But of this enough and to this Chapter CHAP. II. Animadversions upon some passages in the second and third Chapters of his First Book THe second Chapter being only speculation about the nature of end and means To Chap. 2. and not at all applyed there to the question I shall pass over only noting a mistake in that expression about the nature of Moral means which he hath pag. 6. line 15 16. that in a moral sense when the action and the end are to be considered in reference to a Moral rule or law prescribed to the agent then the means are the Deserving or Meritorious cause of the end Which I conceive to be false looking upon Moral as contradistinct to Physical or natural as there he doth for it would then follow that Faith as a means considered in reference to the Law of Faith should be the Meritorious cause of its end that is Justification and Salvation and so good works which I think All Orthodox and Protestant Divines do utterly disclaim Though Faith be the way to justification and eternall life yet it s no wayes the meritorious cause otherwise we should be justified not only per fidem but propter fidem too not ex gratiâ but ex debito merito and so that distinction of the Apostle in Rom. 4.2 3 4. is quite overthrown but no more to that it being but by the by His third chapter is spent about the consideration of God as the agent in the work of Redemption To his 3. Chap. about which there is no express difference between us as to the main only a few expressions drop by the by that are considerable as That 1 Tim. 4.10 who is the Saviour of all men chiefly of them that believe calls not God a Saviour with reference to his Redeeming us by Christ but his saving and preserving all by his providence A strange conceit in which opponit non opponenda for though its true he sayes Vs by his providence yet that that providence of his is saving to sinners yea so much as in this life without respect had to the mediation of Christ much less that it s so saving specially to believers as that it becomes the motive and ground to them of such trust in God 2 Cor. 4.17 18. and 5.1.13 14. Phil. 3.20 1. as carries them out to suffer and labour in his Gospel as there it s affirmed to be is unreasonable to conceive and it disagrees with what he sayes to this business in other places where he tells us it was eying God as one that had prepared things not seen eternal in the heavens for them and eying Christs death for All that they might live to him and glorifying his love therein to his and his brethrens hearts expecting a saviour from heaven to change their vile bodies that made them despise their lives and liberties preach the Gospel through sufferings reproaches crosses how ever little esteemed as beside themselves Now here to think the Apostle cuts off all that consideration of his saving and only pitches upon him as a providential Saviour in a salvation out of Christ or without the consideration of Christ intervening as the lovely object of Trust and Confidence in all their labor and afflictions is too jejune and erronious but we shall meet with this again in his eighth chapter Again in considering the obligation and Covenant between God and Christ he promises something that will utterly overthrow the Universal Redemption but defers it to another after-place in lib. 3. chap. 1. where we shall meet with it and give it its answer only whereas he tells us p. 16. that the promise in Isa 53.11 is inconsistent with their perswasion who in termes have affirmed That the Death of Christ might have had its full and utmost effect and yet none be saved To that I shall say how I conceive that may be affirmed and how not not standing here upon it that that in Isa 53.11 is a prophesie of but not a promise uttered to Christ 1. It might have been so supposito quod Deus eam aliter ordinasset as it might have been undertaken and indured and as God might have decreed it might have been so 2. To look upon it as it was indured and take it by it self simply as Death though to such and such ends without Resurrection from which it is distinct then also it might have been so had he not risen too all its effect would not have saved any man So the Apostle intimates 1 Cor. 15.14 16 17. 3. It might have had its full effect as only offered to God without application to men and none saved had it been its end intended it had been contrary to that in Isai 53.11 but the effect and end of a thing differs much The Carpenter builds a house the effect of his work is the house it self the end of its building habitation the end of Christs Death is that men might be saved by him the effect of it as a thing simply done by him between God and him is not the salvation of any one without application of it or dispensation of spirit to men through it so that had Christ died and rose too and done no more none had been saved to the utmost except the business of his Priesthood be in vain and a thing that might have been spared ' so that its effect it might have had as a thing endured by him and none saved as they take saving in that high 4. But to say the thing that God aimed at and that was covenanted to be granted to Christ upon or as a reward of his Death might have been effected or performed and yet none saved is indeed cleerly false nor did the speech opposed affirm so much but that 's as much I suppose as upon second thoughts he aimed at est act Whereas he saies pag. 17. That the pleasure of the Lord that was to prosper in the hand of Christ was the bringing of many sons to glory that 's a truth but whether it be all the truth or no he tells us not and so deals not so fully and plainly as he should whether the glorifying of God in the convincing and just and righteous judging of the rest be not the pleasure of the Lord too he saith nothing much less disproves it and yet I think he shall do that and the pleasure of the Lord too in that matter shall prosper in his hand In the same pag. he tells us the request of our Saviour John 17. was neither for more nor less then God had ingaged himself to him for and that was for a full confluence of the love of God and the fruits of that love upon all his Elect in Faith Sanctification and Glory But of that he gives us no proof neither that there he asked no less for as for more I will not question nor that he requested Faith for all his Elect or any of them To the first I propound to him
