the work of grace upon their souls, or rather to the world, and that dià Tâν κaλôv epywv, by good works; as these words are read in two manuscript copies of Beza's, and by the Syriac, Ethiopic, and Vulgate Latin; and then the meaning is, be careful to maintain good works, be diligent in doing these things, which, through the grace of God, will not only be the means of your final perseverance, but also of making your calling and election sure to others; you will hereby certify and assure others, give the best evidence to the world you are capable of giving, or they of receiving, that you are the called and chosen of God you profess yourselves to be.

SECTION LIV.

But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.-2 PET. ii. 1.

THIS passage of Scripture is often produced as a proof both of the saints' final and total apostacy*, and of universal redemption; or that, besides those that are saved, Christ died also for them that perish. Dr. Whitby + mentions the several answers which different men give to these words: one saith, Christ bought these persons only to be slaves; another, that he died to rescue them from temporal, but not eternal punishments; a third, that he died for them because he gave a sufficient price for them; a fourth, that they denied that Lord whom they professed to have bought them; and a fifth, that they denied him, who, in the judgment of other men, had bought them. Upon which he observes, that they are so extravagant that it is as easy to confute as to recite them.

1. I do not think myself concerned to defend any of these senses of the text mentioned, judging neither of them to be the meaning of the words, and so have nothing to do with the reasonings made use of in the confutation of them; though, perhaps, the two latter are not so extravagant as represented. However, in order to give the genuine sense of this text, let it be observed,

2. That Christ is not here at all spoken of; nor is there one syllable of his dying for any persons, in any sense whatever. The word deonórηs, Lord, does not design Christ, but God the Father of Christ. The only places besides this where this word is used, when applied to a divine person, 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 manifestly distinguished from Christ; nor is there anything in this text or context which obliges us to understand it of the Son of God; nor should this be thought any diminution of the glory of Christ, since the word deσлóτηs is properly expressive only of that power which masters have over their servants; whereas the * Remonstr. in Coll. Hag. art. v. p. 17, and art. ii. p. 132, 160; Act. Synod. circ. art. ii. p. 354, &c.; Curcell. p. 360; Limborch, p. 322. Page 141, 142; ed. 2. 138, 139.

word kúptos, which is used whenever Christ is called Lord, signifies that dominion and authority which princes have over their subjects. Besides, Christ is called the King of kings, the Lord of lords, and the only Potentate; yea, God over all, blessed for ever. Moreover,

3. When these persons are said to be bought, the meaning is, not that they were redeemed by the blood of Christ, for, as is before observed, Christ is not intended. Besides, whenever redemption by Christ is spoken of, the price is usually mentioned, or some circumstance or another which fully determines the sense of it; see Acts xx. 28; 1 Cor. vi. 20; Eph. i. 7; 1 Pet. i. 18-19; Rev. v. 9, and xiv. 3-4, whereas here is not the least hint of anything of this kind. Add to this, that such who are redeemed by Christ, are never left to deny him, so as to perish eternally; for could such be lost, or bring on themselves swift destruction, Christ's purchase would be in vain, and the ransom-price be paid for nought. But,

4. The word buying regards temporal deliverance, and particularly the redemption of the people of Israel out of Egypt; who are therefore called the people the Lord had purchased. The phrase is borrowed from Deut. xxxii. 6; Do ye thus requite the Lord, O foolish people and unwise? Is not he thy Father that hath bought thee? Hath he not made thee and established thee? Nor is this the only place the apostle Peter refers to in this chapter; see ver. 12, 13, compared with Deut. xxxii. 5. Now the persons the apostle writes to, were Jews, the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, a people who, in all ages, valued themselves upon, and boasted mightily of their being the bought, purchased people of the Lord; wherefore Peter makes use of this phrase much in the same manner as Moses had done before him, to aggravate the ingratitude and impiety of these false teachers among the Jews; that they should deny, if not in words, at least in works, that mighty Jehovah, who had of old redeemed their fathers out of Egypt, with a stretched-out arm, and, in successive ages, had distinguished them with peculiar favours; being ungodly men, turning the grace, the doctrine of the grace of God, into lasciviousness. Hence,

5. Nothing can be concluded from this passage in favour of Christ's dying for them that perish; since neither Christ, nor the death of Christ, nor redemption by his blood, are here once mentioned, nor in the least intended. Nor can these words be thought to be a proof and instance of the final and total apostacy of real saints, since there is not anything said of these false teachers, which gives any reason to believe that they were true believers in Christ, or ever had the grace of the Spirit wrought in their souls.

