and but once in the yeer and so at once in one day made the Atonement for all Israel and yet for particular defilements they needed daily washings and purifications still else they should have died in their uncleanness notwithstanding the Atonement made for them answerably Jesus Christ by his own Oblation once offered in the end of the World entred into the holy place and made the Atonement for the sins of Mankinde that they were fallen into and obtained eternal Redemption and is the Propitiation for the sins of the whole World and remaineth in the holy of holies a continual Mediator and Interceder that by vertue of his Oblation he may be taking still away the sin of the World and by a spiritual sprinkling of his Blood purifie the Hearts of Believers from their personal and particular sins without receit of which purifications Men may die in their own sins notwithstanding the Atonement that was once made for them and those High-Priests could not remain in the holy of holies so to intercede but came out again so soon as the Atonement was made and so the High-Priest's entrance in the holy of holies once in the yeer was principally the Type of the Atonement made by Christ once in the later end of the World and the Types of his Intercession was in other services of the High-Priest and Priests when the High-Priest was come out of the holy of holies Exod. 28.29 30. with Numb 18 1-4 22 23. with Lov. 1 2 3 4 5 c. when in a continual and daily service they made Intercession for the people by bearing or taking away their iniquities in Ministrations in the Sanctuary for them and burning Incense beside their oft Purifications which did rather type out the Intercession of Christ as is foreshewn and may be read in comparing Heb. 9 7-27 and 10.11 12 18 19. with 7.25 c. and so this Expression agreeth not with the approved Rule pag. 26. 5. There is no real difference between the efficacy of the Death of Christ and that of his Intercession upon the actual accomplishment of it f Pag. 216. Sect. 3. This is a very dark saying and tending to confound things distinct for sure the Oblation is already accomplished his Death over and past and he alive for evermore but the vertue of his Death and so of his Oblation abideth but the efficacy is that here to be minded and its efficacy with God is seen in this that he hath made Christ Jesus the Lord filled him with all fulness of the Holy Ghost given all Power and Authority into his Hands to dispose of all Men to raise the Dead and to judge all All this is given him as the effect of his Death and Oblation and for this he neither doth nor needeth to make Intercession Therefore the making the efficacies of Oblation Offerings and Intercession-making as both one without any real difference in the actual accomplishment is not right Besides the prevalency of his Intercession with God is by vertue of his Oblation-fore-accomplished and with and in the Furniture by it obtained and it alwayes and in all things for all he intercedeth prevaileth with God and so he obtaineth the making known of his Oblation and the Vertues thereof for Men and the Extention of many Means and Mercies and spiritual Operations to them all which are the efficacies of his Intercession with God for Men. But now the efficacies with and in Men are various some receiving and so meeting freely with blessing others refusing and upon that account condemned not that he intercedeth for their Condemnation but for their refusal of Mercies extended by the Intercession of him that had fore-bought them The efficacy of his Oblation is in that they are given into his dispose and he is their Lord and shall be their Judge which they cannot avoid and this obtained before Intercession made The efficacy of his Intercession by vertue of his Oblation is seen in the Patience Forbearance Mercy Means and Spirit extended to Men to bring them in to be his peculiar People and its efficacy in Men is in their believing precious but in their disobedient refusal heavy even tending to just Condemnation the manner of Christ's judging being according to the Mercies and Means he hath extended as Men have received or rejected And besides in those that do receive the Grace extended for his Intercession it is not all one and so prevalent in and with the best of Saints on Earth nor so abundantly efficacious with them as it hath been and is with God such thoughts I hope are far from us and not intended in the Expression but the Expression being Scriptureless Pag. 26. and not agreeing to the Rule I leave it 6. That Christ was sprinkled with his own Blood g Pag. 217. Sect. 3. This a very dark and Scriptureless Expression we read of his Garments to be sprinkled with the Blood of his Enemies when he revengeth the cause of his people Isa 63.3 but for being sprinkled with his own Blood we read not and what sense to devise to make this true in is beyond my understanding for we even all Mankinde in and through our first Father Adam were fallen under the guilt of manifold sins charged upon us by that Law under which we were fallen and these could not be pardoned without satisfaction made by Blood