joyned together in the Scriptures He hath scarce any pertinent proofs that they are so ioyned at all not above one or two at most He alledges first Isa 53.11 By his knowledg shall my righteous servant justifie many for he shall bear their iniquities Which proves that many whose sins he bare shall by his knowledg be justified and that those many that by his knowledg he shall justifie had their sins born by him and he having born their sins could and should by his knowledge justifie them but that neither saith he should justifie all whose sins he bare nor should make Intercession to that purpose nor makes any mention of his Intercession And whereas he sayes they are so put together in the next verse that surely none ought to separate them Let us consider how they are put together The words are He hath born the sins of many and shall make intercession for the transgressors Which proves that both Oblation and Intercession are the Works of Christ which we deny not nor is that the thing to be proved but that his Intercession is for all the same persons for whom he died and that too for all the good things that his Death procured that place sayes not There are different words used to express the objects He shall bear the sins of multitudes or manies there is his oblation but now he adds not and he shall make Intercession for all them no nor saith he for them but using another word He shall intercede for Transgressors how many or who they be or whether he intercede for all good things procured by his Death for any or not that saith nothing It mentions Oblation and Intercession both its true but that 's but once yet and the Argument concludes not from it as is before shewed He quotes also Rom. 4.25 which mentions not his Intercession but his Resurrection for our Justification so that that 's impertinent as to the Minor Rom. 8.33 34. Mentions both its true but that is spoken to in chap. 4. and the vanity of his collection from there shewed His inferences That He died onely for the Elect and that none shall be condemned for whom Christ died and that there is proved there an equal extent of his Oblation and Intercession are not the Apostles but his own as we before noted on Chap. 4. The first of them being contrary also to 1 Tim. 2.5 6. and 2 Pet. 2.1 The second of them contrary to those suppositions of the Apostle in 1 Cor. 8.11 Rom. 14.15 Heb. 2.3 and that affirmation in 2 Pet. 2.1 For the third It s there asserted that the Elect and Believers in Christ have his Death Resurrection and Intercession all for them and that they are in a safe condition thereby but saith not that all he died for had them all as hath been noted For his giving all things with Christ we shall finde it elsewhere where we also shall answer it Now these two places of Isai 53.12 and Rom. 8.33 34. being the onely two places wherein Oblation and Intercession are coupled together and they scarce the tithe of the places where his Death is mentioned his Minor is also false and so the whole Argument ineffectual And the second is like it viz. 2. Arg. 2 Because they are Acts of the same Office of Priesthood The Argument from thence runs thus The Acts that pertain essentially to the same Office must be performed upon or for all the same persons and the one for All things for which the other But Oblation and Intercession are acts of the same Office Ergo c. The Major of this too is denied and proved false thus To Preach and to Baptize were both acts of the Office of the Baptist and of the Ministers of the Gospel sent by Christ into the world Matt. 28.19 and yet it follows not that whoever they preached to them also they baptized nor can it be proved that the Priests used to pray for whomsoever they offered up a Sacrifice for That of 1 Joh. 2 1 2. we have before scanned That he is appointed to intercede for All that come to God by him and so an high Priest for that purpose over Gods House he proves well out of the Epistle to the Hebrews but that all that Christ died for do go to God by Christ or that he is appointed to make intercession for all that he died for that he proves not nor doth any Text in that Epistle or elsewhere speak it His conclusion then That if he perform either of the acts of his Priesthood for any he must of necessity also perform the other for them flowes neither from the strength of his premises in his Argument nor from any of his proofs but is the issue fo his own misguided reason His absurd that else we make him but an half Priest or unfaithful is an absurdity it self For was not John Baptist a full Minister of the Gospel and so the twelve Apostles or shall they be taxed with unfaithfulness in their Office if they baptized not all that they preached to because Baptizing and Preaching were both injoyned them in their Commission and pertained to them as Christs Ministers but no more to that 3. Arg. 3 His third Argument is taken from the Nature of his Intercession which he saith is only a presentation of himself sprinkled with the blood of the Covenant before the throne of grace in our behalf an appearing in the presence of God for us Heb. 9.24 and so is nothing else but an Oblation continued in postulating those things which by it were procured Thence he argues How can he be said to offer for them for whom he doth not intercede when his Intercession is nothing else but a presenting his Oblation in behalf of them for whom he suffered and for the bestowing the the good things thereby purchased To which I answer that first This seemeth to swallow up his Intercession into his Oblation and so to confound those things that he before distinguished having no Scripture to back it that his Intercession is but a continuance of his Oblation nay rather the Scripture goes against it for it speaks of his offering as a thing done and perfected not continually doing Heb. 10.13 This man after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever sat down at the right hand of God he first offered that before he sate down And were it not so the difference between him and the Priests of the Law should not be so cleer The Apostle opposes his offering and sitting down to their standing daily to minister and offering oftentimes the same sacrifice Now if his intercession be a presenting or a continuation of his oblation then he should stand to minister and offer daily too for his intercession is a work in doing and continually to be done He ever lives to be make Intercession Heb. 7.25 Again though its true He appears or is manifested in the presence of God for us yet whether that appearing there
were Baptized into Moses in the Cloud and in the Sea and were come to Mount Sinai The Apostle alluding to that tells the believing Hebrews partakers of the heavenly Call Heb. 3.1 that they were not come to Mount Sinai to have a Law of works and death put upon them but to Mount Sion * Whence the Law of Grace goeth forth Isai 2.3 to hear him that speaks from heaven and so intimately to have the Law writ in their hearts Heb. 12.18 22 24 25. in which they came also to the blood of sprinkling He doth not say they were come to Mount Sion while they were yet uncalled but in obeying the Call they came thither to meet with and receive the new Covenant opposed to the Covenant made with their Fathers at Mount Sinai That that confirms me in this belief is this that it is by faith that we are made of one body with the Israel of God and are no where called the seed of Promise or Israel of God till brought to Christ but then we are all one with the believing Jews Jews in the inner man the Circumcision the seed of Abraham and heirs according to Promise Gal. 3.26 29. Now the Covenant spoken of is made with the house of Israel and Judah If Mr. Owen think men to be faederates in that Covenant before faith let him shew me that any unbelieving Gentiles or uncalled are called by the name of Israel and Judah Besides That the promises of God are made with Christ Gal. 3.16 and are in him yea and Amen 2 Cor. 1.20 But if any yet out of Christ should be faederates while out of him then they should have a larger object then Christ and a larger performance then in Christ Jesus But I say this ex abundanti to the Minor it being sufficient to the overthrow of the Argument that the Major is proofless Whereas Mr. Owen makes the difference between the Old and New Testament to be That this Covenants the giving of Faith and that not I deny it and say The difference between them is in this That was carnal weak and afforded not such operation of Spirit This spiritual powerful and full of life writing Gods teachings in the heart whereas that writ them but without in Books or Tables of Stones That propounded Precepts and Promises but gave not the performance This in Teaching conforms the heart to Gods VVill and gives in the injoyment and accomplishment of the promises whence as the Apostle saith The righteousness of the Law is fulfilled in us that walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit Rom. 8.4 That this Covenant is propounded conditionally too to those that are not yet believers we have shewed before in Isai 55.3 So that no man short of believing can say as Mr. Owens Objection supposeth The Lord hath promised To write his Law in our hearts but if we listen to Christ he will write them in our hearts but to the believer in Christ to him that is Christs the Covenant is free he being the proper heir of it as is before shewed He repeates his Argument again in the winding up of the Argument That the blood of Jesus Christ was the blood of the Covenant and his Oblation was intended onely for procuring the things intended and promised thereby and therefore it cannot have respect to All c. That it procured the good things contained in the Covenant or rather that he ingages the performance of them to the called for I think the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sponsor hath rather that signification then of a procurer we grant and to that the Quotation of Heb. 7.22 is pertinent but his inference from thence is yet unproved as we have shewed And so we have seen the fallacy and weakness of this Argument 2. His second Argument is thus That if the Lord intended Argu. 2 that he should and so Christ by his death did procure pardon of sin and reconciliation with God for all and every one to be actually injoyed upon condition that they do believe then ought this good will and intention of God with this purchase in their behalf by Jesus Christ be made known to them by the Word that they might believe for faith comes by hearing c. otherwise men may be saved without faith in and the knowledg of Christ or else the purchase is plainly in vain but all men have not those things declared to them in and by the Word c. To this Argument many things may be answered Answ As 1. That it concludes not against the Assertion that he undertook to oppose in lib. 1. cap. 1. pag. 4. viz. That Christ gave himself a ransom for all and every one But against his intention of purchasing pardon and reconciliation for All to be injoyed upon condition of believing which is a fallacy that we call Ignoratio elenchi 2. Again The Antecedent of the Major contains and crowds together divers questions which is another fallacy in arguing As with this Of Christs dying for All it jumbles Gods intention of his procuring Reconciliation and Pardon and the intention of bestowing it and upon what condition Now these are three distinct questions viz. First Whether Christ died for All The thing he set himself to oppose Secondly Whether in dying for them he procured Reconciliation and forgiveness for all And Thirdly Whether he procured it for All with intention that they all should injoy it upon condition of believing The first of these I absolutely affirm and Mr. Owen denies The second I thus affirm That for the offence of Adam and the condemnation that came upon All therefore he hath procured justification or pardon for All so as that God dealeth with All after another manner then according to its Merit and the Obligation to Death that came thereby And for their other sins there is with him a treasury of Forgiveness and Redemption full and free for All. So as that in answer to the third All may have forgiveness of all their sins and Reconciliation upon believing in him and it was his intention that whosoever of All yea were it All believe in him should have forgiveness of sins and be reconciled to God by him Whence it s propounded to men in general upon that condition in the Gospel But yet neither is that condition upon which God propounds it to be confounded as Mr. Owen here doth with the act of purchasing it and Gods intention therein nor may we binde up God to that condition in his dispensing it nor his intention of forgiving and saving men in his giving Christ to dye for them as if because All or Any may have it according to the Gospel-tender upon believing therefore he intended that none should have it that have not that believing condition For I dare not say That God intended not that any Infant dying in its Cradle or deaf man that never heard any word at all should have forgiveness or salvation by vertue of Christs purchase
should not serve sin But quorsum haec how doth this prove that all that Christ dyed for are and shall be sanctified by his blood Why he tels us That the fifth verse says That a participation in the death of Christ shall be accompanyed with a conformity to him in his Resurrection But what mean you Sir by a participation in it an having part in it or being a part of the object of it If so which word in ver 5. says so That says He that 's planted into the likeness of it not he that Christ died for Surely if Mr. Owen had dealt fairly he should have kept the same tearms in both branches of his Assertion as the Apostle doth thus Conformity to Christ in his death shall be followed with a conformity to him in his Resurrection Sure if planting into the likeness of him signify conformity to him in the latter branch as it doth it signifies so in the former too it being the very same maner of expression But Mr. Owen hath a little too much art of making quidlibet de quolibet But what follows The words of the later verse yield a reason of the former Assertion Because our old man is crucified with him that the body of sin might be destroyed c. What gathers he from that why this That our sinful corruption and depravation of Nature are by his Death and crucifying meritoriously slain and disabled from such a rule and dominion over us as that we should be servants to them But suppose this was the Apostles sense That Christ merited that such as are planted into the likeness of his Death by Baptism or conformed to him in his Death should have their sins subdued in them will it therefore follow That he says all that he died for shall be so conformed to him or shall have their sins subdued in them Let Reason judg of that Consequence But which word in the Text signifies a Meritorius slaying I suppose he means the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 If so I deny it That signifies there a real crucifying in us according to that in Gal 5.24 They that are Christs have crucified the flesh c. That is have nailed it upon the Cross that is the Grace and Spirit of God which is cross to it and lusts against it they have given it up to be mortified by the Spirit that so the body of Sin might be destroyed It is not destroyed yet nor doth the Apostle say so as well he might if he had spoken of a meritorious slaying for what concerns the matter of Merit that is already accomplished though the thing merited be not But when was this crucifying I answer when the soul was brought to give up it self to Christ and not before Rom. 6.4 5. when it was Baptized into his Death not in the outward onely but chiefly in the inward spiritual Baptism 1 Pet. 3.21 and so begun to be planted into the likeness of it But perhaps he will say The word is Crucified with Christ and therefore must be referred to what was done in his crucifying I answer no It signifies but a companionship in being crucified as he was or after his similitude not a thing done when he was crucified as Col. 2.12 we are said to be buried with him but when was that He says not in his being buried but in Baptism which is a thing not inwardly accomplished no nor begun before believing And so You that were dead in sins and trespasses hath he quickned with him the quickning men up to hope in God and bringing them from their dead condition in which before believing they lay without hope is said to be with Christ Yea when we suffer for Christ and dye for his Name we are said to suffer and dye with him 2 Tim. 2.11 12. Rom. 8.17 which are not to be referred to the time of his suffering and dying as if we then suffered and died meritoriously with him So that first express saying is pressed too injuriously to speak for Mr. Owen besides its proper intention Again He brings 2 Cor. 1.20 All the Promises of God are in Christ Yea and in him Amen Which says nothing that God hath promised that All that Christ died for should be sanctified and cleansed from all their sins but that in him all the promises are surely to be met with The Covenant we have spoken to before That 's made or rather promised to be made with the House of Israel and the House of Judah of which houshold men are not accounted till brought to Christ to believe as is plain Ephe. 2.12 17 18 19. After Christ hath preached peace to us and given us access to the Father then we are of the houshold of God and fellow Citizens with the Saints The promise of circumcising the heart which he mentions as most famous in the New Covenant follows after obeying the voice of God in listning to his Son Deut. 30.1 2 3 4 5 6. so the Apostle intimates 2 Cor. 3.16 When the heart turns to the Lord the vail shall be taken away which I conceive answers to Circumcising the heart As impertinent to his purpose is that in Heb. 9.23 of purging the heavenly things except he prove that All that Christ died for are heavenly men even before believing and before their calling to God with a heavenly call And that in Col. 1.14 of the believer brought to Christ receiving and having the Redemption in him with which agrees the 1 Cor. 1.30 which says not all that he died for are made wise redeemed righteous c. by him but they that are in him by faith as see Rom. 16 7. have him in the vertue of his blood and by his Spirit for wisdom righteousness sanctification and redemption As impertinent is his allegation of Heb. 2.14 To destroy him that had the power of death that is the devil that he might free those that by reason of death or through the fear of death rather were all their life time subject to bondage No more is his Probandum proved by that then that all that Christ spake to are saved can be proved by that in Joh. 5.34 These things speak I to you you that had neither heard the voice of God nor seen his face And who will not come unto me that ye might have life ver 38.40 that ye might be saved Or from this That he brought us into Egypt that he might bring us into Canaan that all that came out of the one entred into the other Nor is there any more consequence from the other places mentioned in Ephes 5.25 26. and Tit. 2.14 He gave himself for his Church that he might sanctifie it provided in his death for the perfecting those that should believe in him Ergo All he died for shall be sanctified and saved So that the contrary to his Conclusion is true that he hath in no one place proved what was by him undertaken But to take off this that we say Many
is to prove that all for whom Christ died are so dead to sin that they should henceforth live no more thereunto but to him that died for them What a heap of vanity is here this is Idem per idem The Apostle means by Dead Dead to sin because it s his intention to prove all Dead to sin Where is there any such word as Dead to sin Or what ground was this for his being so zealous as if he were beside himself in pressing men to believe and live to Christ if they were all dead to sin already What means he by so dead to sin as that they should live no more to it means he so that they ought to live no longer to it I would know of him who is not so dead to sin that he ought not to live any longer to it Nay doth not his saying That they might not henceforth c. argue that hitherto many did what they ought not though Christ had died for them a long time before Or means he that they should that is that that should be the event they shall live no longer to Then I would fain finde proof for it in the Text. Is that they might not and they shall not all one Doth not Sense and History confute this Doth not many a man that Christ died for yet live to himself Did all believe Johns Witness because it s said He bare witness that all might believe He says this agrees with Rom. 6.5 but that 's untrue too for this speaks onely of Christs dying for us and to what end that speaks of our being baptized into Christ and planted into his likeness But to that we spake before lib. 3. cap. 4. 5. He tells us The Apostle speaks here of Christs Death in respect of application The effectualness of Christ towards those for whom he died is here insisted on But the falsity of this is sufficiently discovered in what is said already In a word here is not one concluding Argument His conclusion is very wrong That here is no mention for Christs dying for any but those that are dead to sin and live to him Let any man read the Text and he may see that untrue For that says not He died for all that live no longer to themselves c. but he died for all that they that live might live no longer to themselves intimating that as yet many do not as they ought to do But I am weary with raking in such impertinent Arguments 5. Another Scripture is 1 Cor. 15.22 In Christ all shall be made alive Whence we argue All that Christ raises out of Death he died for that they might be so raised Else how comes it by man if not by something acted in the humane Nature and not onely by the divine Power of God But Christ shall make all alive But Mr. Owen tells us This All is but All believers because he brings Arguments from Faith the Gospel and such things to prove it and speaks after of Christs members them of whom he is the first fruits As if the Apostle might not speak of the Resurrection of all men and yet speaking to believers bring proofs fitted to them And as if his after-mentioning of such as believe proves that he asserted not the Resurrection of any but them It s plain some of the Corinths denied the Resurrection of the Dead not onely that they themselves should arise but also the dead in general ver 12. Now what they denied he asserted VVhich its clear also is a Truth not to be demostrated by reason but meerly to be believed upon divine Authority and the foundation of it laid in Christs Resurrection And therefore whereas Mr. Owen and Beza too object this That the Apostles Arguments are taken from the Resurrection of Christ the hope faith customes and expected reward of Christians which would have been ridiculous to be held out to the men of the world to prove the Resurrection of the dead in general It s very absurd For 1. The Apostle never held out other Arguments to the Heathen then Christs Resurrection which he preached as a matter of faith to them and declared as a matter evidently known to themselves Act. 17.30 31. 2. They being believers that denied the Resurrection of the dead in general he might well shew the inconsistency of that denial with their own principles and how it overthrew the most of those things which they made profession of as Christians For the dead in general not arising then neither should they arise and receive the reward of their faith and sufferings His arguments of that nature shew but that they were Christians he writ to capable of such demonstrations not that he asserted only the Resurrection of Christians But 2. He says The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 denotes a blessed Resurrection a Resurrection to a good life and glory VVhich is but his assertion much more That its never used about the common Resurrection For I pray you doth not the Lord Jesus use it of the Fathers quickning the dead in general Joh. 5.21 As the Father raiseth the dead and quickneth them and is not the Sons quickning whom he will both applied after to his quickning here and raising all hereafter Doth that hinder the truth of his quickning whom he will that he will quicken All So 1 Tim. 6.13 Is it not said That God quickneth or gives life to all things and can that be in a blessed Resurrection Doth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signine more then to make alive and shall not all the dead be made alive How else shall they come forth of their graves and receive their doom The Apostle here having shewed that Christ rose again proves by that that the dead shall arise too and that by Christs getting victory over death comes the Resurrection As man brought in death so by man came in again the Resurrection of the Dead for as in and by for the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is often Ev in signification Adam all dye◠so in or by Christ all shall be made alive He says not all in Christ As if he spake of the believers onely but in or by Christ all shall be made alive which he declares orderly First Christ then they that are Christs at his coming then afterwards 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 comes the end that 's the third step namely the general Resurrection of the rest which is the end of all as is declared Rev. 20.6 11 12. Now that Christ may not be called The first fruits of those that sleep with reverence to All as Mr. Owen suggests I see no ground more then that he may not be called the first-born ofeverycreature and the believers a first-fruits of his creatures Jam. 1.18 Nor doth his making peculiar application of the usefulness of this Doctrine to believers hinder his affirming the Resurrection in general For that 's an usual thing to make special application of any general doctrine to those to whom he treats
thing I know not what is CHAP. II. On the latter part of his third Chapter lib. 2. in which he urges the phrases For many and for the sheep and pretends to answer what T. Moore hath observed about them HE proceeds in the next place to application and to demonstrate this Assertion That Jesus Christ according to the Councel and will of his Father did offer himself on the cross to the procurement of eternal salvation with all the branches and means of it and makes continual Intercession with this intent and purpose that all the good things so procured by his death might be actually and infallibly bestowed on and applyed to All and every one for whom he dyed according to the will and counsel of God A position manifestly false for then we must all be Apostles Prophets Evangelists Pastors and Teachers nay have a name above every name c. for these things Christ procured by his death But to pass that He endeavors to make good this by a threefold consideration 1. From Scriptures holding out the intention and counsel of God 2. From Scriptures laying down the actual accomplishment or effect of his oblation 3. From those that point out the persons for whom Christ dyed His prevarications and weakness in the pointing out and arguing from each of which we sufficiently shewed in our answer to the first Chapter of his first Book and therefore here shall add only this That his arguments run but to this purpose Some one subordinate end of Christs death only agrees to some therefore he dyed only for those and with no respect to the supream end dyed for any other and so by consequence God hath no glory brought to him by the death of Jesus Christ but only in and from the Elect and Christ hath got no glory from any other but them he leaving them as he found them and doing nothing in his mediation for them Truly God and Christ are not beholding to Mr. Owen for his arguing So again Believers have had such and such effects in and by the death of Christ believed in by them therefore he dyed only for them like this such as go to a feast are well refreshed by eating it therefore it was made for no more then them that go to it or this Such prisoners being ransomed and following the Prince that ransomed them met with such bounty from him Therefore he ransomed none but them And again Many were ransomed Ergo not All. God made Israel Therefore he made no body else c. but no more to them arguments only there are diverse passages in the latter part of this Chapter from p. 79. that we have not spoken to and therefore shall take them in here As He denies that the death of Christ in any place of Scripture is said to be for all men For Answer to which I desire the Reader to turn to 1 Tim. 2.5 6. Heb. 2.9 Rom. 5.18 I know his objection is elswhere that the word Men is not in the original To which I answer first That by the same reason he may say that in Rom. 5.12 It s not affirmed that All men sinned seeing its but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word Men is not expressed and the like in 1 Cor. 15.22 that All men dyed not in Adam But 2. The word Men is expresly in Rom. 5.18 And 3. The word Men is the substantive clearly to be supplyed because the whole precedent speech was about men All men to be prayed for 1 Tim. 2.1 and expresly verse 4. that God would have All men to be saved 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. and that demonstrated by this that there is but one God and one Mediator between God and men the Man Christ Jesus who gave himself a ransom for All. For All what must it not needs be men between whom and God he is a Mediator and whom he tels us God would have to be saved All men and so in Heb. 2.9 was not the Apostle admiring Gods goodness to man Lord what is man and the Son of man exalting man above all his works which is now verified in one Man Jesus that dyed for every one What can it be referred to as before spoken about but man or the sons of men But of this we shall have cause to speak further hereafter That there are more ends of the death of Jesus Christ then what is the immediate fruit of it by way of ransome and propitiation before faith in it we have shewed in the conclusion of the first Book and upon his first Chapter of the second Some fruits there are of it from God towards men before faith and while in state of unbelief as the opening the door for entrance and for exhortations to strive to enter a feast prepared in Christ and a way of participating of it made and invitations vouchsafed as in Matth. 22.4 Prov. 9.3 4 5. Luk. 13.24 and those for and to more then enter and eat other fruits there are of it that flow in upon faith as satisfaction justification sanctification the contents of the new Testament c. And he that cannot see these to be distinct fruits and produced for or upon diverse objects and objects diversly considered is blinde and cannot see afar off nor into the things evidently held forth in the Gospel And what the ransome either immediately with God and for men or mediately upon and in men produceth were subordinate ends and aimes that Christ had in his eye upon his death as Mr. Owen himself also implies when he makes the ends of Christs death to be coincident with its effects His following observation objected against that that where the word many is used there are more ends of Christs death mentioned I shall pass it being not material and in some passages at least doubtful But in page 80. To this exception of ours Christs death is not limited to many and to his sheep c. as the ransome and propitiation as if he dyed for them only he tels us 1. That Christ saying he dyed for his sheep and Church and Scripture witnessing that all are not his sheep they conclude and argue by undeniable consequence that he dyed not for those that are not so At which assertion I can but wonder when first I heard of Mr. Owens Book he was so commended to me for a disputant that I could not expect any such lame arguments from him If we must take his saying of a thing to be an infallible proof that it s so then we have done with him but sure no Logick rule or good reason that I have ever met with can prove this assertion Had he said Christ saying he dyed for his sheep and the Scripture saying all are not his sheep it argues that in that saying he extended not the speech there about his Death to All he had spoken reason but to argue that because he mentions no more there as the object of his Death therefore he had no greater