SECTION LV.

For if after that they have escaped the pollutions of the world, through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome; the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his vomit again; and the sow that was washed, to her wallowing in the mire.-2 PET. ii. 20-22. THIS Scripture generally* stands among the proofs of the apostacy of real saints; and it is said †, that the possibility of the final and total falling away of true believers, may be strongly argued from these words.

1. It will be allowed that the persons here spoken of, finally and totally fell away; since they are not only said to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them, but to be again entangled in the pollutions of the world, and overcome; yea, to turn like the dog to his vomit, and the sow to her wallowing in the mire: so that the latter end with them is worse than the beginning. Yet,

2. Nothing is said of them which discovers them to have been true believers. They might have externally escaped the pollutions of the world, reformed in their outward lives and conversations, through a notional knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ; professed the way of righteousness, and, for a while, visibly walked in it, and submitted to the holy commandments and ordinances of Christ, and yet not have been partakers of the grace of God; nor is it evident that the apostle here speaks of such who had obtained like precious faith with them; but of some third persons distinct from them. Perhaps the highest character given them is in ver. 18, which is, that they were such who were clean, ovros, truly and really, as Dr. Whitby renders. the word, escaped from them who live, ev λávy, in error; which, he observes, is to be understood, not of judgment, but of deceitful lusts. But let it be considered that there are different readings of this text; some copies, instead of orTws read oλiyos within a little, or almost; so the Alexandrian MS. in the Polyglott Bible, and two books of Beza's; others alyov; so the Complutensian edition, and the King of Spain's Bible; agreeably the Vulgate Latin renders it paululum, a very little, or a very little time. The Syriac version reads it bp bp, in a few words, or almost; and, according to the Ethiopic version, a few persons are designed. From all which, this sense of the words may be collected, that there were some few persons, who, in some few instances, had almost, or within a very little, or for a little time, escaped from such who lived in error, being carried away with divers and strange doctrines. But admitting that ovтws is the true reading, and that * Remonstr. in Coll. Hag. art. v. p. 17; Act. Synod. circ. art. v. p. 242, &c.; Limboren, Whitby, p. 409; ed. 2. 398. Page 410; ed. 2. 399.

p. 711.

Tλávy signifies not error of judgment, but deceitful lusts; it is possible that men may truly and really escape, not only from idolaters and false teachers, and so have the form of sound doctrine, whilst they deny the power of it, but also reform and withdraw from openly profane and scandalous sinners, and yet not be true believers, as it appears these were not; since they openly turned to, and appeared to be what they really were; as the dog turns to his own vomit, and the sow to her wallowing in the mire.

SECTION LVI.

The Lord is not slack concerning his promise (as some men count slackness), but is long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.-2 PET. iii. 9.

THIS Scripture appears among those which are said to be very many clear and express ones for the doctrine of universal redemption; and it is observed†, "that rives, opposed to Távτes, is a distributive of all, and, therefore, signifies, God is not willing that any one of the whole rank of men should perish." But,

1. It is not true that God is not willing any one individual of the human race should perish, since he has made and appointed the wicked for the day of evil, even ungodly men, who are fore-ordained to this condemnation, such as are vessels of wrath fitted for destruction; yea, there are some to whom God sends strong delusions, that they may believe a lie, that they all might be damned; and others whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not. Nor is it his will that all men, in this large sense, should come to repentance, since he withholds from many both the means and grace of repentance; and, though it is his will of precept, that all to whom the preaching of the gospel is vouchsafed should repent, yet it is not his purposing, determining will, to bring them all to repentance; for then they would all come to repentance, for who hath resisted his will§?

