The Death of Death in the Death of Christ, Book 3 · Chapter 2
CHAP II.
Containing three other arguments.
IF Jesus Christ dyed for all men, that is purchased and procured for them according to the minde and will of God, all those § I things which we recounted and the Scripture setteth forth to be Arg. 3 the effects and fruits of his death, which may be summed up in this one phrase, eternall redemption, then he did this, and that according to the purpose of God, either absolutely or upon some condition by them to be fulfilled: if absolutely, then ought all and every one, absolutely and unfallibly to be made actuall partakers of that eternall redemption so purchased: for what I pray, should hinder the enjoyment of that to any, which God absolutely intended, and Christ absolutely purchased for them. If upon condition, then he did either procure this a condition for them, or he did not? If he did procure this condition for them, that is, that it should be bestowed on them, and wrought within them, then he did it either absolutely againe or upon a condition; if absolutely, then are we, as we were before, for to procure any thing for another, to be conferred on him, upon such a condition, and withall, to procure that condition absolutely to be bestowed on them, is equivalent to the absolute procuring of the thing it self: for so we affirm in this very businesse: Christ procured salvation for us, to be bestowed conditionally if we doe believe, but faith it selfe, that he hath absolutely procured without prescribing of any condition. Whence we affirme that the purchasing of salvation for us, is equivelant to what it would have been, if it had been so purchasing as to have been absolutely bestowed, in respect of the event and issue. So that thus also must all be absolutely saved: but if this condition, be procured upon condition, let that be assigned, and we will renew our quaere concerning the procureing of that, whither it were absolute or conditionall; and so never rest untill they come to fixe somewhere, or still run into a circle. But on the otherside, is not this condition procured by him, on whose performance all the good things purchased by him, are to be actually enjoyed? then first, this condition must be made known to all, as arg. 2. Secondly, All men are able of themselves to performe this condition, or they are not? if they are, then seeing that condition, is faith in the promises, as is on all sides confest, then are all men of themselves by the power of their own free will able to believe: which is contrary to the Scriptures, as by the Lords assistance shall be declared. If they cannot, but that this faith, must be bestowed on them and wrought within them, by the free grace of God; then when God gave his Sonne to dye for them, to procure eternall Redemption for them all upon condition that they did believe, he either purposed to worke faith in them all by his grace, that they might believe, or he did not? if he did? why doth not he actually performe it, seeing he is of one minde: and who can turn him? why do not all believe? why have not all men faith? or doth he faile of his purpose? if he did not purpose to bestow faith on them all, or (which is all one) if he purposed not to bestow faith on all (for the will of God doth not consist in a pure negation of any thing, what he doth not will that it should be, he wils, that it should not be) then the summe of it comes to this: that God gave Christ to dye for all men, but upon this condition, that they performe that, which of themselves, without him they cannot performe, and purposed, that for his part, he would not accomplish it in them. Now if this be not extreame madnesse, to assigne a will unto God of doing that which himselfe knows, and orders that it shall never be done, of granting a thing upon a condition, which without his helpe cannot be fulfilled, & which help he purposed not to grant, let all judge. Is this any thing but to delude poore creatures? is it possible that any good at all should arise to any by such a purpose as this, such a giving of a Redeemer? is it agreable to the goodnesse of God, to intend so great a good as is the Redemption purchased by Christ, and to pretend that he would have it profitable for them, when he knows that they can no more fulfill the condition, which he requires, that it may be by them enjoyed, then Lazarus could of himselfe come out of the grave? doth it beseeme the wisedome of God to purpose that which he knowes shall never be fulfilled? If a man should promise to give a 1000l, to a blind man upon condition, that he will open his eyes and see, which he knowes well enough he cannot doe: were that promise, to be supposed to come from an heart pittying of his poverty, and not rather from a minde to illude and mock at his misery? if the