Ans. The strength of this proof, as to the business in hand, is wholly hid from me; neither do I perceive how it may receive any such tolerable application as to deserve the name of a proof, as to the main thesis intended to be maintained. The force which it hath is in an observation Avhich, if it hath any sense, is neither true nor once attempted to be made good; for, — First, That there are pecu- liar high privileges belonging to the saints and called of God is a thing which needs no proof Amongst these is the death of Christ for them, not as saints, but as elect, which, by the benefit of that death and blood-shedding, are to be made saints, and accounted to be the holy ones of God : for " he redeemed his church with his own blood," Acts XX. 28; he " loved and gave himself for it," Eph. v. 25; even "us," Tit. ii. 14; — even as divers of those [privileges] here intimated are expressly assigned unto them, as elect, such as those, John xvii. 1 9, 20; amongst which also, as in the same rank with them, is reckoned Jesus' " sanctifying himself for their sakes," that is to be an oblation, verse 19. In a word, all peculiar saving privileges belong only to God's elect, purchased for them, and them alone, by the blood of Jesus Christ, Eph. i. 3, 4. Secondly, For the other part of the observation, that where mention is made of these together Avith the ransom, there is room left to extend the ransom to all, I answer, — First, This is said, indeed, but not once attempted to be proved. We have but small cause to believe the author, in any thing of this importance, upon his bare word. Secondli/, For the "leaving of room for the application," I perceive that if it be not left, ye will make it, though ye justle the true sense of the Scripture quite out
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of its place. Thirdly, I have already showed that where " many" are mentioned, the ransom only (as ye use to speak) is expressed, as also where "sheep" are spoken of; the like is said where the word "all" is used; — so that there is not the least difference. Fourthly, In divers places the ransom of Christ and those other peculiar privileges (which indeed are fruits of it) are so united together, as it is impossible to apply the latter to some and the other to all, being all of them restrained to his saved ones only, E,ev. v. 9, 10. The redemption of his people by the ransom of his blood, and their making kings and priests, are united, and no room left for the extending of the ransom to all, it being punctually assigned to those saved crowned ones, dis- tinguished from the rest of the nations and languages from among whom they were taken, who were passed by in the payment of the ransom; which is directly opposite to all the sense which I can observe in this observation. Fifthly, Of " sheep, and sheep only," enough before.
Proof 8. " The restoration wrought by Christ in his own body for mankind is set forth in Scripture to be as large and full for all men, and of as much force, as the fall of the first Adam, by and in himself, for all men ; in which respect the first Adam is said to have been a figure of Christ, the second Adam, Rom. iii. 22-25, v. 12, 14, 18; 1 Cor. XV. 21, 22, 45-47 : as is before shown, chap, viii."
Ans. First, It is most true that Christ and Adam are compared to- gether (in respect of the righteousness of the one, communicated to them that are his, and the disobedience and transgression of the other, in like manner communicated to all them that are of him) in some of the places here mentioned, as Rom. v. 12, 18. But evidently the comparison is not instituted between the righteousness of Christ and the disobedience of Adam extensively, in respect of the object, but intensively, in respect of the efficacy of the one and the other; the apostle asserting the effectualness of the righteousness of Christ unto justification, to answer the prevalency of the sin of Adam unto con- demnation,— that even as the transgression of Adam brought a guilt of condemnation upon all them that are his natural seed, so the right- eousness of Christ procured the free gift of grace unto justification towards all them that are his, his spiritual seed, that were the chil- dren given unto him of his Father.
Secondly, 1 Cor. xv. 21, 22, speaketh of the resurrection from the dead, and that only of believers; for though he mentions them all, verse 22, " In Christ shall all be made alive," yet, verse 23, he plainly interprets those all to be all that are " Christ's:" not but that the other dead shall rise also, but that it is a resurrection to glory, by virtue of the resurrection of Christ, which the apostle here treats of; which certainly all shall not have.
Thirdly, The comparison between Christ and Adam, verse 45 (to
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speak nothing of the various reading of that place), is only in resjDect of the principles which they had, and were intrusted withal to com- municate to others: "Adam a living soul,'' or a "living creature;" there was in him a principle of life natural, to be communicated to his posterity; — "Christ a quickening Spirit," giving life, grace, and spirit to his. And here I would desire that it may be observed, that all the comparison that is anywhere instituted between Christ and Adam still comes to one head, and aims at one thing, — namely, that they were as two common stocks or roots, communicating to them that are ingrafted into them (that is, into Adam naturally, by generation; into Christ spiritually, by regeneration) that wherewith they were replenished ; — Adam, sin, guilt, and disobedience; Christ, righteousness, peace, and justification. [As] for the number of those that do thus receive these things from one and the other, the consideration of it is exceedingly alien from the scope, aim, and end of the apostle in the places where the comparison is instituted.