efficacie in Christs blood for thee to comfort pacifie and save thy soul then for others that are damned That which a flords real comfort and peace is distinguishing grace and love and I pray you what distinguishing grace is there to one more then another according to the doctrine of Universal Grace and Redemption What peace joy comfort What ground of assurance can a poor soul draw from this Doctrine Herein I shall appeal to a wounded spirit a broken heart that will with meekness hearken to good counsel but as for such as go on in a way of pride and carnal presumption as I cannot but pity them so I shall not wonder though they scoff at the Doctrine of special and effectual grace and redemption special grace will not be prized by men that are full of self confidence but by the self denying soul Lastly The vigorous promoting this doctrine of universal redemption in City Country Army is a ready way to reconcile us to Rome oh what an introduction it makes what an inlet it opens to the worst of popish opinions as conditional elections See Eph. 1.4 5 9 11. 2 Tim. 1 9 Rom 9.11 1 Cor 2.14 Eph 2.1 Phil 2.13 Eph 1.18 19 Ioh 5.25 Rom 8.7 Iohn 7.44 45. Ioh 3.6 Rom 5.12 14 Psal 5.5 that somthing in the creature or done by the creature in time is the cause or condition of Gods decree in predestination That the natural man hath free will and power of himself without spiritual grace to believe in Christ to eternal life if the word of faith be morally propounded to him in the external ministry That there is no such thing as original sin and that all infants dying in infancy are saved not only the infants of believers but of Jews Turks Heathens Atheists How inconsistent this is with Antipaedo-baptisme I shall not now dispute but I suppose the most sober and rational of that judgement will easily apprehend that these two cannot hang together namely that all infants are in a covenant of grace and in a state of salvation and yet that the outward visible seale belongs not to them This opinion of universal redemption is accompanyed with that sad black See Rom 8 38 39 Ier 31.3 Ioh 13.1 Heb 8 12 Iohn 10 27 1 Iohn 5 12 1 Ioh 3 9 dismal and uncomfortable doctrine that a man may finally apostatise and fall away from a state of grace and salvation he may be a true believer a member of Christ in a state of grace and justification to day and yet a limbe of Satan and in a state of wrath and condemnation to morrow Oh how sad and uncomfortable is this to a poor soul what sad discouragements an dispondencies of spirit may this expose a broken heart unto Hence also it is that the Scriptures are debased and vilified For if Christ as mediator be savingly revealed in and by the inanimal creatures the Sun Moon Stars and fruitful seasons as one of the ablest and most daring of that way publikely affirmed in a dispute in London Mr John Goodwin in a dispute with Mr Sym now printed Is not this a ready way to render the glorious word of the Gospel contemptible and may it not well harden the Jews Turkes and Heathens and keep them off from hearing the Gospel preached to tell them that Christ dyed for every man and that salvation through Christ is revealed by Sun Moon and Stars though they have not the written words Here is a doctrine indeed that will please the papist well and therefore we need not wonder that the late innovators a As Dr Laud Mountag Cozens Pockling Heyling did contend so furiously for universal redemption freewill apostacy from grace and other points of Arminianisme and that they preserred such as incline thereunto discountenancing the most faithful and Orthodox ministers of the contrary judgement for they knew that these points would be as so many fit expedients to bring us over and reconcile us to the papacy But as this doctrine was promoted and propagated by formall superstitious men who were enemies to the power and spirit and life of godliness and the preachers and professors thereof so it was much opposed and the contrary asserted by the most reverend ministers of Christ * Preston Sibbs Bayne Hooker Twisse Pemble Ames Cotten Who have left behind them a sweet savor many of them being at rest with the Lord and for whom the whole Church of Christ have and will ever have cause to bless his name But if Christ did not dy for every man and woman in the world Object then I have no ground to believe that he dyed for me This is but a meer fiction Answer for first It is no where said in Scripture that Christ dyed for thee by name John Thomas Robert c. there is no such particular personall scripture revelation and therefore that cannot be the ground of thy faith but that which thou art bound to believe and to rest upon is that Christ dyed for all those sinners that shall truly believe on him whether Jews or Gentiles and if thou believe on him and accept him for thy Saviour Husband Lord and King and resigne up thy seif to him thou mayst then conclude to the comfort of thy soule that Christ dyed for thee and that thou shalt be saved The argument lies thus whosoever believeth on Christ shall be saved But I believe in Christ therefore I shall be saved God so loved the world Ioh. 3.16 