the other If David venture his life for All the Israelites alike and after that he coming to have Power and Government one is by that knit to him and loves him again as Jonathan did and he enters into Covenant with him to be his choise friend and another regards him not for this but churlishly requites him as Nabal did and for that he destroyes him shall we say now That David loved Nabal as much as Jonathan because he acted the same highest act of love for them both formerly would not that be a notorious falshood And is not this then a notorious fallacy in Mr. Owen 2. He infers That for whomsoever he hath given his Son to them also he will assuredly freely give all things But I deny that the Apostle sayes any such thing But thus That having given his Son for us all he will surely give us all things with him Vs that is such as believe on him Vs that are in Christ that are called according to purpose c. Jonathan or Abigal making this Inference If David spared not himself but put his life in his hand for us all when we were strangers to him will not he that had so much love to us then give us Vs his federates and dear friends with himself having also given himself to us by Covenant whatever is in his power to the half of his Kingdom Will it follow from such a speech that Therefore whomsoever David loved so well as to venture his life for them against the Philistin to them he will give any good thing that 's desirable of him yea though many of them are his arch-enemies and do rebel against him Who sees not this to be a false Inference and yet such is this of Mr. Owens The believer doth or may expect all good things from Christ that died for them even upon that consideration that he died for them and shall have them therefore whosoever he died for shall have all good things too Thence also that Faith is not in the number of that All things spoken of appears because the parties thus speaking and of whom this is spoken are actuall believers before the making of this Inference That conception is like this He that was at such cost as to make a great Feast for us who are brought in to it already and are at it with thankful acceptance how shall he not give Vs to eat any dainty that is provided therefore it s from this speech inferable That he that was at such cost to make such a feast will make all that he invited to come and eat every dainty of it Whereas he saith His description of those persons there spoken of to be Elect not All but those chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world confirms the restraint of the Death of Christ to them alone 1. He proves not nor I am perswaded can he That any man yet uncalled hath that denomination of Elect in Scripture 2. We may see the vanity of his Argument by this insuing Similitude David venturing his life and conquering the Philistin and obtaining the Kingdom Shall he not stand by his friends familiars and kindred He that did that for them when mean will he suffer any enemy to vex and spoil them being invested with the power of the Kingdom Ergo David hazarded his life onely for his friends familiars and kindred and not for any that were his enemies or that afterward dealt injuriously and rebelliously against him Is this a good inference The Elect of God be they what they will shall be preserved by the Death Resurrection and Intercession of Christ from perdition which is all the Apostle there says he sayes not they are the adequate object of Christs Death Therefore Christ died for no more then they nor desired any good thing to be granted to any other but to them Who that understands Reason would not hiss out such arguments So from these words of the Apostle concerning the Elect Who is he that condemns its Christ that died doth this Inference fairly follow That whosoever he died for shall not be condemned more then from this If David's brother or good Subjects had said Who is he that accuses us It s David the King that ventured his life for our good and now raings to defend us from harm it would follow Ergo None that he ventured his life for against Goliah shall be put to death for any after-carriage toward him It doth but undeniably appear to me from all this that Mr. Owen understands not the drift of the Apostle nor sees the maner of his reasoning but no whit evident That Christ died onely for the Elect as he sayes He next Allegation is Eph. 1 7. We have redemption in him Scrip. 6. That is still we that are brought to him made accepted in him translated into his Kingdom as Col. 1.14 and as himself grants in his Chapter against the Socinians where he denies any of the Elect to be freed from wrath till regenerate we have that is injoy or possess Redemption that is remission of our sins clearing freeing us from all our bonds c. Therefore all that he died for or Therefore he died onely for us Is this right reasoning put it into form and then judg of it it s thus If the believer hath redemption in Christ Then all that he died for But the believer hath c. I deny the Consequence of his Major Proposition and leave him to prove it And it in what sense All have release and in what not we have said before There is redemption in Christ for All to seek after and so remission with him preached or predicable to all that they might look after it but All for whom he died I say have it not that is have not received it and so injoy it not How also they may be comparatively to what their case should have been blessed and how not blessed in that sense spoken of Rom. 4.6 7. we have shewed in Chap. 7. His next is Scrip. 7. 2 Cor. 5.21 He made him to be sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in him that is in believing on him Thence he infers All that He was made sin for are made the righteousness of God in him It s like that He brought them into Canaan that they might keep his Statutes Ergo All that were brought into Canaan kept his Statutes as we noted at the beginning So by his stripes we we believers are healed Ergo All that he died for shall though they never submit to have the playster applied David by hazzarding his life brought us his friends to honor Ergo He ventured his life for no more but them that come to honor As weak is that from Joh. 15 13. Greater love than this hath no man If he acted the greatest Why not all the rest In which there is nothing but Reason exalting it self against the Word of God David put his life in
to all that call upon him Which with other like expressions are general and opposed to the restrictive speeches proper to the former Dispensation large enough to take in the Believers and Elect of all Nations and to remove the restraining expressions and yet far enough from comprehending an Universality of all individual men all not having these adjunct qualifications But of such expressions is not our Controversie but of those that are comprehensive of an universality of all Individuals as All All men The whole world Every one Now that in them is intended onely the Elect of All Nations is to beg the Question and is denyed by us and that neither weakly nor groundlesly as I hope will appear when we view the particular Scriptures There are other passages in that Consideration untrue also As that there is not in the world Greek Jew Circumcision Barbarian Scythian c. but Christ is All in All that is only truly of the new Creature Col. 3.10 11. not of the world Again That the Spirit was poured out upon all flesh in its being poured out upon the Apostles That was of it indeed but not the accomplishing or full fulfilling of it that 's referred yet to a further day in which the knowledge of the Lord shall cover the earth as the water shall cover the Sea that indeed was partly fulfilled that was forespoken about their Sons and Daughters prophecying Again that That in Rev. 5.9 10. contains a Distribution of that that is set down more generally in other places meaning the 1 Tim. 2.6 and the like which is untrue for that speaks of another business the buying men to God to serve and live to him by the blood of Christ not only as shed by him but also as presented in its vertue and excellency to their hearts as Hosea bought him a wife by a price given to her and as God bought him a people by bringing them out of Egypt and doing great things for them which prevailed with them to be Gods and not their own and this is out of all Nations and Languages But the other in 1 Tim. 2.6 comprehends all the Nations and Languages out of which these were taken too whence also there is Gospell still to be preached to all Nations and Languages c. after these redeemed ones are mentioned Rev. 14.4 5 6 7. What he says to John 11.52 is answered before in the close of the last Chapter of the third book 3. His third Premise is Consid 3. That we must distinguish between mans duty and Gods purpose That 's true God doth not alwaies purpose to make us do what we ought to do or effect what he wils us to do Nor do we confound these two nor say that God purposed to make all to believe that he bids to believe whether they listen to him or not or save all that he bids look up to him and be saved whether they look to him or not but we would fain have Mr. Owen shew us that God ever bids any man attend upon an ordinance that was not provided for him and punished any for not attending on what was not ordained for them to attend to that he bids any believe in Christ for whom he did not send Christ bid any believe in his blood for whom he shed no blood As we distinguish between the precept and purpose of God so do we also between the foundation of the precept and his purpose and affirm that God bids not men to attend to him for Good where he hath not appointed them some medium in attendance to him in which they might have good He bid none look to the brazen Serpent for whom he had not set it up nor punished any such for not looking to it So that for his after-inference I shall only put this to Mr. Owen to shew that it is acceptable to God and the duty of man that any man for whom Christ dyed not and for whom God sent him not should believe and stay upon his Mediation or approach to God by him that those men whom Christ excluded his Mediation as much as he did the Devills have any more duty lying upon them to believe in Christ then the Divels have or that they should in so doing be any whit more acceptable unto God As we would not confound Gods precept and his purpose so neither would we disjoyn Gods precept from the true ground of it 4. His fourth is Consid 4. That the Jews had an ingraffed erronious perswasion that the salvation or deliverance of the Messias or promised seed belonged only to themselves who were the off-spring of Abraham according to the flesh which is also untrue they ever held and believed that any people of any other Nations being converted and proselyted to them were capable of fellowship with them in their ordinances and blessings and thence they endeavoured to make many proselytes which had been bootless had they thought by so doing they should yet have had no share in their blessings the rest its true that remained unproselyted were looked upon as Dogs but any man though not of Abrahams seed yet by Circumcision and being proselyted did grow into one body with them Thence the false Apostles zealous of the Law and honor of the Jewish Nation did not plead against Gentiles coming to their priviledges but that as Gentiles and Uncircumcised they should be so admitted that was their great stumble as in Acts 11.3 Thou wentest into men uncircumcised and didst eat with them and Chap. 15.2 Except ye be circumcised and keep the Law of Moses ye cannot be saved but to the proselyted Gentiles as well as to the Jews of the flesh of Abraham they preached from the beginning without scruple as in Acts 2. Peter and the rest preached to peoples of all Nations round about that were proselytes c. and so in Acts. 6.1 2. Their Church consisted of Jews and Grecians Not that but this was the Mysterie that the Gentiles being yet such uncircumcised in the flesh should be made fellow-heirs of the same body and partakers of the promises of Christ But he tels us That this taking in of the Gentiles gave occasion to many generall expressions which we have granted before But that therefore the words All men World Whole world signifie only the people of God scattered throughout the Whole World I deny and desire Mr. Owen to prove seeing those expressions of All that fear God Jew and Gentile All that believe Jew and Gentile c. were sufficient for that purpose expressions used frequently when the Apostles speak of the participation of the speciall benefits that come by Christs Death as salvation acceptation to favor the promises of God c. in which cases the words All men the World the Whole world are never used It s never said the Whole world is accepted of God All men shall be saved c. and yet in those cases there are such words used as exclude all limitations
in hand evidently sheweth for he saith not onely As by one offence judgement came untocondemnation so by one righteousness to justification of life but expresly maketh the comparison too in regard of their objects As by one offence to all men to condemnation so by one righteousnesse to All men to justification of life I would faine know of M. Ow. what the Apostle says in the 18. v. distinct from what he said before in the precedent verses taking away his equalizing of the Object So that that speech looks but like an Assertion of one resolved not to own a truth be it never so plainely exprest if it suit not with his own opinion that he maintaineth Again whereas he denies that Heb. 2.9 holds out that Christ stood in the roome of every man and refers us for proof to what he said to that Scripture his saying to it being proved impertinent and vaine already we need not here give him any further Answer Sure he that dyed for every man stood in the roome of every man in that his dying or else M. Owens own Argument from the force of the words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 chap. 10. lib. 3. are meer vanities Whereas he sayes further that no one word of God sayes that all men were given to Christ to redeem I answer nor did T. M. say so but having spoken of the Death of Christ in the roome of all mankind and his Resurrection he added by Parenthesis that they are all given him and shall be brought unto him quoting for proof Phil. 2.8.11 Rom. 14.9 which intimates his meaning to be that they were given into his dispose as upon his resurrection and that all are given to Christ in that sense Psal 2.8 9. fully declares I will give thee the Heathen for thine inheritance and the utmost parts of the Earth for thy possession and thou shalt rule them with an Iron Rod c. But I deny that ever the Scriptures say God gave any man to him that he should dye for him In dying for men he bought them rather and upon that God gave all to him in a generall way to rule over them and he gives him some by his gracious call to be his peculiar charge and to be set free by him from all their inthralments in conscience and from the power of pollution and temptation Whereas he sayes Christ is called the last Adam in respect of the efficacy of his death to the promised seed If he meane in that regard only it s but his meer Assertion and so till it be proved needs no more answering it being the same in substance with what he said before against the extent of the Object of his death contrary to Rom. 5.18 which we have even now answered Against this passage of T.M. that Christ by his death brought all men out of the Death they fell into by Adam he opposes this that the Death men fell into in Adam was a death in sin and the guilt of condemnation thereupon For which he quotes Ephes 2.1 2 3. To which I desire the Reader to remember what I said above about Redemption Chap. 5. lib. 3. that we fell into a twofold death in Adam one as the naturall and proper fruit and consequence of that sinning the deading all our powers to that that was spiritually good 2. The wages and punishment of this sin that is destruction and utter ruine Ioh. 8.31 32. The latter of these Christ bare for us not the former for then he should have had our pollution in him too which is crosse to truth Therefore when we speak of bringing us from the death we fell into in Adam we are to be understood of that Christ endured for us not the other which he brings us out of by his Word and Spirit received into us and not by his dying onely or Resurrection also And therefore M. Owen here prevaricates as in another passage fastned upon M. More he abuses him for he no where tells us as M. Owen charges him that the presenting himself just before the Father was the ultimate thing by Christ intended not a tittle that way He hath also many heavie words against M. More for saying God accepted the Sacrifice of Christ as if all had dyed risen sacrificed satisfied c. which spring from his owne mistake as if Christ in dying for All was said to dye and satisfie for all sins that ever they should or might commit and so procure an acquittance and discharge from them All to be without faile as on his part and what ever failing in any condition happen on their part made over unto all which as its contrary to those intimations that speak of their perishing for whom Christ dyed as a thing possible yea and of some ments pulling swift condemnation upon themselves whom he bought which could not be were that position true so it s also a gap to all carelesness and licentiousness for then let all men take what course they will Either Christ dyed for them or not if not no endeavour can do them good God is their enemy and hated them before they offended him even from all eternity and they must have no better do what they can then what the hatred of an Omnipotent God will produce unto them if he did Then eia agite nothing can pull a dram of wrath upon them their score are all wiped off both what they have run into and what they shall The Apostle never preached such Doctrine but that they that walk in the light as he is in it that walk not after the Flesh but after the Spirit that are rooted in the Faith and not moved from the hope of the Gospell shall have this benefit by Christs death that no condemnation shall befall them all their sins are cleansed c. Verily Christ putting himself into the place of Adam in the day that he sinned and in due time bearing that heavie death that else had seised on All and overcoming it and presenting himself to God as a Conqueror over it was far more acceptable to God then if all men in the world had dyed and overcome For we had done it but for our selves and out of love to our selves but he out of obedience to his Father and love to us and the same worke is far more acceptable to God when done out of Charity then when done out of selfe-love and meer necessity Beside the dignity of his Person and neernesse to his Father far above ours but I pass that too Heobjects further against T. M. because he sayes comparing Christ and Adam in respect of the effect and fruit of their works in the publick place that as by the sin of Adam all his posterity were in and by him deprived of that life and righteousnesse they had in him and are fallen under sin and death though secretly invisibly and in some sort inexpressibly so by the efficacy of the obedience of Christ All men without exception are redeemed
it which is not to be seen by climbing up into heaven to search into Gods secrets but by finding in themselves faith and sanctification they say and those too such as are so and so qualified as may evidence them to be fruits of election and so men must have the effects before and without their proper cause which is love discovered to men Tit. 3.4 5 6. they must have all these Repentance Faith Love to God and men Justification Sanctification yea and perhaps too eternal Glory before they shall see any solid ground or motive to repent believe in him serve and love him or that Christ hath done any thing for them by vertue of which he can justifie and sanctifie them and bring them to glory with him And so they are not lead to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts and to live soberly righteously and godlily by Gods grace appearing in the Gospel to them but deny ungodliness and live godlily or rather pretend and seem to do so that so grace might appear to them and that they might see the gospel declaration to belong to them The Gospel doctrine is to them but like the law that is a doctrine that consists of duties commanded with promises and threatnings annexed without Gospel motives of Gods love propounded the viewing of which things the Spirit of Love breaths in to lead and to produce the things required and so their endeavours after those works and duties are looked upon as the fruits of grace and goodness yea as the arguments of their Election past and future happiness when they may be as far from both as the Pharisee that denied Gods free Grace to Publicans and sinners and yet judged himself a partaker of Gods Grace by his works of righteousness magnifying grace against free will and thanking God as giving such grace in those things which were but the products of his will neglecting and abiding ignorant of that grace in Christ which would have truly corrected both his Judgment and will such the effect of this limiting restraining doctrine as theirs also was Men are led hereby to bottom the Gospel it self with all arguments of love and goodness therein leading to faith and repentance upon their faith and repentance which they pretend they may have before they know whether they have any solid ground for them or no as if they could winde in themselves into the perception of Gods love by their frames and endeavors and not first be wrought up to them by the love and goodness of God perceived by them and as if men should look to themselves and their endeavors as the glass through which they shall see Gods love as for them and not rather upon God and Christ as declared in the Gospel to love them as the glass in which they may see their obligation to God in Christ and be moved to and strengthened in their seeking after him hoping in him In that their way thou mayst see that God commands thee to repent or change thy minde to Judg him good and to love him and that he threatens thee if thou dost not and promises great things to thee if thou dost but whether thou beest one of them that he intends any good in his promises to or that art in a possibility of attaining them or only hast them propounded to thy hearing without good will towards thee but that thou mightest thereby have the greater destruction that by it thou knowest not for it presents no act of love from him that according to it thou canst say respects thee or takes thee in as the object of it only do all those things first repent believe love serve him and then it shall be true for thee to believe that he hath good will to thee a most preposterous way that doth to men as Pharaoh to the Israelites takes away their straw and bids them get it themselves and yet exacts their number of brick takes away that declaration of Gods love and good will to men that should properly move them to repent believe c. and sets men upon seeking arguments and demonstrations of these to themselves and yet not fail to perform those duties required of them A doctrine it is that presents less love to this or that man then the Law it self did whereas the Apostle magnifies the true Gospel as more excellent and more un vailed for it set some certain demonstrations of Gods goodness to the Israelites before them as his bringing them out of Egypt chusing them in their Fathers to be a peculiar people to him and many typical sacrifices representing Christs death for them upon which they were commanded to love and serve him but for ought this tells thee thou wert hated by him from all eternity yea this suggests to thee that all he doth to thee may be but to bring thee to misery Nay I might safely say Gods dealings with the Gentiles represented more goodness as to their particulars without suggestions of eternal hatred of them then this kind of Gospell-preaching ascertains any one man of as yet unregenerate as truly goodness and out of good will to him in particular And O how injurious is that doctrine to men that withholds the most absolute perfect motive to their duties and way to meet with consolation Whence it comes to pass that first many are led by it into presumption to lean upon themselves and their own works as evidences of that distinguishing love of God that makes them sure of salvation as the Pharisee Luke 18.9 10. and so of their being pure and righteous when as yet they have never believed and through faith received that love of God into their hearts thats preached in the Gospel to wash and purify them yea to bring them out of themselves into Christ that they might be reckoned after him conformed to him to salvation These are of those that justifie themselves and labour to establish a righteousness of their own and are ignorant of and fight against the righteousness of God despising others and hindring them of that Gospel of grace that should be opened to them stumbling as much that the Death of Jesus Christ should be preached to all to ungodly and sinners not so qualified as they as ever did the presumptuous proud Pharisees that Christ should eat and drink with Publicans and sinners and that his Apostles should preach the Gospel to the uncircumcised Gentiles 2. Others again are held in bondage all their dayes and are ever ready to fall into desperation while not having the Love of God and his goodness and grace propounded to them as for them that should beget faith hope fruitfulness c. or being hindered from believing it as so propounded by occasion of this limiting doctrine and yet being pressed on to believe repent be humble and broken that so they may know that God hath good will to them and hath given his Son for them they labor and strive and finde nothing which they can attain to
the truth of what it defendeth rest not in the bare belief of it as if that was enough for thee but follow on to inquire and seek after God that hath such good will toward thee and walk out in what he discovers of himself to thee that so he may be pleased to discover himself more to thee and draw thee by his Spirit into union with and conformity to his Son that thou mayest have the utmost healing that the death of Christ brings to the believer even salvation with eternal glory The right use of truth is in being lead from the world and thy own self to God by it and so attaining the end propounded to thee in it If thou not liking what is writ wi lt reply upon me I desire thee to do it soberly and as a seeker of truth rather then of victory bate pride and passion which will but darken thine understanding and nothing advantage thee in thy answering and take heed lest for fear of losing thine honour or for desire to get any thou robbest God of the honour of his truth and shuttest thine eyes against those flashes of his light that he darts into thee Better lose thine honour then ingage against Gods truth for it If thou likest the truth pleaded for but findest defect or wriness in any of my expressions in asserting it I shall be willing to be helpt to see better by thy spectacles if thou pleasest to lend them me In a word I say to thee with the Poet Si quid novisti rectius istis Candidus imperti Si non his utere mecum And so committing thee with my self and this ensuing Treatise to Gods protection I remain Thy friend and servant in the Gospel of Christ Jesus John Horn. ΘΥΡΑ ΑÎΕΩΓΜΕÎΗ OR A VINDICATION OF THE RECORD of GOD Concerning The extent of the Death of Christ in Answer to Mr. Iohn Owen of Cogshall in Essex The Preface WHereas God who is love it self beholding mankinde faln and through the subtlety of the Serpent plunged into death and misery was pleased out of pitty towards him to finde out a way for his recovery even to send forth his own proper Son his Word and Wisdom to take upon him the nature of man so faln with the infirmities weaknesses death and misery attending it yea the whole punishment that the sin of man had in that fall contracted to it that so he dying for man man might be delivered out of that death and life and immortality might be again brought to light yea whereas the Son of God having accordingly given himself a ransom for all it hath pleased the Father out of the same love he bare to man in sending him further to provide for his good in exalting this his Son that suffered and making him Lord and Christ a Prince and Saviour one that should have and answerably hath power and authority over all things and Salvation in him authority and fitness to save and deliver out of evil and to bring to life and glory whoever of the persons of men listen and look to him for Salvation whoever obey his Word submit to his Spirit and give up themselves to be ordered by him and to that end hath in these last dayes given forth a commission to certain Elected and chosen persons appointed for that purpose by him to be his Witnesses and Embassadors to the whole world in general to proclaim publish and declare this that God hath done in and by Christ Jesus for them and to let them know his good will toward them that he would not that any of them should perish but all come to Repentance and to the knowledg or acknowledgment of his truth that they might be saved to which end he hath also given and constituted his Son to be a witness and a Leader to conduct them to Salvation and upon these grounds hath willed them to exhort command intreat and urge all and every man as they have opportunity to it to accept this grace believe the Gospel repent and turn to God from their dead works and from their follies and to Jesus as the only one constituted by him to be his Salvation even to the ends of the earth So it is that since these holy men of God to whom the tenor of the Gospel and doctrine of truth was first committed have faln asleep the vigilant and wicked enemy of mankinde hath not only through his subtlety prevailed with multitudes of those men to whom this proclamation hath been made to reject persecute and put away this Embassage both from themselves and peoples under them and posterities succeeding them and with many others to be slothful and not to take care to propagate this Doctrine of their Lord and Master but also by occasion of this wickedness and slothfulness of men many that pretend themselves to be understanding men and servants of God unto their brethren have come with a counter-doctrine pretending to have better insight into the minde of God then the letter of the Apostolical preaching doth hold forth even as at first Satan pretended to the woman to have a more sublime knowledg of the minde of God and to teach her better understanding of it then in the simple belief of Gods words to them they had attained telling men that God sent not his Son for all of them but only for here and there one they nor any man else not knowing who they be and that Christ gave himself only for them and for no others and this they pretend to have from a more Seraphical understanding of a more secret will of God by which means they both contradict the tenor of the holy Commission delivered out to his Saints and left by them upon record for us by the instinct of his spirit and take away those certain and more excellent grounds motives and inducements to believe repent seek after and love God which that Commission affordeth making the Gospel to give such an uncertain sound that none can by it be induced to prepare himself to battel as is more largely shewed in the Epistle to the Reader In which doing they greatly deny at least disserve the Lord that bought them in that in stead of making him lovely to all and an object meet for all to commit themselves to and forsake all for the worshipping and confessing of they render it doubtful what one hath cause so to do and not rather to hate him as a fore yea eternal hater of them that had such desire to their misery as therefore to create them yea therefore to do all that he doth about them that they might at last for ever be more heavily tormented by him So that they do herein as a company of slaves or persidious Traitors should do to a King who having made open proclamation of satisfaction received by the hand of some Prince for the mischief done him by a company of rebells and of his good will toward them all that he would have them to lay
