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and consequent with the former of which it is said, God wills the salvation of all men, as they are his creatures, and the work of his hands; with the latter he wills or not wills it, according to their future conduct and behaviour: but the will of God, concerning man's salvation, is one entire, invariable, unalterable, and unchangeable will; He is in one mind; and who can turn him? and what his soul desireth even that he doth *. Nor is it merely his will of approbation or complacency, being only expressive of what is grateful and well-pleasing to him; but it is his ordaining, purposing, and determining will, which is never frustrated, but is always fulfilled. I know it is observed by some, that it is not said that God will owoai, salvos facere, save all men, as implying what he would do; but that he would have-all men σwîvai, salvos fieri, to be saved, as signifying their duty to seek after salvation, and use all means for the obtaining of it, which, when effected, is wellpleasing to him. But the other sense is to be abundantly preferred.

3. That the all men, whom God would have to be saved, are such whom he would also have to come to the knowledge of the truth; that is, not a mere nominal, but experimental knowledge of the gospel of Jesus Christ, as the way, the truth, and the life, or of the true way of life and salvation by him; and all those whom God saves, they are brought by his Spirit and grace to an acquaintance with these things, which is an act of his sovereign will, and an instance of his distinguishing favour; for whilst he hides these things from the wise and prudent, he reveals them to babes: even so, Father, says Christ, for so it seemed good in thy sight. Hence,

4. By all men whom God would have to be saved, we are not to understand every individual of mankind, since it is not the will of God that all men, in this large sense, should be saved; for it is his will that some men should be damned, and that very justly, for their sins and transgressions; ungodly men, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation; and to whom it will be said, go, ye cursed, into everlasting fire. Moreover, if it was the will of God that every individual of mankind should be saved, then every one would be saved; for who hath resisted his will? or can do it? Does he not do according to his will in the armies of the heavens, and among the inhabitants of the earth §? Nay, does he not work all things after the counsel of his own will? and it is certain that all men, in this large sense, are not saved, for some will go away into everlasting punishment, when the righteous shall go into eternal life ||. Besides, the same persons God would have saved he would have come to the knowledge of the truth; but this is not his will with respect to every individual of mankind; were it his will, he would, no doubt, give to every man the means of it, which he has not done, nor does he; for many hundred years he suffered all nations to walk in their own ways, and overlooked the times of their ignorance. He showed his word unto Jacob, his statutes and his judgments unto Israel; he hath not dealt so with any nation: and as for his judgments, they have not known them ¶. From many to whom the gospel does come, it is hid;

Job xxiii. 13. Matt. xi. 25, 26.
Matt. xxv. 45.

Jude 4. § Rom. ix. 19; Dan. iv. 35; Eph. i. 11. ¶ Acts xiv. 16, and xvii. 30; Psalm cxlvii. 19, 20.

some are given up to strong delusions to believe a lie, and few are savingly and experimentally acquainted with the truth as it is in Jesus. 5. There are indeed many things urged in favour of this large

sense of the phrase all men. Ås,

1. The exhortation of the apostle, in ver. 1, that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men. But surely by all men, is not meant every individual man, that has been, is, or shall be, in the world; millions of men are dead and gone, for whom prayer is not to be made; many in hell, to whom it would be of no service; and many in heaven, who stand in no need of it; nor should we pray for such who have sinned the sin unto death. Besides, giving of thanks, as well as prayers, were to be made for all men; but certainly the apostle's meaning is not that the saints should give thanks for wicked men, and persecutors, and particularly for a persecuting Nero; nor for heretics or false teachers, such as Hynieneus and Alexander, whom he had delivered to Satan; the phrase is therefore to be taken in a limited and restrained sense, for some only, as appears from ver. 2, for kings, and for all in authority; that is, for men of the highest, as well as of the lowest rank and quality.

2. This sense is contended for, from the reason given in ver. 5, for there is one God, "who is the God of all, the common Father and Creator of all men." Now, "it is said, thus he is the God of all men in particular; and so this argument must show, he would have all men in particular to be saved." To which may be replied, that God is the God of all men, as the God of nature and providence, but not as the God of grace, or in a covenant way, for then it would be no distinguishing favour or happiness to any people, that the Lord is their God; he is indeed the one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all, meaning believers, to whom the apostle writes; the same Lord is rich unto all, but then it is to them that call upon him.

