the living Bread which came down from Heaven If any Man eat of this Bread he shall live for ever And the Bread that I will give is my Flesh which I will give for the Life of the World So verse 33. 34 35. Joh. 1. 29. Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the Sin of the World 1 Cor. 15. 21 22. For as by Man came Death by Man came also the Resurrection of the Dead For as in Adam all die even so in Christ shall all be made alive Rom. 14. 15. Destroy not him with thy meat for whom Christ died 1 Cor. 8. 11. And through thy knowledg shall thy weak Brother perish for whom Christ died Heb. 9. 15. 16. And for this cause he is the Mediator of the new Testament that by means of Death for the Redemption of the transgressions under the first Testament they which are called might receive the promise of Eternal inheritance For where a Testament is there must also of necessity be the Death of the Testator Col. 1. 20. And having made peace through the Blood of his Cross by him to reconcile all things unto himself by him whether they be things in Earth or things in Heaven Col. 2. 14. Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us which was contrary to us and took it out of the way nailing it to his Cross Act. 3. last unto you first God having raised up his Son Jesus sent him to bless you in turning away every one of you from his iniquities Hos 7. 13. Though I have redeemed them yet they have spoken lies against me Destruction to them c. Isa 53. 6. He laid on him the iniquity of us all Rom. 14. 9. For to this end Christ both died rose and revived that he might be Lord both of the Dead and of the living Isa 45. 21 22. There is no God else beside me a just God and a Saviour there is none beside me look unto me and be ye saved all the ends of the Earth Joh. 1. 7. The same came for a Witness to bear Witness of the Light that all Men through him might believe See 1 Cor. 10. 1. 2. to the 13th John 3. 17. And as Moses lifted up the Serpent in the Wilderness even so must the Son of Man be lifted up that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have Eternal Life Rev. 22. 17. Whosoever will let him take the water of Life freely Col. 2. 28 whom we Preach warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus John 5. 22 23 26 27 28. For the Father judgeth no man but hath committed all judgment to the Son that all men should honour the Son even as they honour the Father c. For as the Father hath Life in himself so hath he given to the Son to have Life in himself and hath given him Authority to execute judgment also because he is the Son of Man Marvel not at this for the hour is coming in which all that are in the Graves shall hear his voice and shall come forth they that have done good to the Resurrection of Life and they that have done evil to the Resurrection of Damnation Acts 3. 22 23. A Prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your Brethren like unto me him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you and it shall come to pass that every Soul that will not hear that Prophet shall be destroyed from among the People Luke 20. 13 14 15 16 17 18. Then said the Lord of the Vineyard what shall I do I will send my beloved Son it may be they will reverence him when they see him c. The Stone which the Builders rejected is become the head of the Corner whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken but on whomsoever it shall fall it will grind him to Powder 1 Cor. 6. 20. And ye are not your own ye are bought with a Price therefore glorifie God in your Body and in your Spirit which are Gods Deut. 32. 4 5 6. They have corrupted themselves their spot is not the spot of his Children they are a perverse and crooked Generation do you thus requite the Lord O foolish People and unwise is not he thy Father that hath bought thee hath he not made thee and established thee ver 15. Then he forsook God that made him and lightly esteemed the Rock of his Salvation see Psal 78. throughout ver 35 36. They remembred that God was their Rock and the high God their Redeemer nevertheless they flattered him with their mouth and lyed unto him with their tongues for their heart was not right with him neither were they stedfast in his Covenant but he being full of compassion forgave their iniquity c. Isa 63. 8 9 10 He said surely they are my People Children that will not lye so he was their Saviour in all their afflictions he was affâ—icted and the Angel of his presence saved them in his love and in his pity he redeemed them and he bare them and carried them all the days of old but they rebelled and vexed his Holy Spirit wherefore he was turned to be their Enemy and fought against them see Rom. 10. 6. to the 14th Acts 13. 23. 26. 32. Of this Mans Seed God according to his promise hath raised unto Israel a Saviour Jesus Men and Brethren Children of the stock of Abraham and who ever among you feareth God to you is the word of this Salvation sent and we declare unto you glad tidings c. see ver 38 39 40 46. before cited And compare this with Luke 1. 67 68 69 c. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel for he hath visited and redeemed his People and hath raised up an horn of Salvation for us in the Honse of his Servant David c. Mat. 25. throughout Mat. 28. 