18. that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth on him should not perish but have everlasting life 1 Tim. 1.15 He that believeth on him is not condemned he that hath the Son hath life This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners By him all that believe are justified from all things Acts 13.39 from which they could not be justified by the law of Moses Secondly It belongs to the Will of God's purpose and good pleasure and is a secret voluntas propositi aut beneplaciti whom Christ dyed for in particular neither canst thou comfortably know it as to thy owne soule till thou hast a particular faith of assurance and therefore you are not to fetch the ground of your faith from thence but you are to look to the will of Gods precept commanding and incouraging you to believe they are to obey the command of God to have a respect to the generality of the offer of Grace and to this call and invitation of God in the ministry of the word Come unto me all ye that are weary and I will give you rest Mat. 11.28 Rev. 22.27 Whoever will let him take of the water of life freely This is open and revealed the other is secret and hid nor caâ—t thou have a particular evidence of Christ dying for thee til the spirit of God come work special faith in thy heart and
hear and obey the voice of Christ Why then is it said Rev. 3.6 Rev. 2.19 He that hath an ear to hear let him hear what the spirit of God speaks intimating that there are not many that have a hearing ear so as to hear spiritually and savingly why doth Christ thank the Father Mat. 11.25 26. because he hath hid these things from the wise and prudent and hath revealed them to babes for so it seemed good in his sight Why is it said that the stone which the Builders refused 1 Per. 2.7 8. is made the head of the corner and a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence even to them which stumble at the word being disobedient whereunto also they were appointed Oh the blindness of the heart of man Is it not plain from this Scripture if men would not shut their eys against the light that Christ so laid down his life for his sheep as that he excludes the goats If he laid down his life for them as sheep surely then that which belongs to them as such belongs only to such If for sheep as sheep then not for goats If for the elect as the elect then not for reprobates Those for whom Christ died he died for them as for their Shepherd as himself saith Iohn 10. verse 11. Now will the shepherd lay down his life for wolves who will ever remain of a wolvish nature and persecute the lambs I lay down my life saith he for my sheep He makes you see a plain division and contradistinction between his sheep and such as are not his sheep Ye believe not verse 26. because ye are not of my sheep as I told you And this is in effect as if he had said I lay down my life for my sheep only These sheep whom he laid down his life for are all his elect whether called or uncalled for there is but one shepherd and one sheepfold Other sheep I have them I must also bring and they shall hear my voice and there shall be one fold and one shepherd The distinction here is not between believers and unbelievers as a great corrupter of Scripture would perswade us but between sheep and goats T. Moor in his Vniversality for they are called sheep who did not then actually believe nor were not actually gathered into Christ's fold verse 16. They are such as the Father gave Christ from eternity who must and shall come to Christ being drawn to him by the cords of his fathers love nor will Christ cast out them that come to him but will give them eternal life Now if these properties and priviledges appropriated to Christ's sheep can with any colour of truth be applyed to those souls that shall be damned to eternity let the godly and sober Reader judge For my own part I must profess that if there were no other Scripture besides this against Universal Redemption it should through the grace of God fortifie me against that error I come now to another Argument ARGUMENT VIII MY eighth Argument against Universal Redemption shall be taken from John 10.27 28 29. compared with John 6.39 the words be these My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me and I give unto them eternal life and they shall never perish neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand My Father which gave them me is greater then all and no man is able to pluck them out of the Fathers hand And this is the Father's will which hath sent me that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing but should raise it up again the last day Hence I may further argue thus Those whom the Father gave to the Son and for whom Christ died to them he gives eternal life none shall be able to pluck them out of his hands he must not lose one But now all the posterity of the first Adam every man and woman in the world have not eternal life they have not everlasting union and fellowship with the Son of God they have not eternal glory communicated to them And therefore it is plain that Christ did not by the counsel and appointment of God lay down his life nor give