see no one place that proves that His answer then is still as unsatisfactory as if to this who shall rise again I should answer they are many that sleep in the dust of the earth Dan. 12.3 and then quote that in 1 Cor. 15.27 first Christ then they that are Christs at his coming and that Rom. 8.11 if the spirit of Christ dwell in you he that raised up Jesus will also quicken our mortal bodies and 1 Cor. 6.14 He hath raised up the Lord and will also raise Vs up by his power and then say that these are a description of those many that shall rise again should I be thought substantially to prove that Many limited only to them And yet if such an answer would not be fair then neither is his If it be Objected That other Scriptures say that some shall rise to condemnation I answer that other scriptures suppose a possibility of his perishing for whom Christ died 1 Cor. 8.11 and say that the false Teachers were bought by the Lord and yet pull upon themselves swift destruction for denying him that bought them 2 Pet. 2.1 so that the arguments are alike as is evident to any judicious impartial reader We have nothing but Master Owens word that those forecited epithites and sentences are the full description of that Many for whom Christ gave himself a ransome and that 's too weak a ground to build our faith upon That they are included in that Many we grant that they are all that Many that he died for we deny and he hath not proved Now not to recriminate and fling back upon himself that froth of wit which in his coming to answer what is objected to his argument from the word Many he casts upon a godly though less learned writer I shall view his confirmations of his argument or evasions from objections made against it The Objection mainly insisted on is that the word Many is used for All and aequivalently to All as in Dan. 12.3 compared with John 5.29 and Rom. 5.19 To which he sayes 1. That if the proof was taken from the word Many meerly and not from the description of those Many annexed with a presupposed distinction of all men into several sorts by the purpose of God that exception would bear some colour So that he leans more upon his description then upon the word Many but now that description being a partial description and no where in Scripture averred to be the adaequate description of those Many for whom Christ dyed this argument will ex confesso fall to nothing with a following simile which runs not parallel with the argument for that distinction of men into several sorts that he mentions here we shall view it hereafter 2. To Dan. 12.3 he sayes that there a distribution of the word to the several parts of it must be allowed as thus the dead shall rise Many to life and Many to shame which is a meer evasion crossing the text for the word Many is the Totum congregatum and there are distributive particles of that whole following in the Text 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 these to life and those to shame or some to life and some to shame besides which he adds a gross mistake of the Apostle as if it might be said Many shall rise because the Apostle sayes All shall not dye Whereas the Apostle no where hath such a saying It s not all shall not dye but all shall not sleep which signifies a resting in death not a dying simply in that sudden change opposed to sleeping there is a death and resurrection though not a sleeping in death and resurrection from the grave Besides though that were granted that All dye not yet I hope the Many that sleep in the grave that shall thence rise Iohn 5.29 are the same with All that are in their graves shall come forth All that are in their graves have dyed and all them are called Dan. 12.2 Many that sleep in the dust 3 To that in Rom. 5.19 he sayes Many seems there to be all but not spoken with an intent to denote all with an amplification because no comparison there instituted between the numbers c. But neither is there any strength in that for 1. though here he mince the matter with seems to be All yet p. 77. he confesseth the word Many to be placed absolutely for All and instances this place and that 's enough to my purpose 2. It s plain that a comparison is there instituted between Number and Number thus far that both numbers are Many yea and verse 18. the Apostle is as strict in the words of number as in any thing else As by one offence 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so by one obedience 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 All men to all men and so in verse 19. Many to many the comparison is in this that both have their effects upon many as well as in the effects themselves Yea and the word Many is clearly a word of amplification of both parts The All made sinners are truly Many exceeding Many and that Many All for producing other places in which the word Many is All though it be a trivial business in which only the Author that he bends himself against is challenged yet because he is confident that there is no other I shall with the Authors leave and his propound one or two to consideration as that in Numb 6.36 Return O Lord to the many thousands in Israel is to All the thousands of Israel and not to many of those thousands only so Mic. 4.4 He shall Judg among many Nations is among all Nations for other Scriptures say The Lord shall be one and his name one in All the earth and he shall judge the World in Righteousnes and All Nation shall glorify him But to return to the first Chapter in which those expressions of the end of Christs coming that is to save sinners c. are good and approved by us as the word of God But how he understands this word Saved or how this phrase of Coming to save he doth not fully express to supply which defect I shall consider them a little And 1. For the word Save it s of a large signification in Scripture when it s attributed to God and Christ as 1. It signifies to preserve or keep life yea when it is forfeited by our sin and God might justly deprive us of it to keep out of perishing as in Luke 9.56 The Son of Man came not to destroy mens lives 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but to save them Truly I conceive that in the day that Adam sinned he forfeited his soul or life and in his own ours also who were vertually in him and had God strictly taken the forfeiture of him He and we all in him had in that very day forthwith perished but Christ who was fore ordained to this business stept in between God and man and by way of ingagement became the dead Man the Lamb slain for us
bring into Canaan all that he brought out of Aegypt and then prove it by shewing that he so intended to all that believed and followed him Or else 2. Those places show not that those things so mentioned were the absolute intentions of God and Christ taken upon themselves to be effected by them without suspending them upon condition in us and if the Minor take not the word intended in that sense it suits not with the Major but contains a quartus terminus and the major not so taken is untrue If it be said the words are I came to save that that 's lost he gave himself that he might purge Vs and suffered for the unjust to bring us to God c. and where things are so spoken of as the ends and aimes of God in acting there though we have not the expressions He intended this and that yet we are to understand that God absolutely intended to accomplish and bring about those things and so that all those that are the object of those acts which were acted to such an end obtained or shall obtain that end Then I deny it and will prove it that in such speeches where two acts are mentioned as end and means and God the agent in the act directed to such an end it is not safe to say that alwayes that act propounded as the end in his acting was absolutely intended to be and answerably is brought about by him in all those upon whom or for whom he acted that act that 's mentioned as the means as to instance Act. 17 26 27. He made of one bloud all the kinde of men to inhabit all the face of the earth and hath determined the times appointed and the bounds of their habitation that they might seek the Lord c. Here is end and means propounded the making all of one bloud bounding their times habitations the means directed to this end that they might seek the Lord. Will any man hence say that God absolutely intended that he would cause all that he made and whose times and habitations he bounded to seek him and who ever seek him not and so call those in Rom. 3.11 were not made by him So John 1.6 7. John was sent to bear witness to the light that all through him might believe Doth it follow that because that was the end propounded therefore God absolutely purposed to make all believe to whom he bare witness and so its true that he bare witness to none else is not that contrary to Mat. 11.16 17 18. and 21.32 So John 5.34 Christ tels the cavilling Jews that he spake those things to them that they might be saved will it follow that it was his absolute intent that they should all be saved hear him or not or to make all hear him and be saved even those that would not come to him that they might live vers 40. Christ came to save that which was lost Doth it follow that he absolutely determined to bring all them to eternal life to whom he came even those also to whom he came and they received him not John 1.11 So Psal 105.33 34. He brought his chosen into Canaan that they might observe his Statutes and keep his Laws Therefore he intended to make them all do so and all that he brought into that land did so contrary to Psal 106.34 35 36. And to say no more God came down to bring Israel out of Aegypt to bring them into Canaan Exod. 3.7 and he brought them out thence that he might bring them into and give them that land Deut. 6.23 Ergo he absolutely purposed it concerning all that came out of Egypt and no more were brought out thence then were brought into Canaan Such his Argument Like to which he hath another taken from the effects of Christs Death Lib. 2. cap. 3. pag. 66. the Minor of which Affrmes that his Death sanctifies and and purges all them for whom he dyed redeems them from Law Curse Death c. none of all which he proves none of all those Scriptures alledged for proof This argument he hath again in lib. 3. cap. 4 where we shall speak further to it having such a clause in it as All for whomsoever he dyed or any thing sounding that way they being but applicative speeches not universal assertions It s such an argument as this The Lord brought us out of Egypt and brought us into this place viz. Canaan Deut. 26.8 9. And the Lord made you to go up out of Egypt and hath brought you into this Land Judg. 2.1 Therefore all that God brought out of Egypt he brought into Canaan Besides he hath for the bottom of this Argument this proposition in p. 4 line 71. and again in page 66. that the things before recounted are the immediate fruits and products of Christs Death namely Reconciliation Justification Sanctification Adoption Glorification which is as true as that the dispossessing the Canaanites and the giving their Land to the Israelites was the immediate fruit and product of their bringing out of Egypt over the red Sea as may be seen by what we sayed to them p. 10. No one of those things as accomplished in men is the immediate fruit and product of his Death Not Reconciliation though that be by the Death of Christ yet not immediately there is requisite to it beside Christs death the word of Reconciliation to declare it and that heard and submitted to as is plain 2 Cor. 5.19 20. We beseech you be ye reconciled to God yea and all these things come between the death of Christ and Reconciliation and are mediums of it Justification is not the immediate fruit and product of his death but mediante fide We are justified by faith Rom. 5.1 thence we have believed that we might be Justified Gal. 2.16 and that presupposes the word and spirit opening the death of Christ and shedding abroad the love of God and sprinkling the bloud of Christ upon the soul as in Tit. 3.5 6 7. He shed on us the Spirit abundantly that being justified by his Grace we might be made heires c so 1 Cor. 6.11 ye are Justified by the Name of the Lord and by the Spirit of our God Sanctification is not the immediate fruit and product of Christs Death but mediante fide too Sanctified by faith that is in Christ Jesus Acts. 26.18 and so there intervenes the being called out of the world and Church't Ephes 5.26 27. Adoption is not the immediate fruit and product of Christs death but hath Faith and Justification intervening John 1.12 To them that received him he gave this priviledge to be the sonnes of God to them that believed on his Name Gal. 3.26 27. Ye are all the Sons of God by faith in Jesus Christ Tit. 3.7 That being Justified by his grace ye might be made heirs c. And I am sure glory and immortality follows all these except we will have the inheritance go before the heirship and right to it
neither is that true that after follows in him That if he should intercede for All All should undoubtedly be saved meaning eternally for he may intercede for some for other things not for eternal salvation as in Luke 13.7 8. Lord let it alone this year till I dig about it dung it and if it bring forth fruit well if not then afterward thou maist cut it down sure he was the prime Vine-dresser and that 's likely to be his intercession for the barren Nation of the Jews or if it was of subordinate Officers yet sure their intercessions prevail not for patience and continuance of the means of Grace as that Parable compared with what went before v. 1.5 intimate they do where he intercedes not and carries not up their prayers for that particular so that how he should be there excluded I know not and so he may pray as Luke 23.34 Father forgive them they know not what they do and yet they not be saved for that 's not Father justifie them and bring them to life eternal there is forgiveness mentioned in the Scripture short of what is attended with that as Lord lay not this sin to their charge Acts 7.61 and such as are mentioned in Numb 14.19 Psal 73.37 38. Amos 7.2.3 5 6. Math. 13.27 34 35. So that neither of these is proved Either that he intercedes for All he dyed for or that if he do they are all saved eternally It s true indeed as he after saith He is able to save to the utmost all that come to God by him because he ever liveth to to make intercession for them but neither proves that he makes intercession for all that he dyed for nor that whosoever he makes Intercession for he makes it for them for ever and they shal be saved to the utmost The Fig-tree notwithstanding that intercession made for patience and means of grace yet not coming to God by him might be cut down It says not all that he goeth to God for any thing for shall be saved to the utmost but he is able to save to the utmost all that come to God by him because he ever lives to make intercession for them He is able to save them to the utmost by vertue of that powerful office but if men come not to God by him or withdraw from him he says not that he lives for ever to execute his office for them and to save them to the utmost Indeed from this his office and intercession founded on his oblation believers men that come to God by him have notable confidence as is expressed Rom. 8.33 34 another place quoted by him even as Caleb and Joshuah whose spirits were right with God had notable confidence from the great things God had done for them and his presence amongst them to possess the Land of Canaan and subdue their enemies Numb 14.9 and yet it was not therefore a truth that all that God had done those mighty things for and was walking amongst either had that confidence or their success which being considered keeps alive the General Ransom from that break neck with which Mr. Owen threatneth it for though its true that those for whom he dyed hearing and believing his love to them have no cause but to trust in him and seek and hope for great things from him as all the Israelites that came over the red Sea and see Gods mighty works for for them had no cause but to have believed in God as well as the rest Numb 14.11 yet as there all that shared in those great things did not so believe as some nor had the like issue but many through their unbelief sell short of Canaan so here many not believing the goodness of God to them for which in part many may thank their Ministers that leave them to seek whether they have a mediator appointed of God for them or not do not believe in Christ and so for not believing and by not believing perish for the Apostle saith not that All that Christ dyed and rose for he intercedes for nor that all that he intercedes for shall be saved and have no condemnation no more then Caleb said All that God brought out of Egypt and that he at that present was with should enter into Canaan but as he so the Apostle believingly feeding upon the goodness of God joyes in it and is raised up to exceeding confidence by it and shews that they who are in Christ and walk after the spirit as they did have no condemnation but are kept from it by the Death Resurrection and Intercession of Christ believed on by them but he affirmes not that of all that he dyed rose and intercedes for Whereas a little after he saith That God only promised to Christ that he should be Captain of all Salvation to all that believe and effectually bring many sons to glory he saith not truely for he promised him also Psa 2.8 9. That he should rule the Nations with an Iron rod and break them in pieces as a potters vessel as he tels us he hath also received Rev. 2.26 27. And therefore that Christ looked only and alone as Mr. Owen also saith for the accomplishment of those things that he there mentioned is false also He looked for and doth and shall see the other made good to him too But so much to his deviations in this Chapter The fifth only shewing that the Holy Ghost hath his concurrence and had his operation in the birth death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and no Argument being thence drawn to his purpose I shall pass it over and proceed to the following Chapters CHAP. IIII. A further view of what he affirmes of the equal latitude and extent of the Oblation and Intercession of Christ in his sixth Chapter and seventh HIs sixth Chapter goes over the same things again spoken of in the fourth only here they are considered as means conducing to an end namely the Incarnation Oblation and Intercession of Christ the last of which Intercession he says contains every act of his exaltation even his Resurrection for which he brings no proof at all nor any reason wherewith to back it only quotes Rom. 4.25 which saith no such thing but that he rose again for our justification no nor appears it as he saith that by his Resurrection all his following dispensation and perpetual intercession is there intended It s but his conception without proof it may rather he conceived that in saying For our justification he means that he might do all those acts conducing to our justification and so include his Intercession there then that in the word Resurrection those acts are intended Nor saith Acts 3.26 any such thing and her falsifies it doubly in his quotation of it For first he renders it thus that God raised up his Son Jesus to bless us Whereas the Text is having raised him up he hath sent him to bless I conceive he means it of his sending him in the Gospel
onely to present his oblation for the bestowing the good things thereby purchased be all the matter of his intercession or all the matter there aimed at is doubtful as also whether he so appear for all he dyed for as is there expressed For I suppose he so appeared as Mr. Owen mentions in his first enterance thither so soon as he entred offered he appeared and his continuance in his Fathers sight is contained in his sitting down or being at the Fathers right hand but the Interceding is spoken of as a thing beyond that Rom. 8.33 34. He is at the right hand of God and also maketh intercession for us that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and also puts the business of his intercession a little further every single expression of some act of Christ in heaven may not hold forth all his business there as every single expression of his returning acts holds not forth all he shall do at his return as in Heb. 9.29 He shall appear without sin to salvation doth not argue that his very appearing without any other act shall estate the Saints into the full possession of salvation sure he shall raise them and do other acts also Surely his Intercession hath in it also a presentation of his will to the Father concerning such or such particulars as indeed are founded upon his offering or he hath liberty and priviledge thereby to will or ask for the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 John 17.24 may signifie a willing by desire as it is otherwhere used as 1 Cor. 7.7 Mark 12.38 and sure it shall be granted to him whatever he so wils of God But suppose that that 's also included in that phrase of the Apostle and that Mr. Owen means as much in saying he postulates those things which by his oblation were procured yet then that he doth appear to will or ask all those good things to be dispensed to All for whom he dyed which his Death for any procured as his phrase with the whole tenor of his arguing intimates that he means or that Intercession and Advocation spoke of in Heb. 7.25 1 John 2.2 which are there said to be for such as are actually believers is for any but believers at least for all he dyed for that I deny That Advocation or Intercession being a presentation of his will for the believers consolation so as that he is Comforter therein 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he doth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 intreat for comfort and procure 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a comforter to be sent unto them Now to argue thus He presents his sacrifice yea and his will for some good things which he hath procured or obtained right to demand for all he dyed for Ergo he doth as a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 make good the case of all he dyed for that 's the thing I say denyed and for which the argument is invalid though that indeed is the thing as is before said and as his expressions in the next argument do declare he chiefly aimes at the whole consideration otherwise making nothing against us or to his chief intended purpose 4. Argu. 4 His fourth argument is from the identity of the end that if the Death of Christ procured and obtained that every good thing should be bestowed which is actually conferred by the intervening of his Intercession then they have both of them the same end and aim his Minor should be that the Death of Christ procured and obtained that every good thing should be bestowed which is actually conferred by his Intercession c. which he neither proveth nor did he doth it conclude the Concludendum that is the same Object in all the things his Death procured So that his after inference viz That the promises upon which his Intercession is founded were an ingagement to bestow and actually collate upon them for whom he suffered all those good things which his Death and oblation did merit and purchase if by them for whom he suffered he mean All them which he must or else he saith nothing neither springs from his premises nor is true in it self For 1. There is no such ingagement on Gods part in Scripture as that All whom Christ should suffer for should have all things collated on them which by his suffering he obtained that in Psal 2.8 mentioned by Mr. Owen doth but say what should be collated on himself not what should be collated upon All the Nations there mentioned that he should be the Anoynted the Christ and King and all given him for a possession not that All he dyed for should be Christ and Lord. Nor do those places of Isa 49. 53. forementioned in chap. 3. say any such thing as that All he dyed or suffered for should have collated upon them all the good things procured by him they ingage that a people should be glorified but not all for whom he suffered 2. The speech in strict sense is evidently false in matters of act for then All of them should be Apostles and Prophets except we shall say that those graces were not procured by his Death and sufferings 3. The way of God in rewarding his Son is in giving him All things into his hands glorifying him and thereby drawing souls to him to stay upon him and then granting him all his desires in them of all the fulness of his glory as he sees good to measure out amongst them Not that he would make them all glorious that he dyed for but only all of them that in the day of grace are brought into him to believe on him So that neither will this Argument serve him up to his intention 5. His fifth proof is from Christs putting them together in Joh. 17. Argu. 5 which only proves that Christ doth as well intercede as he did offer up himself not that he intercedes for all them for whom he dyed much less for those speciall things accompanying salvation there prayed for which was the thing to be proved We have shewed the Impertinency of that in John 17. before in answer to his fourth Chapter his other proofes also of 1 Cor 15.17 Heb. 9.12 are impertinent too neither of them speaking a word of Intercession much less for whom or how many 6. His last Argument is Argu. 6 That the seperating and dividing the Death and Intercession of Christ in regard of the objects cuts off all that consolation which any soul might hope to attain by an Assurance that Christ dyed for him But that 's false for this doctrine of Christs dying for All men though joyned with this that he makes Intercession but for All that come to God by him gives both ground and incouragement for every man upon hearsay of it to look to God and go to him by Christ as one that hath testified such great love to him as to open such a way of accesse for him through the blood of his Son and also assures him of strong consolation upon his going to him
not as large an us as that in Act. 17.27 not far from any one of us for in him we live or as that our in those expressions Jesus Christ our Lord. Again I go to my father to prepare a place for you Ergo to mediate for nothing for any but you only So he ever lives to make Intercession for all that come to God by him therefore he mediates for nothing for any else Contrary to Isa 53.12 He excluded the world from his prayers for conferring such and such priviledges on believers not desiring His Father to confer them on the world or any of it while such Therefore he never prayed for any of the world while and considered as such contrary to Luk. 23.34 These are Mr. Owens reasonings which whether they be inconsequent yea or no and whether the * T. Moore Answerer that he opposes or himself that pretends to far more learning be more to be admired for their strange inferences I leave to the impartial Reader soberly to judge He Objects against his in consequent reasoning upon 1 Tim. 2 5. Between God and man Therefore for All men Are not the Elect men c. But in this he mistakes we reason it not meerly from that as barely so expressed but from that as laid down for a demonstration of Gods good will to All his willing all men to be saved and as the foundation of our praying for All and from that that the Apostle addes he gave himself a Ransom for All which I conceive to be an act of mediation Our reasoning then runs thus That which argues the good will of God to All pertains to All But Christs being a Mediator between God and men is an argument of his love and good will to All Therefore it pertains to all The major leans upon this proposition That which holds forth love but to some cannot be an Argument of love to All That that argues love to All must concern all The minor is the coherence of the fourth and fifth verses Again thus That which Christ hath acted in for All pertains to All but Christ hath acted in his mediation for All c. This arises from the fifth coupled with the sixth verse Again thus If the mediation of Christ be a good foundation for our praying for All or any men then it self must concern All But so it is as it s laid down by the Apostle in that place compared with vers 1 2 3. Our prayers are groundless for any that he is not appointed as mediator for therefore to incourage us to pray for all he shews us a mediator that hath acted for All. His conceit on 1 Tim. 4.10 we have seen and spoken to before in Chap. 3. and shewed it to be a vain conceit that God as the object of the Apostles trust in all his labor and sufferings should be considered but as a Saviour out of Christ for the word Saviour is but once used there and if it signifie at all a Saviour without Christs mediation then it doth so to both branches besides that neither he nor any of them can prove God a Saviour to sinners as all men are without the interposition of a mediator I would ask how he deals with men in that saving them whether according to the Covenant of works which curseth according to deserts If so then no room for saving them from the death deserved by them no not for a moment If not then I ask according to what he saves and what it is that procures that he deals not with them in that severe way of their deserts The case of beasts instanced in Psal 36. admits of a twofold exception 1. That they have not sinned nor is there a law imposed upon them the transgression of which needs a mediator for their saving as the case of man is 2. That as they partook of vanity for mans sins sake so why may not their preservation for and to men be looked upon as a mercy safed to man by vertue of Christs mediation for the sin of man which laid them open to destruction for the punishment of man as far wide is his instancing 2 Cor. 1.9 10. the Apostles trusting in God that raises the dead as if he would tels that God as he acts in raising the dead acts not through Christs mediation or through Jesus Christ and so that 's false that As by man came Death so also by man came the resurrection of the Dead for he intimates that he raises the Dead without eyeing the interposition or mediation of man the man Christ As vain is that that the place fore-quoted speakes of God the Father as if Christ was excluded from being the object of the Apostles faith for preservation and as if God the Father wrought without Christ contrary to John 5.20 and were a Saviour to sinners in any way out of Christ and not through him all which are postulata's no way proveable For his wonder that Christ should be a Saviour of them that are not saved it s no greater then that God should purge some that yet were not purged and yet the Scripture plainly affirms that Ezek. 24.13 or made a Feast for them that never eat of it Mat. 22.4 Luk. 14.24 to say nothing that in some acts of saving they are saved and might in more did they not by observing lying vanities forsake their own mercies But we shall say more to this in Chap. 2. Lib. 2 where it is further urged O but he never gives grace to some to believe I believe he gives to All more then they improve or well like of and would give them more did they not smother what he gives them and that 's all I shall say to it here for we shall meet with it in fitter place as also with that other absurdity as he thinks that he should be a Saviour to them that never hear one word of saving If they have the thing in any sense it s not material that they never hear of its name God did gird Cyrus though Cyrus knew him not Isa 45.5 and many may have real good by that whose right name they never heard of I hope Mr. Owen is so charitable that if one of his children should dy in infancy he would think it might be saved by Christ though it never heard or understood a syllable of Christ or of a Saviour He things it absurd too that Christ should be a Saviour in a twofold sense for all and for believers But I hope he doth what the Father doth Josh 5.19 but the Father is the Saviour of All and especially of believers as himself grants and Christ saith he came to save the lives of men Luk 9.56 whether he do no more to believers then is there spoken of I leave to his consideration He is the Saviour of the World 1 John 4.14 and the Saviour of his body the Church Ephes 5.25 26. whether the world be his Church and body I leave to him also
