would conclude that neither sin nor Law nor the powers of Hell should be able to condemn me As Paul in many places witnesseth We believe saith he that man is justified by faith not by the works of the Law David likewise in this placeth mans beatitude when God imputes righteousness to him without works Blessed are they whose sins are forgiven and whose iniquities are blotted out Blessed is that man to whom God hath not imputed sin Lastly I would conclude that from the appearance of works no infallible criterium could be grounded of our everlasting condition because we are not ignorant that those men that have been most dear to God have collapsed and continued in most presumptious and dangerous sins who afterwards upon repentance have been restored to eternal happiness Therefore we ought not to judge rashly of the final estate of others but leave them to their master either to stand or fall Rom. 14. C. I approve your answer brother Maynordus for it most rationally confutes the cavils of the adversaries and their mistaken expositions and solidly confirmeth our opinion And hereafter by the assistance of God I will thus repel the darts of the devil and elude the subtile arguments of some men M. The Lord teach thy hands to war that bows of steel may be broken by thine arms Psal 18. I conceive I have now sufficiently shewed the first hatching of this barbarous opinion and all its serpentine turnings and windings It remains now that we proceed to the confirmation of our most salutiferous perswasion C. You judge rightly otherwise you may incur the same censure with Lactantius who was said very soundly to confute the opinions of his adversaries but very weakly to maintain and prove his own assertions But in my judgement these men seem ignorant of the duty of a prudent Oratour neither do they fully understand the disposure uâ—ed by Lactantius in his Books of Divine Institutions For it is the part of a wise Oratour as Cicero teacheth us to endeavour all he can that that part of his Oration which consisteth in the refutation of his Opponent be more firm compact and pithy than that which concerns his own Defence to cast all our darts against him but if our own assertions be easier to be proved and his harder to be overthrown then it is an excellent course to endeavour to entice and withdraw the minds of men from the opposite defence and to convert them to the favouring of our own Which things being true I see no reason why it should be objected against him that he laboured more in refutation than in proof for such is the cause of Religion that it must not be supported by the infirmity of humane arguments and subministration of reason but must flourish in the embraces of an active Faith Go ye into all the world saith our great Master and preach the Gospel to every creature he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved but he that believeth not shall be damned Paul also saith That a Bishop should be able by sound Doctrine both to exhort and convince the gainsay rs Tit. 1. For there is no more required but the sincere and pure word of God which to them that are ordained to eternal beatitude is more sure firm and infallible than principles and demonstrations are to Geometricians And therefore if any man hath detected and confuted an erroneous opinion he hath well performed his undertaking I speak not this as though Lactantius had not confirmed true Religion as it was to be proved against them who were ignorant of the Scriptures or despised them For when in the first three Books he confuted the superstitious errours of his adversaries then he falls upon the proof of Christian Religion in the next three Books and in the seventh he sets down the true end of our Religion and sweetly invites men to pursue the reward of immortalitie M. What you speak of that Father is very true that he was to contend against such as denied the authority of the Scriptures neither did they admit of Proofs deduced from that authority But we who have to deal with such men as reverence the Sacred Monuments of Truth must proceed in a different manner I will therefore demonstrate the Amplitude and Largeness of the Church Triumphant fâ—om four most firm and most clear topick places and with as much brevity as the reason of the matter will allow First from the power of God Secondly from his wisdom Thirdly from his mercy and goodness and Lastly from Divine Testimonies To begin therefore with the first I say Caelius that if we should grant the Church and Kingdom of God to be narrower or less peopled than that miserable Commonwealth of the devil I fear we should derogate from the glory and majesty of our Creatour and King For the power and greatness of a King consisteth not so much in wealth and treasure as in the multitude of his people the largeness of his territories the extent of his provinces and the vast number of his Subjects who pay him tribute and are subject to his Dominion How did the people of Rome swell to that greatness but by the multitude of Kingdoms and variety of Nations which they subdued and governed from hence they were stiled the powerful Romanes and Lords of the world From hence their Senate was called the Haven of Nations the Refuge of Kings For what is greatness but an abundance of power and majesty and what is power but a facultie of protecting others defending themselves and a deliverance of the oppressed from the possession of an enemy but if the enemy of God and man be better provided of subjects than the King of Heaven he is then more powerfull and his greatness