2. It is very true that rives, any, being opposed to Távτes, all, is a distributive of it; but then both the any and the all are to be limited and restrained by the us, to whom God is long-suffering; God is not willing that any more should not perish, and is willing that no more should come to repentance than the us to whom his long-suffering is salvation. The key, therefore, to open this text lies in these words, els quas, to us-ward, or for our sake; for these are the persons God would not have any of them perish, but would have them all come to repentance. It will be proper, therefore,

3. To enquire who these are. It is evident that they are distinguished from the scoffers mocking at the promise of Christ's coming, ver. 3, 4, are called beloved, ver. 1, 8, 14, 17, which is to be understood either of their being beloved by God, with an everlasting and unchangeable love, or of their being beloved as brethren by the apostle and other saints; * Remonstr. in Coll. Hag. art. ii. p. 160, 181, 196; Curcellæus, p. 364; Limborch, p. 333; Whitby, p. 113; ed. 2. 111. Whitby, p. 124; ed. 2. 121. ‡ Prov. xvi. 4; Jude ver. 4; Rom. ix. 22; 2 Thess. xi. 12; 2 Pet. i. 3. § Rom. ix. 19.

neither of which is true of all mankind. Besides, the design of the words is to establish the saints in, and comfort them with the coming of Christ, until which, God was long-suffering towards them, and which they were to account salvation, ver. 15. Add to this, that the apostle manifestly designs a company or society to which he belonged, and of which he was a part, and so can mean no other than such who were chosen of God, redeemed from among men, and called out of darkness into marvellous light; and such were the persons the apostle writes to. Some copies read the words di vuâs, for your sakes; so the Alexandrian MS. the Syriac version, parbon, for you, or your sakes; the same way the Ethiopic. Now these persons were such who were elect, according to the foreknowledge of God the father, through sanctification of the Spirit unto obedience, and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ*; and such as these, or who belong to the same election of grace they did, God is unwilling that any of them should perish, but wills that all of them should have repentance unto life; and, therefore, he waits to be gracious to them, and defers the second coming of Christ. The case stands thus: there was a promise of Christ's second coming, to judge the world, delivered out; it was expected that this would have been very quickly, whereas it has been a long time deferred. Hence scoffers shall arise in the last days, charging the Lord with slackness and dilatoriness concerning his promise, though he is not slack with respect to it, but is long-suffering towards his elect, waiting till their number is completed in effectual vocation, and for their sakes bears with all the idolatry, superstition, and profaneness that are in the world; but when the last man that belongs to that number is called, he will stay no longer, but descend in flames of fire, take his own elect to himself, and burn up the world and the wicked in it.

4. It is indeed† said, "that the apostle, by the elect, to whom he writes, does not mean men absolutely designed for eternal happiness, but only men professing Christianity, or such as were visible members of the church of Christ: since he calls upon them to make their calling and election sure, exhorts them to watchfulness, seeing their adversary the devil goes about seeking whom he may devour, and to beware lest they full from their own steadfastness; yea, he speaks of some of them as having forsaken the right way; and also prophesies that false teachers should make merchandize of them, neither of which, it is observed, can be supposed of men absolutely elected to salvation; and, also, that the church at Babylon was elected, together with these persons, which could not be known and said of all its members." To all which I reply, that calling upon them to make their election sure, does not suppose it to be a precarious and conditional one, as I have shown in a preceding section; that exhortations to sobriety, and vigilance against Satan and cautions about falling, are pertinent to such who are absohitely el cted to salvation; for, though Satan cannot devour them, he may greatly distress them; and, though they shall not finally and totally fall from the grace of God, yet they may fall from some degree of steadfastness, both as to the doctrine and grace of faith, which may Whitby, p. 125, 126; ed. 2. 122, 123.

* 1 Pet. i. 2.