God might deal in a way of mercy with them And he eyed further the Testament of promises made to his called ones that God would bring in to believe in him layd down his life for confirmation of their faith in those promises and also for confirmation and ratification of the truth of his doctrine to those to whom he preached it Now in the first consideration he says he took in All men though not all but his called ones and such as he should have for his seed In the second against which Mr. Owen saith nothing worth the Answer but faults the things that he seems not well to understand and quarrels with want of smoothness in the expressions and unaptness of quotations not rightly taking them to the Authors meaning as I conceive For I suppose Heb. 9.9 26. He only quoted to shew that as a Priest he offered sacrifice Joh. 1.29 1 Joh. 2.2 to shew that he was as a propitiation and that extended to All Heb. 9.14 15. Matt. 26.26 he quotes to prove his Death to be for Ratification of his Testament and so the Apostle made use of it in Rom. 5.10 8.32 none of them expressing his utmost end that being known sufficiently and granted on every hand Now whereas Mr. Owen saith that his proofes for the sealing the Testament hold out but the first end of the death of Christ he speaks not rightly for neither of those places viz. Mat. 26.26 Heb. 9.15 speaks only of procuring of remission of sins or power and prerogative of forgiving but of sealing the Testament also which bequeaths not to all he dyed for but to all that heartily believe in him and such the Apostles were the receit and injoyment of forgiveness and of the inheritance it self which remission the believers indeed confess that they experimentally receive from him in his blood believed on by them Rom. 3.25 as in Eph. 1.7 Col. 1.14 which Scriptures speak not of procuring Redemption though that must needs be supposed as a thing fore-done but of the receit and injoyment of it that they being brought out of darkness into Christs Government met with and partook of as the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 declares too Whereas he cals his distinction of these ends mentioned his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that 's only his want of discerning and so till he see better may be forgiven him as all the rest of that following froth he hath not worth repeating or answering for whereas he saith that he may this way answer any thing by saying its otherwise in his opinion it seemes strange to me that he cannot see the places above recited cleerly proving what was affirmed by him Doth not his being a Lamb to take away the sin of the world and the propitiation for the sins of the whole world shew that the work of his Priest-hood had something in it extending beyond the bounds and limits of the Church and chosen except he can first shew that the world the whole world is the Church of God and all of them the chosen of God and so confound the distinction so cleerly held forth in Scripture between the Church and the world John 14.17 22. 15.18 19. 16.20 17.9 1 Cor. 6.2 11.32 c. And doth not Heb. 9.15 with Mat. 26.26 plainly say that Christ also intended to confirm the faith of his called ones in expectation of the eternal inheritance and to make that sure to them Is there not a plain difference between these two the breaking in peices the bond of Death man was faln into and so delivering him out of that and the making a Covenant of promises with some of them so ransomed Is it all one for a Prince to ransom a thousand men out of prison in which they were to perish and save them from hanging when the rope was about their necks And his entring into a bond and Covenant to prefer so many of them being ransomed as will submit to and serve him Did not Christ undertake for both in his death both to ransom man faln and to confirm his Church in faith But who can give eyes or who shall perswade wise men to be willing to be fools in themselves that God may give them eyes I shall leave the Reader to God intreating sobriety from him and that he will not wink with his eye willfully when light is propounded to him And so having through Gods assistance finished my answer to his first book In expectation and confidence of the same assistance I shall follow him to the second The Second Book CHAP. I. A further view of his consideration of the ends of the death of Christ as further handled in his first and second Chapters of his second book COnsidering further the end of the Death of Christ He tels us it was either 1. Ultimate and supream viz. the glory of God the Father Or 2. Subservient to that viz. The bringing men to God and in that both 1. That men might have means of coming to God And 2. The end it self coming to God or Salvation Which I suppose not as so indefinitely propounded though I think the ends of it may be more fully and cleerly assigned thus viz. 1. Gods Glory Phil. 2.11 2. Nextly the glory of the Son of God that he might have the preheminence and God be glorified in him John 17.1 4. Phil. 2.9 10. Rom. 14.9 To this end he both dyed and rose and revived that he might be Lord of quick and dead So John 5.22 The Father hath given to the Son to have life in himself which I understand of the life communicable to men for that is said to be in him 1 John 5.11 and so life in him through his death for men that all men should honor the Son even as they honor the Father for that 's the life indeed for which he is so worthy to be honored of all men in their looking to him and believing on him as on the Father and that 's the honoring him as the Father to give him all the honor of believing and staying on him resting and glorying in him acknowledging his Lordship c as to the Father 3. To these purposes that all might be set free and ransomed from the sentence of death under which they were fallen that so God and Christ might be glorified in them all and an object of hope and faith be provided for them to look to and believe in for salvation and for God to glorifie the riches of his mercy in drawing men to according to his good pleasure Matth. 20.28 1 Tim. 2.6 2 Cor. 5.14 15. 4. That those that believe in him might have eternal life So in Iohn 3.16 be brought to God 1 Pet. 3.18 and to glory Heb. 2.10 having Christ for a witness and Covenant ratifying and sealing an everlasting Covenant with them and being an example and pattern yea a Captain and leader to them Isa 49.6 55.4 Heb. 9.15 Matth.
a seed and to that end so to glorifie him with himself and to men and so to exercise his power and goodness amongst them that Nations and people should run in to him and so come to injoy the life that 's in him and glory with him leaving that so far as I finde to his Fathers goodwill whom and how many so to cause to run unto him not doubting but he will make good his word to his satisfaction Thus for his Impetration Now accordingly by way of Application if we may so call it He and God in him 1. Deals with all men in a way of mercy bounty and goodness and not according to the Tenor of the first obligation or the curse deserved by their sin in Adam 2. Hath invested him with supream Authority over All Creatures giving all things into his hands and he rules the Nations with a rod of Iron c. and dispenses to them as seems good to him And 3. Hath life in himself free for and communicable to All or any which he makes over to his people brought into him forgiving their sins sanctifying their souls putting into them his spirit laws fear c. changing them into his likeness till he bring them into the full possession of all his glory And 4. The Father glorifies him amongst men and so works in his word and providences by his Spirit that he hath a Church and Spouse a seed given him to whom he doth impart that fulness that is in him and executes his Lordly office amongst the rest according to his and the Fathers will so as that he brings about the main end of his sufferings the glory of God in all his dispensations even toward them also And these are my thoughts about this distinction Some make use of a Distinction of a Reconcilation wrought in Christ for men and in men by Christ the first for all men the second in all cordial and through-believers Which I make out and approve thus 1. The nature of man was fully and perfectly reconciled to God in the person of Christ by his death for All men or in the behalf of and for the benefit of all men The nature of man though the Word descended into it and was made Flesh yet as it was given in the behalf of other mens persons yea he in it as the publike sinner to ransom all so between it in Christ and God there was a controversy and that so great that God fell upon it wounded bruised afflicted yea cursed it as I may say or made it accursed and his Son as in it pouring upon it the punishment of the sin of man before he took it up into his glory but having done so to the utmost of his will not sparing him he then raised it Acts 13.33 took it up into Sonship with the Word and filled it with all his fulness being at perfect unity with it and it with him never more to be at odds again here is a full compleat and perfect reconciliation of the nature of man in Christs person and this for All as the punishment was suffered in stead of the whole nature in its several individuals and so as that God now le ts go all other from executing the fierceness of his wrath upon them for that sin in which they formerly stood condemned and calls for satisfaction to his justice in that point from none of them Rom. 2.4 5. but extends such means and goodness to them as leadeth to Repentance Yet in their persons they are not reconciled they all except the man Christ remain in enmity against him and the nature of man in all our persons is such that with no one of mankinde can so holy a God have fellowship till something be done to them that is De adultis loquor till there be wrought in them a renouncing of themselves and sins and a willingness to walk with God through his love and goodness which none have in them meerly by Christs dying for them and ascending to God till something be wrought in them from heaven by his Spirit 2 Sam. 14.24 28. Till when men are like Absolom when David at Joabs mediation took of the sentence of his banishment but yet would not let him see his face All yet in that regard children of wrath worthy of wrath though God deal not with them according to desert nor goes about to execute the fierceness of wrath upon them but on the contrary affords them means of seeking him c. to some more to some less as he pleases But 2. When the goodness of God Psa 36.7 8. Eph. 1.13 and the operations of his Word and Spirit the insinuations of divine light and love into the hearts of any is so received and yielded to that they are brought to Repentence and faith in God and Christ and submission to his Spirit then they come in their own persons to be reconciled to receive the reconciliation and atonement then God begins to own and walk with them Rom. 5.11 and take them up into unity and fellowship with his Son and this is the reconciliation wrought in men by Christ to which the Apostle exhorts in 2 Cor. 5.20 How much my sense of these distinctions differ from the Arminians Camero's Testardus and others who as M. Owen tels us all speak of an Impetration of Reconciliation Remission Redemption conditionally if they believe I leave to their Judgments that compare us M. Owens arguments against that first distinction as used by them make nothing against me I affirming an application or donation from the Father to be made to Christ and through Christ to men according to the purpose of his Impetration only some passages in his arguments would be spoken to as whereas in his second Argument p. 89. he affirms that whatsoever is obtained for any is theirs by right for whom it is obtained I think that is not every way true I may purchase a picee of land intentionally for my childe and yet keep the right and title in my own hand so that he may not have right in it or title to it till I actually instate him in it Whatever the thoughts of Christ were to any in dying for them yet we are not made heirs till brought into him till then we have no right either to claim or to receive the promises Ye are all the sons of God by faith in Jesus Christ and if Christs then Abrahams seed and heirs according to promise Gal. 3.29 So Tit. 3.6 being justified by grace we are made heirs according to the hope of eternal life Whether the condition of faith be purchased or no we shall view elsewhere Again in his third Argument he tels us that these two Impetration and Application are alwayes joyned together in the Scriptures in which he saith not truly for I demand where is the Application in 1 Tim. 2.6 He gave himself a ransom for All or in Heb. 2.9 by the grace of God he might
was the object of that love of God that moved him to send Christ We believe he denies it but how doth he disprove it why thus He made some for the day of wrath Prov. 16.4 but he should have told us whom The Scripture saith The wicked such as persist in wickedness if by evil day we mean a day of destruction to themselves for otherwise in turning they shall live and God swears he had rather they should turn and live then go on in sin and die Ez. k 33.11 which rather argues a Mediator for them to turn to God by and such as refuse to turn to God by him God works them as the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies to an evil day Omnia operatur Deus sibi vel in causam suam etiam improbum in Diem mali Drus like that in Rom. 2.4 5. If Mr. Owen think that them that are now wicked God made them at first for the day of destruction and therefore left them to be wicked for I hope he thinks not that God made any wicked then he must say his creating work was to most an act of hatred and that God hated men while innocent and righteous and while his own meer workmanship for in that instant he intimates that he made them unto wrath which suits not with the Nature of God which is Love nor with the Truth of God that saith That God loves the righteous as all were when God created them The truth is the word Made signifies also to order and frame providentially and so the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 more properly signifies being never that I finde applied to his creating things and so his disposing Israel to Mercy or Judgment in his providential government of them is compared to a Potter making a Vessel Jer. 18.4 5 6. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or making it another Vessel when marred Jer. 18.4 5 6. The meaning of the sentence then is this That the Lord wrought as all things for himself or for its cause as Drusius notes so the wicked those that are so and persist to be so against the goodness and grace of God leading them to Repentance them he works or by an Ellipsis they are for the evil day That is to be his rods to afflict and exercise men withall to make a day of affliction and tryall which in Scripture is called a Eph. 6.13 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Sam. 24.13 Isa 10.5 an evil day as the word is here* As it s said Wickedness proceeds from the wicked and Ashur the rod of my wrath And so it s said That ungodly men turners of the grace of God into wantonness were b 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fore-written to this condemnation or judgment viz. to be exercises to the Saints of God and put them to trial about their faith Jude 4. another place quoted by him but surely they had that grace vouchsafed to them which they abused or else how did they abuse it c Compare 2 Pet. 2. with this Epistle of Jude These are the same men with those in 2 Pet. 2.1 that are said to be bought by the Lord and that buying them and his goodness toward them being bought was the grace they turned into wantonness And surely he that says that God fore-ordained that those that being bought by him and having grace and favor extended to them through Christ leading them to Repentance should deny the Lord and turn his grace into wantonness and so persist in wickedness should be for exercises and rods to the Church for so the words to this judgment or condemnation seem to import or if ye will that they should be condemned He say that so saith doth intimately say that God ordained them first to be bought by Christ and to have such grace extended to them and I think grace is love and favor and then he saies nothing to deny that even those also though not looked upon as such persisting in ungodliness and wickedness but in an Antecedent condition as we noted before were also the objects of Gods love in sending his Son no more then he that saies that God intended to throw faln Adam out of Paradise and deny him communion with himself denies that God made Adam righteous and shewed him much favor in Paradise But he saith again That some were hated before they were born pointing to Rom. 9.12 But there is no such passage there Onely that before the children were born or had done good or evil it was said to Rebeccah The elder shall serve the younger And that we shal finde indeed spoken before they were born Gen. 25.22 23. but the other Esau have I hated was spoken in Malachies time long after they were dead and was spoken inclusively of Esaus posterity too as the other part of the speech of Jacobs and it s produced by the Apostle to shew the standing of Gods purpose for exalting the younger above the elder for this proves Gods purpose to stand that Esau not submitting to serve Jacob according to the Oracle in which he might have met with blessing God hated rejected and cast him out and destroyed his mountains You may as well say that God laid his mountains wast before he was born too and so before he had any as that he hated him before he was born For they are put together Mal. 1.2 yet I hated Esau and made his mountains wast But again From Rom. 9.22 He tells us that some were fitted for destruction but that 's impertinent For it s not He that is God fitted them to destruction much less in his first creating them But they being fitted for destruction yet he says God to shew his power and wrath to make known his Name for the good of others spares them As when Pharoah to whom he seems there to allude was fitted and ripened for destruction and might have been justly cut off Yet that he might make him more exemplary he treated with him a long time before he destroyed him and what doth this hinder but that he might send his Son to dye for such as considered in a precedent condition A man for whom Christ died by stumbling and turning from Christ may be fitted for destruction So the Apostle intimates 1 Cor. 8.11 2 Pet. 2.1 Except a man may perish and not be fit for it which I think none shall He produces also 2 Pet. 2.12 like bruit beasts made to be taken c. which being spoken of such as deny the Lord that bought them vers 1. it cannot be in reason conceived that Christ dyed not for them except he bought them by some other price then his death which I finde not affirmed Beside Mr. Owen may abuse his reader making him believe that the Apostle says that those men were made to be taken and destroyed when indeed the words are these Like bruit beasts made to be taken and destroyed the words Made to be taken and destroyed agree with the word Beasts
because they have not that act of believing that comes by hearing whence also 3. I deny the consequence of the major proposition if by ought to made known he means as I suppose he doth that God ought or is bound so to have done for that word ought may be otherwise applyed as we shall see anon for though its true that whosoever by hearing the word believes shall have remission yet God nor tying himself in his dispensation thereof to that condition for them to dy in infancy and to be born and continue deaf to death should be necessary evidences of reprobation which I think none is so hardy as to affirm it will follow that God is not bound to that making known to every one the purchase and intention spoken of lest he should be frustrate of his intention Besides that a man may possibly be brought to believe and receive forgiveness that never heard of that purchase and intention and yet their Faith may come by hearing too a man may be brought to believe that God is is a rewarder of them that seek him which is as much as the Apostle says is of necessity for coming to him Heb. 11.6 yea many have believed so much that have not known of Christs death or that he should dy muchless of the purchase and intention of God in his death As the Disciples had faith and so had Cornelius too such as in which they were accepted of God before they understood that Christ should dye and by dying purchase them forgiveness and reconciliation and doubtless many of the Ancients heard less then they of him as Rahab Ruth Naaman and many others so that at least a making known to all for so he intends so much as he speaks of would not necessarily appertain to God though the Antecedent were granted in the very form in which he puts it Indeed God binds us to preach and declare in these last dayes since the ascension of Christ this his purchase and intention and men are bound to give credit to it when preached that so they might the better be brought to him and they that keep back that doctrine from men if they perish are guilty of their blood but God hath not by any thing he hath done or by his intention therein bound himself to make known to every one for whom he hath so done that his intention doing A Prince may ransom from destruction a Nation appoitned thereto for some default against their Soveraign with intention that every one that obeys his counsels shall injoy the priviledges of free subjects and so that they all shall have such priviledges so obeying yet that may put no ingagement upon him to cause every particular of them to know what he hath done for them what was his intention therein especially too they never knowing distinctly how they came to be lyable to their ruine from which he ransomed them only he may propound though at a distance from them and as to persons unknown to them some advices and counsels in obeying which he may do to them as he intended and in disobeying them frustrate them of the otherwise intended benefits yea and order punishment also to them without any absurdity or crosness to his intention 4. The words ought to be made known may signifie It ought to be made known by men such as are the messengers of Christ and preachers of the word and then indeed we grant it to be a truth that All ought to have it made known to them by us to the utmost of our opportunities and abilities and so it reproves Mr. Owen and many other Ministers for their faultiness herein because they not only make not known to All without restrictions this good will and purchase of Christ for them but they on the contrary make it uncertain to men whether Christ dyed for them or not yea hinder and oppose the making known this good will to All men I would they would cease to do what they ought not and do as they ought 5. But then The minor of this Argument is faulty and containes a Quartus terminus for whereas he should have assumed thus But this purchase good will and intention ought not to be made known to All he hath assumed thus All have not these things made known to them in and by the word But who sees not that between what men have and what they ought to have there is a great difference God may have done what appertains to him not only in giving to Adam and Noah the knowledg of his truth though less clearly that it might be propagated by one to another sucessively in all their generations but also and that more clearly in giving it forth to his servants to be made known to All Nations for the obedience of faith willing all to come to the knowledg of it as indeed he hath done Rom. 16.25 26. 1 Tim. 2.4 and yet those to whom this charge of divulging it appertains being slothful and negligent herein and others not coming to it when and as held forth to them as in many divulgers and others is too true they may not have what they ought to have and might have had had the will of God aforesaid been obeyed by them So that this argument the further we look into it the less hurt it doth us But I shall say no more to it lest I be too tedious many passages he hath about it are but the same with what we had lib. 2. cap. ult where I have answered them and shall not need here again further to repeat Only whereas he saith The Spirit forbad the Apostles to go to sundry places with the word as if God would not have some hear of his word though they might have had it the places he aims at are Acts 16.6 7. where Paul assaying to go to Asia and Bithinia were forbidden this is to be noted that that was not because he would not have the Gospel preached to them but because the Apostle not being able to go two ways at once and there being others whom God pleased to prefer sent them elsewhere first ordering others to preach at those places or the same to preach there when the other work was over therefore the Holy Ghost as if he would give us an account of this action to prevent our rash misprisions particularly names these places to have been peculiarly preached to As concerning Asia we have a fuller testimony then of any other place Acts 19.10 All that dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord and for Bithinia there were many believing people scattered abroad in it as appears in 1 Pet. 1.1 who were to shine as lights and shew forth the praises of him that called them in the places where they lived Again whereas in the conclusion of this Argument he saith That Paul tels us that by the works of creation they might be led to know his eternal power and Godhead but that they should know
