grace of God should taste death for every man;' there only the good and profit of them for whom he died is intended, not enforcing the necessity of any commutation. But why this exception should prevail, I see no reason, for the same preposition being used in the like kind in other causes doth confessedly intimate a commutation; as Rom. ix. 3. Where Paul affirms that he could wish himself accursed from Christ vπèρ Tāν adελøŵv,' for his brethren,' that is, in their stead, that they might be united to him; so also, 2 Cor. v. 20. úno Χριστοῦ πρεσβεύομεν 'we are ambassadors in Christ's stead; so the same apostle, 1 Cor. i. 13. Asking, and strongly denying, by way of interrogation, μὴ Παῦλος ἐσταυρώθη ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν, 'was Paul crucified for you?' plainly sheweth that the word vè, used about the crucifying of Christ for his church, doth argue a commutation or change, and not only designs the good of them, for whom he died: for plainly, he might himself have been crucified for the good of the church, but in the stead thereof he abhorreth the least thought of it. But concerning the word avrì which also is used, there is no doubt, nor can any exception be made, it always signifieth a commutation and change, whether it be applied to things or persons; so Luke xi. 11. öpię ȧvrì ixovos, 'a serpent instead of a fish ;' so Matt. v. 38. ¿plaλμòs ávrì ¿plaλμov, ‘an eye for an eye;' so Heb. xii. 16. and for persons, Archelaus is said to reign ἀντὶ Ηρώδου τοῦ πατρὸς, Matt. ii. 22. • instead of his father.' Now this word is used of the death of our Saviour; Matt. xx. 28. The Son of man came' Souvai τὴν ψυχὴν αὑτοῦ λύτρον ἀντὶ πολλῶν, which words are repeated again; Mark x. 45. That is, to give his life a ransom in the stead of the lives of many; so that plainly, Christ dying for us as a surety, Heb. vii. 22. and thereby and therein bearing our sins in his own body, 1 Pet. ii. 24. being made a curse for us, was an undergoing of death, punishment, curse, wrath, not only for our good, but directly in our stead: a commutation and subrogation of his person in the room and place of ours, being allowed and of God accepted. This being cleared, I demand, first, whether Christ died thus for all? That is, whether he died in the room and stead of all, so that his person was substituted in the room of theirs? As, whether he died in the stead of Cain and Pharaoh, and the rest, who long before his death were under the power of the se

cond death never to be delivered? Secondly, Whether it be justice that those, or any of them, in whose stead Christ died, bearing their iniquities, should themselves also die and bear their own sins to eternity? Thirdly, What rule of equity is there or example for it, that when the surety hath answered and made satisfaction to the utmost of what was required in the obligation, wherein he was a surety, that they, for whom he was a surety, should afterward be proceeded against? Fourthly, Whether Christ hung upon the cross in the room or stead of reprobates? Fifthly, Whether he underwent all that which was due unto them, for whom he died? If not, how could he be said to die in their stead? If so, why are they not all delivered? I shall add no more but this, that, to affirm Christ to die for all men is the readiest way to prove that he died for no man, in the sense Christians have hitherto believed, and to hurry poor souls into the bottom of Socinian blasphemies.

CHAP. XI.

The last general argument.

OUR next argument is taken from some particular places of Scripture, clearly and distinctly in themselves holding out the truth of what we do affirm: out of the great number of them I shall take a few to insist upon, and therewith to close our arguments.

The first that I shall begin withal, is, the first mentioning of Jesus Christ, and the first revelation of the mind of God concerning a discrimination between the people of Christ, and his enemies; Gen. iii. 15. I will put enmity between thee (the serpent) and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed.' By the seed of the woman is meant the whole body of the elect, Christ in the first place as the head, and all the rest as his members; by the seed of the serpent, the devil, with all the whole multitude of reprobates making up the malignant state in opposition to the kingdom and body of Jesus Christ. That by the first part, or the seed of the woman, is meant Christ with all the elect is most apparent for they in whom all things, that are here foretold of the seed of

the woman, do concur they are the seed of the woman (for the properties of any thing do prove the thing itself): but now in the elect, believers, in and through Christ, are to be found all the properties of the seed of the woman; for, for them, in them, and by them, is the head of the serpent broken, and Satan trodden down under their feet, and the devil disappointed in his temptations, and the devil's agents frustrated in their undertakings: principally and especially this is spoken of Christ himself, collectively of his whole body, which beareth a continual hatred to the serpent and his seed. Secondly, By the seed of the serpent is meant all the reprobate, men of the world, impenitent, unbelievers.

For, first, The enmity of the serpent lives and exerciseth itself in them; they hate and oppose the seed of the woman, they have a perpetual enmity with it, and every thing that is said of the seed of the serpent belongs properly to them.