3. This is argued for from the one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus; but it should be observed, that he is not said to be the mediator between God and all men, and much less every individual man; and since he is expressly called, the mediator of the new covenant §, he only can be a mediator for those who are in that covenant; and it is plain, that he has not performed the several branches of his mediatorial office, the oblation of himself on the cross, and his intercession in heaven, for every man; and though the nature he assumed is common to all men, was endued with the best of human affections, and subject to the common law of humanity; yet, since it was assumed with a peculiar view to the elect of God, the seed of Abraham, they share all the peculiar blessings and favours arising from the assumption of such a nature.

4. It is observed that Christ is said, in ver. 6, to give himself a ransom for all, which is understood of all men in particular; but it should be observed also, that this ransom is ἀντίλυτρον ὑπερ πάντων, α *Whitby, p. 120, 121; ed. 2. 117, 118. † 1 John v. 16. Eph. iv. 6; Rom. x. 12.

§ Heb. xii. 24.

vicarious ransom, substituted in the room and stead of all, whereby a full price was paid for all, and a plenary satisfaction made for the sins of all, which cannot be true of every individual man, for then no man could be justly condemned and punished. The sense of these words is best understood by what Christ himself has said, The Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and give his life a ransom for many*. So the Hebrew word 55, all, to which this answers, signifies sometimes many, a multitude; and sometimes only a part of a multitude, as Kimchi † has observed. Wherefore,

6. It is better by all men to understand some of all sorts, as Austin ‡ did long ago, and is the sense in which the word all is to be taken in many places; as in Gen. vii. 14; Matt. iv. 23, 24; Joel ii. 28; and is the meaning of it in ver. 1, and well agrees with the matter of fact; since Christ has redeemed some of all nations, some out of every kindred, tongue, and people; and God saves and calls some of every rank and quality, as kings and peasants: of every state and condition, as rich and poor, bond and free; of every sex, male and female; of every age, young and old; and all sorts of sinners, greater and less. It is $ indeed said, that, according to this limitation and sense of the words, God is willing some of all kindred and people should be saved; it may more truly and properly be said, that God would have all men to be damned, and that Christ died for none; since they for whom he died are none, according to this doctrine, comparatively to the greater number for whom he died not. To which I answer, it does not become us to say what might be more truly and properly said by God, or an inspired writer. However, this is certain, that as there is a whole world that lies in wickedness ||, so there is a world that shall be damned; which agrees with what the apostle Paul says in so many words, that the world shall be condemned, We are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned or damned with the world¶. Moreover, though they for whom Christ died are but few comparatively, yet they cannot be said, in a comparative sense, or in any sense at all, to be none; and indeed, when considered by themselves, are a number which no man can number. But,

7. I rather think that by all men are meant the Gentiles, who are sometimes called the world, the whole world, and every creature, Rom. xi. 12, 15; 1 John ii. 2; Mark xvi. 15; which is the sense, I apprehend, in which it is used in ver. 1, where the apostle exhorts, that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving thanks, be made for all men; for kings, and for all in authority; which was contrary to a notion that obtained among the Jews, of whom there were many in the primitive churches, that they should not pray for heathens and heathen magistrates **. The apostle enforces this exhortation from the advantage which would accrue to themselves; that we may lead a peaceable and quiet life, in all godliness and honesty; besides, says he, This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour, who will have

† In lib. Shorash, rad. .

Enchirid. c. 103.

*Matt. xx. 28. § Whitby, p. 114; ed. 2. 111. To the same purpose, Curcellæus, p. 365, and Limborch, p. 332. 1 John v. 19. **See Lightfoot, vol. i. p. 309.

