Chrift, whereby the purposes of God, the promises of the covenant, and the falvation of men, were to be accomplished; in which the wisdom, love and grace of God are fo much difplay'd; his holiness and juftice, truth and faithfulness, so much concern'd, fhould, in any respect, be thought to be in vain, is an unreasonable conclufion. In answer to this it is faid, "That all thofe acts of divine grace, whose effect depends upon the will of man, or which are offered to him upon conditions which he may perform or not, are, through man's wickedness, too oft done and offer'd in vain, as that imports "their being done and offer'd without any benefit man re-. ceiveth by them." And then inftances are produced, of the law and ordinances of God, his fatherly corrections, the gospel, and the miniftry of it by Chrift and his Apostles, being often in vain. But what are all these things to the purpose? Does it follow, that becaufe corrections are fometimes in vain, and the external ministry of the word and ordinances have been in vain, that therefore the death of Chrift may be, in any respect, in vain? Does the effect of it depend upon the will of man, or is it ever offer'd upon conditions to men? to fuggeft any thing of this kind, must be in Whitby; p. 199. Edit. 2. 194. jurious jurious to and highly reflect upon the fufferings and death of Chrift. This learned writer affirms, that "to fay indeed Chrift died to no purpose, or to no good end, is a great abfurdity; but to fay he died in vain eventually for them who will not repent or believe in him, is none at all." But furely to die in vain for any, is to die to no purpofe, or to no good end with respect to them; and therefore if to die to no pur pofe, or to no good end, is a great abfurdity, to die in vain must be so too; for to what purpofe or good end can Chrift die for those, for whom he died in vain? Befides, the Apostle represents Chrift's dying in vain as a great abfurdity, when he fays, If righteoufness came by the law, then Chrift is dead in vain. And with equal ftrength of argument it may be faid, if men can be faved without the death of Chrift, or any are not faved for whom Chrift died, then is he dead in vain with refpect to them. b II. Another argument or objection against general redemption is, "That a general will that all men fhould be faved, carries fome marks of imperfection in it, as reprefenting God wishing fomewhat which he would not accomplish; whereas Infinite Perfection can with nothing but what it can execute, and a Whitby, p. 200. Ed. 2. 195. Gal. ii. 21. I if if it be fit for him to wish it, it must be fit for him to execute it." The answer to it is, That "this objection advances a metaphyfical nicety against the clearest revelations of the holy fcripture, P. lxxxi. 12, 13. If. xlviii. 18. Deut. xxxii. 29. If. v. 4, 5. Matt.xxiii. 37. Luk. xix. 42.." I reply, Ic will be allow'd, that God fometimes wishes that to be done by others, which he himself does not think fit to execute; but then wishing is to be afcribed to him only in a figurative and improper fenfe, and is only expreffive of what, if done, would be grateful and well-pleafing to him, but not of what is his proper will and determination should be done, in which fenfe the paffages referr'd to are to be understood; and befides, they regard not the fpiritual and eternal falvation of all mankind, only the civil and temporal welfare of the Jewish nation, as has been fhewn in the first part of this performance, and fo are not appofite and pertinent to the cafe before us. It should be proved, that there is in God a general will that all men should be faved, or that he any where wishes for and defires the falvation of all the individuals of mankind. For God to will or with the falvation of all men, and intend the death of Chrift for that purpose, and yet not fave all men, is inconfiftent with Witby, p. 201. Ed. 2. 196. the the perfection of his nature, and the immutability of his counfel. Nor is this argument, that God wills not what he fees not fit to execute, attended with thofe dreadful confequences as are fuggefted, as "That God is not willing any fhould obey his will who' doth not obey it; that he is notunwilling any? one fhould fin whom he reftrains not from it, and that he is not willing any one should repent who doth not repent." Since God's commanding and approving will is one thing," and his determining will another; in the forMer fenfe God wills what he does not fee t to execute; it is what he commands and approves of, that men fhould obey his will, abstain from fin, and repent of it, when he' does not fee fit to give 'em grace to enable "'em to do these things; but God never wills, that is, determines any thing, but he fees fit to execute, and does execute it. Befides, it's one thing for God to will and wish, that is, command and approve, what is entirely man's duty to do, tho' he does not fee fit to give him grace to execute it, which he is not oblig'd to do, and another thing to will and with the falvation of all men, which entirely depends upon himself, and which, if he did wifh, he would furely fee fit to execute. d Whitby, p. 201. Ed. 2. p. 196 I 2 III. Ano e III. Another argument taken notice of is, "That if Chrift died for all men, and all are not faved, the wisdom of God muft be defective and imperfect; for, to fall short of what a man intends, argues a deficiency in point of wisdom." The meaning of which is, That if God intended the death of Chrift for the falvation of all men, and all are not faved, his intentions being fruftrated, there must be a deficiency of wisdom in the case, which is by no means to be afcribed to the all-wife Being; it should therefore seem rather, that God never intended the death of Chrift for the falvation of all men. To this it is answer'd, That, " if this be fo, then every prince, parent, master, neighbour, or schoolmafter, who cannot make their fubjects, children, fervants, friends, or fcholars, as good as they intended they should be, must be deficient in wisdom.” To which may be reply'd, That the inftances are very impertinent, fince it is not in the power of a prince, a parent, a master, a neighbour, a fchoolmafter, to make thofe with whom they are concern'd as good as they would have them to be; and fo it is no impeachment of their wisdom, that their good intentions do not fucceed when they have taken wife and proper methods, but their Whitby, p. 202. Ed. 2. 197. |