Knowledge Prop. IX All this Revelation is some part of the Law of Jesus Christ and so these Truths are discovered and this light sent by him as the Lord Redeemer of the World or as Rector upon his Redemption Title For all things being now delivered into his hands and the whole frame of Government being laid on his shoulders and built on his Redemption even on Christ the head Corner Stone the very moral Law now is his Law and its obligation to obedience is his obligation yea the very Law of Works obligeth to punishment now not as it was at first given and remaineth in the hands of an offended unsatisfied Creator but as it is suspended and delivered up into the hands of the Satisfier or Redeemer to remit wholly or execute only conditionally as men shall receive or reject the grace of Redemption so that as God ruleth among those blindest of Heathens that yet know him not so doth Christ Rule among them that know not him Prop. X. The Ten last Particulars before mentioned which these men may know are properly Gospel Truths for the Law of Works sheweth nothing of Mercy contrary to desert nor of any hope of Recovery Object But how can the meer light of Nature discern Gospel Truths without a supernatural Revelation Answ The Light of Nature is either Reason it self which is the Souls viâ—ive faculty 2. Or the External Light which in the nature of things shines forth 3. Or the Species and Knowledge received by Reason through the mediation of this External Light Also supernatural Revelation is 1. Either the Rectitude of the Soul as a Recipient Power or Faculty which was natural to Adam and may be called supernatural to us because it is not born with us and because it is not wrought but by a supernatural efficient though it be most natural to us as a thing congruous to our Natures welfare as health is to our Bodies 2. Or it is the Objective Extrinsical Revelation by a supernatural way and that either as distinct from that which should have been according to the Tenor of the first Law or from that which is ordinary by common Causes tho' beyond the former 3. Lastly it is taken for the actual efficient impressing of the Species on the Intellect by a supernatural Assisting Power On these distinctions I Answer 1. Natural Reason or the Intellectual faculty is the recipient of all Revelations natural or supernatural 2. There are many Objective Revelations supernatural as being such as according to the first Law of Nature would never have been manifested which yet are not supernatural as Miracles are in opposition to a natural Causality in the way of Revealing And so Rain and Fruitful Seasons Health Wealth Deliverances c. are Mercies that come in a natural way of Causality and yet they may teach a Sinner those Truths which the meer Law of Nature never taught him Mercies and such Mercies given to those that deserve Misery and are obliged to extremity of Punishment by Law do teach us that there is Remission of Sin and a way found out for the Relaxing the obligation that mens deserts do not fall upon them These Providences therefore are so far supernatural as being the clear effects of the Law of Grace which relaxeth the obligation of the Law of Nature Prop. XI It is not proper or fit to say that the Gospel is Preached to these Heathens that never heard of Christ because that the word Gospel most properly signifieth the main heart and substance of it viz The discovery of Christs Incarnation Life Death Resurrection Ascention Dignity Office and the full New Covenant But yet it may truly be said that some Gospel Truths and so some small part of the Gospel is revealed to these men viz. the ten particulars forementioned No doubt Paul Preached part of the Gospel to the Heathens at Lystra Acts 14. 7 15. c. when he mentioned Jesus Christ ver 23. Heb. 4. 2 3. It is said that the Gospel was Preached to the Jews in the Wilderness who yet had little of that which now is the substance of our Creed about Christ Prop. XII That Repentance which God requirerh now of all men even them that never heard the Gospel is not a Hellish Judas-like despairing Repentance such as was due according to the violated Law of works but it is a Repentance that is appointed as means toward recovery and therefore hath a tendency to Salvation Gods mercies lead to Repentance but not to a despairing Repentance for they contradict that All the precepts of Repentance prove this and the course of Gods dealings And indeed else all the remnants of Religion would be banished out of the World For despairing men will not Worship God nor seek to please him nor forbear sinning but will hate God and live like Devils and sin while they may without voluntary restraint All the Sacrifices that the Heathens offered and all their Prayers and Conscience of Sinning shewed that they apprehended God merciful and placable and their case remediable Hope did keep up all that remnant of Religion which all Nations of the World have maintained which else had been extinguished long ago and Earth been like Hell Prop. XIII These Heathens do all of them receive some Grace which was purchased by the Blood of Christ and there is a Natural aptitude in it as in other effects to lead the enquirer to the knowledge of the cause and fountain caeteris concurrentibus Grace is Mercy contrary to Merit Heathens have much Mercy contrary to Merit therefore they have some Grace Now all such Grace is inseparable from some Revelation of Gospel Truths Nay indeed it is a Revelation there of it self Prop. XIV Though Christ giveth not to these Heathens sufficient Grace to believe in his name yet he giveth them sufficient Grace or merciful aid to receive and obey those or some of those Truths fore-mentioned which he doth reveal to them and so to come nearer to Christ than before they were I have before shewed that all men are far from Christ Naturally and that they must be brought divers steps or degrees nearer him before they are brought to the very act of Faith which unites men to him specially Heathens that are at the remotest distance Also I have shewed that there is such a thing as sufficient Grace not effectual as to the event and that both from the example of Adam of the wicked now and fot he Godly themselves I shall therefore now suppose what is already proved I have shewed also that though God thought it not meet to engage himself in Covenant with such nor to make any thing short of true Faith to be the condition of his Promise yet he hath appointed means to others that yet have not Faith which they are bound to use towards the getting of it and he hath given them sufficient encouragement to address themselves cheerfully and vigorously to the use of those means with hope to speed So
satisfaction though common not only may be but is the ground or motive of our first special love if it be orderly and rightly raised though Christs special love be the efficient Object Then none do love God a right at first but those that hold Universal Redemption Ans 1. Yet they may love him sincerely though they are brought to it through the fault of their Teachers in a disadvantageous and disorderly way 2. Young Converts are not used so soon to be troubled with the Controversy of Universal Redemption 3. I have known few in my observation but at their first closing with Christ they have had the same judgment of the Universality of Christs satisfaction so as to be sufficient for all Sinners and wanting only their own Faith to make it effectual to Remission which I plead for 4. It is the usual way of Preachers in their popular Sermons to speak far more soundly in these points then in their disputations And indeed their way of Preaching for the Conversion of Sinners doth plainly intimate Universal satisfaction For they use to lay all the blame on the Wills of Sinners and justly as that only which can deprive them of the benefits of Christs sufferings and to urge them to accept him and to let them know that their case is not left remediless and desperate Yea and to tell them plainly that Christs Death is sufficient for all to pardon all their Sins be they never so many or great and if they will believe they shall have the Fruits of it Which is in other words to say Christ hath satisfied for all So that upon these right grounds they use to bring Men to believe and love Christ at the first and then they must have some longer time before they can pervert them again by working out these apprehensions and acquainting them that Christ hath not satisfied for all but for the Elect only Object Mens first love to Christ is not to him for what he hath done but for what he can do for us and as he is to us a desirable good because it is but Amor Concupiscentiae Ans It is also a love of gratitude And all the good that we can expect from him for the future or desire him for is but the fruit of what he hath done for us already and therefore presupposeth it And he that looketh for Mercy from Christ as not procured by his satisfactory sufferings knows not the Gospel nor what he expecteth The Gospel at its first Preaching is glad tidings and brings news first of what Christ hath done for Men and next of what he will further do Object But it is not for Dying for me in particular that I am first obliged to love Christ but for paying a sufficient price Ans 1. If by For me in particular you mean more for me then others I grant it But it is for dying and satisfying for fallen Mankind in general of whom I am a Member 2. I have shewed that according to this New Doctrin Christs Death is not sufficient to pardon all if they did repent nor formally a sufficient price but only materially or Aptitudinally sufficient to have been a price Now that this can engage any to love or thankfulness is past my reach to apprehend For it is not a benefit to such as for whom it was no price If 100 Men lie in Prison for debt and one shall pay as much for the debt and discharge often of them as was sufficient to have satisfied for the debts of them all and yet would not pay it for them but rather give it superfluously then that they should have any benefit by it how doth this oblige these Prisoners to love and thankfulness to this Man At least not as any Redeemer or Friend of theirs Rather they will think him envious and an Enemy to them that would rather cast away his Mony Giving for one that which was sufficient for all then they should have any benefit by it Object But it is not for his Death that Men are bound at first to love Christ and be thankful but for the free and general offer of himself and his benesits to them in the Gospel Ans 1. The negative is wicked and Unchristian 2. The part affirmed is a contradiction to their denial of Universal satisfaction For Christ is offered to Men as their Redeemer only And the Word Redeemer signifies 1. One that hath paid a price for them already 2. One that will recover them by the effectual conveyance of his benefits if they accept his offer And the later always implies the former The effect cannot be without its cause He is no Redeemer to them for whom he suffered not And he cannot be a Redeemer to them by Pardon and Salvation for whom he hath not been already a Redeemer by satisfaction And he doth not offer to satisfie for them de futuro a new and therefore the offer certainly proves a general satisfaction as is shewed before 3. And if Christ offer himself to any Men as their Redeemer whom he never did Redeem no nor can Redeem by Remission and Salvation because he hath not first Redeemed them by price and satisfaction charging the refusal upon them to their deep damnation doth this oblige Men to love and gratitude If he procure by his Death no possibility of their Salvation but induce a necessity of their deep condemnation If he offer them the benefits of a death never suffered for them that is effects without their cause and which he cannot give them and destroy them for not receiving them Is this all the obligation Object But it is the Law of God that obligeth them to love and gratitude And therefore they are obliged though Christ be none of their Redeemer and though his Death were not a benefit to them Ans 1. These are duties that result ex natura rei viz. boni oblati beneficii â—ollati and so from the Law of nature and not from a meer positive Law Love and gratitude are not ceremonies and therefore where the nature of the thing obligeth not there is no obligation 2. There must be an objective cause of love and gratitude as well as an efficient and exemplary cause And therefore our question is only of the objective cause God doth not alter the nature of love and gratitude by commanding them He doth not command love that hath not good for its object for there is no such thing in rerum natura nor doth he command a gratitude that is not for a benefit Object But it is unknown to them whether Christ died for them or not For ought they know he did And therefore they are bound to love and gratitude Ans 1. An unknown benefit bindeth not to love and thankfulness 2. It is Real favours and not feigned that Christ obligeth Men by As it is real love and thanks and not feigned that he expecteth from them 3. Else that common love and thankfulness which the Non-elect
