Now, as we have said of the word woidd, so we may of the word all, wherein much strength is placed, and many causeless boastings are raised from it. That it is nowhere affirmed in the Scripture that Christ died for all men, or gave himself a ransom for all men, much less for all and every man, we have before declared. That he " gave himself a ransom for all" is expressly affirmed, 1 Tim. ii. 6". But now, who this all should be, whether all believers, or all the elect, or some of all sorts, or all of every sort, is in debate. Our adversaries affirm the last ; and the main reason they bring to assert their interpretation is from the importance of the word itself: for, that the circumstances of the place, the analogy of faith, and other helps for exposition, do not at all favour their gloss, we shall show when we come to the par- ticular places urged. For the present, let us look upon the word in its usual acceptation in the Scripture, and search whether it always necessarily requires such an interpretation.
That the word all, being spoken of among all sorts of men, speak- ing, writing, any way expressing themselves, but especially in holy writ, is to be taken either collectively for all in general, without ex- ception, or distributively for some of all sorts, excluding none, is more apparent than that it can require any illustration. That it is some- times taken in the first sense, for all collectively, is granted, and I need not prove it, they whom we oppose affirming that this is the only sense of the word, — though I dare boldly say it is not once in ten times so to be imderstood in the usage of it through the whole book of God ; but that it is commonly, and indeed properly, used in the
o08 THE DEATH OF DEATH. [BOOK IV.
latter sense, for some of all sorts, concerning whatsoever it is affirmed, a tew instances, for many that might be urged, will make it clear. Thus, then, ye have it, John xii. 82, " And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all unto me." That we translate it " all men," as in other places (for though I know the sense may be the same, yet the word men being not in the original, but only 'jdvrag), I cannot approve. But who, I pray, are these all ? Are they all and every one? Then are all and every one drawn to Christ, made believers, and truly converted, and shall be certainly saved; for those that come unto him by his and his Father's drawing, " he will in no wise cast out," John vi. 37. All, then, can here be no other than many, some of all sorts, no sort excluded, according as the word is interpreted in Rev. V. 9, " Thou hast redeemed ns out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation." These are the all he draws to him : Avhich exi^osition of this phrase is with me of more value and esteem than a thousand glosses of the sons of men. So also, Luke xi. 42, where our translators have made the word to signify immediately and properly (for translators are to keep close to the propriety and native signification of every word) what we assert to be the right inteipre- tation of it; for they render tSv Xd^avov (which prjrug is " every herb"), " all manner of herbs," taking the word (as it must be) distrihutively, for herbs of all sorts, and not for any individual herb, which the Pharisees did not, could not tithe. And in the very same sense is the word used again, Luke xviii. 12, "I give tithes of all that I possess;" where it cannot signify every individual thing, as is apparent. Most evident, also, is this restrained signification of the Avord, Acts ii. 17, "I will pour out of my Spuit, It/ 'xaeav (sdpxa,'" which, whether it comjiriseth every man or no, let every man judge, and not rather men of several and sundry sorts. The same course of interpretation as formerly is followed by our translators, Actsx. 12, rendering 'irdvra rd Tirpd'Troda, (literally, "all beasts or four-footed creatures,") " all manner of beasts," or beasts of sundry several sorts. In the same sense also must it be understood, Rom. xiv. 2, " One believeth that he may eat all things;" that is, what he pleaseth of things to be eaten of See, moreover, 1 Cor. i. 5, Yea, in that very chapter where men so eagerly contend that the word all is to be taken for all and every one (though fruitlessly and falsely, as shall be demonstrated), — namely, 1 Tim. ii. 4, where it is said that " God will have all men to be saved," — in that very chapter confessedly the word is to be expounded according to the sense we give, namely, verse 8, " I will, therefore, that men pray h <xavTi ro-Trtfi'" which, that it cannot signify every individual place in heaven, earth, and hell, is of all confessed, and ueedeth no proof; no more than when our Saviour is said to cure Tacrav vieov, as Matt. ix. 35. there is need to prove that he did not cure every disease of every man, but ouly all sorts of diseases.