more wonderful But who was ever so prodigiously wicked as to affirm the devil to be more powerful than God the work than the workman the basest servant than the most wealthy Lord wherefore doth the Lord of Heaven delight himself in these Titles King of kings Lord of lords the Mighty God the Lord of Hosts Strong in battel and the like C. Although the current of your discourse doth very much affect me nor do I willingly hinder it yet I cannot forbear for a while to stop it Some man might here say this also is a great argument of the power of the King of Heaven in that he hath destinated the major part of mankind who were all his enemies to everlasting banishment M. This might be alledged of some Tyrant who leaves no means unattempted either through justice or oppression to enlarge his Empire and such a Tyrant is that old adversary the devil But to affirm this of our Heavenly King who is our most lawful Soveraign our common Father who made us and hath taken an everlasting care to preserve us were most injurious scandalous and blasphemous Neither is that any right demonstration of power that a Prince destroyeth the greater part of his people but on the contrary
THE CHURCH Triumphant OR A Comfortable Treatise of the Amplitude and Largeness of the Kingdom of CHRIST Wherein is proved by Scriptures and Reason That the number of the Damned is inferiour to that of the Elect. Nè Redarguas ea falsitatis de quorum contrariis non est demonstratio Rabbi Mos By JOSEPH ALFORD M. A. sometime of Oriell Colledge in Oxford Exercere nos Deus vult diffiâ—ultate Quaestionis Non decipere falsitate sententiae Augustin Printed by W. Bentley for J. Williamâ— at the Crown in S. Pauls Church-yard Anno Domini 1649. 〈…〉 with that usefull observation of Irenaeus who speaking of Prophecies and some other abstruse points in Religion saith Antequam effectum habent aenigmata sunt ambiguitates hominibus they are clouds in the eyes and riddles in the understandings of men until they be explained I humbly intreat you therefore to accept my indeavours and to suspend your judgement till you have weighed the Reasons on both sides Let not the seeming novelty of the opinion retard your enquiry for although Truth be the daughter of the most High and therefore there can be no new Truth yet many Errours are ancient embraced reverenced unsifted and uncontroverted meerly in regard of their Antiquity when notwithstanding some doctrines of great consolation may languish and be suppressed under those errours The treasures of Divine knowledge are inexhaustible and to the dissolution of the World the Oracles of God will suppeditate new matter wherewith to recreate a holy diligence to confirm a doubting spirit and to confound a sawcy curiosity If I have delivered a truth unto the world which hath lien as an Embrion buried in the womb of errour it is a wealthy blessing upon my poor endeavours If I doe hallucinate in the prosecution of it I am willing to be confuted without obstinacy I am not less desirous to demolish an errour than I am sollicitous to hearken to a corrected judgement Sir I wish you felicities both temporal and eternal that when you have finished the progress of faith and hope you may be translated into this Church Triumphant together Sir with Your most devoted servant JOS. ALFORD OF THE LARGENESSE OF THE Church Triumphant IN the Misteries of Theology some questions are not yet un-muffled from their obscurity This Doctrine concerning the Paucity or Multitude of the Elect fruitful of consolation and conducible to the knowledge of God hath seemed not onely difficult but inexplicable The opinion of the Learned asserting the Paucity hath augmented the Difficulty as if the bare authority of men were sufficient to prevail with after Ages without the concurrence of their reasons It hath been inveloped with obscurity by a surmize that the knowledge of it is hid in the secret councel of God and is to us unrevealed neither hath it appeared what reasons can be raised from the Doctrine of Faith and good Works which might greatly perswade us to a belief of the greater number to be saved But the clouds of erroneous prejudice being dissipated truth will be manâ—fested in a more vigorous excellency What tidings can arrive more acceptable to a consternated spirit labouring under sin and an apprehension of eternal torments than to receive an assurance that between the exhaustible mercy of his God and his iniquities there is no proportion That the goodness of God is not circumscribed in the salvation of some few men just and perfect and eminent for sanctity but that he will beautifie innumerable others lame and infirm and dislocated members On the other side what can more encline the hearts of men to desperation than to feign God to be some severe and importunate Exactor who will admit none into his Heavenly Kingdom but Enoch Elias Prophets and Apostles and some few men of Angelical holiness For as in the body all the members are not Eyes but the Ears the Nose the Hands the Feet and other more ignoble parts have their distinct and proper functions So in the Body of the Church Triumphant whereof our Lord Christ is the Head the members are divers and subordinate some being dignified above others and as in a well constituted City there are the chief Magistrates men of middle ranks and the poorer sort so in the City of God which through his benignity is congregated and constituted by degrees in this world there will be found not onely Prophets and Apostles but also many inferior persons out of all Kingdoms People and