in our dispute yet with those that are contentious and will needs insist on the supposed advantage which the state of Indians and other Pagans and their Infants do afford them I shall though unwillingly proceed further rather than prejudice the Truth But the greatest Ambiguity in our Question is in the term For. This proposition here may admit of divers Senses Sometime Christ is said to Die For our Sins Sometimes To Die For us When he is said to Die For our Sins it may be understood 1. Either for our Sins as the pro Meritorious procuring Cause of his Suffering through his own undertaking to bear what they deserved Or if any think it fitter to call them the Occasion than the Meritorious Cause they may And so to Die For our Sins is to Die through the Desert of our Sins 2. Or else he may be said to Die For our Sins Finalitèr as Sin is part of the Evil which he intended through death to free us from And so to Die For Sin is To Die against Sin As when we say This Medicine is good For such a Disease we mean it is good against it When Christ is said to Die For us it may be meant either 1. Subjectivè that he Died Loco nosiro of which more anon 2. Or Finaliter And that two ways 1. Either as we are to be his own in propriety and so 1. To be a means to his own glory 2. Or his Propriety a means to our further good And thus he dyeth For Men by way of purchase as a Man gives a Price For a Slave or Condemned Malefactor for I will not say as we buy a Beast in the Market seeing that is only for our selves and not for the good of the Beast 2. Or else more directly as we are the Finis Cui of those benefits which by his Death he procureth And so Dying For us is either taken generally respecting our selves generally considered as the Objects of his love As one Friend or Lover is said to Die for the sake of another in several Cases as in fighting for him or other way of signifying or testifying Love So generally considered Christ Died nostri gratiâ 2. Or in reference to the special Benefits which by his Death he procured for us Which Benefits might be variously considered either 1. As to be offered or to be enjoyed 2. Either quoad possibilitatem vel quoad futuritionem possessionis 3. Quoad rem ipsam vel quoad Jus ad rem with divers other Considerations which I will pass by lest by needless distinguishing I should rather obscure the point than clear it Only before I can go any farther I must needs lay down a few Distinctions which are of great moment and necessity for the right understanding of this matter 1. And first and above all we must both distinguish between the divers Effects or Ends of Christs Death and rightly consider the Reason and the Order of each of them For to know only in general that Christ dyed for us is so far from being a sufficient knowledge for a Divine that it is not sufficient to denominate a man a Christian seeing it saith no more of Christ than may be said of Stephen Peter Paul or one another For we must if called to it die for one another saith John 1 Epist 3. 16. Yet I confess the right ordering of this whole work in our Conceivings is a matter of great difficulty though of great moment At the present time will permit me only to give you this brief Account of my thoughts herein I Consider 1. What Christ did 2. Why he did it 1. That which he did was 1. In sensu Naturali to Suffer and Die 2. In sensu Legali vel Morali It was 1. In General to be Punished 2. In Special it was A voluntary bearing in the person of a Mediator in the stead of fallen Mankind that punishment in weight which for their Sin the Law of works Obliged them to bear Or to speak in the Scripture phrase which it were well if men had been contented with it is the offering himself a Sacrifice for Sin and so to take them away as a Ransom for Attonement and Propitiation 2. Why Christ did this must be answered from the Efficient and Final Causes In general Gods will is the Principal Efficient and Ultimate Final Cause of this and all things More particularly 1. God was the Author or first Cause in committing this work to his Son and sending him to do it 2. Gods Mercy and Compassion speaking after the manner of Men was the Impulsive Cause 3. Mans misery was the Occasion 4. Mans sin was another occasion as being loco Causae Meritoriae for properly there was no Meritorious Cause 5. The Laws Curse or Obligation was another occasion as being Miseriae Causa removenda 6. Christs Voluntary Sponsion or Consent was the Moral Obliging Cause supplying the place both of a Meritorious and of a Legal Obliging Cause 7. Christ himself was the Voluntary Patient 8. God himself was the Principal moral Efficient so far as it had rationem boni For he cannot be a morally deficient Cause nor an Efficient of Punishment so far as it hath in it rationem veri mali 9. Satan was the Principal Author of it as it was Evil. 10. Wicked men were the Instruments 2. And for the Ends there is two ways of discerning and expressing them The 1. is according to Gods order of Intention The 2. accordding to His Order of Attainment and Execution 1. The former is less fit for our observation both because we are utterly uncertain whether it be fully and wholly revealed seeing God may have End◠which he judgeth not fit to communicate to us and where it is not revealed either 1. By Scripture or 2. By Event it is impossible we should know it 2. And because when we do see Events yet we are so vastly distant from God and exceeding strange to his unconceivable unexpressible Nature that we know not what hath the place of an End and what of a means in the Divine Intention farther than He hath told us Nor know what Gods intention is the term being properly appliable only to Creatures and no term of Human Language in strict propriety appliable to the Nature of God But this much the Scripture Revealeth to us 1. That in the sense as God may be said to have an end Gods proper ultimate end is himself He made all things for himself and can have no lower end than himself But how himself is his end is hard to open If we say his Being as such is his End or that his Essential Glory is his End we do but darken the matter and lose our selves For neither Redemption nor any other work can either cause conserve or add to that Being and Glory If we say His Glory in the Esteem of the Creature is his utmost End we suppose him to have an End Infinitely below himself If you say that
Revelation of his will 2. This Revelation of Gods will de Debito we call his Law This therefore is the second thing which I call Gods will de debito or his Legislative will that is the Law as it is signum voluntatis Divinae that is formally as a Law This I call Gods will de Debito only Metonymically as it is the sign of his will before expressed If the proper will of God were separated from this it would then be no producer of Dueness or Right at all for it would be no Law no signum it would lose its Nature as Abrogated Laws do Also observe that you must here carefully distinguish between Gods Act in making a Law and the Moral Act of that Law or of his will by that Law when it is made I call not Legislation it self God 's will de Debito or his Legislative will His ordaining the sign it self or making the Law which is his instrument is an Act of his will de rerum Eventu vel Naturae For it only maketh that instrument or sign by which Right shall be after produced but doth not directly thereby produce that Right But it is the signification and Moral Act of that Law which floweth from its Nature which doth produce Right and which we here intend The Scribe that writes a Statute and the Sovereign himself in composing the Matter Order and Terms doth but make that Signum or Instrument which being made doth therefore Institute Right because it signifieth the Sovereigns will to institute it So much for the explication of my meaning in this Distinction 2. Next I shall say somewhat to prove the soundness of it which is therefore necessary because some ignorant persons laugh at it as if we feigned two wills in God and one of them contrary to the other Otherwise to men of understanding it is not very needful And therefore I shall say but this briefly It is not two Wills in God as two distinct Essences or Faculties that I assert but only two distinct Acts Distinct I say in regard of their distinct products or Effects and so to mans apprehension though in God we say there is no diversity or distinction Yet as we cannot hansomely conceive of his will to save Peter and his will to damn Judas as one act having such different Effects so it is here Who knows not that Naturality and Morality Physicks and Ethicks Event and Right are different things and consequently we may and must distinguish of Gods willing them accordingly When a Man saith You shall do this preceptively he doth only say It shall be your duty to do it but saith not that eventually you shall do it Nor are his words false if you never do it He that saith prophetically or by prognostication you shall do this means that it shall so come to pass and if it do not his words are false But he doth not say It is or shall be your Duty 12. Accordingly we must distinguish between the antecedent and consequent Acts and Will of Christ as Ruler of Mankind For the understanding of which and avoiding mistakes observe 1. That we speak not now of Eternal Decrees but of the will of Christ in this Relation as he is the Ruler of the World and Church and as he is the conveyer of his mercies according to and by his Covenant and as he judgeth the World according thereunto 2. That by his Antecedent will and acts we mean only that which in his Government is Antecedent to Mans Obedience or Disobedience which is principally Legislation and and making his new Covenant and also the giving of Preachers and other acts which are the first part of his Administration And by his consequent Acts and Will we mean only that second part of Government which findeth Man Obedient or Disobedient and is commonly called Judgment and Execution And when we say that by his Antecedent Acts and Will Christ giveth Pardon Justification and Right to Glory equally to all we mean that as Legislator and Promiser he hath antecedently made an Universal Act of Oblivion or Deed of Gift Conditionally Pardoning c. all and no farther than Conditionally Pardoning any And when we say that he consequently justifieth and saveth none but true Christians and in that Sence dyed for no other according to his consequent will we mean that as Judge of Mankind he will give Justification and Salvation to Believers and to no others nor ever intended to do otherwise Let the Reader know that the foresaid Scheme of the Effects of Christs Death is more accurately and yet more briefly done in my Methodus Theologiae And therefore let him that disliketh the Number or Order of Distributions pass it by But I have not time to reform it here CHAP. III. Explicatory Conclusions Proposition I. CHRIST Died nullius loco so as strictly and properly and fully to represent Mens Persons as if in sensu Legali vel Civili they themselves did suffer and satisfie Prop. II. Christ Died loco nostro so as to bear that Suffering partly for kind and wholly for weight which our sins deserved and we should have born Prop. III. Christ's Dying in our stead is in order of Nature before his procuring us Benefits by his Death as the means necessary thereto Prop. IV. Christ dyed not for any Mans final non-performance of the conditions of the Law of Grace Prop. V. Christ did not bear for any the proper punishment threatned by the New Law as such nor taketh off its Actual proper obligation from any Prop. VI. Christs Obedience was a perfect fulfilling of the preceptive part of that Law whose actual obligation he submitted himself to Prop. VII Christs sufferings were not a fulfilling of the Laws commination as obliging us nor was it fulfilled but relaxed to us by a pardon Prop. VIII Christs sufferings were a satisfaction or Redditio aequivalentis non ejusdem for our not fulfilling the Precept and the Fathers not fulfilling the Threatning upon us or our not bearing the penalty Prop. IX Christs satisfaction was not made to the Law properly but to the Law-giver for the transgression of the Law Prop. X. The Law as binding us was the great Occasion of Christs Death and Loco-causa Obligatoriae But not the Obligatory Cause it self Prop. XI Christs own Sponsion and his Fathers will were the only proper obligations Prop. XII Christ satisfied God most properly as Legislator or Rector per legem operum and not without respect to his Law His satisfaction was for the obtaining the principal ends of the Law Prop. XIII Christ suffered in our stead that we might not suffer but he did not in proper sence obey in our stead that we might not obey but for our sakes and benefit and that we might obey Prop. XIV All mens sins equally were the occasion or Loco causae meritoriae of Christs sufferings except the fore excepted sins Prop. XV. Christ in suffering bore the punishment antecedently due to all Mankind