19 20. All Power is given to me in Heaven and Earth go ye therefore and Preach c. Acts 10. 36. 43. And this contains power to forgive Sins Mat. 9. 6. So that you see what the Scripture saith to this point 3. And then there is neither one Text of Scripture nor one solid Reason against it nor any ill consequence at all that followeth on it 1. There is not one Text of Scripture that saith Christ died not for all or Christ dyed only for his Chosen or any thing equivalent The Texts commonly alledged are John 17. 9. I pray for them I pray not for the World 19. and for their sakes I sanctifie my self Joh. 10 11 The good Shepherd giveth his Life for his Sheep Rom. 8. 32. He that spared not his Son but gave him up for us all how shall he not with him also freely give us all things 1 Cor. 5. 18. God was in Christ reconciling the World unto himself not imputing to them their Trespasses Rom. 5. 8 9 10. For if when we
the same Again that this sorrow of his is joy and rejoycing to thee if thou wilt believe in him When thou readest that in the Garden he prayed lying grovling on his Face sweating Water and Blood begin to think seriously what an unspeakable measure of Gods wrath was upon thy blessed Saviour that did prostrate his Body upon the Earth and cause the Blood to follow and think that thy Sins must needs be most hainous that brought such bloody and grievous pains upon him Also think it is a shame for thee to carry thy Head to Heaven with haughty looks to wallow in thy pleasures and to draw the innocent Blood of thy poor brethren by oppression and deceit for whom Christ Sweat Water and Blood and take an occasion from Christs agony to lay aside the pride of thy Heart yea even to bleed for thy own offences c. When thou readest that Christ was taken and bound think that thy very Sins brought him into the power of his Enemies and were the very bonds wherewith he was tied Think that thou shouldst have been bound in the very same manner unless he had been a surety and pledg for thee Think also that thou in the same manner art bound and tied with the Chains of thy own Sins c. Lastly think and believe that the bonds of Christ serve to purchase thy liberty from Hell death and damnation When thou hearest that he was brought before Annas and Caiphas think it was meet that thy surety and pledg who was to suffer the Condemnation due to thee should by the High Priest as by the Mouth of God be condemned And wonder at this that the very Coessential and Eternal Son of God even the Soveraign judg of the World stands to be judged and that by wicked Men perswading thy self that this so great confusion comes of thy Sins Whereupon being further amazed at thy fearful state humble thy self in dust and ashes and pray God to soften thy stony Heart that thou maist turn to him and by true Faith lay hold on Christ c. When thou readest that Barrabas the murderer was preferred before Christ c. Thy very Sins pulled on him that shameful reproach and in that for thy cause he was esteemed worse than Barrabas c. When thou readest that he was openly and judicially condemned to the cursed death of the Cross consider what is the wrath and fury of God against Sin and how great is his mercy to Sinners and in this Spectacle look on thy self and with groans of Heart say O good God what settest thou before mine Eyes I even I have sinned I am guilty and worthy of damnation Whence comes this change that thy blessed Son is in my room but of thy unspeakable mercy Wretch that I am How have I forgotten my self and thee my God O Son of God how low hast thou abased thy self for me Therefore give me grace O God that beholding my own Estate in the person of my Saviour thus condemned I may detest my Sins that were the cause thereof and by a lively Faith embrace that absolution which thou offerest me in him who was condemned in my stead and room O Lord Jesus Saviour of the World give me that Holy Spirit that I may judg my self and be as vile in my own Eyes as thou wast vile before the Jews Unite me unto thee by the same Spirit that in thee I may be as worthy to be accepted before God as I am worthy in my self to be detested for my Sins c. When thou readest that he was script of his cloathing think it was that he being naked might bear thy shame ou the Cross c. When thou readest of the complaint of Christ that he was forsaken of his Father consider how he suffered the pangs and torments of Hell as thy Pledge and Surety c When thou readest of his Death consider that thy Sins were the cause of it c. Thus far Mr. Perkins whose words I have thus largely set doown both as a pattern for Ministers how to Preach the Doctrine of Redemption and to shew the necessity there is that Ministers and People do see and discover to others their Sin in this great aggravation as they were the crucifiers of Christ and to shew you what English Ministers Preach to the People whatever they speak in Disputes and what kind of Preaching it is which hath succeeded so in England for the conversion of Souls If this be not a plain Preaching of Universal Redemption or