might be actually and infallibly bestowed on and applyed to All and every one for whom he dyed according to the will and counsel of God A position manifestly false for then we must all be Apostles Prophets Evangelists Pastors and Teachers nay have a name above every name c. for these things Christ procured by his death But to pass that He endeavors to make good this by a threefold consideration 1. From Scriptures holding out the intention and counsel of God 2. From Scriptures laying down the actual accomplishment or effect of his oblation 3. From those that point out the persons for whom Christ dyed His prevarications and weakness in the pointing out and arguing from each of which we sufficiently shewed in our answer to the first Chapter of his first Book and therefore here shall add only this That his arguments run but to this purpose Some one subordinate end of Christs death only agrees to some therefore he dyed only for those and with no respect to the supream end dyed for any other and so by consequence God hath no glory brought to him by the death of Jesus Christ but only in and from the Elect and Christ hath got no glory from any other but them he leaving them as he found them and doing nothing in his mediation for them Truly God and Christ are not beholding to Mr. Owen for his arguing So again Believers have had such and such effects in and by the death of Christ believed in by them therefore he dyed only for them like this such as go to a feast are well refreshed by eating it therefore it was made for no more then them that go to it or this Such prisoners being ransomed and following the Prince that ransomed them met with such bounty from him Therefore he ransomed none but them And again Many were ransomed Ergo not All. God made Israel Therefore he made no body else c. but no more to them arguments only there are diverse passages in the latter part of this Chapter from p. 79. that we have not spoken to and therefore shall take them in here As He denies that the death of Christ in any place of Scripture is said to be for all men For Answer to which I desire the Reader to turn to 1 Tim. 2.5 6. Heb. 2.9 Rom. 5.18 I know his objection is elswhere that the word Men is not in the original To which I answer first That by the same reason he may say that in Rom. 5.12 It s not affirmed that All men sinned seeing its but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word Men is not expressed and the like in 1 Cor. 15.22 that All men dyed not in Adam But 2. The word Men is expresly in Rom. 5.18 And 3. The word Men is the substantive clearly to be supplyed because the whole precedent speech was about men All men to be prayed for 1 Tim. 2.1 and expresly verse 4. that God would have All men to be saved 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. and that demonstrated by this that there is but one God and one Mediator between God and men the Man Christ Jesus who gave himself a ransom for All. For All what must it not needs be men between whom and God he is a Mediator and whom he tels us God would have to be saved All men and so in Heb. 2.9 was not the Apostle admiring Gods goodness to man Lord what is man and the Son of man exalting man above all his works which is now verified in one Man Jesus that dyed for every one What can it be referred to as before spoken about but man or the sons of men But of this we shall have cause to speak further hereafter That there are more ends of the death of Jesus Christ then what is the immediate fruit of it by way of ransome and propitiation before faith in it we have shewed in the conclusion of the first Book and upon his first Chapter of the second Some fruits there are of it from God towards men before faith and while in state of unbelief as the opening the door for entrance and for exhortations to strive to enter a feast prepared in Christ and a way of participating of it made and invitations vouchsafed as in Matth. 22.4 Prov. 9.3 4 5. Luk. 13.24 and those for and to more then enter and eat other fruits there are of it that flow in upon faith as satisfaction justification sanctification the contents of the new Testament c. And he that cannot see these to be distinct fruits and produced for or upon diverse objects and objects diversly considered is blinde and cannot see afar off nor into the things evidently held forth in the Gospel And what the ransome either immediately with God and for men or mediately upon and in men produceth were subordinate ends and aimes that Christ had in his eye upon his death as Mr. Owen himself also implies when he makes the ends of Christs death to be coincident with its effects His following observation objected against that that where the word many is used there are more ends of Christs death mentioned I shall pass it being not material and in some passages at least doubtful But in page 80. To this exception of ours Christs death is not limited to many and to his sheep c. as the ransome and propitiation as if he dyed for them only he tels us 1. That Christ saying he dyed for his sheep and Church and Scripture witnessing that all are not his sheep they conclude and argue by undeniable consequence that he dyed not for those that are not so At which assertion I can but wonder when first I heard of Mr. Owens Book he was so commended to me for a disputant that I could not expect any such lame arguments from him If we must take his saying of a thing to be an infallible proof that it s so then we have done with him but sure no Logick rule or good reason that I have ever met with can prove this assertion Had he said Christ saying he dyed for his sheep and the Scripture saying all are not his sheep it argues that in that saying he extended not the speech there about his Death to All he had spoken reason but to argue that because he mentions no more there as the object of his Death therefore he had no greater
seek him groping after him if happily they may finde him yea such power as that men are fain to suppress and keep them under and bid them be gone and shut their eyes against them lest they work too much upon them Now though they see not what a one or who he it whence these beams come and those operations in their hearts yet they knowing in their consciences that they ought to obey them and that it would be better for them so to do though what that betterness is they comprehend not and contrary to that knowledg they have willfully rebelling they cannot plead ignorance total ignorance of this great physitian but for not obeying what they know shall be excuse less before him So that Mr. Owens comparison of Christ to a physitian tendring cure he wholly unknown Rom. 1.20.28 is a mistake also nor shall men be able to make good that plea when he comes to judge them though many shall say in respect of his person and fuller appearances when saw we thee thus and thus as if they would plead ignorance of him yet he shall take away that plea from them making it appear that in such and such mediums as his poor people Matth. 25.42 43 44 55. he was evidencing himself to them and presenting himself before them and there they would not know him Nor is he as one tendring a thousand pound to a blinde man on condition he will see and yet giving no ability to see but he in tendring gives forth such light that men see some glimmerings and bids them look though but with their blinde holes that they may see which did they the light would make them see and see more clearly yea it would turn them Isa 42.18 and he would heal them Act. 28.27 but many wilfully loving their own ease and wils will not see lest they should be turned and be healed by him they see they should listen to him yea many see that in looking to him they might have healing and yet refuse to look to him they desire not his healing Whereas he saith the condition of faith is procured for us by the death of Christ or not I shall here say but this viz. 1. That Christ is become an object fit for us to believe on and hope in through his death which else he had not been for us sinners 2. That God in Christ hath done so much for All men and doth so much for them through him that he deserves highly at their hands to be trusted in by them I know this agrees not with Mr. Owens principles yet I shall stand to it against him that all men have good cause and ground to believe in him or to betrust themselves to him and so much we are in preaching Gospel to demonstrate to them not having sinned to death or blasphemed against the Holy Ghost It s but a righteous thing for any man to believe in God and in Christ and its unrighteousness and hainous sin not to believe in him being declared to them that is not to commit souls and bodies to him as to one ready to save them 3. All the ways and means with all the power that comes in and with them to inable men to believe are vouchsafed to men through the Death of Christ none of them had been afforded to us had not Christ dyed for us 4. It s the promise of God to Christ so to exalt and glorifie him that some should be brought in to him and be given him to believe and be his seed 5. Yea it s by the discovery of Gods good-will in the death and resurrection of Christ that God useth to overcome men to believe and so his blood and death as so discovered and set home redeems men out of their bondage to Sathan and world and corruption Rev. 5.9 10 14.4 But that Christ obliged the Father to make all those men that he dyed for to walk out in the exercise of such power and liberty of acting as he should in his gracious dispensations afford them for attendance to means receit of light given looking up to him in that light yea to believe in him and rely on him for salvation this I desire him to prove It s not proveable by Scripture so far as I can finde nay I may use this argument against it bottomed upon Mr. Owens own maxime viz. Whatever Christ procured or merited by his oblation that he intercedes to have collated or bestowed on men But Scripture no where shews that Christ intercedes for faith saving faith to be given to one or other Ergo Scripture no where proves that he procured that by his oblation The major is Mr. Owens own in cap. 4.6 7. lib. 1. The minor is easily proved by Induction no one place speaking of Christs Intercession mentions his interceding for saving faith not that platform as some say of his Intercession in John 17. as we shewed lib. 1. chap. 2. if not there no where else for in Rom. 8.33 he mentions his interceding for Vs men in Christ believers but says not for what much less for faith that they had already In Heb. 7.25 It s for those that come unto God by him that some might come to God by him I leave it for him to finde any one place in which Christ prays that God would make any to believe Nor will this diminish at all the honor and love due to him for as Mr. Owen says We are not to invent ways of honoring him but give him that that in the Scripture God gives to him He produces Tit. 3.5 6 2 Cor. 5.21 but neither of them say that Christ procured faith for us as obliging God to give it us the former shews but how God wrought it in discovering his love and the latter that Christ became sin for us that we might in him that is in believing in him be made the righteousness of God and so that he opened the way for our believing and making righteous not that he obliged God to make us or all that he dyed for righteously to believe no more then in vers 15. where He says he dyed for all that they that live might not henceforth live to themselves he shews that therefore he obliged God to make all cease from thenceforth to live to themselves and God performs not his obligation to him in that so many even after believing live so much to themselves and minde their own things as Paul complaineth That he shall bring in a seed to him I grant but that he is obliged to bring in this or that Individual to be of that seed muchless all that he dyed for I no where finde That in Eph. 1.3 Phil. 1.29 We shall meet with afterward and with the point it self also more fully urged viz. in lib. 3. cap. 4. where we shall speak to them only this I shall say to them here that neither of them say that Christ by his death obliged the Father to
As the Proverb saith The foolishness of a man perverts his way and then his heart frets against the Lord Prov. 19.2 And a sluggard refuses to put forth his strength God gives him and then saith to colour over the matter A Lyon is in the way Just so is it here men stifle and refuse to walk in what they have power and freedom from God to and then they put it off with this The business is too hard for them and God gave them not grace to it And truly Mr. Owen and many other such Preachers do frame such excuses to their mouths telling them That either God purposed to work faith in them or not If not it s in vain for them to wait nay he would that they should not believe his not willing it is a willing it should not be His calling upon them to believe is but as if the King should bid the Captives at Algiers free themselves from their enemies that they can in no wise do and then he will pay a ransom for them If he did then they must have it they shall not need to take any care about it c. which passages as they contain notable falsities and dissimilitudes as may appear by what is already said so they serve to justifie the wicked in what ever they do putting this plea into their mouths even as high as the sin of Adam it self God willed not that it should be otherwise Therefore he would have it thus and God afforded no Grace for that he called for c. contrary to his own sayings I would have gathered and ye would not yea I purged you and ye were not purged c. But I pass it To that Position of some That God bestows faith on some and not on others He asks Did Christ purchase that distinguishing love or not To which I say That if by love he means the Will of God that some should be effectually brought in rather then others as he with others defines it to be Velle bonum creaturis I do not see any such thing held forth in Scriptures I finde that Christ came to do Gods VVill towards men not to purchase him to will more to these then those men If by Love he means the actings forth of his good-will upon men according to Gods purpose then I say by satisfying for and removing the sin that obstructed and stood between us and good things he opened a way for God according to his good will to bestow things on men and so may be said to purchase their bestowing Nor yet follows it as Mr. Owen objects That those that are saved have no more to thank Christ for then those that are damned contrary to Rev. 1.5 For those that God peculiarly brings in to him those he taking as a special gift of him washes in his blood as in that Scripture mentioned and so sets them free and actually brings them or buyes them off from their pollutions idols bondages and makes them clean and so presents them to his Father as meet for his Fellowship and Delight to them he gives his Spirit imparts his Minde gives them the priviledges and inheritance of sons with himself c. And is this nothing worth the believers thanking Christ for more then they have that perish Though for the bringing to Christ the Apostles manner is in especial to give thanks to the Father Giving thanks to the Father who hath made us meet to partake of the inheritance of the Saints in light who hath delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into the Kingdom of his dear Son Col. 1.13 14. For Christs purchasing faith which Mr. Owen repeates over and over in almost every Chapter VVe shall meet with it more fully in Chap. 4. to which I refer it And to conclude the Answer to the Argument Christs dying conditionally I disclaim His death was absolutely undertaken and undergone for All but the life in him is on condition propounded in the Gospel unto All. His fourth Argument is this Argu. 4 If God by his eternal purpose distinguished All men into two sorts and Christ is peculiarly affirmed to die for one of those sorts and no where for them of the other then he did not die for All. But God hath so distinguished All men into two sorts Loved and Hated Elect and Reprobate Church and World c. and saith he died for the one but never for the other Ergo. c. Both these Propositions are weak and erronious Answ therefore the Conclusion is necessarily erronious too For first He is not able to prove the Consequence of the Major for its possible that God making such a distinction of men might yet give his Son to die for both sorts especially if that distinction though made in his purpose be made upon man as fore-considered Ephes 1 4. Rom. 8.29.30 Jer 6 30. 2 Thes 2.10.11 in a condition consequent to Christs Death for them as that of Election and Reprobation is Election beging in Christ and Predestination to conformity to him in his Death c. which presupposes him as interposing and dying as the Prototype to which they are to be conformed and Reprobation though according to Gods free VVill yet for rejecting Christ or the mercies afforded through him for of no other to damnation do I read in Scripture It s just such another Argument as this If God have distinguished All men into two sorts good and bad godly and wicked righteous and unrighteous and says peculiarly of one sort He preserves and keeps them and never says so of the other then he doth not afford preservation to All But he hath so distinguished men And he saith The Lord preserves the righteous and preserves all that put their trust in him c. But never says He preserves them that hate him the unrighteous and wicked c. Therefore he doth not preserve any of them 2. His Minor is false That he no where saies He died for the other sort For first He that says he died for All and the whole world includes both sorts and if he express his death in words including both sorts then its equivalent to his distinct mentioning of both As he that saith God made of one blood all Nations that dwell on the earth and that he is the Saviour of All men says as much as if he had said He made and is the Saviour of good and bad righteous and sinners godly and ungodly elect and reprobate c. and yet the Scripture never uses those expressions Now the Scriptures use as general expressions about Christs death as it doth about the Creation All every one the benefit to All men the propitiation for the whole world and therefore having these general expressions comprehensive of both it is as much as both distinctly 2. This distinction is in part thus The Church and the world believers and the unjust godly and ungodly now the Scripture useth these expressions that are in the worser