Nations In the Tabernacle of Moses and upon the building and beautifying of that illustrious Temple of Solomon they did not onely bestow gold silver and jewels but they made use also of brass wood stones Badgers-skins and Goat-skins to let us understand no doubt that into this Heavenly Temple whereof that was a shadow some shall be received who in the judgement of men want the austere conversation and refined piety But if any man object Nothing that is defiled and impure shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven and that God hath commanded us to be holy even as He is holy Let that man also know that he who upon the Cross purified the thief in the fire of his own sacrifice and torments will in like manner deal with all those that are ordained to salvation It is the commandement of God that we should be perfect but imperfect is that charity that refuseth salvation to those that have not fulfilled that commandment he commandeth what we are unable to perform that the riches of his mercy might abound to make the whole world obnoxious to his benignity for by the fulfilling of the law or the accumulation of good works no man can be perfectly just before him For this cause I have framed this Disputation of the Amplitude of the Kingdom of God conceiving it no less profitable than if it had consisted of the Mercy Goodness Wisdom Power or in a word of the Nature of God For these things are so concatenated knit and interwoven that unless the confines of it exceed the territories of the devil we can neither truly apprehend his mercy nor those other attributes that declare his nature But such is the peevishness of some spirits they choose rather to defend an opinion with obstinacy which they dote upon than to enquire what may be stedfastly maintained without contumacy but we who defend the better Cause to wit the magnifying of the Mercy of God in the salvation of Mankind for beyond these we shall not proceed are prepared to refute without pertinacity and to be convinced without passion I have not enterprised this Disputation with any secret end divided from the glory of God not to anticipate more able pens nor to introduce any superannuated Heresie not to tyrannize over the judgements of men by an upstart Opinion nor to impose a necessity of belief upon the meanest capacity but to unbosom my Meditations to the Pious and the Learned and to have this liberty judged by the Church of Christ according to the
not he himself in Christ the Lord come to constitute this Sanctuary to reveal this Tower of liberty safety and refuge And with what reason and upon what conditions he did it will easily be understood for they that hastened to those Sanctuaries fled thither with body and goods and were oftentimes taken or killed before they escaped thither But to this Refuge of our Salvation it is enough to run with faith and unfeigned desires Their Sanctuaries were limited to a certain place and a certain number of years but to this there may at any time be a confluence of any people from any part of the world Their places of refuge were not capable of all men and were appointed almost but for one Nation this Heavenly Tower of Defence will receive an infinit multitude of people and is common to all men The body onely and the goods were there preserved here man is invested with glorious immortality and enfeaffed with eternal liberty Few were there made better but if they came thither wicked wicked they there continued Here upon our first entrance we are transsubstantiated into new creatures and throughly changed as if we were new born again for our gracious King who hath opened unto us this Sanctuary of Salvation doth not onely remit unto us the punishment due to our transgressions but doth also make us just holy and innocent Lastly they who fled to the places of Succour appointed by Moses and Romulus changed their Lord and were free from all past dangers but afterwards they were severely punished if they were found guilty of new delinquency nor after that relapse was there any Refuge allowed them But in our Sanctuary as often as a man offendeth so often is he pardoned provided that with true repentance he maketh his appeal and preferreth his petition to the King And he that runneth to this Holy Asylum this Heavenly Temple is no longer a servant but for ever free being manumitted by the son of God For such is the goodness of our King that he will make us all the sons of God and coheirs with his Son Priests Prophets and partakers of the Divine Nature 2. Pet. 1. C. But what and where is this Asylum this City of Refuge and year of Salvation M. This Caelius is the Church of the living the City of the Saints the Pillar and Prop of truth and this year of Jubilee is all that intervention of time from the Nativity of Christ to the Day of Judgement of which time the Apostle saith Now the acceptable time approacheth the Day of Salvation draweth neer This is not more at this time than at another not more in this year than in another not more in Europe than in Asia or Africa not more at London than at Rome and therefore is the Church stiled the Catholick Church For seeing this great City consisteth of such men as believe in and reverence the living God wheresoever they are dispersed there is the Church and the year of Jubilee and that sempiternal place of Refuge C. What is your opinion of those that never heard of these things or if they have heard of them it was onely by a scattered report but they had not the insinuations of them by the preaching of the Gospel or any Divine