Fourthly, The most clear parallel places in the Scripture are op- posite to such a sense as is imposed. See Col. i. 6; John xi. 51, 52.
Fifthly, If the words are to be understood to signify all and every one in the world, then is the whole assertion useless as to the chief end intended, — namely, to administer consolation to believers; for what consolation can arise from hence unto any believer, that Christ was a propitiation for them that perish ? Yea, to say that he was a sufficient propitiation for them, though not effectual, will yield them no more comfort than it would have done Jacob and his sons to have heard from Joseph that he had corn enough, sufficient to sustain them, but that he would do so was altogether uncertain; for had he told them he wovild sustain them sufficiently, though not effec- tually, they might have starved notwithstanding his courtesy. "The
VOL. X. 22
838 THE DEATH OF DEATH. [BOOK IV.
whole world, " then, in this place, is the whole people of God (opposed to the Jewish nation), scattered abroad throughout the ivhole world, of what nation, kindred, tongue, or family soever, who are some of all sorts, not all of every sort. So that this j^lace makes notJiinr/ for general redemption.
Some few objections there are which are usually laid against our interpretation of tliis passage of the apostle, but they are all pre- vented or removed in the explication itself; so that it shall suffice us to name one or two of them : —
Ohj. 1. "It is the intention of the apostle to comfort all in their fears and doubts; but every one in the world may be in fears and doubts : therefore, he proposeth this, that they all may be comforted."
Ans. The all that may be in fears and doubts, in the business of consolation, must of necessity be restrained to believers, as was be- fore declared.
Ohj. 2. " All believers are comprehended in the first branch, * For our sins;' and, thei'efore in the increase and extension of the asser- tion, by adding, ' For the sins of the whole world,' all others are intended."
Alls. 1, In the first part, the believing Jeius alone are intended, of whom John was one ; and the addition is not an extending of the propitiation of Christ to others than believers, but only to other believers. 2. If it might be granted that in the first branch all believers then living were comprehended, who might presently be made partakers of this truth, yet the increase or accession must be, by analogy, only those who were to he in after ages and remoter places than the name of Christ had then reached unto, — even all those who, according to the prayer of our Saviour, John xvii. 20, should be- lieve on his name to the end of the world. And thus the two main places produced for the confirmation of the first argument are vindi- cated from the false glosses and violent wrestings of our adversaries; the rest will be easily cleared.
3. The next place urged in the argument is John vi. 51, Avhere our Saviour affirms that he will give his " flesh for the life of the world." This giving of himself was the sanctifying and offering up of himself an acceptable oblation for the sins of them for whom he sufiered ; his intention being, that they for whom in dying he so offered himself might have life eternal thereby : which, because it was not for the Jews only, Init also for all the elect of God eveiywhere, he calleth them " the world." That the world here cannot signify all and every one that ever were or should be, is as manifest as if it were written Avith the beams of the sun ; and that because it is made the object of Clirist's intendment, to purchase for them, and bestow upon them, life and salvation. Now, I ask. Whether any man, not be- reaved of all spiritual and natural sense, can imagine that Christ, in
OBJECTIONS AND TEXTS OF SCRIPTUEE CONSIDERED. 339
his oblation, intended to purchase life and salvation for all them whom he knew to be damned many ages before, the irreversible decree of wrath being gone forth against them? Or who dares once affirm that Christ gave himself for the life of them who, notwithstanding that, by his appointment, do come short of it to eternity? So that if we had no other place to manifest that the word world doth not always signify all, but only some of all sorts, as the elect of God are, but this one produced by our adversaries to the contrary, I hope with all equitable readers our defence would receive no prejudice.
4. Divers other places I find produced by Thomas More, chap. xiv. of the " Universality of Free Grace," to the pretended end in hand ; which, with that whole chapter, shall be briefly considered.
The first insisted on by him is 2 Cor v. 19, "God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them."
Ans.l. Really he must have no small confidence of his own strength and his reader's weakness, who from this place shall undertake to conclude the universality of redemption, and that the world doth here signify all and every one therein. They who are called the " world," verse 19, are termed "us," verse 18, "He hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ;" as also verse 21, where they are farther described by Christ's being " made sin for them," and their being " made tlie righteousness of God in him." Are these things true of all in the world? If this text may receive any light from what is antecedent and consequent unto it, — if the word any interpretation from those expressions which are directly expository of it, — by the tuorld here can be meant none but elect believers. 2. God's reconciling the world unto himself is described evidently either to consist in, or ne- cessarily to infer, a non-imputation of sin to them, or that world; which is farther interpreted to be an imputation of the righteousness of Christ, verse 21. Now, in these two things consisteth the blessed- ness of justification in Christ, Rom. iv. 6, 7 ; therefore this ivhole world, which God in Christ reconcileth to himself, is a blessed, justified world, — not all and every one of the sons of men that ever were, are, or shall be in the world, the greatest part of whom lie in evil. 3. This God in Christ reconciling, holdeth out an effectual work of reconciliation. Now, this must be either an absolute reconciliation or a conditionate. If absolute, why are not all actually and abso- solutely reconciled, pardoned, justified? If conditionate, then,-^ First, How can a conditionate reconciliation be reconciled with that which is actual? Secondly, Why is no condition here mentioned? Thirdly, What is that condition? Is it faith and believing? Then the sense of the words must be either, — first, " God was in Christ, re- conciling a believing world unto himself," of which there is no need, for believers are reconciled; or, secondly, " God was in Christ recon-