As the Proverb saith The foolishness of a man perverts his way and then his heart frets against the Lord Prov. 19.2 And a sluggard refuses to put forth his strength God gives him and then saith to colour over the matter A Lyon is in the way Just so is it here men stifle and refuse to walk in what they have power and freedom from God to and then they put it off with this The business is too hard for them and God gave them not grace to it And truly Mr. Owen and many other such Preachers do frame such excuses to their mouths telling them That either God purposed to work faith in them or not If not it s in vain for them to wait nay he would that they should not believe his not willing it is a willing it should not be His calling upon them to believe is but as if the King should bid the Captives at Algiers free themselves from their enemies that they can in no wise do and then he will pay a ransom for them If he did then they must have it they shall not need to take any care about it c. which passages as they contain notable falsities and dissimilitudes as may appear by what is already said so they serve to justifie the wicked in what ever they do putting this plea into their mouths even as high as the sin of Adam it self God willed not that it should be otherwise Therefore he would have it thus and God afforded no Grace for that he called for c. contrary to his own sayings I would have gathered and ye would not yea I purged you and ye were not purged c. But I pass it To that Position of some That God bestows faith on some and not on others He asks Did Christ purchase that distinguishing love or not To which I say That if by love he means the Will of God that some should be effectually brought in rather then others as he with others defines it to be Velle bonum creaturis I do not see any such thing held forth in Scriptures I finde that Christ came to do Gods VVill towards men not to purchase him to will more to these then those men If by Love he means the actings forth of his good-will upon men according to Gods purpose then I say by satisfying for and removing the sin that obstructed and stood between us and good things he opened a way for God according to his good will to bestow things on men and so may be said to purchase their bestowing Nor yet follows it as Mr. Owen objects That those that are saved have no more to thank Christ for then those that are damned contrary to Rev. 1.5 For those that God peculiarly brings in to him those he taking as a special gift of him washes in his blood as in that Scripture mentioned and so sets them free and actually brings them or buyes them off from their pollutions idols bondages and makes them clean and so presents them to his Father as meet for his Fellowship and Delight to them he gives his Spirit imparts his Minde gives them the priviledges and inheritance of sons with himself c. And is this nothing worth the believers thanking Christ for more then they have that perish Though for the bringing to Christ the Apostles manner is in especial to give thanks to the Father Giving thanks to the Father who hath made us meet to partake of the inheritance of the Saints in light who hath delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into the Kingdom of his dear Son Col. 1.13 14. For Christs purchasing faith which Mr. Owen repeates over and over in almost every Chapter VVe shall meet with it more fully in Chap. 4. to which I refer it And to conclude the Answer to the Argument Christs dying conditionally I disclaim His death was absolutely undertaken and undergone for All but the life in him is on condition propounded in the Gospel unto All. His fourth Argument is this Argu. 4 If God by his eternal purpose distinguished All men into two sorts and Christ is peculiarly affirmed to die for one of those sorts and no where for them of the other then he did not die for All. But God hath so distinguished All men into two sorts Loved and Hated Elect and Reprobate Church and World c. and saith he died for the one but never for the other Ergo. c. Both these Propositions are weak and erronious Answ therefore the Conclusion is necessarily erronious too For first He is not able to prove the Consequence of the Major for its possible that God making such a distinction of men might yet give his Son to die for both sorts especially if that distinction though made in his purpose be made upon man as fore-considered Ephes 1 4. Rom. 8.29.30 Jer 6 30. 2 Thes 2.10.11 in a condition consequent to Christs Death for them as that of Election and Reprobation is Election beging in Christ and Predestination to conformity to him in his Death c. which presupposes him as interposing and dying as the Prototype to which they are to be conformed and Reprobation though according to Gods free VVill yet for rejecting Christ or the mercies afforded through him for of no other to damnation do I read in Scripture It s just such another Argument as this If God have distinguished All men into two sorts good and bad godly and wicked righteous and unrighteous and says peculiarly of one sort He preserves and keeps them and never says so of the other then he doth not afford preservation to All But he hath so distinguished men And he saith The Lord preserves the righteous and preserves all that put their trust in him c. But never says He preserves them that hate him the unrighteous and wicked c. Therefore he doth not preserve any of them 2. His Minor is false That he no where saies He died for the other sort For first He that says he died for All and the whole world includes both sorts and if he express his death in words including both sorts then its equivalent to his distinct mentioning of both As he that saith God made of one blood all Nations that dwell on the earth and that he is the Saviour of All men says as much as if he had said He made and is the Saviour of good and bad righteous and sinners godly and ungodly elect and reprobate c. and yet the Scripture never uses those expressions Now the Scriptures use as general expressions about Christs death as it doth about the Creation All every one the benefit to All men the propitiation for the whole world and therefore having these general expressions comprehensive of both it is as much as both distinctly 2. This distinction is in part thus The Church and the world believers and the unjust godly and ungodly now the Scripture useth these expressions that are in the worser
to free Grace but leaves it still as free to some as if the Death of Christ obliged him to bestow such grace upon them Grace bestowed without an obligation to it is as free as grace bestowed upon obligation Nor set we up the power of Free will to the sleighting or undervaluing of Free-grace For we say that its grace that gives men that freedom to good they have and its mens abusing the freedom given by grace and turning grace into wantonness and not improving it but receiving it in vain that brings destruction upon many Therefore we exhort men so to magnifie grace as to believe and receive it and that not in vain and fault men because they will abuse the liberty that God gives them of his goodness and grace chusing their own ways and not his refusing to come to Christ c. And I think in such language the Scripture speaketh Nor do we 4. Contradict the received doctrine of our natural depravedness and inability to good We say that what power men have to good they have it in and by Gods striving with them light manifested in them and grace preventing them and that otherwise they are wholly unable to any thing that is good Nor say we 5. That a natural faculty is able to produce of it self without some spiritual elevation an act purely spiritual no more then the blinde mans natural act of washing was able to produce a supernatural gift of sight to him and so neither are we guilty of contradicting right reason Nor 2. Must we resolve almost the sole cause of our salvation ultimately into our selves as being able to make all that God and Christ do to that end effectuall or ineffectuall This we have before disproved And here say again That we leave it in the Power and Will of God to use what means he pleases to any man and how long and compell whom he will to come in and believe And yet it follows not that either Christ obliged God to do it to this and that man or much less to All for whom he died the thing he should have proved which he further endeavors after these premises by the following Arguments viz. Argu. 1 The death of Jesus Christ purchased holiness and sanctification for us as was proved at large Argument 8. But faith is a part of our sanctification and holiness Ergo he procured faith for us If this Argument should be wholly granted yet his Assertion goes unproved viz. That he hath purchased faith for All for whom he died The word Vs being applicative may be diversly expounded as Vs that are of this Nation Vs that are of this minde Vs that believe c. and so its ambiguous But if by Vs he means All for whom he died then the Major with the eight Argument brought to uphold it is already disproved Beside the Minor is questionable whether Faith be a part of our sanctification VVe are sanctified by Faith its true that 's the instrument that receives it but that no more proves it a part thereof then that the Israelites were healed by looking to the brazen Serpent proves their looking to it a part of their healing The Church Ephes 5.26.27 as a Church are a people called and believing and them he is to sanctifie and will sanctifie but that rather proves Sanctification a consequent of Faith then Faith a part of that sanctification All the fruits of Election are purchased by Christ Argu. 2 But Faith is a fruit of Election c. The Major is proof-less and deficient too for it should have been general as to the object of his Death thus All the fruits of Election were purchased by Christ for All he died for or it concludes not if he mean it so then I deny it as he takes the word purchase and desire his proof for it Nor yet is the Minor without exception Luke 8.17 For faith is scarce a fruit of Election in all that believe except such as believe for a time were elected for a time too His proofs as they reach not that so neither are they all pertinent to what he brings them In Eph. 1.4 the Vs is the Saints and faithful ver 1. if not of a narrower signification as distinct from the persons spoken to as the 12 13. verses seem to import as first speaking of their own experiences and priviledges and then of theirs At furthest the Text extends it but to Saints and faithful in Christ blest with all spiritual blessings in heavenly things in him And so it shews that it was according to the eternal purpose and counsel of God that men in Christ should be holy in him and that in chusing Christ before the world was they also were by consequent chosen He chose not either in Adam or in the Law or in mens selves but in * See further about this place in the Epistle to the Reader Christ a holy people for himself which holiness is a consequent of mens faith and being in Christ as was said before and as is proved 1. Cor. 1.30 I question too whether Rom. 8.29 says that unbelievers as so eyed was the object of predestination and not men fore-known as future believers to which in time they are called So that though that Scripture in a manner couples them yet it says not Faith at least in all that believe is the fruit of Predestination or Election Much more is that in 1 Cor. 4.7 impertinent to that it s brought for for as Beza also expounds it and as any man that seriously mindes the Apostles duft in the three foregoing Chapters and in the verse before may see the Apostle is not speaking of men differenced from the world by believing in comparison with the world but of believers differing from one another in gifts and crying up one above another according to that difference or lifting up themselves for that one above another Nor is the difference he speaks of in the act of believing as if one had believed and another not as if he had said Who made thee to receive but in the matter of their receits who had all received something What hast thou that thou hast not received The meaning is Believers are not to lift up themselves or one another one above another for their gifts in that one hath more or better gifts then another and so not to fault and disown them that have less and dote on them that have more But they may fault and disown them that believe not and commend them that do and they have good warrant so to do which they might not if the want of Faith in men was because there was none for them A company of poor beggers receiving alms some six pence some a shilling have no cause to brag one over another and fault one another when the gift was free to each and not out of desert to any more then other yet they may fault other beggers and glory over them that were slothful
CHAP. V. An Answer to his fifth Chapter In which is considered How Christ gave himself a ransom for All. HAving done with those Arguments we follow him now to Arguments taken from words used in this matter which he saith Disagree in their genuine signification from the Opinion that extends to all the matter spoken of in them Arg. 10 And first He lays down his Argument generally thus That Doctrine that will not by any means suit which and be conformable to the thing signified by it but contradicts the expressions literal and deductive whereby in Scripture it s held out to us cannot possibly be sound and sincere But such is the perswasion of Vniversal Redemption or General Ransom Ergo It s unsound And this strange Argument that grants the Doctrine held forth in Scripture expressions Instance 1. and yet contradicts those Scriptures he labors to prove by Induction and first from the word A 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dransom or price of Redemption He argues thus That the thing signified in it agrees not to all therefore the word is not to be so applied Which is in substance Paul spake unadvisedly when he made so general an expression this is not to believe the Scripture but to judge and deny it to be right VVell let us see what the word signifies It signifies a price for Redemption Now saith Mr. Owen If Christ pay a price for Redemption his aim is their deliverance for whom it s paid to that end he satisfies the Judge and conquers the Jaylor but this agrees not to All All are not ransomed Shall we believe Mr. Owen or the Apostle here who also tells us in Rom. 5.18 That by one mans Righteousness to all men to Justification of life And again in 1 Cor. 15 22. As in Adam All die so in Christ all shall be made alive But Mr. Owen says Why are not all saved then I might say Nay but O man who art thou that repliest against God But I have answered before From the first death they are from the second they are not because many are disobedient against their Saviour As all Israel were saved out of Egypt Jude 5. Its the Apostle Judes expression But why then not all preserved into Canaan He tells us He afterwards destroyed them that believed not So here he afterward in a second death destroyes all those that know like or approve not God and all that disobey the Gospel of Christ 2 Thes 1.7 8. All were in thrall to the sentence of death and so to the execution of vengeance from God upon them all in Adam in an utter ruine and again for slighting and sinning against Light and Goodness afforded deserve destruction to come suddenly upon them in plagues famines c. The bond that held them in the former was their sin in Adam and to the latter many sins against Gods goodness now exposes them VVhat price pays Christ Himself to bear that blow for them and be the propitiation for their sin Now in that the sentence passed not or rather lyes not upon men Men are not debarred reaccess to God for that folly the sentence of banishment is reversed and the banished called home again here is a Redemption made from that thraldom And whereas many times they are liable to destruction again in their persons Christ Mediating and Interposing himself as the Propitiation preserves them And on this ground we are to pray for All and make Intercession with thanksgiving for All as in 2 Tim. 1.2 6. But I suppose he thinks All not ransomed because many remain thralled in their corruption To which I might say but as Prosper Ad capit Gallor Sanguis Christi est totius mundi pretium pro omnium redemptione verè persolutum and that 's as much as 1 Tim. 2.6 says sed illi homines ab eo pretio extranei sunt qui aut captivitate delectati redimi noluerunt aut post redemptionem ad eandem servitutem sunt reversi and again Omnes rectè dicantur redempti sed non ownes a captivitate eruti But to clear it I shall propound these following considerations 1. That men in sinning fell under a double bondage 1. To death to be inflicted from God according to his sentence In the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt die the death and death came on all in that all sinned 2. To corruption or sinfulness of Nature in themselves and the delusions of Satan Ephe. 2.1 Dead in sins and trespasses conceived in sin and born in iniquity 2. The latter of these thraldoms was not the curse or death inflicted as the punishment of the fall but the proper consequence of it That it was not its punishment nor any essential part of it appears in this that every essential part of the punishment of it Christ was to bear by way of satisfaction and so he bare anguish in body and soul death of body and separation from Gods presence but he bare not the inherency of sin for us nor inability for serving his Father nor was he subject to the deceits of Satan as if it had been an essential part of that punishment he must have done for it appertains to and spreads over the whole nature But the first was the punishment to which we were subjected and which had we abid never so pure in our natures must have been executed for the fault committed because the word was not If thou becomest so polluted but In the day thou eatest thou shalt die and therefore Christ also suffered that becoming a ransom for us though innocent 3. In the latter the Justice of God did not detain us but as man being debarred from any new grace without that could not do what he should but we ought that notwithstanding to do our best to serve him we had his permission to it if such a thing might be supposed that we might have lived under that sentence unsuffered for us He neither put sin into us nor kept it in us But the former came directly from God upon us and his Justice detained us in our Mediator in it till his sentence was satisfied 4. That first was the death of which Satan had power and the fear of which though but now a carkass detains men in their spirits in bondage Heb. 2.14 Men fear not but love the other their corruptions now Christ conquered Satan when he brake his snare and got victory over that death that should else have swallowed us up for ever So that Satan could not as else he would have done play the Executioner upon us 5. God neither putting men into corruption nor corruption into them nor his Justice standing against our doing better he would that they should come out of it if they could the price was not given to God properly as the price of Redemption from that but onely as the ransoming them from the death inflicted makes a passage for means also to be afforded to them for their recovery and setting free from
death of Christ to make them all affect him It reaches but to a way-making and foundation laying unto that And indeed it s to be minded that Reconciliation is neither there spoken of as the act of Christ toward God as had it signified an ingagement putting upon him it should rather have been but as the act of God in Christ God was in Christ reconciling nor as of a thing accomplished and done as had it been of a meritorious reconciling it might have been with respect to the act of Merit so spoken of the act of Meriting being a thing already done but onely as of a thing then * It s but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in fieri in the doing and as the following vers ver 20. argues not as yet done while that exhortation to be reconciled is but yet a pressing It s as if he should have said God hath been doing that in Christ for the world that tends to and makes for its reconciling or being reconciled to him he hath taken that out of the mid-way that stood against the shewing himself gracious to them and receiving them into favor nothing is wanting on his part to their being at one with him nay he hath done that in Christ that may induce them thereto as in Matth. 22.4 His Oxen and Fatlings are killed and he hath prepared a dinner and all is ready for receiving them upon which ground also as there the servants were sent out to the guests with that good tidings and thereupon to invite them to come to the wedding so here the Apostles were sent out former hints of his goodness in the Wisdom of God afforded Joh. 1 4 5. 1 Cor. 1.21 being not in the wisdom of the World understood or discerned plainly to declare this that God had done in Christ for them and to intreat them to be at one with him which as it intimates as I said before that they were not yet in their hearts reconciled to him for why then needed any further beseeching of them thereto So doth it no more prove that they must be all so reconciled and that Christ had obliged God thereto Mat. 22.4 then that phrase All things are ready come ye to the Wedding argues that Christ had obliged God to make all those bidden guests to feast with him and the following Caveat in Chap. 6.1 warning them not to receive the Grace of God in vain both argues that there is such a receiving it and that there is danger that some such as this grace is affirmed to concern may so receive it and so by consequence not be reconciled in their hearts at all to him So that this place duly weighed rather overthrows Mr. Owens Assertion then contributes any the least mite to its confirmation He produces also Rom. 11.15 The casting off of the Jews is the reconciling of the world which neither speaks a title of Christs death nor can be understood to make any thing for a meritorious reconciling Reconciliation there signifying only the occasional way and means of reconciling As Salvation Acts 28.28 is the means of saving He quotes also Rom. 5.10 If being enemies we were reconciled to God by the Death of his Son c. and Col. 1.21 Now are ye reconciled in the body of his flesh through death But neither will they serve him up to his purpose For neither of them either speak in that latitude as All for whom Christ died nor of a meritorious reconciling onely but of Reconciliation at least inchoativè accomplished in mens persons In Rom. 5. The Apostle having said Verse 1. That the believer being justified by faith in Christ is at peace with God which is all one with Ver. 2 3 4 5. is reconciled and is lead to rejoyce in the hope of the glory of God even in afflictions shews how Faith nourishes and acts the soul in that hope from what principle and by what considerations viz. By minding the great love of God in giving his Son to the Death for it when in a miserable condition Ver. 6 7 8. and the great love of Christ in so dying for it and the state to which God hath there-through already brought it viz. Ver. 9 10. A justified and reconciled estate VVhence it leads the soul thus hopefully to judge and reason Hath God shed his Sons blood for me that I might have good ground of believing in him and overcoming me to believe therein hath he justified me there-through Compare ver 1.9 with Chap. 3.25 how shall he not much more now save me me or us that are thus justified from wrath to come And again Hath God made me of an enemy his friend by such a way at such cost as the death of his Son how much more wil he now that I am no more his enemy but his friend reconciled to him save preserve me in and bring me safely out of all afflictions and trials unto glory by his life seeing he shall not need to die again to do that for me Yea not only so says he but it leads too to Glory in God himself through Jesus Christ through or by whom it hath now now that it believes and is justified received the atonement 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by a Metonymy the Grace of God that effected this reconciliation and brought it in to be the reconciled of God as he had before ver 10. affirmed He says not we were reconciled in the time of Christs dying that would have been rather 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But the reconciliation which we now have received in receiving him to wit and in which we are reconciled we have it by his Death That phrase By his Death that men so stumble at I have explained before lib. 1. cap. 1. This then says nothing of Christ meriting of or obliging God to reconcile that is turn the affections of all to himself for whom he died nor says that in Col. 1.21 22. any thing more for it but that the believing Colossians were of enemies to God become now his friends reconciled to him onely the Apostle there tell us what was the bond or medium of their agreement viz. The body of Christs flesh through or by means of death that is he having in that his body suffered for our sins and offered up himself to God God there takes up his delightful dwelling and is propitious towards us now we also by Faith closing with and feeding on that his body as it hath or he therein died for us God and we are at one But what is this to his meriting of God that he actually reconcile all for whom he died His last proof is Ephes 2.15 16 where the Apostle having said that the Ephesians sometimes strangers to God and his Church were now made neer by the blood of Christ which we may either understand of that cleansing of the state of the Gentiles in general and opening a free access into his Kingdom to
them of which we spake above or else more especially of the believing Gentiles such as the Ephesians written to made of one body with the believing Jews he shews how that nighness was effected viz. in Christ our peace and how he is our peace viz. in that he hath broken down the partition wall and so slain the enmity the Law of Commandments in Ordinances in his cross or sufferings Which work of his he amplifies by his ends in it viz. 1. That he might create of two peoples one new man in himself which is done in their believing on him 2. That he might reconcile them in one body unto God that is in his own body fed on by both or in one mystical body consisting of both by the Cross that is the vertue of his sufferings having slain the enmity there as above ver 15. Now note that he says not he reconciled them to God in dying no more then that he had new created them therein but he slew the enmity there that is the power of the Law upon us which was the bond of enmity and difference between us that by it he might reconcile us that 's spoken of as a further and future thing to his dying and slaying the enmities Unto which also it follows that he came and preached peace to them So that this proves not Reconciliation of man to God an immediate fruit of his death but through the interposition of the Word and Spirit and Faith as ver 18. bringing us to feed on that one body of Christ and into one body with the Saints of God Much less is there is any Scripture saith That Christ merited that all for whom he died should be effectually brought in to be friends to God He is indeed worthy to be believed on by us as I said before but hath no where obliged God to cause us in so doing to become at one with him So that that Argument also is a gross mistake And this takes off all the following Queries in that Chapter which need no other Answer Onely there is a touch in it needs a little clearing It s said 2 Cor. 5.19 God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself Object not imputing their trespasses unto them And I acknowledg he hath done so much for the world But then are not the world blessed and made righteous seeing it s said The man is blessed to whom God impuses not sin Rom. 4.5 6 7. To that I say No not in themselves Answ though in the promised seed And onely here propound this difference to be considered between the places In this its onely in the time past and hitherto Not imputing there it is He will not impute He is not a blessed man in the prime sense of the word Blessed to whom God hath not been imputing sins but preaching peace and forgiveness and diverting his Wrath in regard of the Testimonies of it against the sins that brought condemnation on us to his Son But he that is so far brought into favor as that he will not Impute sin As he is blessed that shall not come into condemnation but not every one whom Christ now judgeth not or condemns not Except the man that believes not is also blessed For in Joh. 12.47 It s said If any man hear my words and believe not I judg him not Psal 41.1 So he that considers the poor is blessed in this That the Lord will deliver him in the time of trouble He is a blessed man whom God will deliver in all times future but it s not true that he is blessed that God hath in times past and perhaps hitherto doth deliver in times of trouble he being not yet by all those deliverances brought to believe in him Except we should take blessedness in a lower sense then there as it s taken in Psal 144. the former part of the last Verse Object If any object That if God was reconciling the world and they all never come to be reconciled Then God doth his work imperfectly Answ Let him consider that as much might be said against his bringing Israel into Canaan that he was bringing them unto Canaan and yet many thousands not following him fell short of it and yet that of Moses is true As for God his work is perfect All his wayes are Judgment Deut. 32.4 And let that suffice to that Chapter and Argument CHAP. VII About Satisfaction HIs next Chapter treats of Satisfaction Instan 3. containing the same Argument in substance that we have answered before in lib. 1. cap. 3. and lib. 3. cap. 3. The main thing in it is That for whom Christ died All their sins he satisfied for And therefore being just he ought to discharge them c. But first he fails in the proof of both He proves not that Christ undertook to satisfie for all the sins of All he died for as well Consectaneous as Antecedaneous to his Mediation for such a proof would be to some purpose and make the Apostles caution as well as our perswasion ridiculous it would be out of fear that any man should occasion one to perish for whom Christ died seeing whatever sin such a one can commit is paid for and discharged beforehand So that I say Those passages in Rom. 14.15 and 1 Cor. 8.11 would be as vain as if he had said Take heed lest ye annihilate Christ or swallow him up through sorrow in the mids of all his glory Such kinde of vain intimations are not to be fixed on the Apostles Doctrine But if it be true indeed that there the Apostle supposes viz. That a man for whom Christ died may by stumbling at Christ and departing from him perish then is it not true that Mr. Owen propoundeth that for such sins as any do so commit Christ hath so fully satisfied that the forgiveness of them is due debt and God unjust in case they for them perish We grant he hath satisfied to the utmost of that Obligation that he undertook and so removed the sentence of death from off all that the benefit of his righteousness is to All to justification of life but not that he hath made the remission of all sins past present and to come for all for whom he died due debt so as that its unjust that any perish for them The onely place he brings to prove it is 1 Joh. 1.7 which he seems not to understand for that neither saith The blood of Christ hath cleansed All them for whom he dyed from all their sins that they have or shall commit nor that it cleanseth all us absolutely from all our sins but it saith If he walk in the light as he is in the light that is in other Scripture phrase If we walk in the Spirit and continue rooted and grounded in the Faith and be not moved from it then have we fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all our sins He forgot that If he walk in the light
All and dispenses of his goodness to All quite contrary to the Demerit of All in that sin And further he hath done for All so sufficiently in his Death that He is a meet object for All to believe on and hope in and especially where the Gospel-proclamation comes its great unrighteousness and iniquity in men not to depend on him live to and serve him even as great or greater then it was for the Israelites brought wonderously out of Egypt not to believe Gods word for bringing them to Canaan He hath done so much for All and every man that he is worthy they should look up to him and able in so doing to save them without renewing his sufferings or making a new bargain about them for them His inferences from that first premise I shall view also they are 1. That he conceives Infer 1. That the Assertors of Vniversall Redemption do much undervalue the infinite value and worth of the Death of Christ which I deny and challenge him to make it good against us which he assays By telling us that we Affirm that a door of grace was opened by it for sinners but deny that any were effectually carryed in at the door by it Which 1. Is a false imposition for we affirm that the sight and discovery of this hath such vertue in it that it effectually pulls in many at the door reconciles washes begets to hope c. Yea this is the proper or ordinary way of Gods bringing in men effectually to glorify his Son in these his sufferings and sacrifice to them 2. Suppose we should say he obliged not God by his Death to bring in any at All yet it will not thence follow that we extenuate the value and worth of the sacrifice of Christ If Mr. Owens principle be true it salves that for he says It s being a price for this or that man sure then by consequence too for this or that thing ariseth not from its inward worth but is meerly externall to that arising solely from the Intention of the offerer and accepter that is from the mutual part or Covenant agreed upon between them Therefore if it was not agreed upon by Christ and God that God should bring in this or that man or any at all to believe in him it would be no diminishing the vertue of it that being not hereby to be measured No should we say any of or All those things that he imputeth to the Arminians viz. That God might if he would and upon what condition he would save those for whom Christ dyed and Christ procured not a right of salvation for any so that God might have dealt with man according to a legall condition again or that all and every man might have been damned and yet the Death of Christ have had its full effect c. That Christ purchased no more for any then that they might go to hell with yet supposing that such had been the Covenant between God and Christ as doubtless they do suppose so that so express themselves by Mr. Owens own principle before laid down we should be acquitted of dishonoring or undervaluing the Death of Christ therein that not being the Measure of its worth what he purchased by it but what the dignity of his person and greatness of his sufferings The things purchased being only according to the agreement between God and Christ not the sufficiency of his Death to have purchased by it Such expressions may not rightly declare the agreement between God and Christ about the end of his sufferings but no way deny the inward worth of them by his principles from which this is wondrously inconsequently inferred 2. His second is Infer 2. That the innate vertue and sufficiency it hath is a foundation to the generall preaching of the Gospel to All Nations and of the right that it hath to be preached to every creature because the way to salvation it declares is wide enough for all to walke in How that should be a foundation for that I see not more then the paying for ten prisoners in a thousand ten times as much to ransome them as might have sufficed to have ransomed them all but yet excluding in the bargain All but ten is a good foundation to go tell all those thousand that there is very good news for them All ther 's as much paid for ten of them as would have ransomed them All ten times over but 990. of them were excluded the bargain yet good ground to bid every one of them look for freedom by it Sure it s not the wideness of the way that is ground enough to tell All that there is good news for them but the liberty that they may have to walk in it The Truth is that Doctrine not only makes the Gospel needless to be preached to All but needless also to be preached at All seeing none for whom Christ dyed can possibly miss of life by their doctrine All their sins past present and to come being satisfied for and of due to be discharged should they hear nothing at all But he infers further 3. That Infer 3. That inward sufficiency in it self made insufficient to the most by that exclusive intention is a good ground to call all men every where to Repent and to believe I wonder what ground that can be for that Sure as much as the telling a thousand prisoners That one had paid as much for the ransome of ten of them as would have sufficed for the ransoming ten times so many as they all are is a good ground to call upon them All to have good thoughts of him that gave the ransome for them some to be sorry for their faults against him and to be broken at the hearsay of his love to them and expect every one of them to be set at liberty by vertue of that Ransome I pray what greater ground should a thousand men have All to look for deliverance because of the payment of so much for so few more then if they should hear that he had paid only so much as would suffice to ransome them few How can we exhort All to admire and be affected with Gods love to them mourn for their follies against such a lover of them love him for his love and hope that he by vertue of Christs Death will fully save them if we cannot say by the word of God which is only meet to beget divine faith that Christ hath dyed for half nay for any of them for such may be the case for ought any of them know of their whole Congregation Is our humane conjectures and peradventures that such and such a one may be of that Number ground enough to bid men affect and love and hope in God as one that hath loved them Or do we speak of Faith and Repentance neither springing from Love believed nor accompanied with love to God in our hearts Sure such Faith and Repentance are not those the Scriptures call for
of those things to the Jews In every Nation he that fears God c. All that call upon the name of the Lord Whosoever believes Jew or Gentile And had that been all the reason of the Apostles using generall expressions and had it been his intention in them to include none but the people of God those expressions had been large enough and apter for that business affording no occasion of misconception or contention therefore we conclude that seeing they had and used other words to include all that are the subject of Gods promises in Christ which included but them and all of them of all Nations they had some further reason in using these larger expressions of All Every one the Whole world c. in the business of the Death of Christ and the Gospel preaching especially seeing they use not those largest words in affirming the injoyment of Eternall life and salvation to men which yet are injoyed as far as Mr. Owen would extend their signification Beside what made the use of those large expressions to the Gentile Churches for rooting out of the Jews that foresaid opinion and yet to the Gentile Churches he most frequently uses it or what did that make to perswade the Eunuch or Gentile to take hold of the Covenant when he uses them to those that had taken hold of it already besides would not those other expressions of Whoever calls upon the name of the Lord Jew or Gentile or Whosoever believes Jew or Gentile c. have sufficed to those purposes that Mr. Owen pretendeth So that this gives not light into the sense of those words All and Whole World used by the Apostles in this business of Redemption Nor proves he them to hold forth a generall distribution only into men of All sorts which the other phrases more cleerly do and not a collective Universality That in John 11.52 we have answered before and it fals into the number of those places that speaking of the injoyment of the speciall priviledges of the Saints such as Union together in priviledges must needs include use not a Generall or Universall expression but a Generall qualified expression This was one end of Christs Death That all the Children of God in all Nations that is all believers should be made one in priviledge but it answers not those expressions that say he dyed for All and Every one It shews what was one intention of his dying not the extent of the Object of his Death in every intention 5. He tells us The Generall words All Consid 5. and the World c. must be considered and weighed with the context Accipimus legem We desire so to do and not to triumph meerly in the bare expression as he saith though we have more reason to triumph in them then they in inferences and those lame ones from no expressions that can seem to inforce them Nor can he make it good That our taking the letter of the Scripture in the declaration of the principles of our faith will uphold the Anthropomorphytes there being in the Scriptures contradictory expressions to their conceptions and no one Scripture that says the things attributed to God have the form of the same things in men but we challenge Mr. Owen or any of them All to shew us one expression in Scripture contradictory to our Assertion any that says Christ did not dy for All or for any one particular man or people Nor will it uphold the Papists conceit of Transubstantiation they finding no letter of Scripture that contains that conception either Name or Thing no Scripture that says he called the bread his body much less that says that bread was turned into his body So that that charge is fond and vain He passes in this to view the severall acceptations of the word World in Scripture pretending only to view the significations of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which indeed is only pertinent but he forgat that the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is translated World too as well as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and is different from the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 else sure he would not have produced Luk. 2.1 to shew that the World called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies the Roman Empire unless he was not willing to see that because his party usually though impertinently alledge it to straiten the signification of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in this controversy To let go other acceptions of it he tells us It sometimes signifies The Good Gods people either in designation or possession for which he alledges Psal 22.27 against which I except 1. That the word World is not in the originall its 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and so the Greek renders it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 All the ends of the earth 2. Nor is it probable that all there spoken of shall be or are godly men for in the Distribution afterwards there is mentioned amongst them them that go down to the dust which may signifie to destruction And it s said many of those that profess Gods name in the latter dayes even of the Gentiles shall be foolish Virgins even at that time and of them Sathan shall deceive multitudes and gather them to battell against the holy city So that more shall turn unto the Lord then prove through-believers The other places of Joh. 3.16 6.33 51. we deny to be taken in that sense except we should read Joh. 3.16 thus God so loved the Elect or the good or better part of the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth should not perish which to me seems non-sense the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whoever believeth having the force of a distributive or partitive to the word World otherwise it had been proper to have said that they or it believing should not perish or that it should believe and not perish In Ioh. 6.33 51. 2 Cor. 5.19 we say he begs the question and brings no ground that confirms his saying we shall refer the further consideration of them to due place That in Rom. 4.12 is very impertinent for it makes the words of the Apostle to sound thus that the promise was made to Abraham and to all the people of God for that 's the force of the word his seed there that they should be heirs of all the people of God which is a piece of non-sense We say that the word World there signifies Mundum Continentem not only the inhabitants but all the things of the World as in 1 Cor. 3.21 22. All things are yours the world c. chiefly the world to come The world as heaven and earth and all things shall be made new That in Rom. 11.12 15. is impertinent too and untruly alledged in that sense The Words Riches and Reconciliation signify but the way or means to inrich and reconcile for that the fall of the Jews was not the formall riches and reconciliation of the world Upon Ro. 11.15 is as
kinde of Faith not so infallibly attended with eternal salvation as that compared to the stony ground Matth. 13.19 20. And in those that made shipwrack of faith and a good conscience But he says That that 's the substance of the Gospel promulgation whoever believe shall be saved that 's the onely thing held out to innumerable That Faith shal be attended certainly with eternal life Truly I believe that that 's All the Gospel held out to innumerable indeed For they that know of no other Gospel predicable to them at least believe it not how should they preach it And truly though that 's a truth yet not a truth meet to beget Faith but that declares God in Christ an object fit for souls in general and particular to believe on That that 's all the divine Truth that God bids us preach as Gospel to innumerable of men I deny He quotes for it Matth. 16.16 1 John 5.11 but fails in them of his purpose He shews his mistake of the first in that he thinks that that in Mark 16.16 is a declaration of the Gospel that they should preach As if our Saviour had said This is the Gospel you shall preach He that believes shall be saved and he that believes not shall be damned Now that this cannot be the Gospel is plain for then the latter sentence He that believes not shall be damned should be part of the Gospel too and so good news which I suppose will be hardly judged so The truth is Our having Saviour bid them preach the Gospel informs them what should be the consequences of their preaching it He that believes that is that believes the Gospel that you preach shall be saved but he that believes not but rejects it shall be damned The Gospel that they were to preach was his Mission into the world as the Saviour of it his Death for our sins his Resurrection Ascention c. with the promises of Life to them that believing the Gospel believe on him and so the Apostle preached also as we have before shewed We declare to you good tidings that God hath performed his Promises to us in raising up Christ from the dead And be it known that in this mans name is preached to you remission of sins And to instance no more his other proof is plain that they preached more fully then as he tells us For in that 1 John 5.11 He says not onely this is the Record that life is in Christ and he that hath him hath it but also which he leaps over God hath given us that life eternal that is in Christ so as that it behoves us to receive it in receiving him or else we are ingreateful and guilty of our own destruction Whereas he chargeth us with a Conditional will in God for saving men I speak not of any thing conditional in him but I say God propounds to men salvation on condition and will make good his VVord where-ever that condition is performed by men That which follows in this Consideration is spoken to generally before and therefore I shall pass it and come to the next Consideration 9. He mindes us of the mixt distribution of Elect and Reprobates Consid 9. Believers and Vnbelievers throughout the world in the several places thereof in all or most of the single Congregations and that 's another ground of tendring the blood of Christ to them for whom it was never shed Here are a heap of beg'd questions all without proof As 1. That some are Elect and others Reprobates before the Gospel come to them and fasten upon some to pull them to Christ and his Justice pass upon others in hardning them for their rejection of Christ 2. That there are believers and unbelievers in the Congregations throughout the world antecedently to the Gospels publishing to them and therefore the Gospel must be tendred to All and the blood of Christ offered to them for whom it was never shed 3. That there are some men for whom Christ never shed his blood and that God hath ordered it to be offered to them But 4. Chiefly This is to be admired that the holy Ghost that knows the secrets of God and revealed them to the Apostles should out of these grounds affirm that Christ died and gave himself a ransom for All when he wrote to one of the Churches All which are no matters of our Faith till they have better proof VVhat he says of the Promises there is impertinent for it s not of those we speak but of the affirmations of the extent of Christs Death Propitiation and Ransom which are not promises upon any condition propounded but Declarations and Assertions of things done for us in Christ that are grounds to us for Faith Even such grounds as upon which the Apostles exhorts to Faith Matth. 22.4 2 Cor. 5.19 20. c. and from them though not from the promises which are the believers portion Faith meets with something to perswade us of his Death for All. VVhereas he says the offer is not absolutely universal If he speak of it as profferd in act by men its true but if as proferable and according to the terms of its Proposition in the Scripture its untrue for there it s expresly said To all the ends of the earth and to the whole Creation For Gods refusing to bestow Faith I would have him shew me that God any where expresses himself as unwilling and unready to bestow Faith upon men where they have not first wilfully rejected him as if it was a vain thing to preach to most and for most to hear because God will not afford them power of believing 10. His last Consideration is of the several degrees of Faith Consid 10. tending to clear this That men have an object fit to believe on though they believe not that Christ died for them Which I deny for this believing on God the onely ultimate object of Faith being a reliance or depending on him presupposes an apprehension of God as one able and willing to help him and that apprehension springing from his VVord reporting him to be such which cannot be apprehended with this in question Whether God hath given Christ for him or not for if that be doubted or uncertain its uncertain too whether God be willing to help him seeing he hath appointed help no ways but by him and through his dying for men But let us see what are his Positions He tels us there is 1. This That sinners cannot have salvation in themselves in as much as all have sinned and come short of the glory of God Nor can be justified by the works of the Law This is indeed a truth to be believed but not properly Gospel or good news much less doth it shew the object to be believed on 2. That life is to be had in the promised seed But this is a lame Proposition for it expresses not whether life is there for them to whom it s preached or onely for some
excepted against he thus argues Heb. 2.8 Thou hast put all things under his feet In that he put all things under him he left nothing not put under him To this Mr. Owen might as well except and say That follows not for the word All things doth not signify Universally and collectively but only some things of all sorts and sometimes only the elect and beleivers Now if the Apostle so reason in that Doctrinal expression in things attributed to God as the Agent I would fain see some reason why also we may not infer from this He gave himself a ransome for all men Ergo He left out no man from his ransome-giving If he answer we do not see all men ransomed we might reply in the Apostles words neither do we yet see all things put under him Our sight or not seeing of things is no sufficient ground of denying credit to Gods sayings But I pass on to view Mr. Owen in what follows in which first He falls upon the consideration of 1 Tim. 2.4 God wills all men to be saved in which he considers 1. What is that will of God there spoken of 2. Who are the All of whom the Apostle is there treating To the first he says The will of God is taken either for the will of God intending or will commanding and approving and wishes us to take our option of what we will understand it To that I answer That of his will intending to effect their salvation I do not understand it if by saving we mean in eternal life otherwise I may the form of speech is passive not God will save all men or God purposes and determines to save all men but God wills all men to be saved Nor is it God will bring all men to the knowledg of the truth but God wills that or would have all men come to the knowledg of the Truth and in such like speeches the word signifies its desirable or approved of God that all men be saved c. He hath provided a medium by which they might and he desires that they would be saved c. as in Psa 81. Oh that my people had he arkened c. Isa 48.17 Oh that thou hadst hearkened to my Commandements and Luke 19.41 Oh that thou hadst known at least in this thy day c. and 2 Pet. 3.9 Not willing that any should perish but that all should come to Repentance according to that Ezek. 34.11 As I live I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked but rather that he should turn and live And so the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is often used as Mark 12.38 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Pharisees desired or liked to walk in long Robes So Mark 14.36 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not what I will that is like or desire so Cor. 7.7 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I desire that all men were as I am that is that they had such power over their wills and affections as I have that they could abstain from marrying or marry as they see cause or ground as I can So we take it here to signify voluntatem beneplaciti It s good in his sight that All be saved And thence he commands All every where to repent and to look to him and be saved Now to this he replies that then this All can be no more then to whom he granteth the means of grace which are indeed a great many but not the hundreth part of the posterity of Adam But here 1. I deny his inference He approves the salvation of Infants that have not those means of grace he speaks of 2. We say that those that have the most full means of grace are others then Mr. Owen bounds it up to so that yet his exposition is untrue 3. We say with the Apostle that God created all Nations that is Adam and all his posterity to seek after him and wills them to feel after him from any one of whom he is not far off yea he hath granted the knowledg of truth Rom. 1.18 as the words are here 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to all the Heathen debarring none of them from it but would have them acknowledg what they see and not smother as they do Yea he hath sent out his Gospel to them all willing them all to come to that though many have rejected it and hinder one another from coming to it Mark 16.15 Col. 1.23 Now whereas he says That stream of light which the Gentiles have about God cannot save them So I say of the Scriptures too of themselves but he from whom that light comes and to whom it leads is able to save them and the Gospel is his power to salvation to them that believe it and he would have all look to him and grope after him by what they have and let him alone with what follows And though Mr. Owen tells us that it will not follow from thence that Christ dyed for All yet I conceive it doth God never commanding any to look to him and be saved or never approving any mans saving so far as I can find but in and by the vertue of a Mediators Death it being point-blank contrary to the rule of his justice to save a condemned man upon whom he hath pronounced Death without satisfaction by Christ But because we have a firmer bottom for that even that that follows ver 6. I shall here wave it Having left us to our option he gives us his own opinion viz. That it seems to him exceeding clear that his efficacious will is here intended viz. the will of his purpose and that it s here affirmed that he will save All which is evidently false for the words are not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who will save all men I would wish Mr. Owen who is so lavish in his expressions against others pretended sorry and irrational dealing as he shews himself to be cha 6. would put on his Spectacles and minde well what he affirms as truth when he writes again for as he falsifies the affirmation so he indeavors to confirm his conception by a sorry argument viz. That the purpose of God should be the bottom of our prayers which contradicts his former previous consideration cap. 1. where he asserts that between Gods purpose and our duty there is no connexion And against the practice of the Saints as of Jeremy who prayed for a people that God determied to destroy and give over to their enemies And contrary to our Saviour who prayed the Cup might pass from him though he submitted himself to his Fathers Will. It s enough that we do what God bids us and what he tells us its acceptable to him though we know not his purposes If he approve all mens being saved and coming to the knowledg of Truth that 's ground enough for our so desiring too and furthering it what we can So Pauls desire and prayer for Israel were that they might be saved even them whom he generally says of that they were
blinded Rom. 10.1 2. and 11.5 6. His Premises being so faulty his Conclusion must needs be untrue viz. That all men then must be saved if by all men be meant every man in the world To the consideration of which words he nextly proceedeth 2. By All men he says the Apostle intends all sorts of men indefinitely living under the Gospel or under the inlarged dispensation of the means of grace That this is in it no man I think will deny but that this is all the truth of it I expect he should confirm but in coming over it again he says That by all men is meant only of all sorts of men that is but some of all sorts Which is larger then the former expression in this that before he confined it to men living under the Gospel now to all sorts indefinitely for indeed there is a sort of men that through their own former wickedness or others slothfulness have not the Gospel now preached to them as we have as the Indians c. which here he may seem to include too and then this latter expression contradicts the former but scanter in this that he said before all sorts of men which might reach to all of all sorts Now it s but of all sorts that is but some of all which he endeavors thus to confirm 1. That the word All most usually signifies in Scripture many of all sorts and therefore it must do so here too To this I answer 1. That his Proposition is false Where it signifies many of all sorts onely in Scripture once it signifies all of all sorts of those things whereabout the word is used twenty times And this I will undertake to make good against him 2. In those very places he propounds to shew that it so signifies he doth but Petere principium * Viz. About Christs curing all diseases and the Pharisees tithing all herbs We have spoken to them before 3. I say That when it speaks of the actions of God towards men or of his purposes thoughts knowledg or the like it very feldom if ever signifies in any other place but many of all sorts but all generally or universally if the speech be not bound up to some particular Place or Countrey Besides 4. Did it so elsewhere it would not follow It must do so here too Whereas he says There is nothing to impel another signification that 's larger I answer yes This that it s laid down as a ground of praying for all men Now we are not to limit our prayers to some of all sorts for then we should be ready to say though we refuse to pray for such and such as we have not seen sin to death yet we have done our duty Yea though we pray but for them all that seem to be of our minde of all sorts for then we might say we have prayed for some of all sorts that 's all that 's required however in praying for the Church only we might say we have prayed for many of all sorts and so that we have done what is required there being as we think some of all sorts of the Church and so we should elude the Apostles exhortation by our own Tradition as the Jewish Elders used to do with Gods Commandements the Apostle speaking here of all men as a distinct party from yea all the residue above and beyond the Church of God who are to pray for them And that his former gloss is untrue also of all sorts of men living under the inlarged dispensation of grace is here evident for we are not onely to pray for all those that live under the Gospel but for all not under it also that it might be extended to them seeing he would have all men imbrace that and be saved by him But by Mr. Owens Exposition we need not pray for inlarging the Gospel to those Indians or any further then it is but onely pray for such as have it preached unto them and not for all of them neither but for some of them which when it s left to our judgments and wills to regulate us in the Apostles precept will scarce amount to this Pray for whom ye list or will 2. He says Paul leads us plainly to this Interpretation for having wished us to pray for all men he expresly intimates that by all men he understands men of all sorts ranks conditions c. To this I say That his intimating that we should pray for all sorts and ranks doth not prove that he limits it to but some of all sorts and ranks which is the thing to be proved Nay The words of the Apostle confutes such a limitation rather for he says not for some Kings some people c. but for Kings indefinitely and all in Authority universally so that he mentioning but one sort of men as especially to be prayed for amongst all men because they are such as all the rest are chiefly concerned in and bidding us pray for all them that is all in Authority and place of Government he rather shews us by that instance of all of one sort what he would have us do in all the rest then any way teaches us to limit it but to some of all For that those words contain a formal distribution of All into many sorts I deny But onely there he particularizeth one sort in praying for whom all the rest under them are in a manner included so that his paralleling it with Jer. 29.31 where after the people are mentioned Kings Queens Eunuches Princes Carpenters Smiths is both vain and impertinent For besides that there is no such destribution here except he include Carpenters and Smiths under that phrase All in Authority it would not did he serve his purpose it not proving a limitation of the former General to but some of all sorts As if Jeremy had said Some of the Kings and Queens and Princes onely were carried away 3. He says We are to pray for all whom God would have to be saved But we ought not to pray for all and every one knowing that some are Reprobates and sin to death concerning whom we have an express Caution not to pray for them To this I answer First That the words are not Pray for All that God would have saved but absolutely Pray for All for God would have all saved c. Secondly We are to pray for all or any whosoever by this Precept only the other tells us how long till we see they have sinned to death That doth but exclude a certain condition or sin of some not exclude their persons in all conditions Nor are we to judge any Reprobates by an eternal purpose and so exclude them God no where calls any so but such as have actually rejected and are given over of him As he doth good and affords patience and mercy till then to leade them to repentance 1 Joh. 5.16 so till then we are not to reject them Thirdly Nor are the words Thou shalt