Institutions For it is certain that many Nations as we have lately had experience by the discoveries in America have lived and died who never heard of Christ But to think that all those men for so many ages were predetermined to damnation is not consentaneous to the Divine goodness and just government of our Heavenly King Although it may appear a difficult matter to conclude either way of their final condition yet I conceive no otherwise of them then those who lived before the coming of Christ and the promulgation of the Law of Moses for if they did or now do observe â—he law of nature worship our God do nothing to others that they would not have done to themselves or repent them of such evil doings my opinion is they may be saved for they that feared God were always dear and acceptable to him as Peter witnesseth in the Acts of the Apostles such were Abimelech Melchisedech Jethro Joh and his four friends Hiram also the King of the Tyrians the Queen of Sheba Cyrus and Darius Kings of Persia and the Wise men at the Nativity of Christ with innumerable others as it is highly probable un-mentioned in the Book of God For this was the judgement of the most Ancient Fathers Origen and Clemens Alexandrinus as it is recorded in their writings Qui verbum non accepit auditione saith Clemens ei vema dandi propter ignorantiam Who hath not heard the Word preached his ignorance shall excuse him for as the Apostle saith Rom. 10. How shall thâ—y believe in him of whom they have not heard The untaught shall not be condemned but they who have heard the Embassadours of Christ and despise the offers of his grace This is the peremptory Sanction of our Lord himself Go saith he preach the Gospel and teach all Nations he that believeth shall be saved but he that believeth not shall be damned This is the Law and most just Decree of our King that as he who heareth the Gospel and believeth shall be saved so he that heareth and believeth not shall be damned From whence it follows that he is not condemned by the Gospel who hath not heard the Gospel but they are therefore seperated to condemnation because they contemned the law of nature and the testimony of conscience by which they shall be judged as St. Paul witnesseth in the second to the Romanes this is the eternal purport of all Laws that they to whom a law is given shall if they transgress that law be judged by it but not those who are not bound by that law And if this be observed in all well-governed Common-wealths which are as images of that Heavenly Kingdom much more may we presume that it is observed by God himself who is King of kings and the common Father of all mankind C. Indeed these things seem most worthy of our righteous God and altogether agreeable to his gentle nature thus we see he would not inflict punishments upon the Ninivites without cause declared for he first sent his Prophet to them that by his preaching they might understand the will of God Yet that saying of Peter in the Acts doth seem to thwart this opinion for he teacheth That there is no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved but the name of Jesus Christ Acts. 4. M. That is not otherwise to be understood than as we said before to concern them to whom that name hath been preached although whosoever is saved hath salvation by God his Saviour as he proclaimeth of himself in Isaiah I even I am the Lord and besides me there is no Saviour But that is Jesus Christ God to be praised for ever although explicitly and declaratively he
hath not been revealed to them C. I confess I thought thus within my self but I was willing to hear your opinion but when you said a little before speaking of the Church that it was wheresoever men did believe or should believe wherefore made you that addition should believe M. Because at all times and in all ages many are elected to this kingdom which are not yet called not compelled by faith to enter as were Saul Cornelius the Centurion and Sergius Paulus the Proconsul and innumerable others whose vocation and ingress was by the Lord for some time deserred who because they were from all eternity appointed to this kingdom are therefore all Citizens and Members of this heavenly Common-wealth this is manifest by these and others who the goodness of God being revealed are afterwards received into this kingdom C. They say that Cornelius oponed a passage into this kingdom by his prayers and Alms-deeds and this they confirm by those words of the Angel to him Thy prayers and thy Almes are come up for a memorial before God M. The abettors of such fancies are contumelious to God and ignorant of the Scriptures they reproch God for they rob him of his Honour and give the glory to man they are ignorant of the Scriptures not discerning an open truth Their errour ariseth partly from a non-consideration of the words preceding and subsequent which if they had perpended they had never dashed against this Rock What hath St. Luke written in the beginning of this Chapter That Cornelius was a devour man and one that feared God with all his house which gave much Almes to the people and prayed to God alway Afterwards those men that were sent by Cornelius give him this Character that he was a just man feared God and of good report among all the nation of the Jews Who now doth not plainly see that his piety to and his fear of God are first commended then his Almes and good deeds are spoken of he was a Religious and a good man and therefore gave many Almes to the poor and prayed to God alway which were the fruits and effects of his piety Therefore it is said he was of good report among the Jews But from whence came these good effects Not from his good deeds for the tree must be good before the fruit can be good as our Lord saith Matth. 