shedding and for this cause the Son of God took our Nature and was made under the Law for us and so that debt was reckoned on his account and he shed his Blood materially and died for our sins and rose for our justification and offered up his own personal Body a Sacrifice for us and so in compleating his Oblation he as it was his debt fully satisfied and as it was ours obtained by that Oblation full pardon for us And this was materially done by him and is not anywhere called The sprinkling of his Blood yea his material Blood if it were or could have litten or been sprinkled materially on any in his Circumcision or scourging or crowning with Thorns or nailing to the Cross or piercing with a Spear yet would it not so have cleansed any from sin any more than the supposed reliques of it profit any now the vertue of it for that being in the vertue of the Oblation offered to God and he being by his own Blood or with the vertue of it entred into the Heavens having offered the Oblation he is a spiritual Man and all he doth to us now he doth spiritually and so not material Blood as shed and yet the vertue of the same Blood that was shed he by making it known in the Gospel spiritually sprinkleth And this was also figured in the Law as is shewn at large in another Treatise And we Discourse of the precious blood of Christ c. 4. p. 22 23. notwithstanding the Atonement made in Christ by his Blood shedding and Oblation and the making it known with the pardon
the same danger or were there any more individuals come forth to make a some of or had any any other wayes sinned and fallen under sin and death then in this publick Man and what then shall the some be the Male or the Female the Soul or the Body or some part of either Such whimsies are in the dreams of some but sure we are far from them I wish we may use no Expressions to strengthen them But then did not God finde out a Mediator for the first publick Man whole Adam as fallen to take away sin destroy death and the works of the Devil which was already entred into the world and did not this Mediator interpose and undertake in that very moment of the Fall to be a second publick Man to take the Nature the Place the Cause of the first publick Man in hand to work a restauration for him and so for all that were in him and naturally to come forth from him even all Mankinde where then shall we finde the some of them if there were any left out for whom there was no purpose of God for any saving them in and by the Mediation of Christ why do they not perish in that first death denounced why are they not at last judged according to that Law under which they fell in Adam why do they not in dying die so as to have every thing filling them with horror and torment till they perish for ever in the first death in the utmost of it How comes Mercy Patience and Means to lead to Repentance to be extended to them if no ransome hath been given for them God being not onely merciful but righteous in all his wayes if Christ did not die and give himself a ransome for them if he have wrought no Salvation for them and so have none to bestow on them how is he become their Lord Why is the Gospel to be preached to them why are their sins aggravated by the means he useth towards them and how shall they be said to reward him hatred for love and be judged by him according to the Gospel and sentenced unto a second death which if he had not come and used means towards them and they rebelled against him they could never have been or did God first purpose in and through Christ this second death to them that were already under the first death and no Redemption wrought for them and so send Christ into the world to be an Abaddon or Man-Destroyer to condemn so great a part of Mankinde farther then they were condemned in Adam I will proceed no further in this The Gospel and the Purposes of God as by his word and works declared and as set forth in this Treatise tells us another story which takes away all these absurdities brought in by this some and yet neither does he express it of what saving he means whether of that Salvation of the Nature of Man wrought in himself as the publick Man for Men all Men or of that Salvation upon the account of the former extended to Men to save them or of the efficacy of the first in the extention of the second on the same account in Believers and Receivers which is opened in the Gospel and exprest according to it in this Treatise but some Expressions elsewhere used imply to mean it of all so that this term some is not rightly used Yet this is true That he saith God's Purpose of saving was in and by the Mediation of Christ yea his saving in every respect onely this glory to God in Christ that he is the first purposed and first elected and all following Purpose of Salvation is in and by him And so this also That the coming of Jesus Christ and the Salvation wrought by him and Preparation made in him is a Fruit of the Love Will and Purpose of God is true and the extending of this Salvation in any or all the Fruits thereof to Men and the Efficacies thereof in Men are the Fruits of the Mediation of Christ and so of the