are not sanctified and purified by it because they believe not and that 's the reason why his death hath not such effects in them not that Christ died not for them therefore he undertakes to prove That Faith it self is a proper immediate fruit and procurement of the death of Christ for all those for whom he died Quod si perficiat fiet mihi magnus Apollo But I fear it for we see great undertakings hitherto but little performances Parturientes montes erepentes verò mures Before he come to perform his promise He premises some things which we must grant him and shall as far as truth appears in them He premises 1. That what ever is freely bestowed upon us in and through Christ that is wholy the procurement and merit of the death of Christ But how proves he this why he saith but his sayings are no proofs that nothing is bestowed through him on those that are his which he hath not purchased the price whereby he made his purchase being his blood If this saying were as firm as Scripture and somewhat firmer yet it would not reach his Assertion for he limits it to those that are his now by those that are his is sometime meant his peculiarly owned by him as his so Rom. 8.9 And so I conceive Mr. Owen means it and then he denies not here but that something granted to others not yet so his that yet have not his Spirit in them though through him may not be his purchase But because his words are no proof and as to the main matter it s but Idem per idem a repetition of his first saying Let us carry it to his Scripture proofs which are 1. 1 Cor. 6. I suppose he means ver 19 20. Your bodies are the Temple of the holy Ghost which is in you which ye have of God and ye are not your own for you are bought with a price Here is mention made of buying them with a price but no mention made of his buying the holy Ghost and their glorifying of God and yet the holy Ghost was a gift freely given them through Christ much less of all things given them freely in him so that that proof reaches not But then he adds out of Isai 53. That the Covenant made between his Father and him of making out all spiritual blessings to them that were given him was expresly founded on this condition that He should make his soul an offering for Sin But in viewing the place I finde no such expressions It appears but a tradition that that is a Covenant made between the Father and Christ For it s not the Fathers speech to Christ or Christs to Him but the Prophets of Christ to the Father or of both Father or Son When thou shalt make his soul or when his soul shall make an offering for sin he shall see a seed he shall prolong his days and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand He says not My pleasure as speaking in the person of the Father Nor doth he say because his soul shall put a guilt-offering or make an offering for sin therefore he shall see a seed c. But if his soul shall be so or when it is so then that shall follow Much less saith he that there was before that a people given him that should for that have all spiritual blessings made out to them Indeed in the twelfth verse there is a promise and that grounded upon his intercession and sufferings but then the contents of it are not all good things to be given to men but a glorious portion to be given to Christ So that he is deficient here too in his proofs And yet I will tell him how I will grant him this though he prove it not viz. that we had had none of those things had not Christ suffered I speak according to what is revealed for secret things appertain not to us He opened the way and passage for all good things to come unto us by removing the sin that did obstruct and hinder us of them The earth and we all in it were dissolved he bare up the pillars of it and in him all things now stand together I know not whether M. Owen will except or will also include Election and Predestination to Sonship for they are said also to be in and by Christ Ephes 1.4 5. I shall leave that to his consideration but if by procuring and meriting he means that he ingaged God and procured his good will that such things should be bestowed on us especially if by us he mean as he must all that he died for so as that what ever God bestows on any by Christ he bestows it out of debt to Christ and should be unjust to him should he bestow less on or deal any otherwise with any particular in point of favour then he doth that I cannot but question till I see it better proved 2. He propounds That faith in men of understanding is of such absolute indispensible necessity to salvation that what ever God or Christ hath done in his oblation and intercession for all or some without this in us is in regard of the event to us of no value worth or profit but serveth onely to increase and aggravate condemnation it being certainly true That he that believes not shall be damned all which I conceive true and what may be granted him with those limitations specified of men of understanding in regard of the event to us especially where the Gospel is plainly preached that being evidently the meaning of our Saviour in that last clause viz that the Gospel being preached by them He that believeth not the Gospel so preached and thereby in himself shall be damned and yet I deny not but both in former times and other cases he that by the light afforded was or is not prevailed with to believe on God and seek after him and glorifie him as power was or is vouchsafed thereto shall be condemned also But what infers he hence It follows So that if there be in our selves a power of believing and the act of it proceed from that power then certainly it is in our power to make the Love of God and death of Christ effectual towards us or not To that I say that no man doth at any time believe but he hath power to believe first in himself and in that power he acteth for the act of believing being an intrinsecal act of the soul the power in which the souls acts in it must needs be inward too but I suppose he means so in our selves as to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of our selves too but so I say not that we have power in our selves as meerly natural without Grace preventing and inabling us And yet were it so it would not follow that then it s in our power to make Christs Death effectual to our selves but as its the preventing assisting Grace of God that impowers the soul to believe So the soul
acting in that power it still remains in Gods Power onely to give it the promised efficacy the soul in believing onely puts it self into such a posture as in which it becomes the object of Gods Promise to make the death of Christ effectual to it As suppose I promise an alms to a poor man if he will come to my house for it though it be in his power to â—ome yet it s not in his power to make my promise effectual that appertains to me and is onely in my power still From this that 's said his following conclusion viz. That this being the absolute necessity of faith the cause of that must needs be the prime and principal cause of salvation as being the cause of that without which the whole would not be and by which the whole is and is effectual nothing harms us we making God the prime Cause our faith and the Will be its freedom what it will but instumental and no instrumental subordinate cause as the Will of man however considered must needs be the whole man and his Will being the Workmanship of God though a causa sine quâ non per quam totum can be said to be the prime cause As to instance that in Acts 27.31 Except the Shipmen abide in the ship the passengers could not have been preserved Their abiding in the ship was a cause of their preservation such a one as without which they could not have been preserved and upon which they were preserved and yet I hope no man will be so graceless as to conclude that they or the souldiers that caused them to stay were the prime and principal cause of their preservation So a poor mans asking an alms may be a cause of his receiving an alms and yet when anothers bounty propounding an alms to him upon that condition incourageth him to ask and gives him when he asks though his Will be never so free in asking yet it cannot be looked upon as the prime cause of his receiving So that this premise too as it tends to conclude the act of the Will from the former premises to be the principal cause of our salvation though specious is but fallacious and erronius 3. After both these 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as one that forgot what he undertook to prove instead of performing his task He puts it to our option to chuse whether we will answer directly and Categorically whether Christ by his Death and Intercession merited and procured faith for us or no. To this I say as before that except Christ had died for us there had neither been a fit object for us sinners to believe on nor an instrument fit to beget it by nor a power to work with that instrument to inable us thereunto So that in that sense he did by his death procure it for us that is removed that which hindred us from having any of those yet there too that he obliged God to give Vs individually faith that is to make us act faith in that object according to the power given us in the medium or instrument so as that if God had not given Vs that in our individual persons he must have dealt injuriously with Christ that I leave for him to prove In the Interim That he obliged him to give it to All he dyed for that is to cause them All to believe unto life eternall I Categorically deny and expect his proof of it before which he seems to me to contradict his first premise while he denies That the granting a way of salvation by bringing life and immortality to light by the Gospel in Christ which passage he ascribes to T. More p. 35. was procured for us by Christ To say nothing that I finde no such passage in the place pointed to why may we not say this way was procured for us by Christ Did not he procure the bringing life and immortality to light by the Gospel Sure then not all benefits bestowed upon us for that is one and none of the least which the Apostle also ascribes to him in 2 Tim. 2.10 and then neither did he procure faith for us for he that procures a thing must procure all requisites to the working of that thing or else he doth not procure that thing Now if he procure not the bringing life and immortality to light then he procured not that we should have that by which faith is effected for that 's it that begets faith the appearing of light and immortality in the Gospel faith I say according to the present plainness of the Gospel and so he hath overthrown the thing he fights for Ah but it s a strange Contradictory Assertion that he should procure a way to life in himself But why so because he is the chiefest part of this way and sure procured not himself by his own Death c. But by that reason he procured few things freely bestowed on us in and by Christ for then neither did he procure us Wisdom Righteousness Holiness nor Redemption for all these he is called himself as much as he is called the Way See 1 Cor. 1.30 then he procured not our peace for he is our peace Ephes 2.14 He procured not our life for he is our life Col 3.4 But is it such a strange thing to say such a man got or procured himself to be made protector to such a people or to have the favor of admitting to or keeping out any from the Kings ear by such and such services and carriages Surely no And why then is it so to say that Christ procured himself to be the Way to life for sinners by suffering for them Was he the way to life to us without his sufferings and death I suppose not and if not then he obtained that power and title by his sufferings Heb. 5.9 through that way he became our way to life by sufferings he was perfected and so became the Author of salvation eternall to all that obey him And is this such a strange Assertion Sure I cannot but think it a just hand of God upon men as is prophesied Zech. 11.13 Isa 29.9 10 13 14. Jer. 8.8 9. that because they slight Gods Word the plain testimonies of Scripture God smites their eye that they cannot see reason But to return to our purpose I deny I say that Christ procured that is ingaged or obliged God that all should be brought to believe on him for whom he dyed though we deny not that he opened a passage for the grace of God to display and glorifie it self so that He presents himself to men as good and powerful an object meet to be looked to and stayed on as in John 5.8 9 10 11. especially in the Gospel as now published since the Appearance of Christ in the Flesh which presentation of himself to men as good grations powerful c. is the medium and instrument for begetting faith according to the degree and measure of the Revelation as Rahab believed to
place urged by him speak of Faith they being believers that were spoken of in that Speech as the Suppositum in it And how it should be meant when he says My Dinner is prepared and all things are ready come ye to the Wedding That the peoples coming was one of the dishes prepared I know not or that God hath put faith into Christ for us Yet suppose it mean that through him God hath blessed us with faith which I grant he hath such as do believe yet how either he obliged God to bless such particulars so or much more all that he died for I am sure no man can shew me from that proof So that Jesus is the Author and Finisher of our faith the beginning and the end of what we believe for or as the word is the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the prime Captain and Perfecter of our faith or * The word Faith there signifies rather the profession or matter of Faith believed then the act of Faith in us the way of our faith and so greater then any of the cloud of witnesses I believe and so I desire to eye and look to him also yea as him without whose sufferings I could neither have had object of faith for me nor VVord or Spirit to inable me to it and as he that is the prime leader in it and finisher of it bringing about to me the whole end of it the salvation of my soul But yet that therefore he so obliged God to make men look to him as that had God passed me by and fastened upon some other he should have been unjust to him or that he hath procured that All he died for shall be brought to believe to eternal life that place shews not And now to review his whole Argument it runs thus If the fruit and effect procured by the death of Christ absolutely not depending on any condition in man to be fulfilled be not common to All then did not Christ die for All. But the supposal is true as is seen in the Grace of Faith which was procured by the death of Christ to be absolutely bestowed on them for whom he died is but yet not common to All Therefore Christ died not for All. The whole Syllogism is in clouds for either Proposition being indefinite may admit of truth or falshood as they may be interpreted If the Major be universal thus That if no fruit or effect procured or wrought absolutely by the death of Christ for All for whom he died be common to All then he died not for All Then it s granted but then the Minor is too scanty for it should be universal too taking in the whole Medius terminus or else the Argument concludes not negatively If the Major be not so universal then we deny the Consequence For we suppose Christ might procure some things not for All as the grace of Apostleship for Paul and that 's not common to all the Church yet it follows not from that that he died not for all the Church Again The terms for whom he died are equivocal for its either to be interpreted All for whom he died had the grace of Faith procured for them to be absolutely bestowed on them or not If not then it comes not up to the intent of the Major nor takes in the whole middle Term of it as it ought to run If so we have seen no proof for it and therefore to say no more that the whole Minor remains unproved the main thing opposed by him yet stands firm viz. That Christ died for All. Having done with this long labyrinthed Argument Argu. 9 he comes to a new one Thus. Those onely are spiritually redeemed by Christ who were typed out by the people of Israel in their carnal typical Redemption But by the people of the Jews in their deliverance out of Egypt bringing into Canaan with all their Ordinances and Institutions onely the Church of God the Elect were typed out which he sayes was proved before but I never yet saw it proved from the beginning of the Book hitherto and I am confident never shall Ergo c. Truly this is a very sorry Argument and I had thought such a man as Mr. Owen would not have mentioned such a one but sure he so much over-reasoned himself in the former that he forgat himself here For first to the Major He hath no proof for it at all and this reason may be given to deny it that he can no where prove that that was a type of Christs dying for us meerly But out of courtesie we will grant it him and fall upon his Minor in which he both adds a Quartus terminus in mentioning the bringing them into Canaan and all their Ordinances c. not mentioned in the Major and in saying Onely the Elect and Church of God was typed out by them saith falsely and so it s denied by me upon these grounds 1 The beasts were all brought out to a hoof of which some were clean and some were unclean for Sacrifice were all these types of the Elect and Church onely 2. The Murmurers and Rebels that fell in the Wilderness were brought out of Egypt were they also types of the Elect Sure then if Canaan be a type of heaven and heavenly Rest and Egypt a type of the Kingdom of Death and Darkness then it will follow That few of the Elect scarce two of six hundred thousand shall enter into Rest and that many that Christ died for and ransomed from death and misery through unbelief shal never come into heavenly glory Was not Corah and his company some of that people that was redeemed out of Egypt Sure they were See Numb 16. and yet the Apostle tells us they were types of them that perish for rebellion against Christ Jude 11. Were they think you the Elect of God And so the Apostle propounds those Murmurers and Fornicators and Idolators amongst them as types of them that now murmure against Christ and commit Fornication and Idolatry against him 1 Cor. 10.5 11. So that this Argument is notoriously erroneous Let us turn it thus rather All that were typed out in the Redemption from Egypt are ransomed spiritually by Jesus Christ But all men good and bad were typed out by them Ergo All so ransomed To make good the Minor for the Major is Mr. Owens own The clean beasts typified those of the Gentiles that are fit for sacrifices to God being sanctified by the holy Ghost Rom. 15.16 The unclean those that remain in unbelief and so are not fit to be so offered up Tit. 1.16 Likewise the good and faithful people and such as were chosen into Office types of the Elect and faithful in Christ Jesus 1 Pet. 2.5 And the Murmurers Complainers and Unbelievers types of the disobedient to and backsliders from Christ Therefore all such people though they come not all to heaven yet Christ gave himself a ransom for them But enough to this most incongruous Argument
c. It s the same in meaning with that in Rom. 8.1 There is no condemnation to those that are in Christ Jesus that walk not after the flesh but after the spirit He saith not There is no condemnation to any that Christ hath died for nor to all in Christ Jesus for some such may be unfruitful branches and grieve and rebel against the Spirit and so be cut off Joh. 15.4 It s like that too in Col. 1.23 To present you blameless and unreproveable in his sight if ye continue stedfast c. The meaning in a word is this That such is the force of the blood or sufferings of Jesus Christ with God and such Gods wel-pleasedness in that his obedience and such the mutual consent of God and Christ upon his sufferings That whoever receiveth the light that comes from God walks therein as God is in it affording power and strength to him there-through with him God hath fellowship and him God admitteth into communion with himself or such have joynt participation one with another are presented spotless in the sight of God So as that though they have sin in them that hinders them from doing as they would from attaining to walk in that heighth perfection that they desire yet they not yielding to that sin but siding with the light and Spirit of God against it God imputes it not to them All such mens sins being sins of weakness to which they are meerly drawn are so covered that there comes no condemnation upon them for any of them no rebuke from God nor * So 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is used in Rom. 14.23 Gal. 6.7 self condemnation to burthen the conscience The blood of Jesus Christ believed in presenting the soul spotless to God and speaking peace unto the conscience But now it s neither so with all that Christ died for nor with all that are in Christ Such as walk after the flesh and sow to it though believers do and shall of the flesh reap corruption It s not the agreement between God and Christ that his blood or sufferings should present men in that condition unblameable before him his blood speaks no such protection to sin or to men as walking after sin but such notwithstanding Christs Death for them God rebukes and punishes There are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that come upon them as appeares 1 Cor. 11.29.30 Revel 3.19 It s true those judgments are not to destruction but that they might be brought to see and confess their follies and turn to the Spirit and Light of God again which if they do they shall finde the blood of Christ then effectual for them to remission again as it follows in 1 Joh. 1.9 Otherwise they shall perish also 1 Cor. 8.11 And this is the plain meaning and scope of that place which by what is said appears to be notably misapplied by Mr. Owen And indeed the not discerning of this is the ground of their error whom they call Antinomians who deny that God is angry or punishes any believer or any Elect man though an unbeliever for his sin It s grounded upon and undeniably flows from this very conclusion of Mr. Owens That for whom Christ died all their sins are satisfied for past present and to come and God ought not further to molest or trouble them for them Nor can Mr. Owen Maintain what he says in Chap. 8. against the Socinians viz. That the state of those that Christ died for during their unregeneracy is all one with such as he died not for that they are unacceptable in all their services in bondage to Death yea under the curse and condemning power of the Law obnoxious to judgment and guilty of eternal Death I say these things cannot be true of any of them if Christ hath made for all their sin such satisfaction as that they ought to be discharged of all suits charges and molestations as here he saith they ought How can it be conceived That a man whose debts are all paid that he hath or shall contract is liable to the Law and obnoxious to perpetual imprisonment still for them But we say a man whose debt is paid he discharged may run into a new debt and become obnoxious again to Law And that the case is so here appears as by that intimation before noted 1 Cor. 8.11 So also by many other Scriptures So the Israelites that were pardoned all their rebellions and murmurings from Egypt till they sent Spies to Canaan and that rebellion too that insued Numb 14.19 20. yet were many of them cut off and consumed without pardon for the Rebellion of Korah Dathan and Abiram that soon after hapned Numb 16. Nor would Moses intercede for them in that though he hath for all the rest formerly ver 15. And accordingly those who are said to have had their old sins cleansed yet growing purblinde and Apostatizing for so it s clearly intimated by way of Antithesis that they may fall yea are in the way to it 2 Pet. 1.9 10. yea denying the Lord that bought them and turning his grace into wantonness are said to perish in the gainsayings of Korah no pardon for so high rebellion Jude 11. Again as God is That Creditor to whom as Mr. Owen saith we owe a thousand talents Matth. 18. So our Saviour there tells us That they who receive forgiveness of those talents from him and yet afterward walk not in the Spirit of God in love and Christlike dispositions but forgetting their own purging from their old sins are destitute of Vertue Knowledg Temperance Charity c. God will so deal with them as he that having forgiven his servant a thousand talents afterwards for his cruelty to his fellow-servant threw him into Prison till he should pay the utmost farthing So says our Saviour himself in that very place instanced by Mr. Owen Matth. 18.32 35. So that all Mr. Owens Inferences and Queries in that Chapter built upon the former premise are meer fallacies and amount to just nothing The needs no Oedipus to resolve his Riddles the Spirit of God in the Scriptures hath plainly enough resolved them to any that have understanding CHAP. VIII An Answer to his Arguments from the Word Merits and the Phrases 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 HIs two following Chapters scil the eigth and ninth being a digression and in some points as is shewed a contradiction to his inferences of Gods being bound to surcease all actions and molestations against those for whom Christ died and not concerning the Question debated but opposing the Socinians I pass them Instan 4. and come to his Chapter of Merit in which he confesses That no word is found in the Scripture that may justly be so translated From which concession I might take advantage to tell him That then he can prove nothing against a plain saying of Scripture by any Argument drawn from this Word which is not found in Scripture but I pass it Now will I