him that yet doubts of Gods love to him reject that devised Doctrine that contradicts the Scriptures and letting alone the secrets of God which pertain not to him yet to know nor shall hurt him if he attend and yield up to that that is revealed yea shall be also profitably revealed to him if he submit to what is revealed Psal 25.14 let him I say mind the record of God that he hath given of his Son that he hath given himself a Ransom for All yea and that God hath given us eternal life even us whom he commands to believe in the name of his Son 1 Ioh. 3.23 and this life is in his Son he that hath the Son hath life he that hath not the Son hath not life thence shall he see both ground to believe that God hath given him eternall life and put it into Christ and also both necessity and incouragement to believe on Christ that in believing he may have that life even that eternall injoyment of God in Christ that will for ever satisfie him and make him happy FINIS 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A Symphony of some Ancient Doctors of the Church with the truth here defended added to shew that it is no novelty of yesterdays standing as some are pleased to charge it Chrysostome in Joh. 1.29 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Idem in Heb. 2.9 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Clemens Alexandrinus Orat. ad Gentes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Athanasius De incarnatione verbi Dei 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Et Paulo Post 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Those sentences forealledged are in English thus Chrysostome upon Joh. 1.29 That Lamb speaking of the Paschall Lamb or the Lambes offered up in the Jewish sacrifices never took away any one mans sins But this that is Christ the Lamb of God takes away the sins of the whole world for it being in great danger to be destroyed he quickly freed it from the wrath of God The same Author upon Heb. 2.9 saith thus That by the grace of God he might tast death for every one not for the believers only but also for the whole world for he dyed for All but what if all believe not yet he hath performed that which concerned him to do Clemens Alexand. Hear ye that are afar off and hear ye that are nigh hand The Word is not hid from any the Light is common and shineth unto All men Athanasius in his tractate about the Incarnation of the Word of God Now forasmuch as the debt of All ought to be paid for All ought to dy therefore for that cause especially he came and sojourned here and after the manifestations of his Divinity by his works it remained that he offer up a sacrifice for All delivering up his Temple the Temple of his body unto Death for All that he might discharge and free All from the old transgression And a little after in the same Tractate There was need of Death and it behoved that Death should be indured for All that the Debt due from all might be satisfied wherefore the Word for that it could not dy for it was immortall took to itself a body capable of dying that he might offer that as his own for All and that he suffering for All by reason of his conjunction with that he might destroy him that hath the power of Death to wit the Devill Cyrillus Hierosolymitanus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Theophylact in Johan 6.51 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 August in Joh. 3.14 15. Serpens aneus in ligno positus venena vivorium serpentum superavit Christus in cruce suspensus mortuus antiqua diaboli venena restinxit omnes qui ab eo percussi fuerant liberavit Idem in Psal 69. Judas abjecit pretium quo ipse vendidit Christium non agnovit pretium quo ipse a Christo redemptus erat Prosper in Respons ad object Gallorum Christus dedit pro mundo sanguinem suum mundus redimi noluit Item sent quartâ super capita Gallorum Qui dicit quod non pro totius mundi redemptione salvator sit crucifixus non ad Sacramenti virtutem sed ad infidelium respicit partem quum sanguis Jesus Christi pretium totius mundi sit A quo pretio extranei sunt qui aut delectati captivitate redimi noluerunt aut post redemptionem ad candem servitutem sunt reversi Vide Ambrosium in pag. titul Cyrillus Alexandrinus in Joh. Evang. lib. 11.25 Quemadmodum praevaricatione primi hominis ut in primitiis generis nostri morti addicti sumus eodem modo per obedientiam justitiam Christi in quantum seipsum legi subjecit quamvis legis author esset benedictio atque vivificatio quae per spiritum est ad totam nostram penetravit naturam Leo Epist 72. ad Juvenalem Vt autem repararet omnium vitam recepit omnium causam vim veteris Chirographi pro omnibus solvendo vacuavit ut sicut per unius reatum omnes facti suerant Peccatores ita per unius obedientiam omnes fierent innocentes inde in homines manante justitiá ubi est humana suscepta natura Cyrill of Hierusalem in his Instruction or Catechise 13. The Crown of the Cross is that it inlightned those that were blind in ignorance and loosed All that were held in bondage under sin and redeemed the whole World of mankind Nor marvell thou that the whole world was redeemed by it for he was not a bare Man but the only begotten Son of God that dyed upon it Theophylact in John 6.51 By the life of the World perhaps he meaneth the Resurrection for the Death of the Lord procured the Generall Resurrection of all the whole kind or race of man perhaps also he named the life of holiness and happiness the life of the World for though All have not received that sanctification and that life that is in the spirit yet Christ gave himself for the World and as to what appertained to him the world is saved and the whole nature sanctified inasmuch as he hath received power to conquer sin and sin fled away by that one Man Our Lord Jesus Christ even as by that one man Adam it that is the world or the nature of man fell into sin Austine in Joh. 3.14 15. The brazen Serpent put upon a pole of Wood overcame all the venome of the living Serpents And Christ being hung upon the cross and dying quenched the force of the old poisons of the Devil and freed All that were smitten by him The same upon Psal 69. Judas cast away the price for which he sold Christ and acknowledged or owned not the price by which he was redeemed by Christ Prosper in Answer to some objections of the Gaules Christ gave his blood for the World and the World refused to be redeemed that is actually set at liberty by him So again He that saith the Saviour was not crucified for the Redemption of the Whole world hath not his eye upon the pretiousness or vertue of that mystery but upon the part of them that believe not whereas the blood of Jesus Christ is the price of the whole World from which price they are strangers who either being delighted with their captivity refuse to