those his wrastlings have been rejected as is plain to any that minde Psal 81.9 10 11 14. Prov. 1.22 23 24. Matth. 23.37 Luke 19.41 c. Now for these All that the Apostle says God would have to be saved and come to the knowledg of the truth Mr. Owen confesses the 6. verse proves that Christ gave himself a ransom that All being of the same extent with this in verse 4. Therefore he said not right when he denied that the Scripture saith he gave himself a ransom for All men that in ver 4. being expresly All men And also his Conclusion here is wrong viz. That Christ died and gave himself onely for his Elect and such as shall be eternally saved for that 's the sum of his Conclusion His Argument from the word Ransom and so the commutation he speaks of is answered before in lib. 3. cap. 5. Mr. Rutherfords reasons being the same in substance with what we have had before in Mr. Owen I shall not insert any thing of them here nor give them any other answer then what I have given in Mr. Owen to him 2. The next place that he endeavors to bear off the force of is 2 Pet. 3.9 God is patient to us not willing that any should perish but that all should come to Repentance To avoid the light of which he corrupts the Text by adding to the words but detracting from the sense he will have it read that he is patient toward us not willing that any of us should perish but all of us should come to Repentance By such liberty he might answer any Argument For he doth like the Papists when we tell them of being justified by Faith and not by Works they can answer with this addition the Works of the Law we are not justified by them but by other works we are Besides who are that Us none of which he would have perish and all of whom he would have come to Repentance He says Those that had pertook of the precious promises chap. 1.4 whom he calls Brethren chap. 3.1 and that he might be sure to make the text speak what he would have it he runs back as far as Math. 24. the Elect intimating that they include some part of the world uncalled But besides that he no where proves that and that it s very far fetcht to find the substantive of this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there can that be any reason of his patience Could any of them perish should Christ come the sooner who can in no wise be deceived or drawn away by perverse Doctrines from Christ Or are those that have received the precious promises of eternal salvation and Brethren to the Apostles in danger to perish if Christ should come sooner who are ready to think long for his coming for their deliverance Or are they yet short of Repentance Apage has nugas The plain sense is That God is patient in behalf of us that believe and doth not speedily execute Judgment for us as the like phrase also signifies in Luke 18.7 8. though he be much provoked to come and plead our cause and destroy ungodly men yet he forbears not willing any should perish not being hasty to destroy any as one that would have them perish or as one that delighteth in their destruction but affording all men in general space for repentance of their follies and evils desires and approves of it that they repent his goodness and forbearance leading to that even such as abuse it and treasure up wrath against themselves by it as is affirmed of Jezabel Rev. 2.21 and others Rom. 2.4 5. Now as we desire not to stretch the latter clause to every individual as to Infants while not capable of it so neither can it be limited to the Elect only he willing others also as that fore-quoted Scripture proves to come to Repentance but to the generality of men we do extend it That God hated any from eternity he hath often said but never yet proved it nor hath he shewed that God denies repentance to any before they put away obstinately what would lead them to it He that gives that which leads to Repentance cannot be said to deny it to them to whom he gives that while that is giving to them as he that gives a plaister that will heal if men according to the power they have would apply it cannot be said to deny healing though some refusing to apply the plaister are never healed 3. The next place sought to be eluded is Heb. 2.9 That by the grace of God he might tast Death 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for every man Where first he tells us all acknowledg that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is put for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Every one is put for All by an Enallage of number Which as he but begs so see I no ground for granting him It s as proper a speech to say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 if not a tittle of the Law shall pass away till all be fulfilled then why should we causlesly let such a change be made of whole words of the Gospel seeing the Gospel is more permanent But then again he tells us That this expression of Every man is commonly used in Scripture to signify men under some restriction That it s so used in speeches about mens actions thoughts knowledg c. and in places where the foregoing speeches to which it hath reference are evidently bounded up to particular Nations Countries Parties I grant it then signifying but any one without restriction that come within the reach or opportunity of such men to act such things towards as are in those speeches spoken of or that appertain to those places or parties as in that of Col. 1.28 but that in speeches in which it s coupled with God or Christ as Mediator acting willing purposing or knowing it signifies but some of those that it refers to I deny cheifly in matters of fundamental concernment as the death of Christ for men is That that he produces from 1 Cor. 12.7 might seem to evert the truth of this The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man But to that I answer 1. That there is not the same word it s not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is a Distributive alwaies of some Totum before mentioned which there is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 about spiritual men the members of Christ to every one of them not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is the Spirit given and the like is that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in 1 Cor. 4 5. Then shall every one that is of the Stewards or Embassadors of Christ have praise of God in which I conceive is also a Synecdoche Speciei pro genere praise for judgment or doom But that it fignifies All and Every one here Mr. Owen will not allow for these Reasons 1. Because to tast Death is to drink up the cup due to sinners Which is as
good a note as Mr. Garners that to tast is to put a tast and rellish into it That to tast signifies so to drink up a thing that no one drop remains for any to drink after one as Mr. Owen saith is an exposition of the word Tast contrary to its usual signification for men are said to tast when they do but sip or make tryal or the sweetness or bitterness c. of a thing not when they eat or drink it all up Sure when Jonathan tasted a little honey the meaning is not that he eat all up that he found 1 Sam. 14.43 or when some are said to tast the good word of God and powers of the world to come the meaning is not that they had got all the knowledg that was to be had of them and left none for others Surely Mr. Owen thinks not that the righteous tast of any afflictions or drop of anger and therefore this of Christs death need not be propounded to them by way of consolation to let them know that he experimented what they suffer and knows how to succour them for they need no succour that grapple with no death But grant that he tasted and swallowed up into victory too that death which was common to all in Adam and thence will raise all out of it by the vertue of his Death and Resurrection Will it thence follow there may no second Death befall any * De secundâ morte ita Ambr. in Comm. in Rom. 5.14 Est alia mors quae secunda dicitur quam non Adae peccato patimur sed ejus occasione propriis peccatis acquiritur for despising and despiting him living still to themselves and not to him or that whoever perish in a second death Christ never tasted the first for them even that displeasure which would have for ever taken away all dispensations of favor and goodness to them But 2. He tells us He sees an evident appearing cause why he should use that phrase and call them for whom Christ died All viz. because he writ to the Hebrews who were deeply tainted with an erronious opinion that the benefits purchased by the Messiah were proper to them of that Nation excluding all others Not to question here whether they had any such conception which we have spoken to in chap. 1. but supposing it to have been so yet how doth this expression any way help them The Apostle should rather have been the more wary of writing but the Truth to them and telling them that is was for every one that believes for that might have bin better born then for every one as if he extended to one and other believer and unbeliever If that had been an error he would not have made way for it to put the Jews out of one error into another that might rather more stumble them then the other it being an expression of large extent Sure if in any place this might have been limited to the Elect and believers it ought to have been to those that were ready to stumble that but they should share with them 3. He tels us There is a description of those for whom Christ died in the Chapter which will not suit to All viz. many sons to be brought to glory the sanctified ones his brethren the children that God gave him those that are delivered from bondage of death c. That Christ died for them and had in his eye such ends in his dying for them as are spoken of with reference to them is true But that he died for them onely or that those after-clauses are a full description of that All or every one that he died for I deny 1. Because its suits not with the phrase here every one or All by his own confession Sure that can be no description of the persons contained in the word All that will not suit with the expression it describes or that will not suit to All. 2. It s against those other places we have spoken to 3. It s an uncouth exposition making the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is an Adjective and so cannot have a full signification in it self without another word as its Substantive to stand alone without a just signification till another verse between which and it is a full period come to make up its sense and then that that is supplied for its Substantive is of a different number and hath another Adjective of number joyned with it A thing unusual and scarce to be parallel'd in any other place And here I might take up Mr. Owens own words in lib. 2. cap. 4. Such is the powerful force and evidence of the Scripture-expressions of this truth Mr. How 's Answer to the Vniversalist cap. 1. that it scatters all its opposers and makes them fly to several hiding corners as Mr. Garner upon this is forced to make the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Verb transitive and to signifie to put a tast into death leaving the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as it was Mr. How with as silly an evasion as his throwing by the Proposition which he should have opposed in terminis and not as he did thrust another into its room and bend his Arguments against that as if I defending That Faith alone without Works justifies a Papist should come and tell me I mistake the question I should say thus Faith which is alone without Workes justifies and so spend his Arguments to prove that false he I say will have it read Hee tasted whole Death or every Death and not to expresse for whom at all though to make way for that conceit he breaks downe all Grammer rule and example making 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Verbe of sense to governe a Genitive case with the Proposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without giving any one example for such a thing And now M. Owen as also M. Stalham as fondly will make it stand alone without a Substantive till the other Verses afford it two or three whereas indeed its substantive was intimated before as it s ever in other places understood to be man when it s put alone without another to declare its meaning Lord what is man sayes he that thou art mindfull of him or the son of man that thou shouldst visit him thou madest him a little lower then the Angels which was true of him in Adam and in Christ both thou hast crowned him with glory and honor thou hast set him over the workes of thine hands which is true too of man in Adam and in Christ but we see not All things yet put under him that is under man spoken of before with reference to a second subjecting them in the world to come but we see Jesus made lower then the Angels that he might tast Death by the grace of God for every one for or by the suffering of Death crowned with glory and honor We see him who for that end that he might suffer Death for all or for every
againe but for whomsoever Christ riseth he rose for their justification Ro. 4. ult and they must be justified But All are not so Ans 1. That his Resurrection is conjoyned is true and so it is intimately in all the other places of 1 Tim. 2.6 Heb. 2 9. and where ever his Death for us is mentioned it s intimately the Death of him that rose againe for had he not risen he could not have been a ransome or propitiation it s not said here he rose again for them but simply He rose againe which indeed he must needs be conceived to have done as an Object to be lived to we cannot live to a dead man 2 That for whomsoever he riseth he riseth for their justification and they must be justified the places of Rom. 4. ult 8.34 say not they being believers onely that there speak applicatively of themselves He dyed for our sins this he did as and while we were ungodly and he rose againe for our justification that we believers as in ver 24. To whom it shall be imputed we believing in him that raised up Jesus he raised him with this intention that we believers might be justified The coupling of two such speeches together do not argue that the objects of the acts mentioned in them are of equall latitude as in Cor. 4.14 He that raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up by Jesus and present us with you It s not a good Inference because they two are put together therefore all that are raised by Jesus shall be presented with the believers And yet 3. If by Justification we mean a right and just giving Sentence of freedom from that Death that was come upon us in Adam as the reward of his disobedience so I grant it in its latitude according to Rom. 5.18 to All men to justification of life or if it be meant justification in the publick person as that that is open for all to partake of upon obedience of Faith and so for our justification be onely that we might be justified in his person and that he being perfected might be fitted to justifie All or any man upon his believing so I grant it too and affirme that he is able and fit to justifie All upon their looking by Faith unto him Otherwise if it signifie that we undoubtedly might have that justification and be presented righteous and acceptable before him then the equall extent of all so justified and all he dyed for is denyed and not at all proved from those places as is said before Justification so not being an immediate fruit or effect of Christs resurection but following upon Faith as is plaine Rom. 5.1 Gal. 2.16 Tit. 3.5 6. 1 Cor. 6.11 whence it s said to be by Faith by the name of the Lord by the Spirit of God c. But inasmuch as he could neither be an Object of Faith to any nor any be discharged from their sins nor presented righteous in him had Death swallowed him up and he never risen 2 Cor. 15.14 15 16 17. therefore he is said to rise for our justification that he might justifie us in believing on him and so us that beleeve on him That justification in the most speciall sense doth come upon many that Christ dyed for is granted and so both meet in many the same persons and such may say they are the Object of both but that thence they have equall Objects in point of number is denyed Those Israelites that intred into Canaan might truly say the Lord judged Pharaoh and the Egyptians to bring us out of Egypt and he led us in the wildernesse to possesse of Canaan and yet all that came out of Egypt or were led in the wildernesse were not possessed of Canaan 2. He says he speaks there of those only who by virtue of Christs death live to him are new creatures to whom the Lord imputeth not their trespasses who become the righteousnesse of God in Christ How God imputed not to the world their trespasses we have shewed before for the rest of the expressions they containe a shamefull way of reasoning Because that was one end of his dying for All that they might live to him therefore he dyed for no more then them that do live to him and fulfill that his end By that way of reasoning I will prove that God made not all because all seek him not from Act. 17.26 27. If Paul had said He dyed for all that live no longer to themselves but unto him it had been to M. Owens purpose but when he sayes no such thing but He dyed for All that they that live should live to him To say that he vouchsafed a mercy to no more then they that fulfill the end of that mercy is exceeding lame reasoning By that Argument John bare witnesse of Christ to no more then them that believed Johns Gospell was written for the use of no more then they that believe it Joh. 20.31 Psa 10◠43 44. God brought no more out of Egypt then them that kept his Statutes John bare witness onely to those that received Christ were made the sons of God received of his fulnesse grace for grace were borne of God saw the glory of Christ as the onely begotten of God For those phrases follow that other expression in Ioh. 1.7 12 13 14 16. Just with as much coherence to it as those phrases that Mr. Owen reckons up follow this we speak to in this Chapter And if we might take that liberty in expounding any verse we please by all the verses that follow it so as to say the subject spoken of in the one is what ever after is spoken of in the other as Mr. Owen doth here and in Heb. 2.9 we should make mad expositions 3. He tells us The Article 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is joyned with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they all died or were dead evidently restraining that All. Thus He. But what All That all that died That Article is not put to Christ died for All but to All died and therefore were there any such force there in the Article it makes nothing against us for we speak not of restraining the All that died nor indeed is it any other then Relative if one died for All then they All died But that he treats only of believers there is meerly proofless as it hath been shewed By this reason in Rom. 5.19 the making men sinners by Adams fall should be restrained because its 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the many or those many were made sinners These are sorry evasions 4. He tells us All those spoken of by the Apostle are proved to be dead because Christ died for them and that in a spiritual death to sin His proof of which latter clause is Vorstius Grotius good proofs to build our Faith on But 2. He says The Text proves that to be the sense But what part of the Text saith it Why he tells us That the intention of the Apostle
some are justified that are after reprobated and were never chosen or else that he made but an inconsequent inference Besides He imputes a meer falshood to him when he informs his Reader as T. Moores Assertion That the righteousness of God comes upon all Vnbelievers quite contrary to his Assertions as any man may see that reads his Book yea quite contrary to that for which Mr. Owen faulted him as stopping at that phrase unto All Whether Mr. Moore now hath corrupted the Word of God or Mr. Owen mistaken and corrupted Mr. Moore let the Reader judg But before he leaves this Place and Chapter He gives us some Arguments to prove That Christ in his Obedience Satisfaction c. was not a publike person for every man in the world Elect and Reprobate Believers and Vnbelievers A thing that we affirm not as he expresses it viz. We say not that he sustained the person of any either as Elect or Reprobate in giving himself a ransom from the death come upon all for their sin in Adam but of men as faln not as Reprobated for rejecting his Truth nor as elected through obedience of the Truth and therefore his first Argument being against his sustaining the persons of men under the notion of Reprobates and the seed of the Serpent c. needs no further answering Otherwise we say that for them that by denying the Lord that bought them come to be rejected and to be of the feed of the Serpent Christ sustained the place of a publike person as onely faln and condemned in Adam his other arguments follow viz. 2. Christ as a publike person represented only them for whose sakes be set himself apart for that office and imployment wherein he was such a representative but upon his own testimony which we have Joh. 17.19 he set himself apart to that service and imployment for the sakes onely of some and not for all and every one Therefore he was not a publike person in the room of All. To which I answer 1. By denying the Minor for neither doth Christ say for their sakes only I sanctifie my self nor were they there spoken of all the believers so that had he limited it to those only he had by this argument represented onely them that were sent into the world as he was sent to preach the Gospel for to them that speech is there applied and so excluded all that should believe through their words Read Joh. 17.18 19 20. 2. Nor doth he tells us that that that he sanctified himself to there was all that in which he was a publike person and representative in giving himself a ransom and if that be not proved he says nothing 3. Christ as a surety was a publike person but all are not in that Covenant of which he was a surety Therefore not a publike person for All. This Argument is fallacious leaning upon this foundation If Christ was not a publike person for all in every respect Then for all in none which we deny His being a surety relates to his undertaking in heaven to see the Covenant which he hath already sealed performed to the parties to whom it appertaineth It s like this The Parliament as a publike body have ingaged their publike faith for seeing all them paid that have lent them any thing but all the Commons in the Kingdom have not lent to them and so they are not ingaged to all of them in that way Ergo they are not the Representative of all the Commons in the Kingdom The business of Christs Suretiship he quite mistakes as if the Apostle there affirmed him to be a Surety for all for whom he died which that place says not 4. His Argument from Christs Satisfaction and Rom. 8.33 34. alledged to prove it I have answered before in l. 3 c. 7. l. 1. c. 3. 5. The fifth says That Christ never did any thing in vain in respect of any for whom he was a publike person But many things which he did as a publike person were altogether in vain and fruitless in regard of the greatest part of the sons of men c. To which If by fruitless he mean totally both in respect of His and his Fathers Glory and their good then the Major is confessed and the Minor denied For he was glorified and all they in their day had mercy and goodness by his Death even they that then at the time of the accomplishment of his Sufferings were dead But if he means in regard of mens receipt of that utmost benefit that they might have received by it Then I deny the Major For Christ as a Prophet and Teacher speaks to many men in vain in that respect See Isai 49.4 And I said I laboured in vain speaking in the person of Christ as the 5. and 6. verses make it plain So Matth. 23.37 and so the Apostle intimates that some that departed from the Faith and turned aside to seek righteousness in their works abrogated Christ to themselves and made his Death as a vain thing crucifying him again to themselves Gal. 2.21 and 5.2 4 5. Heb. 6.5 6. And that some receive his Grace in vain 2 Cor. 6.1 2. 6. His next is That if God was welpleased with his Son in what he did as a publike person in representing others then must he be wel-pleased with all those whom he did represent either Absolutely or Conditionally But so is he not either way with all c. As pertaining to an absolute welpleasedness I deny the Major David might be welpleased that Joab mediated for Absolom and yet not welpleased with Absolom As for a conditional welpleasedness we deny the Minor That God would not be welpleased with all men upon condition Did all submit to him seek him c. they should all finde him pleased with them Through Christs Mediation he would 〈…〉 wel pleased with Cain upon this condition that he had believed and done well as Abel did Gen. 4.7 So with Pharaoh had he loved his people and learned the knowledge of God by them Matth. 25.35 36 41 42 43 c. 7. His last Argument is onely a quotation of many Scriptures that say He prayed not for the world when he requested peculiar favors for believers That he gave himself a ransome for many Gave himself for his sheep his Church is our forerunner shall save his people c. to which we have before answered CHAP. V. A Vindication of our use of those Scriptures which we say intimate a possibility of such to perish for whom Christ dyed WHereas we have often made use of such Scriptures as intimate the perishing of such as Christ dyed for M. Owen in the next place seeks to wrest them from us intimating that we therein do injury to the consolation of poor souls and make vile the precious bloud of Christ and esteem it as a common thing Against which our defence is what he himself supplies us with in his Preface That we must not lye to comfort
world by the knowledge of him do keep themselves such unspotted Virgins and walk constantly after Christ nor that they shal All be saved Not a syllable to that purpose It says those 144000. did keep themselves Virgins pure and chaste to him and that they overcame and triumphed according to the promises set before the Churches in general But these false Teachers did not so but returned back again to their pollutions and therefore though bought yea the rather for that they should be destroyed I wonder that men have no more fear of God before them then to say the Scripture expresses such things as are not expressed in it and in the mean time tell us they are but appearances like seeming dreams that are expressed 3. How this is a peculiar aggravation of their sin may be seen by what is said above viz. in that it hath more in it then meerly a dying for them yea more then is common to every one especially in the degree of their being bought As also further in that all do not so disserve him that bought them no not all of them that perish as these that by false doctrine should deny him and lead many others into the transgression with themselves 4. The last place is Heb. 10.29 of how much sorer punishment shall he be thought worthy who counts the blood of the Covenanted a common thing c. He should have done well to have taken in ver 26. also If we sin willingly after the knowledg of the Truth received there remains no more sacrifice for sin c. And told us whether such a one as so sins had any sacrifice before his so sinning or not and so whether they deprived themselves of any benefit they might have otherwise had by Christs Sacrifice I have asked one or two that question from whom I could never yet get answer to it But let us view what he says to that other verse He tells us It s an argument to perswade to continuance in the Gospel-Doctrine taken ab incommodo and that 1. He speaks here onely of professors of the Gospel and so it cannot be applied to All that 's granted nor do we so apply it but to prove that mens perishing for whom Christ died is a thing that the Apostles supposed and so that Doctrine that confines Christs Death to them onely that shall be eternally saved is erroneous 2. That the Apostle asserts not what is or may be but onely adds a commination upon a supposition to deter from a thing impossible he should have said but if the Apostles speech doth not imply a possibility for one that is sanctified by the blood of Christ to count it a common thing and so to fall into condemnation yea if this doth not sometime fall out how is it that men generally make use of this place to describe the sin against the holy Ghost that is unpardonable Is there not such a sin as that or do they take incompatible and impossible expressions to describe it Certainly if the description be of impossibilities and things that never fall out then the thing defined is of that nature too Again will any say that its never found that any man tramples Christ under his feet that is despises and scorns him or that none ever despite the Spirit of Grace I suppose all will agree that these things sometimes at least are committed And why then shall we think that the expressions of either side are suppositions of things that may be and sometimes are and onely think otherwise of this that lies between them and is as much supposed as either of them Either let us say they are none of them possible or else say they are all so or shew some weighty ground to the contrary He tells us Paul supposed that if the Marriners left the Ship Acts 27. they could not be saved and yet it was not possible that they should not be drowned because God had told him he had given him all that were in the ship with him But first that concludes not this supposition to be of a thing impossible at least no more then it doth the other too that before it and that after it or then it doth any other supposition in Scripture it being to another business Secondly That saying of God might not hold forth to Paul that it was impossible they should any of them be drowned For Paul was not unacquainted that God oftentimes in such speeches intimates a condition As when he told David that Saul would come to Keilah and the men of Keilah deliver him up 1 Sam. 25.11 12. and yet neither of them came to pass because there was intimately ver 13. this condition in his Answers viz. if David staid there So he told Ely that his house and the house of his Father should walk before him for ever yet he after tells him it should not be so because he had not hearkned to him 1 Sam. 2.30 so he said by Jonas Yet forty days and Niniveh shall be destroyed and yet there being a condition implyed in it they were not destroyed Jonah 3. and 4. So Paul knew how to interpret Gods Sayings that they held forth a certainty of the event upon submission to him by them to whom they were spoken in the use of such means as he sets before men but yet include a possibility of missing upon tempting him or rebelling against him and so he might well say Except these men abide in the ship ye cannot have Gods Promise accomplished ye cannot be saved God doth not so promise us an end that 's that to be attained though we tempt him and reject the means as clearly appears by multitudes of the rebellious Israelites failing of the promised Canaan Yea the words I have given to thee all that are in the ship with thee might signifie a giving their lives into his hand so that he using the means propounded of God to him they should be preserved but his neglect of them might have been a willing throwing away or letting go what God had given him Again thirdly the case is different in this That there Paul had a promise of all their lives but I know no one word that says none of them that Christ died for or that are sanctified in any degree by his blood can or shall perish That they that believe in him hear his voyce and follow him shall not it s confest but in those speeches there is intimated an abiding and perseverance for else it s an evident case they would not But that all that do at any time in any measure or degree believe or that at any time hear his voyce shall alwayes do so or that they that in any degree are sanctified shall persevere therein to the end and cannot neglect Gods Salvation and by willing neglects fall away I finde no Scripture that affirms it but much to the contrary That he hath for ever perfected by his Sacrifice those that are sanctified is true if either