King should promise to pay a ransome for the captives at Algiers, upon condition that they would conquer their Tyrants, and come away which he knows full well they cannot doe, were this a Kingly act? or as if a man should pay a price to redeeme captives, but not that their chaines may be taken away, without which they cannot come out of prison? to promise dead men great rewards upon condition they live againe of themselves? are not these to as much end, as the obtaining of salvation: for men upon condition that they do believe, without obtaining that condition for them? were not this the assigning such a will and purpose as this to Jesus Christ; I will obtaine eternall life to be bestowed on men, and become theirs by the application of the benifits of my death, but upon this condition that they doe believe, but as I will not reveale my minde and will in this businesse, nor this condition it selfe to innumerable of them, so concerning the rest I know they are no wayes able of themselves, no more than Lazarus was to rise, or a blind man is to see, to performe the condition that I doe require, and without which none of the good things intended for them can ever become theirs: neither will I procure that condition ever to be fulfilled in them; that is, I doe will that, that shall be done, which I doe not onelyonly know shall never be done, but that it cannot be done, because I will not doe that, without which it can never be accomplished. Now whether such a will and purpose as this, beseemes the wisedome and goodnesse of our Saviour, let the Reader judge. In brief, an intention of doing good, unto any one, upon the performance of such a condition as the intender knowes is absolutely above the strength of him, of whom it is required (especially if he know that it can no way be done, but by his concurrence, and he is resolved not to yield that assistance, which is necessary to the actuall accomplishment of it, is a vaine fruitlesse flourish, that Christ then should obtaine of his Father eternall Redemption, and the Lord should through his Sonne intend it for them, who shall never be made partakers of it) because they cannot performe, and God and Christ have purposed not to bestow the condition, on which alone it is to be made actually theirs, is unworthy of Christ, and unprofitable to them for whom it is obtained; which that any thing, that Christ obtained for the sonnes of men should be so unto them, is an hard saying indeed. Again, if God through Christ purpose to save all if they doe believe, because he dyed for all, and this faith be not purchased by Christ, nor are men able of themselves to believe, how comes it to passe that any are saved?
God bestows faith on some, not on others. I reply, is this distinguishing Grace purchased for those some comparatively in respect Answ. of those that are passed by without it? if it be? then did not Christ dye equally for all, for he dyed that some might have faith, not others; yea in comparison, he cannot be said to dye for those other some at all, not dying that they might have faith, without which he knew that all the rest would be unprofitable and fruitlesse: but is it not purchased for them by Christ, then have those that he saved no more to thank Christ for, then those that are damned, which were strange and contrary to Revel. 1. 5. To him that hath loved us, and washed us with his own blood, and hath made us Kings and Priests unto God and his Father &c. For my part, I doe conceive that Christ hath obtained salvation for men, not upon condition if they would receive it, but so fully and perfectly that certainly they should receive it; he purchased salvation, to be bestowed on them that doe believe, but withall faith that they might believe. Neither can it be objected, that according to our doctrine, God requires any thing of men that they cannot doe, yea faith to believe in Christ: for first, commands doe not signifie what is Gods intention should be done, but what is our duty to doe, which may be made known to us, whether we be able to perform it or not: it signifieth no in tention or purpose of God 2. For the promises which are proposed together with the command to believe; they doe not hold out the intent and purpose of God, that Christ should dye for us if we doe believe, which is absurd, that the act should be the constitutour of its own object, which must be before it, and is presupposed to be before, we are desired to believe it: nor secondly the purpose of God that the death of Christ should be profitable to us if we doe believe, which we before confuted: but thirdly onelyonly that faith is the way to salvation, which God hath appointed: So that all that doe believe shall undoubtedly be saved, these two things, faith and salvation being inseparably linked together, as shall be declared.