himself a ransome for every man and woman in the world Do but observe the reason why many believe not why is it Iohn 10.26 but because they are not of the number of Christ's sheep Behold here is a higher cause why men believe not to salvation and so have not eternal life then the stubbornness of man's heart though that be the only faulty cause and the only meritorious cause of damnation Deut. 29.3 4. Ye have seen all that the Lord did before your eys in the land of Egypt the signes and the miracles yet hath not the Lord given you a heart to perceive and eys to see and ears to hear unto this day And as many as are ordained unto life and no more shall believe to salvation Acts 13.48 Murmur not among your selves let it not seem strange that so few believe and come to Christ no man can come to me Ioh. 6.43 44 45. except the Father draw him every man that hath learned of the Father cometh unto me ARGUMENT IX ANother Argument or Reason against Vniversal Redemption may be grounded upon Heb. 9.12 Neither by the blood of Goats and Calves but by his own blood he entred once into the holy place having obtained eternal Redemption for us compared with 2 Thes 5.9 10. Those whom Christ hath redeemed and bought by his death and blood shed 1 Thes 1.10 Luke 1.74 75. he hath redeemed and delivered them for ever from the wrath to come That they being delivered out of the hands of their enemies might serve God without fear in righteousness and holiness all the days of their life The servant abideth not in the house for ever but the Son abideth ever Iohn 8.35 36. If Christ make you free you shall be free indeed If he purchase a liberty and freedom for you by his death it is and will be a real spititual and everlasting freedom and we being put into possession of this freedom which Christ hath undertaken to do for all them whom he dyed for shall never be brought into a state of bondage and wrath again Ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear Rom. 8.15 but the spirit of Adoption whereby we cry Abba father But now all the men and women in the world are not thus everlastingly redeemed Christ hath not obtained eternal Redemption for every one for out of hell there is no redemption as Cain and Judas and the damned spirits can certainly relate Shall we say that those poor miserable souls are everlastingly redeemed who shall remain in hellish prison and bondage to eternity Oh Object But there be many who will not accept of Redemption by Christ though it be wrought for them Yea Answer but herein Christ
just and righteous let God be true though every man be a lyar And as it reflects upon the justice of God so it impeacheth his highest love shall God so love every man as to give his Sonnor them And Christ so love every man as to lay down his life for them for herein God manifests and commends his love Rom. 5.8 1 Iohn 4.9 10. not that we first loved him but he first loved us and sent his Son to be a propitiation for our sins and yet withhold from them faith repentance and newness of heart without which they cannot be saved Hath God loved every man so as to give his Son to the death of the Cross for them and hath the Lord Jesus sweat dropps and clodds of blood for their sins treading the wine press of the wrath of God and crying out in the agony of his soul my God my God why hast thou forsaken me Rev. 19.15 Mat. 27.46 and yet shall most of them for whom he suffered so much rot and perish in final unbeleef and impenitency certainly this doth exceedingly derogate from the power of divine love and grace Secondly the doctrine of Universal Redemption puts men upon loose and ungrounded contradistrnctions that they may vindicate and maintain it and what is this else but to take the Lord's name in vain and to dally with his Word and Truth Some say that Christ died not in the stead of all but for the good of all a Non loco vice omnium sed bono tantum Remonst at the Hague confer That Christ impetrated and merited life for all and every individual man but applies it only to Believers whereas the Scriptures which I formerly cited do evince and prove that these two though they ought to be distinguished yet they are inseparable acts of Christ's mediatorship and are extended to the same persons Those for whom he impetrated life shall have it applyed to them Some say * Camero Amerald Teslad that Christ hath obtained by his death remission of all sins against the Covenant of works for every man but pardon of sins against the Gospel or new Covenant only for the elect 1 John 1.7 whereas Christ's blood clensech them from all sin for whom it is shed forasmuch as through Gods grace and the Spirit 's operation the blood of Christ hath an effectual influence upon all their hearts and consciences and conversations to purge and pacifie and clense them And lastly some learned men who are more sober and moderate then those whom I oppose do say but without ground from Scripture as I humbly conceive that Christ dyed for every man and woman in the world in respect of the sufficiency of his merit but not in respect of efficacy That we should extend the sufficiency and merit of Christ's death and bloodshed