same Will and Purpose of God in and through the Mediation of Christ this is true also But that this act of his Will whether he mean it of his Purpose of preparing Salvation for Men in Christ or of extending Salvation to Men through the Mediation of Christ or of the Efficacy of this Salvation in Believers for he leaves this in the dark That the Scripture knows it by no other Name then that of Election Adoption or the Purpose of God according to Election or the Purpose of his Will in Jesus Christ is a dark saying and full of confusion and intimately untrue unless he deny it to be called by all these Names and then there is subtilty and room left for evasion in the Expression Let it be considered The Will of God in his Purpose is in it self an act sure one single real act before any accomplishment come forth and if he mean of that it will not reach some of the other terms and if he mean of that act which is outward toward the Creature which is confest the act of his Will and alwayes suitable and according to his Purpose he saith not of which he meaneth but take it for either or for both yet there is confusion in his saying as if there were no distinction between Election and Adoption and the Purpose of God according to Election and the Purpose of his Will in Christ and that all or any of these were and are equally and alike the Name of this Purpose of his Will in his Purpose of saving Men in and by the Mediation of Christ True it is It may and doth bear the Name of the Purpose of his Will in Christ and the Scripture will bear it out to be known by that Name the Eternal Purpose Eph. 3.11 1.9 11. Psal 2.7 2 Tim. 1.9 which he purposed in Christ Jesus which he had purposed in himself the Purpose of him that worketh all things according to the counsel of his own will yea it is called The Decree preached by Christ and to be preached by his Servants yea and for the good Will of God and Grace given us in this Decree it is called His own Purpose and Grace given us in Christ Jesus before the World began And if Mr. Owen had but added his Purpose of electing and adopting in and by Christ and his Purpose that all should take place according to the Election of Grace the Scripture would have borne it out But for Election without distinction to be that Purpose or the Name of that Purpose or that act of his Will that is called his Purpose of saving fallen Mankinde by the Mediation of Christ no one place of Scripture saith it speaking of the Oracles and Works of God in this business Rom. 9.11 saith They were so ordered that the purpose of God according to election might stand Where by standing is meant abiding taking effect and coming to pass to have its
the act and freeness of Jesus Christ himself in so offering and that he himself hath done it yea compleatly done it and once for all so as it shall no more be so done by himself nor remains for any other to offer him in any sort to God a Sacrifice for sins nor to add any thing to compleat that offering it being compleated by himself already once for all and as Man he himself alone and by himself though for others did offer this Sacrifice so as there was no Creature either Man or Angel that did or in respect of real acting can in any sense of offering be said to have offered the same with him or to be any part of the offering offered by him but he was both that offering and offerer and no other Man in or with him no not in that sense of which it is said Levi also who received Tythes Heb. 7.9 10. paid Tythes in Abraham for he was yet in the loyns of his Father when Melchizedec met him so as Levi though not in person yet in specie though not with his own hands yet by and in and with his Father in whose loyns he was and from whom he naturally proceeded he did so and in that manner also pay Tythes in Abraham but so can none be said to have offered this offering and Sacrifice by in and with Christ for Jesus Christ had none in his Loyns to come forth of him as Abraham had or as Adam had such a conceit would be very carnal gross and erronious Christ took the Nature of the first Adam and so of all Mankinde that were in the first Adam's Loyns that in that Nature having suffered and overcome Death and being filled with the Holy Ghost he might be and so is a spiritual man to quicken and draw in of the Sons of the natural Man to himself and so make them his spiritual Seed that were not before so by uniting and conforming them to himself by vertue of his Sacrifice offered without which they could never have been his seed so that there was none in Christ to die and rise and offer Sacrifice in him in such a sense as Levi paid Tythes in Abraham nor yet in respect of that sense naturally and actually in specie as we all sinned and fell in the Loyns of our first Father Adam nor was Christ bound to offer this Sacrifice by any pre-engagement upon the account of Mankinde or any of them as being in him or chosen in him or allied to him for his Engagement is free and voluntary and before his own voluntary Engagement to take the nature cause and place of the first publick Man in hand and therein to undertake for all Mankinde to