Jesus Christ was not in his oblation and suffering, when he brake the head of the father of the seed, a public person in their room.

Secondly, Christ as a public person representeth only them, for whose sake he set himself apart to that office and employment, wherein he was such a representative; but upon his own testimony which we have, John xvii. 19. he set himself apart to the service and employment, wherein he was a public person for the sakes only of some, that were given him out of the world, and not of all and every one; therefore he was not a public person in the room of all.

Thirdly, Christ was a surety as he was a public person; Heb. vii. 22. But he was not a surety for all: for, first, All are not taken into that covenant, whereof he was a surety, whose conditions are effected in all the covenanters as before. Secondly, None can perish for whom Christ is a surety, unless he be not able to pay the debt; therefore he was not a public person in the room of all.

Fourthly, For whom he was a public person, in their rooms he suffered, and for them he made satisfaction; Isa. liii. 5, 6. But he suffered not in the stead of all, nor made satisfaction for all: for, first, Some must suffer themselves, which makes it evident that Christ did not suffer for them; Rom. viii. 33, 34. and, secondly, The justice of God requireth satisfaction from themselves to the payment of the utmost farthing.

Fifthly, Jesus Christ, as a public person, did nothing in vain, in respect of any for whom he was a public person; but many things which Christ as a public person did perform, was altogether in vain and fruitless in respect of the greatest part of the sons of men, being under an incapability of receiving any good by any thing he did, to wit, all that then were actually damned; in respect of whom, redemption, reconciliation, satisfaction, and the like, could possibly be no other than empty names.

Sixthly, If God were well pleased with his Son, in what he did as a public person in his representation of others (as he was, Eph. v. 2.), then must he also be well pleased with them, whom he did represent, either absolutely or conditionally : but with many of the sons of men, God, in the representation of his Son, was not well pleased, neither absolutely nor conditionally, to wit, with Cain, Pharaoh, Saul, Ahab, and others,

dead and damned before; therefore Christ did not as a public person represent all.

Seventhly, For testimonies, see John xvii. 9. Matt. xx. 28. xxvi. 26. 28. Matt. x. 45. Heb. vi. 20. Isa. liii. 12. John x. 15. Heb. xiii. 20. Matt. i. 21. Heb. ii. 17. John xi. 51, 52. Acts xx. 28. Eph. v. 2. 23-25. Rom. viii. 33, 34.

CHAP. V.

The last argument from Scripture answered.

I COME in the next place, to the third and last argument drawn from the Scripture, wherewith the Arminians, and their (as to this point) successors, do strive to maintain their figment of universal redemption; and it is taken from such texts of Scripture, as seem to hold out the perishing of some of them for whom Christ died, and the fruitlessness of his blood in respect of divers, for whom it was shed; and on this theme their wits are wonderfully luxuriant, and they are full of rhetorical strains, to set out the unsuccessfulness and fruitlessness of the blood of Christ, in respect of the most for whom it was shed, with the perishing of bought, purged, reconciled sinners. Who can but believe that this persuasion tends to the consolation of poor souls, whose strongest defence lieth in making vile the precious blood of the Lamb; yea, trampling upon it, and esteeming it as a common thing? But, friends, let me tell you, I am persuaded it was not so unvaluable in the eyes of his Father, as to cause it to be poured out in vain, in respect of any one soul. But seeing we must be put to this defence, wherein we cannot but rejoice, it tending so evidently to the honour of our blessed Saviour; let us consider what can be said by Christians (at least in name) to enervate the efficacy of the bloodshedding, of the death of him, after whose name they desire to be called. Thus then they argue.

'If Christ died for reprobates and those that perish, then he died for all and every one; for confessedly he died for the elect, and those that are saved; but he died for reprobates, and them that perish, therefore, &c.'

Ans. For the assumption, or second proposition of this argument, we shall do what we conceive was fit for all the elect of God to do, positively deny it (taking the death of Christ, here said to be for them, to be considered not in respect of its own internal worth and sufficiency, but as it was intended by the Father and Son, in respect of them for whom he died). We deny then, I say, that Christ by the command of his Father, and with intention to make satisfaction for sins, did lay down his life for reprobates and them that perish.

This then they prove from Rom. xiv. 15. 1 Cor. viii. 11. 2 Pet. ii. 1. Heb. x. 29. Now that no such thing as is pretended is proved from any of the places alleged, we shall shew by the consideration of them in the order they are laid down in. The first is Rom. xiv. 15, 'But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, then walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat for whom Christ died.'

