THE PEOPER END OF THE DEATH OF CHRIST ASSERTED, 227
the whole niiud of them that use it m a few assertions, that it may be clearly seen what we do oppose.
First, " God," say they, " considering all mankind as fallen from that grace and favour in Adam wherein they were created, and ex- cluded utterly from the attainment of salvation by virtue of the covenant of works which was at the first made with him, yet by his infinite goodness was inclined to desire the happiness of them, all and every one, that they might be delivered from misery, and be brought unto himself;" which inclination of his they call his universal love and antecedent will, whereby he would desirously have them all to be saved ; out of which love he sendeth Christ.
Obs. 1. That God hath any natural or necessary inclination, by his goodness, or any other property, to do good to us, or any of his crea- tures, we do deny. Every thing that concerns us is an act of his free will and good pleasure, and not a natural, necessary act of his Deity, as shall be declared.
Obs. 2. The ascribing an antecedent conditional will unto God, whose fulfilling and accomj)lishment should depend on any free, con- tingent act or work of ours, is injurious to his wisdom, power, and sovereignty, and cannot well be excused from blasphemy; and is contrary to Rom. ix. 19, " Who hath resisted his will?" I say, —
Obs. 3. A common affection and inclination to do good to all doth not seem to set out the freedom, fulness, and dimensions of that most intense love of God which is asserted in the Scripture to be the cause of sending his Son; as John iii. 16, " God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son," Eph. i. 9, " Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself" Col. i, 19, "It pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell." Rom. v. 8, " God com- mendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." These two^ I shall, by the Lord's assistance, fully clear, if the Lord give life and strength, and his people encouragement, to go through with the second part of this controversy,
Obs. 4. We deny that all mankind are the object of that love of God which moved him to send his Son to die ; God having " made some for the day of evil," Pro v. xvi. 4; " hated them before they were born," Rom. ix. 11, 18; "before of old ordained them to condem- nation," Jude 4; being " fitted to destruction," Rom. ix. 22; " made to be taken and destroyed," 2 Pet. ii. 12; "appointed to wrath," 1 Thess. V. 9 ; to " go to their own place," Acts i. 25.
Secondly, " The justice of God being injured by sin, unless some- thing might be done for the satisfaction thereof, that love of God whereby he wouldeth good to all sinners could no way be brought
* See book iv., chap. ii. and chap, iv., where John iii. 16, and Rom. v. 8, are very fully considered. These must be the two passages to which he refers. — Ed,
228 THE DEATH OF DEATH. [BOOK II.
forth into act, Lot must have its eternal residence in the bosom of God without any effect produced."
Ohs. 1. That neither Scripture nor right reason will enforce nor prove an utter and absolute want of power in God to save sinners by his own absolute will, without satisfaction to his justice, supposing his purpose that so it should be ; indeed, it could not be otherwise. But, without the consideration of that, certainly he could have effected it. It doth not im2:)ly any violating of his holy nature.
Ohs. 2. An actual and necessary velleity, for the doing of any thing which cannot possibly be accomplished without some work fulfilled out- wardly of him, is opposite to his eternal blessedness and all-sufficiency.
Thirdly, " God, therefore, to fulfil that general love and good-will of his towards all, and that it might put forth itself in such a way as should seem good to him, to satisfy his justice, which stood in the way, and was the only hinderance, he sent his Son into the world to die."
The failing of this assertion we shall lay forth, when we come to declare that love whereof the sending of Christ was the proper issue and effect.
roiu-thly, " Wherefore, the proper and immediate end and aim of the jourpose of God in sending his Son to die for all men was, that he might, what way it pleased him, save sinners, his justice which hindered being satisfied," — as Arminius ; or, " That he might will to save sinners," — as Corvinus. " And the intention of Christ was, to make such satisfaction to the justice of God as that he might obtain to himself a power of saving, upon what conditions it seemed good to his Father to prescribe."
Ohs. 1. Whether this was the intention of the Father in sendin" his Son or no, let it be judged. Something was said before, upon the examination of those places of Scripture which describe his purpose; let it be known from them whether God, in sending of his Son, in- tended to procure to himself a liberty to save us if he would, or to obtain certain salvation for his elect.