7. For the cause cannot follow the effect any more than a daughter can bring forth her Mother But who made him Religious and just and fearing God Who but he that circumciseth the foreskins of our hearts That taketh away our stony hearts and giveth us hearts of flesh and new Spirits Ezech. 11. He I say made Cornelius both Religious and devout and were not these things declared unto Peter by the Divine oracle of God for when he supposed that all the rest of the Nations were alienated from the benefit of the Gospel the Angel telleth him Those things which God hath purified call not thou unclean Acts 10. Here God witnesseth that he had purged prepared and consecrated Cornelius to himself And although it was spoken because of Cornelius yet the words concern all those that God hath chosen and adorned with the beautiful knowledge of the Gospel And whereas it is said that his prayers and giving of Almes went up to God as a memorial nothing more is intended but that God heareth the prayers of the Godly that their good works are acceptable to him and that he hath them in remembrance as flowing from himself the Fountain of all good gifts And where it is said that he was frequent in prayer it is evident that this proceeded from a Divine inspiration For as Paul saith We know not what we should pray for as we ought but the Spirit it self maketh intercession for us with unutterable groans Rom. 8. Now if he was endued with the Spirit of God as certainly he was and that his Almes-deeds and his prayers were accepted it is as certain that he had saith without which it is impossible to please God as St. Paul doth most plainly teach Rom. 10. And if he had the illustrations of Faith then his heart was purified and cleansed as Peter testifieth of Cornelius and other Gentiles in St. Luke saying That God had enlightened them by his Holy Spirit and purged their minds by Faith C. I perceive that by degrees you have come to the right explication of the truth but there is yet one thing to be enucleated for Peter saith Of a truth I now perceive that God is no respecter of persons but in every nation he that feareth him and worketh righteousness is accepted by him Act. 10. Here he sheweth that by good works a man is reconciled to God M. This speech of the Apostle meaneth nothing else but what diverse other holy sentences do teach that God in his election of and his Love to mankind hath regard onely to their goodness and glorie not to their original their pedigree their country their sex their age their merit or any other personal attributes This truth is exemplified in the person of Cornelius whom God called being an alien and dignified him with a place in his kingdom The signs of Election are an ingenuous and a reverential fear of God like to that of obedient children towards their parents from whence there ariseth in them a confidence and a stedfast perswasion of the love of God to them and from thence again groweth a delight in the Law of God a complacency in the works of righteousness he that is accepted by God he feareth he honoureth loveth and trusteth in God for it behoveth that the person of that man be gracious and acceptable whose duties or offices of Love are accepted for no performances are acceptable from him against whom we entertain a prejudice or aversation of this we have experience in the common civilities of life but with God there is no prejudice for he is the searcher of the heart And John saith Whosoever doth work righteousness is born of God Also Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ he is born of God that is therefore some men live justly some man believeth Jesus to be the Christ because he is justified by God and endued with holiness and righteousness by him for unless he thus be born of God he is unable to perform any thing justly and rightly or to believe that Jesus is the Christ This the Lord himself confirmeth upon Peters confession that he was the Son of the Immortal God Verily saith our Saviour flesh and bloud hath not revealed this unto thee but my Father which is in Heaven Now there is this difference between Divine and humane justice he that is not justified by God may execute humane justice for fear of punishment expectation of glorie or hope of other reward but no man is exercised in heavenly justice who is not first justified purged by Faith and assisted with grace Therefore it is no wonder that whosoever
two there is no third Then he saith Those that are worldly do continually vex and persecute those that are Spiritual and Heavenly yet they are servants these are free Therefore in reference to their final condition he conferreth an everlasting inheritance upon the sons of the free-woman those of the bondwoman being abdicated forsaken and rejected These things being so learnedly and so plainly disjoyned by the Apostle we ought not to conjoyn or rather to confound them And if any man will by that married wife or by that daughter of the bâ—nd-woman understand the Nation of the Jews neither can he by that means detract from the multitude of the Elect for as he that treads the steps of the faith of Abraham is the son of Abraham and belongeth to the number of the Saints so he that followeth the contumacy and abideth in the unbelief of the Jews is deservedly called a Hagaren and an Ismaelite Here is therefore no place for tergiverlation for he plainly