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openly and apparently undervalue, yea, almost annihilate. Hence those expressions concerning it.

First, That by it a door of grace was opened for sinners, where (I suppose) they know not; but that any were effectually carried in at the door by it, that they deny. Secondly, That God might, if he would, and upon what condition he pleased, save those for whom Christ died: that a right of salvation was by him purchased for any, they deny; hence they grant, that after the death of Christ, First, God might have dealt with man upon a legal condition again; Secondly, That all and every man might have been damned, and yet the death of Christ have had its full effect: as also, moreover, that faith and sanctification are not purchased by his death; yea, no more for any (as before), than what he may go to hell withal: and divers other ways do they express their low thoughts and slight imaginations concerning the innate value and sufficiency of the death and bloodshedding of Jesus Christ. To the honour then of Jesus Christ our mediator, God and man, our all-sufficient Redeemer, we affirm such and so great was the dignity and worth of his death and bloodshedding, of so precious a value, of such an infinite fulness and sufficiency was this oblation of himself, that it was every way able, and perfectly sufficient, to redeem, justify, and reconcile, and save all the sinners in the world, and to satisfy the justice of God for all the sins of all mankind, and to bring them every one to everlasting glory. Now this fulness and sufficiency of the merit of the death of Christ is a foundation unto two things.

First, The general publishing of the gospel unto all nations, with the right that it hath to be preached to every creature; Matt. xxviii. 19. Mark xvi. 16. Because the way of salvation which it declares is wide enough for all to walk in: there is enough in the remedy it brings to light, to heal all their diseases, to deliver them from all their evils: if there were a thousand worlds, the gospel of Christ might, upon this ground, be preached to them all, there being enough in Christ for the salvation of them all, if so be they will derive virtue from him by touching him in faith, the only way to draw refreshment from this fountain of salvation. It is then altogether in vain which some object, that the preaching of the gospel to all, is altogether needless and useless, if Christ

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died not for all: yea, that it is to make God call upon men to believe that which is not true, viz. That Christ died for them. For, first, besides that amongst those nations, whither the gospel is sent, there are some to be saved ('I have much people'), which they cannot be, in the way that God hath appointed to do it, unless the gospel be preached to others, as well as themselves. And, besides, secondly, That the economy and dispensation of the new covenant, by which all external differences and privileges of people, tongues, and nations being abolished, and taken away, the word of grace was to be preached without distinction, and all men called every where to repent. And, thirdly, That when God calleth upon men to believe, he doth not, in the first place, call upon them to believe that Christ died for them, but that there is no name under heaven given unto men, whereby they might be saved, but only of Jesus Christ; through whom salvation is preached. I say, besides those certain truths, fully taking off that objection, this one thing, of which we speak, is a sufficient basis and ground for all those general precepts of preaching the gospel unto all men, even that sufficiency which we have described.

Secondly, That the preachers of the gospel in their particular congregations, being utterly unacquainted with the purpose and secret counsel of God, being also forbidden to pry or search into it, Deut. xxix. may from hence justifi, ably call upon every man to believe, with assurance of salvation to every one in particular upon his so doing, knowing and being fully persuaded of this, that there is enough in the death of Christ, to save every one that shall so do; leaving the purpose and counsel of God, on whom he will bestow faith, and for whom in particular Christ died (even as they are commanded), to himself.

And this is one principal thing, which, being well observed, will crush many of the vain flourishes of our adversaries, as will in particular hereafter appear.

A second thing to be considered, is the economy or administration of the new covenant, in the times of the gospel; with the amplitude and enlargement of the kingdom and dominion of Christ, after his appearance in the flesh; whereby all external differences being taken away, the name of Gentiles removed, the partition wall broken down, the promise to Abra