Ans. Had we not experience of the nimbleness of our adversaries in framing arguments for their cause, I should despair to find their conclusion pressed out of this place; for what coherence or dependance, I beseech you, is here to be discerned? The apostle exhorteth strong and sound believers to such a moderate use of Christian liberty, that they do not grieve the spirit of the weak ones,that were believers also (professors, all called 'saints, elect, believers, redeemed,' and so in charity esteemed), and so give them occasion of stumbling, and falling off from the gospel; therefore Jesus Christ died for all reprobates, even all those that never heard word nor syllable of him, or the doctrine of the gospel. Must he not be very quick-sighted, that can see the dependance of this inference on that exhortation of the apostle? But ye will say is it not affirmed, that he may perish for whom Christ died? Ans. In this place there is no such thing at all once. mentioned or intimated; only others are commanded not to do that which goeth in a direct way to destroy him, by grieving him with their uncharitable walking. But why should the apostle exhort him not to do that which he could no way do if he that Christ died for could not perish? Ans. Though the one could not perish in respect of the event, the other might sinfully give occasion of perishing in respect of a procuring cause. May not a man be exhorted from attempting

of that, which yet if he should attempt he could not effect? No thanks to the soldier who ran a spear into the side of our dead Redeemer, that therewith he brake none of his bones. Besides, is every one damned, that one attempts to destroy by grieving him with uncharitable walking? Such arguments as these are poor men of straw; and yet notwithstanding we do not deny, but that many may perish, and that utterly, whom we in our walking towards them and converse with them, are bound to conceive redeemed by Christ, even all being to be thought so who are to be esteemed saints and brethren, as the language of the Scripture is concerning the professors of the gospel; and this is most certain that no one place makes mention of such, to be bought or redeemed by our Saviour, but those which had the qualifications of being members of this visible church, which come infinitely short of all and every one.

But let us see a second place, which is 1 Cor. viii. 10, 11. And through thy knowledge shall thy weak brother perish for whom Christ died.' This seemeth to have more colour, but really yieldeth no more strength to the persuasion, for whose confirmation it is produced than the former. A brother is said to perish for whom Christ died; that by perishing here, is understood eternal destruction and damnation, I cannot apprehend. That which the apostle intimates, whereby it is done, is eating of things offered to an idol, with conscience or regard of an idol, by the example of others who pretended to know that an idol was nothing, and so to eat freely of the things offered to them. That so doing was a sin in its own nature damnable none can doubt: all sin is so, every time we sin; for any thing that lieth in us we perish, we are destroyed. So did the eater of things offered to idols. But that God always revengeth sin with damnation, on all in whom it is, we deny; he hath otherwise revealed himself in the blood of Jesus Christ. That every such a one did actually perish eternally, as well as meritoriously, cannot be proved. Besides, he that is said to perish is called a brother, that is, a believer; we are brethren only by faith, whereby we come to have one Father. As he is said to be a brother, so 'Christ is said to die for him. That a true believer cannot finally perish may easily be proved; therefore, he who doth perish is manifestly declared never to have been

any; they went out from us because they were not of us.' If any perish then, he was never a true believer; how then is he said to be a brother? Because he is so in profession; so in our judgment and persuasion, it being meet for us to think so of them all. As he is said to be a brother, so Christ is said to die for him, even in that judgment which the Scripture allows to us of men. We cannot count a man a brother, and not esteem that Christ died for him; we have no brotherhood with reprobates. Christ died for all believers; John xvii. So we esteem all men walking in the due profession of the gospel, not manifesting the contrary; yet of these that many may perish, none ever denied. Farther, this, so shali he perish, referreth to the sin of him that layeth the offence; for aught that lieth in him he ruins him irrecoverably. Hence see their argument; the apostle telleth persons walking offensively, that by this abusing their liberty, others will follow them to the wounding of their conscience and ruin; who are brethren, acknowledged so by you, and such as for whom Christ died: therefore Christ died for all the reprobates in the world. Is it just and equal, saith the apostle, that ye should do such things as will be stumbling-blocks in the way of the weak brother, at which he might stumble and fall? Therefore Christ died for all. We do not deny but that some may perish and that eternally, concerning whom we ought to judge that Christ died for them, whilst they live and converse with us according to the rule of the gospel.

The next place is much insisted on; viz. 2 Pet. ii. 1. 'There shall be false teachers denying the Lord that bought them, and bringing on themselves swift destruction.' All things here as to any proof of the business in hand, are exceedingly dark, uncertain, and doubtful. Uncertain, that by the Lord is meant the Lord Christ; the word in the original being Stoórns, seldom or never ascribed to him; uncertain, whether the purchase or buying of these false teachers refer to the eternal redemption by the blood of Christ, or a deliverance by God's goodness from the defilement of the world in idolatry or the like, by the knowledge of the truth, which last the text expressly affirms; uncertain, whether the apostle speaketh of this purchase according to the reality of the thing, or according to their apprehension and their pro