Satitfaction as to all that hear the Gospel whom he requires so oft to consider that Their sins crucified Christ then I know not what is And if any quirke may be produced to wrest so plain words to a contrary sense I am sure the poor sinners to whom it is Preached know not ordinarily those evasions but receive it in the plain sense I could fill a Volume with the like passages as this out of our most powerful and successful Preachers Here then are two distinct aggravations of sin both necessarr to every penitent Soul both which are denyed by the denyal of Universal satisfaction The first is that our sins killed Christ as being the cause of his Death Is not a man bound to mourn over him whom his sins have pierced before he knoweth himself to be Elect How few then of the Elect themselves should do it 2. The second aggravation is that all our sins against recovering mercies are committed against him that Died for us He that denyeth both these aggravations of sin doth not a little wrong Christ and mens Souls Lastly I argue thus If without those forementioned aggravations of sin no man can truly and savingly Repent then all men are bound thus to aggravate their sins in their self accusations But without these there can be no saving Repentance Ergo c. The consequence of the Major is proved in that all men are bound truly to Repentance even with that which is called Repentance unto Life The Antecedent or Minor is proved 1. In that else it can be but a Legal Repentance and not an Evangelical if it be not for sin as the crucifier of Christ and for sin as against our Redeemer 2. From the description of true Gospel Repentance Zech. 12. 10. They shall look on him whom they have pierced and mourn over him c. Or if it were proved that there is besides this a true Repentance foregoing yet it is but part of that great work seeing this Evangelical Repentance must go close with it And if any say tha tmen are bound first to believe before they are bound to this evangelical repentance for sinning against the blood of Christ I answer 1. They are bound to both at once and the Apostles prest both at once on men To Repent and Believe 2. Most Divines make Repentance with Faith to go before Justification 3. Some have writ whole Volumes to prove that it goes before Faith it self 4. All acknowledge
supposition that Christ bore not Punishment for any mans sins but those whom he intended infallibly to bring to Heaven which they have never yet proved nor ever will do there being no Word of God that promiseth to save all that Christ died for Lay all this together and you will see the truth of these Conclusions 1. That it was not the absence of Faith in Christ the Remedy but the Old Laws Obligation of us to Punishment or the guilt of sin which required Christ's satisfaction to God's Justice 2. That Christ by this satisfaction did not immediately merit Faith it self but only those intermediate causes from whence the Faith of his Elect is produced that is He purchased all men from the Legal necessity of perishing that they were in into his own Power as their Owner and Ruler that so he might make over Reconciliation Remission and Salvation to all if they will believe and might send forth sufficient means and help of Grace to draw all men towards him resolving to draw his Elect Infallibly to him 3. That it is therefore an improper and unfit phrase to say that Christ Died to purchase us Faith though rightly explained it hath truth in it But rather that Faith is an effect or fruit of Christ's Death viz. where Faith is given For the former phrase would intimate as if Faith were the thing that God was to give in requital of Christ for his Bloodshed and that directly and so Faith should be given by God as Legislator of the Old Law For the stipulation supposed to be between the Father and Son was made by the Father on his part not as Redeemer or Legislator of the New Law but as the offended Rector according to the Law of Creation now treating with the Mediator about mans Recovery Though these things spoken after our manner do but signifie Gods Decrees yet they shew us in what Relation God stood towards Man and towards the Redeemer when he required and accepted of Satisfaction Whereas the thing given to Christ was Power of Dominion and Rectorship and so the Redeemed delivered to him not all to one final end nor with a like intent And so Faith is procured by Christ only in this remote sense in that he procured full power to use the fittest means to draw men to him in the season and degrees he please with a full resolution in his own mind to make all this effectual upon his chosen that he might attain the full end of his Blood-shed So that Faith is the effect of that degree of Grace which from his Plenipotency he gives lest his chosen should miss of the intended Salvation and therefore is improperly said to be purchased by Christs Blood though yet it be a remote effect of his Blood to those that have it and none could have had it without the Intervention of his Blood because there would have been no saving use of Faith without that Blood otherwise they might if we look to Faith but as such an act considered without its object