be set free or after they are set free return again unto their former bondage Cyrill of Alexandria upon Johns Gospell lib. 11. cap. 25. As by the transgression of the first man we were as in the first fruits of our kind bound over unto Death after the same manner by the obedience and righteousness of Christ forasmuch as he subjected himself unto the Law who was the Author of the Law the blessing and quickning which is by the Spirit or Divine nature hath pierced to our whole nature Leo in his 7◠Epistle to Juvenal That Christ might repaire the life of All he took the Cause of All and loosed the force of the old handwriting by satisfying for All. That so as by the Guilt of one All were made sinners so also by the obedience of one All might be made innocent righteousness thence flowing down unto men where is taken the nature of man I Might have added more Testimonies both Ancient and moderne as amongst the ancient Ignatius Jrenaeus Theodoret c. and amongst the moderne Luther Hemingius and in a word the generality of the Lutheran Divines as also Musculus Vrsinus Suffragium Britanicum Bishop Davenant yea the Articles and Catechise of the Church of England but these already alledged may be sufficient
that have as good conceits of their wit as Mr. Owen hath have hinted if not expressed such a distinction I can shew him one by name Mr. How who lately put out an Answer to the Vniversalist as he stiles him who in a writing to my self grants that all men had interest in the Act of Christs Death as buying or purchasing men into his dispose and yet stifly denies him to be the ransom for all Well Answ but what was the Answer to the Objection It was this The mediation of Christ is more general or more special More general as he mediates between God and men 1 Tim. 2.5 More special as Mediator of the New Testament Heb. 9.15 Which Answer first he Turkases as if he had said Repl. a general Mediator and a special and then digresses into a little Rhetorical passion against the barbarousness of the expression whenas indeed the sense is plain enough and the proofs pat to the purpose For though he be but one Mediator and the Office one intire Office in it self yet in regard of his mediation or exercise of that Office he may exercise it in some way and for some things for more then in some other way and for some other things Even as God is but one and his Government one in him yet in regard of the exercise of it it in some things and way comprehends more then in some others and so his saving acts in some expressions and exercises are towards more then in others as in 1 Tim. 4.10 is plain Now to me this is plain that the mediation of Christ as spoken of in 1 Tim. 2.5 is of other and larger extent in respect of reference to its Object then as it s spoken of in Heb. 9.15 In the former place it s spoken of as a demonstration of Gods good will to and in some sense a ground for our praying for All men not for the Church and chosen onely but for All men for Kings and all in authority which never any man yet affirmed to be all members of Christ and heirs of life Now that that demonstrates Gods good will to all men and is a ground of our Mediating or Interceding for All ver 1. must it self be something extending to All or else the building should be greater then may be supported by its foundation So that there surely he is spoken of as a Mediator so appointed of God and so acting as a Mediator that thereupon All or as Beza renders it any one may be the Object of our prayers and hath incouragement to seek to God to be saved by him and so as a general Mediator or a Mediator that is set up for All men and hath accordingly given himself a ransome for All men But in Heb. 9.15 his Mediation is spoken of as exercised about a peculiar Object in a more special maner for specal things the performance of the Legacies given to Sion for the called of God that they might receive that to which they are called and of which they are made heirs even the eternal inheritance As a Prince may mediate between his Father offended and rebellious subjects in general for many things and in a special maner for those that lay down Arms and come over to him he may demand or urge his Father to shew more favor to them then to all the rest and yet ask favor for them too But this is admired that Christ should be Mediator and not of a New Testament Whereas we affirm him Mediator of the New Testament and deny it not But that he mediates that for All or that his mediation for men as spoken of in 1 Tim. 2.5 6. is that the New Testament might be performed to them all whose Mediator he is will require some time for him to prove He saies a Mediator is not of one which we grant and all mediation respects an agreement of several parties and every Mediator is the Mediator of a Covenant All which may be granted with reference to Christ if by Covenant we understand the Covenant made between God and Christ but as otherwise it s not always true Joab may mediate for Absolom and yet no Covenant made between David and Absolom and the Vine-Dresser for the barren Fig-tree and yet not mediate any Covenant made with the Fig-tree nor for any Legacies fore-given to the Fig-tree so neither follows it thence that Christ mediates the New Testament for all he mediates for The word there in Heb. 9.15 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies a Testament or Will made and confirmed by Death as ver 16. shews and the New Testament is the promises of God bequeathed to the believer the called the chosen Now though Christ mediates not the giving these to them that are uncalled yet he may notwithstanding mediate for Gods forbearance patience dispensation of means such as in which they may be invited and have opportunities to look to him for mercy to be afforded I think not the Assertor so much as the Opposer of that passage needs further Consideration I will not say Catechising in this business and I am perswaded the Assertor is pretty able to answer for himself were Mr. Owen his Catechiser Nay were Mr. Owen asked this question how he can prove that Jesus Christ mediates nothing but the New Testament nor for any but those that are made heirs of it it would put him to it to finde proofs for it I am confident he could produce no better proofes then what he doth produce here to disprove this general extent of his mediation viz. That it was his Church that he redeemed loved and gave himself for his sheep he laid down his life for appears in heaven for us c. And what then who denies that or how doth that disprove the other It was Israel that God created