and strangers from the covenant and promises of grace the Jews being the only political visible church of God under the old Testament administration the Gentiles as opposite to them were counted the world See Exo. 12.19 Deut. 23.2 Lev. 26.33 Pl. 79.1 dogs aliens heathen And indeed the call and conversion of the Gentiles and adding them to the church of Christ was such a great and glorious mysterie a Eph. 3.8 Rom. 11. cap. that many of the Christian Jews yea some of the Apostles themselves b Acts 10 cap. Acts 11. cap. could not at first comprehend it there being in this such a great and manifest alteration in the administrations of the old and new Testament I did also answer the objections which are raised from the generality of the ofter of Christ in the Ministry of the Gospel from the obligation that lies on every man and woman to believe in Christ and to apply his death and lastly from those pathetical expostulations and affectionate invitations in Scripture directed indefinitely to all sinners without exception which passages being spoken after the manner of men and in condescension to our capacity for properly there are no such affections Voluntas signi precepti approhationis passions or workings of spirit in God are to be referred to the signifying preceptive and approving Will of God for so it may be called not so properly as his eternal decree and purpose which shall be accomplished and cannot be resisted for who hath resisted his Will The commands Rom. 9.19 exhortations invitations expostulations which we find in Scripture do not determine for whom Christ dyed in particular by his Fathers appointment nor what shall be the event and shall unavoidably come to pass touching the eternal condition of poor sinners in respect of predestination and redemption Quoad debitum not quoad eventum but they determine man's duty and the rule of his obedience and what God approves as good in it self not what Christ hath done or God will do for us and in us in particular The learned Dr Twiss Mr Ball on the Covenant Mr Rutherford Mr Whitfield Mr Owen Mr How against T. M Universality of Free Grace but what it is our duty to do there being a sweet harmony and connexion between the end and the means It would be too tedious to recite all the particulars which I laid down in answer to these objections and besides they are already more largely and sully answered by divers godly learned men in their elaborate treatises to which I must referr the studious and dilligent reader for in this writing I do affect and intend brevity that so the poore deluded soules in the country whom I pitty with all my heart may have something before them to read and peruse which by God's blessing may undeceive them and settle them in the truth I am perswaded that the Lord in his infinite wisdom suflers this and other erroneous and corrupt opinions to be broched touching the Decrees of God Redemption Reconciliation Justification Vnion with God the new Birth Conversion perseverance the Divinity of Christ the nature operation and evidence of the spirit biprisme and other Church administrations that so we may with more diligence seriousness humllity and selfe denyal search the Scriptures and through the teachings of the spirit of God and the assistance of divine grace a taine to a right and setled and spiritual knowledge of these Gospel mysteries whereof our apprehensions hitherto have been but shallow and wide That which I have said concerning the promises and doubtles others have said far more may helpe to convince you that the doctrine of general redemption as it is comonly held forth is very corrupt and unsound fighting directly against the tenour scope and sense of the word of God rightly understood Let the promoters of this doctrine pretend what they will I am very confident that it will appeare in the great day of Christ to be no better then dross and chasfe and combustible matter which must and shall suffer loss though some that hold that it may be saved so as by fire we shall one day find it to be a doctrine that comes from earth and not from heaven 1 Cor. 3 15. from the flesh and not from the spirit for under the notion and pretence of universal grace it destroyes the efficacy and power of grace under the notion of universall redemption it enervates the verue undermines the benefit that flows from Redemption by Christ's blood And that I may make this evident unto you I shall breifly acquaint you with some sad and dangerous Concomitants and consequences of this opinion which may serve now as so many antidotes against it and preservatives from it And first universal redemption of all and every individual man rises up with a high hand against the glorious attributes of the great and wise and just and holy God and namely against his absolute power soveraignty and wisdom what shall the great and wise God give his Son to dy for the salvation of thousands that shall never be saved as if mans stubbornness could frustrate the designe of God and as if sin and corruption were more powerfull to ruine and destroy the soul then the grace of God and the blood of Christ to save it * Rom. 5.20 21. It makes the powerful and gracious God to suspend the salvation of the creature upon the natural man's ability and the contingency of his Will and not upon his own irresistable decree the efficacy of his sons blood and the powerful and irresistable operation of his spirit in conversion which is directly contrary to the word of Truth * Isa 48.6 Isa 46.10 Psal 33.11 Prov. 21.30 Prov. 19.21 Rom. 9.19 Eph. 1.4 5 6. 1 Cor. 5. ult 1 Ioh. 1.7 Gal. 3.13 14. Again it is an opinion that undermines the glorious wisdom of God Eph. 1.8 1 Cor. 2.7 8. wherein he abounded in the mysterie of our Redemption by the blood of Christ as if the wise God had designed and appointed Christ by his death to put all men into a saveable condition and the end or effect of his death and blood shed may be fully accomplished though in the end there be not one man actually saved and brought to eternal life and glory Doth this suit with the infinite wisdom of God that he should propound to himself in the death of his Son the salvation of every individual man and yet not ordain effectual means for their conversion and for bringing them to salvation And oh how doth this doctrine of general Redemption and reconciliation reflect upon the justice and righteousness of the great God What shall the just God receive full satisfaction in the price of the precious blood of his Son for every man in the world Ps 9.8 Gen. 18.25 Rom. 3.4.25 26 1 Iohn 1.9 and yet thousands perish Now though men be unjust yet let the Judge of the whole earth be