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ham, that he should be heir of the world, as he was father of the faithful, was now fully to be accomplished. Now this administration is so opposite to that dispensation, which was restrained to one people and family who were God's peculiar, and all the rest of the world excluded, that it gives occasion to many general expressions in the Scripture which are far enough from comprehending a universality of all individuals, but denote only a removal of all such restraining exceptions, as were before in force: so that a consideration of the end whereunto these general expressions are used, and at what is aimed by them, will clearly manifest their nature, and how they are to be understood, with who they are, that are intended by them, and comprehended in them. For it being only this enlargement of the visible kingdom of Christ to all nations in respect of right, and to many in respect of fact (God having elect in all those nations to be brought forth, in the several generations wherein the means of grace are in those places employed), that is intended, it is evident, that they import only a distribution of men through all differences whatsoever, and not a universal collection of all and every one, the thing intended by them requiring the one, and not the other. Hence those objections which are made against the particularity of the ransom of Christ, and the restraining of it only to the elect, from the terms of all, all men, all nations, the world, the whole world, and the like, are all of them exceeding weak and invalid, as wresting the general expressions of the Scripture beyond their aim and intent, they being used by the Holy Ghost only to evidence the removal of all personal and national distinction, the breaking up of all the narrow bounds of the Old Testament, the enlarging the kingdom of Christ beyond the bounds of Jewry and Salem, abolishing all old restrictions, and opening a way for the elect amongst all people, called the fulness of the Gentiles, to come in; there being now 'neither Greek, Jew, circumcision, nor uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bond or free, but Christ is all and in all;' Col. iii. 11. Hence the Lord promiseth to 'pour out his Spirit upon all flesh;' Joel ii, 28. Which Peter interpreteth to be accomplished by the filling of the apostles with the gifts of the Spirit, that they might be enabled to preach to several nations; Acts ii. 17. Having received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all

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nations; Rom. i. 5. Not the Jews only, but some among all nations; the gospel being the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth, the Jew and also the Greek ;' ver. 16. Intending only as to salvation, the peculiar bought by Christ, which he redeemed out of every kindred, tongue, and people, and nation; Rev. v. 9. Where ye have an evident distribution of that, which in other places is generally set down; the gospel being commanded to be preached to all these nations; Matt. xxviii. 19. That those bought and redeemed ones amongst them all might be brought home to God; John xi. 52. And this is that which the apostle so largely sets forth; Eph. ii. 14-17. Now in this sense which we have explained and no other, are those many places to be taken, which are usually urged for universal grace and redemption, as shall afterward be declared in particular.

Thirdly, We must exactly distinguish between man's duty and God's purpose, there being no connexion between them. The purpose and decree of God is not the rule of our duty, neither is the performance of our duty in doing what we are commanded, any declaration of what is God's purpose to do, or his decree that it should be done. Especially is this to be seen and considered in the duty of the ministers of the gospel, in the dispensing of the word, in exhortations, invitations, precepts, and threatenings, committed unto them; all which are perpetual declaratives of our duty, and do manifest the approbation of the thing exhorted and invited to, with the truth of the connexion between one thing and another, but not of the counsel and purpose of God in Firespect of individual persons in the ministry of the word. A minister is not to make inquiry after, nor to trouble himself about, those secrets of the eternal mind of God, viz. whom he purposeth to save, and whom he hath sent Christ to die for in particular: it is enough for them to search his revealed will, and thence take their directions; from whence they have their commissions. Wherefore there is no sequel between the universal precepts from the word concerning the things, unto God's purpose in himself concerning persons. They command and invite all to repent and believe; but they know not in particular on whom God will bestow repentance unto salvation, nor in whom he will effect the work of faith with power and when they make proffers and tenders in

the name of God to all, they do not say to all, it is the purpose and intention of God, that ye should believe. Who gave them any such power? But that it is his command, which makes it their duty, to do what is required of them; and do not declare his mind, what himself in particular will do the external offer is such, as from which every man may conclude his own duty; none, God's purpose, which yet may be known upon performance of his duty. Their objection then is vain, who affirm that God hath given Christ for all to whom he offers Christ in the preaching of the gospel; for his offer in the preaching of the gospel is not declarative to any in particular, neither of what God hath done, nor of what he will do in reference to him; but of what he ought to do, if he would be approved of God, and obtain the good things promised. Whence it will follow,

First, That God always intends to save some among them to whom he sends the gospel in its power and the ministers of it being, first, unacquainted with his particular purpose; secondly, Bound to seek the good of all and every one as much as in them lies; thirdly, To hope and judge well of all, even as it is meet for them; they may make a proffer of Jesus Christ, with life and salvation in him, notwithstanding that the Lord hath given his Son only to his elect.

Secondly, That this offer is neither vain nor fruitless, being declarative of their duty, and of what is acceptable to God, if it be performed as it ought to be, even as it is required and if any ask, what it is of the mind and will of God that is declared and made known, when men are commanded to believe for whom Christ did not die? I answer, first, What they ought to do, if they will do that which is acceptable to God. Secondly, The sufficiency of salvation that is in Jesus Christ to all that believe on him. Thirdly, The certain, infallible, inviolable connexion that is between faith and salvation; so that whosoever performs the one shall surely enjoy the other; for whoever comes to Christ, he will in no wise cast out: of which more afterward.

Fourthly, The engraffed erroneous persuasion of the Jews, which for a while had a strong influence upon the apostles themselves, restraining salvation and deliverance by the Messias, or promised seed, to themselves alone, who were

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