say much to these places quoted by him to hold forth the thing meant by the word Merit viz. Isai 53.5 Heb. 9.12 Acts 20.28 save that they prove not any obligation put upon God to do those things there mentioned to all that he died for but onely that God was pleased to do such things upon such considerations or by such mediums Onely the latter place of Acts 20.28 seems least to the business for it speaks not of Christs meriting of God but Gods procuring acquiring or obtaining as the 〈◊〉 most usually signifies a people to be a Church by that way of his blood the sufferings of Christ But to pass those things Let this be observed which himself grants lib 4. cap. 1. That however pretious and valuable the sufferings of Christ be yet they oblige and binde God to nothing but according to his own appointment and free ingagement Having noted that we come to his Argument which is this That Christ did merit and purchase by his death for all those for whom he died all those things which in the Scriptures are assigned to be the fruits and effects of his death But all have not all those effects and fruits Ergo he died not for All. Ans If by his Major he means He procured them into himself as into Gods Treasury to be free for them all to look after and come to him for and to be dispensed to all that do look after him and come to him Then it nothing hurts us But then his Minor assumes not rightly as it doth not however for it should be thus That Christ hath not purchased all those things for All and not as it is That all have them not But if in his Major he means as he seems to do that he obliged the Father to bestow upon All for whom he died and bring them to enjoy all those things which his Death either as presented to God or as believed by us is said to effect as his after-enumeration of its effects argue him to mean then I deny it and desire his proof of it which because he brings not his Argument falls to the ground and needs no further answering Onely I shall minde the Reader that the effects enumerated by him are such for the most part as it produceth in us by believing on it such as the Delivering us from the hand power of all our enemies which we are not till called nay till raised from the dead from wrath to come which we are not till justified by faith as is evident by his own confession against the Socinians The works of the Devil which are overcome and destroyed by him in being believed on Ephes 6.13.16 the curse of the Law which he says we are subject to till believers Cap. 8. Sect. 6. from our vain conversation the present evil world the earth and from men all which he doth by his blood and sufferings as being accepted of God they are made known to us and withall the Covenant ratified by it held forth to us By letting us see such love in God towards us and such good-will in Christ with such perfection to save us and so great promises ratified to believers he moves and perswades us to let go our vain conversations renounce the world its fellowships vanities and wickedness to cease cleaving to the earth and earthy men and having our confidence in them and reliance on them for teaching worship satisfaction delight c. Thus God is said to have bought Israel to himself Deut. 32.6 in that he by so great things done for them purchased or gained them in to own and follow him And so in Hos 3.2 Gods buying Israel to be a people for himself is compared to Hoseahs buying an harlot off from other lovers to be his wise for a certain consideration or Sum given her So Christ buys men unto God from other things by setting before us his great sufferings for us and profering to us the great glory he will thereby bring vs to if we will renounce all for him But this note is over and above what was needful for shewing the invalidity of the Argument All his other quotations too are impertinent and none of them prove either that God is obliged by the Death of Christ and ought to grant to and possess all for whom he died of those good things that he mentions or that he was or is bound thereby otherwise then as he freely ingaged himself to do them to any They say That by his Death we are reconciled as we may say By Joabs Mediation Absolom was recalled from banishment and brought into Davids favor Which speech proves not that the inward worth of his Mediation bound David to that So He is our Propitiatory through Faith in his blood and God hath set him forth to be so that proves not that he obliged God to forgive the sins of All he died for The like I might say for Peace-making and salvation Believing on him we are at peace with God and shall be saved by him but no place sayes All that he died for shall be saved or that God ought to make them all believe and so save them as was before shewed For his next Instance from the Phrases 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Inst 6. For All and for Many and Interrogatory Whether Christ died in the stead of All It s answered in those Chapters that speak about Satisfaction with all the Queries he propounds upon it Onely I shall spake to one of them viz. Whether Christ hung upon the Cross for Reprobates I say I conceive as they were men faln in Adam he did but not as besides that Reprobated also It s like that The Gospel was preached to the dead 1 Pet. 4.6 and the Spirits in prison Was the Gospel preached to dead men and men in hell Yes To them that are now dead and in hell But not when and as dead and in hell Men were not Reprobates as they were the Objects of Christs Death but as they are considered and actually found guilty of sinning wilfully and pertinaciously against the truth discovered and benefits afforded to them through his Death If we will speak of things according to the Scripture If otherwise Eâdem facilitate rejicitur quâ asseritur The Scriptures say men that corrupt themselves and notwithstanding the means of purging used to them which sure are all consequent in order of Nature to the death of Christ for men there being nothing affordable to men towards purging according to the demerit of Adams sin but All were forthwith to have perished stand out and remain in their corruptions are the reprobate silver men rejected of God Jer. 6.30 And for such obstinacy against God in lower or higher means the Scripture often tells us that God reprobates or rejects men as is to be seen in Rom. 1.19 20 21 28. Gen. 6.3 Psa 81.9 10 11 12. Pro. 1.22 23 24 25. Matth. 13.15 16. Acts 28.27 2 Thess 2.10 11 12. And no
clear as the noon-light but that was the occasionall way of inriching and reconciling the World not only the Elect and Godly but the rest though many by rejecting the riches of Christ preached amongst and the word of reconciliation preached to them with the grace therein tendred were not actually inriched with the riches proper to the Saints and reconciled in their hearts As wholsom Laws and good Government are the hapiness of a Nation that is the way and means of making a Nation in general happy though many by their evil-bearing them and rebelling against them should actually pull down mischief upon their own heads So the goodness of God extended to men in the Gospel and Ordinances of God is a Table to them though they by their unbelief turn it into a snare Psal 69.22 and is a mercy to men in general though many by observing lying vanities put away their own mercy from them Joh. 2.8 That place in Col. 1.6 Evidently signifies Mundum continentem place not persons Thence the change of the phrase It s come to you as also in all the world He saith Not to you and to All the world In the World signifies Place To the World had signified Persons The Gospel is Preached in the world to men That in 1 Joh. 2.2 We deny to signify the godly onely we shall view his proofs for it when we come at them I might shew also some beg'd presumed and proofless Applications of divers Scriptures quoted by him to shew that the word World signifies men rejected and accursed as Joh. 15.19 and 17.25 with some others which in their expressions might have been applied to Saul and many persecuters of Christ that were after converted but I pass them with divers other things less pertinent VVhat he promises upon this Observation we shall speak to when we meet it Whereas he further notes 1. That there is often in Scripture an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an ingemination of the same Word in a several sense We grant it but his Application of it to John 3.17 as concerning the different significations of the word World in those two phrases Not to condemn the world but that the world through him might be saved we say is begged and desire any one clear proof that any believer or number of believers living in the world are called the world The present world He notes 2. That no Argument can be taken from a phrase of speech in the Scripture in any particular place if in other places thereof where it is used the signification pressed from that place is evidently denied unless the scope of the place or subject matter of it do inforce it This we consess as to Argument though to Faith a place may be sufficient where the Argument will not inforce it by this rule As to Instance All that are in their graves shall hear the voice of the Son of God and shall come forth some to the resurrection of life and some to the resurrection of condemnation By his Rule we cannot conclude That All and Every man shall arise out of their graves because the word All is taken in many places but for the generality of men not for every individual As All men seek their own c. Therefore from the word All we cannot inforce that signification Again The scope of the place will not inforce it for its independent to the preceding Verses except in this that therein Christ asserts his glorious Power and Authority fore-spoken of That he had life in himself power to quicken and raise up whom he would which might be demonstrated as well in quickning the generality of good and bad in their graves as in every individual Again That distribution Some to life and some to condemnation inforces onely that good and bad shall rise not every individual of either Nor is the matter Res necessaria Its in the power of God and in his Will to raise All or some every individual or but the most and generality And yet though reason cannot be pressed to conclude it in so large an extent yet Faith may be perswaded so to believe it It being ground enough for Faith to believe it so largely That the words may bear it and there is nothing of evidence from God against the largest it will bear It being sauciness in man to put in his limitations in matters of Faith where Gods Spirit elsewhere or the matter spoken of doth not necessarily inforce a limitation He nextly instances the word All Denying that it s ever said That Christ died for All men Which we have answered before We grant it sometimes is applied Distributively to sorts and sometime collectively but deny that the word holds forth such a Distributive acceptation onely in the places controverted His instance of Joh. 12.32 I will draw All men to me is but beg'd That it signifies all sorts we grant That it signifies not All individuals we desire him to prove He thinks to prove it thus That all that come to him by the Fathers drawing he will in no wise cast out But herein he prevaricates For it s not said in any Scripture That all that God draws come to Christ Without his drawing none can come to him but that every one that he draws come we finde not He drew Ephraim with the cords of love and the bands of a man but no where says that they came to him upon it but seems rather to complain against him of drawing back from him Hos 11.3 4.2 Nor doth Christ say My Father shall draw all to me but he speakes of his own drawing 3. Nor is it manifest what drawing he speakes of whether of Grace onely to believe or of power also to be judged The latter it may be or both For of judging he was speaking immediately before And that not upon the gratious inquiring after him as most refer it to that vers 20.21 But upon the Fathers voyce coming to him that he would glorifie him vers 28 29. Immediately upon which he says Now is the judgment of this world He says not the conversion of the world but the judgment and that began in the Prince of it Now shall the Prince of the world be cast out and then afterward he will draw All to him being lifted up First on the Cross secondly in the Gospel thirdly By the right hand of God to the Throne of Glory a part of which glory is to judg All. Being thus lifted up he will draw all to him either by Grace to own him or by his Power to be judged by him And this he spake signifying what death he should dye as on the Cross so a publike death and such as in and by which he should receive authority over all flesh c. VVhy any should exclude this drawing to judgment I see not he speaking of judging the world and why to deny it without reason for it I see as little Such a drawing I finde in Psal 28. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
the freedom for all or any to look after that benefit and through Faith to obtain it Now in this Mr. Owen differs from us That he notes the world to signifie lost men of all sorts both Jews Gentiles peculiarly loved and that love to be an unchangeable act or purpose of Will concerning their salvation intending absolutely the salvation of all this world to whom he gave him that whosoever believeth not to be a distributive of that general the world but the very self-same with the word World Before he confirm his own he labors to evert the other and 1. Against that pity or propensity to be affirmed to be in God to the good of the creature he says thus If there be no natural affection in God whereby he is necessarily carried to any thing without himself then no such pity or affection to their good as is here intended I deny the Consequence for though there be no such thing as necessarily is so carried yet there is that 's voluntarily and freely carried so Gods Will that is in him to do this or that is not necessarily carried to do this or that but freely but being freely carried to this or that it s necessarily carried in a way suteable to his holy good Nature Now that there is that in God that carries him to desire or approve freely the good of man appears in that he is said to be Love 1 Joh. 4.8 Now Love freely seeks the good of things So again he swears that he delights not in the death of the wicked but rather that they should turn live Yea and saith of him that dieth That he hath no pleasure in his death Eze. 33.11 18. ult And bewails those that had miscarried through their folly and deprived themselves of his mercy Psal 81.11.14 Isai 48.17 18. And so our Saviour the express Image of God wept over and pitied the folly and misery of Jerusalem Luke 19.41 But then he says This intimates imperfection in God But he is not imperfect I answer no the imperfection is in our conception this in him is highest perfection As Moses saith He is perfect though he says He took the Isaelites out of Egypt to bring them into Canaan and many came not in that might seem an imperfection in God and that he failed of his expressed purpose but the imperfection is in our apprehension So he said of Elies house He would establish it but afterwards said otherwise But we are to believe what he says though it seem to us who want ability to comprehend him to argue imperfection The rest of his Reasonings are meer carnal he brings no patch of Scripture to prove that God hath not such good will to man but vainly pries and inquires Why doth not God ingage his power to accomplish it and how comes it hindered Which are brutish reasonings against Gods Assertions When he says Hadst thou done thus I would have done so and so And O that thou hadst done so And I delight rather he should live Then to say why doth not God effect it then Nay rather Who is vain brutish man dust and ashes to dispute against God and reject his Words upon his shallow Reason Will man propound to God what shall be Wisdom to him Doth not he indeed say That his Wisdom is foolishness to men And doth not Mr. Owen here make it good and say It s brutish wisdom amongst men But know O vain Earth-worm That the Wisdom of God is indeed foolishness to men and they cannot comprehend it and the wisdom of men is foolishness to God 1 Cor. 1.19.22.23 24. It s wisdom O vain man to give credit to the Word and Oath of God and say Amen to it That he delights not in the death of the wicked but rather that they shall turn and live how ever foolish it seems to man and whatever absurdities his wisdom findes in it For the foolishness of God is wiser then the wisdom of man and that weakness and imperfection that appears in Gods wayes is stronger then the strength of men His ways are unsearchable his judgments past finding out Not to be measured by the shallow models our Reason but his Words are all Words of Truth and he that will understand his Wayes must believe them and be willing to deny the wisdom of the flesh which is enmity to God and which God will destroy and become a fool that he may be wise The Scriptures we see in Psal 81.14 Isai 48.17 18. Ezek. 33.11 and 18.32 1 Tim. 2.4 hold forth what I speak of The Nature of God which is Love acting forth it self in expressions of good Will to men yea men in general and such as miscarry His other exception with its confirmations being onely against his acting necessarily are all vain and invalid For conformation of his own Exposition That by Love is meant an unchangeable purpose or act of his Will to save them He gives this Reason Because its the most eminent and transcendent love that ever God bare or shewed towards any miserable creature Well Let us first reade it according to his Exposition and see what it will help him It will run thus God so Loved that is unchangeably purposed the salvation of the world That he gave his onely begotten Son that whosever believeth in him should not perish c. Which is in effect that he so unchangeably purposed the salvation of lost mankinde as that he provided the most eminent transcendent medium for it to be saved by upon condition of believing And so it will be an unchangeable conditional purpose to the world and an unchangeable absolute purpose to believers that have that condition And may it not consist or rather spring from his pity and compassion to faln man so to will and purpose Yea and may not the word Love rather signifie that pity in which he so purposed then that purpose that sprung therefrom seeing its the more prime moving cause of his sending Christ that is here spoken of Or will this Exposition content him No though this is as much as the words will bear with the following expressions in the Text yet this is not it he aims at but this That his Love signifies an absolute unchangeable purpose of saving every one for whom he gave Christ and so of giving and causing them all effectually to receive whatsoever is needful to their salvation But the Text speaks not up to this conception for then it should rather have been thus God so loved the world that he gave his onely begotten Son and will make it believe in him so that it shall never perish c. But neither such not to that purpose is our Saviours expression Such an expression indeed would have represented God as propounding the salvation of the world as an end undertaken by himself to accomplish and bring about with all the mediums conducing thereunto without condition on our part whereas our Saviour speaks of it as an
