Fifthly, If his intercession be for faith, then either Christ inter- cedeth for it absolutely, that they may certainly have it, or upon
VOL. X, 13
19 4 THE DEATH OF DEATH. [BOOK I.
condition, and that either on the part of God or man. — If absolutely, then all do actually believe; or that is not tnie, the Father always hears him, John xi. 42, If upon condition on the j^art of God, it can be nothing but this, if he will or please. Now, the adding of this condition may denote in our Saviour two things; — 1. A nescience of what is his Father's will in the thing interceded for: which, first, cannot stand with the unity of his person as now in glory, and, secondly, cannot be, because he hath the assurance of a promise to be heard in whatever he asketh, Ps. ii. 8. Or, 2, An advancement of his Father's will, by submission to that as the prime cause of the good to be bestowed ; which may well stand with absolute interces- sion, by virtue whereof all must believe. — Secondly, Is it a condition on the 'part of those for whom he doth intercede? Now, I beseech you, what condition is that? where in the Scripture assigned? where is it said that Christ doth intercede for men that they may have faith if they do such and such things? Nay, what condition can rationally be assigned of this desire? " Some often intimate that it is, if they suffer the Spirit to have his work upon their hearts, and obey the grace of God." Now, what is it to obey the grace of God? Is it not to believe? Therefore, it seems that Christ intercedeth for them that they may believe, upon condition that they do believe. Others, more cautiously, assert the good using of the means of grace that they do enjoy to be the condition upon which the benefit of this intercession doth depend. But again, — 1. What is the good using of the means of grace but submitting to them, that is, believing? and so we are as before, 2. All have not the means of grace, to use well or ill. 3. Christ prays that they may use the means of grace well, or he doth not. If not, then how can he pray that they may believe, seeing to use well the means of grace, by yielding ol)cdience unto them, is indeed to believe? If he do, then he doth it absolutely, or upon condition, and so the argument is renewed again as in the en- trance. Many more reasons might be easily produced to show the madness of this assertion, but those may suffice. Only we must look upon the proof and confirmations of it.
First, then, the words of the prophet Isaiah, chap. liii. 12, "He made intercession for the transgressors," are insisted on. — Ans. The transgressors \\(i\'Q,forivhom our Saviour is said to make intercession, are either all the transgressors for whom he suffered, as is most likely from the description we have of them, verse 6, or the transgressors only hy whom he suffered, that acted in his sufferings, as some sup- pose. If the first, then this place proves that Christ intercedes for all those for whom he suffered; which differs not from that which we contend for. If the latter, then we may consider it as accom- plished. How he then did it, so it is here foretold that he should, which is the next place urged, namely, —
END OF CHEIST's DEATH AS ACTUALLY ACCOMPLISHED. 195
Luke xxiii. 34, " Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them ; for they know not what they do." — Ans. The conclusion which from these words is inferred being, " Therefore there is a general intercession for all, that they may believe," I might well leave the whole argument to the silent judgment of men, without any farther opening and discovery of its invalidity and weakness; but because the ablest of that side have usually insisted much on this place for a general successless in- tercession, I will a little consider the inference in its dependence on these words of the gospel, and search whether it have any appear- ance of strength in it. To which end we must observe, —
Secondly, That this prayer is not for all men, but only for that handful of the Jews by whom he was crucified. Now, from a prayer for them to infer a prayer for all and every man that ever were, are, or shall be, is a wild deduction.
It doth not appear that he prayed for all his crucifiers neither, but only for those who did it out of ignorance, as appears by the reason annexed to his supplication : " For they know not what they do." And though. Acts iii. 17, it is said that the rulers also did it ignorantly, yet that all of them did so is not apparent ; that some did is certain from that place ; and so it is that some of them were con- verted, as afterward. Indefinite propositions must not in such things be made universal. Now, doth it follow that because Christ prayed for the pardon of their sins who crucified him out of ignorance, as some of them did, that therefore he intercedeth for all that they may believe; crucifiers who never once heard of his crucifying?