beyond the purpose decree and intention of the Father and the Son for my part I cannot see any clear ground 't is true the death and bloodshed of Christ may be said to be sufficient for every man in respect of the intrinsecal vertue thereof it being the blood of God Acts 20.28 the blood of that person who is the infinite God But I conceive that it cannot properly be said to be a sufficient ransom for every man and why but because it is not properly a ransom or price paid for every man nor never was so intended So then the sufficiency and efficacy of Christ's death are to be joyntly limitted to them for whom he dyed and payed the price of redemption nor did Christ shed one drop or dram of blood in vain it was by the counsel and appointment of God that Christ should lay down his life only for them whom the Father gave him and none of them that shall be lost I remember the popish Schoolmen have such a distinction of grace sufficient Hales 3. Summ. 9.69 Thom. m. 1 2 9 109. and grace effectual God say they affords grace sufficient to every one but not grace effectual Sufficient grace as they hold is that by which a man may be saved if he will not be wanting to himself effectual grace is that which saves a man indeed But this is groundless 2 Cor. 12.9 Where God tells Paul that his grace is sufficient for him This sufficiency is not to be abstracted and separated from the efficacy of grace Thirdly let me further add that this opinion of Vniversal Redemption renders Christ but half a Saviour an imperfect Saviour and his blood shed ineffectual as if he did only thereby put all men into a saveable condition and man himself must strike the greatest stroke and actually save his own soul It is a doctrine that puts men upon that gress absurdity that Christ died for thousands shed his blood for milliors of souls that never heard the voice of the Gospel which is the word of faith Rom. 10.14 15. How shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard and how shall they hear without a Preacher and how shall they preach except they be sent And will it not introduce that other gross and carnal conceit that in the end all and every one shall be saved the falien Angels as well as reprobate men as if there could be any deliverance out of hell If we hold an Vnive sal Redemption and Reconciliation I can see no reason to the contrary but that an universal salvation may be thence gathered by genuine and necessary consequence Fourthly Vniversal Redemption as it is by many held forth and maintained bolsters up people in a profane course or at the best in a general dead saith or rather a sancie insteed of faith may not a profane wretch reason thus There be those who say that Christ shed his blood for every man in the world well I am a man and therefore Christ shed his blood for me Now the Scripture is clear and full for this namely that Redemption by Christ's blood and remission of sins go together Those whom Christ redeemed by his blood shall not have their sins imputed to them and where there is non-imputation of sin Eph. 1.7 2 Cor. 5.19 Ps 32.2 there is also imputation of Christ's righteousness blessedness and salvation Blessed is the man to whom the Lord doth not impute Iniquity If it be so may this wicked man say I will go on and enjoy my lusts according to this doctrine I shall not perish if Christ dyed for me and if he dyed for every man then he dyed for me And as this opinion may have yea I fear it hath such an operation upon many poor souls so it may be a means to bring others to despair and to make desparate and sad conclusions upon themselves in reference to their eternal estate to hold that thousands shall be damned that Christ dyed for may not Satan easily prevail upon an awakened soul by this temptation suited to the doctrine of the general Ransome that there is no more
and incomparable greatness of his Love would shed his hearts blood for them whose names were never written in his book of life and love Will any man give his dear son to dy for them whose names were never written in the book of his love of whom he never had any thoughts of special love and favour Surely he will not part with his Son nor give him to suffer death for such ARGUMENT IIII. MY fourth Argument against Universal Redemption is grounded upon John 15.13 compared with Rom. 5.8 10. Greater love hath no man then this that a man lay down his life for his friends God commendeth his love towards us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us If when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son much more being reconciled we shall be saved by his life Hence I may thus argue They for whom Christ died or shed his blood to them God hath commended and manifested the greatest love Greater love then this hath no man But now God hath not commended and manifested the greatest love to every man and woman in the world without distinction or exception for how is it possible that the same persons should be both the objects of the greatest divine love and the greatest divine hatred and displeasure If Christ died for every man then he shewed as great love to Cain and Judas as to Peter