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A61026 Free grace, or, The flowings of Christs blood free to sinners being an experiment of Jesus Christ upon one who hath been in the bondage of a troubled conscience ... / by John Saltmarsh. Saltmarsh, John, d. 1647. 1646 (1646) Wing S485; ESTC R28122 77,906 222

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of one part yet we may know lesse of another like one who pumping water through a narrow pipe fils not his vessel while another that works through a larger filleth his And indeed the not taking in Scripture notions in their spiritual extent and variety but going out into some one notion more then another which agrees better with some principle in us may make us rather opinionated then spiritually wise But in the work of salvation we must consider Jesus Christ as he is revealed without his incarnation before his incarnation in it without it he is revealed to be the Word of God the Wisdom of God God with God c. Before it he is revealed to be the seed of the woman the Promise the Elect the Covenant the Angel of the Covenant c. In the Incarnation he is revealed to be Emmanuel or God with us Jesus Christ the Redeemer the Mediator the Priest the Propitiation the Son and the Son of man c. Now these several notions will direct us order us to a Scripture-revelation of this Mystery for when we read of this Son of God under the names or notions last spoken of as the Son or Jesus or Redeemer Then we are to consider of this work of Redemption in the flesh manifested and amongst us and then consider what part of the work comes under that notion And when we read of his other names we are to consider what part of the mystery fals under those either without incarnation or flesh and so he was one with the father c. or else before incarnation and so he was in the time of the Law of ceremonies and types and from all these we may safely draw this That the Son of God as Jesus and Christ and so manifested in the flesh was sent out and given as it were of God foretold and figured before he was given ever with God being God himself everlastingly present both as God and as God and man in the election of grace being the elect in whom we are chosen and whose body we are These notions of God as the Word and as Jesus Christ and Redeemer and Mediator is but the drawing forth the Mystery of Redemption in its several parts and degrees And all this is true that God loved us and gave Christ and we were chosen in Christ and he was the Lamb slain both before the world in purpose and in the world according to this purpose nor are we to consider Gods love to us without Christ nor Gods love to us before Christ nor ourselves out of Christ in whom we are chosen But rather thus God loved us in Christ and yet gave Christ And all this is true in the way and order of manifestation beyond which we cannot see nor can we in a Scripture-way consider any act of grace from God but in the Son there being no way of Vnion and Communion with God for man but by him who is both God and man V. Gods love manifested in the Gospel-expressions WHereever there is any appearance of God in mercy or grace or love there is Gospel and whereever there is any Gospel there are such expressions and appearances of God As in the old Testament we finde him under these names the Lord thy God the Lord the Lord merciful and gracious long suffering and of much goodnesse A Lord passing by the transgression of his people loving His freely counting them the Apple of his eye the signet upon his hand his Jewels his Vineyard his Children And in the new Testament where God appeared in the fulnesse of love there he is called a father of mercies and his grace free-grace and his love a love manifested and unsearchable And thus the soul is to look on him and consider him in grace not in glory in love not in righteousnesse And this is that which will draw on the soul to have communion with him We have onely to do with him now in the Gospel-appearances and expressions In our first man Adam we had to do with him onely in a way of subjection and righteousnesse But now in our second Adam in a way of sonship or adoption and free-grace VI The new Covenant no Covenant properly with us but with Christ for us GOd makes no Covenant properly under the Gospel as he did at first but his Covenant now is rather all of it a Promise Man is not restored in such a way of Covenant and condition as he was lost but more freely and more by grace and mercy and yet God covenants too but it is not with man onely but with him that was God and man even Jesus Christ he is both the Covenant and the Messenger or Mediator of the Covenant God agreed to save man but this agreement was with Christ and all the conditions were on his part He stood for us and articled with God for us and performed the conditions for life and glory and yet because we are so concerned in it it is called A Covenant made with us I will make a new Covenant with them and yet that it may not be thought a Covenant onely with us as the first was it is called a new Covenant and a better Covenant and Christ is called the Mediator of it And lest we should think some conditions were on our parts as in the first it is added I will write my Law in their hearts I will put my spirit within them So as in this new Covenant God is our God of free-grace and righteousnesse on his part not for any conditional righteousnesse on ours yet in Scripture it is called