that were not so yet remember that the same Men that object this do teach also that Christ did as strictly represent us in obeying and that in him we fulfilled the Law 4. If that were not so yet it crosseth the Scripture to call the wicked Righteous in the first Sence i. e. non reos poenae Pprob Minor They say all the elect have satisfied in Christ But multitudes of the Elect are wicked Therefore c. Prob. Minor He he that doth wickedness is wicked and is of the Devil saith the Apostle But such are many of the Elect before Conversion Therefore c. This argument is in sence but the same with the 7th but that the terms differ John saith He that doth Righteousness is Righteous and this Doctrine saith consequentially He that never did Righteousness is Righteous Paul saith His Servants ye are to whom ye obey whether of Sin unto death or of obedience unto Righteousness But this Doctrine saith consequently His friends ye are whom you never obeyed and that the Elect before conversion who obey the Devil and so are his Servants and never had obedience unto Righteousness are yet Righteous as having paid all their debt 10 Arg. That Doctrine which denieth Christs Satisfaction for us in strict Sence is not of God But such is this opposed Therefore c. The Major is plain Prob. Minor That Doctrine which affirmeth Christs sufferings to have been the Idem which was required by the Law and not the Tantundem doth deny satisfaction in strict Sence But so doth this opposed Therefore c. The Major is proved by the definition of satisfaction which strictly taken is Redditio aequi valentis as Scotus and other Schoolmen and Amesius contra Bellar from them approving it or it is solutio tantidem as Grotius and others and is distinct from solutio ejusdem which is solutio strictè sic dicta Minor Prob. They that affirm us to have suffered all that the Law required do affirm us consequently to have suffered the Idem and not meerly the tantundem But so do they that teach that we suffered in Christ c. Therefore c. More of this anon 11. Arg. Christ suffered and satisfied in the Person of Mediator therefore not in the Person of the Elect or Offender Because a mediator is a middle person and Christ sustained not two persons as a sufferer 12. Arg. The Scripture oft speaks of Christs taking on him our nature and our Sins but not in suffering our person Therefore it is not to be affirmed Isa 53. c. 13. Arg. That Doctrine is not tollerable which makes Man his own Redeemer or to have satisfied or suffered for his own Sins But such this seems therefore c. For if the Law say that we satisfied in Christ then in Law Sence we satisfied for own Sins and consequently redeemed our selves As for their Objection that no other way but representing our persons could suffice to save us by the satisfaction of another it is a gross mistake and naked affirmation without proof And for them that say Christ suffered in persona nostrâ but not satisfied or merited so I answer They speak inconsistencies Satisfaction and Merit are necessary results from the nature of the suffering considered with the Dignity of the Person and the Divine acceptance Now if Christ suffered not in his own person whose dignity was to communicate a value to his sufferings then his sufferings are defective in their value And if we did in Christ or by him suffer all that was due it is impossible but God should take that suffering for satisfactory in the larger Sence it being solutio ipsius debiti in strict Sence So that if the Law or Law-giver say the Elect suffered in Christ they must needs say the elect satisfied in Christ or rather paid the debt of the due punishment And this God could not but accept consequenter ad Leges For who can refuse the proper debt Or deny an acquittance to him that dischargeth it But from a sponsor he might have refused it I might add many more Arguments were it needful As from the dishonour that this will cast on Gods Law in threatning those that have satisfied it already in offering pardon and justification on conditions to those that were justified without pardon 1600. years ago For a condition suspendeth the benefit till it be performed But no justice can suspend his justification who hath discharged all the debt What can be required more then all Also that the Covenant or Testament should be Gods Deed of Gift or Instrument of conveying Right to that which is our own already 1600. years ago Also the Gospel saith our Life is in the Son and all is delivered into his Hands but this putteth our Rights in our own Hands even when we have no being Also according to this Doctrine Men were justified before they were Men and acquitted from all Sin before they were born or had committed Sin And so Sinners that were no Men and consequently no Sinners were acquitted from Sin that was not and consequently was no Sin CHAP. V. Prop. 2. Christs sufferings for Mans Sins were not the Idem the same thing which the Law threatned to us Or the fulfilling of the threatening and discharge of the debt it self in kind But the Aequivalens or Value freely paid by him obliged only by his own sponsion and accepted by God for our not fulfilling the Law as to its Precept and Commination SOme think this Question whether Christ paid the Idem or Tantundem To be not Tantidem not worth the disputing Mr. O against me seems stifly to maintain it to be the Idem but yielding it to be not per eundem and the Law to be Relaxed so far doth yield as much as I need and gives up the whole cause and made me think it a useless labour to reply to him As small as this Question seems I think the main Body of Divinity stands or falls according to the Resolution of it For understanding the meaning of it you must know 1. That it is not of the quality of the suffering that we enquire Whether Christ suffered the same kind of pain or loss that we should have suffered Nor of the quantity of Torment for intension or duration For I am willing to believe as much identity in these as I can see any ground but of probability to encourage me Though yet I know how hard it is for them that say by Death in the threatning was meant Death Temporal Spiritual and Eternal to prove that the loss of Gnds Image was none of the penalty for I hope none will say that Christ lost Gods Image or that Christs temporary sufferings were the Idem with our Eternal quoad quantitatem and not the want of duration made up by the intension or dignity of the person as being Aequivalent Which is our ordinary Doctrine and I think sound Or yet that the Eternity of the punishment was not in the
Law But c. Ergo c. Prob. Min. that the Law knoweth no other satisfaction but fulfilling Argu. 1. Satisfaction strictly as distinct from fulfilling is Redditio aequivalentis But the Law as continuing the same cannot commute or substitute the aequivalens vel tantundem for the Idem or proper Debt 2. It is essential to the Law to constitute the Debitum vel officij vel Poenae But it constitutes not the Debitum alterius speciei vel tantidem else it should confound the ipsum debitum with the aequivalens The Law never imposed it on Christ to satisfie for our sins This was the obligation of his own Sponsion 3. Satisfaction which is the giving of the value for the proper Debt implyeth a relaxation of the Law to its acceptance But the Law cannot relax it self Ergo c. 4. To admit of satisfaction is the Act of the Lawgiver or Rector as he is above Law therefore it is no act of the Law As to make a Law to pardon an Offender to abrogate a Law c. are acts of one above the Law so is the relaxing of the Law in pardoning the Sinner and taking Christs sufferings for ours Can any obligation dissolve or remit it self 5. If the Law did neither threaten Christ in the first enacting of it nor hath power to change it self since by assuming another sense then Christs sufferings were neither a fulfilling nor satisfaction to the Law At verum prius Ergâ— If the name of Christ were put into the threatning after the Law was made then the Law was changed and so is not the same and it could not change it self Indeed if another for you pay a Debt the Bond is satisfied because it was the ipsum debitum But if another will bear the Death that you deserve the Law that threatens you is not satisfied nor fulfilled But the Law-giver is satisfied and the ends of the Law attained But here note that this relaxation and non fulfilling of the Law is not total and absolute nor such as derogateth at all from the honour of the Law or Lawgiver but it is a relaxation upon such terms as preserve both fully the full weight of the threatned Punishment being born or undertaken by the Son of God before God would relax his Law 6. To this and the two former together I add If the Laws Commination be fulfilled or if Christ suffered the same that was threatned or if we satisfied fully in Christ then we are not by that Law obliged to obedience during this Life But the consequent is false Ergo c. The reason of the consequence is this The Law obligeth aut ad obedientiam aut ad poenam disjunctively pro eodem tempore and not ad obedientiam ad poenam Now Christ hath satisfied for our sin not only against the Law of Works by Adam but against all Laws of Nature or Grace since except the non performance of the condition of the new Covenant and this to our Death So that if we have in Christ fully satisfied the threatning for all sin in this Life then we cannot be bound by the Precept after such satisfaction till after this Life be ended To say we are not obliged to the same Ends is no answer For that Law can oblige us to no ends which is fulfilled already and which did never oblige but aut ad obedientiam aut poenam propter obedientiae defectum CHAP. VII Prop. IV. It was not only the Sins of the Elect but of all even Elect and Non-elect which were the pro-causa meritoria of Christs sufferings Or it was not only the Sufferings Due to the Sins of the Elect but of all which Christ did undergo And accordingly hath made satisfaction for all IT is necessary that we speak of the efficient Causes of Christs Death before we handle the Effects And therefore we must consider quorum loco he Dyed before we consider how far they shall partake of the Benefits Here it must be remembred that we have already proved that Christ did not represent our Persons in satisfying but yet he bore our sins that is the penalty due to them and so did in a larger sence suffer nostro loco or nostri loco not as our Delegate or proper â—â—carius but as a voluntary Sponsor and so substitute in suffering Also understand that Christs sufferings had no real proper meritorious Cause But yet Mans sins were the pro-causa meritoria He undertook to bear that suffering which for them was due to us not to him And therefore when I say he bore the sufferings due to us I mean it materialiter only such sufferings for kind and weight he bore but his obligation to bear them was only from his own Sponsion and not the Law The Law by constituting the Dueness of punishment to us was the occasion of his suffering it but not the obliging cause I add that accordingly he hath satisfied for all For this will not be denyed if the first be proved For he satisfied by suffering what the Sinner deserved And in whose stead soever he suffered for them he satisfied Now I shall think it meet to stand the longer on this point because the decision of the main Question Whether Christ dyed for all men dependeth mainly on it For the strictest sence in which he is said to die for men is to die in their stead or to Die for their Sins as the procuring Cause on his own undertaking Yield this once and we shall much easilier agree on the second Part Pro quorum beneficio or what the benefits be which Christ hath procured to all At least no man will think it unmeet to say that Christ died for all men if we can prove that he dyed for the sins and in the stead of all and satisfied Gods Justice for all And if he dyed for them it is certain that he satisfied for them as is said because God doth neither require nor accept the Death of his Righteous Son but as it is necssary to the satisfaction of his justice for Sin Lastly remember that I put the word all as contradistinct from the Elect pleading specially against them that would confine Christs satisfaction only to the Elect Not that I doubt of Christs sufferings for all in the utmost universality but I think it far safer to dispute it as to all that hear the Gospel For God hath plainlier shewed us how he dealeth with these than the rest and it is not fair nor profitable to carry the disputation into the obscurest part to lose it rather than determine it And if any agree with me in this that I prove That Christ satisfied for all that hear the Gospel I will not trouble them with disputing it about the rest but willingly let them enjoy their opinion though contrary to mine as judging it to be to us of far lesser moment My Arguments shall be first from the scope of Scripture Doctrine and 2. From some particular Texts
therefore should be saved Ans The Persons are determined of long ago for whom Christ satisfied Either he hath satisfied for me or he hath not before my Faith If he have not then my Faith will not cause him to satisfie for me either by suffering again or by making that satisfaction to have been paid for me which was not Object But it is a thing that never will be for one to believe for whom Christ did not satisfie And therefore it is a thing not to be supposed Ans 1. Things may and must be supposed in dispute that never will be That the Elect should have the desert of their Sin or be unredeemed or be forsaken of God or deprived of any mercy which God will give them are all things that never will be And yet a Christian may argue on supposition they had been or should be to raise his thankfulness What if God should have denied me his Grace Or his Redemption Or let me perish in my Sin and State of nature What a Case would my Sin have brought me under 2. If it be a thing not to be supposed in dispute that a Man should believe for whom Christ satisfied not then it is because it implieth a contradiction Else it may be supposed But it implieth no contradiction Ergo c. Object It is a contradiction Because Christ purchased Faith for all those for whom he satisfied and therefore for a Man to believe for whom Christ purchased not Faith is a contradiction Ans 1. I shall take it as a groundless fancy till it be proved that Christ purchased Faith to be eventually certainly given to all those for whom he satisfied 2. If he had this argument is not from satisfaction as such but as it is meritorious of Faith 3. still it is no contradiction because it implyeth no contradiction for a man to believe without that Grace which Christ hath purchased though it be a thing that will never be done 4. They that will still affirm the contrary do the more destroy their own Cause For they then assert that all Gods commands by his Laws and Ministers to the unredeemed as they suppose them for believing in Christ do require meer impossibilities and such contradictions as are not to be so much as supposed in dispute which I think few sober men will grant but rather avoid that opinion that is the ground of such an assertion 5. And which is more the same absurdity will follow