Secondly, They are often so called in the Scripture; Matt. iii. 7. O generation of vipers,' or seed of the serpent; so also, Matt. xxiii. 33. So Christ telleth the reprobate Pharisees, 'ye are of your father the devil, and his works ye will do;' John viii. 44. So again, the 'child of the devil;' Acts xiii. 10. That is, the seed of the serpent; for he that committeth sin, is of the devil;' 1 John iii. 8. These things being undeniable we thus proceed. Christ died for no more than God promised him unto, that he should die for; but God did not promise him to all, as that he should die for them, for he did not promise the seed of the woman to the seed of the serpent, Christ to reprobates, but in the first word of him, he promiseth an enmity against them; in sum, the seed of the woman died not for the seed of the serpent.

Secondly, Matt. vii. 33. I profess unto you I never knew you;"Christ at the last day professeth to some he never knew them; Christ saith directly that he knows his own whom he layeth down his life for;' John x. 14. 17. And surely he knows whom and what he hath bought; were it not strange that Christ should die for them, and buy them that he will not own, but profess he never knew them? If they are bought with a price, surely they are his own? 1 Cor. vi. ult. If Christ did so buy them, and lay out the price of his precious blood for them, and then at last deny that he ever knew them, might they not well reply, Ah Lord! was not thy

soul heavy unto death for our sakes? Didst thou not for us undergo that wrath that made thee sweat drops of blood? Didst thou not bathe thyself in thine own blood, that our bloods might be spared? Didst thou not sanctify thyself to be an offering for us as well as for any of thy apostles? Was not thy precious blood by stripes, by sweat, by nails, by thorns, by spear, poured out for us? Didst thou not remember us, when thou hungest upon the cross? And now dost thou say, thou never knewest us? Good Lord, though we be unworthy sinners, yet thine own blood hath not deserved to be despised. Why is it that none can lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? Is it not because thou diedst for them? And didst thou not do the same for us? Why then are we thus charged, thus rejected? Could not thy blood satisfy thy Father, but we ourselves must be punished? Could not justice content itself with that sacrifice, but we must now hear, Depart, I never knew you? What can be answered to this plea, upon the granting of the general ransom, I know not.

Thirdly, Matt. xi. 25. 'I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because 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.' Those men, from whom God, in his sovereignty, as Lord of heaven and earth, of his own good pleasure, hideth the gospel; either in respect of the outward preaching of it, or the inward revelation of the power of it in their hearts, those certainly Christ died not for. For to what end should the Father send his only Son, to die for the redemption of those, whom he for his own good pleasure had determined should be everlasting strangers from it, and never so much as hear of it, in the power thereof revealed to them. Now that such there are our Saviour here affirms, and thanks his Father for that dispensation, at which so many do at this day repine.

Fourthly, John x. 11. 15, 16. 27, 28. This clear place, which of itself is sufficient to evert the general ransom, hath been a little considered before, and therefore, I shall pass it over the more briefly. First, That all men are not the sheep of Christ is most apparent. For, first, He himself saith so, ver. 26. 'Ye are not of my sheep.' Secondly, The distinction at the last day will make it evident, when the sheep

and the goats shall be separated. Thirdly, The properties of the sheep are, that they hear the voice of Christ, that they know him, and the like, are not in all. Secondly, That the sheep here mentioned are all his elect, as well those that were to be called, as those that were then already called; ver. 16. Some were not as yet of his fold,' of called ones, so that they are sheep by election and not believing. Thirdly, That Christ so says that he laid down his life for his sheep, that plainly he excludes all others. For, first, He lays down his life for them as sheep; now that which belongs to them as such, belongs only to such. If he lays down his life for sheep as sheep, certainly he doth it not for goats, and wolves, and dogs. Secondly, He lays down his life as a shepherd; ver. 11. Therefore for them as the sheep: what hath the shepherd to do with the wolves, unless it be to destroy them? Thirdly, Dividing all into sheep and others, ver. 26. he saith, He lays down his life for his sheep;' which is all one as if he had said he did it for them only. Fourthly, He describes them for whom he died by this, his Father gave them to him; ver. 29. as also chap. xvii. 6. Thine they were, and thou gavest them me:' which are not all, for whatsoever the Father giveth him cometh unto him, and he gives unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish; ver. 28. Let but the sheep of Christ keep close to this evidence, and all the world shall never deprive them of their inheritance. Farther to confirm this place add Matt. xx. 28. John xi. 52.

Fifthly, Rom. viii. 32-34. The intention of the apostle in this place is to hold out consolation to believers in affliction, or under any distress; which he doth, ver. 31. in general, from the assurance of the presence of God with them, and his assistance at all times, enough to conquer all oppositions, and to make all difficulty indeed contemptible by the assurance of his loving-kindness, which is better than life itself; if God be with us, who shall be against us? To manifest this his presence and kindness, the apostle minds them of that most excellent, transcendent, and singular act of love towards them, in sending his Son to die for them, not sparing him, but requiring their debt at his hand; whereupon he argues from the greater to the less, that if he have done that for us, surely he will do every thing else that shall be requisite. If he did the greater, will he not do the less?