292 THE DEATH OF DEATH. [BOOK III.
never knew you?'" What can be answered to this plea, upon the gi'anting of the general ransom, I know not.
3. Matt. xi. 25, 26, " I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight." Those men from whom God in his sovereignty, as Lord of heaven and earth, of his own good pleasure, hideth the gospel, either in respect of the outward preaching of it, or the inward revelation of the power of it in their hearts, those certainly Christ died not for; for to what end should the Father send his only Son to die for the redemption of those whom he, for his own good pleasure, had determined should be everlasting strangers from it, and never so much as hear of it in the power thereof revealed to them? Now, that such there are our Saviour here affirms; and he thanks his Father for that dispensation at which so many do at this day repine.
4. John X. 11, 15, 16, 27, 28. This clear place, which of itself is sufficient to evert the general ransom, hath been a little considered before, and, therefore, I shall pass it over the more briefly. First, That all men are not the sheep of Christ is most apparent; for, — First, He himself saith so, verse 26, " Ye are not of my sheep." Secondly, The distinction at the last day will make it evident, when the sheep and the goats shall be separated. Thirdly, The properties of the sheep are, that they hear the voice of Christ, that they know him ; and the like are not in all. Secondly, That the sheep here mentioned are all his elect, as well those that were to be called as those that were then already called. Verse 16, Some were not as yet of his fold of called ones; so that they are sheep by election, and not believing. Thirdly, That Christ so says that he laid down his life for his sheep, that plainly he excludes all others; for, — First, He lays down his life for them as sheep. Now, that which belongs to them as such belongs only to such. If he lays down his life for sheep, as sheep, certainly he doth it not for goats, and wolves, and dogs. Secondly, He lays down his life as a shepherd, verse 1 1 ; therefore, for them as the sheep. What hath the shepherd to do with the wolves, unless it be to destroy them? Thirdly, Dividing all into sheep and others, verse 26, he saith lie lays do^vn his life for his sheep ; which is all one as if he had said he did it for them only. Fourthly, He describes them for whom he died by this, " My Father gave them me," verse 29; as also chap. xvii. 6, "Thine they were, and thou gavest them me:" which are not all; for "all that the Father giveth him sliall come to him," chap. vi. 37, and he " giveth unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish," chap. x. 28. Let but the sheep of Christ keep close to this evidence, and all the world shall never deprive them of their inheritance. Farther to confii'm this place, add Matt. xx. 28; John xi. 52.
AEGUMENTS AGAINST UNIVERSAL REDEMPTION. 293
5. Rom. viii. 82-34 The intention of the apostle in this place is, to hold out consolation to believers in affliction or under any dis- tress; which he doth, verse 31, in general, from the assurance of the presence of God with them, and his assistance at all times, enough to conquer all oppositions, and to make all difficulty indeed contempt- ible, by the assurance of his loving-kindness, which is better than life itself. " If God be for us, who can be against us?" To manifest this his presence and kindness, the apostle minds them of that most excellent, transcendent, and singular act of love towards them, in sending his Son to die for them, not sparing him, but requiring their debt at his hand; whereupon he argues from the greater to the less, — that if he have done that for us, surely he will do every thing else that shall be requisite. If he did the greater, will he not do the less? If he give his Son to death, will he not also freely give us all things? Whence we may observe, — First, That the greatest and most eximious expression of the love of God towards believers is in sending his Son to die for them, not sparing him for their sake ; this is made the chief of all. Now, if God sent his Son to die for all, he had [done] as great an act of love, and hath made as great a manifestation of it, to them that perish as to those that are saved. Secondly, That for whomsoever he hath given and not spared his Son, unto them he will assuredly freely give all things; but now he dotli not give all things that are good for them unto all, as faith, grace, and glory: from whence we conclude that Christ died not for all. Again, verse 33, he gives us a description of those that have a share in the consolation here in- tended, for whom God gave his Son, to whom he freely gives all things ; and that is, that they are his " elect," — not all, but only those whom he hath chosen before the foundation of the world, that they should be holy; which gives another confirmation of the restraint of the death of Christ to them alone : which he yet farther confirms, verse 34, by declaring that those of whom he speaks shall be freely justified and freed from condemnation ; whereof he gives two reasons, — first. Because Christ died for them ; secondly. Because he is risen, and makes intercession for them for whom he died: affording us two in- vincible arguments to the business in hand. The first, taken from the infallible effects of the death of Christ : Who shall lay any thing to their charge? who shall condemn them? Why, what reason is given? "It is Christ that died." So that his death doth infallibly free all them from condemnation for whom he died. The second, from the connec- tion that the apostle here makes between the death and intercession of Jesus Christ : For whom he died, for them he makes intercession ; but he saveth to the utmost them for whom he intercedeth, Heb. vii. 25. From all which it is undeniably apparent that the death of Christ, with the fruits and benefits thereof, belongeth only to the elect of God.