Secondly, See what the Scripture prjrug, " expressly," assigneth as the proper end and immediate effect (according to the purpose of God and his own intention) of the effusion of the blood of Jesus Christ, and you shall find that he intended by it to take away the sins of many; to "make his soul an offering for sin," that he miglit " see his seed," that " the pleasure of the Lord might prosper in his hand," Isa. liii. 10 ; to be " a ransom for many," Matt. xx. 28 ; to " bear the sins of many," Heb. ix. 28. He " bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we should live unto righteousness," 1 Pet. ii. 24; that " we might be made the righteousness of God in him," 2 Cor. v. 21 ; thereby reconciling us unto God, verse 19. He died to "reconcile us unto God, in the body of his flesh through death," that we might be "holy and unblamable," Col. i. 21, 22; to "purge our sins," Heb. i. 8; to "obtain eternal redemption for us," chap. ix. 12. So that if Christ by his death obtained what he did intend, he liath purchased for us not only a iJOssibiUty of salvation, but holiness, righteousness, reconciliation with God, justification freedom from
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98 A DISPLAY OF ARMINIANISM.
the guilt and condemning power of sin, everlasting redemption, eternal life and glory in heaven.
Thirdly, I appeal unto the conscience of all Christians, — First, Whether they do not suppose the very foundation of all their conso- lation to be stricken at, when they shall find those places of Scrip- ture^ that affirm Christ to have died to take away our sins, to re- concile us unto God, to put away or abolish our transgressions, to wash and regenerate us, perfectly to save us, and purchase for us an everlasting redemption, whereby he is become unto us righteousness, and redemption, and sanctification, the Lord our righteousness, and we become the righteousness of God in him, to be so wrested as if he should be said only to have done something from which these things might happily follow?
Secondly, Whether they think it not a ready way to impair their love and to weaken their faith in Christ, Avhen they shall be taught that Clirist hath done no more for them than for those that are damned in hell ; that, be their assurance never so great that Christ died for them, yet there is enough to be laid to their charge^to con- demn them; that though God is said to have reconciled them unto himself in Christ, Col. i. 19, 20, yet indeed he is as angry with them as with any reprobate in the world ; that God loveth us not first, but so long as we continue in a state of enmity against him, before our conversion, he continues our enemy also, so that the first act of friend- ship or love must be performed on our part, notwithstanding that the Scripture saith, " When we were enemies, we were reconciled unto God," Rom. v. 10?
Thirdli/, Whether they have not hitherto supposed themselves bound to believe that Christ died for their sins, and rose for their justification? Do they not think it lawful to pray that God would bestow upon them grace and glory for Christ's sake? and to believe that Jesus Christ was such a mediator of the new covenant as pro- cured for the persons covenanted withal all the good things compre- hended in the promise of that covenant?
I will not farther press upon this prevarication against Christian religion; only, I would desire all the lovers of Jesus Christ seriously to consider whether these men do truly aim at his honour and ad- vancing the dignity of his merit, and not rather at the crying up of their own endeavours, seeing the sole cause of their denying these glorious effects of the blood of Christ is to appropriate the praise of them unto themselves; as we shall see in the next chapter.
These charges are never to be waived by the vanity of their so- phistical distinctions, as of that of impetration and application ; which, though it may be received in an orthodox meaning, yet not in that 1 llcl). ix. 12, 14, 15, 24, 28; L-a. liii. 10; 1 Jolm iL 2, eta
OF THE DEATH OF CHRIST.
99
sense, or rather nonsense, whereunto they abuse it ; — namely, as though Christ had obtained that for some which shall never be imparted unto them ; that all the blessings procured by his death are proper to none, but pendent in the air for them that can or will catch them : whereupon, when we object Hhat by this means all the efficacy of the merit of Christ is in our own power, they readily grant it, and say it cannot otherwise be. Let them that can, receive these monsters in Christianity ; for my part, in these following contradictory assertions I will choose rather to adhere to the authority of the word of God than of Arminius and his sectaries: —
S. S.
" He made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him," 2 Cor. v. 21. " He loved the church, and gave himself for it ; that he might pre- sent it unto himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrin- kle, or any such thing," Eph. v. 25, 27.