the Kingdom of God extends to them only to whom he speaketh Ver. 25. So because it s said Hear now O house of Israel therefore the extent of the Proposition ver 11. is but this He delights not in the death of the house of Israel as Mr. Owen makes it as if the wicked and the house of Israel were convertible tearms and equipollent and of equal latitude Is not this fallacious arguing The medium brought to prove a Conclusion is not of greater extent then the Conclusion or the Minor Proposition must be the measure of the Majors quantity as if because going to prove a lye to be avoided the Minor is but this A lye is a sin therefore the Major viz. that sin is to be avoided extends no further then to the sin of lying Who knows not that its usuall with the Prophets and Apostles from indefinite and universal propositions of truth to infer particular instructions and reprehensions c. As from this God gives liberally to All to infer If any of you want wisdom ask it of God Jam. 1.5 The man is blessed that trusts in God therefore taste ye and see how good he is Psal 34.8 And such is the Prophets way here The people despair because of Gods judgments threatned or repine at his chastisements God indefinitely by his Prophet lays open his good-will towards men and thence exhorts them to take heart to seek and turn to him Thus God delights not in the death of the wicked but that they rather turn and live therefore not in your death therefore turn and live that that is Gods way in general may make for your instruction and incouragement in particular Now 2. Whereas he asks what will that is that God wills not the death of the wicked in I answer as before his Will of welpleasedness as the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies It s not desirable or approveable that wicked men go on in sinful ways and dye but rather turn and live And this may be true even of those that have not such express commands and Revelations of his minde as others God would not have them smother what truth they have but glorifie him according to what they know of him and be thankful seek him as Rom. 1.18 19.21 Act. 17.26 27. 3. He tells us We miserably mistake the meaning of the Prophet because he speaks but about temporal judgements upon their land c. I answer That he speaks about them is true but that he speaks but about them and that the word death holds forth there no more but temporal death and the word live but a natural earthy life and prosperity as if he might have pleasure in their eternal death though not in their temporal and as if he delighted not to give them eternal life upon their repentance or as if the Proposition is but true of the outward because applied to comfort them in that also these things I say are untrue and I deny them Did the putting away their evils and turning to God and making them new hearts respect only their avoiding temporal judgements and living in outward happiness when the Scripture often tels us That it pleases God many times to confer outward happiness upon and keep off temporal judgments from those that never think of turning but live in all wickedness See Psal 73.1 3 4 5 6. Jer. 12.1 Job 20.7 8.9 13. Surely from Gods not delighting in the death of sinners any way may be argued that he desires not their destruction from this life as from Gods wrath coming upon the children of disobedience that then the believers disobeying should be sorely chastened and yet sore chastisements here not be all that 's contained in the word wrath as affirmed to come on the children of disobedience these are frothy arguments and not beseeming Mr. Owen It s more frothy to limit an indefinite Proposition to some few particulars where nothing inforces it as to draw from thence a Conclusion general Nay indefinite propositions are most usually of general signification as might easily be shewed in the Scriptures but I leave that to the observation of the Readers Only minding them that this is by the Apostles Paul Peter affirmed in the general as in 1 Tim. 2.4 2 Pet. 3 9. So that Mr. Owen here hath said nothing to purpose He says p. 283. That the ends of the earth Isa 45.22 are they that look up to God A strange Collection he might as well say from Isai 55.7 8. Let the wicked forsake his ways That the wicked are they that forsake their ways and turn to God If the persons exhorted are always the performers of what they are exhorted to that would be wonderfull And yet he says that his glosse is beyond denyall and again That onely Elect and Believers are there and in Isai 49.6 clearly intimated I marvell by what Argument he can demonstrate it that we may not deny it Sure his ipse Dico is not enough for it and yet that 's all he brings to prove it He tels us p. 287. That its most certain that the Lord Jesus sends not his servants with a lye to offer that to all that belongs but to some and asks what is thence concluded I answer That M. O. is in an error then in saying The Death of Christ is onely for the Elect For if the Lord Christ sent not his Servants to offer that to All that belongs only to a few and yet he sent the Gospel with the Contents thereof to be offered to All then it follows that that that is therein offered pertains not onely to some few For otherwise he grants they that so offer it are sent with a lye That its offered to All he grants partly here and partly in Chap. 1. where he said The Gospel is to be preached to All Nations and hath a right to be preached to every creature Therefore unlesse they that are to Preach it should preach a lye the Contents of it pertain not onely to some but to All. Quod erat probandum Whereas he says We are to prove that Christ dyed for All aswell them that never heard the Gospel as for them that do I Answer That pertains not to us but to believe what Christ by his servants hath delivered to us that he dyed for All and every one and is the Propitiation for the sins of the whole world which is proof and ground enough for our believing that he dyed for them also the phrases being sufficiently comprehensive If any will bring in that limitation to the Apostles expression they must shew us just warrant for so doing It s enough to us to believe the generality and Universality of it that the Scripture never excludeth any from it but in generall Universall phrases affirmeth it In pag. 288. he speaks as if T. M. affirmed that we are bound to pray for every singular man that he may be saved and supposed that there is nothing else that we are to
to pass that I fear he will be put to it again to prove this also by his doctrine seeing many are willing to run to Ordinances and do any thing to have ease and comfort and yet afterward forget that they were purged from their old sins and having escaped the pollutions of the world and walked in the means appointed for a while afterward imbrace the present world and fall off again which their doctrine intimates they must do and will if not elected or else never meet with any thing of God to purpose though they should continue attending the means to the last gasp I fear he will not say Christ had any Free grace for these and yet all weary heavy laden sinners one and other Christ calls to him yea and the fools and scorners too the wicked unrighteous and who not to listen to his Doctrine for salvation So that these are but fair flourishes that being looked into wind up onely in this Though ye be never so much troubled and weary and never so diligent now in the use of means yet forasmuch as your Election is unknown to us we cannot say that there is any thing purchased by Christ for you or that the blood of Christ is sufficient to purge you because we yet know not whether it was shed for you whatever inward worth it hath in it yet it being shed onely for the Elect he may not be able to save you by it nor unless ye be elected will all your use of means profit you if you should continue in them And so all depends yet even its future use of means too upon that hidden purpose and till that be known whether there be any cause for it to rely on Christ and love him and God in him he knoweth not so that all these answers avail him nothing therefore he doth well to leave his answering and fall to querying viz. What that is that according to our perswasion men are bound to believe when they first know that Christ died for them I answer They are to believe that Christ is their lawful Lord and able to save them and that they ought to live to him also that God is good and loving to them which is not a thing known before-hand as he says but in and through the knowing Christ to have died for them as the Cause though it be before the Effect yet in ordins cognoscendi it may be through and in order of nature after the knowledg of the effect which also the Spirit will there through be now glorifying and presenting to the soul they attending the doctrine of Christ and following him therein till it raise them up to full assurance as it did the Apostles Yea upon the knowing of the death of Christ for them it s to believe that God delights not in their death but is ready in and through Christ to save them and will do it they as they herein see good ground and as also they are by the Gospel that declares it obliged to do waiting on him and trusting in him Now whereas he says That they cannot there being no fruits of his Death but what are common to All which may be Damnation as well as Salvation That 's very untrue 1. Damnation is not the fruit of his Death but of mens abusing the mercies they have by his Death and their refusing to listen to him and look to him for salvation 2. The fruits of his Death in them and to them that come to him are washing purging sanctifying giving in remission peace joy spirit and life everlasting So that that is either an ignorant mistake or a wilful slander and yet as its true that some men may so abuse the Doctrine of Christs Death for them or so disserve him that his Death for them may be an aggravation of their punishment and misery so in that sense As the fruit of Gods Presence with the Israelites that led them out of Egypt into the Wilderness was to them that believed as they all had reason to have done protection and guidance into Canaan and possessing them thereof but to others that causlesly rebelled through their own folly destruction So is Christ and the Gospel of Christ a Savour of life to life in them that receive but of death to death in them that reject him So that as he answered impertinently and inconcludently for himself before so he answers untruly and irrationally here for us But I leave that also From this he comes to tell us That there are two things that both perswasions pretend to the exaltation of Gods free Grace and the Merit of Christ To the first of these he plays the Rhetorician more then either Logician or Divine He asks what that free grace is And I answer This That God hath given his Son to die for All and through him tenders salvation freely in the Gospel to All Whoever will let him come he is ready to receive him rejecting or reprobating none from it to destruction but for their rejecting his Truth and goodness made known to them His Queries Whether it stand in Election effectual Vocation Justification Sanctification Redemption in the blood of Christ If by Redemption in Christs blood he means the actuall setting their spirits at liberty from sin and corruption and from the power of Satans delusions to worship and live to God effected by the sprinkling of his blood upon them Heb. 9.13 14 as is there intended Rev. 5.9 miss the cushion Though Free Grace standeth in all these things which we maintain as well as they yet the extent of it we say not standeth in them but in giving his Elect one in whom his Election and purposes all are to the death for All and setting him up as a medium to whom coming any of them may and in coming shall finde Justification Sanctification Redemption and what ever follows which the Gospel holds forth freely to All as ready in him for them and to be dispensed by him to them upon believing which so held forth is the medium also of his effectual calling Whereas he asks If it be not universally a figment of our own brains or a new name for the old Idol Freewill I answer That it is not the first the authority of Gods Word acquits us which we dare not for all the Sophisms he hath brought against it renounce to cleave to that onely Elect which he and the Elders traditions have created and to which they bow the knew of their faith more then to Gods Word And if no device of our own then no new name For that Idol of Freewill which we no more adore if so much as they who substracting the declaration of Gods good Will to men as pertaining to them the medium appointed by him for his power to work in to uninthral men and impower them to believe do yet call upon men to believe and get Christ as if they had power of themselves to get him and to believe on him thundring damnation
reasoning Christ dyed for Believers I am such a one therefore for me though the Major is true yet the Minor cannot well be affirmed of those that know not otherwise before that Christ dyed for them and if they do this medium is needlesse to them for what Faith hath a man before he believe that Christ dyed for him by which he may know and believe that Christ dyed for him not a faith that worketh by love because that springs from an apprehension of Gods love for we cannot love him but as we behold him loving us first Not a Faith by grace because while men doubt or know not that Christ dyed for them they know not the grace that the Gospel holds forth to move them to believing seeing according to the Gospel-Declaration all grace runs by and through Christs mediation And if not such a Faith then the Major and Minor agree not for they will not say that Christ dyed for All that have a dead Faith or conceits of faith wrought by self-endeavor seeing men may have those yet perish So that this argument hath in it a great deal of deceit and puts men upon many inconveniencies to prove the Minor upon which all the grounds of their comfort stand For upon that act of their faith Christ himself with all his death and mediation is laid that being the foundation they lay him upon whereas those things as asserted in the word for them credited by them should lay faith upon him so themselves also upon him by faith Whereas he says that a better syllogisme then this He dyed for All men I am a man ergo for me I deny it For 1. This is a more immediate Divine Faith as springing from and being bottomed upon the Word of God as hath been seen 2. The Minor is more conspicuous and evident 3. The grace of God is more admired to see that he dyed for me while yet I am as other men a sinner then when by my industry I think I am framed to believe for then I look upon his love through something found in me in which I differ from others which lifts me up above others looking upon them as not so framed but the other abases and leads to love and pity others even sinners that are as I. But oh the pride and vanity of mans heart that prefers such consolations as take in something of the creatures frames with them before those that have nothing but God to a naked creature to spring up all his frames from pure love without him How many are the endeavours and strifts of men again and again to make out this proposition I am a Believer while in the mean time they reject and believe not that love of God to them as men and sinners that should indeed in the receit of it and the Spirits setting it home make them believers and spring up all those frames which they as it were by works of the Law endeavour after and cannot that way attain that they might evidence themselves to be believers and when they think they have by much strift attained to believe then those their strifts their faith as they suppose with all the signs that they have annexed to it are taken in together as the ground of their comfort and hope in God yea of their belief that Christ was sent and dyed for them which yet they are at a losse in questioning Gods love to them and their ground and cause of hoping in him as they see cause to question their own love to and so by consequence their own faith in him A miserable way it is God knows that this Doctrine leads multitudes into while they either curiously pry into Gods secrets almost to destraction or else look into themselves for fruits of faith that may evidence them to have faith and so their Election and so right to Christ and his Gospel and all this before they can see that there is any thing in the Gospel that is good news to them or any love in God towards them that works that Faith and those Fruits in its appearance by which their Election should be discerned by them 4. The fourth thing he leaves onely desiring the Reader to peruse that place of Rom. 8.32 33 34. which I also commend to the Reader that upon good grounds knowes himself a Believer one in Christ walking after the Spirit and not after the flesh for to such it is written and to their consolation ver 1.28 29 30 c. and I say to such its a rich Mine of firm lasting comfort consolation joy assurance rest peace refreshment and satisfaction no place fuller or sweeter that I know of and all springing from the consideration of God as their friend and Father justifying them Christ that dyed for them and rose again now interceding at Gods right hand for them that they may be one with Christ in priviledges and glory and have the New Covenant fully performed to them But if the Reader that believes desires to perswade others to faith or if he be one that knows not whether God hath any good-will to him or no and so is not yet by faith in Christ that place will afford little to him But I desire him to read 1 Tim. 2.4 5 6. that God wils All to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth That there is one God and one Mediator between God and men the man Christ Jesus who gave himself a Ransome for All c. And if he believe that record of God that testimony born to him and his Son he may therein see Gods good-will to him and good ground for him to seek him through Christ that gave himself a ransome for him good cause to Repent of all his evils against him that is so well affected toward him good cause to leave his evill wayes of grieving him and live to him and love him that is so loving to him good cause to hope in his mercy and in that hope to call upon him and seek to enjoy more knowledge of him and experience of his salvation and good matter to hold forth to others for their conversion and bringing in to Christ None of all which their restrictive Doctrine which is Anti-Christian as it hinders the course of the Gospel of Christ and keeps men in ignorance of the grounds they have to repent seek after love and hope in God and not at all held forth in Rom. 8.32 can lead them to for by it none who yet believeth not and so knoweth not himself to be Elected can see any ground to believe in live to love please or serve God inasmuch as for ought he knowes he is from eternity an enemy to him and hates him but it will lead him to go on resolutely in his way and do what seems good to him seeing by that its undeniably true that if Christ dyed for him he cannot miscarry if otherwise he must doe what he can as hath been noted But let
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
seek him groping after him if happily they may finde him yea such power as that men are fain to suppress and keep them under and bid them be gone and shut their eyes against them lest they work too much upon them Now though they see not what a one or who he it whence these beams come and those operations in their hearts yet they knowing in their consciences that they ought to obey them and that it would be better for them so to do though what that betterness is they comprehend not and contrary to that knowledg they have willfully rebelling they cannot plead ignorance total ignorance of this great physitian but for not obeying what they know shall be excuse less before him So that Mr. Owens comparison of Christ to a physitian tendring cure he wholly unknown Rom. 1.20.28 is a mistake also nor shall men be able to make good that plea when he comes to judge them though many shall say in respect of his person and fuller appearances when saw we thee thus and thus as if they would plead ignorance of him yet he shall take away that plea from them making it appear that in such and such mediums as his poor people Matth. 25.42 43 44 55. he was evidencing himself to them and presenting himself before them and there they would not know him Nor is he as one tendring a thousand pound to a blinde man on condition he will see and yet giving no ability to see but he in tendring gives forth such light that men see some glimmerings and bids them look though but with their blinde holes that they may see which did they the light would make them see and see more clearly yea it would turn them Isa 42.18 and he would heal them Act. 28.27 but many wilfully loving their own ease and wils will not see lest they should be turned and be healed by him they see they should listen to him yea many see that in looking to him they might have healing and yet refuse to look to him they desire not his healing Whereas he saith the condition of faith is procured for us by the death of Christ or not I shall here say but this viz. 1. That Christ is become an object fit for us to believe on and hope in through his death which else he had not been for us sinners 2. That God in Christ hath done so much for All men and doth so much for them through him that he deserves highly at their hands to be trusted in by them I know this agrees not with Mr. Owens principles yet I shall stand to it against him that all men have good cause and ground to believe in him or to betrust themselves to him and so much we are in preaching Gospel to demonstrate to them not having sinned to death or blasphemed against the Holy Ghost It s but a righteous thing for any man to believe in God and in Christ and its unrighteousness and hainous sin not to believe in him being declared to them that is not to commit souls and bodies to him as to one ready to save them 3. All the ways and means with all the power that comes in and with them to inable men to believe are vouchsafed to men through the Death of Christ none of them had been afforded to us had not Christ dyed for us 4. It s the promise of God to Christ so to exalt and glorifie him that some should be brought in to him and be given him to believe and be his seed 5. Yea it s by the discovery of Gods good-will in the death and resurrection of Christ that God useth to overcome men to believe and so his blood and death as so discovered and set home redeems men out of their bondage to Sathan and world and corruption Rev. 5.9 10 14.4 But that Christ obliged the Father to make all those men that he dyed for to walk out in the exercise of such power and liberty of acting as he should in his gracious dispensations afford them for attendance to means receit of light given looking up to him in that light yea to believe in him and rely on him for salvation this I desire him to prove It s not proveable by Scripture so far as I can finde nay I may use this argument against it bottomed upon Mr. Owens own maxime viz. Whatever Christ procured or merited by his oblation that he intercedes to have collated or bestowed on men But Scripture no where shews that Christ intercedes for faith saving faith to be given to one or other Ergo Scripture no where proves that he procured that by his oblation The major is Mr. Owens own in cap. 4.6 7. lib. 1. The minor is easily proved by Induction no one place speaking of Christs Intercession mentions his interceding for saving faith not that platform as some say of his Intercession in John 17. as we shewed lib. 1. chap. 2. if not there no where else for in Rom. 8.33 he mentions his interceding for Vs men in Christ believers but says not for what much less for faith that they had already In Heb. 7.25 It s for those that come unto God by him that some might come to God by him I leave it for him to finde any one place in which Christ prays that God would make any to believe Nor will this diminish at all the honor and love due to him for as Mr. Owen says We are not to invent ways of honoring him but give him that that in the Scripture God gives to him He produces Tit. 3.5 6 2 Cor. 5.21 but neither of them say that Christ procured faith for us as obliging God to give it us the former shews but how God wrought it in discovering his love and the latter that Christ became sin for us that we might in him that is in believing in him be made the righteousness of God and so that he opened the way for our believing and making righteous not that he obliged God to make us or all that he dyed for righteously to believe no more then in vers 15. where He says he dyed for all that they that live might not henceforth live to themselves he shews that therefore he obliged God to make all cease from thenceforth to live to themselves and God performs not his obligation to him in that so many even after believing live so much to themselves and minde their own things as Paul complaineth That he shall bring in a seed to him I grant but that he is obliged to bring in this or that Individual to be of that seed muchless all that he dyed for I no where finde That in Eph. 1.3 Phil. 1.29 We shall meet with afterward and with the point it self also more fully urged viz. in lib. 3. cap. 4. where we shall speak to them only this I shall say to them here that neither of them say that Christ by his death obliged the Father to
give to this or that muchless to all he dyed for effectually to believe in him and to be saved not a word to that purpose So that that piece of doctrine viz. That for whom Christ dyed them he procured faith for is none of those Scripture-truths that will scatter the supposed clouds and mists Nor yet follows it that the whole impetration of Redemption is made unprofitable For 1. God hath ingaged himself so to glorifie his Son that some shall be brought in though he no were say All he dyed for nor that I know of any particular persons so as that this or that individuall must or else he should be unjust 2. He shall have much glory from his good bounteous and merciful dispensations to men through the Death of Christ that yet he compels not to believe on Christ Matt. 22.2 3 4 5. with Rom. 11.36 yea in the just and righteous condemnation of those that sin'd against that mercy and refused to submit to him For that condition upon which he supposes we will say Christ is to bestow salvation viz. so they do not refuse or resist the means of grace It s a mistake we know no such imposition put upon him for men may receive the means and yet rebel against the grace it self that comes in them have a form and deny the power of godliness and for that perish Though that all Pagans and infidels are left destitute of all means leading them to seek after God or that any that have no outward means from Christ nor ever resist Gods workings in them shall be condemned as Mr. Owen would perswade us I leave for him to prove Christ says to the Jews that if he had not come and spoken to them they had not had sin and for ought I know If Christ neither come in Word Joh. 15.22 nor in any spiritual way as he preached to the old world by his Spirit if any such he can finde they may not have sin charged on them to condemnation and destruction Yet if Mr. Owen can shew me otherwise I will believe it For making Christ but a half Mediator its frivolous yet we shall speak to it lib. 3. c. 3. where it occurs again That Christ did not dye for any on condition of their believing I believe nor that he dyed only for the Elect of God that they should believe nor finde I any Scripture calling any man while yet in and of the world an Elect person He dyed for All that being Lord of them and presenting his light to them according to the good pleasure of the Father whosoever believes might not perish but have eternal life And here ends this Second Book and my Answers to it The Third Book His third Book contains Arguments grounded for the most part upon his former premises against the universality of the Death of Christ we shall Favente Deo orderly view them CHAP. I. An answer to his two first Arguments contained in his first Chapter of this Book The first Chapter contains two Arguments Argu. 1 As FRom the nature of the Covenant of Grace established ratified and confirmed in and by the Death of Christ His Argument runs thus The effects of the death of Christ cannot be extended beyond the compass of the new Covenant or Christ died only for those that are within the New Covenant But this Covenant was not made universally with all but particularly onely with some Therefore those alone were intended in the benefits of the death of Christ A very vitious Argument whereof the Conclusion contains a quartus terminus for in stead of any effects the tearm propounded in the Major He says the benefits therein as is clear by what follows in him comprehending the choice benefits of the death of Christ applied The Major also is ambiguous and uncertain For either it is universal as No effect of the death of Christ c. or else particular as Some do not c. If the latter its impertinent and concludes not against the death of Christ for All but onely its having some effects in All which is besides the thing in question if the former as I suppose he intends it then I deny it I deny I say that Christ died for none or that none have any effect of his death extended to them but onely such as with whom the New Testament is made He brings no other proof for it which he perhaps therefore lisped in because he saw himself weak in the proof of it but onely from that title given to his blood that it s called The blood of the New Testament So that his Argument to prove that runs thus It s called the blood of the New Testament Therefore shed onely for them that are heirs of the New Testament Which is like this The Spirit is called the Spirit of Comfort and the Comforter Therefore whoever it works upon it comforts them and so when it convinces the world of sin it s their comforter too and when it kindles the fire of Tophet Isai 30.33 it comforts them that are tormented with it A wilde Argument and yet such is his The truth is As its an office of the Spirit to comfort and he is a Comforter to all that obey him so is it an office of the blood of Christ or rather one end of its shedding to ratifie the new Covenant which it also doth to all that believe in it But as that is not all the work or business of the Spirit to comfort so neither was that all the work or end of the blood of Christ to establish the new Covenant but first of all to ransom from the death that was passed upon men and then to confirm a Covenant to the house of Israel and Judah This blood where ever it s tendered the Covenant is tendred with it Hear and your souls shall live and I will make an everlasting Covenant with you the sure mercies of David and he that obeys this is entred into Covenant by it but not All for whom it was shed are in Covenant by its shedding no more then all for whom the water of Purification was made were therefore purified because it was made for them and called the water of Purification Numb 19 9.20 Mr. Owen also mistakes the parties with whom the Covenant is made For he understands them to be a certain number of persons yet lying in the world and that its one clause of the Covenant to give them faith or make them to believe whereas indeed especially as pertaining to the Gentiles the proper object with whom the Covenant is made is the called of God believers in Christ Jesus into those mens hearts God will put his fear not to bring them to him but to keep them from departing from him which argues their being brought to him before these shall have the Law written in their hearts an allusion to the old Testament written in Tables of Stone not before they were brought out of Egypt but after they