OBJECTIONS AND TEXTS OF SCKIPTURE CONSIDERED. 351
for SO many as were dead. This the words plainly teach ns: "If he died for all, then were all dead/' — that is, all he died for; so that the all that were dead can give no light to the extent of the all that Christ died for, being merely regulated by this. 2. That all and every one are morally bound to live unto Christ, virtute proi- cepti, we deny; only they are bound to live to him to whom he is revealed, — indeed only they who live by him, that have a spiritual life in and with him: all others are under previous obligations. o. It is true, all and everyone must appear before the judgment- seat of Christ, — he is ordained to be judge of the world ; but that they are intended, verse 10 of this chapter, is not true. The apostle speaks of us all, all believers, especially all preachers of the gospel; neither of which all men are. Notwithstanding, then, any thing that hath been said, it no way appears that by all here is meant any but the elect of God, all believers; and that they only aie intended I prove by these following reasons, drawn from the text: —
First, The resurrection of Christ is here conjoined with his death: " He died for them, and rose again." Now, for whomsoever Christ riseth, he riseth for their "justification," Rom. iv. 25 ; and they must be justified, chap. viii. 34. Yea, our adversaries themselves have always confessed that the fruits of the resurrection of Christ are peculiar to believers.
Secondly, He speaks only of those who, by virtue of the death of Christ, "live unto him," verse 15; who are "new creatures," verse 17; "to whom the Lord imputeth not their trespasses," verse 19; who " become the righteousness of God in Christ," verse 21 ; — which are only believers. All do not attain hereunto.
Thu'dly, The article o/ joined with iravrsg evidently restraineth that all to all of some sort. "Then were they all" (or rather all these) "dead." These all; — what all? Even all those believers of whom he treats, as above.
Fourthly, All those of whom the apostle treats are proved to be dead, because Christ died for them : " If one died for all, then were all dead." What death is it which here is spoken of? Not a death natural, but spiritual; and of deaths which come under that name, not that which is in sin, but that which is unto sin. For, — First, The greatest champions of the Arminian cause, as Vorstius and Grotius (on the place), convinced by the evidence of truth, acknowledge that it is a death unto sin, by virtue of the death of Christ, that is here spoken of; and accordingly held out that for the sense of the place. Secondly, It is apparent from the text ; the intention of the apostle being to prove that those for whom Christ died are so dead to sin, that henceforth they should live no more thereunto, but to him that died for them. The subject he hath in hand is the same with that he handleth more at large, Rom. vi. 5-8, where we are said to be " dead
352 THE DEATH OF DEATH. [l300K IV.
unto sin," by being " planted together in the likeness of the death of Christ ;" from whence, there as here, he presseth them to " newness of life.'' These words, then, " If Christ died for all, then were all dead," are concerning the death of them unto sin for whom Christ died, at least of those concerning whom he there speaketh ; and what is this to the general ransom?
Fifthly, The apostle speaks of the death of Christ in respect of application. The effectualness thereof towards those for whom he died, to cause them to live unto him, is insisted on. That Christ died for all in respect of application hath not yet by any been affirmed. Then must all live unto him, yea, live with him for evermore, if there be any virtue or efficacy in his applied oblation for that end. In sum, here is no mention of Christ's dying for any, but those that are dead to sin and live to him.
5. A fifth place urged to prove universal redemption from the word all, is 1 Cor. xv. 22, " For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive."
Ans. There being another place, hereafter to be considered, where- in the whole strength of the argument usually drawn from these words is contained, I shall not need to speak much to this, neither will I at all turn from the common exposition of the place. Tliose concerning whom Paul speaketh in this chapter are in this verse called alt. Those are they who are implanted into Christ, joined to him, as the members to the head, receiving a glorious resurrection by virtue of his; thus are they by the apostle described. That Paul, in this whole chapter, discoursetli of the resurrection of believers is manifest from the arguments which he bringeth to confirm it, being such as are of force only with believers. Taken they are from the resurrection of Christ, the hope, faith, customs, and expected rewards of Christians ; all which, as they are of unconquerable poAver to con- firm and establish believers in the faith of the resurrection, so they would have been, all and every one of them, exceedingly ridiculous had they been held out to the men of the world to prove the resur- rection of the dead in general. Farther; the very word Z^uovoinSh'^ovrai denotes such a living again as is to a good life and glory, a blessed resurrection ; and not the quickening of them who are raised to a second death. The Son is said ^mironTv, John v. 21, to "quicken" and make alive (not all, but) " whom he will." So he useth the word again, chap. vi. 63, " It is the Spirit, to l^m'xoiovv, that" (thus) "quick- eneth ;" in like manner, Rom. iv. 17. And not anywhere is it used to show forth that common resurrection which all shall have at the last day. All, then, who by virtue of the resurrection of Christ shall be made alive, are all those who are partakers of the nature of Christ; who, verse 23, are expressly called " they that arc Christ's," and of whom, verse 20, Christ is said to be the "first-fruits;" and certainly