Ergo none else they that have the Spirit of Christ in them shall be raised Ergo none else God will raise us up by his power 1 Cor. 6.14 Ergo none else or not all Again he sayes Because the children partooke of flesh and blood therefore he also took part with them Heb. 2.14 Therefore he took part with none else in them or mediated for none but them Like this Because many undertook to write the Gospel of Christ therefore Luke wrote also Luk. 1.1 therefore he wrote for no mans cause but theirs as if the word Because always intimates or refers to the whole cause or reason of a thing So for their sakes viz. whom I have sent into the world as thou hast sent me I sanctifie my self John 17.18 19. Ergo I mediate for none but them But then I pray to what purpose sent he them into the world if none in and of the world to which they were sent had and Oblation offered up for them So he rose for our Justification but how far that us extends he tells us not whether it reach to all the Object of his Death and Resurrection and if so whether that be
justification by a lesser revelation of God then Paul had Josh 2.10 11 12. with Heb. 11.31 and so Cornelius before Peters coming to him believed in a lower act by less light then Peter brought to him and the Ninivites by far lesser then the Jews rebelled against now that power accompanies these mediums too in their lesser or greater dispensations is evident in that the Spirit is said to have preached to striven with men even those that yet obeyed it not Gen. 6 3. 1 Pet. 3 19. the hand of the Lord was stretched out with his reproofs and councels Prov 1.24 and in the effects it produceth as that they attain to some knowledg of God convincements illuminations c. against which they often willfully rebel and close their eyes and I say further that God doth in many by these means effect faith and bring them actually to believe and I conceive many more might have faith did they not wilfully turn away from God for I conceive a fore going act propounded or injoyned to men you may call it a condition if you please upon which they might be brought to believe Whereas Mr. Owen askes what that is I answer it is to listen to the voice of God not hardning the heart So Isa 55.3 hearken diligently and your souls shall live by diligent attendance to the voice of God the soul is quickned up to a life of faith and hope in God so Isa 49.1 Listen O Isles unto me and hearken ye people from far and in Psal 95. To day if ye will hear his voice harden not your hearts Lift not up your reasons and understandings against the authority of God be swift to hear hear him out and make not haste to speak and cavil against him As also to minde those demonstrations of his Divine Power and Goodness that he affords not winking with the eye and wilfully turning from the light when he makes it appear or from the means of light which beheld would give us to see what he holds forth to us according to that Call Hear ye deaf and look ye blinde that ye may see Isai 42.18 So Behold my servant whom I have chosen ver 1. And look to me and be ye saved Isai 45.22 And consider the works of God Job 37.14 That that is to be known of God is in them manifested c. Rom. 1.19.20 But then Is not this same hearing and listening believing I answer No It s but a mean to it We are to attend that we may believe by this hearing Faith and the spirit of it are given unto us But it will be objected Its obeying and obeying is believing So M. Owen But there is a fallacy in that for neither is every Act of hearing obeying nor every Act of obeying the believing spoken of As obeying in some acts follows believing so in some it may be but a tendency to the meeting with that which will cause us to believe so believingly to obey Take this Simile Two men are at controversie suppose a Master and a Servant the Master would have him do such things as the servant doth not nor will The Master begins to expostulate with him and to shew him reasons for his demands the servant hears what he says this is not yet an act of obedience to his Master for perhaps he may yet prove refractory and more obstinate then before and perhaps in hearing he may be perswaded and become obedient to him being convinced and changed in minde by what he hears till which change his act of hearing will not denominate him obedient or pass for an act of obedience Mr. Owen saith If we can propound a condition for Faith that is not Faith he will hear it And yet I suppose he will not think his hearing us propound it an act of obedience to us at all But then he says This is procured by by Christ or not In the sense before explained we grant it procured otherwise not and that to the power of exercising it is absolute but as to the act of exercising of it its voluntary and to the most uncompelled or unnecessitated Many have absolute power and ability given them of hearing and seeing the hints of Light and Truth that come from God that yet have it in their choise whether they will act so or so and therefore are faulted for not acting as they might for not chusing the fear of the Lord Prov. 1.29.30 For shutting their eyes against his Light and stopping their ears Matth. 13.15 Acts 28.27 And yet the cause of Faith is not resolved into our selves but into him that gives the power to hear and that speaks such words when we do listen as overcomes our reason and our hearts Our faith is justly still ascribed to him For if he spake not we could not hear yea if he gave us not power to hear yea if when we hear he spake not suitable words and exercised not power with his words we should not yet believe in him So that Inference is as absurd as these That because the blind man went and washed in the Pool of Siloam Therefore he was the cause of his own healing or Not Christ so much as he and The ten Lepers were the cause of their own cleansing because they went on their own legs to shew themselves to the Priests at his Commandment VVe avoid also all his following Consequences If by procuring Faith he means his meriting and obliging God to cause all to believe in him for whom He died For denying that it follows not either 1. That Faith is an act of our own wills and so our own as not to be wrought by Grace and that its wholly sited in our own power to perform that spiritual act No such thing follows upon that Proposition denied 1. That Faith is an act of the VVill no man can deny for in it the Will closes with an Object propounded as good to be relied on but that it s not wrought by Grace is clearly false from what is said above It s our act to hear and yet not that without the VVord of God buts t is Gods Act even the act of his Grace to perswade us by what he speaks to lean upon him and believe in him Besides 2. God might freely work it in some without being obliged to it by the Death of Christ the same love that led him to give Christ may sin being removed and the enmity being slain by Christ work as much as it pleases without being obliged and tied to work it Besides 3. Christ might oblige him to work it in some and yet not in all He died for So that every way this is inconsequent And we neither 1. Contradict any Scripture Nor 2. Speak contrary to the nature of the new Covenant of Grace which indeed is sealed by Christs Death to believers but says not that Christs Death obliged God to make this and that man much less all he died for to believe Nor is it 3. Destructive