still a Covenant because God is our God still in a way of righteousnesse though of Redemption too and of condition too yet not on ours but on Christs part for us and yet it is a Covenant with us because we are Christs 1 Cor. 3. VII Gods manner of Covenanting GOD takes us into Covenant not upon any condition in us before he brings with him Christ and in him all the conditions and makes us as he would have us not for the Covenant but in it or under it we are not his people before he be our God first I will make a new Covenant with thee I will be thy God and thou shalt be my people I will write my Law in your hearts and put my spirit within you Heb. 8.10 You have not chosen me but I have chosen you VIII They that are under Grace revealed are no more under the Law WHile we are out of Covenant with God we are in our own judgement and others under the curse for any breach of law or disobedience But when we are once under grace revealed we are ever under grace and no more under the Law The Law can only tell a beleever he sins but not tax him for any We are not under the law but under grace Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect Who shall condemn It is Christ that died Rom. 8.33 IX When
God is said to be in Covenant with a soul A Soul is then properly actually or expresly in Covenant with God when God hath come to it in the promise and then when it feels it self under the power of the promise it begins onely to know it is in Covenant and yet to yeeld and obey as if it were but to enter into that Covenant which God hath made with it in Christ before it could do any thing so as they that beleeve do rather feel themselves in that Covenant which God hath made with them without any thing in themselves either faith or repentance c. X. A justified person is a perfect person A Person justified or in Covenant is as pure in the sight of God as the righteousnesse of Christ can make him though not so in his own eyes that there may be work for faith because God sees His onely in Christ not in themselves and if they were not in such a perfect righteousnesse they could not be loved of him because his eyes are purer then to behold iniquity or to love a sinner as a sinner XI Sin separates not his from God but from Communion with God NO sins can make God who loves for ever unchangeably love us lesse and yet a beleever will grieve for sin because it grieves the Spirit of his God and though he know sin cannot now separate from God yet because it once separated he hates it and because it separates still though not from God yet from Communion with God grieving the holy Spirit of God XII Christ in the flesh CHRIST in the flesh was God himself who that he might reveal his love to us made us partakers of the divine nature by fashioning our nature for his own glory to live in and by being both God and man amongst us and for us and herein is the mystery of reconciliation None but the nature of God could reconcile God and no nature but mans that had sinned could properly suffer for man therefore there is one Mediator betwixt God and man the man Christ Jesus XIII Christs being in our nature CHRIST was love mercy and riches of free-grace manifested in the flesh and in our nature that they might slow out more abundantly upon our nature on the vessels of mercy chosen in this Christ before the foundations of the world XIV Christs love CHRISTS love must needs exceed all the love of the children of men for he was the very love of God clothed in flesh and blood This is he that was red in his apparel as he that treadeth in the wine-presse XV Christ doing and suffering for our sakes CHRIST came into the world that he might do what we could not do to the fulfilling of the Law and suffer what we could not suffer for the breach of the Law XVI Christs Mediatorship CHRIST standing now as a Person betwixt God and the children of men takes in the fulnesse of righteousnesse and sin from both natures righteousnesse from God and sin from men whereby all the sins of his people are fully done away by the infinite glory of that righteousnesse both from himself and us XVII The right general Redemption by the second Adam CHRIST is the second Adam in whom all are made alive as all in the first Adam were dead but not so as if all who were dead in the first Adam were made alive in the second but as the first Adam was the person in whom all that are dead did die so Christ is the second Adam in whom all that are alive do live for Christ is the common nature of the living mankinde who live unto righteousnesse as Adam was the common nature of the dead mankinde who die unto unrighteousnesse For as by one mans disobedience many were made sinners so by the obedience of one many are made righteous God hath concluded all under sin That the promises by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that beleeve Gal. 3.22 XVIII Christs love THe love of Christ exceeded in this that he gave himself to die for us when we were enemies to him and crucified him our selves who came to be crucified for us and could neither love him nor pitty him for what he did For while we were as yet sinners Christ died for us and greater love then this hath no man This is the mystery that man could not live in Christ till he had killed Christ first And thus he was wounded in the house of his friends O all ye that passe by the way behold and consider if ever there were mystery like unto this mystery XIX Christs blood THe blood of Christ was not the blood of man onely but the blood of the Son of God and therefore it was a price for sin the very power of the Godhead as it were bleeding for sin by which it is called The Redemption of his blood and the blood of the Son of GOD XX Christs Blood powred out THe Blood of CHRIST powred out wrought greater compassion in GOD towards men I speak as a man then the sufferings of all the men in the world could do because he being begotten of GOD himself and the expresse Image of his person though he could not suffer being so infinite a glory yet because that person suffered which was GOD and man or the Son of GOD in man the Father in an unspeakable way beheld the travel of his soul and was satisfied XXI Christs Vesture dipt in blood CHRISTS Garment which he was described in by the Prophets under the Law is of a colour to set forth love and suffering under the Gospel for this is he that came from Bozra with his garments died red XXII Christs comelinesse THe comelinesse of Christ in the Gospel is a most desireable comelinesse for the sons of men to love it is the glory of the onely begotten Son of God full of grace the ●weetest object for those in misery to delight in This is that beloved which is more then another beloved XXIII Christs beauty CHRIST hath both the form and power of love in him and therefore it is that his Spouse or His behold him as white and ruddy and the fairest amongst ten thousands white in the glory of his Godhead and ruddy in the sufferings of his Manhood and because of his sweet oyntments or powrings out of spirit the Virgins follow him for his hands drop myrrhe upon the soul even spiritual graces upon the handles of the Lock XXIV Christs names CHRIST will be known to His by no other names but names of love and grace a Lover a Bridegroom a Physitian a Saviour an Emmanuel or God with us an onely begotten Son of God the brightnesse of his glory a merciful and faithful high Priest a Sacrifice for sin a Mediator an Advocate for sin a Beloved and he brings a soul to the banquetting house of spiritual things and his banner over it is love XXV Christ and His CHRIST having adorned his in the riches of his
of these who would persecute that Christ now whom hereafter they may preach But I have done and if I have erred in any thing for I see but in part and know but in part it is in filling out that Wine too freely which the Master of the Feast if I mistake not hath bidden me saying Drink yea drink abundantly O beloved Cant. 5. TO THE READER IN the Experiment of this soul you may see a Spirit of adoption in Bondage and one made poor in Spirit through the ignorance of the riches of grace and by a legal faith as I may say both under Grace and the Law at the same time Surely such legal beleevers are as much subject to death and bondage in their own apprehensions under the Gospel as they were before under the Law You have here the frame of this soul or the constitution and condition of a Spirit before conversion under conversion and under the relapse or falling back into the same sins and under the temptations for those sins and under a legal recovery out of those temptations and under a fuller revelation of grace and truth onely drawn out of their own experiences by which we may see what the want of the knowledge of Jesus Christ is And the more Christ is known and that love of God to the Sons of men which was manifest in the flesh the more that glorious liberty from the Law Sin and Satan is manifested in that soul This made Paul desire so to know nothing but Jesus Christ and him crucified And the more this light of the Gospel shines in the face of Jesus Christ the more doth the ignorance of flesh and blood dissolve and the shadows of the Law as doubts fears terrours which are cast in vanish before it For the day breaks and the shadows flie away The onely scope of this Discourse and Observations is to hold forth the glory of Free-grace and that by this one Experiment Wisdom might be justified of her Children O the riches of his grace O the fountain of his love O the exceeding and comprehensive freenesse and the flowing of his blood washing us when we are polluted in our own Thus he cals us beloved when we are not beloved and we who had not obtained mercy do obtain mercy And I thought my self not a little happy to have such an effectual door as this opened to deal with the experiences of a soul in this kinde And for the following Conference and for my Observations and other particulars I took this occasion to draw out my discourse of Grace and Gospel-glory from the faithful experiences of such a soul wherein the work of nature and grace and spirit and Satan was clearly visible and discernible rather then to found them upon meer notions and conjectural Principles For in the experiences of a soul we may more clearly discern the deep things of the Spirit reading them in the spirits of such as possesse Christ as in the Counterpane of the Scriptures for there truth answers to truth as in water face answers to face THE CONTENTS Of the Book CHAP. I. OF the Parties natural condition and how they felt themselves in their state of nature before they could perswade themselves they had taken Christ Pag. 1. Observations 1. Of the bondage that a meerly carnal man sins in and where true spiritual freedom is p. 3. 2. Of the resistings of sin and sorrowings for sin which are in a natural man p. 5. 