" Therefore, Jesus Christ came to save, died, and gave himself a ransom for all men, and is the propitiation for their sins, John i. 29."
To the proposition of this argument I desire only to observe, that we do not affirm that the Scripture doth, in any place, lay an excep- tion or restraint upon those persons for whom Christ is said to die, as though in one place it should be affirmed he died for all men, and in another some exception against it, as though some of those all men were excluded, — which were to feign a repugnancy and contra- diction in the word of God ; only, we say, one place of Scrip- ture interprets another, and declares that sense which before in one place was ambiguous and doubtful. For instance : when the Scrip- ture showeth that Christ died or gave himself a ransom for all, we believe it; and when, in another place, he declares that all to be his church, his elect, his sheep, all believers, — some of all sorts, out of all kindreds, and nations, and tongues, under heaven; this is not to lay an exception or restraint upon what was said of all before, but only to declare that the all for which he gave himself for a ransom were all his church, all his elect, all his sheep, some of all sorts : and so we believe that he died for all. With this observation we let pass the proposition, taking out its meaning as well as the phrase whereby it is expressed will afford it, together with the vain flourish and pompous show of many texts of Scripture brought to confirm it, whereof not one is any thing to the purpose; so that I am persuaded he put doAvn names and figures at a venture, without once consulting the texts, having no small cause to be confident that none would trace him in his flourish, and yet that some eyes might dazzle at his super- numerary quotations. Leb me desire the reader to turn to those places, and if any one of them be any thing to the purpose or busi- ness in hand, let the author's credit be of weight with him another time. O let us not be as many, who coiTupt the word of God ! But perhaps it is a mistake in the impression, and for Matt. xxvi. 24, he intends verse 28, where Christ is said to shed his blood for many. In John vi., he mistook verse 38 for 39, where our Saviour affinns that he came to save that which his Father gave him, — that none should be lost ; which certainly are the elect. In 1 Cor. xv. 3, 4, he was not much amiss, the apostle conjoining in those verses the death and resurrection of Christ, which he saith was for us; and how far this advantageth his cause in hand, we have before declared. By Heb. X. 7, 1 suppose he meant verse 10 of the chapter, affirming that by the will of God, which Christ came to do, we are sanctified, even
372 THE DEATH OF DEATH. [BOOK IV.
tliroiigh the offering of the body of Jesus, — ascribing our sanctification to his death, which is not effected in all and every one ; though per- haps he may suppose the last clause of the verse, " once for all," to make for him. But some charitable man, I hope, will undeceive him, by letting him know the meaning of the word k<pd-7ra^. The like may be observed of the other places, — that in them is nothing at all to the proposition in hand, and nigh them at least is enough to evert it. And so his proposition in sura is: — "All those for whom the Scrip- ture affirms that Christ did die, for them he died;" which is true, and doubtless granted.
The assumption affirms that Christ and his apostles in the Scrip- tures say that he died to save sinners, unjust, ungodly, the luorld, all; whereupon the conclusion ought barely to be, "Therefore Christ died for sinners, unjust, ungodly, the world, and the like." To which we say, — First, That this is the very same argument, for substance, with that which went before, as also are some of those that follow ; only some words are varied, to change the outward appearance, and so to make show of a number. Secondly, That the whole strength of this argument lies in turning indefinite propositions into universals, concluding that because Christ died for sinners, therefore he died for all sinners; because he died for the unjust, ungodly, and the world, that therefore he died for every one that is unjust, or ungodly, and for every one in the world; because he died for all, therefore for all and every one of all sorts of men. Now, if this be good arguing, I will furnish you with some more such arguments against you have occasion to use them : — First, God "justifieth the ungodly," Rom. iv. 5 ; therefore, he justifieth every one that is ungodly. Now, "Avhom he jus- tifieth, them he also glorifieth;" and therefore every ungodly person shall be glorified. Secondly, When Christ came, "men loved darkness rather than light," John iii, 19 ; therefore, all men did so, and so none believed. Thirdly, " The world knew not Christ," John i. 10 ; there- fore, no man in the world knew him. Fourthly, " The whole world lieth in wickedness," 1 John v. 19; therefore, every one in the world doth so. Such arguments as these, by turning indefinite propositions into universals, I could easily furnish you withal, for any purpose that you will use tliem to. Tliirdly, If you extend the words in the con- clusion no farther than the intention of them in the places of Scrip- ture recited in the assumption, Ave may safely grant the whole, — namely, that Christ died for sinners and the world, for sinful men in their several generations living tlicrcin ; but if you intend a uni- versality collective of all in the conclusion, then the syllogism is sophistical and false, no place of Scripture affirming so much that is produced, the assignation of the object of the death of Christ in them being in terms indefinite, receiving light and clearness for a more restrained sense in those places where they are expounded to