Ans. 1. A notable avravákλaois, or eminent inversion of the word world, in this place, was before observed: like that of chap. i. 10. He was in the world,' or on the earth, a part of it,' and the world was made by him,' the whole world with all things therein contained, and the world knew him not,' or the most of men living in the world. So here, by the world, in the first place, that part of the world wherein our Saviour conversed, hath the name of the whole assigned unto it. In the second, you may take it, for all and every one in the world, if you please (though from the text it cannot be enforced); for the prime end of our Saviour's coming was not to condemn any, but to save his own, much less to condemn all and every one in the world, out of which he was to save his elect. In the third place, they only are designed, whom God sent his Son on purpose to save, as the words eminently hold out. The saving of them, who then are called the world, was the very purpose and design of God in sending his Son. Now that these are not all men, but only believers of Jews and Gentiles throughout the world, is evident: 1. Because all are not saved, and the Lord hath said he will do all his pleasure and his purpose shall stand. 2. Because the most of men were at the instant actually damned: did he send his Son that they might be saved? 3. Because Christ was appointed for the fall of some; Luke ii. 34. and, therefore, not that all and every one might be saved. 4. The end of Christ's actual exhibition and sending in the flesh, is not opposite to any of God's eternal decrees, which were eternally fixed concerning the condemnation of some for their sins. Did he send his Son to save such? Doth he act contrary to his own purposes, or fail in his undertakings? The saved world, is the people of God, scattered abroad throughout the world.

John iv. 42. and 1 John iv. 14. with John vi. 51. (which was before considered) are also produced by T. M. in all which places, Christ is called the Saviour of the world.

Ans. 1. Christ is said to be the Saviour of the world, either, first, Because there is no other Saviour for any in the world, and because he saves all that are saved, even the people of God (not the Jews only) all over the world; or, secondly, Because he doth actually save all the world, and every one in it. If in this latter way, vicisti Mr. More; if in the former

μévwμev woteρ kouev, 'we are still where we were.' The urging of John xii. 46. 'I am come, a light into the world,' in this business, deserves to be noted, but not answered. The following places of John iii. 16. 18. 1 John ii. 1, 2. have been already considered some other texts are produced, but so exceedingly wrested, strangely perverted, and so extremely useless to the business in hand, that I dare not make so bold with the reader's patience, as once to give him a repetition of them.

And this is our defence and answer to the first principal argument of our opposers, our explication of all those texts of Scripture, which they have wrested to support it: the bottom of their strength being but the ambiguity of one word. Let the Christian reader try all things, and hold fast that which is good.

CHAP. IV.

Answer to the second general argument for the universality of redemption. THE second argument wherewith our adversaries make no less flourish than with the former, is raised from those places of Scripture where there is mention made of all men, and every man, in the business of redemption. With those bare and naked words, attended with swelling vain expressions of their own, they commonly rather proclaim a victory, than study how to prevail. Their argument needs not to be drawn to any head or form, seeing they pretend to plead from express words of Scripture: wherefore, we shall only consider the several places by them in this kind usually produced, with such enforcements of their sense from them, as by the ablest of that persuasion have been used. The chief places insisted on are, 1 Tim. ii. 4-6. 2 Pet. iii. 9. Heb. ii. 9. 2 Cor. v. 14, 15. 1 Cor. xv. 22. Rom. v. 18.

For the use and signification of the word all in Scripture, so much hath been said already by many, that it were needless for me to insist upon it. Something also to this purpose, hath been spoken before; and that abundantly sufficient to manifest, that no strength of argument can be taken from the word itself, wherefore I shall apply myself only to

the examination of the particular places urged, and the objections from them raised.

The first and chief place is, 1 Tim. ii. 4. 6. God will have all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth; Christ gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.' Hence they draw this argument; Rem. act. synod.

'If God will have all men to be saved, then Christ died for all; but God will have all men to be saved, and come to the knowledge of the truth; therefore Christ died for all men.'

Ans. The whole strength of this argument, lies in the ambiguity of the word all; which being of various significations, and to be interpreted suitably to the matter in hand, and the things and persons whereof it is spoken, the whole may be granted, or several propositions denied, according as the acceptation of the word is enforced on us. That all, or all men, do not always comprehend all and every man that were, are, or shall be, may be made apparent by near five hundred instances from the Scripture. Taking then all and all men, distributively, for some of all sorts, we grant the whole; taking them collectively for all of all sorts, we deny the minor; viz. that God will have them all to be saved. To make our denial of this appear to be an evident truth, and agreeable to the mind of the Holy Ghost in this place, two things must be considered: 1. What is that will of God, here mentioned, whereby he willeth all to be saved. 2. Who are the all, of whom the apostle is in this place treating.