given 4. And therefore the Scripture no where useth any such phrase as to say that Christ Died to purchase us Faith But ordinarily that he died to purge or put away sin c. And in controverted cases it is safest to speak in Scripture Language Suppose a man pay 1000 l. to Ransom certain Prisoners that owed that sum and upon the Ransom it is agreed that they shall now be delivered up to him as his Ransomed ones to dispose of at his pleasure yet both parties agree that only those shall be actually delivered into freedom who thankfully accept the favour and the Ransomer as their Lord The Redeemer knows that these are men of such stubborn hearts that they will refuse his offer yet he resolves to send them under his hand a conditional discharge that all shall come forth that will accept him and his offer and to tell them that all the rest shall by him be still detained and as his Prisoners suffer greater misery Yet out of a special love to some of them he resolves to send a friend who is so effectual an Orator as will certainly prevail with them to lay by their obstinacy and yield to his motion Doth it seem a proper phrase in this case to say that this man paid 1000 l. to purchase for these men a yielding Heart or to purchase their consent to accept him and his kindness Rather he did it to purchase their Freedom from Prison which he gives to all as far as belongs to him as Ransomer But he sends this Orator with a resolution to prevail in another superadded relation viz. as one that beareth a special love to those particular men above the rest or as one at least that is resolved to attain infallibly that fruit of his Ransom even the actual deliverance of those men Nor can it therefore be concluded that he paid not the debt of any of the rest because he will not as importunately solicite them to accept of his offer 5. We must therefore distinguish of meer Ransoming or Redemption by Sacrifice and the same Sacrifice or Redemption as it is conjoyned with Election and is subordinate to it Effectual Grace to work Faith infallibly proceeds from Redemption as it is accompanied with Election or with a special absolute resolution of saving those particular persons but it comes not from mere Redemption by Sacrifice as divided from Election and therefore is common to all the Elect but not common to all the Redeemed For God hath means of two different sorts for the accomplishing his Decree of Election as to execution First general means and secondly special means and the general is the Foundation on which he means to build the special Let us again remember Amesius's words that Redemption is to the whole work of Grace viz. both common and special what Creation is to the work of Nature Nay better we may say what Creation was to Gods Governing Administrations under the first Law that is Redemption to Gods Governing Administrations under the Second or New Law For in Creation God did two things 1. He gave man his Being that he might be a Subject fit for Government 2. He gave him his Right Being Real and Relative making him after his Image in his favour and in a state of happiness and in this state he made a Law with him even with all mankind in Adam and Eve promising him further everlasting life on condition of obedience Now here Gods Creation of man in his favour and in rectitude was a common work and so was his giving him that Law But so was not the fulfilling of its Promise which implieth the Intervention of mans performance of the condition Suppose now that man had been multiplied by propagation before the fall of any and then one half of mankind had kept this Law of Works and the other had broke it Had it been fit for any man to say that God did not Create any of those
that did his best in the use of these means and lost his labour So that if all men have not Faith it is their own fault not only as Originally Sinners but as rejecting sufficient Grace to have brought them nearer Christ than they were for which it is that they justly perish as is more fully opened in the Dispute of sufficient Grace I think now I may fafely conclude that there is no proof yet brought that Christ will give Faith to all that he dyed for but the contrary I have proved Argument 3. Against Universal Satisfaction Christ dyed not for those who were in Hell at the time of his Death therefore he dyed not for all Answ I cannot discern any strong appearance of proof that can be brought for the Antecedent however it take with very many as I confess in the time of my ignorance it did with me 1. Jesus Christ satisfied God's Justice 1. Morally at his first undertaking interposing or engagement according to our apprehension presently upon mans fall 2. By that Natural Suffering which he had before undertaken and this was in the fulness of time It is usual for moral effects to go before the natural part of the Cause but the Cause is in esse morali in moral being Many a man upon his word to pay so much money such a day or upon earnest given hath the thing bought delivered to him tho' he pay not the price till long after So may a man redeem Slaves by such an undertaking So did Christ undertake to bear the punishment due to the Sins