3. How far many go in a formal profession and meer natural Religion raised up a little by the power of the Word p. 7. CHAP. II. OF the Parties first trouble for the sins they lived in which is supposed to be the time of conversion or calling or light from Christ p. 11. Observations 1. Of the Preachers several dealings with this Party to settle them and not in a way of beleeving first pag. 26 2. The unstablenesse of such as are not converted in a pure Gospel-way p. 33. 3. The several wayes which the Lord makes use on to salvation p. 35. 4. The want of true Gospel-knowledge in Jesus Christ is the cause of many distractions in beleevers p. 36. 5. The opening Jesus Christ in the Gospel is the best and surest way to deal with sinners p. 39. 6. A further opening of the doubtings of a soul not clearly discerning the power of the Gospel p. 43. 7. The working of the Spirit of Christ in a soul though not so clearly enlightned p. 46. CHAP. III. OF the Parties falling into the same sins in some measure which they had lived in in their unregenerate state from whence all their late bondage hath been P. 50. Observations 1. The danger of placing assurance most in mortification of sin p. 53. 2. The danger of drawing our comforts most from the change in the outward man p. 54 3. The spiritual condition in this life more in being justified from sin then cleansed from sin p. 56. 4. The greatest temptations upon sinning in an enlightned condition p. 57. 5. That back-sliding or relapsing is much mistaken and mortification of sin of the more mystical mortification beleevers have p. 59. 6. The sum of the mystery of mortification of sin in a beleever p. 65. 7. That there is danger in putting too much upon the sin of relapsing or back-sliding in beleevers p. 69. 8. The conclusion concerning the mystical and spiritual mortification p. 73. 9. Some Scriptures concerning falling away interpreted p. 75. CHAP. IV. THe Party after such openings of the frame of their spirit is now discoursed with upon certain particular Questions p. 78. The Parties several Doubts answered 1. That they are not therefore beloved of God or in Christ because they fell back again into sin p. 79. 2. Because they found not a change in the whole man p. 80. 3. Because they feel not themselves sanctified they think they are not justified p. 81. CHAP. V. THe Parties great Doubt concerning faith or beleeving p 92. 1. The great Gospel secret concerning faith or beleeving Ibid. 2. We are first to beleeve and all other gifts will follow p. 97. The several wayes opened how the mystery of Godlinesse and Free-grace hath been received in and in what degrees it hath been enquired for in this present age p. 106. 1. GOds first revealing himself to man in goodnesse and Free-grace p. 107. 2. Gods Free grace to sinners more discovered p. 111. 3. More of Gods Free-grace and Love of mans sin and redemption discovered p. 114. 4. The Son of God how considered in the work of Salvation p. 119. 5. Gods love manifested in the Gospel-expressions p. 124. 6. The new Covenant no Covenant properly with us but with Christ for us p. 125. 7. Gods manner of Covenanting p. 127. 8. They that are under Grace revealed are no more under the Law p. 128. 9. When God is said to be in Covenant with the soul Ibid. 10. A justified person is a perfect person p. 129. 11. Sin separates not
righteousnesse looks on them and loves them in his own glory so as they both love one another Christ and His delight in one another Thou hast ravished my heart my sister my spouse thou hast ravished my heart with one of thy eyes with one chain of thy neck saith Christ and saith the Spouse My beloved is the fairest amongst ten thousands XXVI Christs love in Heaven to us or Christ exalted THe love of Christ is more now in Heaven towards us by how much more the love of God is gloriously shed abroad within him yet his nature is the same for he is no lesse man nor more God then he was but more excellently God and man even the man Christ Jesus XXVII The Gospel is Christ revealed THe Gospel is Christ himself and love revealed or the Word of God in the Word or the glad tydings of what he hath done and suffered for sinners and over whom he hath conquered being Captain of our salvation having spoiled principalities and powers making a shew of them openly and triumphing over them Col. 1.15 It is the ministery of life and peace and glory or God speaking to men from Heaven and intreating them to beleeve that he was born of the seed of David suffered died and rose again for their justification and that they are sitting together with him in heavenly places XXVIII The Mystery of Christ in the Gospel a Mystery of Love THe whole businesse of Christ as it was begun in love and brought forth in love unto the world and all the actings and workings of it from Gods being in Christ to Christs sitting at the right hand of God are but a Gospel or Story of unspeakable love revealed to the world so the carrying on of all yet is in love man in this Gospel is only to be perswaded of such love in love and sweetly tempted and drawn to love again in the ministery of the Gospel and the Spirit of love and adoption is shed abroad by the Gospel in the souls of men to reconcile them who are otherwise enemies in their mindes by wicked works and to make them love him who never was an enemy to them in Jesus Christ in whom they were chosen though the mystery is revealed to us under a particoloured work of sin and grace XXIX A Beleevers glorious freedom THe Spirit of Christ sets a beleever as fr●e