If all mankinde, be in, and by the eternall purpose of God, distinguished Arg. 4 into two sorts, and conditions, severally and distinctly described and set forth in the Scripture, and Christ be peculiarly affirmed, to dye for one of these sorts, and no where for them of the other, then did he not die for all; for of the one sort hee dies for all and every one, and of the other for no one at all: but first, there is such a discriminating distinguishment among men by the eternall purpose of God, as those whom he loves and those whom he hates. Rom. 9. 11, 12. whom bee knoweth, and whom he knoweth not. John. 10. 14. I know my sheep. 2 Tim. 2. 19. God knoweth who are his. Rom. 8. 29. whom hee did foreknow. Rom. 11. 2. The people whom he fore knew: I know you not Math. 7. 33. so John 13. 18. I speake not of you all; I know whom I have chosen; those that are appointed to life & glory; & those that are appointed to, & fitted for destruction, elect and reprobate, those that were ordained to eternall life, and those who before were of old ordained to condemnation as Ephes. 1. 4. He hath chosen us in him. Acts 13. 48. ordained to eternall life. Rom. 8. 30. Whom he predestinated them he also called, whom he called them he also justified, and whom he justified them he also glorified: so on the other side 1 Thes. 5. 9. God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation: appointed to wrath. Rom. 9. 18, 19, 20, 21. He hath mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth: thou wilt say then unto me, why doth he then finde fault? for who hath resisted his will? nay but oh man, who art thou that replyest against God? shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, why hast thou made me thus? hath not the Potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel to honour and another to dishonour? Jude 4. Ordained to this condemnation. 2. Pet. 2. 12. Made to be taken and destroyed: sheepe and goats Math. 25. 32. John 10. passim: those on whom he hath mercy and those whom he hardeneth Rom. 9. Those that are his peculiar people and children according to promise, that are not of the world, his Church, and those that in opposition to them are the world, not prayed for, not his people, as Tit. 2. 14. John 17. 9, 10. Passim John 11. 51. Heb. 2. 10, 12, 13. Which distinction of men is every where ascribed to the purpose, will, and good pleasure of God: Prov. 16. 4. The Lord hath made all things for himself, even the wicked for the day of wrath: Math. 11. 25, 26. Father I thank thee that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes, even so O Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight Rom. 9. 11, 12. The children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth: it was said unto b…r, the elder shall serve the yonger. Ver 16. 17. So then it is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy, for the Scripture saith unto Pharaoh, even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my Name might be declared throughout all the earth. Rom. 8. 28, 29, 30. Who are called according to his purpose, for whom he did foreknow, he did also predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the first born among many brethren: moreover whom he did predestinate them he also called, and whom he called them he also justified, & whom he justified them he also glorified. So that the first part of the proposition is clear frō the scripture; …ow Christ is said expressely & punctually to die for them on the one side, for his people, Math. 1. 21. His sheep. Joh. 10. 11, 12, 14. His Church, Acts 20. 28. Eph. 5. 25. As distinguished frō the world Rom. 5. 8, 9. Joh. 11. 51, 52 His elect, Ro. 8. 32. 34. His children Heb. 2. 12. 13. As before more at large: whence we may surely conclude, that Christ dyed not for all and every one; to wit, not for those he never knew, whom he hateth, whom he hardeneth, on whom he will not shew mercy, who were before of old ordained to condemnation, in a word for a reprobate, for the world, for which he would not pray. That which some except, that though Christ be said to dye for his sheep, for his elect, his chosen, yet he is not said to dye for them onelyonly: that terme is no where exprest, is of no value: for is it not without any forced interpretation in common sense and according to the usuall course of speaking, to distinguish men into two such opposite conditions, as elect and reprobate, sheep and goats; and then affirming that hee dyed for his elect, equivalent to this, he dyed for his elect onelyonly? is not the sense as clearly restrained as if that restrictive terme had beene added? or is that terme alwayes added in the Scripture in every indefinite assertion, which yet must of necessity be limited, and restrained, as if it were expressely added, as where our Saviour sayeth I am the way, and the life, and the resurrection John 14.—He doth not say, that he onelyonly is so, and yet of necessity it must be so understood, as also in that Col. 1. 19. It pleased the Father that in him should all fulnesse dwell, He doth not expresse the limitation onelyonly and yet it were no lesse then blasphemy to suppose a possibility of extending the affirmation to any other: So that this exception, notwithstanding this argument, is, as far as I can see, unanswerable: Which also might be further urged by a more large explication of Gods purpose of election and reprobation, shewing how she death of Christ was a means set apart and appointed for the saving of his Elect, and not at all undergone and suffered for those, which in his eternall counsell hee did determine should perish for their sinnes, and so never be made partakers of the benefits thereof. But of this more must be spoken, if the Lord preserve us and give assistance for the other part of this controversie concerning the cause of sending Christ.
That is not to bee asserted, and affirmed, which the Scripture doth not any where goe before us in: but the Scripture no where § III saith Christ dyed for all men, much lesse for all and every man, (between Arg. 5 which two, there is a wide difference, as shall bee declared:) therefore this is not to be asserted. It is true, Christ is said to give his life a ransome for all, but no where for all men; and because it is affirmed expressely in other places, that he dyed for many, for his Church, for them that believe, for the Children that God gave him, for us, some of all sorts, though not expressely, yet clearly in termes equivalent, Rev 5, 9, 10. it must bee clearely proved, that where all is mentioned, that, it cannot be taken for all Beleevers, all his Elect, his whole Church, all the Children that God gave him; some of all sorts, before an universall affirmative can bee thence concluded: and if men will but consider the particular places, and containe themselves, untill they have done what is required, we shall be at quiet I am perswaded, in this businesse.