suffer and offer up the acceptable sacrifice he was not engaged to him or any of Mankinde For then his Oblation and sacrifice he offered had not been every way in all respects only of himself and altogether so free as it was in respect of Mankinde and his love to them but by reason of such a pre-engagement some had had some influence upon him and so power to have enjoyned him to take Man's Nature therein to lay down his life yea and by vertue of that pre-engagement and election in him so by vertue of their interest in him to have challenged some right in the very sacrifice it self so far as to have it in some sense counted their offering it together with him but that no such thing could be the dissimilitudes between the first Creation and the new and between the two publick Men do fully and cleerly shew as is before shewn in Part 1. and Chap. 13. and in divers expressions and plain sayings of Scripture Rom. 5.15 But not as the offence so also is the free-gift for if through the offence of one many be dead is not this the same with that before vers 12. By one man sinentred into the world and death by sin and so death passed upon all men in whom or for that all have sinned Adam sinned not alone nor simply as a publick Man so as his sin became no otherwise the sin of all Mankinde but only by meer imputation in an act of severity of vindicative justice he standing in the room of all Mankinde but Adam as the publick Man had also all Mankinde that were naturally to come forth of him in his Loyns and so in that his sinning all Men sinned in their species or kinde though not as then in that act in their individual persons and so all sinned one as well as another all alike without difference and coming forth naturally from him are so in their persons as naturally truly and verily found and beheld as having sinned in him as Levi was to have paid Tythes in Abraham and not only so but the Nature and inclination of Mankinde being polluted in and by that very first sin they come forth polluted and so add more sin of their own Rom. 5.18 and so justly and deservedly the condemnation of the first Man was both by imputation and also naturally the condemnation of all Mankinde or unto all Men and the wages of sin to Adam and to all his posterity is death Rom. 6.23 and that by due and just desert all being made sinners in their own persons in coming forth from him by propagation Rom. 5.19 whence also the word all men vers 12. and 18. is in a double consideration turned into the word many vers 15. and 19. namely to explicate the word all to shew it to be a great number that the evil of the first Man's offence may the more appear in the heynousness of it and also as having more special relation to those that are already come forth in their personal beings naturally from Adam and so came forth under such guilt and defilement of sin and liableness to death which are all Men that have had their personal beings naturally from him and these also are a great number even Many Vers 13 14 19. though there be yet more to come forth from him Yet now though there be a similitude here in respect of the number of persons Vers 18. and the verity of imputation and efficacy between the disobedience of the first publick Man Vers 14. and the obedience and righteousness of the second publick Man yet there is some dissimilitude the first being but a figure of the second and Christ the Truth exceeding all that figures could shew forth and so for Jesus Christ the second publick Man as he was a new gift of God and given to be the Saviour of the world so he also as freely came forth and was made Man under the Law and as freely died and offered up himself a Sacrifice to God for Mankinde the whole kinde without difference and so for all Men to make an Atonement for their sins they are fallen into and this he alone he himself did freely not being engaged to them by vertue of any
confidence in Christ and the great love of God in delivering him for us and making him known to us Vers 35 39 that they might confidently rejoyce and glory in the midst of all their sufferings and to help them in these was the Apostle's end and not to lead their thoughts to conceit a certain company of Adam's Sons as such beheld decreed to be eternally saved and the rest to be eternally damned and few of either sort known no word in his writing to such an end yea the puzzelling the thoughts with such a conceit would be cross to his end which was to edifie in Faith Love and Love-services with consolation in sufferings 6. For the way the Apostle takes to accomplish his end Ch. 1.1 2 3 4 5 16. 3.22 25 28. 4.5 24 25. 5 6 11 12 18. 