as to all other means whatsoever as well as Faith which God hath prescribed to such men for pardon and salvation as they are means and so bring this reproach on the whole New Law as made to all such Men. Object But the same may be said against Gods Foreknowledge or Decree For if God Fore-know or Decree that men shall certainly perish then it may as well be said that though they should believe God neither would nor could save them Answ 1. As to the Power of God it is not straitened by his Decree It follows not God will not do such a thing therefore he cannot The same Divines whom I now argue against use to argue thus about Physical Predetermination God 's Determination of his own will destroyeth not his Power or liberty to the contrary act therefore his determination of our wills destroyeth not our Power or Liberty to the contrary acts whereby they grant that God can save those that he decreeth not to save and so can give them Faith c. and that he is still free to do it or not do it Object If he should believe and be saved whom God hath foreknow nor decreed to be condemned for Unbelief then God should be deceived or change But it is impossible for God to be deceived or change therefore it is impossible for him to believe and be saved whom God hath foreknown or decreed to condemn for unbelief Answ It is a vicious Argument There 's more in the conclusion than in the premises No more will follow but this therefore he will not believe and be saved whom God c. not it is impossible for God never foreknew or decreed that it should be impossible for him to believe and be saved but only that he would not eventually believe and be saved 2. When I speak before in the Argument of Gods will it is not of his will of Decree but of his will as he is in the relation of Rector per Leges and so giveth that Salvation as executor of his Laws and Sentence which by his Laws he first gave Right to God as Rector and Legislator neither will nor can give Salvation to any that Christ dyed not for if they should believe But God as Legislator or Rector would give salvation to all that Christ Dyed for if they believe though it were supposed that he had foreknown or decreed that such men would not believe Only it would follow that God was mistaken And therefore such a thing will never come to pass for God will not be mistaken It is God as â—egislator to whom it belongs to be true in making good his promises which is the thing in Question 3. The want of an expiatory sacrifice doth morally necessitate the Damnation of Man though he should believe both in respect of the Law of works as â—hrists Death is Causa necessaria liberationis as want of a Ransome may be said to necessitate a Captives perishing and properly in respect to the new Law whose Penalty is 1. Non-liberation 2. And a sorer punishment For the chief cause of that Non-liberation or Non-salvation must needs be the defect of that which should be the chief cause of Deliverance and Salvation rather than the defect of Faith a subservieâ— cause or condition which ever supposeth thâ— former cause If two men at Christs bar be â—â—â—leaded as lyable to Damnation and it be â—â—â—d to one Thou hast no Right to Salvation for Christ never Dyed for thee and to the other thou hast no right because thou didst not believe is not the former more valid then the latter or as valid But to say Thou hast no right because God did decree the contrary is not right arguing 4. We must not argue a minus notis as the Decrees are as shall be shewed Arg. 8th A Causa pereundi negativè If Christ hath not satisfied for all men then the cause of mens perishing is for want of an expiatory sâ—criâ—iâ—e But the want of an expiatory 〈◊〉 is not the cause of mens 〈◊〉 therefore Christ hath satisfied for all By 〈◊〉 cause I mean not the meritorious cause for that no doubt must be some sin of Man And I suppose that Unbelievers are not condemned according to the first Law of works as standing without Remedy that is not meerly because they did not perfectly obey but at the Redeemers bar because they believed not and would not have Christ to Reign over them or because they improved not their Talents of Grace that is of mercy given contrary
Heaven when he said unto them ye have Crucified the Lord of glory So that at the same time 3000 Men were pricked in their Hearts and said Act. 2. 37. Men and Brethren what shall we do to be saved Again if Christ for our Sins shed his Heart Blood and if our Sins made him sweat water and Blood O then why should not we our selves shed bitter tears and why should not our Hearts bleed for them He that finds himself so dull and hardened that the Passion of Christ doth not humble him is in a lamentable ease for there is no Faith in the Death of Christ effectual in him as yet These words shew that Perkins speaks not this only to believers 2. The meditation of the passion of Christ is a most notable means to breed repentance and reformation of Life in time to come For when we begin to think that Christ Crucified by suffering the first and 2d Death hath procured to us remission of all our Sins past and freed us from Hell Death and damnation then if there be but a spark of Grace in us we begin to be of another mind and to reason thus with our selves what hath the Lord been thus merciful to me that am of my self but a firebrand of Hell as to free me from deserved destruction and to receive me to favour in Christ Yea no doubt he hath His name be blessed therefore I will not therefore Sin any more as I have done but rather endeavour hereafter to keep my self from every evil way 3. The right knowledg of our selves ariseth from the knowledg of Christ Crucified in whom and by whom we come to know five special things of our selves The first how grievous our Sins are and therefore how miserable we are in regard of them If we consider our offences in themselves and as they are in us we may soon be deceived c. But if Sin be considered in the Death and passion of Christ whereof it was the cause and the vileness thereof measured by the unspeakable torments endured by the Son of God and if the greatness of the offence of Man be esteemed by the endless satisfaction made to the justice of God the least Sin that is will appear to be a Sin indeed and that most grievous and ugly Therefore Christ Crucified must be used by us as a mirror or Looking-Glass in which we may fully take a view of our wretchedness c. And before and for our Neighbors those specially that are of Christs Church they are to be known of us on this manner When we are to do any duty to them we must not barely respect their Persons but Christ Crucified in them and them in Christ And Page 631. The 5th point is that we owe to Christ an endless debt for he was Crucified only as our surety and pledg and in that Spectacle of his passion we must consider our selves as the chief debtors and that the very discharge of our debt that is the Sins which are inherent in us were the proper cause of all the endless pains and torments that Christ endured that he might set us most miserable Bankrupts at liberty from Hell Death and damnation For this his unspeakable goodness if we do but once think of it seriously we must needs confess that we owe our selves our Souls and Bodies and all that we have as a debt due unto him And so soon as any Man begins to know Christ Crucified he knows his own debt and thinks of the payment of it And that you may be sure that Perkins speaks not only of the Elect see Page 631. Col. 2. The common Protestant likewise cometh short herein for 3 Causes 1. Whereas in word they acknowledg him to be their Saviour this he blameth not in them that hath redeemed them from their evil Conversation yet indeed they make him a patron of their Sins The Thief makes him the receiver The Murderer makes him his refuge The Adulterer be it spoken with reverence to his Majesty makes him the Bawd c. Thus Christ that came to abolish Sin is made a maintainer thereof and the common Packhorle of the World to bear every Mans burden 2. Men are content to take knowledg of the merit of Christs passion for the remission of their Sins but in the mean season the virtue of Christs Death for the mortifying of Sin is little regarded c. 3. Men usually content themselves generally and confusedly to know Christ to be their Redeemer it seems then that it is true never once seeking in every particular Estate and condition of Life and in every particular blessing of God to feel the benefit of his passion What is the cause that almost all the World live in security never almost touched for their horrible Sins Surely the reason is because they did never yet seriously consider that Christ in the Garden lay grouling upon the Earth sweating Water and Blood for their offences Can a Man speak plainer for Christs dying for all Again all such as by fraud and oppression or any kind of hard dealing suck the Blood of poor Men never yet knew that their Sins drew out the Heart Blood of Christ And proud Men and Women that are puffed up by reason of their attire which is the badg of their shame and never cease hunting after strange fashions consider not that Christ was not Crucified in gay attire but naked that he might bear the whole shame and curse of the Law for us These and such like whatsoever they say in word are flat Enemies of the Cross of Christ and tread his precious Blood under their Feet Now then considering this so weighty and special a point of Religion is so much neglected O Man or Woman high or low young or old if thou have been wanting this way begin for very shame to learn and learning to know Christ Crucified That thou mayest attain to this behold him often c. 1. Look on him as a glass or spectacle in which thou shalt see Gods Glory greater in thy Redemption then in thy Creation c. 2. Thou must behold him as the full price of thy Redemption and perfect Reconciliation with God And pray earnestly to God that he would Seal up the same in thy conscience by his Spirit 3. Thou must behold Christ as an example to whom thou must conform thy self by Regeneration c. Read the History of Christs passion Observe all the parts and circumstances thereof and apply them to thy self for thy full Conversion When thou readest that Christ went to the Garden as his custom was where the Jews might soon attack him consider that he went to the death of the Cross for thy Sins willingly and not of constraint and that therefore thou for thy part shouldest do him all service freely Psal 110. 3. When thou hearest that in his agony his Soul was heavy unto death know it was for thy Sins and thou shouldest much more conceive heaviness of Heart for
these are given according to the Law of Works If not then it must be according to the Law of Grace and the New Covenant or according to no Law If the former then none will question I think but it must come from Christs Blood For the New Law and Testament is founded in his Blood and Sealed by it If the later then at least the Law of Works must be first relaxed and they so far pardoned seeing according to that Law they should have lived not among these mercies but in misery And Scripture assures us that it was the Blood of Christ that delivered us from the Curse of the Law and that on the Cross he took down the hand writing that was against us c. And without his suffering there is no Relaxation of the Laws obligation They that set open so wide a door of mercy to all the World beside Jesus Christ do not lightly wrong him and do dangerously deceive themselves and others I am sure Christ will expect repentance thanks and obedience for these mercies and condemn Men for not improving these Talents which he committed to them however Men may now tell Sinners that all comes but from common providence and not by the Blood of Christ 3. Yea that which they call common providence is the disposal of things by the Redeemer For all things are delivered to him of the Father and all power given him and to that end he died rose and revived that he might be Lord of the Dead and Living And therefore if Men have any mercy now it must come through the Redeemers Hands and consequently is a fruit of his Blood But this will yet further be proved in the next which is 3. That it is Christs dying for those same persons to whom he gives these mercies that is the ground of them And this further is proved thus 1. Some of the mercies given are such as could no other way be procured and given as is ordinarily granted Such as are the Universal Remission Justification Adoption and gift of Christ himself on condition that Men will accept them Christ given as Redeemer supposeth his Redemption as to paying of the price to be past Without Blood there is no Remission neither conditional not absolute as is proved in the first Argument But a conditional Remission to all is given in the New Testament Ergo c. The Remission also of their punishment for the time of this Life or at least of so much of it is actual though not plenary Remission and wicked Men partake of that Of one of these two Christs speaks in the parable of the ungrateful unmerciful Servant Mat. 18. 27. 32. 35. The Lord of that Servant was moved with compassion and loosed him and forgave him the debt c. His Lord said O thou wicked Servant I forgave thee all that debt c. So likewise shall my Heavenly Father do also by you if ye from your Hearts forgive not every one his Brother their Trespasses But of this Text more hereafter So that God doth remit to the Non-Elect most of the temporal punishment of their Sin actually and all the Eternal punishment conditionally That he remitteth the temporal punishment is further proved Psal 78. 38. But he being full of compassion for gave their iniquity and destroyed them not Yea many a time turned he his anger away and did not stir up all his wrath He that reads out the rest of the Psalm will not believe that all these dissembling Israelites were Elect. So for the legal forgiveness of Sin upon the use of Ceremonies See Lev. 4. 