end propounded to and attainable by the world on condition of believing as healing was to the wounded Israelites by looking upon the brazen Serpent unto which Christ is resembled ver 14 15. Christ so sets Gods good will before the world there as may let it see and move it to believing as its duty But as M. Owen would have it understood we may say VVhat He would fasten upon us Solvite mortales curas c. Let every man take his own course and swim down the stream of a fatal necessity If there be any salvation to be had for him he must have it God will bring him to it though he look not after it and if it be otherwise it s in vain to think of it it s not so much his fault as Gods Wil that he believs not as a late Resolver hath too badly insinuated While he determins that there is no other cause why some believe not the Gospel preached to them but only the Wil of God himself As for his Reason viz. because this is the most eminent and transcendent love of God c. That would be considered how far its true and whether it will insorce his conception quite beside the tenor of our Saviours expressions Love may be considered either according to the things it acts forth as tending to the good of the party loved or according to the inward strength of affection as affording us means of good or possessing us of that good In regard of the first this wasa most glorious eminent and transcendent act of Love God afforded many means of good to the world but none of them in themselves so worthy and so glorious as his Son nor is there any thing in which either so much of Gods heart or good will to the world is to be seen that he delights not in their death but rather in their conversion and living or so much good to be met with as in him In nothing hath God condescended more to man or provided so much good for him As to its act then and provision of means to our good this is the most eminent act of his Love to us But yet this act of giving Christ is but the provision of good for us and of the best mean and way to it It s not the possessing us of the good in him with reference to that some that were loved so as to have Christ given as a way to life for them may not be the objects of so intense affection as others for whom he also gave Christ nor come to experiment that love of Delight or Fellowship in which his Love in giving Christ perfects it self in them that believe on him This act then I say of love to the world in which God gave forth Christ though it be the most eminent and transcendent in regard of his provision of a mean to its good and though it be that through which the most choise delightful acts of his Love are met with by those that believe on him yet as its comprehensive of the world is not an absolute purpose of all their salvation The same most eminent expression of Love may be acted toward many and out of exceeding great good will to them All too and yet may not be with the like intensness and eminency of affection and purpose for endevouring to make it beneficial to All as we noted above in the instance of David lib. 3. cap. 9. In a word Gods greatest love to the world was not an unchangeable absolute purpose of saving every one of them and therefore the giving Christ out of love to the world was not a giving him out of such a purpose to save every one of them The phrase So God loved will not evince it For though that word So intimates so exeeedingly so really and heartily to such a remarkable astonishable heighth yet it proves not either that he loved it equally to his Son or so as to purpose absolutely the eternal salvation of all of them For our Saviour expressing that So tells us that it was so as to give his Son That every one that believes in him should not perish c. but not so as to give all things to it as he says of his Son v. 35. which yet is the same love in which he loves his chosen his called and believing ones Joh. 17.24 Nor says he so as to cause them to believe in him and have eternal life So that that word So will not prove that his conception It s true as he also minds us That the Scripture says God commended his Love to us in this That Christ died for us though that 's not all the commendation of it but that he did that for us while we were sinners and ungodly And I think its a marvellous commendation of his Love that he died for All while sinners and they are the more to blame that withhold this so great commendation from multitudes by which they should be induced to believe in him love and serve him But will that prove that that Love was not his compassion and pity towards men that is therein commended or that it was an unchangeable purpose of making all those he so loved to answer his love with love again and so to attain to eternal salvation Cannot Love be commendable exceeding commendable except it be so received by all it acts towards as to make them grateful and so to attain the effects that it produces to the grateful Was not Gods Love to Israel in bringing them out of Egypt by a mighty hand and outstretched arm and taking them out of the midst of another Nation by signs and wonders to be a people for himself and speaking to them out of the midst of the fire from heaven an exceeding commendable love a love flowing from and most eminently of any other acts tending to the accomplishment of his Covenant made with Abraham Deut. 4.31 32 33 c. and yet all they to and upon whom all those most glorious acts of his love were acted were not therefore possessed of that end The land promised to Abraham to which they tended nor was his love therein then a purpose absolutely to possess them of that end except as Mr. Owen here argues he failed of his end The greater commendation it is of Gods Love that he gave Christ the greater ingagement it is to the world to believe on him love and serve him and the greater its sin that it not so answer such a love to them and the greater will his terror be in judging them that Christ died for All and yet many that had their lives through his Death lived not to him 2 Cor. 5.10 11.15 for God is a jealous God and may be provoked to jealousie by men and what is jealousie but love inraged or the fury that springs up from love abused as when he that loves hath his love slighted and others prefer'd before him Sure the Apostle uses this very love and its greatness
by him but who they are that attain the end propounded to them viz. He that believeth on his Name he shall be saved He will do his Office to all that come to him for it according to Gods appointment But he that believeth not he that when Christ speaks to them that they might be saved as in Joh. 5.34 turn a deaf ear to his words Heb. 2 3. and 12.25 harden their hearts neglect so great salvation and refuses him that speaks for heaven he is now judged Now in the day of the Gospel However God might wink at mens ignorances in former times yet Now God will not bear it that men should despise him that speaks to them more fully for their good His Son preaching salvation to them but judges him The word judges him and the Spirit condems him and makes this word of salvation a Savour of death unto death to him because he hath not believed on the Name of the onely begotten Son because he did not trust to him for healing when the Gospel declared such readiness and ability in him to heal them Which why or how it should be if Christ was not sent for them and was neither sufficient nor willing to save them as was said Chap. â— I cannot discern So thâ—â— this Argument serves not his purpose 3. The third is That it s not unusual to call Gods chosen people the World This I deny and he indeavors to prove from John 4.42 The Saviour of the world Which saith Mr. Owen he onely is of them that are saved a Saviour of men not saved is strange But how that may be true we have hinted in the former Argument Besides According to 1 Tim. 4.10 Is this so strange to denominate a person by his Authority and Office rather then from his actings onely in that Authority May not a man be called Lord chief Justice of all England though he do not execute Justice to all persons in England or cannot so do by reason that many decline his Justice-executing So may not a man be called and indeed be a Physition for a whole Town by the appointment of Authority though many in it refuse to take Physick of him when they are sick And is not many a man constituted Minister of and preacher to all such a Congregation when yet perhaps half of them despise his Ministery and refuse to hear him Shall not he be called the Minister of that Parish wholly because many refuse to have his Ministry acted towards them So Christ is the Saviour of the World both in that 1. He is He in and through whom God is the Saviour of All men God not saving any man in any sense immediately but his Son doing all from him Joh. 5.22 And 2. In regard that he is set up and held forth in the Gospel as filled and furnished for saving All or any man upon looking to him and all commanded to look to him to be saved by him And in the same sense He is said to give life to the World both in that it s through his Mediation that the World hath a being under goodness and patience contrary to the desert of their sin which had God dealt with man according to the demerit of Adams sin and the strict sense of his own VVord pronounced upon him none in the world had had but if they had not been all forthwith cut off in Adam their beings would have been as far from Gods goodness and mercy as the being of the Devils which is not worthy the name of life nor is so called in any Scripture as mans is And this is as I conceive that life out of which he prayes that his malicious enemies might be blotted for in the book of the righteous which is of eternal life they are not written Psa 96.28 for which life He gave his Flesh to bear that sentence that otherways in the day in which Adam sinned should have faln upon him and the whole world in him As he is called the Light that inlightneth every man that comes into the world meaning it of lower hints of light then what the believer peculiarly receives from him So that his other Quotations of John 6.33.51 are as meerly beg'd as any other and as little pertinent they being thus to be interpreted As also that he gives exposes and holds forth lise in the Gospel to the world as in ver 32. The Father is said to have given him to them and yet the world neither receives him nor the life tendered and freely given in and by him Joh 1.10 11. and 5.4 and 6.36 But he tells us that Christ in John 10.27 28. Says He gives life to his sheep onely which is neither right nor pertinent for he neither puts in the word onely nor speaks of the life of the world but of eternal life Which if we take given for a free holding forth to men Compare Mark 15.23 with Luke 23.36 so as that they may have it for nothing if they will accept of it as the word given is many times used As where it s said the Jews gave Christ Vinegar to drink and he refused it and they gave him gall c. then he gives it to the world even to others then do accept and receive it as is said above to Joh 6.33 But if we take give for such an imparting it as is accompanied with receiving it so neither we nor Joh. 6.33 says that he gives eternal life to the world much less as it is in Joh. 10.27 28. he gives it them and they shall never perish Could he but have shewed us one word to that purpose that the world shall never perish it had been to purpose For Rom. 4.13 and 11 12 15. we have answered them before in the precedent Chapter The falling of the Jews is called the Riches and Reconciling of the world as the decay of Trade in another Country and diverting it hither may be said to be the inriching of this Kingdom In which the word Kingdom may truly fignifie the whole body of the people though many through idleness and riotousness in it may deprive themselves of that inriching which it brought them or gave them fair advantages of Besides the world the Nations in general not the Elect in them onely were reconciled or taken into savor as to the Gospel-preaching to them and opening of the Kingdom for them which before they had no such liberty to but were looked upon as unclean in respect of having the Kingdoms outward Ordinances and Priviledges allowed them but now were cleansed by God and accounted clean as to them and that also was their riches though not the riches of the glory of the Saints they indeed have yet further riches even Christ in them the hope of glory which many of the world reconciled as to the former of which the Apostle evidently there speaks the Jews being cast off from that and not from inward Union with God which they had not
ever that were broken off might and did miss of by observing lying vanities forsaking their own mercies Jonas 2.8 either by unbelief or negligence in a vain cursory receit of the Ordinances and grace of Reconciliation therein tendered So that neither doth that conclude the thing intended namely that by the word world is there meant only Gods Elect and Chosen His proof from Colos 1.6 Lib. 3. ca. 6. We have before spoken to in Chap. 1. That of 2 Cor. 5.19 We have also spoken to largely before in the Chapter about Reconciliation Onely I shall add here that the word world cannot there mean the Elect onely for then no need of fearing that any toward whom that grace was vouchsafed should receive it in vain as is intimately feared by the Apostle Chap. 6.1.2 As for the Argument used from the Non-imputation there spoken of we have shewed it to be weak also God reckoned not the sins of the world to it in that he winked at them and did not demand satisfaction at their hands for them but preached forgiveness to them which indeed was a very great blessing but it comes to life and happiness onely upon them that receive it and believe as the Apostle says Rom. 4.6 7 9. His reasons why the Elect should be called the world as they are especially the three first very slender ones so they do all fall to the ground except it can be first proved that it is so called 4. His fourth Reason is like Nicodemus's How can these things be Why doth not God give the Gospel to all then who do any perish c. He might as well say If God brought Israel out of Egypt that they might go to Canaan why did he not make them all trust in him and carry them all thither This is not to believe the VVord of God that says Christ is the Propitiation for the sins of the whole world c. But to set our Reason against it though we could say God hath told us more about his revealing Christ then he doth believe viz. That He is the true Light that inlightneth every man that comesin to the world But hewil there say too as the manner of our darkness and unbelief is at every truth of God that it cannotcomprehend Durus est hic sermo How can this be for he will scarce conceive that the Word can sparkle through the Humanity united to it into the hearts of every man except the Manhood too be plainly declared or that that divine being that the Gentiles are led to see in the VVorks of God is no other then the VVord that was incarnate and is the true God this may seem as strange to him as that to the Jews Before Abraham was I Am and may meet with as many stones about it For Truth is full of Paradoxes to the wisdom of the Flesh though plain to him that findes understanding Besides God hath sent his Gospel to All Nations and Peoples though many have put the light from them and chosen darkness rather even whole Countries and Peoples and therefore shall be justly condemned not for that they had it not but because when God sent it they received it not but have from age to age slighted and rejected it 5. He heaps up another nest of absurdities upon us As 1. That we cannot understand this to be All and Every man except we grant some to be loved hated from eternity But how our granting that should depend upon that large extent of the Word it will pose Reason it self to conceive and Scripture too Sure he meant Except we deny it as we do if by hatred he mean a purpose not to send his Son for them without their disobedience to his Son and the light extended through him to condemn and destroy them 2. He says We must make the Love of God toward innumerable to be fruitless and vain We deny that too For there-through they injoy their lives liberties patience bounty goodness hints of truth to their mindes some more some less as he sees fit in his wisdom and God shall receive much glory Though its true and no absurdity to say that some do reject much grace or receive it in vain in regard of many further fruits it would effect yea and turn that that was for their welfare into a snare Turning that grace and goodness into wantonness that should lead them to repentance 3. That then the Son of God is given to them that never hear word of him nor have any power to believe Answer It s not said He gave him to the world but gave him simply out of love to the world and give him he might for them to whom so properly he may not be said to give him I suppose you think he was given for if not also to some children that die in infancy and yet they never hear of him and so many former Jews might never hear of him distinctly as that he should be crucified and yet they had good by that they heard not of Death came in upon All through Adam though many never heard of him and so may and doth much mercy by Christ to such as never hear distinctly of him And did men in that mercy grope after God as the Apostles say they might haply finde him What power God gives to men to yield up to the light that comes from him I cannot say for others I am not in their bosoms but for my self I am sure more then I have acted forth and followed him in And that God gives no power to believe or at least soberly to attend to God that they might be helpt to believe but onely where men indeed do believe is as inevident as that God gave not power to Adam to forbear eating the forbidden fruit because he did not forbear I cannot see into those secrets how far God acts or acts not upon others but the not seeing such secrets shall be no reason to me to wave what is revealed if not plainly in this yet in other Scriptures of larger expression If Mr. Owen see into mens spirits and can tell us what God doth to all and how far he deals with them or finds the Scripture expressing it let him demonstrate to us that God doth give no power to any to attend to him in the ways wherein he useth to beget faith according to the means vouchsafed but onely to them that are actually brought to faith and I shall listen to him 4. He says Then God is mutable in his Love Answer That follows not for so far as he says he loved it he acted and never altered it he did give his Son and never reversed it that whosoever believes should not perish c. And yet we being mutable and corrupting our selves God may say to us as well as to Ephraim Hos 9.15 I will love them no more and yet the alteration in us onely not in him The effects of the same act may be different to an object without
