words to the doctrine of particular redemption, as is suggested *, when it is said, "You may as well hope to reconcile light and darkness, as these words of Christ with his intention to die only for them who should actually be saved;" unless it can be thought irreconcilable, and what implies a contradiction, that Christ as man should wish temporal good to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and yet not intentionally die for all mankind: should he intentionally die for them who are not actually saved, his intentions would be so far frustrated, and his death be in vain.

4. It does follow from hence that, because these people might have known the things which belonged to their temporal peace, though they were now in a judicial way hid from their eyes, therefore men may of themselves, and without the powerful and unfrustrable grace of God working upon their hearts, and enlightening their understandings, know the things that belong to their spiritual and eternal peace, seeing it is said of natural men, the way of peace they have not known+; and could these words be understood of the things belonging to spiritual and eternal peace, they would only prove that these Jews had the means of the knowledge of them, which they despising, God had given them up to blindness of heart; and so Christ's words are to be considered, not so much as pitying them, but as upbraiding them with their ignorance, unbelief, neglect, and contempt of him, his miracles, and his doctrines; therefore God was just, and they inexcusable.

5. The time in which Christ was on earth was indeed a day of light, of great mercies and favours, to the Jews; but it does not follow that, because they had such a time, therefore all men have a day of grace, in which they may be saved if they will. Besides, the phrase this thy day may respect the time of her (Jerusalem's) visitation, ver. 44, which was a day of vengeance, and not of grace, that was hastening on, and near at hand, though hid from her, and was the occasion of Christ's compassionate tears and wishes.

SECTION XXVIII.

The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the light, that all men through him might believe.-JOHN i. 7.

A CONSIDERABLE argument in favour of the extent of Christ's death to all men is thought to arise from the obligation which is, and always was, upon all persons to whom the gospel is or was revealed to believe in Christ, that he came to save them and died for them; for if he died not for them, they are bound to believe a lie; and if condemned for not believing, they are condemned for not believing an untruth ‡. I observe,

1. That the argument is most miserably lame and deficient. The thing to be proved is, that Christ died for every individual man and woman that have been, are, or shall be in the world. The medium by which this is attempted to be proved is, the obligation that lies on Whitby, p. 162; ed. 2, 158. † Rom. iii. 17. Ibid., p. 143, 144, 146 ; ed. 2. 140-142.

such to whom the gospel is revealed, to believe that Christ died for them; and the conclusion is, that therefore Christ died for all men. Now the gospel has not been nor is it revealed to all men, only to some; wherefore was there any truth in the medium, the conclusion would not follow. The argument stands thus: all men to whom the gospel is revealed are bound to believe that Christ died for them; some men have the gospel revealed to them, therefore Christ died for all men. The weakness and fallacy of such an argument must be seen by every one: a most miserable argument this, which proceeds upon a partial revelation of the gospel to an universal redemption. I observe,

2. That the obligation to believe in Christ, and so the faith to which men are obliged, are in proportion, and according to the nature of the revelation of the gospel, which obliges them. Now the gospel revelation is either external or internal: the external revelation is by the word, and the ministry of it; which, respecting Christ, lies in these things, that he is really and properly God and truly man; that he is the Son of God, and the Mediator between God and men; that he is the Messiah, who is actually come in the flesh; that he died and rose again the third day; is ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God, and will come a second time to judge the world in righteousness; and that by his obedience, sufferings, and death, he is become the Saviour of sinners, and that none can be saved but by him. Now let it be observed, that this revelation is general, and not particular, and does not necessarily oblige persons to whom it comes to believe that Christ is their Redeemer and Saviour, and that he died for them particularly, though the Spirit of God may and does bless it to many for the begetting special faith; and it may and does lay a general foundation for special and appropriating acts of that grace, yet it only requires an historical faith, or bare assent to the truth of the said propositions. Now such a faith is not saving; men may have this, and yet be damned; yea, the devils themselves have it. It follows that men may be obliged to believe, and yet not to the saving of their souls, or that Christ died for them. Besides, this revelation is not made to all men; and therefore all men, such as Indians and others, are not obliged to believe in Christ, nor even to give a bare assent to the truth of the abovesaid things, much less to believe that Christ died for them; and indeed, How shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher*? And perhaps all are not obliged to believe who live in a land where this revelation does come; as those who have not their natural reason and hearing, or the due and proper use and exercise of the same, such as infants, idiots, madmen, and those who are entirely deaf; only such to whom this revelation is made, and are capable of hearing and understanding it, are obliged to have faith in Christ by it, as were the Jews of old, who were condemned for their unbelief, not because they did not believe that Christ died for them, to which they were not obliged, but because they did not believe him to be God, the Son of

