Ans. 2. Again, whomsoever Christ did love and give himself for to death, there be other fruits which accompany this. They who have interest in Christ's redemption, they have the spirit of application. Where there is obtaining by Christ anything of God, there, I say, is grace to apply it by his Spirit ; and many things go with it. For them that he died for, as the apostle shews, Rom. viii. 11, 'for them he rose again, and for them he sits at the right hand of God.' These go together : ' For if he spared not his own Son, but gave him to death for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things ? ' Rom. viii. 32. "Where God gives Christ, he gives the spirit of application with him, Mat. xvii. 13, 2 Thess. iii. 2. But we see that the greatest part of the world have not faith ; for it is the faith of the elect, which worldlings not having, nor the grace of application, therefore they have not the favour of God obtained by Christ. So it is written, Rom. v. 10, ' For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.' These go together. Now the greatest part are not saved by his life, therefore they are not reconciled by his death.
Other places do clear this truth, as Heb. ix. 14, where is shewed, that where Christ hath offered up himself for any, there is also a purging of the conscience from dead works to serve the living God. But the most are not purged, therefore they have no interest in Christ's death.
A strong reason is farther shewed hereof by Christ, John xvii. 9, where he avouches plainly, and makes a main difference between two sorts of people, saying, ' I pray for them : I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me, for they are thine.'
Obj. But here some may object, Christ's death is of larger extent than his intercession.
Atis. To cut off" this objection, Christ says after in the same chapter, ver. 17, ' And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also may be sanctified through the truth.' That is, I prepare and sanctify myself to be a sacrifice as a priest ; I prepare myself to be a holy sacrifice for such ; therefore Christ sanctified himself for them, not for the world. Under the law there was a brasen altar for sacrifice, and the golden altar for incense,
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vrhich golden altar for incense was effectual for no more than the brazen altar was for sacrifice. And Christ offered himself a sacrifice for all those that he makes intercession for. The point is clear. I will not answer all the objections might be brought, only encounter with some of the main ones, which are brought by the papists against this truth. Saint Paul's meaning, therefore, is not that he loved me with that love wherewith he loved all mankind. The apostle means a more special love, ' He loved me so as he gave himself for me ;' that is, with a more special love than he bears to all mankind. This is a point that tends to God's honour and man's comfort ; for God hath the more praise and thanks from his elect, and those that are redeemed by the peculiarness of it, which the more it is, the more they acknowledge themselves bound unto God and Christ. These M'e they that are elected, these are they for whom the Scriptures are, for whom the world stands and Christ came, Ps. cxvi. 1. They love God and single him out, and the more they do so, God doth single them out to deUght in. Peculiarity enhanceth and raiseth favours to higher degrees than otherwise. The fewer that are taken out of the world from the refuse of mankind, the more their hearts are inflamed to love God again. God, as the psalmist says, hath not dealt so with every nation, Ps. cxlvii. 20. When will a man be most thankful to God and give him gloiy, but when he can say. Thou hast not dealt so with the rest of the world ; what is in me more than in the rest of mankind ? I differ nothing from them but in thy peculiar love. ; Hereupon comes the heart to be knit in love unto Christ again. But against this it will be objected,
Obj. Why doth Christ by the ministry persuade all in the church for to believe in Christ, and for to believe forgiveness of sins, if Christ did not die for them all ?
Ans. I answer, that in the church he calls all, that he may cull out his own. The minister speaks promiscuously both to the elect and those that are not, because God will not rob his own children of the benefit, though they are mingled with others to whom the blessed things do not belong ; as it is with the rain, it rains as well upon the rocks of the sea, and upon the barren heath as upon the good ground. AVhy, for any good to the rocks ? No, but because,*together with it, it rains upon the fruitful gi-ound, which hath the benefit of the rain. So God rains the showers of his ordinances upon all, but the benefit thereof is only to his ground, not to the repro- bates. The sun shines upon all, but who hath the comfort of that shining? Those who have eyes to see it only and use it, not the blind. But to them that believe not, they have another use. They have this benefit by Christ's death, that there is mercy offered them, and some gifts of the Spirit. God offers and stirs up good motions in them, but they rebel against them. There be many degrees and means of faith. They use not all the means they ought, neither take all the degrees, therefore they are without all excuse, because he gives more grace, not only the means, but he is ready to give more grace than they are willing to entertain. So it is their rebellion, which is the cause of their damnation. They are said to resist the Holy Ghost, such reprobates in the church, to quench the Spirit, Acts vii. 51, which implies the Holy Ghost is ready to work more in them than they are willing to entertain. Is it not so by experience ? There is a com- pany of profane persons, that, out of the abundance of their wicked hearts, and the poison of their breeding, will not vouchsafe to hear at all ; others that do come, though for some bye and carnal ends. Happily the Holy Ghost, in hearing, beats upon their consciences and awakes them. But