26 31 35. and 5. 10 13 16 18. and 6. 7 and 19 22. Numb 15. 25 26 28. It shall be forgiven all the Congregation of the Children of Israel and the Stranger that sojourneth among them seeing all the People were in ignorance but all Israel were not Elect Numb 14. 19. Pardon I beseech thee the iniquity of this People according to the greatness of thy mercy and as thou hast forgiven this People from Egypt even until now 20. And the Lord said I have pardoned according to thy Word Dev. 21. 8. Psal 85. 2. Isa 40. 2. So the Example of Ahab the Ninevites c. Shew clearly For that which God did in mercy in respect to their humiliation was some kind of Remission 2. And further I prove it as by these express Texts of Scripture so by this Scripture reason Either God remitteth much of the temporal punishment or else he shews them no mercy And consequently they are not beholden to him nor owe him any thanks but God doth shew them mercy Ergo c. He that remitteth none of the punishment due sheweth no mercy in this case And he that sheweth mercy remitteth part of the punishment for it was part of the punishment to be deprived of the mercies which wicked Men enjoy Who dare once imagine that Health Strength Friends Liberty Peace Riches Honour Food Raiment Houses Accommodations Cattel all Creatnres to serve us Publick Peace Sun Rain Fruits of the Earth prospering of our Labours c. Knowledg Parts Motions of the Spirit excellent means and offers of Grace Godly society and Examples Admonitions Tast of the good word of God and the powers of the World co come Illumination Partaking of the Holy Ghost working Miracles casting out Devils hearing the word with joy believing for a time clean escaping the pollutions of the World by the knowledg of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to be sanctified with the blood of the Covenant to be loved of Christ as the man was Mar. 10. 21. to have the easiest place in Hell c. who dare say that none of all these are Mercies Or that the enjoyment of these may stand with the full execution of the sentence of the Law If the Curse lay in the deprivation of these then the enjoyment of them is a remission of that curse or Penalty But c. Ergo c. read Deut. 28. Now that this Remission is granted to none but by virtue of Christs dying for him I will now but refer you to the whole multitude of Reformed Divines in their Writings against the Papists about Purgatory Indulgences and Humane Satisfactions where they argue with greatest Zeal and many Arguments that temporal punishments are remitted only for Christ's Satisfaction even the same men that deny Universal Satisfaction not remembring how this overthroweth their own cause The reason I conceive is that here the evidence of truth constraineth them but in the denial of Universal Redemption they constrain themselves to it meerly because they have not found out the way of reconciling Universal Satisfaction with Special Predestination and therefore think they are necessitated to deny the former though against the clear light of many express Texts of Scripture for fear of contradicting the later 1. Amesius saith Bellarm. Enervat To. 2. li. 5. c. 2. p. mihi 158. Christus per spiritum suum nihil in nobis operatur
to an Angel not to be Redeemed nor to the Devils not to be partakers of Christ and of Pardon and Salvation by him Now its true the Pardon of the Damned and their Salvation was not actually effected but the meritorious cause was full and perfect in Christs satisfaction and moral causes go long before the effects sometimes and may do all their part and yet the effect not follow through the defect of some other and the effects were conditionally given or produced by the New Covenant and thereby become not only possible and probable but certain if the condition were performed So that here is a proper privation and not a bare Negation Nor is it the meer matter of such effects that men are deprived of but formally as they were effects conditionally granted and were to have been effects actually of the death of Christ They should have been such effects if they had done their part to procure them by performing the condition as Christ did in the Cause for he required not them to effect it as concauses but only suspended the effects of his own full sufficient but Moral cause on their condition which all Lawyers and all that know what a Moral Cause is or what a proper condition is know to be most usual Now if you suppose that Christ died not and satisfied not for these men then the loss of Pardon Adoption Membership of Christ final Absolution Salvation besides all the greater Glory and all the Spirits Graces and Workings in this life cannot possibly be punishments to them for they cannot be Privations For there was never any cause to procure them and therefore they were never possible much less due and Mans Faith was not required by God to be the meritorious cause or to satisfie Gods Justice nor yet to procure Christ or any other to satisfie it nor yet to make that satisfaction to be now for us which was made for others and not for us to none of these ends was Faith required but only to be the condition of our enjoying Christ and the fruits of his satisfaction on performance whereof the Moral Cause which was long before in full being should produce its effect or else not as to us so that satisfaction as the Cause is necessarily supposed to Faith as the condition seeing the office of the condition is that on it the effect of the cause be suspended till that condition be performed And therefore there can be no condition where there is not first the Moral Cause I mean there can neither be condition constituted by Law Testament Deed of Gift or Covenant nor yet condition performed for it cannot have the form of a condition Or if that be disputable as to any other case I am sure it is not in the case in hand No man will say that the non-remission non-salvation of the Devils by the Blood of Christ is a Punishment to them Object That is because it was never offered or conditionally given them by Covenant as it was to the Unbelievers Answ Nor could it have been given so to Unbelievers if Christ had not died for them Could God give them Christ as a Satisfier and Redeemer who never had satisfied for them or redeemed Or could he make over to them effects which had no Cause viz. the effects of his dying for them when he did not dye for them Would the New Covenant serve to pardon men without Christs Sacrifice and Satisfaction Nay is it not beyond all doubt that this which I call the New Covenant or Testament He that believeth shall be saved c. is the Redeemers Law and Testament and presupposeth his Death and Satisfaction in esse Morali at least It is the New Testament in his Blood he first buyeth men to be his own by satisfaction and then dealeth with them as his own by Promise and Legislation Only the Promise of God to give Christ for a Redeemer to the World and his Prophesies of him therein are in order of nature before the Moral being of Christs death but so is not the Law of Grace I know nothing that hath any great shew of Reason that can be said against this Argument which so clearly evinceth the truth of Universal Redemption and for vain objections I will not trouble my self and the Reader with them Arg. 30. A Comparatione doctrinae universalem satisfactionem affirmantis cum doctrinâ— eandem negante If they who assert Universal Redemption quoad satisfactionem pretium have all these forementioned Arguments from Scripture for their cause and a multitude of express Texts and no one ill consequence following their doctrine nor one sound Reason nor one text of Scripture against them And if the deniers of Universal Satisfaction have all the contrary disadvantages then they that affirm Universal Satisfaction are in the right and they that deny it do err But the antecedent is true Ergo. c. Here I will 1. Look over these Arguments again and from thence shew you the face of the consequents of the denial of Universal Satisfaction 2. I will lay you down together the express Texts that are for Universal Satisfaction 3. And also the Texts that are brought against it 4. And then the particular search of those texts on both sides and the answer to all the Arguments that are usually brought against Universal Satisfaction I intend shall follow afterward in their own places more fully The Doctrine which denyeth Universal Satisfaction hath all these inconveniences and absurd consequents following therefore it is not of God nor true 1. It either denieth the Universal Promise or Conditional Gift of Pardon and Life to all men if they will believe and then it overturneth the substance of Christs Law and Gospel promise or else it maketh God to give conditionally to all men a Pardon and Salvation which Christ never purchased and without his dying for men 2. It maketh God either not to offer the effects of Christs satisfaction Pardon and Life to all but only to the Elect or else to offer that which is not and which he cannot give 3. It denieth the direct object of Faith and of Gods offer that is Christum qui satisfecit a Christ that hath satisfied 4. It either denieth the Non-Elects deliverance from that flat necessity of perishing which came on man for sinning against the first Law by its remediless unsuspended obligation and so neither Christ Gospel or Mercy had ever any nature of a remedy to them nor any more done toward their deliverance then towards the deliverance of the Devils Or else it maketh this deliverance and remedy to be without satisfaction by Christ for them 5. It either denieth that God commandeth all to believe but only the Elect Or else maketh God to assign them a deceiving Object for their Faith commanding them to believe in that which never was and to trust that which would deceive them if they did trust it 6. It maketh God either to have appointed and commanded the
all may accept it if they will and then there would be no distribution But because all will not and this is foreknown therefore consequently it is distributive So here and that it is distributive is from the will of Man and the event and other exteriour differencing Causes but not properly from the promise or deed of gift at all except by accident 3. The next words shew what World it is that is here spoken of viz. That which comprizeth men that believe and so are not Condemned and those that believe not which Consideration is consequential and not antecedent to Christ's dying for them and so are Condemned already because they have not believed c. v. 18. They that will affirm a greater restriction in the sense of the word must prove it For though I have proved here the larger sense yet indeed it belongs to them to prove their assertion who recede from the commoner and more extensive sense I shall briefly examine what they say to that end Only I must intreat the Reader that if they compare my Writings with any Book which contains the Reasons which I confute that you would not expect that I should take any notice of any of those strangely-confident Juvenile Triumphant Expressions which some do abound with but that I draw out only the pith of their Arguments and set Reason against Reason and let the heaps of Worldly Rhetorical Gloryings alone Much more must I expect that you will not take me to be engaged to defend any Arminian misinterpretations and weaknesses and to confute what any man saith against them but only that which seems of force against the interpretations or assertions that I my self do maintain The first Reason they give for proving that it is only the Elect that here are called the World is drawn from the Love which is here said to have the World for its object which cannot be common to all but is proper to the Elect. This we deny and they attempt to prove by these five Reasons 1. Say they it is the most transcendent and remarkable Love and therefore proper to the Elect. I must desire the Reader to see this answered afterward in my answer to their interpretation of John 2. It is an Eternal act of God's will Answ But what that is to the purpose I know not 3. It was the cause of sending Christ Answ That 's true it was one cause but how follows the consequence 4. They say that Love which is the cause of giving Christ is always the cause of bestowing all other good things Answ That Love which caused the giving of Christ for the Elect is the cause of giving them all things with him but that love which caused the giving of Christ for all shall not eventually give them all things I refer you to what I shall say anon to Rom. 8. 32. for the full answer to this 5. They say this Love is an assured Fountain of Salvation to all that are beloved with it Answ I deny it if they mean by assured such as shall eventually be saved but say they the issue of this Love being not perishing but obtaining Eternal Life happens only to the Elect Ergo c. Answ The Text speaks of no other effect of this Love but the giving of Christ and the giving of Eternal Life on Condition of believing Now for the former there is a twofold giving of Christ First giving him on the Cross for us Secondly Giving him in the word of Promise to us The Text seems to comprehend both He is given on the Cross for all he is given in the word conditionally to all and so is Eternal Life with him Now though the actual right to Eternal Life and fruition of it be not the portion of all yet that makes no alteration or differencing nature in this Universal Conditional promise it is because one believed and another did not The Promise antecedently to the performance or non-performance of the Condition gave Christ alike to the Elect and non-Elect and Life with him But that some believed rather than others was not from the gift of this Universal Conditional Promise but from another cause even Gods secret decree of Election Their second Reason for proving that by the World is meant only the Elect is because it is the same World that Christ came to save ver 17. but that is only the Elect else God should fail of his intention Answ This is to pervert one Text by perverting another as I shall shew anon when we come to that Text. Their Third Reason is that its usual to call the Elect the World Answ It was a very Pious Judicious Grave Divine that said I profess I cannot find any one clear place where the World must of necessity be taken for the Elect only Ezek. Culverwell in his Answer to Objections against his Treaty of Faith They alledge for what they say these Texts John 4. 