from Hell the Law and bondage here on Earth as if he were in Heaven nor wants he any thing to make him so but to make him beleeve that he is so for Satan sin sinful flesh and the Law are all so neer and about him in this life that he cannot so walk by sight or in the clear apprehension of it but the just do live by faith and faith is the evidence of things not seen XXX All the sins of beleevers done away on the Crosse THere is no sin to be committed which Christ did not pay down the price of his Blood for upon the Crosse making peace through the blood of his Crosse and yet a beleever will sin as tenderly as if all his sins were to pay for yet knowing that he is not redeemed to sin but from sin not that he may sin but that sinning he may not suffer for sin Christ is risen for our justification XXXI Christ offered to sinners CHRIST in the Gospel cals out of Heaven to sinners by that very name and tels them he hath salvation for them if they will beleeve him Nor doth he stand upon what sins lesse or more greater or smaller so as none can say they are not called on and proffered salvation be they never so sinful XXXII A Beleever must live in Christ not in himself A Beleever hath a twofold condition yet as a beleever but one in Christ in himself yet he ought ever to consider himself in Christ by faith not in himself in Christ he hath perfectly obeyed the whole Law perfectly suffered and satisfied for all his sins to the Justice of God and in Christ is perfectly just and righteous and therefore it is said that our life is hid with Christ in God and we are raised up with Christ and made to sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus even already but in himself there is a body of lust corruption and sin and there is a Law revealing sin accusing and condemning So as if a beleever live onely by sense reason and experience of himself and as he lives to men he lives both under the power and feeling of sin and the Law but if he live by faith in Christ beleeving in the life righteousnesse obedience satisfaction and glory of him he lives out of the power of all condemnation and unrighteousnesse And thus a beleever is blessed onely in a righteousnesse without not within and all his assurance confidence comforts are to flow into him through a channel of faith not of works beleeving himself happy for what another even Christ hath done for him not what he hath done or can do for himself XXXIII How Christ and a beleever were one in sin and righteousnesse ALL the ground of a beleevers righteousnesse and salvation and exemption from the Law sin and the curse is from the nature office and transaction or work of Christ and Gods accounting or imputing Christ stood clothed in our nature betwixt God and man and in that with all the sins of beleevers upon him God having laid on him the iniquities of us all In his Office he obeyed suffered satisfied and offered up himself and now sits as a Mediator to perpetuate or make his sacrifice obedience suffering and righteousnesse everlasting and thus bringing in everlasting righteousnesse And God he accounts reckons or imputes all that is done in our nature as done by us calling things that are not as if they were and in his person as in our person And thus he is made sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousnesse of God in him XXXIV We must come before God as having put on Christ first not as sinners and unrighteous A Beleever in all his dealings with God either by Prayer or other way of drawing neer is to state and consider himself thus in Christ in the first place and to put on the relation of Sonship and Righteousnesse and to look at or consider sins no otherwise in himself then as debts paid and cancelled by the blood of Christ and by this all bondages fears and doubtings are removed and his Spirit is free For the Son hath made him free And now he comes in the spirit of adoption and calls God Father and here begins all faith hope confidence love liberty when as others dare not beleeve themselves in such a condition till upon terms of humiliation sorrow for sin works of righteousnesse they have as they think a reasonable measure price or satisfaction to come with and then begin to beleeve hope and be confident And thus in way of compounding and bargaining with God
exalted but to study every part and parcel and passage of Jesus Christ And thus to know nothing but Jesus Christ and him crucified The several wayes of Free-grace and the general point searched FRee-grace is conveyed to us under several notions in these times and I shall in few words gather up the conceptions intending a larger draught of it hereafter The first way of Free-grace free without all condition of Grace THe first and purest conceive of the Mystery thus That God the Father for manifestation of his mercy and love purposed some to glory whom he loved freely and gave his Son to be a way to them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and righteousnesse knowing that th●●ould fall under sin and condemnation in the first Adam where he might justly have left them as the rest in their blood and pollution had it not been for that free-grace in himself and therefore that Son is called the second Adam or quickning spirit and this mystery of salvation is free infinitely free the Father loving freely and giving his Son the Son loving freely and giving himself freely and the spirit working from them both freely for the manifestation of this salvation