6 7. it is cleer to be That as he had before declared the Foundation and the Medium of coming to and on it and so being united with it and accepted through it and exhorted to suitable walking so here he proceeds to help them to sound consolation in afflictions 1. By shewing who are the true Sons of God V. 14 15 16 28. and Heirs with Christ unfeigned Believers even them that love God and are the Called according to purpose 2. V. 14 15 17 18 29 30 By shewing them the way of God's dealing with all his called Ones whom he approved as his Sons and Lovers of him he ordains them to conformity to the Image of his Son in services and sufferings and in that way to glory and calling them thereto doth justifie and will glorifie so that in all this God is on their side and for their good 3. He also mindes them of the priviledges of the Son of God V. 14 17 18 29 30. the prime elect predestinate called and justified and glorified the way through which he hath gone and will bring them to the enjoyment of his own priviledges through the same way 4. Rom. 4.6 21 22 23. 8.14 18 29 30 31. He mindes them of the examples of those lovers of God that were of the Called according to purpose how they being approved were even thus predestinate and called and justified and glorified and having finished their course so happily are set forth as patterns and examples to instruct and incourage us that we in the same way may following his Call expect the same justification and glorification God being ever the same of one minde 5. Directing them especially and above all to minde Jesus and the greatness of God's love in delivering him up for us all V. 32 33 34 c. and the special and choise communication of his love in making known and so giving his Son to us that believing in him he is surely ours he that died and so satisfied for our sin yea rather is risen and so our Righteousness and filled with Spirit in our Nature ever living to intercede to take away our sins by vertue of his blood and to communicate of his Spirit to us Now God in giving us him will with him and so in and through him certainly give us all things freely and in receiving and abiding in him we shall receive Oh inestimable love who shall separate us from this love c Thus doth he lead them to triumphing confidence without any the least denying or eclipsing the great love of God to Mankinde Tit. 3.4 5 6 7. 2 Tim. 2.9 10 or shutting the door to or darkning the light of life and immortality opened and brought to light by the Gospel or working the weakest Believer with thoughts of secret purposes yea so he holds forth the Love Grace and Minde of God in the whole business as is fit to draw in unbelievers to believe and the weakest Believer to come in believing into that number And so the Purposes of God are one and the same agreeing with the whole Gospel preached by him As for Objections against it they are most answered already in former Sayings and answer of some of Mr. Owens Expressions See part 1. c. 11. and yet to remove that which if let alone may occasion some to stumble I shall consider in this one more Expression of Mr. Owen's CHAP. 8. A Consideration of the Purpose of God as expressed by Mr. Owen pag. 168. GOd's Eternal Purpose of saving some Mr. Owen in and by the Mediation of Christ that Mediation being interposed between the Purpose of God and the accomplishment of the things purposed by the Fruits of the one the Mediator cause of the other This act of his will the Scripture knows by no other Name then that of Election Adoption or the Purpose of God according to Election or the purpose of his will in Christ Jesus Thus far Mr. Owen and I shall desire to acknowledge all the Truth I can finde in his Sayings and by Scripture to remove the rest He saith God's Eternal Purpose of saving some in and by the Mediation of Christ c. Saving some he expresseth not what some or of what kinde the some is if it be meant of his fallen Creatures it 's acknowledged so far true for both Angels and Mankinde was fallen and he purposed no way of saving for the fallen Angels there is no contest about that but if by some be meant some of Mankinde and no way to discriminate them that it may be known who then is there no door to life opened for any man to come in at nor Gospel that can be preached as Truth to and for them while unbelievers to bring them in to believe If any conceit it is some elect Ones that cannot be for it is meant of all them no gainsaying But his Expressions elsewhere shew it to be meant of Mankinde Some of them for as for any elect in Christ before Adam's fall to be fallen in his fall is but a humane device and tradition nothing in the Testimony of Christ for it but all against it or That there are any elect Ones in Christ that according as they are elected are not also begun to be saved and so far holy and beloved is another humane device and tradition without and beside and contrary to the Scripture as hath been plainly shewn So that of necessity by the word some as by other Expressions he would be understood is meant some of all Mankinde fallen but then what some shall we conceive for all Mankinde were once made righteous and so beheld and loved in one publick Man who was both Male and Female so that all Mankinde was alike righteous and alike loved as righteous in this one publick Man then but this first publick Man both Male and Female sinned and so fell under sin and death and all Mankinde in him and must needs have perished in that sin and death they were fallen under if God had not provided a Saviour to interpose Now was not all Mankinde alike fallen alike viewed and alike under