Nor is it lefs abfurd to fay the import of these words is this, he died for, or he is the propitiation for the fins of the elect of the whole world. For,

1ft. I have already fhewed that in the Scripture, and more efpecially in the writings of St. John, the world, or the whole world, doth never fignify the elect only in oppofition to the wicked of the world, but ftill the wicked of the world, in oppofition to the faithful chriftian.

adly. Would it not be ftrange, and alien from the mind of fcripture, to fay the whole world is elected to falvation ?— The whole world fhall be juftified by faith in Chrift, and truly fan&tified by his fpirit; the fpirit of God dwells in the whole world, and the whole world fhall be raised by Chrift to eternal happiness? And yet all this is certainly true of the whole world of the elect: Why therefore is it not equally affirmed of the whole world, if they be words of equal latitude and truth? Do not Calvinism lead to Universalison

SECTION V.-And having fo fully evidenced that the world in these three places fignifies not only the elect, but the whole world, we are fufficiently affured that the fame word in the fame Evangelift bears the fame fenfe in all the other places mentioned, v. g.

When the Baptift faith (q) behold the lamb of God who taketh away the fins of the world; doth he not fpeak this in allufion to the lambs daily offered up for the fins of the whole Jewish nation, and therefore intimate that as they were offered up to expiate the fins of the whole nation, fo was this lamb of God offered to expiate the fins of the whole world in general?

When Chrift faith, (r) he is that bread which came down from heaven to give life unto the world, and then tells the unbelieving Jews, who were of the world, and fo continued, my father giveth you this bread from heaven; and that this was the work God required of them to believe in him; is it not evident that these unbelievers, these men of the world, in oppofition to the elect out of the world, muft alfo be the men whom he came down from heaven to give life unto? Or could he reasonably say to them for whose falvation he was never fent, ()thefe things I fay unto you that ye might be faved; or complain thus of them to whom he never was defigned to give life, ye will not come unto me that ye might have life?When he adds, Ver. 51. This bread is my flesh which I will give for the life of the world; and then faith to the fame Jews, if ye eat not my flesh, i. e. believe not in me crucified, you have no life in you; muft it not be their duty to believe

(q) John i. 29.-(r) john vi. 33.--(f) John v. 34, 40.

in him that died not for them? In a word; to be the Chrift, and to be the Savior of the world, are in two of thefe places fet by way of appofition to fignify they as words of the fame latitude; as when the Samaritans fay we know this is truly, ὁ σωτὴρ το κόσμο ὁ Χρι sos, that Chrift who is the Savior of the world; and the apof tle, (t) we have feen and do teftify that God hath fent rov vor owrnρa to nósμe, his fon, i. e. the Savior of the world. Now would the apostle have given this defcription of the Chrift, the Son of God, had he believed that he was not defigned to be the Savior of the world, but only of thofe elect whom, faith he, (u) the world hateth; because they are not of the world? Did he not come to feek and fave that which was loft, as all men were? And to fave finners, which is the condition of all men ? Thefe places therefore, though they be indefinite in words, are yet equivalent to univerfals; for wherefore came he to fave that which was loft, but because it was loft? or to fave finners, but because they were finners? And if that be the reafon, he must come to fave all finners, all that were loft; the reafon being equal as to all that are fo.

y might live? And could they do this if he

SECTION VI. Moreover, when the apoftle faith, (v) God was in Chrift reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing to them their fins; the import of these words is plainly this, he was offering through Chrift a reconciliation to the world, and promifing to them who would believe in him an abfolu tion from their past offences. This is evident, ft. Becaufe he was doing this not by himself immediately, but only by the miniftry of his apofles; for fo the words run. He hath given us the miniftry of reconciliation, viz. that God was in Chrift reconciling the world to himfelf, not imputing to them their tre paffes, nai béμevos ev nμiv, and placing in (or committing to) us the word of reconciliation. Now did they make a declaration to the impenitent, unbelieving world, that God was actually reconciled to them, and had forgiven their iniquities: No, they exhorted them (w) to repent and be baptifed, in the name of the Lord Jefus, for the remiffion of fins; (x) to repent and be converted that their fins might be blotted out (y) to believe in Chrift that they might be juftified, i. e. abfolved from the guilt of fin; (z) to repent and turn to the Lord that they might receive remiffion of fins. 2dly, Because they in purfuance of this commiffion entreated all to whom they preached to be reconciled to God; which being only to be done through faith in Chrift, they muft entreat them to be

(t) John iv. 14. (u) I John iii. 13, (v) 2 Cor. v. 19. (w) Acts ii. 38.- -(x) Acts iii, 19,-(y) Acts xiii. 38, 39.—(x)

Acts xxvi, 18, 20.

; and

lieve in him that they might be juftified, i. e. obtain reconciliation through his blood fhed for the remiffion of fins this the apostle's reafon fhews, viz. (a)we pray you be you reconciled to God, TEP Xpisë, by Chrift; for he hath made him (a facrifice for) fin for us that we might be made the righteouf ness of God (1. e. might by God be accounted righteous through faith) in him. This being fo, they who were fent to (b) preach the gospel to every human creature, and in purfuance of this commiffion (c) warned every man, and taught every man, in all wisdom, that they might prefent every man perfect in Chrift Fejus, praying all men to be reconciled to God through Chrift, becaufe he had made Chrift a facrifice for their fins, &c. they, I fay, who preached thus, and yet did not exceed their commiffion, must believe that God was ready to be reconciled to every man through Chrift; and therefore that his facrifice was offered to procure reconciliation for all mankind. As therefore Chrift is ftyled the lamb of God that taketh away the fins of the world, and faid to be the propitia tion for the fins of the whole world, not by actually removing the guilt of all men, or rendering God actually reconciled to them, but by dying to procure thefe bleffings for all that would believe in him; fo God is faid to be in Chrift reconciling the world to himself, &c. not because he actually did fo, but becaufe by thefe ambaffadors he offered reconciliation and remiffion of fins through faith in Chrift to all that would believe in him.