42. where Christ is called the Saviour of the World a Saviour of Men not saved is strange Answ So are all things strange to Men till they understand them It 's no more strange than that God Created all Men to Life that Happiness which the first Covenant promised who yet did dye for Sin The Second is John 6. 33 57. which shall be vindicated anon The Third is Rom. 4. 13. Abraham is said by Faith to be Heir of the World which ver 11. is called to be the Father of the Faithful Answ A bold interpretation but here 's no proof nor appearance of any that the Father of the faithful is all one with Heir of the World is too unlikely a thing to be received on a Mans bare word Especially considering that it is proper to Abraham to be Father of all them that believe verse 11. But to be Heir of the World verse 13. is not proper to him For it is said the promise that he should be Heir of the World was not to Abraham or to his Seed through the Law I never read where Abraham is called Heir of the Faithful nor can he so be conveniently called But he is called Heir of the World Therefore by the World is not meant only the Faithful The Next is Rom. 11. 12. If the fall of them be the Riches of the World and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles c. Ans It is more than the Elect Gentiles that shall be and are enricht by Christ though not as the Elect others are enriched with that Church state visible which Paul here speaks that the Jews were broken off from As also with the Gospel and ordinances and conditional gift of Christ and justification and glory besides many other mercies The next Text cited to prove that the World is put only for the Elect is Col. 1. 6. Which Gospel is come unto you as it is in all the World and bringeth forth fruit as it doth also in you c. Ans 1. It is not said that it bringeth forth
fruit in all the World but that it is come into all the World and bringeth forth Fruit viz. in some where it comes 2. But suppose it were otherwise doth not Christ say that the Gospel doth bring forth fruit in more than the Elect viz. in many that fall away when Persecution ariseth Mat. 13. And in whom the cares of the World do choak that Fruit. 3. Were these Colos all Elect to whom Paul speaks 4. It is a known truth that the Gospel comes to more than the Elect for many are called but few chosen next they alledge 2 Cor. 5. 19. which makes sufficiently against their whole cause as shall be shewen anon when we come to it Another place cited by them is 1 Joh. 2. 2. Christ is the propitiation of the sins of the whole World Ans If they may thus beg the question all Texts shall mean as they would have them Of this anon Another place cited is Psal 22. 27. All the ends of the World remember and turn unto the Lord And all the Kindreds of the Nations shall worship before thee For the Kingdom is the Lord's and he is the Governour among the Nations Ans 1. All the ends of the World is not so large as all the World 2. It is plain that this Text speaks of the establishment of Christs visible Kingdom which contains more than the Elect. The Net of the Gospel brings Fishes good and bad The Heathen Countries that have turned to the Lord from Paganism and Infidelity have not all believed to Salvation The Kingdoms of the World shall become the kingdom of the Lord and of his Christ But they are not all Elect. These are all the Texts that I find urged to to prove that by the World is signified only the Elect. 2. And what if it were so in some places 1. It follows not that it is so here 2. The usual Sense must not be forsaken without cause Nor is it sufficient that unusually it is otherwise taken 3. The conjoyned words will shew the necessity of a restrained Sense where such a Sense is necessary to be received but so they do not here but contrarily as hath been shewed Their 4th Reason to prove that by the World is here meant the Elect only is this If every one in the World be intended why doth not the Lord in the pursuit of this Love reveal Christ to all so loved Ans This is to be fully answered anon among the main Objections by it self Lastly they say else all these will follow 1. That some are beloved and hated also from Eternity 2. That God's Love towards innumerable is fruitless and vain 3. That the Son of God is given to them that never hear word of him and have no power granted to believe in him 4. That God is mutable in his Love or else he still loveth those that be in Hell 5. That he gives not all things to them to whom he gives his Son 6. That he knows not certainly before who shall believe and be saved Ans To the first I thought no Antiarminian Divine ever denied it God hateth all the Workers of iniquity Psal 5. 5. You will not say that he hated them not from Eternity Many of the Workers of iniquity are Elect and so loved from Eternity God's Love is spoken say Divines ab effectu potius quam ab affectu God from Eternity so loved Men not Elect as to give them on Creation Everlasting Life in Adam on condition of fulfilling the first Covenant and to give them everlasting life in Christ on condition of believing according to the second Covenant And yet he decreed not to give any Men Grace to perform the condition of the first covenant nor to give all men Grace to perform the condition of the second To the 2d Consequence I shall answer fully by it self anon among the contrary Arguments To the 3d. also I shall there answer To the 4th I say for it is not worth a fuller answer 1. All Divines that I know say that God loveth those in Hell as his Creatures and as Men Aquinas and the rest of the Schoolmen have it frequently Yea Ursine Rob. Baronius and many of our Protestant Divines say that he punisheth those in Hell short of their deserving and so sheweth some mercy there that I will not meddle with 2. If you speak of God's Love as it is in effectu and not in affectu then it is certainly mutable He gives Men those mercies which for their â—buse he removeth or turneth to judgments He gives to all a conditional Pardon and Life And after condemneth most to Death for not performing the condition To the Elect themselves these Effects are changeable 3. If you say God's Love is but his Velle bonum alicui and therefore he cannot be said now Men are in Hell to continue to will them a conditional Pardon and Life Therefore God's Love must be mutable I answer Let those Owls that love to blind themselves by gazing on the Sun of God's undiscernable Infiniteness undertake to tell what God's Love is and what his Will is and how he Wills that which is past c. For my part I pretend not to a capacity of discerning any such things 2. You may enforce your objection as strongly concerning God's Love to the Elect He once willed their Creation then he willed to redeem them by Christ then he willed to call them and to give them their first justification to deliver them from this sickness and that danger then he willed that they should die and then that they should rise again If you will tell me how God after the Resurrection will continue to all Eternity to will to create Man to redeem him to call him justifie him deliver him raise him c. then I will tell you how God will Eternally will the giving Christ Pardon and Salvation conditionally to all If you say he Wills them as preterita and not as presentia vel futura you may say so by this If you say that there is no preteritum vel futurum with God but all present and therefore he willeth them as preterita sic dicta quoad hominem vel fidem mensuram humanam sed ut presentia quoad Deum the like you may say here also To the 5th Consequence I must answer anon by it self when we speak of their Argument from Rom. 8. 32. To the 6th It is a naked affirmation as easily denied Dare Men say that it was no mercy or love of God to give mankind in Adam Eternal Life on condition of keeping his Law because God foreknew or foredecreed they would not or should not keep it And so not attain the fruit of that Govenant thereby Dare these Men pretending to preach the Gospel tell their hearers that to all of them except the Elect the preaching the Gospel and therein the offer and conditional gift of Christ Pardon Justification and Salvation is no mercy nor from any love of God to
natural suffering nor ever was to be punished meerly on the old score that is meerly for violating and incuring the penalty of the first Law by God as Rector according to that Law God might have refused to accept Christs Sufferings as a Satisfaction for Sinners much more to have freely provided it out of his own Treasure as it were when God therefore did freely himself provide a Satisfaction and freely Accept it He did both only on these terms that as Legislator of the strict Law of Works as standing without remedy he would punish no Man but yet he would not actually and absolutely discharge them for they are still his Subjects and now by a double right and bond viz both of Creation and Redemption and therefore must still be governed by him and therefore must still be Governed by Laws and therefore must still be under Precepts Prohibitions Promises and Threatnings which are the Parts of the Law For the Nature of Man is such as that it must be governed not meerly by Commanding but also per Praemia Poenas Experience tells us that of the best Men on Earth as propounded to them therefore God in mercy would make a New Law commanding all men to repent and that hear the Gospel to Believe and giving to the Redeemed the actual pardon of all their Sins on these Conditions making Christ the Fountain of our Life and Head of all that shall be Saved and Ordaining that Christ and with him Pardon and Adoption and the Spirit for further Sanctification and Salvation shall be given to all that will take Christ and that those that refuse him shall be unpardoned for all his Sacrifice and Satisfaction and shall moreover incur a far sorer punishment These are the terms on which God took Christ's Sufferings as satisfactory to his Justice which terms are well pleasing to the Son himself nor did he ever desire to ransom them on other terms or to bring them into any other Condition than under this his own Government and Laws nor to convey Pardon and Glory the Fruits of his Death to any that refused him still supposing his Everlasting secret Decree of procuring his chosen infallibly to perform the Conditions and partake of the benefits which belongs to another part of Theology Also it must be well observed as the very Principal Point for avoiding the common Errours in this business that the satisfaction is made to God as Legislator and so Rector per Leges and so hath its main direct respect to his Legislative Will His Will de Eventu is naturally Antecedent to it and the Cause of it as Event But his Law was the cause or occasion of it as due or morally necessary and also there are no Acts of his Decretive Will de Eventu caused by it but there are Acts of his Laws and so as to our manner of conceiving of his Will de Debito caused by it and so it was not for Christ's Death that God decreed to give Faith to any and consequently to give actual Pardon and Glory But God Decreed to give these for Christ's death when he so gives them And it is because of Christs death that they are due though not immediately from his death but mediante donatione Testamenti vel faderis Christ's death is the Cause of Faith but not of the Decree to give it Again it must be understood that it is not God as Legislator of the New Law that is satisfied for Sin by Christ's death that were to dye to satisfie himself the Mediator for the Non execution of his own remedying Law But it is God as Legislator of the Law of Works constituting Everlasting Death the due Penalty of every Sin Or if any had rather say that it is not formally the Law of Works which is now in force conjunct with the Law of Grace but it is become part of the Law of Grace the matter comes all to one sense though we change the words There is one Law that saith He that Sinneth shall dye call it what you will this Law as to the end Christ hath satisfied i. e. he hath properly satisfied the Law-giver There is another Law or as they call it the peremptory part of the New Law which saith He that believeth shall be Saved and he that believeth not shall be Damned Christ hath not satisfied the Justice of this Law by his Sufferings The sense of the Commination is He that in the time of this Life believeth not shall be Damned This Law is ever executed on all that are guilty and by it obliged to Everlasting Death that is on those that in their life time here do not Repent and Believe For the violation of the precept of this Law as it requires Belief or other Duty at the present time Christ did dye but not for the non-performance of the Condition which Death is threatned to Lastly It is therefore certain that Christ dyed not for the Sin of Final Impenitency in a prevalent degree and unbelief or Final Rebellion against himself or his Father And therefore when I said before that he satisfyed God as Legislator of the Law of works for sin as sin it is to be understood of the Law of Works as contradistinct from the Law of Grace and so all the sins peremptorily Condemned by the Law of Grace are excepted from the satisfaction Not only nor at all because they are the sins of such Persons but because they are such excepted sins who ever the person be Now therefore to the Argument and first to the Major I deny it and never saw any fair colour of proof of it and therefore having full plain Scripture to the contrary do confidently believe that all those are not Saved that Christ satisfied for and to the Proof brought I answer 1. It is untrue that Christ satisfied for every sin of every Man for whom he satisfied and it will never be proved He hath excepted all those Sins which are comprized in the final non-performance of the Condition of Salvation Object None that he satisfied for are ever guilty of that and that 's the Reason why he may not be said to dye for such Sins Answ That 's denyed and to be better proved before it can be received by Sober Men. I have already proved that he dyed and satisfied for those that are final Unbelievers or Apostates and so perish And I now prove that the Reason why Christ satisfied not for such sins as final Impenitency Infidelity or Rebellion is not accidental from the state of the Redeemed viz. because none of them are guilty of such but it is directly from the Nature of the sin without respect to this person more than that If Christ have expresly excepted the final non-performance of the Gospel Conditions from among the number of those sins which he hath satisfied for and that even in the New Law which he hath enacted for all Elect or Non-Elect then it is not only accidentally or because it
