Gospel Reconciliation, Chapter 33
CHAP. 33. Of Gods Reconciling the world to himſelfe.
THE next point being the ſeventh propounded in the firſt chapter is: That God was Reconcileng the [World] to himſelfe. So the text Saith; and ſo the Point is. That God hath been reconciling the [World] to himſelfe. This which we have in the text heer it is the very ſame in effect with that we have in John. 3.16. So God loved the [World] that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoſoever beleeved in him ſhould not periſh but have Everlaſting life.
The world you wil ſay; how is that? did God reconcile al the world, to himſelfe?
No, we are therefore to underſtand this ſaying here as an indifinite Propoſition, and not as if it were an univerſal Propoſition; and the right underſtanding of this difference between an univerſal, and an indefinite propoſition is of great use to us, both in this, and many other points of divinity. An Univerſal Propoſition, is that, that ſpeaketh ſo of the general, as it includes every particuler under it, An indefinite Propoſition, doth but ſpeake of the general, and not include every particuler under it, but only many. As thus. If one ſhould ſay, that ſuch a man teacheth al the Children in ſuch a Towne; we do not mean that there is no perticuler Child that is not thaught, for there are infants there; and there are perhaps ſome that are not taught at al; but we mean thus; that he teacheth, thoſe Children that are taught; there is none that he excepteth but if they come to him, he wil teach them, he is there ready, and ſtands prepared to teach them; and in this ſenſs he may be ſaid to teach al the Children in the Town; that is; there is a genneral propoſition without a particuler reſtriction, though every individual is not contayned in it. This now is an Indefinit propoſition, or ſpeech. But when we Say a general propoſition, then we ſpeek of al particulers none at al can be excepted, But muſt come under that propoſition: and this wil help us much in other Points of divinity. As in the promiſe: I will be thy God and the God of thy Seed. We muſt underſtand this Promiſe by the way of an indefinite propoſition, and ſo al underſtand it that underſtand it aright. Many that underſtand not the difference between theſe two, think they have a ſtrong objection, and ſay; This promiſe cannot be made of the godly, for then the Children of the Godly would be godly too. No, it is not an Univerſal propoſition that includeth every particular, but an indefinite one; that is thus. God, promiſeth to be the God of his people, and of their ſeed; that is, he wil ſhew mercy to their Seed, rather then to the Seed of others, and he wil rather draw the line of Election through their Loyns then through the Loyns of others, he wil take them, not every particular of them, but take them indefinitly, and not reveal which of them he wil take; whether this Perſon, or that Perſon individually; But he ſpeaks indifinitly; and his meaning is, that thoſe that are the Seed of his people ſhall be brought into a neerer Pale; into a neerer limit of Gods Grace, then the Seed of others, and he wil be gratious to their Seed, rather then to others. And ſo here, God ſaved the World, and reconciled the World, the propoſitions are to be underſtood alike, indefinitely; not that he loveth, or reconcileth every individual Perſon in the world Even as he is the God of the Seed of the Saints. It is not to be underſtood that he is the God of every particular one of them; he is pleaſed to expreſs himſelf thus indefinitly, and not generally.