giving, or they of receiving, that you are the called and chofen of God, you profeís yout felves to be.

NUMB. LIV. 2 Pet. ii. 1.

But there were false prophets aljo among the people, even as there fhall be false teachers among you, who privily fhall bring in damnable berefies, denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift defruction.

TH

HIS paffage of fcripture is often produced as a proof both of the faints final and total apoitafy, and of univerfal redemption; or that, befides thofe that are faved, Christ died alfo for them that perish. Dr. Whitby mentions the feveral answers which different men give to thefe words: One faith, Christ bought thefe perfons only to be flaves; another, that he died to rescue them from temporal, but not eternal punishments; a third, that he died for them because he gave a fufficient price for them; a fourth, that they denied that Lord whom they profeffed to have bought them; and a

160

y Remonftr. in Coll. Hag. Art. v. p. 17. & Art. ii. p. 132, Act. Synod, cire, Art, ii. p. 354, &c. Curcell. p. 350. Limborch. p. 322.

2 Pag. 141, 142.

fifth,

fifth, that they denied him, who, in the judgment of other men, had bought them. Upon which he obferves, that they are fo extravagant, that 'tis as eafy to confute, as to recite them.

I. I do not think my felf concerned to defend any of these senses of the text mention— ed, judging neither of them to be the meaning of the words, and fo have nothing to do with the reafonings made use of in the confutation of them; though perhaps, the two latter are not fo extravagant as reprefented: However, in order to give the geRuine fenfe of this text, let it be obferv'd,

The

II. That Chrift is not here at all spoken of; nor is there one fyllable of his dying for any perfons, in any fenfe whatever. The word deπTE, Lord, does not defign δεσπότης, Chrift, but God the Father of Christ. only places befides this, where this word is ufed, when applied to a divine perfon, are Luke ii. 29. Acts iv. 24. 2 Tim. ii. 21. Jude ver. 4. Rev. vi. 10. in all which places God the Father is plainly intended, and in most of them, manifeftly diftinguished from Chrift; nor is there any thing in this text or context, which oblige us to understand it of the Son of God; nor fhould this be thought any diminution of the glory of Chrift; fince the word downs, is properly expref

expreffive only of that power which mafters have over their fervants; whereas the word xes, which is ufed whenever Chrift is cal-' led Lord, fignifies that dominion and authority which princes have over their fubjects: Befides, Chrift is called the King of kings, the Lord of lords, and the only potentate; yea, God over all, blessed for ever. Moreover,

III. When these perfons are faid to be bought, the meaning is, not that they were redeemed by the blood of Chrift; for, as is before obferved, Chrift is not intended: Befides, whenever redemption by Chrift is spoken of, the price is ufually mentioned, or fome circumftance or another, which fully determines the fenfe of it; fee Acts xx. 23. 1 Cor. vi. 20. Eph. i. 7. 1 Pet. i 18, 19. Rev. v. 9. and xiv. 3,4. whereas here is not the leaft hint of any thing of this kind. Add to this, that fuch who are redeemed by Chrift, are never left to deny him, fo as to perish eternally; for could fuch be loft, or bring on themselves fwift defstruction, Chrift's purchase would be in vain, and the ranfom price be paid for nought. But,

IV. The word buying, regards temporal deliverance, and particularly the redemption of the people of Ifrael out of Egypt; who are therefore called the people the Lord bad

U

pur

purchased. The phrafe is borrowed from Deut. xxxii. 6. Do ye thus requite the Lord, O foolish people and unwife? Is not be thy Father that bath bought thee? Hath he not made thee and established thee? Nor is this the only place the apoftle Peter refers to in this chapter; fee ver. 12, 13. compared with Dent. xxxii. 5. Now the perfons the apofile writes to, were Jews, the stranger's feattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Afia and Bithynia; a people who, in all ages, valued themfelves upon, and boasted mightily of their being the bought, purchafed people of the Lord; wherefore Peter makes ufe of this phrafe much in the fame manner as Mofes had done before him, to aggravate the ingratitude and impiety of thefe falfe teachers among the Jews; that they should deny, if not in words, at least, in works, that mighty Jehovab, who had of old redeemed their fathers out of Egypt With a ftretched out arm, and, in fucceffive ages, had diftinguifhed them with peculiar favours; being ungodly men, turning the grace, the doctrine of the grace of God into lasciviousness. Hence,

V. Nothing can be concluded from this paffage in favour of Chrift's dying for them that perish; fince neither Chrift, nor the death of Chrift, nor redemption by his blood, are here once mentioned, nor in the leaft in

tended.

tended. Nor can thefe words be home be a proof and inftance of the final and trai apostasy of real faints, fince there is not any thing faid of thefe falfe teachers, which gives any reason to believe that they were true believers in Chrift, or ever had the grace of the Spirit wrought in their fouls.

NUMB. LV. 2 Pet. ii. 20, 11.22. For if after they have escaped the pollutions f the world, through the knowledge of the Lori and Satisur Jefus Christ, they are un entangled therein, and rercome; the latter end is worse with them than the begzamung. For it bad been better fir them ut to bure known the way of righteouthed, than we they have known it, to turn

the air commandment delivered mer tiem. Pucis is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to as camis again; and, The for that was whef, ti ker wallowing in the mire.

ΤΗ

HIS forprare generally hands among the proofs of the apottaly of real faints; and it is faid, that the potibility of the final and total falling away of true belie

* Remoafr, in Coll. He, Am. v. p. 17. At Sycod circ. ta. v. p. 243, &c. Limborch, & 754.