Or can we expect that the telling men of its infinite sufficiency will beget hope in them more then if it were onely sufficient for them for whom it was intended whenas they are told they are never the more included in its intendment by vertue of its infinite sufficiency then if it was far less sufficient VVe may its true assure men of salvation if they be believers or do believe but can we upon that ground assure any one of good ground for their believing or that Christ is an object meet for them to believe on that he is appointed as a Mediator for them or is able to save them For can we say he is able to save any more then those that were included in his intention If he should save any more he must make a new bargain for them and pay a new price for their salvation VVhat is this better then Law-preaching to say If thou believest thou shalt be saved The Law promises life to those that keep it but affords not motive and spirit to effect what it requireth So doth their Doctrine promise life upon Faith but gives no straw affords no certain object that such or such have cause to believe on him demonstrates no love to the soul to draw it in to believe for that 's uncertain such Preachers give but an uncertain sound that cannot affirm that the VVord of God saith That there is any thing done by Christ for any one man in their Congregations that may evidence it a just and right thing for him to hope in God for salvation But he tells us That when God calls upon men to believe he doth not in the first place call upon them to believe that Christ died for them but that there is no name under heaven whereby they may be saved but only of Jesus Christ Well and is there not an intimation in that that Christ died for them Sure he that excepts the Name of Jesus Christ intimates he hath a Name by which they may And what is that Name Either signifies Power and Authority or the report and fame that goes on him Now he that leaves it uncertain whether Christ died sufficiently for them as he confessedly doth that leaves it uncertain whether Christ hath died for them leaves it also uncertain whether Christ hath power by his death to save them Nor can they fame him to be one able and ready to save them and so they cannot preach that there is a Name of Jesus by which they may be saved So that the proof he brings overthrows the Assertion which it is brought to prove Can men be called on to believe in God and not through a Mediator And can they look through a Mediator on him when they know not of any they have He then that calls upon me to believe through Christs Mediation as whoever calls upon men rightly to believe must do doth intimate that there is something in his Mediation for me to be incouraged to believe in God by and so by consequence that he died for me else be the merit of it never so great its no ground of Faith to me And surely however Mr. Owen determins God hath no where so determined nor the Apostles so Preached One tells us That the Record of God which he that believes not makes God a lyer is this That God hath given us eternal life and this life is in his Son He that hath the Son hath life and he that hath not the Son hath not life 1 Joh. 5.10 11 12. And surely this is the onely full ground of drawing men to the Son when they are told by the VVord of God that God hath given them life in his Son and the way to have it is to have him but rejecting him and not coming to him for life they reject life and deprive themselves of what God hath given them He that believes not this in every part of it when declared makes God a lyer and will not nor can come in to him to believe on Christ If he believe not that God hath given him life then will he either despaire or seek it by Works and not by Faith if not that this life is in Christ then will he not look to Christ for it or believe on him If he think he may have it and not have Christ and have Christ or not have it then will he neglect believing on Christ as a thing unnecessary or unprofitable for him So Peter tells the people Acts 3.23 God sent Christ to turn every one of you from your iniquities And Paul Acts 13.37 tells them that Remission of sins was Preached to them in Christs name both equivalent to Christs Mediating and dying for them and coming for their sakes And so in 2 Cor. 5.19 and Matt. 224.9 The Declaration of Gods good will to them is laid down as the ground of exhorting them to come in to God And to say no more See what the testimony is of which God made the Apostle Paul an Apostle and Teacher of the Gentiles in Faith and Verity Is it not that in 1 Tim. 2.4 5 6 7. God would have all men to be saved and come to the knowledg of the Truth for there is one God and one Mediator between God and men the Man Christ Jesus who gave himself a Ransom for All And the appearance of the love of God to man was it that brought Paul himself in Tit. 3.4 5. Was it ever found that a man was called by God to trust in that that he never set up for him to trust in to stay upon Christs blood and Christ shed none for him So that I hope by this the vanity of Mr. Owens Inferences from his first premise appears and that his understanding of the Distinction of Sufficiency and Efficiency together with the Consideration of the dignity of the Sacrifice of Christ in regard as of his person so of the greatness of his pains holds forth onely this to us That God to make his Sons sufferings more valuable then needed to be for the bargain intended put him to more pains then he needed to have endured which is a piece of blasphemy But I pass from that Consideration 2. His second premise is about the Dispensation of the Covenant of Grace Consid 2. and inlarging of the Kingdom of Christ after his appearance in the flesh opposed to the former Dispensation restrained to one People and Family And this he says gave occasion to many general expressions in the Scriptures which are far enough from including an universality of all Individuals All which I grant him and will Instance a few such expressions for him as that of Peter Acts 10.34 Rom. 1.16 and 10.13 In every Nation he that feareth God and worketh righteousness is accepted of him And that The Gospel of Christ is the power of God to salvation to every one that believeth to the Jew first and also to the Gentile And that The Lord over all is rich in mercy
