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A41001 Universal redemption offered in Jesus Christ in opposition to that pernicious and destructive doctrine of election and reprobation of persons from everlasting. By Jane Fearon. Fearon, Jane, 1654 or 5-1737. 1693 (1693) Wing F576A; ESTC R218275 16,377 57

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it lies so in opposition to my way I cannot let it altogether pass First It is highly injurious to GOD because it makes Him the Author of Sin which of all things is most contrary to His Nature I confess the Asserters of this Principle deny this Consequence but that is but Mockery seeing it so naturally follows from their Doctrine and is equally Ridiculous as if a Man should obstinately deny that One and Two makes Three For if GOD has decreed the Reprobated shall Perish without all respect to their Evil Deeds but only as his own Pleasure and if he hath also decreed long before they were in being or in any Capacity to do Good or Evil that they should walk in these Wicked Ways by which as a Secondary Means they are led to that End Who I pray is the Author and Cause thereof but GOD who so Willed and Decreed it Is not this as Natural a Consequence as can be Secondly This Doctrine is injurious to GOD because it makes Him appear to delight in the Death of Sinners yea and will have many to die in their Sins Contrary to these Scriptures Ezek. 33.11 1 Tim. 2.3 2 Pet. 3.9 For if He hath created Men only for that End that He might shew forth His Justice and Power in them as some Affirm and for effecting thereof hath not only with-held from them the Means of doing Good but also fore-ordained the Evil that they should fall into must He not therefore delight in their Death seeing against His own Will He neither doth nor can do any thing Thirdly Is it not highly injurious to CHRIST our Mediator and to the Efficacy and Excellency of his Gospel Does it not render his Mediation ineffectual as if he had not by his Sufferings throughly broken down the Middle Wall nor yet remov'd the Wrath of GOD or purchas'd the Love of GOD to all Mankind if it was before decreed that it should be of no Service to the far greater part of Mankind It is to no purpose to alledge that the Death of CHRIST was Effectual enough to have saved all Mankind if in effect its Vertue be not so far Extended as to put all Mankind in a capacity of Salvation Fourthly Makes it not the Preaching of the Gospel as a meer Mock and Deceit if many of those to whom it is Preached be by an Irrevocable Decree Excluded from being benefited by it It wholly makes Useless the Preaching of Faith and Repentance and the whole Tenor of the Gospel-Promises and Threatnings as being all Relative to a former Decree and Means before-appointed to such which because they cannot fail Man needs do nothing but wait for that Irresistable Snatch which will come though it be but at the last hour of his Life if he be in the Decree of Election And be his Diligence and Waiting what it can shall never Attain it if he belong to the Decree of Reprobation Lastly This Doctrine is highly injurious to Mankind and renders them in a far worse Condition than the Devils in Hell for they were sometime in a capacity to have stood and do suffer for their own Guilt Whereas many Millions of Men according to this Doctrine must suffer for Adam's Sin which they neither knew of nor ever were accessary to It renders them worse than the Beasts of the Field of whom the Master requires no more than they are able to perform and if they be kill'd Death is to them an end of Sorrow Whereas Man is for ever Tormented for not doing that which he was never able to do It puts him in a far worse condition than Pharoah put the Israelites for tho' he with-held Straw from them yet by much Labour and Pains they could have gotten it But from Men they make GOD to with-hold all means of Salvation so that by no means can they attain to it Having thus briefly removed this false Doctrine out of my way which hath been a great Concern to me because they that are desirous may see it Learnedly and Piously refuted by many others I come to the Doctrine of Universal Redemption or Christ's Dying for all Men which is that Subject I find with me to Treat of and is of it self so Evident from the Scripture-Testimony that there is scarce found any other Article of the Christian Faith so frequently so plainly and so positively Asserted It is that which makes the Preaching of CHRIST to be truely termed the Gospel or the Message of Glad Tydings to all Thus the Angel declared the Birth and Coming of CHRIST to the Shepherds Luke 2.10 Behold I bring you good Tydings of great Joy which shall be to All People he saith not to a Few People Now if this Coming of CHRIST had not brought a possibility of Salvation to All it should rather have been Accounted Bad Tydings of great Sorrow to most People Neither should the Angel have had Reason to have sung Peace on Earth and Good Will towards Men if the greatest part of Mankind had been necessarily shut out from Receiving any Benefit by it How should CHRIST have sent out Disciples to Preach the Gospel to every Creature Mark 16.15 A very comprehensive Commission That is To every Son and Daughter of Mankind without all Exception He commands them to Preach Salvation to all Remission of Sins to all Warning every one and Exhorting every one as Paul did Col. ● 28 Now how could they have Preached the Gospel to every Man as became the Ministers of JESUS CHRIST in much Assurance of Salvation by that Gospel had it not been possible for all What if some of us had asked or should now ask any of these who deny that CHRIST died for all Hath CHRIST died for me How can they with Confidence give a certain Answer to this Question If they give a Conditional Answer as their Principle obligeth them to do and say If thou Repent CHRIST died for thee Doth not the same Question still recur Hath CHRIST died for me so as to make Repentance possible for me To this they can Answer nothing unless they run in a Circle Whereas the Feet of those that bring glad Tydings of the Gospel of Peace are said to be Beautiful for that they Preach the Common Solvation and Repentance unto All offering a Door of Mercy and Hope unto All through JESUS CHRIST who gave Himself a Ransom for All. The Gospel invites All and certainly by the Gospel CHRIST intended not to deceive or delude the greater part of Mankind If all then ought to look for Salvation by Him He must needs have made Salvation possible to All For who is bound to seek after that which is Impossible Certainly it were a meer mocking of Men to bid them do so And such as deny that by the Death of Christ Salvation is made possible unto all Men do most Blasphemously make GOD mock the World in giving his Servants a Commission to Preach the Gospel of Salvation unto All while He hath before Decreed