ro th: knowledge of the truth ; and in the ſame ſenſe by St. Peter,thar Gyg will bave none periſh, but come to repentance, we muſt underftand it, nor with reſpe& to his Decretive Will, but his Complacential Will, that is, the Repentance and Life of a Sinner is very pleaſing to his Holineſs and Mercy, And this love of God to Men, has been Qeclared in open- ing the way of ſalvation to them by the Mediator,and by all the inftry. ions, invitations, commands, and promiſes of the Goſpel, afſurin them that whoever comes to Chriſt upon the terms of the Goſp21 ſhall fn no wiſe be caſt off : That no Repenting Believer ſhall be excluded from aving Mercy,
God and men, the man Chriſt Jeſus k.
ſons, the unity of God, and the unity of the Mediator : though there are divers ſocieties and vaſt numbers of mea, yet there is but one Goe, the Creatour and Preſerver of all. If there were many Gods in Na- ture, it were conceivable that the God of Chriſtians were not the God of other men, and conſequently that his good Will were confin'd to his own portion, leaving the reſt to their ſeveral Deities. But ſince there is but one true God of the world, who has revealed himſelf in the Gol. pe}, it neceſſarily follows that he is the God of all men in the relation of Creator and Preſerver, And from hence he concludes, God wil! hays all men to be ſaved, He argues in the ſame manner that ſalvation v4 faith in Chriſt belongs to the Gentiles as well as the Fews, Rom. 3. 22, 29, The Apoſtle adds, for the cleareft aſſurance of this good Viil «: God to ſave men, that there is one mediator between God and men, the man Chriſt Feſus, When the fin of man had provok'd Divine Juſtice, and the guilt could not be expiated without fatisfattion,God appoint his Son incarnate to mediate between his offended Majeſty and his Ne-
Unity of the Mediator is obſervable ; as there is one God of all Nati. ons, ſo there is one Mediator of all. The ftrength of the Apoſile's | Argument from the Unity of the Mediator is this : if there were many Mediators, according to the Numbers of Nations in the world, there might be a ſuſpition whether they were ſo worthy and ſo prevalent as to obtain the Grace of God, every one for thoſe in whoſe behalf they did meditae, But ſince there is but one, and that he is able 10 ſv: to the uttermoſt all that come ro God by him, *tis evident that all men have the ſame Mediator, and that every one may be aſſured that God is willing he ſhould be ſaved, and for that bleſſed end, ſhould by Faith and Repentance accept the Covenant of Grace. The Apoftlle for the ſtronger Confirmation, ſpecifies the Mediator, the man Chriſt F-ſus, to encourage the hopes of all men, from the Communion they have with him in nature, that they may partake of his Salvation, and that this great Mediator having come trom Heaven and aflumed the infirmity of our nature, Zeb, 4. 15. will be inclined compaſſionately to a them, and raiſe them to his heavenly Kingdom. 6 Whom gave himſelf a ranſom for
fied * in due time: ;
of ones life to ſave anothers.
dertook our reſtoring to the favour of God, and voluntarily endured the puniſhment due to our fins, and gave his moſt precious blood and life as the price of our Redemprion,Mar, 20.28. Tf it be objz(ed,LHow is it conſiſtent with Chriſt giving himſelf a ranſom for all, that ſo many pe- riſh in their fins? The anſwer is clear, we muſt diſtinguiſh between ths ſuthciency of his ranſom, and the efficacy of it ; he paid a ranſom wor- thy to obtain the Salvation of all men, and has done whatever was re- quiſite to reconcile God, and make men capable of Salvation : but only thoſe who by a lively faith depend upon him, and obey him, are actual partakers of Salvation ; that is, no perſon but may be ſaved in believ- ing ; and if men periſh,it is not from the defett of Righteouſnels in the Mediator, but from the love of their luſts, and their obftinate rejefting their own Mercies. And *tis unjuſt that the glory of his Divine Com- paſſion and Loye ſhould be obſcured or leflened for their ungratetul negle( of it,
7 Whereunto * I am ordained a preacher 9,and an apo-*Ror {te p, (I ſpeak the truth in Chriſt, aud lye not q) a * tea- the -
cher of the Gentiles in faith and verity 7.
o For the publiſhing and making known of which Teſtimony 0 Divine Goodneſs, and Truth, I am /et or appointed, 2 Tim, 1. 11, £70, apreacher, or a publick officer to proclaim and make it known. p And am immediately called by Chriſt, and ſent out upon that employ- ment. q I call Chrift to witne(s that I ſpeak nothing bur what I know to be true. It is a Phraſe hath, if not the form, yet tie force of an oath, and was neceſſary in this caſe z for it was not cate tO perſwade the Fews, that God had ſent any to reveal the way of valvation to ths Geniles, r And my ſpecial Province was to teach theC pentiles, AS 9.15. & 26, 17. Gal, 2,7, 8,9. and to inftirud them in the Doctrine of Faith and 7ruth : or I was et faithiully and truly to inſtruct the Gennes,
* lifting up holy hands t, without wratn %, and doubt-
ing w.
s This is one Precept that I give thee in charge 2: to the mana-
en meet together
ways infallibly obtains its efteQ, 7/ul, 115. 3. thus he declares, My |gery of the affairs of the Church, that wherever !! _
Chap. 1
"tis ſaid, in the Text, that God wil! have all men to be ſaved, and to come +
5 For * there is one God, and * one mediator between , ſain | &Ats k The Apoſtle proves the univerſal love of God to men by two rea. #p
bellious Subje&s. And the parallel between the Unity of God, and the
F all, | fe) be teſti- " C:;
m *Ayri\vlegv. The word here tranſlated Ranſom, is very empharical. 2 Tz, It ſignifies the exchanging of Condition with another, the laying dow! 1. 12, This our Saviour has done for ns. 1he} Or, 1 Scripture diſcovers to us, that by Nature we are the children of wrath,an [itn guilty of many rebellious ſins, and devoted to Eternal Death; being in * £pl.l this deplorable ſtate, the Son of God moved by his Divine Love un-g, 1c,
| Gen,3.6,
I 5! f the Gal,
. ; x Mal 8 I will therefore that men pray * every where 5,,..,
(
110
1 Cor,
9+ 24s EMH. 5,
' Gen- 1,
1-& 2,18, Cor. 11,
»
' ia
to worſhip God, whether in Houfes built for that purpoſe, or in more
Chap. I.
L TIMOTHY.
common houſes, or any other place, (for the time is now come when there is no ſpecial command for one place more than another, no ſpe-