The will of God is usually distinguished into his will intending, and his will commanding, or rather that word is used in reference unto God, in this twofold notion: 1. For his purpose, what he will do. 2. For his approbation of what we do, with his command thereof. Let now our opposers take their option, in whether signification the will of God shall be here understood, or how he willeth the salvation of all. If they say he doth it, voluntate signi, with his will commanding, requiring, approving, then the sense of the words is this: God commandeth all men to use the means whereby they may obtain the end, or salvation, the performance whereof is acceptable to God, in any or all; and so it is the same with that of the apostle in another place, God commandeth all men every where to repent.' Now if this be the way whereby God willeth the salvation of all here mentioned,

then certainly those all can possibly be no more, than to whom he granteth and revealeth the means of grace: which are indeed a great many, but yet not the one hundredth part of the posterity of Adam. Besides, taking God's willing the salvation of men in this sense, we deny the sequel of the first proposition; viz. that Christ died for as many as God thus willeth should be saved. The foundation of God's command unto men to use the means granted them, is not Christ's dying for them in particular, but the connexion which himself by his decree hath firmed between these two things, faith and salvation. The death of Christ being abundantly sufficient, for the holding out of that connexion unto all, there being enough in it to save all believers.

Secondly, If the will of God, be taken for his efficacious will, the will of his purpose and good pleasure (as truly`to me it seems exceedingly evident, that that is here intended, because the will of God is made the ground and bottom of our supplications; as if in these our prayers, we should say only, Thy will be done; which is to have them all to be saved. Now we have a promise to receive of God, whatsoever we ask according to his will; 1 John iv. 22. v. 14. and therefore this will of God, which is here proposed, as the ground of our prayers, must needs be his effectual or rather efficacious will, which is always accomplished); if it be, I say, thus taken, then certainly it must be fulfilled, and all those saved, whom he would have saved. For whatsoever God can do, and will do, that shall certainly come to pass, and be effected. That God can save all (not considering his decree) none doubts; and that he will save all it is here affirmed : therefore if these all here, be all and every one, all and every one shall certainly be saved. 'Let us eat and drink for tomorrow we shall die: who hath resisted God's will?' Rom. ix. He doth whatsoever he pleaseth in heaven and earth;' Psalm cxv. He doth according to his will, in the host of heaven, and among the inhabiters of the earth;' Dan. iv.35. If all then here be to be understood of all men universally; one of these two things must of necessity follow; either that God faileth of his purpose and intention, or else that all men universally shall be saved: which puts us upon the second thing, considerable in the words, viz. who are meant by all men, in this place.

By all men, the apostle here intendeth all sorts of men indefinitely living under the gospel, or in these latter times, under the enlarged dispensation of the means of grace. That men of these times only, are intended, is the acknowledgment of Arminius himself, treating with Perkins about this place. The scope of the apostle, treating of the amplitude, enlargement, and extent of grace, in the outward administration thereof under the gospel, will not suffer it to be denied. This he lays down as a foundation of our praying for all, because the means of grace, and the habitation of the church, is now no longer confined to the narrow bounds of one nation; but promiscuously, and indefinitely extended unto all people, tongues, and languages, and to all sorts of men amongst them, high and low, rich and poor, one with another. We say then that by the words, all men, are here intended, only of all sorts of men, suitable to the purpose of the apostle, which was to shew, that all external difference between the sons of men is now taken away: which ex abundanti we farther confirm by these following reasons:

First, The word all, being in the Scripture most commonly used in this sense (that is, for many of all sorts), and there being nothing in the subject matter, of which it is here affirmed, that should in the least measure impel to another acceptation of the word, especially for a universal collection of every individual, we hold it safe to cleave to the most usual sense and meaning of it. Thus our Saviour is said to cure all diseases, and the Pharisees to tithe Tav λáxavov, Luke xi. 42.

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Secondly, Paul himself plainly leadeth us to this interpretation of it for after he hath enjoined us to pray for all, because the Lord will have all to be saved, he expressly intimates that by all men, he understandeth men of all sorts, ranks, conditions, and orders, by distributing those all into several kinds, expressly mentioning some of them, kings and all in authority.' Not unlike that expression we have Jer. xxix. 31. Nebuchadnezzar carried away all the people captive to Babylon, Zedekiah the king, and the queen, and the eunuchs, the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, the carpenters and the smiths.' Where all the people, is interpreted to be some of all sorts, by a distribution of them into the several orders, classes, and conditions whereof they were.