in the souls of his elect and through the ministery of a free Gospel even to sinners as sinners and children of wrath in themselves A second way of Free-grace free onely with conditions THe second sort hold which is called the Reformed opinion and is the more general That God did freely decree or purpose some to salvation in Christ through the intervening and instrumental assistance of faith c. And that none are actually justified nor partakers of this free salvation but by faith and the Go●●●● 〈◊〉 ministery of conditions or qualificatio● 〈◊〉 this salvation And this I call a Decr●e with Graces A third way of Free-grace free onely upon condition THe third sort hold That God did freely purpose some to salvation and therefore gave Jesus Christ but it was onely to those whom he foresaw through the help of a Gospel-ministery and other spiritual sufficiency would embrace Jesus so given yea given for all if all would have embraced him And this I call a respective Decree for Graces A fourth way of Free-grace free meerly in the extent THe fourth sort hold That God purposed some to glory and salvation in Jesus Christ without respect to any thing but the intervenings of faith c. and gave this Jesus Christ to die for all not that all should have sa●●●●●on by him but onely the elect who are onely made to beleeve and that the Gospel-ministery reveals such a kinde of general Redemption otherwise the Gospel could not justly be tendred to all nor any be condemned for not beleeving nor unbeleeving be any sin This last I shall onely speak on This is in part the general point and it is answered thus Some do it by a way of interpreting the general Scriptures as these of Gods loving the world c. Interpreting the world in opposition to Jews and by that understanding the Gentiles who were called the world And so of sending Jesus Christ to be a propitiation not for ours but the sins of the whole world c. Rom. 11.11 12. And so where ever the word all is that God will have all saved c. they interpret it with restriction to some of all c. Matth. 3.5 And so for the general tenders of the Gospel they interpret that by way of dispensation for the better gathering up the elect from all sorts and places Matth. 24.31 And so for not beleeving they say men are not damned for not beleeving simply but from the condemnation 〈◊〉 ●re left under though their not bele●●●●● may make their condemnation greater Some answer it by shewing forth the contradiction in this of Christ dying for all and saving some that it is as much as Christ died for all and not for all Some answer by turning it into immortality for all but not salvation for all Some answer by revealing Gods love and Jesus Christ as the effect of this love as it were the instrument and minister of this love and this love of God going out onely to the elect for whom Christ is given This way they conceive takes off general Redemption But we must take heed of making Christ more instrumental and ministerial then the Father hath made him and will stand with the honour of the Son who is the first born of the elect the head of the body And we must be spiritually wary in distinguishing too curiously upon Jesus Christ as Son and Mediator c. but onely in a Scripture-way for Christ is but one and salvation is one Thus far some worthy beleevers go in opposing the general point but we must go a little further in finding out the Mystery of the general point and meet with it there Now I humbly conceive the mystery lies onely in a rational way of justice and Gospel-dispensation That God will not meerly and arbitrarily damn any because he will So as he hath put every one under a state of Redemption and power of salvation and they are damned from their own will not from Gods Thus go the deepest and most notional of that way And the other part of the mystery which is lowest and most argued for in these times and by most is onely that the Gospel cannot rationally be tendred but upon some such general ground as Christ dying for all Thus I have opened though weakly the mystery and the opening it may be enough and the whole building of the universal Grations is all upon a rational notion strengthned with some general terms in the Word Now let them see whether meer Reason is a Principle high enough for a spiritual mystery And if bringing salvation down upon such a ground be proportionable to so glorious a work as that of Redemption besides all the intervenings it hath with free-grace and free-justification and election of grace c. Now let the Mystery be lookt on in their way which is this Christ died for all else the Gospel cannot be preached to all And in the other way which is this Christ died onely for his and it is offered to all that his who are amongst this all might beleeve and though he died not for all yet none are excepted and yet none accepted but they that beleeve and none beleeve but they to whom it is given And in this way of salvation there lies more mystery which is more sutable to a divine work Great is the mystery of godlinesse And this ground That none are excepted is as clear and spiritually rational for the Gospel to be preached to all as this ground That he died for all Seeing upon both grounds Some onely are saved and not all and a decree of meer grace and of faith foreseen do equally imply an impossibility of all to be saved and therefore why is it so contended for that all are redeemed Some Truths of Free-grace sparkling in former Writers and in