just and righteous let God be true though every man be a lyar And as it reflects upon the justice of God so it impeacheth his highest love shall God so love every man as to give his Sonnor them And Christ so love every man as to lay down his life for them for herein God manifests and commends his love Rom. 5.8 1 Iohn 4.9 10. not that we first loved him but he first loved us and sent his Son to be a propitiation for our sins and yet withhold from them faith repentance and newness of heart without which they cannot be saved Hath God loved every man so as to give his Son to the death of the Cross for them and hath the Lord Jesus sweat dropps and clodds of blood for their sins treading the wine press of the wrath of God and crying out in the agony of his soul my God my God why hast thou forsaken me Rev. 19.15 Mat. 27.46 and yet shall most of them for whom he suffered so much rot and perish in final unbeleef and impenitency certainly this doth exceedingly derogate from the power of divine love and grace Secondly the doctrine of Universal Redemption puts men upon loose and ungrounded contradistrnctions that they may vindicate and maintain it and what is this else but to take the Lord's name in vain and to dally with his Word and Truth Some say that Christ died not in the stead of all but for the good of all a Non loco vice omnium sed bono tantum Remonst at the Hague confer That Christ impetrated and merited life for all and every individual man but applies it only to Believers whereas the Scriptures which I formerly cited do evince and prove that these two though they ought to be distinguished yet they are inseparable acts of Christ's mediatorship and are extended to the same persons Those for whom he impetrated life shall have it applyed to them Some say * Camero Amerald Teslad that Christ hath obtained by his death remission of all sins against the Covenant of works for every man but pardon of sins against the Gospel or new Covenant only for the elect 1 John 1.7 whereas Christ's blood clensech them from all sin for whom it is shed forasmuch as through Gods grace and the Spirit 's operation the blood of Christ hath an effectual influence upon all their hearts and consciences and conversations to purge and pacifie and clense them And lastly some learned men who are more sober and moderate then those whom I oppose do say but without ground from Scripture as I humbly conceive that Christ dyed for every man and woman in the world in respect of the sufficiency of his merit but not in respect of efficacy That we should extend the sufficiency and merit of Christ's death and bloodshed beyond the purpose decree and intention of the Father and the Son for my part I cannot see any clear ground 't is true the death and bloodshed of Christ may be said to be sufficient for every man in respect of the intrinsecal vertue thereof it being the blood of God Acts 20.28 the blood of that person who is the infinite God But I conceive that it cannot properly be said to be a sufficient ransom for every man and why but because it is not properly a ransom or price paid for every man nor never was so intended So then the sufficiency and efficacy of Christ's death are to be joyntly limitted to them for whom he dyed and payed the price of redemption nor did Christ shed one drop or dram of blood in vain it was by the counsel and appointment of God that Christ should lay down his life only for them whom the Father gave him and none of them that shall be lost I remember the popish Schoolmen have such a distinction of grace sufficient Hales 3. Summ. 9.69 Thom. m. 1 2 9 109. and grace effectual God say they affords grace sufficient to every one but not grace effectual Sufficient grace as they hold is that by which a man may be saved if he will not be wanting to himself effectual grace is that which saves a man indeed But this is groundless 2 Cor. 12.9 Where God tells Paul that his grace is sufficient for him This sufficiency is not to be abstracted and separated from the efficacy of grace Thirdly let me further add that this opinion of Vniversal Redemption renders Christ but half a Saviour an imperfect Saviour and his blood shed ineffectual as if he did only thereby put all men into a saveable condition and man himself must strike the greatest stroke and actually save his own soul It is a doctrine that puts men upon that gress absurdity that Christ died for thousands shed his blood for milliors of souls that never heard the voice of the Gospel which is the word of faith Rom. 10.14 15. How shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard and how shall they hear without a Preacher and how shall they preach except they be sent And will it not introduce that other gross and carnal conceit that in the end all and every one shall be saved the falien Angels as well as reprobate men as if there could be any deliverance out of hell If we hold an Vnive sal Redemption and Reconciliation I can see no reason to the contrary but that an universal salvation may be thence gathered by genuine and necessary consequence Fourthly Vniversal Redemption as it is by many held forth and maintained bolsters up people in a profane course or at the best in a general dead saith or rather a sancie