those his wrastlings have been rejected as is plain to any that minde Psal 81.9 10 11 14. Prov. 1.22 23 24. Matth. 23.37 Luke 19.41 c. Now for these All that the Apostle says God would have to be saved and come to the knowledg of the truth Mr. Owen confesses the 6. verse proves that Christ gave himself a ransom that All being of the same extent with this in verse 4. Therefore he said not right when he denied that the Scripture saith he gave himself a ransom for All men that in ver 4. being expresly All men And also his Conclusion here is wrong viz. That Christ died and gave himself onely for his Elect and such as shall be eternally saved for that 's the sum of his Conclusion His Argument from the word Ransom and so the commutation he speaks of is answered before in lib. 3. cap. 5. Mr. Rutherfords reasons being the same in substance with what we have had before in Mr. Owen I shall not insert any thing of them here nor give them any other answer then what I have given in Mr. Owen to him 2. The next place that he endeavors to bear off the force of is 2 Pet. 3.9 God is patient to us not willing that any should perish but that all should come to Repentance To avoid the light of which he corrupts the Text by adding to the words but detracting from the sense he will have it read that he is patient toward us not willing that any of us should perish but all of us should come to Repentance By such liberty he might answer any Argument For he doth like the Papists when we tell them of being justified by Faith and not by Works they can answer with this addition the Works of the Law we are not justified by them but by other works we are Besides who are that Us none of which he would have perish and all of whom he would have come to Repentance He says Those that had pertook of the precious promises chap. 1.4 whom he calls Brethren chap. 3.1 and that he might be sure to make the text speak what he would have it he runs back as far as Math. 24. the Elect intimating that they include some part of the world uncalled But besides that he no where proves that and that it s very far fetcht to find the substantive of this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there can that be any reason of his patience Could any of them perish should Christ come the sooner who can in no wise be deceived or drawn away by perverse Doctrines from Christ Or are those that have received the precious promises of eternal salvation and Brethren to the Apostles in danger to perish if Christ should come sooner who are ready to think long for his coming for their deliverance Or are they yet short of Repentance Apage has nugas The plain sense is That God is patient in behalf of us that believe and doth not speedily execute Judgment for us as the like phrase also signifies in Luke 18.7 8. though he be much provoked to come and plead our cause and destroy ungodly men yet he forbears not willing any should perish not being hasty to destroy any as one that would have them perish or as one that delighteth in their destruction but affording all men in general space for repentance of their follies and evils desires and approves of it that they repent his goodness and forbearance leading to that even such as abuse it and treasure up wrath against themselves by it as is affirmed of Jezabel Rev. 2.21 and others Rom. 2.4 5. Now as we desire not to stretch the latter clause to every individual as to Infants while not capable of it so neither can it be limited to the Elect only he willing others also as that fore-quoted Scripture proves to come to Repentance but to the generality of men we do extend it That God hated any from eternity he hath often said but never yet proved it nor hath he shewed that God denies repentance to any before they put away obstinately what would lead them to it He that gives that which leads to Repentance cannot be said to deny it to them to whom he gives that while that is giving to them as he that gives a plaister that will heal if men according to the power they have would apply it cannot be said to deny healing though some refusing to apply the plaister are never healed 3. The next place sought to be eluded is Heb. 2.9 That by the grace of God he might tast Death 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for every man Where first he tells us all acknowledg that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is put for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Every one is put for All by an Enallage of number Which as he but begs so see I no ground for granting him It s as proper a speech to say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 if not a tittle of the Law shall pass away till all be fulfilled then why should we causlesly let such a change be made of whole words of the Gospel seeing the Gospel is more permanent But then again he tells us That this expression of Every man is commonly used in Scripture to signify men under some restriction That it s so used in speeches about mens actions thoughts knowledg c. and in places where the foregoing speeches to which it hath reference are evidently bounded up to particular Nations Countries Parties I grant it then signifying but any one without restriction that come within the reach or opportunity of such men to act such things towards as are in those speeches spoken of or that appertain to those places or parties as in that of Col. 1.28 but that in speeches in which it s coupled with God or Christ as Mediator acting willing purposing or knowing it signifies but some of those that it refers to I deny cheifly in matters of fundamental concernment as the death of Christ for men is That that he produces from 1 Cor. 12.7 might seem to evert the truth of this The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man But to that I answer 1. That there is not the same word it s not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is a Distributive alwaies of some Totum before mentioned which there is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 about spiritual men the members of Christ to every one of them not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is the Spirit given and the like is that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in 1 Cor. 4 5. Then shall every one that is of the Stewards or Embassadors of Christ have praise of God in which I conceive is also a Synecdoche Speciei pro genere praise for judgment or doom But that it fignifies All and Every one here Mr. Owen will not allow for these Reasons 1. Because to tast Death is to drink up the cup due to sinners Which is as
good a note as Mr. Garners that to tast is to put a tast and rellish into it That to tast signifies so to drink up a thing that no one drop remains for any to drink after one as Mr. Owen saith is an exposition of the word Tast contrary to its usual signification for men are said to tast when they do but sip or make tryal or the sweetness or bitterness c. of a thing not when they eat or drink it all up Sure when Jonathan tasted a little honey the meaning is not that he eat all up that he found 1 Sam. 14.43 or when some are said to tast the good word of God and powers of the world to come the meaning is not that they had got all the knowledg that was to be had of them and left none for others Surely Mr. Owen thinks not that the righteous tast of any afflictions or drop of anger and therefore this of Christs death need not be propounded to them by way of consolation to let them know that he experimented what they suffer and knows how to succour them for they need no succour that grapple with no death But grant that he tasted and swallowed up into victory too that death which was common to all in Adam and thence will raise all out of it by the vertue of his Death and Resurrection Will it thence follow there may no second Death befall any * De secundâ morte ita Ambr. in Comm. in Rom. 5.14 Est alia mors quae secunda dicitur quam non Adae peccato patimur sed ejus occasione propriis peccatis acquiritur for despising and despiting him living still to themselves and not to him or that whoever perish in a second death Christ never tasted the first for them even that displeasure which would have for ever taken away all dispensations of favor and goodness to them But 2. He tells us He sees an evident appearing cause why he should use that phrase and call them for whom Christ died All viz. because he writ to the Hebrews who were deeply tainted with an erronious opinion that the benefits purchased by the Messiah were proper to them of that Nation excluding all others Not to question here whether they had any such conception which we have spoken to in chap. 1. but supposing it to have been so yet how doth this expression any way help them The Apostle should rather have been the more wary of writing but the Truth to them and telling them that is was for every one that believes for that might have bin better born then for every one as if he extended to one and other believer and unbeliever If that had been an error he would not have made way for it to put the Jews out of one error into another that might rather more stumble them then the other it being an expression of large extent Sure if in any place this might have been limited to the Elect and believers it ought to have been to those that were ready to stumble that but they should share with them 3. He tels us There is a description of those for whom Christ died in the Chapter which will not suit to All viz. many sons to be brought to glory the sanctified ones his brethren the children that God gave him those that are delivered from bondage of death c. That Christ died for them and had in his eye such ends in his dying for them as are spoken of with reference to them is true But that he died for them onely or that those after-clauses are a full description of that All or every one that he died for I deny 1. Because its suits not with the phrase here every one or All by his own confession Sure that can be no description of the persons contained in the word All that will not suit with the expression it describes or that will not suit to All. 2. It s against those other places we have spoken to 3. It s an uncouth exposition making the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is an Adjective and so cannot have a full signification in it self without another word as its Substantive to stand alone without a just signification till another verse between which and it is a full period come to make up its sense and then that that is supplied for its Substantive is of a different number and hath another Adjective of number joyned with it A thing unusual and scarce to be parallel'd in any other place And here I might take up Mr. Owens own words in lib. 2. cap. 4. Such is the powerful force and evidence of the Scripture-expressions of this truth Mr. How 's Answer to the Vniversalist cap. 1. that it scatters all its opposers and makes them fly to several hiding corners as Mr. Garner upon this is forced to make the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Verb transitive and to signifie to put a tast into death leaving the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as it was Mr. How with as silly an evasion as his throwing by the Proposition which he should have opposed in terminis and not as he did thrust another into its room and bend his Arguments against that as if I defending That Faith alone without Works justifies a Papist should come and tell me I mistake the question I should say thus Faith which is alone without Workes justifies and so spend his Arguments to prove that false he I say will have it read Hee tasted whole Death or every Death and not to expresse for whom at all though to make way for that conceit he breaks downe all Grammer rule and example making 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Verbe of sense to governe a Genitive case with the Proposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without giving any one example for such a thing And now M. Owen as also M. Stalham as fondly will make it stand alone without a Substantive till the other Verses afford it two or three whereas indeed its substantive was intimated before as it s ever in other places understood to be man when it s put alone without another to declare its meaning Lord what is man sayes he that thou art mindfull of him or the son of man that thou shouldst visit him thou madest him a little lower then the Angels which was true of him in Adam and in Christ both thou hast crowned him with glory and honor thou hast set him over the workes of thine hands which is true too of man in Adam and in Christ but we see not All things yet put under him that is under man spoken of before with reference to a second subjecting them in the world to come but we see Jesus made lower then the Angels that he might tast Death by the grace of God for every one for or by the suffering of Death crowned with glory and honor We see him who for that end that he might suffer Death for all or for every
againe but for whomsoever Christ riseth he rose for their justification Ro. 4. ult and they must be justified But All are not so Ans 1. That his Resurrection is conjoyned is true and so it is intimately in all the other places of 1 Tim. 2.6 Heb. 2 9. and where ever his Death for us is mentioned it s intimately the Death of him that rose againe for had he not risen he could not have been a ransome or propitiation it s not said here he rose again for them but simply He rose againe which indeed he must needs be conceived to have done as an Object to be lived to we cannot live to a dead man 2 That for whomsoever he riseth he riseth for their justification and they must be justified the places of Rom. 4. ult 8.34 say not they being believers onely that there speak applicatively of themselves He dyed for our sins this he did as and while we were ungodly and he rose againe for our justification that we believers as in ver 24. To whom it shall be imputed we believing in him that raised up Jesus he raised him with this intention that we believers might be justified The coupling of two such speeches together do not argue that the objects of the acts mentioned in them are of equall latitude as in Cor. 4.14 He that raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up by Jesus and present us with you It s not a good Inference because they two are put together therefore all that are raised by Jesus shall be presented with the believers And yet 3. If by Justification we mean a right and just giving Sentence of freedom from that Death that was come upon us in Adam as the reward of his disobedience so I grant it in its latitude according to Rom. 5.18 to All men to justification of life or if it be meant justification in the publick person as that that is open for all to partake of upon obedience of Faith and so for our justification be onely that we might be justified in his person and that he being perfected might be fitted to justifie All or any man upon his believing so I grant it too and affirme that he is able and fit to justifie All upon their looking by Faith unto him Otherwise if it signifie that we undoubtedly might have that justification and be presented righteous and acceptable before him then the equall extent of all so justified and all he dyed for is denyed and not at all proved from those places as is said before Justification so not being an immediate fruit or effect of Christs resurection but following upon Faith as is plaine Rom. 5.1 Gal. 2.16 Tit. 3.5 6. 1 Cor. 6.11 whence it s said to be by Faith by the name of the Lord by the Spirit of God c. But inasmuch as he could neither be an Object of Faith to any nor any be discharged from their sins nor presented righteous in him had Death swallowed him up and he never risen 2 Cor. 15.14 15 16 17. therefore he is said to rise for our justification that he might justifie us in believing on him and so us that beleeve on him That justification in the most speciall sense doth come upon many that Christ dyed for is granted and so both meet in many the same persons and such may say they are the Object of both but that thence they have equall Objects in point of number is denyed Those Israelites that intred into Canaan might truly say the Lord judged Pharaoh and the Egyptians to bring us out of Egypt and he led us in the wildernesse to possesse of Canaan and yet all that came out of Egypt or were led in the wildernesse were not possessed of Canaan 2. He says he speaks there of those only who by virtue of Christs death live to him are new creatures to whom the Lord imputeth not their trespasses who become the righteousnesse of God in Christ How God imputed not to the world their trespasses we have shewed before for the rest of the expressions they containe a shamefull way of reasoning Because that was one end of his dying for All that they might live to him therefore he dyed for no more then them that do live to him and fulfill that his end By that way of reasoning I will prove that God made not all because all seek him not from Act. 17.26 27. If Paul had said He dyed for all that live no longer to themselves but unto him it had been to M. Owens purpose but when he sayes no such thing but He dyed for All that they that live should live to him To say that he vouchsafed a mercy to no more then they that fulfill the end of that mercy is exceeding lame reasoning By that Argument John bare witnesse of Christ to no more then them that believed Johns Gospell was written for the use of no more then they that believe it Joh. 20.31 Psa 10◠43 44. God brought no more out of Egypt then them that kept his Statutes John bare witness onely to those that received Christ were made the sons of God received of his fulnesse grace for grace were borne of God saw the glory of Christ as the onely begotten of God For those phrases follow that other expression in Ioh. 1.7 12 13 14 16. Just with as much coherence to it as those phrases that Mr. Owen reckons up follow this we speak to in this Chapter And if we might take that liberty in expounding any verse we please by all the verses that follow it so as to say the subject spoken of in the one is what ever after is spoken of in the other as Mr. Owen doth here and in Heb. 2.9 we should make mad expositions 3. He tells us The Article 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is joyned with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they all died or were dead evidently restraining that All. Thus He. But what All That all that died That Article is not put to Christ died for All but to All died and therefore were there any such force there in the Article it makes nothing against us for we speak not of restraining the All that died nor indeed is it any other then Relative if one died for All then they All died But that he treats only of believers there is meerly proofless as it hath been shewed By this reason in Rom. 5.19 the making men sinners by Adams fall should be restrained because its 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the many or those many were made sinners These are sorry evasions 4. He tells us All those spoken of by the Apostle are proved to be dead because Christ died for them and that in a spiritual death to sin His proof of which latter clause is Vorstius Grotius good proofs to build our Faith on But 2. He says The Text proves that to be the sense But what part of the Text saith it Why he tells us That the intention of the Apostle
