316 THE DEATH OF DEATH. [BOOK IV.
disposed in the apostles' creed (that ancient summary of Christian rehgion commonly so called), the remission of our sins and life eter- nal being in the last place proposed to be believed; for before we attain so far the rest must be firmly rooted. So that it is a senseless vanity to cry out of the nullity of the object to be believed, if Christ died not for all, there being an absolute truth in every thing which any is called to assent unto, according to the order of the gospel.
And so I have proposed the general foundations of those answers which we shall give to the ensuing objections; whereunto to make particular application of them will be an easy task, as I hope will be made apparent unto all.
CHAPTER II.
An entrance to the answer unto particular arguments.
Now we come to the consideration of the objections whereAvith the doctrine we have, from the word of God, undeniably confirmed is usually, with great noise and clamour, assaulted ; concerning which I must give you these three cautions, before I come to lay them down: —
The first whereof is this, that for mine own part I had rather they were all buried than once brought to light, in opposition to the truth of God, which they seem to deface ; and therefore, were it left to my choice, I would not produce any one of them: not that there is any difficulty or weight in them, that the removal should be ope- rose or burdensome, but only that I am not willing to be any way instrumental to give breath or light to that which opposeth the truth of God. But because, in these times of liberty and error, I suppose the most of them have been objected to the reader already by men lying in wait to deceive, or are likely to be, I shall therefore show you the poison, and withal furnish you with an antidote against the venom of such self-seekers as our days abound withal.
Secondly, I must desire you, that when ye hear an objection, ye would not be earned away with the sound of words, nor suffer it to take impression on your spirits, remembering with how many demonstrations and innumerable places of Scripture the truth op- posed by them hath been confirmed, but rest yourselves until the places be well weighed, the arguments pondered, the answers set down ; and then the Lord direct you to " prove all things, and hold fast tliat which is good."
Tliirdly, That you would diligently observe what comes near tlie stress of the controversy, and the thing wherein the difference lieth, leaving all other flourishes and swelling words of vanity, as of no weight, of no importance.
OBJECTIONS AND TEXTS OF SCRIPTITEE CONSIDERED. 317
Now, the objections laid against the truth maintained are of two sorts; — the first, taken from Scripture perverted; the other, from reason abused.
We begin with the first, the objections taken from SCRIP- TURE; all the places whereof that may any way seem to contra- dict our assertion are, by our ^strongest adversaries, in their greatest strength, referred to three heads: — First, Those places that affirm that Christ died for the ivorld, or that otherwise make mention of the word world in the business of redemption. Secondly, Those that mention all and every man, either in the work of Christ's dying for them, or where God is said to will their salvation. Thirdly, Those which affirm Christ bought or died for them that perish. Hence they draw out three principal arguments or soj)hisms, on which they much insist. All which we shall, by the Lord's assistance, consider in their several order, with the places of Scripture brought to confirm and strengthen them.
I. The first whereof is taken from the word " world," and is thus proposed by them, to whom our poor pretenders are indeed very children : —
" He that is given out of the love wherewith God loved the world, as John iii. 16; that gave himself for the life of the world, as John vi. 51 ; and was a propitiation for the sins of the whole world, as 1 John ii. 2" (to which add, John i. 29, iv. 42; 2 Cor. v. 19, cited by Armin. pp. 530, 531, and Corv. ad Molin. p. 442, chap. 29); "he was given and died for every man in the world ; — but the first is true of Christ, as appears by the places before alleged : therefore he died for all and every one," Remon. Act. Synod, p. 300. And to this they say their adversaries have not any colour of answer.
But granting them the liberty of boasting, we flatly deny, without seeking for colours, the consequent of the first proposition, and will, by the Lord's help, at any time, put it to the trial whether we have not just cause so to do. There be two ways whereby they go about to prove this consequent from the ivorld to all and every one; — first. By reason and the sense of the word; secondly, From the consideration of the particular places of Scripture urged. We will try them in both.
First, If they will make it out by the way of reasoning, I con- ceive they must argue thus: —