*Rom. x. 14.

God, the true Messiah, and Saviour of sinners. The internal revelation of the gospel, and of Christ through it, is by the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him; whereby a soul is made sensible of its lost state and condition, and of its need of a Saviour; is made acquainted with Christ as the alone Saviour, both able and willing to save to the uttermost all that come to God by him; whence it is encouraged to venture on him, rely upon him, and believe in him to the saving of it now such an one ought to believe, and none but such, that Christ died for them. This faith all men have not; it is the faith of God's elect, the gift of God, the operation of his Spirit, and the produce of almighty power.

:

Now, according to the revelation is the faith men are obliged to, and what is produced by it: if the revelation is external, or the gospel comes in word only, the faith men are obliged to is only an historical one, nor can any other follow upon it; and that Christ died for every individual man is no part of the revelation. If the revelation is internal, a special spiritual appropriating faith is the result of it; but then this revelation is not made to all men, nor are God's elect themselves, before conversion, bound to believe that Christ died for them; and when they are converted, to believe that Christ died for them is not the first act of special faith; it is the plerophory, the full assurance of faith, to say, He hath loved me, and hath given himself for me *. Hence,

3. Since there is not a revelation of the gospel made to all men, and all men are not bound to believe in Christ, much less to believe that Christ died for them; it follows that no such absurdity can attend the denial of universal redemption, that some more are bound to believe a lie; nor will it be the condemnation of the heathens that they believe not in Christ, but that they have sinned against the light, and broken the law of nature; nor will any persons enjoying a revelation be condemned for not believing that Christ died for them, but for the breach of God's laws, and neglect and contempt of his gospel; nor is there any danger of any one person's believing a lie, since all those who do truly believe in Christ, and that he died for them, shall certainly be saved, which is the fullest proof that can be of his dying for them. Christ's dying for an unbelieving Christian, and a Christian being under a condemnatory decree, are unintelligible phrases, mere paradoxes, and contradictions in terms†.

4. John the Baptist's bearing witness of Christ, the light, and true Messiah, that all men through him might believe, respects not all the individuals of human nature, since millions were dead before he began his testimony, and multitudes since, whom it never reached; nor can it design more than the Jews, to whom alone he bore witness of Christ; the faith which he taught, and required by his testimony, was not to. believe that Christ died for them, who as yet was not dead, but an assent unto him as the Messiah. This was the work, will, and command of God, that they should believe on him, in this sense, whom he had sent. This is what Christ often called for from them, declaring, that Whitby, p. 146; ed. 2. 142.

* Gal. ii. 20.

if they believed not that he was the Messiah, they should die in their sins; and this was what the Spirit of God reproved the world of the Jews for, by bringing down the wrath of God in temporal ruin and destruction upon their persons, nation, city, and temple. Since then this text, with multitudes of others, which speak of believing in Christ, only regards the people of the Jews, and designs only a bare assent to him as the Messiah, which would have preserved that people and nation from temporal ruin; it does not follow that all men are bound to believe in Christ, that he died for them, and consequently can be of no service to the doctrine of universal redemption.

SECTION XXIX.

But these things I say, that ye might be saved.-JOHN v. 34.