end propounded to and attainable by the world on condition of believing as healing was to the wounded Israelites by looking upon the brazen Serpent unto which Christ is resembled ver 14 15. Christ so sets Gods good will before the world there as may let it see and move it to believing as its duty But as M. Owen would have it understood we may say VVhat He would fasten upon us Solvite mortales curas c. Let every man take his own course and swim down the stream of a fatal necessity If there be any salvation to be had for him he must have it God will bring him to it though he look not after it and if it be otherwise it s in vain to think of it it s not so much his fault as Gods Wil that he believs not as a late Resolver hath too badly insinuated While he determins that there is no other cause why some believe not the Gospel preached to them but only the Wil of God himself As for his Reason viz. because this is the most eminent and transcendent love of God c. That would be considered how far its true and whether it will insorce his conception quite beside the tenor of our Saviours expressions Love may be considered either according to the things it acts forth as tending to the good of the party loved or according to the inward strength of affection as affording us means of good or possessing us of that good In regard of the first this wasa most glorious eminent and transcendent act of Love God afforded many means of good to the world but none of them in themselves so worthy and so glorious as his Son nor is there any thing in which either so much of Gods heart or good will to the world is to be seen that he delights not in their death but rather in their conversion and living or so much good to be met with as in him In nothing hath God condescended more to man or provided so much good for him As to its act then and provision of means to our good this is the most eminent act of his Love to us But yet this act of giving Christ is but the provision of good for us and of the best mean and way to it It s not the possessing us of the good in him with reference to that some that were loved so as to have Christ given as a way to life for them may not be the objects of so intense affection as others for whom he also gave Christ nor come to experiment that love of Delight or Fellowship in which his Love in giving Christ perfects it self in them that believe on him This act then I say of love to the world in which God gave forth Christ though it be the most eminent and transcendent in regard of his provision of a mean to its good and though it be that through which the most choise delightful acts of his Love are met with by those that believe on him yet as its comprehensive of the world is not an absolute purpose of all their salvation The same most eminent expression of Love may be acted toward many and out of exceeding great good will to them All too and yet may not be with the like intensness and eminency of affection and purpose for endevouring to make it beneficial to All as we noted above in the instance of David lib. 3. cap. 9. In a word Gods greatest love to the world was not an unchangeable absolute purpose of saving every one of them and therefore the giving Christ out of love to the world was not a giving him out of such a purpose to save every one of them The phrase So God loved will not evince it For though that word So intimates so exeeedingly so really and heartily to such a remarkable astonishable heighth yet it proves not either that he loved it equally to his Son or so as to purpose absolutely the eternal salvation of all of them For our Saviour expressing that So tells us that it was so as to give his Son That every one that believes in him should not perish c. but not so as to give all things to it as he says of his Son v. 35. which yet is the same love in which he loves his chosen his called and believing ones Joh. 17.24 Nor says he so as to cause them to believe in him and have eternal life So that that word So will not prove that his conception It s true as he also minds us That the Scripture says God commended his Love to us in this That Christ died for us though that 's not all the commendation of it but that he did that for us while we were sinners and ungodly And I think its a marvellous commendation of his Love that he died for All while sinners and they are the more to blame that withhold this so great commendation from multitudes by which they should be induced to believe in him love and serve him But will that prove that that Love was not his compassion and pity towards men that is therein commended or that it was an unchangeable purpose of making all those he so loved to answer his love with love again and so to attain to eternal salvation Cannot Love be commendable exceeding commendable except it be so received by all it acts towards as to make them grateful and so to attain the effects that it produces to the grateful Was not Gods Love to Israel in bringing them out of Egypt by a mighty hand and outstretched arm and taking them out of the midst of another Nation by signs and wonders to be a people for himself and speaking to them out of the midst of the fire from heaven an exceeding commendable love a love flowing from and most eminently of any other acts tending to the accomplishment of his Covenant made with Abraham Deut. 4.31 32 33 c. and yet all they to and upon whom all those most glorious acts of his love were acted were not therefore possessed of that end The land promised to Abraham to which they tended nor was his love therein then a purpose absolutely to possess them of that end except as Mr. Owen here argues he failed of his end The greater commendation it is of Gods Love that he gave Christ the greater ingagement it is to the world to believe on him love and serve him and the greater its sin that it not so answer such a love to them and the greater will his terror be in judging them that Christ died for All and yet many that had their lives through his Death lived not to him 2 Cor. 5.10 11.15 for God is a jealous God and may be provoked to jealousie by men and what is jealousie but love inraged or the fury that springs up from love abused as when he that loves hath his love slighted and others prefer'd before him Sure the Apostle uses this very love and its greatness