insteed of faith may not a profane wretch reason thus There be those who say that Christ shed his blood for every man in the world well I am a man and therefore Christ shed his blood for me Now the Scripture is clear and full for this namely that Redemption by Christ's blood and remission of sins go together Those whom Christ redeemed by his blood shall not have their sins imputed to them and where there is non-imputation of sin Eph. 1.7 2 Cor. 5.19 Ps 32.2 there is also imputation of Christ's righteousness blessedness and salvation Blessed is the man to whom the Lord doth not impute Iniquity If it be so may this wicked man say I will go on and enjoy my lusts according to this doctrine I shall not perish if Christ dyed for me and if he dyed for every man then he dyed for me And as this opinion may have yea I fear it hath such an operation upon many poor souls so it may be a means to bring others to despair and to make desparate and sad conclusions upon themselves in reference to their eternal estate to hold that thousands shall be damned that Christ dyed for may not Satan easily prevail upon an awakened soul by this temptation suited to the doctrine of the general Ransome that there is no more
as for God's command to thee to use the means that thou mayst believe and repent it is not grounded upon Christ's dying for thee in particular but on the connexion and harmony which is between the mean and the end faith and salvation Thirdly there are thousands of precious Saints some alive and some at rest with the Lord who have and had true faith and peace of Conscience and joy in the holy Ghost and yet were meer strangers to the Doctrine of Vntversal Redemption Fourthly I would gladly be resolved in this what more ground of believing to salvation there is from the universality of Redemption then from the universality of the offer of Christ in the minstry of the word unless men will hold an Vniversal Salvation for seeing Christ died for many thousands that shall be damned may not I question whether I be not one of that number and whether Christ died for me so as that I should in the event believe to salvation The Unive salists will not acknowledge that Christ hath merited and procured faith for all them whom he died for This must needs be uncomfortable to a poor soul that finds it impossible to believe from creature strength and ability but blessed be the Lord who puts it out of doubt in his word that Christ hath merited faith for us and that we have faith through him and for his sake 2 Pet. 1.1 To them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Christ To you it is given for Christ's sake Phil. 1.29 Rom. 8.32 not only to believe on him but to suffer for him He that spared not his own Son but delivered him up for us all how shal he not with him freely give us all things Faith and repentance and a new heart I hope are good things here we have an argument from the greater to the lesser If God hath given Christ which is the great gift for poor sinners he will then freely give to them a spirit of faith and repentance Let me ask our adversaries this question what men are bound to believe for the peace of their Consciences when they take it for granted already that Christ died for them being comprehended in the world of mankinde To conclude this smal Tract which I desire the good Lord to bless to the Reader we declare unto you in our Ministry that Christ died for all for the world for every man and woman that shall believe on him and accept him and close with him upon the terms of the Gospel and is not here incouragement to poor sinners be their sins never so great Thou art not excluded by name why shouldst thou exclude thy self through unbelief Suppose a company of passengers be ready to sink and a rope is let down from the ship will they stand to question whether the rope was let down with a purpose to save them from drowning wil they not rather strive who shal be most forward to take hold of it and come up by it If a pardon be published that whoever will accept of it be his rebellion and treason never so hainous he shall find mercy is not here incouragement to the worst of rebels to come in and accept of pardon and not question the secret intention of the magistrate whether he propound the pardon in general terms only for tryal conviction or for their actual deliverance There is not any one sin except the sin against the holy Ghost which is therefore unpardonable because they that commit it have not grace to repent but some that have been guilty of that sin and have committed it have found mercy Paul Mary Magdalen Peter Manasseh Sampson Solomon Zacheus c. are now glorious Saints in heaven And is not here ground and incouragement for thee to believe If the Lord give thee a heart to believe for it is his gift By grace are ye saved through faith Eph. 2.8 and that not of your selves it is the gift of God Doubtless there are many precious saints that can witness to this Truth tell you by experience that God gives true faith peace of conscience in such a ministry as this breathing by his spirit thereon for the Spirit breaths where it pleaseth as the wind bloweth where it listeth and thou knowest not whence it cometh nor whither it goeth So is every one that is born of the Spirit Now the Lord lead his people into truth and by the light of his Countenance and the brightness of his glorious appearance let error and darkness be dispelled and all Antichristian Doctrines and opinions suppressed certainly as the glorious God hath in a great measure already so he will much more ere it be long vindicate his own spirit his Sons Blood his Truth his Ministry his Ordinances his Saintes his own great and glorious Name and testifie more clearly and convincingly against the mysterie of Antichrist which now worketh in this Nation under another vizard and by other Instruments then formerly it hath wrought but shall have no better success then it formerly had FINIS