affirmeth that the number of the Citizens of the Heavenly Jerusalem is much greater than that of the earthly Jerusalem and this is the reason of that great admiration of the celestial Citizens when they behold their own multitude as you read at large in the Prophesie of Isaiah C. It is so but why is one called barren and forsaken the other the married wife M. First because she is not so fruitful pompous and illustrious in the ceremonies of the Law as the other Secondly because she appeareth little and regardless in the eyes of the world For she boasteth not of good works and merit doth not make ornament magnificence and splendour to be inseperable notes of her purity and Lastly is not celebrated for diversity of Sects and variety of rites and ceremonies Therefore she is termed barren without children solitary little despisable and forsaken of God by them that judge according to the specicious outside of things But on the contrary the other said to have a husband because she surpasseth in the pomp of outward worship for the Prophet hath opposed the married woman to the barren and her that is forsaken and speaks of both of them after the manner of men C. I will not here demand who is the husband of the Church for I know it is Christ the Lord but who besides will they have to be her husband M. The very Synagogue it self boasts of Moses but very falsly as Christ sheweth in the 5. of John saying Had ye believed Moses ye had also believed me for he wrote of me but if ye believe not his writings how will you believe my words Also our Lord saith in the 2. of the Apocalypse that such are not Jews but blasphemers and the Synagogue of Satan Moreover they who ordain and pretend Moses for their Law-giver if they seek salvation by any other Law than that of Christ whether it be of Moses or Mahomet or Pope or any Seperatist whatsoever they may be said to have a master a husband and they that are such are all servants bond-men and as many as are begotten of them that is perverted by them and if they be servants they shall not abide in the house for ever but the son abideth ever But Christ and his Spouse the Heavenly Jerusalem have children and those free from the Law as our Saviour told the Jews If the Son shall make you free then you are free St. Paul also telleth us that where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty 1 Cor. 3. Therefore these are heirs not by the observation of the Law but only as sons sons of the free-woman which is the Holy Catholick Church not the synagogue of the bond-woman held under fear and servitude For he that is a son doth not imagine that he shall therefore become an heir because he serves the father keeps his commandments but because he is born in true and lawful wedlock or else called into the family by adoption C. These things are so plain that he is wilfully blind that seeth them not But can you produce any testimonies out of the New Testament M. I can Behold St. Paul comparing the calamity brought into the world by the transgression of Adam with the benefit of Christs resurrection that is those which were damned in Adam with those that are justified sanctified and saved in Christ saith thus But not as the offence so is the free gift for if through the offence of one many be dead much more the grace of God and the gift by grace which is by one man Jesus Christ hath abounded unto many Rom. 5. Now the sense of the words is this That the gift of one man Jesus Christ hath abounded to many more than the fall of Adam and the offence by that fall did extend Here you see the Apostle saith in terminis that more are saved by the advantage of Christ than are damned by the sin of Adam C. I do see it and I understand it but how in the same place are those words to be understood For he saith As by the offence of one man judgement came upon all men to condemnation so by the righteousness of one man shall all men be absolved Here he saith all men are damned and yet all men are saved and seems to speak things repugnant For if all be condemned there is a necessity none can be saved and there is a necessity none can be damned if all men be saved M. You have propounded a question somewhat perplexed and knotty but by Gods assistance I shall untie it I know there are some that say all are condemned that is all that are born under original sin are obnoxious to condemnation that all are absolved and set free that is that Christ died for all men and that his death was effectual to expiation of the sins of the whole world if all men had applied unto themselves the benefit of his death by saith but this opinion tottereth in regard that all men are born in original sin yet all men are not justified all men are not saved and by this it would seem that the efficacy of the passion of Christ was not so diffusive as the transgression of Adam was destructive whereas if you consider the words onely the reason should be the same in both You have not forgotten the old Axiomes Paria paribus contrariis omnibus contraria conveniunt But this seems more plain to me to affirm that all which are condemned are condemned for the offence of one man and so also all that are saved have salvation by the benefit of one but it is true that all are condemned that came of the old Adam and all which are born of the second Adam which is Christ are saved but they are few these are many otherwise the righteousness of Christ will be found less than the disobedience of Adam Thus we shall with the Apostle harbour thoughts correspondent to the Office Divine virtue of Christ And whereas