2. By all men the apostle here intendetli all sorts of men inde- finitely living under the gospel, or in these latter times, under the enlarged dispensation of the means of grace. That men of these times only are intended is the acknowledgment of Arminius him- self, treating with Perkins about this place. The scope of the apostle, treating of the amplitude, enlargement, and extent of grace, in the outward administration thereof, under the gospel, will not suffer it to be denied. This he lays down as a foundation of our praying for all, — because the means of grace and the habitation of the church is now no longer confined to the naiTOw bounds of one nation, but promiscuously and indefinitely extended unto all people, tongues, and languages; and to all sorts of men amongst them, high and low, rich and poor, one with another. We say, then, that by the words all men are here intended only of all sorts of men, suitable to the purpose of the apostle, which was to show that all external difference between the sons of men is now taken away; which ex abundanti we farther confirm by these following reasons: —
First, The word all being in the Scripture most commonly used in this sense (that is, for many of all sorts), and there being nothing in the subject-matter of which it is here affirmed that should in the least measure impel to another acceptation of the word, especially for a universal collection of every individual, we hold it safe to cleave to the most usual sense and meaning of it. Thus, our Saviour
346 THE DEATH OF DEATH. [BOOK IV.
is said to cure all diseases, and the Pharisees to tithe r>av }.d'/a)/ov, Luke xi. 42.
Secondly, Paul himself plainly leadeth us to this interpretation of it; for after he hath enjoined us to pray for all, because the Lord will have all to be saved, he expressly intimates that by all men he understandetli men of all sorts, ranks, conditions, and orders, by dis- tributing those all into several kinds, expressly mentioning some of them, as " kings and all in authority/' Not unlike that expression we have, Jer. xxix. 1, 2, "Nebuchadnezzar earned away all the people captive to Babylon, Jeconiah the king, and the queen, and the eunuchs, the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, the carpenters, and the smiths;" where all the peoj^le is interpreted to be some of all sorts, by a distribution of them into the several orders, classes, and conditions whereof they were. No otherwise doth the apostle inter- pret the all men by him mentioned, in giving us the names of some of those orders and conditions whom he intendeth. "Pray for all men," saith he; that is, all sorts of men, as magistrates, all that are in authority, the time being now come wherein, without such dis- tinctions as formerly have been observed, the Lord will save some of all sorts and nations.
Thirdly, We are bound to pray for all whom God would have to be saved. Now, we ought not to pray for all and every one, as knowing that some are reprobates and sin unto death ; concerning whom we have an express caution not to pray for them.
Fourthly, All shall be saved whom God will have to be saved ; this "we dare not deny, for "who hath resisted his will?" Seeing, then, it is most certain that all shall not be saved (for some shall stand on the left hand), it cannot be that the universality of men should be intended in this place.
Fifthly, God would have no more to be "saved" than he would have " come to the knowledge of the truth." These two things are of equal latitude, and conjoined in the text. But it is not the will of the Lord that all and every one, in all ages, should come to the know- ledge of the truth. Of old, " he showed his word unto Jacob, his statutes and his judgments unto Israel. He hath not dealt so with any nation: and as for his judgments, they have not known them," Ps. cxlvii. 19, 20. If he Avould have had them all come to the know- ledge of the truth, why did he show his word to some and not to others, without which they could not attain tliereunto? " He sufiered all nations" in former ages " to walk in their own wa^'s," Acts xiv. 16, and " winked at the time of this ignorance," Acts xvii. 30, hiding the mystery of salvation from those former ages. Col. i. 26, continuing the same dispensation even until tliis day in respect of some; and that because " so it seemeth good in his sight," Matt. xi. 25, 26. It is, then, evident that God doth not will that all and every one in the
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world, of all ages and times, should come to the knowledge of the truth, but only all sorts of men without difference; and, therefore, they only are here intended.
These, and the like reasons, which compel us to understand by all 7nen, verse 4, whom God would have to be saved, men of all sorts, do also prevail for the same acceptation of the word all, verse 6, where Christ is said to give himself " a ransom for all;" whereunto you may also add all those whereby we before declared that it was of absolute necessity and just equity that all they for whom a ransom was paid should have a part and portion in that ransom, and, if that be accepted as sufficient, be set at liberty. Paying and accepting of a ransom intimate a commutation and setting free of all them for whom the ransom is paid and accepted. By all, then, can none be understood but the redeemed, ransomed ones of Jesus Christ, — such as, for him and by virtue of the price of his blood, are vindicated into the glorious liberty of the children of God; which, as some of all sorts are expressly said to be. Rev. v. 9 (which place is interpretative of this), so that all in the world universally are so is confessedly false.