in an infallible prevalency to his chosen And that none might perish merely on the old score or be judged meerly by the Old Law but all stand or fall according to their improvement or abuse of recovering Mercy And all this God hath hereupon granted to his Son And so he hath satisfaction for his satisfaction though many that he hath satisfied for do perish 6. Besides consider though men be punished for the same sins that Christ suffered for yet as to God the same do become new sins and so men suffer for them as it were as for new sins For 1. The old Obligation was so far made void or disabled that of it self it could never more bind them to punishment by reason of the addition of a remedying grant 2. God did quantum in se as Legislator of the old Law forgive them all the debt except the sins of non-performance of the Gospel conditions which God still excepted and Christ never suffered for for God hath delivered the obligation out of his own hand as standing in that first Relation of Rector secundum Legem Naturae sâ—lum and given it up into the hand of the Redeemer to give Remission to whom he please He hath also made a free Deed of Gift of an Universal Pardon to all that will accept it So that though men be not actually pardoned yet God may conveniently be said to have pardoned them in that he did his part as Rector secundum Leges As he saith to Israel I have healed thee and thou art not healed When a true Believer is actually Pardoned God doth put forth no new act to Pardon him but doth it by the general Grant or Act of Oblivion whereby he Pardoned All men conditionally as well as them The Law saith a man hath done a thing or given a benefit when he hath done his part though the effect follow not and the Work be yet undone For Moral Causes may do all their part and â—et the effect not follow for want of the performance of conditions in the receiver or because con-causes do not their part And therefore if the effect follow not the Law enquires Who it is long of Whose fault was it if of the Patient or Receiver then the Donor or Agent is said to have done the thing though yet it be not done For as to him moraliter vel Civiliter it is done There being no default on his part If any say that God followeth not the Rules of Humane Laws I answer God is the Fountain of all right Laws and Reason and Justice and I speak not of any unjust or mistaking Laws This is an ill pretence for men to judge their Maker by when they will not allow him that reasonable apology nor make that construction of his ways according to common undeniable equity as they will do of the ways of men Right Reason and the Laws made thereby are a beam of Gods perfect Wisdom and Justice If any say that God doth not Totum quod ad se attinet all his part in making a Deed of Gift of Christ and Pardon and Glory to all that will accept it unless he also give Faith which is the acceptance it self I shall now only say this much till we come to the point by it self that God doth Totum quod ad se attinet ut Legislatorem vel Rectorem juxta Leges all that belongs to him as Rector according to Laws though not all that belongs to him as absolute Lord and Disposer of events and all Creatures And it is in that Respect sub 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rectoris that Christ made satisfaction to him and not in the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Relation of an Eternal-Elector or Absolute Proprietary and Disposer of all So that you see now that quoad Deum all men are pardoned all their sins except those excepted in the conditions of the Grant though quoad delinquentis Receptionem they are still unpardoned They may have Christ and Pardon if they will And when they are deprived of the Gift meerly because they will not have it no Reason can say God did not give it or Christ did not procure it or that God is unjust in that they are without it So that it is not now meerly the obligation of the first Law as unremedied that binds them over to punishment nor as it is in the Hands of God as Creator or Rector secundum Legem operum but it is the Obligation of the new Law primarily He that believeth not shall not be forgiven nor be saved and consequently of the Old Law as the obligation is in the Redeemers hands to be charged only on the Rejecters of Grace It is not primarily for sin as sin according to this Law Whosoever sinneth shall dye but it is primarily for Rejecting the Remedy and then that sin by necessary consequence remains unpardoned so that it is not directly because they were guilty of Death by the first Law but propter rejectam Remissionem for despising the Remission of that guilt So that quoad Deum it may be called the return of Sin or Guilt Remitted and so to be more properly ex novd obligatione from the New Obligation of the Law of Christ binding all their sins again upon them though as to them and their reception it is both from the New Obligation and the old And therefore Jude calleth such twice dead and pluckt up by the Roots If an hundred Traytors be condemned and the Prince Ransom them all at a Price agreeing in the payment of it that they shall now be all his own and none of them be delivered for all that who will not thankfully own him and acknowledge his favour Here it is just that all the Refusers of Pardon yet perish And their Death is directly for the refusing of the Remedy and secondarily from their old crime because they would not have it remedied So that though Materialiter they lose but one Life yet it may be said that the Life they now lose Civiliter is not the same that before they lost but it is vitam de novo donatam a Life newly given them for they were dead in Law and the King gave them a new Life Moraliter etsi non Naturaliter And it is the rejecting of the Gift by which they lose their former Natural Life and their New-given Mortal Life And will any man be so ill advised in this case as to say that it is injustice in the King or Prince to punish the same persons that were before Ransomed Yea if it were not by Money but by suffering publick shame that the Prince had Ransomed them Having thus Explained the Case and Answered the Argument I will looking at Edification and not the usual form of Disputing go beyond the task of a meer Respondent and give you two or three Arguments to prove that it is no injustice in God to punish those for whom Christ hath satisfied or for whose sins he was a sacrifice
And 1. I argue thus If it be no injustice in God to oblige men to punishment for all Christs satisfaction then it is no injustice actually to punish men for all Christs satisfaction But the former is true therefore so is the latter First I will prove the consequence of the Major Proposition thus from the essential offices of the Law 1. The Law is Juris constitutiva vel saltem declarativa It constituteth Right or at least declareth right I put in the latter declareth not as my own sense but to prevent the quarrel of any that may think this or any Right was constituted from Eternity before there was any Law or at least before that which we say obligeth sinners to punishment Though indeed the Law doth constitute before it declare And so the Law is Regula jussitiâ— vel saltem regula justa And if so then to execute such a Law can be no injustice 2. The Law is Norma judicii that 's past question I speak of a Law in force and as to the subjects to whom it is in force And if so then it can be no injustice to execute it But I think few sober men will deny the Major and therefore I leave that And one would think none should doubt of the Minor Whether it be any injustice in God by his Law to oblige to punishment those that Christ Died for But because the Antinomians deny it let us prove it If God do de facto oblige to punishment those for whom Christ Died then it is no injustice so to do But God doth so actually Ergo c. I hope if we prove that God doth it none dare say it is unjust If he be not Just he is not God And that God doth it I prove thus 1. Those that God Hateth and are Children of Wrath and without Hope and without God in the World and Strangers to the Covenant of Promises and Aliens to the Common-Wealth of Israel c. are certainly obliged to punishment But such many have been and still are for whom Christ Died Ergo c. God hateth all the workers of Iniquity and they are all by Nature Children of Wrath c. But many that Christ Died for are before Regeneration workers of Iniquity Ergo c. 2. All that are under the Curse of the Law are obliged to punishment But many that Christ Died for were under the Curse of the Law since his Death undertaken when his satisfaction was in force yea since his actual suffering Ergo. c. Many Scriptures shew both that we were under the Curse of the Law when Christ actually suffered and that all the Elect are under it still as well as others till their conversion I am loth to trouble the Reader in heaping up Testimonies 3. All that are condemned already and the Wrath of God abideth on them are doubtless obliged to punishment But such are many for whom Christ Died even all the Elect as well as others while they are unbelievers John 3. 18. 4. All that are guilty are obliged to punishment Proved Reatus est obligatio ad poenam they are all one thing But some that Christ Died for are Guilty Ergo c. Even all before pardon and that is all before Conversion are guilty 5. All those whose sins Christ doth pardon were first guilty or obliged to punishment But some that Christ Died for have their sins pardoned Ergo c. The Major is proved beyond all doubt from the formal Nature of Pardon which is the Remitting of Guilt or the Dissolving of an Obligation to punishment therefore where is no such obligation there can be no Dissolution of it For that which is not cannot be dissolved And so there is no capacity for pardon no more than a living man can be raised from the Dead or a Man cured of a Disease which he never had The like may be said of Justification also Our Divines have fully proved against the Antinomians that we are unpardoned and unjustified till we believe We are Justified by Faith and therefore were unjustified before Faith 6. If none be obliged to punishment for whom Christ Died then none such may pray for Pardon nor confess that they need any Pardon from Christ For Pardon being the dissolving of an obligation to punishment there can be no pardon where there is no obligation and therefore no need of it nor of prayer for it But the consequent is very wicked We must daily pray Forgive us our Debts and Trespasses Ergo c. The Second Argument is this If God do actually punish those for whom Christ Died then he may justly punish them But God doth actually punish such Ergo c. The Major is unquestionable The Minor is fully proved thus 1. The express words of Scripture shew it Lev. 26. 41 43. Lam. 3 39. and 4. 6 22. Amos 1. 3 6 9 11 13. and 2. 1 4 6. 2 Cor. 2. 6. 1 Pet. 2. 14. Jer. 44. 13. Ezra 9. 13. Hos 4. 9 15. Jer. 9 25. Read the places 2. The execution of that sentence Gen. 3. 16 17 18 19. is certainly punishment I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy Conception in sorrow thou shalt bring forth Children c. Cursed is the ground for thy sake in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy Life c. Dust thou art and to Dust shalt thou return But this sentence is executed on those that Christ Died for Ergo c. 3. Those whom God chastiseth he punisheth But he chastiseth those whom Christ Died for Ergo c. The Major is undeniable to all that know what chastisement and punishment is Punishment is the Genus being a Natural Evil or the privation of a Natural Good inflicted for a Moral Evil the privation of a Moral Good Rigorous vindictive Punishment tending most to the ruine of the Sinner is one species of it Chastisement is another species which by the hurt of a sinner tendeth to his good And though this be called Paternal yet 1. Chastisement is not the proper act of Parents Masters may Chastise Servants and Princes their Subjects 2. It is Metaphorically called Paternal in one respect as God exerciseth it when yet in other respects it is the act of God as Rector per Legâ—s for so all Gods Chastisements are according to his Laws Object All shall work together for good to them that Love God to the Called c. therefore nothing is Punishment Answ 1. The best Interpreters according to the plain truth expound that Text of Affliction only and most of such Affliction as is suffered for Christs cause or at least not for hainous sinning against God And it is unlikely it should be otherwise 1. Because the defect of Love to God seems excepted in limiting it to them that love God But one that Christ Died for may be defective in love to God therefore that is not promised to work for good 2. Every Man dieth in some sin and how that