CHAPTER III.

A THIRD head of arguments, to confirm the generality

of Chrift's redemption, arifeth from thofe places which either exprefsly day, or by plain confequence affert, Chrift died for them that perif; for hence the argument runs thus:

J

SECTION LIf Chrift died for them that perish, and for them that do not perifh, he died for all; but Chrift died for them that perifh, and for them that do not perish. Ergo, he -(c) Coloff. i. 28.

(a) See the Note there, -(b) Mark xvi, 15.

died for all men. That he died for them that do not perish, is confeffed by all, and if he died for any that may or fhall perish, there is the fame reason to affirm he died for all that do fo. Now that he died for fuch, the fcripture faith exprefsly in these words, (a) and through thy knowledge Shall thy weak brother perish for whom Chrift died; and it doth intimate as much in this injunction, (b) deftroy not him with thy meat for whom Chrift died. In both which places the apoftle exhorts those to whom he writes, not to fcandalife their weak brethren, by an argument taken from the irreparable mifchief they might do them, viz. the eternal ruin they might bring upon them by fo doing. Now if the apostle knew and taught that none could be deftroyed or perifh for whom Chrift died, they to whom thefe exhortations are directed, must be fupposed to know and to believe it; and then St. Paul must, in thefe places, exhort them to avoid the fcandalifing of their brother, by faying that effect might follow from their scandal which he before had told them was impoffible. Now is it reasonable to believe that one affifted by the holy ghost, fhould feriously and folemnly admonifh them not to deftroy those fouls for whom Chrift died; who by his doctrine were obliged to believe that they for whom Chrift died could never be deftroyed?

Anfw. 1. Some anfwer, that the offence confifts in this; that though the person who thus perisheth cannot be one for whom Chrift died, he may be one for whom they were in charity to believe he might die.

Reply. But this anfwer cuts off the whole ftrength of the apostle's argument or motive to abftain from fcandalifing a weak brother, fince if I know this never can be done, I know 1 am fecure from ever running fuch an hazzard; for if I really deftroy or give occafion to his ruin, I must be sure on that account Chrift died not for him, and that he fuffers nothing by my action, but that without it his ruin was inevitable; but if my judgment of charity concerning him was true, I know I cannot do what the apostle here enjoins me to be careful to avoid. It is therefore certain from this doctrine, that they muft either be affured this judgment of charity must be falfe, and then they could not be obliged to act by it; or that their brother could not perish, and then they could not rationally be moved by this impoffible fuppofition to abftain from fcandalifing him.

Anfw. 2. Others anfwer, that they may be faid to destroy or caufe him to perifh for whom Chrift died, though his de fruction doth not follow; becaufe they do that which in its

(a) 1 Cor. viii. 11. -(b) Rom. xiv, 15.
P

own nature tends to his deftruction, and might have that effect, had not God determined to preferve all for whom Chrift died, from perifhing.

Reply. Should this be granted, the force of the apostle's argument will fill be taken off; for if I am infallibly affured, God will prevent this iffue in all for whom Chrift died, the fear that they should actually die, can be no proper motive to abftain from the commiffion of that action which may fcandalife them; thus, though an arrow fhot out of a bow might kill my father, yet if I am affured he ftandeth where my arrow cannot hit him, it would be folly to exhort me not to fhoot, left I fhould kill my father. If then I am as certainly affured that none for whom Chrift died can perish, it must be as unreasonable to exhort me not to fcandalife them left by that action they fhould perifh. Moreover, the apostle adds, that by thus offending our weak brother, we fin against Chrift, 1. e. by caufing them to perifh whom he had purchafed with his blood, and died to fave. Deny this intent of Chrift's death, and you can never fhew how by offending them who never did or could belong to Chrift as members of his body myftical, we are injurious to Chrift.

SECTION II-A like argument arifes from the defign of the apostle in the epiftle to the Hebrews, who to deter the Jews from neglecting the great falvation offered to them by Chrift, and from apoftatifing from the faith they had received, faith, (c) that if they should fin wilfully after they had received the knowledge of the truth, there would remain no more facrifice for their fin, feeing they would be guilty of trampling under foot the fon of God, and counting the blood of the covenant, by which they were fanclified an unholy thing. Now in what tolerable fenfe can it be fad, that no farther facrifice for fin remains to them for whom no facrifice was ever offered or intended? And who were by God's own decree excluded from any intereft in Chrift's death before they came into the world? How were they fanctified by the blood of that covenant from which they were inevitably excluded from the beginning of the world? Or how do they neglect this great falvation for whom it never was intended? To ftrengthen this argument, let it be confidered,

1ft. That it is evidently the fame perfon who tramples under foot the Son of God, and doth defpite to the holy ghoft, who is here faid to have been fanctified by the blood of the Covenant for this paragraph lies betwixt the other two, and is connected to both by the copulative naì and, which fhews that thefe three things belong to the fame perfon; and this

(c) Heb. x. 26, 293