1 Cor. xi. 32.

all men, Gentiles as well as Jews, to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth, and therefore has sent his ministers to preach the gospel among them; and the doctrine of the grace of God has appeared to these, all men, in order to bring them to it; for there is one God of Jews and Gentiles, who, by his gospel, has taken out of the latter a people for his name and glory; and there is one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus, who, not like Moses, who was the mediator for the Jews only, but is for the Gentiles also; and is become our peace*, that hath made both one, reconciled both in one body on the cross; preached peace to them that were afar off, and to them that were nigh; through whom, as the mediator, both have an access by one Spirit to the Father; who also gave himself a ransom for all, to redeem the Gentiles as well as Jews; which was to be testified in due time to them, as it was by the apostle, who adds, Whereunto I am ordained a preacher and an apostle (I speak the truth in Christ, I lie not), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity; and then concludes, I will therefore that men pray everywhere, and not be confined to the temple for public prayer, another Jewish notion and practice, lifting up holy hands without wrath and doubting. Seeing then there are some Jewish notions pointed at in the context, and the whole is adapted to the state and case of the Gentiles, under the gospel dispensation, there is a good deal of reason to conclude that they are designed here; whereby another principle of the Jews is confuted, which is, that the Gentiles should receive no benefit by the Messiah when he came; and is the true reason of most, if not of all, those universal expressions, relating to the death of Christ, we meet with in Scripture.

From the whole, since these words cannot be understood of every individual man, they cannot be thought to militate against God's righteous decree of reprobation, nor to maintain and support universal redemption.

SECTION XLVI.

For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, especially of those that believe. -1 TIM. iv, 19.

THESE words stand among others, which are + said to contain, in express terms, the doctrine of general redemption. But,

1. If these words represent God, as the Saviour of all men, in the sense of a spiritual and eternal salvation, they prove more than any, unless Origen and his followers, contend for, namely, an universal salvation. To say that Christ is the Saviour of all men, with respect to the impetration of salvation for them, though not with respect to the application of it to them all, is a distinction, which must, in part, make the death of Christ in vain; nor can a mere possibility of salvation, nor a conditional one, nor a putting of men into a salvable state, be intended; for then they that believe, would be only in such Eph. ii. 14-18.

† Whitby, of Redemption, p. 113; ed. 2. 111.

a precarious and uncertain state; whereas it is certain, that he that believeth shall be saved. Besides, if God is the Saviour of all men, in the sense of eternal salvation, then he must be the Saviour of unbelievers, contrary to many express passages of Scripture; such as John iii. 18, 36; Mark xvi. 16; Rev. xxi. 8.

2. The words are to be understood of providential goodness and temporal salvation; which all men have a share in, more or less. God the Father, and not Christ, is here called the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, that is, the preserver of all men; who supports them in their being, and supplies them with all the necessaries of life, and especially them that believe, who are the particular care of his providence; for though he is good, and does good to all men, yet more especially to the household of faith; which was the foundation of the apostles' trust in him, under all their labours and reproaches, which attended the preaching of the gospel. Which sense of the words is perfectly agreeable both to the analogy of faith, and to the context, and is owned by some* who are on the other side of the question.

SECTION XLVII.

For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us, that denying all ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world.—TIT. ii. 11, 12. THIS scripture also appears among the very many clear and express onest, in which the doctrine of universal redemption is thought to be contained. It is observed, "That the grace here mentioned, is the grace of God, even of that God who spared not his Son, but freely gave him up for us; that it is styled ǹ xápis ʼn σorýpios, saving grace: and that this grace hath appeared to all men;" all which is readily granted. The argument formed on these observations stands thus; "If the apostles did in their preaching tender it (salvation) to all without exception, they either tendered it to them, to whom, by God's intention it did not belong, and so exceeded their commission, or else it belongs to all men; and since it could only belong to them by virtue of Christ's passion, it follows, that the benefit of his passion must belong to all." What foundation there is in the text for such kind of reasonings, will be seen when it is considered,

1. That, by the grace of God, we are not to understand the grace which lies in his own heart, or his free love, favour, and good-will to any of the sons of men through Christ; which, though it is productive of salvation, and instructive in real piety, yet does not appear, nor has it been, nor is it made manifest to all men; neither is that grace designed by it, which lies in the hearts of believers, being implanted there by the Spirit of God; for though this also brings salvation, or has it strictly connected with it, and powerfully influences the lives and conversations of such as are partakers of it; yet it neither has

* Volkelius de vera Relig. 1. 2, c. 7, p. 10. See also Crellius de Deo, c. 19, p. 133. Whitby, p. 113; ed. 2. 111; Curcellæus, p. 359. Ibid. p. 122; ed. 2. 119.

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