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
little know we of the History of those remote parts of the World that have not now the Gospel among them that it is very hard for any man to know that those Countries never had the Gospel in any measure revealed to them We may discern that now they want it and that they know not themselves that ever they had it But how far their contempt of it may in many places cause God to give them up to that Barbarism and Sottishness as may obliterate all former Revelations and bury them in oblivion this we cannot tell the rather because that the Apostles and many other Christians of that Age did travel so far in execution of their Office and the Gospel is then said to be Preached to all Nations and the sound of it to have gone to the ends of the Earth and through all the World and because there hath been so much entercourse between some Christians or other and most of these Nations since then yet is it most probable that there are many savage parts where the name of Christ was never revealed with a competent sufficiency yea or at all Prop. VIII The Heathens that never heard the Name of Jesus have yet sufficient means afforded them to know among many others these following Truths 1. That there is a God and only one God 2. That this God is Infinite in Being Immense and Eternal and Infinite in Wisdom Omniscient Goodness and Power and so Omnipotent 3. That he is the Maker Preserver and Governour of all and therefore that all men do by the strongest obligations owe him the most perfect obedience 4. That he being Ruler must needs give us a Law that is some sign of his Will constituting our duty and determining what shall be our reward and punishment 5. That God being perfectly Holy and Just he must needs make a wide difference between the Righteous and the Wicked and cause Malum Passionis vel Physicum ordinarily to follow Malum Morale vel Actionis vel Omissionis ut benè tandem sit bonis male malis And that the same Cause which was for the enacting of his Penal Laws requireth the execution of them ordinarily at least in as high a measure as Worldly Princes are engaged to execute all their Laws 6. That the Soul of Man shall in another World everlastingly partake of exceeding misery or happiness according to what they have done in this World 7. That therefore it should be every mans chief care to provide for his Everlasting Salvation and to escape everlasting Damnation or Misery and that all things in this World are vanity and will not satisfie the Soul or make men happy and therefore that our care and labour for this World and our Love of it should be nothing in comparison of our love to that to come and of our care and labour for it and that no man can be too diligent in seeking after his Everlasting Happiness 8. That God is to be loved honoured obeyed trusted feared and that above all Creatures whatsoever and that he is the most happy man that is most in his favour and that we should Worship him frequently reverently and heartily and that according to his own will and that we should honour our Superiors and love our Equals also and do no wrong to any man in Soul Body Friends Name State or Chastity but do as we would be done by 9. That all men are Sinners and every man for himself may know by experience not only that he hath broke these Laws but often and heinously broke them yea breaketh them every day 10. That a very grievous punishment is due to them for these sins 11. That God being the Righteous Judge and Governour of the World it beseemeth him to do Justice on those that so offend him and to adjudge them to their deserved misery except on some valuable Consideration he forgive them 12. That it is past their reach to discover of themselves what such a valuable Consideration may be or what God will accept of as sufficient to be a ground for Remission of this Sin and Punishment 13. That it is past their own power to make any satisfaction seeing all that they can do which is good is but the remainder of their duty which yet is depraved by the daily mixture of Sin and all that they can suffer here is but part of their desert All this the light of Nature may shew them as is evident by the clear deductions and inferences of Reason and all this is Antecedent to any thing Evangelical But besides all this God's Providential dealings may teach them some things of another Nature even concerning God's mercy and their own Recovery As particularly 1. That God doth not deal with Mankind in general or themselves in particular according to their desert This they may find by his patience and the multitude of mercies that they enjoy 2. Nay that he dealeth with them so much contrary to their desert as to give them abundance of precious mercies through all their lives when they had deserved the greatest misery 3. That therefore God hath found out some sufficient means grounds or terms on which he both may and doth actually dispense with the rigour of exact Justice 4. That therefore their case is not utterly desperate and remediless 5. That they cannot of themselves discover what those satisfactory grounds are on which God so suspendeth the rigour of Justice and dealeth with them so contrary to their deserving 6. That therefore they should use all possible means and industry for the fuller knowing of these great things and therefore send to enquire of all others in the World as far as is possible who are likely to know more of them than they 7. That they should for the time to come repent unfeignedly of all their sins not only as they are hurtful to themselves but as against the publick Ruler of the World to whom they were so many ways obliged and that for the time to come they should to the utmost of their power sin no more 8. That they ought frequently and fervently to pray to God both to reveal to them fully their Case and his Will concerning their Recovery and Duty and importunately day by day to beg mercy at his hands 9. That all this must not be done in desperation but as a means to their own deliverance and God is to be sought and worshiped by them as a merciful God as having proved him so to be and that the use of his means is not like to be in vain 10. That ◠careful seeking and diligent obedience they should continue to the death against all Temptations to the contrary All these Truths may those come to know by the use of Reason from the Creatures and Providences and specially their own experiences who never heard of Christ or Scripture And how much Socrates Aristotle Plato Plotinus Seneca Cicero Plutarch c. did know may partly be seen in the Monuments of their
that if they neglect them they are left without excuse Prop. XV. It belongeth to Christ in drawing men towards Salvation by his Rectorship to reveal-oft times some of the forementioned Gospel Truths by way of preparation and to draw men nearer him before he reveal the full substance of his Covenant or fully promulgate his Law As the Sun sendeth forth some light before it appeareth it self at its rising which light yet comes from the same Sun So doth the Gospel oft-times Prop. XVI Those that have the forementioned truths revealed to them with hearing the Gospel are bound in all reason for the safety of their Souls to use all possible diligence to make a fuller discovery which is not likely that any Indians or others have done Had they been as diligent in improving the truth received till they had been civilized and then in sending to all others for information where there was a probability of receiving information even as men are diligent in trading tedious Voyages for Merchandize and Worldly Gain it 's like there is no Nation under Heaven but might have had the Gospel ere now Prop. XVII If men will wilfully reject and abuse that measure of light and help which they do injoy which was sufficient to that end whereto it was given to have brought them nearer Christ than they were And if they will not use the means for getting of the Gospel which they have sufficient help to use then it is apparently just with Christ even as Rector according to the Law of Grace to condemn such men after he hath Died for them And if his Death prove in vain as to their Salvation the fault is only in themselves and themselves shall they blame for ever And this is the case of these men Prop. XVIII Nay in this case the very Law of Grace commanding Faith in Christ Crucified doth oblige these men remotely to the Duty and to punishment for neglect of the Duty For though a Law not promulgate cannot oblige yet the Question is Who it was long of Or Who was the faulty cause that it was not Published If the Law-giver then it cannot oblige But if it were the subject then it doth actually though remotely oblige For no man is to receive benefit saith the Civil Law by his own fault Who knows not that among us if a Man will lie in an Ale-House and never come to hear the word God will judge him guilty of being Ignorant of all the Truths which he might have there learnt And of neglecting all the Duties which he might have been informed of And if a man know some few preparatory Truths here as that he is a sinner and miserable and ought to seek out for remedy and should come to hear the word and forsake his known sin and keep good company c. and yet he despise or disobey these shall we say this Man was never bound to believe I say he is bound remotely that is first to do some other Duties which tend towards the obtaining of the Gospel and then to believe For the obligation to both Duties lyeth on him at once but not an obligation to perform both Duties at once Object But if they should improve their degree of Light and sufficient Grace they have no certainty ty because no promise that the Gospel shall be given them Answ That 's no excuse as long as they have so full encouragement as is before expressed Should a man in danger of Death do nothing for his own safety without a certainty of success Should not the least hope of probability much more so high a probability be enough to excite men to seek the saving of their own lives Suppose a King having past an Act of Oblivion upon a ransom to that end for a whole Nation of Traytors as Ireland should send his Herald to proclaim it to all But to some of them he sendeth before hand some inferior messenger telling them in the Kings Name that he is placable and their case remediable and he requires them to use certain means as Submission Petition Laying down Arms c. and try what the King will do If these men reject unthankfully this favour and abuse the messenger and persist in Rebellion is it not just with the King to forbid the Herald that he proclaim not to them the act of oblivion And is it not long of themselves if they never hear it nor have any benefit by it so is it in the present case By the abuse of sufficient Grace to have come nearer Christ do the Pagans forfeit all other fruits of his blood So that Christ may truly be said to have done his part even as Legislator and to have promulgated his new Law among them in that he did his part and so it's promulgate moraliter vel Reputativè though it was not actualiter perfectè through their own fault It is not long of Christ but of themselves that it was not done fully in that they ungratefully rejected his Precursors or Harbingers that came before the Gospel Seeing they would not make use of the Twilight or Day-break Christ justly denieth them the Sun-Rising Prop. XIX It seems most probable that it was not only Adams first sin that is imputable to his Posterity but that we are all still guilty of all our Parents sin to this Day and that therefore God may justly deprive a whole Nation of the light of the Gospel for their Progenitors sins and that not only according to the Law of Works but even according to the Law of Grace I will not stand now on the proof of this any further than to tell you 1. That the same solid Arguments which prove the imputableness of Adams sin seem to me to prove this and by denying this we overthrow the grounds of the Doctrine of the said Imputation 2. And that the Second Commandment with all those Examples of Gods destroying the Children with the Parents and for their sin do seem fully to prove it together with the practice of Godly men to humble themselves for their Fathers Sins Yet understand me thus that though according to the Law of Works we are guilty of all our Parents Sins yet the Law of Grace Promiseth that no man shall be destroyed for them who disowneth them by true Repentance and taking a contrary course in obedience when he comes to Age. This is the sense of Ezek. 33. and 18. And so the guilt is cut off and the Child by the Covenant of Grace taken in with its Parents and so is looked on as in his immediate Parents and the sin of former Parents forgiven him though yet that guilt will return if when he comes to Age he ungratefully reject the mercy by renouncing the Covenant of Grace I do but propound this to Divines to consider For certainly if we prove all guilty of all our Parents Sins it is sad that the Church hath no better understood it and that we have none almost that ever bewailed