of all and this undertaking satisfied God not without his suffering but by its respect to his future suffering giving it a moral Being before hand so that when Christs satisfaction was in its first moral being no man of this World was in Heaven or in Hell 2. It was necessary for Christ having undertaken to suffer the punishment due to their sins before they were Condemned to perform his undertaking after they are Condemned If you give earnest for the buying of Beasts or Slaves and take them into your possession and promise such a day to make payment though they dye the while you must pay the price 3. Christ had as much of his ends obtained in those that perished by Rejecting Grace before his death as he hath for those that perish for the same cause since 4. The Wicked that perished before Christ's death had the same benefits by it as those that perish after his death allowing the difference that the clear discovery of the mystery of Salvation now doth cause they had mercy offered them and Remission and Salvation given them on Condition of repenting and believing and sufficient grace to have brought them nearer God than they were which if they had obeyed they had a high probability of having more added 5. All this presupposeth Christ then a sufficient Object for their Faith that is Christ who had satisfied for them as to his Undertaking and must and would do it afterwards in performance was then the Object propounded for them to believe in and therefore their Unbelief was Consequential and not Antecedent to Christ's moral satisfaction and suffering for them even as the Faith of the Godly also was 6. It is as good arguing to say some were in Heaven when Christ dyed therefore he dyed not for them as to say some were in Hell therefore he dyed not for them For it may as wisely be said those in Heaven were past all need of satisfaction as that those in Hell were past all hope and remedy The time was when they had hope from that satisfaction set before them and when it was a sufficient remedy for them and wanted nothing but their own consent to make it fully effectual As the time was when those now in Heaven had need of it and did accept it offered them Abraham saw Christ's day and rejoyced and Moses counted the reproaches of Christ greater Riches than the Treasures of Egypt But the impenitent then refused Christ and his Government and therefore were justly denied his further Mercies 7. Only this much may be concluded by this arguing that Christ at the time of his dying did not intend the Saving of those that were then in Hell and so it is as true that Christ at his death did not intend for the future to give Regeneration the first Reconciliation Pardon Adoption Union with him or Glory to those in Heaven for they had received them all long before as the Damned had lost them all before by their Rejection But it follows not hence that therefore Christ bore not the punishment of all mens sins according to his first undertaking I know great dissimilitudes are pretended between the Cases of the Saved and the Damned when Christ dyed as to this Argument but they are but pretended and none is shewed and I think it needless to strive against meer words But a fore-mentioned Disputer undertaketh to shew that the Answer drawn from the state of them that were Saved when Christ dyed will not hold and why 1. He saith Those that were saved were saved on this ground that Christ should certainly suffer for them in due time which suffering was as effectual in the purpose and promise as in the execution and accomplishment c. Answ 1. And those that were Damned had Pardon and Salvation given them freely if they would have accepted them on God's terms and this was on the same consideration of Christ's future dying for them 2. And consequently they who were then Damned for unbelief were Damned for rejecting a Christ that had undertaken to dye for them and the mercy purchased by his undertaken death 2. This Author produceth such a Simile as I mentioned even now of one that undertaketh the ransom of Prisoners and sendeth to them thereupon to come forth for he that detaineth them taketh his word Now if some come forth and the rest refuse and be dead in Prison and others hear not of that and that according to his appointment and were dead long since when the Ransomer comes to pay the Debt or Ransom doth he intend it for them that dyed obstinately in Prison or only for those that came forth doubtless only for these last Answ 1. To answer as confidently doubtless it is the Debt and Ransom undertaken for all and paid according to the undertaking 2. Bring home the Similitude nearer the case from payment of money to suffering of the punishment which they should have suffered or some other ad fines Rectoris equivalent and doubtless then he suffered Loco omnium instead even of those that are dead in Prison or else he is not a man of his word if his action answer not his undertaking But he did not at his actual suffering intend it for the further good of the dead not in bonum ulterius omnium supposing what good they had before received by it and might have received a full deliverance if they would And to make them