and Paul And is not this monstrous Will any soul dare to affirm this that hath experience of the love of Christ and hath tasted the sweetness thereof Yet truly I know not how Arminius and his followers can avoid this desparate consequence according to their principles Sure I am the blessed Apostle appropriates Christ's special and peculiar love manifested in his death to his Church Husbands Eph. 5.25 love your wives as Christ loved the Church and gave himself for it Husbands are to love their wives with a special love to forsake all other relations for them and to cleave to them alone Is it meet that husbands should love other women with that love which peculiarly belongs to their wives Gal. 2 20. The life which I live saith Paul I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me ARGUMENT V. MY fift Argument is taken from Rom. 9.10 11 13. The children being not yet born neither having done good or evil That the purpose of God according to Election might stand not of works but of him that calleth It was said unto her the Elder shall serve the Younger As it is written Jacob have I loved and Esau have I hated If God had purposed to hate some before they had done evil as he purposed to love others before they had done good then did not he give his Son to dy for every man and woman in the world How can it enter into our hearts to conceive that the eternal God decreed to give his only begotten Son to dy for them whom he purposed to hate and pass by Psal 11.5 See Psal 5.5 Mal. 1.3 God never hates the Elect Though their state by Nature be a state of Wrath yet their persons are ever beloved See Jer. 31.3 2 Tim. 1.9 Eph. 1.4 Iohn 3.16 and not communicate grace and glory to Now it is very plain that God purposed to hate and pass by Esau and also Pharaoh and not communicate grace and glory to them And this truth will further appear by consulting other Scriptures There are certain men crept in unawares Iude 4. who were before of old ordained to this condemnation Vnto you which believe 1 Pet. 2.7 8. Christ is precious But unto them which be disobedient he is a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence even to them which stumble at the word being disobedient whereunto also they were appointed The Lord hath made all things for himself Prov. 16.4 yea even the wicked for the day of evil But ye believe not because ye are not of my sheep Ioh. 10.26 i. e. because ye are not ordained to life For as many as be ordained to eternal life shall believe Neither let any object here that this decree or purpose of God did not pass upon Esau and Pharaoh till they had sinned and rejected the meanes and offer of grace for certainly if ever God purposed to hate a man it must needs be that this purpose was from eternity for all God's decrees are eternal absolute and unavoydable God himself being unchangeable doth not decree one thing after another I speak now of the decree it selfe not of the execution of the decree nor doth God now will one thing and then another this is sutable to poor weak changeable creatures not to the infinite unchangeable Creator the event proves that the decree of God was from eternity for what comes to pass in time the Lord did before all time decree that it should come to pass Now then can any sober man imagine that God the Father should give his dear son to shed his blood for the redemption and salvation of such as he rejected from eternity and are the objects of his hatred vessells of wrath fitted to destruction whom he hardens according to the absolute soveraignty of his will Rom. 9.18 Besides do not we find that election redemption by Christs blood and remission of sins are so conjoyned Eph. 1.4 5 6 7. and knit together by the Apostle that those who are the objects of the one are also objects of the other those and no more who are capable of the own are also capable of the other ARGUMENT VI. MY sixt Argument is deduced from the nature vertue and efficacy of the sacrifice of Christ and that perfect plenary satisfaction compensation which he hath presented to the Fathers justice in behalf of al those whom he represented in his death and for whom he was crucified The sins of those for whom perfect satisfaction is given and accepted shall not be required of them nor laid to their charge But for whom Christ dyed he hath given perfect and full satisfaction to the Father and it is accepted by the Father for them Eph. 1.6 and in their behalf and therefore God cannot justly require their sins of them and lay them to their charge so as to punish them in hell to eternity How can a debt be justly demanded and required of them for whom it is fully payed and is it not evident that their debt is fully payed for whom perfect and plenary satisfaction is both made and accepted The holy God cannot in Justice require double paiment of the same debt or a double satisfaction for the same sins whether the Redemption of a poor sinner be by way of solution or satisfaction it matters not this is certaine that God cannot justly and therefore wil not demand a double payment or satisfaction for the same debt The Lord laid help on one that was mighty to save a