Secondly, Their separating between the oblation and intercession of Jesus Christ makes little for the consolation of believers, yea, in- deed, quite everts it.
There are, amongst others, two eminent places of Scripture wherein the Holy Ghost holdeth forth consolation to believers, against these two general causes of all their troubles and sorrows, — namely, their afSictions and their sins. The first is Rom. viii. 32-34, the other 1 John ii. 1, 2; in both which places the apostles make the bottom of the consolation which they hold out to believers in their afflictions and failings to be that strait bond and inseparable con- nection that is between these two, with the identity of their objects, — namely, the oblation and intercession of Jesus Christ. Let the reader consult both the texts, and he shall find that on this lies the stress, and herein consists the strength, of the several proposals for the consolation of believers; which, in both places, is principally in- tended. A more direct undertaking for this end and purpose cannot be produced. Now, the authors of imiversal redemption do all of them divide and separate these two ; they allow of no connection be- tween them, nor dependence of one upon another, farther than is effected by the will of man. His oblation they stretch to all ; his inter- cession to a few only. Now, the death of Christ, separated from his resurrection and intercession, being nowhere proposed as a ground of consolation, yea, positively declared to be unsuitable to any such purpose, 1 Cor. xv. 14, certainly they who hold it out as so done are no friends to Christian consolation.
Thirdly, Their denial of the procurement of faith, grace, holiness, — the whole intendment of the new covenant, — and perseverance therein, by the death and blood-shedding of Jesus Christ, unto all them, or any of them, for whom he died, doth not appear to be so suitable an assertion for to raise consolation from his cross as is vainly pretended. I pray, what solid consolation can be drawn from such dry breasts as from whence none of these things do flow? That they have not immediate dependence on the death of Christ, according to
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the persuasion of the assertors of universal grace, bath been before declared, and is by themselves not only confessed, but undertaken to be proved. Now, where should a soul look for these things, but in the purchase of Christ? Whence should they flow, but from his side? Or is there any consolation to be had witho^^t them? Is not the strongest plea for these things, at the throne of gi'ace, the procure- ment of the Lord Jesus? What promise is there of any thing with- out him? Are not all the promises of God yea and amen in him? Is there any attainment of these things in our own strength? Is this the consolation you afford us, to send us from free grace to free will? Whither, I pray, according to this persuasion, should a poor soul go that finds himself in want of these things? " To God, who gives all freely." But doth God bless us with any spiritual blessings but only in Jesus Christ? Doth he bless us with any thing in him but what he hath procured for us ? Is not all grace as well procured by as dis- pensed in a Mediator? Is this a way to comfort a soul, and that from the death of Christ, to let him know that Christ did not pro- cure those things for him without which he cannot be comforted? " Credat Apella."
It is, then, most apparent, that the general ransom (which is pre- tended) is so far from being the bottom of any solid consolation unto them whose due it is, that it is directly destructive of, and diametri- cally opposed unto, all those ways whereby the Lord hath declared himself Avilling that we should receive comfort from the death of his Son, drying up the breast from whence, and poisoning the streams whereby, it should be conveyed unto our souls.
3. The next thing we have to do is, to manifest that the doctrine of the effectual redemption of the elect only by the blood of Jesus is not liable to any just exception as to this particular, nor doth any way abridge believers of any part or portion of that consolation which God is willing they should receive. That alone which, by the opposers of it, with any colour of reason, is objected (for as for the exclamation of shutting out innumerable souls from any share in the blood of Christ, seeing confessedly they are reprobate unbelievers and persons finally impenitent, we are not at all moved at it), comes to this head: — "That there is nothing in the Scripture whereby any man can assure himself that Christ died for him in particular, unless we grant that he died for all.'"
First, That this is notoriously false, the experience of all believers who, by the grace of God, have assured their hearts of their share and interest in Christ as held out unto them in the promise, without the least thought of universal redemption, is a sufficient testimony. Se- condly, That the assurance arising from a practical syllogism, whereof one proposition is true in the word, and the second by the witness of the Spirit in the heart, is infallible, hath hitherto been acknowledged