restored made righteous justified by the redemption that is in Christ Jesus the righteousness which is by the faith of Jesus Christ being unto All c. Thus M. Owen relates him upon which he infers What remains then but that All should be saved the Holy Ghost affirming that all those whom he justifies he also glorifies Rom. 8.30 thence runs into that Rhetorick which as we shewed above belongs to his Doctrine Solvite mortales curas Besides which he excepts also against his parenthesis and quotation of Rom. 3.22 to which I shall first Answer and then to his Inference 1 He says he knowes not what he means by secretly invisibly and in some sort inexpressibly sure he supposes not that these things may be made the Objects of our senses I answer He doth here Nodum in scirpo quarrels at what is true without exception for may not both sinne and death be both seen and felt in their power inwardly doth not all the powers of a man feel the paines of Death and the conscience see and feel the guilt of sinne and yet no one of all them condemned in Adam in that day of his sentencing felt them but Adam nor could they not being as yet descended from him and yet all of them were virtually condemned and should have perished in him had not Christ stept in are there not sensus interni as well as externi why else cals the Apostles some men 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ephes 4.19 And is not this imputation in some sort inexpressible can any set it out to the full If they can I would I could see them do it 2. He cals him Impostor c. because he quotes but part of Rom. 3.22 the righteousnesse of God by the faith of Jesus Christ unto All c. And is this is such a piece of evill as to make him worthy the name of a wicked Impostor because he stopt there and cited not the following passage and upon all than believe which he apprehends to speak to a further businesse What name deserved M. O. then for gelding the Text in Lu. 2.34 as we noted at the close of the 3d. Chapter Sure he was there the Impostor Alas how many such advantages might I have taken to have given M. O. such Epethites for leaving out adding altering expressions of Scripture more groundlesly That the righteousnesse of God is unto All the Apostle sayes and that was as much as he needed in that passage to make use of but that it comes upon all that believe pertaines to his following consideration and is frequently acknowledged by him and whereas M. Owen says the word Believe pertains to both All 's it s but his conception the Text is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and therefore except he give us some proof for it Mr. Moore and I too may question what he says yea and make use of this part of the verse too to prove That the Righteousness of God according to the Gospel-Declaration is to All without deserving the name of Impostors this very place Rom. 5.18 holding out that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not onely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 justification is to All men may warrant us to understand that so without danger of heresie or imposture but that it comes upon as many as it extends towards I have no such Scripture proof to warrant me Surely Dr. Preston in his Treatise of Faith about pag. 8. asking whom Gods Righteousness is giving to and answering to All without exception thought it not an Imposture but called it the ground of all comfort or consolation nor made he such a conclusion Ergo it comes upon All and so All shall be saved Solvite mortales curas c. But I shall now pass to his Inference And first I note That Mr. Owon deales fraudulently with T. Moore in relating him for whereas by way of distinction and to prevent mistake he says That this recovery is in Christ so as that in him and by him in that done and wrought in his own body they are again redeemed restored and made righteous and that it might be said as things are looked upon in Christ who was in the room of All that as all in the former respect have sinned c. so all are justified freely by his grace c. This clause In him and as things are looked upon in Christ which was the principal distinguishing clause in this parallel he wholy omits and fals upon the rest as if he had said They are in themselves justified redeemed restored c. and then upon this man of Clouts he falls very fouly as if he beat all to pieces Master Moores comparison in it The leaving out that Clause which was the most special thing in it made way for all the following absurdities that Mr. Owen puts upon him and the keeping that in would Answer them all For a man may be all this in another and yet not the better for it in the issue For I ask Were not we once all righteous holy innocent in the image of God in Adam Did not God make us so there And what now shall we infer holy and righteous and yet condemned dye accursed will God cast his own Image into hell And shall we produce the Scriptures that the righteous shall shine as stars in the Firmament but all were made righteous in Adam Ergo All shall shine as stars in the Firmament but this is untrue and contrary to Scripture Many shall perish Ergo All were not righteous in Adam Who would not hiss out such reasonings Again All were sinners and condemned to death in Adam yet Enoch never died and Elias was taken up into heaven and many shall be glorious with Christ Like this The Kingdom is all at peace and agreed with the King in its body Representative the Parliament therefore none in the Kingdom opposeth him nor shall any ever be condemned by him suppose he come to power for doing any thing against him Auditum admissi risum teneamus Christ the representative person was justified and so all justified and restored in him Therefore all men in their own persons shall be eternally saved He cleared the score for them as Death was come upon them in Adam Therefore though they remain Rebels yet in themselves they must be saved These things being the off-spring of Mr. Owens fraudulency how impertinently is that Scripture quoted by him Rom. 8.30 that speaks of justification as coming upon men by receit of Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 those that he justified he glorified And again How vain is his inference whom he justified he glorified Ergo all that he justified he glorifies too Might we not by the like authority from this foregoing passage whom he called them he justified deny that wisdom called those in Prov. 1.24 That she gave over to destruction and those many that were but some of them chosen Matth. 22.14 or else he must of necessity grant that either
some are justified that are after reprobated and were never chosen or else that he made but an inconsequent inference Besides He imputes a meer falshood to him when he informs his Reader as T. Moores Assertion That the righteousness of God comes upon all Vnbelievers quite contrary to his Assertions as any man may see that reads his Book yea quite contrary to that for which Mr. Owen faulted him as stopping at that phrase unto All Whether Mr. Moore now hath corrupted the Word of God or Mr. Owen mistaken and corrupted Mr. Moore let the Reader judg But before he leaves this Place and Chapter He gives us some Arguments to prove That Christ in his Obedience Satisfaction c. was not a publike person for every man in the world Elect and Reprobate Believers and Vnbelievers A thing that we affirm not as he expresses it viz. We say not that he sustained the person of any either as Elect or Reprobate in giving himself a ransom from the death come upon all for their sin in Adam but of men as faln not as Reprobated for rejecting his Truth nor as elected through obedience of the Truth and therefore his first Argument being against his sustaining the persons of men under the notion of Reprobates and the seed of the Serpent c. needs no further answering Otherwise we say that for them that by denying the Lord that bought them come to be rejected and to be of the feed of the Serpent Christ sustained the place of a publike person as onely faln and condemned in Adam his other arguments follow viz. 2. Christ as a publike person represented only them for whose sakes be set himself apart for that office and imployment wherein he was such a representative but upon his own testimony which we have Joh. 17.19 he set himself apart to that service and imployment for the sakes onely of some and not for all and every one Therefore he was not a publike person in the room of All. To which I answer 1. By denying the Minor for neither doth Christ say for their sakes only I sanctifie my self nor were they there spoken of all the believers so that had he limited it to those only he had by this argument represented onely them that were sent into the world as he was sent to preach the Gospel for to them that speech is there applied and so excluded all that should believe through their words Read Joh. 17.18 19 20. 2. Nor doth he tells us that that that he sanctified himself to there was all that in which he was a publike person and representative in giving himself a ransom and if that be not proved he says nothing 3. Christ as a surety was a publike person but all are not in that Covenant of which he was a surety Therefore not a publike person for All. This Argument is fallacious leaning upon this foundation If Christ was not a publike person for all in every respect Then for all in none which we deny His being a surety relates to his undertaking in heaven to see the Covenant which he hath already sealed performed to the parties to whom it appertaineth It s like this The Parliament as a publike body have ingaged their publike faith for seeing all them paid that have lent them any thing but all the Commons in the Kingdom have not lent to them and so they are not ingaged to all of them in that way Ergo they are not the Representative of all the Commons in the Kingdom The business of Christs Suretiship he quite mistakes as if the Apostle there affirmed him to be a Surety for all for whom he died which that place says not 4. His Argument from Christs Satisfaction and Rom. 8.33 34. alledged to prove it I have answered before in l. 3 c. 7. l. 1. c. 3. 5. The fifth says That Christ never did any thing in vain in respect of any for whom he was a publike person But many things which he did as a publike person were altogether in vain and fruitless in regard of the greatest part of the sons of men c. To which If by fruitless he mean totally both in respect of His and his Fathers Glory and their good then the Major is confessed and the Minor denied For he was glorified and all they in their day had mercy and goodness by his Death even they that then at the time of the accomplishment of his Sufferings were dead But if he means in regard of mens receipt of that utmost benefit that they might have received by it Then I deny the Major For Christ as a Prophet and Teacher speaks to many men in vain in that respect See Isai 49.4 And I said I laboured in vain speaking in the person of Christ as the 5. and 6. verses make it plain So Matth. 23.37 and so the Apostle intimates that some that departed from the Faith and turned aside to seek righteousness in their works abrogated Christ to themselves and made his Death as a vain thing crucifying him again to themselves Gal. 2.21 and 5.2 4 5. Heb. 6.5 6. And that some receive his Grace in vain 2 Cor. 6.1 2. 6. His next is That if God was welpleased with his Son in what he did as a publike person in representing others then must he be wel-pleased with all those whom he did represent either Absolutely or Conditionally But so is he not either way with all c. As pertaining to an absolute welpleasedness I deny the Major David might be welpleased that Joab mediated for Absolom and yet not welpleased with Absolom As for a conditional welpleasedness we deny the Minor That God would not be welpleased with all men upon condition Did all submit to him seek him c. they should all finde him pleased with them Through Christs Mediation he would 〈…〉 wel pleased with Cain upon this condition that he had believed and done well as Abel did Gen. 4.7 So with Pharaoh had he loved his people and learned the knowledge of God by them Matth. 25.35 36 41 42 43 c. 7. His last Argument is onely a quotation of many Scriptures that say He prayed not for the world when he requested peculiar favors for believers That he gave himself a ransome for many Gave himself for his sheep his Church is our forerunner shall save his people c. to which we have before answered CHAP. V. A Vindication of our use of those Scriptures which we say intimate a possibility of such to perish for whom Christ dyed WHereas we have often made use of such Scriptures as intimate the perishing of such as Christ dyed for M. Owen in the next place seeks to wrest them from us intimating that we therein do injury to the consolation of poor souls and make vile the precious bloud of Christ and esteem it as a common thing Against which our defence is what he himself supplies us with in his Preface That we must not lye to comfort
seeing Christ preached the Kingdome of God to them it s no sufficient evasion God usually punishing men with deprivation of temporal mercies for neglecting eternall Mat. 22.7 Psal 2.10 11 12. He says Rom. 2.5 speaks of the Gentiles who had the works of God to teach them and the Patience of God to wait upon them yet made bad use of both which is too slender an Answer to the place Could he not finde it in the Text that they led them to repentance and can he shew us any ground of Repentance and change of mind for any man that hath no cause in and from God for it nothing better to be enjoyed by them in and with God then what he sets his mind upon already or that any have any such favours afforded them as lead to Repentance with whom God deals according to the sentence pronounced upon All in Adam and for whom Christ never came to procure any such things for them or that Christ procured such things for any for whom he did not interpose himself between the Sentence of Death and them Sure these things deserve a little more consideration then he affords them Besides that they make against his exposition of 2 Pet. 3.9 where he would tye up Gods willing men to come to Repentance to the Elect only for here he speaks of Gods goodness and patience leading such to Repent as treasure up wrath to themselves by occasion of Gods goodness to them Mat. 6.26 Mark 8.36 Sure he will not tell us they are the Elect onely too He makes little of those expressions in which men are said to lose their own souls but onely as if therein was intimated That they make the losse of them sure to themselves then it seems it was not sure enough to them in Adams sinning and why not Sure Adam lost us All sure enough If Christ did nothing for recovering them they are lost sure enough without any mans doing any more to loose them But perhaps he means that they make it evident to themselves that Christ did nothing for them and so that they remain lost by Adam Sure this is a new way of exposition and before it pass for currant he must prove that to lose or save in Scripture signifies onely to make it evident that a thing was lost or saved before-hand or that we are said to lose by doing this or that that that was lost out of our power before we did that As that if a Corporation have forfeited their Charter and it was taken from them an hundred years ago so that now they have none yet they that are now of it do forfeit and lose it by so doing something that they should not let him shew us that the Scripture speaks in that language and we shall listen to his evasion His after Collection from T. M. is spoken to before it s but his own misunderstanding of him and so are all his Inferences drawne from it For his Argument from Gods expostulations pag. 296. it is to shew that God wils them to be saved and delights not in their destruction which opposes M. Owens Interpretation of 1 Tim. 2.4 and by consequent intimates Christs interposing himself between God and them there being no salvation to be had for any but in him and those expostulations being with others then the Elect about looking and listning to him c. What there is in God we cannot tell but as the only begotten Son hath revealed to us and that is indeed that there is in him no imperfection But that he desires not those salvation that miss of it he hath no where told us that I know of but often the contrary and yet that may be in him without imperfection We are no competent Judges by our narrow conceptions of his perfections There is that in and with him that seems foolishness to our wisdome and weakness in our judgements that yet is wiser and stronger then we can conceive of 1 Cor. 1.22 23 24. It s sauciness in us to prescribe rules to Gods wisdome and perfection and rashnesse to say what is or is not in God but as Christ hath revealed to us Obedience is better then Sacrifice and a simple belief of his words better then our wisest reasonings against them In pag. 298 299. There is some difference about judging All men by the Gospel Indeed it should be said according to the Gospel the difference is grounded on the divers understanding of that phrase Rom. 2.16 They take it that this Truth That all shall be Judged is according to the Gospel We understand it also that Christ in judging shall proceed according to the Gospel Not that we mean that they had heard not the Gospel shall be judged for rejecting or not believing what they heard not but that they shall be judged onely for and by what they had given them and they received or abused but that Christ in judging by and for those things shall not go according to the Law of Creation requiring them to have done according to that that was given them in Adam and so according to the strict rule of that first Obligation but only as in rejecting Light and Truth given them or accepting it they have sinned against Rom. 1.18 19 20 21. or submitted to God dealing with them in and by the Mediator the Word of God by whose interposition of himself between God and them their lives liberties mercies and all the light they had since the Fall was derived to them Joh. 1.9 and so according to the Gospel that relates Christ to have died for them and to be Lord over all thereby And that such shall be his proceeding in Judgment I am the rather perswaded by that of Christ himself in Matth 25.31.46 c. where declaring the maner of his Judging All Nations he tells us his Rewards and punishments shall be given according to mens carriages of themselves towards him in such Mediums as he appeared in to them He Judges men to life as feeding and cloathing Him to death as not doing such and such things to him Which he makes out to be an equal sentence though many shall reply that they never see or knew him as an object to be so or so acted toward by them He mentions nothing there to be charged upon them as acted by Adam or by them but with reference to himself which deserves also some consideration Whereas in page 299. He tells us of Totus mundus ex to to mundo a whole world out of the whole world That he says without book I mean without Gods Book speaking of the world as it now is having borrowed it from Prosper or at highest from Austin But we desire not to prefer the Traditions and Documents of the Elders though they might be in many things worthy men in their times so highly as for them to justle out or by them to Interpret Apostolical Doctrine or by them to teach men their fear towards God as was
in him and cast themselves upon God for further saving So the Apostles were led Rom. 5.10 and not from believing on him to argue that Christ died for them So that this notwithstanding that Mr. Owen hath said I yet stand to my former Argument and shall not need to put it into the following frame in his Book into which he puts it By this that is already said Concl. 1. his following Conclusions appear clearly to be some of them untrue some impertinent viz. 1. That all called by the Word in what state or condition soever they continue are not bound to believe that Christ died for them by name but such as are so and so qualified Answ To which I oppose and have shewed That All called by the Word in that state in which they are when called and as it s required of them to believe the Gospel and to believe in Christ for salvation are therein also necessarily required to believe that God appointed Christ to be a Mediator for them and that he hath died for them and so is a fit medium for them to come unto God and to believe in him by 2. That the Precept of believing with fiduciary confidence that Christ dyed for him Concl. 2. is not proposed nor is not obligatory to all that is called nor the not performance of it any otherwise a sin but as it is in the root and habit of unbelief and not turning unto God for mercy To that I answer Answ That the Precept of believing with fiduciary confidence is proposed to all that are called by the word according to the Gospel yea this M.O. granted before inasmuch as it is justifying Faith and so its obligatory to them all And to that end as it thereto necessarily conduceth to believe that Christ dyed for them the not believing which is a giving God the lye it being contained in the record given of his Son which contrary to his fift and sixt Conclusions is too that there is one Mediator between God and men who gave himself a ransom for all men and not onely that he that hath him hath life but also first that God hath given us eternall life and that life is in his Son See that expresly affirmed to be part of the Record of God which the unbeliever makes God a lyer in not believing 1 Joh. 5.10 11 12. And whether Mr. Owen hath dealt faithfully or fraudulently with the Word of God in leaving out the first part of that Record as once before he left out God hath given us eternal life running into that fault which more groundlesly he called the trick of the old Serpent in T. M. and put the name of an Impostor upon him for I leave it to the Reader to judge As for his 3. That no Reprobate for whom Christ died not Concl. 3 shall be condemned for not believing that Christ died for him It shall be granted him when he hath proved what he here begs viz. That there is any such Reprobate for whom as faln in Adam Christ never died His 4. That the command of believing in Christ given to All Concl. 4 is not in that particular obligatory unto any but upon the fulfilling the condition thereto required is sufficiently spoken to It with all conditions or necessary conducements thereto are required of all those to whom the Word is preached Amongst which necessaries the believing Christs Death to be for them we have shewed to be one Therefore I shall say no more here to it but view what he says to a second Argument viz. That Doctrine that fils the mind of men with fears and scruples whether they ought to believe or no Argu. 2 when God cals them to it cannot be agreeable to the Gospell But such is the Doctrine of the Particularity of Redemption c. To which he tels us 1. That doubts and scruples may either rise from a doctrine it self in its own nature giving cause thereto to those who perform their duty rightly or from corruption and unbelief setting up it self against the truth of Christ I answer It 's corruption and unbelief setting up it self against the truth of Christ in the Gospell that makes men hold forth the Particularity of Christs Death as being undergone only for the Elect and the Doctrine it self gives occasions and causes of scruple to men in this that men seeing their sinfulness and looking upon God but according to what this doctrine presents of him to them they are wholly uncertain whether the Mediator was sent for them or not and so whether God be an object of faith fit for them 2. He tels us that obiection supposeth That a man is bound to believe that Jesus Christ dyed by the appointment of God for him in particular before he believe in Christ Jesus and that men that are of that perswasion of the restraint of the Death of Christ to the Elect may scruple whether they ought to believe or not which he says is to involve our selves into a plain contradiction for according to Scripture for a man to be perswaded that Christ dyed for him in particular is the highest improvement of faith including a sense of the spirituall love of God shed abroad into our hearts the top of the Apostles consolation Rom. 8.34 and the bottome of his joyfull assurance Gal. 2.20 so that we require that a man do believe before he do believe and suppose that he cannot believe and shall exceedingly fear whether he ought to do so except he believe before he believe To this I answer That for a man to be perswaded that Christ dyed for him is no where made the highest improvement of faith but only that faith by the belief of this hath been improved and so may be to highest pitches the soul that perceives see and mindes the love of God therethrough commended so as to be drawn to God thereby abiding therein may grow up to great assurance therein and find matter of exceeding great nourishment unto eternall life But it follows not that because from that believers have sprung up to such assurance of eternall life as in the greatest tryals and temptations to trust in him for it and make their boast of God which is the highest improvement of faith That the bare believing that Christ dyed for them is the faith of full assurance Some of the Israelites from beholding the great power and goodness of God to them in delivering them out of Egypt and bringing them over the red Sea c. were led to follow God with a full heart and to be silled with a full perswasion that they should be brought into Canaan and possess it but it followed not thence that the belief or knowledge that God so delivered them was the faith of full assurance of entering into Canaan by all that knew that they were thence delivered So Paul was lead with confidence to trust in God for future deliverance by this that he had delivered him and yet it s
