Now, if this be not extreme madness, to assign a will unto God of doing that whicli himself knows and orders that it shall never be done, of granting a thing upon a condition which without his help cannot be fulfilled, and which help he purposed not to grant, let all judge. Is this any thing but to delude poor creatures? Is it pos- sible that any good at all should arise to any by such a purpose as this, such a giving of a Redeemer? Is it agreeable to the good- ness of God to intend so great a good as is the redemption purchased
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242 THE DEATH OF DEATH. [BOOK III.
by Christ, and to pretend that he would have it profitable for them, when he knows that they can no more fulfil the condition which he requires, that it may be by them enjoyed, than Lazarus could of himself come out of the grave? Doth it beseem the wisdom of God, to purpose that which he knows shall never be fulfilled? If a man should promise to give a thousand pounds to a blind man upon con- dition that he will open his eyes and see, — which he knows well enough he cannot do, — were that promise to be supposed to come from a heart-pitying of his poverty, and not rather from a mind to illude and mock at his misery? If the king should promise to pay a ran- som for the captives at Algiers, upon condition that they would con- quer their tyrants and come away, — which he knows full well they cannot do, — were this a kingly act? Or, as if a man should pay a price to redeem captives, but not that theii* chains may be taken away, without which they cannot come out of prison; or promise dead men great rewards upon condition they live again of themselves; — are not these to as much end as the obtaining of salvation for men upon condition that they do believe, without obtaining that condition for them ? Were not this the assigning such a will and purpose as this to Jesus Christ: — " I will obtain eternal life to be bestowed on men, and become theirs, by the application of the benefits of my death ; but upon this condition, that they do believe. But as I will not reveal my mind and will in this business, nor this condition itself, to innu- merable of them, so concerning the rest I know they are no ways able of themselves, — no more than Lazarus was to rise, or a blind man is to see, — to perform the condition that I do require, and without which none of the good things intended for them can ever become theirs; neither will I procure that condition ever to be fulfilled in them. That is, I do will that that shall be done wliich I do not only know shall never be done, but that it cannot be done, because I will not do that without which it can never be accomplished"? Now, whether such a will and purpose as this beseem the wisdom and goodness of our Saviour, let the reader judge. In brief; an intention of doing good unto any one upon the performance of such a condition as the intender knows is absolutely above the strength of him of whom it is required, — especially if he know that it can no way be done but by his concui-rence, and he is resolved not to yield that assistance which is necessary to the actual accomplishment of it, — is a vain fruitless flourish. That Christ, then, should obtain of his Father eternal redemption, and the Lord should through his Son intend it for them who shall never be made partakers of it, because they can- not perform, and God and Christ have purposed not to bestow, the condition on which alone it is to be made actually theirs, is unworthy of Christ, and unprofitable to them for whom it is obtained; which that any thing that Christ obtained for the sons of men should be
ARGUMENTS AGAINST UNIVERSAL REDEMPTION. 243
unto them, is a hard saying indeed. Again ; if God through Christ purpose to save all if they do believe, because he died for all, and this faith be not purchased by Christ, nor are men able of themselves to believe, how comes it to pass that any are saved ?
[If it be answered], " God bestows faith on some, not on others,'' I reply. Is this distinguishing grace purchased for those some compara- tively, in respect of those that are passed by without it? If it be, then did not Christ die equally for all, for he died that some might have faith, not others ; yea, in comparison, he cannot be said to die for those other some at all, not dying that they might have faith, without which he knew that all the rest would be unprofitable and fruitless. But is it not purchased for them by Christ? Then have those that be saved no more to thank Christ for than those that are damned ; which were strange, and contrary to Rev. i. 5, 6, " Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father," etc. For my part, I do conceive that Christ hath obtained salvation for men, not upon condition if they would receive it, but so fully and perfectly that certainly they should receive it. He purchased salvation, to be bestowed on them that do believe ; but withal /aziA, that they might believe. Neither can it be objected, that, according to our doctrine, God requires any thing of men that they cannot do, yea, faith to believe in Christ : for, — First, Commands do not signify what is God's intention should be done, but what is our duty to do ; which may be made known to us whether we be able to perform it or not : it signifieth no intention or purpose of God. Secondly, For the promises which are proposed together with the command to believe: — First, they do not hold out the in- tent and purpose of God, that Christ should die for us if we do believe; which is absurd, — that the act should be the constitutor of its own object, which must be before it, and is presupposed to be before we are desired to believe it: nor, secondly, the purpose of God that the death of Christ should be profitable to us if we do believe; which we before confuted : but, thirdly, only that faith is the way to salvation which God hath appointed ; so that all that do believe shall undoubtedly be saved, these two things, faith and salvation, being inseparably linked together, as shall be declared.