〈◊〉 Be merciful to me whence the Lord is said to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 merciful and of which comes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifying The mercy Seate Though we translate it Propitiation Rom. 3.25 But indeed is the Propitiatory In Hebrew is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that signifies to cover Whence he argues That to be a Propitiation is to cover sin appease wrath and reconcile God so as to make the sinner be pardoned and received to mercy for his sake so that the Law shall never be produced or brought forth to his condemnation Whence he askes Are the sins of every one expiated Is God reconciled to every one Is every sinner pardoned Shall none have the transgression of the Law charged on him Why then is not every one saved For Answ to this 1. I say That he prevaricates in what he notes upon the word Propitiation in Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which he confounds with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that signifying the Propitiatory or Mercy Seate this the Propitiation or Sacrifice offered to make atonement Concerning which 2. He doth not nor can prove that the offering of it up to God for a person or persons did in it self cover that persons sins and exempt him from the punishment of them according to Law or reconcile them actually to God except where the persons whom it concerned closed with it or came by faith unto God through it the atonement made for all the Congregation on the day of expiation did not exempt such a one as whose soul was not afflicted within him that day from cutting off Levit. 16.29 30 31. with Chap. 23.28 29.30 So in 2 Chron. 29.24 It s said An atonement was made for All Israel and yet ten Tribes of them were in Captivity and many of the rest laughed Hezekiah and his zeal to scorn That by that offering they were so much as typically and legally all reconciled to God and their sins against the Law expiated so as the punishments appointed in the Law for despising it were not to be inflicted upon them I fear Mr. Owen will not be able to demonstrate Nay the Apostle intimates in Heb. 10.26.29 That they that had the sacrifice of Christ offered up for them and the blood of it in some sense sanctifying them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wilfully after the knowledg of the Truth sinning against it and despising it have no more benefit of it there remains not further a sacrifice for them It seems there was one even that of Christ for them before The Propitiatory Sacrifice did indeed expiate sin and reconciled legally the person to God when it was accompanied with Faith in him that brought it or for whom it was offered or with a submission unto God according to Law and so the comers to this Sacrifice of Christ have all those effects by him enumerated to perfection but not all for whom it was offered or for whom he is a Propitiation 3. A Propitiation he is for them all in this That by his offering of himself he is that Thing or Person unto which God having respect is propitious or favorable to them deals not with the world according to their deserts but is patient and bountiful to them delights not that any perish but that all should rather come to Repentance unto which his goodness and patience also leadeth As also in this that Christ is He that hath done so much in his Death and Mediation for the world that he is set before it in the Gospel as a mean of reconciliation and acceptance into the favor of God he is free for the whole world to come to God by and any person of it may finde favor with God through him Yea 4. The sin of the world even of Adam and all in him is so covered or expiated by his Death and Sacrifice that God took not the forfeiture of our lives according to the desert thereof out of respect to him but in that sense at least justification of life is to all both a being under mercy here and away to life for us in Christ for hereafter That Law I finde not I mean the Law inflicting death upon Adam and all his Posterity for eating the forbidden fruit shall be produced against any as the cause of perpetual ruine Yea that the whole world through this Sacrifice of Christ are brought neer to God the Kingdom exposed to them and no man to be called common or unclean as formerly So as upon that ground its unlawful for him to enter it we have shewed before Acts 10.28 so that this word cannot straiten the following words signification Which in the next place comes to be spoken to viz. The whole world in which the greatest weight lies and of which he saith That it being seven or eight times in the New Testament it cannot except in one and that in Re necessariâ be made appear that it compriseth all and every man To which we say That we affirm not that it so signifies here because it s evidently a distinct party from believers but we say it signifies All besides them and they and the whole world beside are all and every man And I desire him to prove that the words whole world when distinguished from believers doth not signifie all the rest and with them make All and every man He instances 1 Rev. 3.10 where the word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and so not so pertinent and yet his note there is not right for he saith There it cannot signifie All and every man because whereas its said an hour of temptation should come upon All the world it s said some shall be preserved from it But the words are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 out of not from and a man may be preserved out of that that comes upon him as the preserving the Israelites out from Egypt doth not argue but that they were in it first The hour of temptation comes upon all that dwell upon the earth but all are not preserved in that and out from that hour of temptation from being swallowed up of it However The word whole earth there may signifie all but them that should be preserved and with them All and every one and that 's enough to our purpose 2. Col. 1.6 Is impertinent as I shewed before and his observation that it signifies onely believers is very vain The Apostle says not It brings forth fruit in all to whom it comes that 's evidently false if he meane it of fruits to life but in all parts of the world it did The same impertinency is in that of Rom. 1.8 It speaking of place not of persons too In all the world not by all the world The like or worse is in that of Luke 2.1 where neither the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is used nor the speech the Word of God but of a proud Emperor that was the tenor of his Decree not