not ever true that he that believes that God delivered him from one danger is confident he will from another much less That that belief in all that so believe yea or in any is the confidence that he will deliver from another 2. Whereas he askes if it include not a sense of the spirituall love of Christ I answer That where the Death and Resurrection of Christ are opened to the heart by the Holy Ghost there the love of God is shed abroad into the heart also but not wherever this proposition is believed viz. Christ dyed for me many a man believes that and yet seeth not into the glory of it nor the depth of goodness held forth in it and so hath not the love of God therethrough shed into his heart yet the minding God in this is the way to meet with the holy Ghosts displaying that love Many Israelites believed that God brought them out of Egypt 2 Pet. 1.9 that had not such a view of his power and love therein or at least like them that forget that they were purged from their old sins forgat what they had seen as to be lead to confidence in God for the future by it 3. Whereas he says By this a man must believe before he believe What strange thing is that with reference to diverse acts of believing did not he himself say that we must have a faith of reliance and recumbence in Christ and before that too believe many truths of the Gospell before we can believe that Christ dyed for us so that there is believing before believing and believing before believing again and yet he counts that absurd in us when we say only we must believe the word of God to be true before we can by it be led to believe in God we must believe Gods goodwill to us-ward and a medium provided for us by whom to go to God before we can be perswaded to go to him by faith whom otherwise we look upon as angry and dreadfull ready to consume us We cannot put our confidence in his blood and there through rise up to assurance of eternall life except we first be perswaded that he shed his blood for us So long as we doubt whether he be a Mediator for us or no and whether he hath given himself to ransome us from death we shall doubt whether God will accept us or no or whether he hare us from eternity or not and whether we have any thing to do to take incouragement from the blood of Christ to approach him because we know not we have any right unto it Nor can Master Owen nor all the world beside to help him make it appear to be otherwise but that the soul will question whether it may expect salvation from God or betrust it self with God so long as it knows not but he hates it and Christ hath never done any thing with him for it 3. He denies That a perswasion that it was Gods will that Christ should dy for him in particular neither is nor can be necessary that a sinner be drawn to believe because other grounds will do it without The consequence of this is that many things were spoken unnecessarily by the Apostles Act. 3.26 as when Peter says Christ was sent to turn every one of them from their iniquities And Paul that the grace of God reconciling the world 2 Cor. 5.19 20. 6.1 was to them Corinthians to perswade them to be reconciled That he preached to the Corinths in the first place that Christ dyed for our sins 1 Cor. 15.2 3. And so all those generall phrases that include mens particulars But let us see what other grounds he gives viz. That it is the duty of sinners as such to believe Math. 11.28 Isa 55.1 To believe in what in the blood of Christ as Rom. 3.25 Then it supposes it shed for them all and so it s a truth according to the Gospell-declaration but denying the extent of his Death how can he make it out that sinners as such * A quatenus ad omne valet consequentia which reaches to All sinners ought to believe in Christ What have sinners if not Elect to do with Christ besides he had said before they must be sinners so and so convinced and qualified before they are to be called upon to believe in Christ And I fear he will upon second thoughts say that those Scriptures hold forth that sinners not as such but as so qualified with thirsting after Christ and being weary c. are there required to believe but many a soul is hereby put upon doubting whether it be Elected or so convinced and thirsty c. as is required and so whether God be not an enemy to it from eternity and so whether it hath cause of trusting in him 2. The command of God John 3.23 That shews it to be its duty if it could be proved to extend to it for that says That we believe in his name and a soul may more justly doubt whether that We reach to it seeing they that deny the extent of Christs Death and teach it to doubt of it use such applicatives as We to oppose an Universality and to signify but the Elect and Church c. This therefore yet leaves the soul to doubt whether it may hope in him for salvation especially being told that these things God sends to men indefinitely that the Elect onely might be brought to him he hath no goodwill to any other and that its Elect it knows not commands to believe while men are taught to doubt whether the object to be believed in as such pertains to them can give no more security from doubting then the building with one hand and pulling down with another secures the building from falling 3. The threats against unbelief That indeed doth as much as the threat for not keeping the Law fils the soul with terror on every side while it hears that God commands more to believe then have cause so to do and threatens them for not believing and yet gives them nothing to induce them to it no evidence of his goodwill to them to draw them to believe this may fill them with hard thoughts of God representing him to them like one that bids another eat or else he will kill him but yet gives him no meat to feed on no evidence of his goodness that may induce him to hope and trust in him 4. The alsufficiency of the blood of Christ to save all believers This may make the soul say O how happy are they that do believe and that have his blood to drink for its able to save them but as for me I know not whether it belong to me or not or whether one drop of it was shed for me and so how I can lean upon it I hear it s not sufficient to save any that it was not shed for not for want of inward worth in it but because it s not for them and I may
's common to good and bad doth good to many being the power of God to salvation to them that believe The Death of Christ yea and the patience of God that 's common to all is effectuall for good to salvation to many and shall be to any that are led to repentance by it * The grace of God that is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to all men saving teaches us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts and to live godlily righteously and soberly c. 1 it 2.11 12. He askes further If they be not the two properties of the grace of God that it be Discriminating and effectuall He should have proved rather then have moved questions only We say it is both effectuall in all that receive it rightly and Discriminates them both in priviledge and disposition from all those that reject it and so doth this that 's extended in Christ to All men Besides the grace of God in the Death of Christ discriminates men from fallen Angels its 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 If he say all they for whom it is and to whom it is extended in any degree are made to receive it effectually to life eternall we waite for his proof for it but surely Paul intimates otherwise 2 Cor. 6.1 These that follow are slanders viz. That we make the bestowing of Faith no part of free grace or at least leave room to free-will to have the best share in the work of salvation even of believing it self which is as untrue or more then that Naaman had the best share in the work of his healing because he washed in the river Jordan or the blind man Joh 9. in his receiving his eye-sight because he went at Christs bidding to the pool of Siloam and washed there would that be good Doctrine that Because upon the doing those triviall things God gave them healing therefore not God and Christ but themselves were to have the greatest share in the glory of it Apage has impietates calumniosissimas of which nature is that too that follows That this Assertion brings Roprobates to be the object of free grace and denies the free grace of God to the Elect makes it Vniversall to all but ineffectuall to the Elect all to have a share in it and none to be saved by it which are all as gross untruths against us as he could have invented But then he askes In what point their Doctrine makes it not free grace I answer in that ye debar the greatest numbers of any liberty and possibility of coming to partake of it ye make it not free to or for all but bound it up to some few We know in some regard ye make it free that is in point of any merit of it in them to whom yee say it is but not free for any to come to and hope in as pertaining to them nay for none so without much fored one by them to evidence that it belongeth to them but he says He cals not that grace that goes to hell No sure nor we neither nor is that goodness or patience that goes to hell or Gospell that goes to hell but I hope we may say they that having free grace extended and held forth to them not receiving it or receiving it in vain or turning it into wantonness may go to Hell as well as they that abuse Gods goodness patience Gospell and yet none of these things abused go to hell So Psal 139 8. Jonas 2.3 except in a sense to the disordered dismall conditions of men to bring them from the nethermost hell in that sense as David sometime speaketh Psal 86.13 6.3 I can but wonder that wise men should be so infatuated as to think there is any weight in such their sorry expressions but for not inlarging it to all he says Is it in their power to enlarge it No Sir not further then it is but it s in your power surely to let it alone to have its own bounds that God hath given it and so to speak largelyer of it then you do We know he will have mercy on whom he will have mercy in point of more abundant striving with men and compelling them and in receiving whom he pleases even the worst of sinners coming to him and hardens and gives over whom he will and we know too by the same authority that he is good to all and free for all to look to would have all to be saved and come to know the truth delights not in the Death of the wicked but rather that he should turn and live and that Christ hath given himself a ransome for all Le ts not have the Faith of our Lord Jesus Christ neither with respect of persons nor of places of Scripture either let us believe all or reject all He says further Should he throw the childrens bread to Dogs Nor Sir nor yet be wiser and holier then God to shun his words out of pretense of service to him nor call that common that God hath cleansed esteem any as Dogs but such as turn again and bite against the favours shewed them and are scorners of the mercies tendred them or deceitfull workers that bark against Gods truths and are ready to bite too if power be given them otherwise take heed that you deny not free grace to ungodly and sinners under opinion that they are Dogs to whom mercy is not to be tendred He saith further that they believe that the grace of God works faith in all to whom its extended Yes I believe that they are readier to believe their own conceptions for which they have no Scripture proof yea against diverse intimations of Scripture then the plain Scripture-expressions For the New Covenant here again mentioned by him I have before expressed my self about it I believe righter then that he can disprove it What follows are generally revilings of the truth of God despising the grace extended to All as not worthy mens thanking God for it a grace that doth no good a sigment of our own making c. only he tels us he will pray for us that we may have infinitely more of his love then is contained in effectual Vniversal Grace and indeavor to keep people from being seduced by us For the first We tell him it s his unbelief of it makes it seeme ineffectual to him Tit. 2.11 12. 3.4 5. but to such as believe it we we find it effectual both towards God and others and prove it an open doore and way for our approaching to him for those more especiall things that all through unbelief receive not For the second I pray God shew him and his companions in doctrine how much they stand in peoples light to hinder them from seeing that goodness by which they should be saved But what need he indeavor to keep me from being seduced Seeing he thinks it impossible for any that Christ dyed for to be seduced and all the rest must perish to to what end
will he busy himself to prevent impossibilities or about them that God hath hated from eternity What follows about Christs merit are but Rhetoricall disparagements of the grace of God as Universall in which he frequently puts the ly or brat of our own brain or some such like language upon Gods and his Apostles declarations for such are these That Christ dyed for All and is the propitiation for the sins of the whole world c. To which we shall give no other Answer they being not Arguments but frothy flourishes but remembring him that brought no railing accusations refer it to the Lord to rebuke Sathan the adversary of Gods free-grace and goodness He applands afterward his own opinion and casts dust upon the truth representing his own in these four following propositions 1. That Christ dyed only for the Elect. 2. That all those for whom Christ dyed are eternally saved 3. That Christ purchased all saving grace from them he means for All that so as to be effectually made over to All for whom he dyed 4. Christ sends the means and reveals the wayes of life to all those for whom he died I suppose he means in the declaration of the Gospell to them in this their life time If M. Owen can prove any one of these to be true from Scripture for in all this his book he hath failed of it then I will be bound to give up the cause to him and say that he hath done more then all his brethren could yet attaine to The Assertions he lays down as ours are diverse of them meer slanders as that we say 1. Most of them for whom Christ dyed are damned which is more then we know or dare determine not knowing what a numerous increase there may be of believers in the last Ages of Christs reigne nor being able fully to comprehend those sayings 1 Pet. 3.19 4.6 2. That he purchased not any saving grace for them that he dyed for 3. That he ratified and sealed not any Covenant of grace with any federates 4. Hath no intention to redeem his Church c. as if he had learned to practise that evill principle Calumniare andacter haerebit aliquid His last disquisition is about Gospel-consolation Whether perswasion gives the most before which he propounds some considerations as 1. That all true Evangelicall consolation belongs only to believers but I think this at first dash is unsound for I hope poor sad souls that sit in distress and through the sight of their sins dare not believe nay prehaps are in despaire have nothing in the Gospell to comfort them and induce them to believe 2. That to make out consolation to them to whom it is not due is as great a crime as to withhold it from them to whom it is I grant that both are crimes 3. That T. M. attempt to set forth the Death of Christ so as All might be comforted is a proud attempt I can say this for him of my own hearing from his mouth that he is cleer in that for I heard him say long since that the title was not of his appointing but the Printers or some other above for him 4. That Doctrine that holds out consolation to unbelievers from the Death of Christ is a crying Peace peace where God says there is no peace That 's true if by unbelievers he means men as such and so persisting otherwise it may not be true as is noted to the first we endeavor not to comfort unbelievers in their unbelief further then to let them see there is ground for their repentance but as the Gospel was first preached to Abraham and his Family before the Law so we preach the Death of Christ for all as a medium to their better convincement of their unbelief and impenitence and an argument to perswade them to Faith For how shall they indeed be convinced that its their sin not to believe or be perswaded to believe except they have God set forth as a meet Object for them to believe on And if they persist in their disobedience we have in the Gospel-Declaration Acts 10.36 Luke 10.5 6.9.11 12. that that will strike terror and amazement into them for their unbelief It was the preaching of Christ and so of his Apostles whom we desire to follow first to preach peace to the world and exhort them not to rest without it and in so doing we preach peace to none but whom it s to be preached to God first hangs out a white Flag of Reconciliation and Peace in Christ before he holds out his red of Judgement and Indignation which follows where that peace is despised Mat. 10.12 13 14 15. Having premised these things he lays down these four Conclusions 1. That the extending the Death of Christ to an universality in Object cannot give the lest ground of consolation to them whom God would have to be comforted by the Gospel 2. That the denying the efficacy of the Death of Christ towards them for whom he died cuts the nerves and sinews of all strong consolation such as is proper for the believer to receive and the Gospel to give 3. That there is nothing in the restraining Christs Death to the Elect that in the least measure debars consolation from them to whom it is due 4. That the Doctrine of the effectual Redemption of the sheep of Christ by the blood of the Covenant is the true solid foundation of all durable consolation 1. To confirm the first He premises That all Gospel-Consolation belongs onely to believers which I have before shewed to be untrue The Gospel propounds comfort also to souls ready to despair utterly that they might believe And the best way to comfort such is to let them know that Christ died for them and that by opening to them according to the Scripture-affirmation the extent of Christs Death and of Gods goodness therein Having propounded that he nextly argues against its being of use to believers as that 1. No Scripture so propounds it Which is untrue also for that in 1 Joh. 2.2 doth as we have seen for Mr. Owen confesses his business there is to comfort believers and the Apostle to that propounds Christ as a Propitiation for the sins of the whole world and not onely of us the believers to be comforted See what I have said to it largelier cap. 3. lib. 4. He says further 2. That no comfort can accrue to them from that which is common to those 1. That shall perish to eternity Isa 51.13 Psa 100.2 1 Pet. 4 19. Ps 31.15 and 103.18.22 c. 2. That God would not have comforted And 3. that stand in open rebellion against Christ And 4. That hear not of Christ This also is disproved De facto from the forementioned place as was shewed before upon it Besides The Creation is common to them All that he mentions and yet that 's of Consolation to the believer and so Gods Governing all things the Resurrection Judgement c.