*

THIS passage of Scripture is often produced as a proof of Christ's serious intention to save some who are not saved, to whom he gave sufficient means of salvation, which they refused; and consequently that his Father had made no decree, whereby they stood excluded from salvation; that he did not die intentionally only for such who are actually saved, and that the work of conversion is not wrought by an irresistible and insuperable power. To which I reply,

1. It is certain that the Jews, to whom Christ here speaks, had not means sufficient to salvation; for though the testimonies of his Father, of John the Baptist, and of his own works and miracles, which he produced, were proper means to induce them to believe that he was the Messiah, yet not means sufficient to salvation; for to salvation, an internal work of grace, the regeneration of the Spirit, are absolutely requisite and necessary; without which no man can be saved. Now it is evident, that they wanted these, since they had not the love of God in them, ver. 42; nor his word abiding in them, ver. 38; nor so much as the knowledge of Christ's divinity, or of his being the true Messiah, ver. 18.

2. It is taken for granted, that these words regard a spiritual and eternal salvation; whereas they may very well be understood of a temporal one; and the sense of them be this; these things I say, that is, these testimonies of my Father, and of John, I produce, not so much for my own honour and glory, as for your good; that ye, through these testimonies of me, may believe that I am the true Messiah, and so be saved from the temporal ruin and destruction, which will otherwise come upon you and your nation, for your disbelief, neglect, and contempt of me. But,

3. Admitting that Christ spoke these words with a view to the spiritual and eternal salvation of his audience; it should be observed, that he is here to be considered as a preacher, a minister of the circumcision, sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, for whose

* Remonstr. in Coll. Hag. art. iii. iv. p. 216; Act. Synod. p. 81; Curcell. 1. 6, c. 13, sec. 6, p. 402; Limborch. 1. 4, c. 13, sect. 13, p. 373; Whitby, p. 13, 73, 135, 162; ed. 2. 13, 72, 132, 158.

welfare he had a compassionate regard and concern; and therefore published the things concerning his person, office, and grace, indefinitely to them all, that he might gain some, not knowing as man, though he did as God, who were chosen, and who were not; which consideration of him is neither injurious to God nor to him.

4. It will be difficult, if not impossible, to prove, that the persons to whom Christ spoke these words, were not eternally saved; though at the present time they were unbelievers, and destitute of the grace of God, yet might hereafter be converted and enabled to go to Christ for life and salvation or at least, there might be some among them who were the elect of God, and sheep of Christ; for whose sake Christ might express himself in this manner, in order to bring them to the knowledge of him, and salvation by him; and therefore do not militate either against any decree or act of preterition passed by God, respecting any part of mankind, or the doctrines of particular redemption and unfrustrable grace in conversion.

SECTION XXX.

And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.—JOHN V. 40. THESE words are usually cited together with the former, and are urged for the same purposes; particularly to show that Christ seriously intended the salvation of such who would not come to him for it; and that man does not lie under any disability of coming to Christ for life; did he, his not coming to Christ would not be criminal in him; nor would he be blame-worthy for what he could not help*. To which I answer,

1. That what Christ intends, he intends seriously; but it does not appear from these words, that he did intend the salvation of these persons who would not come to him, but rather the contrary; since they look more like a charge exhibited against them, for their neglect of him, as the way of life and salvation, and trusting to the law of Moses, and their obedience to it, and therefore did not receive him, or believe in him; and though Christ declined bringing in an accusation directly and in form against them, yet he acquaints them that there was one that accused them, even Moses, in whom they trusted; and therefore their future condemnation would be justifiable upon their own principles, and by the very writings they had such an opinion of; since these testified of him, and of eternal life by him, which they rejected.

2. These words are so far from being expressive of the power and liberty of the will of man to come to Christ, that they rather declare the perverseness and stubbornness of it; that man has no desire, inclination, or will, to go to Christ for life; but had rather go any where else, or trust to any thing else, than to him. Man is stouthearted, and far from the righteousness of Christ, and submission to it; is not subject to the law of God, nor the gospel of Christ; nor can he

*Whitby, p. 52, 73, 358; ed. 2. 51, 72, 349.