not ever true that he that believes that God delivered him from one danger is confident he will from another much less That that belief in all that so believe yea or in any is the confidence that he will deliver from another 2. Whereas he askes if it include not a sense of the spirituall love of Christ I answer That where the Death and Resurrection of Christ are opened to the heart by the Holy Ghost there the love of God is shed abroad into the heart also but not wherever this proposition is believed viz. Christ dyed for me many a man believes that and yet seeth not into the glory of it nor the depth of goodness held forth in it and so hath not the love of God therethrough shed into his heart yet the minding God in this is the way to meet with the holy Ghosts displaying that love Many Israelites believed that God brought them out of Egypt 2 Pet. 1.9 that had not such a view of his power and love therein or at least like them that forget that they were purged from their old sins forgat what they had seen as to be lead to confidence in God for the future by it 3. Whereas he says By this a man must believe before he believe What strange thing is that with reference to diverse acts of believing did not he himself say that we must have a faith of reliance and recumbence in Christ and before that too believe many truths of the Gospell before we can believe that Christ dyed for us so that there is believing before believing and believing before believing again and yet he counts that absurd in us when we say only we must believe the word of God to be true before we can by it be led to believe in God we must believe Gods goodwill to us-ward and a medium provided for us by whom to go to God before we can be perswaded to go to him by faith whom otherwise we look upon as angry and dreadfull ready to consume us We cannot put our confidence in his blood and there through rise up to assurance of eternall life except we first be perswaded that he shed his blood for us So long as we doubt whether he be a Mediator for us or no and whether he hath given himself to ransome us from death we shall doubt whether God will accept us or no or whether he hare us from eternity or not and whether we have any thing to do to take incouragement from the blood of Christ to approach him because we know not we have any right unto it Nor can Master Owen nor all the world beside to help him make it appear to be otherwise but that the soul will question whether it may expect salvation from God or betrust it self with God so long as it knows not but he hates it and Christ hath never done any thing with him for it 3. He denies That a perswasion that it was Gods will that Christ should dy for him in particular neither is nor can be necessary that a sinner be drawn to believe because other grounds will do it without The consequence of this is that many things were spoken unnecessarily by the Apostles Act. 3.26 as when Peter says Christ was sent to turn every one of them from their iniquities And Paul that the grace of God reconciling the world 2 Cor. 5.19 20. 6.1 was to them Corinthians to perswade them to be reconciled That he preached to the Corinths in the first place that Christ dyed for our sins 1 Cor. 15.2 3. And so all those generall phrases that include mens particulars But let us see what other grounds he gives viz. That it is the duty of sinners as such to believe Math. 11.28 Isa 55.1 To believe in what in the blood of Christ as Rom. 3.25 Then it supposes it shed for them all and so it s a truth according to the Gospell-declaration but denying the extent of his Death how can he make it out that sinners as such * A quatenus ad omne valet consequentia which reaches to All sinners ought to believe in Christ What have sinners if not Elect to do with Christ besides he had said before they must be sinners so and so convinced and qualified before they are to be called upon to believe in Christ And I fear he will upon second thoughts say that those Scriptures hold forth that sinners not as such but as so qualified with thirsting after Christ and being weary c. are there required to believe but many a soul is hereby put upon doubting whether it be Elected or so convinced and thirsty c. as is required and so whether God be not an enemy to it from eternity and so whether it hath cause of trusting in him 2. The command of God John 3.23 That shews it to be its duty if it could be proved to extend to it for that says That we believe in his name and a soul may more justly doubt whether that We reach to it seeing they that deny the extent of Christs Death and teach it to doubt of it use such applicatives as We to oppose an Universality and to signify but the Elect and Church c. This therefore yet leaves the soul to doubt whether it may hope in him for salvation especially being told that these things God sends to men indefinitely that the Elect onely might be brought to him he hath no goodwill to any other and that its Elect it knows not commands to believe while men are taught to doubt whether the object to be believed in as such pertains to them can give no more security from doubting then the building with one hand and pulling down with another secures the building from falling 3. The threats against unbelief That indeed doth as much as the threat for not keeping the Law fils the soul with terror on every side while it hears that God commands more to believe then have cause so to do and threatens them for not believing and yet gives them nothing to induce them to it no evidence of his goodwill to them to draw them to believe this may fill them with hard thoughts of God representing him to them like one that bids another eat or else he will kill him but yet gives him no meat to feed on no evidence of his goodness that may induce him to hope and trust in him 4. The alsufficiency of the blood of Christ to save all believers This may make the soul say O how happy are they that do believe and that have his blood to drink for its able to save them but as for me I know not whether it belong to me or not or whether one drop of it was shed for me and so how I can lean upon it I hear it s not sufficient to save any that it was not shed for not for want of inward worth in it but because it s not for them and I may