Gods Presence with the Israelites in the Cloud was ground of exceeding comfort to those of them that believed and yet it was common to them with the rest and to them that believed not hastened their destruction He bids men 3. consider by their own experience But who speaks he to here and whose experience will he take in this matter Them of his own minde they believe it not and therefore cannot experiment its good If them that believe it they will many of them say That they have met with great consolation by it and have been brought through it to believe and walk both holily and hopefully with God Yea some in their agonies upon death-bed have met with great comfort in it and dyed trinmphantly But of these things Mr. Owen is no competent Judge he being no believer of it Verily they have been carried above all other those considerations that reason suggests from others perishing Christs Death notwithstanding knowing that what ever befalls others it s for their folly and unbelief Heb. 4.2 1 Cor. 10.1 2 3 4.5.11 of which they see this Doctrine gave no cause nor gives any but for faith to them No more then the consideration of Gods like dealing with our fathers in giving to them the Gospel and like Gospel-Ordinances in a sort as to us and yet their perishing for their unbelief lusting and abusing them is an argument to discourage the Churches that have them now from believing Men being led through the sight of Gods Grace in the Death of Christ to trust in him they fear not wrath but rejoyce in mercy and in the hope of the glory to be revealed upon them They see that in it for them that contrary to his reasonings drawes them to believe whatever others do that listen more to their reasons then to God in it Caleb saw enough in Gods Presence to comfort them against discouragements from the strongest of enemies notwithstanding that yea with never the less confidence because many amongst whom he walked were for not trusting in it consumed by it But he says A soul may object Oh but Christ is not a propitiation for all sins To which we can tell him yes except that sin against the holy Ghost He hath so far obtained redemption for all other that he can forgive them yea will that his goodness and fulness of redemption prevailing with them to submit to him And in waiting on him in his Gospel we can tell them too that he will quicken them powerfully bring them out of their prison doors take them in c. In hearing they shall live So that all that objection is but frothy 2. To the second That the extending Christs Death cuts the nerves of all firm consolation to believers which we have already disproved he indeavors further to demonstrate thus 1. Because it divides the impretration and application Answ It conjoyns them both as to believers the parties spoken of most firmly We declare that whatever Christ hath impetrated that 's specially good he hath impetrated it to be conferred upon the believers and sealed the Covenant made with them for ever So that his after-reasoning there is vain and indeed he leaves it as pertaining to the believer the thing propounded and applies the case to an unbelieving sinner 2. He says We divide the Oblation and Intercession and that makes against the believers consolation Answ This is vain too for we say both these pertain to the believer He ever lives to make intercession for those that come to God by him Sure Mr. Owen hath been a prevaricator and did it so exactly that he hath not forgot to do it yet These two Considerations might rather make against unbelievers continuing such concerning whom we say That Christ makes not so special Intercession as for others And that to them that fulness in Christ shall not be applied or communicated But this is beside the business Amphoram instituit urceus exit We affirm and strongly maintain them both as to believers to which we also apply those two places cited by him viz. Rom. 8. â—2 33 34 and 1 Joh. 2.2 And yet in both places I conceive he strengthens their consolation from considering the general as I have before noted If he gave his Son up for us All how shall he not with him give us us the Elect of God the Called according to purpose all things Is he so good to all how specially good to us then that are made his friends and children But we deny that those further things as there spoken of at least are attributable to all that Christ died for one and other but onely to believers 3. He says Our denying the procurement of Faith Grace Holiness the whole intendment of the New Coverant cuts the nerves of believers consolation We deny not that he obliged his Father upon his Covenant to glorifie him and bring in people to him according to his own good will But suppose we wholly denied it what is this against the consolation of believers that have faith already given them we granting and firmly holding it that he is to wash sanctifie lead guide them by his Spirit and intercede for them for their perseverance unto glory and to mediate for them the performance of the new Covenant Such sorry mistakes I sometime hear out of Pulpits in which men meerly mistake themselves and slander us His Queries are all impertinent and to no purpose his Conclusions untrue and against the comfort that this Doctrine affordeth 3. In the third place he endeavours to shew that their Doctrine hinders not the consolation of Believers To that I say That he dyed for Believers hinders not their consolation that know themselves to be Believers but that that he dyed for such onely doth them no good it being contrary to the Scriptures and taking from them that Gospel that they should preach to others and also that motive that should lead them out to Charity toward All and to exhort them to prize and live to Christ they not knowing to whom these things appertain or not knowing at least the Gospel-ground for them I say also that it hinders men that yet believe not from seeing that Christ dyed for them and so from believing in him He says Many experiment the contrary To which I say but this That I have not yet met with any that I could perceive to be such or to prove themselves such by the limiting of the Death of Christ Indeed God may sometimes doth work by indefinite propositions as That he dyed for sinners for the unjust ungodly c. these sayings being his own and the subjects of them in themselves being of equavalent extent with Universals so that though they do not actually lead out their conceptions and thoughts to the Universall extent yet indeed virtually they do while the Soul is drawn in by considering his Death as propounded to or affirmed of men as under such a condition as is universall For his
blinded Rom. 10.1 2. and 11.5 6. His Premises being so faulty his Conclusion must needs be untrue viz. That all men then must be saved if by all men be meant every man in the world To the consideration of which words he nextly proceedeth 2. By All men he says the Apostle intends all sorts of men indefinitely living under the Gospel or under the inlarged dispensation of the means of grace That this is in it no man I think will deny but that this is all the truth of it I expect he should confirm but in coming over it again he says That by all men is meant only of all sorts of men that is but some of all sorts Which is larger then the former expression in this that before he confined it to men living under the Gospel now to all sorts indefinitely for indeed there is a sort of men that through their own former wickedness or others slothfulness have not the Gospel now preached to them as we have as the Indians c. which here he may seem to include too and then this latter expression contradicts the former but scanter in this that he said before all sorts of men which might reach to all of all sorts Now it s but of all sorts that is but some of all which he endeavors thus to confirm 1. That the word All most usually signifies in Scripture many of all sorts and therefore it must do so here too To this I answer 1. That his Proposition is false Where it signifies many of all sorts onely in Scripture once it signifies all of all sorts of those things whereabout the word is used twenty times And this I will undertake to make good against him 2. In those very places he propounds to shew that it so signifies he doth but Petere principium * Viz. About Christs curing all diseases and the Pharisees tithing all herbs We have spoken to them before 3. I say That when it speaks of the actions of God towards men or of his purposes thoughts knowledg or the like it very feldom if ever signifies in any other place but many of all sorts but all generally or universally if the speech be not bound up to some particular Place or Countrey Besides 4. Did it so elsewhere it would not follow It must do so here too Whereas he says There is nothing to impel another signification that 's larger I answer yes This that it s laid down as a ground of praying for all men Now we are not to limit our prayers to some of all sorts for then we should be ready to say though we refuse to pray for such and such as we have not seen sin to death yet we have done our duty Yea though we pray but for them all that seem to be of our minde of all sorts for then we might say we have prayed for some of all sorts that 's all that 's required however in praying for the Church only we might say we have prayed for many of all sorts and so that we have done what is required there being as we think some of all sorts of the Church and so we should elude the Apostles exhortation by our own Tradition as the Jewish Elders used to do with Gods Commandements the Apostle speaking here of all men as a distinct party from yea all the residue above and beyond the Church of God who are to pray for them And that his former gloss is untrue also of all sorts of men living under the inlarged dispensation of grace is here evident for we are not onely to pray for all those that live under the Gospel but for all not under it also that it might be extended to them seeing he would have all men imbrace that and be saved by him But by Mr. Owens Exposition we need not pray for inlarging the Gospel to those Indians or any further then it is but onely pray for such as have it preached unto them and not for all of them neither but for some of them which when it s left to our judgments and wills to regulate us in the Apostles precept will scarce amount to this Pray for whom ye list or will 2. He says Paul leads us plainly to this Interpretation for having wished us to pray for all men he expresly intimates that by all men he understands men of all sorts ranks conditions c. To this I say That his intimating that we should pray for all sorts and ranks doth not prove that he limits it to but some of all sorts and ranks which is the thing to be proved Nay The words of the Apostle confutes such a limitation rather for he says not for some Kings some people c. but for Kings indefinitely and all in Authority universally so that he mentioning but one sort of men as especially to be prayed for amongst all men because they are such as all the rest are chiefly concerned in and bidding us pray for all them that is all in Authority and place of Government he rather shews us by that instance of all of one sort what he would have us do in all the rest then any way teaches us to limit it but to some of all For that those words contain a formal distribution of All into many sorts I deny But onely there he particularizeth one sort in praying for whom all the rest under them are in a manner included so that his paralleling it with Jer. 29.31 where after the people are mentioned Kings Queens Eunuches Princes Carpenters Smiths is both vain and impertinent For besides that there is no such destribution here except he include Carpenters and Smiths under that phrase All in Authority it would not did he serve his purpose it not proving a limitation of the former General to but some of all sorts As if Jeremy had said Some of the Kings and Queens and Princes onely were carried away 3. He says We are to pray for all whom God would have to be saved But we ought not to pray for all and every one knowing that some are Reprobates and sin to death concerning whom we have an express Caution not to pray for them To this I answer First That the words are not Pray for All that God would have saved but absolutely Pray for All for God would have all saved c. Secondly We are to pray for all or any whosoever by this Precept only the other tells us how long till we see they have sinned to death That doth but exclude a certain condition or sin of some not exclude their persons in all conditions Nor are we to judge any Reprobates by an eternal purpose and so exclude them God no where calls any so but such as have actually rejected and are given over of him As he doth good and affords patience and mercy till then to leade them to repentance 1 Joh. 5.16 so till then we are not to reject them Thirdly Nor are the words Thou shalt
not pray for him but There is a sin to death I say not that thou shouldst pray for or concerning it 4. He says All shall be saved whom God will have to be saved for who hath resisted his will Answer That all shall be saved that God would have to be saved I deny For God would have all men saved Isai 49.4 5. but all men shall not be saved He would often have gathered Jerusalem for that often plainly refers to his coming in his Prophets by his Spirit and in his many great works done for them for often he came not in the flesh to them and yet they were not gathered He hath pleasure or will as the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies that men should rather turn and live then sin on and die but all of whom that is spoken do not so c. His confirmation is no divine testimony but he onely strikes in with the Caviller Rom. 9. For that 's not Pauls affirmation or Doctrine That none resists the Will of God but it s the voice of fleshly Reason cavilling against sound Doctrine Thou wilt say to me why doth he yet complain for who hath resisted his Will Therefore it may suffice to answer as the Apostle doth Nay but O man who art thou that answerest against God that art bold to contradict Gods Word with thy reason Who art thou thou canst not see wood for trees as we use to say thou art in thy reason resisting him and yet thou saiest Who hath done it Many a man rejects and resists the Counsel of God to his own hurt The Kings and Rulers that take counsel against Christ resist Gods Will or Counsel they stand up against it Psal 2.1 2. It s true they overthrow it not but they miss of the good it would have brought unto them had they submitted to it They may Stare contra consilium Dei they cannot evertere consilium Dei Had the Apostle said He will save all men Mr. Owens reason had been weighty but as it is said it is not Many a man doth not what God would have him nor attains what God sets before him See Psal 81.11 14 15. Isai 48.17 18. Luke 13.41 42. 5. He says God would have no more to be saved then to come to the knowledg of the truth for these two things are conjoyned in the Text. But 1. If Mr. Owen means of coming to it by outward hearing we deny it He would have Infants saved too that he wills not to listen to the truth 2. If otherwise we deny his Minor That God would have not All in all Ages come to the knowledg of the truth His confirmations of it are not concludent viz. Psal 149.19 20. He shewed his Word to Jacob his Statutes and his Judgments unto Jsrael he dealt not so with any Nation c. That says not he would not have all in those ages come to know the truth If his not dealing so with them as with Jacob argue it then he would not have Job and his friends or any of other Nations come to know it for he dealt not so with any of them as with Israel Though he revealed his Statutes and Judgments in that manner and measure to the Jews onely as to no Nation else yet he would have had the Nations about them at the hearing of his name by them have come to them for it And besides the Apostle saith not and come to know his Statutes and Judgments but to know Truth And truth they had ask the same Apostle else He tells us so in Rom. 1.11 They imprisoned the Truth in unrighteousness Sure they had it then though they had it not so much nor were so dealt with as Israel was And he would not have had them imprison it in unrighteousness and bound it by their understandings and exaltations of their own reasons as they did but retain and acknowledg it and submit to glorifie God in it and be thankful So might they have had the truth come more in upon them and revealed much more unto them Nor matters it that God suffered them to walk in their own wayes and winked at those times of ignorance Acts 14.15 and 17.30 for that shews but his patience partly in not consuming them for their follies and partly his Justice in giving them over to their own delusions but not that they had not truth or that he would not have had them own and acknowledg it and seek after him in it nay both those places intimate the contrary The first saith he left not himself without witness in that he did them good c. The other that even some of their own Poets had and held forth such glimpses of truth as had they minded and submitted to them they would not have worshipped Idols and Images of their own framing but groped after him that made themselves Nor doth the hiding of his mystery from former Ages confirm it Col. 1.26 for that was the uniting of Jews and Gentiles in such glorious priviledges in Christ which is the mystery there spoken of which was hidden too from the Jews Yea from the Apostles too in former Ages and yet they had Truth though not all Truth Matth. 11.25 26. was before spoken to But 3. Besides all this we may say that he speaks not here of the Ages past nor in the time past It s not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he in times past would nor is it he will bring all to know the truth But now for the present he wills all to come to know it Over and above what they had formerly God now sends his Gospel unto all Nations and would have them come to know it embrace it and propagate and preserve it to all their individuals and posterities This he would have them do and this is approveable before him and acceptable to him and so God wills all to be saved He would have had them acknowledge Truth in times past but now he would have them much more come to it and acknowledge it it being more fully opened So that our Assertion and Exposition will bear up it self against his Arguments We may use the Apostles All men without limiting or restraining it which is all I desire and defend our selves against the loud clamor of Error and Heresie which the spirit of Error fastens upon us by those that have exalted their reason above the Scripture and carry themselves as Masters to it not scholars of the Spirit of God in it not onely the words themselves but the scope of the place too will bear us out but it will not them that limit it to the Believers and to the Elect for beside that they never are called all men we finde both precept and practice for praying for such men as are not so but prove reprobate and we finde God by his Spirit contesting with many to seek him and to look after and receive the knowledg of the Truth and be saved by him which yet for rejecting